davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06
THE FAMOUS GIN LAW.
How It Was Received and Evaded by the
English Public.

This famous "gin law" passed in
1886, is interesting as the earliest se-
we're blow at liquor dealing among civ
ilized nations. 1t levied tax of eos
gallon on spirits, and license Of ESQ
for any one selling or dealing in them.
And. being in advance of public opin-
ion, it failed, much as other more
stringent prohibition laws have failed
in our own day. For the cry was at
once raised that it taxed the poor mans
gin and let the rich mans wine go
free. Every wit, every caricaturist, had
his fling at it. Ballads We're hawked
around telling of the approaching
death CT Mother Gin. The liquor shops
were hung with black and celebrated
uproarioasly Mime. Geneva's lying in
state. her funeral, her wake and SO on.
The night before the law went into
effect. so the contemporary journals
say. there was universal revel all
over the country Every one drank his
fill and carried home as much gin be-
sides as be could pay for.
To evade the law apothecaries sold
AZ Al ftAAo B1Nhettor EOAhO-
times colored aud disguised, generally
under false labels. such as "Colic
Water, Z" Make Shift" Ladies' De-
light" There Were printed directions
on some of these packages-e. e., Take
two or three spoonfuls three or four
times day, or as often as the fit takes
you. Informers were very prominent
and exceedingly offensive. inventing
snares to catch lawbreakers for the sake
of the heavy rewards, and spying and
sneaking around in way particularly
distasteful TO the English mind. In con-
sequence they suffered in their turn.
The mere cry, Liquor spyi" was
enough to raise a mob in the London
streets. and the informer was lucky if
he escaped with a sound thrashing and
a ducking in the Thames or the nearest
horse pond. Indeed. such an outcry was
made about the matter that the minis
try became very unpopular, and the
law was not enforced after two or three
years, and was largely modified in l743.
after seven years trial Popular Sci
ence Monthly
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06
ARMY LIFE.
Its Social Informality Constitutes One of
Its Great Charms

Its Social Informality Constitutes One of
Its Great Charms
Army life is informal to a degree, "
said Mrs. Custer, during a recent inter
view. THE custom of using cards when
calling is only of very recent date
among officers wives. When lived in
garrison, we should never have dreamed
Of such a thing 1t is only at few of
the larger posts, near the cities, where
there is anything like the formality of
civic life. The people in a garrison are
like one great family. Nothing that
deeply concerns any member is matter
Of indifference to the others, and the
spirit of good fellowship is universal
In time of sickness the friendly helpful
ness of the women for each other is
shown strongly Many a time l have
known number of women to detail
themselves. in regular military fashion,
10 duty in the house of sickness at GER
tain hours, relieving one another
through the day and night with abso-
lute precision. so that the sick person
should never be left without an attend
ant
With all this close intimacy there
is surprisingly little friction or Ill feel
ing There are, Of course, at every post
a few people who are disagreeable or
hard to get along with, but they cause
no more trouble in general than they
do in their own households They be-
long, we feel. to our army family. and
their shortcomings must be overlooked
just as we should overlook the faults Of
a husband or brother or sister No dis
tinctions between rich and poor are
ever observed There is occasionally a
question about calling upon new ar
rivals. but it is solely on account Of
reputation and honor II there has been
anything discreditable to the good
Lame of an officer or his wife. the cir
cumstances must be investigated before
other families of the post will call +"
-Philadelphia Times
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06
THE NEWsRoY.s DREAM.
It Was His Idea Of What Would he Alb
soluteiy Ideal Conditions.

