davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Opelousas courier., 1886-02-20
DeOdysg Hair Dye.

From Toledo comes a story of peculiar
interest. A gentleman well known as a
grain operator and noted for the glossy
blackness of his hair and whiskers re.
Gently died. When his friends, who had
not seen him since he fell sick, took a
last look at his remains they saw that his
hair and beard had turned gray. Then
it was discovered that they had been Sc
for years. 1t was also found out that his
death was caused by this hair dye. It
was deadly poison, and as he drank hot
tea and coffee the liquor strained through
his mustache and carried from it a little
Of the poison Of the hair dye. In time
his stomach became inlamed with the
poison and death wa the final result
Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The Opelousas courier., 1886-02-20
Coca tire.

Cocaine is an alkaloid extracted from
he leaves of the erythroxylon coca, a
shrub that resembles the tea-plant, and
crows wild in South America. The value
If the coca leaves as a nerve stlmulant has
ong been known to the natives of the
mountainous regions of Peru and Bolivia
where the plant grows most abundantly.
Travellers assert that the powers of endur-
mce given by it are simply wonderful;
hat with its help the Peruvian Indians
IAN perform the most wearisome journeys
,r the most difficult tasks without appar-
mt WEAKNESS, though eating but little
tood and often going thirty hours with
yut sleep. Extracts and tinctures made
rom this plant have been used to a con-
siderable extent during the past ten years
by physicians in Europe and in this U
;rv. who find its tonic effect useful, but
aot as noticeable as that manifested in
The native. home of the plant. The uses
If the aIkaloid, however, are likely to
prove far raore important to medicine
,shan the tonic applications of the tinct-
Ire. This is obtained in the form of col
,rless, transparent prisms without odor,
and bitter. About two years ago a Ger
nan physician called attention to the fact
| that a solution of cocaine in h~ydrochloric
acid possesses remarkable properties as a
| ocal anasthetic. It was frsttried for this
/ purpose in ophthalmic surgery, and found
most successful. If a few drops of the
| solution are instilIed into the eye the del
cate nerves of sensation become in a few
moments quite p~aralyized, so that the
most delicate operations may be per-
formed without discomfort to the patient.
Its use since this discovery has become
1uite widely extended, and it is applied
n diseases of the ear and throat, and
also in the removal of tumors, and SINH
lar surgical cases. As there are often
| cases where the administration of chloro-
| form and either is attended with serious
,eril to the life of the patient, the dis
sovery of this thoroughly safe anRsthetic
S of great value to medicine, the only
drawback to its general use being the fact
that it is very expensive, and is therefore
frequently adulterated. Though this is
the most important application of this
alkaloid, It has also of late been found to
nave much healthy property when applied
TO ulcers and diseased membranes, a.
those of the nasal passages in eatarrh. y
has been used in1dilute form, as an inter.
nal remedy in cases attended with severe
pain, as acute neuralgia. But though il
is a powerful sedative, its use in this man,
ner is to bedepreciated, because attended
with serious danger unless administered
with the utmost caution, under the direc'
lion of q competent physician.-Inte>
Ocean,.
The Opelousas courier., 1886-02-20
- 49,
Bss he seq.

- liz &c. L@4&& E& - &@
I sat by the sea when the sun shone bright
And flooded It's depths with d blaze OF Light,
And the golden sheen and emerald green,
Like gens-in the erowne fafairy queen,
F~lashed.forth in glittering splendor;
And the soft winds sighed on the shining tide,
And the mourning wavest to the breeze replied
In tones that were low and tender.
/ stood by the sea-uhenth the moon was high,
And the stars shone out from the midnight
sky, a4s@
And a wonderous sight was that shimmering
light
That flashed from the crests of the s.uges
bright, s.
Like the stars in trembling motion.
And the moons soft ray on the waters lay,
And its cleaning track made a bright
highway
Across the slumbering ocean.
I stood by the sea when the lightning flashed,
And the waves ran high and the thunder
crashed,
And the binding spray that was dashed
away
By the bowling wind in the furious Fray.
Brought death to the hardy toiler,
When his ship, at last, blythe stormy blast,
A d~ismantled wreck on the rock was cast,
A prey to the ruthless spoiler.
The beautiful sea. the treacherous sea-
A joy and q terror it is to me.
A beautiful sight, by day or by night,
Is the tranquil sea, by whose margin bright
The fisherman loves to wander;
A terrible thing when its rage doth bring
The angel of death with his sable wing
To darken the homsteads yonder.
Thomas Burke, ia Detroit Free Press.
The Opelousas courier., 1886-02-20
-
PEARLS OF

