davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-08-28

This is great country, but too much
OF it is going up in smoke nowadays.
The year continues to MAINTAIN its unen-
v1able distinction for the number and
seriousness of its CONGREGATIONS. The
first six months showed loss of $685.
100000 by fires in the United States
and Canada, which was nearly 80, 600 900
above the average for that period dur
ing the last year. The figures for July
show the destruction of s., SOC, 900
which is nearly a million and a half
above the average for the mouth, and,
indeed, has never been exceeded except
when Portland, Me-, was so nearly
burned on Independence Day in 1866.
VI course large majority of fires can
oe accounted for by common causes,
but insurance experts do not hesitate to
attribute the balance to the condition
OF business affairs. In other words fires
arc set to get money for buildings and
stocks of goods for which cash cannot
oe realized in any other way, or so
much cash at least as that to be obtained
on insurance policies.
The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-08-28
Ship Of War Sunk by a Coal soov-

The United States junketing steamer Talla
poosa, with 40 men and officers, bound for
Newport to take on board Secretary Chandler.
at II o'clock Thursday night, and during
thick fog three miles east of Oak Bluffs,
Martha's Vineyard, was struck in the bow
by the schooner James Lowell of Bath.
Capt Reed, from Baltimore for Portland.
with cargo of coal She was crushed and
sank in five minutes, in ten fathoms of water,
As she went down her whistle was blown
as signal of distress, and steamers in tho
neighborhood took of officers and crew. Touch
ing the collision, Capt. Read says: st was tho
most careless piece of work I ever saw The
night was clear and the lights of the Lowell
were burning all right, and were perfectly Wis
IDLE long distance"
There is difficulty in obtaining the story of
the steamer; her executive officers, to whom
the reporters are referred, declining to make
any statement
Later advices from Cottage City report four
persons drowned from the Tallapoosa "a fol
lows: DR.: Clarence E. Black, surgeon; William
O'Donnell, seaman, of Boston; William Jones,
landsman, of Washington; and George Foster,
the colored saloon boy: Lieut. Everett strongly
denies the statement that the Tallapoosa had
acquired an unfavorable reputation in mari
time circles, and says: II never heard her
called Old Calamity, and have always con-
sldered her reputation very good. She never
had any serious accidents, the accident with
the schooner year or two ago being excusa-
ble." The Tallapoosa has been principally
devoted to the junketing excursions of Wash
ngton officials, and is no great loss.
The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-08-28
The Chinese Army.
Blackwood Magazine.

O-A"OoN ~"6~HA1O'
When, in the engagement at the Pei
no in 1860, the Chinese succeeded in cap.
turing gunboat, they determined to
turn their prize to account. Having, with
this intention, lit the fires, and produced
the amount of smoke from the funnel
which they had been accustomed to see,
they expected the vessel to move, and
were much astonished to find that it re-
manned motionless. We fear that this
is but an illustration of the land and
sea forces at the present time.
They have the best weapons, ships
and ornaments procurable, but they
do not know how to use them. The
mandarins labor under the delusion
that European soldiers and sailors are,
man for man, no better than their own
defenders; and they believe that tho
possession of equally good arms would,
III any future war, turn the scale in
favor of their own overwhelmingly
large battallions. They entirely lg.
more the fact that the success Of the
weapon depends on tho power and the
will of the soldier to turn it
to the best account. Only late
~ we have seen Egyptian soldiers arm
ed with rifles slaughtered like sheep
by savages carrying only spears.
We do not believe that Chinese SOL
diers would over present so abiect
picture of cowardice as these Egyptian
troops did at Teb: for though they arc
not men likely ITO snatch bright honor
from the pale face moon," they are by
no means devoid of courage, and have
shown on occasions that they can fight
bravely and with determination. But
the Chinese have no liking for the pro-
fession Of arms. They despise it, and
regard their soldiers as inferior beings,
and as being fit only to be food fol
powder.
1t is obvious, therefore, that a COM
plete change must come over the ma.
tional mind on this subject before the
necessary radical reforms in the army
can be thoroughly carried out. But
this is not the only direction in which
there must first be complete change
of front. The iron of reform must enter
deeply into the whole corporate life of
the Empire the public service must be
chastened and purified; the laws must
be Justly administered; and the eyre
gious folly of despising everything which
is not Chinese must be given up-5e-
fore China will ever be able to place an
army in the field which will face the foe
with the strength and steadiness of
trained soldiers.
The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-08-28
The llutilated Arctic Dad,

