davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-11-01
THE WRONG CROWD.
An Audience That Was In No Mood for
Nonsense.

An Audience That Was In No Mood for
Nonsense.
The dapper little man in the check
suit, with bulky cane and a large
yellow valise. saw a good-sized crowd
on the street corner and Immediately
Owed into the center of it. He didn't
take time to stop to find out what was
the reason of the crowds gathering,
but began business at once. The thick
cane was given a dexterous twist that
developed it into tripod, and the
large yellow valise was placed on top
of it.
Gentlemen" began the dapper man.
The crowd concentrated its collective
eyes on him. 81 have here, continued
the orator, with the easy confidence OF
a man whose life has been passed in
public speaking. 81 have here for sale
at twenty-five cents bottle Old
Mother Sohnso's Homemade root bit
tiers. These bitters, gentlemen. are war
ranted to cure any case of loss of appe.
tite that ever existed. Ten drops taken
as dose before meal time will make
the most dyspetic man want porter
house steaks, fried chicken, ice-cream,
a whole half of pie"
He said no more. The crowd of hun.
cry strikers who had been living for
two weeks on half meal every fort.
ty-eight hours, jumped on him, jammed
his yellow valise, bottles and all, down
over his head and chased him up the
street at wondrous speed.-Indianapo
lis Journal
Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-11-01

same moment, anG. one of them uttered
a little exclamation as if al apparitio1
had appeared.
Sac cane toward the pro-p IN glid'
ing manner, but perfectly erect. and as
she got nearer they al saw that her
eyes were fixed on vacancy and that
gentlemen exclaimed in French, LA
Somnambule," and Hendricks, who had
risen, leaned over the rail and spoke to
her. He unconsciously used the tone
of one calling sleeper.
"Hallo, there" he cried.
The woman, who was about twenty
feet away, raised one of her long arms
and pointed at Hendricks. 1t was a
phantom-like and significant actor.
The next moment she uttered an
audible moan and fell down upon the
grass.
Hendricks jumped over the rail, ran
to her, and with some difficulty picked
her up. She was carried upon the bal
cony limp and silent and laid upon a
settee where there was a rug, and the
group gathered around her in pity and
wonder. Her garments were soiled and
torn as if by contact with the bushes.
But in spite of her somewhat haggard
face, she was singularly beautiful,
.'Some invalid who has got astray,"
said Mrs. Hendricks with pity.
The girl raised herself on her elbow
and stared at the place and the people
until her eyes rested on Hendricks, and
then in a soft, clear voice, she said:
Il am Jack Endicott's daughter. 1
have come for justice"
Then she broke down and sobbed
piteously.
Mr.. and Mrs. Hendricks walked apart
This is a revelation" said Hen
bricks. THE woman is a clairvoyant.
Now know how Endicott got his in
formation. 1t is fortunate for us that
we have possession of her. Treat her
tenderly and we'll test her power
Mrs. Hendricks did not understand
the full significance of his words-but
the young woman was conveyed to a
comfortable room and all the resources
of the establishment used to soothe and
reassure her. She remained, however,
taciturn and heart-broken for two
days. All efforts to make her eat or
converse were of little avail. On the
third day, it was reported that she was
dying. Hendricks saw her in COM
pany with DIR. Pellissier. who had first
called her a somnambulist. This
erratic Frenchman, whose after ex-
ploits SO inextricably confused genius
Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-11-01
"wHERE IS MRS. HENDRICKs?"

