davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-09-18
ADOBE HOME, SANTA BARBARA.

strife of a busy world, they were happy
in their isolation and social solitude.
Those of to-day live in the past. Their
manner of living and social customs
are the same as those observed by their
remote ancestors. In some of these
adobe casas a delightful and pretty
picture of domestic Spanish life is
seen-by those who are so fortunate
as to be admitted into this strictly ex-
elusive family circle. In the cool
courtyard, beyond the closed doors,
are beautiful roses and vines, reclin-
ing chairs under miniature arbors of
orange trees, with the golden fruit
hanging %temptingly overhead, and in
the middle of the court is the ever
gushing fountain, its crystal sprays
cooling the atmosphere. The young
ladies are in a group gossiping, and
their mothers are repeating the stories
of the past-of those good old DAVIS
thatcome no more" They are seeming
of the past-of those good old days
ly waiting for the end of all. For them
history ended when the "Amcricanos'
came. In the evening they meet in the
gran sala. and some Of the brightest
senoritas sing and play. The airs are
as sweet as the maidens who sing
them, and are generally pathetic, soft
aud full OF melody, remindful Of the
past. The surroundings are ANTIQUE.
and. under the inspiration Of these
ancient melodies. . may easily i'm
agine himself In some casa or castle Ia
Spain, for here are the dreamy eyes.
rich Moorish hair and gracefully poised
heads one sees In ancient CASTLE. But
the picture Is dispelled when you bid
goodnight to the ssnoritas and stsp
~ A|
Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-09-18
MONUMENTAL CHURCH.
History, Romance aud Mystery
Cluster Around It.
The Most Interesting Building I'm
Richmond, Nn.-A Picture That
Recalls the Doubts About
booths Death.

The Monumental church at Rich
mond, has not only a wonderful history,
but there is n romance concerning one
of its priests which will live forever in
local history. Writers in the future
will undoubtedly weave a web of weird
doubt concerning the identity of the
priest, and probably the legend will
form the foundation for myths; out of
which the unbridled fancy of poets may
develope stanzas as peculiar and Won
derful as those which trickeled from
the gifted pen of Edgar Allen Poe,
One thing is certain, and that is that
the picture of Rev. DR.. Armstrong and
the picture of John Wilkes Booth are
so much alike that every observer will
declare that they are not resemblances,
nor likenesses, but counterparts.
The Monumental church manifests
many strange yagaries of construction.
1t stands in a quiet old ~churchyard
fronting on Broad street, upon the
slope of a hill which was at one time the
enter and circumference of official and
fashionable life in the capital city of
the Old Dominion. The church itself is
Il part of the history of the city, and
even the ground wherein it stands is
held in reverence by the people here,
because it constitutes a part of a block
of ground bought by Thomas jefferson,
and by him dedicated as the site of an
institution of science and bellies letters
after the fashion of the French acade-
my,
There were people in Richmond who
shook their heads With doubt and de-
probation when the academy building
was converted into a theater. They
were not croakers, without cause, be-
cause the theater was destroyed by
fire a few years afterwards. The his
toric block was then divided, and the
new Richmond theater was erected
upon one corner of it. The second thea
ter followed the fate of the first. The
new theater was a short-liyed enter
prise, but it became famous rapidly
Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-09-18

devoured the tinsel coverings of the
ceiling Of the stage. Screen after screen
went away in puffs of flame, each add
ing heat to heat, and doom to disaster.
Within ten minutes-think of it
within ten minutes the theater was n
mass of flames. The tragedy was as
speedy asst was complete, The tongues
of flame swept from the stage, FASTENED
forward by the air from rear doors and
windows, and like demons rushed after
and upon the struggling, suffering
crowd. II singed the hair of men and
women, and ignited their clothing, so
that soon the people themselves became
q part of the holocaust, their bodies
burning while they yet lived.
1t was all over in ten minutes; but
during that brief time the governor of
Virginia and 70 others of high rank in
the social and official ranks of the old
dominion, lost their lives, and the city
Was in mourning; yes, the entire state
was shodowed and darkened with woe.
When intelligence of the disaster be-
came general, the congress passed reso-
lutions of coincidence, memorial serv-
ices were held in churches everywhere,
and the fire was generally regarded as
n national disaster.
Early in the spring of 1912 ii was sug-
gested that a great memorial should be
erected by public subscription, and
Chief Justice Marshall, of the United
States supreme court, assumed charge
of the movement. a building fund was
raised. Then the remains of the lost
we're gathered together and placed in a
vault beneath the center of the ruins,
and around this tomb the people built
the Monumental church.
Having said that there is history, mys-
terry and romance connected with this
building, and having viewed the history
of its wonderful and pathetic origin, let
us look into the mystery and romance
OF Monumental church. Let us go into
the yestry room. There, in that dark
corner, hangs upon the wall a picture of
John Wilkes Booth, in long clerical
garments. The sexton says that it is a
picture of Rev.John q. Armstrong, who
was pastor Of Monumental church from
1878 TO 1854.
The photograph plainly shows, in
every line and curve, the broad high
forehead and long straight hair, the
handsome chin and exquisite profile OF
John Wilkes Booth. The mar is in the
prime of life, standing beside a table,
with a serious mien. He is u%ndoubted.
ly a clergyman, but that is the face OF
Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-09-18

