davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The morning call., 1895-02-03
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Copyright, 1895.
MRS. HETTY'S IRON CHEST.

Pirates Gold Proved n Heritage of
Sorrow.
The traditions of treasures buried by the
pirates of Kidd, LATTE and Blackboard
give romantic interest to the Atlantic
coast from Massachusetts to Georgia.
Thousands of men have searched for these
buried chests of gold, but there is authentic
record of only two finds, u one on the New
England coast, the other in Virginia. The
latter case is said to have furnished Poe
with the foundation of his story the "Gold
Bug" The facts are briefly these.
In the Atlantic Ocean, lying of. the Vir-.
ginia coast, there are two or three heavily
wooded islands. One of these was the re-
sort of Blackboard, and was called by his
name-Teach. A neighboring island
century ago belonged to wealthy woman
on the mainland. 1t was a wilderness
which never had been inhabited except by
foxes, wild ducks and other game. A
trusty old slave named Ben was placed by
her in cabin on the beach to bring her
occasionally game and fish.
One day while walking on the shore Ben
saw yellow CLEAN in the sand. 1t came
from gold coin. HeSearched breathlessly
along the beach and found rusty iron
box, one end of which had fallen out.
Within was heap of coins, with crosses
and silver crucifixes. The old man went
to his cabin and brought an empty salt
bag, which he filed with the coins He
then dragged heap of brush over the
chest to conceal it, set up broken sapling
to mark the place, and started for the main
land to give the treasure to his mistress.
Tradition says that Mrs. Henry Hetty
was bad, suspicious woman, and that
when the trusty old negro gave her the
| mass of coin her Joy was equaled by her
terror that he would rob her OF the great
| treasure which he had left behind. A
heavy storm ragged for five days. 1t was
| impossible for her to make the voyage to
| the island in an open boat, and she would
not trust Ben, nor even her brother or son
to go with her. At the end of a week the
sea was calm enough for her to cross, but
the sapling, the brush and the chest had
disappeared. An unbroken stretch of sand
covered the whole coast
Ben could not find the spot then nor ever
after. His mistress, it is said, kept him at
the search as long as he lived aiding him
| herself, but in vain. Some of the gunners
who have visited the island have also
searched for Mrs. Hetty's chest, but it has
never been found. Nothing is certain but
! the fact the bag of coins was brought to her
and that the touch of the gold and her sus-
| picions and greed made her life wretched
| to the end. The poor fishermen of the
| coast understand the moral of her story.
| When any of their number grows avari-
| clous they. say that he has rubbed his
hands against Hetty's iron chest. Gin
| clnnatl Commercial Gazette.
The morning call., 1895-02-03
~, Fra,a4 q Carpenter.

The Korean magistrates are in reality
the cause of the great war between China
and Japan They are sort of petty kings,
and they rule the villages of the hermit
kingdom. They pay the high officials of
Seoul for their offices, and these put por-
ton of the amounts received into the royal
treasury and keep the balance. The mag
istrates collect the money from the farmers
in the shape of taxes, and they do this in
the most arbitrary way. They are the
Judges and the courts, as well as the tax
eatherers, and the man who does not obey
them can be called up on all sorts of
charges and tortured and fined. There is
system of laws as to taxes, but this is
evaded in every possible.way, and the peo-
pie are at the mercy of these little poten-
tates. The law is that every man must
work a certain time during the year for the
King, and the magistrates decide as to the
time he must labor. Many of them own
slaves, and they all have what in Korea
are considered very swell establishments,
with scores of scribes, each of whom has
his own rank, and who is a sort of politi-
cal striker. These scribes have dress of
their own. They wear long white gowns,
which fall from their necks to their feet,
and little plug hats of black horse hair,
which they tie on to their crowns, and
which fit on to the head much like
woman's bonnet These hats are fastened
by black ribbons secured under the chin,
and the gowns are tied by silk chords,
which run around the waist. Their sleeves
are tight, and in Korea only the high Off
Gals and gentlemen can wear full sleeves.
General PAX, my interpreter during my
trip through Korea, had sleeves of about
The morning call., 1895-02-03

