davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Irish standard., 1891-05-30
JAPANESE SWORDSMEN.

A Sword Cut for Which an Ordinary Man
Is Unprepared.
The pictures and carvings Of Japan,
as a rule, present the warriors armed
with two swords-ore on each side,
says writer in the Kansas City Star.
This crossword matter is more a part
of ceremony and state than anything
else.
When a Japanese means business he
only needs one sword. They are not so
skillful Of fence as the Europeans, but
nevertheless have number of cuts and
slashes which, being in their nature so
many surprises, would give a swords
man unused to their methods some
little trouble.
The first move Jap makes in a
sword fight is fraught with danger to
his opponent. There are no prelimi-
naries with Jap. The fight begins
with him while his blade is yet in it's
scabbard, and, as he draws his weapon,
wisdom will give him about forty feet
Of room. 1
Grasping the scabbard near the CEN
ter, he slightly tilts it SO that the point
OF the sword as 1t hangs Dy ms slde is,
if anything, a little higher than the
hilt The sword itself is curved, very
heavy, and with it's single edge as
keen as twenty razors.
When he draws it streams from the
scabbard like a beam of light, and as
it comes he makes a prodigious step
forward with his right foot, accompany
ing the whole with rapid circular
slash upward of the back-handed sort.
The whole performance is one motion,
and rapid in it's execution as thought.
Your Jap will reach a man a dozen
feet away, and the keen blade, starting
it's work low, will split an opponent
like mackerel. A Japanese swords
man always makes this upward sweep
on drawing his weapon, whether an
enemy is in sight or not.
The Irish standard., 1891-05-30
SHE WAS HUNGRY.
The Bride in Chinese Wedding Deprived
of Her Breakfast

The Bride in a Chinese Wedding Deprived
of Her Breakfast.
A Chinese wedding party in Canton
recently lost one Of the most important
items in the wedding ceremony the
bride, says the North China Herald.
The little lady had been carried to her
bridegroom's home, hidden in the Gus
tornary embroidered red satin chair dec
grated with flowers, and put down at
the door to await the suspicious no
ment for crossing the threshold. Her
escort had come a long way and were
weary, so they retired into a neighbor-
ing opium den and went to sleep.
They awoke late in the evening,
rushed to the door, and, concluding the
bride had left, carried the empty chair
back to it's loft. Soon after the bride
groom and his family, dressed in their
very best, lighted the candles and their
incense sticks, laid out rice and the Or
thodox viands, and opened the door. No
sign Of either chair or bride.
They Immediately decided that she
had been carried off by brigands, and
alarmed the whole district, the search
going on fruitlessly. At last the dis
tracted bridegroom woke up the chair
bearers and they, struck by sudden
idea, ran off to the loft .s4
They opened the chair, and there sat
the poor little bride, stiff, frightened
and hungry. She had felt that she was
being carried off, but dared not cry out,
as no well-bred bride ought to open her
lips till after the marriage ceremony.
Hence all the trouble.
The Irish standard., 1891-05-30
His Sight Failed.

An appalling prospect for anyone to
face is that of losing the use of the
eyes. A writer in the Albany Press re-
lates the remarkable experience of one
of his friends. On returning home
from business, he put his glasses in his
pocket and lay down for nap. When
he went to dinner he found, to his
great alarm, that he. could not read a.
letter which his daughter handed to
him. he washed his eyes with a
sponge and warm water, but to no pur-
pose. For years his left eye had been
comparatively useless, and now that.
his right eye was apparently affected,
the prospect was depressing. He re-
tired to his room at once, with a sink
ing heart. Probably he could not even
see to write. He felt In his pocket, the
pocket where he carried the now use
less eyeglasses, for a lead pencil. His
fingers touched something which sent
thrill Of joy through him. His sud-
den blindness was explained. He had
found the pebble out Of the right eye Of
his glasses. u Z n L. II
The Irish standard., 1891-05-30
will versus Circumstances.