Just as Virgins was ready to leave homt
the other morning to go down to his office
his wife said to him:
'John, ! wish YOU would stop at Blank 4
Co.'S department store and have them &c
send me up three yards OF goods to match
this sample
the sampIe. How much viii Il cost
Il don't remember %exactlj - replied his
wife. Its 81 or 30 cents a yard"
But | must know the exact cost" he
persisted. "or ] can't stop for it. | am in a
rush this morning to get down to the Of
fee
But what difference does it make"
asked Mrs. Virgins, about knowing the
cost of the goods TO the penny"
"A whole heap OF difference" snapped
Virgins. 1T will save my losing a .ctyple
Sf1ta .1purual
Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-09-18

court, the chapel, the graveyard, and
the belfry, where a commanding view is
had-the mountains to the left sloping
to the ocean, and in front Il broad plain,
spreading out like a lady's fan when
opened. Descending, visitors are po-
litely bowed out. No charge is made,
but each tourist gives the padre all the
way from nothing to a dollar. More rev.
enue is received from this source, it is
believed, than from the local congrega-
ton, and the tourist trade within the
past decade has added materially to the
u%pbuilding of the church building. In
the church yard, the priest stated,
about 1000 are b~uried-mostly Indian
neophytes. They are buried one above
the other-the first one being planted
very deep. Yet in those days land was
plentiful, and could be had without
money and without price" for burial
purposes. Over the entrance leading
from the graveyard to the church is a
skull and cross-bones cemented in the
wall. A talkative tourist asked the
priest if these were sure enough
bones" The priest shrugged his Shout
ders and replied: 'Oh, yes, of some
Indian, no doubt. They have been
there many years; they are remindful
of what all of us shall be some time"
Close by the wall are several large
stone vaults in which are buried the
families of some of the Spanish aris-
tocracy of early Califoruia-the Bor-
dinis, De la Guerras, Carillos and Cast
nos. When the last member of the fam
lily died, the family vault was closed
and cemented. Their book of life was
ended.
1t is but natural that the descendants
of the early Californians should wish
to remain in the homes and neal the
graves of their ancestors, where clus-
ter the sweetest, yet saddest, recollec-
tons of the human mind. Their fa-
theirs found here a climate genial and
balmy, and, shut out from the cares and
Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-09-18

because the actors who appeared upon
its stage were the greatest of that day
and generation; and the Richmond
theater vas regarded as the cradle of
the dramatic art, which was then in its
American infancy,
L. Placide was well known in the
dramatic annals of the early years of
this century, and the performance given
in the Richmond theater on December
%, 1911, was for his benefit. 1t was
looked forward to as a great event, and
the social life of the Old Dominion was
enliyeneI with expectation. 1t was an
nounced that the English custom of
presenting pantomimes at Iuletide
would be followed by the presentation
OF a new piece called Raymond and
Agnes; or, the Bleeding Nun" 1t was
further announced on the bills that il
would be 1.-THE last performance of the
season."
There wa a grand throng in the
Richmond theater when the curtain
went up that evening. The governor
OF Virginia was there, with his official
staff. There were old-time gentlemen
from the prosperous plantations of the
state, statesmen, members of the bench
and bar, family parties, of husbands,
wives and children, bevies of maidens,
the loveliest of girls, and the mos,
4.
bejeweled. There were successful
tradesmen, merchants, seafaring men
and importers. In the real section, re.
served for them, were poor whites
and negroes, also present to enjoy the
play. The audience filled the theater
Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-09-18

Him u New Dress and IA Pretty
pOnpet.

