davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-05-22

&c. O. Warts, Assessor aud Reg.
i>trar of Rapides, in the presen, issue
Of the DEMocRAT, fings his banner
IN Tie breeze, and meaas real bnsi.
ness. Armed With full power of The
;he law, and barked by good will aud
he right Intentions, the public in
.erested in a daal-sovereignty, can
be safely assured that he will make
close connections, and be up to tiMe
"no preventing Providence"
The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-05-22

DO not lose the opportunity of
getting your picture taken while
there is a good chance.
The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-05-22

Mn. and Mrs. Grant, and son
Ulysses, are at present in Paris, and
will rest there for some time.
The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-05-22

CAPTAIN John Poff, we'll known
Red River steamboatman, died at his
home in Indiana, a few days since.
The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-05-22

-MoFFErr, the inventor OF the
new way to collect licenses on whis.
key, is State Senator OF Virginia,
is y middle aged bachelor of excel.
lent Attachments anil agreeable ap.
pearante. He is good speaker aud
an accomplished physician
The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-05-22

AR sharp 10 o'clock this morn.
ing, the Bart. Able leaves for New
Orleans.
The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-05-22

AN appreciative idea Of the fall
OF water, delugel down by Sunday
nights rain, may be imagined when
we inform the public that il amount
ed to 81 inches!
The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-05-22

We return our best renaereiments
to the clerks Of the Texas for o bun
die of New Orleans papers.
The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-05-22

Our usual thanks are due the
clerks of the Bart. Able for New Or
leans papers.
The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-05-22

The river is rising pretty fast
since the floods of last week.
The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-05-22

-PRoE. A. ALBERTs Photographs
give general satisfaction.
The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-05-22

MADAME Eliza Pinkston was not
invited to attend the wedding of
Don Cameron anil the niece Of John
Saerman--she was counted out
through clerical error,
The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-05-22

--ThE world renowned Wilson
Sewing Machine in workmanship is
eqnal to a Chronometer Watch and
as elegantly finished as first-class
Piano. In Alexandria for sale only
by T. Moore Biossat, sole Agent.
The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-05-22

-THE Independent Assumption,
TN her last trip down, made the run
from Shreveport to Alexandria in.
side of 20 hours.
The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-05-22

-THE long established Drug Store
of DR.. Henry St. John, Chymist and
Druggist, still continues to be the
favored resort, where can be pur-
chased, at fair prices, the best aud
purest drugs, medicines, both domes.
tic and foreign, soaps, co ,metics,
cologncs, in fact, all useful niceties
and notions are made speciality. in
his establishment.
The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-05-22
=
PROCEEDINGS

or THE COMMITTEE APPOINTED BY THE
MASS MEETING FOR THE PURPOSE OF AS
CERTAINING THE SENTIMENT OF THE
COMMUNITY IN REGARD TO BUILDING A
CATHOLIC CHURCH.
The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-05-22

-.a (. Z III 3 \ I. r. ri i
A letter was sent 1T. Rev. F. Xavier
Leray, requesting his permission and
appreciation for the building Of Cath
Ollie Church at this place, and that a
"Visiting Priest" be permitted and in
strmted to assist in this measure.
On motion of z. 4. Helloman, Ed.
D.,sher was elected Treasurer.
On motion of D. +. Gorham,
A Committee Of three was appointed
by the Chairman to ascertain where an
eligible lot can be obtained in Harrison
burg, for the purpose Of building .
Catholic Church. D. u. Gorham, z. r.
HollOman and Mrs. j. G. White were
appointed upon the above named Com
mittce.
On motion of D. B. Gorham,
The Committee rendered vote Of
thanks to Rev. Father L. Menard for
the zeal shown by him in this enter
prise.
On motion of D. B. Gorham,
That the Catahoula News be reques-
ted tn publish the proceedings of this
meeting, and that Natchez, Columbia,
Monroe, Winnshorough, Vidalia, Nat
chitoches aad Alexandria papers please
copy.
The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-02-23
FEOyv A BRONZE STATUE Is CAST.

