davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times., 1903-04-26

q wonderful development. The hitherto
soft, aerial roots begin TO harden and
spread wider and wider. throwing cut
side branches. which flow into and
amalgamate with each other until the
whole tree trunk is bound in a series
OF Irregular living hoops The straag-
Ter is now ready fer its deadly work.
The forest giant, like all eyogens,
must have room to increase in girth.
and here he is bound by cords which are
stronger than iron bands. Like an
athlete. he tries 10 expand and burst
his letters. and II they were rigid he
might succeed. The bark bulges be-
tween every fnterIscing-bulg aCt.
and even tries to overlap, but the mon
ster has taken every precaution against
this by making its bands very numerous
and vide.
As the tree becomes weaker lis
leaves begin 10 fall. and this gives more
room for It's foe soon the stranger
expands itself into a great bush almost
as large as the mass OF branches and
foliage it has effaced. Il we look care
fully around Us we see examples of IN
tire CELEBRATION clusia. or ng. stand
ing on its retiCuIated hollow pillar, with
only a heap Of brown humus at its base
too show what has become o. the trunk
which once stood up in all its majesty
on that spot.
The Washington times., 1903-04-26

Happening 10 come across the other
day the catalogue Of a book auction in
1861 when d book on the constitution Of
the French Republic, bound in human
skin in the year 1893. was offered for
sale. a book lover was prompted 20 in
Quire whether the human skin had ever
been put to such a use before or since.
The inquiry led 10 a number Of suTpris-
ing revelations Il was not merely dur
ing the excuses of the French revolution
that such things were done. but as long
ago as the thirteenth century he found
there were in existence several such
books including q Latin Bible very
handsomely engTOssed upon a woman
skin. In 1855 the French Encyclopedia
gave a recipe for tanning human skin,
and stated that II Sue. a surgeon in
Paris. had presented the King with pair
OF slippers made of human skin accord
ing 10 this prescription
During the reign Of Napoleon III a
COPY OF the ''DecretaIs written on
human skin. was found in the library of
the SoT1oune and transferred to the
Tuileries. John Ziska. the one-eyed chief
OF the HussiteS, ordered in his viii that
his skin should be tanned and made into
a drum. The noise which my skin viii
make, said he. will frighten away all
our enemies and put them TO fight
It Eas however At the time OF the
French revolution that This art was de-
veloped to its greatest extent. A man
presented himself one day at the bar Of
the convention ard announced that ne
had devised simple and original scheme
for procuring leather in abundance The
committee Of public safety granted him
a concession Of the Castle of Meudon,
where he carried On his work with a Ger
tain amount Of secrecy In return for the
concession the members of the commit
tee Were. privileged 10 be among The first
10 wear top boots made OF human skin.
This tanTery Of Meudon acquired con-
siderable rotCTiety- a great number Of
books we're bound with the leather turned
out there. and Philippe Egaiite. Duke Of
The Washington times., 1903-04-26

During the blockade OF La Guayra,
venezuela, by English and German men
of-war, the native fishermen we're an i'm
portant factor IN supplying food TO the
inhabitants of La Guayra and Caracas,
which were cut of from the rest OF the
world. The little fishing, canoes were
allowed to pass up and down the coast,
by blockading vessels, because they were
insignificant small fry. Every day at
earliest dawn the fishermen may be
seen going out TO their favorite fishing
grounds. adroftly padding with a short,
broad-bladed paddle
Trailing behind each boat IS q line
with a small fish on the hook for bait
the end OF the line being made fast
either to the fisherman's hand or to one
of his big toes, the latter method be-
ing preferred, as the hands are then
left free TO paddle. Spanish mackereI
and similar tropical fish are more like
" to snap up the bait when it is trolled
rapidly through the water.
During the summer months, when the
The Washington times., 1903-04-26
TANNING HUMAN SKIN.