| drinking rum. That parsonage greeted
him with sailors cordiality and
swOre that it did his blasted mole's
eyes good to see a salt water man I'M
foreground.
The captain evidently knew him, for
he called him Jack Endicott, as tough
and tight 4 forecastle man as ever ran
a blockade or drank a pint of rum be-
tween watches.
Whatever else Endicott may have
been he was not proof against the
temptation of good liquor and an ire
sponsible life and he never before en-
cOuntered liquor quite so good as the
captains, whose well-stOcked buffet in
his cabin made q seaman's eyes gloat.
Whether it was part of Hendricks
scheme to disarm Endicott in this way,
is not positively known. But he had
told Fenning before that gentleman
left Laran that he could safely leave
the man with him.
Il want" he said, ''to know how he
read that telegram"
Four days passed and Endicott had
only seen Hendricks among the men at
work upon the furnace and electrical
"oiho, out lhC dpIdih toll SSCl
thing was all right-he could have all
the money he wanted, but he wished
him to stay longer. Damn it-you're
the only man with the smell of salt on
you that I've seen since I've been in
this subcellar." Then they repaired to
the cabin, filed themselves with rum
and went to sleep spinning yarns.
At the end of week Endicott in
sober and sullen mood had an inter-
view with Hendricks and demanded
settlement. Hendricks treated him
with the utmost politeness and said
that while he was perfectly willing to
pay him to secure his silence, it was
necessary TO think of some way in
which the specie could be transferred
without exciting suspicion.
You see, my dear SIR" he said, I'm
only consulting our mutual safety, l
wish you'd talk to the captain about
it. I'll do whatever he advises. o, by
the way, got dispatch from Fenning
this morning in which he says the
police are looking for you. If that is
the case, / wouldn't be in hurry to
leave this retreat"
Endicott did not dispute the cor
rectness of this statement, as Hen
bricks expected. Nor did any SUBJ
sequent experiment of this kind fur
nish any clew to his former knowledge
of the telegram.
He went back to the captain-they
filed up on rum and both of them set
out to see the lake which was to be lit
for the first time and upon which the
captain boosted that he was going to
have a good clinker-built boat so that
he could keep his shoulder-blades linn
Der.
1t is not known whether they quar-
relied on the way or not. But when in
the rotunda the captain wanted to
point out to him the chasm-one of
those bottomless pits which appear to
be a feature of all great caverns, and
which the captain called the Devils
Gullet"-they were seen together in
tipsy discussion about twenty feet
Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-11-01
A LIONS QUEER MEAL.
The Famished Creature DevOurs an Engi-
neer's AXle-GrGase.

The Famished Creature Devours an Engi-
neers .Axle-Grease.
Last winter, when the Snow-stormS
were so fearful throughout the noun
tains in Utah and the earth was COW
cred with snow to the depth Of five to
ten feet and remained hidden so long,
the wild animals were forced to des-
peration. The wolves were starved and
weak, and what is known as the noun
tain lion almost persisted from starva-
ton. Its great strength failed it. and
a man with knife could soon take the
life of an animal that short time be-
fore could hold powerful OK or horse
and make a meal of his flesh. The hun
cry animals after awhile discovered
that food was to be had along the rail-
road track, where passengers threw
bones and scraps of victuals from
passing trains. Often two starv-
ing coyotes would engage in deadly
combat over a chicken bone that had a
short time before been rid of its last
vestige of nourishment by some eco
nomical person who did not care to pay
seventy-five cents for a meal. This was
the condition of things. Engineer Cast
had charge of engine No. ISL, which
was known as ''the helper" from the
fact that it helped trains up the noun
tains and when at the summit cut off
and dropped back down to the bottom
ready to help another. One night when
business on the road was slack Cast
noticed something wrong with the
gearing under the tender, and re-
marked to the fireman that they would
get off and repair it. When half way
down the mountain side he brought
the engine to standstill, and the two
men went to work at what proved to
be twenty minutes job packing a
hot box on the tender. The tai
low pot was left at the boilers head.
After completing the repairs. the men
were mounting the engine again, only
to see huge mountain lion devouring
the tallow and holding full possession
of the engine cab. It was a cold night
and the snow drifting. The men had
already remained outside until they
were very cold, and the chances of dis
possessing Mr.. Lion were very meager,
as he snapped his teeth and flashed his
eyes and fast storel the tallow out of
sight. The only consolation the men
had was that the tallow would not last
long at that rate, and even this thought
was not entirely satisfactory, as they
had no way of determining that one of
them would not go the same way at the
conclusion of the tallow feast. Finally,
after fifteen minutes further delay,
the taIlow pot was empty, and, giving
a growl. as much as to say, II am very
thankful, gentlemen, and You ought to
be- the animal leaped from the cab
and disappeared in the hill
The recent killing by two hunters of
a mountain lion measuring nine feet
from tip to tip, in the Pecos valley, in
southern New Mexico, affords an illus
tration of the powerful wild beasts
that, inhabiting the forests and plains
and mountain districts, are rarely
seen by human eye. Such animals,
with n natural avoidance of humanity,
keep so well out OF the way that, ex-
cept for their depredations. only the
Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-11-01
LIFE OF A SPY.
Military Espionage and Military Method
of Gaining Information.

