davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-19
New York Press.

when the B., B. & A., w. was
opened thru the PENNSYLVANIA hem
lock belt" said the grizzled railroad
man. 1T was about the only thing
that had been opened thru there then.
train that made the round trip Of the
road I resigned at once. A job on a
railroad where you have to stop every
little while to either capture bear
or kill a catamount and where you
We're apt to be attacked right in your
cab by some fierce denizen of that
cheerful region wasn't just the Kind
of job I was looking for, and one
trip was enough for me. 1t only COW
cred a distance of about thirty miles,
that trip did, but while making it we
gathered in three bears-one of them
salive-two catamounts and the big
gest. and most ferocious bald eagle
ever seen in that or any other local.
ity. Besides, we had a race with an
other catamount, saw two more bears
and chased a big buck deer more than
a. mile before it escaped by. taking a
most tremendous leap across a ravine
forty feet wide and eighty feet deep.
SO That first train over the B.. B. &
"A. w. was a mixed train, and re-
member very we'll there was a car
load of calves in it. on the down trip.
We hadn't gone more than three
miles into the woods when my fire
man touched me on the arm and
pointed toward big hemlock tree
at One side of the road. | looked. and
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-19
WILD ANIMALS WHO TRIED
TO BITE THE TOOTY CARS
Crew the First Freight Mixed Up With
Most Ferocou Incidents Ralroadng
in Pennsylvania.

saw peering from behind the tree a.
huge bear, his head and shoulders
being in sight. After we had passed
by the tree. some distance I looked
back. :. The bear had come out and
was standing on his launches in the
middle Of the track, gazing down the
road after us.
I'VE had hardly got over the excite
ment caused by the bears curious
scrutiny after us when a big cata-
mount came bounding thru the, trees
from somewhere in the woods and
raced along with the train, leaping
from tree to tree, and sometimes get
ing several rods ahead of us, altho we
were running fifteen miles an hour
easy Whenever the wild cat got
ahead of us in this way, it would stop
and crouch on a limb and glare at
us as we came along,-a If it intended
to spring upon us. 1t kept along, with
nus for two miles, and then bounded
away into the woods and disappeared.
Whether it was the same cata-
mount that met us three miles farther
on, in company with a, mate, and
boldly boarded the train, can't say,
but it is likely that it was. Whether
lit was or not when we were going up
the steep grade known as Snow. Hill,
and were necessarily running slow,
heard a great commotion among the
calves In the cattle car which was
the second car back of the engine.
I leaned out of the cab window and
saw. a catamount clinging to one side
| of the car. and trying to draw itself
into it between the stats. but the open
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-19
For The journal, by Juan OtaIora.

The man came. After dinner Diaz
detained him to play billiards. Pres
emily the telephone bell rang, and the
president talked over the wire for a
few minutes. AS he hung up the re-
ceiver he turned with a smile to his
guest and said: - ,@
you may go home now. The chief
of police has just been telling me that
he has made a most successful raid
upon that saloon you are so fond of
visiting
The young mans face turned pale,
for he had no idea that Diaz knew
about his bad habits. He tried to
stammer a few words Of apology and
explanation, but the president cut him
short. -s- ". 49, ,.
Il wish to hear n o thing. Let this
be lesson to YOU. All your COM
rades have: been arrested, and they
will start at daybreak for the south
ern frontier, where they will enter
the army and probably die of disease.
If you had not been my guest tonight
you would have been among them.
Good night - - =.
The incident happened several years
ago, and Mexicans are divided as to
which of these two versions is COR
rect. Anyhow, the relative is re-
formed now. and holds a Responsible
position under the Mexican govern
ment. .<o~'.~ . - H".. IT.. :sa.
Altho Diaz has been an autocrat for
twenty-eighte years, welding absolute
sway over all the affairs of. his coun-
try he is unspOiled by. power. His
mind Is broad and his views liberal.
He is not above taking advice. or ad-
uniting that he has made a mistake.
This was shown not long ago in a
dispute which he had with one of his
'jefe politicOs,' or local commission
. vii {r.i, 4, xrr1,o 1,o Il
ruled over a. small Indian tribe for
more than eighty; years. Diaz took
the old man to task for relaxing some
Of his laws In Difference to the super
stitions and prejudices Of the Indians.
MY people would not have. en-
dured them in the shape you ordered,
the patriarch replied. There would
have been revolt. The laws were
unwise.' 4,.. ~. .t =
Diaz's face darkened and his eyes
flashed. He is not used to being
spoken to in that way.
Il, too am an INDIAN he declared,
hotly. do you think I don't know
how to rule Indians? Don't you sup
pose know them as we'll as you do?"
NO" the old man replied. you
don't know my tribe, at any rate as
well as do. L was ruling them when
you were a boy-whent you were a
baby-before you were born. How
can you know them as l know them %
Diaz considered this point Of view
for a moment; then his face cleared,
and he put his hand affectionately on
the old mans shoulder.
You are right, old father he de-
clared, and I am wrong. Do with
ruled them. wisely all my lifetime and
ruled them wisely all my life time, and
it is not for me to interfere with you
But tell me my faults and mistakes
when you see them. I wish other
people would do the same"
President Diaz is now 70 years old
but he looks little more than so. He
has always led a healthy, open. air.
vigorous life, and time has dealt light
ly with him. His eyes are bright
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-19

