davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27
The Man Who Wasn't FIFTEEN.

i had been RECOMMENDED 10 SJop
over night in certain locality with
a mountain family named Casco,
and 1 reached the place one after
noon to find quite an excitement.
II was a hamlet of seven or eight
houses and church and a store,
and that day the people had received
word that an evangelist was to ar
rive and organize a revival. His
name was given as Carter, but no
one could place him, nor had | met
such man OIL my travels. He ar
rived about dark, and he came to
Casco's to stop. He was Il tall,
gaunt, yellow-haired young man of
about twenty-five. He was loose
in his joints, had lop to his left
shoulder, and chewed IA plug like
an old brindled cow munching car
rots. The term "onery" just fitted
him.
Three or four neighbors had drop
ped in, and when the evangelist ar
rived with big satchel there was "A
general throwing up Of hands in
wonderment.
"Durn my skin, but what ar yo'
doin' yere, Jim Wasson?" exclaimed
Casco, as the evangelist entered the
house.
"Servin the4awd, naybor, servin'
the Lawd," was the humble reply.
"But yo' amt named Carter!!'
when | got change o heart |
changed my name. I've cum down
to wrassle fur the Lawd, and to lead
yo'uns in paths yo' hev not trod."
"Look-a-yere, Jim Wasson!" said
Mrs. Casco, as she came forward
"yous don't pretend that yo' has got
over being onery and become ftten?'
I'm now a-leadin' sintufssculs in
the right path, Mrs. Casco."
'Dog-gone it, Jim, but | can
niger to that!' exclaimed one Of
the men. "You's allus been 81
pisen mean that it would take more
than fo'ty Bibles to work change
Why you's stole hogs right in thi'
town.!
"But bless the Lawd, I've repent
ed and been forgiven?" replied Jim
"And he's stole sheep up at th,
forks!' piped an old lady in tin
background.
"Yes, | was wicked man," an
swered Jim, "but the Lawd he dun
made me see how bad | was, ant
then | changed. I've cum down t.
lead yo' uns up the narrer path t.
the better land above"
Jim Wasson, yo' haint fitten tod
it!' said Casco, with great emphasis
THE Lawd never picked out no sucl
onery cuss as yo' ar to revive us uI
You's been stealin', lyin', cheatin
an playin' low down till the Law
wouldn't send yo' out to sing t
skunks"
"Doan' yo' uns believe he sen
me?" asked jim as he looked around
mo" answered a chorus of voices
"And amt ] fitten to revive yC
up?"
"Now
"And can't be fitten?'
Mo-
We'll, then, my dearly believe
brothers and sisters" continue
jim, as he united the rope whicl
secured the satchel, "I'll hev snac
to eat, and then I'll offer yo' pills
liver medicine, consumption cure
pitch-plasters, ager remedy and play
in keerds, and at the lowest price
ever heard of on this hillside.
was a-tryin' to co-mingle relijun an
these ere things together, but i
! hain't fitten OH relijun we'l
let that drop and 60 the whole no,
on patent medicines"
When ! was ready to leave a
noon the next day he had sold al
out and was going my way to stool
up again.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

"And what do you call thatp"
asked the inquisitive visitor, point
ing to a mutilated statue. THAT is
a torso" replied the sculptor. HIM"
muttered the curious one, "but how
did it becometorsop" He was quiet
ly but firmly knocked out.-Boston
Transcript.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

"What particular incident in the
life of George Washington marked
his undaunted courage?" asked the
teacher. "He married a widow,
ma'am," replied Benny Bloobumper.
Life.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

We have noticed that when a
woman asks to be taken to the silk
counter she speaks so much loud
er than when she asks to look at the
calico remnants.-Atchison Globe.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

John said Mrs. Harkins, "there
are burglars downstairs" "very
well, my dear. Go tell them to move
on" "Why, You awful brute!'
why? You requested me not to
interfere in domestic matters last
night. Surely this is one" Har-
per's Bazaar.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

Life is full of trials, you know"
said the missionary to the man in
Jail. "Yes," was the doleful reply,
ian most of 'em convictions. "
Washington Star.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

