davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How ths Boys Of Beth Armies Whiled
Away Life In Camp - Forging Exps-
ricnoes, Tifesoms Marches - Thrilling
Scenes so the Battlefield
After the Battle.

1t was strange and queer to watch
the demeanor Of men wounded in bat
tle, writes NJ. Quad. You might have
stood beside hundreds who were struck
down, and yet you would not have
found two whose actions were exactly
alike. When hit while standing mac
tive most men threw up their hands and
c-ied out and staggered about before
falling. II hit while the regiment was
advancing they fell with curses on their
lips, and sometimes ros up again and
limped painfully after their comrades.
If reached by a bullet while the COM
mand was being driven or retreating or
changing its position, then men walled
out like c~hildren-not SO much over the
hurt as because they realized that they
were to be left on the field to suffer and
would be helpless to protect themselves.
When a regiment was in line, waiting
to move to the right or the left or be
advanced, the thud Of a bullet as it
-8truck a man could be heard by the
men on his right and left. If struck in
the chest or shoulder or head he fell out
OF the ranks, threw UP his hands with
a shout, and then fell like a log. If
struck below the breast he nearly al
ways lurched forward and placed his
hands on the wound and sank down
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21

I'll number Of the persopagduean In
tie normal schools Of Penns mia
since TIE establishment Of the first;
S2,3o1,sis. total cost Of normal schools
to the state for thirty-eight years. Ihls
is a Httle-over nineteen dollars for each
person educated, whether they attend
ed one, two, or four years; 1O,O5o, total
number of normal school graduates In
thirty-eight years; 3,190, number OF
normal school graduates still teaching
In the State-.bout thirty-three and
one-third per cent; $3.50, number OF
teachers now teaching in the State mot
graduates educated in the normal
schools; Tito, total number OF normal
trained teachers now in service in the
public schools; 1000, number of normal
trained teachers estimated to be teach
ing in private schools, colleges, n
normal schools; 700, number Of normal
trained teachers estimated to be teach-
ing in schools outside of the State;
$500, total number of Pennsylvania
normal trained teachers now in the
teaching profession. It is believed that
no other State in the Union can show
such a record for her normal schools.
It costs Pennsylvania a mere pittance
to do this great work, most Of the eX-
pense being paid by the persons edu'
cated.-Philadelphia Ledger.
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21
The Lowell Homestead.

There is considerable concern in Bos-
ton about the future of James Russell
Lowelrs magnificent old home in Cam
bridge, at the gateway of Mount Au-
burn cemetery. The house is the prop
erty of the poets daughter, but the land
adjoining it is in the hands of real es-
tate agents, and the fine estate will soon
be cut up into building lots unless the
property is rescued. The house is an
old Troy mansion, n of the few still
standing in excellent condition in Cam
bridge, and it is an object of great
and increasing interest to thousands of
visitors from all over the country. It
would make a most desirable museum.
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21

and their shouts and screams could be
heard whenever the roar Of battle died
away a little. Their fears were by no
means groundless. Bullet and ball and
shell and grapeshot were continually
falling among them, and during the
war thousands Of soldiers were killed
while lying wounded between the lines.
The burial parties used to find bodies
which had been hit from three to ten
times, and after Grants first battle in
the Wilderness we found a Confederate
with twenty-three bullet wounds in his
dead body.
And there was more than the fear Of
missiles before the eyes of the wounded
men. If infantry charged over them
they might not suffer, but If a battery
changed positions or there was a charge
Of cavalry they might be ground into
the earth. When in his normal condi-
ton a cavalry horse will not step on
the body of a man lying in his path, but
when excited to madness by the roar Of
battle the steeds of war will trample
down anything. The wounded men "
ing about must take their charles when
the bugles blew a charge. Some would
escape the ironshod h~oofs-others
would be almost beaten into the earth.
1t was the same way if a battery was
retired or advanced. The change of
position was made with horses on the
dead run, and their riders could take
no thought of the dead and wounded
living in the way. The fate Of a brigade
\ or division, or wen a wing of the army,
might be at stake, and the sacrifice Of
q score Of men already wounded did not
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21
Seals

