davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18
DIES SUDDENLY.
Well Known Abba Man Passes AWAY,
This Morning.

Abba, June 17.-Elmer ,Skeans died sud-
denly this morning at $50 o'clock, of "a
succession of hemorrhnges, after an illness!
of only twenty-four hours. He was about
42 years old. He leaves a wife and ond
child, daughter. Mr.. Skean had been liz,
the grocery business In Abba for about
twenty years, in which business he was
most successful.
The remains Of Andrew Early (eolOredy
who died at his home in Des Moines' a few
days ago. We're brought to Abba yesterday
morning and inferred In Oak View ceme-s
terry, Mr.. Early was about 30 years old,
and was born In Abba, where bis boyhood
was spent. He is survived by his father
and mother and several brothers
Mr. and Mrs. John W. II. Griffin departed
this morning for Melville, No, where they
will visit their son, Dr. John M. Griffin,
and family. They will also visit relatives
Fand friends at their old home, in Rich.
mond, No., and other nearby towns, for Il
week or ten days.
VIM. r. Kester Is convaescing from a
few days severe illness.
The little son of Mr.. and Mrs. VIM q.
Woods is quite i'll.
Perry Snavey returned yesterday from
Kirksville, Mo-, where he has been attend
ing the school of osteopafhy.
jonathan Hartsuck has been i'll at the
home of his daughter, Mrs Il. Il. Paullin,
for the past few days.
Elmer Loeb, who has baen attending n
military academy at Germantown, Ohio re-
turned home yesterday for his summer va
cation.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18
HOW HE MADE FITS wAY,

We came across a young man TWEEN
ty-fiye years of age the other day
whose story is worth telling. He was
a Swede and came to this country only
seven years ago with no money or
friends and only a limited education
such as he could get in the common
schools of his native country. Upon
arriving in Chicago he secured employ
ment with big manufacturing con-
Germ as a common laborer. When we
met him the other day he was filling
the important position of a travelling
superintendent for the company and
drawing a salary of $1,5a0 year and
his expenses. How did he do it? Well,
the presumption is that he attended
strictly to his employers business, did
his level best and made himself indis.
pensable to them. That's the way in
which the boys climb up. We know
another young fellow, who had far bet
ter advantages, who in seven years has
learned nothing but how to play pool
and poker and is not worth shucks and
never will be. You can take your
choice, boys.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18
MARKET CONDITIONS STRONG.

The, refusal of banking interests to
support questionable schemes is sug-
gested by Henry Clews in his weekly
review of financial conditions, as the
reason for the continued liquidation
that has been experienced. In conse-
quence' many underwriting operations
recently organized have been closed
and heavy capitalists may have taken
advantage of the situation to further
Important financial operations. Wheth-
er these theories are correct it is evil
dent that the market has suffered
largely under a severe reaction from
the speculative mania Of the past two
years and good stocks have been sold
to protect weaklings.
The crop, labor and money situation
is at present encouraging and seem to
furnish no cause for such fall as has
recently been experienced Good rail-
road stocks in large numbers are now
on five per cent basis, compared with
four per cent of year ago, and this at
o. time when dividends are not likely
to be decreased, but in some instances
there are prospects for larger returns.
Unreasonable optimism has given way
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18
JOINS RIGGS, FORCES.

