davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-09-04
a RattIesnnke Eater.

Moses Henderson Is sable son OF
Africa and lives two miles from
Americas, Ga. in Il rocky field, where
rattlesnakes are most plentiful. Moses
makes living by capturing snakes
and selling them. Whenever lie can
not sell them he eats them. This Is
the truth. as strange as 1t may seem
Last week he killed large one with
eleven rattles on il. This was fat
snake and Moses ate 1t. The other day
he brought very large snake To the
city. trying TO sell its hide. There were
twenty-three rattles on it. The snake
was very poor. and Moses said IL
would not do to eat. and he stuffed its
hide and sold it for a good price.
Every year Moses makes good deal
of money selling snake oil. He says
right down in the vertebrae OF rat
tlesnake is a fatty streak of flesh that
makes oil. when fried that Will cure
any case Of rheumatism. Ii Is strange
to how many people he sells TINS
rheumatic snake oil. He has Il long
list of certificates from people he has
cured. Some of them are from intelli-
gent whites. who declare that the oil
has cured when all other remedies
have failed. He sells vial Of the oil
for 81 and guarantees a lasting cure
Moses SAYS his father was an African
hoodoo doctor ard taught him how to
cure all aches and pains with snake
oil. The negroes of Sumter County
yenerate and fear him as mysterious
doctor who can cure when all else
fails. and look upon his snake oil as
something enchanted.
Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-09-04
odd superstition

II has been said recently that opals
were coming into fashion again, ana
that in the opinion of leading jewelers.
the old superstition that they bring
bad luck to their owners was dying
out. | have made inquiries among the
principal dealers in gems In this city,
saws the New York correspondent or
the Boston Herald. and have not found
any substantial foundation for the
statement. A Maiden Lane jeweler
thought there might be something in
il. Holding up beautiful specimen.
which he admired greatly, he exclalm-
ed: II should like TO see the lazy VINO
would refuse to wear that opal be-
cause of fear that IL would bring
ill-luck Twenty years ago | remehl-
Der that could not sell an opal at any
price. Now | sell ono occasionally. l
have disposed of dozen Mexican
opals within year. One of the best
ones l ever had is now worn by one
of the greatest land owners in the
country. | don't care to mention her
name. hut She lives in Texas and owns
many square miles of rich lands there.
and thousands of head of cattle. They
saw she is worth $5.000,000 or $6.OOO.-
900 She is one of my best customers
and | suppose she has more fine opals
than any other woman in this coun-
try. Every time she closes a good deal
she adds one to her fine stock of opals.
The old superstition does not trouble
her Mt all: on the contrary. she claims
that the opal is her lucky stone"
AT a Broadway jewelers. they say
the demand for opals Is about the
same to-day as ii was years ago; IN
fact. the trade does not vary much in
volume from year to year. I'VE have
some customers" said salesman at
This house. who have been collecting
these stones for number of years.
one well known society woman IN
New York. has an opal necklace. very
handsome pink and pearl stones. which
"a INV knowledge she has worn at
several swell functions, and ! never
heard that any ill-luck had befaiien
her | know of men who wear opal
rings and cravat pins just because or
the prevailing superstition that they
bring bad luck to the wearer: they pre-
fer diamonds and can afford to wear
good ones. but instead display opals to
show their indifference to what they
eall n silly superstition. Every menu
her of the Thirteenth club wears one
Or more opals. and there are some very
thrifty fellows among them.
Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-09-04
ux a PROUD MOMENT
10y Gets . Ride on the band Wagon
Of . Circus Parade.

