davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1884-11-19
OLD MINING IN ALASKA.
Ths9shot-tsun Policy Now Chiefly In Vogue
to Hold Claiins.

The density of the forest growth, the tan
gle of underbrush and the thick carpet of
moss that covers every inch of ground has
made mineral prospecting very slow and
difficult. The men who discovered o ledge
Of quartz near Sitka worked for ten days to
clear of small patch of ground over the
outcroppings, and the more one sees of
these dense tangled forests the more one
marvels at the extensive mining region that
has been opened un near Innaasu ssnu across
ON Douglass Island. As they have had
neither land offices, surveyors nor recorders
the ownership of mining claims has been
rather uncertain. While they could get no
title to their claims, nor protection for
themselves, mine owners have been con-
tented to do only yearly assessment work,
wash or pound ont enough gold to pay ex
penses and keep very still while they held
their mines by suiferance, luck or shot-guns
only. The fear of inviting more Adventures
to come and jump their claims and increase
mob rule has made the miners very reticent
about the value of their properties, and
boosting in that line is unknown In the min
ing camps of the archipelago. The great
mining region is at Juneau, 100 miles
southeast of Sitka Three small creeks on
the shore of the mainland lead to basins
back in the mountains, where rich placers
have been been worked for four seasons
Every foot of this mineral land Is staked of
and claimed by two, three and four first
owners. Lawsuits are impending over every
claim, although the courts have not yet
been established no one has title to
mine and only assessment work has been
opposite juneau, the Paris or Treadwell,
mine is the great mine of Alaska The gold
bearing ledge there is 500 feet wide, CROP
ping out upon the surface and fronting like
a stone quarry to the open mir. II has been
prospected by four tunnels and small Ave
stamp mill has been at work for two sea-
sons. The ore is not rich, averaging from
80 to $50 per ton, but the decomposed
quartz Is easily milled and the supply is in
exhaustible. A large mill Is to be built BY
a force of mechanics, who will arrive by
the August steamer, and the owners, being
now assured Of government title and pro-
lection, are prepared to invest over $780,
900 in these works. The success Of the
Treadwell mine has done much to give con-
fidence to other mine owners, and when
once sure of their titles there will be boom
for these Alaska mines that will quite Guido
the Tombstone, Leadville and Coeur d'Alens
excitements. - Correspondencs New YuA
Times.
The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1884-11-19
CRIMINALS WHO READ.
Instances Where Clever Thieves Have
Been Taken In Libraries.


"There is no better place to look foi
criminals than in a library" said member
of the detective force TO Philadelphia
Times reporter. 1.-THE average thief Is
constantly travelling from one city to an
other, and it is absolutely necessary for him
TO keep posted in all the criminal news in
the different parts Of the country. In the
large libraries at least one or two of the
principal papers of all the larger cities are
on file. These are carefully scanned each
day for police news by criminals. II a rob-
berry Is committed In Boston the thieves
want to know all about It. 80 as to discover
in which direction their best field lies. IL
this way they can also keep track of one an
other.
In several cases criminals have been de-
iected by being followed to libraries. One
Of Pinkerton's men not long ago made m
important arrest Of a jewelry theft IN Gin
cnnah in this way. The man spent all his
time in the library for several days after the
robbery in reading accounts OF it. He ap.
peared to be so deeply interested that the
detective made up his mind that he must
have been implicated in it, and SO made the
arrest. Surprising there was positive evi.
dence against him, the fellow confessed,
nld this led to the conviction Of his pal.
You will often see the files of paper mutt
lated. Nine times out Of ten the piece cut
out contains criminal news. It is amusing
10 see how slyly the fellows 60 at it. They
throw themselves over the paper, and 1t
takes them half az hour to accomplish
their object. In the meantime they look in
all directions to sec II sny one is watching
them"
The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1884-11-19
ACTORS, JOKES.

