davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-10-30
HUMOROUS.

what are all those ribbons hang
ing on the chandelier Those ara
not ribbons; they are neckties I've
pulled off different men when I was
learning to ride a wheel."IChicago Rec
ord. resG
-Ferguson-"1t says here that no
foreigner is allowed to be 4s hours on
Turkish territory without a pass"
Nixon-'It must be tough on, the rail-
roads that have to issue thern."-Boston
Transcript.
Mr. unham-"I have called, sir, to
tell you that your daughter, Miss Fam
ME, and I love each other very dearly.
I want to ask you for her" Old Mill
yuns-"Well, you'll have to wait awhile.
There's no vacancy in the store now
that 1 could put you into."ICleveland
Leader.
-Raggles -"W'ot yer doin', Weary,
wild de tellerseope?" Weary-"Lookin'
fer work" Raggles "Lookin' fer
work? W'ot fer?" Weary-"So's I
kin avoid it. I wuz jest sizin' up de
houses round here ter see eff 1 can't
strike one dat keeps a gaserline can in
std Nv a wood pile."-udge.
-"Fwat's this 1 hear about you soak
in a Chinyman wild a brick?" asked
Mr.. Hogan "Niver let me hear av tn
like again. Always br-reak a brick in
two and soak your man twice. You
young Americans are much too waste
ful."-Indianapolis Journal.
-Visitor-"What! He is three months
old and you haven't named him yet?"
Mrs. Wheeler-"No! You see, it's this
way: Iwant to name him after my biz
cycle, and John insists on naming him
after his. Iguess we will have to COM
promise and name him after the wheel
mother rides.'-Puck.
Yesterday" said Jabson, 81 re-
fused a supplicant woman a requestfo
a small sum of money, and in conse-
quence of my act 1 passed a sleepless
night. The tones of her voice were
ringing in my ears the whole time"
"Your softness of heart does you cred-
it." said MADISON; who was the WON.
amp" my wife."-Detroit Free Press
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-10-30
AT IoNssomEhvRsI.
An Agent Flngs n Train just to Hsve
Some Company.

Not long ago 4 new statiopagent was
appointed at one of the small suburban
towns. The said town has tolerably fair
street car accommodations. Hence the
local trains on the railroad do not stop
except upon signal. The agent, who is
not very bright, was fully instructed
in his duties and given to understand
that whenever he had a passenger he
was to flag the train
He attended to the duties of his Office
in a proper way, but he seemed to have
an impression that everything was not
right, inasmuch as he was doing no pas
senger business for the road. He had
been in office three days and not a pas
senger showed up to gladden. his weary
heart.
On the evening of the third day he
came to the conclusion that something
must be done to make his job secure.
In his opinion, it would not do to have
trains whistling by and he standing all
the day idle. He would break the
monotony of the situation at all costs.
As a local drew near, about the hour
of dusk, he took his position on the plat
form with a red lantern in his hand.
He waved it vigorously, and the train
came to a standstill. The conductor
alighted and looked up and down the
platform, but no passenger was in sight.
There was no one but the agent, and
he looked supremely happy, as the pas
senger train had stopped.
"Where's your passengers?" asked
the conductor.
There amt none," said the agent.
what did you signal for?"
81 just thought maybe you had some
one to get off. Anyhow, it's so dern
lonesome here that if this corporation
don't stop all trains at this station reg
ularly I'm goin' to throw up the job.
I'd sooner be in a lighthouse. That
would be lively. Ye kin go on now
Cincinnati CONGRATULATIONS
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-10-30
eIHEsMarr.eox ROCK
A Relic of the Days When Inoculation
Was Prncticsed In the Nutmeg State.


