davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17
where Do old Pianos Go?

What becomes of the old pianos?
They seem to disappear from the world
almost as mysteriously as pins. Per
haps, considering their size, the fact
that the streets are not blocked with
cast-off pianos Is more curious than
that the face of the earth fails to be
overlaid with pins. An experienced
dealer says he has known Of but three
that were cut up for firewood. Yet
they often sell for little more than so
much pine would bring. 1t is the Gus
tom of most houses to take old instru-
ments and allow something for them.
The deduction is counted as almost
dead loss, but 1t brings trade. The
old instruments are refitted and pol
ished up, however, and sold again-in
many instances becoming the property
of boarding house keepers. Boarding
houses are the chief refuge Of second
hand pianos. Then they are sold by
small dealers to country people all over
the land. Men that go into that branch
of the trade can get pianos pretty
cheap. for the first-class houses some
times get so overloaded with them that
they are almost willing to pay to have
them carried away.-Boston Traveller.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17
RUNS 200 MILES AN HOUR.
Terrific Speed Is Claimed for a Newly
Designed Electric Locomotive.

Terrific Speed Is Claimed for a Newly
Designed Electric Locomotive.
A locomotive that will run 200 miles
an hour has recently been completed at
the Baldwin Locomotive Works In
Philadelphia. 1t Is called the lightning
express electric locomotive. Nothing
that resembles it has ever been con-
structed. 1t is announced that with
this locomotive a speed of 120 miles an
hour has been made privately. This
would bring Chicago within five hours
ride of New York.
In appearance the new locomotive
gives hardly a suggestion of its speed.
There Is little mechanism visible, as the
motors are hidden in jackets of steel
with the exception Of the driving
wheels, whose length and solidity are
not so apparent from their size as from
their construction. The locomotive has
the appearance of an ordinary baggage
car. While not in the least resembling
the conventional locomotive in out
ward appearance, this one Is considered
the most complete in the world. The
frame is made of 10-inch rolled steel
channels, surrounded by half-inch
rolled steel plate, covering the entire
floor. The plate is an important de-
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17
..settink the River ON Fire"

"Sotttnk the River on Fire.
Sometimes, when person wants to
make an unpleasant remark In pleas
ant sort Of way about dull boy, he will
say, THAT boy will never set the river
on fire." Now, that Is all very true; for
even the smartest man In the world
could never set stream Of waiter on
fire, and so perhaps many OF you who
have heard this expression have won
dered what Is meant by setting the river
on fire.
In England, many, many years ago,
before the millers had machinery for
sitting -four, each family was obliged
to sift its own -four. For doing this, 1t
was necessary to use sieve, called
tense, which was so fixed that 1t could
be turned round and round In the top
of a barrel. II 1t was turned too fast
the friction would sometimes cause 1t
to catch fire; and as 1t was only tho
smart, Woodworking boys who could
make It 60 so fast as that, people got
into the way Of pointing out lazy boy
by saying that he would never set the
tense on fire. After a while these
sleeves went out Of use, but as there
were still plenty Of stupid boys in the
world, people kept on saying that they
would never set the tense on fire. Now,
the name of the river Thames Is pro-
nounced exactly like the word "temse,"
and so, after many years, those persons
who had never seen or heard Of the old
fashioned sieve thought that setting
the tense on fire. meant setting the
river Thames on fire. This expression
became very popular and travelled far
and wide, until the people living near
other streams did not see why 1t was
any harder for slothful boy to set the
Thames on fire than any other river,
and so the name Of the river was drop
ped, and everybody after that simply
said "the river" meaning the river Of
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17

