davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08
THE BLUFF WORKED.
How 81 Quick-Witted Conductor
NislzcL His Din mOnd and Won,

How ~ Quick-Witted Conductor
Ifsl&cd His Diamond and Won.
A good story on the late s. S. Merrill
cropped out in Il certain law office. the
other afternoon, while Il knot of at
torneys We're commenting upon the
portraits of prominent Milwaukcans in
a recent work Oh Milwaukee. Mr..
Merrilfs likeness was reached, when
one of The gentleman. in relating anec
dotes concerning the railrOad-builder,
told of the trouble lie had with a GER
tain conductor on the ST. Paul road.
Mr.. Merrill had discharged the con-
ductor half Il dozen times. and quite
regularly reinstated him. On this par
tlcular occasion the conductor had been
summoned, and entered the room In
fear and trepidation. He found the
general manager glowering with rage,
and was speedily informed that his
services were moi needed longer, and
that this time the dismissal was for
good.
"What's the matter this time?" VEN
tured the culprit.
"It's this" blurted the general man.
ager: I'm tired of listening to stories
Of my conductors buying $3.50 dia.
monds on $1,000 salary"
II suppose this is the diamond you
refer to. MI. Merrill:" returned the
quick-witted conductor, pointing to a
small headlight in his shirt-front.
II suppose So" assented the iratc
manager.
"Well," continued the conductor,
calmly, as he proceeded to unfasten
the gem, "you can have it for So"
That settled the conductor with MI.
Merrill, and he never received another
reprimand. Mr.. Merrill used to recitc
the incident at times. never for a mo-
ment susEecting the bluff, and that the
stone had really cost $1,000. as he had
heard,-MilWaukce Wisconsin.
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08
E@ 49,
sszs@=;=
BREAKING A COLr
A Succesxful Breeder Explains Ills
Method,

A Succe..ful Breeder Explains His
Method.
Having just finished some Of that
kind of work l will give you my meth
cd. My weaving colts had never been
handled, and having run with their
dams until midwinter, were wild as
deer. 10 secure them until they be-
came quiet enough TO be battered was
the problem. Take about thirty feet
of half-inch rope; knot one end, SD
there will be no danger of its being
pulled out OF your hand by the plung-
Ing OF the colt. On the ether end fast
en- a lA-inch halter ring. then tie Il:
knot IN the rope. leaving enough Ike
yond 1t to encircie the colts neck when
drawn taut. The knot prevents chok-
ing. Now tie tic end Of the rope to
the ring and you are ready.
Bunch the horses by throwing out
some feed in Il large yard. Have an
assistant hold one end of the rope. BY
moving carefully you can soon moose
the colt. Let him circle around until
well tired out before going up to his
head. AS soon as possible take two
half-hitches dig. y around his nose;
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08

MES in old. antiquaied ships. which
tive danger. Herded like cattle in
pens. beaten by Ignorant aud brutal
soldiers, they go to Il living death in
the colonies, where stripes are given
more often than food. and where bru-
tally Is Visited with the smiles of SUI
pcriOr officers. No wonder that suicide
is the natural thought of the usual
Spanish convict.
The political prisoner fares worse
than the criminal guilty OF assassina-
ton. The latter is regarded merely as
the enemy Of the individual. while the
former is regarded as the enemy of
the king.
Most Of the political prisoners are
sent to Ceuta. Africa. Ceuta is an old
Moorish seaport town in Morocco. op-
posite Gibraltar. The town is Oh the
side Of the ancient mountain Abyla.
which forms II of the Pillars of Her
cules. the Rock of Gibraltar being the
other. 1t ia almost impregnable. aud
ia to Spain what Siberia is TO Russia.
with the exception that 1t is even
more horrible. The town was built by
the Moors about 345. and it is proha-
bic that there is no other Que place in
the world where so many devices Of
torture are concentrated.
Ceuta is a very small place. and the
Morrs constructed Il chain of fortress
es around il To guard against any pos
sible attack. 1t is IN the cellars of
these ancient and decayiny fortlrsscs
that the dungeons are located. They
are hewn out Of the solid rock and are
IN tiers To Il depth Of fifty or sixty
feet. The approach to them is made
through narrow openings in the stone
floors Of the fortress. and when the
horrible hole Ia opened the foul odor
Of filth and decomposition is ovcrpow-
ering.
These dungeons r inhabited almost
solely by political prisoners. and many
CulMnS arrested during the present re-
bellion are there. Some are in solitary
cOnfinement: others are in dungeons
holding thirty or forty men.
When a man is placed in solitary
confinement Il hole is cut in the ma
sonry large enough to admit the pas
sage Of his body and he is dropped in.
\ blacksmith follows and Yields on
the letters. Locks and keys are never
used. A heavy weight with Il chain
is welded to the ankle and an iron
band is welded about the waist. \
chain attached to the latter is welded
to an iron ring sunk in the wall Of
solid rock. The hole in the masonry
is bricked up again with the exception
Of a small space a few inches square.
Through this comes the scant air and
the scraps of food allowed the victim.
After that the man is left to live or
rot. The filth Of these holes cannot
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08

SEALED IN DUNGEONS.
Spain's Treatment Of Captives
in Former Cuban Wars.

