davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1882-01-12
BATTLE CREEK. Mic

BATTLE JREEK, Alch.. j an. u, Ioi 3.
GENTLEMEN been afflicted for a num-
Der of years with indigestion and general debility,
by the advice of my doctor l used Hop Bitters,
and must say they afforded me almost instant re-
lief. 1 am glad to be able to testify in their be-
half THOS. g. KNOX.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1882-01-12

Mrs. Bishop Ames has been spend
ing several months with her daughter,
Mrs. Maj. Purnell, in Austin, Tex. She
is said to be delighted with the climate
and happy in her new home.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1882-01-12

There are ten female students in the
Homeopathic Medical College, in Gin
cinnati.
Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-13
Buttons and Nails of Leather.

1t occurred to some fertile mind two
or three years ago that the refuse of sole
leather might be utilized for buttons
and nails, and the manufacture of such
nails and buttons from such material
was entered upon in Providence, r. /.
After side of leather has been cut into
soles a number of pieces are left-strips
an inch OF more in width. Only a GER
tain part of these, or those coming from
certain parts of the side, are used. The
sole-leather clippings are obtained from
cutters OF sole leather in boot and shoe
districts. Any one who has travelled in
Essex county, Mass. through Lynn, Sa-
lem, Peabody and other towns, could
not escape the odor of burnt leather.
mingled with that of tanbark or tanners
pickle. The sole leather clippings, as
others. were used to furnish fires until
the button of solid leather was discoy-
cred.
The leather nail or button is made in
Providence, r. l., to"the number of 30
600 or $1,000 per day, according to de-
sign and finish. Every button is sub
jected to eight different processes. By
machinery made for the purpose the nail
VI Oloet 10 AiIuIJ dUodCuou 10 Gl0 DuGIOn.
Another machine turns this brad into an
eye when buttons are desired instead of
nails. The nails and buttons are made
in various styles and colors, to harmon
ize with any covering. The fact that the
nail can be driven without breaking the
brad and injury to its head is in its ia
vor.
Pullman cars, fine furniture in hotels
and elsewhere are decorated with the
leather button or nail to the exclusion
of the brass nail, which has declined so
per cent in price in consequence of the
leather button competition. Providence
Journal.
Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-13
Great Men at PLAY.

United States Senator Edmunds and
Justice Harlan were fellow-guests at q
seaside hotel. One day the two distin-
guished gentlemen were wandering aim
lessly along the beach under q bright,
genial sun, wheu their attention was ar
rested by the sight Of small boy in
tently throwing shells at small peg
driven in the sand and surmounted by 3
block Of wood. The little fellow, I'M
conscious of their presence, continued
the practice with skillful results. and
the two spectators for the moment for
got their official gravity and allowed
their latent boyish tendencies to control
them. ''I'Il bet you good cigar" said
Mr.. Harlan to Mr.. Edmunds, that I
can hit that mark before the boy can. ="
The wager was accepted, and the con-
test began. The Justice was as good as
his boast, for the block was knocked
down at the third throw. Then the
Senator tried to do as well, and the
small boy, the great lawyer and the dis
tlngulshed statesman were soon busy at
play, hunting for ammunition, making
rash bets, laughing over defeat and ap-
plaudlng victory. The sight was novel
but happy one, and the few promenad-
ers on the beach smiled good-naturedly
as they passed, to think how one touch
OF youthfulness could break dignity s
back and make old men young again,
That evening the Justice smoked with
pride some cigars from the Senator's
best box, the stakes of their pleasant
little competition.
Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-13
The official CalI.

