davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-01-31
Little Girls Benefit.

The entertainment which Miss Lena
Bridgeman is to give for the benefit of
little Miss George Holly will take place
Thursday evening, February IL, in
stead Of Wednesday, February 3. rs was
announced by the Enterprise lodge last
week. 1t will ne given at Enterprise
lodge hall, corner of Stocking and
fourth streets.
Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-01-31
viii Change Her Residence.

A surprise party was rendered Miss
Minnie Stonehousc at the residence Of
Mrs. A. A. Raven, No. Is Pleasant
street, Wednesday evening. The young
lady is about 10 leave this city and will
make her future home at Wallaceburg,
Canada. She was presented with q
handsome card case by the party as
sembled. Rev. Albert Smith making an
appropriate little speech.
Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-01-31
Neither Cards Nor Dancing.

Mr.. and Mrs. Walter Hughes of No. Is
South Union street, entertained a social
club, OF which they are members. last
evening. The object of the club is
evidently the intellectual good of its
members, as neither cards or dancing
are introduced at any of its parties.
Last nights gathering proved conclus-
slvely that most delightful and at the
same time instructive evening can be
enjoyed without resorting to the usual
social amusements.
Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-01-31

The h~ss brigade y the latest fern ~
nsi.siosssfr wssk TIE shises ~ the - ~
bfts sic - 81 nrt peer nsathsss te go 20
esefeh ~ s~-esas the Issisi-> ssAf he
sFas@si~ - fefas~d ~ faaas laaies sss
ssss~~ 80 bshsse. vha sa afsf - tl.s bs.u,<s
- The ssaskef a8d eafs fss ths lissis su0
80 Nsafss fssssb4hs - -yesias ~sfh Ha>S
ests fasbf2tir ssst fuf thess i - hslss "A
sufs4alsss sisasit ssfsfiise tEsse saisss "a -
sssFsls-~ ss-1h.as sassssast4 ks~ tass
aaas
Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-01-31

Itisa sueee<ive faet that vidie cut ~
town rastar seAs-sl sssasaf. are admirably
eaaipp<d 50 pas she exsnssrssi sress q Par.
nsta sxai~sc. ne Exs6asas e tAe New Y-s
paSzlie ssh~sas eAn snset str rcs.aireszen.s
a ua&ftiealstsssn - fsra&zt Use wlaarr
81 ths FRS eeasssftsfs*e sasassFshsp fer fhs
ses4 eestAsses ssaasfattiea sass yezf wss
= 3sr~g CITY ssi rfssia1s~ =, NE "a hlis
sA<A sAs~l sss ssfk saA
Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-01-31
Art Association

The pose at the art exhibition Tues
day evening was Junoesque young
lady IN charming Greek costume.
Several charcoal and pen and ink
drawings were made. besides a few
pencil sketches. divided" is to be
illustrated Tuesdaycvening, February.
Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-01-31

The wnais pfeffsm en- snterasns
raert day wss gis~a 81 fnese snt
Dickens. aad csalsa't sci bsip being
Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-01-31
AMERICAN
HOUSE
Ass Management.
twopesn sns American.

RsoTrs q psr 6ff ard upward THIS pepbisr
fna<e tersf-f - to Sffs $3.50 e<nfrf 81 beston
r~csf ff.nrv rnseszenfsat. ara With ffs seW
fastsf ss5ues as Increased 10 fsfseS. cfefs y
ffsfzfsHs - sesA Pe~snsueEf sno f-HHst< d :
xaess fhsf E~s . SUI paeses. Lsrre sznsTIe
foafzsk ~ sssp rr~~flA4 men Hrrelel nfs<rffrn
zfesn a -. nrss see1f isffee eEnasf< A rrHs
4 s,aers rsts - - ap~nee 70 the stree fec
ESQ kffIEE- At.EEEb - rorofE
rrrrYiefers
Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-01-31
Irrigation N Necessary.

