davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-03-27

The tastes OF the American psopis. a.
shown in their selection OF names f,r
their homes, are peculiar and interest
ing study. The Post Ofics 0aifs."
which gives list Of all the oo4to Hssz
IN the country, furnishes the oooortua-
tty tor some queer comparisons bg aav
one who has the patience 10 make the
necessary Investigations. We have first
a natural speculation as b who selected
the name OF Al, town in Falton conn
y, Ohio, or the name of Alamois. in
Missouri. Indeed, the unique names
are themselves = curiosity. Why. for
instance, should there be only one post.
Office in the United States called Alice
OF Acorn Hill (titles frequent and natur
all, while there are six places called Ava
and ten called Avocaf And why. when
there are twenty Auroras, should there
be only one Rainbow, that in Connect.
cut? Do not q people who select Ark
port, Arkvill and numerous other " ARK"
compounds, Noah and two Ararata. re
member the whole story of the bow Of
promise7 Coming to facts which seem
to show . lack Of invention, OF If least
lszineas that shirks new selections. IL In
noticeable how many towns borrow their
names from the next door. There are
seven hundred and fifty Vests" sfx
hundred Easts," seven hundred aud
eighty Eorths and six hundred
"Souths," and besides these there are
seven hundred ana twenty-one towns
beginning with "New." one hundred
and seventy-fve beginning with "Cen-
ter, " one hundred and forty With Mid
die. 'one hundred and twenty " Littlea
and one hundred and two "Bigs." II
shows something OF the American choice
of language that there are one hundred
and two Big" places and only eight
teen that begin with "Great," While
there are thirty-seven places that bagin
with Gold" there are only four thai
begin with Hot"
In trees the oak has had the greatest
influence. There are one hundred and
eighty places named for it. Those that
follow il are, in order, pine, cedar, ash,
maple, cherry. elm and walnut. "F5r-
est" fxes it's name 10 sixty-six towns; and
while there are sixty-eight Blooms"
there are only four " Blossoms an
other evidence Of choice in words. Ami
mails have had their influence. too.
Reckoning Deer" and "Buck Is
the same, they are most numerous, being
one hundred and five. Next after them
come "Elks," after which there are
seventy-one towns named. The Eagles"
and Beavers each number flfty-four.
After them come wolf and then bear. In
colors, green is far the most abundant:
and after it are white, brown, black and
then blue Ngtura makes a claim In
ninety-two "Gleps, forty-one "Coves,"
four hundred Mounts and one hun
dred and seventy.fve Spring." And
there are one hundred and seventy-ave
Saints"
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-03-27
In the Open Polar Sea.

Captain A. B. Tuttle, the Arctic navi-
gator, from observations made during
several voyages, concludes that during
= considerable part of the year there is
q warm climate within the open polar
sea sufficient TO produce tropical fruits.
In the ice barrier on one of his trips he
found bones and tusks of the mastodon,
which In 1875 he carried to the Centen-
niai at Philadelphia They we're SO
large that some naturalists thought the
animal to which they belonged must
have been forty feet In length. He also
found some hard wood in the shape Of
troughs imbedded in the ice. They
looked like feeding troughs, and the
edges had the appearance of hav-
ing been gnawcd by animals. In
sailing west he struck the north
part OF the coast Of New Siberia,
where he found q race of people that he
thought no one had ever seen before or
heard Of They spoke an unknown
tongue which sounded like Hebrew.
They spoke few words Of Hawaiian and
the Esquimsu language and With these
and the aid Of signs they conveyed the
idea that they came from the north.
BE was little acquainted with the Es-
qaimau language. having passed four
winters with that people, living On rav
walrus. whale blubber and bear meat.
During one of these winters, which was
without daylight, he made journey of
$50 miles in the dark. During his ad-
venturous career he has met with many
disasters, the most serious of which was
an encounter with polar bear. He
had both arms and both legs broken and
lost one finger of bis left hand, another
being so badly lacerated by the teeth
Of the animal that ii Is sadly ont Of
shape. He also lost four ribs, which
were completely torn from his body,
which bears The marks of wounds which
il seems almost incredible that any liv-
ing man could receive and live. The
polar bears attain an incredible size,
some being reported 10 g'eigh as much
as 3, 600 pounds.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-03-27
Paying for vermin.