'',rhe eagle came right on, and the
first thing that the fireman and l knew
it had jumped into the tender and
rushed on into the cab, where, being
unable to get any further, it resumed
with us the fight it had begun with the
brakeman. The eagle fought so des-
perately with the effective weapons
it could use so WE'LL altho one Of them
was disable that in a very short time
my greasy engine clothes were hang
ing in strips about me. My fireman
retreated thru the. cab window. to the
running board at the side of the boil
er, and but for the arrival on the
scene Of the brakeman and the. fireman
I would either have,-had to desert my
post or been roundly whipped by the
eagle. BY the aid of these reinforce
ments the big and savage bird was
overcome and bound. That was Il
lucky blow of the brakeman's that
broke the eagles wing, or | think the
Infatuated bird would have cleaned
out the whole train gang.
It's good this road amt any long
err I said to my fireman after we had
recovered somewhat from the effects
of the combat with the eagle. If it
had much more Of such country to run
thru I said, the superintendent
would have to send company of
soldiers with each train to protect IT.
I'VE were within five miles of the
end of the trip, and had just round
ed Powder Horn Bend, when we came
in sight of three bears, one of them a
very large one, standing in the mid
die of the track, not five rods ahead
of us. We were running fast and l
opened the whistle for all it would do,
thinking to scare the bears off the
| track. The only effect the noise had
was to, fetch the big bear to her
launches, where she stood with open
jaws and forepaws raised awaiting
what she evidently supposed was an
attack upon her and her cubs. one of
which stood on each side of her. The
engine swept against that foolish bear
| family at the rate of twenty miles an
| hour. and when the train was stopped
the old bear was found lodged against
| the fore part of the boiler, dead, and
| one of the small bears lay twenty feet
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-19

ing was too small. I shut off steam,
grabbed the long iron poker used by
the fireman and, jumping from the
engine, ran back and dealt the wild
cat a blow that knocked it's hold par
TALLY loose. This unexpected attack
turned the catam cunts attention from
the calves to me, and the enraged
animal sprong from the car straight at
me. I met it with another whack from
the heavy poker, which stunned it.
and another blow broke it's back and
finished it.
Meanwhile the. train had stopped
and the conductor and a brakeman
came running from the rear to see
what the trouble was. Before they
reached the cattle car I made the dis
covery. of a second. catamount. which
was inside the car. 1t had broken one
Of the Stats and squeezed thru the
opening. It had already killed calf
and was making a meal from it in one
corner Of the car. The conductor had
a revolver. He put it thru the open
ing, near the catamount, which had
scarcely paid any attention to us, so
eager was it at it's feast, and fired.
- THE bullet hit the wildcat in the
head. The wounded animal screamed
turned two or three times and then
leaped toward the brakeman and me,
as we stood with our faces pressed
against the Slated side of the car,
watching the. movements of the cat.
We jumped back in time to escape
being slashed by the long, sharp claws
on. one of the animals paws, which
were thrust at US between the Stats.
The catamount fell back from the side
of the car, and the conductor fired a
second bullet into it. The animal was
tough as we'll as savage. 1t sprang
at the conductor, striking the side OF
the, car and clinging to it, trying its
best to get out at one of the narrow
openings. A third shot struck the
catamount in the throat, and this time
the tenacious beast fell back and died
The conductor carried the two dead
wildcats back to the caboose and we
started up. the hill again. Just at the
summit we came in sighttof our second
Ebeaf. IT swas perched inathe crotch OF
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-19

