davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-19
Gov. Hogg,s Quart Bodies.

sDo you know that you rarely see q
quart bottle? / mean by that bottle
that holds quart, said B. B. Hart, of
Mineola, Tex, at the Lindell. A few
years ago when Jim Hogg. who is now
governor of the state Of Texas. was
prosecuting attorney of Wood county,
he fled complaint against every liquor
dealer in the county who had quart
license. He had been investigating
the matter and found that the bottles
they were selling for quarts would
hold only pint and a half. A little
figuring showed that there was saw
ing to the dealer of eleven gallons of
whisky on every barrel he sold by the
quart. Scores of cases were fled
against each dealer, but by pleading
guilty to one case against each man
and promising to sell fun quarts in the
future he dismissed the other cases.
Full quarts were ordered, but when
these came they lacked gill of hold
ing the necessary amount of liquid.
jim Hogg was inexorable, and showed
the whisky dealer that he was not
complying with the statute, and that
he would insist on the law being car
ried out to the letter. Another order
was sent in for quart bottles. and as
there were none in the market they
had to be specially made. And to this
day these bottles are known as Jim
Hogg's quarts. They hold standard
quart, and many an old dram-loving
granger keeps one, aud when he wants
his liquor he takes his bottle with him
to town."-St L0uiS Post Dispatch.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-19
THE CHISHOLM TRAlL.
Bleaching Skulls Mark the Most Famous
of Old Cattle Roads.

The most famous of the old cattle
roads was the "Chisholm Trail" Il
was named after John Chisholm, an
eccentric frontier stockman, who was
the first to drive over it. Chisholm
lived at Paris, Texas, was bachelor,
and had many thousand head of cattle
on the ranges in the southern part of
the State.
From 200 to 100 yards wide, beaten
into bare earth, it reached over hill
and through valley for over 600 miles
Gncluding its southern extension), q
chocolate band amid the green prairies
uniting the north and the south. As
the marching hoofs wore it down and
the wind blew and the waters washed
the earth away, it became lower than
the surrounding country and was
fanked by little banks of sand, drifted
there by the wind. Bleaching skulls
and skeletons of weary brutes who had
perished on the journey CLEANED along
its borders, and here and there was q
low mound showing where some cow
boy had literally adied with his boots
on" Occasionally dilapidated wagon
frame told of the breakdown, and
spotting the emerald reaches on either
side were the barren circle-like abed-
ding grounds" each a record that
great herd had there spent a night.
The weight of an empire passed over
the trail, leaving its mark for decades
to come. The traveller of to-day sees
the wide trough-like course, with
ridges being washed down by the rains
and with fences and farms of the set
tiers and the more civilized red men
intercepting its track, and forgets the
wild and arduous life of which it was
the exponent. 1t was life now out
grown, and which will never again be
possible. Scribner's Magazine.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-19
WHAT MANS BODY IS COMPOSED OF.
Liebig Says It Is Formed of Condensed
Air and Liquid Gases.

In the st. Louis Republic of Dec. 6,
1890, was gwen Prof. Huxley's table OF
the chemical composition of MANN
other words, table exhibiting the
number of pounds, ounces, and grains
of the different elements in the make
up of the average man. The table
shows thirteen elements in the chem
ical composition of human being
phosphorus, calcium, sulphur, chlorine,
salt, iron, potassium, magnesium. and
silica. The weight of these several
gases and solids varies with the size Of
the man. In the man of the average
of 154 pounds there will be Ill pounds
of oxygen, the other elements scaling
down to only two grains, the last in the
table being silica.
The following, which will make an
excellent companion piece to the
article reviewed above, is from the pen
of Justus Liebig. the greatest chemist
of the century: Science has demon
strated the fact that man, the being
which performs the greatest wonders.
is formed of condensed air solidifed
and liquid gases, that he lives upon
condensed as well as upon uncon-
densed air, and that by means of the
same mysterious agent he moves or
causes to be moved the heaviest
weights with the velocity of the wind.
But the strangest part of the matter
is that thousands and millions of these
tabernacles of condensed air are going
on two legs, destroying other forms OF
condensed air which they may need
to build up their own wasted tissues or
for shelter or clothing, or, on account
of their egotism and fancied power. de-
stroying each other in pitched battles,
using implements which are but an
other form of condensed air, the
material of which they themselves are
formed or composed. Chemistry sup
plies the clearest proof that, so far ~
concerns this, the ultimate and most
minute composition and structure,
some of which are SO infinitesimal as
to be beyond the comprehension OF
our senses, man is, to all appearances.
at least, composed of materials identi-
fed with those which compose the
structural being of the OK or the dog,
or even the lowest animal in the scale
of creation.
Solomon seems to have entertained
the same idea. See Ecclesiastes ILL.,,
10: "For that which befalleth the
sons of men befalleth beasts; as the
one dieth so dieth the other; yes. they
have all one breath, so that mar
hath no pre-eminence above beast.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-19
second to the orlof.


