davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1903-07-31
PRINCE FERDINAND FLEES.
Fears He Might Meet Fate of Alexan
der Of Servia.

BERLIN Notwithstanding the Off
cial denial that Prince Ferdinands de-
parture from Servia amounts of flight,
the Vossiche Zeitung, which gets well
authenticated private information
from Bulgaria, says that the rumor OF
the princes flight has some founda,
ton and thinks he has left the coun-
try until the excitement subsidies. A
special dispatch from Sofia says that
an attempt against Prince Ferdinand's
life is not impossible, Servia's exam
pie having a profound influence on
the princes enemies.
The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1903-07-31

utmost think 1t may take one week.
as now there does not exist in the sa-
cred college the marked political diff.
ferences of other times. Therefore, 1t
will be possible to arrive at an under
standing more easily and quicker"
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-08-13
Little Fish In a Tree Ton.

1t is not uncommon for trees to be
torn up by the(great storms that break
over tropical countries and swept out
to sea. A vessel being becalmed in the
bay of Bengal, the sailors spent their
time in studying the wonders of the
deep. An. object floating at some dis
lance from the ship was thought to be
a turtle. When they rowed up to it,
However, it turned out to be a tree up
side down in the water Swimming
in and about the leaf1ess branches
were innumerable fishes of every de-
scription, from two to nine inches
long, many beautifully colored Out
side of the branches ring of dolphins
were keeping watch and ward in the
hope Of gobbling up any fish foolish
enough to leave their harbor of ref
uge, while still outer circle was COM
posed of here and there a shark, wait
ing for it's chance One sailor said
he had never seen a lovelier or more
remarkable spectacle. The sea was
perfectly calm and clear, and over
head the sun shone brilliantly. The
tree must have been waterlogged for
many weeks, because it was covered
with barnacles and all kinds Of shells.
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-08-13
IMPROVED BY ROAD DRAG.

drag and to drag his own road, but
every farmer ought to be willing to
combine with his neighDors to secure a
road tender, whose business it should
be to keep our dirt highways smooth
and passable.
Every township in the state should
have a man, with sufficient teams and
tools, hired by the year to do nothing
else In one year nine out of ten of
our dirt highways would become so
well hardened and so firm that no ordi-
nary spell of wet weather would affect
them further than to moisten the sur
face. Even If Iowa should secure mac
adamized highways they would re-
Quire constant care. Why should not
the state provide the caretakers for the
dirt roads that it will be compelled to
have when permanent highways come
in?
In letter recently to the Breeder
Gazette Mr.. King explains his plan of
improving dirt roads by use of the drag,
as follows:
For a number cf years 1 have cared
for a road running past my farm, us
ing drag made Of split log. I hitch
a team so as to drag at an angle just as
the road is drying. This levels the sur
face and pushes the loose earth and
clods toward the center of the road.
The grade was built solely by the use
OF this drag, Other roads hereabouts
have been blockaded with mud for
weeks at time, put the dragged road
has been ready to carry an ordinary
load at all times. During the two OF
three weeks when other roads were at
their worst, so bad that they could
hardly be Travelled horseback, the
dragged road was smooth, hard and
absolutely dry
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-08-13
Good Road Notes

AS a result OF state aid New Jersey
has now 797 miles of improved roads
built at cost of $3,800,OOO; Connecti-
cut has 515 miles, built or under way,
at a cost Of $1,91O,OOO; Massachusetts
has 483 miles at a cost of $4,5OOOO0,
and New York has 353 miles, built or
building, at cost of $2,930,O0O.
A Texas paper claims that in practi-
cally every place in that state where
engineers have been employed to take
charge Of the road work better and
more effective work has been done, all
haphazard features have been removed
and some unnecessary expenses Topped
off.
Darlington, r. l., has constructed
nearly all its main roads with a broken
brick foundation and top dressing of
gravel, with excellent results, ii is re-
ported. The b.'c'- was acquired at a
moderate cost from the refuse heaps
that had been accommodating for many
years at the brickyards.
While state aid is a good thing, it is
Ut always best to wait for it In
definitely. SO thought the citizens of
Skamania county, Wash, and they now
have a. considerable stretch of good
road as result Of adopting a cooper
alive system.-Good Roads Magazine.
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-08-13
NEW YORK HIGHWAYS.
Good Roads Being Built In the EN-
pire State.

