davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-23
(wichita Lottery

(Wichita Lottery
One Of the most noted cowboys and
bandits who ever drew a gun on an en-
envy Is It is said, to rave a monument
erected to him In West Wichita. He is
Jack Ledford. whe fell in West Wichi-
Ia in 1871. while hghting a whole com
pany Of regular soldiers. Already Led
ford's friends have raised $500 for the
monument. and soon work will be be-
gun to erect a shaft on the very spot
where Ledford fell.
During the civil war Ledford was a
scout under Gen. Phil Sheridan. At
Springfield, No. he got into a hgkt
with some Of the opposing side. and
killed six without stopping to reload
his revolver. Then he made for the
Missouri river and under a heavy FIRE
swan to the Kansas side. After that he
quit scouting and turned outlaw. His
headquarters were in the Arkansas
river bottoms, near Wichita, and his
field Of operations along the line Of
the southern stage coach route. run
ming from Fort sill to Wichita. Once
he held up a ~4Q=wagon government
train alone, me rihed the mail bags Of
thousands of dollars. He was the orig
inal lone bandit who has in late years
thrived in the wilds of Arizona.
Handy with the Pistols.
Ledford always carried two revolvers
with him, and could hit the mark ev-
cry time. One Of his favorite tricks
was to take a revolver in each hand,
and twirling them around, snap the
hammer between the cartridges, all
the while pointing the muzzle in the
face Of a friend. 1t was great sport for
him, but a single slip of the finger
would have put the bullet in his
friends head. Luckily he was sure Of
the trigger. Another feat was to shoot
the nails out of the walls of saloons
and allow the costly paintings to crash
The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-23
Mysterious
LhASSa

With the hope that he may ulti-
mately penetrate the mysterious Thib-
etan city of Lhassa. DR.. Berthold Lauf-
er, who is connected with the Museum
Of Natural History, New York city. is
about to the world and his
friends for the solitude Of a Buddhist
temple. He will leave in a few days
for Pekin, where he will settle in a
fantastic monastery to live the life Of
a recluse and to be among the priests,
studying their language, customs and
ceremonies. He hopes to obtain one Of
their official degrees which would facil-
itate him in his attempt to reach the
holy city of Lhassa. All the specimens
he can secure will be- sent to the New
York museum. Dr.. Laufer believes that
in view Of the increasing commercial
relations between China and the Unit
ed States, greater knowledge should
be had OF that country and its people.
But n other foreigner has ever lived
in a Chinese temple. He was a Hungar-
Ian, Cessna de Koros, and death cut
short his labors. A number of scientific
men are interested in DR.. Laufer's mis-
sion
The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-23
Declares Matrimonial
Association
Of Marriage

thinks. be brought about only by hard
work and practical means.
He Becomes Famous.
In August, 1896. the FIRST session Of
the Matrimonial association, compos-
ed OF couples married by Mr.. Meese.
was held at Auburn, Ind, the home
Of the parson. Nearly 1000 couples
responded to the invitation. They all
agreed to work for reform OF the
marriage and divorce laws. An an
nual reunion was determined upon,
the story Of the session went broad
cast over the country and the Rev. Mr..
Meese found himself famous outside
the limits OF DesKalb county.
It was thought that this last re-
union, held at Waterloo, would far
surpass all Of the preceding ones in
enthusiasm and results, and so 1t
would have, had It not been for the
rain, which caused many to stay at
home. But the day frightened up and
the reunion was held. Parson Meese,
in his black Sunday clothes and derby
hat, fitted around the grove, attending
to a thousand details. greeting new
corners, showing them where to regis
ter, chucking children under the
chin and playing host to the big gath
ering. Among the resolutions passed
by the members were:
Doplores Divorce Record.
"That we deplore the alarming in
crease in divorces as compared with
marriages in our community and that
we view with disgust the evident in
sincerity with which many Of our
young men and women enter into their
marriage vows. That marriage is not
a failure and he who declares the
contrary questions the rectitude Of
the creative scheme Of Almighty God.
That we believe the strength and
safety Of the republic are dependent
upon the morals of the people, and that
no nation whose people show fidelity
to their marriage institutions can far
depart from the principles Of liberty,
justice and equality. we therefore, in
woke the aid of all patriotic and
Christian men and women in creating
a sentiment against the present loose
divorce laws and the lack of SOLEMN
ity with which the marriage state is
invested"
The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-23
A NEW SYSTEM.

