davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-02-09

AGooD OLD CUSTOM. AM
with any OF the western civilization,
nor is it characteristic of any orientals
save those who dwell in Far Cathay-.
not even the Japanese, many of whose
customs are so similar to those of the
Chinese, and whose race undoubtedly
sprang from the same original stem.
In fact the Japs, as the occidental
world is beginning to find out, do not
like to pay at all unless they have to,
and If the crysanthemum conquest of
China shall introduce into the celestial
empire the principle of paying only on
compulsion 1t will have at least one
deplorable result.
AS q matter Of fact, the paying Of
New Years's calls probably originated
independently in almost every cline.
Feasting and drinking on the first day
OF the year have been customary ever
since there have been records. Old.
time European chieftains used to set
New Years" apart as day on which
they would condeseend to receive SUBJ
stantial tributes from their underlings.
Queen Elizabeth received New Years
calls every year, and there was always
much rivalry between her ambitious
courtiers as to the quantity and value
of the gifts they should bestow upon
the virgin sovereign. It was on New
Years day that somewhat famous
Mr.. Raleigh-Sir Walter Raleigh he
was called-gladdened the queens
heart with @ memorable pair Of silk
stockings-the first ever made and worn
In England.
In Holland the custom Of making
New Years calls had been general long
before the settlement Of New Amster-
dam, and the natives of the Netherlands
who came to- live in the new world
brought the practice with them. And,
OF course, they had plenty to eat and
drink at every house where New Years
calls were received-for who ever
heard Of Dutchmen who did not take
good care Of their stomachs2
Then the town was only huddle of
houses on the point Of the island, and
everyone knew everyone else; and,
while visiting wns general, 1t was be-
tween friends and neighbors only, and
not at all like the New Years calls of
later date. It was proper In the de-
lightful and primitive days of the Dutch
In New Amsterdam for everyone to call
on the governor frst; after that the
general rounds were made, and it was
q hilarious lot of Dutchmen who finally
went to rest at about ten o. clock in the
evening. go
In those days the nearby colonies of
New England were too puritanical and
the Pennsylvanians. were too Quaker
ish for New Years calling. AS to New
Jersey, the present writer has found no
record whatever. but it appears in q
general way that the custom did not
become widespread over the country
until after the civil war
The English who settled in and about
New Amsterdam, however, were as
much devoted to the custom as the
Dutch, for it had grown to almost as
great proportion in England as in Hol-
land. But it was not until about the
beginning Of the present century that
the change from a neighborly observ,
ance to one of old fashion had been
well begun. The younger women Of
such households as had daughters were
the hosteseea, and great was their ri.
Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-02-09
OSBORN SPENCER.

The following story was told recently
by a woman who lived in the far west
and did her shopping in New York by
mail: II had paid my bill the day be-
FORE" she said, "but needed an article
which was marked on the catalogue
EIGHT cents and at the risk of being
Informed that the order was too small
i sent it and before I had time to tell
about the joke of sending an eight-cent
order the article came prepaid with q
four-cent stamp. At the end of the
month received statement in a
sealed envelope showing that owed
my New York correspondents eight
cents, for which sent check and re-
ceived by return mail a receipt for that
amount. YOU see that my eight-cent
purchase cost the concern eight cents
in postage and still it seems anxious to
have my trade"
Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-02-09