Some men are funny for fun, while others
are only 30 for business purposes. says a
New York letter. Henry E. Dixey, the
comedian, is clownish by nature. At tho
commencement of his current engagement
In this city he took board at Broadway
hotel near the theatre He wrote his mama
on three lines of the register, after the mod
est manner of an actor, and then the clerk
put down the number of the room assigns
ed to the guest. simultaneously a huge
musquito alighted on the page, straddled
slowly to the figures and stood still by
them. Dixey gazed in affected alarm, and
held his dramatic attitude until the insect
few away.
"Pll foil him yeti" he exclaimed
change my room !"
Now, there is Joseph jefferson, the iocose
and bibulous Rip Van Wrinkle of the stage.
as digniaed in private life rs the prelate
whom he resembles. His friends say that
he never cracks joke spontaneously, and
1t is certain that if ever he remarked to the
bank cashier in order to identify himself
II my tog Schneider vos here he would
know me-" as the old story says, then IL
was for utilitarian purpose only. Jeffer.
son lives at Hohokus, over in New Jersey,
farming it for recreation, and holding &C
casional spiritualistic seances for the sake
of investigation. He lately spent two weeks
in town to rehearse some actors engaged for
his forthcoming season. One day he went
into Broadway store to buy hat. He is
inclined to originality in hats, and this
time took one out of lot which had hither-
to proved unstable. It was peculiar in
shape, being a mixture of helmet and
turban such as New Workers. had steadfastly
declined to wear. The merchant thought
he saw an opportunity to work off the bad
stock by means of the actors purchase. He
Immediately had some Autographs hastily
made OF Jefferson with the odd hat on hin
head, and underneath the inscription
Joseph Jefferson, the great comedian,
wears this new hat" The original of the
picture saw it next day, and instantly grew
so angry that all resemblance to the genial
portrait was..destroyed Hereturned directly
to his hotel and the hat has not since been
seen.
1t is, indeed, difficult to separate an acto,
from his professional personality. wen.
to the funeral of Rachel Sanger That any.
thing so grim as death should oyertake a
woman whom had never seen except in
footlight jollity seemed homogeneous
enough but when the pall-bearers appeared
in the persons of the Diexey whom have
mentioned, the eccentric @. P. Flockton,
the Jim Barton of Grosvenor memory, and
the Ed Rice of burlesque, absolute difficulty
arose in feeling the seriousness of the oc-
casion.
The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1884-11-19
THE CHINESE THEATER.

From an illustrated article under the above
title, by Henry Burden Mcdowell, in the
Century, we quote the following: "The
Chinese theater, however, is perhaps seen
1t its best in the evening. What pushing
and chattering and quaireling there is, to be
sure, as you make your way through the
celestials who throng the box-ofiicel The
hox-office, too, with its little pigeon-holes,
seems rather small for the purpose. But,
as the Chinese always bring the exact sum,
no change is necessary, and everything
moves with admirable dispatch. You have
probably engaged box; or room, as the
Chinese call IL, and as your name has been
posted up conspicuousIy upon it, there is
no chance Of mistake.
The stage is ablaze with :. brilliant cog
tunes OF red and gold. The lights from
the iron chandeliers fare heavily in the
draught PROFESSIONS Of armies, emperors,
statesmen, and generals enter in rapid sue
cession through red-curtained door on one
side and pass out through red-curtained
door on the other. Now the emperor il
holding an audience. The next moment his
troops are engaged in bitter combat with
the retainers of some unruly vassal. Every
species Of crime, every form OF human pas
sion, is crowded into the brief moment Of
the feeting scene. A messenger from
heaven, standing on chair, delivering his
high summons to fairy fish, is next pre-
sented to your confused Imagination. Then,
whirling in angry passion, painted-face
king, pulling his feathers fercely, and
loudly threatening oil manner Of dreadful
things The orchestra keeps up its internal
din. In shrill falsetto the characters sing
through a sort OF high pitched recitative.
Presently you pass down behind the
stage, through the paint-room, where an
actor is making himself as ugly as vermil-
ion and umber can we'll do 1t then by
means of q narrow stairway down to the
dressing room, rich in it's very confusion,
and strewn around with costly brocades and
satins wherever the convenience Of the last
actor had left them. 1t is not long before
you find yourself standing on the stage, &C
near the actors, too, that the emperors
robes touch you as he sweeps superbly by.
Then you are hurried back to your boz
again, where it is explained to you that the
fighting is still going on, and that So-and-So
has killed So-and-So and is of ON horse
back. You leave the theater of the oldest
people in the world with q confused idea of
the plot, burlesqued by your interpreter
and still more highly colored by your heat
ed imagination, with the blare Of the trum.
pet and the strident wall of the fiddle In
your ears, with the smell Of all Chinatown
in your nostrils, with headache, perhaps,
but with little added to your stock Of infor-
nation"
The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1884-11-19
MY FIRST DAY AS A sEsArE.pAor.

