davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12
The Wonderful Man without Limbs.

Mr.. Kayanagh, the Irish member OF
parliament whose lack of arms and legs
is accompanied by plentiful supply OF
brains, had in his youth very sorrow
full life. After the early death of his
father and mother, he was under the
control of his two elder brothers, who,
mortified by his strange deformity. are
said to have secluded him in the coun-
try from the sight of mankind. The
boy, full of intellectual zeal and manly
spirit would not allow his mind to rust
or grow morbid and, when after several
years his brothers died, leaving very
large estate to his guidance, be emerged
from his library a rarely cultivated and
brilliant man, with brain and will so
trained that it was = very easy matter
to him to grasp practical life and affairs.
So delightful are Mr.. Kavanagh's in
tellectual and spiritual graces that he
won for his wife very beautiful and
charming woman. His children are all
bright and hands and he is great y
beloved. both by them and BY his ten
antry. In spite of his bodily mistorr-
tune Mr.. Kavanagh is q motel Nimrod,
riding after hounds-in a saddle which
he himself invented with the greatest
energy and daring.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12
Fail Of the Alamo.

In 1886, after being under Spanish
rule for century and half, Texas re-
yolted and declared the province free
and independent. The republic, how
ever, had q terrible struggle. Hard
BATTLES were fought and noble patriots
bled for freedom. In this conflict the
Alamo mission, at San Antonio, turned
into a military fort, furnishes the most
thrilling chapter.
On Sunday, the sixth of March, 1885,
General Santa Anna, the self-styled
Napoleon of the West" surrounded
the Alamo fort with Mexican army
numbering 1000 men, while inside the
walls was devoted band of Texan
heroes numbering cnly 1873. Among
the noble martyrs to liberty in that
doomed garrison were the brave Col.
Travis, the gallant Col. Bowie, and that
eccentric hunter from Tennessee, David
Crockett. Long before daylight on
that Sabbath morning Santa Annals
bug.e sounded an advance, and the fero-
cious Mexicans rushed with tumultous
shouts toward the Alamo. The Texans
had but little hope of success against
such overwhelming numbers, and no
hope of mercy in case Of surrender. Al
ready the Mexican bands were playing
the dreadful dequelo, signifying that no
mercy need be expected, so they re-
solved to sell their lives rs dearly as
possible Tor the sake of liberty.
Twice the Mexicans attempted to
scale the walls, and twice they stag
CARED back before the fire of the brave
defenders, leaving the ground strewn
With their dead. Then a third charge
was " ma made, the reluctant infantry
being driven to the terrible, as-
sault by the cavalry. On and on
they came through volley after volley Of
death-dealing balls. Atlast they reached
the walls and attempted to scale them
by ladders, but were hurled back by the
Texans. Again and again were the lad
ders raised, again and again were they
thrown down. But soon the Mexicans
by overpowering numbers mounted the
walls, and "tumbled over like sheep"
The last struggle was short and terrible
The Texans fought without shadow
of hope, fought with no other alterna-
tive but death before them. Fought in
their dying agony. for it is said when
Col. Travis received his death wound
a Mexican officer saw him fall and
rushed forward to dispatch him, hut
Travis pierced his assailant with his
sword and both expired together.
Around the dead body of Gre ckett
were nine Mexicans he had slain
in the last bloody struggle.
Bowie was butchered and mutilated
on his sick bed, and not a man Of
the 1873 was left to tell the awful story.
Inscribed on the monument that COM
memorates the heroism of these men,
the traveller may read: "Thermopyln
had her messenger of defeat, the Alamo
had none."
On the twenty-frst of April following
the massacre at San Antonio. the battle
of San Jacinto was fought. In this last
struggle for liberty the Texans went
into battle shouting as war cry,
Remember the Alamo" The Mexi-
cans were defeated, Santa Anna was
captured. and Texan independence se-
cured. From 1885 to l645 Texas was
en- independent republic, having. during
the time, four presidents. In l845 this
clone star republic was added to our
constellation of States.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12
Words OF Wisdom.

