davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-13

river, when II swan back to the shore.
The cattleman now found himself float
ing rapidly down the deep channel of
the river on n cake of ice that was none
too thick or too big to bear his weight,
this fact having been impressed on his
mind while ii was sinking under the
weight of himself and the steer.
About a quarter of a mile down the
river heavy ice reached from shore to
shore. His situation was now very
critical, for only by the merest good
fortune could he hope to reach the
heavy Ice before the frail cake upon
which he was being swept down the
river was sucked under the heavier ice
by the swift current. At what seemed
to him lightning speed the cake of ice
upon which he was riding approached
the heavy white line which marked the
edge of the heavy ice stretching across
the river, With rare presence of mind
the cattleman saw that his chances of
escaping being carried under the heavy
Ice would be materially bettered by his
riding as near the rear end OF his
strange craft as possible, thus causing
the forward end to tilt higher out of
the water, Swiftly the cake of ice
with its human freight neared the icy
barrier. Anderson braced himself for
a leap for life, and just as the cake
came in contact with the heavy sta
tionary Ice he put his whole strength
into the bound for life and safety. His
leap was well timed, and reaching safe
ty on the heavy ice, he glanced back
just in time to see the cake of ice upon
which he had taken his involuntary
ride disappear under the Ice which he
had succeeded in reaching.
The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-13
AFLOAT on ICE CAKE.
WITH a WILD STEER FOR A
COMPANION.
Thrilling Adventure OF - Cattleman
on the Missouri River Succeeded In
Forcing the Latter On-A Hnirbreadth
Escape from an Awfui 10, ath.

Anoat In the Missouri river on a cake
OF ice barely large enough to support
the weight of o man, with a wild range
steer for a companion and certain
death staring him in the face unless he
was able to force the animal from the
trail and unique craft, was the expert
ence recently of John q. Anderson. Il
prominent South Dakota cattleman.
The scene OF the thrilling adventure
was near Crow Creek Indian Agency.
Anderson had a nerd of cattle which
he wished Ito water in the river. The
recent cold weather had frozen the
river out about 20 feet from shore and
by sanding the newly formed ice An
derson believed he could water the beef
herd In a long trough he had cut
through the ice. and that by getting In
front OF the animals himself would be
able to keep them from slipping into
the channel or getting so far out as to
break through. Being wild and thirsty,
the animals rushed down upon the ice
In a bunch. The cattleman realized the
danger, but before he could drive
enough OF the cattle back to shore to
relieve the pressure on the ice, the
weight OF the cattle cracked the ice.
tore 1t loose from shore and Anderson
suddenly found himself. in company
with one steer, floating out in the cur
rent on the cake of Ice. After super
human efforts. he succeeded in pushing
his unwelcome companion into the
The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-13

"steerers" to work. and the steerers for
each place rapidly multiplied until
most of the steamer men on the river
became Subsidized agents. who
slipped advertising cards into the
hands Of trembling lovers as they came
across the river. Then women entered
the business Of conducting bashful
lovers before the squire by whom they
were employed. 1t was not long before
these steerers began to fight over the
Victims as they are called, and while
one pulled the prospective bride toward
"one matrimonial bliss foundry" the
other yanked the bridegroom toward
his shop"
But 1t was something beside this in
decorous state of things that induced
Judge Marsh to take action in the mat
ter. Ii is necessary in Indiana that
affidavit be made that bride is Of age.
Affidavit making became a profession,
and this va also taken up by the
stcerers, who helped to get the license.
Though in many cases they had never
seen the bride before, the affidavit was
made out and sworn to. Judge Marsh
proposes to put a stop to this whole
sale perjuring.
The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-13
A Curious Story of Complications.

The marriage of Isaac Williams and
Mrs. Lydia Ruby, at Oklahoma City.
brings into print a curious story of
complications which arose out of the
lax administration of the territory's
divorce laws. Some years ago Mrs.
Ruby procured a divorce from Mr..
Ruby in the probate court. She then
married Mr.. Williams, and they lived
together happily for two years. At
The end Of that time it vas decided by
the supreme court that the probate
judges had no jurisdiction in divorce
cases, and that all DEGREES issued by
them We're null and void. Mr.. and
Mrs. Williams at once separated, and
she brought suit in the district court
for divorce from her former husband.
In due time this was granted, and,
after the lawful time had elapsed, she
was married again to Williams.
The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-13
Walking In Circles.