New York Special: Tho secretary of tho
navy and the secretary of war have been in
consultation at tho navy yard, Brooklyn, with
Commander Schley, concerning the Greedy re-
lief expedition. From them the following
statement relative TO the recent reports of the
treatment of bodies of the dead of the Greedy
polar expedition is derived: From revelations
made by exposing some of the bodies, infer
ences have been drawn that missions have
been made in all bodies, and that portions of
the flesh have been used either for food or for
bait for catching shrimps The following au-
thentic extract from Commander Schley's re-
port, now being prepared for the secretary of
the navy, shows portion of the remains to
have been so treated; but that of those of Lieut.
lockwood, Sergeant Israel, Sergeant Linn,
Private Schneider, Sergeant Cross and the
Eskimo Christianson, were absolutely whole
bodies Of the dead for transportation at ST.
Johns, it was found that the bodies OF six of
them Hieut. Kislingbury, Sergeant jewell,
Private Whistler, Private Henry, Private Ellis
and Sergeant Ralston) had been cut and tho
tleshy parts removed to greater or less extont.
All the other bodies were intact"
The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-08-28
THE PlTH OF The NEWS
WaShdngton 1ow.

Warrington 30WU.
R F. Crowell of Minnesota is mentioned q
Judge Elias successor.
The free delivery system viii DO established
Oct at Elgin, III, five carriers: La Crosse.
Via, five carriers; San Jose, Cal five carriers
sioux City, Iowa, four carriers; Sedalia, Mo-,
i've carriers; Fort Worth, Tex. five carriers:
Eau Claire, Wis, five carrierA
DR.. Maggie, registrar Of the bureau of vital
statistics, he's received from the navy DEPART
on the execution of Henry. On the authority of
this report the record in the bureau has been
Greedy"
The secret service division ts in possession
Of new counterfeit 30 note on the Third Ma
tional bank Of Cincinnati. II is of the series
o. 1852, with I chocolate-co lored back. The
ViSnettes on the face Of the note have q coarse,
sefAtchy appearance, but the back is well exc
cuted and calculated to deceive
Judge Jacob A. Ella, auditor of tho treasury
for the postofice department, has died of cry
sipelas Judge Ella served two terlns in con-
gress frem New Hampshire Mr.. Elias death
occurred at the Whitney place, near the Sol
diers' Home, where he and his wife were
otoAuAuB tuo summer Inc CAUSE was 0Ty61p-
elias, for which he had been suffering about
week His remains will be taken to Rochester
N H, for interment
The postmaster general to-day annulled the
government contract with P. W. Kellogg of
Springfield. Mass, for furnishing official dead
letter and registered package envelopes and
tags: This action is based upon the recent in
vestigation made by the postmaster general
himself, who says he found the envelopes of
inferior quality and not up to the standard
contracted for. The contract amounted to $780,
w. A further examination of the stationery
OF the postofice is to be made.
Dr. Salmon, Of the United States agricul-
tural department, reports that the outbreak of
pleuro-pneumonia among Jersy herds in H.
linois is the most serious that has occurred
in long time, and that there is danger of OK
termination of the Jersey cattle throughout
the West He is endeavoring to trace the
origin of the disease, and has been authorized
by the department to use all leagal means to
exterminate the scourge. It would seem that,
in view of the gravity of tho situation, it would
not be amiss for neighboring states to begin to
consider the subject of quarantine
The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-08-28
161soellaneous News 1otaa,