The desperation of the Culans who
are fighting Spain for the liberty of
their island excites wonder at times
IN h American mind. and some are
inclined to think them too bloudthirsty
IN their system OF warfare. 1t IL true
very little qCarle: is given the Span
lsh soldtery in an; OF the conflicts
where the insurgents nave the u
hand but there is II good, substantial
nraS0n for this seeming hcartlessn.; -.
The soldier OF the insurgent army
Elicw that Il fate blacker than death
Will he their allotment il they fail.
The Kingdom of Spain has never dis.
played II gentle hand to Its enemies.
Dark echoes Of the lnquisition perlmc-
ate Its treatment Of m%alefNctors. for
as such the Cuban Insurgents are re-.
sartled. The prison system of Spain
is more %harbarous to-day than that OF
either Turkey or Russia. aud that is
saying a good deal.
For than a thousand wears the
Spantards have made Il study OF tor.
ture. and the long accumulation of
knowledge LANDED from one genera
tion to another. and elaborated upon
by each. makes their prisons the worst
on earth. There are men forgotten
and unnamed rotting away in the
Spanish dungeons to-day. under con.
ditions more horrible than that pic.
,tured by Dickens in his Tale Of Two
Cities.' in the character Of the old
doctor confined in the bastile for
twenty-five years. Men who took part
In the previous Cuban rebellion. near.
~ a generation ago. may still he living
In the dungeons. Thirty years hence
sOme Of the men who are now fighting
SO valiantly in Cuba may be rotting
away in the same p%est-holes. 1t is this
prospect which makes them desperate
and bloodthirsty. and eager to accept
a thousand risks to shake of the tor
ture that awaits them.
Each week patches Of Cuban sus-
poets are forwarded to Spain. To be
q suspect is equivalent to being guilty,
and those who go will. in all proba-
bility, Eve return. II Il wealthy
planter is suspected of furnishing H.
nancial aid TO the insurgents he is
bounced upon and shipped off. lntin-
itely better would have been his fate
had he Joined the insurgent army and
been killed N the field of battle.
The ordinary suspect is not exc
cuted, but if he be proved guilty of
treason the garrote will speedily clfd
his troubles. The garrote is the official
form of punishment in Spain
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08

Nearly all of the death sentences are
executed in the Pradara dc In Ysidro,
In Madrid. All executions are public,
and are usually held early in the morn
ing. The criminal is always mounted
upon the back of q tiny Spanish don
key, and goes to the place of execu-
ton in o procession which consists Of
citizens, priests and soldiers.
Prior to leaving the prison in which
the condemned has been confined mass
is celebrated. and the death sentence
is read to the guilty wretch. When
the prisoner reaches the place Of ex-
ecution he mounts a scaffold, a black
handkerchief is tied over his face, and
he is manacled to a chair. Then
around his neck Is placed the band Of
the garrote. Two turns of q powerful
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08
Home-Made Root Cutter.

The root cutter portrayed below was
in use in Scotland thirty years ago and
the past summer l made a trip OF two
months and found this same root cut
ter still in use, even where they were
cutting up roots for seventy-hve head
of winter feeders-steers. Turnips are
what they Use chiefly in the way of
roots, but the climate there is very
favorable for their growth, and l saw
fields of thirty acres that certainly
looked immense. A hard wood plank
81 feet long and IL inches wide has a
square cut out about the center and
two pieces of wood, a and b, are fitted
with knives, whatever size desired for
the roots intended to be cut, and bolt
ed on the bench. Four legs for it to
stand on having been inserted, a piece
Of hard wood, q, is cut to come down
on the edge Of the knives and this is
fastened to a board or handle, e, at
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08