This Was iutcnded. Principally. for
the WESTERN plans, but il is a failure
because the tree culture has been neg
iected, as ii always has been aud always
will be when lett to private enterprise.
There must be irrigation to some ex-
tent. especially Oh the higher lands of
the plains, before trees will 1--we through
these periodical droutGs, aud as two
thirds OF the future population of tile
nation will be greatly interested IN the
country that is damaged by he drou;hs
originating on these arid f,laln.. the
nation should give aid both To Irriga
ton and to tree planting IN III arid
d lstricts. Tins letter IS devoted to the
discussion of drouths in tho great GEN.
trail valley. tut il will open the WAY for
aslike discussion Of drouths N the cast-
.rn Atlantic aud the We tern Pacific
states.-,opyrlghted. VI. I. FosrEr.
Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-01-31
future unless remedied by rational


Inc ram ielts do progress westward
on the western plains, periodically. and
have done SD since before white man
st fuot upon the hardy buffalo grass.
hut tncse rain belts. Hitb equal PERIOD
ic.ly. have receLcd eastward, leaving
vegetation TO perish III the excessive
heat. These ebhs and flows III tie
dept. Of the atmosphere TIA, oyeriles
the plains are caused by external iniiu-
ences and they Will return as long
as the moon revoiyes around tie
earth anC the planets around the sun.
But there has been an Improvement
in the climates OF Kansas and Nebraska
in their eastern portions. Why that
improvement? Not because of cu .tiya-
ton, for that will decrease tic rainfall
In any country, but because tn prairie
fires have been kept out and trees nave
been permitted To grow. Millions OF
trees have been cultivated IN tnc east
ern parts of Kansas and Nebraska asd
now there are millions I, 4 trees there,
large and small, where t.iere were only
hundreds thirty Years ago. and Ia, &c
trees have improved TIE climates OF
the countries mentioned as they nave
done III all countries and IN all tie
ages past. The same means will iin-
prove tie upland plains that lie IN the
panhandle or Texas, IN eastern Coiori-
do and Wyom ng, in the pakotas, II
the Indian territory aud in western
Kansas aud Nebraska.
Remedy for Drorths.
Every part OF the country that lies
between the Rocky mountains and the
Alleghanies is, or should be, greatly IN
terested III destroying the aridity of
the country mentioned above. and re-
storing it to its ancient fertility. for the
nIne-tenths OF the drouths that damage
the states lying in the great central
valleys. Ii the country known as the
western lains was restored II Its
ancient and natural amount of rain
fall, there wonid not be halt vi the de-
structiveness ~ the drouths of the
other MD continent states. To eife, I
this Will REQUIRE tree planting and lrii-
CATION on a large scale: so large that II
can never be easily accomplished, e.
cept at the expense AMI Under the 6 NJ
eral management of the national gov
eminent. The congress expressed Its
belief IN the theory l am advocating
when it enacted the timber claim laws.
BY these any person couil obtain u
title ID government land tiy cul.iyatIn z
a certain portion OF 1t III trees.
Irrigation N Necessary.
This was ,ntendet rrtnc,paliy for
The morning call., 1892-01-03
PRODIGAL NEW WORKERS.
Seven Out of Every Ten Live Far Beyon
hal

Seven Out of Every Ten Live Far Beyond
Their Means.
A furniture-dealer, who Is the proprietor
of hrge store. in speaking with some of
his friends the other day, was pretty hard
on his New York customers according to
the Tribune. He declared with great posi-
tiveness that it was the ambition of seven
out Of every ten people in New York to
live beyond their means-at least that was
his experience, and he assured his hearers
that he had especial facilities for knowing
the truth of this statement. "Why," he
added, There are dozen people in
my store every day who have every
appearance of being prosperous and
well-to-do. They want, as a rule, to
purchase anywhere from $1,000 to $500
worth Of stuff, but they only want to pay
$500 or $500 down. the rest to be paid in in
stallments. 1t is just the same if ttey only
want to buy in small Quantities They
only want to pay little at a time. There
are plenty of houses in the city that make
speciality of this kind of business, and we
always recommend them to go to these
places. We tried selling on the nstallment
plan once, but we found that ii was not
profitable, so we stopped. 1t was too diff
The morning call., 1892-01-03

