davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-07

ed by two brothers, one Of whom lived in
the midst of his vast ~caneields on the
one hand and the latter among his rich
tobacco lands on the other. And, strange
though 1t may seem, the brother in the
north was at enmity with him who dWelt
in the south, for, Notwithstanding the
formers great wealth, he continually IN
We'd the other his prosperity and posses
sions. At that time the temple on the
intervening mountain was a marvellous
structure. Its tall. massive walls were
covered outside with bright green plaster,
while at each Of the corners arose a
square tower, likewise green without. At
the top OF each of the four towers sat q
great green image, each Of which was
gifted with the power Of a special plague.
The one to the south represented a land
crab controlling the plague of drought;
that to the west a frog holding the fever
plague; on the north an eagle bearing the
plague of war, and on the east a serpent
fraught with the plague of sudden death.
The inner walls Of this grewsome temple
were the cocr of blood, aside from which
there were no embellishments, neither al
tar nor shrine. The high priest Of the
sect who worshiped here was a skilled
obi man, who alone controlled the four
images on the four towers. When he
spoke to the crab, the land was straight
way ravaged by drought; If be invoked
the frog, the people were at nee stricken
with the fever; when he commanded the
eagle, there speedily followed war; while
the mere mention OF o name to the ser
pent resulted In instant death to the
bearer thereof. And ne black people
from the two great valleys alone knew
the whereabouts of this temple and the
source OF the dire Affections which from
time to time smote the island. And it
was the wont OF these people to assemble
ON certain nights Of each week in the
midst OF the temple to perform the rites
Of their sect and to purchase exemption
and favors from the omnipotent obi men.
For not only did their payment Of tribute
render them i~mpervious to the plaques,
but for additional sums they were en-
abled to have the same visited upon such
OF their enemies who We're without the
pale Of the obi mans protection
Now 1t happened that the brother who
dwclt In the valley to the north became
curious regarding the continued going
and coming of his slaves, wherefore he
disguised himself one night and followed
them to their mountain retreat. And
learning here the secret of the four
plaques, an evil impulse straightway
entered his heart to have them all, mi
after another, Inflicted upon his despised
brother Ii the valley beyond. Therefore,
hiding his chance, be approached the
obi man aud. first offering his tribute.
after the manner Of the slaves about him,
hesoupht the sorcerer to send the plague
The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-07

After you nare iuvesr1gataa. il you 49,
perfectly satisfied with The goods, YOU
can draw the money and buy, otherwise
ell deals are of, nndEI will pay your ex-
penses both ways. What could be fairer
than that7 It is a chance Of a lifetime.
Act now
Meeting with his victim, the r~ascal's
s'sonn takes him in hand, ascertains all
about the stranger, the amount OF money
he has and his degree OF ~gulhbllity. All
this Is communicated faithfully to the
chief OF the ring. AL being In readiness,
the victim Is passed along till he reaches
the den OF the principal, usually In some
obscure corner of the suburbs or In the
very heart OF the crowded districts Of
New York. As specious as@he was in his
circular, suave and persuasive is he now
In person. The scene here Is a peculiar
one.
Before a large desk sits the principal,
at his right hand a confederate, at his
left another, all well armed in case Of
trouble. The desk is pushed up against
the thin partition, behind which is an
other confederate listening FOR the cue
The victim is shown the amount of his
purchase In genuine new greenbackS,
and he Is delighted with their appear
anee. Not a single counterfeit bill en-
ters into the negotiation. The victim is
cautioned upon a thousand points-how
to avoid the secret service men, how to
get out of town without being seen, how
TO treat the goods so they will look old
and how to- dispose OF them to his neigh
bors with the least possible danger.
The more suspicious the victim Is the
greater the spice In the enterprise. A
too easy victim Is regarded with q sort
OF contempt, while the cunning buyer Is
angled with like a fine trout, and there
Is no going asleep over the reel. The
money is paid by the victim, he receives
and counts the bills, and they are tucked
into a satchel which is laid on the desk.
Now says the principal, in case you
want more Of these goods, / want your
name and address In your own handwrit-
ing, so that / will know that no one else
is getting the discount | offer on a second
deal. Here Is my ledger"
He lifts the lid Of the desk, which for
an instant concea1s the satchel from
view. This is a signal for the confeder-
ate in the next room to open the trap
door behind and exchange theS satchcl
containing the good money for another Of
the same size and kind containing identi-
cal packages In appearance, but with
only SO or perhaps 81 bills on the top
and bottom.
The signature is obtained, the satchel
is again casually examined, the packages
are seen apparently intact, flung back
into the satchel, and the victim Is advised
to hustle away as soon as possible.
In his exit he is again assisted By the
sson'' or ''steerer." who FIRST met him
and prevented from opening the satchel
till well out of the company of his wreck
ers. Then be discovers that he has been
duped, and in nine cases out OF ten-yes,
90 out OF 100-hurries home, crashing his
teeth, but saying not a word, probably a
ruined man for life.
The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-07