thumb-screw crushes the neck Of the
victim and almost sewers the head
from the body.
Death is claimed to be absolutely in
Simultaneous. After the execution, the
body Of the victim is allowed to re-
main for several hours in plain view
of the crowds, which have seen the
accomplishment of the deed Of justice.
All executions are looked upon by the
lower Spaniard as being excellent en-
tertainment.
While torture has been nominally
abolished, the prisons themselves,
combined with the, system, arc such
that the agony of the culprit is con-
tinuous and long-enduring.
AS far as possible the Spanish gov
eminent sends all of her greater GRIM
inals to her convict colony in Africa,
or in the Canary or Balearic islands.
In the few towns which remain to
Spain from her once conquest of
Northern Africa she houses her des-
pelatc convicts. They are hardly a
fitting relic of the once magnificent
colonial empire Of the kingdom. The
largest penal colony of the Kingdom ia
on the two islands of the Baleares, sit
uated In the Mediterranean, near the
cOHsL VI SdIcllCId, III SPUN. 1nefC TIE
convicts are housed like dogs in ken.
nels. Day and night they are forced
TO wear chains u foot long, which arc
suspended from a girdle.
Spaip's Penal Colonies.
They work in the cultivation OF
wheat, barley. yams. dates and figs
and in coffee plantations, the result O
their labor being shipped to Europe
when In African colonies. and till tn,
soil for its products equally in til,
Canary and Balearic islands. TIL,
largest penal colony in the Canar!
islands Is on the island Of Fuerteven
tura. which Is sixty-three squar,
leagues In dimensions and has a popu
lation of 1900, nearly all being con
victs.
Deportation to these penal colonie
is made in the most sh%iftless and crue
manner From all parts of Spain til
prisoners who are to be sen to til
penal colonies are marched throug
rain o., snow to the Sladero, or deter
ton priaon, at Madrid. Then they ar
; marched, with insufficient clothes an
with absolutely no provision for foot
: to Valencia.
Here they are Skinned to the COLI
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08
Cnsnalties,

Maggie Wafford, aged twelve. Of
Newcastle, Ky, was smothered to
death in a folding bed.
Fire completely destroyed the re-
claiming mill of the rubber plant at
Iambertville, N. ]. The loss of $4,000
Is fully covered.
The house Of John Steele of Fits
burg, Pa, burned and two children
lost their lives. The mother was IA
tally injured by jumping from a win.
dow.
The exploration of the gold mine
near Tylorstown, Wales, which was
wrecked by a firedamp explosion, has
been completed and It is found that
the total number of killed is fifty-six.
Advices from Alaska state that the
steamer Rustler picked up thirteen
starving men in q row boat. The men
were Oh the way from Seward City to
Juneau and had not had food or wa
ter for two days. They acted like
wolves.
The south-bound Southern Pacific
passenger train on the coast division
ran into a washout twenty miles south
of San Francisco, derailing the loco
motive and four cars. Engineer John
Keyer was killed and several passen-
gers injured, but none seriously.
Mrs. Isaac L. Harmon of Cammack,
Ind, had her bangs shot off by her
reckless f0urteen-year-old son. He
was handling a rifle in the yard, when
It accidentally exploded, the ball
crashing through a window and plow-
ing a furrow in her forehead.
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08
One student Droppea.

Minneapolis, Feb. 5.-The university
win only contain 2.4O8 students to-
morrow morning, as the faculty, at
their meeting to-day, decided to lot
one of the freshmen take up his books
and walk. The gentleman belonged to
that class of professional shippers"
whose ranks are being thinned out by
the faculty. He is a Minneapolis boy
and a member Of one Of the leading
Greek letter f~raternities. 1t Is under
stood that several other students are
being weighed In the balance, and, II
found wanting at any o Of their
Rotations without good cause, will be
liable to end their university course
very suddenly.
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08
U~nscientiAc Banking.

OubSAclV1AhS a
There arc few fields Of work to which
invention cannot be applied, and a re-
cent incident in banking has suggested
a new problem to those who are seek
ing for novel opportunities. 1t appears
that a merchant of Ionia, Mich, paid a
debt due a Detroit merchant with a
check on the First National Bank of
Ionia. The Detroit merchant deposited
the check in the Detroit bank, which
happened to have no IOnia correspond
ent. The Detroit bank sent it to its
Ionia correspondent. The Chicago bank
sent it to a Muskegon bank, its nearest
correspondent to lonia. The Muskegon
bank sent it to its Grand Rapids cor
respondent. The Grand Rapids bank
had no 1onia correspondent, but saw
that it's Detroit correspondent al the
correspondent Of the First National
Bank of Ionia. on which the check was
drawn; so they sent 1t again to Detroit.
The Detroit bank then forwarded 1t
to IOnia, its destination, for payment.
The check passed through six banks,
being in transit eleven days, and trav-
eled S36 miles. Taking into considera-
ton the postage paid twelve times by
the different banks, the stationery used
and the time occupied by clerks in do.
ing the business, it was urged that If a
short cut for the collection Of checks
"a be devised 1t would pay to adopt it
The resort to negotiable paper and
checks was itself a distinct invention
but the system is still imperfect anG
barbarous that permits g. much ex
pense and friction in these days Of rail
roads and telephones.
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08
Dry Dirt and Leave. for Poultry.