Orleans, encouraged the taGneTy by
wearing a pair of breeches made there
with human skin at a ball in the Palaise
Royal The republican General Beysser
who made himself a name by his ferocity
in the wars of La Yendee. set the fash
ion of wearing similar trousers in the
army, always wearing a pair at battles
and at reviews.
An old soldier who had taken part IN
most Of the campaigns of the French
revolution told a writer of memoirs in
the middle of this century that he had
owned specially fine garment of this
kind made entirely Of one piece. An
architect. who was one of the leaders of
the infamous Black Band of France in
1923, which for a long time terrorized the
country districts in the west Of France.
wore jacket made of human skin, come
" and exceedingly comfortable.
The infamous Saint-Just. when a. the
height Of his power during the Reign OF
Terror. caused a young and beautiful
girl, who had refused his advances. TO be
arrested and sent TO the scaffcld. After
the execution he obtained possession OF
the body nayed il himself and had the
skin tanned and made into a waistcoat,
which ne wore till the day OF his death.
The tannery Of Meudon and its imitatoTs
carried on the process on an extensive
scale, and must have made a good deal
of money BY tanning the skins of the
victims of the revolution for every sort
of commercial purpose.
Oil extracted from human bodies was
also placed upon The market and sold
Since those days the process has nat
rally become much rareT, but Dibdin re-
lates how al a comparatively recent date
a collector. possessed a treatise on sport
bound in stays skin; copy of Fox 5
History Of JameE II, bound in foX's
skin, and a book on anatomy bound in
human skin. II 1887 the narrative Of the
adventures Of q highwayman was bound
in his own skin at Boston, Mass. with
the inscription in Latin outside. This
book was bound in the skin of Walton"
The Washington times., 1903-04-26

in this building. and it is still in daily
use, while the early government build
ings of jamestown, New York and Bos-
ton have long since passed away.
Palace may seem q grandoise term
for building of such modest appear
ance, but it was a palace when It was
built. It's adobe walls are four CT five
feet thick, and it has suite after suite
of rooms stretching through It's great
length. In one of these the latter part
of the famous book, Ben Hur'' was
written, its author, Lew Wallace. being
then Territorial governor. In a letter
on the subject General Wallace tells how
he used 10 go into this rear room TO
write. because, separated from the noises
OF the street by its thick adobe walls
The Washington times., 1903-04-26

The Governors Palace" which
bounds one side of the plaza in the
center Of the old town of Santa Fe. IS
the Oldest building in the United States
which has been continuously used as the
seat of government since its erection.
First the viceroys of the King of Spain
lived there for many years, when New
Mexico was crown colony Of Spain
When Spain was driven out it became a
province Of Mexico, and the Mexican
governors lived there. And sine. New
Mexico became an American Territory
in 1850, the Territorial governors have
lived there. Since 1889 the executive
power of New Mexico has been lodged
The Washington times., 1903-04-26

sun beats down with fiery intenseness.
these men wear only an Old straw or felt
hat, and a pair OF trousers, girded
around the waist with piece Of cord
OF strip OF leather. The sun cannot
hurt their dark, weIl-taEned, weather.
beaten skins. and a shirt would be too
warm. However. when winter comes on,
and the thermometer sometimes goes
down to IS degrees, they always wear
wooden shirt tucked into the trousers
IN order 10 keep out the moist and cool
air, for that IS cold weather Tor them.
When the sun gets high IN the sky
and the fish bite no longer. the caEaes
make. their way back 70 the landing at
La Guayre, coming in in twos ana threes
at a rapid pace. and often racing with
each other for q haIf-uniIe or more. JUST
before reaching the xharf the fishing
lines are hauled in most OF the fisher
men preferTing the method OF sitting
with the left foot across the right knee.
and coiliDg UP the line around tie big
toe ana the thumb Of the left hand.
The Washington times., 1903-04-26
MARCHING PLANTS.

Several years ago attention was called
to the fact that the Eastern plants Of
America were Nmarching westward across
the continent, keeping step with the ad-
ing the native plants as they proceeded.
It was predicted that in time there
would be a return OF the Western plants
sweeping eastward and overcoming their
coaouerors- and it is noted that that re
turn seems already to have begun.
At present Australia presents. per-
haps, the best example Of this spread
ing and conquering tendency of those
The Washington times., 1903-04-26

Cats in Warsaw have not a very. easy
time at present. and for the reason that
their skins are in greater demand than
they have ever been before. Some en-
teTpTising fuTricrs Of that city, it is
said recently discovered that the skins
Of cats could be dyed 50 that they
would closely resemble costly furs, and
being determined to profit by the discov-
cry, they waged a campaign against cats
and soon secured a large number of
skins. The market price Of a eats skin
ranges now from ten to fifteen cents.
but it will soon be much higher, as it is
becoming daily mere difficult to catch
any cats in Warsaw. In regard to the
dyed skins, a Vienna journal says that
they have been paImed on on many per-
sons as valuable fur.
The Washington times., 1903-04-26
our. OLDEST GOVERNMENT BUILDING.