AS the date for the republican state
convention opens interest in the con-
test fnr state superintendent of public
instruction increases. In the sixth dis
I tsiea the republicans are rapidly COM
Ing to the support of John f. Riggs,
ri ssigaurney. Wapello. Mahaska and
Keallnk counties, the original Riggs
supporters, have been Joined by Mon
roe and Davis. Saturday at conven-
tions held in Abba and Bloomfield the
Republicans of those counties adopted
ringing resolutions endorsing Mr..
Rigs, and it Gees not seem improba-
BILE s,sat when the time for the state
cony 3ntien arrives the sixth district
will go nn to the convention with a sol
i'd delegation fer Riggs candidacy.
Among the republicans of Mt
Pleasant and Henry county the Riggs
candidacy is meeting with great favor
! and it seems settled that this county
! will so solidly FOR their former fellow
townsrnan Among the republicans of
Henry county. who are familiar with
conditions, it is believed that their del
eaation will be supported in their
espousal OF Riggs for superintendent
by practically the entire delegation
from the first district.
From the present outlook it would
seem that almost the entire southern
portion of the state will so up to the
convention in favor of Mr., Riggs. The
sentiment in Union county is known to
be largely in favor of his candidacy
and a like feeling is believed to pre-
vail in many other counties OF the
eighth district. With such support al
the opening of the convention Mr.
Riggs will at once take a prominent
place in the race for the nomination
and whatever is the final decision OF
the convention it is safe to predict that
the Riggs forces will have therein al
important voice.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18
WHAT THE BLACK MAN WEEDS.


I During recent trip south we had q
fine chance to look over several of the
southern cities during a trolley ride.
In all these cities there was the negro
section where the colored brother lives
and propagates. The homes of these
people were generally of very primi-
tive character, and one thing we spe-
cially noted-while the white men of
the towns had their gardens made and
all sorts of garden stuff up and look
ing fine it was rare to find that the
colored man had made any attempt at
gardening at all, the yard of his lot be-
ing bare of vegetation and wholly I'M
inviting. A world of good could be
done by instructing these people along
this line how to care for the soil and
use it to help them to live. Wherever
we came across the home of a foreign
era German, Scandinavian or English
mamie had not only vegetables, but
all kinds of fruits and flowers in his
garden, no matter how humble his
home might be. When the colored man
learns how to use the soil and the eli
mate of the south as he may and
should, the question of his place in So
ciety will be largely solved.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18
VACATION ON THE FARM.


Red Oak Express: Send the town
boy to the country to spend vacation
1t will do him good. Send him, we say,
if you can get any one to take him for
whatever he may be worth. A town
boy on the farm is usually rather new
at the business of carrying milk in
pals, wedding the tomato patch, or
feeding calf out of a two-gallon buck
ct, and, consequently, isn't very val
liable assistant to the average farmer,
but if 1t is possible for him to earn
only his bread and butter, send him
along.
Vacation days in town are the dull
est things in the world to the average
town boy. Three months on the farm
would be revelation to him. There
are ten thousand things to be learned
in a summer on the farm that would
be useful material in building up the
education of the boy. Besides, the
work will do him good. No one ever
stayed on farm very long without get
ting into some pretty hard jobs of work
and the sooner that boy learns to
tackle real work the better 1t will be
for him. Not too much work Of course.
but enough to make him relish the play
hours.
The air of the country will be lung
tonic to the town boy. climbing the
hills will be liver inyigorator, the
rays OF summer sun will sive his
cheeks a ruddy brown, and three
months only spent far from the mad
ding crowd" will fill his mind with
thoughts that cannot we'll be other
than pure and wholesome.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18
Deafness Can Not Be Cured.

by local applications, as they cannot reach
the diseased portion of the ear. There is
only one way to cure deafness, and that is
by constitutional remedies. Deafness Is.
caused by an infiamed condition of the.
mucous lining of the Eustachan Tube
When this tube gets intiamed YOU have a
rnmbling sound or imperfect hearing. and
when it is entirely closed deafness is the
result, and unless the Inflammation cam
be taken out and this tube restored to it's
normal condition, hearing will be destroyed
forever nine cases out of ten are caused
by catarrh, which is nothing but an in
famed condition of the mucous surfaces
We will give One Hundred Dollars for
any case of Deafness Caused by catarrh
that cannot be cured by Halls Catarrh
Cure. Send for circulars free.
#. ]. CHENEY & Co., Toledo, o.
Sold by druggists, 75c.
Halls Family Pills are the best.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18