| The official call for the Democratic
county convention is published at the
head of this department this morning.
Through misunderstanding vexatious
| delay has been occasioned in its pnblica-
| ton. and yesterday at the meeting of the
county committee it was first thought best
to postpone its holding until next Thurs
day, but after a thorough discussion it was
finally decided to hold it in Harmonic hall
on Saturday at noon. There is not an hour
to lose, and it is the duty consequently of
every Democrat that he sees that the eau
cuses are fully attended, and that
men tried and true are sent to the
county convention. There are
a large number of nominations to import
ant offices TO be made.and toomuchcare can
not be taken in making fit selections.
Good men can be elected upon the Demo
cratic ticket, this fall, flor several reasons.
The county is more evenly divided between
the dominant parties than most people
suppose. The great trouble has hitherto
been IN the lack of organization, which has
resulted IN failing to bring out the popular
vote. Hundreds of laboring men who are
undaunted Democrats have remained away
from the polls on election day for lack of
personal interest. The most potent means
of exciting proper interest is by perfect
ing thorough organization, and by NOM
mating honest, popular. working Demo
Gratis. Do this, and but this. and there will
certainly be a revolution in politics in
Hennepin county.
Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-13
How He Got His Wife.

In the days when love was young at
the McWilliams homestead, a rattle
snake from Cobham's Rocks led young
woman to choose husband from among
many suitors. A party of young people,
retiring from basket picnic on the
island, stopped on the hillside to gather
wild flowers. Two young men and a
young woman sat down on large rock
to rest. In reaching out his hand to a
bed OF moss, one OF the young men
touched something cold and clammy.
Instinctively he knew that he had placed
his hand upon a rattlesnake.
At the same instant the snake was dis
covered by the other young man and the
young woman. Both screamed and ran
from the spot. It was a critical moment,
but the first young man proved equal to
the emergency. Knowing that if he
removed his hand the snake would sting
him to death, he pressed his arm down
ward with all his strength, at the same
time reaching into his pocket for a knife.
Before he could open the knife with his
teeth the snake had wound itself about
his arm.
"Run and help him !" screamed the
young woman to the young man by her
side. SEQ kill the snake !"
The young man, however, had really
no desire to die, but remained at Il safe
distance and shouted Justify for help.
"Pngo myself !" exclaimed the young
woman, springing forward.
Her services were not needed. Pale
to the lips with the pain caused by the
Tightening folds of the snake, the young
man coolly cut off the snakes head with
the knife which he had opened between
his teeth. The snake was nearly six
feet in length and was so strong that the
young mans arm was black and blue
for a month afterward.
The sequel need not be detailed. The
young woman accepted the brave young
man and both have lived happily to.
gether ever since; the snake, cured and
stuffed. occupies shelf in their parlor.
The other young man, driven desperate
by the young woman's choice, wandered
away westward. He is now serving out
a term in the Kansas Legislature
Gdelphi0 Times.
Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-13
Sails Surpassing Steam.

About the year 1874 began the most
important era in the history of American
ship-building. Our Liverpool packets
had already demonstrated the capabil-
tiles OF our builders and mariners. The
Canada, for example, under the COM
mand of Capt. Seth G. Macy, made her
trips almost with the regularity of a
steamer. Fourteen to sixteen days was
the average length of her voyages be-
tween the two ports. This may have
been an extreme case, but the fact re-
mains that these "liners" made re-
markable record. * Without moot
ing the question about the respective
merits of the noted Aberdeen clippers
and the American ships which, during a
period of perhaps fifteen years, circled
the globe with their vast expanse of can
vas, it Is not too strong statement to
say that some of the runs made by our
ships at that time have never been sur
great builder of packets, Isaac Webb,
died in 1913. Donald Mckay, a native
Of Nova Scotia, who removed in youth
to Newburyport and made name there
and In Boston, began, at the same time,
to win worldwide reputation for clip
per ships of size and speed hitherto
unexampled. Many competitors APP
peared at the same time. The ship
James Baines, built by Mckay, ran
400 miles in twenty-fo1lr hours. The
ship Red Jacket, built at Rockland,
Me-, ran $3.50 miles in seven days, or
325 miles per diem, for week. The
Flying Cloud, McKay's most celebrated
ship, once made 374 knots, or 433 miles,
in twenty-four hours and twenty-five
minutes, equal to 17.17 miles an hour.
To appreciate these distances, compare
them with the greatest distance ever
made in twenty-four hours by Liver
pool steamer, the new and now cele-
bEated Alaska, in the fastest westward
passage yet accomplished from Liver
pool to New York. Her greatest run
was 419 miles in twenty-four hours.
This proves what all sailors know, but
of which few landsmen are aware-that,
with a strong and steady favoring wind.
it is possible for sailing ship to equal
the speed of an Atlantic Steamship
Century Magazine.
Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-13
A Remarkable Tree.