He who agrees with himself agrees
with others.
There are two ways of pleasing-to
amuse and to interest.
He will never suffer from solitude who
has never quarreled with himsef.S
The men who jump at conclusions sell
dom reach any that are worth having.
These must be got by climbing.
Never join with your friend when he
abuses his horse or his wife, unless the
one is about to be sold and the other to
be buried.
To despond is to be ungrateful before
hand. Be not looking for evil. Often
thou drainest the gall of fear while evil
is passing thy dwelling.
When words of charity are uttered one
thinks the human tongue an instrument
divine; when words OF slander are ut
tered one wonders why the world was
not made dumb.
If you hope for what is reasonable and
then work you will probably get it.
But if you expect the Impossible, like
the man who wanted to buy pair OF
spectacles with which to get bird's-eye
view of the city, you are bound to be
disappointed.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12
H0nSe.i;leaning Time.st

A scene ol dcsola,ion grcets the eye;
The carpets up, tho curtains down, nrss out,
Furniture all upset aud piled about;
While back and forth, with heads in towels
bound,
With skirts looped up loot above the ground,
And arms all barred, fly creatures-can 1t DO
Ny lovely vile and servants neat see ''h' q.
Tearing about in those outrageous duds, '1''.
And stirring up this awful smell OF suds ......'
While in their eyes there CLEANS dangerous
light? 30 q" .'. ~
Great heavens, It's they Oh. what dreadful
sight! ' '-. l..
The dog, once scalded, from them keeps aiooi'
The cat has sought ior safety on the root,
And in the dining.room, where had thought
To find toothsome dinner, they have got ri.
A tiend OF Africa blood, who joys to swing
A whitewash.brus and spatter everything. ~,
But am not forgot. My feastis spread olE
Out in tho woodslied on barrel-nead. X q.
One slice OF bread, plate Of warmed-up
beans, %. s.' - T' -. ~ r.h'
Some water in O mug, dish Of green's. '>rd
Oh, banquet rich And hest OF all, you see,
I've brought fellow home TO dine with me.
..'., j". .2,D -Bostos Posi-.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12
Printing Under Difficulties.

The Will of the People is the title OF
the organ of the Nihilists in Russia. 1t
appears in the most extraordinary way
in unexpected corners, and when least
looked for. They say that it is con-
stantly to be found on the toilet table OF
the emperor and under the pillows of
statesmen and generals. The manner
in which this curious organ is printed
is described at length by the St. Peters,
burg correspondent of the Manchester
Guardian. The Office is a gloomy,
miserable room at the top Of q house in
poor locality. On the door is m an
nouncement of some fictitious trade.
The room is occupied by poor wretch,
once a student; it is wretchedly fur
nished. The bed occupies pretty nearly
the entire room. Everything is mean
and SO ualid. The owner Of the apart
ment is editor, compositor, reporter,
printer and publisher. Under the mat
tress of the miserable bed the type is
hidden. Thence, when occasion offers,
it is transferred to the multitudinous
pockets of his great coat. He goes out
into the streets with diminutive note
book, hangs about public buildings,
glares at people in authority, whom he
would kill if glance could murder,
writes his "leaders" in a secluded corner
of park. and rolls each page into a
pill to be swallowed on the approach of
policeman. As'soon as the work is
finished he steals home, locks and bar
ricades the door, gets out his type and
sets up the paper, which he afterward
prints in a primitive manner. and dis
tributes through the streets and in cafes,
and by all other means known only to
;onspirators. This account of the diff
cult, dangerous and painful duty which
that poor patient scribe performs under
the direction of an inexorable commit
tee, from whom he receives little help,
may or may not be in accordance with
truth; but there remains the undenia-
BILE fact that under the very nose of the
terrible Third Section, despite all the
vigilance ofthe police, sheet is printed,
published and circulated, and no man
can put his hand upon those who thus
contribute to the literature of revolu-
tion.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12
Some Curious Facts.

