davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-08-16
ODD BOX OFFICE RECEIPTS.
Pigs, Poultry, Cocoanuts and Fruit in Pay
ment for "A CONCERT in the Pacific.

Figs, POultry, COcOanutS ana Fruit In ray
ment for Concert in the Pacific.
There is no more interesting subject
of study than currency. People do not
realize how difficult it would be to get
along without it. Some years ago, says
writer in the Washington Star, Mile.
Zelle, of the Theater Lyriquc, at Paris,
on professional tour around the
world, gave a concert at the Society
islands, in the South Pacific. 1t was
arranged that in payment for an air
from Norma" and three or four other
selections she was to get one-third Of
the receipts. Her share consisted of
pigs, 23 turkeys, "A chickens, 5000
cocoanuts and considerable quantities
of bananas, lemons and oranges. The
live stock and produce would have rep
resented value of about 1000 francs
in the markets Of her native city, but
1t was hardly practicable to dispose of
the former off-hand and the latter had
to be fed to the pigs and poultry. A
joint stock company, known as the At
rican Barter company, limited, now ex-
isting in London, carries on a great
business on the west coast of Africa
entirely by bartering European manu-
features for palm oil, gold dust, ivory,
coffee, gum and other raw products.
Eggs have been in circulation in lieu
Of money in the Alpine villages Of
Switzerland. Nails have been similarly
employed in Scotland, dried goldfish in
Newfoundland, whales teeth in the Fiji
islands, mats of rice straw in Angola,
salt in Abyssinia, beeswax in Sumatra,
red feathers in the isles of the Pacific,
tea in Tartary and iron hoes in NADIA
gascar. A century ago tobacco was
made legal tender in Virginia When
women were imported invo that colony
for wives for the settlers 100 pounds of
tobacco per head was charged for them,
the price being subsequently raised to
100 pounds.
The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-08-16
KILLED BY OPIUM.
Islands OF the Pacific Depopulated
by the Drug.
The French Government First intro
duced the Evil and Is Now valnly
Trying to Stem Its Terri
ble Ravages.

w. Hoffrer for two years manager
owns large stores on the Marquesas'
and Dominique islands, recently WIS.,
tied San Francisco. Every two or
three months Mr.. Hoffner was in the
habit of cruising in boat around these
islands, making numerous landings.
This has made him exceedingly famil-
lar with the islands and their inhab-
itants. He says that the natives are
dying off very rapidly by reason of the
use of opium, and that in a short time
there will be none left. The past year
has made fearful inroads on them.
"The deaths have been so frequent"
said Mr. Hotfner to q Chronicle report
err "that lately the French govern
ment has been doing all it could to sup
press the opium ira fiic, but with mea-
ger success. 1t hinders it in some
ways. but in the main it is carried on
as before. The French government in
troduced opium into the islands about
twenty years ago, and now a vain
effort is being made to stamp out
the evil. 1t is, however, too late
to remedy the wrong. The natives
are dying off like flies. In ten
years, if the present rate of mortality
keeps up. there will not be one of
them left. The last few years have
been especially severe and made
terrible inroads on the population.
Where the natives cannot get opium
to satisfy their cravings they substitute
a brandy obtained from the cocoanut
tree, which is even worse than the
product of the poppy juice. The
liquor is nothing in fact but the
natural sap of the cocoanut tree. The
islanders bore holes in the tree and
the sap almost Immediately begins to
run. This process kills the tree, but
they do not care for that. The liquor
is stronger than opium, and have
seen the poor natives drunk on it and
lying about like dead men for three or
four days. They do not smoke the
opium, but eat it, and in enormous
quantities. They eat so much of it
and have such abnormal cravings for
it to the exclusion of almost every
other desire that they do not buy the
amount of general merchandise they
ordinarily would. AS result business
is bad in the islands. Trade, outside
of opium, has fallen off a great deal
and the people seem to have lost the
energy and desire to advance that they
once had. 1t is SO quiet there now
that l think | shall return to Chilli,
where was before. When the native
population is wiped out altogether, as
now seems to be it's fate, the islands
will be an excellent field for immigra-
tion. I am not sure that at present
the French government would encour-
age emigration"
Mr.. Hoffner says there are now very
few Americans on the islands.
The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-08-16
SEIZED BY DEVIL FISH.
A California Boy Rescued with Difficult,
by His Plucky Comrade.