UOOU EGOAUS being Bu11C In tine En-
pire State.
Many counties in New York state
have filed petitions requesting road i'm.
provement under the Higbee- Armstrong
act, says writer in the American
Cultivator. Already forty-six counties
have petitioned for 2,414 miles of high
ways, and nineteen counties have had
1856 miles finished. From no county
where one piece of road has been fin
ished has the state engineer failed to
receive the second rqTest for additional
road construction.
In fact, many cor Ities are very much
alive to the adve 1tages to be obtained,
and systematic efforts have been made
to lay out long stretches of highway
in order to make systematic plans for
the country and to cheaper the cost of
construction. Since year ago in Jan
uary twenty-seven counties have ap-
propriated $4,000, $3.50 as their half
of the cost Of constructing 470 miles of
highway during the coming year.
In some sections a part of the work
has been done by convicts. Broome
county reports that the practice re-
duced the number of prisoners under
sentence from an average Of fortytwo
for the year prior to an average Of
less than eleven, thereby making net
saving In the maintenance Of prisoners
Of over $4,000 per annum, and also an
additional saving in the charges for
turkeys fees and discharges as pro
vided for by law under what was
known as 1he old fee system. l think
it can be safely stated that the system
adopted by this one county by placing
prisoners under sentence at hard labor
has resulted in a saving to the county
in the costs of maintenance and as a
result of their labor Of at least $4,000
per annum.
An improvement of the system of
highways of the state of New York
means a saving to the agriculturist in
the delivery Of his product to the local
markets of from 100000 to $1O,O00,-
600 annually. 1t means saving to the
average county of the state Of from
$15O,0O0 to 100000 annually. 1t means
enhanced valuation of farms and an
improvement Of general agricultural
conditions.
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-08-13
HOW TO GET GOOD ROADS.
Enemies Of Mud should Unite In q
Campaign For a Principle.


One great reason for the prevalence
Of bad roads throughout the United
States is lack IF agreement and united
action among the advocates Of i'm
provement Everybody prefers good
roads to bad Everybody knows that
the roads can be improved only by the
expenditure of money and labor But
here the agreement ends. There is
great variety of ideas and schemes for
securing the desired object. There is
no end of discussion, but very little is
accomplished. Some people would rath-
er travel through mud than have the
roads improved by any other plan than
their own 'pet scheme" Thus road
reformers themselves sometimes actu-
ally hinder the cause to which they are
devoted.
If the roads of this country are to be
made good within the lifetime of the
present generation it is high time the
advocates Of good roads should unite
In support Of a few general PROPOSE
tons and so to work in favor Of gen
eral plan. If a national good roads
movement ever gets started nothing
can stop 1t. 1t will sweep everything
before it. But the difficulty is to get
it started.
One great advantage possessed by
the national aid plan which is now be-
coming SO popular, is that it is gen
eral instead Of sectional or local. It is
as broad as the whole country. 1t can
bring into harmonious united action
the friends of good roads in every
state, and it is the only plan vet pro-
posed that can do this.
The friends Of national aid will make
a mistake If they undertake to work
out details in advance They should
go to work for the general principle
and leave details to be worked out
later. This was the plan Of action
adopted by Gladstone. When his op-
ponentS asked for details of any great
reform which he advocated Gladstone
would answer, ''There will be time
enough to work out the detail when
we get the power" The advocates of
national aid will do we'll to emulate
the example Of this great English
statesman. They should organize
everywhere and fight for the principle,
leaving details to be worked out in
due time.
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-08-13
Rural Delivery Notes

Each rural delivery mail carrier is re-
Quired to provide satisfactory substi-
tute, who shall be available for duty
at short notice at any time when he
may not be able to serve his route.
There are fifty-seven women carriers
in the rural delivery service and nearly
800 women substitutes.
1t is said that Indiana will be the
first state to have complete rural mail
delivery, as result of the law passed
by the last legislature under which
counties are required to keep in good
repair roads on which rural mail routes
have been established.
Many new rural free delivery routes
were put In operation recently, making
the total number Of routes over 10000.
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-08-13
) A LOCATION
; 9 AM + * *