"a we struck the dangerous place
was pretty nervous, and 20 was every
body else. but we meant business and
braced up with a drink or two for
whatever work we might have. 1t came
at last, with light on the track, and
the train pulled up. As 1t stopped there
was volley Of a half-dozen shots pour
ed into the train from the woods near
the track, which my men responded to
/ ON the spot, much to my chagrin, for
had wanted the robbers to board US,
where we could have them In good
shooting position. My men were green,
though, or at least most OF them were,
and they were SO ratified by the volley
that they forgot what they were doing
and banged away.
Nothing was left them but to give
chase, which we did for few hundred
yards through the woods, but they got
away In the dark, and we found moth
ing except, as we came back to the
train. my friend the informer. Him we
found lying in the gutter on top Of his
lantern, scared half to death. We took
him In, and as the train pulled out ]
explained his part In the affair and the
millionaires were so pleased with his
heroic conduct In saving them that
they made up a pony purse OF $1,000
and presented 1t to him on the spot
and offered him a railroad job where
he might have chance to lead a new
life.
HE took the money and the job, and
| the next time / saw him he was In jail
at Sacramento, with a bullet hole III
him. Before he quit living, however
he told me with laugh that the hold
up was fake from start to finish, and
that his wife did the shooting from the
| woods with a revolver and ran away
as fast as she could. They figured thai
| the rich men would make up some sor
Of purse, and II they didn't get more
than hundred dollars 1t would have
repaid them amply for all their expense
and trouble. AS for the risk, there
wasn't any. I was glad nobody heard
the scoundrel tell this story, for i
made me mighty sore, and never tolt
| 1t till had been away from California
for five years. Washington Star.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17

her, and her interpreter and friend,
Miss Sullivan, who, before taking up
the instruction of Helen, was teacher
In deaf-mute institution. The teacher
began with establishing a sort OF tele-
graph code between herself and her
pupil in the form Of finger taps on the
palm of the little girl. Helen learned
to give utterance to language by plac-
ing her fingers on Miss Sullivan's lips,
fact and throat and then Initiating the
motions made by her teacher with the
same muscles. She sings delightfully."-,
but has never heard her own voice.
She knows what light is, without hav-
ing seen, recites difficult lessons to bet
ter advantage than many of her fellow
pupils, and has now taken to cycling,
from which she derives as much JOY
as any of her companions who are in
full possession Of their faculties. Miss
Keller rides tandem, fearlessly, and II
she keeps on progressing she may be
able to completely demonstrate the
theory that all the senses are really
one at rOOt-touch
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17
INGENIOUS HORSE THIEVES.
Novel Manner In Which a Nebraska
Band Piled Their Trade.

Novel Manner in Which a Nebraska
Band Piled Their Trade.
when l was In Nebraska, near the
Hill, in 1885," said Lewiston citizen,
1--WE had four camps situated about
eighteen miles apart, and to go from
Thorne's camp to Dunham's camp 1t
was necessary to go through a long
piece of pine woods. For number of
months everyone who had gone through
the woods alone never came back. One
day 1t was necessary that l should go
through with a lot OF money and no
escort, and 1 set out on a horse that l
got from a stable keeper near Thorne
camp. When had nearly reached the
woods five miles out my horse was
taken Ill and foaming at the mouth and
refused to go on. Clearly to my medical
aye 1t had been poisoned slightly by
some one. A man not so well up In
medicine might not have known it.
Soon what looked like hunter came
along on horse and offered to swap,
taking mine back to the stable IL
NOdAQ iCdNC hlLl ucdtT DuuuuDu CttluD
with trapper. l ought to have seen
through this. but did not. got on
to the powerful horse of the stranger
and started through the five miles Of
woods. Half way through without ap-
parent reason the horse broke into a
trot, a gallop and a run, and dashing
Off the trail through the woods picked
his way among trees as nicely as IL he
had gone that way n hundred times.
Pull as l would at the bride he paid no
attention, but ran the faster. When
he had leaped a brook and landed on
the sand beyond, the marks of foot
prints alarmed me and slipped off at
the risk Of my life. He ran up ra-
vine and I hid, fearing that 1t was a
trap, as II afterward proved. In lit
tie while three men armed with rifles
came back on the trail, one riding the
horse, now calm as a lamb. picked
my way to the road and got to the
camp. Two weeks later nineteen OF
us followed a man who had hired q
horse at the same place I did. 1 was
taken Ill and the same trapper came
along on the same horse. When the
horse dashed into the woods, as he had
been trained to do, nineteen OF us dash
ed after him and finally arrived Mt q
mountain camp of the robbers. We
took every man-seven of them-and
well. law was not well supported ou
there then and no court sat nearer
than 200 miles. We didn't carry tn,
rascals away from their own camp fire
The trained horse met the fate of 1t.
owners. "-Lewiston Journal.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17
7 1 l5Fn51H[]TF4s
% ~
NEW ELECTRIC ENGINE.