Anthony Wolder, preacher executed at Mar
shall, Tex, preached his own funeral sermon
in the Jail
Property Of the Sprague Manufacturing COM
pany which two years ago cost 1900, 600 sold
1t Augusta, Me-, for $aOO,OOO
A special act gives Simpson Harris of North
Carolina pension of $50 month for services
rendered in 1914. He is 104 years old
The solar heat on Monday is reported to have
baked apples in the open air at los deg, near
Eagle Bridge, Me. Numerous prostrations &C.
CURED ut Dover, N. H.
Another order of arrest was obtained in the
superior court Of New York, against Ferdinand
Ward, in the suit against Ward, U. s. Grant. u
s. Grant, Jr, James D. Fish and William c.
Smith, by William H. Bingham, broker, to
recover $4,000.
J. L Case issaid to have beon offered 345 600
by New York parties for Jay Eye-see He has
telegra phed the Turf, Field and Farm. how
ever, to withdraw the horse from sale, adding.
81 wish to keep the best" He also denies any
knowledge of the alleged offer of $1OO, COO by q
syndicate called the ''Say:: Eye See crowd" Tor
Maud s.
Gov. Bates of Tennessee, has been asked to
issue proclamation Offering reward for the
arrest of the men who killed the Mormon prose-
lyters on Cone Creek. Elder Roberts declares
that he cannot BIO driven from the state and
will return to Chattanooga in few days and
labor in the interest of the church with as much
zeal as ever.
The Courier Journals special from Central
City, Muhlenberg county, Ky, indicates that
there is likely to be trouble At that point about
working convicts IN Duponts coal mines. The
citizens of tho neighberhood and the laborers
Of the state protested against it, and the OK
element has been growing for several days.
An indignation meeting was held attended by
5000 people, much feeling expressed, and the
local authorities will probably pass law max
ing it a punishable offense for convicts to be
brought within corporate limits.
At Keokuk, Iowa, the Law and Order league
caused the seizure of stock of liquors be-
longing to John S. Wolf, under the prohibitory
law now in effect The liquors were being
sold under the name of ssmum'' andtea After
several postponements the case came to trial.
and after some days legal wrangling, the case
went to the jury. They returned their verdict,
which in effect declares the fluid to be vine
beer and whisky, which, when seized, was kept
BY the defendant for tho purpose of being sold
y violation Of chapter &, title II, Of the code
The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-08-28
Market Reports.

81. PAU14-Wheat, No. hard, IS; No. 2 nDc
Corn. No. 2. Sc. No. 3, 4Sc
Oats. No. 2 mixed. Csc; No. white, &c
Barley. No. =. Sc No. extra, 45c. No 8
4Oc =
Rye. No. 2, SIC.
Baled Hay, wild, 500; timothy s12,u
Eggs, 12@13c.
Wheat, No 2, 78c
Corn. No .. rejected, 4905Oc
Oats. No. 2. white, new, j4c; old, sc.
Rye No. 1.62c
Barlev. No. 2. old, Sc
Mess Pork. $3.50
Lard. @74O
Butter, choice creamery, 2o@22c; fair to
good, l7@l9c: best DAIRY, 14@15c
Eggs, 1311s@l4c.
CaIcAao.-Wheat, No 2 Chicago spring.
7S0l7SAc. 5'
Corn. 5ON0D5l%c
Oats. 24I(02G.
Rye. SIC.
Barley. sc.
Flax Seed, $1.35.
Pork, Sl&5O@S19U
Lard, $7400$745
Butter; creamery, .17@1s71fc; dairy, 14@l41<c
The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-08-28
An Old Sea Captains Romance

There is now stopping at the Hotel
Vendome In this city, writes the Boston
correspondent ofthe bingham (Mass.)
Journal, one of the most remarkable
characters connected with New England
commerce since the war of 1912. re-
fer to Captain Maxwell. Had Marryatt
come across him he would have found
legitimate subject for a three-volume
novel, which woald have maae Nudes
fortune. Captain Maxwell is now fully
~ years OF age. and is the loving object
of care by sister. His fortune is i'm
mense, and this word in the proper
vernacular means much. A native OF
Maine, he was wed to the life of sea-
man, and in time he reached the eleva-
ton of master. I knew him forty years
ago, when he was comparatively an old
man, but he was splendid specimen of
physical perfection, and he must have
been more than that twenty years pre-
vious. There is no romance without a
love story and no love story without a
woman
The Pattens of Bath were the great
ship-builders of Maine sixty years ago.
Captain Maxwell was in their employ.
The females of the Patten family for
generations had been noted beauties,
but they were as eccentric as beautiful.
Captain Maxwell, in the pride of his
vigorous manhood, made love to one of
these beauties, and was rejected. By
the way, the marriage ties formed by
the Patten girls were not always of the
Pleasantest kind. One married Jarvis
Slade, of the we'll known firm of
Lawrence, Stone & Slade, the great dry
goods commission merchants, which
went down in the financial crash of
1898. Another, and an equal beauty,
married Wildes P. Walker, whose bust
ness and finacial record in Boston and
New York were very we'll known.
After Captain Maxwell was rejected he
became soured and turned his attention
to accommodating wealth. For long
time he lived in Charlestown, in the
most penurious manner, till his mind
gave way, and to-day he is complete
lmbecilc, a wreck and yet when he dies
the bank records and the safety vaults
of State street will have to proclaim
him one of the richest, ifnot the richest,
man in Boston. I have an idea that
his Investments are different from most
of the so-called millionaires who have
died within twenty years. The shrink
age in, most of the reputed wealth OF
deceased men is attributable to in
vestments which they could take care
of, but, left to executors or trustees,
dwindles fearfully. Captain Maxwell's
wealth might belong to the family of
hereditary monarchs. It is so invested
that no financial panic can shake it,
and yet, looking at the Captain Maxwell
OF sixty years ago and the Captain
Maxwell of to-day, who would accept
the change at the price of all his ducats?
The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-08-28
The Criminal CALENDAR.

