davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10
The Jersey Ctay Explosion.

New York, May 9.-.The magazine
in Jersey City Heights, which cxplod-
cd Saturday night, contained about
5000 barrels of "Rend Rock Powder
and seven kegs Of common blasting
powder. Twelve or thirteen tunnel
men came from the direction of Ho-
boken and went up the ''iIundrea
steps; : after they reached the top OF
the hill the report of pistol was
heard. Soon after an explosion oc-
CURED. The iron door of the maya
zine was found two miles distant
yesterday.
In relation to the terrible car acci-
dent at the same place last night the
engineers theory is that the expio-
sion of Saturday night caused dis
arrangement of the battery and the
jar of the car being driven on the
la form caused a vibration of the
wire and rang the alarm.
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10

The Presidents message, which we
published yesterday, in reply to a
resolution of the House inquiring
what official business he had transac.
ted away from the seat of Govern
ment, is a mastcrly state paper. The
resolution was direct insult offered
to the President, wholly without their
legitimate business, and transcribed
their constitutional power, all OF
which General Grant shows most
conclusively. He also, in the data he
transmitted with his message, gave
the most indubitablc proof in great
abundance, by the preccdcnts cstab.
lished in the practice Of all the Pres.
idents, that the official duties of the
nations Executive have in very nu.
merous instances been performed
away from the Capital. 1t was, in
decd, high time that the high-handcd
arrogance and impudencc of the Con-
federate House should receive an
elegant and solid sitting down, and il
got it. The Presidents allusion to
the necessity President Lincoln would
have labored under to transact official
business away from the Capital had
the rebellion succeeded in getting
possession Of it, was the very quint-
essence of caustic satire. Evidently
the President was slightly inclined to
the belief that the time had come in
this instance when forbcarancc ceases
to be a virtue, and chose to put his
foot down very cmphatically.
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10
Custer not u Mariyr-Illness
Of MOrt0n~-A Long Ses-
sion Of Congress.
THE CASE OF CUSTER,

WASHINGTON, May 5.-1'hc state
ment that the President relieved Gen.
Custer from his command because he
was witness i'm the Belknap impeach-
mcnt trial is officially denied. On
the contrary il was the wish of the
President that Gen. Custer having
been subpTnaed as a witness should
remain until he had testified and that
in the meantime the Indian expedi-
ton should be placed under the com
mand of some other officer. Neither
the Secretary of War nor Gen Shcr-
man protested against relieving Gus
ter.
About $2,OOO,000 in silver has been
paid out at tho treasury and SUBJ
treasures since April 10Th.
Morton was quite i'll during last
night, and not until daylight this
morning did he seem TO improve
over the condition he was in when
carried out of the Senate OH ycstcr-
day afternoon after making his per-
sonal explanation. This evening he
is much better, however, and his
friends declare that though he were
sick enough to die, his wonderful will
power would bring him out all right
There seems to be but little doubt
but what Congress will take a recess
during the next week. The Appro-
priation Committee are quite a.vcrse
to this, as q weeks recess is really a
loss of more than weeks time, as
business does not readily start at once
a recess covering the last half OF
juno, or an agreement that no impor-
tant business shall be transacted
seems also certain on account of the
two conventions, and unless by some
extraordinary forcing, final adjourn.
ment can be reached before the Gin
cinnati Convention, old members an
ticlpatc very late session. Many
Democrats say openly this is desired
so as to keep the investigations in
full blast.
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10
WASHINGTON.
How the Impeachment Trial Looks
90 mm Outstder.
snecIalto The Chicago rribnne


WASHINGTON, May 5.--The farther
the impeachment trial progresses, the
more evident becomes the fact that
the managers on the part oft he House
are no match for the brilliant and able
counsel of the impeachcd Secretary.
This is now the universal verdict here
although ii may be Il hasty one, for
several of the managers have not yet
been heard. The victory to-day was
all on the side of the counsel. Car
pcnter spoke for nearly three hours,
laying first strong foundation for
his argument, and then building up
on it q structure at once massive and
symmetrical and picturesque. Moth
ing whatever was said as to the mer-
its Of the case, the discussion being.
confined entirely to the question of
the Senate's jurisdiction. Carpenter
lays down the broad principle that
Belknap is, and was at the time of the
Impeachment, private citizen, and
then he went on to show that there
was no authority TO impeach pri-.
vate citizen. He said il was the Office.
that was impeachcd, not the person.
1t is generally admitted that the
managers have the weaker side and
that the Senate will at once decide
that it has no jurisdiction. The argu-
ments will probably close on Monday
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10