Confidence is a plan. Of slow growth
n an aged bosom. ?
The sober second e&ought is always es~
iential, and seldom wrong.
Avoid shame, but do not seek glory
Nothing 50 expensive as glory.
The yoke ,a=man creates for himself by
Nrong-doing will breed hate in the kind
lest nature.
We are apt to be deluded into false
security by political catchwords, designed
70 fatter rather than instruct.
There are three things in speech that
ought to be considered before they are
;poken-the manner, the place and the
lime.
Let every man take care how he speaks
md writes of honest people, and not
set down at a venture the first thing that
comes uppermost.
Inquisitive people are the tunnels Of
conversation; they do not take in any
thing for their own use, but merely to
pass it to another.
Profitable employments would be no
less a diversion than any Of the idle
ports in fashion, if men but be brought
10 delight in them.
It is the part of wisdom Tot TO COM
olain about trifcs. Even if some things
10 go wrong, as a rule il is always best
not to say anything ai,ont it. Commend
when you can, censure only when you
must.
The Opelousas courier., 1886-02-20

"a
ARENAS Martin is the librarian OF
The United States coast and geodetic
survey. He enjoys the further dis
Linction of being n of the most
thorough mathematicians in America.
Before ne was called to his present
place he was a market gardener, own
ing o small piece Of land On Lake Erie,
where he raised kitchen truck TO be
earted to Erie City. where he regular
" occupied a stall and served customs
srs. Suddenly it was announced that
Mr.. A. Martin, of Erie, had been made
an honorary member of some learned
society Of Great Britain. No one in
Erie seemed to know who he a A
few days later Michigan university
made him master Of arts. For some
time after this he tended his stall, and
was only a few months ago appointed
To lis government Office. Nothing
short OF the most abstruse mathemat-
icaI problems are said to give him
any amusement.
The Opelousas courier., 1886-02-20

Are the offspring of short parents
short, and do the children Of tall per-
sons grow to be unusually tall? Such
a question a Scotch scientist recently
asked himself, and he set to work to
gather some statistics of stature. His
data consists Of the heights of $50
adults and of their respective parents,
POS Of each sex in number, or alto
gether of 1870 observations. 1t was
shown that difference between the
height of the two parents might be
disregarded, having on the whole an
inconsiderable effect on the height Of
the offspring. It was also shown that
marriage selection takes little or no
account Of shortness or tallness. The
general result was that where the
mean height Of the two parents was
g~reaterthan %mediocrity their children
tend to be shorter than they.
The Opelousas courier., 1886-02-20
Great seal of t Cossfederacy.


There is a mystery as impenetrable as
the authorship of the Junius letters sur
rounding the great seal of the confeder-
ate states of America. Where is it, No
man but its possessor knows. 1t had a
curious history. Not until February %,
1862, did the provisional government be-
come permanent, and not until April 80,
1868, was an act approved by the confed-
cate congress for a seal. The design had
for its centre a representation OF the
equestrian statue of Washington at Rich
mond, with the legend encircling it,
Confederate States of America, Februa-
ry %, 1862" In a wreath were mingled
cotton, rice and tobacco plants, emblem
attic of southern products. Below was
the motto, 'Deo Vindice." John W.
Mason, notorious from the Trent affair,
was then in London, and was entrusted
with securing the manufacture of the
seal. It cost, with accompanying press,
wax and waters, nearly 800. 1t was
from solid silver, and a marvelously
beautiful specimen of the engraver's art.
Not until July 6, 1854, was it committed
to the charge of Lieut.. Chapman, who
sailed for Bermuda via Halifax. 1t was
safely brought to Richmond, and a few
foreign documents and very few domestic
papers received its impress. Tt has been
enormously said that it was never used.
In the final panic that accompanied the
closing of the Union forces upon the con-
federate capital the seal disappeared
Men York Sun.
The Opelousas courier., 1886-02-20
iii 5sssasgnssfs sxssd Narcotics.