Military Espionage and Military Methods
of Gaining Information.
The utility of the actual spy in time
of war nowadays is limited, especially
in actual warfare, by the fact that
they are seldom able to convey their
news fast enough, and during the tur-
moil of war it is only the very latest
news that is of any value. When there
is a temporary lull in the hostilities,
they can be utilized in the camp of the
enemy, and they are specially adapta-
BILE during the period of preparation
for war, while the armies are occupied
with the equipment and march
ing orders. Under such circum-
stances, important personages, who
are seldom seen in intercourse with
the others, mix freely among the ordi-
nary herd, and thus an opportunity is
afforded to the spy to study both coun-
try and people. If the ''theater of
war" is just on the boundaries, there
is never any lack of self-sacrificing men
who are willing to risk their lives and
regulations for the sake of their coun-
try, and here again espionage loses
great deal of it's abhorrent character
istics. Still the enemy is bound. in
self-defense, to punish even these
patriotic efforts with extreme severity,
and the command issued by the Ger
mans on August 10, 1870, was
that all spies and traitors should
be punished by death. Although
the decree was greatly criticised at the
time, it was in point of fact simply
necessary precaution. Other armies
have gone still further; for instance,
in the American war of independence,
in 1850, the British major and general
-adiutant, Andre, was arrested on
tour of espionage in the enemy's lines
and hanged, although he begged for
the privilege of being shot like a SOL
-dier."
Such espionage as this. however. can
not be looked on as dishonorabie-on
the contrary. In this case the end GER
tainly justifies the means. The spy
who sacrifices reputation, honor and
life for his country, may be looked on
as a true hero.-Count Erich Won Wal
den, in Home and Country.
Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-11-01

j to which Hendricks had directed his
whole energy was the provisioning of
the retreat and the securing of safe
sanitarium. In carrying out the first OF
these precautions, he had managed,
with consunmate care, during period
of eight months, to load into the south
western entrance a vast store of ma
terial, purchased at Cincinnati, Louis
Vile, st. Louis and Memphis, and de-
livered by boat at the Wash bayou,
where there was a storehouse and
whence the goods were hauled for the
apparent use of the two surface hotels.
Other and smaller streams of supplies
were reaching the sanitarium overland
continuously. 1t is calculated that dur
ing the eight months over eleven hun
dred thousand dollars were spent for
supplies. In the lists of purchases APP
peared two items of unusual import
lone thousand magazine rifles
eighteen thousand dollars" They
were contracted for in the east by Q
western dealer ostensibly to be sold on
the plains and were bought in three
lots. But they reached the Wash
bayou without attracting attention,
for they were shipped in pieces at in
tervals and put together in the Laran
works. The other item was-''five
hundred polished nickel steel plates"
made to order by the Corinth Steel
company and consigned to bradshaw
& Fenning, Memphis, Tenn" These
plates figured in the mysterious Laport
gun which afterwards caused such
consterna ton.
Hendricks, during these eight
months, had evidently calculated to
offset the increased probabilities of
exposure in making such vast pur-
chases by the increased security af:
forded when he got his material into
his fortress-and this alone would
show that he had other and vaster
schemes in allegiance, and that, after
all, the fitting out of the Laran cave
was only a provisional step to some
thing else.
Our imaginary visit, therefore, at
this time discloses at Laran an entirely
different condition of affairs. The
sanitarium looks like rural hotel.
There are several persons on the broad
balcony, but they exhibit only the in.
dolence of country boarders. The
warm sun lies peacefully on the lawns,
but there is simmer in the air above
the big chimney which tells of great
volume of heat pouring into the blue
sky. There are servants about the
Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-11-01

