davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-08-22
spEAKINe WELL OF OTHERS,

If the disposition to speak well Of
others were universally prevalent, the
world would become comparative para
disc. The opposite disposition is the Pan
dora box which, when O. eled, fills ~ err
house and every neighborhood with pain
and sorrow. How many enmitie' and
heart burnings flow from this source
How much happiness is interrupted and
destroyed Envy, jealousy, and the ma
lignant spirit of evil, when they find
vent by the lips, go forth on their mis-.
sion like foul fends to blast the repu-
tation and peace OF others. Every one
has his imperfections /; and in the con
duct Of the best there will be occasional
faults which might seem to justify amin
adversion. It is good rule, however
when there is occasion for fault find
ing, to do it privately to the erring one
This may prove salutary. 1t is proc
of interest in the individual, which vii
generally be taken kindly, if the man
ner Of doing it is not offensive. The
common and unchristian rule, on the
contrary, is to proclaim the failing Of
others to all but themselves. This isun
christian, and shows despicable heart,
Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-08-22
WHO PUNCHES THE COINS.


A reporter asked James N. Sampson,
the veteran detective at the Sub-treasu-
ry, to what the Government detectives
attributed the sudden increase in the
number Of clipped and punched coins.
which has attracted co much attention
Of late. Mr.. Sampson said that it was
perfectly well known that nine-tenths
Of the punching was done in this city by
Cubans. A number Of silver coins were
clamped together in roll, and in less
time than it takes to write an account Of
it q hole is drilled through the whole
lot The value of the silver obtained by
punching hole Of usual size in co.'s
amounts to about one-twenty-fifth of
the value Of the coin, so that for every
roll of twenty-five quarter-dollars the
value Of one qunrter-dollar is obtained
in moment by running drill through
the roll. Mr.. Sampson says, also, that
many of the punched coins come from
Mexico and South America, where our
silver coins circulate freely, and rarely
escape mutilation. Several attempts
have been made OF late years to break
up the systematic punching of coins,
but with little success. Only two con-
victions for the offense have been made
in ten years. Mr.. Sampson remarked
that, while the business of punching and
filing coins was almost wholly in the
hands of the Cubans, the business OF
sweating gold coins by shaking them up
in buckskin bag is attributed by tho
detectives to the denizens of Chatham
street. By shaking bag containing
100 eagles for three hours the result in
gold dust will be worth about $40. Mr..
Floyd, the chief clerk of the assay Office,
said that the Government rules relating
to lightweight gold coins were detective.
and tended to keep such coins in circu-
lation. When gold coin less than
twenty years old is abraded tomore than
per cent. of its value, it is stamped
with an "L" at the Sub-treasury and
returned to whoever offers it, instead of
being sent to the mint. The object is
to force the holder TO take it to the
assay Office or mint 70 be sold at its real
value, instead of which it goes into cir.
culaton again. The trouble is that
Congress has never made any provision
for redeeming mutilated or even abraded
coin. Many persons think that all pieces
that have been worn down beyond re-
cognition in actual service should be re-
deemed at par. The difficulty is to ten
when piece has been worn smooth
through use or brought to that condition
by sweating or other artificial means.
Mr.. Floyd considers that the mutilatiou
of silver coin does not need Government
interference, because unlike the abra-
sion Of gold, the multilation of a silver
coin can be detected at once, and it rests
with the public to drive such coins out
of circulation.-NGw York Evening
FnGt.
Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-08-22
IAIPRESSIONS.

Spirit of the press-How long can the
Ink stand F? - Keokuk Constellation.
Dunno. How long can the pen holder 2
Huntington Hawk-Eye. Tell us how
long can tho pencil sharpener, and wen
answer that. - Omaha Republican.
They are all right rs long as the weather
remains stationery--O Omaha Daily Bee.
Your purs are enveloped in obscurity.
That's no wafer to get off iokes.-De-
troll: Free Press. We believe you write
in this opinion.-tdmden Post. Our
penchant run that way. - YoaIers Ga
Eette. Seal all !-Bc'ston Globe. Gum,
now, it hardly paste to print such para
:,raphs---Bosioa Commercial bulletin.
We should like to wa.x why not, if ques.
tons ace not against the rule.- YdUcot
Strauss.
Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-08-22
The Way Falcon Puts It.

