davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08
Strange Trees to Look at.

Wildwood, the resort on the Jersey
coast where the ceremony of casting
flowers upon the sea on Memorial day,
in memory of naval heroes, was in
augurated, has good reason for its
name. 1t is located upon an island.
which is separated from the main
land by Grassy sound. For about two
miles grove of trees, perhaps the
most remarkable in the world, fringes
the sound. The place takes it's name
from the trees, which have been
shriveled and distorted into all kinds
of fantastic shapes by the gales
which swept over it from the Atlantic
for centuries. The coast is completely
exposed to the full sweep of the south
east and northeast storms, which in
the winter rage for several days at a
time. Some of the trunks of the
trees have twisted into numerals, let
tiers of the alphabet and weird forms,
which give the grove the reputation
of being haunted among some of the
negro servants and ignorant white
people who live in the locality. One
tree, which must be fully so years old,
has been bent over until it forms the
figure 8, looking at it from one side,
while from another point of view it
is perfect oval From the lower left
hand corner projects branch which
startlingly resembles snakes head
with the tongue sticking out. Two of
the largest trees started to grow up
from the ground, then changed their
minds and bent downward, shaping
their trunks into the form of the let
ter w. Still another tree has grown
in the form of the letter N, two
trunks starting from the same root
below ground and third growing
from one to the other in diagonal
direction. Another consists Of two
trunks running straight up and par
allel to each other. At no less than
five different points branches or stubs
have grown from one trunk into the
other, forming sort Of natural lad
der, for a distance Of thirty feet from
the ground. The warm southeasters
have brought nourishment to Wild
WOOu, anu vines anu plants grow
luxuriantly. Some of the grapevines
are Of mammoth size and, trailing
along the ground, have run up into
trees and expanded until they seem
like immense boa constructors. Even
the upper branches of the trees have
been twisted into curious shapes, and
a number have been cut out in the
form of different articles Three OF
them are almost exactly the shape of
a triangle. harp and pitcher. In
walking through the grove one can
scarcely find tree which has not
some odd form about it. A large holly
can be seen which really consists of
two trunks twisted about each other.
Each trunk is fully foot in thickness,
and it issupposed that when young two
slips were blown around in this way
and have gradually grown together.
The spiral separation can be traced
from the roots fully forty feet from
the ground.-Philadelph Record.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08

tod yield to the enchantment of the
tropic town. You are always thirsty
in Vera Cruz, and you seem to exude
all you drink through your pores as
fast as you "irrigate." And for those
of us who live in the capital of the re-
public it is delightful sensation to
feel at ease, sitting in lightest possible
raiment out in the open air. and way
into the night, which is not possible in
the City of Mexico, unless one is pnea-
monia proof. On the tableland the
shade is always cool, too cool for one
who comes into it perspiring from a
walk in the sun. Here, it is affirmed,
no one takes cold.
With good reason, the Veracruzanos
boast that their city is healthier than
the federal capital, where, the past
winter and present spring, typhus has
claimed great many victims. There
are many foreigners here who find life
quite endurable; they have business
that keeps them permanently In Vera
Cruz, with the exception of their va
cation trips to Hamburg, Liverpool,
New York, or Genoa. They have fall
en- into the siesta habit, work without
haste, smoke much, sit frequently I'M
der the arcades as if business were
not existent and exigent, and are
usually taking something" 1t is the
city Of undying thirst.
One coming down here from the
tableland where the air is thin, as it
must be 1h miles above the sea, vastly
enjoys the denser air, the salt breezes,
and the delicious and abundant fish,
red snapper, robalo, and the succulent
pompano. The natives eat fish, but
seem to prefer beefsteaks. or "biftecs."
and, with some reason, for the beef of
the coast is juicier and fatter than we
ever find it in the City of Mexico.
1t is a well-fed population; the sea
food is cheap and, in fact, almost
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08