Millet is so fruitful that it will often
yield a thousand seeds for one planted.
In old times the tomato was called the
love apple, and they were grown as a
curiosity.
Ola the products of the soil none are
so prolific as weeds; $4,000 seeds have
been counted upon one mullin stalk.
The Reno (Nevada) Gazette claims
that there is p petri6ed tree lying near
Lovelock station, that State, 900 feet in
length and two feet thick.
Iron is rolled so thin at the Pittsburg
(Pa.) rolling mills that 10000 sheets are
required to make single incl in thick
ness. . 1t is as flexible as tissue paper,
and quite as thin.
A woman gave birth to four female
children at Topeka, Illinois, last Decem-
ber. The mother died soon after, but
the four girls are all living and in good
health.
When the yacht Lancashire Witch
was docked at San francisco, the snout
of a sword-fish was found to have pene-
trated copper and planking in her bot.
tom, and broken off,
Bugs are an important article in the
trade of Rio Janeiro. Their wings are
made into artificial flowers, and some of
the more brilliant varieties are worn rs
ornaments in ladies' hair.
The electrical eel found in the ponds
s.nd rivers of South America will give a
shock almost strong enough to knock a
man down. It kills its prey with this
power and defends itself Herewith.
The Chinese force oysters to produce
pearls by putting small beads into the
shells of the live oyster and returning it
again to the sea, where they soon cover
the beads with secretion, making them
into pearls.
Among the relics in the Office of the
police board in Cleveland, o., is rope
that has hanged eighteen culprits. 1t
| is of hemp, three-foUrths of an inch in
thickness, and is strengthened by braid
ing a small tarred strand of hemp in
the crevices left by the large strands.
A puzzle to scientists is the remark
able persistence of certain odors. More
than l,0n0 years ago the mortar used in
the construction of the mosque Of St.
Sophia, in Constantinople, was charged
with musk, the perfume of which per-
meates the building to this day.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12
s"Her Deeds on Her Head"

An intelligent uptown father re-.
Gently determin ed to present his only
daughter-a beautiful maid of eighteen
with q couple of practical proofs
of his affection in the shape of two
valuable building lots. He had the
deeds prepared, and an evening ago.
during the absence of his child at a
party, he crept up to her room and laid
the valuable documents on her bureau,
intending they should prove an inter
esting surprise for the young lady IN
the morning. It was a late hour when
the maiden reached her room, and,
without turning out the gas, she speed
lily made her retiring arrangements.
As she stood before the bureau it oo-
Cured to her to put her hair in papers,
as an aid to her toilet for dinner party
on the following day. ,
Her hands fell upon the deeds, and
without a moments examination she
Immediately converted them into slen-
der strips, and soon had her raven tresses
ornamented with the usual spiral knobs.
The next morning, without removing
the papers, she went down to breakfast,
and found her father awaiting her with
a peculiarly happy smile on his benevo-
lent countenance. His face drew down,
however, when his daughter gave him
the usual morning salutation and seated
herself at the table. He fidgeted about
for a moment or two, and then, with
| in-concealed anxiety, inquired:
Hem! Laura, didn't you get your
deeds?"
"The maiden looked up in surprise.
"Deeds, father; what deeds?"
Tie old gentleman looked blank.
why, the deeds l gave you last night
child"
There was an honest look of astonish-
ment in the young girls eyes.
The deeds YOU gave me, father?
Where are they?"
And then a sudden recollection
crossed ler mind, and with a
frightful movement her hand sought
her curl papers. The old gen.
tleman noticed her confusion, and
instantly his gaze struck in the same di-
rection-and there, twined with his
daughters tresses, he saw strips at
illegal cap" with here and there L tell
tale bit of red sealing wax.
Thy deeds" he groaned, "thy deeds
be on thy head"
The beautiful girl did not faint; she
1ust humbly begged her parents Tor
giveness for her carelessness, and the
old gentleman felt so elated over his
happy witticism that he not only for
gave her. but duplicated the document
the very same day.--Chtcago Times.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12
An Island Romance,