A writer in the New England Farm
or makes the following interesting
comments concerning the power Of will
over circumstances. Last summer
CHANGED to find an old school-book
which pro badly had never been opened
SINCE its owner, girl student, died
forty years ago. The book was filed
with loose sheets Of paper, covered with
handwriting, uniform and beautiful.
There were drawings Of plants and their
separate leaves and flowers; there were
carefully written notes Of lectures, cop
les Of poems which were fresh then,
but have now become standard selec-
tions. Some difficult mathematical
problems were also worked out. and
the whole was the work OF an earnest
student. My conclusion was, as ! rev rev:
erently laid aside the book, that will IS
stronger than circumstances The high
school girl Of to-day, bright as she is.
cannot show better work than this New
England farmers daughter, Of what
our girls would term long ago.
The Irish standard., 1891-05-30
81 INDlAl TX 8 &c TlIo| n NlS )! n
The Manner il which y ustico II Melted CT

Il The Manner III which D stice - Meted CIT
I s3 55sss byS the Creeks.
En- ..At the last legal execution g the &
4 Creek nation was presently said leo 80
! 81 Bennett, the governme emit agent 1o b
I the five civilized tribes, 20 al Washing ~
| ton correspondent Of the ST Louis
Globe Democrat. 8. The details We're
| very different from an execution IN the
army. "a squad is detailed and some lm1n Of
the gums are left unloaded, 50 nobody.
can tell who fires the fatal shot. A.
this last Creek execution the condemned
man was seated on the ground, with
/, his back against a tree and MS legs
stretched out in front. @ He was NOT;
| bound to the tree, nor were his hands.
! tied just before the execution some.
one put bandage over his eyes, ohtA
| the prisoner tore it off and threw 1T
away. Perhaps the strangest part tot
proceeding was the selection OF the ex-
ecutioners. That was left to the con-
demned man. He was told to pick out
the two men whom he wanted to do the
shooting. Strange to say. one Of his
| selections was his cousin Both men
were from the light horse Of the nation.
| \ AC OTO A1SA WiCL1Ouo dry AAAAAISSSHos'AJ 81
delay walked out in front of the com
demned man twelve or fifteen feet,
.knelt down, leveled their revolvers,
steadying their barrels with their left
hands, and fired. Both bullets strack
the left breast over the heart and not
more than an inch and half apart.
The man fell over on his side and in q
| few seconds was dead. According to
the Creek law the third offense Of
Larceny is punishable with death. For
the first offense the penalty is fifty
lashes, and for the second it is one hum
bred lashes on the bare back. If there
is an attempt to carry out the death
penalty again for larceny. intend to-
| try the effect Of habeas corpus in the
| federal court at Fort Smith. Shooting
man or an Indian for larceny would
come under the constitutional prohibit
ton of cruel and unusual punishment.
At least shall see what Judge Porter
thinks of the proposition. The last
| Creek execution occurred several years.
ago, A Creek woman was condemned
to be shot not long since, but she was
pardoned by the chief. The Seminoles
are the only other civilized Indians who
| shoot their condemned
The Irish standard., 1891-05-30
LONDON BY NIGHT.
The streets Of tho World's MetroPols,
y. Alive with Vicious People.

1 4fj
The Streets OF tho Worlds Metropolis
| Alive with Vicious People.
I In the west end Of London the condi
| ton OF things at night would disgrace
any enlightened community. It is al
most impossible, says the Chicago News,
| to pass through some Of the most fash
ionaD1e streets without being molested
Fl y lore,ea of these wretched children Of
the night, who almost hound down the
male passers by IN their desperate eff
forts. The neigh bCrhoods Of the great
hotels frequented by american tourists
are especially infested by Sores OF hui
man wolves, who, in their despe4 :2tion,
are ready for anything from persist
emit begging opportunities to garroting
or robbing with violence--if the oppor-
tunity only presents itself. q couple
Of weeks ago an American gentlemen,
vino had just left a large hotel in
central London, was suddenly SUR
rounded by gang Of abandoned men
and women, dragged into a courtway
and robbed Of watch, iewelry and
money in a few seconds, and then
kicked into insensibility.
Complaints have been made by Amer
lean ladies Of the annoyance to which
they are subjected here, even when
under the protection Of husbands,
brothers or friends, from the inportuni-
ties Of unfortunate" women. The
thing has been an open scandal for
years, and the authorities have always
seemed powerless to check it.
The spectacle which the fashionable
Piccadilly presents at night has for a
long time past been q disgrace to this
metropolis. Although it is the main
thoroughfare between the leading
theaters and some of the most aristo-
cratic districts, it is blocked every
night by rows Of women, decked out in
gorgeous apparel and wearing flashing
Jewels, lying in wait for club1nen. A
hideous case Of depravity was in the
papers a day or two ago. Two young
women were arrested for some trihing
offense while driving with two men in q
man was the father Of the two girls and
that the servant at the house where
they lived in shame was actually their
mother.
Many are the perils which beset the
unwary American visitor who strolls
about the streets of London. Not the
least of these are the professional
':blackn1ailers, an Infamous gang who
are the pest of the modern Babylon"
These vultures are of both sexes and
woe betide the luclzless individual who
gets into their clutches He will be
confronted with the, alternatives Of
trumped up charges entailing exposure,
disgrace and social ruin or else must
pay hush-money.
Let the American beware of the
young, bright-eyed sirens who stroll
demurely about the parks, the leading
thoroughfares, or the quiet and exclu-
sive hooks of the theaters here. These
are some of the bats and decoys Of the
professional blackmailers and have
been trained to endeavor, by all sorts of
rules and arts, to lead strangers into
mares which will give the wretches
who employ them opportunities Of
b1acl<m ai1inr Ls
The Irish standard., 1891-05-30
.Jossinsn = Soul.