kitchen and there are two Royal Dane
maStiffS with their heads on their
| paws asleep on the steps of the main
| entrance.
| There is not the slightest indication
in this quiet hostclry hidden among the
trees and rocks of the great slope on
which it stands of the activity under
meath it's foundations.
! The moment we arrive in the lower
domain, we find the place lighted as if
with the light of day; the hum of ma
chinery and the murmur of voices reach
us. The whole area is encircled with
wooden structures, offices, warerooms
| and habitations, some of them lastly,
though fiimsily, built. In the center
of the area is a pavilion and overhead
is big electric sunlight. On one Of
the walls is the terminus of Laport's
railway, with its suggestion OF a little
| station and iron steps reaching down
to the stone flooring and heavy crane
for landing tools. The coal measure
passage has been dug out evidently by
using the coal. But it is when we
come to the rotunda that we shall be
astonished. This magnificent natural
temple is brilliantly lit and regiment
of men is being drilled on its cleared
and almost smooth stone flooring. Tho
Devils Outlet is fenced in by an iron
rail-for one morning Miss Endicott
was caught walking on it's brink and
looking over with horror pictured on
her face. She was rescued and Hen
bricks ordered the place rallied in.
From the Imprinted railway station
which here is twenty-eight feet above
the solid level, Hendricks and three
men are watching the evolutions of
the regiment which are in some re-
spects wholly unlike anything ever
before seen in military tactics.
The vast spaces beyond the rotunda
and quite up to the lake itself are
packed high with stores. 1t looks like
series of endless warerooms or mon.
strous depots and smells heavily like
one of those streets where all the COM
modities of man obtrude themselves
upon the sidewalks and impede travel.
If we penetrate to the hog back area
we shall find that in its passages are
stables and that there are not only
horses but mich cows there and that
the great chasm in the south wall has
been con verified into magazine and
has heavy wooden doors across it's en-
trance. The mouth of this chasm. il
will be noticed, owing to turn in the
wall, faces directly north. The benches
of the Laport railway are only two
feet above the tops of the wooden
doors.
Vague rumors were in the air about
the Tennessee sanitarium. The secret
service of the government was in pos
session of the facts which set them
searching for the man known as the
captain and they had traced him to the
Mississippi. Vast quantities of gold
had been paid out for goods sent to
Laran. One fact elected another. But
inquiries failed to identity Hendricks
with the description given OF Kent as
he appeared on the San Pedro and the
Memphis bank said that he had gold
on deposit there prior to the robbery
of the Corinthian. The moment this
sort of inquiry got into the papers,
facts were ELECTED that could lead to
but one conclusion in the end and
events began to point significantly
toward Laran.
iro BIZ coNTMuxDJ
Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-11-01

from its rim by two of the wor!sInen.
and ten minutes later the captain was
seen alone.
EndicOtt was never seen again on
earth. Whether he was pushed over or
staggered over, Hendricks declared he
never knew. But n marked change
came over the captain after this. He
drank more than ever. and slept most
of his time away in an alcoholic stu
por. never coming into the daylight.
lich he said blinded him.
A week after the catastrophe, about
seven o'clock in the evening. az Mr..
and Mrs. Hendricks, with two or three
other persons, were sitting on the
western balcony of the sanitarium, the
figure of q woman suddenly appeared
against the dark masses of shrubbery
about forty feet from the house. She
seemed to hare taken form at that
spot. Nobody saw her previous APP
proach. and her slender and graceful
figure was clad IN some kind of light
material which caught all there was of
the departing light and made her look
exceedingly phantom-like. All the
persons in the balcony saw her at the
Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-11-01
All Danger Removed.

