davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Russellville Democrat., 1877-08-16
Across the Continent.

We do not find, in the endorse ment asked for by the Texas Pacific Company, anything more than . fair business proposition, to which the assent of the people might readily be given, and to which tie approv al of Congress ought to be extended.
 For more thar thirty years we talked about grand trans -conti- mental thoroughfare that should sup ply the commercial wants of great nation, and make speedy transit from ocean to ocean.
 The Union Pacific is completed, but its line through the mountains is perilous or imIassable one-fourth of the year, and traffic on that comes to a solemn pause In the midst of hy- perborean snows.
 Under these circumstances, the country demands some better way to reach the Pacific coast. The Union Pacific cannot meet the wants of forty millions of people. The whole country demands a measure of this kind, and no better plan has been suggested to secure it. The Govern ment really risks nothing. The South and Southwest should join hands, and act as Q unit to procure the Government guarantee.-St Louis (Mo. Times.
The Russellville Democrat., 1877-08-16
JOHN A. MURRELL.
His Punishment as Horse Thief Halsa Century agO---A Curi- GAS old Document Resur-
 rected.

The following entry was discover cred yesterday Ii a docket of the Circuit Court Of 1925, the leaves of which were yellow with time. The fame of the criminal to whom it has reference extended over every State of the Union, and his daring deeds have been commemorated in prose and verse:
 ssCircuit Court Davidson county, Thursday morning, May p, 1920: the State vs. John A. Murroll-This day came the Attorney General for the State, soicitorial District in the State of Tennessee, and the said John A Murrell was led to the Bar in the custody of the Sheriff of Da- vidson county, whereupon came jury of good and lawful men to-wit, Egbert Haywood, Henry Lille, Mic ayah Fly, Wm. II. Nance, Brent Spencer, Jordan Hyde, John w. Wright, Phillip Hoover, Newall H. Robertson, Godfrey Shelton, Jona- than Drake and Jno. Nichols, who being elected tried and sworn the truth of and upon the premises to speak, and having heard the evi- dence, on their oath do say that the said Jno. A. Murrell is guilty of horse stealing in manner and form as charged in the bill of indictment; and thereupon 1t being demanded or the said John A. Murrell if any thing for himself hath or knoweth, to say why the court here to judg- ment and execution of and upon the premises should not proceed, he said he had nothing but what he had before said. Whereupon all and regular the premises being seen and fully understood, 1t is considered by the court that said John A. Murrell receive on his bare back, at the pub lie whipping post in Davidson coun- ty, thirty lashes; that he sit Tn the pillory two hours on Monday, two hours on Tuesday, and two hours on Wednesday next; that he be brand ed on the left thumb with the letters 1T. T. that he be imprisoned twelve months from this day, and be rendered infamous, and pay the costs of the prosecutions; and 1t IS ordered that the Sheriff of Davidson county put the judgment as to the whipping into execution immediate ly, and the branding on Wednesday next, in the presence of the court, and the said John A. Murrell is re- handed to jail." l."-Nashville Amer ican.
The Russellville Democrat., 1877-08-16
GAS You Like It."

"Yes we have our trials and tribu- lations, same as other people" an- swered one of the stall-keepers at the Central Market when interview ed the other day. Il for one study human nature, but never interfere with it. Ten minutes ago a hand some and stylish lady got out of her carriage over there, sailed down to my stand, and with all the dignity of queen she asked: "Mr. Beans have you any real nice huckleberies? replied, Madame, have the best lot of ofhuckleberries in the market, and 1 sold her two quarts. Five minutes later another lady came along and called ont; 'Mr. Beans have you any cheap whortleberriesT replied, Madame, have some of the cheapest whortleberries in the world, aud she took four quarts. It's all the same to me, sir, whether they put the ''huckle' or the ''whortle" to .em- my business is to please the public"
The Russellville Democrat., 1877-08-16
THE TAX RECEIPT AND THE
 BALLOT.

The Georgia Constitutional Con invention has adopted the tax paying qualification as prerequisite to voting. A mans tax receipt will therefore be his credentials at the ballot box, and the man who refuses or neglects to contribute his share toward supporting the government will be debarred from exercising the elective franchise. This may at first sight appear to be an encroach- ment upon the inalienable rights of every freeman, but when we come to ~1ook at it in the proper light, there is nothing wrong about it, and all the objections which may be raked up against it will fail to shake the soundness and justice of the meas ure. It is one of the oldest of our preconceived ideas of representative government that taxation and rep resentation go together. The DUTIES of citizenship, among which is his duty to contribute his share toward the support of the government which protects him and his proper ty, are as incumbent upon him as privileges are sacred, and when he refuses to discharge the former he should be denied the latter,-or rather, he forfelts the latter. The State Government are, as it were joint stock companies in which every taxpayer is d stockholder, and he who pays no taxes should be entitled to no voice in controlling the affairs of the company.
The Russellville Democrat., 1877-08-16
- State Teachers Association.