She-"Oh, yes, quite believe
there's fool in every family. Don't
you?" He-"Well-er-my opin-
ions rather biased. You see
I'm the only member of our fami-
ly."-Drake's Magazine,
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

There are lots of wives in the
world who never know that their
husbands are "jovial and whole
souled'' except when they see it in
the papers.-Atchison Globe.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

Don't you think woman can do
great deal toward elevating the
stage?" He-"Yes. She can low
er her hat. y Life.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

There are two kinds of unhappy
people in the world. Those who
are sad because they are not known,
and those who are miserable because
they are known too well.-Ram' s
Horn.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

A young man can never gain fav-
or with a pretty girl by telling her
how pretty he thinks some other
girl of her acquaintance is.-Somer-
vile Journal.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

The best receipt for a wedding
gown for Easter is something like
this: First get your young man.
Boston Herald.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

He-"Did you have good time
at your camping party last sum-
mer?" She-"I should say so.-
We had seven men and seven girls,
and when we came home there were
forty-nine engagements in the par
ty."-Life.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

"lf | were to commit suicide"
said Gus De Jay to his fathers ply
sician, what kind of verdict
would the corwoner bwing IMP"
"Justifable homicide" was the en-
phatic reply. Washington Star.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

A fish diet is said to be good for
the brain. Probably this is because
the fish go so often to schools
puck
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

Mrs. Figg-"Where is that GUS
tard | put away this noon?" Tom
my-"l-I guess it vanished into
The empty heir. Indianapolis
Journal.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

sits most decidedly queer to me, y
remarked Chollie's father to that
young man, that in country
where thought is free you seem to
be utterly unable to get any.-ln-
dianapolis Journal.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

Judge-"What sort of man,
now, was it you saw commit the
assault? Con.-"Sure, your honor,
he was a small, insignificant cratur
about your own size, your honor."
lid Bits.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

"I'll join you in minute" is
what the minister said to the couple
who were waiting to be married. -
YOnkers Statesmen.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27
HUMOROUS.

Laugh, and the world laughs
with you or wants to know what
you are grinning at.-Picayune.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

Tommy's Toilet-Tommy (in-
quiringly)-"Mamm is this hair
oil in this bottle?" Mamma
Mercy, no. That's mucilage."
Tommy (nonchalantly)-"I guess
that's why can't get my hat off" :"
Good News.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

1t is hard to understand why some
men find it so hard to believe the
Bible and so easy to believe the
lightning rod peddler. - Rams
Horn.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27
MICHIGAN CENTRAL
Z" The Niagara Falls Route"
Time Card in Effect.

Daily. Daily except Sunday. Parlor car on
day trains and sleeping cars on night trains
J. WHITING, Ticket Agent
OWL RUGGLES, &. p. & II. Agt.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

He-"Your husband tells me he
enjoyed himselfin Mexico more than
anywhere else on his wedding tour.
Did you?"
She-'Ip Oh, ! was taken sick
at Chicago and couldn't 90 further" "
Life.
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27
Detroit, Bay Citv & Alpena R'R'

,ooou- Mail and Mail and Accom-
Express. EXpress' mou"''oh'
Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-27

Box Ii. H., Philadelphia, Pa.
In Club with this paper, Godey's and the
ARGUS, price $3.50, which should be sent
to the Office of this paper.
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-05-14
GERMAN SOCIALISM.
Origin and Growth of This Powerf
Movement