The second largest diamond in the
world is now undergoing the cutting
process at Antwerp. Its weight is at
present 474 carats, but it will lose no
less than 274 carats before it is ready
for the market. Even then, however,
it will be the second largest diamond
in the world, standing between the
eighty carats of the Persian diamond
"Great Mogul" and the 1877 carats of
the Russian "Orioff" brilliant. Roughly
speaking the Antwerp stone will be
about the size of a pigeons egg.
In its present state it measures g.
TAI inches by 1,767 inches. Its pol
ished surface will measure 1856 inch
each way. Some idea of the enormous
expense of the transmutation of these
costly trifes from the natural to the
commercial state may be gathered
from the fact that the great English
crown diamond, the Koh-i-noor, which
has only the comparatively modest
weight of 102 1-2 carats, cost no less
than $4,000 to cut and polish. The
polishing of very large diamond is a
very slow process and it will be long
time before the actual value of the
Antwerp stone can be determined, as
its luster and water cannot be decided
until it has left the polisher's hands,
Land and Water.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-19
TIE MAJORS BIG FISH STORY.
Catching Peculiar Marine Monster In
the Gulf of Mexico.

Maj. H. P. Ritzius, the United States
recruiting officer here, says the
Rochester Post Express, tells a great
fish story. 1t happened in 1870. "To
begin at the beginning" said the
major this morning, ain 1868 I was
stationed at Ship Island, in the Gulf
of Mexico. Col. Bliss was in command
of the post and was adiutant. In the
summer eight monster fish appeared
in the harbor. They would come quite
close to the wharf and jump half out of
the water. Several of the soldiers
shot at them, and from the trail of
blood they left on the water we knew
appeared again the next day. When
fall came they went away, but returned
in the summer of 1870. Col. Bliss ex-
should be caught.
accordingly the quartermaster. a
couple of soldiers, and myself started
out in a small sailboat one morning.
We had provided ourselves with har-
poons, with plenty of rope attached.
Pretty soon we sighted one of the fish
and soon had harpoon in him. He
Immediately dove down and remained
under water for some time. He was
moving off, however, as we could tell
by the way our line was paying out.
Pretty soon he reappeared, aud we
sunk another harpoon in him. He
dove again. This performance was re-
peated until we had eight harpoons in
the fish. By this time we had been
towed out ten miles and were rapidly
nearing the sea, which we could not
face with our small boat. We disliked
to let go the fish. however, as we could
tell by his struggles that he was near
ly wipded. When he came up again
we could see he was nearly dead, as he
made but feeble efforts to get away.
1t was not long before the revenue cut
ter Wilderness, which was cruising
near by, hove in sight and took US
aboard. Our prize, which we should
not have been able to tow in, was
secured by ropes to the cutter and
taken to the wharf. We managed to
get it on one of the hand cars used to
carry provisions from the wharf to the
post, and conveyed it to the barracks.
There 1t was placed on a scaffolding
and measured.
"The fish was IS feet long. Is feet
wide, and feet through. This may
sound .ishy.' but those are actual
measurements. We could not weigh
| the monster entire, but cut him up into
pieces. He weighed 1900 pounds in
all. His mouth was feet across and
feet deep. He had no teeth, so we
supposed he lived on matter gathered
in the water as he swan along. His
flesh was not good to eat, but was of
the same consistency as unreined cod
liver oil. There were but few bones
in the body, and we could see where
our bullets had gone entirely through
it. don't know if the shoal of fish
| appeared afterward, as we were ordered
away that fall. We were unable to
find out what species of fish it was.
We sent one of the photographs to the
Smithsonian institute at Washington,
but none of the people there had ever
heard of such fish. He was broadest
across what might be called the
shoulders, attached to which were fins
floats, they might be more properly
called--with which he propelled him.
| self. l have often wondered what
species of fish he was. but suppose
shall ne yer find out"
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-19