AT few minutes before twelve o'clock,
the venerable gentleman, Captain Bassett,
told me to go to the Weep Presidents desk
and put the gayel upon certain spot ON
the table. Hardly had done SO, when,
exactly at twelve o'clock, in walked two
men through the door near me. They were
Schuyler Oolfax, the Vice-P President of the
United States, and DIR. Newman, the chap
lain of the Senate. The Vice President ad-
vanced to the side of his desk, took up the
gavel, and gave one loud rap. At once the
buzzing in the galleries and on the floor
ceased and, in perfect silence, DIR. New
man assembled the steps to the vice-Presi
dents chair, and standing up, delivered
short prayer
The prayer was hardly finished, when
nearly oil the senator's began to clap THEN
hands in every part of the chamber, making
quite racket. They had habit of doing
that Immediately after the opening exer-
cises, and, on one occasion, caused an old
man in the gallery to exclaim, "Wall, I'll
be hanged eff I saw anything pertikerlerly
fine about that prayerl' But they were not
applauding the prayer--they were merely
calling for pages
When the clapping commenced, the pages
started to run in every direction to SEQ who
should be the first to get the messages OF
the favorite senator's, and certain senator,
who sat far over on the Democratic side.
even amused himself by writing letters and
soaring them away up into the air, and even
against the ceiling of the room, and watch.
ing the pages attempt to catch them as thew
sailed down toward the floor. l think he
could sail letter better than any othe,
senator. OF course, this was no great
achievement to boast about, but some of the
senators sat through q whole session so
quietly that they seemed never to do any,
thing except to go to the Senate every day
and SIT still and vote. And l remember
once senator came into the chamber lust
as his name was reached by the clerk who
was calling the roll on vote. He looked
around, and did not know what was going
on or what he should do, and I pitied him
and called out from behind him, "vote
No y" And he did OF course he
thought it was some responsible senator
speaking to him. But had been in the
Senate several days before l had enough
courage to pretend to advise senator.
Sometimes the senators could not think OF
anything to send the pages for, and we
would have an easy time and, instead OF
sitting, as we ought, up in an erect and
dignifed position, we would kneel down
upon the soft carpet and play marbles. I
have often gone up on the Republican side
to where the Vice President sat, rs on a
throne, and played marbles with q page ON
the Democratic side, almost under the Vice.
Presidents chair. II would make some of
the senators angry to see us do this, but
most of the senators believed in letting us
do whatever we pleased, so long as we kept
still, while the young ladies in the gallery
usually paid more attention to what we did
than to what the lawmakers were doing
From +" Among tie La,o-maters," BY Ed
mund Alton IN 50. Nicholas.
The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1884-11-19
THE NUTMEG TREE.

If there are any attempts to cultivate nut
meg trees in lighthouses, they are not fire.
luently made. Perhaps 1t would be worth
trying. sss 81
The nutmeg tree fourishes near the
equator. It is raised from the nut in nurs-
cries, where it remains till the fifth year,
when it puts forth its first blossoms. II is
then set out permanently.
The trees are planted thirty feet apart in
diamond order. They begin to bear in the
eighth year, increasing for many years, and
they pay large profit. There is no nut
meg season. Every day of the year shows
buds, blossoms and fruit, in every stage Of
growth to maturity.
The nutmeg is large and beautiful tree,
with thick foliage and of rich green color.
The ripe fruit is singularly brilliant. The
shell is glossy black, and the mace it ex-
poses when it bursts is bright scarlet, maxi
ing it one Of the most beautiful Of the vegs-
table kingdom. 81
The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1884-11-19
REpuDrArlNo THEIR DEBTS.