A party of bicyclists from lhis place,
under the leadership of Charles T. Hunt
er, while making a run to Hartford
through Pennington this week, un-
earthed a curiosity in the shape of a
huge fat rock or ledge in the woods,
covered with names, ages and dates.
None of the dates was later than 1874.
The rock is part of the trap formation
which crops out of the little mountain
to the southeast of Pennington, on the
old road running to New Britain. Upon
returning Mr.. Hunter made. inquiries
and obtained from an old resident of
Southington what is probably the story
of the rock.
Itappearsf from the Southington mans
story that a smallpox incubation hos
pital, owned jointly by the adjoining
towns of Southington and Pennington,
stood in the wilderness near the scuIp-
tured rock for three years after 1892.
The rock was the meeting place for the
hospital attendants and the messengers
from the two towns. At that time and
for years after, until it was forgotten,
the lodge was known as the smallpox
hospital rock.
Smallpox was held in dread by the
old residents of Connecticut, and I'M
til Jenner's discovery of vaccination
came into general use incubation was
practiced. Hundreds of people we're
i%noculated at Southington-Farmington
hospital and the names carved on the
sculptured rock are those of some of
them. There are thought to be hun
dreds of these inscriptions, as the sur
face of the rock has been uncovered
for a small area only. The dates run
from 1892 to 1894. A bit of an old Farm
linton letter found by Mr.. Hunter throws
further light IN the old pesthouse times.
1t says under date of 1894:
THE young girls here are all in the
pesthouse. 1 have been UP to see them.
They are as thick as toads after rain.
Nancy Hooker and Fanny Cowles have
it the hardest, but they will do well, I
believe"
\ story is told of a bride from New
Britain, who was sent during her honey
moon to this old ~pesthouse to have
smallpox according to ORDERS" She
was Mary, the daughter of Col. Cad
Stanley, a soldier of the revolution, and
had just been married to Oliver Dewey.
The young couple had planned a we'd
ding trip to North Carolina, which was
a long journey for those days. 1t &C.
Cured to the brides father that she
might be exposed to the smallpox while
travelling, and he insisted upon her 60
ing to the pesthouse on the mountain
to take the disease in its mildest form.
The bride wept and entreated not to
be separated from her husband, and
the latter expostulated, but to no avail.
The old soldier was determined. To
the pesthouse she went and after a
stay of several weeks passed through
the disease in safety. Then she went
on her wedding journey.-N. Y. Sun.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-10-30
HE'S A & MAN,
The Gold Commissioners of the Klon-
dixie Yields Mighty Power.

The Gold Commissioners of the Klon-
dixie Yields Mighty Power.
In the rush of news about the won
derful gold discoveries in the Klondike
there has been mention made once in
awhile about the'"god commissioner"
but as yet the public is not aware how
important parsonage he is. 1t is indeed
a hard matter for people in the United
States to think of disputes involving
large, wealth being settled promptly,
and that settlement putting an end to
all quibbling. According to reports
from the Klondike the gold commits
sioner wields a power that is fairly as
tonishing. in that he listens to cases
involving ownership to gold claims and
renders his decisions promptly. If there
hasnotbeensome big mistake in reports
his decision is final. and the adjustment
that he announces becomes the law that
all interested parties must abide by.
A case in direct line is that of Ron
Crawford, formerly clerk of the mu-
nicipal court in this city. A year ago
Michael Kelly, a well-known Seattle pf-
oneer, went to the Klondike with his
son. Father and son located several
claims on different creeks, with the I'M
Outstanding that they would share the
proceeds equally. The elder Kelly de-
cided to return to Seattle last spring
and left his son on the claim last To-
Gated. 1t was what is now known as
No. so, below Discovery, on Bonanza
creek. At that time the Klondike was
not known to be a bed of glittering
gold.
Kelly was anxious to return to the
gold fields, but desired to raise money
in order to leave his family in comfort
able circumstances. He met Ron
Crawford and proposed to sell him a
half interest in his claims for $1,000.
Crawford hustled around. mortgaged
his property, disposed of his jewelry
and by taking some friends in with him
got enough money to pay Kelly the
S $1,000. Crawford went to the Klon-
dixie last spring, and to his dismay
found that young Kelly, not knowing
what his father had done, had sold the
Bonanza claim to an English syndicate
for $4,000.
When the elder Kelly found out what
had taken place he said that Crawford
had made his purchase in good faith
and that his rights must be protected.
The affair was referred to the gold
commissioner, who decided that Craw-
ford and his associates were to have
half of the claim. but that they must
pay to the English syndicate 81, 500 out
of the first cleanup, while the Kellys
should return to the English syndicate
$4,000, or half the original purchase
price paid by them to young Kelly.
This decision was accepted by all par
ties without a murmur. and that is how
a tangle vas settled in a day that would
have been a source of endless litigation
in the United States.
Miners say that Crawford's claim is
worth between $1,000 o and $500, OOo.-
Seattle (Wash.) Times.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-10-30
POPE LEO KILLS BIRTHDAY.