In order to appreciate the extreme
democracy Of the people in the south
east OF Europe. 1t may be mentioned
that Nine. Karaveloff. wife Of the
prime minister OF Bulgaria, continues
to pursue her avocation as school
teacher, and every morning when her
husband leaves home to attend to his
duties as premier she takes her de-
parture for the public grammar school
to fulfill her duties as one OF the
teachers. She is a very remarkable
woman, and has been imprisoned and
tried on charges of treason and of lese
majestic while the political foes of her
husband were in Office.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08
suicide. and Congress. Caters.

at is queer thing" said a police-
man from one of the districts which
embraces the Delaware river front,
that over half the number of river
suicides. which it is our duty to take
care of when found, wear Congress-
CATERS. You can walk along Chest
nut street in it's most crowded part
and not see one man in 2 hundred
wearing the shoe with the elastic sides.
but when we find body floating in
the river we have almost come to ex-
pect the CATERS, and in as many 80.
three of four cases in successiou We
have found them" Philadelphia
Times.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08
Epllogu. to ADELAIDE.

CpuOSu0 10 ASOIN00Os
At the midnight in the silence of the
sleeptime,
When you set your fancies free,
Will they pass to whereby death,
fools think, imprisoned
Low he lies who once SO loved you,
whom you loved so,
Pity me?
Oh, to love so, be so loved, yet so mis-
taken!
What had on earth to do
With the slothful, with the mawkish,
the unmanly?
Like the aimless, helpless, hopeless,
did I drivel
Being who?
One who never turned his back, but
marched breast forward,
Never doubted clouds would break,
Never dreamed, though right were
worsted, wrong would triumph,
Hold we fall to rise, are baff1ed to
fight better,
Sleep to wake.
Ne. at MONDAY in the hustle Of mans
worktime,
Greet the unseen with cheer!
Bid him forward, breast and back as
either should be,
Strive and thrive!" cry "Speed-fght
on, fare ever.
There as here!"
Robert Browning.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08

The women Of the German city Of
Magdeburg will honor the memory NJ
Queen Louise by the erection Of a
statue OF the venerated queen. Jo-
names Goetz was intrusted with the
task OF creating In Carrara marble the
figure OF the beautiful queen. The fig
ure stands on massive cubical base
bearing on one side the inscription:
Louise. Queen Of Prussia . and on the
opposite side: Dedicated by the wo-
men of Magdeburg.''
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08
Rudder-Ta,led snakes.

There Is small gulch near Flor
ence, Col, which is filled with snakes
great stone snakes, whose wriggling
days are prehistoric snakes with
enormous heads and tails like rud-
ders. The Colorado State Historical
society has become much interested in
the discovery, and an effort will be
made to secure some of the best of
the strange specimens for preservation
in the collection in the state capitol
The first fossil reptiles were found
several months ago, and the others.
more recently. The first find was a
head measuring 80 by "a inches It was
SO Enthusiastically the head Of fossil
animal of some sort that the finders
proceeded to search for the rest Of the
body. They found it in sections part
on one side Of the gulch, and part on
the opposite side. The middle parts
of the immense body had been swept
away, doubtless by floods, and the en-
tire length of the snake must have
been 100 feet. In circumference the
largest fragment measured "a inches.
The eye-sockets are placed In the back
part of the head. and the position
Of the head when attached to the
snakes body at the well-defined place
Of fracture indicates that the creature
had its head lifted to look behind it,
perhaps for its enemies. The line of
the jaw is plainly marked. It's tail is
shaped like rudder, and pitched
downward, which leads the discov-
ers of the reptile to the belief that 1t
was swimmer rather than crawler.
The shape of the body is much like
that Of salmon with the narrow
edge downward. The marks on the
fractured. stony edges OF the body IN
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08

State Geologist Dumble Of Texas has
disclosed sources of mineral wealth
that are astounding. He says that in
one county alone, that OF Cherokee,
there are, SOC. 100000 tons Of rich iron
ore in sight. and that in east Texas,
as whole, there are 5000 200, 900 tons.
And by the side Of this ore lies all the
coal necessary to work the ore into
shape. The geologist makes the fat
statement that mo country in the
world has cheaper material for smelt-
ing iron than east Texas"
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08

dictate that the serpent had no ver-
tebrae, but only cartilage for holding
it's long mass together. One of the
snakes that has been taken out has a
head 33 by IS inches. Four pieces OF
the body and the head measure seven
feet in length, and weigh 700 pounds.
There are fragments there much great
er in size, one head weighing 200
pounds, and the discoveries of the
fossil remains think there are even
larger specimens there.-Pennsylvania
Grit.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08
In a Thunder Cloud,