Bonnet.
Jopkins had read somewhere that il
a woman got hold of a newspaper with
a clipping cut out of it, she would
never rest until she had procured a
complete paper and read the missing
item. This struck Jopkins as a very
shrewd and Machiayelian plan of eX.
posing this well-known weakness OF
lovely woman, and he resolved to put
it into practice.
So that night, when he went home
from the Office, there ostentatiously
~protruded from his coat pocket the
days paper, from which he had neatly
cut a paragraph referring to the rings
OF Jupiter or some such matter.
He threw the paper TO one side in q
careless way, and after supper he noted
with an unholy glee that Mrs. Jopkins
had secured it, and was running her
eye over the bargain ads, and work
ing her way, after the manner of her
sex, through the personals, marriage
notices, and back to the Geographic
dispatches.
Presently Jopkins observed a sudden
n suspicious frown overcast her face.
She had come upon the hiatus made by
The waggish penknife. Jopkins reveled
with internal hilarity, but preserved an
outward appearance of innocent uncon.
seriousness.
my DEAR" said Mrs. Jopkins, laying
the paper gently aside, I'm going to
run over to Mrs. Hopkins a minute. |
won't be gone long"
She went over to the opposite neigh
boris, and while she was gone Jopkips
had lots of fun. She came back pres.
emily, and Jopkins noticed she carried
another paper under her shawl. Sac
went upstairs and Jopkins leaned back
in his chair and shook all over with ",
Best joke ever got off," he said to
himself. Won't she be sold when |
tell her?"
Mrs. Jopkins remained upstairs about
20 minutes, and when she came down
she had on her hat and street dress. and
hopkins felt his knees shake when he
looked into her eye.
"Wh-where are you going p"heasked.
Where am | goingY" said his wife
You want to know where | am going.
you deceitful, disreputable, underbanG.
ed, d%epraved, villainous, brutal, wicked
unprincipled, %scandalous, abandoned
monster? I'm going home to my moth.
er!"
"Wha-what's the matter?" said Jon.
kins.
Look at that!" said Mrs. .lonk,ns
thrusting the paper in his face. "Cut II
out to hide it from me, did your To
think that | should ever have marr;a,1
such a ruffian!"
Jopkins looked where her arcer
pointed and read:
After the performance Of .rho
Devils Auction last night quite q 70.
cherche little supper was given 10 ,ho
Leading lady actresses by a few of Their
admirers. A prominent mercbon,
whose name we withhold is said to have
cut up some rather high links on ,hs
occasion. We wonder If his estimah,s
and charming wife knew of his wbera,
abouts."
A cold shiver ran over Jopkins. lie
was innocent but he had neglected to
read the other side of the clipping when
ne IL 1t out. He began to explain. and
inc milkman says he was still at It when
ne called with his regular morninu
supply of chemicals.
AS Mrs. Jopkins was seen a week ,,,.
er wearing an elegant new silk dress
10 say nothing Of "a dream of a hon,
net itis presumed that the matter wos
satisfactorily arranged.-Tit.Bits.
Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-09-18
LAGER, ALEs uNo WINES"
Meaning Of al. A. w. Hotep a. Ex-
pIained by a German.

Among the many advantages set forth by
the l.. 4. w. to riders to JOIN the organiza.
tion are the special ccommodationsextended
10 members at the official hotels in cities and
towns. 1t is the custom in suburban places
for proprietors of official hotels to display
a sign like this: IL. A. w. Hotel" in some
conspicuous place. Naturally riders patron
ize the official quarters, and as a conse:
quence the keepers of road houses and of
hotels in the country are now hanging out
IL. A. w. Hotel signs. The practice has
been called to the attention OF the league,
and its officers are trying to compel the non
official houses to remove the signboards.
Complaint was made to the New Jersey d.
vision OF the league that a hotelkeeper on
the outskirts of Jersey City not entitled to
display the official sign of the l.. A. w. was
an offender. A visit to the place developed
the fact that the owner was not disposed to
accede to the demands of the leagues rep.
rcsentative. The latter, finding that mild
persuasion was futile, became indignant and
threatened lega! proceedings. The propri-
etor, a German, also waxed warm, and in
response to the remark that he was using
the official sign of the league without author
ity, retorted;
''Vot know aloud veelmen's lecgs? Dot
don't shtand for holdings like dot. Dot
sign shtands for lager, ales und wines hotel,
alretty yet. Dot my leeg, togedder.'
The explanation amused the officials so
much that no legal move was taken.-N. Y.
SIM.
Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-09-18

