davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-11-25
New Diseases.

It is almost impossible, the London
Standard asserts, for any new occupation
to spring into existence without devel-
oping some new malady. Scores OF such
cases could be adduccd. But perhaps
the most curious was one which for q
time puzzled the Washington physicians.
Some years ago it was noticed that al
most every one of the women employed
in counting banknotes in the treasury
began after a few weeks of the work to
look i'll, aud then to have sores upon
their hands and heads. This extraordi-
nary indisposition increased to such an
extent, that many of the clerks had to
abandon their labors, after periods vary
ing from a few months to several years.
Some of the cases were worse than
others; but there seemed no more posi-
bility of escaping the treasury malady
than of leaving Bagdad without the
curious "button" which marks forever
the resident in the city of Haroun al
Raschid. At last, however, the mystery
came out. The note counters were one
and all suffering from blood poisoning,
caused by their having unconsciously
absorbed the arsenic used in coloring the
"greenbacks." Their moist fingers were
applied to the forehead, or to rub the eye,
and in this way the arsenic got entrance
to the system, and duly worked the mis-
chief mentioned. The hurry and scurry
of civilization are rapidly bringing new
diseases in their train. Softening OF the
brain was very little known before the
age of competitive examinations and
high-pressure business. Stockholders
are now so liable to it that DR.. Wynter
proposed to call it the Capel court dis
ease. The first beginning of this terri
bic malady very often comes upon q man
in the heyday OF his prosperity. Its ap-
proach is so insidious that he may be
walking about and %transacting his busl-
ness, while all the time the fatal disease
is slowly working its way. Then. sud
denly, he is missed. AS in the "Vision
of Nlirza," a parsonage is every now and
again noticed to have vanished from the
ebb and flow of city life, and none but
the family physician and the bereaved
relatives know hat he has dropped
through the pitfall on the bridge, and
will never more mix in the busy haunt
of men. The "Tennis elbow" happily,
is not quite 30 serious. 1t is only tenn
porary: and it is affirmed that one attack
acts as a p%ropyhlatic against a return o.
the disease. But it is one the less a ne"
malady, caused like the housemaid's
knee or the ch;mney.sweep's cancer,
or the clergyman's sore throat, or the
bent shoulders of the student and OF the
i:man< by circumstances to which no
ture is a stranger.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-11-25
Soldiers.

The death of Mcclellan from natural
causes illustrates anew the immunity OF
commanders from death on the battle.
field. The number of distinguished gen
erals killed in this manner is very small.
Turenne, Louis Tvs great general; De-
saix and Moreau, Napolecn's marshals
Gustavus Adolphus, of Sweden, IN
Europe; Mcpherson, A. s. Johnston,
Stonewall Jackson, Kearney and Custer
in this country are among the few that
have met the fate to which a soldier, as
one might think, would be the most ex-
posed.
Not only is this true, but beside nearly
all the great military commanders have
lived beyond middle age, some Of them
to extreme old age. Among the veterans
who have lived to be over eighty years
are Wellington, Scott and Won Moltke.
| Hannibal, Frederick the Great, Lafayette,
General Gates and Napier lived to be
over seventy, Themistocles, Washing
ton, Grant and Lee were between sixty
and seventy, and Mcclellan was in his
sixticth year. Generals Thomas and
Hooker. of the civil war, died consider
ably over fifty years of age; while Murat,
Napoleon's marshal, and General Greene.
of the American Revolutionary war, had
nearly reached their forty-ffth year.
The three greatest conquerors in his;
tory all died comparatively young, and
from special causes. Alexander al
thirty-two from debauchery; Napoleon
at ifty-two from exile and disappolnt'
ment; Caesar at ffty-six by assassination
So that provided they are not great con:
ouerors, military generals lives woulo
seem to be about as good insurance risks
as there are.-Detroit Free Press.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-11-25
T-non tho summit rose q temple sixty five