tail, as it gives strength to resist blows
in collision. The frame is carried on
two trucks, which have all the easy rid
ing features of car trucks, that is, soft
springs, swinging motion and free
movement.
This is the first electric express en-
CINE. The new electric locomotives that
have heretofore been built have all
been to haul freight trains or to run at
"A low rate of speed. On the expert
mental track in the yard of Its builders
along which 1t has been run such ter
rife and unheard-of speed has been at
tanned as to permit the conservative
announcement to be made that the av-
erage speed Of $50 miles an hour can
be maintained for almost any distance.
The power is supplied from the third
rail. as on the Metropolitan Elevated
Railroad in Chicago.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17
Inventions of the Insane.

A writer In London Answers quotes
the talk of the resident physician of
large asylum for the insane, who says
that persons confined in such institu-
tions often display an inventive turn OF
mind. One of his own patients believes
himself shut up in the old Fleet prison
for the national debt, and in the hope OF
raising the wherewithal to pay this
trifiing sum and so obtain release, has
devoted himself to inventing things.
Strange to say, among n host OF alb
surd ideas, he has produced two which
are really practicable. His friends and
have supplied him with such harmless
materials as he requires, and he has
lust finished a simple automatic con-
trivance for the head Of lawn tennis
racket, to pick up the balls and abolish
stopping. 1t acts perfectly well, and
I'm so convinced there's money in 1t
that I've advised his friends to secure
n patent for him in case he becomes
cured.
His other invention Is Of a different
kind, being a really efficacious prevent
i've Of seasickness. It's very simple;
two of it's components are In every
kitchen and the rest in every chemists
shop. l have successfully tested 1t my
self or two occasions when crossing
the channel in very stormy weather.
AS an instance Of the cleverness Of
lunatics, it may interest you to know
that a very valuable improvement con-
nected with machinery, now in daily
use everywhere, was invented by the
inmate of an asylum well known to ev-
cry one by name. AS he is now quite
cured and is a somewhat prominent
man. 1 won't mention any details; but
his invention, designed and modelled
as a diversion while absolutely insane,
has since brought him in thousands of
pounds.
A lunatic at an asylum where l was
once assistant physician invented fly
ing machine, and had unique method
of suspending it in mid-air. "Atmos-
pheric pressure being fifteen pounds to
the square inch," he said, II have sim
ply to exhaust all the air from above
my air-ship by an enormous air-pnmp
fixed over the whole deck, and the all
pressure underneath will hold the ship
up"
told him he'd need another air-pumI
on top of the first one to exhaust the all
that would be pressing that pump
down, and another above that, and sc
on, but he declared he once made O
model which had worked splendidly
He said, ut flew about in the room like
bird. Unfortunately, the window hap
pened to be open at the top, and 1t few
out and so lost It,"
The chaplain Of an asylum in tn,
north once told me Of a mailman Their,
who had plan for laying cable rount
the world In two days. His idea wal
to send up n powerful balloon to th'
highest possible altitude, with cabl,
attached. BY the revolution of tn,
| earth on its axis the cable, he declared
would be laid completely round tn,
earth In twenty-four hours.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17

"HE New York anarchist, when
seen through the medium Of the
- sensational newspaper item, Is In
many respects unlike the real article.
and close contact with him In his home
and haunts robs him of his Importance,
divests him of his political strength
and shows him to be an insignificant
factor In the community and OF much
importance only to himself.
A peep into the meeting room OF an
anarchist assembly will show that 1t Is,
above all, un-American. Men and wom-
en- who attend the meetings do not rep
resent any particular calling, and one
is likely to find among the professional
idlers and ne'er-do-wells mechanics,
clerks, artists, writer's, musicians,
teachers, lawyers and physicians. They
are destructionists because they own
nothing which could be destroyed, and
they come together and preach revolu-
ton and violence.
There are men in the ranks c. the an
archists who have been driven there
by chain of circumstances which has
shattered their belief in the justice Of
established governments, and they feel
justified In taking sides against law
and order. They are men who felt the
lash Of Russian tyranny and who saw
no reward for good citizenship, and
whose patriotism was stamped out and
destroyed by despotic measures. They
escaped from their homes, shook OF the
chains which made life a burden, but
many years of harsh treatment had
made too deep an impression upon
them to be removed in kindlier SIR
roundings, and they continue their cru
sade against established government
here as they did abroad. Then there
Is the professional striker, who hates
''the boss,v who would rather be idle
than work, and who would think 1t
good fun to see the factory burn up II
for no other reason than to furnish an
excuse for idleness.
Many of the anarchist class are Of
the "theorist kind" They are the
writers. the expert mechanics, the pro-
fessional men. In most instances they
have been failures in their professions,
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17