In San Francisco few days ago Sing
Song, priest in a Chinese josshouse, was
arrested on the charge of cruelty to
animals. He was found on Washing by
ton street, wearing a square hat and g
long robe. He was making q horrible
noise BY beating cy1nbals and ringing
: bell. Near by he had a white duck il
~ tub st water with its legs tied to-
gether 50 it il could not swim ~ her.
asked what this pert rmance meant,
Song said that 4 Chinese Wonna an Il had
died III the house which he was; in front
sofs and he was Joss her soul
into the bod sofs the water fowl 50 that bat
when IL died its spirii would carry the
svvnoma1s soul Of % the fower kingl
dom ssas dianIa q, = 81 \
being
The Irish standard., 1891-05-30
The Dome at washington.

h The capitol dome at Washing ton IS;
the only considerable dome Of iron in
the world. It is vast hollow sphere,
weighing 5000, 800 pounds. How much
is that? More than 4 200 tons, or almost
the weight Of 70, 600 full own persons,
or about equal to 1000 ladened coal
cars Of four tons each, which, i strung
out one behind the other, would occupy
about q mile and & half off track. On the
very top 81 the dome the ale gorical dig-l
ure .Ameriic Il wei ling II, 9s5 pounds,
lifts its proud head high III The
pressure ST this dome and galre u,on
the piers and pillars - y III, to
the square foot. It youls
sqnire II essure t,t Il tpl
Che square foot otI
theS dome
aonae ras II Al n
The Irish standard., 1891-05-30
A NOTEWORTHY TRAVELLER.

Tho Russian Shoemaker Who Journeys
for the Sake of Journeying.
Novosti Dnya of St. Petersburgh tells
of an old 'stownman,' who, according
to its Judgment, is the most noteworthy
traveller of the present time. d. V. Of
Sitchevka, government of Smolensk,
does not travel tSr fame or to win a.
prize, but he makes long journeys on
foot merely for the love of travelling.
He is sympathetic old man, a shoe
maker and of a very charitable DISPOSE
ton. For many years V. has made it
his practice to start from home early in
the spring and to travel about in the
country until late in the autumn. He
has covered many thousands of versts
throughout the length and breadth of
Smolensk and neighboring govern
ments. He carries with him in a hand
cart change Of clothing, a supply Of:
provisions for two or three days, a lit
tie samovar Russian tea kettle) and a
few tin utensils. 1t makes no difference
to him where night overtakes him, in the
fields or in the forests; he quickly
est meal, drinks a few cups of tea and
lies GOWN TO sleep uHIll tle IHOIuLlE
wakes him. Rain does not disturb him;
he covers his wheelbarrow and himself
with an oilcloth and travels on or sleeps
peaceably, as the case may be. If he
stays over night in a village, or makes
a stop at a farmhouse, all the children
he meets get little presents from him
toys or pieces of sugar for which he has
no special compartment in his vehicle.
In September he returns home. The
first thing he does is to buy number
of sheepskins, which he works up into
fur coats and gloves and distributes
among the poor peasants who have to
chop wood in the forests for a living.
When this is done he sits down at his.
cobbler's bench to work for himself"
He always gets plenty Of work to do,
and lays by during the autumn and
winter as much as he needs for his trav-
els in the fair seasons Of the year. If
he has more than he thinks he may
need he gives it away to poos peasants
before he starts on his regular trip.
The Irish standard., 1891-05-30
COAL n He IVES
There Are Vast Fields Of This Fuel Re
Yonds the Missisaippi. 20