Last summer the Rev. John M. Ba-
con, the English aeronaut, had an ex-
citing experience with thunder storm.
Late in the afternoon of July day.
which had been marked with thunder
storms, but which seemed about to
close with fair skies, he assembled with
a companion from Newbury. Suddenly
a thunder cloud enveloped the balloon.
the wind whistling through the ropes.
binding hail stinging the faces of the
aeronauts, and lightning flashing and
darting all about them. Spectators on
the earth thought that the balloon
must inevitably be struck by the light
ming, but it remained uninjured. The
quickness of the formation of the
cloud, which seemed to grow out OF
clear air, led Mr.. Bacon to conclude
that it was due to the sudden chill
caused by the descent of cold air from
above.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08
The lka Nj Polka Fish.


One of the strangest fishes in the
world has been discovered near the
Gilbert islands. DR.. Augustin Krae-
mer, a well-known scientist, obtained
a few fine specimens of it during
recent fishing excursion which he took
near Butaritari.
II wanted to get some specimens of
another curious fish. known as ika
nj peka," he says, "but as was un-
able l went during the full moon in a
small sailboat to Maxim, a coral is
land, which lies east of Butaritari,
and there found a German trader and
two Chinese, who in return for some
medical assistance which l was able
to give them were quite willing to
help me in my search for strange fish.
When I told them that I was looking
for ika nj peka they replied that they
would first have to get some bait, and
to my surprise the bait which they
got was this extraordinary toothed
fish.
II examined it and found that 1t be-
longed to the family of the Trichiuri-
des, and that it was as thick as my
arm. Is centimeters in length, and
very scaly. The most remarkable fea-
ture about it, however, was the fact
that it had three pairs of long canine
teeth in its upper jaw and one small.
er pair in its lower jaw"
Either flying fish or crabs are used
as bait for the purpose Of catching
them, and, when they are caught, they
in turn serve as bait for catching other
fish. The hooks used on such occa-
sions are of primitive kind, and can
be found nowhere except in the Gill
bert islands. This toothed fish is only
found at a great depth, and it gener-
ally makes it's home near precipitous
rocks, which it is dangerous for fish
ermen to approach.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08
SCIENTIFIC NOTES.
A Variable Lamp.

Among recent novelties in electric
lighting is an incandescent lamp hay-
ing two Independent filaments, one Civ
ing sixteen and the other only one can
dle-power. The low power light is in
tended for burning in sick room, or
wherever faint illumination is de-
sired. The current is changed from one
filament to the other by turning the
lamp in q screw socket.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08

boats come in from out in the gulf.
bringing great heaps Of red snapper
and other fish. Much of all this freight
goes up to the City of Mexico, con-
signed to hotels and restaurants and
to dealers in fish. Kept cool with ice,
the fish arrives in - hours sound and
sweet. but has lost that sea flavor
which is only to be had in freshly
caught fish. When the fishermen come
in, there is an animated scene. and
much chaffering and bargaining.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08

II have invented a lawn mower that
won't make any noise." said the earn
est young man.
ITO whom 90 you expect to sell it
inquired the hardware merchant, cd
ly. You don't suppose people vii
get up at o'clock in the morning fol
the sake of showing one Of these ma
chimes around in dead silence, do yox
Lawn mowers are not made merck
cut grass. Their principal puI
to have fun with the neighbo1
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08
Pap. At. tn. Chocol.t..

