davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-02-10
Ambsr AOtss.

We arc sorry TO learn that Mrs.
Nighswonger has, for the last few
days, grown worse. She has been
sick long time.
o. D. Hutchinson's 5 family from
Oklahoma are visiting at Mr..
Thompson's this week
Miss Bert Markwich has return-
ed TO her sisters after a week s
visit in Chickasha.
W. J. and Minter Smith will
move as soon as the weather will
permit. They so to Apache. We
much regret the loss Of such men
as these from our community.
Clarence Stack spent Saturday
and Sunday i'll Chickosha visiting
his sister.
Messrs. Kirkendall and Bower
went to Chickasha yesterday
morning, returning on the after
noon train.
Mrs. Chastain's illness has be-
come worse since the advent Of the
severe weather
Miss Anna Thompson has re-
signed her clerkship at Henrietta,
Texas and has come to make hei
home with her parents near Amber
She was accompanied by hei
sister, Miss Minnie, who has beer
visiting there for several weeks.
Mr.. Cloud went to Chlckashl
today.
The school progresses nicely
during the bad weather though the
attendance is not as good as before
The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-02-10
THE BEST pHvs1c.

When you want physic that
is mild and geutle, easy to take
and certain 10 act always use
chamberlain stomach and Liver
Tablets. For sale by all druggists.
The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-02-10

There are "a few Of our sub
scribers behind on their weekly
subscription to the Daily EXPRESS
who will please pay the carriers
tomorrow.
The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-02-10
AFRAID OF STRONG MEDIcINE

AINAIU UT oINU-NN WEUIN VI
Many people suffer for years
from rheumatic pains, and prefer
to do SO rather than take hestrong
medicines usually given for rheu-
matism, not knowing that quick re-
lief from pain may be had simply
applying chamberlain's pain balm
and without taking any medicine
internally. FOR sale by all drug
gists.
The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-02-10

100 fit front cor groom house well storm house. $6oo 5000
cash balance $500 per month close in block room
house barn. we'll hen house all in orchard pIoo will sell
$500 baence in payments at SIS month block, 5room
The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-02-10

house, good well, orch ard and vineyard, beaul-|
full home and location, $1,000. u block 4-room|
house, good we'll, barn. storage ROOM storm
house orchard beautiful location Sc 900. 20
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-28

dere arms an legs up like cord. wood. Yah.
yah, yah"
Major Bragg also related some of his
civil war experiences in his own quaint
fashion. He went to the front with a
friend of his master, who was an officer
in the confederate army, and remained
with him until the officers arm was shot
away by a solid shot. Then Bragg was
placed with one of the pick and shovel
brgades attached to the southern army,
while the wounded man sent to
hospital
Just before one of the most severe bat
ties of the war Major Bragg. with the other
diggers, was engaged in throwing up ad-
vanced entertainments about two hundred
yards In front of the confederate battle line,
which was stretched out along a ridge of
low hills.
Suddenly a long line of blue, with glisten-
ing bayonets and gun barrels emerged from
a stretch of woods beyond the confederate
lines The colored workmen then found
themselves Immediately between the two
forces and the battle about to begin. The
Situation was q trying one. AL that
iuncture according to Major Bragg. con-
federate officer on horseback dashed up to
the confederate line as the men in gray
We're preparing for action, and swinging
his sword about his head, sang out:
Here men, open your lines quickly and
let those defenseless black men in the
front pass through to the rear. The con-
federate diggers scurried through like
drove of frightened rabbits.
Dat officer dat cum gallopin' up dar an
saved our libeS dat great gineral,
StonewaI Jackson" said Major Bragg.
God Dress him. He wuz good man and al
ways a-prayin'. We no sooner got fru
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-28