Decidedly Interesting. as It's Workings
Are ExempIiAed in Chicago.
The Speers system of imparting use
full knowledge to the young, as ex-
emplifed in Chicago, is not a novel
one. With notifications, it is the
same system used in training perform
ing monkeys and dogs. The learned
pig gets his education by the speers
method and so the system may justly
claim to be we'll grounded. In the
speers system as prepared for the little
bipeds Of Chicago, the teacher points
out on the Speers chart the word
hop" Then the teacher hops and
the children hop. The next word is
Skip" and the teacher skips and the
children skip. II the next word is
grin" they all grin. If 1t is wink"
they all wink. It is fun as we'll as
profit, you see-especially for the
teacher. When If reaches "hip-hap"
and "summersault'' it becomes more
so. What is that word, George?"
says the fond Chicago father to his
bright offspring Pronounce it for
me. daddy" says the bright Off
spring. Reverse" replied daddy.
"Ah, I know" cries Master George, and
at once stands on his head. It certain
ly is a nice OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Grit.
The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-23

shell clsmshells SGT around on the
front edges, Eve TO a foot In the case
Of the Aslatic elephants and four In the
case Of the Africans.
with no use Of It's feet, nothing to
keen them worn down az they would
be kept in nature, tho pads may grow
IN be two inches thick, and come to
ave ~crevices or seams in them in
which foreign matter may lodge, and
the elephant is in more danger Of pick
ing up things, which may become Inn
bedded in the tough pad and get out OF
sight and work through into the quick.
The toenails also get long, and they
may curl under the sole Of the foot and
the become thus more liable to be
caught. and the situation Is then one
Of inconvenience and danger to the
animal. But before they reach this
stage the elephants feet are trimmed
down into shape. The feet Of the ele-
plants in the Central park menagerie
got one Of their regular overhaulings
last week. "Tom," said Elephant
Keeper Snyder to the larger Of the two
elephants. on one Of the days when
this work was going on, give us your
feet"
And the big elephant lifted his foot
as a horse might have lifted his on a
like request. tom can tell you what
you are thinking about when you look
at him." says Keeper Snyder.
julie. the other elephant is not so
tractable or not so intelligent, and it
takes more diplomacy and EFFORT to
get at her feet for the work necessary
to be done upon them. But even with
the most docile of elephants It takes
two men to do the work conveniently,
and. at the menagerie in the park
when the elephants feet are fixed Head
Keeper Shannon gives Keeper Snyder
a lift. It might not be expected that
these elephants would pick up any
thing here in their long-accustomed
quarters, whose floor they have trod-
den for years, but on this occasion in
one of Jules feet Keeper Snyder found
a die, one out of a set of dice, which
had already been worked in out OF
sight, and in one of Toms feet was the
bowl OF an iron teaspoon, the handle
having been broken off. The metal Of
this spoon could be seen when the
foot was lifted up, but it vas imbedded
sufficiently so that it took quite a pull
with the keepers elephant hook to pull
it out. How these two odd and curl
ously different things found their way
into the elephants cages to be picked
up in their feet could not be said for
certain, but it is probable that they
were thrown in by thoughtless chill
dren.-New York Sun.
The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-23
pEApLIEsT o. REPTILEs.