ferred to wait the slow process of exchange
or the termination of the war
George w. Libby said to me: 81 give you
my word of honor that that keg which
Uncle Harry covered up, and which was
connected by fuse with the Office upstairs.
did not contain grain of powder. IL was
filed with sand. and the whole thing was
little game of bluff on our part, which ac-
complished its purpos g"
The most thrilling incident connected
with Libby Prison took place July 6, 1868,
about seven months before the attempt to
escape. By order of General Winder the
seventy-two Captains confined there drew
lots for two of their number to be shot in
retaliation for the shooting of Captains w.
+. Corbin and T. }. McGrew by General
Burnside at Sandusky, Ohio, during the
preceding May. Their offense was that of
recruiting in Kentucky for the Confederate
Army.
Captain Turner assembled the Union
prisoners in room in the prison at noon.
They were formed in a hollow square
around a table and told what General
Winder had ordered should be done
You may select one Of your number to
do the drawing" said Captain Turner,
land the first two names taken from the box
will indicate the couple that are to be shot"
The morning call., 1892-01-03

side would have been speedily asphyxia,ed,
for the air was very foul.
All this time the officials of the prison
were apprehensive of danger. While they
knew nothing Of the tunnel, they did know
that if the thousand daring. restless men
under them united in a concerted effort they
could overcome the guard and have things
for a time their own way. Confederates
have told me that there were many times
when this could have been done with little
difficulty. The urgent calls for men 10 the
army often reduced the guards of Libby to
less than a score. A rush by the prisoners
would have swept everything before them.
No ore saw this danger more clearly than
Major Turner. He expected that during
some Of the daring Union raids around
Richmond a dash would be made into the
city and the prisoners released lie resorted
10 a clever and successful ruse to prevent
any attempt from within.
There was a veteran African known as
Uncle Harry" who was frequent visitor
to the Union prisoners. and who, Of course,
vas IN full sympathy with them. One night,
when matters looked unusually threatening,
Major Turner and Adjutant LatOuche or
dered the aged darby 10 accompany them
to the basement Of the building The Major
carried a lantern. the Adjutant keg, while
the wondering Uncle Harry" tOted pick
and shovel.
Now dig" said Turner sternly, when
the basement was reached The negro
0beyed, and soon a hole was excayated
large enough to contain the keg, which the
Adjutant had lowered to the ground. He
carefully placed it in the hole, and Uncle
The morning call., 1892-01-03

When the hue and cry bad subsidized these
officers stole forth and safely reached the
Union lines.
Among the first steps naturally taken by
the authorities was an investigation AS to
whether any Confederate had assisted the
Federals.
"Ross, said General Winder to his chief
clerk, If you tell me the truth you shan't
be harmed, but IL you lie you shall be shot;
what do you know about this business?"
Nothing" was the prompt reply, ana he
was believed.
The investigation brought out the inter-
estlng fact that the sentinel on the south
side Of Libby plainly saw the fugiliyes as
they emerged from the building of the Vir-
glnia Towing Company, but did not chal-
lenge them. This building was used as
storehouse for the deiicacies sent to the pris-
oners by their friends In the North. The
guard, under promise Of pardon, confessed
that II was a frequent occurrence for the
Confederates to abstract these goods for
their own use,
1T seemed to me-" said be. "that there
The morning call., 1892-01-03
A REMARKABLE WRECK.