\
At Webster City the Commercial
league has secured the establishment
of a skate factory.
The Bloomfield Opera House Co.,
will erect building.
At La Forte, the Maccabees and the
K. P. propose to form a stock company
for the erection of a $4,000 lodge
building.
At Fort Dodge, Co. G., will work to
secure the erection of a new armory.
Business blocks are projected as fol-
lows:
j. w. Squire, Council Bluffs.
G. w. Wright and Elwood Macon-
Der, East Peru.
T.. J. Johnson, Exline
Robinson Bros, Hampton.
Hummer Merchantile Co., Iowa City.
r. E. Mosley, Lake City.
G. w. Alderman, Oskaloosa.
G. e. Sibert, Renbeck.
Alderman Cathcart, Sioux City
A. M. Hammond, West Bend.
The Slater Mutual Telephone coma.
pany has been Incorporated with $10,.
600 capital.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18
SHAW AS A PRIVATE CITIZEN.

Denison Bulletin: 1t struck one as
rather disjointing the eternal fitness of
things when few common men, local
citizens, had to hold meeting and dis
scuss and argue details when there was
"a man present who sits every week at
the table with the head of the nation
who is third in rank among those
who direct the affairs OF this, the great
est nation on the globe. and who ought
to be able to point out and decide ev
erything in such a council without
question of the right or wrong of it
But big as he is in national councils
Mr.. Shaw wasAneither big enough nor
did he try to handle or settle the ques-
lions arising in this meeting. He gave
his views and adyice-when there were
too many others trying to talk all at
the same time-took back and adj
vanced suggestions as to the handling
of the President and his party, and
then listened while the meeting settled
its own problems and adjourned as
though there was no member of the
most important cabinet on earth pres
emit
This is America and Secretary Shaw
is an American. This is the country
where common men are elevated to un
common positions and are then honor
ed and respected in those positions
But it is also the country where al
men must be common and understand
that as good and great men as may
be in political councils and as great as
they may become in public preferment
there are always others as great ani
good growing up and who can fill The
same places when they are called
There is no divine right or fortune o.
birth about 1t. 1t is the democrac,
OF government, and every man is soy
ereign.
This is why Secretary Shaw of thu
national treasury, who rules more mel
and money than many of the king
and princes OF the old world, sat in /
common chair in a common way ant
listened with common respect to thu
common discussions of common com
| mittee meeting, whose determination
amounted to about as much as tn,
| chirp of frog to thelfiow of the oceal
! compared with the problems and dis
cussions the secretary is called upol
| to hear and weigh in his official dutie
| at Washington.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18
IOWA CROP CONDITIONS.

Crop prospects in Iowa are by NO
mems as discouraging as the excessive
rains and floods of the past few weeks
would naturally seem to indicate. Re
ports of crop conditions have been
received from all parts of the state by
Director j. R. Sage, of the Iowa wealth
er-erop service, and compiled for distri-
button through the state. These re-
ports were generally mailed about May
~ and rs, when conditions were the
most depressing, but a review of their
contents gives renewed encourage
ment
The showing as to acreage, when
compared with last year, is much bet
ter than expected, considering the adj
verse weather conditions during the
seeding and planting season. With the
exception of corn, the rating of acreage
is as follows:
Winter wheat, SO per cent; spring
wheat, S.; oats, 90; barley, so; rye, 50;
meadpMs, 101; potatoes, "a; flax, 81.
Not only is the question of acreage
of interest, but the advancement of the
crops are OF Importance. Conditions
this year are rated as follows:
Winter wheat, Sc; spring wheat, 80;
corr. already planted, 75 oats, SO;
barley, Sc; rye, "a; meadows, 1903; pas
lures, l07; flax, 81; potatoes, 81; ap
pies. 10; plums, So; peaches, 40; cher
ries. IS; grapes, 70; strawberries, 80;
blaekberries, 90; raspberries, IS.
LAST year at corresponding date con
ditipais were rated as follows: Corn
9T; tper cent; wheat, 80; oats, 9S; bar
sleySi100; rye. SO; flax, IS; potatoes
1913; meadows. 96; apples, 40; plums
ries, 80; raspberries, n; blackberries
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18
FOR GOLD IN WASHINGTON.
Anti-kansas City Democrats Control
County Convention.