BOY Gets . Ride on the Band Wagon
of Circus Parade.
1.-THE proudsst moment of my hfe,'
said cleveland professional man whs
was watching the circus parade. came
% me when I was ten years old. II
didn't happen here. The scene of the
memorable affair was the ancient towr
where / happened % be born There
was a circus there on that ever-to-be~
remembered day, aud, boylike, was
at the circus grounds bright and early
1t was the old Yankee Robson circus
perhaps you remember the name, and
one sawdust ring was then considered
quite enough. To my mind no modern
hippodrome, triple-ringed affair has
ever touched the good, old-fashioned
tent show for solid enjoyment Well
was walking about the Yankee Robi-
son wagon when one of the circus men
caught sight of me. l suppose he was
somebody in authority. Perhaps | re-
minded him OF boy at home. Any.
way he picked me out of a small army
of other boys.
"'I.ike a ride? he asked with kind
ly grin.
w stammered my entire willingness.
".Up beside the band wagon driver,
behind twelve white horsesr the cir
Gus man went on.
.He read his ansv 'er in my sparkling
eyes.
"'Climb.' he criel. and boosted me
on to the high seat The band men
were putting ON their fancy braided
jackets. and in a rloment or two We
started. What a driver that fellow
wasl 1t fairly rained reins all over
the dashboard as le steered his duo
decimal team into the highway. and
how l hung on tooth and nail as the
bulky wagon careened.
"Well. we drove around--you notice
the 'we'--and went ont of town, ana
then circled about and came back
down a long hill. and SO on throt IN
the entire length OF Main street. That
hill with the heavy brake ON, and the
horses plunging and slipping. nearly
scared years growth out of me. but
| forgot IL all when we struck Mala
street. For there my playmates be-
gan to recognize me. They jeered ne,
an: tainted me, bit Whit cared ! for
taunts:
"IIow did il get out Of the eager
shrieked one embryo humorist, but L
only ran my tongue out at him. knew
there wasn't a youngster looking up
at me who wouldn't have given his
eye teeth to be in my place. And so
we swept on. the caparisoned horses
proudly curvetting, the band discourse
Ing and diminutive me sitting in
throned grandeur reside that mighty
son of Jehu.
'Yes. sir. that was the very proudest
moment of my life "-Cleveland Lead
err.
Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-09-04
Fun for the Dog and Everybody.

At Broken Hill the other night says
the Sidney Bulletin. during the open
Ing performance of a Jack and the
Beanstalk" pantomime Broken Hills
first panto, by the way. stalls pat
ron was accompanied by bull terrier
The appearance of Jacks "cow' was
received by the dog with growls of
disapproyal. and when the animal
came forward and friskly began to
"bunt.' the little animal could stand
no more. Bounding onto the stage, it
attacked the legs Of the "cow," and
the spectacle which followed Of the
forequarters streaking for the prompt
side and of the headquarters and ribs
struggling to place of safety on the
o. +. side brought down the house.
Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-09-04
Eastern Carpenters.

In accordance with the invariable
custom of all Eastern artisans, the car
penter sits upon the ground while at
work. Instead of bench a strong
stake is driven down before him, leav-
ing about ten inches above ground,
and upon this he rests his work ana
keeps it steady with his feet. The fac
ility with which the work is executed
in this position has always been a
matter of surprise to European work
men. In the royal arsenals English
tools are used and better system of
working has been introduced under the
superintendent of British officers but
in the native workshops the workmen
are still to be seen squatting on the
ground. and. being used to this position
from infancy and their tools being
formed to work with more efficiency
when used in this way. any alteration
is scarcely to be expected. Their prin-
cipal tools are the frame saw, adze.
PLANES. hammers. nails and a few
smaller tools.
Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-09-04
A Soft Answer.