va1ry, one with another, in respect of
richly-loaded refreshment tables and
elegance of toilet. The dudes of those
days-they called them "beaux" and
"dandies" and "gallants" then-attired
themselves in their best and started out
early in the morning, calling first at the
houses where matrons received, and
afterwards upon the younger ladies'.
The drinks that were offered at every
house of any prominence We're ardent
and diverse, and whosoever declined to
partake thereof was not thereafter lin
it," to introduce bit of latter-day
slang, though it is not recorded that
there were many instances of that sort.
1t was not until about the middle Of
the century or thereabouts that the
abuse which finally led to the customs
decline began. For years the handles
of New York rivaled one another in the
length of their calling lists, and the
calls soon came to be nothing more
than hasty stops-nere rapid gorgings
Of cake and gulpings of wine-instead
Of the old-time friendly calls of men
upon the families of their friends and
acquaintances. Then the ladies-the
1natrons as we'll as the young women
began to vie with one another in the
number of their callers. This led to the
most extraordinary practices. Callers
We're recruited, indeed, much as Gus
toners are drummed. up by dealers in
soap. Cards announcing that Miss This
'or-That would be tat home"on JAN
uary were sent out almost indiscrimi-
-nately, and the burdens the post
men We're increased just before New
Years day almost as much as they
were few years ago in advance of st.
Valentines day.
Then the Sunday papers of the time
began to print lists of those who would
receive. and the houses of those men
Honed IN the lists were sure to be be-
sieged by numbers ofmen whom the
ladies had never met or heard of and
desired never to meet again. Men would
go calling in couples and parties, and
even in droves of 30 or, more, remain
Ing as short time at each Stopping
place as possible, and announcing
everywhere how many calls they had
already made and how many they ex-
pected to make before they finished.
At every place they drank, and ateach
place, Of course, a different brand of
wine. The result was most appalling
assortment of Gags" long before sun
down and q crewdipg of the police sta
tions at night. Naturally enough, the
second day of January was always
field day in the police courts and the
Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-02-09

William 81. Travers, of Cabin Creek,
dorchester county, Nd, has slaugh-
tered his big hog, believed to be the
biggest in America for its age, Isl
months, and which, it is estimated,'
fully 5000 people went to see, some rid
ing as far as IS miles. 1t drew the at
tention of many Talbot people, and
some betting on its weight was done.
The animal was killed on the 18th of
December. Three bullets from re-
volver were fred into him. and he was
then stabbed several times to kill him.
Hung up, the hog measured in length
Q feet S1a inches, and weighed, dressed,
DAT pounds. He was one of litter of
ten pigs.
Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-02-09

A Cheyenne (IYyo.) correspondent in
forms the Chicago Tribune that Col. W..
d. Pickett, rancher on Gray Bull
creek, has natural refrigerator on his
ranch. During the recent chinook in
the Big Horn basin the ice broke up
and gorged in little valley on his place,
then froze over solid, imprisoning and
freezing thousands of salmon trout.
Now the colonel, when he wants mess
of fish, just walks out with an ak and
hacks them out of the ice. The gorge
gives promise of remaining in its pres
emit state for month or more.
Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-02-09

HOW IT DEGENERATED.
Judges, some of whom probably had
post-calling headaches themselves,
were won't to mark s. S., for sentence
suspended" after the name of everyone
who could show that he had made a
beast of himself in the observance of
the good old Knickerbocker CUSTOM"
Most of the callers. went on foot in
those days, and all wore what is now
known as evening dress on their New
Years rounds. In fact, it was almost
breach of etiquette among young men
OF society to wear any coat but swal-
low tail while making the New Years
rounds.
Late in the sos the abuse came to
be so great that the newspapers and the
ministers took it up, and many were the
editorials written and many the SER
mons preached against it. 1t was not
long before these attacks began to take
some effect, but the custom was still
in fourishing condition at the close
OF the war. In 1866 so many extrava-
gances had come into existence in con-
nection with New Years calls that one
of the illustrated weeklies gave sew
eral pages to pictures and letter-press
designed to administer death blow to
a particular form of the abuse which
obliged every public man to receive
herds of ward heelers from his own
and other districts at his home on that
day.
It must have been almost as late as
this that the custom began rapidly to
grow in other cities, and, no doubt, this
was augmented by the cutlery in the
New York newspapers against the GUS
tom as an extravaganza of metropolitan
fashionable society. Almost every city
In the United States had just such an
experience as New York had previously
had, even to the publication of lists Of
callers in the newspapers-thoug that
did not obtain away from New York. to
any great extent, till late III the eighties.
The writer was one of the l2 reporters
attached to newspaper in an interior
town in 1880, who were detailed to get
up the list for the Sunday issue pre-
ceding January 1. Each was ordered
to attire himself in spike-tail suit
and to wear a high hat, and each was
furnished with q cab. Then the city
was districted, and to each of the dozen
was assigned a district. The sight of
the 10 men rugged out in swallow tails
getting into the IL cabs in front of the
Office attracted great attention, as it
was intended it should. Some of the
men had never worn such clothes be-
fore, and were obliged to borrow or
hire their suits. 1t is unnecessary to
add that they presented most COM
ical appearance at the Office that night.
Some of them reported in thorough
~ befuddled condition, having found
the embarrassment of calling at hun
dreds of strange houses and asking set
questions about New Years receptions
20 great as to seem to require almost
equally numerous, and generally more
prolonged, calls upon the gin mills OF
the town.
At last the custom began to decline
in earnest among the really smart set
in every city, though for years after it
died with what is now called the "Four
Hundred" In New York, 1T fourished
with undiminished virulence among
those lower down. It is related as one
Of the standing jokes Of society the:
Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-02-09
The heavy slaughter of deer in Mime

