davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-01-19

There is cause for anxiety when
cough hangs OH for year and can't be
shaken off. The quickest way to relieve
that anxiety is to begin at once the use
of DIR. Pierce's Golden Medical Discov-
ery. 1t is a cough remedy, but II is also
a great deal more. In far advanced
stages of. disease, when hemorrhages
have been frequent, and there have been
emaciation and weakness, "Golden Med
ical Discovery" has produced perfect
cure. 1t increases the supply OF the life
f,iid-blood. 1t cleanses the blood from
impurities, and sends current of rich,
new blood to build up the weak places
in the body with new life.
The ODiscovery" is strictly a temper
ance medicine, non-alcoholic and nom
narcotic.
rFor one wear was troubled with cough"
writes Mr.. II. F. Curtis, OF Sumner, Bremen
Co. Iowa VAS continued TO cough during the
summer my wife became anxious, and wrote to
DR.. r. W Pierce for medical advice II seemed
to lis that we could not go to better source for
advice and so it proved, as the Golden Medical
Discovery which was recommended, proved
Just the medicine to effect a cure. DR.. PIERCE
and his medicines are AS good as wheat, as the
farmers used to say"
Bad taste in the mouth is removed by
using Dr. Pierce's Pleasant Pellets.
The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-01-19

Professor Woodrow Wilson, Phi. d. LIZ
d., the distinguished occupant of the
chair of Jurisprudence in the Princeton
University, Princeton N. ]. arrived in teh
city last evening on brief visit to his
venerable father, Rev. Joseph r. Wilson,
d. D., who is gradually recovering from
recent severe attack of illness. AS to
Dr.. Wilson'S condition, we are glad to
learn from his physician that he is rap
idly improving. Wilmington Messenger.
The Washington times., 1901-07-14
SNAKES BY THE POUND.
Unique Industry Carried On in an
Oregon Town.

IN take two pounds of snake, please. -
That is what one may hear at certain
stores in klamath Falls, ore. where
there is quite an extensive industry in
snakes.
Children gather their aprons fun of
snakes as they would of wild flowers and
little boys gather them in their pockets
for pets.
The snike industry of Klamath Falls
came about in this ashton:
Postmaster Castli some time ago re-
ceived a letter from concern in Min
nesota asking the price of reptiles and
enquiring If they could be shipped to
Minnesota. Thinking 1t joke, the post
master replied that he would furnish all
the snakes desired at % cents n pound.
Imagine his surprise when, by return
mail, an order was received for 400 pounds
of snake. The Minnesota firm then in
formed him that next season they would
place an order for 500 pounds.
That set the people of klamath Falls
to thinking. and the present snake in
dustry of the town is the result OF their
COgitatlons.
The species of water snake so plentllul
at Klamath Falls is of a dark color ana
when full grown about three feet long.
So great is the supply that tons OF the
reptiles could be shipped annually II there
were orders for them. The snakes are
used for medicinal purposes, as superior
quality of oil can be manufactured from
the variety found at Klamath rails
Denver Times.
The Washington times., 1901-07-14
GAMBLERS sUPERsTITIoUs.
Those who Tempt Fortune Believe
in Strange Charms.

