davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The St. Johns herald., 1893-08-10
Pitcairn Islanders.

Pitcairn island, where the descen- dants of the mutineers of the bounty live in seclusion and primitive content ment, boasts of being absolutely free from the vice of drinking. The pro- hibition laws there touch not only liquors but tobacco. A shipwrecked sailor named Coffin, who was cast ashore there few months ago, had managed to save his dearly cherished pipe and pouch of tobacco. The chief magistrate of the colony promptly in- formed him that he must give up smoking if he wanted to enjoy their hospitality, and when he refused he was so effectually boycotted that he fled this ocean paradise by the first passing ship. Capt Bailey. of the American merchantmen Vigilant, from Japan, brings this story. He stopped at the island and traded trinlets for food with the natives, and found them happy and prosperous, though not drop of rain had fallen there for two years, and the volcano over which their island lies has been giving ominous indications of activity.
The St. Johns herald., 1893-08-10
CATTLE BRANDS
HART & STEVEN SON.

Ear mark-Swallow fork ill light under half crop in left.
 Range-Rio Puerco. Post -erice-st, Johns, Apache county, Arizona.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-05-31
Fishes Asleep.

"Never saw fish asleep. eh?" said
Cornelius Hinman. "Well, have. I've
seen them sleep sound and much to
their sorrow, especially catfish. There
is nothing more wary than fish. You
know that you can't creep up on them
nor drop a pebble anywhere within
fifty feet of them but what they will
dodge away; that is, when they are
much of this is that have caught
them without bait when they were
sleeping, although did use a hook
caught this way was a large catfish
ticular spot-the base of a wooden pile
that supported an ice-house chute that
led out into the water. A kind of nest
was there, depression in the mud,
and here that catfish was to be found
every day at about p. m. 1t would
lay for hours in the rays of the after
noon sun and never move. / decided
to catch it. First l fished around there
day after day but to no purpose. Bait
of any kind wasn't any inducement to
that catfish. concluded that it must
be asleep when it would allow fat
minnow to swim by and never touch
it. got a sharp, plain hook, which 1
properly weighted SO that it would act
direct. lowered it and moved it
slowly up to the side of the fish. Then
l turned the line so that the hook was
directly under it. Then 1 gave quick
jerk. The catfish darted away, but
not very far. / had him foul and all
because he was sleeping. 1 have
caught pike and sunfish the same way
at least dozen different times. ST
Louis Globe Democrat
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-05-31
Farming One Hundred Years Ago.

Should our population increase as
rapidly during the coming 100 years
as in the last fifty it will be not less
than 400, 100000. am. however, in
clined to think it will not so increase;
for one thing, we will not have the
same inducements to offer to immi-
grants. When the price of land goes
up,a it is bound to do, and its acquisi-
tion requires more money; when more
capital is required to undertake farm
ing, except on the smallest scale, and
truck farms near cities bring high
rent and call for the greatest intel
igence as well as industry on the part
of the farmer-one of the chief induce
ments to foreigners seeking our shores
namely; the acquisition of farms Of
their own-will disappear. At the
same time the liberal tendencies of all
civilized countries. even under mon
archical governments, will lessen the
number of those who leave the older
countries for the sake of greater
political freedom. immigration to the
United States will consist more and
more of few comparatively well-to-do
persons seeking opportunities for the
profitable investment of a small cap
ital, and who, possessing some educa-
tion and training in the art of self
government, will readily amalgamate
with our own people, or of the poorest
classes well content to serve for time
in the ranks of labor, provided the
rate of wages is high enough to reward
their frugality with moderate savings.
-ES- Secretary Rs1sk IN North american
| ReUieaO
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-05-31
The Coming viking Ship.