Bragg's eyes sparkled. "GunsP" he
asked, eagerly.
@Yes, anything. Go out and wait
in the road, by that white rock. I'll
be out there when finish here. When
I reach the cutoff down there begin
shooting"
"All right" And Bragg. who was
considered the best shot in the county,
went quietly away satisfied.
The music struck up and the dance
began as though nothing had hap
pened. Indeed, while every one knew
that there had been trouble, there was
only one person besides the principals
who heard the conversation and who
knew that the trouble was not yet
over, and presently he slipped from
the room.
Harvey Bragg, pacing impatiently
up and down the road, waiting with
six-shooter in hand, heard some one
coming from back toward the house.
He turned at the white rock and
halted, his finger clutching nervously
ab the stock of his revolver. He could
see figure advancing in the gloom.
Nearer, nearer, to where the cutoff
left the main road.
Now.
Two shots rang out simultaneously.
Harvey Bragg felt a sharp pain in his
left shoulder, but kept pulling the
trigger.
Two more shots from each. and
Bragg fell to the earth shot through
the lungs, but with sufficient strength
to fire his two remaining shots.
Down in the road we found them
both-Bragg just dying and Milly-
poor little Milly, with three wounds
shot through and through and gasping
for breath.
Rice and picked him up and carried
him in, and others cared for Bragg.
We laid Milly down on the bed in tho
Misses Miles room. He motioned te
me to go out and close the door, and
went, leaving Rice alone with him.
Ten minutes later Arthur Rice, with
a drawn, deathly look on his hand
some face, came into the hall where
was talking to one of the Miles girls.
go to her," he said. strangely; ait
is my wife, and she is dead"
He took my arm and drew me from
left the horses. The clouds had gone
anu Guo u1ooHllSHG mdue his llNlu 1dCe
look fairly CHASTITY. We halted and
faced each other.
81 lied" he said "Ilied; she was not
my wife; l deceived her-betrayed hel
and fled like coward. have been
sorry, but heard she was dead and
thought I could make no amends.
Bury her, old man, and say on the
stone so everybody can see it, Alice
beloved wife of Rice McArthur-that's
my name. l can't bear TO stay. Good.
by good-by dear old boy-God bless
you"
He thrust some bills into my hand
whispering. "For her," leaped on his
horse andwas gone-into the hills.
never saw him again. He went tt
Central America and was murdered
by plundering natives year later
| Ar0O7lGut
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-19
Another Small swarm of BIS.

Be Earnest. Haf-heartedness will
not accomplish one-haf as much as
whole-heartedness will rightly handled.
Be Earnest.
Be honest. Honesty is the best
policy" and the best policy will often
be found along the way that honest
men travel. Be honest.
Be straight. Not only straight as
string" but straight as an arrow" if
you would be sure to "hit the mark. ;"
Be straight
Be watchful. sWatch out" and
watch in, as well. Also swatch and
wait, !" if you would not let opportunity
slip by unnoticed. Be watchful.
Be considerate. "Consider your
ways and be WISE" and having found
the ways of wisdom, walk therein "all
the days of your life" Be consider
ate.
Be amiable A across-patch" may
pass by on the other side. without be-
ing asked to "come back our way"
while all the world likes to go hand in
hand with amia bility. Be amiable.-
Good housekeeping.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-19
NATURES FREAKS IN PLANTS.
Growths in Which Animal and Vegetabl
Life Almost Blend.