A New York paper ofrecent date says:
The man, woman or child in this coun-
try of free schools, who knows of even
the existence of the Tristan da Cunha
islands, can scarcely be found; yet most
maps show them. and in some cyclope-
dias they are recognizable in the few
lines about Tristan da Cunha. There
are three islands in the group, which
lies in the South Atlantic ocean, about
midway between Africa and America,
and nearly on a line drawn from Buenos
Ayres to Cape Town. 1t was on the
largest OF the group, containing about
forty square miles, that the ship Mabel
Clark, owned in this city, and sailing
from Liverpool to Hong Kong, was
driven ashore by stress Of weather two
years ago next May day; and now,
Captain East, of her majesty's ship
Comus, has just reported his delivery of
the presents sent by President Hayes to
the islanders who succored the crew.
They are l09 in number, and are chiefly
descendants of o certain Corporal Glass,
who was one Of garrison placed on the
island by England when Bonaparte was
imprisoned on St. Helena, 1900 miles
away. The Oldest inhabitant is Peter
Green, hale, hearty man, in his seven
ty y-seventh year, and the youngest ia his
great-grandchild, aged a few months.
There have only been lour deaths IN
thirteen years, and no death in infancy
was ever known among them. The
perfect climate is probably the explain
alton of these facts. The community
cultivates about twenty acres. potatoes
being the chief crop, and usually get ten
ortwelve bushels from one ofseed. They
have 500 hundred cattle, 500 sheep an d
any quantity of fowls. The little state
is both orderly and contented, and Peter
Green is looked up to as the chief. al
though he disclaims all pretentions to
power. Doubtless the fact that nearly
q majority of the population are in some
way related to him-he has had sixteen
children accounts for the estimation IN
which he is held. Captain'East recon-
mends his son, William Green, for the
Albert medal, or the life-saving medal
of the Royal Humane society, and, as he
greatly distinguished himself on the oc-
casion of the Mabel Clark's wreck, the
matter is one for somebody's attention
in this country also. Sope years ago
the islanders begged some cats from
ship, which. for some reason, stopped at
Tristan da Cunha, but the perverse ami
mails preferred rabbits and chickens to
elusive mice, and now they run wild all
over the island, while the mice are
greater pests than ever. All the island
ers want now is clergyman.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12
Submarine Balloons.

Experiments in a deep lake near Ber-
linl have shown the practicability OF a
new and Ingenious plan for raising
sunken vessels and other heavy objects
lost in the water. Theinyention is that
of an Austrian engineer, and consists OF
IN unintlated balloon, containing a
bottle of sulphuric acid picked in salt,
which. when exposed to the action OF
the acid, generates carbonic.acid gas.
The balloon is taken under the water by
n diver and fastened to the object that is
TO be raised. Then Il screw is turned
which libcrates the acid, gas is formed,
the balloon expands and rises, and it is
only question of the size Of the balloon,
the strength of the tackle, and the weight
of the sunken object, whether it shall be
raised or not. The experiments near
Berlin were successful.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12
The Windmill.

Behold, giant am [!
Aloit here in my tower
With my granite jaws devour
The maize, the wheat and the rye,
And grind them into flour.
I look down over the farms;
In the fields OF grain I see
The harvest that is 10 be,
And fling alott my arms,
For know it is all for me.
hear the sound OF fails
Far OF from the thrashing- floors
In barns with their open doors,
And the wind, the wind in my sails
Louder and louder roars.
stand here in my place,
With ny foot on the rock below,
And whichever way it may blow,
4 meet it face to face,
As brave man NETS his foe.
And while we wrestle and strive,
My master the miller stands
And feeds nae with his hands,
For he knows who makes him thrive,
Who makes him lord OF lands.
On Sundays take my rest;
Church. going bells begin
Their low, melodious din;
cross my arms on my breast,
And all is peace within.
-HIV. LonUtsllo,o, in Youths Companion
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12
Result of a Singular Surgical Operation