Sailor men who have seen pictures
and read descriptions of the viking
ship which is soon to start from Nor
way across the Atlantic to this city
predict that her voyage may prove an
eventfu1 one in ways not SO far set
forth. She had narrow escape from
being crushed to splinters in the ice
on her trip from Christiansand, and
her crew nearly froze to death. She
is much smaller than was Leif's ship.
and sailor men say that the viking ship
was never intended for ocean voyages.
The bulwark protection is not consid-
cred to be sufficient for the wash of
the big Atlantic waves. The viking
ships were not decked over. This one
is to have a canvas screening to pro-
tect the seamen, but sailors think this
will not avail much. The vessel, they
say, is little more than big open row
boat, excellent IN its way and day and
for the kind cf trips the vikings made,
but not calculated to well stand an
ocean voyage. Even Leif's big ship
made coasting trip to America. The
seamen who are to bring the ship over
seem to have no fear whatever con-
cerning the trip, but many sailor men
will watch its fortunes with anxiety as
well as interest.-M Y. Sun.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-05-31
Misuuotations.

A writer in the London Truth ex-
presses his surprise that one of the
most familiar lines in Gray's "Elegy"
is invariably misquoted. The COM
mon phrase is, *Kept on the even tenor
of his way" but Gray wrote, "They
kept the noiseless tenor of-their way"
But plenty of other instances OF COM
mon Interpretations could be suggest
ed. For instance, not one person in
hundred could give correctly the text
of Job iii, II, which reads, There the
wicked cease from troubling, and
there the weary be at rest" In COM
com usage "where" is submitted for
"there" in both cases, and "are" for
"be." A worse but common offense
is to speak of somebody's departure
to "that bourne from which no trav-
eler returns" under the impression
that Shakespeare said something like
that. What Shakespeare did was to re-
fer to "the undiscovered country from
whose bourne no traveller returns"-a
bourne being boundary line, whence
it came to mean brook. "But the
tongue can no man tame; it is an un-
ruly evil, full of deadly poison
James viii, Sis another passage that
is always misquoted. The Vulgate
translates the passage "Great is truth
and mighty above all things" in the
book of Esdras thus: "Magna est ver-
itas ct pr@valet," but people quote it
thus: magma est veritas ct prsevale-
bit," and they translate it accordingly.
Numerous other just as striking in
stances could be given.-B3falo Coas-
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-05-31
Feeding Hogs ON Grass.

"One of the curious things we have
taught our hogs to do at Klamath
Falls, Oregon" said G. w. Smith, a
merchant of that place, "is to eat hay
like horses They will do it, too, and
thrive on it in fact; in winter they get
nothing else. 1t is alfalfa hay we have
tanght them to eat. It is put in a
rack that is not too high and that they
can reach up to, and they pull it out
just like horses and cattle. Hogs are
to be our great profitable yield in the
Klamath basin, as I believe they will
be in the alfalfa regions of California.
What do we do to stiffen up and round
out the hay-eating hogsP Turn them
into field of wheat, hundred acres
or so, according to the number you
have, and let them eat it right from
the stems. 1t finishes them up in fine
shape, and makes as handsome pork
as you would. wish to find anywhere.
San Francisco Examiner.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-05-31
DEPRESSING sIcHr oN rAE coAsT.
The Decay of Beautifully Located Town
From Which the Boom Haso Fled.

The most depressing sight saw in
. month of recent travel on the Pacific
coast was dead city, says writer in
the Northeastern Magazine. viii not
give its name or locality, for do not
want to add to the troubles of its few
remaining Inhabitants. At the height
of its boom it had population of T.
600, now it has q scant 2, 600, and these
are holding on only because they
hoped that a railroad would do some
thing for the place this year or next.
The town is well built on the shores Of
a beautiful bay. but It has not single
wagon road leading back into the
country. The forests hem it in on all
the landward sides. It has not single
industry that could discover to sup
port the population, save one saw min.
The people are literally living on each
other.
In the big hotel sat down to an ex-
cellent dinner servered by white=jack-
eted negro walters, but there were
only three guests besides myself.
walked about the lonesome streets and
met nobody. / looked into the many
stores and saw no customers. A daily
paper appears regularly and trains
anu OooeS SoA4o anu ~, Jul Gu0E0 ~
no perceptible business transacted.
The town was founded by land COM
pany as gigantic speculation and the
company took in money enough from
the sale of lots to accumulate a re-
serve fund from which the expenses
of the hotel and newspaper are still
paid. Perhaps the railroad company.
which is constantly invoked as . spe-
cial providence, win yet do something
to revive the place. / hope so. In the
meantime it offers a curious and strik-
ing study to the intelligent traveller
who has watched the course of western
town-site booms.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-05-31
TITLES IN CHINA.
There Are Marked Distinctions Which
Are RIgIdly Observed.