In q wild spot among the mountains Of
Pinar del Rio. which divide the cane
bearing lands along the north coast Of
the province from the great tobacco dis
trict in the south, are the ruins Of an an
Gent fetish temple. Years have passed
since the structure was utilized as a CEN
tral place Of worship by the slaves from
the distant plantations, and yet to this
day its fast crumbling walls are jealousy
guarded By an aged obi man, or native
sorcerer. This old negro wields a strange
influence over his countrynen for miles
around, a Jose de Olivares In the st.
Louis Globe-D Democrat. and his few
wants are never left unattended. On the
contrary. should he see fit to demand 1T
their utmost peAny would be promptly
brought and placed at his disposal, not
from motives of generation, but Of abb
ject fear, for to this crafty old individual
Is attributed the ability to bring about all
name Of tribulation upon all who are
so unfortunate as to incur his animosity.
However, while by no means averse to
extortion should occasion demand 1t, be
is generally disposed to content himself
with the barest necessities of life. Stran-
gers rarely venture to the remote haunts
Of this aged ~recluse, but the occasional
~traveler who chances that way must as
suredly gather a strange impression from
the desolated temple and its solitary,
mysterious guardian. And to such a way
farer as happens to speak the language
Of the island and who has, the fore
thought to deposit a few centavos in the
withered hand of the magician the latter
will invariably unfold this weirdest Of
stories concerning the place:
In years long past the great valleys on
either side the mountain range were own
The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-07
Whore Beavers Abound.

It is said that almost the only place
where the beave Is to be found in any
number is In the Rio and canyon, on
the border between Texa and Mexico.
For the 800 miles between M Paso and
Eagle Pass little Is known of the canyon.
The few persons who have traveTsed the
region report dangerous and impossible
falls. A French Canadian passed through
in 1885. and brought out 400 beaver skins.
which he sold at III Paso for the tidy sum
Of 81 each. He told tales Of the abundance
of beavers in the n but the perilS
of the journey have prevented many
The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-07

the alleged oficiai sea. Of the United
States treasury.
This is the FIRST series of documents.
We now pass to the second series. The
victim he's bitten, sent the telegram, and
in reply be receives a letter inclosing a
genuine 81 bill from the treasury depart
ment. fresh and crisp, but laid between
two sheets Of waxed paper, upon which
the ink Offsets slightly and gives the ilu-
sion Of having beer just printed BY the
sender. This document is a masterpiece
OF rascal literature:
"MY DEAR S1R-Your telegram reeeiv-
ed. As promised, ! inclose a sample. AS
the ink on the back is not quite dry, l
leave the shooting tissues between to
avoid smutting.- In case it should stick
The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-07