[Soule Smith in the Louisville Times.l
AS to the charge against Cleveland,
how many men are there who have
not at some time or other in their
lives yielded to the same temptation !?
What Republican leader was there at
any time against whom the same aGr
cusatiOn could not have been sustain
ed? What of Oliver p. Morton, of
Matt. Carpenter, Of, zachl, Chandler,
of Ben Wade, Of Copklin, Of Thad
Stevens, of Grant? Were these men
saints in whom the soft, warm carcss
of a womoln,'s. hand would waken no
answering emotion? What was the
condition of things under the two
administration of Grant at Washing
ton, or, for that matter, what is 1t
now? l take it that President Arthur
has never. put himself under VOW to
be a monk, and neither Cleveland
nor Blaine will swear himself to eter-
nal cclibacy when, whichever one of
them is successful, he takes his oath
of Office. Virtue is unquestionably q
handy thing to have about the White
House, and it may be veryimportant
to have Caesars wife at the head of
things there; but if the people wait
until they can find white-soule,l
Caesar, who has never sinned, they
will have more difficulty in finding
one than the priests have in choosing
grand Llama in Llassa. Let us all
be virtuous, my bretcrcn; let us be
clastc, sober and discrect-espeeially
lei us be discreet-and ifw are. caught
up with let us pray that the ground
around there be not very stoney and
the bystanders who can afford to shy
dornicks at us are very few.
Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-08-22

a REPRESENTATIEE COESTITUEEE
He gave all the hackmen OF the Union
Depot stand-off. brushed the boot
blacks right and left, and shouldered
his sixty pounds Of baggage and started
up Jefferson avenue in search Of a tavern.
He was right-up-and-down man, and
he wanted TO strike tavern where they
had an old-fashioned boiled dinner.
"Just come in from lansing" he
observed, as he fell in with q pedes-
trian.
"Did, ehP Been out to the Legisla-
ture?"
"You bet l have. I'm not q men,
Der, but made things hum out there
all the same"
"Have bill2"
"Not exactly. 1 come down from
- county to take the kinks out OF
our member. He was sailing in with
high head, and if I'd waited ten days
longer he'd have been bossing the
whole State. What dye Think"
~ dunno"
"He wouldn't speak to me when 1
first got there Think of that | Up
home there we rated him about No.
4, and sent him down to Lansing more
because none of the rest of us could
leave, and he wanted to cut me colder'n
wedgel What do you thinkP
Rather mean"
"You bet. But lowered his nose q
bit. We'd heard how he was prancing
around and putting ON airs and making
out that he run our county, and few
of us got together and wrote him let
ter. 1t didn't seem to do any good, and
so we got together again, and they sent
me down to put on the currycomb."
"And you did,"
Didn't II He'd put In about a
dozen bills affecting our county, and l
mashed oil but two. He had laid him
self out for six or seven speeches, and 1
mashed all but one. The first day l
got there he was supporting motions
and moving to amend and strike out,
but 1 mighty soon let him understand
that no such chaff passed for oratory
with us. He tried to bulldoze me at
first, but when he found that his con-
stituency had got after him he Gained
down. He'd been fooling with the game
law, and had got mixed up with dog
tax bill, and saw-log law, and bill
about inland fishing, and don't know
what else. ] took him out behind the
State House, and says l Now, boy,
you squat a! Your constituents demand
that you calm right down. We don't
want no Cicero in ours, and we won't
have it. We sent you down here to do
q little quiet work, and not to prance
around and imagine you've got Patrick
Henry's hat ON. We are humble people,
taking kindly to log houses and johnny
cake, and we don't 60 cent on big
words and long Aourishes. That's what
1 told him, and he Gained.
Ibid, Ell y"
"You bet he did And if we hear
anything more about his rising to ex-
plain his vote on the dog tax or moving
to recommit the muskrat bill our county
won't be no place for him to return to.
This is the place, ehp Well, I'll fodder
up and then take the train for home. -
Detroit Free Press.
Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-08-22
General Information.