Upon the summit rose q temple slXty'hVe
by ffty-cight feet made OF blocks OF
]porphyritic granite, laid without mortar
and so nicely adjusted that the joints
we're hardly visible. Think of the
amount of human labor necessary to
transport from q distance these stones
for hill and temple. In 1856 there were
five stories, n behind the other. The
entire front was covered with sculptures.
Bastian, a German traveller, who ex-
plored in 1875 quite extensively IN this
region, found in cyclopean stone colossal
heads of strange and unknown type,
figures of animals. the tapir and ALI ga
tors, and huge has reliefs representing
grotesque figures. In another place on
the Gulf of Honduras an immense head
was found and the statue of a woman
wearing on her head a crowned idol,
and close by was a tiger in porphyritic
rock.
In all the explorations that have been
made in these ruined cities and the sur
rounding regions, few places of sepultures
have been observed. What became CT
the builders of these unknown cities is
yet as much of q mystery as their origin.
In the province of Durango, in Il cave,
thousands of dried mummics have re-
Gently been discovered. This may point
to the solution when the explorations
have been more minute. 1t has been
known some time that the ancient PERU
VANS understood the art of emba!minR
the dead. and why should not the same
knowledge have been general among
these highly cultivated builders OF
grand and beautiful cities2
Of the people who lived and loved
and toiled in these once bustling thor
oughfarcs history is silent. Tradition
comes to IL aid, but that is unsatis-
factory. We may give wings to our
thoughts and rcpeople them to suit u
individual fancy, but the fact still re,
mains that they are lost cities clothed
with mysteries as profound and impenc-
trablc as the grave Ce'eland Leader.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-11-25
Inspecting Eggs.

One of the curious operations to he
witnessed in New York is the inspection
of eggs. In the large markets men may
be seen testing eggs at almost any time,
but especially in October and November.
They work in dark rooms, where they
keep a lamp burning in a box on the
table before them. One of them will
take two or three eggs in each hand and
pass them rapidly between his eyes and
the lamp. If the egg is good; that is: if
the albumeu is still unaffected, the light
will shine through with a reddish glow,
which if the egg is affected Will be-
OPAQUE and dark. The inspectors prac-
ticed eye quickly perceives the Least
want of c~learness in the eggs, and suspl-
cious ones are re-examined, to be passed
into "bad' or doubtful" baskets. In
this way overa hundred eggs a minute
arc often examined, and any one can
test the goodness of eggs who will holo
them up to a light in a dark room.-
CultigGtVr.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-11-25
A Forest Fire in Michigan.

In a letter to the New York Sun from
Michigan, describing the adventures o.
a party Of surveyors, occurs the follow
ing passage:
The wind began to howl, and great
clouds of smoke nearly sti1ed the little
band. Goals of fire as large as a mans
hand were blown over their heads, and
numerous little heaps of brush began tc
burn brightly. AS the flames became
hotter the wind increased in velocity
and seemed to be blowing in every di:
r%ection. The fire spread laterally, and
soon a new danger became apparent. All
the bears and other wild beasts and rep
tiles began to hurry to the little stream
that ran by the camp. From all direc-
tons they came, and the savage brutes,
in their terror, fought as they ran for the
advantage in the pathway. Cromwell
gave the order to move, and told the
men to be especially careful Of their am
munition, and to place it at the edge OF
one cf the pools of water caused by the
~uprooting Of the trees. They moved
about a quarter of a mile, and found a
spot quite free from any debris. Ogau.
chez, one of the Indians, told Bromwell
that they must get behind what re-
NAMED of a big tree which had been
reduced to a bed of Goals. Cromwell
wished to know the reason, but the In
dams only response was: you see,
bimeby." Just above where their camp
had been established the little stream
ran over a ledge of lime rocks and was
spread out in a series of cascades. The
burning masses of trees and brush were
not long in making these stones red hot,
and the water reached a scalding temper
AZURE as it filled the pools be-
low. The men first heard above the
cracking of the flames a confused muir
muir, and then a mighty roar as the saw
age animals found themselves in a worse
predicament than ever. They naturally
! ran from the source of their new trouble,
and their course lay directly toward
Cromwell and his companions.
The men began to get uneasy, but
Ogauchee told them there was no dan
ger. As the animals came to the bright
bed of Goals behind which the men were
intrenched they went to either side and
plunged into the pools of water. The
air now again began to get sitting, as
the wind once more changed about, and
the surveyors were themselves compelled
to jump into the excavation on the bor-
ders of which they had placed'their cart
ridges. Here they had to stay for about
ten hours. They then found that the
fire had cleared the way to the noun.
tains and was sweeping through the for
ests on the precipitous sides. They
dragged themselves along in the hope Of
finding some recess among the rocks
where - they could sleep. When the
mountain side was reached the followed
it a short distance to a cleft in the side OF
q great cliff, and entering found a roomy
cavern, on the sandy floor OF which they
at once sank to sleep.
About 8 o'clock next day they awoke.
1t was raining hard, and it continued all
day. and through the night the forest
fires were ex~tinguished. The Indian
hunters soon brought in a deer which
they had shot, aud the party Toasted on
this meat and roasted nuts.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-11-25
4 THANKSGIVING STORY IN VERSE