have four or FIVE kinds of whales, but
mostly the California gray, and plenty of
killers. They are the chaps that make
things lively. There see that?" and the
speaker stopped rowing and pointed sea-
ward
l turned and caught sight of faint cloud
of mist hanging just over the water a
thousand yards away.
That's one-a whale. Watch and you
will see him come up again" A moment
later big black object became visible, and
a puff of smoke appeared on the water.
The bullet must have started the monster,
as it skipped along the water, as big tail
rose and stood for a second like black
palm tree, then disappeared.
1.-The last time | saw whale so near"
said the Catalinian, twas right off Avalon
Bay, and it was show that people would
have paid good deal to see. / had been
up shore fishing, and Just as we got off
Sugar Loaf we heard a terrible crash, and
not more than a thousand feet away was a
sixty-foot whale trying to stand on its tail.
1t would dash out of water fall back on its
side and whirl that tail about in way
that would have smashed boat to pieces !;
then it disappeared, evidently sounding,
The morning call., 1895-02-03
W'N6 SHOTS Il
~ ,AFA.ouF EXPERIENCE
MlaNMNMXXh-e OLA SPORTSMAN

dolphin was sorely wounded and swan
around and around on its back, beating the
water with its tail with blows that would
have smashed the gunwale of small boat;
then 1t would leap into the air, sound and
come up again, hurting its body far out OF
the water
During one of these rushes / sent an
other bullet into it, and we soon had the
dolphin alongside, and while l braced the
boat my companion managed to haul 1T
aboard-a fine fellow nearly five feet in
length-and probably weighing 100 pounds.
The creature looked like some of the
queer things the Queen Charlotte islanders
cut out of slate, its skin being hard, black
and shiny, with prominent rounded
beak, which gave it a singular appearance.
In other respects 1t was perfect whale,
its tail being at right angles with the body,
and upon the top of the head were the
blow-holeS or nostrils.
While we drifted several porpoises came
by and, rising from the water, afforded
panion shot one which was secured after
hard tustle. ''You may think this is all
sport" said the sportsman, ''but it is not
The oil of these animals is valuable; the
skin brings good sum, and even the
skeleton when cleaned finds a market, so
there is nothing lost in cunning for dol
phins or porpoises. The only trouble about
it here is that you can't depend on it all
the time. Occasionally dolphins are fairly
plentiful. Last summer one was taken on a
hook and line; and they will rush into the
harbors, chasing the little fish out of the
water; then again one can't be found, but
they are sport when they do come.
Besides the dolphins and porpoises we
The morning call., 1895-02-03
. THE FAIRY STONE.

1t Is Found in Virginia and Is Supposed
to Be Ta1isman Against Evil.
The 'Mother of Statesmen has produced
number of good things from first to last
chivalrous men, fascinating soft-voiced
women, fine horses and the like, but that
a popular fad should originate with her
is an altogether new departure. Every
thing must have a beginning, however,
and who knows now that the fairy stone
has found such favor in the world or
fashion, what possibilities she may de
velop in this direction? These queer BITS
of petrifed earth are indigenous to Patrick,
q southern border county OF Virginia. cut
off from Henry, and called, like the latter,
in honor of the statesman and orator,
| Patrick Henry. They are not excavated
| for, but lie loose upon the surface OF the
| earth, and though restricted to two or
| three parts of the county exist in great
| numbers and various sizes,
| Upon each stone a representation of the
cross is distinctly though delicately traced,
| and legend concerning them states that
| band of fairies, dwelling at Jerusalem dur
| ing the life of our Savior, and witnessing the
awful scene on Calvary, were so Mortified
by it that they fed to this remote region
and transformed themselves into these
petrified emblems. This legend has given
rise to innumerable superstitions, and from
time immemorial the stones have been
worn as amulets by those living in the
vicinity in which they are found.
The reputation was local, however, until
that era in Virginias history known as
'the BOOM" Then her superstitions and
sacred traditions, along with her other
| commodities, became objects OF barter.
Speculation fixed its calculating eye upon
the fairy stone, and it was taken from its
native bed and experimental with in order
that it might be rendered marketable.
1t was soon discovered that no tedious
process was necessary for its development.
A sharp instrument passed along the out
line stamped upon its surface converted
the jagged stone into symmetrical cross,
| and little polishing and'a plunge into
bath of boiling oil gave the requisite
smoothness and the rich mahogany color
one sees in the stone of commerce. a tip
of gold at the four extremities and a ring
| to which chain might be attached gave
| the finishing touch to it, and when thus
simply mounted fairy stones sold for 81
apiece.
The traditions concerning their wonder
working power are as inexhaustible as the
| beds from which they are taken, and would
| furnish endless themes to writers of fairy
| tales and folklore stories. They are sup
| posed to ward off evil and bring good luck
| to their possessor, but in order to do this
must be worn around the neck and next to
| the person.-Gliberta S. White in Phila-
| delphia Times.
The morning call., 1895-02-03
RAPID sHIP-BUILDING.
A War Vessel Launched a Year after
the Keel Was Laid.


