davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-11-01
Stanley's White Companions.

The two companions selected by Mr..
Stanley to accompany him on his long
and adventurous journey through Africa
were two young Englishmen, brothers,
named Francis and Edward Pocock, and
Frederick Barker. In all his letters
from the interior Stanley writes of these
in the warmest terms OF friendship and
o perusal of the letters of the Pococks
shows clearly that this feeling was re-
ciprocated heartily by them. The
melancholy fate of these brave English
men, SO far from their homes and
family, casts shadow over the bright
ness of Stanley's success. All three
have fallen victims to duty, and their
young lives have been tributes to the
cause of science, which their country
men cannot fail to remember. Two lie
in their lonely graves near the south
shore of the Victoria Nyan "a, and the
other in the depths of Congo, in which
river he was lost by being swept over
the falls Of the Massasa on the Sd of June.
Though separated in body by the broad
plains and forests of Africa, brave
spirits such as theirs must dwell in
happy union in the other life. Their
letters from Africa-frst from the two
brothers, and then from the survivor
have attracted considerable attention on
account of the unaffected honesty o.
style and filial piety that characterized
them.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-11-01
A DESPERATE DEFENSE.
Thrilling story of the siege of n Russian
Fort in Asia Minor, as Told by One Of
the Garrison.

Thrilling Story of the siege of n Russian
Fort in Asia Minor, as Told by One of
the Garrison.
One of the most remarkable episodes
of the present war, which, however, has
not as yet received all the attention it
deserves, is the defense of the fort of
Bayezid in Armenia by Russian gar
rison, 5000 strong, against Turkish
army numbering 10000 men. The Mos
cow Gazette gives the following interest
ing extracts from the private journal of
one of the officers of the garrison
"June 10.-The enemy has blockaded
us on all sides, and intercepted the aque-
ducts. One cistern and few bags of
biscuits is all we have to live on. At
night, by the light of the burning
town beneath us, we saw the atrocities
perpetrated by the Kurds on the help
less inhabitants. It was horrible beyond
description. Women and children were
thrust alive into the flames and carried
about tie streets on lances, horribly
mutilated and shrieking with anguish.
The sight was so sickening that one of
our officers was quite overcome by it and
had an attack of brain fever that night.
June 1S-General assault of the Turk
ing towards nightfall. Our rations have
and one glass of water per diem. June
20.-A parliamentary came with sum-
mons for lis to surrender. Our conf
mander answered that being SO much
stronger. the Turks could well try and
take the citadel by storm.
June 26.-Our ration has been further
diminished to a quarter of pound OF
biscuit and two spoonfuls of stagnant,
rotten water. We suffer terribly from
hunger and thirst. After days hard
fighting I am utterly PROSTATE and
scarcely able to write these few words.
June 28.-For two days and two nights
we have been exposed to terrific can
nonade. On the Goth general assault,
which we repulsed, followed by repeated
iniunctions to surrender, to which our
answer was the same as before. July l.
Our ration to-day is one.eighth pound
of biscuit and one spoonful of water.
Starvation is approaching rapidly. I
have seen some of our men cut out
slices of flesh from the half-putrified
carcass of horse and eat them. July
Again summons to surrender, this
time written in Russian by Pole in the
Turkish service, Colonel KomarOff. OF
course our answer remained unaltered.
July I've have repulsed one more as
sault. 1t is the last one. We cannot
hold out much longer. Mines are laid
out to blow up the citadel and the gar
rison. 1t is better so than starve. July
10.--The cannon Never has any music
sounded so sweet to our ears. It is
General Tergukassoff, who comes to save
us. am SO weak that feel utterly I'M
able to write or move finger. But we
are saved.
After the siege had been raised there
remained of the garrison about 1000
men, who were mostly SO utterly worn
out that they had to be carried out of
the citadel. The name of the gallant
commander of this equally gallant gar
rison is Captain Stockvitch.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-11-01
More Telephone Discoveries.