If q man pays his keepers for vermin
80 much tail, he will very probably
pay for q good deal that has not been
been killed on bis own land. But as
vermin wander a good deal, il they have
been killed in the district. ii comes to
much the same thing. II trappers on
any estate are paid 30 much a head for
what they may capture, they are very
apt to borrow dead vermin from neigh
boring trappers who may be merely paid
wages without any vermin allowance.
There In no better sport than q good
rat hunt, with two or three ferreta aud
g couple of sharp terriers. Some time
ago went over 70 stackyard built near
a small stream; the banks of the stream
we're honey-combed with rats. We put
in the ferrets, and the rats boltad, taking
headers into the stream like frogs. We
had couple of trout landing nets with
long handles. and a. the rata swan down
the stream we ladled them out for the
terriers. Altogether, in stream and
stacks, We killed some thirty or forty
rats, and left them lying about. The
farmer himself happened 10 be away on
that particular day; but after We we're
gone one OF the farm servants collected
Che rats, took them n his master. Who
paid for rats, and got the reward. This
was fair enough. But that same morn
ing these same dead rats we're carried
over 10 . neighboring farm, and the
floor of an old barn was salted With the
dead rats. After dark the man turned
ont with . lantern and some sticks, shut
the door of the barn, and kicked up a
row. The farmer came out to see what
was the matter; the man opened the
door, showed him the straw turned
over. all The rat-holes stopped and a
score or two OF dead rats. He also paid
for them. don't know II these particu.
lar rats earned any more money. But
II any Of the neighboring trappers were
working on tail money, he probably
would have the last pull out of them.
Fifty years ago the black rat (now ex-
tinct) was very common in houses. IL
lived ell over the house" mp stairs,
down stairs. and in my lady's chamber I"
like mice: not like the gray rat, which
IL mostly confined to the drains and
lower story. An old gentleman used 10
pay his son (a mere boyl 30 much tail
sometimes the old gentleman thought
the tails we're little dry and shriveled,
and suspected they were not freeh
caught-in fact. tails that he had seen
before; 30, when produced, he took TO
throwing them In the fire. The boy was
. clever rat-catcher, and the rats we're
getting scarce; 20, when be caught
them, he cut on the tails merely, letting
the old rat 60 10 breed. So much for
paying BY tails l--Ensltsh Paper.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-03-27

DIR. Elsberg lectured In New York on
"The Throat" At the outset he
showed his audience that he had not
come TO talk about cough mixtures and
such abominable practices M wearing
FUR mufiiers about the neck In cold
weather. He took it for granted that
his hearers were men and women pos.
sessed OF common sense, and DESTROYS
to increafe their knowledge of the an
atomy OF the throat and of the mechan-
ism OF its organs. To begin with. he
undertook 10 explain the mechanism of
deglutition or act OF swallowing.
Physiologists, he said, had studied the
mechanism Of the process Of swallowing
for hundreds OF years, and not until
very recently was il fully understood.
The anatomy Of the small voluntary and
involuntary muscles OF the throat we're
exceedingly difficult to study, and until
the invention OF the laryngoscope much
had TO be accepted on mere theory. But
by the aid OF this simple little instru-
ment the whole interior of the throat
could now be explored and as easily
studied as the nose, mouth and eyes.
The workings OF the vocal cords and Of
all the muscles of the larynx used in
speech and song could be seen as dis
tlnctly as the strings of violin and the
fingers of the performer. 1t was curl
Gus 10 study the mechanism Of the cpl
glottis--a switch at the junction of the
windpipe and the gullet, which being
under the control OF nerves which act
with lightning rapidity, leaves the
track open for the air to get TO the
lungs, or upon the notice of hundredth
part OF second flies back and leaves a
passage for the smallest quantity of food
or drink 10 pass into the gullet aud 30
on to the stomach. Mr.. Elsberg thought
that "vocal bands would be a better
name for the muscles known as the
vocal cords, as they were attached on
three sides and free TO vibrate on one
only. He exhibited curious picture
OF pair OF diseased vocal cords which
were 30 affected that they made the
owner speak or sing in two tones at the
same time. This patient was cured by
the help OF the laryngoscope, and was
present in the audience.
The lecturer strongly impressed upon
his audience the Importance OF keeping
their mouths shut except when they had
something of value TO say or something
good TO eat. One man, he said, had not
long ago published a whole volume on
this subject, in which he took the
ground that il human beings would fol.
low the example of the lower animals
and keep their mouths shut they would
be freed from a great many Of the ills
to which the flesh is otherwise heir.
Many diseases Of the throat were
brought on by talking and vulgarly
breathing through the mouth in the
cold open air when the mouth ought TO
be shut; and as for snoring, there was
no excuse for IL. He had once invented
q muzzlo TO be worn by habitual snore r..
Children when first born always breathe
through the mares, which we're the
natural passages. Breathing through
the mouth was an acquired habit, and q
very bad and dangerous one.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-03-27
Chrystai's So xylephenics."
4 Apink-cushion-A rosy cheek,