Just so soon as 1t found convenient
place to take the back track. We are
confident that Secretary
Bristow scorncd the course of the
Tribune in regard to Blaine. Genl.
Bristow is Infinitely above and be-
yond any such ungcntlcmanly and dis
honest conduct. We will only add
further, that we admire the original
ity and elegance of diction employed
by that boasted metropolitan journal
the 7ribnnc, in designating the Corn.
Ter as n "onc horse newspaper" Tho
profundity and hightoncd character
of the remark, must have drawn
largely upon the brilliant editorial
talent of the r. ibune and ii must bt
regarded as avery weighty argumcn
touching Gencrsl IIedrick's alleged
completely with crooked whisky par
tics.
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10
aacaasA Heats.

The annual report of the Keokuk
Board of Health shows that for the
year ending April Both, the number
of deaths in that city was Isl. In con-
nection with the report the President
makes the following suggestions:
Pure air is necessary to health,
likewise wholesome food, meat and
milk. 1t is q notorious fact that
many cattle, sheep and hogs are
butchered, and the flesh of the same
placed in the market and sold to in
nocent consumers that is not fit for
such use. Unhealthy and diseased
cattle, sheep or hogs will and do pro-
duce unhealthy and diseased meat.
1t is impossible for consumers to tell
anything about the real condition OF
the animal after il is dressed. The
animal should be examined by COM
petent Judge of stock before it is
slain, and at the time of dressing, and
a penalty attached to any person plac.
ing upon the market the flesh of any
animal without the certificate of said
judge or inspector. There is no doub,
but that milk is vendcd among the
people that is largely adulteratcd
with chalk, water, &c, that is PERM.
cious in its effects, under certain cir
cumstances, especially so when ii is
often the entire food Of infants and
sick persons.
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10
The Dubuque Times of the II

The Dubuque Times of the 7th
inst, in regard to General Hedrick
rs Supervisor says:
Full accounts of the 'scrooked
whisky" trials in Milwaukee serve TO
clear away any cloud that may have
seemed TO rest upon Gen. Hedrick in
connection with that matter. There
were parties who tried TO make mon
cy out of the indicted distillers by
representing that il they had II GER
tain am0unt-at first 100000, then
coming down to $4,000, and finally
$25. .OOO-they could buy off General
Hedrick, or at least induce him TO
wink while the evidence was stolen
from his room. The distillers, before
investing their funds, made careful
inquiries, and satisfied themselves
then and there that the prctense that
llcdrick was for sale was a myth, and
the money demanded Of them would
never reach his pocket, nor benefit
their caiIse. When the full evidence
is read, il is found to bear no inter-
probation but that of vigorous and
unrelenting prosecution of the Offend
ers by Supervisor Hcdrick. The in
cidental statement In yesterdays
Times that a certain note was identi-
fed as being in Hedrick's handwrit-
ing was, as every reader must have
seen, been a slip of the pen it was of
course in the handwriting Of 81. Jo-
mas" whose name was signed to it.
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10
Nj. II. Conference.

BALTIMORE, May 5.-Thc address OF
the Bishops shows 1922 Sunday
schools and 2O7, ,lS2 officers and teach.
ers. The present membership of the
church including l0,923 ministers, is
I,Il ,356; the whole number OF
churches reported in the general
minutes OF 1875 were 1850, whose
total estimated value was sal $50, ,234
being an increase of l,l93 churches
and of $l4,41l,3H in estimated value
The number of parsonages was 5,Ol7
and the estimated value 10, 23l .G2S, be-
ing an increase in the number of par
sonages of 7OS, and of $l,9i4,SH in
estimated value.
The Committee on Indian Bureau
Transfer was announced as follows
Judge Cooley, of Iowa; Clinton b.
Fisk, ST. Louis: Geo. w. Geddes,
Northern Ohio; VIM. Lawrence, Cen
tral Ohio, aud Chas. w. Ramland,
Cincinnati.
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10
The Indians RaIaing ola Ned.