a@ yOnd the MISSISSIPPI. s5is
The middle states as producers 81
coal and consequently as makers OF
iron have long been conscious of the
rapid development in Alabama Of coal
mining and metallurgy, but few. per
sons on the Atlantic side are aware,
says the New York Times, Of the vast
coal fields west Of the Mississippi, as
indicated in bulletin No. 43 OF the
census. ;s III
In 1880 the quantity Of coal produced
west the Mississippi was set down as
4,5s4,324 tons IN 1889 it aggregated
.1e, 067, 500 tons. The value of the prod
uct in 1850 being $s,82s, 722, last year
it was 1874, 4l3, 262, an increase worth
$15, $50, $40. In the decade, then, the
threefold, with the necessary decrease
Of value from 81. 90 to 81. SO per ton. In
1880 North Dakota, Texas, New Mexico
and Indian Territory produced no coal;
now they enter into the list as mining
coal. Iowa comes first, with 172
regularly established minis and $50
located mines, with a total product
of 4,061, 7O4 tons, employing 5000 per-
sons. Kansas and Missouri produce,
respectively, 2,2so, 900 and 1861, 1913 tons.
and the two give employment to 11,5oo
people
Colorado makes 1850, $50 tons of coal,
and 4,645 persons work in the mines
Kansas has coal measures with an area
of 10000 square miles, which underlie
the entire eastern portion of the state.
Coal is known to exist in twenty coun-
ties, but operations are so far limited to
six Of them. Half of Iowa is undertake
heating purposes. It is the possibilities
Of Texas as a coal producing state
which are of interest; There seem to
be good reasons for believing that her
coal measures have an area of 10, 600
square miles. So far her production
has been small-about $4,000 tons in
1880.
Tn California the best source Of
coal is in the Mount Diablo district and
Coos Bay, but the output from all
mines has been smaller, $50 tons.
The consumption Of coal in California
having been at present about 1851, 1915
tons, Australia and Japan furnish
4O9,372 tons, British Columbia 1904,
and Washington 1854 tons. It is in
Washington that there arises the not
too sanguine hope that in a short time
she will produce all the coal wanted in
California.
The total area of the coal deposit at
Washington has not yet been deter
mined, but Mr.. j. FL. Jones, with the
special agent in charge of the division
of mines and mining, believes ''there is
no doubt that almost inexhaustible
supplies are at hand not only for the
future demand Of it's own population
but sufficient to furnish basis of profit
able traffic for transportation to the
entire Pacific coast" In 1889 the Wash
ington product Of coal was close to
1000, 900 of tons.
The Irish standard., 1891-05-30
Precious Stones to Order.

Attempts have been made, not with
out success, to form minerals, says
Prof. Croker in the Forum. Artificial
ultramarine has long been an article OF
commerce. The formation Of the dia-
mond is said to have been actually eff
fected, but in the opinion of the in
ventor the process is so difficult and SO
dangerous that the diamond miner and
the diamond merchant need not feel
uneasy. The ruby and the sapphire
have lately been reproduced IN Paris,
and curiously enough the coloring mat
ter in both is found to be due to one
and the same metal hromiun
different states Of combination. Red
and blue stones Of an date vio-
let form which might be likened to the
rare and beautiful oriental amethyst,
have been obtained In one and the same
operation from the same lot Of material.
The Jewels thus produced have SO far
all been small; large enough to form
the pivots Of superior watch works, but
not large enough TO rank as rare and
costly ornamental objects. M .s 4. .
The Irish standard., 1891-05-30
N Hint Ahout Snnn 49,. 4:

Never use = sponge, says an exchange.
2nnless You have thoroughly soaked It,
& This will take out The muriatic acid
used in its preparation for the market.
/ e ron buy : sponge ON sa drug store.
or any here ct retail you do not get
ths Virgin article that iis drag ged from
! the bc:tom 5of the sea. IL has seen i
nnn1b off chang are
ached white Tie acid and
4 tn men ho 40 tthis sl1ave sore
slsi,a some time hands On ac
sti e,f tie
j fllnsl' s,ns,s yed
The Irish standard., 1891-05-30
FACTS ABOUT GREENLAND.