There has been a great deal of specu-
lation as to why ii is that people who
lose their way, either in forests or omen
prairies, will always move in a circle.
and almost inevitably to the right.
The following suggestions, while they
do not answer this query, are interest
ing, as showing the attention that the
subject has received: Some physiolo-
glsts, anatomists and speculative mill
osophers claim that the left leg in the
human species is slightly longer thar
the right. and so takes longer stems.
mus causing a motion to the right
which in time completes a circle, IL the
mind Is so bewildered that il has no
hxed objective point in view. Perhaps
the real answer to this queer question
lies In the fact that most persons use
their right hands in preference To their
iett' and are accustomed to passing OBJ
Jects on their right-hand side, and en-
unconsciously, keep edging off TO the
right. On a prairie, however, whore
there Is nothing in the way of obstacles
worthy OF mention. this cause or rea-
son for walking in a 'right-handed.
circle would hardly hold good"
The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-13

When all her means had been eX-
hausted the mother herself. crazed with
grief, began her hopeless search in
person. Month after month II was con
tinue6 through all of the surrounding
counties, and the cold of winter and
heat of summer were alike braved
without one word of complaint. 1t was
o o apparent that Mrs. Barnett's mind
had given way under her great Attic
ton. but she was so kind and gentle
that none Of her friends would con-
sent to invoke means to restrain her
of her liberty but threw open their
homes to her and did all in their power
to contribute to her necessities. For
the first few years of her wanderings
her younger daughter accompanied her.
but the exposure to all kinds Of wealth
er O told upon her constitution and
she fell sick and died, The mother
seemed wholly unconscious of her loss
and went on in her wanderings as
though the second daughter had not
been taken away from her. One morn
ing, however, an empty coffin was
found near the open grave of the
daughter in the Olive Branch cemetery
in Greene county. The mother was
questioned as to the removal Of the
remains and confessed that she had eX-
humed the body with her own hands
and had borne it To some other resting
place.
She refused to say where she had
buried the body and the secret died
with her. No one could ever be found
who had assisted in the disinterment,
and 1t is possible that the mother not
only took up the coffin and removed
the body, but bore it in her arms to
the place where ii was finally deposited
and where she had also dug a grave.
After the death of her daughter the
mother continued her wanderings
alone for many years, but more recent
ly she always appeared with n large
black cat that trudged along from place
to place az her heels, and which was
her sole companion, This cat was neve
out Of her presence day or night, and
seemed to have taken hold of her af,
fections to the exclusion of everything
else except her missing daughter. On
The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-13

her doathbed she requested Mrs. Cook,
the friend at whose house she died, TO
turn the cat loose that it might con-
tinue the search for Grace.
When Mrs. Barnett first began her
search her travels extended over "A wide
range of territory, but in recent years
she confined herself to a smaller circle.
and was thus expected at certain times
at the homes of those who had so long
taken a kindly interest in her. Many a
night, when rain or snow was falling,
some kind-heartcd farmer would start
out to find Grandma Barnett" as she
was called, and often she was discov-
cred trudging along the road with her
cat at her heels.
Though she passed along the same
road hundreds Of times she never
seemed conscious of the fact that she
had prosecuted her search In that di-
r%ection. for she would stop at intervals
and call Oracle! Gracie!" as If she
expected an answering voice to come
out of the woods. Then she would call
Where are you, Gracie?" and this was
repeated year after year at the same
place, only to find that Grace did not
respond. Mrs. Barnett was endowed
with a remarkable constitution. and
through her % years of exposure to all
kinds OF weather was never known to
be sick a day.
The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-13