FIR. LAEIMIE, WY, May 6.-The In.
dians run OFF Il head Of horses and
mules from Hnnton's rancho belong.
ing to Col. Bullock, of Cheyenne, and
Mr.. John Hnnton, yesterday. James
HuntOn, brother, was killed and his
body was found eight miles from the
rancho at Goshen Hole and brought
into the rancho last night, by j. II
Owens, of Cheer Springs ranche, and
Little Bat, hunter and scout,
Gwin's OK train and May e. PARROTS
mule train, of Cheyenne, were at.
tackled by Indians on the 2nd inst. i'm
Red Canon. They made strong de-
fence, keeping up running fight for
some time, corralling the trains and
fighting from behind wagons and
teams, finally reaching good point
for natural defence, stopping there
and srcceeded in driving the indians
OIL. One man was wounded badly
and fourteen horses killed.
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10

SENATOR MORTON, this week in the
Senate, arose to personal explana-
nation and right well he did it. Right
in his way lay the necessity of telling
the terrible condition of the Demo-
cratic party in 1923 as to loyalty,
and the brief story he told was most
fearful arraignment Of leading Dem
ocrats Of the past and present in that
State. He showed how, on the 18th
of August 1868, an immense Demo.
cratic mass meeting assembled al
indianapolis, which was called and
controlled in the interest of a conspir-
acy to seize upon the State govern
ment and release some 1900 rebel
prisoners at Camp Morton. That il
failed because its purpose leaked out
and afterwards a large amount OF
arms were seized which had been
collected by the cOnspirators, ant
further that in this conspiracy three
Democratic State officers were con
cerncd.
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10
A m llstang Race.

Within ninety days from the 2nd O
March last, and within one hundred
miles of New York city, on tracl
not yet selected, there is to be mus
tang race against time of three hun.
dred miles, to be performed within
fifteen hours. Relay of mustangs, no
more than thirty in number, are to b,
used, and the whole distance to bt
made is to be rode by one man. Th,
feat is to be performed with all tn,
adjuncts of California saddles, Span.
ish bits and free rein. The wager.
are $4,000 against $4,000.
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10
A River OF Ink

In Algeria there is river of gen.
uine ink. 1t is formed by the union
of two streams, one coming from q
region of fnrrnginous soil and the
other draining peat swamp. The
water of the former is strongly i'm
pregnated with iron, that of the latter
with gallic acid. When the two
waters mingle, the acid of the ono
nnites with the iron of the other
forming true ink. We are familiar
with a stream called Black Brook in
the northern part of New York, the
inky color of whose water is evident.
ly due to like conditions.
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10

The st. Louis Globe Democrat gives
the following as the probable result
OF the first ballot in the National
Republican Convention at Cincinna.
ii: Blaine, 357; Morton, Ill; Conk.
ling, IL; Bristow, 73; Hayes, 50
Hartrantt, So; Scattering 80; Total
752; Necessary to choice, 377.
Should Mr.. Blaine reach that nca,
nomination on the first ballot, il
seems to us he must be nominated on
the second ballot. Though among
the many excellent men talked of
Mr.. Blaine, at this time is our choice
not wholly on account of the splendid
qualities of the man, but on account
of these and his prospects of making
the best race, yet, we can hardly be-
lieye he will show that well upon tho
first ballot. Still we do think he will
SO far lead all his competitors rs tt
win in the course of a few ballots
There is, however, a widespread dis
position to send the best men to tho
convention and to confide to them thu
duty of making a judicious select ton
and for this reason it is impossible t.
forecast the result with any degree o
accuracy.
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10
Cspp,fessed

BosToN. May Sit is reported that
Piper has confessed to the iaurder OF
Mabel Young, and also the Landre-
gan girl, of which he was suspected
at u time, two years ago.
at IS quite certain that Piper was
the assailant Of Mary Tynor, who was
mystcriously beaten July Isl, IA. and
ls now an inmate Of a lunatic asylum.
lie says the murder Of Mabel Young
and Bridget Landregan were prompt-
cd by stimnlants, under the influence
OF which he had an insane desire to
shed blood
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10
IOWA ITEMS.