it was silent IS the tomb; and how the
room will always, be associated in his
mind with the scenes of the Cruci1xion,
the description of which he wrote there.
Once in the early days Of the Spanish
occupation there was general up
rising of the Indians of New Mexico.
The Spanish were driven out, and the
Pueblo chiefs installed themselves in
the governors palace. But they had
been used to living in houses without
doors and entered through q hole IN
the roof. So they cut a hole through
the roof of the old palace, and went
in and out by ladders, and the place
where the hole was blocked up after the
Spanish came back can be seen 10 this
dav
The Washington times., 1903-04-26

The church Of san MigueI, at Santa
Fe, is claimed by New MezieaBs 20 be
the Oldest in the United States. There
is much dispute over the exact date OF
its erection, but il was certainly built
between 2G0 and 300 years ago by the
first Indian converts. under the direction
OF the Spanish padres-some say as long
ago as 1915. Inside ID is like q vault.
black and cTumblinE with cracked
adobe walls and roof. and gallery
whose woodwork still shows traces Of
the figures painted there by the Indians
designs like those they pat upon their
pottery today.
But the most interesting thing in San
Miguel is the Old bell ST Joseph. Black
with age, it looks like mass Of old
The Washington times., 1903-04-26

plants that follow the advance OF
man The weeds that have found their
way from Europe 10 Australia are
crowding out the native weeds IN many
places and especially IL the more fertile
lands In some of The more rocky soils
the native plants have the advantage il
the contest
ed plants. particularly ornamental gar
den varieties, cling to the nsighborhood
OF 5heIr human friends as II they felt
themselves 10 be strangers, in a strange
land, needing protection.
The Washington times., 1903-04-26

iron in its dim recesses. But strike 1t
and il gives forth a mellow note of sill
very cleaTness. echOing with marvellous
sweetness through the vaUlt-like old
church The quality Of the bell metal
makes the richness Of the note, and
there is q tradition that il was made OF
the gold and silver ornaments of the
Spanish as thank Offering for a vic
tory over the MoOrs.
AT any rate, the old Spanish padres
brought the bell already ancient, across
the seas from Spain. and over noun
taius and plateaus from Mexico. The
Moors are gone SPANS great empire of
the West has vanished, and stjH the old
bell stands there, older than American
The Washington times., 1903-04-26

The accompanying picture IS that Of
Redmond P. Keresy, a member OF the
mounted police, New York, and his in
sepaTable companion. Pompey- The lat
teT's accomplishments are many and
varied He shakes hands with debOnair
grace, responds affirmatiYely or mega
lively as the case may be. 10 pressing
inquiries as to the state of his health.
puts many a student of mathematics to
The Washington times., 1903-04-26
Musical AutOn1aton.

This automaton belonged to P T. Bar
mum at the time when his New York
museum burned. 1t was saved from the
wreck and later secured by Mr.. Fred
erick Stearns for his collection of mu-
The Washington times., 1903-04-26

T. Is hard to tell what is real and
what is bogus nowadays. Anybody would
naturally suppose that this was a lucky
snapshot Of a pair OF wild ducks, taken
from the bank of a stream But the
The Washington times., 1903-04-26
AN ORNITHOLOGICAL FAKE.

fact is that. though the stream is real.
the ducks are stuffed. They were put
on the rock in midstream for the pur-
pose of photogTaphing them, and that
is why the picture Is such a good one.
The Washington times., 1903-04-26

steal instruments, and is now in the
University School of Music, Ann Arbor,
Mich.
It's essential parts are a bellows Tor
producing the wind. a drum for oper-
ating the levers connected with the fin
gers. and another governing lever which
sways the body to and fro When in
successful operation it IS d weird sight.
The Washington times., 1903-04-26

IN the past twenty years the receipts
of the United States PostofFice have in
creased from $40, coo TO over $125.-
0O0.0
The Washington times., 1903-04-26

