davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Alaska sentinel., 1907-05-09
Treats Them as Children.

A New York police justice has dis covered a sure method of dealing with big schoolboys and young college fel- lows who create trouble In public places and then plead fun" and the baby act when apprehended. He takes them at their word and treats them as babies.
 A lot of young fellows attending the City College engaged in series of an- moving stunts on a subway platform. When arrested they took the usual stand of youthful innocence. with the usual youthful plea.
 "All right" said Justice Olmsted. If you are young children who know no better I will treat you as such. You are remanded In care of the Chlldren's Society"
 There was some lively kicking from the husky young fellows. but an officer took them to the rooms of the society, where for several days they were pen ned in with real children and fed on childish diet. When again brought Into court they were fined $3 each. At the college they are now known as "the baby squad" d"-Cleveland Leader.
Alaska sentinel., 1907-05-09
MIGHT PUZZLE THE BARD.

Suppose Macbeth's Ghost should
 Meet That of Shakespeare.
 Shakespeare has lately been de nounced as a snob, and I am afraid that affair of the bogus coat of arms shows that he was not entirely free from the snobbery of feudalism, but no one knew better than he-no one felt more strongly than he-that above all monarchs sits great suzeraln, the Lord of the Pen, who uses kings and who utters truths or lies according to his pleasure, says a writer In Harper's Magazine. When Charles XII. wanted bis librarian to hand from the library volume Of history, he used to say, "Give me my liar." And we'll he might But If you come to the fine accomplish ment of lying, what Is the mere jog. trot muse of history to the muse of poetry, against whose slanderous utter ances there Is no appeal?
 Supposlng that in the unknown coun- try of shadows which lies beyond the stars of the shade of King Macbethad. son of Finnlaech (who fell at the bat tie of Lumphanon, after having for seventeen years reigned over Scotland -reigned with so generous hand that he was called "Macbethad the Lib eraT')-supposing that this wronged hero en bien should happen to meet the shade of the author of Macbeth, and suppose that the warrior-king should protest, with the meekness that be- comes a king in confronting a poet, against the wrong done to his memory suppose he should ask the poet what was his justification for having de- picted him as the protagonist of assas- sins-him who had never killed a man in his life save in open battle, while Duncan, his supposed victim, really did succeed to the Scottish throne because his path had been somehow made clear for him by family murder-suppose Macbeth should presume to ask such 6 question of the poet, what reply would the shade of the suzerain make ? Would he delgn to make any reply at all, or would he simply beckon to the shade or Raphael Holinshed (from whose chronicle the story of Macbeth Is drawn) to relieve him from the irk- someness of answering idle questionsf ?
Alaska sentinel., 1907-05-09

if you have a sore spot rub 1t on out side," advised the old farmer. You'll be surprised to see what 1t does for you, no matter what disease you've got"
 Unfortunate fishermen will do we'll to heed the admonltion not to cut a twig to string the fish on until the first Is caught. If they do this they cannot hope to catch any fish. Carry ing cat across running water must be especially guarded against. Tt will," announces "Gramp," ruin your life. You might just as we'll take a dose of deadly poison and be done with 1t. Guests of seaside resorts, too, may save themselves much unnecessary exercise by remembering that when one kills a mosquito two will come to the funeral and the unfortunate person will be bothered worse than before.-New York Tribune.
Alaska sentinel., 1907-05-09
Trifle Absent Minded.

It Is seldom that ministers compete with one another to tell stories that task the credulity of their hearers, but upon one occasion Rev. Stephen w.. Dana, pastor of the Walnut Street Presbyterian church, carried of the honors. ''There was a physician whose absent -mindedness was So marked that It often caused queer complications" said Dr. Dana. Why, when he was married the minister told him to place the wedding ring on his brides finger. He reached for her hand, felt her pulse, and, as 1t was naturally beating faster than normal, exclaimed: Let me see TOUT tongue '"-Philadelphia Record.
Alaska sentinel., 1907-05-09