Cedar Rapids boasts of more Grip
Piles than any city Of equal size in the
Union.
a weekly paper is to be started in
Dubuque to be called the Key CHs
Aygus.
Murphy, the temperance lecturer, il
now holding series of meetings ii
Atlantic, Cass county.
A live stock company has been or.
ganizcd at Malvern, Mills county, for
the purpose Of importing fine stock,
with a capital stock of $4,000.
For some days the post-ofIicc draw
er of the Iowa Life Insurance Com
pany, at Keoknk, has been systematic
cally ratified. There is no clue to the
thief
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10

Class in natural philosophy. Sub
ject, density of bodies" Professor
(who measures over six Ieet to small
sized student: "IfI were in the ali
and falling, and you were directly
under me and also falling, do you
think sir, you could get out Of my
way" "Not il you were coming
down horizontally, SIR" Glass laughs
Professor ditto,
Providence Is at war with hair dye,
and sooner or later Furnishes the man
who uses 1t. "Bill Smalley |" shriek-
ed Kansas belle, suddenly Jerking
her shoulder from under her lovers
head and spilling him ignominionsly
on the floor, 'yon can't make pillcr
of me no more--your hair smells like
old iron films"
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10
storm al Ieayen worth

LEAvENwoRTH, Kansas, May G.--At
halt past o'clock this morning this
vicinity was visited by the heaviest
and most destructive wind storm
Leavenworlh ever experienced. II
had been raining almost necessarily
for sixty hours, and at the time the
wind storm struck town the rain was
still coming down i'm torrents. AT
an early hour in the evening Lightning
began to play across the sky while
the air seemed filed with electricity.
and all night long flashes and reports
followed each other in such rapid
succession that there was an almost
unbrokcn glare of lightning and roar
of thunder. AT 3:5 O'Clock u dense
black cloud was seen in the Western
horizon, and in n few moments there
after swift brcezes came up from the
East which continued not over a
minute. Then there was dead calm.
and the rain fall ceased entirely. Then
begun to be heard the distant torna-
do.
In a moment more the wind struck
us, and il seemed for q time that
everything above ground was doomed
10 destruction. just as the hurricane
struck the city came binding flash
of lightning, with crash of thunder
that made the earth tremble. This.
with the terrific roaring of the wind,
which cannot be likened to ANYTHING
but itself, the crcaking and groaning
of the trembling buildings, the crash
of falling walls and flying timbers
made an exhibition of the fury of
the elements which those who wit
messed will never desire to see re-
peated.
The wind cloud was in funnel shape
with the small end down. 1t moved
with an oscilatory motion from east
to west, rebounding like bombshell
and scattering ruin in its pathway,
whenever it struck the earth. The
loss to the city and county cannot be
less than $l50,OOO, and may reach a
quarter of a million.
The following are some of the most
damaging results of the storm: The
Leavenworth Carpet Factory, with
the machinery, valued at $4,000, to-
tally destroyed. The roof of the Odd
Fellows buildings, one of the largest
Dulluilgs In the city, was torn Off and
the interior of the building ruined
by water. Part of this roof fell on
the agricultural warehouse of Mo-
bitt n Co., crushing that building. and
and another part of it was carried
two hundred feet distant and crush
ed in one end of a large boarding
house, but happily without injuring 9
any of the inmates.
The roof of Lobenstein'
warehouse was blown of. The iron
roof of the Union depot was blown
of; also, a part OF the roof of the
new market house; part of the south
wall Of llaflan's liquor store; part Of
the north wall of the Leayenwoyth
mill and the entire roof of the Har-
mon building. Ten other large houses
are more or less damaged and some
thirty smaller buildings unroofed.
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10

CHICAGO, May S.--A riot occurred
this morning in tho lumber district
in the southern part of this city,
where number of striking lumber
yard employees, who have been at
tempting to coercc the men who con-
tinne work at a dollar and half per
day instead of demanding $l.75, con-
gregated, at an early hour and they
made such violent demonstrations
that the police interfercd and q hand
to hand encounter ensued, during
which several shots were exchanged.
few of which took effect and caused
a stampede among the workmen.
The police arrested considerable
number of the rioters aud restored
quiet.
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10
Chips.