It Was His Idea Of What would Be AD-
soiuteiy Ideal Conditions.
The American newsboy can almost
be said 10 have created genus for HIM
self. II he has any, he has certainly
created it, for of ali the inhabitants OF
this planet there is none who is so abso-
lutely independent, so thoroughly con-
fident ~ his own exertions. He has a
self importance. derived from his ability
To support or partially support himself,
which places him high above the rank
Of the ordinary gamin, and he generally
possesses what is far more important III
any community-ready money. He is
the capitalist Of our Junior civilization,
the Count Esterhazy Of newsboys' alley.
He can play craps for money when other
boys are constrained to pursue this de-
lectable amusement with only the mild
er if more intellectual pleasure Of study
ing the fluctuations of fortune, or. at
most. hazarding cigarette pictures.
He may swear little more than Is
necessary. but in general is not half
bad His train of thought is usually
healthy and vigorous and has robust
ness born of the outer air in which he
spends so much of his time. Physically
he is agile and almost tireless- While
apparently reckless in most things, he
is, on the whole. careful Of his health
he is scarcely ever known to smoke
whole cigarette at time. His intellect
is as keen as a razor. He keeps it con-
tinually honed ON the strop of expert
ence. Everything carries for him les
son. From the sale of the largest Sum
day paper TO that of the most unpreten-
tious weekly there is nothing he does
not profit by.
BE is bOrn statist, self educated
strategist. He has the nice art Of going
far enough and yet never overstepping
himself On the eve of such an occasion
he will vociferate. "All about the cleo
tion." but don't ever expect Of whom
until you buy the paper. Pleasure and
other things occupy fair proportion Of
his time, but with him the distribution
of news is always uppermost 1t even
permeates his sleeping hours. One Of
them was heard to remark between sales
to another a day or SO ago. "Say. Jim.
/ had de finest dream l ever had las
night.
WAS it about anRels?" inquired Jim.
"Naw." was the contemptuous re-
sponse. II dreampt dat der was aw-
full smashup. six fires, four doubo muir
ders an tree suicides, all in one day. -
Chicago Times Herald.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06
-



What wondrous days indeed are ihes9
When sciance shows light
On any pathway that you please
That You may turn arighti
Vet life is filed with terrors new
The hours grow dull and long
For everything you care 20 do.
The doctor says. is wrong
Who tries TO warble IS forbid
Lest germs attack his throat.
The dancers prowess must be hid
Though he may screech q note.
Who dimes in carelessness complete
Is tempted by the throng,
But he who likes TO may not eat
The doctor says it's wrong.
You shun the-water. sparkling fair
Lest fo<s lurk there disguised
Fo, mustn't breathe unless the air
Has been well enaiyzed-
Thoughtless you turn. as is your wont,
With an affection strong,
To kiss your baby. But you don't
The doctor says it's wrong
Washington Star.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06
CURIOUS INSECT.
butterfly That Enjoy. Only Five Hours
of Life.

of Life.
1t is in August that the naturalists
observe the marvellous insect which is
born, reproduces and dies in the period
of a single night, ON the banks of the
Marne, of the Seine, and Of the Rhine.
1t is the ephemere Of which Sirammer-
dam has written and which is spoken
of in Aristotle.
The life of this insect does not last
beyond four or five hours. 1t dies to-
ward ii O'Clock in the evening. after
taking the form of a butterfly about six
hours after midday. 1t is true. how
ever, that before taking this form it
has lived three years in that of worm,
which keeps always near the border of
water in the holes which it makes i'll
the mud.
The change of this worm in the
water to an ephemere which flies is so
sudden that one has not the time to see
it. II one takes the worm in the water.
the hand cannot be taken away before
the change is made unless by pressing
the worm slightly in the region of the
chest By this means il can be taken
from the water before the change takes
place.
The ephemere, after leaving the
water, seeks place where il can diyest
itself Of fine membrane or veil. which
entirely covers it. This second change
takes place in the air.
The ephemere assists itself with the
point of its little nails as firmly as it
can Ii makes a movement similar to
that of a shiver, then the skin on the
middle of the back breaks apart, the
wings slip out of their sheath, as we
sometimes take off our gloves by turn
ing them inside out After this strip
ping the ephemere begins to fly. Some
times il holds itself straight up on the
surface of the water on the end of its tail.
Tapping its wings one against the
other. 1t takes no nourishment in the
five or six hours which are the limit of
its life. 1t seems to have been formed
but to multiply. for il does not leave
its state of worm until il is ready 10
deposit its eggs. and it dies as soon as
they are deposited.
In three days time one sees appear
and die all species of ephemeres. They
last sometimes until the fifth day, for
the reason that some malady has affect
ed some OF them and prevents them from
changing a. the same time as the
others
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06
SOME ROYAL DOGS.
Nearly All the sovereiens Of Europe Are
Fond of Canine PetA-