The following announcement has been issued by Hon. Geo. w. Hill, State Superintendent of Public In struction:
 LITTLE RocK, July 24, 1887. The State Teachers Association will be held in Little Beck on the 29th, 30th and 3lst days of August. All teachers attending the Asso- citation will be entertained free of cost.
 The railroads that have respond ed to letters, asking reduced fare for teachers, have given reduction to all teachers coming and returning over the same route.
 All teachers in the State are cor dially invited to attend.
 GEO. w. HILL,
 Pres't State Teachers Asso.
The Russellville Democrat., 1877-08-16
THE NON-SUBSCRIBER.

In olden times, when printing was in It's infancy, and before the tele- graph flashed its fresh news from continent to continent and the rail road accelerated the commerce and traffic of the country to almost light ming speed, it was not so much a matter of wonderment that people refused to subscribe for newspapers. But Tn the present fast age-in these days of the telegraph, the steam press, and of progressive ideas, when all depends upon a man being up to the times, it is strange that any man will be a non-subscrlber. When for the sum of 3 cents per week, the family circle may be sup piled with we'll printed, newsy pa per, it is astonishing that there is a home in the land devoid of at least one paper. Who is tue man then who is a non subscriber? You may know him by his looks, by his drawl and by his bad luck. He IS the man who swaggers into your store, or of flee, and with yawn and a drawl asks; "W hats the n-us-e-| He IS the fellow who comes around with precise regularity and wants to know If you have some old newspapers that you can give "feller." He's the fellow who is always out of luck,- he always sells his wheat little too sool, or holds it little too long. He is the very chap who always gets humbugged by every sharper and
The Russellville Democrat., 1877-08-16
Recent Interesting Law Cases.

The curious notions of law which railroad officials sometimes entertain are we'll exemplified in one of the latest reported decisions ot the Su- preme Court of Massachusetts. The Boston ard Albany Railroad had undertaken to carry a car load Of oats, in bulk, over a certain portion of its line, and in the bill of lading the weight of the oats was stated to be 10000 pounds. When the car reached Springfield, however, the railroad company ascertained that it contained, in fact, 23,667 pounds of oats. The company thereupon took out the excess of 3,667 pounds and forwarded the remainder to the plaintiffs at Northampton, who then brought suit to recover damages for the conversion of the oats thus taken from the car. They were successful, and the judgment against the railroad was sustained on review by the Supreme Court. "Whatever remedy the defendant had for hay ing carried the excess over 10000 pounds" said Judge Endicott, "it was not by appropriating to its own use the plaintiffs property" And the Court went even further, and declared that the taking was unjus- tiiiable, even if tho plaintiffs knew the oats were under billed and did not mean to pay freight for the excess unless It was demanded. A little more knowledge in regard to legal remedies on the part of the officers of business corporations would prevent such occurrences as this, which are much more frequent than is supposed.
The Russellville Democrat., 1877-08-16
How to Make Business.

The really active and thoroughly alive energetic man knows no dull season in business life, for the sim pie reason that as feeling of dttll- ness commences to creep over his nelghbors he begins to look about him and to devise ways and means to make the public cling to, rather than fall away, from hlm. The best adhesive plaster in this instance is printers ink, and as proof of the assertion we point our readers to those business men of the city who are now advertising most freely in the daily papers. If they are mer- chants tbeir stores are always crowded with customers, who come with cash to purchase where they arc informed by the public prints they can lay out their money to the best advantage. The business man who now advertises is in a pros- porous condition-his stock passes from him rapidly, and with the pro- ceeds of the sales he IS able to re- supply himself with goods of the latest styles-his clerks earn their money, and his customers are gratl- fled. The man who does not adver- tise at the commencement of the dull season, lessens his force ot clerks or employees, and those who remain have almost less than noth' ing to do, as the place of business that does not make itself known to the public through the daily papers is as quiet and as little liable to be entered as an undertaker's estahlish- ment Tn a healthy season, The non advertiser, commercially speak Ing, is a dead man-his goods, for want of ready buyers, lay on hls shelves until they become old, rusty and unfashionable, eventually find ing their way to the cheap aution houses, while the proprietor gener- ally bursts or retires from a busl- ness which he did not know how to conduct successfully, and his drop ping out does not create a ripple, for he is not an advertiser, conse- quentIy unknown. Some men may lay tho fattering auction to their souls that they have been too long established in business to require putting" in the papers. That IS just where they are mistaken-no' business becomes so old that vari- able American pubic will respect or sustain it if it's proprictors fail to keep step with the advance of the age. When people want bargains, if they are intelligent, they refer to the advertisements in the city papers, where they always find some live business man talking to them in the strain that will win their support and their custom, which is naturally drawn away from the man who fails to see bonanza in constant and extensive advertising.--Gazette.
The Russellville Democrat., 1877-08-16
No Newspaper Men Wanted.