Still another development of the pow
ers of the telephone has been made. An
experiment in New York demonstrated
that the current of one telephone would
divide itself into numerous smaller cur
rents, sufficiently strong for at least six
telephones, a discovery unparalleled in
the science of telegraphy. Connections
were made between the central Office and
six other places in the city, and cornet
played in the central Office was distinctly
heard in the other six offices.
A rather embarrassing discovery was
made the other day. Whilst putting up
new line, the person engaged in the
work accidentally dropped the wire of @
line between a business establishment
and the residence of one of the proprie
tors, and overheard conversation be.
tween an employee, at the place of busi
ness, and the wife of the proprietor, al
home. Fortunately no dangerous secret:
We're betrayed.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-11-01

read. Mr.. Leroy had been trembling Oh
the brink of proposal that very night,
and yet he was engaged to be married.
How dared he mention love to her But
had she been blameless Hadn't she
flirted deliberately with another girls
lover? What disaster had she not
wrought in her mad pursuit of an ad-
miration which she did not value What
should she say to him How could she
send him back? At what expense had
her vanity been fattered? just to prove
that she was attractive like other women,
she had worked this wrong. To be sure,
she had had no experience to guide her.
She had supposed that the boundaries
of Irritation and love-making were more
clearly defined. She had never meant
to make Leroy love her; but, whatever
she had meant, it was all one to his poor
foolish Lizette. Her regrets and self
accusations beset her so sorely that she
was obliged to leave the gay raillery
about her and take refuge upon the ver-
anda, where the shadows hid her and
leaning her head against the lattice,
where the dew-drenched passion-fowers
shook out their sweetness, the hot tears
filled and overfowed her eyes, and sobs
seemed to tear her heart asunder.
"Tears, idle, tears LOUISE" whis-
pered some one whose neighborhood she
had not needed. "Can ] help you
Shall I stay and try"
Nobody can help me, Mr.. North
cote I have done such dreadful thing
1 have-yes, have been flirting with
another woman's lover. She has written
to tell me SOTO beg will send him
back to her. He is all she has, she says.
And II don't care fig for him and
what shall do if he asks me to marry
him, as he may, you know ?"
"As he would have done, If hadn't
arrived in the nick of time, tonight.
"What shall do? How shall send
him back heart-whole ?"
"You would avoid the dreaded ques-
ton, I fancy, if he were to hear to-mor-
row that-that you belonged to some
body else that some one had stolen q
march on him-if he were to hear that
you belonged to me"
ooh, Mr.. Northcote, to you You
don't want to own such a mischief
MAKER
81 want to own you, Louise"
Mr.. Leroy, strolling out from the
smoking-room, was petrified by the
shadow of pair of embracing lovers,
cast by the late rising moon. "Check-
mated, by Jove ~ he muttered, refec-
lively. "No fun hanging about here
any longer. 1 had better go back to
Lizette. ."-HdrDer's Bdzdr.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-11-01
Items OF Interest.

A diffic ult lock to pick-One from a
bald head.
A woman in Ohio recently married her
eighth husband.
Kansas is almost exactly in the center
of the United States.
A householder advertises rooms to let
to gentlemen furnished with gas.
The Forty-ffth Congress contains one
hundred and seventy-five lawyers.
In Los Angeles, CAL, they mash
grapes and feed them out to the bees.
"That's only wedding trip" said the
groom, as he stumbled over the brides
trail.
About thirty-three millions of dollars
of fractional silver have gone into circu-
lation.
At San Antonio, Texas, the citizens
have requested the mayor to allow bull
fighting.
A woman in Polo Pinto, Texas, gave
birth to o child on Thursday, and on the
following Saturday gave birth to two
more.
When man and woman are made one,
the question is: (Which one?" Some
times there is long struggle between
them before the matter is settled.
In many parts of Australia the gradual
disappearance of the natives and their
dogs has led to an immense increase in
the herds of kangaroos.
A grave old man told his son that if he
did not grow less dissipated he would
shorten his days. "Then, dad," said
the boy, "I shall lengthen my nights. "
1t is estimated that over 100000 per-
sons in this country are engaged in the
keeping of bees. This includes farmers
and others who make the production Of
honey portion of their occupation.
The Boston common council recently
resolved, by vote of thirty-six to nine
teen, that no wines, cigars, lager, cider
or mineral water should be furnished at
entertainments or with refreshments
paid for by the city.
San Francisco has the first and the
only endless wire-rope street railways.
The cars stop and start easily, and run
more rapidly than horse-cars. In east
ern cities the frost and snow of winter
would render them useless, but in San
Francisco they promise to entirely su-
persede horse cars.
| She sat upon the parlor lounge,
And William he sat by her,
And neither spoke single word,
But both gaZed in the fire,
At last he clasped her dlmpled hand,
And told her Of his love,
And swore he would be true to her,
By moon and stars above.
He said he could not live without
Before he could say more
Her dad came in, and with club
Enticed him out the door.
A California paper describes the
latest thing out as new horseshoe
made out of three thicknesses of raw
hide, compressed together by heavy
pressure. 1t is said to last longer,
weighs only one-fourth as much as the
common shoes, never splits the hoof,
and has no bad influence on the foot.
1t is SO elastic that the horses step is
never uncertain. This will remind the
farmers who drove cattle and horses
across the plains in early days of the
fact, now almost forgotten, that this is
mo new invention, for the cattle, and
horses, too, were often shod with shoes
made out of buffalo hide, cut from the
neck, where the skin is almost an inch
thick
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-11-01
NO. 81.
An Expeditions Poet.