ny CCmtaOe.
Among the many pastimes enjoyed
by the inhabitants Of Pacific Grove,
Cal, says the San Francisco Examiner,
abalohe hunting is one largely indulged
in, both on account Of the beauty Of
the shell of this mollusk and also the
delicacy of the meat. A few days ago
two boys, about seventeen and eigh-
teen years of age, thought it would bs
Il profitable undertaking to go out by
the Point Pinos lighthouse and try
their luck among the large masses Of
rocks there. They arrived at their
destination at ebb tide, and proceeded
to hunt for the shells. Abalones, as a
rule, fasten themselves to the under
surface of large rocks. While the
boys were scrambling among the rocks
they came across large crevice filed
with water. kelp or seaweed was
floating on the surface of the water in
this black pool, and amid the tangle Of
tawny whip-like stems, bulbs and
masses of leaves bubbles arose in
quick succession as if the water was
boiling. The curiosity of the boys was
thoroughly aroused by this apparent
phenomenon. and after watching the
bubbling water awhile they decided to
investigate. One of them leaped over
the pool, and leaning over the edge
closely examined the kelp. What he
finally espied in the brown floating
mass of weeds he thought was the tail
of an eel. Reassured by his conclusion,
and with the knowledge that cells are
perfectly harmless, he grabbed for the
moving object and his hand closed frm-
ly on it,
Like. the long lash of whip curling
at the end of stalk welded by an ex-
pert driver, swiftly uprose from the
dark waters purplish, mottled thing
which fastened itself like a snake
about the outstretched arm Of the boy
With impetuous motion he attempted
to withdraw his hand, but the Shiny
thing clung to him, and the boy was
dragged into the pool. Then more of
those horrible snake-like appeudages
thrust themselves up and waved in the
air, clutchiug at the frantic victim, and
from hideous barrel-shaped body two
bead-like eyes over wicked looking
beak watched the struggles Of the boy,
as it tried to fasten more securely to
its prey. The boy was in the grasp Of
the tentacles of huge octopus, which
had been left by the tide and was iurk-
ing under the kelp. The boys oom-
panion dashed into the water to the
rescue, and, seizing the tentacle that
still gripped firmly, he succeeded in
loosing its hold, and both boys
scrambled upon the rock into safety.
The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-08-16
AMUSING eLuNoERs.
Desperate Situations OF Dimdent Young
Orators.

Desperate Situations OF Dihhdent Young
Orators.
Some amusing examples of uninten-
tional transpositions are given In re-
cently-published collection of "Bulls
and Blunders." Slips Of the kind
usually result from nervousness rather
than from ignorance, but it is ques-
ton which was responsible in the case
of the pompous colored preacher who
told his flock that it was 'easier for
camel to go through the knee of an
idol than for rich man to enter
Heaven"
Not so in the case of the courtly and
cultivated George William Curtis, who,
It Is said, was so overcome with stage
fright when he commenced his first
lecture that instead of the reference
to the bottomless pit which he intend
ed to make, he astonished his hearers
by beginning tremulously:
Ladies' and gentlemen, the pittom-
less bott-l'
The crowning specimen of ludicrous
helplessness in the face of elusive
sylla bles is that of the unfortunate
speaker who, at pathetic point of his
address, when his hero was about to
undergo a heartrending parting from
home and friends, uttered, in his most
melting voice:
"Biddy, diddy-"
He stopped confused; flushed, set
his mouth and tried again, with a
difficult resumption of the interrupted
pathos:
''Diddy. biddy-"
Something was wrong still. He grew
scarlet, perspired, and gasped forth
third attempt, not more ineligible.
His hearers could none of them inter-
pret it. 1t might be High German, or
it might be Mother Goose refrain:
"Diddy, hiddy, biddy door,
The situation was desperate; but the
persistent orator rallied, paused until
he had fully recovered his self-control,
and trying once more, with slow utter
ance and distinct enunciation, con-
quered at length the simple phrase
which had overthrown him. He said:
"Did he bid adieu?"
The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-08-16
Getting Civilized.