There are about l,S0O persons con-
'incd IN the State Lunatic Asylums.
This does not include those who
should be there.
There were l,0l9 idiots in the State
June 30, 1888.
There arc 24,j65,l70 acres of land
in the State, valued at $l9l, 73l, S96,
an average of 81 So per acre.
In 1910 there were 80 counties in
in the State-75 paying and Is pau
per. Rate Of taxation, 10 cents on the
300, In 1883 there were III coun-
ties-6l paying and Sc paupcr. Tax,
AK cents on The 800.
The estimated average value of the
Railroads in the State is $l7,G62, 52
per mile.
The legal voters in the State in
1883 were: white, 3ll,75S; colored,
5G,2j4. Total, 3lS,0l3.
From July |, 1882, to June 80, 1883
the State supported l,0i7 idiots, at a
cost of $65,47l %.
G,l96 clanccry and 1866 common
law cases were recorded in the same
period of time.
1920 deeds and 1881 mortgages
and powers of attorney were record
ed.
The assessed value ofrailroad stock
in 1882 was $3l, 3l7,374 taxed at Az
cents on the 500.
The expenses of the Lunatic Asy-
lums were: Eastern, Lexington, DR..
Chenault, $S7,974 60; Central, An
chorage, DR.. Gale, $66,0j9 95; Wes-
tern, Hopkinsville, DR.. Rodman
$7S,935 50. A total of $685., $3.50 50.
The criminal prosecutions from
1910 to 1850 cost $lSl, $50 Sc; 1850 to
1850 cost 5jG,S6j So; 1860 to 1870 cost
Sl,2Sl,l3j 81; 1870 to 1880 cost 3d.
0G5,47O 80; 1880, $329,7l9 OF; 1881,
$230,7lS so; 1882, $l75S3O so; 1883,
$l96,9lS 81.
In the thirteen years closing June
30, 1888, the State has paid $780,
2S3 43 for charitable purposes.
Sixty-on counties pay a net rev.
enue TO the statc--,J, tlrrsOn paying
the largest amour , $l0L,92S % KEN
ton next S3S,90G q.
Fif1y-siX are popular counties, that
is, their expenditures exceed their
revenue. Clay county drew from
the State in 1883, 1897 81; remain
ing panper counties smaller amounts.
There is a surprising and unex-
planned increase in the amount paid
out of the State Treasury for the
support Of idiots, kept by commit
tees, within the ten years past. In
1873 the amount was 1923, 264 In 1883,
$65,47I %.
Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-08-22

wives; hence if he delivers letter
from Your girl to your wife you can
have him discharged.
Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-08-22
VOW THE HURGLARN nUReLE.

NOW THE BURGLIRS BURGLE.
The modern housebreaker is, how
sver, far different person, and plays
for far higher stake. He has probably
been in prison, and learned the tricks d
the trade in the hours of combined labor
while undergoing penal servitude ut
Dartmoor or Portland. 1t is here that
he receives the first smattering OF bis
scientific education. He may have bee'L
a clerk, or a discharged fo0tmaD. or a
small shopman, or an errand-lad-som e
one who has embezzled or purlOfned-
and the discipline Of his prison career
has resulted in nothing more than pre-
pairing him for the exciting trade Of a
professional thief. Society, he argues,
has injured him by depriving him of his
liberty, and he intends to be revenged
upon society. He becomes compan-
ion OF old thieves, and he is elected a
brother in the freemaSonry OF crime.
He is told where property car be found,
how it can be stolen, and where it can
be disposed Of. Stories of robberies,
and burglaries, and midnight advent
ures, sound as fascinating as the yarns
of miners at the diggings, Chance may
decree long course Of ceaseless work
and no reward but when the " turn-up'
does come the prize is worth the win.
ming. Thus educated theoretically in
thieves knowledge, the felonious neo.
phyte comes out OF prison to be q con-
Meeting link between the Gagged and
"lucky." He knows what policemen
can be bribed. what information is nec.
essary for his undertaking what public
houses and other haunts are frequented
by thieves, and what should be the gen
eral plan of the campaign on which he
has entered. He does not go rashly tc
work, but bides his time, setting hi
traps and snares with the care Of an ole
sportsman. Uncensciously, domesti;
servants, male and female, drift into THU
world Of roguery, and, before they arr
aware of it, are led to betray tine conf
dence Of their employers. They arr
plausible fellows, these modern burglars
they can tell good story and sing {
good song; they can tlirt with the sill.
maids, and will "wnlk out with them
| on Sundays they bet a little and pla.
cards; and gradually they inmesh
household by the agency of the in-doo
servants, who have not the faintest ide
of the real objects Of the crafty fellow
who have made themselves so agreeable
People express themselves surprised a
the constant success of the confidenc
trick, and all the devices in which goo
acting and plausibility are opposed t
selfshness and vanity; and yet the
cannot realize the fact that agents OF tn
Intelligence department of knaver
are constantly on .he alert.-Londo
| Telegraph.
Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-08-22
= EPIGRAMs from " EyDYMI0N."