At social party in Virginia City,
New. saws the Gold Hill Ne,Os, Sam
Davis bet an oyster supper with one OF
the gentlemen that Capt. Jack Crawford
could, in less than four minutes, write
acrostics on the first names of any four
ladies in the room. The four names
were selected and handed to the poet
scout, and in twelve minutes and nine
seconds the following productions were
finished
Esteemed and most bewitching little creature
Truth and honesty see in every trace;
'Tis sweet to watch the sunshine in each feature
And say, may heaven bless your pretty face
Louise, scarce know what to say,
Or how to write fair girl Of you;
Unknown by me until to-day,
I'm sure can't tell what to do,
So strange we meet, so strange we part,
Fen as heart Oft speaks to heart.
Rose, sweet Rose Fairest of your sex
Oh, how sparkle those blue eyes of thine;
Sweet your face, without one care to vex;
Esteemed by all the good and most divine.
Henrietta, fair, bewitching
Ever bright be thy sweet face;
Never may thy life be clouded,
Radiant beams life's pathway trace.
In the future may with gladness
Ever be thy prospects bright,
Till the traces of all sadness
Turn and leave your heart tonight
Anxious. waiting heart, goodnight
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-11-01
A War Romance.

The war correspondent of the London
Times relates this incident of the battle
of Rasgrad AS the Russians began to
waver and their fire to slacken as the
Turks were pressing forward with in
creased vigor, young Russian officer
was seen standing just behind one of
their batteries waving his sword and
boldly encouraging his men to stand
their ground. Over and over again he
rallied the troops who were pouring out
of the trench, but it was OF no use it
was not in his power alone to stem the
tide Of victory. His men, animated by
his example, turned and held their own
for few minutes, but the fire was too
heavy for any human thing to stay and
live. They could not bear it. They fell
on their knees and entreated him to fly,
but not an inch would he stir, and at
last he stood for more than minute alb
solutely alone, save for the dying and
the dead piled in heaps around him.
1t could only end one way amid the
storm of bullets which were raining
around him thick as hail one at last
found its way to that noble heart, and he
fell dead. AS the Turks swept over the
parapet and dashed past the spot where
he lay, the colonel, struck by the boys
extraordinary courage and devotion, gave
orders that he should be decently buried.
In the evening he reported to the COM
mander-in-chief that the body was that
of a girl. l give this most astounding
declaration of the colonel upon the au-
thority of one of the English officers OF
the serdar's staff. who tells me that he
was really present when it was made. 1t
seems almost incredible; but, true Oh
false, no braver heart ever beat than now
sleeps in that little grave on the sunny
slope of Kacelyevo.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-11-01
VOL. VII.
Living on q Farm.