Here is pleasant little game that
may serve as a shart exercise in geog-
raphy; the instructive feature of Il,
however, will not in any way detract
from it's interest.
Any number Of boys and girls may
take part in it, but they must be divid
ed into two Sides Perhaps the best
way to arrange it is to select two lead
ers and let them select the sides. That
would prevent confusion.
The sides take seats in two rows
facing each other, the leaders head1ng
the rows. When everything is ready
the leaders decide by lot which shall
begin the game They also decide
what shall be the subject Of the game,
whether cities, towns, mountains, lakes
or rivers, for the subject must be some
thing of geographical nature.
Let US suppose that cities is the sub
ject selected. Then the leader who is
to start the game names a city and be-
gins to count ten slowly. The leader
on the opposite side must give the loca-
~1O-A - SAOC lily OClOAC CCl1 A1C1S UCt1lI
counted. If he fails to do so or If he
gives the wrong location he leaves his
chair and drops out of the game.
If, on the contrary, he gives the right
answer before his opponent can finish
counting ten he in turn then names a
city, and the player sitting opposite to
him on the other side has to answer
while he counts ten.
The game goes on in this way until
all the players have dropped out but
one, and that one wins the prize, if a
prize has been offered.
The game may be varied and made
more interesting by changing the sub
ject after playing it once. If cities be
the first subject let rivers be the next
and then lakes and mountains, and
these changes will keep the play from
becoming monotonous.
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-08-13
A Farmers Suggestion.

A suggestion was recently made by
farmer in Illinois that law be passed
exemptng thrashing outfits from taxa
ton provided steam rollers were used
in connection with them. A device of
this sort, he claimed, had been designed
which had proved very successful in
leveling the roads, and as the time Of
year when the thrashing machine is
abroad is identical with the season that
the farmers devote portion of their
time to grading the roads a steam
roller would effectually pack the earth.
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-08-13
OF DIRT ROADS
"A MISSOURI FARMERS PLAN FOR
THEIR IMPROVEMENT.

Road Kept In Splendid Condition All
Bow These Highway Builders Are
Constructed.
Missouri has discovered that it is the
care that is given to dirt roads after
they are made that determines whether
dirt roads may be good roads. The
discovery was made in a very simple
manner, as set forth in a bulletin that
the Missouri board Of agriculture is
distributing among the farmers of the
state. After the same experience with
roads that other states have had, good
little while and then bad a long
while, it was suggested by some one
that If every farmer would keep up
the road running past his own farm
all the roads would soon be in good
condition, at very little cost to any
body.
One of the farmers to act upon this
suggestion was d. W. King of Matt
land, who with some ingenuity set
about making a drag for himself, and
1t is this drag that is the subject of
the state boards bulletin. The bull
letin describes it as follows:
'"The road drag is very simply con-
structed. 1t is composed Of two split
logs nine feet long, Joined together
with short crosspieces. After each rain
the road should be gone over with the
drag, carefully smoothing down all the
high places and filling up the ruts. In
the course of time the road so treated
will become hard and firm and, with
little attention after each rain, always
remain dry and smooth. Experiments
have been made in every part of the
state and on every kind of soil with
the drag, and it has been found to be
successful"
We take pleasure in presenting this
Missouri idea to our readers, says the
Des Moines Register and Leader. 1t is
the solution of the road problem in
Iowa, and the only solution. Each
farmer may not wish to keep a road
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-08-13

This isn't February, but here is a
true incident concerning George Wash
ington:
A second grade teacher was closing
up her years work by questioning her
pupils about the great men of whom
she had told them during the year. A
number Of satisfactory answers hav-
ing been given to questions put, she
remarked:
Il wonder if any Of you know any
remarkable things about George Wash
ington?'
Every pupils hand went up, and
when one was singled out to speak he
exclaimed with enthusiasm, 'sHe was
never caught telling a ier'
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-08-13
Wanted His Opinion.

My little sister Myrtle called our
papa to her bedside the other evening
and said, Papa, I want to ask your
advice"
s'Well, my dear, what is it about?
"What do you think it would be best
to give me on my birthdayY'
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-08-13
A Useful Gift.