Latest Accom- plishment Of . Girl
Deaf, Dumb and Blind

Latest Accom- piishment Of . Girl
Deaf Dumb and Blind.
Helen Keller rides a wheel! This d
the latest accomplishment to be &c
CURED by the marvellous young girl who
has SO interested scientific men and so
amazed the unscientific world. Miss
Keller, when a mere infant, became,
through, an attack Of violent disease,
blind. deaf and dumb. Recently she
entered Radcliffe College, Cambridge.
Mass, and Is now one of Its brightest
pupils. The story of her development Is
well-night incredible. Blind and deaf,
having never heard human language,
she has learned to speak German and
French so well that native to these
tongues cannot tell she Is foreigner.
Her English, too, Is perfection. She
reads all the great authors, can recite
Shakespeare and Goethe and Hugo,
writes good poetry herself and is quite
adept In dead languages. To accom-
plish this marvellous result years Of In
finite toll and patience were spent by
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17

and are looked upon by their neighbors
who are not anarchists as having
wheels" There are violent men and
women In the various organizations
who advocate death and destruction
on the slightest provocation, but be-
yond rantlng and brandishing imag.n-
airy firebrands they are harmless, and
fear the law which they would seem
to defy.
The anarchist is not at his best in
meeting hall nor in parade. He shines
out in his full glory in the bier stube,
the kneipe or the East Side coffee
house. There are saloons which are
owned and managed by anarchists,
where are the congregating places OF
the reds, and there, over games OF
chess and cards, under the influence of
drinks of more or less potency, and in
an atmosphere thick with bad tobacco
fumes. the grievances of the ''oppress-
ed lower classes" are discussed and
remedies are suggested.
The first thing that will strike the
visitor to these places as strange Is that
most of the people whom he sees ad-
dress one another as "Du" in token of
the brotherly intimacy between them.
This "Bruderschaft" does not exist
among the men only, but the women
who are known to be anarchists are
also addressed in this manner, and they
use the same term when speaking to
the men. In one Of the popular resorts
of this kind red flag is stretched be-
hind the counter and the walls are dec
Grated with cheap prints of scenes and
portraits dear to the destructionist.
One picture, highly colored. repre-
sents the assassination of the Car
Alexander; another the shooting of the
Archbishop of Paris by the Commune.
Then there is a group Of the Chicago
bomb-throwers and similar cheerful
pictures. There are portraits of Carl
baldi, Louise Michel and Robert Blum,
and a number of caricatures. The
saloons are unlike others. because one
rarely hears laughter there, and the
men are always, even in their cups,
serious.
To be In good standing and to com
mand the respect of his fellow-anar-
chist a man must, above all, be Gree
as to religion. In other words, he must
look down upon those who attend
church. and must lose no opportunity
to show that In his opinion churches
are unnecessary, and that those who
attend them are fools. A slur at the
church, a sneering remark as to Q
church dignitary or ridicule of some
ancient and sacred religious custom
will always be applauded In an anar
chlst assembly. and IL there is an coca
slonal sign OF hilarity In the anar
chists' kneipe 1t is safe to say that 1t Il
provoked at the expense of religion
This IL true of Professionals, Roman
Catholics and Jews. When they ente
the ranks of the anarchists they leav'
their religion behind, and when dealt
ends his career the anarchist Is born
away to his last resting place withou
religious rite. Many a fond wife o
doting mother has been pushed asid
when she has asked that q praye
might he said for him who had been he
lover or her baby. Religion Is TO
women and for fools" they tell b.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17
THAT HUNT HOMES