How brightly through the mist Of years
My quiet country home appears
My father, busy all the day
In plowing corn, or raking hay
My mother, moving with delight
Among her milk-pans, silver bright
We children just from school set free,
Filling the garden with our glee
The blood Of life was flowing warm
When 1 was living on a farm.
I heard the sweet church-going bell
As DER the fields its music fell.
see the country neighbors round
Gathering meath the pleasant sound
They stop awhile beside the door,
To talk the homely matters DER
The springing corn, the ripening grain
And chow we need little rain."
IA little sun would do no harm,
We want good weather for the farm.
When autumn came, what Joy to see
The gathering OF the husking bee,
To hear the voices keeping tune,
OF girls and boys beneath the moon,
To make the golden corn-ears bright,
More golden in the yellow light
Since have learned the ways Of men,
often turn to these again,
And feel life wore its highest charm,
When was living on farm.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-11-01
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
The Crop of Potatoes.

Many farmers have large crops of
potatoes that cannot be sold readily.
Now, what is it best to do with them 2
Shall they be sold for what they will
bring, OF is it best to put them in the
cellars? Or in the absence of cellar
room, is it best to cover them in the
field When they can be sold at fair
profit, my advice is to sell them in the
fall but if they cannot be thus sold,
either store them in your cellar or bury
them in the field, and trust to your
chances to be able to sell them during
the winter around home, or to forward
them to market early in the spring,
where there is transportation by water in
April. Canals are of little beneftto pota-
toes growers except in the fall, as they
are not open early enough in the spring.
A great many potatoes can be sold in
villages and large towns during the
mild weather, and they must be sold
before they sprout much, Potatoes are
worth twenty-five cents bushel to feed
to stock-raw to COWS and horses and
cooked with meal for swine.
To buy potatoes in the field, select q
place a little elevated and dig down as
low as You can drain the excavation. 1t
may be two feet, one foot, or but few
inches, according to the drain that
will command it. Suppose that you
have 200 or 800 bushels to bury, the bed
should be made about eight feet wide
and as long as necessary, with the pota-
toes four or five feet deep in the center
When all are in position take long rye
straw and set it against the two sides of
the heap thick enough to shed rain.
Then throw earth against the sides of the
pile six or eight inches thick, but none
at the top where the straw meets, as an
air hole must be left open here till about
the time when the ground may be ex-
pected to freeze, when thick covering
of earth all over must be applied. In
cold climates, as in the Northern States,
this covering should be from fifteen to
eighteen inches thick !; and if the straw
is we'll applied, the potatoes will stand
any weather that may be expected.
This system is better than to put them
into deep pits, as was the custom fifty
years ago.-T. b. Miner.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-11-01

Thirty one miles from Colorado
Springs, starting out by the grand Uta
pass road, is to be found one of the
greatest curiosities Of the continents
grove of mammoth trees in stone, the re-
mains of some extinct forest of primeval
times. These trees lie just on the edge
OF the South park, and are accessible by
good roads. The group first discovered
and best known is natural grove of i'm
mense trees, from fifteen to seventeen
feet in diameter and forty to fifty feet il
circumference.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-11-01
Ont of the World.

Some half-dozen Scotchmen passed
through Duluth. Mimi, recently, on
their way from McKensie's river, which
is 1900 miles to the northwest from
Duluth, and which runs to the Arctic
ocean. They went to that barren coun-
try some ten years ago from the islands
to the north OF Scotland by ship direct
to Hudson's bay, and until they got to
Fishers Landing, on the st. Paul &
Pacific railroad, on Their return, they
had never seen railroad. They knew
nothing about the Franco-Prussian war,
in fact they had been practically out OF
the world.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-11-01
A Brave Russian Generals Origin.