Nicholas Good, q well-known resident of Oil
City, forty years Of age, shot himself in the re-
of the heart
A colored man Of Madison, Ind who married
a white girl has been sent to the penitentiary
for miscegenation.
Edward Conkling, aged seventy years, has
been arrested at Hannibal NO., for ravishing
an eleven year-Old girl
Albert NJ. Ham, travelling salesman for
John Ullrich, a wholesale grocer, committed
sicide at Decatur, ILL.,, by shooting himself
through the heart
Inquiry into the history Of Green McCul-
Tough, who was hanged by vigilantes in Texas
ON the night of the 18th inst reveals a record
Of series of eight bloody murders in which
Mccullough has figured - ''getting the drop"
on his victims
A Bonneville, No., special says Frank James
has arrived here to stand trial on charge of
completely in tho Otterville train robbery ON
the Missouri Pacific in 1876. The case will be
called shortly. tits said the defense will move
fora continuance
Three suicides occurred in st. Louis, Tuesday
morning J. 8. Jones, Kansas City dry goods
clerk, took morphine and died at the Everett
shot himself through the body and edinsta1t-
ly. Frank Bliss entered Tony Faust's saloon.
poured two ounces of morphine into glass of
water and drank it dying in an hour
Thomas Murphy, q mechanic employed at
the Smith Aiddling purifier, at Jackson, Mich,
lately in bad health, became excited recently at
thinking there were burglars in the house.
and attacked his wife with slender-polnted
pair of shears. He stabbed her five times
One wound through the throat severed the arte-
RES, and the unfortunate woman bled to death
in ten minutes.
The body Of q man with bullet through the
abdomen was found at Little Falls, N. j., undcr
the bridge. A paper in his pocket shows his
name to be Samuel Lasner and states that he is
fleeing from murderers. A pistol, one chamber
empty, was found in the top of a neighborlng
tree Murder is suspected, as there were indi-
cations of a scuffle and the body was dragging
in the vicinity. Lasner is a Jewish rabbi. and
judging from the contents of his pocket, be-
longing to Chicago.
At Brattleboro, VT, Miss Ella Ames, very
lovely young woman, employed in Bunting's
large shoe factory, as forewoman, attempted
to commit suicide by taking poison but was
saved by tho stomach pump. She admitted
that William Bunting, her employer, had led
her astray shortly after she entered his facto-
ny, and that by threats he had forced her to
submit to his desires ever since. When he
heard she was about to be married, he made
threats against her which she says drove her to
attempt suicide The case creates great excite
ment, as Bunting is man of family and one
of the leading manufacturers of New England
Miss Ames has hitherto bore good reputa-
ton
The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-08-28
r1sH WHITES REPLY.
The 0etalls q the 1raeedy On otseee
Iaaka

The Details q the tragedy On otsseo
A Richfield Springs, N. r., dispatch
says:-The guests and residents here
were startled this morning On learning
that Edward G.: Steers, i young society
man, son OF Schuyler B: Steers, the
richest man in Louisiana, who has
an income Of $4o,o year, had COM
mitted suicide on the dock at Hyde hall,
on account Of the refusal of Miss Tese
White to marry him. Miss White is
tall and pretty girl, 81 years of
age, and above all 4 cousin of
Pell Clarke and Hyde Clark, who
inherited 10000 acres of land
from George Clark, who received it from
George III. through his fathers wife,
who was o countess. The Clarkes go
in the very best society here. They are
courted and invite dozens OF people to
their mansions on Otsego lake. Hyde
hall is a stately old mansion nesting in
a nook and surrounded with forests of
fruit and shade trees. Miss Tese White
has been q frequent visitor at her
cousins. Steers has been furnished
with everything he wished by his father.
The suicide was dramatic in the ex-
treme. Yesterday was the twenty-first
birthday of young Steers, and inviting
Wilson Curtis, son of Judge Curtis of
Cooperstown, they visited Miss White.
With her and two lady companions they
went across the lace to emf y picnic in
the grove opposite Hyde hall, with the
subsequent intention of taking tea at
Hyde Clark's. After their meal Steers
got into his boat with Miss White, while
Curtis took the other two young ladies.
Steers hurried across the bay and jump
ing on the dock assisted Miss White to
alight. He then said:
"Tcse White, I ask you once for all
will you marry me?"
''You know I cannot" she replied.
'Then I will shoot myself" and pull
ing a revolver from his pocket he shot
himself under the right eye, the ball
passing out the top of his skull, death
being instantaneous.
The lady rushed up to Hyde hall for
help and Curtis jumped to the dock.
liz OOuy WAS cOVeieu WILL Leaves anu
evergreens and left lying on the dock
nearly all the afternoon as it fell with
pistol in hand until the coroner from
Cooperstown could be summoned by
boat eight miles distant. Steers:
mother is Frustrated with grief. He
was her only child.
All the above facts were furnished
by Miss Whites mother to-day. Miss
White lies in critical condition,
The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-08-28