One of the Indian boys at the Car
Isle school developed a new way of
doing business the other day. A lady
resident wrote two notes, one to the
dressmaker and the other TO grocer,
and handed them to the boy to de-
liver. Then, fearing that he would
get them mixed, she tore up the note
to the grocer las she thought) and
told the messenger to take the remain
ing note to the dressmaker. But the
boy, who was able to read, saw that
the note he held was for the grocer; SO
to the grocer he went. On his return,
the lady was surprised to see pack
age of groceries instead of the dress
she expected. She asked the boy how
he had got the goods without money.
Il charge, replied the young Indian.
"But have no account there" said
the lady. s'No matter; charge, any
how" said the boy, calmly. When the
LAZY went, . few days later, to pay the
III. she found thst the groceries had
bssn charged to the drsasmskss.
The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-08-16
A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE.
An Old Lady's Story OF Being Held In
Washington's Arms.

An Old Lady's Story OF Being Held In
Washington's Arms.
In DIR. Mines volume Of reminis-
cences, "A Tour Around New York."
the author dcvotes paragraph to the
attractions Of Battery park, and adds a
pleasing little story of time before
his own:
remember dear old lady who
loved to talk about this park and tell
of the people she had met here and the
scenes she had witnessed; and Of these
one man and one mornings adventure
stood out most prominently.
A little thing in white, her nurse
had brought her to the park to wit
ness civic ceremony, and the crowd
prevented her from obtaining good
view of the pageant.
AS. with child's impatience, she
tried to press through the throng, a
tall and handsome elderly gentleman,
clad in suit of black velvet and with
q dress sword at his side, stopped
down to her, inquired pleasantly
about her trouble, and then lifted her
upon his shoulder and held her there
until the procession had passed.
Delighted with what she saw, the
child thought little about the gentle
man who had brushed away her
trouble, but thanked him when he
released her with kiss and set her
down upon the ground. As. he moved
away, the nurse, in an awestruck voice,
asked the child il she knew whose
arms had held her, and then told her
that it was President Washington.
The little eyes watched him out of
sight, and never forgot his stately ap-
pearance.
think dear old Mrs. Atterbury was
prouder of having been the heroine of
this incident than Of all the social
honors that afterward fell to her lot.
The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-08-16
THE FLYING FISH.
Some Interesting Facts Concerning This
Curious Creature.

A very common error made in
natural histories where this fish is
mentioned is that it does not fly. SITS
supposed fight is nothing more than
prolonged leap; it caunot deviate from
straight line, and cannot rise a
second time without entering the
water" This, briefly, is the sort of
thing one meets with in textbooks
where reference is made to this fish.
The simplest way of dealing with it
is the professors method of answering
the query of the French academy
whether their definition of crab was
correct. The story is SO well known
that it does not need repetition. AS
the result of personal observation ex-
tending over good many years,
assert that the exocetus does fly
have often seen, says a writer in
Chambers Magazine, flying fish rise
two hundred yards off, describe a
rise twenty feet in the air perpendicu-
larly, at the same time darting off at
right angles to it's previous course.
Then, after another long fight, when
just about to enter. the water, the gap
ing jaws of a dolphin emerging from the
sea gave it pause and it rose again, re-
turning almost directly upon it's former
course. This procedure is SO common
that it is a marvel it is not more wide
ly known.
A flying fish of mature size can fly
thousand yards. 1t does not flap its
fins as a bird, but they vibrate, like
the wings of an insect, with distinct
hum. The only thing which termi-
mates it's flight htinvoluntarily is the dry
ing of it's fin membranes and their con-
sequent stitfening.
The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-08-16
ROSA sONHEUR'S PETS.
Hor Lions Love Her and Are Fondled and
Caressed with Freedom.