Compared with the Fer-de-Lance the
Rather L. = Gentleman.
The most deadly snake in the world
is the fer-de-lance. Comparatively lit
tie is known of the venomous reptile
oueside Of the French West Indian Is
lands Of Martinique, Guadalupe and
the British possessions of Saint Lucia.
Martinique is especially unfortunate
In possessing them in large numbers.
The natives. taught by dear expert
ence. regard 1t with deeply rooted ha-
tired and fear, and rightly, too, for it
can be truthfully said to reign SUI
preme in the forests and byways,
Ofttimes being found on the more fire.
quented paths and roads, but rarely
%venturing into the cities or towns.
There are about eight varieties, the
most common being of a grayish black,
and by its color, so resembling the un-
derbrush and stumps, is scarcely dis
tinguishable at times. The head, as
the name implies, is lance shape, fiat,
with reddish eyes,, changeable like an
opal, which become very bright at
night and can be seen for some dis
lance away flashing out defiance at an
intruder, whether man or beast.
It's length rarely exceeds I'VE feet,
with a body the size Of a mans arm,
and not Of lead pencil thickness as i'm
agined by some people. Quite unlike
the "rattler' Of the United States,
who, to do him justice, is a gentleman
compared TO the "fer-de-lance," this
snake never gives warming, but at
once when approached becomes the
aggressor, quickly gets into battle ar
ray, darting forward it's triangular
head with lightning-like rapidity-so
quickly, in fact. that the human eye
can scarcely follow the movements.
and woe TO the unlucky mortal or ami
NAL that It strikes.
Il Is almost certain death, and II the
services Of a physician cannot be Sc
cured within an exceedingly short
time the emo does It's deadly work.
causing the flesh 10 spot, after which
oomes-death. II the strike has been
made upon a vein or an artery there
is absolutely no chance for life unless
the limb be amputated at once, and
often then II Is too late, as the venom
has gained too much Roadway through
the blood system to be checked or the
victim suocumbs to the heroic treat
meut.
The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-23

England in the sixteenth century felt
the first decided movings on the same
impulse that now throbs from Virginia
to Texas. She went into the critical
period a third rate, OF. it is more &C
curate to say, a fourth-rate power; she
came out an acknowledged leader
among nations, with a primacy the
strength and duration of which no one
now hesitates to attribute in great part
to the commercial a~scendancy ac-
Quired through her immense manufac-
turing interests. Few will dispute the
claim that when the subjects Of Eliza
beth ceased to send their heeces to be
woven to Flanders and dyed in Flor
ence they had worked Out an achieve
ment Of better worth and more notabie
results than when they defeated Phil
ip's armada.-Munton's Magazine.
The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-23
Reading Aloud I. beneficial.

Reading aloud is recommended by
physicians as a benefit to persons af-
fected with any chest complaint. The
recommendation is made because in all
cases of lung trouble it is important
for the sufferer to indulge in exercise
by which the chest is in part filled by
and emptied of air, for the exercise is
strengthening to the throat, lungs and
muscles of the chest. Reading aloud
can be practiced by all and besides
being a curative act can be a pleasure
and profit to both reader and hearers.
In this treatment it is recommended
that an overdose of medicine be avoid
ed that the reading be deliberate, with
out being allowed to drag, that the
enunciation be clear, the body be held
in an easy, unstrained, upright posi-
ton, so that the chest shall have free
play, and that the breathing be natural
and as deep as possible, without undue
effort.
The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-23

Nowhere is the fued so common, so
old, so persistent, so deadly, as in the
Kentucky mountains. Nowhere else
is there such organization, such di-
vision Of enmity to the limit Of kim
ship. About thirty-five years ago two
boys we're playing marbles in the
road along the Cumberland river
down in the Kentucky mountains. One
had a patch on his trousers. The
other boy made fun Of it, and the boy
with the patch went home and told his
father. Thirty years Of local war was
the result. The factions fought on
after they had forgotten why they
had fought at all. While organized
warfare is now over, an occasional
fight yet comes over the patch on
those trousers and a man or two is
killed. A county as big as Rhode Is
land is still bitterly divided on the
subject
The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-23

