davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-26
Famous HOaxes.

There is one feature of American
humor entirely distinct from any
characteristic of which | have hitherto
written. Hoaxing of the too credulous
reading public has been nowhere so
successfully practised as in this country.
Richard Adams Locke, a miId-man-
nered editor, soberly proclaimed, in
the summer of 1885, that Sir John
Herschel, of astronomical fame, had
made astonishing discoveries at the
Cape of Good Hope with a new forty
two-thousand-power magnifier of the
moon. Locke was infinitely scientific
and attractively vivid in his descrip-
tions of lunar formations of basaltic
rock Covered with dark red fowers),
water, trees, plants, volcanoes, birds,
animals, and life's higher orders. This
narrative appeared in the New York
iSuna The subsequently published
pamphlet is nowadays harder to grasp
than at that period the mountains and
fountains of nights queenly silver orb
seemed to be. Since Locke's time
newspaper Ananiases have not been in
frequent. ELI Perkins, is grossly
libelled when named with Chester
Hull. the sensational journalistic fakir
in San Francisco. The New York
HeroLd's startling, bogus, half-column-
head-lined story of the escaped men,
agerie at Central Park, and a Brazilian
Monte Cristo wedding, detailed with
gravity and precision in the New York
Times (about 1874, are both classes of
their simulatiye kind. -Harper's Maya
nine
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-26

chair a bag fell to the floor, and in it
was found $4,000 in gold; SAC. 900 in
notes was afterward found in a drawer.
Everybody smokes in japan. The
pipes hold a little wad of tine-cut to-
bacco as big as a pea. 1t is fired, and
the smoker takes one long Whit, blow
ing the smoke in a cloud from his
mouth and nose. The ladies have
pipes with longer stems than the men.
and if one Of them wishes to show a
gentleman special mark of favor she
lights her pipe, takes half Whit.
hands it to him and lets him finish out
the Whit.
In Titiis. Russia, a club of 125 fam
lilies, just formed, has hired doctor.
NJ. Oganiants. for $50 a year, who
agrees to visit the families regularly
and give them advice as to how to
keep healthy, to tend them if sick, and,
besides, to give the club occasional
short lectures upon hygiene and physi-
ology. Each family pays 80 cents per
month for this service. and twenty-five
poor families are admitted free, SINH
lar arrangements have been made with
the DRUGGIST,
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-26
Bottom Facts About Wool.

| Wool is kind of hair. The hair is
! plant rooted in the skin. Its root is
cone. connected with the sensitive
layer of the skin, whence it draws sus-
tenance. Its life is not identical with
the life of the body, for hair grows
! more or less after death. This root
of the hair eXudes the hair pulp, which
| is formed into cells containing the pig
! ment giving color to the hair, and each
row of these cells forms ring. As
the ring of cells is pushed away from
! the skin by the giving out of fresh pulp
! from the root, the cells dry, and scales
are formed, almost like the scales Of a
fish. A hair seen through micro
scope is thus long tube formed by a
sheath made up of these rings Of scales
The human hair is usually long,
straight, and regular, and the scales
are so fine and SO close together that
the edge appears like the teeth of a
very fine saw. Goats hair has more
; rapid growth and longer cells, so that
it is less regular and straight, and
shows little of the tooth-like edge The
also irregular, with tendency to curl
edges. This is wool and it is the ten
dency to twist and the barbed projec-
tons which give this fibre it's peculiar
advantages.
The hair of the negro, with its ten
dency to kink or curl, is mockingly
called ''wool, because it to this extent
resembles the hair of the sheep. Curly
hair is, as a matter of fact, less perfect
than straight hair. But through all
this range-of the human plant, goats
hair, and sleeps wool-nature shows
such close gradations that it would be
difficult to draw an exact line between
hair and wool, or in this respect to sep
arate the sheep from the goats. Wit
ness the Angora goat, whose fleece,
known as mohair, is reckoned a super
ior wool, and the Peruvian alpaca, or
llama.
The microscope distinguishes very
clearly, however, between wool and
silk. the fibre of which is an even dou-
bic flament of gum exuded by the silk
worm; and between wool and the veg
etable tibres, such as cotton, which,
growing as tube. dries into a half
twisted ribbon, having no barbed edge.
The root of the hair has natural ten
dency to dry up as warm weather APP
proaches, allowing the hair to fall free
from the skin; thus animals ''shed their
coats" But when hair is cut. as with
human beings, or the fleece sheared, as
in the case of sheep, nature adapts itself
to the demand upon it, and growth is
continuous. The number of these
tibres is wonderful. On the pelt of
full-blood ram, DR.. Cutting, of the Yer
mont Board of Agriculture, reckoned
with. his microscope 222, 800 to the
square inch; an ordinary open-wool
sheep will have one-thirtieth as many.
-Harpe"'s Magazine.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-26
RUNAWAY POND.
An Early Outbreak of an Unreliable Yer.
mont Lake.