s'Thanksgiving..-for whati'
and he muttered a curse
"For the plainest of food
and an empty purse;
For a life Of hard work
and the shabbiest clothes?
But it's idle to talk
of a poor mans woes!
Let the rich give thanks,
it is they who can;
There is nothing in life
for a laboring man."
SO said John White
to his good wife Jane,
And DER her face
stole a look Of pain.
"Nothing, dear john"
and he thought again;
Then glanced more kindly
downon Jane.
II was wrong" hesaid:
"rd forgotten you;
And I've my health,
and the baby, too"
And the baby crowed-
1" OS oOotASi-S wy
And DER James face
came a look of joy:
And she kissed her john
as he went away;
And he said to himself,
as he worked that day:
~ was wrong, very wrong;
I'll not grumble again,
I should surely be thankful
for baby and Jane"
Boston Globe.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-11-25
Bio i Brotherhood.

This is made between Congo chiefs
who have hitherto been at enmity, for
state purposes and for mutual security,
and is held inviolable. The ceremony
varies IN different districts. In one case
the contracting parties literally drank
each others blood, sucking it from an
incision in the arm in another they smear
each Others bodies with blood. But
the ceremony most common is performed
as follows: The arm Of each person IS
cut with a sacred knife, and each taking
a slice of banana, rubs it in the blood Of
his future brother. and eats the palatable
moroccan. A goat is then killed, and
each takes a piece of its liver, dips it in
salt, aud presents it to the other. A set
form of service is intoncd by one mem
Der of the tribe, intimating that the
breaking of this tie Of brotherhood will
be avenged by instant death, and de-
claring that all old fcuds hitherto exist
ing between the contracting parties are
now flung into the river to be carried
away by the current. Though repulsive,
this ceremony is impressive. -Blachwood.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-11-25
Wake Up.

To be tired of the world and its whirl-
To surfeit of kiss, hug and curl
To feel that no Joy can unfurl
A fresh or new pleasure OF life,
Suggests to the miserable man
"a wretch OF tue bachelor clam
That he had best get-if he cali
A stirrer in shape OF a wife.
detroit Free Press
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-11-25

Ozone baths are a specially at East
bourne, England. The bath is filled
with long, green seaweed, stepped for an
hour before use in boiling water. The
bathcr remains in about twenty minutes,
and the bath is thought very invigorat-
inc.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-11-25