Feet ~

The feet Of elephants IN captivity
have to be looked after carefully all
the time and once or twice a year
anyway, specific treatment is required
to keep them in order. II the elephant
is in a travelling show, where he Is 40
ing more or less marching In street
parades. and it may be in moving
from place to place on the road, MS
feet are worn down to something ike
what they would be In nature. IN
such a case they would have to be
regularly o%verhauled only once a year
at the close OF the winter season. In
the case Of elephants remaining In one
spot all the time, in a stationary men
agerie. where they would do no
marching, and would scarcely wear
their feet down at all, their feet are
looked after twice a year. A captive
elephant on the road might suffer IN
his feet from stone bruise, or might
pick up a stone, or a took, or any n
Of forty things; or he might have corns
OF have something the matter with his
toenails; or possibly have suffered the
loss Of a toe nail by some accident.
From some such injury the elephant
might go lame, or suffer otherwise. 1t
might be that the foot would need to be
protected under treatment, and there
is used for such purpose a bag with a
shirring around the top, which, drawn
over the foot, and up a little on the leg
ohovo a. oou ho o1oed arotrnd fho lag
to keep out gravel or anything else
that might otherwise work in and ir-
ritate the foot.
This elephant with the sore foot
would, Of course, be spared all the
walking Iessible. He would not APP
pear in the parade, but in the case OF
a railroad show, for instance, he would
on arriving at or leaving a show town,
limp along with that bag over his foot
from the a to the show lot, or from
the show lot to the car, by the shortest
way. Incidentally the elephants feet
are being looked after all the time;
the annual or semi-annual overhaul
ing is to keep them down to their nat
ural proportions and conditions and
make them less liable to injury. In
its general shape the bottom of an ele-
plants foot is somewhat like a blunt
ed oval. The sole is a fiat pad or
cushion, tough, but elastic, being of a
gristly or ~cartilaginous character.
Commonly this pad would be about an
inch in thickness. The elephants toes
do not project separately out beyond
the rest of the foot, but are virtually
inclosed within the front rim Of the
foot, their presence marked by the
toenails, which are in appearance as
much as anything like big black hard
The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-23

Marine Journal remarks that the
present century seems destined TO
bring the steamboat as a means Of
transportation to an equality with the
railroad train" That paper says that
great as is the volume OF traffic on he
lakes a greater business is conducted
on American rivers, amounting to 100
000, 900 tons a year, exclusive of boats
plying on the arms Of the ocean inland.
At least half Of the interior commerce
of the United States is transacted by
boats. Though almost every navlga-
bic river in this country is paralleled
by a railway the business for both in
creases. The two great systems Of in
land waterways in the United States.
the Marine Journal remarks, are the
great lakes and the valley Of the Mis-
sissippi, and of the two the latter Is
foremost.
The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-23

Der Of marriages he has performed.
For all that he is known as a marry
ing parson," he has turned away al
most as many as he has united. He
will not marry a couple II he knows
either n has been divorced. He
will not marry a girl who looks to be
a child, no matter what the legal
license may say. His Meese Matri-
NSniel association stands pledged for
a uniform divorce law in the United
States.
There are few more picturesque
characters than Meess. Though sew
enty-three, he is agile aRd quick
Witted. lie has not a biblical phrase
upon his lips at every turn Of events.
The great social reforms in which he
Ig now thoroughly wrapped up can, he
The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-23

900, their agricultural $14O, 900, OOOl
their mineral products fully 500. OOO,-
600, and their manufacturing and other
industries the remaining $3.50. 900, 900.
The wool alone from the 100, 600, 900
sheep raised in 1900 was worth $780,
900, 900.
The mineral resources Of Australia.
cannot even be guessed at. In the last
As years the country has produced gold
to the value of 81, 800, 900, 900, in the
last 20 silver to the value OF $780,,
600, 1000. Diamonds are found in one
district, rubies in another. There is
at least one emerald mine In New
South Wales. and opals equal to any
in the world are found in Queensland,
while the pearl fisheries Of the north
western coast produce a considerable
portion Of the most valuable pearls Of
commerce.
The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-23

