davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1880-07-03

Almost all the tribes in the United
States believed the thunder to be pro.
duced by the wings Of a great bird, and
that the lightning was the serpents thst
were invariably connected with the
thunder bird. Among the ancienttribes
Of the Mississippi Valley, the thunder,
therefore, soon became thunder god,
who could be propitiated with sacrifices.
The Illinois Indians offered up small
dog when child happened to be sick
upon day when there was much thun-
der, supposing the latter TO be cause
Of the mslady. Many accidents, like
confagrations, were attributed to this
angry god, and some tribes did bloody
penances Of Precipitation, often burning
to death their own children. Statements
that the Indians adored the thunder,
however, seem to be erroneous. 1t was
the cause Of the thunder that they wOr
shipped, and before which they burned
tobacco and buffalO-meat, or cut off the
joints or their fingers, or threw their
children into the fire when they were
overcome with fear. The Peruvians
had rs an ideal q stone that had beer
split by the lightning. They offered it
gold and silver. The natives Of Hon
duras burned cottOn-seed when it thun-
dered. Other southern tribes made no
sacrifices on the approach Of storm,
but abased themselves in the most abb
ject fear. The wild rice being aquatic
and looking like an arrow or spear, it is
also attributed to the thunder-spirit as to
its origin. In Mexico great temples
were built upon the sacred spots where
lightning had struck. A curious notion
among Peruvians was that the preserved
bodies of twin children who died in in
fancy should be worshiped, supposing
that one of them was the son of the
thunder, the origin of the idea being
the fact that the thunder-god of that peo-
pie was one of the celestial twins of
Apocatequin and Pjquerad. This tradi-
ton was utilized by Pizarro's missiona-
ries to teach the Indians the doctrine Of
the Trinity
"A droll mistake, contemporary
tells us, was made by an imaginative
old dame, who, having permitted tele-
graph pole to be placed on the top of
her house, waited upon the chief Of the
Geographic company concerned to COM
plain that she could get no sleep of
night, being kept awake by the noise
made by the messages passing over her
head. 81 don't think, SIR" said she,
you can be aware of all that's said
along them wires. There's deal that
hadn't ought to be. 1 can assure you,
sir, that very much that's said there,
that have to lie and listen to, is such
as no decent woman ought to hear; and
hope you will put stop to it." The
gentleman was hardly able to
meet the accusation with due gravity;
but he did contrive to keep his counte-
nance while he informed the old lady
hat the young men who had hitherto
worked the wires were under notice of
dismissal, and that in future only young
women of great responsibility would be
employed, so there would be no danger
# her propriety being shocked again.
Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1880-07-03

ALWAYS get C. Gilbert's Linen Starch.
Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1880-07-03

talk is cheap" Is it? Just hire
. lawyer once.-Syrdcxse Herald.
Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1880-07-03
THE MARKETS.

'ational Yeast and be happy. Try it.
Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-08-19
Richer Than CrRsus.