The casting of large piece in bronze is
delicate operation, requiring care and
artistic skill. The making of a plaster
mould from the original model, then a
plaster figure from that mould, and finally
from the figure a sectional mould into
which to run the metal, requires many
weeks of skilled labor. The element Of
luck enters largely into the eliminating
attempt to cast, as flaws in the metal often
cause failures, imposing weeks of additional
labor.
The large box called "Aask," contain
ing the mould, clamped firmly with iron,
was let down with a crane into a cavity,
and flowed over, so that only funnel pro-
truded. This was close to brick furnace,
in which the bronze was heating over
great roaring fire. The metal, as it was
slowly converted into liquid, was closely
observed by the foreman. A glimpse
through an aperture showed it boiling
furiously like water, and so hot that an
iron bar stuck into it became red almost
instantly. When the iron could be with
drawn without any bronze clinging to it,
the compound was deemed ready. An i'm
mense metal bucket, attached to power
full crane, was swung under the end of a
spout, the furnace was tapped and a molten
stream ran out. Sparks flew in every
direction, faces were shielded hastily from
from the heat, the dusty plaster images of
Franklin, the Vanderbilt bas relief and
other relics of previous jobs were made to
glow. The bucket was nearly filed, a
turn of the crank took it over the flask
and the liquid was, by tipping the bucket,
poured into the mould, from which the
suddenly-heated air rushed through the
vent-pipes with noise like escaping steam.
Some Of the bronze stopped over and set
fire to the wood floor, and the water which
quenched the blaze made so much steam
that nothing else could be seen for five
minutes. The casting was perfect.
The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-02-23
HOW GAS WAS FIRST USED.

Great was the amazement ofall England
when at the close of the last century Will
liam Murdoch discovered the use of COM
bustible air or gas. So little was the in
venti0n understood and believed in by
those who had not seen it in use that even
great and wise men laughed at the idea.
"How could there be light without a
wick ?" said a member of Parliament
when the subject was brought before the
House. Even Sir Humphrey Davy ridi-
culed the idea of lighting towns by gas,
and asked one of the proprietors if they
meant to take the dome of St. Pauls for
gas meter Sir Walter Scott, too, made
himself merry over the idea of illuminat-
ing London by smoke, though he was
glad enough, not so long after, to make
his own house at Abbottsford light and
cheerful on winter nights by the use of
that very smoke. When the House of
Commons was lighted by gas, the archi-
tect imagined that the gas ran on fire
thlOuSu tne plpoS, hilu hC, uuelelOIO, III
sisted on their being placed several inches
from the wall, for fear of the building
taking fire; and members might be OBJ
served carefully touching "a pipes with
their gloved hands and wondering they did
not feel warm. The first shop lighted in
London by the new method ives Mr..
Ackerman's in the Strand, in 1910, and
one lady of rank was SO delighted with
the brilliancy of the gas lamp on the
| counter that she asked to be allowed to
take it home in her carriage. Mr.. Muir
doch was, however, too busy with other
pursuits to continue to study the use Of
gas, and though he was undoubtedly the
first to apply it to practical purposes,
many others laid claim to the honor, and
other people quickly reaped the benefit Of
his cleverness and ingenuity. In this he
shared the general fate of inventors.
The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-02-23
MURDER AND SUPERSTITION.

A strange case Of murder, which shows
the fatal effect of superstitious literature
on weak minds, came before the Assizes
of the Haute-Sayoie, France. 1t ap-
peared that on Palm Sunday last widow
named Jordan called on her sister-in-low
during yespers, and asked her to come
in and help her find piece of money she
said she had lost in the hay loft. The sis
ter-in-law consented to do so, and the
couple proceeded to search for the money.
A few minutes, however, had barely
elapsed when the widow Jordan, taking
advantage of the position of her sister-in-
law, as she stopped down to look under
heap of wood, suddenly dealt her fearful
blow on the back of the head with a heavy
log. The woman fell stunned to the
ground. Jordan then knelt on her and
completely smashed her skull to pieces
with large stone. Having committed
the murder, the widow proceeded to the
house Of neighbor, and showing her
hands, red with the blood OF her victim,
exclaimed: 81 have killed Francoise; the
demon will not trouble her any more.
You will find her body in the loft" She
then went to the police station and made
the same statement. Jordan is forty-nine
years of age, and of a superstitious turn
of mind. She denied that she had pre-
meditated the crime. She said she be-
lieved in ghosts and spirits, and had
killed her sister-in-law to evoke the de-
mon. The medical testimony proved that
the prisoners mind had been upset by
reading books on witchcraft and the like,
and that she was not. responsible for her
acts. The jury brought in verdict of
not guilty, and the prisoner was acquitted,
but the report does not say whether the
Judge ordered her to be put in lunatic
asylum.
The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-02-23
THE WELSEH LANGUAGE.

