davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Opelousas courier., 1889-11-09
SNARESAND TRAPS.
VARIOUS DEVICES FOR CATCH
ING GAME ALIVE.
Bird Snares-Thc Set Lines-Box Trap
for Administered Falls
and Figure FourTr
Fish Shares.

Now that the breech loading shot gun
and rife are in such general use the oid
fashioned methods Of sharing and tap
ping game are seldom practiced. stlli
the demands of the bird fanciers ana
others for live specimens of rare pros
and of the fur market for uninjured furs
keeps alive the art Of properly construct
ing snares, traps and dead falls.
First and foremost among the Simplest
snares made is what is known as 'se'
lines" To begin with it is essential to
find a spot most frequented by the olros
vou wish to snare. The spot selected
should be for a limited space at least
fairly smooth. Provide yourself with q
iacknife. some strong cord, a quantity OF
horse hair, and two bits of hard wood.
MIKE the two small stakes about SIX
inches long and drive them down INTO the
ground at a distance Of fifteen feet apart.
Run a strong cord taut and flat on the
ground from one stake to the otner,
fSskinp care to securely attach it at either
end. At intervals of a foot or more blnd
securely to the main cord little branching
| slip nooses of horshair. These moses
when spread out should be about six
! inches IN diameter. In the loops sprinkle
.ome grain seeds. The snare is now set,
mt if YOU wish to take the birds alive
the set lines should be carefully watched
last the shared birds in their exertions to
ret away should beat themselves to death
against the ground.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-11-09

While MI. Edison is himself receiving
decorations and honors, one ofhis agents
Mt the Paris Exposition is preparing to
get q taste of the French law. It seems
that he made some pretty bold statements
accusing the Paris papers of publishing
Or SURPRISING interviews fer money, and
some Of the journals of that city threaten
10 make him prove his words. His first
Dtfense was given, it is said, through the
araphophone, to which the agent told
ais story, and which repeated the de-
Samatory statements to President Carnot
when he visited the Edison exhibit. The
interesting legal question h suggested
whether proceedings should be taken for
dlander or for libel. The inscription on
q plastic scroll by the recording needle
pf the instrument might be considered
writing in the broader sense OF the term,
while the speech which gave the needle
motion, and in which the record reveals
Itself, is addressed to the ear and not to
de eye This is only one Of many prob
kns, says the Washington Star, that
might come up to e the lawyers
Ehrough the extensive use of an apparatus
whose chief recommendation is its ability
10 stalk back
The Opelousas courier., 1889-11-09
How tO Prevent Colds.

The phrase "taking cold" is not found
in standard medical works. Physicians
regard it as i~nexact, and, therefore, IN
scientific. By general use and common
consent, however, it has become a part OF
our language. -,
People in all walks of life, and in all
chimes. take cold. Those who live at a
high altitude in the West Indies, where
the mercury varies but ten degrees IN a
wear, feel a change of two degrees az
much as we do q variation of ten times
as many.
ANYTHING which impairs the nutrition
of the body, the nervous system, or the
circulation of the blood renders us more
susceptible to the influences which pro
duce colds.
First, then, one should see that his
diet, exercise, clothing and general hab-
its are such as will keep the bodilyhealth
and strength up to the highest possible
standard.
Given the susceptibility, there are three
ways in which people most often take
cold: by allowing draughts of cold air to
strike the back of the neck, by getting
the feet cold or wet, and by becoming
suddenly chilled when heated either
from exercise or from sitting in a close,
warm room.
Doctor Brown sequard, of Paris, recog-
nizing these facts, proposes to render the
nerves of the neck and feet less sensitive
to sudden changes of temperature, by
blowing cool air on them, and then colder
and still colder air day by day, till they
can stand air of a very low temperature
without discomfort or injury.
But this method has the disadvantage
of requiring extensive apparatus. This
same beneficial results may be obtained
by a much simpler process. Pour rock
salt, or, still better, sea salt, into a two
Quart fruit jar till it is half full. Fill
the lar with water. Let it stand in youl
| bedroom for twenty-four hours, shaking
it a few times, and you will have a strong
brine in the jar above the salt.
Pour a pint of this brine into q bowl.
and battle the throat and neck thorough.
" with it, wiping with a towel. Now
follow by rubbing hard with a piece OF
very coarse flannel till the skia CLOVIS,
Serve the feet in the same way, Repeat
this night and. morning, and you will
very soon find that you are less liable
than before to take cold.
Add water each time after you have
used from the jar, so as to have a guam,
tity of brine in it continually. A person
whose circulation is very inactive should
bath the neck and feet in hot water first,
then follow with the cold brine and the
rubbing.
If one will follow the above directions,
and protect himself properly, especially
his feet, when going out into the oper
air, he will rarely or never take cold from
the first two causes we have named,-
HT0uth's COmDGni0n,
The Opelousas courier., 1889-11-09

