davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26

the colored folks, and well did they i'm
prove it. Dressed In their best, they
fiocked to the scene, and enjoyed the mill
tary maneuvers as much or even more
than the sisters and other female relatives
of the hardy veterans. But their enjoy
ment was not confined to looking at the
soldiers. In the intervals of military evo-
lutions. they danced to the music of sol
itary fiddle, and no matter how great the
heat of the sun or how profuse the per-
spiration that poured down their sable
skins. they never allowed such trifies MS
heat or perspiration to interfere with
their pleasure. Among their number,
however, were always some who had an
eve to business, and on every muster
ground an old nanny" with little
stand of gingercakes, apples, soda water
or watermelons, was a familiar figure.
To the expert in military affairs the
muster DAYS were u source OF boundlcss
mirth. but for all that they had their
uses. They kept up military spirit in
the people Mt time when military
shirt was necessity. A country born
amid the clash of arms naturally turned
towards the profession of arms, ana the
fact that we did not become a nation OF
soldiers was due to other causes. In the
early DAYS. Indian fighting was a matter
of daily occurrence all along the frontier
and some show of military organization
was an absolute necessity. While the
Indian wars were on, in the district:
most exposed to Indian raids, the militia
masters were stern realities, but as ad
ycnturous men gradually pushed the iron
tier further on to the West, the district
| loft behind found the militia drill a super
| fluffy: little by little 1t was converted
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26

ont one. His usual costume was pair
Of iinscy wolsey unmentionables, a pair
Of Aoccnsins. . yool hat and shirt OF
the rame material, worn open at the neck.
when Zoe mad little difference of opin-
ION with any one which he deemed 1t de-
sirable Do settle ut once, he caught his
shirt at the hack of his neck, gave 1t
flinr that sometimes threw 1t ten steps
away, and was ready for the battle.
The local politician was another char
acter who made himself prominent ut the
mustcrx They were notable occasions
for making vetes, and when the election
was not distant, the candidates were al
wars numerous. The qualifications fol
electioneersnx we're somewhat different
then. it il true, but the principle was thu
same. The candidate of those days was
nm adcpt In shooting for beef" In pitch
ing quoits and in various other amuse
mcnts of that kind, and resorted to any o.
them to make himself popular. always
however. first and last, relying on hi
| treating abilities TO clinch whatever pop
uIarity Ne might be able to gain BY othe
neAnA He might be canvassing TOR
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26

the time the first pencil sketch was
drawn until Mrs. Iselin cracked the
bottle Of champagne upon her deck,
crying, II name thee Defender? she
worked as tirelessly as Herreshoff him
self, giving her entire attention to every
step In the work. Mrs. Iselin will ac'
company her husband abroad and viii
do a little racing with the Britannia
owned by the Prince of Wales. She is
great favorite with the Prince ant
Princess Of Wales and with the Czal
of Russia, and is one Of the most beau
tiful Of American women.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26

the wear to those country districts whose |
local happenings were few ana compare
lively unimportant All or nearly AL the |
States had militia laws, and though ior
the most part these were dead iettcr
on the statute books, there were from tne
to time efforts made to carry them out Ny
assembling as many of the male popui"-
ton as could be induced to come ON
stated day for the nominal purpose OF
drill. Theoretically every man oil militia
age was bound to come, but practically
nobody came who did not feel like II, anu
those who did drilled much as they pleas
cd. which was not very much, the most OF
the day being spent in bartering, horse
racing. or other ways familiar to the conn
try folk of that day when they got togo n
err. In fact, in not few parts OF Inc
country, particularly in the South, ihe
spring and fall muster days were made
semi-annual fetes, in which the originai
purpose of the gatherings was quite iost
sight of in the diversions they inspired
According to the militia laws OF most OF
the States, there were company musters
at least twice a year; often these were
held quarterly, while once year there
was regimental or brigade muster. NJ
some central town in the district, when
was indeed very grand occasion, anu
gave an opportunity to the regimentai
and brigade officers for the display OF all
their finery. These opportunities. how
ever. golden as they We're. did not occur
often enough to fix themselves in the pop
ular mind as did the company muster, and
whenever muster day is mentioned IN our
earlier annals, unless otherwise specimen,
the company muster is understood to be
meant.
Legally, every man was not only bound
to be present, but was bound to come
properly equipped for military duty, or
as one such law specified. with one gun
and sufficient ramrod and bayonet, with
two fints. one powder horn. one bag 81
bullets, one haversack with two days
provisions one belt" and various other
articles necessary to the compliment Oh =
soldier. AS a matter of fact, however
when the company actually assembled
for drill military equipments were con
spicuous by their absence. If there were
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26