The ar cient historians have great dea
to say about the wealth of various old
Greeks and Romans; but none of them
many living Americans. CrRsus, king of
Lydia, 500 years before the Christian era,
had so much gold, with other kind of pro-
perty, that erich as Cresus" has been
threadbare smile. He was the great
plutocrat Of antiquity, and it is difficult to
Judge of the value of his possessions; but
it is not likely that it ever reached more
than 500, 90, 900 to $12,000,000 of our
money. There are, no doubt, forty New
Workers at least worth more than he, and
some six or seven may have four-fold his
wealth. The richest Roman in Julius
C9sar's time, and one of the triumvirate,
was Marcus Lucinius Crassus, an astute
speculator, noted for avarice. His fortune
has often been estimated, and never above
SO, 900, 600 to SO, 600, 900 in United States
currency. An Athenian or Roman who
could count his tate at what would be
ZOO, 600 of our dollars was considered
immensely wealthy, but residents of our
large cities who have no more than 81 ,00O-
600 are not now considered particularly
well off, and are unknown among the
opulent members of the community. Mere
mlllionaires are 50 common as 10 merit lit
tie distinction financially. There was no
such estate in ancient times as those Of
the Astors and Van6erbilts, and no such
private fortunes as are held in Boston,
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago, San
Francisco, and other cities OF the republic
The growth of wealth has been prOdlgiouS
in this country within this generation.
Some of the largest aceumulations in the
land have been made within forty or fifty
years. Half a century ago only one man
in New York was worth $1,000, 900, and
his name was John Jacob Astor. Now
hundreds of its citizens can go beyond
those figures, and they feel rather poor
than otherwise. When Stephen Girard
died, in 1881, he was considered by all
odds the richest man on this continent.
Nobody approached or began to approach
him monetarily, and yet his property was
not valued at more than SO, 600, 900. Men
who do not regard themselves as very old
can easily remember when 800, 900 was
| thought to be fortune, even in our larg
est cities, and when SO, 900 in the small
towns was deemed an independence. AT
present 500, 900 is hardly reckoned suf1-
clent to make man comfortable, and $40
900 would not be deserving of mention,
unless in some rural village, where general
poverty lends magnifying power to any
eye that contemplates any kind of coin.
Within the next fifty years it is likely that
great fortunes will be increased beyond
what they have been in the same period in
the past In 1880 and 1910 it is probable
enough that we shall hear of plain AmerI
can citizens who are worth from $780,
900, 900 to $3.50, 900, 900, and who will be
grumbling that they have no more.
Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-08-19

Young Gluckerson met old Judge Van
Snyder on the ferry boat at San Francisco,
the other day, and, after shaking hands
respectfully with that venerable friend of
the family said, casually:
'Did you hear of that terrible accident
up at Bolts the other nightp"
"AccidentS Why, my dear young friend,
! no. Nothing serious, / hopeY" said the
Judge, much interested.
"Wqp, I'll tell you how ii was" said
Gluckcrson, in mournful voice. "You
see the old doctor was out until about
2 o'clock in the morning attending some
patients, and, supposing he would be hun
CRY when he came in, Mrs. Potts put a
large pan of mush and mlk-the old
doctors favorite dish, you know-under
the stove to keep warm for him.
Yes. yes!" said the Judge eagerly, as
Gluekerson stopped to light cigar. go
on-what then?'
'Well, the doctor came in after while,
and went gropmg round in the dark for his
mush-couldn't find match, you know
and, as luck would have 1t, he picked up
instead pan containing bread, put there
to raise over night. He was too tired to
notice the dlfference-besides, he had taken
two or three nips as he drove round--and
so he actually ate up all the dough! !"
Gracious" said the Judge. t...
"'It's Il fact, though. Well, towards
morning the doctor began to swell, and
swell-the yeast was getting its work in,
you knows and pretty soon the whole
family was up and rushing around half
distracted. The doctor kept on groaning
and shrleking and swelling, until he looked
like Saratoga trunk At last they found
out what be had done, and the whole fami-
ly piled right on top of him, and sat there
while they sent for cooper"
"A cooper Z"
Yes; you see, they saw at once that
unless something was done the doctor
would burst before morning. So the
cooper started in and put nine of those big
half-inch beer keg hoops around his stom-
ach. OF course that stopped his swelling,
and by keeping tin tube down his throat
for the gas TO escape, he just managed TO
pull through" ........
oh! the doctor pulled through did
he2"
''Oh! yes; he's all right now except
ing
Excuse me, said the Judge grimly as
he took out his notebook. ''but will you
favor me with your middle name in full.
They are getting up medal for the clam
pion liar in the State, by order of the Gov
ernor, and think I'll send in your
But the boat had landed, and the prom
ising young candidate had melted away
into the crowd
Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-08-19
MILLHEINI, pa THURSDAY, AUGUST I9, 1880.