Perhaps the simplest trap made IS the
box trap for squirrel and rabbit. Get a
bog about fifteen inches long, eight wide
and eight inches deep. The ordinary
salt box will answer. Halve the box by
removing the top and one end. Hinge
the top on to the end from which it has
;ust been removed-leather hinges will
do very nicely. At the same end nail in
an upright position a stick twelve inches
high: bore a half-inch hole through the
middle of the same end of the box and
put through it a trigger of a figure four
trap; run a string from the top of the
opening end of the box, over the rear
stick, down to the trigger; at this end of
the string tie a two-ineh silver OF wood
sat in a notch in the end of the box an
inch higher than the hole through which
the trigger extends. The box is now
open and your trap set. Bait the trigger
with sweet apple or an ear of corn. The
rabbit or squirrel enters the trap, nibbles
the bait and loosens the trigger. With a
snap the cover falls and you've baggeedi
your game.
goF ~ 4iaISS Samc PIG sATf
steel traps cannot be improved upon.
In a wild turkey trap you have to rely,
In o large measure, ON the natural stupid
ity OF the bird. A four-sided pen of
proportions best adapted to ground on
which you elect to erect it is built of
twigs and grasses. The walls should be
| about two feet high. For a roof use pine
or hemlock boughs and weight them down
securely; leave one very small opening in
your wall and in it leading into the pen
strew corn, The turkey eats its way in.
Once inside and having consumed oil the
| food the bird looks for an egress, but in
| turkey fashion endeayors to get out
through the roof. The opening in the
side Is small and the inturned twigs prove
an effectual barrier. He never thinks Of
trying to crowd out the way he came in,
and Il, therefore, q close prisoner until re-
leased.
Fish snares, not meaning nets, are
hardly worth the while wasted on them,
but one of the simplest made can be
! described in a few words. The pickerel
The Opelousas courier., 1889-11-09

Nearly everybody abuses the postal
card, but nearly everybody uses It, al
Che stamp windows in the New York
Postofice there is a constant call Tor
them, and all classes unite in making the
demand. The chief complaint against
chem, the postal clerks say, has been on
the ground of size. The way some
people cross and recross their lines is
quite a study. For years there has been
b demand for a larger card, and now the
department is going to grant it. The
uew card is to be considerably larger
shan any yet issued, and will, the Graphic
thinks, lead to an increase In sales. lie
y also a p~leasanter and lighter shade'
md a great deal smoother to write on.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-11-09

was not anxious to haul the bone to town,
SO a bargain was struck whereby MIR.
Elverson handed over six bits and g
drink in fee simple for the prize.
A Chronicle reporter was invited to
view the specimen, its nature not having
yet been determined. It was manifestiy
the head of the femar or thigh bone OF
a prehistoric elephant-the mammoth
(elephas primi-genus). The sand drift In
which the bone was discovered belongs
to precisely the geological epoch which
is usually associated with tho remains OF
fossil elephants.
A tape measure passed around the
'sknob" at the broadest portion showed
that it was forty-three inches in circum-
ference. T%ransversely the measurement
was thirty-nine inches. The shaft OF the
bone at its narrowest portion was twenty
seven inches in circumference, on larger
than the thigh of a stout man. The
length of the fragment was nearly three
feet, Assuming, on the principles OF coma
p,arative anatomy framed by Culver, that
the proportions of the original animal
were on the %elephantine order, the owner
of this thigh bone must have been from
fifteen to eighteen feet high at the time
it walked on the earth.
The cancellated structure of the bone
is we'll shown in portions where fragments
have been Clipped off. Tho head OF tht
bone is tolerably well protected by q de-
post of siliceous matter, but the proba'
bility is that unless carefully and quickly
preserved by sealing up the pores from
contact with air this interesting relic Of
prehistoric age will speedily crumble tt
pieces.-San francisco Chronicle.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-11-09
There was much significance toa re-