degree An soon as the arrivals had put
mn their horses, by hitching them to CON
xenienf bonsh in the grove that was al
WAYS near the training ground, they
procect3ed to refresh" at the country
store and then joining their friends IN
the grove near by, began the discussion
Of topics Of 1--we interest, such as the cohdi-
ton of the growing crops, the state Oh
,ocnl politics. the probabilities of national
;ssuexu aud such other matters OF moment
:. occurred to them Mt the time as worthy
~ consideration. The discussions were
mot without heat and fervor, and OCCASION
ally n difference of opinion took place
among friends that could only be settled
by an appeal to arms. In such cases Il
ring was formed, and the friends OF the
disputants standing by to see falr pay
the difficulty was speedily adjusted by the
t,se of natures weapons. No prize was
offered. save the consciousness OF victory
well earued, but this was enough, and
| when the battle was over. and one of tho
| contestants had cried enough there
WAS no doubt in the mind of the bystand
| erx an to which was the better man.
Thu ru7re of the prize ring were not In
the least REGARDED in these amateur con
| tests for victory. A little of everything
| WINS allowed. The fighters bit, kicked
scratched, gouged, pulled hair, struck
anywhere they could, and in short wen
| into the contest, not for the purpose o
observing a set of rules, but of winning
victory
About such places there were always
noted characters who appeared to bette
advantage Mt muster than anywhere else
Sixty years ngO. in East Tennessee, tner
was a uotnblc fighter named Joe Collins
Joe was always spelling for tight, an
rarely allowed muster day to pass with
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26
A Pretty Touch State.

From the Industrial American OF
Lexington, Ky, we take the following
gloomy account Of the moral condi'
lions existing In that State. But II
should be remembered that Kentucky
is not the only State Of which prac
tically the same may be said. The
Judges, jurles and lawyers are wholly
responsible for the conditions thus Sc
forth by the American:
"Take the State at large, and tn
world stands amazed at the way II
which the laws are administered. HUI
man life is not held Of any value. Is TIT
statement made to the world by the &C
ton of Kentucky Juries.
1.-THE time has come to call halt
The gallows must be used and murde
suppressed, or capital and homeseeker
will continue to shun Kentucky as the.
would city with an epidemic OF chol
era or yellow fever"
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26
Hard TO Convince.

the danse du ventre by Turkish girls al
Atlantic City, N. j., to convince the
councilmen of that town that the dance
was improper. Several residents Of
the town protested to the council that
the exhibition was immoral, and the
Mayor and Council promptly went In
body to see 1t themselves. Hair the
city fathers were unable to decide on
the first visit and they went to see II
again on four succeeding evenings, and
even then one councilman remained
unconvinced and could not decide thai
the exhibition should be suppressed
until he had seen 1t once more. Inc
show was closed.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26
The Speed OF Electricity.

The speed Of electricity under the
most favorable conditions Is now es-
tablished to be $50, 900 miles second.
What this enormous speed implies Is
somewhat dimly suggested by an illus
tration recently used by the eminent
scientist Sir Robert Bell. Suppose that
a row of telegraph posts $4,000 miles
long were erected around the earth ut
the equator. Suppose that wire were
stretched upon these posts for this cir
cult of $4,000 miles. and that then an
other complete circuit was taken by
the same wire around the same posts
and then another and yet another. In
fact, let the wire be wound no fewer
than seven times completely about this
great globe. We should then find that
an electric signal sent into the wire al
one end would accomplish the circuit
In one second Of time.-St Louis Globe
Democrat.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26