The best work that can he done for
the fowls in the fall is to lay in q sup
ply of leaves and dry dirt under shell
ter. 1t ia scratching in the winter that
keeps the hens In hest laying condi-
ton. and when the snow is on the
ground a pile of dirt and leaves in the
poultry mouse will afford an opportu-
nifty for exercise and greatly tend to
make the hens more contented in con-
fnement. Toe many leaves cannot he
put away. They will lie found very
useful IL will also assist in retain.
Ing warmth in the poultry ho:,sc by
preventing cold drafts of air along the
floor.-Farm and Fires:de.
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08
Degeneration.

Timmins-I fear that l will never
succeed as a literary man after all.
Simmons-You don't mean it?
Timmins-But I do. l had myself
carefully examined by q: most eminent
brain specialist and he says there Is
nothing the matter with me.-1ndian.
aDolis und.l Journal.
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08
PlTH OF THE NEWS.
EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK IN A
CONnENSED TORN.

A General Resume Of the Most In.
p0riHnt News of tue Week, From
all Parts Of the Globe, lsOiseN
Down aud Arranged in COM
veniens Form for Rapid Fer"
snnl by lIWsy People.
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08
\ Pedestrian's view.

Jazrey-Do you believe in three cent
fares OH the street cars:
BrOgsss-NO; I favor five cen fares.
Jazrey-Why?
Broggs-Well. You see. there's some
satisfaction in walking when you're
saving a nickel by it, Boston Gazette.
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08
Learned It Mt Home

Manager-Such success in the violent
lines Of heavy tragedy 1 never saw by
an amateur. Did you learn it in private
theatricals?
Vivian Foy-Yes, 1 had q private re-
hearsal every day. My parents acted
that way.-Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08

The extension of the telephone booth
idea is to bic made In Copenhagen. A
company Of leading Danes has beeA
formed with an adequate preliminary
capital, to erect in all public squares
Of the city telephone kiosks. which
will be %capacious and elegantly fitted
up. Here, besides the telephone, tie
citizen will have access to the daily
papers, bs able to write letters, 70.
reive messages. have their shoes POI.
lshed and generally 10 make tho0.
Dolves comfortable,
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08
~-c". -
GS$SSssSA
S:&SST
Root Cutting Made Ea.x

Root Cutting Made Easy.
tached to the stool part by hinge. A
short fork is used to catch a root and
place it. in the hopper. But one mo-
ton and. one stroke are required for
each root cut. 1t ran be done very
quickly. The knives can be put in to
cut slices of any thickness. as at d.
w. c. Gibson, Farm Superintendent
National Home. Wis.
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08
After the lennon

Mrs, Ray-Why did you pray so earn.
estly for rain to-day, rector
Rector-Special request.
Mrs. Ray-From the farmers?
Rector-Oh, no; from some Of the
avenue bellies who just got in their new
importation of Partisan hosiery-St.
Louis Post-Dispatch.
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08

needed. A couple Of sticks should be
laid across the bottom Of the pan, or a
hole made in the pail an inch from the
top, that the water may rise in the
pan. With this arrangement there Is
little danger Of the hens upsetting the
water dish. which. in cold weather,
makes much trouble in the poultry
house. Moreover. in cold weather a
pail OF water will keep warm much
longer when inclosed in this way-an
important advantage.
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08

be adequately described. Disease is
merciful here, for few men survive the
torture for any length of time.-Wash-
ington Post.
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08
Clean Water for Poultry.

Clean Water for Poultry.
Watering a large flock Of poultry can
be accomplished in a clearly manner
by carrying a pailful Of water to the
poultry quarters and invcrting it in a
pan, as shown in the sketch. This pre-
vents the fowls getting into the water,
while the water is let down as fast as
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08
Keeninu Sheen Too Warm

Many farmers would fatten Il few
sheep in the winter il they did not
have an idea that a basement barn
was essential to success in this bust
ness. The only advantage in a base
ment for sheep is that their fodder a
be stored above and thrown down to
them through a Nlutc. AS for the ex-
ira warmth in Il basement. it is well
enough for other stock, but sheep do
not need it. A shed which will FIX
clude rain and snow is better for them
than to be cooped up in a basement
and lying OH a pile Of bedding which
they are working into a manure pile.
The barn basement is necessary for
those who grow early lambs. but for
other than breeding ewes 1t is no adj
vantage.
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08
People in Print.