There was much significance toa re-
mark recently made by the representa-
hive of one of the largest stove manu-
facturers in Pennsylvania: II used to
have a splendid trade down South" he
said, Shut the Southern stove manufac-
4urers have taken much of it away from
me, used to have customers in Texas
who bought by the carload, and they
still buy by the carload, but from the
Southern manufacturer, not from me.
i'll did not have an established run of
custom here in the North, stove making
would not pay as far as my Southern
tradegoes."
It is only a few years ago that the
competition of Pennsylvania stove
foundries closed up most of the foun-
dries along the Hudson river, and now
Southern stove foundries are fast press
ing Pennsylvania foundries to the wall.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-11-09

ING the peg and the top of the bent sap
ling attach a light strong string. This
runs out as far as the bend in the switch,
where it forms a slip moose. The slip
moose is spread over the curved end OF
the switch; grain is strewn about and all
is ready for the birds.
A very simple snare is made by weaV-
ing a net OF silk Or horse hair IN running
nooses. Spread it on ground frequentcd
by birds and fasten it down with pegs.
Throw some grain about and your
snare is complete. Rabbits may also be
caught in this same snare.
Dead falls are effective if properly con-
structed in killing anything from a bear
to q ground squirrel, and, as the name
suggests, carries with it instant death.
The simplest dead fall is made with
@ fat rock and tour hardwood STICKS.
The weight of the rock depends on
game it is expected to kill. The sticks
ara nut together in the form OF a figure
four and support the rock. White out
four sticks of oak or ash. The first Is the
trigger stick, and if intended for a mink
fall should be twelve inches long, grad
ually tapering off to a point at one end
Il should be at It's thiekest part one inch
| through. In tho very middle a six
| tenth of an inch notch should be cut
! and at the thick end on the same side
| two notches close together. The second
stick is the ground support. That
| should be six inches high and an inch
through. One end of it should be small
and come to q half-inch top. The third
stick is the perpendicular post and should
be three inches high, n inch thick and
come to a half-inch bottom at the small
and. The fourth stick is the obllque
nrop and should be eight inches long,
blamed off at either end to angles Tor
supporting the rock and fitting into the
notch. The fiat stone should be as
heavy as the figure four will support. 10
set the trap the following directions
should be observed: Place the ground
support in an upright position; On top OF
It at right angles place the trigger stick
90 that the part Just below the middle
notch shall rest on the ground support;
ct the oblique prop into either of the end
notches; in.tne middle notch of the trlg-
ger stick place the small end of the per,
pend,eHlar post, the oblique prop resting
on the other end Of the perpendicular
post. Your trap will now resemble the
figure four, and you will find that thee
free end of your oblique prop will easily
support the heavy stone. Bait the trig-
Gar stick with odorous bait, and all is in
readiness, The animal seizes the bait,
loosens the prop, and the rock falls on
him.
Another dead fall is made by drawing
two parallel lines of stakes on either side
of a heavy log SO as to completely fence
IN an ~inclosure save at the ground end OF
the log, where a little opening is left fo'
an entrance. At one end the los
should be elevated and supported by
figure four trap. Put strong bait on tn tn
trigger and await results.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-11-09
rHE PARTRIDGE SNARE.

The partridge snare is more sclentifc
In construction, but not at all intricate.
The snare proper is simply a slip moose
made Of strings, but when properly con-
structed it is very effective. Familiarize
Yourself with the haunts and habits of the
partridge. Bear in mind that cartridges
and other game birds rarely fly over an
obstruction if it is possible to find an
opening through which to pass. In con-
structing the partridge snare begin by
erecting o wall of sticks, stones and mud
about two feet high and six inches thick.
It should be as long as Is necessary to in
close a given place, relying on the un-
dulations of the ground or some other
natural cause to complete the rest of the
Enclosure about the cartridges haunt.
Build a few arches in tbs apertures in
the wall. The arch should be a bent
Piece of wood like a croquet wicket In
shape. It should extend to the top OF
the wall and should be about seven inches
wide. Make q slip noos of q strong
piece of cord just big enough to hang In
The arch. Make the free end fast to the
top of the arch, spread the loops apart
and keep them in this position by catch
ing the strings lightly in either side OF
the arch. The moose should be one inch
from the ground and three inches from
the top. The partidges in seeking thelr
usual feeding place will naturally walk
into the semicircle and in e~ndeavoring to
get out will poke about untilthey come to
one of the archways. In going through
they will be caught in one of the moses
Another method of catching small
birds is in vogue among the Indians t.
this day. Get a reed, or better still, 4
bamboo pole about twelve feet long
Plant one end in the ground SO thai
the pole will lean sideways. Gut 2
birch twig about two feet long with
plenty of leaves on it and place il cross
wise on the top of the pole, at tho sam'
time binding it on securely. Place
horse-hair moose lightly over tho leaves
Pass the end of the horse hair dow
through the pole and out through a hoi'
bored a foot from the bottom. Tie TIN
end of the horse hair to a strong cord
The Opelousas courier., 1889-11-09
The Shah's Antics in Paris.