Eouo " @3Etns 49,
Nearly every one Of the sovereigns
of Europe, it appears. has one or more
pet dogs. The collies of Queen Victoria.
the fox terriers of Princess Beatrice,
with Jock as prime favorite, are known
ut least by hearsay TO every body.
The emperor of Russia is also great
lover of dogs A London paper reports
that he is always accompanied in his
walks by a couple CT fine Danish
hounds. whose strength and vigilance
their master considers his best safe
guard. The grave car is often seen
playing with these monster pets. He
himself has taught them their tricks.
and they are nearly always about him
The king Of Greece shares the czar's
taste for the Danish hounds, which are
as intelligent as they are strong. and
which, with hardly bark to announce
their intentions, will fly at the throat
of any one whom their master may
point cut to them in case of need.
When tho empress of Austria goes on
her long walks or rides, several pet
dogs always accompany her. But per-
haps the most widely known of all the
"royal dogs" Of the present day is
Black. the pet dog Of the Russian Grand
Duke Alexis.
Black is a sportsman's dog. of no
very aristocratic breed Indeed, if the
truth must be told. he is a member of
the race Of mongrels which the fisher
men in the south of France take out TO
sea. employing them TO recapture any
willy fish that may fall through the
meshes of their nets or slip suddenly
back into its element after il has been
once landed ON board the barge Black
is still rejoicing in the days Of his
youth, but his record. not only as a
common fisherman but as fisher of
men, is already great. for ne has saved
no fewer than six persons from a watery
grave.
Some three or four years ago the
Grand Duke Alexis was staying at
Biarritz- One stormy night he went out
on the cliff to get view OF the angry
sea A boat was just being wrecked be-
low. and he saw dog dashing with
angry growls and barks into the water
and bringing to land, one by one, three
drowning men, while the crowd cheered
the brave mongrel to the echo. The
grand duke approached to caress the
dog, and the animals master then
offered Black TO him, refusing to accept
any payment st. Louis Post Dispatch.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06
Wheat Thief Eseaued.

WAsHIN GroN, Pa, Sept. 26.-Friday
night II Bushels of wheat were stolen
from \. J. Barr, of Somerset township,
and taken away in 4 two horse wagon
Mr.. Barr traced the grain To Ieit Bros
Touring mill and found the man who
sold it trying 10 cash check at William
Smiths bank, where he indorsed IT
"Charles Baker" while the check had
beer drawn in favor of "Charles Black" ="
Cashier Wrenshall refused payment.
The stranger escaped. The horses and
wagon were claimed by Liveryman
Sheplar, of Finleyvilie. The wagon also
contained a loaded gun, which is now at
police headquarters. The sacks which
contained the grain were identified by
George Black as some which had been
stolen from him Friday night.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06
Death of Judge KilgOre, the Fighting Texas
Congressman.

United-States Judge Kilgore, ex Con-
gresham from Texas, died at Ardmore,
l. T., Thursday afternoon after short
illness. The remains were sent TO Wills
Point, Tex, for burial.
Judge Kilgore was one of the best
known men in public life, and attracted
considerable attention in the Fifty first
Congress, when he kicked in a green
baize door which had been locked by
order of Speaker Reed during one Of the
flibustering scenes that made the first
quorum-counting" Congress memorable
Having supported President Cleveland
ardently, the President appointed him
one Of the Judges of Indian Territory,
after he was retired from Congress
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06
Finally Dkgested.

1t is said that an American went into
a London booksellers and asked for
Hare's Walks In London. - In the
United States it is printed in one vol
ume, in England in two
"Oh," said the Yankee as he looked
at them, lyon part your Hare in the
middle, do your"
81. sir?" said the clerk, with bewil-
dered look. "Oh, no. sirI'
81 saw he didn't see the joke" said
the Yankee. $50 | didn't explain, but
bought the books and went away. A
week later | entered the same shop. AS
soon as the clerk saw me he approached
me, exclaimiDg: Good, capitall Part
your hair in the middle? That's capital,
sir-capital i"-Anecdotes.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06
eARNATo IN THE COMMUNE.
How the Diamond King Saved the Bank
of France.