peace before / dare speak TO the young
lady | love of my desires TO win her for my
wife. Will you forgive me !"
Dot heldout her hand. "With all my
heart, Mr. Dinsmore, and | shall always
respect you for the frank, manly part you
have acted at the last. You have my best
wishes for yoIr success.
Mr.. lngraham was mt first very angry at
Dram Dnsmore's detection, but when Dot
said decidedly: Il would not have mar
ried him if remained single all my life, :"
he determined to give up trying to direct
the course of true love, making virtue of
necessity, yet thinking himself model
father. F
Dot was willing that her father should
please himself with this delusion as long as
he withdrew his opposition TO Philips
coming TO the house.
When few months after the real heress,
Miss Dorothy lngraham, appeared upon
the scene, uncharitable persons said that
Mr.. Dinsmore had known of her mistake.
But Kate Belmont, his betrothcd wife,
had the pleasant Consciousness that she had
won his heretofore mercenary heart while
he thought Dot the true heiress, and that
he valued one glance of her bright eyes
more than he did Dots supposed thou
andss.
The real testatrix was vury much taken
with her namesake, and would not consent
to take more than half the property. The
mistake about her legacy had been the
means of drawing her into the society of a
young relative of whose existence she
would otherwise have been Ignorant. 1t
proved very pleasant to her to have such
treasure trove of warm human. affection
bestowed upon her, for young Dorothy
loved her aged cousin very dearly, and was
always pleased to entertain her in her pretty
home, for she became the wife of Philip
Bertram, and the happiest little matron un-
der the sun.
Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-08-19
Burglars About.

Of late several burglaries have been COM
mitted in the neighborhOod in which Mr..
James Simpson lives, and, of course, the
folks are not little alarmed. In Simp-
sons row alone enough firearms and am
munItion have been collected to conduct q
very fair-sized war with Mexico, and
Simpson, particularly, has bought whole
army of weapons and loaded them to the
muzzle. Simpsons brother in-law, George
Washington Budd, commonly known as
Wash" lives with him, and for weeks
past Wash, upon gong to bed, has made
such preparation and display of various
kinds of engines of destruction that look
er-on might have concluded that his pur-
pose was to conduct a kind of battle of
Gettysburg on his own responsibility.
The other night Wash, after recapping
all his revolvers, running his thumb along
the edge of his broadsword, half-cocklng
his gun, and laying his bowie knife on the
chair, thought he heard burglar prowling
about down stairs. Buckling on his artil-
lery, Wash, in his stocking feet, crept
down the back staircase, determined to an
nihilate the thief.
Simpson heard the noise at the same mo-
ment, and he, thinking Wash was in bed
asleep loaded up his machinery Of death
and crept softly down the stairs also with
out his boots.
Both reached the floor at the same mo-
ment. They stopped and listened. Wash
thought he heard the burglar in the parlor.
Simpson felt sure the rascal was in the
dining-room pocketing the spoons. Sc
while Wash tod noiselessly frOntwards
Simpson stepped stealthily to the rear.
Midway in the hall they came into COLI,
sion. Each felt perfectly certain that the
other was the burglar.
Wash grappled with his antagonist in
stantly. Simpson knew that death strug-
gle had begun, SO he took hold with al
his might. Neither had chance to draw
his weapons
Wash strove to throw his burglar down,
and Simpson, percelving the game, made
huge effort to PROSTATE Wash. They
pushed and pulled, and jerked, and showed,
and painted, humping up against the wall,
Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-08-19