There is a crusade against the green
goods fraternity in tsgse United States.
and / have no hesitancy in admitting it.
We are bound to crush this corporate
rascalfy If it takes the combined efforts
Of the best men In our service for q peri
cd of ten years. We are thoroughly In
earnest, and the green goods men must
20. For twenty years these s~coundrels
have grown prosperous on the gullibility
Of the ~credulous, and, although the news
papers almost daily expose some Of their
methods, statistics show no abatement IN
the army of come onE.p
To show what education and wit are
required to become q successful green
goods manipulation 1t Is only necessary TO
glance over specimens OF the green goods
literature, said Postofiee Inspector King
to the New York Herald. The first we
shall call No. /. 1t is the initial lure.
CONFIDENTIAL.
my DEAR ErB-your name vas sent
me by my son. who Is my travelling rep
resentative, as a shrewd, reliable and
Trustworthy man for me to cooperate
with In your vicinity, and | therefore
take the liberty Of making you a PROPOSE
[lOU. 4AC HA4tEA 40 a. t@RN
having for % years been employed in the
bureau of engraving, Washington, and
for II years superintendent Of one of the
largest bank note engraving companies In
the country. During my leisure ! took
up as a side issue the duplication Of ones,
fyes and tens, and as these were the
original denominations | had worked up
on You can believe me when ! say they
are perfect duplicates.
Now, my dear sir, ! am fully aware OF
the suspicion and prejudice that you nat
urally viii entertain for my proposition,
as you viii on first thought class it as
coming from a green goods or sawdust
swindler, but II you viii lay aside that
prejudice, apply common sense and look
at my proposition from q business stand
point, compare 1t with the methods of
those petty swlndlers, and you win credit
me with not being fool enough to waste
my time addressing a man of your intelll-
gence and standing in the community"
He then goes on to sexpose" these pet
II swindlera, only to lead his man into
another and surer method of swindling.
He continues:
Il do DOT want you to send me !
cent. What I want TO know Is whether
you will be willing to cooperate with
me in the disposal Of my goods, provid-
ing that can prove to you beyond all
doubt that my work is all ] claim for it
and that It cannot be told from the gem
nine. Understand, / do not want you to
invest a dollar until you have examined
my whole stock, from 81 TO 100000.
Compare them with the genuine and. In
fact, submit them to any test you may
see fit. Then, after you are thoroughly
satisfied on every point, you can decide
whether you accept my proposition or
not.
'The fact Is an Investment Of $500
will give you an immediate return that
a lifetime Of toll in your present business
would not do-this without injuring
neighbors or your fellow men.
To convince you OF the safety Of the
business I will, upon receipt Of the tele-
gram as per inclosed note, send you a
sample of my work, and l will also APP
point a place to meet you SO that you
The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-07

that his tastes are quiet and scholarly.
He has kept abreast of the times, and it
is his recreation to sit in his cory little
library in Alfred and read the latest
books on science and sociology. He bears
the weight Of years lightly, and his step
is quick and springy. He is at all times
CHEEKY and companionable.
Mr.. Allen has held all sorts Of public
Offices, which have taken him all over
the country, but he never gave up his
Maine home, where he went to live soon
after he was graduated from Bowdoin.
He likes to tell how he was made select
man OF his native town several years
ago. Mr.. Allen was born March II, 1887,
in WATERFORD, Me. He earned his own
way through college.
The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-07
SMITH or HAWAII.
He win Represent Our New Terri
tory In the Next ConEresa.

William Owen Smith, the man who will
represent the Hawaiian Islands at Wash
ington during the coming session of con-
gress, is one Of the most prominent men
in our new province. He has long been
d leader Of reforms and has the conf
dence Of all classes.
His mission viii be to answer ques-
tions bearing on legislation to be enacted
for the purpose of extending the Amer
lean system to the mid-Pacific. At pres
ent Hawaii has merely the protection OF
the United States.
The special ambassador to Washington
was born in the Islands a little less than
80 years ago. After finishing with the
schools there be attended an American
university, took up the law and was adj
mitted to practice before the courts Of the
state of California. Mr.. Smith was for
The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-07