f5S
Nonderfu1 and Imp essiye Scenery Great
Rivers Moaning Under the leo.
a lecture on Greenland was given ia
London not long ago by Clements Mark
ham. His history of the early discov-
cries included the voyage Of Eric the
Red. NJ. 4
Hall was the first Englishman who
laid his bones on the shore of Green
land.
In 1871 Hans Egede, the apostle OF
the Esquimaux, landed IN Greenland.
+ It has been found impossible to pene-
Tate for any distance into the vast In
terror. The natives believe it to be In
habited by enormous and malignant be-
lnss,s
It is $4,000 square miles in extent,
the whole being . mass of ice. A Dan
ish professor in 1920 made his way for
thirty miles inland AND described the
scene he saw.
There is nothing but a white world
supporting a blue. vault. From far be
low ones feet there comes the moaning
noise, the voice of rivers flowing far be-
Meath
Occasionally there are loud reports
from the opening of the cleft, a vast
mass of water pierces its way in the ice
down to the underlying granite itself
for thousands Of feet
AT thirty miles from the coast the
height above the sea was 1900 feet and
the ice was still rising.
A wonderful sight is that Of the CO
lossal rivers, deep and broad, which
flow between tall blue banks, and pour
at the end of their course down cleft
with a mighty cascade, which is con-
spicuous from distance from a cloud
Of mist which always hangs above it..
On the strips of the land near the
coast the Greenland fora, though
scanty, is very pleasant to the eye.
Vegetation covers the ground in thick
masses, forming turf in the level
places, while it fills the chinlzs and
,crannies of the rocks and creeps over
the surface of the stone, giving q bright
appearance to the land in summer.
The Irish standard., 1891-05-30
D.azzIinr splendllo,,,r,.,.,

The King Of Dahomey IS the proud
possessor of . brass helmet with 9
j flowing green plume which he consid-
ers Of more nsequence to his dignity
than troops 81 guards 81 I. park of artfil-
gslery When he mounts It on his mass
i've brow and dcns his court uniform g
paper collar and q pair u braces hin
subjects look at him through
smoked glasses. 81 q
The Irish standard., 1891-05-30
A Peculiar Injury.

Chauncey Depew told Chicago re.
porter: ''Railroad shock is the most pc
culiar injury imaginable. In a recent
accident man in a Wagner car was
asked if he had been injured. No, he
replied; 'and a peculiar thing about it
is that Of four dozen eggs I had in a
basket not one was cracked A little
later mutual friend called and said
the man had received a shock in the &C
$cident that prevented his collecting his
thoughts or sleeping. related the egg
incident, but that did not matter. He
gave certificates from two prominent
New York physicians stating the truth
Of his claim. | gave him Q check for
seven thousand Eve hundred dollars
The man grumbled because it was not
enough to yield him .. life income. But
he took the check, went south, ettr1rned
ia three weeks and resumed business,
and has not had q sick day since. (, z,
The Irish standard., 1891-05-30
LONGEVITY OF CELEBRITIES.
M0Itke's Great Work Done After He Ha
Reached the Age of SixtY.Six. .- n

MoItke's Great Work Done After He Had
Reached the Age of sixty-six.
Moltke did not quite reach the years
of Wrangel, who died in 1877 at the age
of over 90, nor did he quite equal Emper-
or William L., who lacked but thirteen
DAYS of completing his ninety first year.
Two years ago the St. James Gazette,
noting that ''the majority of Prus-
sian field-marshals have been old men, -
found plenty of examples also of aged
English soldiers Of celebrity, present
and past, including Sir Patrick Grant,
who at that time was about IS years
old, with seventy years. service; Lord
Napier, then 70; Wellington, who died at
SO, after sixty-fve years of service;
Lord Cough, who lived to 80, with sew
enty-fve years of service; Sir John
Burgoyne, who entered the army at
16 and reached the age of 80. OF the
French veterans it cited Mcmahon, at
that time 81 years old; Canrobert, at
that time 80; Soult, who died at SO,
after sixty-six years ofservice; Grouchy,
who died at 81, and SO on. To these
examples may be added that Of the
revolutionary soldiers, Stark, who died
at the age of nearly "a. Admiral Wallis
of the British navy celebrated recently
his hundredth birthday.
But of course the interest on this
point in Moltke's career is, says the
New York Sun, that the great work of
his life was done after he had reached
the age of Sc; and, indeed, until 60 he
was little known outside of Prussia.
His supreme achievements were effect
ed at the age of 20 and II; but no one
ever questioned that he was in his full
vigor as strategist at so, or that Ger
many's chief reliance would have been
on him, for planning and directing her
campaigns, up to a very few years ago.
Indeed he gave evidence Of his ability
until his resignation Of his office OF chief
of the general staff in August, 1888, to
do its routine work, in supervision and
criticism, with his wonted vjgor and
precision.