weapons Hindman was marched to the
TALL and locked up.
One of Chadron's gambling halls hal
been the scene of several cold-blooded
murders, the victims being tenderfeet
who had lost their money and then
made a "holler." They were beaten to
death, and as the self-defense theory
was always set up, the murderers man
aged to escape justice. Dahlman tried
several ways to close up the disreput-
able joint, but without success. One
night he walked into the hall and
quietly bought a stock of blues, paying
'or them with 81 900 in gold. He then
lnloaded 81, 900 in greenhacks and an
bounced that he would play it all pro-
yiding the roof was lifted. This meant
removing the limit. Dahlman had
never been known to play faro, and
he men backing the game nearly fell
dead from sheer delight. They re-
moved the limit and the game began.
At the end OF nine hours the dealer
turned the case, remarking: Banks
uiohN' bdllHIdh DoNhtltu HIS WIN
nings, which were over Sl1 900, and
,urned to go. AS he stood in the door
way he said:
Il want this to wind up this place OF
business. The room Is needed for a
Methodist meeting house. want all
Iour traps removed by noon tomorrow,
md If they are not I'll make trouble"
Hare-Lip C~harley's place was closed
or good that night. The following
Sunday an itinerant Methodist minis
Ter presided within It's walls over the
irst religious meeting ever held with
n the corporate limits of Chadron.
One night a cowboy named France
killed a female attache of a dance hall.
France was impelled by jealousy and
whisky, but when he saw the dead girl
lying at his feet he sobered up and i'm
mediately fled. Dahlman started after
him within an hour. 1t was a long
chase and Dahlman did not come I'M
With the fleeing cowboy for two DAVIS.
When France saw that further flight
was impossible, he killed his broncho
and lay down behind it, throwing his
Winchester over the animal and an
The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-13
MATRIMONIAL "STEERER."
A Novel ana Debasiny state Of AFFAIR.
In Iudiana's Gretna Green.

Jacksonville, Ind, Is to lose the dis
tinction 1t has long borne of being the
most famous Gretna Green OF the coun-
try. The decree to this end has been
issued by Judge Marsh of the Clark
county circuit court, who %interdicts the
employment OF marriage steerers'-
men and wOmcn who drum up prospec-
tive brides and grooms and bring them
before the local squires to be married.
These squires have advertised their
business Of tying the nuptial knot. just
as ,he grocer advertises his wares or
the hotel It's location and advantages.
In the mountainous region of Ken
lucky, which yearly contributes some
thing like "A thousand pairs Of beating
hearts to the mart Of Jacksonville,
business cards and posters are distrib-
uted informing the love-strickcn nat
Squire Blank at Jacksonville performs
ceremonies with dispatch and feeling,
that his parlors are located near the
wharf-elopers always come by water
and that gentlemanly agents will
take the bridegroom in charge and in
sure a license.
The rivalry between the three local
squires. who made a specially of mar
rying, became acute a long time ago.
Like rival hotelkeepers. they put
The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-13
LONG SEARCH ENDED.
PATHETIC HUNT OF MOTHER
FOR DAUGHTER.
Il Girl Disappeared Twenty rive ycnrs
Ago and the Mothers Effort TO find
Her Did Not Cease Untii Death -
Crazed with Grief.

A life story of peculiar pathos was
closed at Linton, Greene county, lndi-
ana, the other day, with the death OF
Mrs. Polly Barnett, at the advanced age
OF ~. 25 Of which were spent in almost
Ceaseless search for a missing daugh-
ter. Mrs. Barnett was n sister Of Smith
Miller, who represented the first lndi-
n district In the Thlrty-thlrd and
Thirty-fourth congresses, and another
brother was a lawyer or note back In
the sos and for several years was an
honored Judge on the circuit bench.
Like her brothers, the sister was pos
sessed OF rare talents. and her intelli-
gence and vivacity made friends and
admirers In a half dozen counties,
where she was esteemed alike for the
Eraces of her person and the beauty or
her Christian character. She married
rather late In life, and settled down to
q life OF domestlcity on n farm. Two
daughters were born to her, there be-
lug five years differences in their ages,
and during the infancy of the younger
che father died. The widow carried on
the farm with the assistance of hired
help and was considered wealthy when
her eldest daughter Grace attained her
18th year. One morning. % years ago,
when Grace was called to breakfast she
failed to respond. and upon going to
her room Il was found that she had
not occupied the bed during the night.
None Of the girls clothing was missing
except the suit she had on the night
before. and 1t was surmlsed by the sur
roundlngs that. instead Of going to her
room that night. she had gone out at
the rear of the house and disappeared,
From that day to this her disappear
ance has been an unsolvcd mystery.
Rumors were circulated that she had
been decoyed from home and murdered
by a young man who had occasionally
visited her and for whom she seemed
to feel admiration. but he was never
formally accused Of participation in
her disappearance. and his after life. as
well as his high character at the time,
soon dlsarmed what appeared to he IN
unwarranted suspicion. The best de-
tective talent in the west was employed
in the search for the missing daughter,
and the mother spent thousands of dol
lars In fleeing detectives and following
up what In the end proved to be false
clews. Then the farm was mortgaged,
the stock was sold Off. and even the
household furniture was parted with
TO get money to continue the search.
The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-13
TERROR TO BAD MEN.
FRONTIER SHERIFF WITH
STRONG NERVES.
small In BODY and Easy In Speech
But Sever Failed to Take Hi' Man
Tanning u Cattle Rustier-Made the
Cowboy Dance.