So many curiosities of plant life
have of late years been brought into
public notice that the reporG of the
existence of tree which picks up stones,
bones, bits of wood and other unconsid-
cred trifes from the surface of the
ground, retaining them and suspending
them in mid air. hardly excites the
credulity nowadays with which such a
statement would have been received a
generation ago. Thirty years ago stories
of plants whose flowers were furnished
with the means of inclosing flies, or
even pieces of meat, as spider seizes
on its prey, and quickly surrounds it
with network OF gauze, and which
then actually proceeded to eat the prey
thus secured almost as spider would
eat t1y-such stories, thirty years ago,
would have been relegated to the cate
CORY of travellers tales" But we
have the authority of Mr.. Darwin, and
any one may easily have tie evidence of
his own eyes to prove that the posses
sion OF such properties by certain flow
ers is no fiction, but an undoubted fact.
The same authority who first brought
prominently into notice the remarkable
properties of the Drosera has also
shown that other plants have actually
the power of progression, within certain
limits, from one point to another.
With such instances it requires little
effort to believe the correctness
OF the report above alluded to that some
plants are endowed with the faculty of
picking up loose articles from the
ground. Lieut.. Houghton, who recent
ly visited New Guinea and several other
islands and groups OF islands in the Pa
chic, was the first, we believe, to report
the existence of such tree, though he
did not explain the means by which it
accomplished this unusual feat. 1t ap-
pears to be species of Fieus, allied to
the wcll-known banyan tree. which
throws out from its branches air roots
that eventually reach the ground, take
root there, and in their turn become new
stems which perform the same function.
so that single tree eventually extends
SO lar In all directions as to form COM
plete forest, in which all the stems are
united by the branches to each other.
The prehensile tree in question similarly
throws out from its branches long fexi-
bic tendrils, which, touching the ground,
do not take root there, but Irvine them
selves around any article that may lie
within reach. Eventually these quasi
branches contract SO that they fail to
reach the ground, but the finger like
processes continue to closely grip the
substance round which they have twined
themselves, and which are consequently
suspended in mid-air. In this way ar
ticles OF considerable weight may be lit
orally picked up from the ground by the
tree and so held in suspension Colo
MES and India.
Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-13
How Congressman Dress.

The Republicans are the best-dressed
people In both the Senate and House.
They have better-kept boards, sleek
faces, and look as though they had
from So to SIS in change in their vest
pockets. They look as though they
think more of public matters than about
how to save $500 per annum out of
$1,000 salary. They wear good coats
and polished shoes, and walk with the
air of men confident of position, and are
above making the matter of personal ap-
pearance subject Of study. They leave
external matters to good tailors and
bootmakers, pay the bills, eat good beef
and trimmings, shave often, and have
their heads shampooed so as to quicken
clear thought and smell clean and sweet
to their friends and wives. Some of the
Democrats are just as well kept, and
glide through the House Ike gentlemen.
Let us add here that dress does not
make the gentleman, but it attracts gen.
tlemen and suggests clean skin. The
plain Democrats who come here from
the people glory in being shod with nail
shoes and capped with a dropping.
SLOUGH. umbrella-like hat. Do these
SAO"o AOAA1OuoluS5 otOP W
that the biggest brains lately in the SEN
ate, Roscoe Conkling, left his measure
With his tailor when boy, and never
knows what he puts on except as he re-
ceives package on the eve of the sea-
sons as they come? Chester A. Arthur
is the neatest man in Washington almost,
and he has some brain, too. Abe Hewitt,
Allison, Edmunds and Randall are wear
ers of good broadcloth, we'll cut; 50 are
dozens of others. Speaker Kiefer is al
ways ready for day call. Vest, of Mis-
souri,, is always in wsll-shaped goods,
and boldly wears gold chain around
his neck heavy enough to hold pleasure
yacht. Vice President David Davis is
picture Of responsibility. Old Robson
looks like an English Lord Members
who get lodgings In the suburbs for 81
per day, two meals included, spend the
time they should be circulating among
their brother members in the frequented
hotels and other quarters walking to and
from their country sour-milk homes.
When they get to their seats in the Cap
itol they feel dull with bad stomachs,
and hardly get to thinking before Calk-
ms, Reed and other bright Republicans
have them in the nine hole WasIainq-
ton Cor. Galrestoe (Iecas) NeeOs.
Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-13
A Thoughtful Urchin.