EPIGRIMS FROM g." ENDYMION."
The following scraps of epigrnm ar
culled from Lord Dcaconsield's move.
"Endymion":
"a little knowledge of the world is
very dangerous thing, especial ! i'll liter
AZURE"
"The only use Of being in opposition
is that we may enjoy ourselves"
"When nation is thoroughly per
picked and dispirited they soon cease t,
make distinctions between political par.
ties. The country is out Of sorts, ant.
the Government is held answerlble ful
the disorder"
"Sensible men are all of the same re.
lgion. And what is that? Sensible
men never tell"
"Great men should think Of opportu.
nifty and not Of time. Time is the ex.
cuse of feeble and puzzled spirits"
EVERY political party changes its
principles on an average once in tel
years."
Gymnastics are unpopular, especially
new ones. The present age is monarch
cial, but not dynastic."
"That hecatomb they call n wedding
breakfast, which celebrates tho tri
umph Of q rival"
Everything in this world depends
upon WILL" II think everything in thii
world depends upon woman" 1t is thu
same thing"
Zone should never think Of death
think Of life-that is real piety."
"Turtle makes all men equal"
"a public man is responsible, and I
responsible maVis slave. 1t privat'
life that governs the world. The worl'
talks much of powerful sovereigns ant
great ministers, and if being talked abou
made one powerful they would be ire
sistible. But the fact is, the moro yov
are talked about, the less powerful yo1
are"
Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-08-22
Our Agents

The following persons are our authorized
agents, who will rooove subscription for the
SEMI WEEKLY SOUTH KENrUCKIAN;
j. W. Williams, Pembroke, Ky.
W. II. Brewer, Fairview, Ky.
Il. l.. Mcclure, Trenton, Ky.
j. NJ. Adams " Co., Church Hill, Ky.
y. II. Hancock, Casky, KY.
J. G. Marques, Pedee, Ky.
Mrs. Gcrtic |. GriIlln, Lafayette Ky
II. j. Faulkner, Caledonia, Ky.
". A. White, Macedonia, Ky.
Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-08-22
The Life Of Man.
insurance Journal.l