Mrs. Prague-DrEnk. as usual.
Mr.. Prague No. IN dear, wursh
nushual.
Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-09-04

Lady-Do you make half-tone pic
lures?
Ed Howland-No. ma'am. Nothing
but heightened pictures made here
Cincinnati Enquirer.
Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-09-04
RATES or ADvKRTIeIN0.

nne ,quare. six lines frst insertion 81 90:
sub~equent insertions 80 Gents. Special rates
made. with monthly, quarterly and yearly adj
yeTtiserS.
IE Local notices and political or personal
communications. Is cents per lime: subs Quent
Insertions. 10 cents per line.
Ordinary uarriage announcements, twenty
Ave cents. Obituary notices will be charged
tor 1t one-half the usual rates of advertising.
Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-09-04
letter. saIt-Rheum and Eczema

The intense itching and smarting incl
dent to these diseases is instantly allayed
by applying Chamberlain's Eye and
Skin Ointment. Many very bad cases
have been permanently cured by it. 1t
is equally efficient for itching piles an !
a favorite remedy for sore nipples, chap
ped hands, chilblains, frost bites and
chronic sore eyes. 25cts per box. For
sale by Feldmeyer Bros, City Drug
Store.
Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-09-04
Not Worth Correcting.

"H'mr' said the editor. Il guess I'll
let that error stand"
what is upT' asked the Impersonal
Voice.
SLUG Y has made II read. lie laughs
best who laughs least lndianapc
lis Journal.
Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-09-04

Dr.. Cady'S G0ndition R0soae,S are just
what horse needs when in bad condition
Tonic, blood purifier and vermifuge.
They are not food but medicine and the
best in use to put horse in prime con-
dition. Price IS cts per package. For
sale by Feldmeyer Bros. City Drug
Store
Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-09-04
Uses FLOR stale Bread.

All bakers. retail and wholesale, seek
10 produce at their several bakings
through the day only so much as may
be required to supply the wants of
their trade, but in making sure TO pre-
vide enough there is likely 10 be some
demand for stale bread for household
uses for making toast and for cooking
purposes. the demand is limited.
Such stale bread as may remain I'M
sold in this manner is never wasted;
II is sold TO farmers and market gar
deners who drive into the city with
produce TO sell. and who buy more or
less supplies here TO carry back to feed
stock. When finally disposed of thus it
Is sold by the barrel. mt so much a
barrel; the price being very low. but
depending somewhat on the surplus
stock on hand on the day of sale.
Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-09-04

Mr. Choate was once asked by an
American newsp? per reporter who
was trying TO find out who illustrious
men would rather he if they were not
themselves. who ne would prefer to be
If he were not Mr.. Choate.
Il am sure | cannot say" returned
the famous wit. Il have never not
been myself"
Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-09-04

Mr.. Choate. when asked by Lord
Iveagh the famors brewer. why he
and not Gen. Porter was sent to Eng
land. the witty American replied: ME
Lud, TO send Porter to Il country that
makes such excellent beer would be
like sending Goals to Newcastle or
gloom to the Isle of Man"
Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1899-09-04

While crossing the ocean Mr.. Choate
was asked as to his plans upon his
arrival in London.
well. madam he replied, ''of
course. / am entirely at sea. But the
first thing l shall 10. | presume, will
be TO study the language"
The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-05-09
WHEN DEWEY COMES HOME.

Admiral Dewey will come home when lie feels that he can be spared from his work in the Philippines. Rear Admiral Watson has been ordered to report to him to relieve him when he gets ready to be relieved There will be a warm time in this country when the gloriously efficient and the gloriously modest hero of Manila Bay does come home The hero worship which Carlyle thought so much of, and which is far superior to cold mugwumpery. will blaze brightly up. Dewey can have what he wants except to be let alone and allowed to go about unnoticed, which will probab- Iy be what he will want most. He can be kissed more extensively than Hobson was but he wont want that, for he is sensible. He can have the freedom of cities and the sincere and gushing hom- age of all his fellow citizens. It is lucky for those who want to be president that he doesn't want to be.
The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-05-09
EDUCATION.