The heavy slaughter of deer in Mime
sofa this season has shown that with
one OF two more winters in which there.
is snow during the month in which the
killing OF deer is allowed, deer in this.
state and Minnesota would be extermi-.
mated altogether. Five thousand more
deer were killed-in Minnesota this year
than last, says the Milwaukee inform.
ant, on account of the early snow, which
enabled hunters to track them. An
other reason was that the dealers have
found way to avoid the law and ship
venison from the state. The PROPOSE
tion is to have the law so amended as
to prohibit the killing of deer or the,
sale of venison in the state for five.
years. 81
Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-02-09

It is asserted by the New York papers
that in the Barberi trial two eminent
experts declared that insanity is ''that
condition which is recognizable as such
by the best authorities This defini-
ton recalls the story of the Yale profess
sor, who years ago found the boys
gathered one evening, as if for rush or
other mischief, and forthwith shouted
out to them: "Disperse, young gentle
men, disperse, or you will be treated as,
SUCH"
Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-02-09

Robbers held up Chicago man the
other night and took four revolvers from
his pockets. 1t served that man right.
He should know more than to roam
around Chicago with only four revolyers
with which to protect his life.
Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-02-09

r. DEPENDENT DISTRICTS.
Albion-Irwin H. Nichols, Cresco.
Darrow-Ida Lester, Kendallville.
Florenceville-Estella Springfield,
Granger, MINI.
Liberty-T. w. Cole, Cresco-
Hughes, Cresco.
Oakley-Thos. j. Jones,
Granger. MINI.
TOWN SCHOOLS.
Chester, Ro ON 1-Angie Van Niman.
Chester, Room 2-Cari Behrens.
Elma, Room Maggie Condor.
Room 2-Hulda johnson.
&C Room 3-Maud Marty.
Room 4-Kate Murray.
6 Room 5-Prof. j. d. Porter.
&c Room 2, Ella M. Petit.
'' Room 8, Nell Genshaw.
:" Room 4, Rose Stevens.
Room 5. Lena Comstock
I" Room 6, Prof j E Stout.
Cresco, list Ward, No !, Susie Riley.
Cresco, 1st Ward, No 2, Clara Dahlin.
Cresco, I'd & Sd Wards.
No. Minnie Davidson.
No. 2-Lola Burke.
No. Isabella johnson.
No. FLORENCE Markin.
No. 5-Rose McNamara.
No. 6-Lulu Marsh. e as
No. Alma Combs. 7...
No. 8-Elsie Perry. ~,
High School-Nellie Stark.
Penmanship-Ruth o. Allison,
Principal, L. E. A. Ling. y
Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-02-09
Where They Are.

The Howard, County Teacher for
January gives the following list of
teachers actively engaged In Howard
County, together with the townships,
sub district number and post Office
address:
Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-02-09
Farm for Sale.