Told by an Ancient Mariner Who Be-
Ieves in Making Stories Interesting.
Stranger presume man who has fol-
lowed the sea so many years must have
been in some wrecks.
Ole Sea aptain-Wrecks? Well, few.
The wust wreck l ever had was on the
Jersey coast.
Long ago."
''SOme'at. You see l got becalmed off
the coast of Ireland"
'Becalmed?"
"Yes. Well, tried every way to start
wind, but it was no go. Not a breath a
stirrin'. At last got desperate
81 presume So"
"Yes, got so desperate that | made up
my mind I'd try plan I'd often heard Of. il
1t took the last dollar had. Can't raise the
wind without money"
IFS good deal the same way on shore"
Jesse. Well, then, l took big silver
dollar, kissed it three times swung it nine
times around my head, and then flung it as
far as / could into the sea, In the direction
wanted the wind to come, you know"
see."
"Wel, it came"
at did ?"
Did it? Well. you just ought to seen It.
The fust blast took every stitch O. sail clean
off the yards, an in three minutes more we
was scuddin' under bare poles q 1000 miles
an hour"
"CrackyH
II sh'd say so. Well, the mex think [
knew, bump went 'er bow, an there we
was bein' dashed all to bits square up agln
Long Branch. Why, sill, We struck with
such force we bounded way up the beach
an walked dry-shod right into a hotel"
II never heard of that"
NO. the season was over an the hotels
was closed. Well, sir, after that | never
tried no more silver dollars when wanted
wind"
81 suppose not"
mo, sir After that l never flung any,
thing bigger'n 10-cent piece.-N. y.
Weekly
The morning call., 1892-01-03

haps half dozen whisky bottles. furnished
to them by w. f. Crane. the Confederate
sentinel. This statement will surprise a
good many, for the cOnnivance of this SOL
der has never before been referred to in
print / have his statement in writing with
permission to use it, as | will further on.
With some Of the implements named the
mortar was cut from between a dozen
bricks, which were pried out. Then they
cut into the flue and thence below the floor
into the adjoining cellar, where they broke
through the wall. The rope ladder which
Colonel Rose had managed to conceal about
his person enabled him and his companion
to reach the outer or eastern wall of the
prison.
About o'clock each wintry morning the
bricks were carefully replaced and SCOT
sprinkled over them and in the crevices to
hide all signs of the work. Night after night
the toilers kept at it. Again and again
they escaped discovery by hairs breadth.
Once, while descending the tlue, Colonel
Rose lost his hold on the rope and was
pinioned fast. He could not move an arm,
and was in imminent danger of suffocatiOn.
Major Hamilton strove desperately to re-
lease him, but was unable TO do so until he
called 10 his aid Lieutenant +. F. Benning
of the Eighteenth Regulars, when the
The morning call., 1892-01-03
The Greatest BUILDING in the wor,,

An astonishing feature of the Columbian
Exposition will be one OF the palaces
grouped in the heart of the fair grounds.
1t is the Manufactures Building, designed
by Mr.sGe0rge Post of New York. 1t will
bear the same relation to this exposition as
the Elffel Tower did to that Of Paris in 1889;
and indeed, its possible use as vantage
point from which to see the fair grounds has
terminated in the negative the discussion
for and against the construction in Chicago
of rival to the great tower of Paris. This
greatest of all the exposition buildings, and
of the buildings of the world, will present
to Lake Michigan a facade of such
length as to suggest the wall of city,
yet it is so admirably designed. so light
and graceful III its eject upon the vision,
that Its true extent can only be compre-
The morning call., 1892-01-03
UNRES I.
The night is dark