A characteristic piece of evidence which goes to sustain the contention that the average American, at least, Is on honorable and upright man comes from San Francisco. The railroads,
 appreclatlng the dire distress of the people In the city following the dread ful earthquake, sold tickets to points outside of San Francisco to all who asked, simply requiring those who had no money to give the ticket agent some sort of acknowledgment that the ticket had been furnished and containing a promise to pay for the same just as soon as holders financial condition
 would permit More than S6O,OOO worth of this kind of transportation was fur nished by the railroads, and over $53,- GOO worth of scrip containing the prom
Alaska sentinel., 1907-05-09

After all is said 1t must be conced. ed that the apparent disregard for hu- man life In the United States Is large ly tribute to progress and to the in. dustries that constitute prosperity Even fatal railroad accidents, the largest Item in the list, can not be wholly eliminated, though they can and ought to be greatly reduced In mum. Der. But railroad accidents are only one item In the list of annual fatalities. There are fatal accidents In mining building, manufacturing and agricul. ture. They all claim their victims as a sort of tribute to progress, though a very costly one. Carefully compiled statistics show that in the five great Industries of rallroading, mining, build Ing, manufacturing and agriculture no less than 536,165 persons are annually killed or injured In the United States. This is at the rate of over one a min. ute, and 1t includes only a few of the largest Industries.
Alaska sentinel., 1907-05-09
MoRoUk MAN FEARS cRlcKETs
Night Attendant Flees When He
 Hears One.

Night Attendant FIees When He
 Hears One.
 Fright Is condition unknown to Fritz Weiderman, except when he hears a cricket, says the New York World. For twelve years Fritz has been night employe of the Philadelphia morgue, and for four years he has been sleeping there.
 Yet this man, who can handle body with as little emotion as If he were put ting Ice in a refrigerator, to whose nostrils the odor of dislnfectants Is as grateful as that of violets to spring poet, has one vulnerable spot in his armor of unconcern, and It Is pierced by the chlrp of cricket.
 Nothing 30 sinister as centipede or so threatening as a mouse can shake Fritz stolid sensibllities, but cricket, little, hopping, skipping cricket, with It's ragtime chirp, can throw him into clammy precipitation. Then his voice Quavers like that of a woman who has just discovered moths In her best car pet, and dozens of sturdy shlvers go sprinting up and down his spinal col umn.
 When asked about this idiosyncracy, Fritz was down In the cold, chill base ment, and as he spoke he showed a body back Into Its compartment with the affectionate concern of a house. wife putting a loaf of bread into the oven.
 "Yes," he admitted, trembling I'm afraid of them crickets I don't know " It iss. I aln't afraid of nutting else In dis world, but If hears vun In der room I'm all ofer In tremble.
 "yun night-it vas aloud at mld- night-I vas down In der basement fix ing up an arrival von 't'veek' went yun of dem grickets In der vail. Yell, vas so scared let der Ice fall und broke 1t into pieces and nit all my might hurried to der office up, und der cleo. tric light turned on full. Den, py und py, I schneaked ouid on tiptoe, like dis" (And he gave ponderous dem. onstration of his methods.)
 "I tell you," he added, "I don't want no grickets in der morgue. won't efen taken der det body of an unidentified gricket, for you can't never be sure vot dose grickets are going to do, fling or det"
Alaska sentinel., 1907-05-09
WIT OF THE YOUNGSTERS.
N~~~~~~~~~~

visitor-How is 1t that you can only count up to ten, Tommy? Small Tom my-'Cause that's all the fingers I've got
 Uncle Joe-If you keep on, Harry, you'll soon know as much as the teach CT. Harry-Huhl I'd know as much now If had the book before me al the time like she does.
 Why do you want a light left in your room when you go to bed, dear2" asked Elsie's mother. Arc you afraid?" No, mamma" replied Elsie; "I want It so can see to go to sleep"
 Little Nellle-Oh, mamma, met a little girl to-day who never saw COW! Mamma-Indeed! Who Is she? Lit tie Nellie-I don't remember her name, but she said her papa was a mllkman.
 Mamma" querled little Florence, should I say pants or trousers?" Trousers, my dear" replied the moth er "Then," said Florence, "I must give Fido some water, for he trousers just awfully."
 Mamma" Queried little Fred, "how old will 1 be on my next birthday" You'll be years old If you live, dear," replied his mother. "Yes, but suppose don't live" continued the small in- Quisltor, "how old will I be then?"
 One day when 1t was laundering very loud Willie, aged 5, said: "Mannna. I guess the angels must be cleaning house." Why do you think so, dear?" asked his mother. "'Cause," was the reply, "I hear them moving the furni- ture around"
 "Pshaw !" exclaimed little Margie af- ter hearing the story of Adam and Eve, that old serpent couldn't have tempt ed me with an apple, cause don't like apples" But" suggested small Elsie, "s'pose somebody had told you not to eat apples"
Alaska sentinel., 1907-05-09
SPOlLED HIS PLAN.
Worm Wrecked Michigan Man
 Crou of RaflrOad Tfes