Between fifty and sixty well known
stimalant-narcotics are In common use
lib different Countries. Almost every
k0wn tribe and nation Of me has Its
favorite product, and Of many Of these
the use attains proportions which are
well nigh Incredible. 10 obtain acc
rate figures upon such q subject is
diticalf II not impossible. the fol-
loving were the conclusions of Won
Bibra some years since:-Alcohol and
tohacBo are known and used by All ma
tions, the latber being smoked, snuffed
and cheWed iii different countries.
Chinese tea claims 100000, 900 consum-
ars. Hashish Cor Indian hemp) is
aaten. drunk IN smoked by 3005000,000;
opium by 4o0. 900. 900 of men, chicory
by 40.000sO9O. coca By 100000, and
Paraguay tea BY 100000. Dr..
johnson tells us that 5O,O00,0o0 Of our
race are iii Che habit of chewing the
beGal nut. but there remains to take
account of ths numbers who consume
products of Alnanlta fthe Siberian
fungus the taornappIe, the nor, cot
eonea, gIstrana. konmiss, cola-nut
on kha West Coast of Africa ], Kava
N thp FijIs). the lettuce, the rhodod-
AadrFSn ha ms~y1sFsNaan
The Opelousas courier., 1886-02-20

DR.. 7. NJ. Coan, writing of the cereal
foods and milling, remarks that "the
virtues of wheat are unlocked first, by
the miller; second, by the baker. In
both processes more Improvement has
taken place within the last twenty
years than during the whole previous
history of civilized an" The mill
stone is being replaced by a Hungar-
ian invention which pulyerizes the
grain by rollers with less heat of
friction.
The Opelousas courier., 1886-02-20
He Took Pound Cake.

#EFE#{%&& @
sT'm going to get married, : said he al
he placed . hand upon the counter al
large as q Dutch cheese, land I want
wedding cake, :
10 is customary said the pretty
bakery girl nowadays to have the ma.
terials of the cake harmonic with TIN
calling Of the bridegroom. For q mllsi.
clan, nov, we have an oat cake; for .
man who has no calling and lives upon
his friends, the sponge cake; for a news.
paper Photographer, spice cake, and 50 On
what is your calling pie Easel"
I'm q pusilist. 2
Then you want i pound eaAA Y
B0stoa Courier
The Opelousas courier., 1886-02-20

The last slave in this country the
7homasuiue (Ga.) Registe, asserts, was
Mildly Reynolds, and she wa owned by
q negro, Collins Aston, wne, having be-
come his own master, saved enou h to
buy Mildly and keep her in bondags for
nearly d year after the emancipation.
She finally secured her freedom by ac-
cepting ! refuge with 4 white woman u
ThomasVllAe,
The Opelousas courier., 1886-02-20
APgace for EuesUe1sssag.
d Eastern man in Dakota said to a

citizen:
Is this Mr.: Bulgea''
1T Is, y said the citizen, suspiciously.
The Eastern man put his hand in his
pocket, and Immediately the cold muz-
zle Of 4 revolver was pressed against his
nose.
sNone Of thatll shouted Mr.. Bulge.
Throw MP your hands! I've got the
drop oh yon.
II w7M-Was only ggggoinnggt to offer yy-you
my b1b-business card, said thefrigght-
ened stranger I'm from Boston.
sThen I beg your pardon ~apologized
Mr.. Bulge, lowering his pistol; sbut
when you are ID Dakota, stranger, you
should never carry cards in your hip
pocket. n-Nep FORK Times.
The Opelousas courier., 1886-02-20
Wee Essesce II Me@asssess.

No, sir, ! don't believe you know
what gratitude is he claimed, as he
waved his arms around.
don't, ehg replied thepother.
no, 81: lent you ten dollars, and
yoa not only refuse 10 pay Il back, but
you 40 around and slander me.
AL ! said was that you were i mean
man
slBnt isn't that slander2
mo, 81, Il isn't. When ] wanted To
borrow i've dollars 1nore you Wouldn'; TT
III hare Deftroiit Press
The Opelousas courier., 1886-02-20
III KffessM2s HI e4sfFnn.

aaEhst makes You lock III dowacast,
aeas boy; something troubling
sou
aVn Ypa heard asked tha
bay hroksnly
haYs beard noElaings
E'sA u d HaAing
The Opelousas courier., 1886-02-20
3 U R V E Y Or
Office: With Perrodin & D.R1y.
ISL OPEL JUsAs, La
Rev. dof s5O..FifIY Dallas

rs OFFERED BY the Central st. Laniry Protsctits
IL Live stock Ass ,ciation. for evidence That %sli lead
to rhe apprehension and conviction Of any passars
guilty of steIling horses or cattle belonging TT say
of members of the Association may be seen at ne
house of the Secretary. Jno. NJ. Ware. IN Bellevue. q
at the Clerks Office in Opeloasss.
J. L. SHUTE, JEO. NJ. WARE Sseys4
, 1886-07-23