Not long since smart 7-year-old SON
OF one of our preachers, after service
was over and the family had returned
home from church, said:
Papa, do you ever look at me while
you are preaching ?"
The father, thinking that he was q
little hurt by supposed neglect, said {:
Certainly, my son, often look at you
and think OF you when I am preaching"
"But, to-day, did you notice me at
all ?"
eyes, 1 did, son, several times" said
the father.
swell, papa, did you see me wink at
you two or three times %
"No, my son. What did you wink at
me for when was preaching 2"
" l winked at you, papa, to get you
to stop +: you were spinning it out too
long. "-EIchang~-
Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-13
High Heels and Deformed Feet.

prominent Detroit surgeon remarked.
after performing painful operation on
an interesting little girl whose feet had
been ruined by wearing wrongly-con-
structed shoes, "This is the beginning
of large harvest of such cases." and
what else can be expected? Mothers
walk the streets with heels ON their
boots from Two to three and half inches
high, and not more than an inch in di-
ameter, and their daughters follow the
same bad and barbarous practice. In
many cases severe sprains of the ankles
are suffered. But these are not the worst
points of the high-heel torture The
toes are forced against the fore part of
the boot, and soon begin to assume un-
natural positions. In many cases they
are actually dislocated. In others the
great toe passes under the foot, and the
tendons harden in that position. and
iameness is the result, for which there is
no cure but the knife. When the injury
does not take this form, it assumes other
aspects quite as grave and perhaps more
distressing.
There are thousands of young girls
tripping along the streets to-day who in
few years will be cripples if their par
ents do not interfere and remove the
cause. We shall have race of women
almost as helpless, so far as the feet are
concerned, as those of China.
We condemn the practice of confirming
the feet of children in wooden shoes. and
yet that practice is no more injurious to
the feet than forcing them into small
shoe with an Alpine heel. This is a
matter of grave and serious import. and
hence we press it upon the mothers and
fathers of the land. If they would not
feed the surgical hospitals and have
groups OF manned daughters in their
homes they must commence a crusade
upon the high heels. No father should
have high-heeled boots in his house any
more than he would have vicious dog
IN mis- parlor. When prominent surgeons
from the operating rooms raise their
voices against high-heeled boots it is
time for old and young people to pause
and listen. At this period they can
choose between high heels and the op-
Grating knife. In short time it NAV
De the latter or permanent lameness.
Not long since we asked a prominent
chlropodist what made his business.
"lmperfectly- constructed shoes, % he an
swered without the least hesitancy.-G
trim Royce, IL. d., IN Detroit Post.
Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-13
The Delights of Hanging.

The late Gen. Martin Burke, says a
correspondent who spent some time in
Fort Lafayette. had a peculiar idea of
agreeable conversation. His custom al
ways Of an evening, during the incarcer-
alton of one vi The Confederates under
sentence of death, was to call at the
prisoners cell door and expatiate upon
the advantages and delights of the meth
cd by which the prisoner was to be exc
cuted with those formerly in vogue.
mo shaky trap-doors that you need
be afraid of tumbling through" the
General would cry, warming with his
subject "no sickening sense of falling
and bringing up short, and spinning
round-no, nothing of that sort; but
you are just standing here, and over
there one OF my men cuts little piece
of cord and down comes the weight, and
up You go, soaring like bird, sir-soar-
ing like bird I"
Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-13
Forests in the Southern States.