No Welsh is heard in the streets of Car
diff 1t is preached in some pulpits and
spoken in some homes, and the most cul-
tivated burgesses take pride in their
knowledge, be the same more or less, of
the Welsh language and literature; but
for the common uses of life the English
language Of Cardiff as it is of New York.
If the people of Cardiff differ in any
marked respect from those of London and
Liverpool, it may be, perhaps, in GER
tain bright alacrity of manner not alto
gether characteristic of the typical En-
glshman. As for the Welsh language,
even the slight knowledge of beginner
in the study of this noble tongue is sufi-
cient to show that the descendants of the
Cymry are amply warranted in their af-
fectionate pride concerning it. 1t is a
terrible tongue to look at, but it is musi-
cal to hear, having seven vowls, and being
full of soft liquid sounds. 1t is a most
copious language too, containing no fewer
| luun ClSuuy uliOuSduu NOluS, anu IlOm
this fact, with others which the student
early recognizes, it is easy to believe that
it has greater scope for the utterance of
poetical sentiments than the English lam
guage has. The pronunciation is easy and
flowing, so that, with it's many and inces-
sanity recurring vowels, it is an easy
language to sing, much more 50 than the
English, and only second in this respect
to the Italian. A stranger encountering
the name of Ebbw Vale Zone of the fair
valleys near the flowing Usk) might easily
suppose it to be a jaw-breaker of word
to pronounce, but the pronunciation is
ebboo. So with cwrw (beer), pronounced
kooroo. Wherever W occurs in Welsh, it
has the sound of double as in pool.
The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-02-23

The French shore of the Mediterranean
divides into two distinct parts, which
offer strange contrast to each other.
From Genoa to Marseilles all is life and
beauty; "all the world goes" thither for
pleasure or health. From MarseiHes to
the coast of Spain one finds everywhere
solitude and desolation. The latter region
was at one time highly prosperous, but it
has been entirely changed by the immense
quantities of sand and mud brought down
by the rivers. Narbonne, in the time of
the Romans, communicated directly with
the sea. 1t had its lagoon like Venice,
and deep canal afforded passage to
heavy merchant ships and the triremes of
ths Imperial feet. The lagoon is now
blocked up, and commerce, wealth, and
activity are all gone. Aries was another
very important city; it had two parts, like
Alexandria, and was 50 rich and powerful
that poet of the fourth century spoke Of
it as the "Rohfe Of the Gauts." The
Rhone, with its annual seventeen millions
cubic metres of sediments, has been its
ruin. So with other cities; but while
they have become separated from the sea
agriculture is gradually taking possession
of the land won from the water, and the
vine and olive may yet restore part of
the ancient prosperity.
The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-02-23

From the period of the accession of Leo
pold H., Kaunitz retired into private life,
relinquishing hepOrtef feai!'e into the hands
of Count Louis Cobenzl, protege of his
own, and fellow student. of Talleyrand.
At this time the prince had grown strangely
eccentric. Many anecdotes are told Of his
extraordinary manners and speech during
his latter days. The Chevalier Gluck, the
celebrated composer, frequently dined
with Kaunitz. On one occasion the Prince
requested hm to rehearse an opera before
him, but Gluck expressed some hesitation,
as there was no audience Kaunitz, rather
piqued, replied, "MonSieur Gluck, know
that quality is preferable to quantity, l
am myself an audience" The compliment
was at once paid him, with full orchestra.
Prince de Ligne, Who introduced Russian
nobleman to him, overheard him say to the
stranger, 81 advise you to buy my portrait;
for the people in your country will be glad
to see the likeness of one of the most ccle-
brated of men-a man who knows every
thing, hears everything, and understands
everything" He once remarked, "Heaven
takes a hundred years to form genius for
the regeneration of an empire; this makes
me tremble for the Austrian monarchy
after my DEATH" Vanity leveled a great
man but something must be allowed to his
advanced years. The last appearance of
kaunitz in public was owing to the fol-
lowing circumstance: Dining with large
party at the French Embassy, he spread
out before him his famous apparatus for
cleaning the teeth, and commenced to make
use of it with the utmost unconcern. It
consisted of a complete set of instruments,
small linen rags, scrapers, brushes, and
Looking glasses, to examine his mouth,
back and front. Baron de Breteuil, the
Ambassador, Immediately arose, saying to
his guests, "Let US retire, the Prince
wishes to be alone" Kaunitz, who was
then left at the table, used his instruments
in peace, but never again dined from home.
The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-02-23
SAVED FOR GREATNESS.