tors assert, however, that he would
still be a safer risk for a life insur-
ance company than most men under
sixty. ~
Most foreigners look upon sDiaz as
one of the worlds eminently success
full men, but he does not regard him
self in that light. He has done a
wonderful work in Mexico, but he
looks upon himself as a failure be-
cause, after twenty-eight years, he is
still Obliged to be an autocrat.
For many years he has tried to find
a man who could succeed him without
exposing the country to the risks of
civil war, but he has failed. He is an
autocrat under protest. There is
probably no other great despot in the
world to-day who likes his job less
than Diaz does. .,- ...---. ..- .-
Again and again he has said that
he would not consent to serve as pres
ident another term. He has told his
cabinet and the political leaders in
Mexico to find another man. They
have taken him at his word and tried
to do so, but in the end they have al
ways been obliged to come back to
Diaz and beg him to serve again.
Once Diaz persisted that he really
must retire. II am an old man and
a rich man. he told his cabinet. II
am tired of power. [ have always
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-19

the track at the end of the cut, gath
cred himself at the edge of the
chasm and shot across it as if he
were merely taking a six-foot ditch
Whatever happens on this road
now, said my fireman, as he gazed
with bullying eyes after the fleeing
deer, won't surprise me not little
bit
II was Of the same opinion then, but
changed it soon afterward The rest
Of the down trip was quiet: enough, but
coming back wesran across plenty to
keep us awake. The first thing of any
note was the bald eagle. Whatever
induced it to attack the brakeman on
top of the freight car is something 1
sOnal knowledge, but the brakeman
was a native Of that locality and he
said that he had shot the eagles mate
g. few days before he hired out to the
railroad not far from where this at
tack was made, and that there wasn't
any kind of doubt in his mind that this
eagle had recognized him as he was
passing thru on the train and had at
once pitched into him out of revenge.
Anyhow, as we were passing over
Baldy's Barren / happened to cast a
glance back over the train, and l saw
this eagle drop down from somewhere
plump onto the brakeman, almost
KNOCKING MIN OIL the car roof and the
ugliest fight ever saw was on.
The brakeman had his stout brake
stick in his hand, and with this. as
soon as he could recover his balance
after the first onslaught of the eagle
he banged and battered away at the
big bird, which returned the blows
with fierce and sometimes simultane-
Gus use Of it's beak, talons and wings
The top of the freight car, with the
train running twenty miles an hour
is not particularly desirable place
for one who has desperate fight or
his hands. and I was on the point OF
stopping the train and giving some aid
to the brakeman when the eagle came
running over the tops of the cars
leaping from one to the other, toward
the engine, screeching enough te
scare a panther. One wing was drag
sing. evidence that it was broken.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-19

clear and keen, his bearing stately" his
carriage erect, and his step that of an
alert vigorous man.
'The; first impression made by the
president" said recent American
visitor to the City of Mexico, was
that Of his strong personality. He is
above the medium size. His hair is
white and combed in semipompadour
style, showing his high, finely formed
forehead. He is blue-eyed, and his
eyes are keen. The mouth and chin
indicate determined character. The
most notable feature of the face is
it's pallor, which is like that of a
corpse f
The people of Mexico are said to be
much worried by this pallor, which is
quite new thing. But the presi-
dents, doctors say that, it is not due
to failing health, but simply to con-
finement in his office.
Until recently Diaz always took
plenty of exercise, but of late he has
only ridden or walked in the park
of the Castle of Chapultepec for a few
minutes every morning. He says he
is too busy to waste any more time
on himself.
The result Of this change in his
mode Of life is remarkable. His COM
plexion used to be brown and ruddy;
now it is like parchment. The doc
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-19

