davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21
FoaD1Na TEE cAsAs GRANDPA

arst thing noticeable is a we'll defined road
leading straight up hill to a slight bench
overtopped by a higher hill at the end of the
bench. Here is an ancient ruin built of
stone and looking very much like a position
of defense. 1t may have been a sacrificial
place, for otherwise cannot account for
the careful construction of the road leading
road would not have been needed, especially
so we'll made; but experience has taught
me that when no other reasonable cXplana-
ton can be found for a doing. that supersti-
tious or religious motives can then be read
lily introduced to account for it.
The hill was really an outlying one from u
larger one near by overlooking it. and after
climbing up the latter about half way a SCI
ries of stone buildings, not discernible from
the bottom. are clearly made out. Thief
encircle the hill. and about halfway bel
another row of encircling buildings family
made out by their ruins. but the masonryis
of the very best character.
On the top of the hill is a fertilization,
probably. with wall about twenty feet
from the top. overtopped and almost Hidden
by a hanging mesquite bush. At the base of
both hills is a series of mounds extending as
far as the eye can reach, and almost feel
afraid to place an estimate on the number
saw. More than that, l am afraid!to say
whether the mounds really represent build
ings at all. In ali other M unds There is a
sign OF the house walls protruding through
the debris. but here there is none: yet they
| closely resemble the other mounds in all
other respects. Everything goes Ito show
that these people were on the defensive. and
| that defense was often necessary. These
ruins look very much older than any others
that have visited here, but much of it can
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21
A Great Poem.

Sometimes the warmest admirers Of
art are not themselves artists, and those
who appreciate poetry most would find
it hard to write a poem themselves.
Pertinent to this fact is the following
story. told by the Washington Critic:
A very bright girl, the daughter Of a
ington society, is a great reader of
poetry.
Il love poetry" she said, "and would
give anything if I could write it"
Did you ever try?" asked her COM
panion.
Never, but once," she said, hesitat-
ingly, and with q poetic blush; never
but once, and that ended my muses.
career, forever. was in school then.
and the teacher insisted upon every girl
in the rhetoric class writing a poem for
next recitation day. [ couldn't do it.
and avowed I wouldn't; but she insisted.
and finally just had to-
What was the poem?" inquired her
friend, cautiously.
But the caution was Of no avail. and
she refused to divulge for some time.
but at last gave up.
We'll, it l must I must, I suppose,
SO here it goes:
Nov fancy my delight
For l am asked to write
A poem for the rhetoric class to-tlav
My only hesitation
10 do this for recitation
Is that haven't thought OF one darned word to
say
Wasn't it awful?' she continued:
but the worst of it was the teacher
made me recite it before the whole
school. But it brought down the house."
and very satisfied expression fell ov er
her face.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21
Celebrities and Their Portraits.

Ihaddeus, the distinguished portrait
painter, has been giving to the Pall
Mall Gazette interviewer his impressions
OF the famous men who have sat" to
him, and they are decidedly interesting
as character studies. MI. Gladstone
quite magnetized him by the charm of
his presence and the wonderful flow of
his conversation. They talked of art
and Thaddeus franklv acknowledges
that he was cas- child in his hands y
The ex-Premier was the most fascinat-
iHs man that ever posed to him. The
loly Father was almost as coed as
Gladstone, but not quite" Thaddeus
felt SO much Of child before his Hol;.
less that it seemed to him the man who
undertook to paint the Pope ought to
he at least as old as a Cardinal He
Eminence Cardinal Howard was not .
good sitter, but Father Anderledv tho
General of the Jesuits, was all that he he
could wish. Thaddeus enterta;ns No
great unfultilled desire to paint the nor.
trait OF Cardinal Manning. That r. =
may be soon satisfied must be the how ~
OF the friends of the great Cardinal and
the eminent Catholic portrait pai il't. 'o'
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21
Secretary and Mrs. Noble

Mrs. Noble is really in a posit3
be the social leader here if shd
qualified for the place, writes a y
ington correspondent. The Nobl|
wealthy enough to indulge theirt|
but unfortunately both Mr.. and
Noble are deprived Of the main !
ties of society leaders. Gen. Nobl|
no faculty for remembering NJ
You might be introduced to hi|
times day, and at the tenth tin
would never show an indication Of
ing met you before. He cannotre
Der names. He feels that this is
advantage to him, and all that, b
cannot overcome it. Senators call
him every day. lay matters before
talk over questions of state will
and depart. Next day when they
he has forgotten all about their
and faces, and is forced to ask them
they are. This, of course. is a
disadvantage. Mrs. Noble laboH1
a similar disadvantage. She cal
member names very we'll, but hef
sight is very poor; in fact. she g
see so as to recognize more thaa
feet away, and then only by IN
looking. It can be seen that this
ness deprives her Of any opport9
that may present itself for beconl
society leader. That she has
graces there is no DENYING, but the
that she cannot recognize her
when they enter her parlor and
be introduced to them every time
enter because of weakness III
which is not her fault. will be apt
suit to her trouble.-Washington
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21
Iolstoy Twenty Years Ago.