The effect of creosote on a seals tooth
Is mentioned by the Chicago Times.
Herald:
The queen seal at Glen Island is
suffering from the toothache. Two
weeks ago she began to whine, and
frightened a ~servant-girl into hyste-
RIGS by climbing up the rocks to the
arbor walk. Mr.. LIE Roy, the keeper,
took her in his arms and noticed that
her Jaw was greatly swollen. Creo.
sote was administered, but afforded
only temporary relief. Each morning
the intelligent creature tries to at
tract the attention of some of the keep
ers, evidently for more c%reosote, which
satisfies her for the day.
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21
AN OVERSIGHT.
The Trouble 1t Caused in the English
Mail Service.

The Trouble 1t Caused in the English
Mail Service.
In his Forty Years in the English
Postoffice" Mr.. F. E. Baines tells a STIR
ring story which illustrates the differ
ence between the s~low-pacing old times
and the swift-going new
Sixty years ago the mails were car
ried through England by coaches. At
the principal towns, four horses, har+
messed, and two post-boys ready fo1
the road, were always in waiting in
case Of accidents.
On one occasion, when al important
bill respecting the West Indies vas be-
fore Parliament, the packet for those
colonies was detained at Falmouth un'
til the decision should be reached. AT
last the vote was taken, and the bags
containing dispatches and instructions
from the Colonial Office TO the West
Indian governors and cOnsuls Gang
down to Exeter, and as was supposed
were all sent on by coach to Falmouth.
In the middle of the night a porter
was dismayed to find a huge leather
portmanteau in a dark corner of the
office. 1t was the bag of dispatches.
In a twinkling a post-bOy sprang on
n of the waiting horses, and shot for
ward to warn all the posting stations
on the hundred miles of road to Fall
mouth. Behind him followed at break
neck pace q chaise and four with the
bag. The mail coach had four and a
half hours the start. The post-boy dash.
ed on, sounding his horn.
Toll-gates flew open, fresh horses
stood waiting for the chaise down
through Devon and Cornwall. When
the chaise reached Falmouth it had
made up the four hours, but in the odd
half-hour the mails had been carried Oh
board the ship, and she was now under
full sail, leaving the harbor.
The post-boys flung the bag into q
boat and gave chase. Pendennis Castle
fired a gun. The packet understood the
signal, hove to, and the bag vas flung
on board.
This seems slow work to US now,
when instructions can be cabled from
London to the other side of b world
in an hour. Yet away back in still slow
er days, we read Of a monarch who,
when he would make known in haste
an edict to his kingdom, caused letters
to be prepared and sent them by riders
IN mules, camels and young drome-
daries."
But, after all, it is precisely the same
human energy that uses the camel, or
the m~ailcoach, or the lightning. We
have better tools than our brother one
century or twenty centuries ago, but
are we any better than he? Are we
serving God or our fellow-men with
greater devotion and keener percep-
tons of truth and light than he served
them? That is really the important
question to ask.
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21
A Pitiful Juvenile Tragedy.

Jimmie McFadden, a nine-year-old
New York boy, played peek-a-boo with
his little sister, one afternoon while his
parents were away. Once he ran into
a clothes closet; she pushed the door
to and locked him in. Then she saw
him peep out at the transom, and final
" thrust his head through the small
opening. The transom closed down
upon his neck. He moved his head a
little, but did not laugh. Then he cried
out strangely. The little sister stood
there, not understanding it at all. She
watched and waved her hands, and
cried, "Peek-a-boo, %Johnnie!" The face
with which she played peek-a-boo was
the face of the dead.
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21