William Chaplin, according to the
Montpelier (Vt.) Watch17la2a has dis
covered something interesting respect
ing Runaway Pond" He says:
Il was much interested in an ac-
count read me from manuscript by one
of the aged men of Glover concerning
the outgoing of Runaway pond in
Glover June 6, 1910. Some of the in
cidents have never been in print, so
far as [ know. 0, V. Perclval has
gathered these facts from the lips of
those present on that memorable &C.
casion. The pond, 1 1-2 miles long
and l mile wide. was 100 feet deep in
some places. 1t had its natural outlet
south into the Lamoille valley, but on
this 9th day of June, 1870 the miller
on little stream to the north under
took, with some thirty of his friends.
to steal out little water to 90 their
way, that the miller might grind his
corn When they had dug a trench
through the bank into the pond and
the water flowed nicely, they all got.
out to take a drink of rum, as was the
fashion of that day. Suddenly the
water stopped running in the trench,
but they heard a strange gushing be-
meath. One of the leaders of the COM
pany-Spencer Chamberlin - Jumped
down to see what was the trouble. In
mediately he began to sink in the soft
quicksand. He was caught by the
hair of his head and pulled out by his
alarmed comrades.
The whole pond was going fast and
furious. 1t sucked through the widen
ing, deeping gorge. Who should warn
the people below? Who should tell the
miller's wife, who was grinding a grist
in her husbands absence? There was
a hurried consultation. Who was
strongest, Eravest, tleetest of foot?
Spencer Chamberlin was chosen, and
with a quick good-by to his compan-
ions he bounded down the rough
ravine, gained the head of the food,
and sped on for the mill. Dame Will
son had ground the grist, but was still
in the mill, the old horse hitched to
post near the door when Chamberlin
rushed in and without any words
seized the woman with one arm and
the grist with the other and made q
break for higher lands. Getting out of
the mill, he saw the raging torrent COM
ing - roaring. grinding, crashing -
down the valley. He dropped the grist
and saved the woman. The old horse
either died at his post or foundered on
his first voyage. At all events, he was
never found.
Goodman Wilson was no doubt re-
ioiced to find his wife safe, but had to
mourn the loss of mill, machinery,
millstones, dam, and all; also the toll
of that last grist. Such a flood now
passing down that valley would do
immense danger to life and property
! in the low-built villages of Glover and
Barton, but there is no danger. The
old bed of the pond is now covered
! with grass and bushes and the main
road runs through it. 1t is a lone
some, dreary place and nobody blames
the pond for running away when it
had SO good chance
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-26
BENEDICT ARNOLp'S HOUSE.
Still Standing in New Haven-Some REM
iniscences of the Traitor.