The night is dark
So dark that the mystic curtain seems
To shut me out from the land OF dreama
cannot sleep.
i can but weep,
AS my vision strives vaInIy to penetrate
The Vista of gloom. II is growing late.
That one stroke told
BY the pendulum old
In the steepe clock proclaims the time
Is the last half hour till the midnight chime.
The night is Still
SO still that my soul seems half afra id.
But know that angels the calm invade.
The only sound
That is borne around
Is the monotone of the gentle rain
Pattering on the window pane.
And the moaning breeze
In the cedar trees.
Oh, soul so restless. why shonld weep?
Cease tiny whisperings, and let me sleep.
I. trembling. wake.
Still the gloom. like funeral pail,
filings its Intensity over all.
But every where
On the breathing air
Vibrates sound from tue belfry-tower-
The clock is Ginning the midnight nour.
Now, what is here,
My soul, to fear?
That IS the toling OF mingled bells.
What are they saying, those curfew knellsf
"The Year Is dead"
His cortege is passing toward the gates
or Eden, where the New Year waits.
A single tear
Upon the bier
Drops from the whiterobed sovereigns eyes,
Then closed are the gates OF Paradise.
Pc still, my soul,
For the shadows roll
Back from their chasms, and New Years day
Dawns DER gladstone monarchy
December 81, 1891. ADA L. HALsTEAD.
The morning call., 1892-01-03

and crags and gorges. holding in their mys-
terous recesseS all that remains Of the inl-
mense glaciers that once covered the range.
Nothing was known of the existence OF
active glaciers in the Serras until the fall
of 1871, when j ohn Muir. that most ardent
lover of nature, especially in her widest
moods, made the discovery of Black Noun
tain Glacier and took careful note of its
movements. 1t lies near the head OF wide
basin between Red and Black mountains,
two Of the highest SUBMITS of the MERGED
group, which consists of the highest por-
ton of a spur that stretches out from the
main axis of the chain near Mount Ritter,
in the direction of Yosemite. Ritter is king
of the SUBMITS thereabouts, it being about
13, 800 feet in height, and so guarded by
steep glaciers and canyons and gorges OF
tremendous depth as to be comparatively
inaccessible. About 1900 feet above the
sea is a glacier basin in which nestles
small lake. Toward the summit the face
of the mountain is maze of yawning
chasms and gullles, in the angles of which
rise rugged cliffs and piles of detached
powders.
The view from the summit is said by the
few who have made the ascent TO be in
describably grand-presenting a panorama
of towering mountains, deeply cut valleys.
glaciers, meadows, rivers and lakes.
The morning call., 1892-01-03

was a COMPOUNDED lot of them at it, but as
supposed they were only doing what | bad
helped many times to do L didn't inter
fere."
This is the story told by the ex-Confeder-
ates. When question they invariably re-
piled that there was no cOllusiOn between
any of the 0ffici ,ls and the prisoners. Any
such suspicion was resented as reflection
on their honor. When l asked for the
name of the sentinel who confessed that he
saw the Unionists no one could give il to
me. | had suspicion that he might tell an
interesting story if he chose. | finally 10
Gated him at COwikee Postoffice. Barbour
County, Ala His name is w. F. Crane.
II Is daughter writes me that he has been
suffering several years from paralysis.
but when asked TO give his version of
the escape of the Union prisoners he re-
piled in the following vigorous fashion.
The morning call., 1892-01-03

jectiye point being thai which has already
been referred % as 70 feet distant within
the yard Of the Virginia Towing Company.
The bottom part Of the beginning of the
tunnel was six inches above the level CT the
cellar floor. One man penetrated into the
passage, filed the wooden snittO0n with
dirt, aud then by twitch Of the rope sig
nailed to his companion, who drew tie box
into the cellar and emptied 1t under the
straw. lie enthusiasm of Rose and Ham
iltOn had secured anumber Of new recruits,
and they worked with unhagging energy.
Some Of them kept tanning the opening OF
the tunnel with rubber blanket stretched
on a frame, otherwise the man working In
The morning call., 1892-01-03

got to be such an old story after awhile
that we decided to stop selling on any other
except on a cash basis. / must say that
New Workers are extravagant and always
want the best in the market, and they NAV
pay promptly for other things, but fHrni-
ture-dealers have hard times getting their
money"
His friends laughed at him aud insisted
that his business must be going very badly
to make him complain so bitterly. but thew
all acknowledged that there was mora
truth than poetry" in what he said.
The morning call., 1892-01-03