It was not n snap. but a time expo
sure.
The distance between the knots on a
log line is 80 75-I20 feet
The Washington times., 1903-07-04

ter in far-off Oregon, learned his les
sons we do not know. It is probable
that he was a herder or ranch hand
whose life has been one Of hardship
and danger, and to whom a horses
back was second nature He was ac-
eustomed TO quick thought and was
purposeful as well, and when the
seething waters of the flood threaten
ed to overwhelm him he did not
take to the hills ike some Of the soft
er folk who left wives and families
tc perish while they escaped, but,
putting spur to horse, he rode head
long through the dark and warned
the people Of Lexington, nine miles
below, Of danger.
And So he is a hero. We cannot
all be like Leslie Matlock, but it is in
the power Of any man to 90 to school
to danger and to train himself so
that if the crisis ever comes-God
forbid it should come to most of US
he viii rise to the occasion as Leslie
Matlock did.
The Washington times., 1903-07-04
The Example of History.

In fact, one could go through all the
annals OF the monarchical history of
Europe in order to furnish proof that
when rulers are betrayed II is usually
by their most trusted courtiers, just the
very men, IN fact, on whose fidelity and
devotion they believed that they could
place the most implicit reliance 1t is
merely necessary TO point out that in all
these conspiraeies against sovereigns, es-
pecially those that have been attended by
violence, they have always been assisted
and abetted by betrayal from within,
on the part OF those officers upon whom
the victim of the plot looked for pro-
lection and defense
Thus. in the tragedy at Belgrade, the
chief traitor was undoubtedly Colonel
Naomovitch. upon whose gratitude King
Alexander believed ne could depend
because at a moment when the colonel
was about to be court -martialed for the
embezzlement Of regimental funds, which
he had squandered at the card table. the
young King had quietly from his own
The Washington times., 1903-07-04
IN THE SoRBoNNE CHAPEL.

Although stern edict has gone forth
TO no longer bottle UP the new wine OF
science and letters in the old reccpta-
Gle OF Richelieu. even official iconoclasts
have spared the familiar dome which
covers the great cardinals tomb. The
new SOrbonne. however elaborate. would
hardly be the Sorbonne at all without
RieheIieus splendid chapel as its heart
Students and professors no longer have
TO bow before the altar and no Sorbonne
doctors fill the pulpit; but who so
chooses can enter. and either find SER
vice or at least view the beautiful sar-
cophagus beneath which lies the dust OF
the great Armand Jean du Plessis him
self. in the midst of the institution he
builded anew, lavishing the millions OF
his private fortune thereon, and even
mortgaging the estate of his heirs.
Above the tomb has in recent years been
suspended his carefully preserved cardi-
nails hat, while the head itself saw
agely severed when the tomb was vio-
lated IN 1898. has also been miracu-
lousy recovered and replaced on the
embalmed remains. Even the tomb it
self was carted away and kept for many
years at the museum.-Edmund r.
Spearman in Scribner's.
The Washington times., 1903-07-04
Archduke sells His Iron works.

Archduke Frederick of Austria. the
eldest brother OF Queen Christiana Of
Spain, has just concluded the sale Of his
vast iron works in upper Silesia, to
syndicate composed OF the National Bank
Of Germany, and the concern known by
the name Of the "Friedenshutte," in
Silesia. The price which the Archduke
is receiving amounts to the vast sum Of
1s.000.0 900. which will go to still further
swell the fortune of this the richest of
the members of the reigning house of
Austria.
The archduke, who is regarded at Ber-
lin as the most capable commander of
the Austrian army, and who would be
likely TO be invested with the supreme
command thereof in the event OF any war
during the lifetime OF the present En-
peror, IS to receive early in September
the German Emperor at Belize, his ia
nous sporting estate, where there is
some of the finest shooting in all Europe.
The Kaiser will avail himself of the
occasion to visit Vienna. where ne has
not made any stay for several years
past. Indeed, the last time that he was
there he merely passed through the city
on his way to the Holy Land without
seeing Emperor Francis Joseph or any
member of the Austrian imperial family.
The Washington times., 1903-07-04
The Appointment of Mr.. Fitch
"a Representative Business Man" With
Great Opportunities.