The old Benedict Arnold House is
still standing in the Fifth ward, on
Water street, near the corner of Olive
street. 1t has fallen into decay, but
there are some gray-haired citizens
who remember it when it was one
the show places of the town. Its
orchard was the largest and finest in
New Haven, and the grounds were
laid out in handsome terraces.
Arnold built the house soon after his
return from Ticonderoga. He must
have been a man of some wealth, for
the house was well built and the
grounds were ample. Arnold was not
popular man. He had a violent and
irascible temper, and would rather
fight than eat" as has been said of him.
He always found fault and the ferry
man who took passengers across the
mouth of the Quinnipiac River before
the bridge was built dreaded to have
him for a passenger, for he always
swore at him for not rowing faster.
Nevertheless Arnold was man of
affairs. Besides his business as Il drug
gist and bookseller, he, with Adam
Babcock, owned three vessels engaged
the brigantine Fortune, forty tons, the
Charming Sally, thirty tons, and the
Three Brothers, twenty-eight tons.
Arnold never took particular pains to
see that all Custom House dues were
paid; in fact, he was very lax in this
particular. 1t is related that once on
time sailor on board one of his
vessels reported some of these laxities
to the Collector Of the port. The re-
port was made on Sunday and the Col
lector refused to receive it, and told
the sailor to come again on Monday.
In the mean time Arnold had heard
of the sailors tale bearing. Before
Monday came Arnold adopted course
of moral and physical suasion which
compelled the sailor to leave town with
his tale untold.
Arnold's laxity in regard to the
customs laws was probably not much
greater than that of his neig hbors. In
deed, to evade the customs was virtue
rather than fault for it was regarded
as justifiable method of protest
against taxation without representation.
Arnold's property was confscated
after his treachery at West Point was
discovered. Pierpont Edwards acted
on the Governments administration
and sold the property to Capt. Isaac
Prout. Capt. Prout made only partial
payment. and was unable to meet the
subsequent payments as they became
DUE In this way the property came
into the hands Of Noah Webster, the
photographer, and he lived there for
some years. finally selling it to James
Hunt, West Indian merchant, who
devised it to his daughter, wife of D.
COTE Phipps of this city. The house
still remains in Mrs. Phipps pos
session. although it has been almost
dismantled
Betsey Arnold, sister of Benedict
Arnold. lived for years and years, after
her brothers disgrace. in Norwich on !
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-26
The "Old Dominion"

Ever since you can remember you
have heard the state of Virginia called
the "Old Dominion;" do you know why
it is so called? During the protector
ate of Cromwell the colony of Virginia
refused to acknowledge his authority
and declared neutrality-suspicious.. Short
ly after. when Cromwell threatened to
send fleet and army to reduce them
to subsection, the Virginians sent IA
messenger to Charles H., who was then
an exile in Flanders, inviting him to
return in the ship with the messenger
and be king of Virginia. Charles ac-
cepted the invitation and was on the
eve of embarking for the new world
when he was called to the throne of
England. AS soon as he was safely
seated on the throne, out of gratitude
for the loyalty of Virginia he caused
her coat-of-arms to be quartered with
those of England, Ireland, and Scot
land, as an independent member of the
empire-a distinct portion of the 'Old
Dominion" Coins of Virginia were
issued as late as the reign of George
Ill, which bore on one side the coat-of-
arms of England, Ireland, Scotland and
Virginia. Louis Republic.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-26
Walters and Washers.

"a head-waiter of fourteen years.
standing, writes the London Truth:
With respect to the statements made
in the public press-viz., that, owing to
the similarity of our dress clothes,
Washers are indignant at being mis-
took for waiters-I beg to state that the
boot is on the other leg. It's us wait
ers what have to suffer for the said mis-
take; and, as family men. earning our
bread respectable, we don't like it. l
have more than once-I know YOU
won't believe it, but it's true-had
Washers took for me at evening parties
and such like, and twice to my knowl-
edge they have had tips given to them
intended for me. And what is more,
sir. they have stuck to EN-
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-26
Sweetheart Robin.

Interlocked boughs of the hawthorn hedge,
How barely your brown twigs gl1sten!
What! have your blossoms forgotten their
pledge?
Is it not May-time? Listen!
Surely ! heard bluebird sing,
And smelt the breath of the clover.
What is the word he was whispering
Whispering over and over?]
Daffadowndilly how late thou art,
Thou Spring-time'S earliest comeri
The gadneSS of summer is in my heart,
And on my cheek there is summer
Thrilling me through at the buebirds call,
As the sun when it kisses the clover!
tGainst my cheek did sunbeam fall?
Ain, why was he bending over?l
Petals of white from the hawthorn tree
Over the lush grass blowing;
Light is my heart as your breeZes be
Why, surely it cannot be showing!
moment ago the dream-soft skies
Arched above fields of clover
lWhy did he look me so full in the eyes?
And why did my head droop over?l
know that heard buebird's call;
THAT word for whole hearts hushing!l
i know that felt sunbeam fall:
All, what on my cheek was brushngH
The sky showed never a sigh of rain;
His eyes-he was bending over1
And ! know, though l walked in winter
lane
smelt the breath Of the clOverl
-Harper'S Magazine
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-26
The Fishes Dinner Bell,