Her Lions Love Her and Are FOndled and
Caressed with Freedom.
Rosa Bonheur loves the animals she
paints, and is in turn adored by them.
She showed her recent purchase,
magnificent lion, who purred and
writhed like gigantic cat when his
owner fearlessly stroked his mighty
head. Then, says the New York Com
mercial Advertiser, showing the head of
a most superb specimen of the African
lion transferred to canvas with start
ling realism, she tells the story Of
Nero. He was her first pet lion and
was reputed untamably ferocious and
lived for several years in the garden at
BY. At last one day Rosa Bonheur
was about to travel and disposed of
Nero to the Jardin des Plantes. She
parted with him reluctantly, for he
was great pet, and would greet her
always with peculiar little note of
welcome.
When she returned from her wan
derings, two years later, she went to
see her Nero and beheld a sad sight.
The poor creature had not been so
carefully tended as he was used to be
at BY. Ophthalmia had set in, and
the splendid brute lay blind and ailing,
unheeding the curious crowd that
stared at him. Rosa Bonheur watched
him for moment and then called;
"Nero" The effect was magical. The
lion rose to his feet, uttered his accus-
toned note of welcome and sprang
toward the well-beloved voice with
such impetuosity that the shock
against the bars sent the sightless
brute rolling, stunned, back on the
floor. The great artist took him back,
soothed his last days with attendance
and petting, and finally he died in her
arms at the foot of the staircase at BY,
his huge paws clinging to his mistress
as if imploring her not to forsake him
in his death struggle, and his last mo-
ment being feeble attempt to lick
the hands that held him with such in
finite tenderness. 'You see," said
Rosa Bonheur, as she meditatively ruff
fed her new lions name, ''to be really
beloved by these wild beasts you must
really love them"
The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-08-16
THE CLAQUs.
How It Operates in tho Theaters of Paris
and London.


How It Operates In tho Thsaters Of Paris
and London.
In Paris q determined resistance has
for some time been brought to bear
against the claques-men hired to ap-
plaud in the theaters.
Claques, however, have flourished
from time immemorial and are not
aikely to die out yet awhile. In the
time of the Romans as many as five
thousand men were hired to cheer q
single man, and to be a member of q
claque was to be considered an artist.
Not only had they to shout, but they
were required to initiate the clashing
of broken jugs by swapping their
fingers in unison and to initiate the
patter of hail and the droning of bees,
for these were recognized signs of ap-
proval.
Coming to more recent times the
leader of French claque considered
himself very poorly off unless he
made considerably over five thousand
dollars a year. Indeed, the post of
leader was so much sought after that
as much as twenty-five thousand dol
lars was exacted as premium before a
man was permitted TO fill vacancy.
The chief was paid no stated salary,
but was allotted certain number of
seats, which he could sell at his own
price, and these, together with the
presents he received from the actors,
amounted to very substantial sum.
The claque was and still is nothing
more than gigantic fraud. Men are
deputed to laugh immoderately at
jokes, to applaud speeches, and women
are actually employed to sob audibly
and become hysterical during affecting
scenes In fact. in some foreign
theaters such member of the claque is
given a printed list of instructions,
which he or she is expected to follow
to the letter.
years ago that play was placed in
jeopardy through the Vaccinations of
rival claques. Jealous actresses would
employ their own claques, and the ri
diculous spectacle was presented of an
actress being applauded from one part
of the house and soundly hissed from
the other.
Circumstances are considerably modi-
fed in France now, but we still have
our claques here, says an English pa
per. They consist chiefly of deadheads,
persons who are expected to applaud
in exchange for free admission. They
appear for the most part the first
nights. when the fate of a play is in
the balance, and are to be seen fran
tically clapping their hands when the
remainder of the audience is half
asleep,
at other times foreign actresses
fresh to the English stage hire men to
applaud them on their first appear
ance. The whole business, however,
is carried out SO inartistically that the
presence of a claque is nearly always
detected
The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-08-16
A Striking Outfit.

Sir Thomas Robinson, a wealthy
Englishman of the last century, was
tall, uncouth man, and his appearance
was rendered still more striking by his
hunting dress, which consisted of a
tight green jacket, buckskin breeches
and fur cap. He once set off in his
hunting suit to pay visit to his sister
in Paris, and he arrived at the house
while there was a large company at
dinner. The servant announced "Mon-
sieur Robinson" and in walked this re-
markable figure, to the amazement Of
the guests. One of them, q French
abbe, lifted his fork three times to his
mouth and each time laid II down with
out tasting the food. Unable at last
to restrain his curiosity be burst out
eagerly: "Excuse NE, ulonsieurs are
you the famous Robinson Crusoe. -
Temarhable n histogyys
The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-08-16
GROWN BY THE ANcIENrA
Asparagus IL = Vegetable with sone
thing of Pedigree.