Daddy, SGT so,,ett,,,j.s.s &c. noth.
ing yesterday"
what was that?"
"Why, the beg next door gave me the
measles, ard now / can't go to school
Isn't it jolly -
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-08-13
On Mothers Back.

Wild ass foals often spring upon
their mothers backs, where they have
SO secure foothold that they remain
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-11
SALE OF $6O,OOO
 BONDS IS CLOSED EnSIey City Council Holds an Adjourned Meeting MAY HAVE INFERIOR COURT Bill Has Passed Senate and Is Now Be- fore the House of the State Leeis-
 lature-News in the
 Steel City.

Ensley, September 10.-(Special. )-The adjourned meeting from last Thursday night of the Ensley city council was held tonight at the city hall with Mayor Scott in the chair and seven of the aldermen present.
 The sales of s60,OO0 worth of city bonds that has been under negotiation for some time, was closed. The bonds are taken by firm in Baltimore at par. They bear 5 per cent interest.
 Ensley is soon to have m laferi1r court. The bill to establish the court has al- ready passed the senate and Is now with the house committee and 1t IS believed will be put on the house calendar in three or four days. There sems to be no doubt of its passage.
 The bill provides for the appointing of a judge and clerk of the court, which will in all probability, be elected by the senate as soon as the bill becomes a law.
 Joe c. Aloia, the proprietor of the Union barber shop on Avenue E, Is instalil 7g some new hot and cold baths, and making other elaborate improvements. The paths will be formally opened to the public tomorrow.
 The Steel City lodge No. of the Junior Order of American Mechanics will meet tonight in Nolans hall and initiate four candidates into their order.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-11
HUNTSVILLE
Cotton Crop Will Be Smaller Than Ex-
 pected-Other News.

Huntsville September 10-(Special.)- Complaint is being made in all parts of the Tennessee valley that the cotton crop will not prove to be as large as it was estimated earlier in the season. The plants are better than they have been in several years but they bear but little fruit. Fine stalks that should have forty or fifty bolls are found with only ten or twelve bolls The planters account for this condition by the rains of the early season followed by warm weather and a dry spell of several weeks.
 Madison countys third bale of cotton was sold here yesterday afternoon for eleven cents. The first bale of cotton in the seed was brought here yesterday and sold at four cents a pound.
 Preparations are being made at the Dallas mills for the resumption of the regular six day week runs, which will begin when cotton can be procured The mill cut day off each week during the summer.
 Because of the likelihood that a new Judicial circuit, including Madison coun- ty, will be created, Senator R. E. Spragins has introduced in the senate a bill repeating an act of 865 creating the office of county solicitor. The office will not be necessary if the new circuit Is created. as the circuit solicitor will have ample time to attend to all business in each of the counties of the circuit.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-11
sCOTTSBORO.
Jury Falls to Find Indictments for
 Lynchers.

Scottsboro, September 10.-(Special)- The grand jury for the fall term has ad- journed after finding seventy-seven true bills. They made the following report to the judge:
 To the Hon. James A. Bibro, Judge of
 the Circuit Court of Jackson county: The grand jury of said county for the fall term of 1903 having rendered the services required of them by your honor. to the best of their ability, submit this as their final report:
 We fully appreciated your honor's very able and forceful charge to us on the lynching which cast a dark shadow on our county and have spared no pains in thoroughly Investigating same. We have examined closely all witnesses who, we had reason to believe, knew anything about the crime, could give us infor- nation as to the perpetrators of the deed, but have failed to secure evidence suff- cient to justify indictment against the offenders of the law
 The handsome country home of P. W. Keith was destroyed by fire Tuesday night. Cause of fire unknown. Value s500O no insurance
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-11
Social and Personal.