As cities and towns and counties are amen.
able to the courts, they usually get rid of
payment by some technical evasion. Sew
eral counties in Arkansas once combined to
resist the payment of $2,0O0,000 on the
ground that the law was copied incorrectly.
lone immaterial word of three letters was
substituted for another immaterial word of
three letters" But the following is more
curious case: "a Missouri county issued
bonds to the extent of its power. The bonds
were inditferently printed, and the pur.
chasers asked to have more presentable
instruments substituted for them. The
county authorities kindly complied with
their request, and then set up the defense
that the first bonds had exhausted their au-
thority, and the new ones we're an over
issue" A Kansas County, which was sued,
8 elected officials upon an understanding
that they should keep in hiding during their
term Of Office" They slsulked during the
day, and entered town OF night for public
business. In Missouri County picket
guard was set "against the approach of
enemies and strangers" The only way in
which writ was finally served on the off.
Gers of this county was by bailiff of the
court, unrecognized. :" In the disguise Of
drunken tramp" he "entered the place
unchallenged, and staggered into the pres
ence of those against whom he held the
writ" In an Arkansas County the officers
had an understanding with the Governor.
" When they got through with little public
business they resigned, and were reappoint-
ed when more business was to be done, and
then, when this was finished, resigned
again, and so on"
The remarkable performance of Memphis,
Tenn, not so very long ago, has been more
Familiarity known. She simply committed
corporate suicide" by having the Legisla-
ture withdraw its charter, and was after.
ward municipal nonentity. Duluth, when
IL fell under burdensome debts, remember
ed that 1t had taken into its corporate limits
"a liberal area of prairie and forest entirely
innocent of improvements. II carved
out of this the Village Of Duluth SO Hhap.
ed as TO include oil the settlement, while the
city, with the city's liabilities, was left like
veritable scapegoat in tho wilderness out
side." A city in Kansas "quietly moved
its houses " on a section of prairie near by,
"and left the deserted site TO the mercy of
Its creditors literally running away from
its debts"
The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1884-11-19
BILL NYE.
HIS Experiences win a Cyclone.

Those who know me the best will remem.
Der that have never, openly or secretly,
written or uttered sentiment that could in
any way be wrapped into an adverse criti-
cism of the cyclone. Whatever may have
learned or observed derogatory to the cy.
clone and its cruel and treacherous nature,
have religiously kept to myself.
And what is my reward for this 2" Like
peaceful Ute, stealing up through the
sheitering ambush to saw open the wind
pipe of q dear friend, comes the ring-tail
peeler of the sky, scarcely moving the green
leaves as he steals along the valley on his
hind legs. The air is like the atmosphere
of death. No sound is heard except the
dull thud of the woodlands ok as 1t buriea
itself in the heart Of pine tree that belongs
to some one else. The sun has dropped
behind dull gray cloud that is faced with
pale green. Still lower down the steel-gray
and purple clouds come boiling over the
tree-tops. The tree-toad makes q few de-
sultory remarks, Katy-did says "eood
evening" and the premature twilight has
come. Up from the southwest comes
sullen mutter, crash, a roar, like twenty
oceans in joint caucus, the rush of falling
trees, the crash of giant hailstones, the
thunder of falling water sand, like the dead
ly charge of heavens artillery, it is over.
That is cyclone--one OF The adult variety
when it is feeling well When you see one
of that kind sliding up into the sky, do not
try to twist its tail as it goes by. 1t takes
strong, quick man to reach out over the
dashboard and twist the tail of a cyclone.
He must be strong in the wrists, cool-headed
and soon in movements. 4li8f
The cyclone which visited Northern Wis
consin ON the 9th instant was about mile
and half wide, and lasted through period
of time, I would say, such as would be
measured in pronouncing The word @ Scat p
in an ordinary tone Of voice. 1t blew down
three churches, sparing all the saloons,
jerked the school buildings crooked, knock
ed the Postoffice silly and demolished q
dozen stores and places of business Il
killed two of the most promising young
men and purest Christian women In the
village. Then it went ont into the forest
where l was riding along, attending to my
own business, tipped me over and broke
my leg. Everywhere it sought out the
young and fair. 1t spared the old, the sin.
full and the tough, but spent its fury on the
tender, the good, the true and the beauti-
full. 1t is surprising that it ierked me gal
ley west? No, indeed I am only sur
prised that am alive.-Denosr Opinion.
The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1884-11-19
THE THUNDERER,s ORIGIN.
John Walters Cranky Paper That Became
the London " Tiines.'