ont of the ancient adobe casa into new
Santa Barbara,
One of the oldest, most commodlous
and best preserved adobe houses IN
California is the celebrated De Ia Guer-
n casa. This was a wealthy and arts
tocragic Spanish family, He was one
of the leaders OF civil and socialllie, ana
his home was one Of %unbouuded hospI-
tality. His three daughters were tn.
prettiest ladies' in California, andaSpan-
ish beauty is considered by many art
lists as the better OF alltypes. When
of his daughters married Capt. DE 10
Guerra sent couriers throughout the
territory inviting everybody, 1t is be-
lieyed that nearly all Of them did come
The festivities lasted two weeks. There
were horse racing, bull fighting, etc, in
the afternoon and dancing at night,
There was a plaza in front of his house.
and here long tables were loaded with
y~ictuals and wine, all day and far into
the night. Everyone ate and drank at
any and all times. Several scores of
Mexican and indian servants were kept
busy waiting on the guests, who per-
haps numbered three thousand, The
captain owned leagues oflandand cattle
and horses too numerous to count. All
was lost when the "Americanos' came.
The historic house remains in the pos
session of his descendants, and the
plaza in front, equally historic for its
brilliant scenes. is still called De la
Guerra plaza. 4 few of the old Span
ish names remain on the streets, and
from these the stranger gets an idea of
the historic characters of ancient Santa
Barbara. 1t is unfortunate that so
many of the street names have been
changed. The Spaniards named them
for historic persons, flowers or events.
With them n name was historical or de-
scriptive. One of the streets is heavily
charged with a name, and, strangely,
it has not been changed-Calle de la
canon perdido-street of the lost can
no.
When the Americanos come, the Bar
barenos surrendered without firing n
gun. But the general placed a
cannon at tire head of this street and
threatened TO blow everybody to pieces
on general principles. That night some
Of the young blades threw a lariat
Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-09-18

John Wilkes Booth. Every picture ex-
tant shows the semblance, and people
who saw Booth on the stage, when he
was a ~well-known actor, say that the
photograph of Rev. John G. Armstrong
is a perfect picture of Booth.
There is the mystery, but there is 70.
nance also connected with the story,
for nobody ever knew where the rever-
end gentleman came from. 1t was said
that he had been ordained in Ireland.
An investigation of his past did not
produce satisfactory results. He came
to Richmond a comparative stranger.
Everybody wondered at the likeness OF
the mar to John Wilkes Booth, and
some accused him of being that man,
Finally the clergyman was accused OF
irregularities in his habits, and this
started afresh the story that he was not
what he claimed TO be. At last, in de.
spair, he left the ministry, lived in
private and died in obscurity. The
doubt of his identity hung over him
like a pail. On his d%eathbed, his last
words were a denial, an earnest, tear
full denial, that he was John Wilkes
Booth.
There were many men in Richmond
who had heard Booth on the stage, and
whoheardD DIR. Armstrong in the pulpit,
who declared that two men could not be
so much alike; in face, form, voice,
gesture, everything; for the preacher
was a man of such dramatic
that it would have been almost i'm
possible for any man to have acquired
them anywhere except upon the stage.
Moreover, it was remarked that he was
slightly lame, as Wilkes Booth would
undoubtedly have been, after sustain.
ing the injury which befell him as he
jumped from the box to the stage of the
theater on the night of the commission
of his awful crime.
1t is well known that there were
doubts expressed by many people In
Washington, in 1868, as to whether or
not the assassin, Booth, had really been
killed. These doubts were often e.
pressed in public prints. When Rev,
DIR. Armstrong appeared in Richmond,
all OF those rumors were revived; and
there was such a general dissemination
of gossip and rumor that the preacher
found himself surrounded by mystery.
When an attempt was made to ~investi-
gate his antecedents, he gave no as.
%sistance.
1t is known that he had a daughter
whom he trained in ~elocution, and she
went upon the stage, after her father
had died. 1t is said that whatever the
secret of his life may have been, before
he appeared in Richmond, he told il
to his child; for she often said that she
alone knew her father, and only her
could he trust.
But the mysterious priest Of the
Monumental church has gone to his
grave; and there Is no stone to mark
his last resting place. just before he
left the ministry, he had two photo
graphs taken; one for his daughter, the
other for the church. And there, In that
dark corner, In the shadows that sur-
round 1t. as the shadows of mystery
surrounded his life. In the vestry room,
the photograph shows the features Of
John Wilkes Booth. Whoever he
was, poor fellow, his was an unhappy
lite; his was a pathetic death.
SMITH D. FRY.
Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-09-18
IN OLD SANTA BARBARA.
But Few Mementoes of Romantic
Days Are Let
The Famous Mission Which Every
body Visits Is Something of a
Fnkc-History of Some An
Client Houses.
lspecinL Los Angeles oar Letterl