It was at the dinner party given by
the contractors wife.
sAnd l see you are not eating any
grapes, Mrs. Newrich. They are SO
nice, too. Don't you care for them?'
Mrs. Newrich-Well, really, I like
them, but am afraid of appendeskee-
tees, you know.
Hostess-Oh, you don't need to be
afraid of them, Mrs. Newrich, for I
paid extra for these, and the man told
me the appendeskeetus had been cut
out before he brought them to town.
indianapolis Sentinel.
Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-11-01

and madness, instantly pronounced 1t
a case of trance and was delighted be.
yond measure. Here the case was left
in his hands as other and more urgent
events were demanding Hendricks at
tention.
But the doctor made a discovery
which proved of great Importance SUBJ
sequently. One morning he found the
woman who was in trance condition
clasping something in her hand It
proved to be small packet with
human hair in it. Two more of these
packets containing hair of other colors
were afterwards found in her bed by
Mrs. Hendricks.
CHAPTER XII
The reader must go to Laran at the
beginning of the last half of the
second year of preparation and en-
deavor, not only to get n clear view of
what had been done, but prepared to
view with establishment the still more
audacious projects of this man.
Laran was now hidden hive OF
energy. The great sanltarium which
lifted it's rude but imposing proper
tons out of the wilderness and poured
an almost continuous stream of black
smoke from it's chimney stack, held a
varying population, some of whom
were woman, and all of whom were
Hendricks agents. Sixteen miles
away was another large house, reached
on the surface by an almost impassa-
BILE and tortuous road of rocks, but
accessible to all the inmates of the
sanitarium in less than half an hour
by unde1 ground means and connected
by telephone and telegraph of the lat
est and incest adjustment along the
same subterranean passages.
The shaft from the sanitarium to the
labyrinth beneath had been perfected
by the most consummate mechanical
skill of Laport, and it was hidden from
casual observation by the most cum
ming adjustment of materials. That
end of the house which covered the de-
scent had cost Hendricks and Laport
more thought and ingenuity than all
else. The shaft had been enlarged
and fitted with an iron lift down to the
narrow passage that led from it to the
arena. The circular steel cage which
fitted into the shaft could be turned
EOuuu lTOE1 DeIOW, 81 Giltt us nun
door that furnished an exit into the
passage would be on the opposite side
against a solid wall of rock and the
passengers. if enemies, would have to
cut their way through half inch of
steel to get into the passage and, when
there, would have to walk through in
single file at the mercy of anybody at
the lower exit, who could pick them
Off in detail without any danger to
himself. The exit above was covered
with the hard floor of a room whose
was undetectable by anybody
who was not already aware of the de-
vice. In addition to this, a steel door
had been fitted to the end of the pas
sage below where it opened into the
vast work-room, because Hendricks
thought at times he heard in the room
above the sound of the engine and
dynamo.
A sense of absolute security was
thus obtained when the inmates of the
sanitarium went below. It vas
physically impossible for force of any
kind to reach them in that
direction.
The next and obvious consideration
Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-11-01
arGREArA-7aa,
IA1khNNREg51Alns!,'
;easNCs xnilssax fsn,
COPYRIGHT. 1904 I
CHAPTER K.

The visit of Fenning and his rnys-
FERROUS companion to Laran resulted
in way that neither he nor the visi-
tor could have predicted. Hendricks
met him in the most gentlemanly man
ner, told him to make himself at home
in the hotel flor that was what the
sanitarium was frequently called);
gave him to understand that he would
have talk with him and fix the mat
ter up satisfactorily when he found n
good opportunity. He even sent him
down into the workshops, and treated
him so Hospitality that the man was
outwit:ed at the start
He had not been in the cave half an
hour when he encountered the captain,
who very seldom left it, but occupied
all his time in playing cribbage and
Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-11-01
Didn't Know Him.

Observant Citizen-That seems to be
very thoughtful man in the fourth
seat front. Judge?
Conductor--No. Capitalist.
should have taken him for a Judge
or deep student by his straightforward.
impressive look
oh, he's only playing make believe
that he's paid his fare. bat I'll get him.
Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-11-01
No Time to Repent.

..And so you married in haste. Well,
did you repent at leisure?'
Hardly. l have not had leisure
.snomeut since the ceremony Truth.
Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-11-01

Helena, Mont, was named for
demale relative OF miner named John
Sommerville.