Of the havcrsacks with provisions there
was not trace, since most lived witnin
easy reach of their own homes, and could
see no use In carrying victuals to the mus
ter only to carry them back again. Meth
err was any attempt made at UNIFORM,
save In the case of some revolutionary
veteran or soldier of 1872, who was proud
Of his military record and glad OF the
chance to sport his uniform. AS to the
rest. each wore what he had, or what
pleased him best, and next to the man IN
regimentals would stand bold militia
man In his shirt sleeves and with but one
suspender, while beyond him would DC
ranged men with and without coats, men
with s'beaver hats" with straw hats, with
coonskin caps, the tiii hanging down be
hind. with fclOor "woor' hats, the brimi
flaming over their eyes.
But these things are homogeneous orll
In the eyes Of those who are looking foi
,sccngruitics, and the militiamen OF ou'
early lays were little accustomed to 20
ticc trises like these. Not dandies them
selves, they despised dnndyism In others
and the man with boiled shirt" tn
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26

squeak. those OF your neighbor squeak,
everybody's squeak; and nobody APP
plies the needed oil.
And then those bothersome cords;
they are always wearing out, or fray
ing, making 1t necessary to tear out the
window frame to put in new ones. The
weights, too, get jammed. AMI 1t gen
orally takes half an hour or so to get
them loose and in running order again.
Now here is means Of getting rid OF
the whole nerve-rasping trouble. This
aptly called sensible sash balance
needs no weights, nor does its action de-
pend upon pulleys. The sash Is simply
attached by loop to wound-up ribbon
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26
didn't Like Mark Twain's Stories.

About this time Mark Twain came TO
visit us, and he had habit of making
midday lunch his principal meal, SO
when 6 o'clock dinner came he would
walk up and down the room, crossing II
diagonally, and telling us the most
amusing stories while we ate our din
ner. He always put on low-heeled slip
pers for this promenade, and some
thing about the singularity of the pro-
ceeding as a whole inspired Snap with
distrust. He followed Mr.. Clemens
I'D and down, up and down, the room,
occasionally shifting at the low-heeled
slippers; and when a louder burst OF
laughter than usual greeted some OF the
delightful stories, Snap would grow
and try to worry the peripatetic foot
gear, until Mr.. Clemens became con
scious of him, and slowly turned won
dering consideration upon him.-St
i Nicholas
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26
Glad to See Him.

An American politician, commenting
on the fact that in America we always
expect man to get up and say some
thing on public occasion, adds, but
the silent men win" That Is not al
ways the case, but 1t is n fact that
many man Of worth and mettle hates
to be "evermore talking"
1t Is said that Won Moltke was silent
in seven languages" Before the open
ing of a striking campaign he wa
walking the streets with head depress
ed when some busybody approached
him, determined to extort from him
word In regard to current events.
"How are matters coming on, gener'
al?" he asked.
"Well," said the general, my cab
bages are coming on very well, but my
potatoes want rain!'
1t Is a popular mistake that famous
men like no topic of conversation sc
| well as that of their own renown. No
long ago a celebrated novelist was the
guest of honor at brilliant reception
He had heard the praises OF his owl
work until any one but conceited mar
| would have been faint and weary, bu
he had borne up bravely through 1t all
Finally a timid man was presented tt
him, who said, with an apologize air
"I'm ashamed to confess 1t, but
haven't read one Of your books"
The novelist bent forward. look o
relief and Joy irradiating his face. ii
placed both hands on the newcomer
shoulders.
my dear fellow" he said, with
warmth he had not shown before. eve
to those of high degree, I'm glad to Sc
you!'
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26

are attached the supporting chains. BY
this arrangement the point of the bob,
the wick tube and the point of support
are always in the same vertical line,
even il one chain becomes longer than
the other by wearing or by heating from
the lamp wick. The sights are taken
to the wick tube. In fiery coal mines
the fame is protected by fine wire gauze
to prevent it from igniting the gas.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26
THE RETURN.