Each of the nine degrees of nobility,
the first five of which are subdivided
into three classes are hereditary, the
first from the first TO the twenty-sixth
generation, the last being only con-
fined to one, says the st. Louis Post
Dispatch. The honorable titles given
to the state officers are also divided in
to nine classes, with a subdivision of
each of these. These titles are entered
in all the family records, death notices,
ancestral trees, and tombstones In
many instances they are inscribed on
wooden tablets, which are suspended
over the entrance of the house. The
patents of nobility are written on long
silver rolls with five different colors,
with detailed record of the bestowal
of the honor in the Mandschu or Chi
nese tongue.
The Chinese kingdom has also quite
a number of decorations for its favor
ite sons. The highest honor for mill
tary services is the yellow riding coat,
which can only be worn in the pres
ence OF the emperor, It bestows upon
its lucky possessor the privilege of rid
ing within the imperial precincts.
Gen. Gordon, who suppressed the Taip-
1nS tuSuIIoColouJ WAS pcIulLbou u
wear the yellow coat. The feather is
the usual form of distinction given to
meritorious government officers. Only
noblemen of the highest rank and
great generals are accorded the three
eyed peacock feather. The double
eyed feather is reserved for second
rate officers, while the one-eyed plume
is given for any kind of public service.
The blue crows feather is worn by
every member of the imperial guard.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-05-31
Every Man to His Trade.

The story is told that the late R. B.
Hayes had for neighbor in Ohio a
testy old fellow whe ran small truck
farm. He was honest and upright and
Mr.. Hayes held him in high esteem,
Notwithstanding his lack of the social
amenities and respect for persons. On
one of his visits to Ohio during his
Presidency he passed the old mans
farm and found him planting potatoes
in patch near the road. The Presi-
dent, being somewhat of farmer
himself, noticed some popularity in
his neighbours style of planting, and
after few minutes chat he called at
tantion to it and the old man argued
the point awhile.
"After ALL" concluded the President,
"I don't think you are doing it as il
should be done for the best results"
The old farmer rested his arm on
the fence and looked steadily at Mr..
Hayes.
%They amt neither one of u.s." he
said, "above havin' fault found with
us, but eff you jest go on Presidentin'
the United States your way, an I go
on plantin' pertaters my way, I guess
we won't be no wuss off in the end"
Mr.. Hayes accepted the suggestion
pleasantly and passed on.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-05-31

stand how barefooted native might
creep along those stems under cover
of the pillars and apply his eye to the
hole without being either seen or
heard. Well, that is just what the
butler did. Only he did something
more.
"After applying his eye to the hole
he noiselessly inserted the muzzle of
the rifle in the aperture, took deliber-
ate aim at his masters heart and fired.
Poor Robertson! he never knew what
hurt him."
Stantield ceased speaking and a
painful silence fell upon us both. So
awfully real was my conception of the
whole scene that at last, in sheer des-
peration, spoke and so broke the
spell.
Hadn't Robertson wifep"
"He had, and speaking of her re-
minds me that my story is still unfin-
ished.
"About,a year before her husbands
death Mrs. r. went to England for her
health, and when last saw Robertson
alive-the night he had that strange
premonition-he was daily expecting
her back. Well, it is singular coin
cidence that the steamer she was 8
passenger by entered Bombay harbor
on the very evening and at the very
hour when Robertson was shot.
"Mrs. r. had gathered all her traps
together, intending to disembark that
night, and as soon as she heard the
anchor dropped she left her cabin to
go on deck. just as she reached the
foot of the companion stairs she saw
that the hour was exactly s o'clock.
At the same moment an indescriba BILE
terror seized her; she looked up quick
ly, and there, on the steps above her,
stood her husband.
"She sprung up the steps to meet
him but he suddenly and mysteriously
disappeared. At the top of the steps
she ran against the purser.
"sThere's no hurry, madam said
he, the tenders not alongside yet.'
"'But my husbandr cried Mrs. r. i
saw him here just now. How did he
come aboardP'
"'Madam,' replied the purser, you
must be mistaken; not a living soul
has boarded the ship tonight
"And he was right, for if Mrs. r.
saw anything, as she declares she did.
it must have been the spirit of her dy-
ing husband"
"Let us go in" said /. rising hastily;
@this night air has given me chill. !"
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-05-31
KEPT AWAKE TO SAVE ALEo. q
Afraid an Operation Would be Performed
Through Mistake.