Washington, June 15.--The demo.
cratic county convention was held iii
this city Saturday afternoon and was
one of the bitterest and most outspo-
ken fights ever witnessed in any con.
yention in this county. There has
been some little friction here for some
time and last fall the two factions,
those opposed to the Kansas City plat.
form and those in favor of the same.
clashed to some extent but it did not
amount to much. A few months ago
the areorganizers," headed by Attor.
ney P. ]. Hanley, organized the "Jeffer.
sonian club" the main object of which
was to fight for the reorganization of
the democratic platform and for the
insertion of the 16 to 1 plank, and to
oppose candidates for county office on
the democratic ticket not wholly in ac.
cord with their views. Saturday this
club scattered printed bulletins all over
the business district which read: "The
Truth-The reputation of the Kansas
City platform last year at Des Moines
cost Washington county 800 democratic
votes. Will you repudiate it again thia
year?'
The county convention was held In
Smouse's hall to name delegates to the
state convention The delegates are
A. N. Alberson, George Griffith, g. G,
Greenwood, IL. j. Bidwell, ]. Il.
Downs, Samuel Kellogg, John Hill
house, G. M. Keck and John A, Eli,
cher.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18

to universal caution so that the change
cannot be attributed to sentiment
alone.
After speaking of the purely specu-
,, lative situation Henry Clews says:
The market conditions have certain
ly been improved by the recent liquid
alton
THE two most adverse features in
the general situation are the crop out
look and labor difficulties AS for the
crops, the worst that can be said about
them is that they are late and condi-
ton correspondingly poor One thing
we are sure of, and that is good
wheat crop and good prices for the
same. For corn, the outlook is any
thing but satisfactory, though favor
able weather during the next two
months would do much TO offset back
ward conditions. Cotton is also late
and in poor condition, but the latter
has probably been exaggerated, while
acreage shows considerable Increase
| moreover, the probability Of high
prices continuing until reserves begin
to grow again means season Of ex-
ceptional prosperity to southern pl;snt
erS.
THE labor situation also seems to
have reached q climax. Strikes are
! on the decline, and indications are, that
under more careful and prudent leader
ship labor in the future will avoid some
| OF the mistakes OF the past The most
interesting question in this respect, is
how will business and industry stand
the new tax imposed by higher wagesr2
| 1t is quite certain that costs OF produc-
ton have been considerably increased
by higher wages and the short hours
| now in force. This means continued
high prices for; all manufactured ar
! ticles and possibly still further adj
vances il mills and factories cannot
obtain adequate profits for present
conditions. Will consumers pay high
er prices or has the limit of their
buying power at this level been reach
| ed? In many cases it has been reach
| ed, and consumers are consequently
obliged to either buy less or seek sub
stitutes. Organized labor, though ex-
! ceptionally well paid, forms only q por-
ton of the entire. population, and good
| many laboring men have impaired
| their purchasing power by strikes and
self-imposed idleness"
Altogether there is reason for hope
! fulness in these. respects though there
| is good ground for continued caution
in transactions. In merchantile lines
lit seems apparent that conservative
| course will be pursued pending the de
| velopments Of the next few months in
the crop, financial and labor fields.
Though stocks have passed into strong
hands and the situation is safer than
| for the past twelve months, continu-
alton of caution will doubtless belound
advisable ~
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18
CONCERNING ALFALFA.

The following conclusions have been
arrived at as a result of series of ex-
periments with alfalfa at the Minneso-
ia experiment station:
First.-A variety of alfalfa has been
grown in Minnesota for forty years
and has proved to be perfectly hardy
wherever tried
Second.-Alfalfa produced in Mime
sofa contains more protein than red
clover and has a greater feeding value
than wheat bran.
Third.-Aifalfa hay contains large
amounts Of the most valuable fertiliz-
ing materials and when fed on the
farm the fertility of the soil is in
creased.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18

A friend of ours had only been mar
ried short time and had taken town
girl to his farm home for bride. In
the spring, just as the little pigs were
coming, 1t became necessary in order
to save their lives, owing to the bitter
cold weather, to carry them into the
house and warm them up. While so
engaged some of the wife's town lady
friends drove up to make a call, and
the pigs were hustled from the kitchen
into the bedroom. The callers stayed,
and the pigs got cold and squealed,
when there was nothing to be done but
let the cat out of the bag, or, rather,
the pigs out of the bedroom.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18
THE WEST 1NDEpENpENT.