Origin and Growth of This Powerful
Movement.
German socialism dates back to 1910
with the accession of the romantic
Frederick William ~. to the throne.
The social democracy owes its strength
to the labors of Marx, although Lasalle
was the originator of the idea. In 1864
there were only 4.G10 socialists. In 1871
they cast in Berlin 6,695 votes; in 1878,
57,5l1. In 1884, in the elections to the
Reichstag, the socialists pollcd 100000
votes and returned twentyfour mem
bers.
Bismarck originated his anti-socialist
legislation in 1875 The progress of
socialistic ideas, not only among the
masses, but through the universities,
had become very marked, and the Iron
Chancellor professed to be greatly
alarmed as to the outcome of the move
ment. When in that year Hoedel and
Modelling made an attempt to take the
| life of the aged emperor the govern
ment made it the excuse for legislation.
At first the law was directed only
against the propaganda OF socialism,
and under it more than fifty newspa.
gradually extended until the expression
of socialistic opinions, the holding of
meetings or the oral discussion of mat
ters pertaining to it either in private or
public, were prohibited. In short, about
the only political right and possession
that We're not taken from the socialist
was his vote These laws, however,
were not permanent, but had to be re-
newed from session to session. In 1890
Bismarck conceived the plan of making
them permanent, and to give the police
| administration the power to eXpel so-
cialist from the empire at its pleasure.
Surprisingly, though the government
was largely in the ascendency in the
Reichstag, the bill was overwhelmingly
defeated and Bismarck received his first
crushing blow. The decision of the
Reichstag was reaffirmed by the coun-
try, and Bismarck's anti-socialist law,
instead of becoming part of the per-
manent law of the country, was al
lowed, with the consent of Emperor
William, to expire.
In 1871 there were 4,565 dwellings in
Berlin that contained no room that
could be heated; 76,s32 lived under
ground in cellar dwellings; 95,423 peo.
pie had only one room that could be
heated In the poorer districts there
We're 70 removals to 100 dwellings The
great increase since then in the manu-
featuring element has swollen this pro.
portion. boston Journal
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-05-14
A NEW ROUTE

For Those Who Would Their 0uietus
Make-This Man ChoI<ed Himself to
Death with Smoked Beef.
Lone ISLAND CITY, NY, May 9.-One
of the most remarkable suicides ever
committed was that of Joseph Silberg,
a bankrupt Hampstead merchant, in
Queens county Jail Although but 80
years old and having wife and four
children, the throwing of him in Jail on
IL Judgment determined the despairing
Hebrew to end his life. In spite of the
vigilance of the turnkey and his dep
utes Silberg invented a new and sur
prising mode of exit from this world of
debt. which he triumphantly applied.
Instead of eating the smoked beef
brought 10 his cell, he carried it into the
bathroom, where, having the priv
-ilege of the corridor, he went
about 1870 o'clock. Strapping
his feet together at the ankles,
and also tying his wrists with a hand
kerchief, he sat bolt upright on the
floor. While in this position he man
aged to stuff his mouth full of the
smoked beef. In this way he chol1ed
himself to death. The jailor was
startled at beholding the dead debtor
stretched out on the floor, and was
puzzled at first to konw how he had
,shuffled off his mortal coil. But all be-
came clear when Coroner Meiners had
60 use penlxnife to remove the meat.
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-05-14


KANSAS CITY, Mo-, May 9.-The past
, twenty-four hours have furnished the
climax for all the rainy weather of this
spring. A heavy downpour of water
has been falling all day Sunday and
since midnight Saturday night, so that
the already soaked ground has been
giving off the water into the swollen
creeks and streams. The result is
that accounts have been coming in
from all over western Missouri
and eastern Kansas telling of
flooded rivers, overfowed creeks and
streams. In some localities the towns
have been flooded, and some damage is
reported to dwellings by having their
foundations washed out. The floods
came so suddenly in other districts that
the farmers had no time to prepare for
1T, and much of their stock has been
drowned and washed away. Growing
crops have been badly damaged, and
thousands of fields will have to be re-
planted
In Saline County, Mo-, all the streams
are reported out of their banks, and the
whole county has been turned into a
lake. Some houses have been washed
away, and much stock has been lost.
Along the Platte river and the One
Hundred and Two river the whole
country has been inundated, and
houses and barns have been DESTROYED.
In Livingston, Grundy and Mercer
counties the Grand river and its forks
have flooded the whole country and the
district from Chillicothe to the Iowa
yG nnn nf A ha
have been washed out for miles through
out the Grand river valley, and much
stock has been lost All the railroads
in the district have been more or less
damaged, and traffic is greatly delayed,
and, in some cases, has been abandoned
altogether. The Wabash bridge here
has been strained out Of line, SO that no
trains can pass over.
In Oklahoma territory, a steady,
pouring rain has been falling for twen-
ty-four hours and half the streams in
the territory are out of their banks
Many bridges have been washed away
Nearly all the overland mails have
been abandoned. The Santa Fe has
suffered several washouts, and trains
are badly delayed. A small tornado
accompanied the rain north of Guthrie
and did considerable damage. The
houses of John Davis Henry Smith and
John Crockett were carried some dis
tance by the wind and badly damaged
Many barns and other buildings were
destroyed. There was no loss of life SO
far as known.
All the trains from every direction,
with the exception of the Rock Island
and Union Pacific from the west, are
late in arriving in this city. All are de-
layed by unsafe bridges, landslides or
washouts. The rain continued to-
night with unabated steadiness The
Missouri river, which is very high for
this season of the year, is rising rap
idly, and there is much apprehension
lest the steady pour of water into it
from its tributaries viii cause it to go
on the rampage and increase the al
ready heavy damages by floods.
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-05-14
MODERN ARCADIA.
Lifo Is Sweet to the simple MaJorcans and
Want and Crime Unknown.