from a military to a social use, and the
muster was made the excuse for the fete
1t was in their later or degenerate days
that the musters excited the ridiculc OF
the looker-on, but it should not be forgot
ten that they were not the less ridiculous
to those engaged in them, and that sell
dom, even by the participants, were they
taken seriously. So long as soldiers were
really needed, militia training was an inn
portant matter, and looked after with
sedulous care. but when every one Felt
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26
COMPANY DRiLL.

more TIME Drft for the other business OF
the day. The captain generally Kept TINS
matter In mind. too. and the drilling tnat
was done was frequently OF perfunctory
and nominal character.
The muster dry could be at once distih-
Cuished from al other days by the most
casual visitor to the district or village
where the muster was to take place.
Early nm the morning countrymen would
begin 10 arrive. some on horseback some
on foot. three oat of FIVE attended by one
or more aexx. generally ours of very low
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26
Proposed Fac-Simile OF the st. Louis

A proposition has reached the man
arement of the Cotton States and In
ternational Exposition from Herbert
Saunders & Co., of London, offering
TO build on the lake fac smile of the
transatlantic steamship st. Louis, to be
of the same size as the original and ele-
gantly fitted out. The interior Of the
ship will be used as restaurant and
the yessel will be reached from the
shore by gangways. This Is a duplicate
of an exhibition now being given at the
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26

Apfwerp Exposltssn. Henry @. Kit
tredgk, the secretary Of the Massachu-
sstts. commission "a the exposition. Is
in.Atjanta confsrring with the manage
nent In reference to the Massachusetts,
display. While there he will select the
site for the Massachusetts, building
81, Louis Globe Democrat.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26
Mems Rights IN Bengal.

Man asks for protection against mer.
cenary woman In Bengal. Babu Rasik
Lal Roy wants the government to help
him to suppress the excessive expense
Of Hindu marriages. and especially the
dowry of the brides, as ''the temptation
of selling the son to the highest bidder
has become too great to be resisted"
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26

a Device that Docs Away with that
Noisy Nuisance.
+. Who Is not familiar with that annoy
Ing neighborhood sound OF a squeaking
pulley as window sash IL thrown up?
1t seems to be a very simple matter to
inject few drops OF oil upon the rusted
bearings and thus do away with the
trouble, but who ever takes the time to
do 1t? Meanwhile the squeaking goes
on all around us. Your window pulleys
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26

of aluminium bronze, and a brake per-
mits the balance to be adjusted to suit
a sash of any weight.
This balance works smoothly and
noiselessly, and it is 10 be hoped that 1t,
or some equally good device, may soon
replace the cord-hung weights from
which we have so long suffered. The
accompanying Illustrations show both
n front and rear view of the balance.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26
Horse ON . street Car Fender.

Detroit has street car sender-ons
fender, not style Of Sender-which
beats that boosted Of by Philadelphia,
which the other day pialaed up a bicy-
clist and his machine and carried them
unlnjured for half block The De-
troit car struck horse on Warren ave-
nue.. The horse was scooPed of its
feet and fell into the fender and was
carried along in 1t for 200 or 800 feet
until the car was stopped Then tho
horse got up. stepped or and trotted
away uninjured.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26

Mrs. Zabbs-I met with one OF the
strangest experiences Of ny life to-day.
Mr.. Zabbs-.You did! What was iii
Mrs. Zabbs--Just this: was getting on
an open car and the man on the end
seat moved in and let me have it-Rox'
bury Gazette.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26

that there was no need for drilling. that
any number of troops that might be nee
essary for the defense of the country
could be raised in n month, no one could
see any particular necessity for drilling
in the sun, and so the muster day, with
it's legal provisions Of bayonets and hints,
hayersacks and bags of bullets, quietly
passed into disuse, and finally almost into
oblivion
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26
An Adixenturous Follow.