Cnrpineto in the Apennines, the Pee
CT Palace and the POpe's Bedroom.
Count Ludovico Pecci, nephew Of Leo
Kill, and his wife, Donna Vittoria, have
given, in honor of the pope's name day,
a great reception at Carpineto, the
birthplace of the Pontif, where they
live. Carpineto is a mountain village
with about 5000 inhabitants, and is pic
turesquely situated on the top of a
peak of the Lepini mountains. Being
surrounded by points much higher, and
snow-capped at some seasons, it is real
ly very beautiful. 1t is far from rail-
ways. One has to drive five hours in
the diligence in order to reach ii, and
1t has thus kept much of its primitive
character. The inhabitants are very
poor, mostly shepherds. The women,
starting early in the morning, some
times go Is miles to gather wood. When
they are employed in cultivating the
land they do not earn than four
OF five pence a day.
The present village was, in the middle
ages, a rather important town. 1t was,
with its surroundings, aduchy, first I'M
der the Caetani, to which family be-
longed Boniface VIII, who had his ears
boxed by a Sciarra-C olonna at Anagni,
and later under the A1dobrandini, to
which belonged Clement VIII. For two
centuries, however, the most important
family there has been that of the Pecci,
although they originally came from
Siena. The Pecci own the only building
which can be called a palace. and half of
the environs. From their palace, which
is built on the highest ground the out
look is grand toward the mountains
and picturesque looking down over the
roofs of the medieval town. The in
terror is much more sumptuous than
M would expect in that half-wild dis
trict. There are vast anterooms and
magnificent halls, hung with tapestry
and large family portraits.
The portrait of the pope's mother rep
resents her as handsome and dignified,
and that of his father, in his uniform
of colonel Che served under Napoleon
~ as a good-looking man, in whose fea-
lures can be found traces resembling
his celebrated son. Leo is also there.
The likeness is an exceedingly good one
more than can be said of his brother,
Cardinal Giuseppe Pecci, who died in
1890 at the age of SO, a rigid Jesuit, who
had a rooted objection to posing in any
form for his picture. Among the por-
traits there of persons not belonging to
the family, is one of Duke Loubat, an
American ennobled by Leo XIII, who
has erected three or four statues of the
pope in different churches.
The room occupied by the present
Pontif when he resided in Carpineto Is
still called Camera di Monsignore,"
and has not been disturbed. 1t is very
modestly furnished, having a little iron
bed with curtains, a small writing desk
neal a window, a picture of the Madon-
ma, a portrait of the Blessed Margaret
Pecci, an ancestress of his, and q few
chairs.-Pall Mall Gazette.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-10-30
The Maid and handkerchief.

A touching and poetical custom pre-.
walls in the Welsch-Tyrol. When 6
young maiden is about to be married
Immediately before she steps across the
threshold of her old home, on her way
to the church, her mother solemnly
gives her a new pocket handkerchief
The bride holds it in her hand through.
out the marriage ceremony, usin it
to wipe away her tears. So soon as the
marriage festivities are ended the
young wife lays the handkerchief aside
in her linen closet, and there it remains
as long as she lives. Nothing would in.
duce a Tyrolese wife to use this sacred
handkerchief. 1t may be half a CEN
fury, or longer, before it is taken from
its place to fulfil the second and last
part of its mission. When the wife
dies, perhaps as a gray old grandmother,
the loving hands of the next of kin
place the bridal handkerchief over the
face of the dead and it is buried with
her in the grave.-London News.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-10-30
THE SOUTH AND HER SLAVES.
What She Did for Them-The Women
Were Heroines.