about without the greatest difficulty. The
names by which some of the ailments are
designated by the colored men would make
the twentieth century physician with his
germs and microbes Scurry into his ap-
erture and pull the opening in after him.
For instance there is the "go backs" the
"sweeny." the weeds apple pips,"
ricketts, and other Affections well known
in slavery times to the old uncles and
auntes on the southern plantations. For
these odd-sounding ailments the negroes
abound in the fields woods and swamps
south of Mason and Dixon's line.
Seated on a rough bench in front of the
home, The Star reporter found a queer-look-
ing old man who blind in one eye
and could see but little out of the other.
There was a fringe of gray wool about
his head and the top of his pate was black
and shiny. He was full of good humor and
addressed the reporter as "Massa.' This
old man would be an ideal makeup for
Uncle Tom.
''HIs name Is Major Bragg" said su-
perintendent of the Home Smith, and ne is
close onto one hundred years of age"
"Yass, Massa. Ise Major Bragg sure
enuff," said the venerable colored man.
IAN I wuz wild Gineral Taylor in de Mex
leo war Maybe you dun read in de histry
whar Gineral Taylor SEE to me, SEE he,
Major Bragg ef Yer cannons is dun loaded
wild shots an shells yer may open fire
on dem Mexico sojers. Ha. ha, yah, yah.
Yaas. Massa, Use dat same Major Bragg
an de way we piled up dem Mexico sojers
when my Cannons did open fire Wuz awful
Massa Why de mex day my sojers piled
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-28

To an American Is due the credit for hav-
Ing made the fountain pen, the useful ar
ticle It has come to be, for without the
gold pen point, which cannot corrode, the
fountain pen would be useless.
The manufacture of gold pens was COM
menced IN the United States in 1885 by
a matchmaker of Detroit, Mich Attempts
had been made In England to make gold
pens prior to that time, but they met with
little success Alloyed gold is too soft to
make a durable point, and this circum-
stance made It necessary to protect the pen
points with diamonds or rubies until John
Isaac Hawkins, a citizen of the United
States, but residing in England while the
experiments In the manufacturing of gold
pens were in progress there, accidentally
discovered that the native alloy of iridium
and osmium ore one of the hardest and
most refractory of all metallic alloys. could
be used for protecting the points to much
better advantage and more cheaply. Haw
kins' rights were purchased by a clergyman
of Detroit Mich, who induced the watch
maker above mentioned to manufacture
gold pens. The first pens made by him
were very poor substitutes for the quill,
then in use. In 1910 his plant was taken
TO New York, where the business was en-
larged. Quite an improvement was added
to the plant by the machines for the max
ing and tempering of the pens, invented by
John RendeIl one of the employees of the
establishment. This establishment soon
produced a gold pen so perfect that 1t com
bined the elasticity of the quill with the
permauency of the metal About 1850 it
was discovered that by unfolding the irid-
ium points in the gold instead of soldering
them on, the corrosive influence of the ink
on the two metals, the solder and the gold
was avoided and a firmer hold in the pen
was given to the points.
The gold pen has been brought to its
present degree of perfection by the Ameri-
can manufacturer, and the industry from
its inception has been characterized by the
use of American methods. For the produc-
ton of the gold pen high degree of skill
is necessary, and only experts are employed
in the different plants.
The gold used in the making of the pens
Is obtained from the United States assay
office. 1t is then melted and alleged about
sixteen carats fine and rolled into long
narrow ribbon from which pen blanks or
fat plates in the shape of pen, but con-
siderably thicker than the finished pen, are
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-28