Worm Wrecked Michigan Man'a
 Crop of Railroad Ties.
 The best laid plans of mice and men go often wrong. pr. A. H. Sauerman, who lives a few miles east of Union City, Mich, conceived a plan a few years ago whereby he expected to make fortune. He planted quite a tract of land of yellow locust trees, setting them close together In rows, the tract containing something like 50,OOO thrifty young trees. Their growth was hast ened by frequent cultivation, good fer tilizing and Irrigation and they attain cd . most thrifty growth until last autumn.
 Dr. Sauerman's idea was to care for these trees for a few years until they had reached a sufficient growth to be used for railroad ties, when they were to be marketed and the tract of ground replanted again to trees. An investi. gation showed that a small worm was creating havoc with the trees, boring into the trunks and in some cases weakening the trees 50 that they fell over In a strong wind And thus the genial doctors visions of a fortune have gone a-glimmering.-Manistes Times
Alaska sentinel., 1907-05-09
UTAH'S BURNING MINES.
Coal Deposits that Have Been Burn-
 ing for Ages.

Coal Deposits that Have Been Burn- ing for Ages. Through a long line of cliffs from southwest toward Arizona, extensive beds of coal are found, and recent ge- ological investigation into this coal formation of the far West has develop ed what may be termed burning noun. tains, or coal beds, a fire with surface indications of constant combustion for ages past.
 The coal fields of Utah are somewhat widely separated, and even the known fields have been comparatively little explored; therefore very little is known of their productive area. The edges of these beds come to the surface in these cliffs nearly 1000 feet above the bordering desert, and In ages past this coal has burned Into the mountain cliffs until smothered by the accumulations of ashes and covering of superincumbent rocks. In places the heat of the burning coal has been so lllltllSt dS lO lutll tht LOIhs. From surrace appearances the fires have gone out in these cliffs, but at one point in the canyon of Prince river, where the coal Is being mined, the rocks are found to be uncomfortably hot and the miners were compelled to retire for fear the fires would again break out
 Other coal fields lie in the desert west of Green river. At two places near tributaries of Fremont river the coals are burning, and have been with out cessation since they were discov- cred by the earliest explorer. The origin of these fires has been the sub ject of much speculation.
 Three explanations are commonly heard among the Mormons, who in- habit this peculiar country where the mountains burn.
 One explanation Is that lightning has by chance struck the edges of these coal beds at various times since these mountains were lifted up. Another Is that forest fires raging In the mountains came in contact with exposed coal. The more thoughtful point out that the forests In this desert region are too sparse for forest fires to occur.
 Still another and more common e1- planation Is that the Indians built their campfires under the protecting ledges of the mountains against the coal and 1t was thus ignlted. They point to the fact that there are ruins ot the habltations of cliff dwellers here, and that In their day the coals began to burn.
Alaska sentinel., 1907-05-09
DOOR LOCKS ARE EASY.
Expert Finds Only one Fastene. Warranted to Keep Out a Crook.