A pink-cushion--A rosy cheek.
The ink-quell-A piece Of blotting-
paper.
A continual stoning will wear away a
drop.
A blister il NOT the only thing man
has at HE tongues end when he puts
the wrong end Of sigar In his mouth.
A year-old baby with powerful pair
OF lungs Ia often the cause of . dire
don1sstic confiict--a regular Crymean
war, ~ II we're.
The man who l., vas and might have
been iust ~ bad ~ he possibly could
be. becomes worse when he strikes .
neat of wood bee.
When man commences to bore you
By expatiating On metaphysical sub
iect while you are trying 70 write = col.
umn editorial. sou feel III over Ike :
sensitive tooth when dentist i digging
around Il.
We cannot understand Why dentist
persists in aaking questions Of pa
Iient whose mouth i fIIIed with nap
kin. sheet Of rubber. several clamps.
three fingers and that horrible instru.
ment of torture, The revolving drill =
Haoksnsdok Republican.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-03-27
4 Cheap Lightning Rod.

The discovery Of m extremely simple
and cheap means 10 protect houses from
being struck By lightning has recently
been announced In : French agricul-
tural paper. This consists In the use Of
bundles Of straw attached 70 sticks or
broom-handles md placed On the roofs
Of houses in ~ upright position. The
first trials Of this simple apparatus vas
made 81 Tarbes, autes-pyreneea. by
some intelligent agricuIturisgs, and the
results we're % satisfactory thst soon
aflerward eighteen communes OF the
Tarbes district provided al their homes
with these bundles OF straw, and there
have been no accidents from lightning
since IN the district. Probably such
/" protector" would answer ~ well ~
any--iu case the houses we're not struck.
There are good many lightning-roda
that wont bear that test.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-03-27
Flesh as . Fertilizer.

/ Was recently shown grapevine that
promises to cover one side Of the Scots
vile IN. II four-milL The proprietor
stated that the original owner drove to
Rochester forty years ago with the hams
of twenty sheep. but. fancyiug the price
offered too lev, brought them home and
hung them in the attic. A few years
since the present owner found We olden
mutton still unmarketed, and ordered il
buried at . proper distance from the
vine that nov displays such remarkable
vigor. Deceased animals are often used
- fertilizer with satisfactory results,
being Quartered and buried near fruit
trees and vines. The distance Mt which
the roots Of trees will receive such nour-
ishment il with dwarfs from ten to if
teen feet, with standard apples, fifty 10
100 feet, or sometimes further, depend
ing on age and vigor.
Two years ago buried q large dog,
supposed to be affected with hydropho.
bia, eighteen inches deep, near fruit
trees and plants, expecting them 10 be
fertilized thereby. The year following
/ set . row OF monarch strawberries
directly over the place of burial. AL
the plants over the decayed body, and
near 1t on either side, died after repeat-
ed planting; those next nearest were
feeble, but those adjoining these were
vigorous. This was as I had anticipated.
have known large apple trees 10 be
destroyed by the application of fertiliz.
ers In excess. The latter case was where
manure had been composted regularly
On all the soil occupied by the roots. but
not high about the trunk.
The poetry Of fruit-eating il marrsd
By the knowledge that the plants or
trees have been nourished By the de.
eayed bodies of mad dogs and distem.
pered cattle; but the facts of The case
tend TO dispel such sentiments. In
stances are recorded where vegetables
seemed to be favored Extensively BY
odorous fertilizers, but l think such
flavor was received BY actual contact
With the fertilizer, and not by anything
absorbed By the feeding-roots. Flesh
is reduced In natures laboratory to the
pure elements before il in available a.
piant-food. The most economical method
Of utilizing the dead bodies OF animals
would be in burying in the compost
heaps, were IL practicable. Charles A.
Green, Monroe county, NJ Y.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-03-27