Sailors and actors are commonly cred
tied with being the most superstttious of
men. but the gambler who haunts the
tables of Monte Carlo and similar gam
bling resorts leaves them hopelessly out
of the race in the Importance he attaches
to omens and talismans
There is scarcely a man or woman who
tempts fortune at the tables who does
not 90 armed with some wonderful tails
man which is to bring them luck, and
these charms often take the quaintest and
most grotesque FORM
One man who had an exceptional run OF
luck at Monte Carlo last year ascribed it
all to franc which he carried suspended
from his watch chain. This coin had
grim history, for it was the only one
found on the body of a gambler who had
lost a fortune at the tables. and had shot
himself in the grounds rather than face
the world with franc as his whole cap
ital.
Another player whose success excited
considerable attention and envy carried a
quaint little Indian idol carved in ivory,
which he picked up during his travels n
the East, and which was credited with
mystic virtues. On only one occasion he
went to the tables without his Idol charm,
when he experienced such a run of bad
luck that he had to beat hasty retreat
Another well-known gambler who visits
Monte Carlo every year pins his faith to
a miniature of his dead wife. which he
wears attached to q chain around his
neck, and very old player attributes his
almost invariable good fortune TO a sill
yer watch which intercepted a bullet and
saved his life during the American civil
war
one very familiar figure at the tables is
that of an elderly man on whose cdpa-
cious waist there bangles a perfect ar
moTy OF charms, at least dozen IN num-
Der There is a pig in gold and another
in silver (thc pig in any form is the surest
harbinger of luck, according to the super
stitious) several lucky coins, from an
Indian rupee to an Etruscan coin OF the
time of Solon, an Egyrtian scarab, and
the claw Of a tiger that nearly killed him
And yet all these charms are powerless
to bring him fortune, for he candidly con-
fesses that he would be thousands OF
pounds richer If he had stayed away from
Monte Carlo.
But the gamblers superstition is by no
means confined to charms. Nothing is too
trivial to convert into an omen. a mum
Der that he dreams of or that catches his
eye in a paper will be sure to bring him
luck at roulette. Every man has his
lucky numbers TO which he adheres, how
ever rudely his faith in them may be
shaken.
The number of letters in his name, the
date Of his birth, his wife's a ge when he
met her the date of his wedding or en-
augmentation these and score of sim
liar fanciful sources he gets the numbers
on which he stakes his chances of win
ming.
Some men will never play on Friday
or on the 18th of the month. others find
these their most fortunate days; but in
spite of these and hundred other super
stitiOns the bank continues TO grow fat
and full at the expense of the unlucky
gambler-Tit- Bits.
The Washington times., 1901-07-14
EVOLUTION OF THE CENSUS.
Taken in the Middle Ages for the
Purpose of Taxation.

The term census had its origin IN
Rome. and was applied to one group of
the censor's many and varied functions.
The Roman census was chiefly concerned
with fiscal matters, and we may suppose
that the enumerators were not too effu-
siveIy welcomed by the inhabitants In
the Middle Ages the census meant neither
more nor less than a tax. and the final
formal, material, and efficient cause of
every numbering of a people was the de-
sire of its castle-clad Government for
money or the actuaI sinews of war
Under the absolute monarchies which
apeared in Europe after ,.e decline and
fan OF the feudaI system, the tendency to
Capitalization for administrative purposes
prepared the way for statistical enquiries
into the numbers of the inhabitants Of
particular districts. The necessity of such
stock taking was first clearly pointed out
by Adam Smith. but il was not till long
after his death that the first census of
Great Britain-it did not extend TO Ireland
was carried out. census bill, which
passed the Lower House in 1883, was
thrown out by the Lords as being pro
fame and subversive of liberty" Accord
ingly. up to 1901, the number of inhGbit-
ants of the British Islands was much
a matter of guesswork as the population
of China is today, and, as invariably hap
pens in such cases, the result OF the emu
meration was great disappointment TO
all the statistical prophe 5.
The progress of the census methods
since the first year of the last century
may be illustrated by the development of
the occupatioual returns. In 1901 there
were but three divisiOnS-those employed
in agriculture, those enga ged in trade or
manufacture, and those engaged III neith-
er In the next two censuSes no material
change in this respect was made but in
1881 the Overseers of parishes Were requir-
Cd to give details respecting the Occupa-
tiOns of males over twenty. In the cen
sus of 1871 an enumeration much facili-
tated by the uniform system Of registra-
tion of births, marriages, and deaths
which came into force in 1887, the emu
merators were Instructed to enter each
PERSONS description of his own occupa-
ton.
An interesting feature Of the census of
1851 was an attempt 10 supply the ecclesi-
astical and educational statistics of the
country, but no effort was made TO elab-
crate the occupational returns. The cen
sus of 1861 was also, to certain degree
experimental. In lSIl the first imperial
census was taken-and the census paper
of that date-an interesting article, by the
way, could be written on the series of
eleven-is obviously the great-grandfath-
er of the present form.-Paris Messenger.
The Washington times., 1901-07-14