How the Diamond King Saved the Bank
of France.
A writer of stories about Barney
Barnato says. in the Philadelphia Bull
letin, that there is a circumstantially
definite account of his presence in Paris
during the commune of 1871. In the
utter break up of all social fabric he
found his capacities of paying order.
For there is little doubt that his was
the craft that enabled the shrewder
Iommunards to realize the money need
I'd to supply the sinews of war
One day, during the gloom and stress
of the government siege, the president
of the Bank of France was confronted
by an unkempt mob. The demand was
explicit. They wanted all the gold III
the banks vaults The spokesman
flourished bloody saber and the mob
accentuated the demand by all sorts or
ferocious threats. 1t was in the height
of this melee that a man who had been
counseling the financial deputy of the
commune rode up, adorned by red sash
and other insignia Of the terrorists- He
made his way through the vociferous
throng and handed the governor of the
bank large envelope While the official
was reading it the besashed emissary
turned to the clamoring nomads and, in
a tongue unknown to the officials and
probably TO many of the mob, addressed
them few sentences. A singular event
followed. A dozen of the ringleaders at
once began haranguing the rioters In
a few minutes every one of them with
drew The besashed parsonage remained
in consultation with the governor and
when il was ended withdrew. An hour
later six covered wagons came TO the
bank and were laden with bags such as
the bank always makes use of in trans
porting specie
When Barnato appeared as the dia-
mond king in South Africa. a score of
the communards, who had fed from
France, were in exile in the region
where Barnato had cornered the mines.
One day in the plenitude of his afflu-
ence he was waylaid, riding in the
Rand, by a company of miners One of
them, by a few words, succeeded in
gaining his private ear This man was
known as the most ferocious of the blood
thirsty gang who had taken part in the
killing of the hostages in La Roquette.
He recognized Barnato as the emissary
sent by the commune TO the Bank Of
France, and the knowledge enabled him
TO get in ON the ground floor of the dia-
mond deal The tale goes on to tell that
Barnato, who figured as Felix Barnette,
had fallen desperately in love with a
figurante in the Folies Bergeres just as
the war Of 1870 broke out; that he had
fingered in Paris, became a member of
one of the Red" societies, exploited
the ardent patriotism of his coworkers
and succeeded in getting several mil
lions of the cash he had forced from the
Bank of France The tale. whether
true or not, is by no means so improb-
able as the actual facts known in the
mans mastery Of the African diamond
yields, for to do that he was forced 20
put himself against such schemers as
Cecil Rhodes and to contend with
the "dour" shiftiness of the Beers. and
particularly with that astute old fox
Uncle Kruger
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06
Where Princes Are Sacred.

When young prince of Japan wishes
TO learn the mysteries of chirography,
young maidens bring paper. others make
the ink and prepare the paint brush
The master expresses admiration by
gesture and face. for no words must be
spoken by him to the prince. his mouth
even being bandaged that his breath
may not blow upon the face of the
prince The teacher must move about
in the quietest manner and give COM
mendation only
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06

The most curious rs well as one of
the rarest books known to collectors is
the edition Ct the Vulgate issued by
Pope Sixtus V, some time between
1885 and 1890. The book, as Disraeli
describes it, fairly swarmed with er-
rata. So numerous were they that a
number Of printed paper slips contain
ing the proper words were pasted over
the blunders, and this device proving
Intellectual ON account Of the immense
number of mistakes. as many Of the
copies as could be found were called in
and destroyed. Only few remain, and
the book with its paper patches COM
mands an extremely high price.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06
Chewing the BeteI Nat.

Maxwell Sommerville. in his book
Siam on the Meinsm, From the Gulf
to Ayuthia. =" says that. the thew my Of
the betel nut being a comn.Cn i.abit. at
every little distance as yCu 20 through
the bazaar of Bangkok may b. seen
petty merchants busy making and sell
ing the preparation so universally mas
ticated.
The leaves in which the PREPARED
mixture is wrapped are from viue
known as the chavica betel The ECs l.
from the arica betel palm, which
reaches height Of about co feet, whose
branches bear several large punches Of
nuts, which harden and reddcn as they
ripen, and which resemble somewhat
the bunches of fruit on the date bearing
palm The dealers cut up their green
leaves into the proper triangular form.
crack the nuts. and with wooden spatu-
las work the tumeric stained juice into
paste Ii is amusing to see how skill
fully they form the pieces Of green leaf
into pointed, cone shaped cups, into
each one Of which they place a portion
Of the ingredients
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06
Our Temperature.