Ing unQcr the trees Ut Tue sluc VI tue
road q c ouplc of hundred yards away.
s'Of course fired at them and wheeled
my horse and galloped back to the
picket. The boys were in their saddles
before I reached them, and the sergeant
formed US where We were and we blazed
away, more to give the alarm than with
the hope of hitting anybody.
"The fire was promptly returned and
we saw there was going to be music.
Then followed the usual falling back on
the main body, firing as we went. One
of our boys was knocked over and we
had to leave him where he fell, for the
rcbs were pushing US, and we were not
more than half way back to camp when
there came a rafting vollcy from the
woods ahead of US. We could see the
flashes through the trees and guessed
that our retreat had been cut off. In a
minute we dashed up to the troop aud
| found them all mounted and ready, but
the captain had been killed at the first
fire and the first lieutenant-the only
other officer with us-was hard hit i'm
mediately after, so Tom was left in
command.
Gas soon as he saw how the land lay he
gave the word forward, fours right
T'rot? Gallop! and away we went up
the road helter-skelter.
"There was no room, even If there had
been time, for formation and a change
in line. Some of us drew sabres and
had a chance to use them, but most OF
us used our revolvers and made a rush
for it.
"Well, it was all over in three min
utes. There was a wild scrimmage,
shots and oaths, and riderless horses
and the deuce to pay generally. MY
horse went down, and the rest, what
Was left of them, g%allopcd on.
"Somebody put a pistol to my head,
and of course l held up my hands ano
had them tied behind me, and then sal
on the dead horse and heard the fight
90 off I'D the road. Evidently most OF
the bows had cut their way through,
for presently the recall was sounded and
the Rebs came struggling back, and by
daybreak they were calling the roll and
making themselves comfortable in on
camp. Two other prisoners were
brought in, one of them Tom here and
the other a fellow named Richards.
"We were put under guard and
treated we'll enough, and after the sun
was up the dead were brought in. There
was a dozen all told, seven of them oul
men, and we got leave to write thei'
names on q pine slab and stuck it VI
where they were buried. =.
Then the Rebs started off on q ralc
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-11-25

An agricultural editor says: "No ami
NAL can fight and eat at the same time"
He has evidently never seen a traveller at
a ten.minutes. for.lunch s:and.-lucE.
Connecticut western news., 1885-02-04
Corn Culture.

Mr. c. Engle prepared two plots of same size and soil, top dressed one and plowed under for the othSr an equal quantity of well rotted barnyard manure and planted both to corn, which was cultivated precisely alike. The result we quote from the Michi1an Farmer.
 'In October the corn was husked and weighed. Allowing 70 lbs. in the ear per bushel, the surface -manured plot produced 65 53-70 bushels per ace. The one with the manure plowed under pro- duced "A 51-70 bushels, yielding within fraction nine bushels the most. I conclude the old practice of blowing under manure is a good one, for this season at least. One thing in regard to the growth of the two plots surprised me very much, and that WAS that all the first of the season, until the plants were from eighteen inches to two feet high, the plot where the manure was covered was very much in advance and looked as though it would be the best by two tc one."
 Seed was also planted to determine how large the top must be before the | roots reach manure covered six to eight inches deep:
 "When the corn was two inches high with two open leaves the roots were found to have penetrated to the depth o six to nine inches, thus refuting the assertion of the advocates of surface manuring, that much of the value of the manure plowed under is lost to tht growing corn crop because the roots cannot reach it until late in the season.
 Knowing that single experiment ii not conclusive, he proposes repeating next season the above as to yield, ant will not be much surprised if he gets { different showing.
Connecticut western news., 1885-02-04
Fighting Mexican Mutineers.
UNITED STATES TROOPS IN A soRndMAGE
 ON THE FRONTIER.

Lieut.. McDonald, in his report to Gen. Pope in regard to his engagement with Mexican mutineers on the Mexican frontier on the 20th of January, says his troops were in ambuscade when the leaders came along, and the man in front made 0 break with his revolver, which caused the troops to fire. A charge was then made by Lieut.. Jenks and four mutineers were killed and twelve captured in about fifteen min utes. The mutineers were scattered along the road for long distance. The day after Lieut.. Mcdonald left the field the Governor of Lower California came along with thirty armed men, claimed to have been picked from ranches, and gathered in nine others who were still in hiding, half starved and frozen.
 Indian runners informed Lieut.. Mo- Donald that more mutineers were con- ing to water at Pilot Kuob and were anxious to fight the troops. No atten- ton was paid to the challenge, and the two parties marched away together until they had passed few hundred yards into Lower California. Instruc- tions are asked as to dealings with the Governor of Lower California and party who crossed the line at Indian Wells. Lieut.. McDonald is very indignant al the conduct of the Governor, and pro. tests strongly against turning the pris. | oners over to him,
Connecticut western news., 1885-02-04
Time to Cut Trees.