The discussion of educational mat ters in the board of aldermen and the vote on Alderman Dewelps resolution revealed an extensive and rather sur prising interest in and knowledge of what Is going on in our magnificent school system. The discussion and ac- tion in the board of councilmen last evening was still further revealing and will be rather surprising to some who public opinion. Alderman Dewell's res olution was referred to a special com- mittee by vote of IS to 9, and it being then perceived that the minority re- port of the special committee which con- sidered the transfer of funds covered much the same ground that the resolu- ton did concerning the question of su- pervisors, the report was adopted and the action on the resolution was recon- sidered. As the matter now stands if the board of aldermen concurs with the board of councimen, as it probably will, there will be an investigation of the supervisor business.
 So far. so good. If there is an inves- tigation it should be so full and fair and thorough that there will be no chance for honest fault-finding about it afterward If New Haven is in for another talk let's have a good one, as free from prejudice ignorance and bit terness as possible, and as long as nee essary.
 Our old friend Anthony Carroll ap- peared cut of character last evening and he got his reward. He is usually found on the side of economy but last evening he petitioned for another city salary drawer in the shape of supervisor of whiskers and old maids. His petition escaped being referred to the Commit tee on Sewers but found a final rest. ing place in the waste basket So fare all reformers who are weak enough to succumb to the prevailing tendency.
The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-05-09

pound of tea is sold in New York at re- tail for say, 70 cents, but that tea has paid less than i cent for carriage by rail 5000 miles from the Pacific port to New York. One pound of beef that is consumed in New York costs less than half cent for transportation from Chi cago.
 These, says MT. Prout, are good facts to keep in mind. They give little mo- tion of the value of the service of the railroads to modern society, and they give some notion of the very close mar gin of profit at which that service. is done. In fact, the average dividend on States amounts to only about 1.6 per cent More than 70 pea cent. of the railroad stock of the United States pays no dividends whatever to its owners. There is another important aspect Of this matter of the cost of transporta- ton. The railroad rates have fallen much faster than the prices of commod- ities. In twenty-five years the average freight charge of the United States has declined more than 60 per cent. In that quarter century the rate on wheat from Chicago to the sea has declined n per cent, while the price of wheat fell only 56 per cent. The price of corn fell 26 per cent. and the rail charge fell 50 per cent. The price of pork fell 27 per cent. and the rail charge fell 50 per cent.
 Great are railroads and great their benefits. Even the Populists wouldn't know what to do without them now.
The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-05-09
E1SONf BL Y.

For long time the Celestial Empire was famous for it's great wall. Now its partition is becoming of interest.-Pbil- adelphia Times.
 A Reasonable Doubt.-Judge-Pris CT, you are accused of stealing this watch Are you guilty or not guilty?
 Prisoner-rs guilty, Yo' Honah; but Is 'spicious dat ain't de same watch what I stole.--J Jewellers Weekly.
 "Clementine, why do you wear an army buckle? You have no soldier brothers or cousins"
 "Humph! You know as well as I do that l would have married that major if he had asked me. ."-Chicago Record
 Hicks-They tell me Hoggles has been mentioned in connection with the pres idency of the club.
 Wicks-Yes; l heard Savin say that Hoggles was the last man anybody would ever think of making president. Boston Transcript.
 Neghb1rhood Revenge-"Arent We going to pay the street sprinkler this year, Edmund?'
 No; those people on each side of us wouldn't employ him last year, and TOW that they do sprinkle I'm going to let them see how they like 1t t"-Chicago Revenge.
 She was large woman with a wide, firm mouth, shaded by an incipient mustache. When I marry" she said in heavy tones, 'the lucky man must
The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-05-09
THE CoLoRED MEMS BURDEN.