the Keel Was Laid.
Examples of the speed with which bat
tleships of enormous tonnage can be built
in English dockyards are furnished by the
Magnificent and Majestic, whose keels were
laid less than twelve months ago. The
Magnificent. with all her armor plating
on, her boilers fitted and good deal of the
machinery on board, will be foated out of
the dock next Wednesday, or exactly
year and day from the date on which she
was begun. The ceremony might have
been performed a day earlier but for
Lady Spencer's inability to be present
then. At Portsmouth the Majestic is
only in little less forward state, and
she may be ready for floating out in
the course of few weeks. Thus both
ships will have beaten the record for
rapidity of construction. 1t is only fair to
say, however, that the Magnificent could
not have been advanced so far IN the short
space of twelve months without the aid of
private contractors.
Messrs. Penn, the engineers, have done
wonders in supplying the huge boilers and
machinery as fast as the builders couid
get ready for them, and Messrs. Canneu
d Co. of Sheffield have delivered every
foot of forged steel armor-platlng for the
great citadel with unexampled CELEBRITY
Every plate, the thickest of which meas
ures fourteen inches through, had to be
rolled with a special calculature IN all
directions and caSe-hardened on It's outer
surface to a degree of density by what IS
known as the Harvey process, which the
Admiralty only decided to adopt eighteen
months ago, and the manufacturers OF
armor-plates have shown great enterprise
in adapting their plant to meet the new
requirements.
The Magnificent is del-belted, with
double streak sixteen or seventeen feet
wide just below and above the water line:
Every foot of this is now in position, and
the great battleship will be tioated out OF
the dock on Wednesday in a state nearer
completion than was that of the Royal
Sovereign when she was named by the
Queen three years ago. In fact, nothing
so rapid in the rate of battleship construc-
ton has been accomplished before in this
or any other country. The Victorious, laid
down in the same yard only few months
ago, is built with equal rapidity, and the
armor plating for her citadel will begin at
once.
Fast as the Government dockyards are
working, however, there is a proba b1llty
that both Portsmouth and Chatham will
be beaten by Birkenhead, where Messrs.
Laird have put much work into the Mars
already, that she may be foated with
nearly all her engines and fittings COM
plete well within twelve months from the
day when her keel was laid. Scarcely less
rapid progress has been made with another
ship of the same class, being built by
Messrs. Thompson on the Clyde, so at least
five first-class battleships provided for in
the Government programme may be ready
for commission next iyear.-London Daily
News.
The morning call., 1895-02-03

mobiles about and my servant was of no
earthly good. The result was had to do
the cooking myself.
I found it hard to get enough to eat dur
ing this trip over the country. The chick
ems which were furnished us were of an
uncertain age, and the same was true of
the eggs. boiled one chicken for two
hours without making any impression on
its toughness, and / afterward found that
the people do not like to sell to the magis-
trates, for the reason that they seldom paw
for anything they get. They will seize
what they can find and take it as right.
was a distinguished traveller, and they
thought, of course, would not pay. We
found very poor rice at most of the inns,
and l was more than half starved during
much of the trip. My birthday occurred
on the journey, and my birthday dinner
consisted of toast, rice, a fve-year-old
chicken and bit of currant jelly which
had brought with me from Seoul. Ny
dessert was a little tablet of chocolate, and
this formed one of the best meals l got on
the trip. The sleeping accommodations
were poor in the extreme. At the country
inns we had to sleep on the stone floor, and
were half baked by the straw fires beneath
US. As soon as the stones were warmed all
sorts of creeping things came out, and [
finally compromised matters by taking out
the sliding walls of the room and propping
them up on logs in the center of the apart
ment, so that L was to a certain extent
away from the walls and the floor. There
was no privacy whatever, and children by
scores watched me make my toilet and the
Government clerks fingered my wardrobe.
| found the magistrates well disposed,
The morning call., 1895-02-03
A Piece of Her Mind.