Small in body and easy in speech,
but a terror to bad men In the days
when the frontier towns of the west
we're overrun with toughs of the worst
sort, James G. Dahlman, now 4 lead
.ng business man OF Omaha, Neb., n
secretary Of the state board OF trans
Dortation, has a record which he made
while sheriff of Davies county when
stamps him rs one of the coolest men
who ever drew n gun. Chadron was
the county seat and when he became
sheriff 1t was a literal hell. Dahlman
began his term of Office by notifying all
concerned that Chadron would no
longer be a harbor for horse thieves
and cattle rustlers. that men with
notches on their guns would be per-
manently laid to rest in the sand dunes
# they failed to emlgratc toward the
setting sun, and that gambling would
have to be conducted on something like
0 gcnteel basis, instead of being a
drunken orgy, with painted female at
tachments. When the notice was post
I'd the bad men laughed and the paint
cd women shrieked with delight at the
ludacity of the consumptive looking
tenderfoot.
A week after Dahlman issued his
order a noted cattle rustler named
Hindman came to Chadron. drank his
ill of frontier whisky, and remarked in
a loud voice that he would like to see
that Sawed off little runt of a sheriff
arrest him. After so remarking Hind
man proceeded to shoot up the town.
The toughs expected to see Dahlman
leave town on important business, but
he had business in Chadron. He let
Hindman vociferate for an hour or two
and then prepared to clip his wings.
Hindman went into Buck Sweeney
dance hall, and after shooting up the
place inquired as to the whereabouts
OF the sheriff who was going to dc
such great things. No o had he
made the inquiry than he felt a ring ol
cold steel pressing against the back OF
his neck, and then a quiet, rather lisp
ing voice said: "Hindman. If you move
a muscle you are a dead nan I'm
Dahlman, the sheriff, and | want YOU
to shuck your weapons and lay them or
the bar. One false move and you are
as dead as the late lamented j. Gaze
sar." Something in the lone Of the
voice impaired to the drink-crazet
mind Of Hindman that he was W
against 1t. He weakened and disarm
ed without a protest, and when Dahl
man had gathered up the discarded
The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-13
CARDS
Failed of Their Purpose In .
Poker Game.

"It has been my luck on several DC
caslons 70 butt into a good thing said
Sam S. COLLISION, n travelling man from
Milwaukee, but only once did 1t ever
turn out this way when ! was intended
to be the good thing. II happened a
good many years ago on a Mississippi
river steamboat. in the days when the
common mode of travelling was by riv-
er, as railroads were scarce. On a
long trip down the river a man made
many acquaintancos. To while away the
long hours there was generally a re-
sort to poker playing. and there were
some men who did nothing else but
travel up and down the river, fleeing
the innocents whom they inveiglcd into
their games. If there was one thing |
was at home at 1t was poker, and all
the tricks that had ever been sprung
| was on to. | knew most Of the card
sharps that frequented the Mississippi.
but on II trip there were a couple of
new guys who got into a little game
with me. They sprung all their little
tricks. which were as familiar to me
as II the men had told me what they
We're going TO do. We were about
matched. and that night W. quit even.
The next morning they met me with a
pleasant smile, and appeared ovcranX.
ious to commence again. | thought
something new was up, and this was
confirmed when | saw they were trying
to lose to me in order to throw me Of
my guard. Pretty o o one of them
called for a new deck, saying he
thought his luck would change
with new cards. His partner vent
out for the ~pasteboards. and rs |
was on the watch, noticed a
popularity during the first deal. The
backs OF the cards were red designs,
and | noticed written in small charac-
ters In red ink on the red signs the
name of the card. For instance, the
jack of diamonds was written j. d.
the queen OF clubs q. c. and so on.
The letters were almost microscopic.
and but for the fact that my eyes are
very sharp | would never have noticed
the marks. The fellow that dealt the
cards saw what he gave me each time.
but ! o o found out that they had
made their figures and letters so small
that II was impossible for the other
fellow to see what | had. | didn't let
on that | knew the cards were marked:
didn't even close my cards up after
looking at them. You see what my
game was? Having remarkably keen
eyes,, | could plainly read what was on
the backs. This gave me two chances
to their one, and when 1t was my turn
to deal | had three to their one.a and tn
result was, as they were game enough
to keep the thing up, not dreaming thai
] was on to them. that | won nearly
every dollar they had before the day
vas Memphis Scimitar.
The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-13
whipped by Whiteca ~.