The ordinary temperature of an adult
when a thermometer is placed in the
armpit is 9S.4 degrees, in the mouth
99.5 degrees The blood is about 100
degrees Blood heat is marked on the
Thermometer at 80 degrees f. In fevers
this is much exceeded. and the heat of
the patient may rise to lO5 degrees or
1o6 degrees a higher temperature than
this will generally prove fatal unless
it descends very quickly. Tie highest
temperatures recorded have been in
some cases of rheumatic fever, when
that Of the body rose to 100 degrees
and even to Ill degrees.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06

In the earliest code of British laws
now extant-namely. that of Hoel Dha.
& famous king of Cambria 1.-THE present
Wales). who died about the year 900
A Dive find a canon enacting in
plain and unmistakable terms that any
married woman whose husband was
afflicted with leprosy was entitled not
only to separation, bat also to the resti-
tuition of her goods.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06

THE Gold and Silver Gospels" is
the name Of q very peculiar book now
preserved in the Upsala library in Swe-
den. 1t is printed with metal type. on
violet colored vellum. the letters being
silver and the initials gold. When it
was printed, by whom or what were
the methods employed. are questions
which have great interest for the curl
ous, but have never been answered.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06

The largest electric sign in New Eng
land, that on the Washington street ia
cade of the New Grand theater, Boston,
is composed of 1000 incandescent
lamps of 32 candle power each. and the
letters which they make are four feet
high. Ii took four men a month to
make the sign, and it cost the company
that erected il about 50. 900.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06

The herd of European bisons protected
by the czars of Russia in the forest of
Bjelowski, Lithuania, numbered 1000
in 1886. but is now reduced to 500 and
shows no sign of increase The dwin-
ding of the herd is ascribed to inbreed-
ervation
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06

Mrs. Van Dyke Gas Van Dyke appears
at a. m Where have you beeni
Van Dyke-I-er-
Mrs Van Dyke-Now, be careful
what you say. William. Don't think
.ou can throw me of the scent.-Bos-
Ton Herald.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06
How Dead Soldiers Look.

A British army surgeon is authority
for the statement that the cause of death
is clearly shown in the expression of the
face Of corpse on the field of battle.
He states that those who have been
killed by sword thrusts have look of
repose, while these killed by bullets
usually have pain Of an intense nature
rleally depicted.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06
Chalk.

All chalk is composed of fossils If
you take the tiniest bit and place it IN
der powerful microscope, you will see
an i,finite number of extremely dimin-
utive shells, and no spectacle on large
scale is more beautiful than the varied
forms IF these tiny homes OF animal
life, which are disclosed by powerful
glasses
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06

.--ssao cIuse 10 a dentists II you are
not fond of street music. ltinerInt or
gan men carefully avoid playing any,
where near the house Of a practitioner
who can effectually stop or remove all
troublesome grinders rs-London Punch.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06

The fact that the greater resistance is
offered to the X rays by inanimate than
by living flesh is now put to practical
use IN determining whether person is
really dead or not.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06

In cases of burns, sprains, scaldS, or
any Of the other accidental pains like
ly TO come TO the human body, DIR.
Thomas Electric Oil gives almost in
slant relief.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06
A Helm.

Scientific Mamma-Do not dance all
the evening, dear Remember that the
dances Of an average ball cover a total
distance of nine miles.
Practical Daughter-Oh. but a girl is
carried mcst of the way, mammal
Larks
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06

Iceland has only one policeman.
When he wants to wet his whistle
with a hot toddy he is never afraid of
the sergeant poking his nose around
the corner.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06
Maid and Widow.

By the old Saxon law a maiden and
widow were of different value. The
latter could be bought for one-haf the
sum which the guardian of the maid
was entitled to demand. A man, there
fore, who could not afford to buy q
maiden might, perhaps, be able to pur-
chase widow