Expert Finds Only one Fastene1
 Warranted to Keep out a Crook.
 There's only one lock in the world that I can't open if you'll give me a few minutes at 1t, and as for ordinary door and drawer locks, I'll open them as easily as If there was no lock there. Any expert burglar can do the same"
 The foregoing statement was made by an experienced locksmith of this city.
 Few persons know how insecure their homes are," he continued. Few persons realize that the average lock Is absolutely worthless for keeping out an experienced burglar. The ordinary door lock Is good for nothing but re- mindlng casual business or social call CTS that they must ring to be admitted. None of these ordinary door fasteners and that's the best you can call them-will deter a burglar two whole minutes If there's no key In the lock he soon Ats one to 1t. If there Is key In the lock, he inserts pair of pincers and in ten seconds has 1t opened. Un- derstand mel am speaking of the experienced burglar. The clumsy bur glar Is the one who gets Into trouble. He'll tumble around with a lock until somebody hears him. There Is only one unpickable lock made. That's the six-pin lock made by the government It will defy any expert. There are six little steel pins In the lock, which have to be raised just a certain distance to open 1t Some of the pins are one fourth of an Inch long and some of them half an inch. If one of the pins lacks even a hairs breadth of being raised the proper distance, the lock will not open. It baffies all the experts"
 This locksmlth Is so expert he can open the majority of the safes by put ting his ear to the combination and listening to how the tumblers click Into places as he turns 1t.
 "I intended at one time to be a bur guar" this locksmith declares. "I had 1t all planned out, even had a Set of burglars tools made. Then I decided that honesty was the best policy and stuck to my trade."-Kansas City Times.
Alaska sentinel., 1907-05-09

the crowd just because 1t Is a crowd.
 The man who Is envlous of evil-doers will soon be one himself.
 Do away with a personal devil, and there Is no need of the church.
 Gray hair and wrinkles may come, but a happy heart Is always young
 Prove that Moses made no mistakes, and you prove that he was not man.
 When self-righteousness gets up in the night to pray nobody else can sleep.
 The great man of to-day Is only a sample of what all men will some day be.
 When some folks read the Bible the last thing they want to know Is the truth.
 Better ventilation In the churches would make the devil work harder for what he gets.
 John the Baptist had no enemies until he began to say. Behold the Lamb of God"
 When heating a furnace for your enemy, don't forget that you may get into 1t yourself.
 What business has the preacher in the pulpit, unless his business there is the Lords business?
Alaska sentinel., 1907-05-09
THE FOOL AND HIS MONEY.


sone Schemes of Wildcat Promoters for Parting the Two.
 The fact that one of the firms of pseudo-bankers infesting lower Broad way has been taking the fools money for five years Is an indication of Its uccess, says Success
 Now half a dozen mushroom "bank- tng" houses, with elaborately furnished quarters in New York, and branch off, dces In all the larger towns in this country and Canada and even abroad, ire using this ingenious scheme to sell Ipurious mining. oil and manufactu. ring stocks.
 The house most successful at the game has forty branch offices here and abroad, besides agents in many small. sr towns It brings out a new com pany every little while and sells the stock usually by the mail order and agency system.
 Years of experience have given these parasite promoters an invaluable sucker list"-little investors all over the country whose financial credulity has not been shaken by repeated loss es. These "investors"-wage earners, country merchants. clergymen, teach. CTS and other professional men-are reached through circulars and letters.
 The first stocks sold by this house paid cash dividends for a while, and ehe "investors'' who were doubling and tripling their savings bank incomes spread the glad tidings among their friends. The cash dividends were fol. lowed by scrip dividends-in some cases by no dividends at all. The stockholders who complained too loud. ly were offered in exchange for their unsatisfactory stocks other stocks in new companies brought out by the house.
 A trust fund" established flor the protection of investors' is made up supposedly, of sound mining stocks, and when an investor gets tired of one spurious stock he can send 1t In and exchange 1t for something else. This of course, is just as spurious, but Ii keeps the victim quiet for while.
 He Is advised to hold the stock un. til the mine strikes the expected bo- nanza ore, when the stock will rapidly Increase In value. In this manner the house manages to keep its dupes quiet for many mouths and to sell them more stock besides.
Alaska sentinel., 1907-05-09
SOME RURAL SAYINGS.