When The Star photographer requested an
aged man to sit for his picture, the old fell
low reluctantly seated himself IN a chair.
Then as the staff picture maker prepared
his camera to take a snap shot of the old
man, the latter asked:
What is dat thing?"
"Only camera" was the reply.
II knowed it WIZ cannon" said the
sitter but please be keerful how you
pints 1t dis way
One of the groups photogra pied comprised
the following relics of slavery days:
James Brown aged 80 years; Henry Jas
per, 81; John Thomas, Sc; George Baylor,
age unknown; Simon Butler, 81, and Henry
Pinkney, 20.
One old man was trying to figure out
how many children, grandchildren and
Observation-Disclosures he was responsible
for when another old fellow standing
nearby remarked:
DE gud Lord only knows how many 1
has"
Poor Henry Robertson is nearly 100 years
of age and is totally blind and so feeble
that he can scarcely get about the place.
His home was in Nottaway, Va. Turner
Wood Is from Henrico county, Va. He IS
partly paralyZed and over ninety years
of age. Tom Latimer is seventy and is so
movement is pitiful and apparently pain
full.
Thomas Cross said he was born in 1929,
and Sam West, who is badly afflicted and
can only get around by pushing a chair In
front of him as a sort of support, claims
to be 100 years old. Orlando Dyson said,
My massa was de onliest one dat knowed
my age, an L reckon he's ded."
One of the peculiar cases at the Old Men
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-28
HOW GOLD PENS ARE MADE

cut by means of a lever press or die and
punch The blunt nib of the blank is
notched or recessed at the end to receive
the iridium that forms the exceedingly hard
point which all good gold pens possess
The iridium is coated with cream Of
borax ground IN water, and laid IN the
notch formed in the end of the blank
1t is then secured by a process of sweating,
which is nothing more or less than melt
ing the gold of which the pen is formed so
that It unites solidly with the iridium. The
blank is then passed between rollers OF
peculiar form to give gradually diminish
ing thickness from the point backward. The
rolls have a small cavity IN which the ex-
IRENE end of the iridium-pointed nib Ia
placed, to prevent injury to the iridium.
After rolling the nib of every pen is stiffen-
ed and rendered spongy by hammering.
This is the most important process in the
manufacture of the pen, as the elasticity
of the pen depends entirely upon this ope-
ration The pen is then trimmed by
press similar to that which is used for cut
ting out the blanks or by automatic ma
chnery. When the blank has been trimmed
the name OF the manufacturer and the
number of the pen are stamped on 1t by
means of a screw press. The pen Is given
its convex surface also by means of
screw press, the blank being pressed be-
tween q concave die beneath and a convex
one above. Quite a little force is necessary
to bring the pen to the required conveXity,
and when this operation is completed two
jaws approach the blank and press it up
on the opposite edges, thus giving the pen
its final shape.
The next step is TO cut the iridium into
two points by holding it on the edge of
a very thin copper disk, which is charged
with fine emery and oil and revolyes at a
high speed The nib is then slit by a ma
chine. and the slit cleared by means of a
fine circular saw. After Sitting the nibs
are brought together by hammering, and
the pen Furnished on the inside by con-
cave form and on the outside in a convex
form This is necessary to give the pen
uniform surface and greater elasticity.
These nibs are then set by the fingers
alone after which operation the pen Is
ground by a lathe with a thin steel disk
and a copper cylinder. both charged with
fine emery and oil. The slit is then ground
by a thin disk and tir2 sides of the nibs
and the points ground upon the cop
per cylinder After the grinding is done
the pen is polished upon buff wheels, which
completes the process of manufacture. Be-
fore the pen is placed upon the market,
however, it is given a thorough inspection
to see that it possesses the proper elas-
ITCHY. fineness and weight, then passed to
an inspector who tests it and weighs it.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-28