count. When the guns were advanced
at Charlottesville to check Jackson
twilight attack the earth was fairly
numbered with the dead and wounded.
On the few acres of cleared ground over
which the guns had to advance were
camp fires, knapsacks, haversacks,
stacked muskets and several hundred
men who had fallen under the volleys
poured in from the edge Of the forest.
The guns dashed right into and over
this tumble, and above the roar Of mus
kerry from the oncoming C~onfederates
we caught the screams and shrieks Of
our wounded men as they realized that
death was to come under the heavy
wheels.
The burial parties were always push.
ed for time, and yet there was time to
look into the faces and observe the att.
tudes Of the dead and notice that death
seldom came to two alike. Some suf-
fered agonies from their wounds-oth.
ers died as peacefully as If no twinge
of pain had been felt. Some had their
lips parted as If praying to God or ut
tering farewells to the loved ones at
home-others had lips compressed and
their faces showed grim determination
or anger. Sometimes a wounded map
had crawled away into the bushes or be-
hind stump or log to die. On his bronz-
ed cheeks partly bleached by the touch
of death, we would find traces Of tears,
and the hard lines would be softened
down. When struck down as they NOV.
ed and dying within a few minutes
they carried fierce, stern faces and
clenched hands, and nearly always,
their eyes were wide open and their lips
parted to show their teeth. If the mus
ket had not fallen from their hands
under the shock Of the missile it was
clenched so tightly that their stifened
fingers had to be opened n by one.
There was no pity for the wounded
while the fight was on. Now and then
it was possible to alleviate thirst, or in
case of an officer to carry him to the
rear, but the unwounded had little
thought Of the fallen. 1t was only when
night came down and the roar Of battle
died out to a growing and suffering
here and there that a new sound o ISL
or the evening air to pale the faces Of
the veterans lying about with open
haversacks. 1t was a sound heard only
on a battlefield, after a battle. 1t was
a sound which began like the far-of
murmur Of a mighty crowd-which
came nearer and nearer-which swelled
in volume till it drowned all other
sounds-which separated itself from
the shouts of men, neighing Of horses,
peals of bugles and rattle Of drums
one great overpowering wall from the
thousands Of wounded men which went
right to the heart and caused every
man to lift his head and whisper: "Poor
fellows-God pity them!!"
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21
The pin was extracteu, J
is still dangerously i'll.

is still dangerously Ill.
The equine "roarer" Is no longe~
bother to English veterinary surgeons.
who now perform tracheotomy on the
horse so afflicted, and thereafter he
breathes easily and well through a.
white metal tube, silver-plated. Many
carriage horses may be daily seen In
London and elsewhere wearing these
tubes, and in the hunting field, in GER
tain instances, horses, which without
them could not have galloped a mile,
have with the aid Of tubes been hunted
for five seasons.
Charles Veltman. of Paris, Tenn.
relates g remarkable experience Of q
cow he owned. This COW had been
missing from home for about ten days,
when Mr.. Veltman set out to find her.
Being in the neighborhood of the old
Harris place, which Is u~noccupted, he
thought to look inside, pursued bis
search upstairs, and there found his
cow securely quartered in a room in
the second story, where she had been
during the whole of her absence. With
much difficulty he made her go down
again. Salt had been spilled on the
steps and the COW, licking it, had gone
up, making two turns in the stairs.
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21

with a groan. The demeanor Of no two
wounded men was alike in minor par
ticulars, but strangely alike in the first
movements. 4 soldier shot through the
head or heart-shot dead in his tracks,
as you might term twas not instantly
killed. There was no such thing as
instant death unless struck with a solid
shot or blown to pieces by an exploding
shell. No matter whether the bullet
pierced heart or brain, the victim lived
on for a few s~econds-long enough to
throw up his hands and call out and
clutch at the comrades beside him for
support.
Few men preserved silence after be-
ing hard hi. After the first exclama-
tion they cursed or wept, and were not
conscious Of what they did. Each felt
that he had been ~grievously wronged by
being shot down. Sometimes they
cursed first and wept afterwards
sometimes wept and sobbed like chill
dren from the first moment of feeling
pain. The cursing and the weeping
were the direct result of the nervous
system being keyed too high by the
excitement of the battle. If a wounded
man was carried to the rear he soon got
the better Of his Mysteries, and it was
the same If left to himself for three
or four hours IN the field, provided the
fighting had ceased in his vicinity. 1t
was the wounded who lay on the field
where the fighting continued who were
the most to be pitied. They feared to
be wounded again or killed outright,
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21
Forests Warfare.