Ten years ago the west was largely
dependent upon the east for the capital
needed for moving and handling crops,
for farm loans and the financing of
all municipal Enterprises aterworks,
electric light plants, school buildings
and the like. This condition no longer
exists. The west now has its own
money and no small surplus besides
what is needed for the purposes men
toned, which seeks the money centers
of the east for Investment at a low
rate Of interest. The west has grown
immensely wealthy during the past
six years. Seven cent beef and pork
can almost do the work of an Aladdin's
lamp in the creation of wealth.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18
HUMUs IN Souls.

When a Soil becomes deficient in hui
mus it will become sticky in a wet
time and baked in Jumps in dry
time and is thus hard to get in what is
termed good tilth-- mellow, workable
and in that condition where the plant
food it contains is available for the
crop. Theeroots of the grasses restore
this humus; SO will the decaying leaves
of trees if the land is planted with
timber, or green crops may be plowed
under or the land well fortified with
stable manure. Glover does a fine work
in this line, and if a good growth of
clover is plowed under it will be one
of the cheapest and very best ways of
remedying this lack of humus in the
soil.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18

He called at the farmers house,
praised his crop and his stock and his
children, with the result that he got
the granger's name signed to an order
for twenty dollar map or atlas of
some sort. When he came to deliver
the book the farmers wife, muscular
female, went for the little sandy haired
agent with poker and made him can
Gel the order. When the old man came
home to supper there was family,
scene which we are prevented from
properly describing in these notes and
can only say that the old man looked
tired whom he went to bed.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18
THE EXTRA. woRk Pave.

1t always pays to put a little extra
work on the cornfield in preparing the
seed bed. An extra disking and drag
ging, the finely pulverizing and the lev
cling of the seed bed will insure bet
ter job of planting and a more uniform
stand of corn, and we are very much
of the opinion that where it can be
done the field should never be let alone
single day after planting up to the
time the corn is showing up, continued
dragging with a light harrow at this
time killing more weeds than can be
done by any other method,
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18

Along the bottom lands of the Brazos
and Arkansas rivers the cotton stalks
grow SO large that it is almost as much
work to clear the land for new crop
as it would be to clear it OF hazel
brush
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18

If no man asked or could get credit
and all paid spot cash what nice old
world this would be to do business in.
While such a system would be hard on
some. the people as whole, would be
better off
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18

II it were only practicable 1t would
be a good idea to make every owner
of harm responsible iIor the condition
of ,thea highwaysvbor desing fhis land.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18

The NKansas experiment; station has
reakzedN 1.90 per acre from rape pas
ture and $24.10 from alfalfa pasture
when fedNto hogs intconnection with a
light feed Of grain.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18

The shrike or'butcher bird was quick
to note the availability of the barbed
wire fence as just the place for him to
lmpale his victims upon.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18

1t is now asaid tliasa the oleo fellows
are colorang their product with the
yolks of eggs. sThey sare bound to get
that steer butter into the gizzards of
the American people somehow.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18

If the public highways did not border
every mans farm and were confined to
few leading thoroughfares through a
county it would be easier to get good
work done on such roads. Some men
are SO narrow and selfish that if any
money is paid by them for such pur-
pose they want it applied on the high
way in front of their lands even if
three teams did not travel the road
The main Travelled roads should be first
put in good shape; then when this is
done the byroads can receive atten-
ton.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18

Whenwe note how useful an animal
the mulesis we sometimes wonder why
he was not made in Sthe, first place in
Stead of a jackass.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-06-18

One of the best ways to tget rid of
quack grass is to seed the field down
with clover and give it good coat Of
fertilizer. The clover will then grow
SO dense and heavy that it.will choke
the quack grass out.