Mamma brought home a box of can.
dy for Harry and Mamie, and papa was
present when they opened 1t. There
was only one cream chocolate in the
box, and the two youngsters at once
began dispute as to which should
have it. Papa listened to them for a
little while. and then settled the dis
D pSts By eating the cream ehoco'at.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08

"A memorial Of Rosa Rophanr ~
Sc. sented by Senior Gambart. the Span,
ism consul Ct Nice. has been unveiled
at fontainebleau. near which town she
dWel' TOT many years. The memorial
consists OF 9 bronze bull, an ENLARGED
fac-simile Of one Of her scuintnras. 9ha
oas-reiiefs Of the pedestal give her
portrait and representations Of three
OF her principal paintings
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08

The ..brown-tailed" caterpillar has
been cl1cially considered by the Bos-
ton board OF health, whose members
are ready to acknowledge that this pest
can produce the skin irritation COM
planned Of by some residents in the
suburbs Of that city. The insect is
destructive Of fruit trees. The hair of
the worm Ii brittle and barbed. and
its action on the skin IL regarded as
purely mechanical. rather than poison
GUS. 1t Is yet 10 be determined wheth-
er actual contact with the worm il
necessary to cause the irritation. or
whether this may. result through the
blowing about Of the hair or fur by
the winds. The doctors incline to the
latter belief. However produced. the
irritation and resultant sickness are
described as being severe.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08
Inventor Turn. Author.

The notable success of THE Kid
mapped Millionaires." from the pen of
Frederick Upham Adams calls atten-
ton to the fact that the best of our
modern story writer's are drawn from
the ranks of newspaper men. A glance
over the list Of successful writer's OF
fiction will show the newspaper man
well in front. Kipling, Churchill, Haw-
thorne, Ralph, Bachelor, Dunno, Lew
is, AIDE and host of others receiving
their training in the hard but practical
school of news gathering.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08
FANS WHILE YOU ROCK.

FANS WHILE YOU ROCK.
a great boon, and SO far no legislation
has been enacted which will prohibit
the rest OF sweltering humanity from
sharing it's delights. Mosquitoes and
flies now have no chance to ply their
favorite vocations, and one now can
sew, read or rock baby to sleep with
out any of the heretofore attendant dis
comforts of ninety in the shade"
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08
London Butterflies

The feasibility Of stocking the city
parks with butterflies is under official
consideration in London. The object
is to furnish an additional element of
beauty to the outdoor life Of the metro
polls. The introduction of tropical and
other foreign species of butterflies into
the great Conservatives at Kew is adj
vocated on the ground Of their beauty
and attractiveness. 1t is said that less
than half dozen species of butterflies
can be regarded as strictly inhabiting
London, although representatives of
about forty species have been seen
within ten-mile limit.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08
Lots of men get rich by pretendin

Lots of men get rich by pretending
to have money.
The army allows about 5000 pounds
of food year for fifteen men, but in
the Arctic regions people eat at least
d quarter as much more. 1t costs So
a month more to feed man in Green
land than in New York.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08
i'm THE ODD CORNER.
QUEER AND CURIOUS THINGS
AND EVENTS.

Rudder-Tailed Snakes with Enormou.
Heads and Great Bodies Make . Small
Gclch In Colorado Interesting for
Physiolog,sts-some Strange Trees.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08
JUST WHAT Ynn NEEn

1t is not always handy or convenient
to carry wallet in which to place the
paper money received, and yet there ia
frequently lack of space in the pock-
etbook. To do away fifth the neces-
sity for carrying the BIZ Is loose or pro-
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08

King Carlos Of Portugal has become
oassionately devoted to yacht racing,
and has announced his decision to
have a racing yacht built for the e1-
press purpose Of enabling him to win
back from the English Royal Yacht
squadron the vasco de Cana Cup in
the third international race. which
takes place next year over course ex-
tending from Southampton to Lisbon.
that a across the dangerous Bay OF
Biscay. The king Is now In consulta-
ton with naval architects with regard
to the designs for his new racing
yacht, and is disposed to have the lat
ter built In the United States. rather
than in England, the victories OF the
American defenders OF the America
CUP and the recent misha2s TO the
Shamrock inclining him to the BELIEF
that boats built on this side Of the At
lantic unite a greater degree OF
strength, with lightness and delicacy
nj lines. than those Of English con
struction and design.
It cannot be too often repeated that
the secret of German success IN SO
many branches Of human ACTIVITY Is
specialization. And it may fairly be
asked whether IN many cases they do
not ..pay too much for their whistle"
The days are long gone by when Schil-l
Ter could venture to condemn the ex
elusive pursuit OF what he calleA
s.bread-and-butter' studies. Nowadays
nearly every one in. Germany keeps
.sbread and butter steAaily in view,
The next generation Of Germans will
abo even more specialized than theiy
Il fathers.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08
Frances new prison 1t Fresnes, som.
eight miles from Paris, = the largest
in the world. 90