Nowhere is the evidence of design in
nature more emphatically set forth
than among certain forms of plant life,
which, in their various functions, seem
to approach so near the animal king
dom that the observer feels that here
is some strange plant animal-some-
thing that might possibly form con-
Meeting link between the animals and
plants.
In close study of these plants we
see many evidences of seeming intelli-
gehce that are not found in some ami
mails, and SO. remarkable are the ac-
tions of certain plants that the impress
sion is forced upon US that we are con-
fronted with intelligence or something
strangely akin to it. In the present
paper l wish to call attention to the
group which is popularity known as
carnivorous plants, or flesh eaters. A
familiar example is the little drosera,
so common in various portions of the
country. The plant is small and in
conspicuous. The first one l ever saw
caught my eye by sudden flash of
fiery red light, and kneeling on the
damp grass fairly caught the little
carnivore in the act which has rem
dered it so famous. There were sew
eral tender, delicate stalks in the Gen.
ter, and round about it near the
ground four or five singular, round,
pad like objects about the size of small
buttons. These were leaves and their
upper surface was covered with red
disb tentacles that stood boldly up,
each bearing delicate drop of dew
that cleaned and glistened in the sun
light like a veritable garnet. Across
the top of the leaves long legged fra
gile insect lay, caught but a second
before and dying most terrible
death.
Five or six of the hair like tentacles
were thrown across its legs and wings,
holding it down and pressing it's body
nearer and nearer to the leaf. while
other rich, blood red stalks were in all
positions, bending over to encompass
the victim. The sight was horror in
miniature, and reminded me of the
actions of an octopus, or devilish, as
the little cephalopod is commonly
called. 1t has eight sucker lined arms
radiating from small, bag shaped
body, and each arm has all the sinu-
osity, all the possibility of motion of a
snake, ever undulating, quivering, as
if with suppressed emotion, while over
the entire mass waves and varied
shades of color seem to ebb and flow.
I--C0EifoT7li071 MaQdzine.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-19
THE COST OF CLEANLINESS.
Neatness Cost More than Clothing, y
This Table Proves.

The rich girl who is not good look
ing ought to be ashamed of herself.
And the day is coming when she will
be. One can forgive the wife of a
poor man; the mother, servant and
slave of lot of children, the bread
winners and wage-earners who are
harnessed to the load from morning
until night, for not being clean and
beautiful and wholesome. But there
is no excuse for the idle daughter or
the well-kept wife. They should be
paragons in dress, lovely and lovable
of address, redolent of health and good
to look upon. Are theyP Often-not
always. They are well dressed, but
rarely well shod. The boots are good,
but i'll kept. They have the latest
style of coiffure, but their scalps are
not clean; the sheen of satin is not on
their hair. They are perfumed with
orris, lavender, lilac, benzoin, violet
and coarser scents, but not of the
bath. The freshness of the boss baby
and the medal athlete is not apparent.
Constitutional neatness is almost as
costly as keeping carriage. A young
woman who acts as almoner for a
couple of families said the other day:
81 would be almost beautiful if could
afford to be clean, but can't"
She went over the leaves of a little
expense book that she carried in the
cuff of sealskin jacket, worn bald in
places, and read these totals for one
month:
"Car fare, $2.1o; hair brushing, 50;
shoe blacking, 80 cents; vapor baths,
So; feather curling, 60 cents; maid
service, $3.50.
"My wig costs me so cents week.
have tried everything and that is the
cheapest Investment for clean scalp.
1 wear calfskin boots and every shine
costs cents; by riding in bad weather
l save the leather and polish. Those
two expenses might dispense with,
but won't. I am a crank on ex-
tremes. will have nice hair and nice
looking feet. The maid 1 hired two
days. She put on dress braids and did
other mending. 1t costs me more to be
neat than to dress myself, although
don't expect you to believe it. Dc
YOU? It is a fact."-N. 7. World.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-19
JEALOUSY AMONG sAVAcEs.
How an African King Seeks to Preserve
His Family Honor

The green-eyed monster has very
firm hold upon the king of Mossi.
Capt. Binger, who has recently seen
him, says that this peculiar African
prince is perpetually unhappy over
the thought that one or another of his
wives may deceive him. Unfortun-
ately he is not able in his huts OF straw
to sequestrate the ladies of his house,
hold so effectively as is done in orien-
tai seraglios, and he has therefore re-
sorted to extraordinary measures to
preserve the fair name of his family.
Capt. Binger says that this gallant
potentate shaYes the heads of his wives,
tattoos their faces after a fashion that
is not popular in his land, and the
more repulsive he can make them ap-
pear to others the better he likes them.
His methods seem well calculated to
scare away unprincipled persons who
otherwise might aspire to steal the at
fections of the royal ladies. We may
well believe Capt. Binger when he
says that the princesses of Mossi are
the ueliest women in the land.
Less than twenty miles east of the
Panama railroad, along the Gulf OF
San Bias, live q tribe of Indians who
seem to be as insanely jealous as the
ruler of Mossi. The captain of the
port of Colon has recently reported to
the Colombian minister of finance that
these Indians will not permit any for
eigner to sleep in their villages. and it
is one of their laws that should they
be attacked and in danger of losing
their lands they must kill all their
women to prevent them from falling
into the hands of the enemy; and the
captain adds that they probably would
resort to this extreme measure it an
attempt were made to seize their ter
ritory.
Neither missionaries nor reformers
of any sort have yet invaded these
dark and neglected places.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-19
A sohooIroom Idyl.