1SOEAG u
Gen. Alfred Baker Smith of Pough.
keepsic. n. u, died suddenly.
s. Faulkner died Mt Middletown, N.
u, aged 1O2.
l.indley Hoffman Chaplin, millionaire
and clubman. died ut New York from
heart failure.
Capt. Marcus l.. Taylor. U. $. n, re-
tired. died in hospital in Philadelphia.
He was about forty years old, having
entered the service early in life.
Gen. Kruger, who was born IN 1S2H',
will reach the age limit and be obliged
to retire from the army in about two
years.
Prof. G. a. l.. Tottcn. a former in
structor in Yale. has issued n calendar
for past and future time, covering a
period Of 81, 7l3,250 years.
Gen. Arthur Ducat died in Chicago.
OF recent years he was best known in
connection with insurance affairs, in
which he was q prominent figure.
In view Ct the active interest Secrc-
tary Olney takes in the Red Cross
work of Clara Barton, 1t Is interesting
to note that they are both residents of
Oxford, Mass.
The decree of divorce obtained by
Mrs. Pearl Cragie, the English author,
better known as "JOhn Oliver Hobbs,'
on July 4 last, has been made absolute
since.
Ex-President George Il. Magoun. of
Iowa college, is very i'll at his home i'll
Grinnell, and is expected to live but a
short time. IIc was the first president
Of Iowa college and served for twenty
years. He was a member of the Amer
lean board. and is we'll known in relig-
ious and college circles Fast and
West.
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08
Cattle.


A herd of horned cows was bred to
a polled bull whose mother VOTE
no horns. These young ~frornless heif-
ers never had a horned calf. This
shows how easily the horns may be
bred away land, although slow, this
way is the best of all.
Horned cattle require twice as much
stable room as polls for the young cat
tie of the latter kind be herded In
a pen like sheep until ready to drop
their first calves. No chains. stanch-
ions or halters; never disturbing n
another as they crowd around the
feeding trough.
II we look through stock yards we
shall find the horns actually gone from
nine-tenths Of the stock brought there.
Whether this is due to the chemical
dehOrning, the saw or breeding it
shows that horns arc no longer the
fashion. The chances are that tfley
never will be again.
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08

Henry VIII. was for yeass troubled with con.
seantly.recurring carbuncles. Their number and
~virulencs dnally killed hin.
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08
Thc Nntion.. CMpital.

A bill to make pensions vested rights
Is being considered by II house COM
mittee.
President Cleveland has again urged
congress to make an appropriation for
the return to the United States Of the
negroes who were coloniZed in Mexico.
The treasucry department has re-
ceivcd from the manufacturers 1l9
cases containing 1880 Columbian
worlds exposition bronze medals
which were awarded to exhibitors.
The time of delivery nov rests entire
ly with the worlds fair commission.
1t is expected that the diplomas will
be completed next month. when the
commission will be called together and
arrangements made for their delivery
to exhibitors.
The Dickinson press., 1896-02-08

should possess size enough to be able
to carry and support a good litter OF
pigs. 10 be a good brood sow means
that she is a good sucker. The milk
ing quality runs in strains in sOws. as
In cows and no SOW should be selected
to breed from that Is not Of Il deep
milking family. Her disposition. also.
should be OF the best, us 1t may a
BILE me to save many Il pig that an
irritable SOW would kill. She shonid
be one of a litter Of not less than eight.
and from Il mature sire and dam. An
animal that is in any way defective
or delicate should be excluded from
the breeding herd. and in a SOW. cspc-
cially. N vigorous health and a good
appetite necessary. With 4 litter OF
eight to ten pigs to feed. her digestive
powers will be taxed to the utmost, II
the pigs are not to suffer.-Tait But
Ter, Mississippi Exposition Station.
Ground or Whole Oats for Horacs..
Whether oats should bc fed to horses
in the whole or ground form will de-
pend upon various conditions. These
conditions relate to the relative cost
of oats and fodder respectively. to the
facilities for grinding or crushing the
oats, and to the extent to which the
work can be carried on. When fod-
dcrs are cheap there is less advantage
in trying to economizc them. When
there are no facilities at hand for
grinding the bats or cutting the fodder.
1t may not pay to do it in II small way.
and it Is easy to see how it may pay a
person better to do the work whole
sale than by retail. While there a
he 10 doubt of the greater economy OF
food from grinding the grain aud cut
ting the fodder. and then feeding the
two mixed, the farmer u he the
Judge of which will be the best
plan for him to adopt.-Northwestern
Farmer.