a short time sheriff of one of the islands,
but resigned to join the reform party, or
opposition to the crown, and for nearly
20 years was a member of the legislature.
Mr.. Smith was attorney general of the
islands from 1888 up to a few months
ago. He has held various Offices and CON
Quoted each In a manner that has made
him one of Hawaii's greatest men. As
Mr.. Smith was a stalwart In the over
throw Of 1893, so was he one of the
chiefs in suppressing the rebellion In
1895.
Perhaps the most signal service Mr..
Smith ever performed for the islands
was late In the summer Of 1895, when
the Asiatic cholera was brought to the
port Of Honolulu from the orient. As
president Of the board Of health Mr..
Smith called for the aid Of citizens Of all
races and classes. He was the father Of
the system Of inspection and cleansing
which stamped out the disease In three
weeks, with a loss Of but SO lives.
The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-07

E<4r1 VEA 49eEE<QrT3 w NO HAY
Take His Scar In Congress.
Nh. Amos Z. Allen, the man who will
probably be elected to congress from the
district Of Maine 50 long represented By
Thomas II Reed, Is an old friend OF the
retiring speaker and for many years has
served as his private secretary. Their
friendship began at Bowdoin college,
where they were classmates. Mr.. Allen
Is 90 years old and In the full vigor Of his
mental and physical faculties.
MI. Aliens Is an interesting personals
ty. He is quiet and reserved In manner
and has an easy dignity at all times. In
conversation his tone is low and soft, and
his remarks are to the point. He uses
the simplest language and imprcsses one
as being q rapid thinker and thorough
logician. On the platform when he is
portraying the merits Of his party his
voice Is strong aud vibrant, and his talk
is punetuated by the dry wit Of the old
time gentleman.
To enjoy Mr.. Aliens company for even
an hour one cannot avoid the impression
The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-07

~ A<1 ~"
can personally examine my whole stock.
IL for any reason you decide not to CO.
operate with me, / trust, as an honorable
man, ETC., you viii not be SO heartless as
to destroy my life work, SO kindly burn
this and LET tho matter drop. Trusting,
however, to hear from you Immediately.
I am confdentially yours,
"OLDEsT STEEL PLATE ENGRAyER In
THE UNITED STATEa."
The note f~nclosed is as follows, you
observe:
DIRECTIONS.
"Follow directions implicitly. In no
other way communicate with me. Pre-
pay your message to insure safe delivery.
] caution o not to send any letters to
this address, as they viii positively be
refused and returned to you opened
through the dead letter Office and so
bring trouble upon you- Your telegram,
being In cipher, no one viii understand
its meaning, 50 have no fear. Put your
address under your initials and tell the
operator to send It also. Be careful to
send a copy OF this telegram exact:
SD. T.. Jones', Rondout, n. T..
"His present address Is No. 69 Greene street.
sign above telegram with full Initials
and send by w. U. telegraph"
Perhaps there are other Enclosures, such
as fake newspaper clippings, which
state that since such q time plates belong
ing to the treasury department AVE been
missing, Or a fake" copy Of the Official
Counterfeit Detector." purported to be
issued BY the government. with perfect
duplicates, genuine paper. skeleton backs.
The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-07
cocoanuts.

The hard. white layer Of meat inside
e~ocoannts in our markets Is not there in
the freshly plucked fruit, except as a
creamy film about a sixteenth Of an inch
shIck, which has to be scraped off with a
spoon. Sparkling liquid, In place of the
acrid milk" known to American con-
sumers. comprlsps tie whole nut.
The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-07

by a recently returned missionary as a
wonderful feat of ENDURANCE. The dew
otees have iron hooks inserted into the
ileshy part of their backs and are then
fwunS up in the air before their goddess
Vt the end of d long pole balanced at the
renter like an old fashioned web sweep.
The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-07
Precious Liberty.