Miss Nettie Wiggnton entertained at F'linch at her home in Vivian last even- ing. Among the guests were: Miss Dovey McCarum, Miss Jessie Wigginton Miss Matte and Miss Lizzie Stafford
 Will Elliott returned last night from a trip to England, Ireland and Scotland.
 Bryant King and John Meadows have returned from pleasure trip to Ohio and Kentucky
 Cyrus Leck returned last night to his home in Pittsburg after a two weeks visit to his family. City Treasurer Clip Fonyille returned last night from a visit to Jasper J. H. Eubank Is spending the day in Birmingham
 Miss Ethel Tennant entertained last night at Flinch. Refreshments were served and all report a delightful time. Among the guests present were: Miss Mary Evans and Mir. G. J. Jones. Miss Emma Blair and MT. w. T. Wyatt, MT. and Mrs. George Tennant.
 Mrs. W. A. Hardin is visiting friends today in Pratt City.
 Mrs. John Crawford, who has been quite i'll with typhoid fever, is much improved and will soon be able to he out again.
 Mrs. George Byron returned last night from Asheville,N C., where she has been spending a portion of the summer
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-11
NEWS ITEMS OF THE DAY
 IN THRIVING PRATT CITY

Pratt City, September 10.-(Special)- A J. Monfee, Sr., one of the pioneer cit izens of the Birmingham district. died here today at Il o'clock at the home of his son, A. J. Monfee, on East Highlands. Mir. Monfee was a sufferer from cancer of the throat for many months, and all medical skill had failed to relieve him. He was "A years of age and removed to this district twenty-five years ago from Ohio. A. J. Monfee, Jr., is master me- chanic in the shops of the Birmingham Southern railway, where the deceased had been an employe up to the time when he was taken i'll. The remains will be car- ried to Montgomery for interment tomor- row morning at 8:33 o'clock, and all friends wishing to view the corpse will be allowed to do so at the union station in the morning
 The Knights of Honor will tender an en- tertainment to their friends next Fri day night An interesting programme has been arranged for the occasion and re- treatments will be served.
 Company No. l of the Pratt City fire
  barbecue at the grove on Southside next Monday, September IA. Refreshments will be served. The following programme is being arranged for the day;
 Address, Dr. R. F. Lovelady.
 Wheelbarrow race, members of the fire department
 Address. Chief D. G. Richards.
 Game of quoits, members of the fire department
 Address, captain of No. L
 Tug of war, married members of com- pany No 1 against the unmarried
 Mock trial, members of the fire depart ment for refusing liquid refreshments when thirsty. Counsel for the prosecu- ton, Harry Gammel; counsel for the de- fense. Sam Foley
 Baseball members of the fire depart ment.
 All are invited to attend.
 The Pratt City school board has placed
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-11
MAGNETIC POLE FOUND.
Explanation of Disturbances That Have
 Rendered Navigation Difficult.

Stanford University, Cal, September 10.-Samuel Jackson Barnett, assist ant professor of physics, has returned to the university, after several months spent in survey work along the Alaskan coast.
 The party made a special investiga- tion of the peculiar magnetic disturb ances which have made navigation diff ficult in certain localities. Near Skag- uay these disturbances are very se- were, the Reflection of the needle being so great that the compass Is rendered almost useless. It was found that this strange state of affairs was due to the abundance of magnetic rock, almost a perfect magnetic pole being found near Skaguay.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-11

an order for three dozen new desks for
 the high school building. 1 Black Creek Association of Haymakers.
 Mo- 261a will entertain the Red Men at
 fodder-pullng" in Pratt City next Satur-
 day night. Haymakers of Ensley, Vivian and Avondale will be in attendance in the regulation dress of the association. The revival at the First Methodist church continues, with much interest be-
 ing manifested, several new additions having been made to the church. Dr. Slaughter Is preaching some strong and
 forcible sermons.
 Last night a party of Pratt city young people took very delightful trolley ride out to East Lake. In the party were Miss Ridgeway, Miss Beulah and Miss Nora I Young, Dr. W. L. Jones, T. F. Bland and MT Lewis.
 Mrs. H. M Taylor left this morning for
 Mt Pinson, where she will visit her
 daughter. Mrs Cook 1 Mrs. Dan Sullivan will entertain a few l friends tonight In honor of her cousin. Miss McNamara, who will leave next week
 to attend school at Montevallo Miss Rosa Lee McKinny, who has been | III for some time, is better. l c. D. Comstock, one of Pratt City's leading attorneys. who has been in Hous-
 ton, Tex. on legal business is expected l home tomorrow