A little girl, Jessie Lumly, upon
whom the operation of gastrotomy, or
cutting through the stomach, was per-
formed last August, and who has since
received all her nourishment through
the stomach, is gaining strength and
flesh veryradidly. The child masticatcS
the food given her, and, being unable to
swallow. takes the chewed diet and in
serts it into her stomach through the
tube placed there by t"e surgeon. She
can digest any sort of food, and appears
to be perfectly healthy and as cheerful
rs any of her pluymates.-Sa Anton'a
(TeraSl ErpreSs.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12

A Texan professor has written a
pamphlet to prove that cities built OF
limestone are the hcnlthiest in the
world. and never much visited by
ma.arial diseases, including yellow
fever. The argument is that the lime
stone absorbs carbonic acid arising
from animal and vegetable decomposi-
ton.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12

The St. Gothard tunnel furnishes an
other striking example of accurate sur.
veying. Althou gh the entire length OF
the tunnel is inc and a quarter miles,
the two galleries were bored with such
precision that they met with differ
ence of only four inches in level and q
lateral deviation of less than eight
inches.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12

There is terrible distress in Asia
Minor, even within fifty miles of Con-
stantinople. Cattle, sheep and Angora
goats are carried off in large numbers
BY disease. Brigandage, which is almost
necessitated by hunger, is on the in
crease. The country between Angora
and Ismidt is becoming desert. Four
thousand people of the Moussoul dis
trict have emigrated to Bagdad.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12

The preserving of fruits has grown to
be an enormous industry in the United
States during the past twenty years, and
one which appears to be steadily in
creasing. Delaware was a few years
since the great center Of this industry,
and had almost q monopoly of the busi-
ness; but recently preserving establish
ments have sprung up in nearly all
localities where variety of fruits are
raised in any considerable amount.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12

The happiness of your life depends
upon the quality of your thoughts;
therefore, guard accordingly, and take
care that yon entertain no noricns un-
suita',le to vir,u" :,nd unreasonable to
nature.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12

The iron workers of England include
100000 laborcIs in furnaces and forges,
$4,000 IN the manufacture of ma
chinery, $500 in steel works, $4,000 in
shipbuiiding. and 100000 in various
branches of iron and steel manufacture,
making about $40, 600 in all. The M in
ing population is about $50, 900, and the
laborers in cotton mills about 100000.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12

Baltimore has new Institution in the
shape of a big van, loaded with hot cot
ee, which is driven about the streets for
the accommodation of laborers. A cup
of the beverage is sold for three cents.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12

A Paris correspondent says that DON
key meat Is Superior to horse or pork.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12

In France, in addition to registering
a letter they must insure it, the ins ur
ance charge per letter heing one cent.
The weight of an insured letter is
marked on the envelope, and on arrival
at its destination the letter is again
weighed, and If the second weighing
tallies with the marks, and if the letter
shows no evidence OF having been tam
pered with, it is assumed to be in the
same condition as when mailed. The
insurance is liable for the sale delivery
of the letter n'the same condition as
when mailed, but the contents are not
directly insured.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12

The Christians in Armenia appeal to
the civilized nations of the world to
save them from threatened extermina-
tion at the hands of the Turks. They
are denied the rights of citizenship,
their lands are wrested from them on
trifing pretenses, their homes are
ravaged, and their women treated with
the utmost brutality. For all this there
is no redress. The Turks, call them
"Christian dogs" and treat them &C.
cordingly. Since the Crimean war the
Christian population of Armenia has
been reduced one-fourth, and in some of
the cities and towns there are no Chris
tians left,
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-05-12

In cases of suspended animation, or
asphyxia, life should not be too soon
given up. Discussing premature buri-
ais, in recent communication to the
French Academy, Professor Fort states
that lie was enabled to restore to life a
child three years old by practicing arti-
fetal respiration on it four hours, COM
mencing three hours and half after ap-
parent death. In another case which
came under his observation, q physician
restored q nearly drowned person alter
four hours of artificial respiration.
This person had been in the water ten
minutes, and the physician arrived one
hour after asphy3ia.