Want and Crime Unknown.
In my trampings about the island
secured entrance to many peasants and
farmers homes. From this found that
all methods OF agriculture and home
side labor were of the most primitive
sort, and that there were no idle folk in
Majorca Outdoor labor of some kind is
continuous the year round. All the wo-
men spin, knit or weave, and ! have
never entered a PEASANTS cabin where
mothers and daughters were not in
some such manner employed. Hospi-
tality is charming, naive and whole
hearted The plate of figs, basin of
almonds or basket of oranges, with the
wholesome wines of the country, are
ever ready for the friend or strangers
coming. 1 thought had partalIen of
that drink of the gods, horchata, in
Cuba 1t is simply the pulverized kerr
nels of the almonds, to which water
and sugar are added. Here where the
almond grows in the greatest per-
fection every housewife preserves
huge jars of the finest nuts for
horchata. The old mortar and pestle
are here for their grinding. The shells
and brown husks are removed and
quarts of the snowy powder are literally
''leached," the creamy liquid tiltering
slowly through. Then sonora or senor-
ita adds a spice of flavor, tamarind or
pomegranate, or perhaps dash of wine,
with her own fair hand. 1t is food and
drink. And it is no wonder that in
Majorca the entire peasantry live sump-
tuously on daily wages averaging less
than twenty cents for men and fifteen
cents for women the year through when
| every manner of natures most royal
food is at every door for the taking, and
in such bounteousness that where il
| ripens it is valueless and without price.
Somehow there grows upon one the
| winsome notion that you have known
all these lowly folk before; that you
have seen their festas and known their
songs in the sunny wales of Cuba, over
! in the glowing valley of Guines; that
| you have come upon their brightness
and cleanliness among the Alps of Swift
zerland that their generosity and hos
pitality were met in Conemara and Don.
egal; that their thrift and frugality
have their congener among the Penn
! sylvania Dutch, and that their love o.
home and simple village ways carry
you to the pleasant mountain vale
among the shining English lakes
Surely they are an idyllic people in al
idyllic land. Want is unknown; crime
is unheard of. There is no politics ir
Majorca, and but one religion. All this
in time may change. But as know it
and you can know it, now little Ma
| jorca, fashioned in matchless beaut,
beneath smiling sun, is the one lane
| of plenty and content.-Chicago News
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-05-14
A NATION OF sTAIR-cLlMBERs.
The Berlinese Have Fondness for Living
in TOp-Story Apartments.