she would marry him. The girl seemed
pleased and kissed him. He wanted
her 20 marry him then. but she Insist
ed that time be given In which 20
prove that he was speaking the truth.
Il went hard with the outlaw, I could
see that, TO have his power overruled by
a woman, but he was madly In love.
So he agreed, and after a hard tussle
he recovered and reformed"
IL was quite a surprise to the com
munity when Jack announced himself
a candidate Tor sheriff Of Sedgwick
county at the election In the fall OF
1870. To every man irom whom he
sought a vote he said:
III / am elected sheriH Of this county
there will be no more horses stolen
around these parts"
OF that the citizens we're we'll aware.
and they elected him. Shortly after his
election the governor ruled that the
election had not been conducted prop
erly, and appointed the officers then in
to I'll the next term. Jack was chta-
grined, but he did not go back 10 rob-
bling.
Later he married the vigus girl, and
the wedding was a matter OF much inn
p~ortance in Wichita. The bandit, under
the gentle rulings Of his wife, com
pletoly reformed, even to drinking.
Their life would have went on very
smoothly, perhaps. had 1t not been for
the coming Of Sam Lee, a former
sweetheart Of Agnes. He found that a
big reward was offered for Ledford, but
the officers at Fort Harker did not
know his whereabouts. Lee informed
them and secured $4,000.
n killing OF Ledsord.
Capt. Harger, Of Company B, Sixth
United States Infantry, with a full
quota Of men, came to Wichita one
morning in July, 1871. They found Jack
in a room playing billiards. He was or
dered to come out, but refused. Finally
one soldier slipped In the rear of the
room and shot him in the back. This
enraged the fighter and he ran out into
the street, fighting with two pistols.
He killed four Of them before he was
disabled. When removed to the hotel,
he inquired how many he had killed.
In a few days Ledford died. On his re-
volver butts were found 81 tacks,
which, his intimate friends said, indi-
Gated that he killed that number of
men.
The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-23

The richest nation in the world pro-
portionately Is not Great Britain, not
tat little Holland, not even the United
States. For the greatest average in
dividual wealth we must look to the
Australian commonwealth.
Last year the total value Of the pro-
ducts Of the colonies forming the Au-
strallan commonwealth amounted TO
fully $500. OOO. 900, Of which their pas
toraI industries represented $3.50, 0Q0,-
The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-23

Barney Morris, Brooklyn's best
known ce%ntenarian, celebrated the
1O9th anniversary of his birth the 9TH
er day by getting to work in Prospect
Park, where he is employed. a little
earlier than usual, says the New York
Evening" Post. He is as active as a
Of 60 ys2rs ana enjoys his outdoor
work. He used % be a hackman, aG1
in his day he was an athlete. He never
misses a Sunday at church and goes to
sleep at 3 p. m. The present MrS,
Morris is his third wife.
The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-23

Working girls in cities, who have to
swelter through the summer in n
stuffy room. would be fortunate indeed
II rich ome generally adopted a plan
which a Boston oma is preparing to
put into practice for the second time.
She has a beautiful home, n when
she went to her country house last
year she offered 1--WE girls the use Of the
city place. together with board and the
services Of her cook. for four dollars a
week each. Imagine the delight with
which they exchanged hall bedrooms
and cheap restaurants for a large, airy
house and a perfectly appointed table!
Il think" said one Of the girls at the
end Of the three months, that this IS
the very first summer in my whole life
that / have fully enjoyed myself"
These were girls who would have re
scented any kind Of help that savored
OF charity" but the gracious deed that
so carefully guarded their ~independ-
ence and their self-respect will be a
happy. helpful memory all their lives
long. Country folk would say that
such an action was "neighborly." Per.
maps at a higher stage Of civilization
people will see the truth more clearly,
and call It simply Christian.
The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-23

The United States IL steadily acquir-
ing land from the European powers.
The territory annexed is not gained
by conquest or purchase and is in
voluntary addition to our country. 1t
comes to America in the form Of bal
last and for the most part In Amer
lean ships. One thousand tons Of
Scotch soil were imported into New
York in one week a short time ago.
It came of the Allan State Line steam
er Laurentian. Scarcely a week passes
without a similar importation by the
boats of this or some other line. It
is estimated that millions Of tons Of
European soil has been imported and
dumped about New York. Much of
enas 10 useu for "amahins land" abOut
the harbOr.
The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1901-08-23

Discussions in the British parlia-
ment nave recently brought u most
%strikingly the backwardness of Eng
land, as compared with the rest Of the
civilized world, in providing free pub
lie school education. In Germany, TAX
ing the average Of the different prov
inces, a child must attend school until
he is sixteen years old; in America he
goes until he is fifteen, and in many
states still longer; but in England
only until he is twelve. The English
child is released from school earlier,
and, at best, is educated fewer years
at the expense Of the state than are the
children Of any other nation OF the
first class except Russia, The discus
sions in parliament have been directed
toward finding a remedy for this
backwardness.