Were Heroines.
Rev. Edward L. Pell, of this city, is
collecting material for a history of the
efforts made by the south for the moral
elevation of the negro before the war.
The facts of such a history, while not
easily available, are more abundant
than is generally supposed. Not only
did the churches of the south spend
large sums of money in missionary
work among the blacks. but it was not
uncommon for persons who owned a
large body of slaves to have a place of
worship for them and to have a preacher
employed for their especial ministry.
Moreover, every white church had its
contingent of colored members, who
had a voice in the management of
church affairs, and so sacred was this
tie that many of the colored people con
tinued their membership in the white
churches even after they were emanci-
pated. The efforts of individual lay
men, as, for example Stonewall Jack
son, in the Sunday school for slaves at
Lexington, would make another long
and touching chapter.
All this is nothing. however. as com
pared with the work done for the negro
by the women of the south. The idea
that the southern women were made
heroines by the late war is far from the
fact. They were heroines from the be-
ginning and they had been in training
from the time that the slaves came into
our possession. Instead of the many
public charities in which they are en-
gagged to-day, they devoted their time to
tie instruction of the slaves and the
amelioration of their condition. Seek
any old negro and ask him where he got
his religious instruction and he will
almost invariably tell you that he owes
it to "ole miss" who had him at the
"gre't house" on Sunday morning and
read to him and his companions selec.
tions from the Scriptures and expound.
ed their meaning.-Richmond News.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-10-30
: took his prepared dog home,

Boyer took his prepared dog home,
and, waiting for The opening of the dog
catching season, he set about perfect
ing his plans. By the time Whimple was
due to go on his rounds all was ready,
and Boyer took his dog out and set it
down on a rubber mat on the front
porch. This was at night, and early the
next morning the despised Whimple,
sneaking along in Boyer's neighborhood
for he always made for the home of
the dog fancier on the first day of his
resumption of business-caught sight
of the spaniel in the early morning semi
light.
That's Dodger," he murmured to
himself. "Boyeru pay ten dollars out
of hand to get him back once l catch
him" And he looked carefully about
to see if he was observed.
"Tll get him quick an take the tag
off him before he can give a yelp," said
Whimple, softly, IAN then I'll be ready
to swear he was runnin' around out
here, barkin' at me as 1 was goin' by"
Whimple, as has been said, saw the
dog. But, alas, there was an invisible
thing of which he took no cognizance.
And that invisible thing was the heavy
copper wire which ran from the trolley
line over to Boyer's house and down
alongside the porch, wherein Dodger
lay waiting for the door to open. And
if the man Aad seen it, do you think he
would have stopped to calculate that
the dog was loaded with enough cleo
tricity to keep 16 trains busily plying
between Omaha and Council Bluffs
that the beasts life and vitality came
not from a collection of sesamoids and
temporals and livers and lights, but
from a lot of cotton wheels in a power
house two miles away? Hardly.
Certainly he thought nothing of the
kind. But standing on the well-watered
lawn of Bill Boyer-and oh, how care
fully the man of types and stump
speeches had sprinkled that lawn on
the night before!-he poised his wire
moose for action, and leaning owe the
rail slipped it about the dogs uplifted
head and gave a quick jerk, the purpose
OF which was to choke his prey into i'm
mediate silence.
The school books used to say that if
a man lived on the planet Neptune he
would be able to jump over the Wash
ington monument, or Whereabouts.
For a moment Whimple seemed to be-
lieve that his home was in Neptune,
and that he wanted to get back there
right away. He gave one leap aloft and
turned a few dozen times like a sort of
a "day-ireworks" brand of pinwheel.
He alightej on the back of his neck
when he came down, but being a
courageous sort of villain in some
ways, and believing that the dog was
stronger than he vercalculated upon, he
hung grimly to the wire and abused the
beasts character while volts and am.
peres and time cards and bell punches
and other things connected with the
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-10-30
Paving stones of Grass.

Paving blocks made of meadow grass
are NOW manufactured. Their inventor
was a clergyman, and the meadow
grass, impregnated with oil. tar and
resin, is pressed into blocks and finally
bound with iron straps. The advan'
tages claimed for these blocks are that
they are noiseless and elastic, resist the
wear well and are i~mperyious to heat
and cold.-Chicago Chronicle.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-10-30

I'm opposed to horse racing. 1
think the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals should step in and
put a stop to it."
"Well. old man. I'm sorry for you.
That's all l can say"
"Sorry forme? WhatSo yol mean?"
"Oh. of course you had your money
on the wrong horse" CT roland
Leader.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-10-30

At a German picnic in Emporia,
Kan, the chief refreshment was beer,
3S2 gallons of which were consumed.
The %partakers of this ex~hilarating bev-
erage were extremely jolly until they
learned that the treasurer had skipped
with the entire receipts of the picnic
SITS.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-10-30
A Sad Affair.