dem lines dan bang! zip! booml Both sides
dun open fire. Eff we hadn't got outen dat
feel soon did eVry Dressed one OBJ
US would dun been kilt"
Bragg related another civil war incident
which occurred at Winchester when dey
dun say dat Massa Sheridan an his Yam
KEGS had arriv'.
He said just as a long line of Union
cavalry was dashing up toward fence
where the confederate line was stationed
one of the southerners pulled the lanyard
of a cannon which Bragg declared was
loaded to de brim.''
dat load" he said, "swep' down erbout
five Yankees an dere bosses, an one mans
he'd wuz knocked clean off his shoulders
an hit anodder man, knockin' him off'n his
boss"
Major Bragg said he was 'riz' near Rich
mond by George Pickett. father of General
Pickett, whose division immortaliZed Itself
by it's daring charge at Gettysburg. He
witnessed among other battles that at
Drewry's Bluff, on the James river, where
the confederates met the forces Of General
Benjamin F. Butler, then engaged in dig
ging the famous Dutch Gap canal.
Another very old colored man at the home
is Henry Lewis who gave his age as 1O5
years Another venerable negro, George
Baylor, when asked his age replied:
Deed, | dunno my yeahs, Mistah. our
house dun burned up an | reckonS de
papahs must hab bin in de house. But by
de feelin' of my rheumaticks l mus be way
up dar in yeahs.'
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-28

public buildings and other improvements
for national use, the government expended
previous to the destruction of the Capitol
in 1914, the sum of ST. pa 292 .9S and since
that period 81 127, $50 9412. in the whole
So, 342 O93.924, so that the government
now owns In lands and buildings, exclu-
sive of the building lots, between four
and five millions worth of property which
is subject to no assessment or taxation.
This property is purely the property of
the Union. Part of the payments which
have been made for the buildings and i'm
provements were appropriately taken out
of the common treasury. And the COM
mittee are of the opinion that 1t would have
comported quite as well with the character
and interest of the Union If the whole prop
erty had been drawn from that source and
no portion of the money extracted by con-
tract from individuals and by donations
from states. The people of the United
States were at all times and they are now
unquestionably able to provide from their
common fund for the accommodation of
their government without relying upon
grants induced either by a feeling of lib
crafty toward 1t or by any consideration
of exclusive benefits to be derived from Its
presence. And such disposition of the
funds received by the government from
the sources referred to will relieve the
city from its embarrassment and leave the
expense heretofore incurred for the public
buildings upon the national treasury alone
may be made without just cause of COM
plant.
THE number Of building lots acquired by
the government was 1O136. large pro-
portion OF them have been sold and given
away by Congress, and it appears by the
records in the Office of the commissioner
of public buildings that the account of the
government In regard to them may be thus
stated:
THE cost of said lots was nothing There
has been received from the sale OF the
building lots $741O244 40. There have been
given away to charitable and literary aI4 o IN
situations lots to the value of $4,000;
S25, 900 of which were given to a college out
of the city. The lots undisposed of, &C
cording to the assessment of 1S2i, are
worth 500 22t. 81. There was received by
the goVernm ent in grants from the states
of Maryland and Virginia in the years 1890
and 1871 S192, COO amounting IN all 10
81 i12 %; and, if it be correct esi-
mate to put the value of the whole public
reservation at 81 500.C0 the amount will
be 81 612 246 %. Thus it appears that the
government has received from the grants
ard donations made to 1t of lands and
...oney for the benefit of this city and its
accommodations therein more than two
million dollars.
1.-THE committee further hope that Con
sress and the people will be the mo.c in
sIined to their proposed disposition of a
part of the amount before mentioned when
it is recolIeeted that all their valuable
property has been free from taxation ana
that if it had been taxed in the same pro
portion and for the same objects as that
of the inhabitants of the city the money
| drawn for this object would at this day,
have amounted to not less than S7ooOoO
and the interest upon it to nearly double
that sum-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-28
HOW UNCLE SAM ACQUIRED
HIS DISTRICT HOLDINGS
Manner in Which Local Realty Was Secured just VIVA
lie Possesses and What 1t is Supposed to Be
Worth-Report of Senator.