The Berl1nese Have "a EondneSs for Living
in Top-Story Apartments.
1 called upon American friends. It
was just at that hour when solid mid
night sets in here (6 o'clock. and when.
in response to ring, the heavy iron
door opened with soft click, there
were revealed few steps, and beyond
there was darkness. | did not know on
what story my friend dwelt, having
only the number of the house. After
striking several matches it appeared
that those sought did not dwell on the
first or second floors. More matches
were struck, and at last the name APP
pcared. There was nothing to say
about so strange an adventure. 1t is
the way of the town. One has to get
the hang of dark stairways or stay in
tirst-class hotels
"A friend related a similar experience.
He was making Il call in a fashionable
quarter, and after lighting his way to
the fourth story of a large house, and
he counted the steps-there were one
hundred and three of them-he entered
an apartment that was brilliantly
lighted and found charming circle of
lttlltN III Lovely CNNblll5 COnIlllllN'' llt
expected some explanation of his pas
sage up the stairway, one hundred and
three dark steps, but it was not re-
garded as remarkable in any respect.
The people upon whom he was calling
were Americans with superfuity OF
money, and abroad for personal repose
and educational facilities. The people
are used to the climbing of stairs, and
regard it as a form of necessary cXer-
else
A residence is not house, but series
of apartments, connected and separate
from others. There is common stair,
way and it is guarded by porter, who
watches the one front door, behind
which, at various elevations, are half a
dozen well established families. There
are probably four floors, with room fol
a family, perhaps two of them, on caci:
| floor. You come to an iron and glass
| door, say fifteen feet high and ring q
bell. You are at once under inspection
from the lodge of the invisible porter
and if he regards you as eligible he pulls
lever or turns crank and the spring
latch is withdrawn. Then you ascend
to the floor where your friends are al
home and ring another bell and you car
enter II private hall, though often on
this hall there are several parties who
merely know each other as neighbors
This is the way to concentrate popula
ton and encourage architecture.
know a young man who has not been il
Berlin long, and has fancy for count
| inc the steps he climbs to see his friends
The number of steps ranges from fifty
three to one hundred and eleven. The
average height of eligible apartments il
about seventy steps. There are fine ac
commodations in abundance at tn,
height of one hundred and twenty iivt
steps. pittsburgh Dispatch.
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-05-14
a Thousnnd Gnlnen CIoak.

The cloak worn by Lady Abingdon
when starting on her wedding tour was
one to which interest attaches in con
sequence of its almost unique value. 1t
was one of Lord Allington's presents to
his bride and is worth about one thou
sand guineas, The garment, which is
long, is made of pale peacock blue cloth
in "A singularly soft tone, and is lined
with brocade of similar color. The
value, however, lies in the fur with
which it is trimmed. This is sable, the
skins, specially picked from the fpest
in the world, being extremely beautiful
They are soft, rich, silky, light as this
tledown; and almost black in color, and
are formed into yoke, high collar,
deep cuffs, broad borders down the
front of the cloak and also partly down
the back. The going-away dress, made
to match the cloak, is trimmed with
sable tail, steel and jet. The fur on the
cloak is said to be matchless Chicago
Herald.
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-05-14
THETREELESS PRAIRIES.
A Theory That They owe Their Nude Con
dition to Fire.

A Theory That They Owe Their Nude Con-
dition to Fire.
Much attention has been attracted by
theory recently advocated with great
ingenuity by Mr.. Miller Christy, in En-
gland, that our western prairies owe
their treeless condition to fire. This is
by no means new theory, but Mr.
Christy has developed the arguments in
its favor more fully than had been done
before.
Readers of Cooper's Misunderstanding
Tales win remember the vivid descrip-
tion of prairie fire in the account of the
last days of old Natty Bumppo, and no
body who has any knowledge of the
power and sweep of such conhagrations
will question their capacity for destruc-
ton.
According to Mr.. Christy's view. the
prairie fires, at the same time that they
have eXterminated the forest trees. have
also enriched the soil by the successive
deposits of many layers of ashes, which
possess great value as a manure, so that
the sweeping off of the trees has not
been an unmiXed evil.
Where great forests may once have
hidden the face of the earth, according
to this view, we now have the broad
and wonderfully fertile grain fields OF
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska
and other states, and the agent that has
wrought the transformation is that de-
structive and fearful element, fire.
In support of his views, Mr.. Christy
points to the facts that trees are found
even on prairies in spots where they are
to some extent protected from fire, and
that young trees readily spring up in
many places only to be swept away
| again when the flames race across the
grassy levels that surround them
Youths Companion.
The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-05-14
Mnrlercr HANGED.

CANON CITY, Col, May 9,-Thomas
Lawson, the murderer of John Hem
ming, the Colorado Springs motorneer,
suffered the penalty of his crime. Law
ton showed signs of weakness and as
the time for the execution drew near
broke down completely. He refused to
be comforted, and spent the time in
wailing and moaning over his fate. 1t
was lust 1919 o'clock when Lawton
stepped upon the platform which started
the automatic machinery and a minute
later he was dangling in the air.
Nothing is known as to his family. He
died without revealing his real name OF
his family's whereabouts