A good story II told Of ex-Gov. Ma
Coffin, Of Kentucky, who in q good
talker and likes to do most of the talk
ing himself. Recently. In making the
journey from Cincinnati 10 Lexington,
he shared his seat In the car with q
brighteyed, pleasantfaced gentleman.
The governor, after . few commonplace
remarks, to which his companion smiled
and nodded assent. branched into de-
scription OF the scenes that he had wit
messed In different parts of the country,
grew eloquent over the war, described
with glowing speech the horseraoes be
he had Witnessed, talked learnedly of
breeding. and told thrilling stories of
his battles with the Indians In the
Northwest. The hours slipped rapidly
away. and when the train was nearing
Lexington the two exchanged cards and
parted with cordial shake Of The haEda.
The governor drove 10 an inn. and to .
number OF friends he remarked that the
ride had never seemed 90 short before.
"Then ron must have he'd pleasant
company aboard" "You are right. /
met gentleman Of unusual intelligence.
We conversed III the way over. Inever
wss brought in contact with . more
agreeable man." " Indeed Who was
ne r" asked his friends. "Wait O min
ute; ! have his card" md The governor
felt In HE pockets and produced the BIT
Of paslefoard. " His name II King. I"
/" Not Bob King 2" shouted dozen in
one breath. |" Yes. gentlemen, Robert
King; that Is the way the card reads. I"
was the proud reply. ! roar Of Iaugh-
ter followed. Why, governor, Bob
King Ii as deaf as = post; he was born
deaf and dumb r.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-03-27
Why ChIHamen's Goats Have Five But
fane.


"why does The mantle of our nation
al costume have Ave buttons, neither
more nor lees7 This number was not
fixed upon capriciously nor because OF
fashion. We Chinese wear il solely that
We may keep in sight something 70 re-
mind us of the five principal moral
virtues which Oonfncius recommended
10 Ne 20 earnestly. These are Jen. y,
", tche and SIN that il 10 cay Jen.
humanity y. justice II. order; tohe.
prudence, md in, reetiIude, upright
ness. Ton viii perceive nat humanity
stands before all the ether virtues.
When one has humanity he knows and
feels thai the unfortunate are to be re-
spected ne does not add trouble 30
trouble. sorrow % sorrow OF misfortune
to misfortune"
Why ladies' gloves have six buttons
Neither was our number fixed upnn
capriciousIy. Il reminds IN Of our aix
cardinal principles recommended -
earnestly b. Worth. These IRE alan,
bang, whang. hoo. doo and boo that
i to say, clam, never be out of The
fashion bang, always, II possible. b
The hrat N Il wbanR. darn the expense:
hoo. stick "a lone trains. hiah heeIs. nd
above II. oorsass. Ill they IL you
doc, marry rich and boo. marry any.
how. You vii perceive - boo stands
before III he other principles. Nsss
Yors Graphic.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-03-27
FooIfug the yuggler.

An inquisitive reporter in New York.
has had an interview with Miss Haidee
Heller. half-sister TO the late Robert
Heller, the well-known coniuror. We
make this extract: Robert was very
much interested in all foreign coniuring.
remember on the street In Hong Kong
one day he discovered little. sleepy old
Ohinaman ut q corner doing the ring
trick, and doing ID better than he could
himself. He stopped, paid the China
man to give him 0 lesson, and the fol-
lowing day hunted up the China con-
iurer and showed him combinations and
improvements on his own trick that
made the pigtail on his astonished head
vibrate with admiration"
"And about the Indian jugglers ?"
"I could cell you hundred stories
OF those strange creatures. Robert used
often 10 mystify them and expose their
tricks, to their great rage. We were
lying off some miles away before Mad
ras, on the steamship Sumatra, which
had broken her shaft Just as we left
Madras for Ceylon, when boat put off
from shore with party of natives TO sell
us fruits, and among them was one OF
their most famous men of mystery. He
came ON board, and il twas suggested
that he should perform there.
"Spreading some sand on the deck,
he planted in it a mango seed, from
which he produced mango tree some
eighteen inches high.
Then he did some surprising things
with venomous cobra, which he car
ried rolled in the cloth about his loins.
concluding with very clever trick, in
which two pigeons, one black and one
white, which were made 10 vanish at
viii, to change from one basket to an
other. The captain urged Robert to
do something to bother the man, who
was very conceited about himself.
SO Robert suddenly asked to look at
one OF the pigeons. He took the white
one. With a movement like lightning
he pulled the head of the bird. He
held the head in one hand, the culver
ing. struggling, dying bird in the other,
and then threw them overheard.
The eommotion was frightful. The
poor native shrieked and cursed. and
gave vent to his rage in the choicest
Bengalese.
"The mighty white magician looked
with merry eyes at the juggler's dis
tress. Then when the row was at its
height and I began to feel uneasy about
the issue of the prank, Robert suddenly
raised his hands-oh, those beautiful,
white, woodworking hands. He mys-
teriously beckoned, as il summoning
the dove from its watery grave, and
pointed upward. (No one had looked
overheard after the first dart of the bird
into the water). There was the white
dove circling round and round in the
air in one moment ii alighted on the
bit of carpet before its despondent
owner, unharmed. Curses gave way
t. profound salaams and prayers that
the great white magician might never
die.
"And how did he do it7 Why,
simply by having in his hand one of his
stage properties-a white doves head
which had figured in hundred tricks.
Quick as thought he had turned the
living doves head under his wing. AS
We were so far from land, though set
free. it returned to the ship"
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-03-27