through the gates or to tow the barges
against the current. II was therefore de-
cided to build special wire rope steamer
the defile. The steamer was built at Buda-
pest. and has recently been put on the
river. The Vasapu. as the steamer is
named, is entirely built of steel. 1t has
a length of 1886 feet, is 25H feet broad.
its draught being 5.4 feet 1t is divided
into nine watertight compartments. and
has a double bottom. so that even I'm the
case of a serious accident the vessel will
not sink.
A wire rope 10000 feet in length and al
most one foot in diameter. having a re-
sistance Of eighty-four tons, is strongly
anchored to- rock at the upper end of
the gates at the bottom of the river bed.
This rope or cable runs over a drum on
board the steamer The vessels to be
drawn up stream are towed toward the
steamer and the cable is then drawn
around the drum by means of steam en-
ginc of 800 horsepower. The wire-rope
vessel has in addition, two other engines,
SO as to enable her to run Independent of
the cable Each OF these two engines has
a capacity of 80 horsepower. The speed
Of the steamer with two loaded vessels of
Goo tons in tow, is l.S miles per hour when
sailing against the current and between
four and five miles per hour when going
down stream The steamer has also been
equipped with powerful dynamo, which
furnishes electric light and feeds a
SearChlight.-LUndOn Mail
The Washington times., 1901-07-14

snarling. with one paw clasped around
the branch. Hill could have retreated
further Into the top of the tree but he
feared that the lion might work its body
around the branch and effect a iodgment
in the top itself. He had a strong pocket
knife, and, cutting a smaller limb for
club. struck the lion so stiff a blow with
II that the animal, uttering a roar, fell
to the ground
Infuriated by the blow, the beast in
stantly charged up a third time but Hill
had now secured a good hold with his left
hand, and dealt such blows with his club
at the brutes head and paws that again
1t leaped to the ground, roaring and snarl-
ing with bafiled rage. Its outeries melted
the others to make an attack; and amid
horrible chorus of roars and growls,
first one, then another, and soon two or
three at time came charging ~ the
tree trunk. Only one, however. could ap-
proach the difficult point or passage
around the upright branch; and whenever
paw was thrust about the branch Hill
hammered it with the club so vigorously
as nearly to crush it.
Two of the lions were already bleeding
at the nose, and az four appeared to have
had enough of the effort to scale the tree
trunk: but they had become wrought up
to such state of fury that Hin had lit
tie hope that they would leave the place
that night.
A fresh expedient presently suggested
itself, however, Hill had matches in his
pocket and, gathering wads of dry bark
or moss from the tree trunk. he ignited
them anJ then dropped them into the dry
grass under the tree. Soon a ring of fire
and smoke began to spread. The four
lions finally made off through the fringe
Of trees, and soon Hill saw the one that
had killed the duiker-bok bounding away
with the carcass in it's mouth.
Although far from certain that the lions
would not return and attack him. Hill
was forced 70 descend and run to the au-
tomobile before the fire reached it. lest
there might be an explosion of his fuel
tank and cartridges.
The Little Ajax was still putting away at
the obstructing bush, all ready to go on
when released. Hills first thought was
of his carbine: but the fire was close
upon the machine. and after a single
glance about him, through the smoke, he
backed out of the bush and went on at
fun speed. The lions did not pursue him.
B. c. Brigham, in the Youths Com
panion."
The Washington times., 1901-07-14
SODA WATER BREAKFASTS.
Early Morning scenes in New York
Drug stores.

In almost any one Of the popular down
town drug stores where soda fountains
play an important part in the summer
business il IS possible to find the long
counters almost completely surrounded by
customers as early as o'clock in the
morning.
In these places on any morning this
week one could see a waiting line of Gus
toners which extended from the further
end OF the fountain almost TO the street
doors. and which was maintained with
scarcely break in the ranks from S
o'clock until S:45 O'Clock. Toward the
close Of the rush hour a customer who
rarely patronized such places, and who
looked upon the spectacle as something
in the nature OF a phenomenon, asked
the perspiring fountain tender If that was
fair sample of the average morning
consumption o. bubbles. Nothing more
than common doing today" ne replied
we get EN- every morning in the week
They're our breakfast customers" he
went on. ignoring the pIaintive cries OF a
little old wrinkled bookkeeper for "choc-
oIate ice cream They come in here
regular every morning, and order coffee
chocolate, or some kind OF a phosphate
soda, and that's all they eat for break
fast. Kind OF an airy one, amt It? We
get about the same men every morning,
and each one orders the same flavor every
time. They are the kind that eat wheat
cakes in winter for breakfast and butter
cakes for lunch"
The customer was a little distressed at
what seemed to him 10 be the inevitable
internal ruin of vast number of his
fcllowmen. That evening when he met
his physician up town he told him of the
discovery he had made and Of the evil he
considered it was working upon humanity.
The doctors professional comments on
the subject were even more of shock
than the original discovery had been.
What you say is no doubt true" he
said, "and 1 have not much hesitation In
saying that IL is a good thing. OF course,
/ do not mean that statement to embrace
all classes. II probably would not be
wise thing for you or me to substitute
soda water for the breakfasts we are ac-
customed to eat but for the men who live
at ieast half the year on wheat cakes and
the other deadly inventions of the hurry
up restaurants, any change must be for
the better There is not much nouriah-
ment In soda water except the ice-cream
variety. but the gases tend to destroy ap-
petite. and that satisfies temporarily the
stomach's craving for food. In the fla
vors made from fresh fruits there is, Of
course, sufficient nutriment TO keep per-
son alive, If not exactly robust, and they
are so much less injurious than wheat
cakes and those sodden things that at
least there must be some negative bene-
fit in them.
THE remarkable thing TO me about this
so6a-water business" the doctor went on,
is the number of persons who have come
to me as their physician and confessed
in no little alarm that they had acquired
a habit for it-had become 'slayee to soda
The Washington times., 1901-07-14
some German Epitaphs.
(From the Literary Digest.)