How plainly remember all!
The desks deep-scored and blackened.
The row of blackboards round the wall.
The hum that never slackened;
And, framed about by map and chart,
And casts of dusty plaster,
That wisest head and warmest heart,
The kindly old schoolmasterl
] see the sunny corner nook
His blue-eyed daughter sat in,
A rosy, fair-haired girl, who took
With us her French and Latin.
How longingly watched the hours
For Ollendorf and Caesar!
And how / fought with Tony Powers
The day he tried to tease kerl
And when, one day, it took the 'tNextl"
To stay some Gallo slaughter,
Because / quite forgot the text
In smiling at his daughter.
And she and were kept till four
To study, after closing"
We stopped the clock an hour or more
While he, poor man, was dozingl
And there he sits, with bended head,
Ger some old volume poring
(Or so lie thinks; if truth be said
He's fast asleep and snoring),
And where the shaded lamplight plays
Across the cradles rocking,
My schoolmate of the olden days
Sits, mending baby's stocking.
Ladies Home Journal
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-19
Railroad English.

Slang expressions generally origin
ate with railroad men, and a person
not Eersed in slang might listen to a
crowd of railroad men talking for an
hour without getting the slightest inn
preston of their meaning. Conse-
quently, when an Atchison girl re-
ceived the following letter from her
Apollo, brakeman, she was somewhat
puzzled: "My dear, pushed the cons
face yesterday and he told the sup,
who put me on the carpet and finally
put the can to me. will have to lay
over on the hill for ten days and will
be down to see you soon. ."-AtchtSon
Globe
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-19
To Find Your Future Husband.

At bedtime, having tasted since noon,
two girls who wish to obtain a sight OF
their future husbands boil an egg,
which must be the first egg ever laid
by the hen, in pan in which no egg
has never been boiled before. Having
boiled it till it is hard, they cut it in
two with something that has never
been used as knife before. Each
girl eats her half and its shell to the
last fragment, speaking no word the
while; then, still in silence, they
walk backward to bed, @to sleep, per-
chance to dream. ."--EDqlish Folk
Rhymes.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-19
The Vanity of Men.

They were talking of the vanity of
women, and one of the ladies present
undertook a defense. "Of course"
she said, Il admit that women are vain
and men are not. Why" she added,
with a glance around, "the necktie of
the handsomest man in the room is
even now up the back of his collar"
And then she smiled-for every man
present had put his hand up behind his
back.-Drabe's Magazine.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-19

Cock fighting is legal in Scotland.
Seven judges at the Edinburgh High
Court of Justiciary lately quashed a
conviction on charge of cock fighting
obtained under the cruelty to animals
act. The opinion was given by the
judges that if parliament had meant
to prohibit sport so old,so long prac-
ticed, and so familiar it would have
done so in plain and unmistakabie Ian,
guago.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-19

Queen Elizabeth and Mary Stuart
always handled their meat with their
fingers.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-19

Visiting cards Of sheet iron, with in
scription in silver letters, are produced
in England. ---------
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-19

In London the experiment is being
tried of robed choir of young girls.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-04-19
s..s, FIRE! FIRE!

AUs OOOU PCOP40 O1 Z O4UNB0 OUs
Do you want Reliable Insurance7
Then go to e. M. WALLER, who
has just bought the NJ. A. King Fire
Insurance Agency-the largest intths
Co.-and is now giving his entire time
to the Insurance business.
Reasonable rates and honest dealing
is the motto.
OFFICE over N. Converse & Sons
Dry Goods Store, Ravenna, Ohio.