In the appointment of James +.
Fitch as a member of the Board of
Education the Commissioners have Sc
cured what they were after-"a rep
resentative business man." Whether
or not Mr.. Fitch Is anything else. in
addition to being "a representative
business man" remains to be seen. If
he Is a pedagogue, or hes given
serious study at any time to educa-
tional matters, the fact, certainly, has
escaped US.
But we find no fault with the APP
pOintment. We should not care too
much for the past. 1t is results that
are wanted. And Mr.. Fitch may,
after all, be the man to produce them.
Who knows7
Meanwhile we submit to his prayer
ful consideration the urgent necessity
that exists for his future colleagues
on the board to spend part of their
vacation in attendance upon some
good night school or seek private In
struction in the correct use Of the
English language. II would be
humiliating, in our opinion, were Mr..
Fitch called upon to sign so remark
able a document as the resolutions.
complimentary to his predecessor,
passed by a few Of the members of
the board the other day. 1t is not too
much, we think, to expect that mem
bers of a board of education should
set a good example to youth in an
idiomatic use of the mother tongue.
II they do not, what influence, we
ask, can their direction of school af-
fairs have upon those whose education
they have so kindly consented to take
IL hand?
We have no doubt that Mr.. Fitch
being "a representative business man"
will make members Of the board
''toe the mark" hereafter.
The Washington times., 1903-07-04
LOubet's Visit to England.

President Loubet leaves Paris the day
after tomorrow morning at o'clock for
his visit to England. and viii cross from
Boulogne- -Mer to Dover. escorted by
some of the finest battleships of the
North Atlantic Squadron He will be re-
ceived at Dover by the Duke Of Con-
naught, and at Victoria Station in Lon
don at 4;9O in the afternoon by King Ed
ward, who VIII accompany him to St.
James Palace, where throughout his stay
he VIII occupy those apartments which
until a few weeks ago were the home OF
the Prince and the Princess of Wales. At
o'clock in the evening King Edward
gives grand state banquet. followed by
a state concert in honor of the President
The latter will be accompanied by his
minister of foreign affairs, NJ. Delcasse,
and by half dozen members of his mil
itary and civil household
The Washington times., 1903-07-04
The Field of Politics.
Statehood Fight.

When the matter of Statehood is taken
up again in the FiJy-eighth Congress.
az IL Is almost certain 20 be, it is prob
able that an effort will be made from the
start to have Oklahoma and Indian Ter
ritory admitted as one State. Sentiment
in both Territories is said to be tending
strongly in that direction, as is shown
by the recent Statehood conventions
which, have been held at Muskogee,
Claremore, Oklahoma City, and Shawnee.
The meeting at the last named place re-
Gently held was the largest in point Of
numbers and enthusiasm which has oc-
CURED in either Territory.
The Democrats of both Territories have
taken the lead In advocating Joint State
hood, and the Republicans are said to be
indorsing the plan as a more promising
way of gaining admission than by max
ing the fight Independently. II ought not
TO be difficult task TO adjust the mat
ter Of school lands and other questions,
so that Oklahoma and Indian Territory
might be admitted as one State at once
They are about equal in area and popu-
lation. and together would constitute a
bright star in the constellation OF Amer
lean Commemorative.
The Washington times., 1903-07-04

crime may occur. 1t now remains to
decide whether, as a civilized people,
we are prepared to revive the fortunes
Of the Iroquois and the custom of
burning at the stake. If public opin-
ion supports this view, lynehings after
the manner of the Wilmington affair
may, and probably will, be a common
feature of our national life. The
point in question is, Do we want them
to BET 1t is not a race question or a
color question. 1t Is a problem of law
and order. Crimes of the sort lately
punished in this way are not com
nitted by the negro alone. Is public
Indignation against a vile criminal to
be held sufficient warrant for burning
him alive, or is il not2
There is no use in being sentimental
about this thing. The fate of the
criminal does not really matter so
much as the effect on the public. In
nccent people are burned alive in rail
way wrecks and other accidents. 1t is
improbable that the horror of such an
event makes much impression on the
minds Of men degraded and vicious
enough to commit similar crimes.
The effect on the persons who actively
or tacitly join in this vengeance I'M
sanctioned by law is the main thing
t. be considered. 1t is for the
thoughtful and far-seeing people of
this country to decide whether that eff
feet is likely in the end to be good or
evil.