chestnut tree near the track. I gave
a sharp tOot with my whistle and
bruin came tun bling from the tree as
if he had been shot, He went shut
fling away into the woods at race horse
speed, never once looking back at the
monster that had frightened him.
1 was beginning to think that this
was "a little the liveliest railroading
that even the books had any record of,
and before we had gone mile further
I was we'll satisfied Of the fact. Just
before we got into what was called
the Long Gravel cut. q mile long, mar
row pass, with high and steep banks
on either side, a big buck deer
bounded out Of the bushes on the
track, not more than 100 feet ahead of
the engine. He stood moment in
frightened uncertainty, gazing at the
approaching train, and then turned
and leaped into the cut.
That settles his ,hash!'' exclaimed
my fireman Half mile trestle starts
right from the end of this cut, said
he, and unless that deer can trot
along over half a mile of open rail-
road ties or jump a forty-foot gulley.
it might just as we'll stand still and let
US run over him.
The road was down grade thru
the cut, and I thought that just for
| the fun of the thing I'd see how much
faster a frightened deer could travel
than railroad train, anyway, and so
1 pulled her wide open and let her
slide. I'll bet we weren't a minute
going thru that mile cut, but the deer
kept a good ten yards space between
himself and the pilot of my engine
with apparent ease.
The road took the long, high
/ trestle at the end of the cut by a
good stiff curve. at the head of Kane's
! Gulley, which was forty feet wide at
the top if it was a foot, and eighty
feet deep. If the buck attempted to
follow the open trestle he was sure
to fall between the ties to the bot
/ tom of the rayine. For him to leap
the gulley above it seemed impossi-
/ however and had possibly made all
This calculations beforehand. He quit
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-19

wv for private gain, he Gym
ically replied: -
When / think Of my
chances am surprised at
my moderation"
There is despot Of to-day who has
had far better chances Of graft" than
feven Warren Hastings, but never used
them. That man is POrf1riO Diaz, for
twenty-eight years the autocrat of
Mexico. His power over the public
treasury during that long period has
been absolute, but even his worst en-
emies do not allege that he ever
robbed his country Of cent. And
that is, indeed, remarkable In a Latin
American country. 2
When he became president, away
back in, 1875, before his principles be-
came known his relatives and friends
the government. They expected to
be allowed to plumber the. treasury in
the good, old-fashioned Mexican way,
and they were very much Disguised
when Diaz made it plain that he nei-
Their intended to loot on his own &C
count nor to allow anybody else to
do So. g.. 81 ..-. Z. .s,-.,
Since then Diaz has dealt sternly
with many Of his family and his tribe,
who, having been placed in public Of
flee. abused their trust. Many years
ago he sent one Of his cousins to
prison for peculation. The man was
an army officer. The family gath
cred around Diaz and pleaded that
dismissal from the army in disgrace
would a sufficient punishment.
"Consider,' they said, "he is Of our
family" ,,.,
The very reason he must be Sc
.verely punished" Diaz declared. eff
I do not punish my own relatives
when, they do wrong, how could pun
ish strangers? -.
Another story is told in Mexico of
how Diaz punished close relative
The young man became mixed up
with a gang Of dissolute gam blers and
political firebrands who held their
meetings in one of the lowest saloons
in the City. of Mexico. At first the
government treated the gang with
such a center Of mischief that Diaz
ordered the chief Of police to raid the
saloon, arrest everybody found there,
and sent them to the frontier to fight
in the army then campaigning against
the Yaqui Indians.
About midnight Diaz was sum-
moned from his bed by the ringing
of his telephone bell. The chief Of
police was at the other end of the
wire 49,. ..r
Y our Notwithstanding the man
twas at the saloon with the 9TH
ers'' he said, land he was arrested
by my men. I presume your excel
IA lency wishes us to let him CO."
) "Certainly not.'' replied the stern
old president. "Send him to the from
i.tier with the others. He will have a
chance to redeem his reputation
there" .,--..-
: There is another version of this
story, which says that on the evening
OF the raid Diaz sent all aide de-camp
to bid this particular relative dine
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-19