l'lNN+"N 49,
picturesque" or old Santa Barbara,
If the days Of romance, is fast disap-
pearing. In fact, it has disappeared,
all excepting a few crumbling adobe
houses, and a few of the immediate de-
scendantsof the earliest settlers. These
are all that bind the rushing and hur-
rying present with the idyllic past,
Even the picturesque scenery has been
removed when possible, and the works
of nature touched up by art. Where
nature layished her beauties the hand
of man has attempted Improvements.
But amidst this iconoclasm there yet
remain a few of the historic adobe
casas and some of the prettiest little
groves that ever grew under the guild
Thedescendantso of the ancient hidalgoS
have ever refused to sell the houses in
which their fathers lived, and these few
adobes are about all that new Santa
Barbara has to show to the inquisitiye
tourist-eXcept town lots; and, of
course, the mission church, which is
not the original building. But this the
tourists do not know, and are permit
ted to depart in ignorance. The earth
quake of 1912, which shook up, or down,
nearly all of the mission buildings on
the coast, partly destroyed this one,
and it was rebuilt partly. Since it
has been almost entirely rebuilt, and
scarcely a yestige of the original build
ingremains, and it is constructed on en-
tirely different lines also.
But tourists swarm to the "old mis-
sion" in droyes. This is the first thing
in order after registering. So great has
become the fad that the priest has
regulated the hours, and when a speci-
fed number arrives he escorts the party
through the long corridors, the shaded
Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-09-18

MONUMENTAL CHURCH. RICHMOND
to overlooking, and there were very
nearly 800 people in the assembly. For
that time and place it was a great au.
dlence; the greatest that had ever as.
fembled in any city in the south.
In those days chandeliers were made
with lamps, instead of gas or electric.
ity. as we have them now. At the be.
ginning of the second act a boy on the
stage pulled up into the flies overhead
Q chandelier, one lamp in which was
still burning. The fame ignited one Of
OF the strips OF painted canvas. That
wns the beginning Of the awful ending
ol that gay evening,
There was q cry OF fire" when the
little fame was first seen, aud the peo.
pie rushed for the single exit. One Of
the actors rushed forward, and assured
the audience that the Are would be put
out without trouble. There was a
pnuse for q moment; but the flames
grew stronger. They cracked and
roared. Wider and wider, and larger
snd larger grew tho derry serpent. II
Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-09-18
..svift water BiII's" Bride.

Miss Gussie Lahore, formerly of Juneau,
has made the most desirable marriage, from
a p%ecuniary point Of view. 1t is a fact that
'Swift Water Bill was so smitten with her
charms that he called on Miss Lahore the
day Of her arrival. He wooed her with $50.
600 of gold dust in a coal-oil can, and the
next day she became Mrs. Swift Water
Bill" The man, whose real name is not
known to any Of the Mckay party, came up
the klondike early in the rush. He did not
have a dollar or enough grub for a square
meal when he arrived. He located one OF
the richest claims, and is now a millionaire
and a bridegroom, His claim is 10 Eldorado.
=Alaska Cor. Chicagn Chronicle
Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-09-18
Not Necessary,

Il have just had a note from Willie's
teacher" said Mrs. Parvenue, "and she
says that he is very deficient in spell.
Ing"
what in thunder is he studying
spelling for?" demanded Mr.. p~arvenue.
angrily. "Does his teacher mean TO In.
sinuate that he won't be rich enough to
hire q typewriteg Chicago Post.
Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-09-18

For n whole day not a cross word
had been heard, and naturally both
were in good humor.
"Why should we not go on like this
forever?" she asked, at length. "Wby
can't we always agree"
Because" he explained, very ear.
nestly, "once in a great while l like to
have my own way"
Shortly thereafter he had slammed
the door and started for the club, and
she was excitedly asking herself why
she had ever been foolish enough TO
marry.-Chicago Post.