The Skobeleffs have singular origin.
In 1889 the Emperor Nicholas, while at
a review of his whole army, ordered q
General Skobeleff to select the finest
men in the army to form into q body of
imperial guards. In the first regiment
examined, the general came across q
stalwart young soldier, who far surpassed
his comrades in appearance. The soldier
said that his name was Kobeleff, and that
he came from village in the province
of Novgorod. The general, upon hear
ing this reply to an inquiry he had made,
seemed greatly interested, and being
told that it was only the youth of Kobe
leffs that had hindered his advancement
from the ranks, at once gave orders that
he should be made a non-commissioned
officer. That evening General Skobeleff,
at dinner given to the officers of the
regiment to which Kobeleff belonged,
told an anecdote. He said that many
years before, when he was a private
soldier, he was on guard one day at the
Winter Palace. While keeping guard
the empress passed by, and, after
looking at him few moments, asked
him his name. He replied that it was
Kobeleff. "Kobeleff," said the empress;
81 don't like the sound of that name ;
for the future you are to be called Skob-
cleft" From that time the empress
took an Interest in his welfare, and
eventually, through her favor, he be-
came aide-de-camp to the czar. 81 have
only one more remark to make" said the
general, "and that is that the young
fellow whom I raised to be an officer to-
day is the son of the brother 1 left at
home to look after our village home
stead" The nephew took his uncle's
name, and subsequently himself be-
came general. 1t is his son, "Skob-
cleft the younger" who has Just dis
tinguished himself before Plevna.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-11-01

About the most uncomfortable seat
man can have, in the long run, is self
conceit.
The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1877-09-30
what Egypr is worth Co England.

Nineteenth Century: Ii Russia after
the war can obtain possession Of Ar
menia, or Bulgaria, or ROumeia, or
Constantinople itself, aud deems ii for
her interest TO do 30, she will most AS.
suredly not he restrained by any lack
of n precedent for annexation after
conquest. There is not great power
in existence in whose annals she could
not find ample justification il she re.
quired it, and assuredly no reasonable
exception could be taken to her appro-
priation of the fruits OF victory by the
power which holds Gibraltar, Malta
and India. Moreover, there is abso-
lutely no reason why the occupation OF
Egypt should not be undertaken with
the sanction and consent of Turkey
herself The Turks, to do them JUS
tice, care little or nothing about moral
force or International precedents.
What they want is material aid, and
short OF armed assistance, which we
are not prepared to give, the service
they would most value would be pecu-
mary assistance. AT the present crisis
money is the most urgent need of Tur-
key, and there is ground to think that
the porte would gladly transfer its
suzerain right over to England, If we
would purchase the capitalized value
of the reversion of the Egyptian trib.
ute. This tribute in round numbers
amounts to 600, 900 q year, and at thr
ty years purchase its value would be
Ell 100000. AS the tribute, however,
is already mortgaged for the payment
of loans Of 1854 and 1871, amounting to
close upon G9,000,000 is sailable
value can not be estimated
at more than eI2000, 900.
For q sum of half this amount paid
down in cash the porte would be will
ing enough to cede to England the SUI
erainty of Egypt. If | am told that
to give money to Turkey at this mo-
ment would be detrimental to the cause
of Russia, l can only say what we have
to consider are not the interests of Rus
STA any more than those of Turkey, but |
the interests of England.
The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1877-09-30
now


Baltimore Sun California letter. The
aurlierous black sands Of the sea shore
OF northern California have been do.
soribed IN the sun, and lately We de,
sorbed machine that was about being
set up on the beach to test the praotica,
bllity of prottably extracting the ex.
eeedingly fine gold dust from the sand.
Every effort heretofore has been a fail.
ure' There Is gold enough lin those
miles OF ocean sand TO pay the national
debt II this new process proves success,
iuli therefore, the report of this first
practical test is of high national impor,
lance. The fine Concentrations, after A
month's run, gathered twenty tons of
the sands we'll cleanIed of the lighter
parts, which, don't pay so much
that the concentrated tonnage real.
lzed $4,000 or 500 per ton.
The cost of working was $500. Now
machines are being constructed, which
at the same rate will yield 100000 A
month at cost of $1,000. MANY at.
tempts have for years past been made
along one hundred miles OF coast TO
work these shifting tidal sands withN
out success, Now a rush of pro.omp.
tors is expected to stake oil claims on
the shores of California and Oregon.
The sands extend under the ocean far
beyond low water But every tide
and every storm so shifts the paying
points that claim rich to day may
tomorrow be covered with barren
sands. Nevertheless, auriierous ocean
sands may now be considered u new
and permanent source of gold produc.
ton, riyaling and probably excelling
the great ~awiferous gravel deposits
worked by hydraulic washing, la both
it is question of cost IN separating
and gathering small per cent, of gold
dust from an immense body of sand
and gravel.