The starting of this great newspaper
ninety nine years ago was mere incident
in the development of another business. AL.
most every one who has stood in printing
Office watching compositors set type must
have sometimes asked himself, why not
have whole words cast together instead OF
,bliging the printer to pick up each letter
separately Such words as and" the"
but, it," " is" and even larger words,
like " although" and notwithstanding,
occur very often in all compositions. How
easy it would be, inexperienced persons
think, to take up q long word, such as " ex.
traordinary," and place it in position in one
stroke In the year 1875 there was prin.
ter named John Walter, we'll established in
business, who was fully resolved on giving
the system trial. At great expense and
trouble he had all the conimonest words
and phrases cast together. He would give
his type founder an order like this "Send
me hundredweight, made up in separate
pounds, of heat, cold, wet, dry, murder,
fire, dreadful robbery, atrocious outrage,
fatal calamity and alarming explosion
This system he called Geographic printing.
In order to give publicity to the new system
on which he held patent, as well as to Of
ford it fuller trial. he started a newspaper,
which he called the Daily UniDersal Regis
ter. The newspaper had some little success
from the beginning, but the topographic
system would not work. Not only did the
,,1a abe IL hat
the system itself presented difficulties which
neither John Walter nor amy subsequent ex-
perimenter has been able to surmount.
The whole English language" said
Walter, in one of his numerous addresses tc
the public, "lay before me in confused
arrangement. 1t consisted of about ninety
thousand words. This multitudinous mass
reduced to about nine thousand by sepa.
rating the parcels and removing obsolete
words, technical terms and common termi-
nations" After years of labor this most
resolute and tenacious man was obliged to
give it up; it was too expensive, too cum
bersome, too difficult. 1t required vast
amount Of space, and, in short, it was
system which could not and cannot be
worked to profit But though the logo
graphic printing was a failure, the Daily
UniUersat Register proved more and more
successful. 1t was dingy little sheet,
about twice as large as sheet Of foolscap,
without word Of editorial and containing
small number of well-selected paragraphs
aud news. 1t had also occasionally short
notice of the Dlaya of the niott hefore end a
few items of what we now call society Cos.
sip. The advertisements after the paper
had been in existence three years averaged
about fifty day, most of them very short.
Its price was threepence, English, equal to
about twelve cents Of our present currency.
The paper upon which 1t was printed was
coarse and cheap. In the third year of its
existence, on the first of January 1888, tho
name was changed to the Times.
The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1884-11-19
aetrinG Ahead OF Time.

GO. wish to look at some mourning
goods" said lady, as she entered dry
goods store. " Yes, madam" replied the
clerk this way, please" After looking
through the entire stock she remarked that
she would come in again in the course Of a
day or two. g" May ask, said the clerk,
In sympathetic tone Of voice, " IL the
death occurred in your Immediate family ?"
"There has been no death yet" she replied
sadly, "but my husband is very low
Trayeller's Magazine.
The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1884-11-19
POETRY.
To Hear Her Stag.

To Hear Her Stag.
To hear her sing-to hear her sing
1t is to hear the birds OF spring
In dewy groves on blooming sprays
Poor out their blithest roundelays
1t is to hear the robin trill
At morning, or the whippoorwill
At dusk, when stars are blossoming-
To hear her sing-to hear her sing?
To hear her sing-it is to hear
The laugh OF childhood ringing clear
In woody path or grassy lane
Our feet may never fare again.
Faint, far away as Memory dwells,
It is to hear the village bells
AT twilight, as the truant hears
Them, fastening home, with smiles and tears.
Such JOY 1t is to hear her sing,
We fall In love with everything
The simple things OF every day.
Grow lovelier than words can say.
The idle brooks that purl across
The cleaning pebbles and the moss,
We love no less than classic stream
The Rhines and Amos OF our dreams.
To hear her sing-with folded eyes,
1t is, beneath Venetian skies,
To hear the gondoers refrain;
Or troubadors OF sunny Spain.
To hear the bulbul's voice that shook
The throat that trilled for Lalla Rookh;
What wonder we In homage bring
Our hearts to hor-to hear her sing.
III W. Riley