A young man named Bennett mas put
his bicycle to profitable use In the Aus
tralian gold fields by establishing with
It a postal route between Coolgardie,
the center of the mining district, and
Dundos, which is two hundred and
eighty miles away. Strapped on the
wheel is a small letter-box. In which
he carries letters between the two
towns for a shilling piece and tele-
grams for FIVE shihings, making one
round trip week. A revolver, a
sharp knife. and water bottle COM
prise the rest of the outfit.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26

The Beautiful American Who Helped
20 Build the Defender.
The most enthusiastic yachtswoman
IN the United States or for that matter
In the world Is Mrs. G. Oliver Iselin
who lives aboard the Defender, which
she helped to design. Without her sug
gestions the Defender would haze lack
ed many an important detail. From
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26

any muskets with bayonets, they were
probably relics of the war of independ-
encc, while the majority of the company
were provided with ordinary rifles or fowl
ing pieces, though an occasional old-fash-
Toned blunderbuss put in an appearance,
and not few, in default of guns, had hoe
handles, walking canes and cornstaiks'
Those who carried firearms, as rule,
were also provided with powder horns
and bags of bullets; few had belts, but
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26
torpedo Boats.

About 1871, the first torpedo boat
was built by the Thorneycrofts, of
London; 1t was fifty feet long and
had a speed Of sixteen and Quarter
kuots nm hour.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26

The 1S-months-old daughter OF New
York man died from a mosquito bite.
The bite made the child restless, and It
scratched it continually, causing in
fammation.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26

At last accounts the woman who
started the shirt waist fashion had
more followers than the Lord.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26
FOR MINE SURVEYING.

An Ingenious Arrangement Tor sig
Mailing Under the Ground.
In mine surveying it is necessary to
use some luminous object for signal
ing. as rods cannot be seen. The Col
liery Engineer illustrates contrivance
that seems to answer the purpose adj
mirably. 1t consists of large brass
hob. followed out to hold oil and fitted
with top to form lamp.
The bob is piyoted to n ring, to which
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26

A versatile genius" is really Jack
of-all-trades, and master Of noue.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26
MUSTER DAYS OF OLD.
FESTIVAL IN WHICH ouR BRAND
FATHERS DELIoHTfp~
lEiiitia Laws of the States what .
Miiitiaman Was Required 70 Have
ON Muster Day-The Amenities Of
the Occasion.


There are many elderly men still living
n this country who remember the mus.
ter days" of half q century ago. ana
what events they were In the course OF
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26
HUMOR OF THE WEEK
STORIES TOLD ~ FUNNY MEN
OF THE PRESS.

Odd, Curious and Laushabie Phssss
Of Human Nature Graphically Per-
trayed By Eminent Word Artists OF
Our own Dsy-A Budget Of Fun.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-09-26

A man Isn't always q fool secause he
permits himself to be deceived.
The morning call., 1895-01-15

fetal to Korea, while China's has
been Just the reverse. Japan has
endeavored to build up its trade and
increase its importance, but China has
stood in the way At the time the trouble
began there was larger japanese popula-
ton there than of any other nationality,
and Japan was forced to take action to pro-
tect the interests of her subjects. China
committed the first overt act by putting
troops into Korea in violation of an agree
ment entered into with Japan.
Before that was done Japan had been en-
deavoring to have some reforms made in
the government of Korea that would have
been of advantage to the country itself and
to all the civilized nations that do business
with it. The reform included changes in
the system of taxation and the removal of
restrictions on trade. The agricultural
and mechanical interests in Korea were
subject to whims of local officials, who
made arbitrary regulations that caused
trouble and frequently popular uprising,
and it was desired to remedy this. The
fiscal methods of the country were also said
to need radical reforms. Japan did the
banking business of the country and the
Government was frequently called on to
press the Koreans for money due. Japan
also wanted the Korean judiciary system
reformed, as under that in vogue cruel and
UNUSUAL punishment was inflicted and in
quisitorial methods prevailed to the injury
of japanese business men. Furthermore,
the Japanese wanted assurances of greater
liberty and safety of travel throughout
Korea.
These were the reforms that Japan was
trying to bring about, peaceful and with
no thought of threat or force, when China
interfered. Japan had reason to know the
need of them, too, for her subjects were
the ones who had suffered in previous up
risings in Korea. Two examples of this
may be cited. In 1882, when an uprising
took place in the hermit kingdom, the
japanese legation at Seoul was looted,
members of the Minister'S suite were MUIR