Galifornia, having, like the tropical
countries; only two seasons, is pecdl-
iarly adapted to the culture Of wheat in,
its interior valleys. The valley of the j.
San Joaquin with the Sacramento fur :
nishes some Of the largest wheat fields
in the United States, being rivalled
only by those of the Rcd River Valley:
The soil is What is called adobe, which
when wet becomes very sticky; and On
drying becomes like stone: Roads al
most impossible in the wet season be-
come in summer as hard and smooth,
as the finest macadamized roads.
Crops other than wheat cannot be
raised except BY irrigation. As the
wheat is fully grown by the time the
dry season commences, it is very nice
to have the grain ripened sufficiently
dry for threshing at the time it is cut.
Combined machines for cutting and
threshing wheat at the same time are
increasing in number very fast.
On reaching gram field ones atten-
ton is drawn to an object which has an
appearance similar to house of small
size moving by its own power through
the field, which stretches as far as one
can see in all directions. On it's near
approach it is found that instead of
moving by it's own force it is propelled
by twenty very large mules, which were
hidden behind it's huge proportions.
The mules are fastened In two lines,
ten abreast, to long whifle-trees attach
ed to a heavy timber, at the back end
of which is the wheels which steers the
machine. As one sits on top of the ma
chine and looks behind he sees the ears
and backs of the mules, and it seems
much like putting the cart before the
horse, a habit the people have here.
The pilot sits in front of the wheel
steering, and the sensation to passen-
ger is as if at sea, except as the crack
of the whip warns some laggard mule to
move faster.
Close to the knives stands man who
raises or lowers them according as the
grain is tall or not as all that is wanted
is to cut just below the heads. Pass
ing by an endless belt the heads are
carried to the cylinder or picket; the
grain is threshed, and through set of
sieves is cleaned and sent along by a
set af scoops TO the sack-sewer, who
fills the sacks. Then sewing them,
they are ready for market, and sliding
down an inclined plane lie ready for the
wagon, on which they are carried to a
pile of other sacks all ready to be
hauled to market. AS the price at pres
ent is very low, only $1.35 per GENITAL,
many farmers will leave the grain in
the fields for many weeks, knowing that
there is no danger of rain. This i'm
munity from wet makes the farmers Tor
as they are called here, ranchers) care
less, and many show the inprovident
way af the country by leaving q ma
chine which cost $1,000 without cover
through the winter As these machines
weigh three or four tons each, their use
is only possible in country where the
soil bakes hard like pavement. To
give minute description of one of these
machines would trespass to much on
your columns, but this may give a gener-
al idea Stockton, Cal, Correspond
ence of the Hartford Courant.
The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-08-28
Record Of Casualties,

Mrs. P. Jameson of Rock Island, was trampled
by herd Of frightened cattle, receiving fatal
injuries.
Near Albion, N Y, seven boys, Fred Taylor,
Willie Taylor, Judson Bum, Edward Swain,
N. Garrett and Will Ford, were drowned by a
boat capsizing.
At Tawas, Mich, the forest fires which orig
mated on the plank road and crossed over to
the East Tawas road, have done great damage
to the crops, burning standing grain, and hay
in stacks, baking potatoes in the ground, and
burning farm fences of several miles in ex-
tent
E. M. Lewis, president of the Farmep' and
Mechanics Bank Of Philadelphia, was stricken
with paralysis Wednesday night, and is con-
sidered beyond recovery. Mr.. Lewis was the
assignee in bankruptcy of the Jay Cooke estate,
and in 1881 was appointed one OF the directors
of the Reading railroad