New Cook-Then | am not to wear
your honnefs when ] like?
Mistress-No, but think how large your
wages nre!
New Cook fhaughtilyj-My liberty IS
not for saie!-D Detroit Journal.
The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-07

construction and on March Z was able to
ship the last yard Of the finished product
from the sheppard to New York.
The delivery In New York was made
six weeks from the date Of the receipt of
the original order.
It took almost as long to get the first
| cargo Of material away from New York
! as It did to complete the making of it.
This cargo left on March %. The second
followed eight days later, and the whole
cargo arrived IN London on April IA.
Then began the work Of transferring
| the cargo from one ship to another. While
this was in progress an accident occurred
which again delayed the entire work. A
chord section % feet long was lost over
board on April 20-
Then ensued one OF the most notable
feats Of the entire work. In less than Is
hours the piece had been replaced and
was In New York awaiting shipment to
london.
This arrived in good time. but the whole
cargo had gone on ahead. 1t reached
Cairo on the 9Th day of May and was
ready for shipment into the interior us
soon as transferred. It reached Atbara
on May IA.
Scarcely three months had expired since
the original negotiations were begun, yet
here was the material at hand, with moth
ing to do but place it in its position in the
structure. The driving of the piers was
lone by an English firm, but this was a
small detail. The work Of erectionIe-
CURED the greatest Of skill. Without false
structure 1t was necessary to erect one
span temporarily on land to serve as an
anchorage for span No. /. BY means of
a travelling steel derrick the span was
then placed III position piece by piece,
building away from the pier with the new
end unsupported
This was continued until the second
pier was reached, when the temporary
span could be taken down and the process
repeated with the first span serving as an
anchorage. The eantalever construction
made this work difficult, but span BY
span 1t was completed successfully and
the whole bridge placed In position less
than two months after the starting of
this work and ready for the opening by
the sirdar on Aug. 20.
In his speech at the opening of the
bridge Lord Kitchener highly compll-
mented the Philadelphia hrm and dilnted
on the Importance Of the bridge construc-
ton to the English purpose In the Sudan.
The English competitors OF the Amerf-
can firm have not yet ceased wondering
how It was that their Yankee cousins
could have done a job In SIX months
which they could not be induced to n
deTtake in less than a years time. Until
the work was actually finished they were
fncredulous, and there were many Eng
lish prophecies that the Americans would
fail. But the Philadelphia bridge build
ers are now on their way home, and be-
hind them stands the Atbara bridge as a
monument to their skill.
This achievement is more than a local
victory. 1t has convinced the world that
American manufacturers have ability and
resources such as can be found nowhere
else In the world. This means that Amer
lean manufacturers will receive other or
ders and that American mechanics will
be in demand In almost every part OF the
globe.
----4- ~ E1c1rx. u
The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-07
Hook Ewtngiug In India.

One Of the most striking forms of self
immolation practiced by fanatics IN In
dia, says the Worldwide Magazine, is
known as hook swinging and is described
Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1899-04-16

sible conflict with more than one Ell
ropean power. We fee, also that with
EngIand our friend and the British
fleet on our side we have nothing to
fear from any other COWcr or eEen
from two or three of the powers of Eu-
rcpe combined An alliance wOdlt,
perhaps be premature, nor is it needed
so f1ng as the feeling on both sides e
mains what it is at presen.. Possibly
We could hope IL the first instance for
more than the moral support of Ing
land in any conflict with 4 continental
power But that would suffice, and In
times Of real difficulty it would ripen
sooner or later into q defensive alli-
ance- I say frankly that in my opin-
ion the United States have more 10
gain (sic) from such an alliance than
England has, though the moral and
even material advantage to Englan2
is nanifestly ne inc0nside- ara
is likely to grow with time For this
change eff sentiment which has lately
come over public opinion on this 81
of the Atlantic I rejoice unfeign-
eGiy. an not less gratifed
by the assurance that no such change
is needed on the odhe@t, and if any
words of mine can cement friendship
which would, l believe, make for the
welfare of the whala world 1t is at onc
a pleasure to myself and duty to my
country to utter them. London let
ter in Chicago Chronicle