There were little red streaks in her face
ana blaze IN her eye, as she came into q
country telegraph office not 1000 miles from
Detroit
81 want to telegraph to my husband, :"
she SAID with a snap of her large and
shapely jaw.
Yes, madam, responded the operator,
handing her some blanks.
How much will it be?" she inquired.
Il don't know, madam" replied the
operator with keen politeness and faint
smile.
Don't know" she exclaimed. What
are you here for?"
ITO tell people what l know, madam,
and to send and receive messages"
Wen, why don't you know how much a
telegram will cost2"
Because, madam, don't know where it
is to be sent"
well, you needn't be so smart" she
snapped. st is to go to Detroit"
THANK you, madam it will be 25 cents. !"
She made no further remarks, but took
the blanks and in the course of time re-
turned with about ten pages OF closely
written matter.
"Therep' she said, laying quarter down
with the message i'send that"
But, madam" explained the operator,
lit is 70 cents for ten words"
Nv hat?" she calculated.
You can only send ten words for %
cents"
She looked him square in the face as she
tried to suppress her feelings.
Are you married man2'' she asked.
Yes, madam
We'll, you must be an idiot If you don t
know that a woman can't give husband
piece OF her mind in ten words, and with
out waiting to hear anything more from
him, she fouted herself out of the Office,
taking her message, with her.-Detroit
The morning call., 1895-02-03

He rowed slowly and l obeyed orders.
l saw big moonfish glistening in the
sunlight as it rolled from side to side like
a water-logged ship. I saw the deep blue
of the ocean, the green slopes of the noun
tains clothed in their winter coat of YER
dure, the distant range beyond Los
Angeles with its snowcapped peaks.
saw-but then something black, big and
long rose into the air not fifty yards away.
why didn't you fire2'' laughed my
companion.
$50 that's it?' 1 said.
Precisely, and I'll wager two to one
that you miss the first three times. The
game is one of the smartest and slickest
animals in the ocean, the bottle-nosed
dolphin" continued my friend. ''They
seem to be running here now, and 1 acct
dentally came across them yesterday
coming in from goat-hunt."
How many did you get?" asked.
II didn't want to spoil the sport so you
have the field" was the answer.
Ihad knocked over fiying-fish and winged
the sunfish but this game, so much like
the white whale, was new However, there
was only one to witness my failure, so we
The morning call., 1895-02-03

The laws of the country are such that no
animal food can be sold during cholera,
and in most cases we could get nothing but
very coarse rice.
During the great part of this trip through
the country the rain came down in tor
rents, and we had to cover our baggage
with oiled paper in order to keep it from
being soaked. The Korean paper is all
made by hand 1t is about as thick as
blotting-paper, but it is as tough as leather,
and it costs about cents a sheet, each
sheet being about the size of this news
paper. When oiled, it makes splendid
waterproof cloth, and l had a circular or
cloak of yellow oiled paper, which tied
around my neck and which hung to my
feet Ny pony was not much bigger than
a Newfoundland dog and it almost COW
cred him. General" PAX and our gorgeous
servants had similar coats; and our hats
were covered by cornucopias of this same
oiled paper, which entirely protected them
from the water. / noted that the inside
lining of my coat was covered with Korean
characters, and | asked PAX what these
were.
He said the paper had been used by the
office-seekers in writing their essays for
the King in the civil service examinations,
which were held once or twice a year in
the grounds of the palace, and he told me
how the Cabinet Ministers make nice
thing out of selling these rejected exami-
nation papers. All the appointments are
supposed to be made through such exami-
nations. The office-seekers have to write
their essays in poetry, and they don't
know the subject until they are on the
ground. Each line must be just so long,
and l think that twenty-six verses make
up a poem. The fellow who turns out the
best jingle is supposed to get the best Of
fee, though there is undoubtedly a great
deal of fraud in the apportionment, and
bribery and intrigue are common. l after
ward saw these examination papers every
where and used for all sorts of purposes.
l slept in some rooms which were carpeted
with them, the paper being oiled and plas-
tered down on the stones. 1t made beau
tifully polished and not unpicturesque
looking carpet, and it was not affected by
the heat of the flues beneath it.
1t is almost impossible to give good
idea of Korea. Everything is so different
from anything we have in America. Take
The morning call., 1895-02-03