AS we spent the evenings ana J.
the mornings in the Counts :
which was full of books, the talk
naturally ran on literature. Af1
walls [ helped him to realrans9
library, good portion of when y,
sisted of old French books whlsl
descended to him from lis ta'11
grandfather; but which contalhett
the best imaginative Literature u
gland, France, Germany, anu j !,
not to speak of Russian BOOKS ~, u
enviable collection of works apvs,
poleon and his times, which wels h 4
for War and Peace OF these !
some rare books I was afterwal'
to obtain; others I still envy NM 4
fortunately, I have mislaid nloss ~ i
notes with regard to our ll'eE sn3]
versation. Certain things, nus s
made strong impression upon a, 'i
Tolstoy had a very high o~s'a1
the English novel, not only ,, asa
of art. but especially for ITS '''' Er1
"a word not then in vogue
Schuuler, IN Scribner's.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

be accounted for. think, by the sandy
character OF the district.
These valleys along the foothills of the
Sierra Madre Mountains may have held a
dense population when these ancient people
soJourned here. If the physical characters
tics were the same as at the present time it
is easy to account for. To the westward it
is too mountainous for many people to find
homes and cultivate the soil, while to the
eastward the country is too barren after
one passes the line of the lakes or where
the mountain rivers sink
The strip along the foot hills, between
the main ridge OF mountains and the plain,
is about the only place where an agricul-
tural people could live in large numbers
and thrive, and now that the dreaded
Apache Indian has been finally subdued
think the day is not very far distant when
it will be again we'll peopled by Il commune
lty engaged in peaceful pursuits. Those
anclents probably raised everything they
needed, SO that there was very little COM
merce between them. and not much need
for roads or trails. although a few of them
are occasionally made out with a great deal
OF dlstinctness. l have already spoken of
the plainly marked road leading up the
steep sides of Davis Hill. This, one can
make out fully q mile away, although. NOT
showing what 1t was at that distance. the
observer might be inclined to think Fl q
strlp OF light grass iii a depression until
closer inspection revealed its true charac-
va 10 e4io WI n Vi Llitu anu not OF uatOr0.
A view of this road as we saw il from tine
plain in the fiat valley of the Casas Grandes
Is given in figure l. and the first small ruin
on the first hill is shown in figure .. The
circular ruins higher up on the second hill
and the fertilization on the ton are not
shown. as they are really not visible from
inc low point where the sketch was taken
by Mr.. Landau. our artist. From '' the
1ortlfication's summit, the view, from nmili-
tary standpoint. was one Of the most com
plete that could be desired. From both
sides the hills retreated. giving full scope
10 the eye up and down the broad valley.
every square yard of which was probabiy
irrigated and cultivated, while lust hack Of
the fortitlcation. or to the eastward. the
Eseondido Mountains opened out into a
valley that made any surprise by an enemy
from that side impossible. In short. the
iortification could be left defenseless ' by
Inc people in clear weather, or during such
weather as they would be likely to Work on
thelr farms. and with Il few keen siphted
s sf posted there they could give the
alarm OF coming hostile incursion in
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

ample time for the population to man the
intrenchments before an attack could pos
sibly be made by the most rapidly moving
enemy.
This. of course, assumes that tho able
bodied citizen of that day was equally an
artisan or farmer and soldier when an en-.
envy approached-an assumption which we
know is well founded with so many of the
ancient races. although arms now is con
from Davis Hin. an outlying but prominent
foot-hill of the Escondido Hidden) Noun;
tain, we passed through the old deserted
Mexican mining town Of Barranca. II plain
ly showed its ancient character in the long
rows of Stag that had come IRON n, the adobe
Tho primitiveness of the work and the rich
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

our driver. who had had some experience
in mining, and who picked up q small piece
of Stag almost pure lead and silver in prob
ably the same proportion it had existed in
the vein. He made no hesitation in assert
ing that. with new improved machinery.
such as that employed in the mining dis
tricts of the United States and with rail-
road running near by, all the immense Stag
piles. the refuse of probably fifty years OF
Mexican mining, could be worked over with
a decided profit to the people handling
fortunes lying dormant in the different
slag-piles Of the old mines of northwestern
Chihuahua alone. And yet these people
still persist in working in this way with i'm
proved machinery all around them. While
we were at the little Mexican town of La
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