The papers continue full of the Persian
shah'a sayings and doings. His last visit
TO the Paris Exposition was marked by
seVeral curious incidents. Passing by
the Eiffel tower, he came across a g
boy selling colored spectacles of a conf
cal shape. he called him, and, taking a
few Napoleons out of his pocket, bought
the whole of his stock. He then pro-
ceeded to place the glasses on the noses
Of his attendants, and was so amused by
the figure they cut that he almost split
his sides with laughter. The crowd en-
iioyed the sight and applauded the Shah
IN tAeechQs
The Opelousas courier., 1889-11-09
WISE WORDS.

No one is satisfied with his fortune,
aor dissatisfied with his own wit.
Who of us have not regretted that age
when laughter was ever on the lipsl
Do not be afraid to go near your ene-
my. The nearer you get to a kicking
horse the less damage will result to your
person;
A fool can ask more questions than a
wise man can answer; but a wise man
cannot ask more questions than he can
ind a fool ready to answer.
Nothing is so great an instance of Ill
manners as fiattery. If you latter all the
company you please none; if you fatter
only one or two you affront the rest.
OF all the actions of a mans life, his
marriage does least concern other peo-
pie, yet Of all actions of u life, tits
most meddled with by other people.
II we cannot be a lighthouse, we can
be a candle. A man said once that he
hadn't as much light as a rush-light.
swell, I could set a whole city on fire
with that" said another.
tits poor encouragement to toll through
life to amass q fortune to ruin your chill
dren. Tn nine eases ont of ten a large
fortune is the greatest curse which could
be bequeathed to the young and mex
perienced.
When a person points out the "respect-
able people, in his neighborhood he will
invariably select those who reflect him.
self, and often add that some think they
belong to the respectable class, but are
not recognized as such.
Probably the early race of mankind
were not much superior to other animal
life, and I'D the absence OF books and
other implements were entirely destitute
of means except what nature furnished,
yet they no doubt lived as happily as their
posterity do.
If a man has quarrelsome temper, let
him alone. The world viii soon find
him employment. He will soon meet
with some one stronger than himself who
win repay him better than yon Gan. i.
man may fight duels all hisf life i be 4
disposed to quarrel
Kind words produce their own image
in mems souls, and q beautiful image #
is. They soothe and quiet and comfort
the nearer. They shame him out of his
aaAr, morese, HAnnkkind feelings. Wehavo
net yet begun to use kind words in such
abundance as they ought to be used.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-11-09

pills give o quick jerk, and nlne tlncS
out Of ten you will land your fish. =,
The handiest kind of an eel pot M
one which can be easily constructed IN
made of barrel hoops and strips OF wood.
Get the ordinary barrel hoops, place them
at q distance of one foot apart n nan
over them strips of wood. The strips
wood should be an inch wide and hall all
inch in thickness. Nail these strips On
lonpitudinally half an inch apart. Tic
object of this is to have these .apeftnies
of sufficient width to permit the water to
freely pass through, but yet not woe
enouph to allow the eel to escape. Al
the ends invert your strips to an lmagln-
arv noint twelve inches within the mix
die of the pot. When the sticks cong
to almost a point leave an opening lls3
large enough for the eel to squeeze
through. The trap is now complete
Bait It with small fish and anchor it. At
tach a float to a line which connects TIE
trap to a float ON the surface OF the water
This marks where your eel pot is set
Clarence HIDE, In Washington Star.
A Mammoth Bone.
Frank Elverson, who lives on Point
Lobos avenue, between First and Second,
was somewhat startled two days ago when
a burly looking ~excavator stopped a
wagon opposite his place and lugged out
a huge mass carefully wrapped up in a
| cloth.
The object was carried to the doorway
of Elverson's house and proved a big
load for the bearer, weighing over eighty
pounds. Having removed the wrapping,
MIR. Elverson saw what he admitted
without hesitation to be the biggest bone
he had ever seen in his life. The excava-
tor. who had been doing grading work
inthe sand dunes farther downt the avenue,
The Opelousas courier., 1889-11-09
Badness Said 10 be Catching.