A writer in the Lumber World gives
The following interesting summary Of the
timber supply now in the South
In Virginia and West Virginia, there
are 40, 000, 600 acres Of land, only 49,
O0O, 900 of which have been improved.
Most of this vast region is yet dense
undisturbed forest of mighty timber
trees awaiting the ak of the spoiler.
"Though the ceaseless chopping of the
all-conq 1ering ak has been heard on the
banks of the James river in the Old Do
minion for the last 27O years, yet the
timber there is apparently inexhaustible
still, and presents formidable appear
ance." The large number of rivers as
we'll as railroads now makes much Of the
Virginia timber accessible, as they are
tidal streams almost to the very base of
the Allegheny mountains. "The entire
region pierced by the Virginia and Ten
nessee, and Chesapeake and Ohio rail-
roads is full of the grandest and widest
scenery, and yet untrodden by the foot
Of man, with countless thousands of
acres OF white, red and black oak, yell
low and white pine, ash, maple, cherry,
chestnut, poplar, spruce and yellow and
honey locust timber" The vast district
in the East, known as the Dismal swamp,
will always furnish an inexhaustible
supply Of timber, which springs up as
rapidly as it is felled. The value of the
Virginia lumber trade is fnow upward
Of 100000 year. Timber land in
the East is worth about SIS an acre, and
in the interior about So. The making Of
nail-keg slaves, fruit boxes, ETC., is a
rapidly increasing industry.
North Carolina, Immediately south,
els one of the greatest single pro-
| ducing regions in the world" Tie State
is famous for its enormous supplies of
turpentine, tar, resin, charcoal and pine
| lumber and timber.
The many rivers of South Carolina,
adjoining, afford an inland navigation of
thousands of miles, excluding rail
roads. Her stock of timber trees is am
pie, consisting of live oak, pine, palmet-
to and laurel, on tide water, and oaks,
hickory and pines i'll the upper regions.
"Her stock of hickory is just being
drawn on to supply the world with ham,
mer, ak, spade, pillow, mallet, Ratchet,
pick and sledge handles in almost in
calculable quantities, to say nothing
of cogs, pullies, spokes, hubs; rims,
tongues, shuttles, bobbins and many
other labor saving purposes.
But of course it is useless to enumer-
ate the millions of acres of most valuable
timbers in all the Southern States. The
supply now on hand and rapidly grow
ing up would seem to be ample for all
future time, even if we of the North are
the spendthrifts we are accused OF being.
When the price of metals falls to reason
able figures, iron will be largely used
instead of wood, for cars, bridges, rail
road ties, plows, wagons, vessels, build
ings, ETC., as it is in other countries, ant
will be greatly preferred. The sooner
this becomes the case, the better for Us
all. In the meantime there seems tx
be no immediate danger of a lumbel
famine.
Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-13
Habits OF WOOd-Ducks.

The experience of Mr.. George Irwin,
OF Mayvllle, New York, upon the capac-
lty tor domestication of different species
OF wild ducks, gave him the means of
gaming much knowledge of the habits
OF the wood-duck, which, although they
would not be domesticated. bred freely
within the Enclosure in which he confined
them. They generally begin to nest
about tie middle of April, and always
choose trees with suitable holes and hol-
lows in which to build, prefering for
this purpose rather high elevations, and
lay from nine to fourteen eggs, of yell
loWlsh-whlte color, the period of incub-
alton OF which is four weeks. When the
young birds, twenty -four hours after being
Matched, are ready to descend from their
nests, whether low or high, the old bird
comes to the hole and takes for about
halt-hour, careful survey of the sur
foundlngs, to ascertain, as it were, that
no intruder is near, and utters a low
call. The ducklings seem to understand
the significance of the call and quickly
make their appearance in front of the
hole, which often extends to depth of
from six to ten feet. BY means of their
~
much as those of birds of prey, and
sharp as the point of a needle, they
easily manage to climb up ON the inside
OF the deep holes, at the entrance, of
which they remain few minutes hud-
died together about the old bird. After
this, the mother again descends to the
ground near the tree, and calls upon her
young brood, which now drop, one
by one, from their airy perch, with
out any apparent hesitation; for their
bodies are already so thickly covered
with down that they seem to fall like
leaves to the ground. When the last
dnckling has accomplished its fall, the
brood gather again about the old bird
and are led by her to the nearest water,
which is seldom far away, and is gener-
ally convenient to shelters and hiding
places.