The undue strineency so generally
complained of in the Interpretation of the
public land laws is the natural reaction
consequent upon the too great laxity and
remissness which obtained under the last
administration. 1t is matter of nc
that a culpable carelessness pn AID
tempting and almostinxNIng 20 fraud by
the apparent ease with which almost any
kim OF entry could be made without com
pliance with the regulations relating to
settlement, residence, improvement, beno-
fetal interest, transfer and reclamation
as applicable under the several laws.
1t must be borne in mind hat the extent
of the frauds perpetrated has been greatly
exaggerated, and the result has been to
inAame the public mind in the older
states, and wei to bias the government.
Hence the present less dangerous but
very inconvenient tendency to the opposite
extreme of strictness arising from a dis
trust, which more thorough knowledge of
the wants and peculiar conditions of the
West would speedily remove.
, 1886-07-23

In conversation with n reporter an au-
thority at Fulton market said; ''The supe-
rior flavor OF Welch or Highland mutton is
beyond all doubt due to the aromatic plants
which abound on the pasturage OF those
hills, and on which the sheep feed. The
hills in Wales ARE thickly covered with
wild thyme, while those In the Highlands
are full Of lady's mantle and other
aromatic herbs which are seldom, II ever,
found In other pastures. This Is n hin
OF natures own giving, which h farmer
who goes in for sheep raising or dairying
cannot afford to despise In these times OF
hard competition.
1.-THE aromatic herbs nay be no less
nutritious han clover or rye grass, hut
they ARE just as needful to the formation
OF n perfect p~asturage Ms the other ynrie-
ties OF plants. For this reason they should
be grown In all pasturages. They ARE
easy OF cultivation, and will grow in the
worst ground, but some are, OF course,
better suited to certain kinds Of soil than
others. Parsley, loveage, cumin, cor
lander, carraway, angelica and Wild fennel
delight In loamy soils, wild thyme, rock
rose, hysop, sage, savory and horehound
In dry, poor soils, and peppermint In moist
soh-N- Y Mail and Express.
, 1886-07-23

This story is told of Mr.. Mac, n
well-known humorist residing Mt Rock
life, Canada, OF the Ottawa, who COM
bines the duties Of station agent and post
master. Having acted for some time MS
master Of mails at that place to the satis-
faction of the community, but without
pay, the member of parliament for the
district procured his appointment as post
master, and the head of the department
wrote him that he had much pleasure in
confirming his position 1.-THE salary TO be
the same as heretofore"
This pleased Mac immensely, and he
wrote TO the chief acknowledging the
honor. ~ just wrote him." he says,
that ] felt honored, as in duty bound, by
the confirmation of my appointment, and
was glad to know the salary was TO be
the SAM ms heretofore, namely, nothing a
year; for, says l, I'd h-h-hate like f-f-f-
fury to have to p-p-p-pay anything!'-
Harpcr's Magazine.
, 1886-07-23

A young woman from California a
CONT to Paris to take lessons in painting.
She had great capacity, boundless ambi-
ton and great hope. She was poor, but
her people gave her up to art, and looked
forward with pride and expectation when
she would return to honor and delight
them. But alasl n alasl death Is in the
world.
Her doctor told her that there was but
one thing she could do to save her life
return to California. ''Return to Cali
fornial Why, 1 nave not a dollar left.
All my people have already spent all they
had to he me to get on here"
The Decor said no more, but tool his
hat and went away, promising to call the
next afternoon. p
The poor California invalid met him at
the door and caught his hand in both Of
hers, while tears of delight ran down her
face and fell on his hand.
s'Doctorl doctorl l can 90 home. l
will see California again. And L know I
shall then get well. Come sit down and /
will tell you all about my good luck.
Why, it is just like n fairy tale. Yes, it
is. You see, you had not been gone an
hour when in stepped a modest, sweet
little lady and said she was making up n
sketch book OF California drawings and
wanted to buy al / had. And she bought
them-bought all I Ind. l wanted 500
for them, and look here; here is the check.
1t is for S1,000i And the name on the
bottom of the check Is Mrs. John w.
Mackayr'-Joaquin Miller's California
Letter.
, 1886-07-23
o DELEGATE.