The verb to boom, with all its SUBJ
stantive, participial, and other forms,
has come to stay. Here we have to
boom, boomer, and boom; and these
are doomed, or they boom, and are
booming, as the case may be. If any
thing were needed to give the word per-
manency and universally of acceptance
Oklahoma has done it. The evolution
of the word has been gradual. Origin
ally it came from seafarers. A vessel
under full sail had her studding sail
booms and the booms of her fore and
aft sails out. She rushed. She doomed.
This was transferred to the rush of q
swollen stream. It doomed, or it was
booming, when it's augmented waters
rushed seward with a grand and bouy-
ant wave. The booming OF the sea was
merely:the description Of the sound, Just
as certain bird-note, notably the BIT
tern-vulgarly known as the thunder
pumper-is called boom. From the
river to the land the transfer is easy and
natural. An infant Western town, re-
joicing in its strength and rapid growth,
was described as booming; and then the
men who artfully aided in this sudden
Development were boomers.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21
Napoleon af. P,ho

The scene of Napoleon,'' '
Porto Ferraio was a cur;aS. laaaa
had taken the municipal ito3s ons.
SO that the proposed day py sup
triumphal arch Were eSS2;r na
Eighty pounds sterling had IN lae0np
for these preparations, and o "
had also decreed that $40 40 sh .he 90
pended in the purchase Of s s',illa,
nit'1re for the palace wh ;;IIl'abs
apart for him. But, if thew .e n Ta
small, the Elbans' hearts r msans
Napoleon was met on the m pv[s
Mayor and corporation. the n
other clergy. '|'' S'caF0
The people crowded aro,,n, d,
Dor and waved bunting fr,, AMY !, the
dows. The keys of the CITY uo .he'r
him in a silver dish by the M SIrs q
did not touch them with %;s
His troops then escorted him ms n M
the little piazza of white l bnn.tsA IN
green jalousies, now know 'a as
Cavour, into the adjacent piaa ~
torio Emanuele) by one side e, of "a.
the plain little cathedral Of tb ~
Here TIE Deum was sung w;t ths
siasm. Napoleon stood tbro %.,b
function, with bent knees a gaVa]
away look. He was afterwar1 ' nrs.
with map of the island. p Tha
lunched, mounted his wb;ta
Tibertin, and rode out OF the /
mented little town to see soms s
this residue of his great empire
The vicario's vision of the 1 on,
that was to come upon Elba v viii
Emperor was Elusive. The revs a,
the island, all told, was onlv 's sa
francs. OF this, as soon as thu g. g.
were before him, Napoleon devoted
600 francs to public works, such as
and Notifications. The balance ".
tie enough for the ma;ntenanaa|
court and the several hundred so1
ofthe old guard who had FOLLOWED
into exile. By the treaty Of
tainebleau an annual allowanel
1000, 900 francs was allowed IN |
But he received not franc Of fiji,
had he not carried with him a sn1
3,4OO, 900 francs he would have bsl
the mercy of the Elbans for the \
OF existence. AS it was he did nd
out his funds very j,1diciouslv. II
mother kept the bag the Elba !
lishment might have held out fol,
OF three years instead of less THANH
year and Waterloo been postponed
During the first few months h.
dom passed child or a peasant n
road without a brief inq1isitorial
which ended in the gift of a conf
gold pieces. He gave ragged
money to buy clothing, and little
napoleons in exchange for flowers.
lavlshness could not last. Retl
ment had to be the order Of ths|
Thus, at length, the worthy, aston
Elbans found such burdens of taxe|
upon them as they had never dre /
of. At Capoliveri, indeed, there !
revolt. The people intrenched !
selves in their village and tookup
OF resistance against the tax coll
so Capoliveri wants to make wal
mel" exclaimed Napoleon, witha
air, when he heard of this. but
reflection, Capoliveri yielded toll
ding of the victor of Marengo-
hiLl M0l0zi1le.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

An English court has been called
upon to decide how long an impulse can
last. A well-known lady was charged
with shooting game without license.
She pleaded in defence that she acted
under impulse, having been asked to
take a gun by one of ghentlemen at a
shooting party; but her impulse con-
tinued for two hours. SO she was fined
60
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

The project Of manufacturing binding
Irvine in the Illinois Penitentiary in or
der to help the farmers in their fight
against Irvine trust strangers has a
practical hint about it. Could prison
labor be solely employed in breaking
down bad monopolies a trouble
some problem would be satisfactorily
solved.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

AN English industrial paper is au-
thority for the statement that in the
Black country semi-skilled workmen on
chains and nails, working sixty to sixty
five hours day, are not able to earn
more than ten to fifteen shillings per
week, while women earn but four to
six shillings.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

The United States Agricultural De-
partment will continue this year expert
ments in the cultivation of sorghum.
The possibilities Of sorghum and imphee
have been troubling that branch of our
government for great many years.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