Because Peter Huffman. a miner liy-
ing at Layford, Clinton county, Ind,
assaulted his wife and nearly bit the
end OF her finger OFF, he Vas made the
victim of a white-capping outrage. He
is IN a critical condition. When the
act became known a mob of about 30
persons was formed and each armed
himself with IA mule drivers whip.
Huffman was taken from his bed and
led to the edge OF the town, where he
was numerically whipped, some of the
strokes cutting through and innlcting
deep gashes in his flesh.
The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-13
Had Driven Mules Before.

Daniel c. Pomeroy. once a prominent
New York criminal lawyer, in his early
life was a stage driver On the old But
terfeld line, and CLEANED his legal ed
ucation largely upon the box seat of
his coach. or while change of horses
was being made at the stations, He
was associated with Others in the de-
Tense of one Mrs, Mccarthy, on her
trial at Utica for the murder of a man
named Hall of Ogdensburg, who was
killed by a bullet from her revolver,
which was aimed at another man.
The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-13
Queer Prcdicsment Of "a Dead Man.

In the New York Assembly the other
day, Mr.. Weeks, author OF the bill
abolishing common law marriages,
was arguing in favor of the measure
and attacked the common law mar
riage on the ground that as the law
now stands no man can tell whether
he is married or not. lie astoundeG
the legislators by this statement: "A
man dies and along m a woman
heavily yelled and in deep mourning
and claims to be his wife. and for the
first time the man hears that he is
married" Not until the Assembly had
recovered from its fit of laughter did
Mr.. Weeks realize that he had clothed
the dead man with remarkable power
in permitting him TO retain his sense
of hearing.
The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-13

Judge Doolittle presided at the trial,
and seemed to believe in the prisoners
guilt. The Judge was bitter-and so
"a pUincrOy. The latter made an OBJ
lection. and insisted upon 1t rather
s~trenuously. Mr.. pomeroy, said the
judge, ~ am not a horse. and cant be
driven We'll. your honor, | learned
in my early experience to drive mules,
and ! will try to keep up my former
reputation "-Philadelphia Call.
The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-13
Where Brigandage stil Rs,a,.

Sardinia, although one of the regions
most loyal to the Italian sovereign. is
n OF the least considered. povertv
squalor and malaria have in one wav
or other depopulated the island Whit
has an average of 2S inhabitants to
every square kilometer, while in the
peninsula the average is over 1O4 and
in Sicily llS. 1t is the only part of
Italy where is has not yet been possible
to uproot brigandage.
The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-13

You can always tell when a girl is In
love. When you catch her smiling at
nothing, she acts foolish as a nan
when you catch him scratching his
wooden leE.
The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-13

The woman who can put oil her shoes
without sitting on the floor is about as
rare as the man who goes to bed with
out handing his necktie on the gas
Jet.
The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1900-02-23

here introducing a book on the life and
character and works of the late Dwight
l.. Moody. They will make canvass
of the city and county.
Mr.. and Mrs, Chauncey, the parents
of Mrs. George S. Alcorn, have been
spending the winter With their daughter
in Riverside. Mr.. Chaunc.y was called
home a few days since by the illness OF
his mother, but Mrs. Chauncey is still
with her daughter.
Mrs. Kate Williams, of Columbia, made
a brief stay with Mrs. f. II Fusch II
the jackson building this ek.-Quit,
a party of Columbians came down Il
hear Paderewski aud remainded owe
to the Philharmonic Society recital yes
terday morning, returning in the after
noon. Among them were Miss Lazarus
Mrs. Henry Fulton and Miss Camii
Herndon, and Miss Lura Schuler, VIII
chaperoned party of fifteen students -
Nashville American.