There are many people In Washington,
number of whom have resided here for one
two score years, who are not familiar
with the manner in which the United States
government obtained it's large property
holdings here, the assessed valuation OF
which amounts to about 30 per cent OF
the assessed valuation of all the property
in the District. 1t is generally known that
the federal government undertakes to pay
one-half the expenses of the municipality
and One-half the cost of public improve
ments because it owns more than half the
property IN the District and does not pay
taxes on ii. But just how the United States
acquired It's land-stes for public buildings
streets, avenues. parks etc.-is not a mat
ter of general knowledge.
Information on this interesting subject Is
found in a report made by the late Senator
Southland. February >. 1888, when he was
chairman OF the Senate committee on the
District of Columbia. This report has re-
Gently tecu reprinted as a public historical
document at the request of Senator Gal
InEer, who was requested to have il printed
by Commissioner Henry b. f. MJcfJrland.
At the time the report was made the old
corporation of Washington was heavily in
VOWED in debt and the citizens of WASH
inston, Georgetown and Alexandria, which
ct that time were all embraced within the
DlSiIltt Oh N'itHlFt'lt titS'Httu III S'bt sp-
peals to Congress FOR relief The report was
made after al careful investigation in re-
spouse to the citizens appeals, and It con-
taius much of historical interest. 1t sets
forth that the well-knowu pecUniary en-
barrassments of the city, and the repeated
appeals which had been made TO the JUS
tlce and the Iiberality Of Congress had in
duced a diligent and careful examination
into the facts and principles which were
applicable TO the case.
Those endorsements are of the most
painful description. The city is involved in
pecuniaTy obligations. from which ii Is
utterly impossible that 1t can be relieved by
any means within its own control or by
any cXertions which 1t may make, unaided
by congressional legislation. Its actual
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-28

criminal, in the result of this scheme The
dra wing of these lotteries was intrusted to
men who were considered competent and
faithful but who failed in the discharge OF
the obligations they had entered into; and
the scheme terminated not in adding to
the funds of the city, but involving 1t in q
debt to the amount of $197 1884 of prln-
cipal upon which about $4,000 of interest
have been paid. The progress of the build
ing was arrested when about one-half of It
had been far completed as to furnish
accommodate for the court. About one
half of the whole has, since the year 1873,
been occupied by the court and the officers
connected with it. The accommodations
thus afforded have been much more than
equal to the sum appropriated by Congress
30 that object, and If additional aid should
be now given toward its completion 1t could
not be objected to as extravaGant or incor-
rect. The expenditures for the accommo-
alton of the courts of the United States
in some of the districts have been much
greater than in this.
* X
Before presenting the relief proposed by
the committee it is proper to consider the
situation of the government in relation to
it's own property in this District, with a
view to exhibit the means which 1t pos
sesses of affording relief without taking
from the treasury any portion of the money
which has been drawn from the people Of
the several states
1T has been before stated that the ave-
nues and streets were transferred without
any pecuniary compensation therefor be-
ing made by the government
The reservations of ground for public
use consist of seventeen entire squares or
large sections in various parts of the city,
and contain 541 acres l rood and SO perches
of land. On some of these the Capitol,
Presidents house and other public build
ings have been erected. The rest or them
are either open and unoccupied or have
been devoted to public uses, according to
the discretion of Congress upon the sub
ject.
For this large extent of land, equal to
all its present and prospective wants, the
government paid normally, the sum of
S3G O99 TO the proprietors of the soil; but
in reality nothing. This sum was not
drawn from the general treasury, nor one
cent of it contributed by the people OF the
United States. The whole of it was taken
out of the proceeds of the sales or the
building lots, which had also been secured
by the government in the contract with
the landowners. 1t thus appears that the
people of the United States have paid moth
ing for all their public lots; nor for the
property in the streets. They procured
| them, and now own them. without the eX-
penditure OF a single dollar.
1T is difficult to estimate the present
value of the public grounds If turned into
| building lots and sold at a time of ordinary
prosperity in the city some of them would
! produce very large amount The whole
may perhaps be estimated at present at
| between one and one and a half million OF
| dollars.
! Upon these grounds. in the erection OF