kicking up the carpet, and making such
hubbub that Mrs. Simpson, up stairs in hel
room, and afraid to come out, lifted up heI
voice and screamed with awful vehemence.
After fearful and desperate struggle,
during which Wash had his coat torn tc
rags and couple of handsful of hair pulled
out, ald Simpson had his nose jammed
against chair until it felt as if it had
swelled to the size of a watermelon, Wash
let go a moment TO get his breath. There
upon Simpson made rush for the front
stairs quietly. in the dark, and Wash
pretty well scared and tired of war, dashed
off up the stairs, resolved TO go and see
why Simpson didn't come down and help
him wipe the burglar out.
AS Simpson got to the landing be saw
Wash's form. by the dim light frsm the
bathroom, in the back entry. .. .......
WHO'S thatl" shouted Simpson, ner-
vously, feeling for his revolver
''Me-Wash," replied his abrother-in,
Simpson went TO him and said.
Thunder and lighting, Wash Why
didn't you come down soonerl"
''Sooncr! Why, where've you been ?
I've had the most awful time you ever
heard OF" ....
'So've T. replied Simpson. "There's
burglar in the house, and I've been tear
ing him to pieces 2" Er.t. s.
You don't say so? Why, my garcious.
I've had fight with one, too, and | think
/ laid him out!"
"You did wherel"
''Why, down stairs, there, in the front
entry" --s sH ID
''Not in the entry, you don't mean2'
Yes said Wash, Sin the entry; near
ly banged the head off of him. Where was
your man2" - e-
"Why, in the entry, too. Queer didn't
hear you
'lts is queer, " replied Wash, ''because
/ hammered his nose against chair until
it must be mashed fiat e
Whose nose2"
''The burglars; and he tore my coat to
rags, and pretty nearly scalped me-"
"Who did 2"
''The burglar.
Simpson was silent minute, and then
he said r a. s. .F
Come in here to the light. ...-
They entered the bathroom, and Wash
looked at Simpson, and Simpson looked at
Wash.
''Wash!" said Simpson.
WHAT" said Wash. .... .
''Wash, you're the biggest idiot in the
State Hang me if don't believe you've
been fighting with me- Look at my nose2"
''No! you don't say? Did you pull out
your burglars hair, and splinter up his
coat2"
''I'm afraid did, said Simpson.
''Mr. Simpson" said Wash, calmly, '1f
there is bigger ass on the continent than
l am, l think can lay my hand on the
man; party by the name of Jim Simp-
SON."
Just at this juneture Mrs. Simpson flew
from her room, down the hallway, and into
the bathroom, where she fell on her knees,
clasped her hands, and shrieked-
''Save me, James! oh. save me! Wash
ington, save me! Don't let me be murder
ed DON'T oh, DON'T" ..,.e
Simpson looked sheepishly at Wash;
then, without saying a word, he seized
Mrs. Simpson by the arm, ran her over to
her bedroom, and slammed the door. Then
George Washington Budd went sadly up
stairs, disgorged his murderous apparatus,
locked his bowie knife in his trunk, AMI
went to bed.
Both combatants swore secrecy; but
Simpson couldn't help telling his wife,
and she spread it, of course, and so here 1t
Is.
Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-08-19
DECREFD,

Into all lives some rain must fall,
Into all yes some tear drops start
Whether they fall as gende shower
Or fall like fire from an aching heart.
Into all hearts some sorrow must creep,
Into all souls some doubling come,
Lsshing the waves of Lifes great deep
From dimpiing waters to settling foam.
Over all paths some clouds must lower,
Under all feet some sharp thorns spring,
Tearing Il flesh to bitter wounds,
Or enter ng the heart With their hitt sting.
Upon al brows rough wi ds must blow,
Over all shoulders a cross be laiu, ..
Bowling the form in ts lofty height
Down to the dust in the hitter pain.
Into all hands some duty thrust
Unto all arms me burdens given.
Crushing the heart w tn it's dreary weight,
Or lifting the soul from earth TO heaven.
Into all hearts AMI homes and lives
Gods dear sunlight comes streaming down,
Gliding the ruins of Lfe's great plain
Weaving for all golden crown.
Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-08-19
"A Murderer's Toe.

Haynes, the Rockland (Me.) murderer,
has recently made toy house after the
French style. 1t is about four feet high,
by two deep and four long is as nice-y built
as the best mansion, with slate OBJ and
fancy chimneys, has two stories, the lower
one being devoted to a kitchen and din
ing hall, the upper story to a drawing room
and best chamber. The floor of the din
ming hall is lnlaid with cherry and malog-
any, one. thousand and twenty pieces of
wood being used in laying it; the kitchen
is also inlaid. but less eXpensively. The
furnishings are somewhat regal for a small
parsonage. They consist of the usual
kitchen paraphernalia including hard wood
tables with drawers in them roller for long
towel, dishes, even to an old lady with
specs, who eyes the visitor eonspicuously.
In the dinning room or hall large chan
deler pends above a black walnut table on
which rests handsome tettatee sett, made
of wood, painted blue. A sideboard stands
at the back of the room-merely as an orna-
ment. The sets in the drawing room and
chamber are perfect marvels of mechanical
skill and Yankee ingenuity. The floors
are tastefully carpeted. A marble fireplace
is In the drawing room, and in rack at its
side stand the shovel and tongs all already
TO 81 oke up the fire" which merrily burns
behind the CRATE. The chairs are as nicely
made and upholstered as though they had
been intended for the president of the
United States. The walls and windows of
the room are well adorned, and the house
as a whole is a compile gem.
Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-08-19
A Monstrous Seawee