l THE COLORED MEMS BURDEN. | As a question of color, 1t is perfectly indifferent to me whether I am white, | black, yellow, red or brown although, | as matter of personal taste, I prefer the bronzed color of red Indian But, in view of the present attitude of white
 men toward those of other colors, I am glad to have been born white On the west coast of Africa we whites are per-
 petually engaged in civlizing expedi-
 tlons, which consist in burning the vil- lages of black men and firing at them In East Africa we have in the last few
 months civilized some twenty thousand dark brown Soudanese off the face of the globe. The United States are car
 rying out the white mans civilizlng mis- sion in the Philippines by slaughtering the yellow inhabitants, because they have the effrontery to wish to be inde- pendent of American rule. In Samoa we and the Americans are throwing shot and shell into the villages of light brown people in order to show the Germans that they must not be allowed to have their way there. In China all white men are quarreling over the spoil, each being determined to show the others that eve ry one has rights there except the yellow Chinese. All this is being done in the in terests of white civilization, and so dis trustful are the philanthropists them selves of each other that they are all adding gun to gun, ship to ship, and SOL dier to soldier, in case any one of them should get the better of the others in this humanzing mission. - London Truth
The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-05-09

red man Peter Johnson. It is no won der the Indian counsel had to have as- sistance as the case was rather con- plex. The title of the action is Wallace Green and Cornelius Carpenter against Sarah Cooper and Phoebe Shanks. The neacemakers who gravely listened to the evidence were Thomas Poodry Willie Hatch and Chauncey Lone.
 The action was brought to fix the title of a fifty-acre farm. Five years ago William Cooper an Indian, died. Just before his death he leased the farm in question to Thomas Sky. Ills widow, it was claimed, had been living with another Indian for some time. and when she tried to get the farm away from Sky the peacemakers found negative decision. She made second attempt when the lease had expired and was successful, but the peace makers forgot to make out an eviction order against Sky Just about this time Wallace Cooper, half brother, squatted on the farm and set up the claim that the farm was bequeathed to him and his half brother Cornelius, but that the will, which was never pro- bated, was lost. The peacemakers have received the evidence and are trying to entangle the different points.
 Boston Herald
The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-05-09
SOME NTTC FACTS.

l The railroads of this country and the
 business they do are gigantic and im-
 pressive facts MT. H. G. Prout, editor
 of the Railroad Gazette, has been figur-
 ing little and he finds that, after
 farming, there is more money invested
 in the railroads of the United States
 than in any other interest, and they
 employ more men than any other occu-
 patton except agriculture. In 1896 the
 earnings of the railroads amounted to | $1, 150, 900 900, while the value of the crop | of corn, wheat, oats and other grains was but s972,000,o00. Of the railroad earnings more than $500, 00O, 900 was paid out to the s27,OO0 employees engaged In the railroad tracks of the United States there are at this moment 2S,O00, 900 tons of iron in the form of steel rails, and one-fourth of the total output of pig iron in the country is required each year to keep this track in order. Of all the coal mined in the United States one- sixth is used to keep the locomotives running.
 Placed end to end, all of the cars in the country would cover 10000 miles, and last year 500 miles of cars were built. In the tracks there are 264 ,000,O00 cross ties, which if placed end to end, would go forty times around the earth. Each year enough of these ties are re- newed to go five times around the earth.
 The number of individual railroad journeys made in the United States in one year is about 512, 100000, or more than seven for each man, woman and child in the nation Put together, these journeys show 13,500 million passenger person should do all this travelling he could go from the earth to the sun and back seventy-three times with some to spare. To accomplish this he would need to travel 10000 years, day and night, at the sustained speed of forty miles an hour. Every year these rail- roads carry 766, ,OO00 900 tons of freight, or ten and one-half tons for each inhab- itant. The total freight movement equals 95,32S million ton-miles, and this is as though one ton were carried to the sun and back 520 times, or equivalent to carrying one ton 1924 miles for each inhabitant.
 The average freight charge on one ton carried one mile is about mills The result is that the transportation tax on what the people consume is hardly ap- preciable. If man in New York pays cents for a loaf of bread only three tenths of 1 cent is paid for carrying the wheat from the fields of Dakota to the mills at Minneapolis and thence to New York. For every 27 cents that he spends for bread he pays 1 cent for carrying the wheat and flour 2,O00 miles. A