lived in Mexico, and I want to travel
and see foreign countries before die.
1t is time I took a rest and enjoyed
the evening Of my days as I choose
His colleagues admitted the rea-
sonableness of his wishes and said
they really would find a successor.
Day after day, evening after evening,
they conferred; name after name was
suggested-but all in vain. This man
would STEAL that man would rule I'M
wisely, that other man would provoke
revolution, and SO with every name
mentioned.
The day before the nomination the
conferees were no nearer a decision.
They sat UP late at night, still dis
cussing, until, at last, long after mid
night, one of them declared:
1T must be Diaz again. While he
rules, Mexico will be safe and happy
But after that-quien sabe?''
So they broke UP the conference,
trooped over to the palace, woke
Diaz out Of his sleep, and sat up with
him until the gray dawn, persuading
him that his country would be ruined
if he retired from the business Of be-
nevolent despot.
DiaZ is the hero of the Mexican
army. When he was young soldier,
the Hero of. Puebla" was the most
admired and popular officer in the
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-19

patriot army that fought the French
invaders. He was always the first
in the charge. the last in retreat, the
quickest to volunteer for the post Of
danger. He held his own life as moth
ing in comparison with the cause. Yet
no officer was more careful of the
lives and comfort of his men.
Turnout his career DiaZ has paid
great attention to the welfare of the
Mexican army. He often visits the
soldiers unexpectedly in Etheir camps
and barracks, tastes their food, finds
out whether they are regularly paid
and we'll treated, and whether the Of
ficers are doing their duty in. looking
after their men properly.
Thus it is that the Mexican army
is the best in Latin America, not even
excepting the Prussianized troops Of
Chile. It is mainly composed of full
blooded Indians, who are readily dis
ciplined and as brave as any men
could be. Foreign officers say they
are second to no other troops as
marchers and fighters and in frugality
and contentment they are far ahead
of most Of the worlds soldiers. Diaz
is proud Of them, and they look upon
him almost as a god.
Napoleon could never do enough for
the veterans who fought with him in
his first campaigns. He was one of
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-19
THE GENDER OF ARKANSAS
The Complicated Grammar CT the New
Is. York Youth,
.Sew York Press.

New 1Ofk IFtss---
..1he life of a school Teacher would be sorely
n,onotonous = said teacher of q boys school
not a hundred miles from tie city hall. IF 1t
funny things (which happened every day in the
school room One day, for Instance. | had my
smart class in grammar and set the boys pars-
ing / called to Moses, eolored boy, TO parse
aud he said Arkansas. with EN-
phass on the second cyllable. I5corrected his
pronuncia ton and he went oh:
-. .Hark -en-saw is noun. objective case. In
dicatiye mood comparative degree. third person,
and snominatiye case to SCISSORS
:. You haven't said what gender, Moses
remarked.
..5tFeminine gender, quickly remarked my
smart scholar.
Why sir2' asked somewhat puzzled.
.Eecos it's got Miss Souri, on the nerf, Lonisa
Anna on the sonf. Mrs. Sippi on the east and
ever 60 many more shemale5 the west.
ut was so we'll Gone4.I ioned in and encour-
huilor. =
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-19

UP in the woods, also dead. The other
cub was clinging to the cowcatcher,
uninjured, but holding to the bars
like grim death
Il had no use for language after
that until we got to the end of the
run. Then / jumped off my engine,
and, ragged as / was from the feagle's
claws, went straight to the superin-
tendent's office and told the superin-
tendent that my place on that rail-
road was at his disposal.
1.-The railroad that / learned to be
an engineer on said l. somehow neg
4lected to include bear fighting, cata-
mount killing, deer chasing and SIM
liar stunts in its instructions. and SO
/ can't fill the bill on the E., &. &
A. W.
The superintendent said if | would
only stay he would equip me with two
good dogs and repeating rifle, but
said no, and / don't know Who he
hired in my place.
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-19
SIZE FIRST IN. =
THE CHARGE %

Which His Power Over His PopleHow
Aged
Socitude for the Men Who Fought with Him
Independence Sleep
Believes the Revolutions that Are
tnualy Occurring o. of
The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-19

Mrs. Rebecca s. Nichols. one of Indianas
earliest literary lights has just died I'm Indiail-
apoIs. In 1880 she published two books OF
poetry soflCincinnati