Nobody could ever tell the Hudson
twins from each other until they fell
in love with the same girl"
"And then?"
"Oh. then there was a serious differ
enc between them."-Harlem Life.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-10-30
No DANGER.

Mrs. Grady (who hates to say any
thing. but|-Mrs. Kelly, the way your
daughters bang thot pianney av yours
frum morning till night is something
outrageous!
Mrs. Kelly-Resht aisy. Mrs. Grady!
-resht aisy! Ut's an old wan, and they
can't hur-r-rt it anny!-Puck.
The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-10-30

Every girl knows at least a o
of men, either of whom she could have
married-had she been asked.-Chica-
60 News.
Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1897-12-09
Who is J n. Smith?

A communication in the Reno G =
z2tte. siSned j. II. Smith, and dated
from Carson, alleges that there is
crooked work at the asylum and asks
why was Mr.. Wood, the assistant of
the Superintendent al the ASYLUM.
bounced?
The assessment roll Of Ormsby
county does not contain the name Of
j.. ii. Smith, neither does it appear on
the list Of registered voters. Who is
he anyway? II there is such a pc rson
and he knows anything about crook
edDess at the Asylum, We suggest that
he prefer charges verbally or in writ
ing to the Board Of Commissioners for
he j. sane.
The Board expresses a Willingness
to thoroughly and in partially investi-
gate any charge or chorges that may
be made against the Asylum
ment, but so far, the members OF the
Board say, there are no charges to in
vestigate why do not those who insinu-
ate that the Asylum should be ia vesti-
gated, give the Board something to
base an investigation on?
Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1897-12-09
An Injustice to the Taxpayers

I'D APPEAL Il noticed IN the Ap-
PEAL this morning what purp0rts to
BE Il statement of The action OF the
Board OF Comfy Commissioners in
regard 70 the quarter section Of land
"Nhei ny the county and the pr,pO-
sltion OF the APPEAL to take that lane
IN exchange for otfici ii advertising.
AAunderstOOd by the people thrland
is nou-pr~ductiye aul the ~Ounty'
desires to ti5p 'sr OF it. The best uffar
for the land at public auction Was so
cents per acre. As | understand it
you offer 5000 in advertising, which
tie law requires dore and for which
the conntY pays cash. for the land
Assuming this to be a fair and cor
lect statement Of the case, what ex.
cuse do the County Commissioners
give for refusing yonr uffeI? S!leUce
VIII not satisfy the people. Taxes are
high. money is scare and it should
not be- squaudeied by those who are
entrusted by the people with III" dis
buFsement Of the public fluids. If
four or five hundred dollars can be
saved the taxpayers by disposing of
non-productive property from which
1t derives no revenue, not even taxes.
why not make the saving? 10 Justice
to themselves and for the information
or all concerned the County Commits
sioners should explain Why they do
not accept the rffer OF The APPEAL
Carson City, December IN, 1897,
il TAXPAYER.
1T will cost nothing for either Com
missioner Bray or Commissioner
"o"dbury to explain to the public
why they did not care to make this
saving. The fact that Mr. Woodbury.
was one who ordered the District At
!orney to draw up a contract and then
changed his mind, is also pulling
the taxpayers. led APPEAL.
Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1897-12-09
Yesterday "A ~t-taEhOua from GpncH

Yesterday a t~~iephona from Cocoa
inquired ii Ro"ert Uber's w-..l'n>
Ptftsoufg relative Vas going to push
the p~r"7ecuflan Of the iyuchtr- with
plenty OF money, as that Was TIM talk
UP there NJ. CDurtz was Uoei's at,
tHrney, hired, it IS claimed, by Rsher.
H. declines ho"rYer to say anything
OF bis status i'll the case or ahAt he
pro- OssS doing.
1t Is claimed, however, that Char'z
already has the names Of the ring
leaders.
Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1897-12-09
Aurrah For Santa Clause!

He arrived in a box car with half a
carload Of beautiful rocking chairs,
tables and lounges for Xmas presents,
make happy the children, and please
fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers,
cousins, uncles and aunts and remember
a good friend, a fine lot of useful things
To pick from at prices that will down all
competition, if you call at Geo. w. Kitz-
meyers furniture store in Carson. He
will take special pains to have every
customer satisfied. If