OF all marine algR, the NereocyStis is
most wonderful. Its stem occasionally
attains length of three hundred feet,
though 1t is extremely slender even at the
top. where il j. surmounted by an enor-
mus floating bladder six or seven feet long,
which affords a favorite resting place to
the sea otter. The account, indeed, is ap-
parently so fabulous as given by Mertens
in an interesting paper on the botany of the
Russian posses, ions in America, that il
could not be believed did it not depend
upon unquestlonable authority. The fill
form stem(which is about as thick as pack
thread) when two or three feet long, swells
suddenly above into globose bladder
From the top of this springs a tuft of ger
inmate leaves, mostly rising on five petioles.
These leaves are lanceolate and membrane
ceous, from one to two feet long, and two
inches broad in the center. AS the plant
grows older, the stem increases enormously
in length, but only slightly in thickness.
The globose bladder swells into turnIp-
shaped or retort-like cylinder, six feet long
and four feet six inches or more in diameter,
in the widest part, the lower extremity
gradually passing into the stem. The
leaves, which at first were marked with a
few faint nerves. split in the direction of
the latter, cover large space by their en-
tangled mass, and attain length OF twenty
seven feet or more. Where the plant grows
in any quantity, the surface of the sea be-
comes impossible to boats, in consequence
of the dense floating masses of vegetation
The stem is employed for fishing lines
when dry, and the large cylinder is used as
siphon for draining water out of boats,
in the same way that another seawecd-
the E'ckLonia bUccinaiis-is used fire.
quently at the Cape
Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-08-19
The Winter Drama,

The heroic prevails in the drama of the
West, even among the amateurs, and what
is lost iii style is made up in action. The
kitchen of the Bon Ton Lodging-house i'll
Bodie, Colorado, recently witnessed an anna
teur performance of thrilling interest There
was Critical audience present when the
curtain, a horse blanket, was drawn aside.
The piece was Deadwood Bill; or, The
Roaring Waterspout of the Rocky Noun
tains, and it opened with bloody fight
between Bill and Pete Dickson, the terror
from Tar Flat, for the possession of lovely
maiden, who was seated in a stage coach,
personated by dry goods box. The fight
was long and desperate, and brought into
play all the knives and pistols the actors
could borrow. OF course Bill whipped.
There were nine murders in the first act,
and in the second four stages were robbed
and band of Indians routed. The piece
was a great success.
Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-08-19
A Peculiar Fashion and Its Cause.

Many years ago the village of Shelford
near Nottingham, England, was distinguish
ed by very peculiar fashion in dress af-
fected by most OF men. This consisted in
the wearing of coats with red velvet collars,
and for long time no explanation of it
was forthcoming. Eventually, however
the mystery was solved through the vicar
OF the parish. 1t appeared that the village
tailor was also the sexton, and that the vel
vet with which he adorned his customers
coats had been appropriated by him without
license from the burial vaults of the Earls
of Chesterfield, to which he had access by
virtue of his office. The vicar communIca-
ted to the Earl discovery which had filled
him with horror, but that nobeman not
merely forgave the offense, but actually
commended the tradesman for making a
good use of that which he and his ancestors
had consigned to corruption and decay
Probably the Earl who approved the tailor's
action was the famous 'letters lord" who
was the first prominent man in England to
give blow to undertakerdom. ''Sated
with the pompous fOllies of this world of
which have had an uncommon share,
desire no funeral honors, wrote the man
who has been stigmatized "a high priest
of the worlds vanities;" and he proceeds
to limit the expenses to be incurred at his
Obsequies to $500.