Asparagus IL Vegetable with sons-
thing OF q Pedigree.
OF all the plants used for food, there
Is none which has been 30 long known,
or has had, 80 to say, so distinguished
q lineage as asparagus, says Chambers
journal. Its record, in fact, reaches
back to almost the commencement Of
authentic history, as It is mentioned
about 425 B. c., and was q contem-
porary Of, though slightly older than,
Aristophanes.
y Among the Romans, also, the tasty
vegetable was held in high esteem.
Cato the elder-not the gentleman who
was of opinion that Plato reasoned
well, but his great-grandfather, who
insisted upon the destruction Of Car
thage, and who was born 234 B. c.
wrote a work which is still extant,
"De Re Rustica," and in 1t he treats at
length of the virtues and proper culti-
walton of asparagus. Pliny, also, in
his Natural History" (about go A. d.,
has much to say on the subject. "Of
all the productions of your garden" he
feelingly observes, 'your chief care
will be your asparagus" and he de-
votes several chapters and parts OF
chapters to its many beneficent quail
ties and the best modes of raising it.
He asserts that, even in his day, the
soil about Ravenna was SO favorable to
it's production that three heads grown
in that district had been known to
weigh Roman pound. AS, however,
this pound seems to have been equal to
only about eleven of our ounces, it
would apparently have required four
of the stocks to reach pound of our
weight; but this result, considering
the state of horticulture in those days,
may be looked upon as wonderful
enough, and has, in point of fact, only
been equaled in our own times
The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-08-16
A VERMONT SILVER MINE.
Tradition Says There IL . Rich store Z
white Metal in the state.

Tradition Says There IL Rich store Of
white Metal in the state
The western slope of the Green
mountains is prolific of legendary lore,
says the Rutland Herald. Especially
Is this true of radius of ten miles
from Lake Dunmore. From the time
of the earliest settlements in town
vague traditions have 6oated in the
air that at some earlier period fabu-
lous amount of silver had been mined,
hidden and abandoned somewhere
among the foothills that skirt the east
ern border of Brandon. When, where
and by whom, was the insolvable
enigma. These traditional myths be-
gan to assume a concrete form about
the year 1890, from the advent of
stranger of some three score years,
who had been wandering for long
time over the hills in Chittenden and
Brandon. BY Typographical memory
he was convinced that he had approxi-
mately located the object of his search
near the cabin of man named Rogers,
about three and one-half miles east
from the village of Brandon.
The stranger engaged board with
Rogers and disclosed to him his per-
sonal history, that of the mining COM
pany, and the purpose of his visit. He
represented himself as the youngest
of party of fourteen, all Spaniards,
one of whom was a woman and his
mother. He said that he was born in
camp and remained with them till
their removal, when he was about if
teen years of age; that they mined
about two and half tons of silver,
which was deposited in subterranean
cavern of great depth. and that the
approaches to it were carefully filled
and concealed, and, so far as pos
sible, all trace of their work effaced;
that they were driven away by the
hostility of the Indians and intended
to return at some time and reclaim
their property. and that for the pur-
pose of Identification they had buried
three iron wedges marked with certain
symbols that would indicate the
opening of the avenue to their
hidden wealth. He invited Rogers
to join him in the search and
offered him one-half of the spoils.
The invitation was declined through
distrust of the man. He then secured
the cooperation of one Field. and they
searched one or two more seasons in
vain for the hidden wedges. During a
temporary absence of the stranger
Field found the wedges, but concealed
the fact from his partner on his return.
At length the stranger became dis
couraged and disappeared from the
scene. Field prosecuted the work
with untiring tenacity until all his re-
sources were exhausted Without a
knowledge of the key to the symbolic
wedges they We're of little avail. Two
of these wedges have been lost; one is
now in the possession of gentleman
in Rutland who was among the last to
abandon the scheme, though his con-
tidenca in H. is rnshalxen
The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-08-16
A Hopeless Case.

Robert Collyer tells the story Of q
little girl with a vivid imagination
which constantly led her into amazing
extravagances regarding things which
she claimed to have seen. One day,
after an extraordinary exhibition of
her inventive powers, her mother ex-
claimed in despair: so, my dear! my
dear my dear! Don't yon know that
Ananias and Sapphira fell down dead
on account of the lies they told?
Don't you remember that terrible
story?" 20, yes" responded the child.
unsbashed. ~ saw them carried h
sfter they fell down deadt"