There Are Many of Them in Which
 Belief Can Still Be Found.
 While signs and sayings are not 80 rife as they once were in the New En- gland country, they are still extant to a considerable degree among the old people, and perhaps still more so among the children. This sort of thing al- ways has appealed to the imagination of the child, and very likely always will. Clifton Johnson tells in the New England Magazine number of bits of superstitious lore which he gathered from an elderly farmer familiarly known as "Gramp," diminutive for grandpa" Their first experience to- gether, with the witchhazel crotch, seeking for water, did not prove to be successful, for although the crotch, which the old farmer held firmly in both hands, with the extremity point Ing vertically in the air, tipped strong ly downward when over a certain spot, subsequent digging failed to disclose any water. The farmers faith in the method, however, was not in any way disslpated.
 Another superstition in which the farmer placed implicit confidence was that storms always clear of at in the morning. at noon, at o'clock in the afternoon, at sunset, at midnight, or at sunrise. MT. Johnson feels, how ever, that 1t would be very ingenious storm which could clear of at time sufficiently removed from the times named not to be assigned to one of them by the weatherwise. It Is also believed that the weather on any given day will be as 1t Is between 12 and 2 in the morning. A cold snap can be de pended upon If the dog comes into the house and puts his head under the mat. If the wind dies down at sunset 1t will blow again the next day. One of the popular feminine beliefs Is that If q pin Is held between the teeth while peeling onions 1t will prevent the tears coming. Rats can be driven out of 6 house by catching one, tarring and feathering 1t and turning 1t loose.
 A simple cure for hiccoughs Is for the afflicted one to see how near to- pether he can hold his little fingers without their touching. Toothache may be prevented by cutting a little from each toe and finger nall, wrapping the cuttings In white paper or birch bark and putting them In a hole bored in . pine tree. Close the hole by plug ging," said the farmer, "and you won't have any trouble from aching teeth as long as you live" Unfortunately this will not prevent the loss of teeth by decay. Rheumatism can be cured by putting mustard in the shoes, and nose bleed by putting piece of paper under the tongue or key on the back of the leck. A cure-all almost equal to some advertised remedies Is water bottled at . spring on Easter morning before sunrise. "Drink . little of 1t if any. thing l. the matter inside of you and
Alaska sentinel., 1907-05-09

ises to rSv has been redeemed We read a great deal these days about the unfeeling robbery of widows and or phans" by the big corporations; we read of railroads grabbed and unwar- ranted advances In the necessities of life, but of the plain, everyday, good old American citizen, who sees his name In print perhaps half a dozen times In his life, and then in nonpareil type. we hear very little. And yet he is the finest product of this great re- public.
Alaska sentinel., 1907-05-09

A retired field officer has expressed his belief that four-fifths of the field officers of the line would retire to-day if they could because of the unrest and unhappiness In the army" Such general unhappiness and unrest would seem to argue a variety of causes; no special reason can be given why the life of the officer in the army has lost its attractiveness to so great ma jority of those who lead It. In time of peace, with not a speck of war cloud anywhere in sight, when promotions are slow and advancement Is apparent ly hopeless; in time of great commer- cial prosperity when fortunes seem to be easily made and when millionaires are as abundant as the well to do men of few years ago, 1t Is perhaps not surprising that the officer on small pay Is dissatisfied with his lot and believes that all he needs Is the opportunity to jump into a fortune. It Is true also that an officer with social qualities has
 
 are ready to assist him In any busi- ness longings and to encourage him to change his life. More than this, there are not few men In the army whose training and qualifications attract the attention of corporations and business men, and whose services are eagerly snapped up whenever an opportunity to profit by this training presents itself. Such men seem, therefore, to have an incentive to leave the army. On the other hand, there are those who should wisely let well enough alone. If there are hundreds or thousands of million aires and men who are apparently on the safe road to wealth, there are also thousands of those who have fallen miserably by the wayslde. Though a man may serve faithfully and credit ably In the army, it does not follow that be may leave at any time and ac- quire millions. Indeed, the converse Of the proposition Is more likely to be the truer. The army has its advant- ages even In time of peace. The living Is assured and the pay Is regular. Fur ther than this, the officer who conforms to regulations knows that he has no worry for the future, and that his reasonably grateful country will sup, port him though he lives many years after the period of retirement. If his pay Is not large 1t Is at least adequate for his support, and an officer of the army, who is also a gentleman, has a dignif1ed standing In society that Is not without its compensatory value. Doubtless the wave of commercial pros perity and the continued assertion of so many business chances" have not a little to do with such unrest and un- happiness as have been specified But 1t is probable that the retired officer quoted has overstated his case and that no such general dissatisfaction pre- vails Uncle Sam is not a grinding taskmaster, and his servants are al ways sure of their money.