"Let's investigate" is the new for
straight.
IN San Francisco there is one di-
vorce to three marriages.
An Irishman once ordered paint
er to draw his picture and to repre-
sent him standing behind a tree.
This letter was given by Secretary
Cameron to his confidential clerk,
and he presented it TO his friend, the
late Mr.. Mygatt.
An exodus of negroes from Middle
Tennessee toward Kansas is exciting a
good deal Of attention.
An aerOlite, weighing nearly a ton,
is being brought from Chihuahua,
Mexico, to be exhibited among the
cnriosities at the Philadelphia Exhi-
bitiOn.
Mr.. Emerson thinks that men
should trust each other more, and
there seems to be general feeling
hereabOuts that he is the man to open
a small grocery in that section.-NOy-
sCich Bulletin.
"Don't swap with yer relashuns,' .
advises Josh Billings, sunless You kin
afford to give them the big end of the
traid,"
An elderly Wicklow maiden, who
had suffered some disappointment,
thus defines the human race: "Man-
a conglomerate mass of hair, tobacco
smoke, confusion, conccit and boots.
Woman-the waiter, perforce, on the
aforesaid animal.
A postal card was received at the
pOstofiice i'm Rochester the other day
with the following address in Ger
man: "T0 my cousin, who lives four
miles from Rochester on farm of 10
acres, the cars run through his land
and he has 70 red heifers,"
A servant maid was left-handed.
Placing the knives aud forks upon
the dilMor table In the samoa wkward
fashion, her master observed that she
had placed them all left-handed.
"Ah, true indeed, sir, and SO have
would you be pleased to help me turn
the tablc?"
The other day Black Hills stage
driver undertook to horsewhip his
passengers into getting out and pnsll-
ing up hill, but the gold-seckers
emptied their rcvolvers into him a
few times, and held Coroner's in
quest, and found that he died of pneu-
monia. .-Co,vespondeat Omaha Bee.
At LEIPZIG there IL q school reader
printed, now in its eighth stereotyped
edition, which describes Niagara
Falls in one chapter. 1t says of the
cataract that it might be supposed
that It was not navigable, but some
Indians do, in their canoes, venture
over the falls in safety
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10
Anna Dicksmson,s Debut.

BoSToN, May, 9-The debut of Miss
Anna Dickinson upon the theatrical
stage in her own play of '.Crown of
Ihorns, was made last evening i'm
the Globe Theatre. before the largest
audience ever in the building. Miss
Dickinson was greeted with much ap-
planse. Six calls before the curtain
and stack of flowers marked. .Wel-
come A. u" IL the social welcome
be alone considered, her stage advent
was successful, IL other things be con-
siderel il was not.
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10

THE Hon. Geo. G. Wright, of this
State, is reported by Chicago 1sT-
bune reporter to have expressed quite
a strong opinion that, in case none OF
the leading candidates for President
were nominated, General Sherman
would be the man.
Ottumwa weekly courier., 1876-05-10

Crookedness in the Chicago
Pension ONCE.



WAsnINGToN. May S.--Miss Ada O..
Sweet, pension agent at Chicago, tes-
tilted before the Committee on Civil
Service this morning in relation to
the charge of paying money for her
position as agent. She testified that
she was an applicant for the position,
and in consideration of receiving the
appointment agreed 10 pay David
Blakeslcy, pension agent, $2,i0O. and
was directed by him TO pay the money
over to u. III. Campbell, u. s. Mar
shal for that District When she had
paid the $2.l00 she notified Blakeslcy
and Campbell that she had performed
her part of the contract, but Camp
| bell told her that was not correct;
that he had note against Blakesley
for 5000, and she was to pay the
whole of that note. Witness stated
that Campbell is Gen. Babcock's faith
cr-in-law.
| Considerable correspondence passed
between all parties on the subject.
Blakeslcy was also dcfanlter as PEN
sion agent in the sum of $1,000. When
he turned the Office over to Miss
Sweet he turned over to her $31 900.
and induced her to give him receipt
for5 $4,000 to cover up his deficit,
which he promised to refund in q
few weeks. He did not do so, and
when the office was visited by an
official from the Pension Department
Miss Sweet told him the whole story.
The agent told her he would delay
the examination of her office until he
was on his return trip, SO rs to allow
some further time for paying this
deficit. One day after the Minnesota
election, Gen. J. III. Baker, of Mis-
souri,, Commissioner of Pensions,
and Blakesley came into her office and
demanded that the $4,000 deficit be
paid that day, and charged it upon
her rs her own deficit. She went to
Campbell and between them the
amonnt was raised. Campbell gave
her a note for about $500, which
she endorsed and got discounted. and
she raised the balance. On that day
Blakesley and Commissioner Baker
were great friends, and Baker knew
of the arrangement she made with
Blakcslcy. When the President found
out that she was paying out money for
her appointment, he notified her that
a continuance Of ii would be sufficient
cause for removal This was after
she paid the $1,000. She had paid
out so much on that amount that SO
far she received no benefit from her
appointment as pension agent, but
. had run into debt and was stitl be-
hind about $1,000. Baker is now
Surveyor General for Minnesota, and
Blakcly is publishing paper some
where i'm that vicinity. Adjourned,