A certain Chicago lawyer recently
went to a large private sanitarium for
the purpose of having performed
delicate but not dangerous operation.
The time of convalescence was rather
prolonged and irksome, but the spe-
cial pleader seems to have had enough
to do to keep him busy.
81 tell yon what it is" he said, -
fellow never feels safe in one of those
big hospitals. When you go there you
are nothing but number. The nurses
and young doctors don't know you at
all, and they receive their orders on
the number plan only. You can see
what the result of little mistake
would be.
aI was in mortal terror all the time
/ was there that they would mistake
me for some one else. One time the
nurse came in with some medicine for
me. She told me the doctor ordered
it. / took it up and looked at it, and
somehow it didn't seem suited to me.
made some cautious inquiries. and
by the Revised Statutes that stuff was
intended for a woman across the hall
who had epileptic fits. l was No. 227
and the woman was 232. A differences
nurse. / shudder to think what might
have happened if had taken that
medicine.
sBut there are even worse things.
A Young doctor stumbled into my room
one night in a hurry. He had case
of instruments with him, and I'll be
hanged if he didn't take them out and
began looking at me with critical aips
Il %
would have had my leg off before I
knew what was happening. l never
slept sound1y at night for fear some
fool of a doctor or nurse would get
into the wrong room, chloroform me-
and take out my talking apparatus be-
fore l could protest. wouldn't mind
leg or arm SO much, but lawyer
without tongue wouldn't do even for
one of the members of the supreme
Court of Illinois, to say nothing OF or
binary practice.
"There is another thing. They don't
want their patients to go without an
order from the physician in charge OF
that particular case. Now you may
not believe it, but it is q fact just tho
same, that one patient knew was In
that sanitarium for just three weeks
| after he was fully recovered, and all
the time he was looking for doctor
to discharge him. Think what would
happen if the doctor should be sick
himself or go off on spree some day.
l didn't propose to fool away my time,
| SO sued out little writ OF habeas
corpus, as you might say, appointed
an administrator de bonis non, settled
the costs of the action with the clerk.
and left for home without waiting for
the order to be sent down.
"Talk of the laws delays. They are
nothing to the red tape of private
sanitarium on large scale, and II
ever have to go there again I'm going
to wear tag around my neck, giving
my name, age, sex, color and disease,
with formal declaration on legal cap
paper that I'll prosecute any doctor or
nurse who makes any mistake on me.
l guess that will do the business. II
it don't I'll serve them out. I'll just
keep well and ruin their old hospital.
Chicago Tribune.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-05-31
Fatal to Cholera Bacilli.

The imperial health Office at Berlin
has issued an announcement to the
effect that both oranges and lemons
are fatal to the cholera bacillus.
Placed in contact with the cut surface
of the fruit, the bacteria survive but
a few hours. They remain active for
some time longer on the uninjured
rind of the fruit. but even then they
die within twenty-four hours. The
destructive property as regards the
cholera bacteria is supposed to be due
to the large amount of acid contained
in those fruits. In consequence of this
quality the health officer considers it
Unnecessary to place any restriction
on the transit and sale of these fruits,
even if it should be ascertained that
they come from places where cholera
is prevalent at the time. Not single
instance was noted in which cholera
was disseminated by either oranges or
lemons.-N O. Ptcauune.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-05-31
AN ANEcooTE OF BISMARCK.
His Adventure en- . Hay-Wagon and
Fondness for Tobacco.