No Livipa Person IL More Careful
About Choice.
Animals, such as the coon, flying squir-
rel, wild mouse, gray and red squir-
rels, and opossum, at some time during
the year no ''home" hunting, the same
as people do. The favorite fiat location
is some big forest tree, and when these
animals start out they look first for
good, comfortable front door. They
cannot build homes of their own az. the
birds do, but when they have found
front door of the right size they can
clean the house after their fashion by
removing the rotten wood, and supply
It with all the furniture needed by way
Of soft leaves, sticks and straw.
All the animals named above have
good stout teeth and know well how to
use them. When they once find nice
home in a good neighborhood, with
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17
Vertical Handwriting on a Chez

NertlCal nauuWTitiU& Oi SneCk.
In Camden school the vertical style
Of handwriting has recently been intro
duced and the change In the pupils
chirography is very marked.
One of the pupils has an account in
a savings bank. The other day he
wanted So, and, filling up check for
that amount. signed 1t, and presented
1t at the paying teller's window.
The teller stared hard at the boy.
as this your signature" he asked.
"Yes, sir" replied the lad, In surprised
tones.
Then the paying teller compared the
signature on the check with that In the
book containing the autographs Of de-
positors. There was no resemblance
between the two.
A consultation Of officials was held,
and the youthful depositor was Piled
with more questions. Then 1t dawned
upon him what the trouble was.
"Oh," said he, they've changed the
style Of penmanship In our school, and
I use the vertical system now. That's
why my signature is different"
The check was paid.-Philadelphia
Call
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17
AltpeId and tho Convict.

While Governor Altgeld was going
through the Joliet penitentiary with
the board of managers, one day this
summer, says the Chicago Times-Her-
aid. he noticed n convict who worked
Mt selling shoes in a listlcss and slip
shod manner, and remarked, You
don't seem to be doing that work very
thoroughly, my man?" See here"
retorted the convict shoemaker, Il
didn't apply for this job, and I'm not
dead stuck on 1t, anyway. If you don't
like my work, I'm ready to quit any
time you say so.'
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17
Not Mt HOMO.

Caller-Is your father Mt home?
Little Daughter-What is your name,
please? q
Caller-JYst tell him 1t Is his old
friend, Bill.
Little Daughter-Then I guess he
amt at home. / heard him tell NAM
ma IL any bill came he wasn't at home.
Washington Times.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17
An Inspiration.

Harry-Maude, do you believe in in
SEPARATION?
Maude-SOf course do.
"Give me an Instance where It proved
timelyT
. "Just as that clock struck IL some
thing made me think OF your hat
Adams Freeman.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17

II say, sister. got turned down last
night"
How was thatT"
miss Queenshape wouldn't let me
hold her hand"
''well, 1t wasn't because she was 90
very proper; It was because she didn't
want to let you see how large her hand
was.~-Ncw York Recorder.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17
Sensitive.

Weary watkins-Say, Hungry, this
here booze is great. Would 1t be an In
suit to asst how you got 1t?
Hungry Higgins-Worked old guy
fer a quarter.
"Now, what did you want to intro
duce that there word fer2 1t clean
takes all the enjoyment out of the oc-
cation"
"wot word"
"That there word beginnin' wit w."
INDIANAPOLIS Journal.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17
A-"Come and take supper with me.

A-"Come and take supper with me"
BIZ can't, old man. I'm just married
and my wife expects me home to cot,
fee." A--"whatl you drink coffee :
Why, 1 thought You always drank tea
at night" B1'Oh, my wife cooks It 20
that no one can tell the dIfrerence.r-.
Fliegende Blaetter.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17

Eloquence Is never demanded in any
one who knows an extremely choice
piece Of scandal.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17
Gold La scarce.

1t is estimated that the amount of
gold In circulation throughout the
world Is about 100000 COOLIES than
1000 tons.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17

Merritt-Man was made to mourn,
you know. Cortland what was wom-
an made for, pray7 Merritt-To rake
him do 20, suppose.-New York Truth.
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17
somethinr More.

$50 Claude has given up counting
that Jones girl? Was 1t anything less
than a Calling gun that discouraged
himT
at was parrot."-Detroit Free
Press
Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-17

Every man Is a powder key. and
girls are brought UP to be crimin1lly
careless weth matches.