IS acres located 81 miles south of
Cresco. Fair building, good we'll and
cistern, and running water, 40 acres
pillow land, balance small timberss A
fine location will be sold at ae bargain.
For terms anda pafticalafsaapp4y to
Martin Moen on the premises Org DIN
Moen, Cresco, Iowa. mt. al VIZ
Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-02-09

It would have been better for sena-
tor Wolcott had he left his thumb
mark for thu purpose Of identification
Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-02-09

At Moonlight, Dickinson county,
Kan, ~ relatives attended the funeral
of aged Mrs. Katherine Bert and spent
most of the day in the ceremonies, paus1
ing at noon to partalSe of a. feast and
lingering at the grave after the lower44
ing Of the coffin to witness the filing inl
A Michigan man followed the direc1
tons of "planchette" for getting RICH
The machine directed him to go I'd
Washington state, where he could find
a pocket of gold nuggets. he went and
found the spot, but no nuggets.
Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-02-09

d1uOsC ROBBERY, WHICH mas TO come
directly or indirectly out of the
pockets of the masses. have heard
men say under the present financial
conditions it is high time to cut down
salaries of some Of the professors in
our schools and colleges and of coun-
ty officials, and I am inclined to think
they are about right. and if the sal
airy of the mayor Of Cresco has to be
cut from 81 per month, the regular
amount now paid all right. / have
thrown out these few remarks on the
situation and not wishing to take up
more Of your time I will bring my
talk to close. I thank you for your
kind attention, and if what l have
said is Of any value, or anything 1
may be able to do or say in the fu-
ture is Of any value to you or any
help towards advancing what is right
and just, I shall feel we'll paid. Trust
ing that your deliberations may be Of
much value to you and that your
calling may be brighter in the future
than in the past. II all things are
not right and just in this world, after
doing our best 10 make them right.
let us trust the Great and Just Ruler
OF the universe, and see to it that we
are prepared to 60 to our final home
and receive that welcome call, come
thou faithful servant, enter into that
rest prepared for you from the
foundation Of the world.
The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-04-09

by q. neighbor to enable me to have
funeral. | had saved the cloth for
it for two years. / gave him the clotL
and the money in the morning to take
to the dressmaker. He gave her 81
and kept the SO cents until he spent
1t for liquor. I have made up my
mind that my duty to my children is
greater than my duty to my husband.
II can find a place where they may be
left l can work and earn money to
keep them and myself If | can escape
my husband. He has often declared
he would kill me, and I think he will
some day, but if I must hear it I do not
want my children, growing up as they
are, to hear his p~rofane language and
witness his treatment of me. l have
no friends. He would never allow me
10 make any. | cannot keep the chill
dren here, without food or fire. All
three of them are sick, and the doctor
gives me no hope Of the baby's life"
Mrs. Mcintyre, who lives on the floor
below the Reynoldses, says that his
treatment of his wife is worse than
brutal. She has no words but good
of Mrs. Reynolds. The police at the
Attrill street station say that Rey-
nolds is an utterly worthless charac-
ter. He was repeatedly arrested for
stealing dogs, but was discharged
when the destitute condition of his
family was learned by the police. They
not in saloons, in training or trading
dogs. The death of his child would
not have been known to the police had
not a little girl run to the station and
told of Reynolds drunkenness and
abuse of his wife. When the officers
went to arrest him he promised to be-
have himself, and the police permitted
him to stay in the house after Mrs.
Reynolds told them she. did not want
to have her child placed in it's grave
while it's father was locked up in a sta
ton house. The home of the Reynolds
family is in a thickly populated neigh
borhoOd, and on all sides of them
church spires point heavenward.
The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-04-09
The Famine In India.

The appalling extent of the fam
inc in India is indicated by
the statement that the districts
affected by the scarcity include
about two-thirds of the country, and
those suffering actual famine include
about one-fourthof the whole. The fam
inc districts contain more than eigh-
ty million people. The government has
instituted public works to give en-
ployment to the needy, and at last
accounts the number. was about two
million, and was increasing rapidly.
At the shortest, the famine must con-
tinue four or five months longer, and
if the June monsoon should be dis
appointing it might be continued much
beyond that time. Some previous fam
ines have been more acute than this,
but few have extended owe so wide
an area or affected so large a popula-
ton.
The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-04-09

it has been hard to. stand the cursings
and beatings from my husband. In
the nine years we have been in Chicago
for at least five he has been out Of
work. When he was at work, four
ffths of his earnings went to the sa-
loonkeeper, and on the rest my babes
and I have lived. How, God only
knows! = When Mr.. Carroll,
president Of the Chicago Carpet Com
pany, heard of the death of our child
and our lack Of food and coal, he Of
fered to give $40 toward the burial
expenses. My husband went down to
the store for the. money, but they would
not give it to him, fearing he would
spend it for drink. He talked so bad
ly to them that finally they said they
would not do anything for him. The
money with which he got drunk was
part of $3.50 which was given to me
The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-04-09
Sing Lees Asylum.