Not far from Berlin is Charlotten-
burg, where there is great palace
with splendid gardens. The German
fathers and mothers take their little
ones to see wonderful sight in these
gardens, through which winds the
River Spree. Now, in this same river
is quantity of carp, and it is to see
them fed-and to feed them-that the
little Heinrichs and Gretchens love to
go to Charlottenburg. These carp are
very aged, some of them. and rs cum
uing as possible, for when II certain
bell rings they all come rushing in
shoals, knowing perfectly we'll that it is
their own dinner-bell; and they are
never disappointed, for the public de-
light in feeding them.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-26
THE ELDER BOOTHS WAYS,
Olive Logan Relates Some Thrilling Ex.
periences With the Great Tragedian.

Olive Logan, in her racy volume con.
corning women and theatres, recalls
some incidents in the career of the ell.
der Booth.
Strangely enough" says the observ.
ant Olive, '.Mr. Booths artistic powers
were as strong when he was intoxicated
as when he was quite sober. Many
aver that his sober Richard was tame
and puerile thing compared to the
noisy Richard of perhaps a hundred
cups.
when | was little girl Booth was
once playing in conjunction with my
sister IN Memphis, and she sent me one
night to deliver some message to him
on the stage.
The curtain had not vet risen, but
l found Mr.. Booth standing at the
back OF the stage, inside the tomb of
the Capulets, for the nonce unoccupied
by any defunct member of that illustri
Gus house.
Il approached him timidly and de-
lvered my message; whereupon, start
ing up with the graceful spring of a
tiger disturbed, and Kissed out:
"Avaunt! and quit my sight! Let the earth
Thy bones are marrowless. thy blood is cold;
Thou hast no speculation in those eyes
Which thou dost glare With
Anyone who has seen Booth and re-
members the terrible intensity of his
voice. the wonderful crescendo which
he placed on the word gla-0-a-re! in
this sentence will not be surprised to
learn that a weak, sickly little girl
should have toppled straight over in a
dead swoon at hearing it so unex-
pectedly and unjustly addressed to her
self in the semi-darkness of the Capulet
tomb.
ut is needless to say that the great
tragedian was intoxicated.
"On this occasion, after had been
discovered, and couch had been ex-
temporized for me in my sisters dress
ing-room, | remember hearing such
peals on peals of applause for his act
ing that lay there in agonized fear
that he would add further to my dis
tress by playing so we'll that the audi
ence would tear the house down in their
enthusiasm.
The next time saw Booth he was
playing with Jean Davenport Oander).
The piece was The Apostate,' and on
this occasion | formed one of the audi
ence.
The reader who is familiar with this
play will remember where Alvarez
gives Florinda to Hemeya. who, receiv-
ing her with applause, exclaims: Who
now shall part us?'
AT this moment on strobe the ter
rible Pescara and roared the one word
Up
Booth was intoxicated again, and
his whole bearing so reminded me of
the previous occasion when he had
given me a fright from which I had not
yet fully recovered, that, forgetting
decorum and everything else, | started
up from my seat and rushed pell-mell
out Of the theatre.
IN several occasions 7 saw Edwin
Booth, a tall, slender boy, who seemed
all eyes, standing behind the scenes, in
tently watching his fathers perform
ances, and [ remember wondering if
the little boys father ever frightened
him as he had frightened me-"
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-26
Poison for Arrow TIPS.