Bob Burdette says, man born of
woman, is of few days and no teeth.
And, indeed, it would be money in
his pocket sometimes if he had less of
either. AS for his days, he wasteth
one third of them, and for his teeth,
he has commissions when he cuts
them, and as the last one comes
through, 10! the dentist is twisting
the first one out and the last end of
the mans jaws is worse than the
first, being full of porcelain, and a
roof.plate built to hold blackberry
seeds.
Stone bruises line his pathway to
manhood, and his father boxes his
ears at home, the big boys cuff him
in the playground, and the teacher
whips him in the schoo-room. lie
buycth Northwestern at ITO, when
he has sold short at 81, and his neigh
Dor unloaded upon him Iron Noun
tain at 63, ami it straightway break
eth down to A. lie riscth early and
sitteth up late that he may i'll his
barn and storelouse5, and 10! his
children's lawyers divide the spells
among themselves, and say "lla, ha J"
lie grOwl;th AMI is sore distressed
because it raineth; and he beatcth
upon his breast and sayeth "My crop
is lost !" because il raineth not. The
late rains blight his wheat, and the
frost biteth his peaches. If it be so
that the sun shineth, even in the
ninctics, he saycth, "Woe is me, for
perish ;" and if the north wind sigh
eth down in forty-two below, he cri
eth, "Would | were deadw If ht
wear sackcloth and blue jeans, mel
say, "lie is tramp;" and if he goetI
forth shaven and clad in purple and
fine linen, all the people cry '"Shoot
the dude !"
lie carryeth insurance for twenty
five years, until he has paid thric,
over for all his goods, and then Ii,
lettcth his policy lapse one day, and
that same night fire destroyeth hi
store. lie buildeth him house Jcr
sey and his first born is devOured b,
mosquitoes he pitchcth lis tent il
New York, and tramps devour hi,
substance. lie movcth inSo Kansas
and a cyclone carryeth his house ava,
over into Missouri, while a prairi,
fire and ten million acres of grasshop
pers fight for his crop. He scttlctl
himself in Kentucky, and is shot tn
next day by gentleman, a cello
mel, and stateman, because sab, h
resembles sab, man sab, lie did no
like, sah." Verify there is no res
for the sole of his foot, and ifhe ha,
it to do over again he would not b
born at all, for the day of death j
better than the day of ones birth"
Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-08-22
Rules Of the Postofioe Department

A pair of onions will 90 for two
cents. g..
Old maids, feather beds and inila-
ted balloons are unavailable.
When you enclose money to any of
the parties on the oilicia! list OF
frauds, please say little prayer.
Babies can not be sent as third
class matter provided sucking bottles
and napkins accompany them.
John Smith gets his mail at G74,279
poStoflices, hence u letter addressed
to John Smith, United States, will
reach him.
Persons are compelled to lick their
own postage stamps and cnveloDes !;
the postmaster can not be compelled
to do this.
Poems on Spring and Beautiful
Snow are rigidly excluded from the
mails. This will be joyful news to
the editors of this land.
Garlic, onions, assafptida, gum
camphor, Switzer, Limbcrger and
sapsagO sent through the mails should
be left open at the end.
Eggs are not mailable unless they
are fresh and should they become
chickens in transit, they become the
property of the postoflice department
When watches are sent through
the mails if the sender will put no.
tice on the outside the postmasters
will wind up and keep in running
order. i.' @
Spring chickens that are old
enough to vote, when sent by
mail, should be enclosed in an iron
bound box to save their tender bod.
les from injury.
Nitro-glycerine and dynamite must
be forwarded at risk of sender. II
they should blow up in the postmas.
ter's hands be can not be held respon.
sible.
i The Postmaster General has per.
fected arrangement by which letters
without postage will be Immediately
forwarded to the dead letter office.
When letters are received bearing
no direction the parties for whom
they are intended will please signify
the fact to the postmaster, that h
may at once forward.
Butter and lard are mailaBle onl
i'll the summer months. Wrap then
in tissue paper, open at both ends
the butter must have sfl the hal
combcd out of it.
When you enclose = money orde
in letter always white full and ex
plicit directions in tho same letter S,
that any person getting the letter cal
draw The money.
When candies are sent through tn
mails it IS earnestly requested tina
both eRds OF the package be left opel
so that the employees of the postoflic
may test its quality.
/ Ducks can not be sent through tls
: mails when alive. Their quackiD,
would disturb the slumbers of tn
clerks OH the postal cars. The rule
however, does not apply to tn
"duck" of q bonnet.
The placing of stamps upside dow
on letters is prohibited. Severa
postmasters have recently been seri
ously injured while trying to stan,
on their heads to cancel stamp
placed in this manner.
Letter carriers are required to hav
penetration enough to know whc
letters should be delivered TO iealou
Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-08-22
CLUB LIST.
10 CORRESPONDENTS.

We want fresh, reliable and readable letters
from every ncighborhood where the SEMI
WEEKLY SOUTH KENrUC4IAN circulates. Give
lis the ,ews plainly, correctly, briefly and intel
igibly, without needless comment or rhetorical
lourlshes. Let no obituary notice exceed ten
lines; don't discuss the weather, or write abou
matters of no interest to the reading public
Use but one side of the paper and write us often
rs you have news items to chronicle, and nc
Oftener.