Madame de Maintenon, who became the
wife Of Louis XIV. of France, and for the
last thirty years Of his life exercised con-
trolling influence over his opinions and
policy, had narrow escape from premature
burial in childhood. Her parents migrated
from France to the Isle of Martinique
when she was ten years old. On the
VOYAGE she was taken i'll, and the sick
ness ended in apparent death. The funeral
rites were over; the last look taken of the
body, about to be dropped into the sea;
cannon was loaded to be fired over the
corpse, when the mother, who was ordin-
arily unloving, insisted on seeing her child
once more. To her surprise, she found the
heart still beating, and, in delrium OF
joy, declared that the child was not dead,
but would recover. The hope, born Of
rapture, proved true prophecy, and the
little girl, 50 nearly given to burial in the
ocean, was spared to become one of the
most distinguished women in French
history.
The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-02-23

ParadoXiCal as it may seem there is
more or less seriousness and disaster in
the jealous pursuit Of Fun. A comic
vein is sometimes developed out of the
depths of grief but not necessarily,
while such an article as Fun-pure and
simpe-with no attendant drawbacks,
seems to be a moral impossibility. The
transaction between the school boys and
the frogs is rather a trite, but is Il
very apt illustration of our philosophical
conclusions. TO the zest of lettering ON
the way home from school-which to the
average youth is better than "cake and
ale"--was added a convenient frog pond,
the tenants of which were basking in
the warmth of II summer morning sun.
The boys enjoyed their brief fun by
pelting the frogs, the latter retiring
more or less damaged to the Shiny depths.
But presto when the birch began to rat
tie upon the truant breeches an element
of discord and unhappiness was intro
duced into the Fun of the thing, and
the frogs were avenged.
1t appears by very recent dispatches
from Princeton College IN. j. that the
light-healted youth of that classic insti-
tute have been developing high degree
Of Fun with about as happy results as at
tended the boys and frogs. A few sport
i've freshmen, it seems, broke into the
sophomores' room, bound the latter to
their chairs, shaved their heads and left
them fast. Now, one may suppose that
that this was all innocent enough, as
shaving the head often becomes sanitary
necessity to relieve the overtaxed brain
and the sophomore brain is very liable tc
be overtaxed as the world well knows
But objections seem to have been raised
by the sophomores, either as to the time
or method of shaving, and pistol-shot.
added cheerfuIness and vivacity to the
tonsorial sport, during which one shaved
soph. was dangerously hit.
1t was only year or two since that
the fun-loving bucks of Cornell Uni
yersity manifested their facotious ten.
The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-02-23