Lassar, g scientist of Berlin, insists
upon the contagiousness Of ordinary
badness and its spread through the
agency of BARRIERS, and the employment
by persons of one comb In common.
Even though as yet no definite parasite
has been found in alopecia, Lassar be-
lieyes that there is one, and that it will
be found in time. He does not believe
that alopecia areata is a neuresls, though
he allows the possibility of it in a few
cases, hpt ieas not believe that most
eases are from contagion.o In the past
few years he has met with many hun
dreds of cases OF alopecia areata, manyo OF
which have been in relatives, patrons OF
the same barber shop, schoolmates or
possessors of dogs or cats having similar
bald spots. In the belief of the para
site origin of alopecia our author has
treated more than q thousand cases by
means Of an anti-parasitic plan of treat
ment, and with marked success. His
meJ is the following: For six or
eight weeks the hair is washed with j
soap rich in tar, the suds being rubbed
well in for ten minutes each day. Then
the suds are washed out with warm, fol-
lowed by cold water, the scalp and hair
dried, and the former apointsa with R,
Sol. hydrarg, biehlor, {encsthird Of one
per cent. strength glycerine and cologne
water, equal parts; then rubbed dry with
absolute alcohol containing oneheH pei
gent. of naphthol, -anA. Snen %auointed
with r. Salicy1ic acid hale a drachm
tincture b~en7asiip, iour scruples; meats
q oct gil, three ounces; mix. After six
10 eight weeks the process is to be less
often repeated. In obstinSta eases the
erblia1atc solution aheutd be used many
times 1ay.=Neao Y0r6 Herald.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-11-09

lift is in q slip noose Of very light cop
per wire. It should be about three feet
long, IF adapted to the depth at which
the fish are lying In the stream, The
free end should be attached to a pole
about two feet long. From the bank or
from your boat with the utmost quiet
meas lower your moose into the water,
Slide il up about tie fish, working
toward the head. Be very careful not
to touch the fish with the moose, but
when i i about him lust back OF the
The Opelousas courier., 1889-11-09

all the nations of Europe are making
eigorous efforts to extend their colonial
possessions in every part q the world,
md 4 French journal commenting upon
heir rivalry in Africa takes asasion to
leli the extent of Frances sway abroad.
Erom the figures furnished it appears
Saat France is making considerable pro-
Rseas ID the acquisition Of colonial power.
when this century began she had only q
lew small possessions left, Great Britain
Aaving taken from her the finest of her
soIcnies. Now, observes the Gonrier-
~6arnal, she owns countries with apopu-
htion of 27, 00o, 600, having begun the
aew era Of colonial enterprise with the
sonquest Of Algeria in 1880. These IN
sIude Algeria, Cayenne, New Caledonia,
Cambodia, Tonqnin, Anana, Tunis,
Madagascar, Senegal, Cochin China,
Huadeloupe, Martinique and Reunion.
Ek il true that none OF these compare in
Importance with the Britiah colonies, and
hsir soil and climate do not promise
much for the future, but they show that
France il NOT disposed TO be left out
while Che division of the remainder of
lhe earth's surface is going On. frances
solonies are not worth 4 great deal to her
Ia the way of trade. Their total amounts
h about $3.50, 600, 900 q year, of which
france gets not quite three-ffths. The
arger part Of this Is furnished BY Al
keria, and nearly all the remainder
ZONES from the Indo-Chinese possessions.
Tbs French are brave enough to fight
81 ana acquire territory, bnt they are
III adopts il developing II after i has
s0ns into their possession. Their colo
never thrivelike those Of the British,
nd sven under the most favorable n
kiaaous their growth i allow.
The Opelousas courier., 1889-11-09

Creston. Iowa. is to harn ms u,

C%reston, Iowa, is to have lass pal
ace. Corn palaces have been of late
years rather eomman, but a grass palace
is something new This palace, which
looks more like a castle, is 100 feet
square and 120 feet high, and it is deco
rated inside and out with all the different
grasses and cereals Of Southwestern Iowa.
Eighteen COUNTIES will have a booth eaSsha,
and they viii decorate the boothgE1With
the grasses of their locality.-BdRaMora
AxaSTHnun. ~-s~- sS