Sing Lee was an enterprising young
Chinsman who conducted a laundry in
a small mining camp in Colorado some
years ago. His never-failing good
humor made him a universal favorite,
and on more than one occasion the boys
found that he had a ready tongue in
his head. A presidential election oc-
Cured about this time, and one,of the
boys-an Irishman-remarked to-. Sing:
"Well, Sing, y7ez'll have to be goin' to
China now. The Irish be goin' to run
things here, and they won't have any
hathen Chinee around" Quick as g
flash Sing retorted: Cali light, me go
Ireland. Irish no lun things there"
The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-04-09

it have been worse for them If l had
left him and taken them with me?"
When asked as to her a~ntecedents
Mrs Reynolds said:
Il am a native of France, having
bten born in Paris thirty-one years
ago. My father died when l was q
child and when l was fourteen years
old my mother brought us to this coun-
try. For a short time we lived in New
York. with my fathers sister, Mrs. L.
Bruner, whose husband is a wealthy
wine importer. My. aunt was kind to
us, but more dear to her was her purse.
She obtained for me, when | was sew
enteen years old, a situation as gov
erness in the family of Levi P. Nor
ton, then living in Washington. When
they returned to New York l went with
them and there met my husband, who
was then employed as a butler on Fifth
avenue. After our marriage l discov-
cred he was addicted to drink and was
unable to retain a position. Nine years
ago he decided to leave New York and
we came to Chicago. | hoped that here
with new surroundings he would be
able to keep his promise to reform and
The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-04-09

tain Baer, when informed that the rea-
son why the child was not buried was
because the family was in coraplete
restitution, sent food to them, and
notified the county agent of the circum-
stances. The child vas buried In the
potter's field. The woman's story is
printed, because it is a true picture OF
life in a great city.
II cannot bear to think of my child
moi having a Christian burial" said
the mother to the reporter. For that
I have prayed to God, but he has not
answered me. I have not asked him to
spare the life of my baby, for I know
that what is best for it he will do, but
If he will only let me keep it I believe
it would help me to bear life, and l
would work SO hard for it. For the
sake of my children 1 have suffered
much from their father, but how could
The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-04-09
Broad Oklahoma Laws.

Under the caption, Common car
riers," there are Oklahoma laws re-
gulating transportation on the high
seas. The nearest tide water is more
than 500 miles away, and not a stream
in the territory could be traversed by
a boat lage enough to use steam.-Ex.
The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-04-09
His Excuse.

Sir, how dare you propose to me
with that cigar in your mouth?"
"AE, but Marie, be merciful, be just!
Have l not said my heart is on fire?
Where, then, should I be without the
smoke ?'-Pick Me Up.
The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-04-09

1t No. 1919 Maplewood avenue. In one
corner of the carpetless, scantily fur
nished room huddled together two chill
dren, whose white, wan faces told a
tale of starvation and suffering. On
a bed lay a babe of two years, with
the shadow of death on it's face, and
over it leaned the mother, clad in
rags.
In the front room was a sadder sight.
There on a cot was the body Of a little
girl five years of age, who died three
days before of pneumonia a death GER
tificate would say, but truth would say
Of neglect and starvation. No beauti-
full casket of white held the remains of
the little n who had found rest and
peace in death. The mother had
Strengthened it's little limbs and closed
its blue eyes, but nothing had been
done In preparation for it's burial, un-
til the fact of it's death was reported
to the Attrill venue police station by
the daughter of Mrs. Caroline McIn-
tyre, a widow who possesses only the
house in which she lives and part Of
which has been occupied by the Rey-
nolds family since last October. Cap