The bones of mastodon were I'M
earthed on the farm of G. G. Tremble,
near Windfall, Ind. One of the teeth
was seven inches long and six inches in
diameter, and tusk of the monstrous
animal measured nine feet. When the
air struck the bones they crumbled to
pieces, and but few Of them were
saved.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

An Elmira, N. Y, young man who
was hanged by the neck till all signs of
life had departed, and then called back
to life, describes the sensation as ex-
quisite, Astounding in lovely scenery,
sweet music and angelic accompani-
ments of Undesirable beauty. Still
he says he would not care to resume
these hempen delights.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

The State of Kansas is forced to break
a contract for labor at the State Peni-
tertiary. Under the prohibitory law,
with municipal woman suffrage to make
it effective, the number of available men
in the penitentiary has fallen far below
the number called for by the contract.
More than half the county jails in the
State are now without prisoners.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

Mr.. GLADsToNE's ancestors, it ap-
pears, We're pirates. In 1865 company
of adventures sent out the George, of
Glasgow, fully equipped as privateer,
to prey on the Dutch mercantile ma
rine, and "Halbert Gladstone, merchant
in Edinburgh was one of the co-ad-
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21
Delicate Tliouy.itfaiitS.

well, Ned, I proposed to N a,,,]
kins last night, and she has ~
me-" o,,I
did you, though? Why :, ! lid
moment thought you had tne go
idea of marrying" ,,o,, D
II didn't, but Miss jenkins, vac tact
completely by her beautiful To-
delicate forethought."
I'm what respect?" Talked
why, when I called. she .o na
to the mantel-piece and s,opP'
clock. "-Merchant 1rore'e'
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

THERE is a colored man in Quitman
County, Georgia, who has son named
David, one named Jacob, one named
Napoleon, one named Christopher
Columbus. one named Ferdinand, and
one named James Monroe.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

The quickest way to reduce corpu-
lence is to go up to Eifel Tower in
Paris. In addition to the loss of ounces
from the exercise, there is loss of two
pounds at the top on account of the diff
ference in atmospheric pressure. The
two pounds, however, will be apt to be
in waiting at the bottom.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

CANADA's precepts belong to the Dark
Ages. Two young ludies-Miss Maud
Abbott and Miss Helen Day-have APP
piled for admission to the medical de-
partment of the Gill University in Can
ada and have been refused. The Fac
ulty think it improper to admit women
as students.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

The death has just been announced
in England of Thomas Palmer, the last
survivor of the British troops that
fought at Corunna.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

AN illustrated monthly magazine de-
voted to literature and music is about
to be started in Savannah, with the IT,
tie of The Old Homestead.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

A WASHINGTON Territory man, living
near Walla Walla, was digging a well
recently and unearthed the skeleton of
some huge animal at the depth Of eighty
foot
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

The late William H. Barnum is said
to have been model husband and IA
ther. His wife knew all his political
secrets, and, what is better, perhaps,
never divulged single one.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

JAcoB HousER, of Housewife, Pa,
has in his possession watch which has
been in the Houser family for 300 years,
it having been brought over from Ger
many by an ancestor who migrated to
this country. 1t is in constant use and
is good timekeeper.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

The hurting of an eight-hundred-
pound shell distance of ten and three
quarter miles, from a forty-three-ton
gun, by the French artillery gives an
intimation of what war to-day between
two or more frst-class powers would
moan
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

DURING President Washington's first
term the number of postotfices in the
United States was less than five hun
dred. Now it is over sixty thousand.
1t was far easier to be president then
than now.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

GEORGE WASHINGTON was an enthu-
siastic Mason. In aletter to the Rhode
Island Masons he says: Being per-
suaded that a just application of the
principles OH which the Masonic frater-
nifty is founded must be productive Of
private virtue and public prosperity, I
shall always be happy to advance the
interest of the society and to be con-
sidered by them as deserving brother"
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

The California Legislature has passed
bill permitting women to vote for
school trustees.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

THE old question of how to keep the
boys on the farm has changed in some
localities to how the farmers themselves
shall be induced to stay there. Several
hundred farmers around Springfield,
ILL.,, and GAINESVILLE, Wis, have cut up
their lands into eighty-acre tracts,
erected cheap buildings thereon, and,
after renting for from 50 to Sc an acre,
have removed to town to take it easy.
A few years of this will bring their
fortunes and their farms down to hard
pan.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

DO you sell this chaaso H., l.,
R p ', ~, Yes, sir You'd get more ore
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

SENATOR VANCE, who lately had one
of his eyes removed, is now in danger of
losing the sight of the remaining one.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-06-21

A MAN never thinks of the good
things he might say until the opportun-
ing for saying them is gone.