Here are some gems Of wit and humor-inten-
tioHal or uncUnsCious-eollected from German aud
Austrian cemeteries, and published in the
Vienna Freie PreSse:"
An angel las flown to heaven; her earthly
shell remains. Nothing Is dead except the hap
pnesS of her parents.
ON a carter, killed in n runaway:
''The road TO eternity IS not long. He started
at : O'Clock and arrived az $"
On a man Of letters;
Here lies the best man in the world He de-
prived himself Of sleep to bestOw it upon
others
\ tomb in a rural cemetery bears 4 bas-relei
depicting a peasant impaed the horns Of
bull. Below Is the inscription:
1t bull's horn that sent me to heaven.
I died in moment, leaving wife and child.
Oh. bull. bull! To think that l owe o you
everlasting rePose!'
The following does not speak we'll for the
married life OF the deceased:
Here rests in God +. X, who lived twenty-sii
years as man and thirty-seven years As a hus
band"
The Washington times., 1901-07-14
TIE WEST INDIES.
Eight European Governments in the
Lesser Antilles.

No equal area Of the world is distrib-
uted among so many nations as the West
Indies Great Britain has the Bahamas,
Jamaica. St. Christopher, Nevis. Antigua,
Bermuda, Dominica, ST. Vincent, Grena-
da. and Grenadines Barbados, Virgin
Islands lin parD, Montserrat Redonda.
and St Lucia The two Republics of
Haiti are Independent. The status Of
Cuba and the Isle Of Pines has not yet
been determined. Porto Rico. Vieques,
Mona, and Culelra are American. France
is the sovereign power in ST. Bartholo-
mew, GuadcIope, Maria Galante, De
sirade, Les saiutes, and Martinique St
Euststius, Saba, Curacao, Buen Ayre,
and Oruha are colonies Of Holland
France and Holland together control St
Martin. ST Thomas. St. John, and St
| CroiX belong TO Denmark. The flags Of
FIVE nations float over the West Indies
those Of Great Britain. the United States
France. Eollsad, and Denmark The flags
Of two Republics float over Haiti. and the
proba bility IS that the Cuban flag will
soon be raised over the Gem Of the An
titles"
There are eight European colonial gov
I ernments in the small groups Of islands
composing the Lesser Antilles Each of
these groups, with the average area of
an American county, has an administra-
tive establishment Cs that Of an Ameri-
can State, and each official draws a sal
airy from two 10 five times as great as
that paid the average American public
servant. The salaries Of the Governors
Of the four British colonies in the Lesser
Antilles. which have an aggregate pop
ulauOn Of about equal that of Alabama
amount TO So, 60 OF as much as the sal
aries paid TO seventeen American Gov
ernOrs. The population and wealth OF
all the Lesser Antilles are not sufficient
10 support more than one small and eff
cient administrative force. They are
taxed TO support eight governments, for
places must be made for political IA
voTites and younger sons who cannot be
cared for in their native lands.
A great curse Of these colonies is the
absentee ownership of land The vast
BLACK population OF nearly all the islands
is forced 10 remain idle in the towns be-
cause most OF the land, often unculti-
waited and neglected, is tied up In the es-
tates Of foreign holders.-Chicago Chron-
icle.
The Washington times., 1901-07-14
THE DANUBz's GATES.
How Vessels Are Toyed Against the
River Current.