It appears that, on one occasion, Mir. Schurz moved in the Cabinet of the Fraudulent President to estab fish the rule that no editor or pub fisher of a newspaper should be appointed to any office under the present administrations; and this proposition he is said to have main taincd with pertinacious argument.
 If Mir. Schurz will look into the Constitution and the laws of the country, he will find that there is not one word in them authorizing such prescription against news paper editors or publishers. They are citizens with the same rights as others, and there is no valid reason for putting them under the ban in the manner which Mir. Schurz desires.
 50 far as our experience goes, 1t very rarely happens that newspaper men are willing to take office. Sometimes, however, the case may arise in which it is their duty to lay aside their own occupations, no matter how interesting or how profit able, in order to devote themselves to the service of their country in an official sphere; and whenever one of them can discharge the duties of a
The Russellville Democrat., 1877-08-16
Great Want of the South.

Aside from the need of civil quiet and orderly government among the Southern States and people. the most vital and pressing want now is the early completion of the Texas and Pacific Railroad across the con- tinent; connecting the Pacific ocean with the Mississippi river by diyerg- ing lines at St. Louis, Cairo, Mem phis, Vicks5urg and New Orleans. Some of these diverging lines are already built and ready.
 The Southern and Mississippi and Ohio River Valley States are grow ing restless and impatient over the delay of this great work, and recent moves, in leading quarters, indicate the throbbing of a feyerish and de termined pulse towards the breaking of the present monopoly, and setting the people free in the interests of trans and inter-continental traffic and transportation.
 The South is not only crushed and depressed but it is so with the in dustries in all sections. Let Con- gress aid this road, and the starting point will be gained for the revival of trade and profits all over the land. The experiment has been made, and it is demonstrated that the aid of the Gov ernment, in some moder ate and well guarded form, is nec- essary to build a road across the continent. Private capital and en- terprlse might have accomplished the work before the panic, but the prestige and credit of railroads, as we'll as of every other business en- terprise, Is too severely impaired and shocked to command the needed capital for years to come. If it were an original question, and no prece- dent set, it might be we'll to discuss the policy of Government aid to any public enterprise of the kind, but Government has given by the hun dreds of millions to one section, un- til great preponderance exists in it's favor. We must have some cem- pensative aid for the other section, or justice and equality can never be secured.-Lexington (Ky) Dispatch.
The Russellville Democrat., 1877-08-16
"New MOWn Hay"

A day or two ago family con- taining four ladies halted on Wood ward avenue, near the Holden Road, and one of the females sniiied the air and cried out:
 "Ah, how delicious is the scent of that new mown hayr
 "Ah! an. ahr the rest of them cried out, as they elevated their nos es.
 A man in his shirt sleeves was leaning over the fence, but they did not see him until he cried out:
 "I begs your pardon, ladies, but the old horse fell into the ditch there three days ago and died, and I did not find the body until an hour ago. I've sent a team to haul it away, and am sorry about the smell. Drive along Q little and you'll get windward of the corpse"
The Russellville Democrat., 1877-08-16
The Uppermost Thoughts.

A citizen who was driving horse and carriage on the upper end of Woodward avenue yesterday morn ing wasn't satisfied with his horses rate of speed, and while giving the animal a liberal dose of whip sudden ly discovered that he was being run away with. A forewheel was dished by the curbstone and the man thrown out. As he scrambled up he saw the horse and buggy flying down the avenue like bird, and he cried out as he rubbed hIs praised knee:
 "That's it--she's struck the gait now-now she's settled down to it I'd give a thousand dollars if had a stop watch here to time her"
The Russellville Democrat., 1877-08-16
The New York Times puts in the


 following good word for local papers,
 "You might as we'll forget your churches and school houses as to forget your local paper. It speaks to ten times the audience your minis ters do. It is read eagerly each week from beginning to end. It reaches you all, and if it has a lower spirit aud less wisdom than a ser mon, it has thousand times better chance at you-going, as it does, to almost every house, you owe 1t to yourselves to rally liberally to it's support, exact flom it as able and hightoned a character as you do from any educator in your midst. It is not beneath your notice and care flor it is your representative. In. deed, in its character, it is the con summation of the importance, inter est and welfare of you all. It is the aggregate of your own acquaintance, and you cannot ignore it without most miserably deprecating your. selves"
The Russellville Democrat., 1877-08-16
Weeping after Kissing.