Andrew Carnegie intends to erect a
monument to James g. Blaine at PITTS
burg, probably In schenley Park. near
the Carnegie Institute. : = = -e''.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08
MUD AS A BEAUrIFIER,


the latest fad for the improvement OF
the complexion. Just common, every
day, unromantic, dirty mud. The use
and application of this remedy is
one of the wrinkles which the summer
girl will bring back to town with her
from the place of her summer sojourn.
Not new thing, by any means, this
daubing of the face and throat with
dampened earth, but new to a great
many people, and especially new in the
city districts. In the country, far from
towns and drug stores, it's use has been
general and effective for many years.
but just as soon as the city commences
to creep out and to encroach upon the
rurality of place, natures remedies
are given the go-by, and people fly
to Arugs and store medicines" for the
aid which the world around them has
been wont to supply.
And so it is with mud. In the early
days of the western states, when doc
tors aid complexion beautifiers were
alike unknown, mud was highly valued
by the women of the country The
feminine sex delights in fair skins and
white hands,I even If there is no one in
all the township to see them. and the
early settlers borrowed the mud idea
from the Indians, who valued it for it's
medicinal effect.
The mud treatment costs nothing.
and it is far more helpful than a
series of Turkish baths. The principle
is precisely that of the facial masks,
both of ancient Roman times and of
the present day, and the mud-washing
maiden will be as fair as lily all fall.
ANIMAL MIMICRY.
Observers of nature are frequently
struck with the singular resemblances
OF insects to leaves, dried sticks, and
so forth, and these licensees are sup
posed to have grown out of the neces-
slty OF protection against, or conceal
ment FROM enemies. An interesting
example of this kind of resemblance
was recently brought to the attention
of the chronological Society in Lon
don by Doctor Chapman, who exhibited
spider found inhabiting some rocks
near Cannes, on which were also fas-
tened the cases of species of moth.
When at rest the spider exhibited al
most precisely the same form and color
as the moth cases surrounding it.
YANKEE INGENUITY.
There is apparently no limit to the
Yankees ingenuity in the invention of
useful and labor saving devices. Among
the latest useful novelties is one which
will commend itself to all, now that
warm weather is so near, and the cues
ton of how to keep cool is so impor-
tant-a simple and perfect fan attach
ment for rocking chairs. This appli-
ance (the invention of a greatgrand-
son of the patentee of the common
bucket and tub) is fastened quickly
and neatly to any ordinary rocking
chair, and the natural motion of the
chair without any additional effort of
the occupant gives a most delightful
and natural breeze.
To the invalid this certainly will be
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08

The new town OF Lawton in the CO.
manche country was named after Gen
eral Lawton, whose detachment cap
turad the famous Indian desperate
Geronimo. This last of the Indian ter
rors Is now virtual prisoner/at Fort
Sill near the new town of Law ton.
The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-08-08


Now that Rostand's play, "L'Aig-
lon." has aroused SO much interest in|
the melancholy story Of Napoleon's
son, there will be some interest in the
death OF the last conside rable actor in
the abortive com piracy to restore the
empire with the Auke of Reiclstadt in
his fathers 81 IDSfhis nAon was
Slek,, In ran 5000 .,
took possessI6hs ofseveraf towns IN the
west Of Fra noe y, the lame of Napo-
leon H., but at Sa.-,.,T the movement
was stopped and the small force they
had gathered rapidly scattered, vara-
bowsk escaped and returned to Po-
land, where he has just died at War
saw, at the age Of 105 years.