For centuries the navigation on the
Danube. the largest river Of Europe next
20 the VUlga. was greatly hampered by
the so-called Iron Gates. a celebrated de-
file IN the river at the confines Of Hun
gary, Servia, and Roumania. At this
place the river is crossed from shore TO
shore on = length Of about 800 feet by
rocky masses. and many a ship went
aground in the Iron Gates. which always
had been a terror to all navigators. It
Is the most magnificent and greatest river
de1Ie In the whole Of Europe.
During the years Of 1880 10 1886 a scheme
was carried out here which involved i'm
mense difficulties. A canal 275 feet wide
and feet deep was cut through the rocks
of the Iron Gates. No less than 400. 90
cubic feet OF rocky masses had 10 be
blasted and m1re than 100000 cubic feet
Of stone and earth had TO be excavated.
A great number Of dams. OF a combined
length Of 5000 feet, had 10 be built 10
protect the canal The expenditure for
this work amounted to about J., 600, 000
forms Since the completion Of this ca
nal the navigation on the river has stead
fly increased, and thousands OF steamers
and barks now sail every year down TO
the Black Sea.
One drawback, however, remained. The
current in the Iron Gates is immense.
averaging from Il 10 IS feet per second.
and ii was especially difficult for the
heavy-laden ships to steam up stream
The Washington times., 1901-07-14

water Everybody knows. of course. that
a sperson can easily become addicted to
the use of the villainous nerve foods
that are sold at soda fountains. and that
the results are most serious. but to ac-
quire a thirst for vanilla, raspberry, and
those things that apparently is uncon-
querable seems a trihe ridiculous l have
such cases. however, and not infrequent-
~. When I cannot laugh them off l ad-
wise my patients to try some other fla
vor or just the plain soda. 1t is merely
habit of mind. New York Evening
Post
The Washington times., 1901-07-14

Some of the Literature She Pur-
chased I'm I79- shown by Book
sellers BEiI-Curious Find iu Ruins
of "a Log Cabin at New Alexandria.
In little glass frame on the wall of
house in Pittsburg is an old. yeliowed
scrap of paper with the edges charreds
and which. on inspection. Is seen TO be
merely a receipted bill. But this bill Is
made out TO Mrs. George Washington
and is dated 1877. and il is interesting not
only on account of its age and the we'll
known person involved, but one can read
in 1t little of Mrs. Washingtons tastes
and character. II is one OF a number OF
such curious old papers. once the merest
trifles. but now valuable on account OF
associations. that Mrs. Adelaide keenan,,
Of Boggs Avenue, has in her possession
She got them from her mother. TO whom
nephew. Samuel Mcclure, now OF
Homestead. gave them He obtained
them in a rather curious way.
Some time about 1870. or a little later,
he was travelling through Virginia and
stopped all night at New Alexandria. That
night he had little entertainment, for
an old log cabin within short distance
of the hotel burned down. 1t had one OF
the great stone chinheys sc common in
those old log houses. ana poking idly
around the ruins in the n.OrnIng, Mr.. Nc
Clure stumbled over package of papers
and picked it up. net taxing time to look
at it till he got oack to the hotel. There
he opened the packet and found that il
consisted of these papers belonging 20
General George Washington. They had
been hidden away in a crevice in the
chimney and except for a little charring
along the edges were almost untouched
by the fire. They were yellow with age
and had doubtless been put in that CHM
ney corner for safekeeping and forgotten.
This old houss had at one time been
Washingtons headquarters, and as sew
eral OF the papers had the name of his
secretary on them he was probably the
person in whose charge they had been
Mrs keenan,. who has quite a collection
of curious old books and papers. now has
those old papers There are two letters
and five receipted bills The bill framed
and hanging on Mrs. Keenan's wall is for
a lot Of books and two or three articles
OF stationery. and reads as follows:
The Washington times., 1901-07-14
MRS. WASHINGTON'S BOOKS
Wife of the First President q
Great Reader.

Some of the Literature She Pur-
chased I'm I797 shown by n Book
sellers BiiI-Curious Find iu Ruins
of a Log Cabin at New Alexandria.