DIXIE. When in 1851 Campbelrs Min
strelS were at Mobile, Dan. Emmett one of
the members Of the company, heard the
negroes sing an air and chorus while rolling
cotton on the levce. He thought it good /;
so by little alteration he arranged it into
what is called walk Around, which al
ways winds up the entertainment of an
Ethiopian concert 1t was a success. In
the spring of i}3l, when the war broke out,
Mrs John Wood went to New Orleans to
play an engagement at the old Varieties
rhea,cr She produced "PoCahontas"
Near the close of the second act there is a
HouaVe march by the ladies of the corps de
ballet. At the rehearsal of the piece the
leader of the orchestra was in quandary
Us TO what music they would have.
Carlo Patti CHE leader could not select
any thing that would suit the stage mana
Quence was that the rehearsal came to a
stand still At length Patti struck up
'DiXIc." 1t suited and was adopted, and
was played with a chorus to the same air
| Dixie took the town by storm; the pianos
rang with it, the boys sang it, and the ne
groes whistcd it. Amusician by the name
Of Romeo Mincra arranged it for a march
for the Washington Artillery Battery, and
from that hour till now all Southern
men and women hail it with delight. Cold
must be the Southern heart that does not
| glow with delight at the sound of "DiXie.
But the composer, Dan. EmMet what OF
| him? Why, he can be found in common
variety saloon at Chicago now playing on
| his fiddle for mere pttance, eking out a
miserable subsistence playing Dixie to
an admiring crowd of newspaper boys,
roughs and beer-jerkcrs.
The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-02-23
NuGHtF SOUNDS.

Every one has noticed how many singu-
lar sounds are heard at night-noises ap-
parently unexplainable, and consequently
mysterious. Many ghost story has
sprung up from an unaccountable noise;
many person terrified beyond measure
by an unexpected sound at midnight. Sir
David Brewster gives an excellent account
of mysterious night sound which would
have frightened many persons, but which
proved innocently harmless when tested
by steady observer. A gentleman heard
a strange sound every night soon after
getting into bed, his wife heard it also, but
not at the time when she retired, little
earlier than he. No probable cause could
be assigned, and the effect upon the mag
ination become rather unpleasant. He
found some time afterward that the sound
came from wardrobe which stood near
the head of his bed. He almost always
opened and closed this wardrobe when un-
dressing, but as the door was little tight
he could not quite close it. The door,
possibly affected by gradual changes 81
temperature, forced Itself open with sort
of dull sound, which was over in an in
slant. From the lady not being in the
habit of using that wardrobe, the mystery
became associated with her husband only
Had they given way to Imagination and
never investigated the affair, another
haunted house would have been added to
the long row already standing.
The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-02-23

denotes by initiating a very promising
young man and fellow-student into one
of the numerous burlesque orders that
prevail in most public colleges. The can
didate was accidentally thrown over
a precipice and killed. 1t is not to be
presumed that any such untoward result
would lead to any change in the forms OF
initiation, as these forms are especially
framed to develop the highest possible
amount of Fun out of the means at hand,
and the public good must never yield to
private convenience.
The unfedged naval heroes of the
Nation at Annapolis last year organized
a perfect carnival of Fun, and for the
time being enjoyed the insurection
against all discipline hugely, but when
they came to be stripped of their official
buttons and lace, and were sent home to
the bosoms of their respective families,
the real Philosophy of Fun became ap-
parent, and then We're discovered serious
drawbacks. Notwithstanding these
drawbacks, each new generation of boys
will in its turn loiter on its way to
school if there chance to be any unfor-
tunate frogs by the wayside, spite Of
birch or ferule, and sophomores will haze
freshmen, and freshmen will shave soph-
omores until the millennium.
The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-02-23

calculation was compared with others.
As throwing light upon the age of sedi-
mentary deposits, the calculations taken,
together with the amount Of matter an
nually brought down in river water in the
form of mud, are extremely interesting,
and the president deduced from them that
the minimum amount of time which must
have elapsed since the first sedimentary
rocks we know of were laid down, is, in
round numbers, five hundred million years,
thus supporting the views of Lyell, Eut-
ton and other geologists as to the immense
age Of the world.
The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-02-23
what Might Rave Been IEeard.

Almost any day during the Centennial knot OF
physicians might have been seen gathered around
the elegant glass case, standing in the Main build
ing, in which Bensons Capcine Porous Plaster
was exhibited, discussing its merits and superior
ity over other porous plasters, and the listener
might have heard words of warm praise fall from
their lips as they spoke of the revolution it would
likely effect in remedies for diseases treated ex
back spinal and kidney diseases sciatica, lUunba-
go, sprainS and bruises and all aches and pains OF
local nature With these opinions the Centen-
nial jurors who were also learned physicians, were
of Benson's Cupcine Plaster the only medal given
to porous pastcrs. To avoid fraud see that the
word Capcine is cut through each plaster Sold
eYeryMhere. Price 25C.