Bismarck is fond of tobacco and
good drink. "Southerners," he once
said, "are born with bottle of cham
pagne inside them. We northerners
have to put it in, and the moment we
cease putting it in we shall knock un-
der to the southerners.
That he smokes excellent tobacco
one man at least can testify. During
his recent stay at Kissingen the ex-
chancellor went for drive one after
noon, and after passing the little town
of Neustadt he met farmer who was
seated in his wagon on top of load of
hay. Dismounting from his carriage,
and said joyially, "Come, my good
friend, make little room there for
me; l want to have chat with you"
The farmer made room, and Bismarck
took seat beside him, his carriage
meanwhile following slowly behind.
For three or four miles the two men
rode together, one wondering why his
companion preferred hay wagon to q
luxurious carriage and the other do
ing his best to make himself agreeable
by asking thoughtful questions about
his companions family and the out
look OF his crops. The farmer at first
was very shy, but Bismarck's genial
manner produced the desired effect
and, when the latter asked If he could
be of any service to him, he replied
boldly: II don't know that you can.
I've got my little house and my bit of
land, and that's about all I want. Still,
IT you want to do me favor tell me
where can get some of that fine to-
bacco you're smoking" "I'll do that
for you, my good friend" said the ex-
chancellor, as he took a note book from
his pocket and wrote the farmers ad-
dress, "and I'll see, too, that you get
some of the tobacco" With these
words he returned to his carriage and
was soon out of sight. A few weeks
later the farmer received q dozen
packages of the very best tobacco,
such as Bismarck himself always
smokes. Not until then did he learn
the name of his genial companion on
the hay wagon.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-05-31
President Arthur and the Domestic.

Speaking of presidents reminds me
of an amusing incident of the late
President Arthur's administration,
which, believe. has never been re-
lated before. As is well known, Mr..
Arthur was something of an athlete
and pedestrian. He seldom used his
carriage for about-town visiting. One
evening he called at the residence OF q
friend in the west end. He rang the
doorbell and a colored woman an
swered the call. The servant did not
recognize the president, and in pert
manner informed him that none of the
members of the family were at home.
President Arthur apparently doubted
her statement, and in his most courte-
Gus manner said:
81 am President Arthur"
81 am Clara Brown" promptly re-
piled the domestic. acknowledging the
self-introduction of the president. The
latter retraced his steps to the white
house, while "Clara" went downstairs
to tell her fellow-servants of the po-
likeness of the president in introduc-
ing himself to her. The old cook
heard the unsophisticated housemaid
relate her story and exclaimed: "You'se
fool, nigger. He didn't tend to in
troduce hisself to you. He was SIM
ply leaving his name for de family"
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-05-31
An Arbor Day Song.

What does he plant who plants treeS
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The shaft of beauty towering high;
He plants home to heaven anigh
For song and mother-croon of bird
In hushed and happy twilight heard
The treble of heavens harmony
These things he plants who plants tree.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants cool shade and tender rain.
And seed and bud of days to be,
And years that fade and flush again;
He plants the glory of the plain;
He plants the forests heritage;
The harvest of coming age;
The joy that unborn eyes shall see
These things he plants who plants tree.
What does he plant who plants tree?
He plants, in sap, and leaf, and wood,
In love of home and loyalty
And far-cast thought of civic good
His blessing on the neighborhood
Who in the hollow of his hand
Holds all the growth of all our land
A nations growth from sea to sea
Stirs in his heart who plants q tree.
H. G. Bunner in the Century.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-05-31
Cultivated Land in Great Britain.

During the last twenty years the
area of land in England under the plow
has diminished by very nearly 2,0O0,-
900 acres. or over IA per cent. The
amount of arabic land in Wales has
diminished 81 per cent in the same
period. In Scotland, on the contrary,
it has increased by $4,000 acres. The
difference is partly explained by the
relatively large area of land in Scot
land retained under clover and rota-
ton grasses, more than one-third Of
the whole cultivated area. In England
the proportion of cultivated land so
occupied is little more than one-tenth
of the whole.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-05-31
oufr Buttons Out of His Pay.

Congressman Bryan, of Nebraska,
has memento of his first days work
as a representative which Kate Fields
Washington says he is going to hand
down to his son. The salary of a
member amounts to $3.50 per day.
Mr.. Bryan got two fve-dollar gold
pieces, which he took to an obliging
ieweler, who converted them into
handsome cuff studs for the consider
alton of $3.50. On the front is en-
graved Bryan" while the reverse has
the congressman's residence.