MT. Punch has derived great amusement lately reading the com mcntarics of the sages of the english press on the following passage:
 And Jacob kissed Rachel and lifted up his head and wept.--GEN. xxx, ii.
 The following are the different ex- plantations:
 If Rachel was a good looking girl and kept her face clean, we cannot see what Jacob cried for.-Telegraph.
 How do you know but Rachel slapped his face for kissing her, and he cried in consequences Ladies Treasury.
 Weeping is frequently caused by excess of pleasure, joy and over happiness; perhaps it was so in the case of Jacob.-Hardwick's Science Gossip.
 The reason why Jacob wept was Rachel's refusing to let him kiss her the second timc.-Nonconformist.
 We are of the opinion that Jacob wept because he had not kissed Ra- chel before, and he wept because the time was lost.--City Press.
 The young man wept because the damsel kissed him.--Pall Mall Ga Zette.
 Jacob wept because Rachel cncour- aged him to kiss her twice more ;and he was afraid to do it.--Methodist Recorder.
 Jacob wept because Rachel threat ened to tell her ma.-- Sunday Ga zette.
 He wept because there was but one Rachel for him to kiss.--Clark- enwell news. He wept for joy; it was delicious. Jewish Chronicle. We believe that Jacob wept be- cause Rachel had been eating onions. British Standard.
 We believe that Jacob wept be cause he found that kissing was not half so good as 1t was said to be- New Zealand Examiner.
 A mistake; it was not his eyes but his mouth that watered.--Ladies' Chronicle.
 He was fool, and wept because he did not know what was good for him.--English Woman's Adviser. He wept because it was not time to kiss her again.-Express.
 Peace, all of you! Is there any thing beneath the starry Armament or the golden orb of day, in nature or in art, equal to the first kiss in sweetness and entrancing felicity? Our word for it there is not; and as Jacob had never kissed pretty girl before, his first enjoyment of tn. most delightful pleasure of life fairly overcome him, and he wept for joy and blissfull happiness.--Horsey Hornet.
 Simpletons, all of you! Have you no more appreciation of a good thing about you than do such wild guess ing? Jacob wept because it was all over so puck, and he was afraid he would never get to do it again. TPhaw! The first kiss is but the beginning, and Jacob wept in contem- plation of the fun in store for him. We've been there.-( DeviD.
The Russellville Democrat., 1877-08-16

There is annually imported into the United States from Italy, Sicily, Spain, Portugal, and other Medit. erranean countries, 25,000, 900 pounds of sumach, which is used by all morocco manufacturers. II has just been demonstrated that 1t can be cultivated with profit in California, and in quantities large enough to the home demand. Agricultural socleties are circulating directions for it's culture and treatment.
 It seems to grow we'll in Arkansas and if there is any profitable remnn- eration in it a new industry might be inaugurated in this state by giv- ing some attention to its production here,
The Russellville Democrat., 1877-08-16

trickster who comes along. If every body was just like him where would the support of the press come from? Who would pay for the printing of these "old newspapers" which these non subscribers are forever begging? Though these men manage to live and yawn out an existence without the newspapers, they do not know how much better they would get along if they would subscribe.
The Russellville Democrat., 1877-08-16
Titans and Men.

"Blessed are the meek" exclains the voice of inspiration, but can a man be meek with the consciousness that dreaded monster is consuming his vitals, We are not a race of Iii tans. A Prometheus might stand chained to torturing rock with a vnltnre perpetually gnawing his liy- CT, and his face ever wear an ex- prsssion of heroic and even meek en- durance. But Prone theus has left no descendants. With vultures (dis- ease consuming his liver, the mod ern man makes himself and every one around him miserable. Fretfnl, gloomy, hypochondriacal, he sees the world and life all on the wrong side-the dark side-and whoever dares to assert that there is sunny side, he regards as an enemy, or at best mocker of his imaginary woes.
 Unlike the mythical Titan, the vic- tim of disease is not succorless. There is an arm to rescue-a balm to cleanse and heal As remedies for this most depressing of all dis eases,-"Liver Complaint, "-none are more efficient or popular than Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discov- cry and Pleasant Purgative Pellets. The Pellets effectually remove the effete and poisonous matter, while the Medical Discovery imparts strength and health to the entire system. They are sold by druggists.
The Russellville Democrat., 1877-08-16
An Important Decision.

St. Louis Price Current and Trade Journal.
 Justice Miller has just announced a decision in the Supreme Court of the United States, to the effect that property settled by merchant upon his wife during period of prosper ity, and while he is not involved in debt, is liable to be seized for the benefit of his creditors, if he subse- quently goes into bankruptcy-pro vided that the original purchase be made with money diverted from his trade. The opinion was delivered by Justice Miller last Saturday, and will have an important bearing upon proceedings in bankruptcy. Prop erty not taken from mans business may be vested in his wife and held by her, free from liability on ac- count of the husbands future debts.