Twenty-seven horses were shot under
Lieutenant General n. B. Forrest, who
earned the sobriquet of 1.-THE Wizard Of
the Saddle" during the war, and Lieu
tenant General Richard Taylor said Of
him: Il doubt if any commander since
the days of Lion-hearted Richard has
killed so many Of the enemy" For
rests aphorisms are such as one would
expect from such a man. "War means
fighting, and fighting means killing"
he once said. On another occasion. he
declared: 1.-THE way to whip 'em is to
get there first with the most men"
Once when discussing with a graduate
Of West Point the question of how to
fight cavalry to greatest advantage, he
remarked: Il would give more for ff-
teen minutes Of bugle than for three
days of tactics"
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21
Notes.

New York has 3,197 students in her
fifteen normal schools.
New York has 1854, 100 pupils in pub
lie and private schools.
Pennsylvania has thirteen normal
schools, with 5000 students.
One hundred and forty thousand stu
dents are in the colleges and universe
ties of the United States.
The gifts to colleges, churches, Ii
braries and public charities in this
country last year amounted to $21,-
943,449, against $19,967, 116 in 1894.
The school term Of the United States
averages, according to DR.. Harris last
report, 1861 days, which is equal to
twenty-eight weeks, including holidays.
Chicago is to have a new thirty-two
room building for the Franklin school.
The appropriation is to be about $780,
900. The committee on restrictment
struck off $4,000, which had been
asked for.
Of the 2,2S7 foreign students now in
German universities 62S are studying
~philology and history, 4S0 medicine,
$50 mathematics and natural science,
| 274 jurisprudence, 164 Evangelical the
| ology, q Catholic theology, 154 polit-
ical economy, 81 finance, 80 pharmacy,
and 5 dentistry.
OF the s~ix-year-old children in the
schools Of Canton, O., Superintendent
G. NJ. Bradwell says that six did not
know the color of grass; nineteen did
not know the color Of the sky; two did
not know the color of snow; thirty per
cent. knew the points of the compass;
seventy-seven per cent. knew their
right hand; nearly all knew numbers
below five.
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21
New Task for Teachers.

ILL.,, has abolished the position and de-
partments of special teachers in draw
ing, singing, and physical culture, the
change to go into effect at the end of
the school year of 1897. This resolu-
ton, which was introduced by John S.
Miller, compels all grade teachers to
qualify themselves in these studies SO
that they may be able to teach them by
the end of 1897. Teachers who cannot
pass an examination in these branches
will be dismissed.
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21
PLAYFUL

An interesting point in heredity is
shown in the conduct of the young King
Alexander of Servia. The founder OF
the family was a swineherd. The young
monarch, who is now only nineteen, re
verts to his ancestor, not only in his
phenomenal strength, but also in his
sense of humor, both of which he ex-
hibits by a playful trick Of knocking
his courtiers' heads together.
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21
Brave1y Done.