pulled out away from shore. 1t was a
typical California day, clear and delightful.
Here and there pelican came numbering
along; high in the sky an eagle moved;
while various sea birds flew by, headed for
San Clemente. Soon came a snort, then
another, and two dolphins darted out of
the water, one on each side. | took one
shot, blowing the water fifty. feet away,
and as changed over to take the opposite
side my companion dropped in the boat,
evidently in fear of my enthusiasm. The
animals were not ten feet await was
like the man who tried to shoot the bird
that alighted on his gun.
While we were laughing another dolphin
rose at least three feet into the air 100
yards away, and more by good fortune
than skill dropped my rifle into a posi-
ton that sent conical bullet through the
head of the animal, so much like fish,
but more of whale, that fairly winged in
the air turned and fell uponits side with a
resounding splash.
The boat was turned in its direction, but
to approach it was another question. The
The morning call., 1895-02-03

Don't say a word, but bring your rife
down to the beach tomorrow early, and
will show you some new game"
The speaker was an old habitue of Santa
Catalina, who knew the varied sports of
the island well. so | was on the sands
bright and early, and stepping into the
boat which was ready we shot off and were
soon rounding the pebble beach that leads
to the seal rocks off the south end of the
island.
We skirted the rocky shores for a mile or
more, past the cliffs where the wild goats
could be seen clinging like sea birds, by
little canyons that cut their way up into
the rocks to distant mountains of vivid
green, and finally hoated on the ground
swell that came in from the wide Pacific and
broke against the cliffs.
"Now, said my companion, "keep your
eyes open and see what you can see."
The morning call., 1895-02-03

ent in different parts of the country, largely
due, | suppose, to exposure. The gentle
men of Seoul have skins of delicate cream,
and l saw some in which the roses came
out and tinted the cheeks. The laborers
IN the field are as bronze as our Indians,
and some of the coolies at the seaports are
as black as the negro. | saw many noses
that were almost fiat, and the cheekbones,
In all cases, were high. / was surprised at
the difference in the faces according to rank
and condition, and this difference exists
not only IN Korea, but also In Japan and
In China. The higher classes OF the three
peoples have refined, intelligent faces.
Many OF the gentlemen of Korea have mar
row, high foreheads, and you see every
type OF life on the streets OF Korean city
that you 90 in America. There is the rich
offlclal who swells about and puts on airs.
There is the scholar wo evidently burns his
midnight oil, and there is the keen, calcu-
latlng trader who watches his whiting"
business quite as well as our merchants do
their large establishments. The men have
slight boards, and their whiskers do not
seem to grow until they are 80. General"
PAX had mustache which made me think
tache to baseball nine. There were nine
hairs on each side, with one in the middle
for umpire. He caressed these often, and
also the stray curly little hairs which
decorated his chin, and one day he said:
II do love my whiskers think they grow
very much"
Connected with all of the magistrates
establishments l found jails, and there
were paddles and stocks scattered about.
These are used very freely to squeeze
money out of the people and magistrate
has really great power over his subjects.
The Jails were about eight feet square, and
they were closed with doors much like
those of a cowshed There is a hole in
the door about as big as a dinner-plate,
and in this the food is put for the prison
ers. The scribes do the padding, and
the people are squeezed out of all their
surplus cash. In the trip across the
country | saw signs of poverty everywhere,
but no starvation. The people were good
natured, lazy and shiftless. They have no
incentive to work, for if they get a little
money ahead and the magistrates find it
out charge is trumped up against them
and they have to give up portion of it to
the officials. The japanese will attempt to
reform all this. They will organize, if pos
sible, a good government, and property
rights will be made safe. | believe that
the people have the elements requisite to
the making OF strong nation, and that
from now on they will steadily improve.
The change will not be immediate, for
centuries of shiftlessness cannot be re-
paired in night, but they have a rich
country, and they will begin to develop it
as soon as they find that the results of
their labor will not be taken from them
and that they can permanently better
their condition.
7 a'N"A< 4. CAI.>ls<