We are indebted to Mr.. Frank Smith
of Whitewater for very graphic ac-
count of the manner in which Piute
Indian prepared his deadly arrows. He
gathered a dozen or more rattlesnake
heads and put them in a spherical
earthen vessel. With these he put half
a pint of species of large red ant that
is found hereabouts. The bite of this
ant is more poisonous than that of a
bee. Upon these he poured bit of
water. and then sealed up with moist
earth and a lid of this vessel. He then
dug hole two feet deep into the
ground, in which he built a roaring fire
and put in some stones. When the in
terror of the hole and the stones were
red hot he made place in the bottom
for the earthen vessel and put it in.
About it and upon it he put the Goals
and hot stones, and upon the top he
built fierce fire and kept it up for
twenty-four hours. Then he dug out
his vessel, and, standing off with
long pole, he disengaged the top and
let the fumes escape. He insisted that
had they struck his face it would have
killed him. The mass left in the
vessel was a dark brown paste.
To test the efficacy of his concoction.
the Indian with his hunting knife made
a cut in his bare leg, just below the
knee, and let the blood run down to
his ankle. Then taking a stick, he
dipped it into the poison and touched
the descending blood at the ankle. It
Immediately began to sizzle, as if it
were cooking the blood, and the poison
followed the blood right up the leg,
sizzling its way, until the Indian
scraped the blood off with the knife.
H assured our informant that had he
allowed it to reach the mouth Of the
wound he would have been dead
man.-B0hni11Q Herald.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-26

A Long island florist has just been
brought up into police court for
shooting at his wife because she de-
clined to continue working in the fields,
ploFTing, narrowing etc.. and because
she finally rebelled against cleaning
out the stables. The florist remarked
that she was his wife and he would do
what he liked with her, but the police
justice does not seem to be of his
opinion.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-26

public charity. When she was 80 years
old she was taken to the alms-house by
old Sheriff E. G. Thomas. Betsey
made great how-de-do about it, and
was so grieved that she lived only few
months. She was strong old woman,
and had much of her brothers temper.
NeV HQren Press.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-26
Welsh Gold.

A bar of Welsh gold has been for
warded to the British Geographical So
ciety with the request that it be used
in the making OF the medal that the
society IS to give to Stanley.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-26

moved, but they uttered no sound. He
died while the doctor was having one
or two reliable witnesses sign his con-
fession.-Arttur W. MerTicE in the
Epoch.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-26

Life is too short to waste much of it
in humoring people who need clubbing.
-lNllUauEee Journal.
South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1890-08-01

a little seven-year.old boy remain.
ca out doors one evening an hour be-
yond the time be was allowed to
DO so. The father said 10 him Papa
ioVes you and tries TO do all he can
ior you. and you do not seem to
care ut all to DO as papa wishes FIVE
minutes of that kind of appeal 10 the
noOler part of the boy was a severe
punishment to the little fellow. Two
nights afterward, upon coming in
promptly at seven O'clock, he said +:
Papa, l suppose if boy was whip.
ped he would come in just as l do.
Lut he would not feel 8 happy in do.
Ing 1t as / do There is lot of
hhoso.'hy in the little fellows re-
mark.
South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1890-08-01

n foriy-year-old wagon is seen dai.
" on the streets Of Denison, Texas
AZ was made OF Usage orange
The experiment Of tanning leather
with palmetto roots has been success.
fully tried OF AppAlachicola, Fla
Major Horace Lacey and General
Jubal A. Early, both prominent ex-
ConfcdeTates, have engaged In a bit
Ter controversy over political matter.
The remains Of John Ericsson. the
inventor Of iron clad warsbips. have
been taken to bis naive country,
Sweden, for burial.
The Chesapeake and Ohio canal
boatmen are DOW disposlng OF their
mules, having given up all hope Of
The restoration Of the canal.
Contented minds are more oondu-
GIVE to happiness than riches plory
Or lame 10 our lIfo.work let ns re-
member that it will profit us hut liz.
t'c 10 We gain a world Of veal Oh and
lose content aud happiness.
David G Odenshein, ofNIu Crock
botetort county, owns SO acres oil
land, IS of which are ul'abia TO d
greater o. less degree. Last ycrr n.
raised ON Wis land 4O2 bushe ,f
f '.at. O.