"That is one of the bravest men I
ever knew" said Gen. Rosecrans to
James r. Gilmore Edmund Kirke) as
Inspector General Ducat left the room
where the two gentlemen were con
versing. 81 saw him once" continued
the General, "coolly face almost certain
death to perform a duty. Three men
had fallen before his eyes, and ne had
to run the gauntlet Of a thousand mus
kets; but he did it." Mr.. Gilmore re-
lates the circumstances, in the Louis
vile Courier-Journal.
1t was at the battle of Iuka, where
Rosecrans with only $500 men actually
engaged, was fighting a Confederate
force of 11,000, holding a chosen and
very strong position. Ducat, in riding
up to the General, had observed a regi-
ment of Gen. Stanley's division about
to be enveloped and overpowered by a
much larger force.
Ride OIL and Stanley at once"
said Rosecrans. An acre of fire, swept
with bullets, lay between them and the
menaced regiment. Docat glanced at
it and said:
General, 1 have a wife and children"
"You knew that when you came
here" said R~osecrans, coolly.
"Tll go, sir" said Ducat, moving his
horse forward after his momentary hes
ftation.
"Stay a moment. We must make
sure of this" said Rosecrans. He
thought a thousand lives of more value
than four, so, hastily writing some dis
patches on the pommel of his saddle,
he gave to each of three orderfies,
and sent them off at intervals of about
sixty yards over the bullet-swept field.
Then he looked at Ducat, who had
seen every one of them fall l~ifeless, OF
desperately wounded. Without a word
Ducat plunged into the fire, and,
derful to tell, he ran the gauntlet in
safety, and with his clothes torn by
MIME balls, and his horse Keeling from
a mortal wound, he got to Stanley, and
saved the regiment. The orderlies
found their graves on that acre of fire.
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21
Teaching ~Orthocraphy.

VI puSs
Each word has a physiognomy. Some
words have plain faces, some have fea-
lures peculiar to themselves; but all
are learned, not by describing them
orally, but by using our sense of sight.
Words of as many letters as they have
sounds may be learned by seeing and
p~ronouncing them. If the teacher die
tates such words as paper, lamp, pen
Gil, ETC., and carefully pronounces ev-
cry sound, they will be written correct
ly. But the number of such words is
comparatively small in English. Words
in which the number of letters is great
err than that of sounds, as book. street,
slate, ring, etc., will have to be OBJ
served more closely, and oftener, by the
young learner. Such words as
separate, eulogy, forfeiture, gay
ETY., etiquette q take a few out of
the multitude haphazard), are often
misspelIed. If marked on the board as
indicated, and left there a few days. it
may be safely said that their peculiari-
ties will be remembered or recalled.
The secret of vivid knowing is vivid
seeing. If every spelling lesson is con-
Quoted according to the principle that
we learn photography more through
sight than through the n of hearing.
I am sure we shall find little difficulty
in obtaining good results. In higher
grades, words may be grouped accord
ing to rules, but no rule should be
given; it should invariably be discover
ed by the pupil. If the teacher put
the following words on the board in a
column: pavement, amusement, chas-
tisement, achievement, infringement,
ETC., and opposite to these in another
column. such as judgment, abridgment,
and others, it will not be long before
the pupils have discovered why the
final ''e'' of judge, for instance. in the
second column is dropped. This is
mixing in a little brains in the other
wise dry study. At every stage of the
course, however. this paradox remains
true: 1.-THE more crayon a teacher con-
sumes, the better her Instruction.
American Teacher.
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21
a Profitable Cat.

A Lewiston CMe.) lady owns a large
brown coon cat which has just been
sold for the seventh time for IS. With
in a week after each sale the cat comes
back to the house of the first owner
and makes her appearance at meal
+ina
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21
He Thought It PIeonasm.

Don't S poor SOAP" read Perry
Patettic from the paper in which his
"~poke-out" had been dropped. EFF I
had been writin' that" he continued,
ST think I would have left out that
word PORE "-Cincinnad Enquirer.
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21

A Frenchman claims to have discov-
cred a method Of successfully convert
ing petroleum Oil into a hard mass,
which is not explosive and is absolutely
smokeless and odorless. The inventor
states that his new fuel costs about $40
per ton, and that one ton equals thirty
tons of coal.
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21

The "fve nations of. Europe" own
2,310 war ships, mounting $3.50 guns
all ready for immediate service.
The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-05-21

Pennsylvania Normal Schools.
One hundred and fifteen thousand
nine hundred and thirty-eight is the to-