a Portland (0regonl dispatch says:
Information has been received st Lev
iston, Idaho. By messenger from TIE
Lower Weiser. tnat The settlers IN thai
locality, some three weeks previously.
had organized 10 pursue into The Sal
mon River mountains band Of Indians.
who. after being dispersed by General
Howard last summer. had raidsd tiasa
country, driven Of stock, and killed .
man named Mundsy and two others Who
pursued them. They also killed d
Crooks and his companion while sleep
ing IN their camp. md made their escape
into the mountains betveen Payeste md
South Fork, On Salmon river. Three
Indians were reported 70 b returning
toward payetse, whan the settlers CT
eanized 10 intercept them. They pro-
ceedad across % Payette. sDd soon found
signs Of Indians. They quietly r.
connoitered and made : discovery q
their camp. Awaiting favorable oppuze
tunity when al were IN camp NJ -
in he least expecting the near presence
uf the white men. they surprised -
Indians and killed thirty 81 q tbslr
number, and only TO @ thres are
known 10 have escaped death. u -
animation Of The bodies disclosed -
fact ihAt lhey we're Indians who had
been - ~ settlers Il their houses D.
fure The nannoek war. when they Tro
Eresea great friendship for ihe vhiIazz
bnl uho. - ihe fzrsa ontlsreaks g
from he valley and vent II MaIheurz.
and were aflexward knuwn - = 81
1hs huHliieH = Umzssilz uounIs. Ore
zzsxss >
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-03-27
ACare for Madness.

There are at present !, 800 patients In
the lunatic asylum on Blackwell's . island.
New York. The annual report Of The
superintendent OF that institution, iusl
issued. shows that the number Of patients
discharged during 1878 far exceeds that
of any previous year. and this increase
IL mainly attributed 70 the daily exer.
eiaes recently introduced to divert The
minds Of tho patients. The gymnasium
In Amusement hall i considered the
most useful adjunct IN accomplishing :
permanent cure. The ball he's been
fitted up with every facility for gymnas.
tios. and the patiants arc greatly delight
- with tliiH exercise.
Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-01-20
Aposs,slE sloVx wAA

THE ESCAPED CHEYENNN.

H ESCAPED
Fort Robinson, Neb., Jan. 16.-Yester.
day at noon Capt. Lawson, commanding
company E, Sd cavalry, started in pursuit
of the fleeing savages who are said to be
making . detour in the direction Of Pine
Ridge, or Rosebud Indian camp and the
prospects of reaching the wig-wams Of their
sympathizing red brethren are greatly in
their favor, despite the ~sanguine hopes Of
the military to capture them ere they can
reach there. The. savages have good
thirty-hours' start Of the troops, and should
they succeed in stealing enough horses -
mount themselves with, which is not inn
probable, their escape is certain, and will
be the means Of getting the young warriors
Of the powerful Sioux nation to dig up the
Ratchet and avenge their wrongs.
The prevalent impression here is
that We are on the eve of . bloody Indian
war. The mail carrier just in from Pine
Ridge agency, Red Clouds new location,
states that since the news of the Cheyenne
outbreak and its result have become known
Red Clouds people there is much weep
and wailing among them, and they say
her hearts are bad. Capt. Vessels start
ID with his company this morning at 4 p.
M. for Indian creek and will take up the
rail.