The requisite qualifications for a terri
torial delegate are few in number and Of q
solid, rather than of a snowy character,
He should first of all be thoroughly ac'
quainted with the wants and in sympathy
with the substantial interests of the peo-
pie, and both such sympathy and such
acquaintance should rest upon the practical
basis Of experience and fact. He should
be a man Of business. wide-awake and
observant of details. should have had
some experience of public affairs. and
ought to possess those personal qualities
which command the respect of strangers.
1t is highly essential that he should
have such solidity and strength of char
acter as would exercise influence and give
weight to his efforts. Though without a
vote. and therefore incapable of helping
or hurting either political party, he should
for the sake of those he repre-
sents be in sympathy with the majority
of the house in which he sits, and with
the administration. SO far as the terri
tory is concerned, the politics OF the dele
gate is unimportant, and an able Republi-
can can as faithfully represent it as an
able Democrat, but he has not an equal
chance Of success as has been amply de-
monstrated in the past. If the interest
of the people be nensel.ed .c neAt dele
gate will be a Democrat, and the Democ-
racy of Wyoming owe it to the territory
as well as to themselves to be circumspect
in the selection of their candidate, in
order that one may be chosen upon whom
the whole party can unite, and who shall
not be open to reasonable objection Upon
non-partisian grounds. This should be
looked to, both on account of the import
ance of the Office itself, and because the
success OF the county tickets must largely
depend upon the strength or weakness of
the nominee for delegatc. Especially should
the candidate be available as a means of
securing a Democratic majority IN the next
legislature. He should bring strength to
the party instead Of deriving all his
strength from his nomination. In these
days Of independent thought. party disci-
pine has lost much of its force. No sug-
gestion is here intended as to who the canti
date shall be; there are men in every coun-
ty competent for the place, eminent in the
party and honored ty the people. 1t will
be the Office ofthe convention to nominate;
THE LEADER will ratify the choice and
cheerfully support the candidate to the
extent of its power.
, 1886-07-23

Our railway system is confcssedly In adj
vance OF any other In the world. Dur
mileage Is rs large ms that Of all Europe
combined. Som OF the English and con-
tinenta roads are more solidly built; but
for comfort and luxury there Is nothing
comparable to our sleeping and saloon
cars. The private cars in which our rail-
way magnates travel are in point of luxury
and costliness far ahead of anything of the
kind in the Old World. All our leading
railway men habitually use cars superior
in elegance to those occupied by monarchs
IN other parts OF the world. William X.
Vanderbilt, Robert Garrett, Milton II.
Smith, Hugh j. Jewett, and some twenty
others OF our railway people use ears cost
ing from 500, 900 to x3O,0OO each. There
are about 100 very costly cars in use, rep
resenting 81, 900, 600 In cash. OF these
some sixty cost $50, 900 each.
A Mr.. Talbot, editor of n railway news
paper, was presented with n car recently,
made by Herr Krupp, the famous gun
founder. II is OF hard wood, Eastlake
finish, with n great deal OF aesthetic
drapcry. The observation room in the
end OF the car Is finished In oak, with
French plnte glass windows extending
from the ceiling TO the floor, velvet cur
tains, Wilton carpets and embossed
leather furniture, including divans. The
bedroom is In maple and amaranth, and
opening from 1t IL the parlor, the most
elegant apartment OF the car. 1t Is
finished In solid mahogany, with rich in
laid panels and carvings of rare and
costly woods from the Holy Land. The
buffers room, pantry and kitchen are
models. II would cost at least $50, 900 to
to duplicate this car. Famous actresses
have had private cars very luxurious in
their apartments. Nine. Patti had such
n one, while Mrs. Langtry actually lived
In her car when filling her engagements
outside Of New ork.-Demorest's
Monthly.
, 1886-07-23

THERE is a section of the revised stat
utes which provides for a deduction from
the salary Of every senator, representative
and delegate for each day during which he
has been absent unless he assigns for the
reason OF such absence the sickness Of
himself or of some member of his family.
Yet congressman think nothing of max
ing flying trips to look after their political
or private interests. Senator Jones. OF
Florida, unless he has been suffering from
protracted illness. will draw very little pay
for this session.
, 1886-07-23

ANOTHER centennial celebration is just
aheAd-that of the Inauguration of gov
ernm mt under the constitution, in April,
1889. New York and Washington con-
tend for the honor, which clearly belongs
TO the former city on account Of the his
torical associations of the event commem-
Grated. As that event was scarcely less i'm
portant and momentous than the declara-
ton Of independence, there will be an effort
made to rival the Philadelphia centennial.
Besides, the proposed celebration will be
the last Of its kind, ms the centennial
series will be exhausted.
, 1886-07-23

The Territorial Central committee is
composed of excellent material and is full
ly representa- tive of the party. Its num-
ben, however, and the difficulties incident
to the size of the territory and the meagre
facilities for travel in some parts Of it,
render il a difficult matter to secure q full
attendance Mt any meeting. On this ac-
count only, a smaller body might be more
effective. As the committee is subject to
the call Of its chairman, Col. Murrin after
~coasuiting with several members, has de-
srnined 70 tissue a call for a meeting at
hswhna some time next month, to consid-
- measures for securing an effective or.
Raisation for the coming campaign. The
date will b fixed early enough to allow
nnp'e time for nominations to be thor
oashly snvased before the election.