hended wien its dimensions are expressed
third of mile long, and to compass it
round ab0nt is to walk mile The roof of
it is 1688x78S feet. and the span of the dome,
the largest ever attempted, is 3S8 feet. The
roof is 230 feet from the ground, and the
building has 40 acres of ground floor. Two
Of the vast machinery halls of the Paris
Exposition could be wheeled through it, and
the Auditorium, the building of which Chi
cago is most proud, could be pushed under
this great roof, tower and all.-Froin 'Our
Exposition at Chicago" in Harper's Maya
zine for January
The morning call., 1892-01-03

Harry" was told to cover it with dirt. Then
a fuse connecting with the keg was carefully
led up to the office on the first floor.
"NOw, Uncle Harry" said Major Tur-
ner in his most awful tones, what you
have done and seen tonight must be kept
dead secret"
''Yes. sah," replied the awed negro.
You understand that on the first az
tempt of the Yankees to escape | shall touch
off that fuse. The nextthlng Libby Prison
and every one in it will be blown into king
dom come"
Oh, LordI Yes, sah."
IL you whisper a word of this to any
one shall have your ears cut off and you
shot. Remenberl Now you can CO."
Inc African shuf1ed off, and on the first
opportunity did the very thing Major Tur-
ner wanted him to do. He told the Union
prisoners OF what was certain to take place
On the moment any move to escape was
MADE. Dearly as our boys loved liberty,
and much as they longed for it, they were
not willing to incur the frightful certainty
OF being blown to fragments. They pre-
The morning call., 1892-01-03
The sen,tnel,s Confession.

Cowikee Postoffice, Barbour County, Ala.
Dear Sir: My daughter, Miss Annie
Crane, comes to me with a request from you
to give you nv recollectiOns OF the escape of
the Federal prisoners from the Libby Prison
in Richmond in February, 1864, she having
correctly stated to you that was the Con-
federate sentinel On guard the night of the
escape Your account of the matter is in
the main correct, with only few trifling ex-
ceptions one OF which was that the prison.
ers had only an old chisel to Dig with, when
in point of fact they had the four sides of
two canteenS which they had uns0ldered by
melting in a hot stove. In addition to this
they had perhaps one half dozen of whisky
bottles filled with spirits, which L myself
had furnished them, for they all had plenty
of Confederate money They begged NE to
get them brandy at $50 quart, and as L
had to pay only So quart for 1t l did a
lucrative business.
| knew they were digging the tunnel a
week or ten days before the escape, and
shook hands with perhaps half hundred
of them on the afternoon preceding the eS-
cape. Colonel Rose, with tears in his eyes,
wrung my hand with both OF his. lie was
a splendid man, and | shall never, no. never,
forget his tremulOus voice as he bade me
"GoOd-by, Bill, and may God bless YOU"
on the outside of the prison, when L called
out to MIN, "GoOd-by, Colonel; keep your
eye skinned"
You may wonder why /, true Confeder-
ate soldier, should cOnniye at the escape Of
the Yankees as they were then called.
Well my motives were varied.
Now TO the main reason which induced
me TO act as did | saw large number of
gentlemen in that vile pen. They were
gentlemen, indeed, even if they were id
Yankees. They were educated, many Of
them highly so, and many of them were as
devoted Christians as | have ever seen in
my life, and then again number Of them
were from New Jersey. my fathers native
State. Some two or three were from Eliza
BEETHOVEN, where he was born, and knew
my grandmother, old Mrs. Marshall, well.
There were as brave men in that pen as
have ever seen, for had faced them on the
bloody fields of Frederick sburg, Chancel-
louisville and Gettysburg. In fact, had as
sisted in putting them where they were.