MT. A. W. Cheever has said it, and greatly to his credit all housewives will agree, that the man who is forehanded in his wood providing, cutting far enough ahead to insure perfect season. ing before the fuel must go to the kitchen fire, is almost sure of success in whatever he undertakes. Without following up the suggestive line of req soning by which this conclusion is reached we quote from The " E. 7 ynaer, the appended helpful advice :
 "Good, sound wood will be in the best condition to cut for fuel, or for durable lumber, if cut soon after July, but the stumps sprout poorly at that season, so the next growth is retarded, and consid- erably weakened. The stump will start, but the young growth has little to mature healthy wood, and a second lot of sprouts may start again in the spring. If woodland is to be cleared for cultivatfng, this early fall cutting is ad- visable. Most of the firewood of the world is cut in winter, and taking the cost of handling and the growth of the sprouts into account, this is the best time, but to have the best fuel, the cut ting must not be delayed.
 "An old charcoal burner once said to the writer T would like to see you try to kindle a fire in a coal pit made of white birch cut in March or April. Now, there is no wood that will make a farmers wife look happier than will white birch cut in fall or early winter, and put under cover to season. It kin. dles almost like gunpowder, and makes a hot fire. But if cut late in winter, or in spring, after the sap runs freely, and then left exposed to weather until mid summer, it will burn about as we'll as potatoes or a wet sponge. Gut the fire wood, then, as early as possible, and have a years stock on hand, well sea- soned. and under cover."
Connecticut western news., 1885-02-04
Boring q Square Hole.

The Cleveland Herald says: The first and only auger ever manufactured that will bore square hole is now in the shops of the Cleveland Machine O.
 This auger bores two-inch square hole,
 the size used in ordinary frame buildings and barns, but they can be made on the
 same principle to bore square holes of any size. Its application is ordinary and works on the same principle as round-hole augers. Its end, instead of having screw or bit, has cam motion, which oscillates a cutter mounted on a steel rocking-knife, which cuts on both sides. In order to prevent the splinter ing of the wood the ends of the cutter are provided with small, semi-circular shaped saws, which help in cutting out perfectly square corners. It is estimated that this new process will save the labor of three men who work with chisels, as one can conveniently cut a two-inch mortice in the same length of time he can bore round hole. The invention is the work of Wooster man, who has given thesubiectyears of patient thought.
Connecticut western news., 1885-02-04
A Story Of Captain Rynders.

In the Polk-Clay campaign it was al first reported that Clay was the victor, and as such Mir. Frelinghuysen, who was nominated for Vice President on the Clay ticket, was serenaded by the Wings. He made his appearance on the balcony of his house in response to the serenade and modestly disclaimed all pride or delight in his election. He wound up his speech to the enthusiastic Whigs by declarin' that he "would welcome the day when his term of office should expire, and that he would be more glad to get rid of his office then than his friends were glad to bestow it on him now" all of which sounded first class.
 But next day the news came that not Clay, but Polk, and not Frelinghuysen, but Dallas, had been elected. Rynders, at the head of the Empire Club, started off to the house of Benjamin F. Butler, the New York lawyer who had nomi- mated Polk at the Baltimore convention, and announced the glad tidings.
 Butler and Frelinghuysen lived next door to each other, and so the Whig candidate who had been congratulated on his success one night sat at his win dow the next night while the crowd announced the success of his opponent.
 Rynders was mounted on a fine gray horse, which he rode well. And sittin' on his horse right under Buffers win dow, he addressed that gentleman in his usual blunt enthusiastic way, con- gratulatin' him on the victory of his nominee.
 During his speech Frelinghuysen poked his head out to listen, naturally enough, and naturally enough, Rynders caught a glimpse of him doin' so. The sight of the defeated Whig candidate gave the Democratic speaker a bright idea, which he acted upon with characteristic promptitude. Drivin' his gray horse right under the Whig candidates win dow, Rynders said, addressing the aston ished Frelinghuysen:
 "You said last night, sir, that you would feel glad when your time came to be relieved of the cares of office. We Democrats have taken you at your word As a Democrat I am glad to announce to you that James K. Polk has been elected President of the United States and that therefore you are relieved iron all further care or duty as Vice Pres | .denh"--Neto York Mercury,