davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-01-15
CLASSIFIED COLUMN
ADS IN rWS COLUMN ONE CENT
A WORD.

MEN WANTED-Miners, coke men
ana laborers of all kinds. can find
steady employment at the large
mining aud coking plant OF the
Pocahontas Consolidated Golfers
Co., Pocahontas. Va. Apply In
person to VIM. Leckle, Division
Superintendent. 11-1tf
Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-01-15

WANTED-Position as bookkeeper
Work hours from to 9 p. m
Long experience. Reasonable SAL
airy. Address S., care OF Daily
Leader 1-9-1t
Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-01-15

WANTED-Position as s.enographer
by young lady. No experience,
but we'll up on practice. Moder-
ate salary TO begin with. Address
"a" care Daily Leader.
Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-01-15

The Directorate Of the Flat Top
National h composed 81 the follow
ing well known and highly success
ful business men:
Dr. Thos p. Peery,
Mr. w. ID ThornhH.
SIR = Kelly.
Mr b. s. Pedigo.
ST. J - Honaker.
SIR G. 70 Hancock.
O.. T. r. Tierney.
Mr r. ~ Garrett.
Mr y j. Bailey.
Mr. w. " Thomas.
Mr. @ o wright.
Mr 70 A. Heller
OFFICERS.
T. y Tierney. President.
~ " Thomas. Vice President.
r. T. Boiling Cashier.
w % Hicks. Assistant Cashier.
Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-01-15
NOTICE OF REMOVAL.

Mcssrs. Ross * KahIe beg to an
nouncc the removal of their law of
fees from the Sohn Building TO
Rooms t3-15-17, second floor OF the
Thornton building.
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14
THE, POSTAL SYSTEM IN ITS
RELATION TO TRANSPORTATION
Interesting Paper Read by Miss Anna Gage Before
the Local Chapter D. A r. December II, 1908

menced in 1872 and completed as far
as yandalia, H.. in 1910, passing
through Wheeling, Columbus, o., In
dianapoiis and Terre Haute. For this
road congress granted sixty distinct
appropriations IN constructing the
road the trees were removed from a
space sixty feet in width and in the
middle a strip thirty feet wide was
entirely cleared and leveled. In the
middle OF this thirty feet another strip
twenty feet wide was covered with
crushed stone eighteen inches in the
center, sloping TO twelve inches at
the sides. The pieces of stone were
to be small enough to pass through a
ring seven inches in diameter for
the bottom layers and three inches
for the top dressing. practice had
grown up OF allowing q. S. soldiers
To work on public roads which added
fifteen cents and an extra gill OF
whisky to his daily pay. Canals were
also dug connecting the different
waterways Just when the canals and
fine turnpikes had reached theil
highest point OF popularity. their rival
and ultimately their deadly foe. ap
peared.
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14
improvements by franklin.

Some of the improvements intro
duced into the colonial postoffice By
Franklin have remained part OF the
postal system to this day. When he
became postmaster general il was thu
custom to carry newspapers free.
but he made them source OF rev
enue. each subscriber paying GER
tain amount above the subscription
price as postage. He first advertised
in the paper the lists Of letters re-
naming in the postofhce. He estab-
lished the penny post, quickened tbs
pace of post riders. increased their
number and improved the post roads
Franklin was deprived of his office
by The English government in 1874,
but in less than eighteen months he
was appointed postmaster general
One of his first acts was TO give the
position OF deputy to his son-in-law-
still looking out for his family.
In 1850 he startled the people bs
running a mail wagon from Pailadel
phia to Boston, leaving each place
Monday and arriving on saturda!
evening.
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14
The Ocean Postal Service.

But do not think am going to take
you back with NE to the eighth cen
tury. B. c., but l refer TO this incident
10 show that the transportation of the
mails is not new. / viii ask you TO go
no farther back than the beginning OF
the seventeenth century. About that
time colonies were leaving the old
world for the new and settling all
along the coast from Massachusetts
to Florida. In the very early days the
colonies were distinct and separate
and had little or no communication
with each other. but it was necessary
for the mother country to keep in
touch with the infant colonies and il
was very desirable that the col
onists should be able TO communi-
cate with those they had left behind.
So l will speak very briefly of the
Ocean Postal Service, In the early
part of the seventeenth century there
was no officially recognized system
The government had persons specially
appointed TO carry state letters and see
that they were delivered TO the proper
ones. ANY vessel carried the mail for
private individuals and when a ship
arrived in port there was always q
crowd at the wharf to welcome it AS
soon as a little system was applied 10
the proceeding letters relating 10 the
SHIPS cargo were delivered TO the mer-
chants first, after which the general
correspondence was distributed TO the
impatient crowd
IN 1883 the general court Of
the colony OF Massachusetts ordered
that the house of Richard Fairbanks
should he the place for the receiving 81
all letters from beyond the sea. This
Is tie first notice Of any act OF the gov
eminent on the subject in America
Mr. Fairbanks was allowed a penn
for the delivery of each letter and wa
made ansHerable for negligence. Pre-
vious to that time when a shil
: landed ii was customary for familiei
TO send some one on board to receiv'
their. letters
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14
Firs, Rsaistry syster.

Ia 1857 law VAS passed forbidding
any person gong on board a newly-sr-
rire5 ship until the letters had been
d s5Fered 10 ,ae Honorable General OF
ne colony This order had been is
ue5 because 80 many mistakes in
ze dslivery Of letters had been made
The letters we're not 70 be given 70 The
general public until . proper list 'of
them had been made In 1853 there
vas much complaint made that out
seing letters we're lost through care
lessness. 50 another law was passed
forb!dding shippers. sailors or passen-
gers taxing with them any private let
ters. This order read In order that
letters NAY accordingly be conveyed
more certainly and better, box ];
appropriated q the Office Of the sec
rerary OF the Director General IL
whicn letters are to be deposited an,
Il any one requires q receipt for MI
letter il shall he given him by one 0
The clerks and the letter record
ed on the list on condition o
paying three stiFers in wampun
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14

The report OF the special grand jary
at Chicago contains eighty-one indict,
ments against various political lead
ers for frauds perpetrated during the
last primary elections in that city.
The investigation brought cut the mos
disgraceful condition OF s.nairs, show
ing that the dead and insane had
been voted by gangs Of repeaters
who were in the confidence OF the poll
judges. and that every form Of cleo
ton fraud conceivable had been EN-
ployed The grand jury expressed
the doubt that an honest election had
been held in Chicago for years. The
police had given the investigators no
help.
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14

were twenty-five miles apart. Each
pony made only one station; each
rider was required to make three but
ne had the option of doing double
duty. The keepers of the stations had
the ponies ready saddled and bridled,
the rider merely jumping from the
back of one to the back of another
Where the rider was changed his
pouch was unbuckled and handed Is
his already mounted successor who
started at a gallop as soon as his
hand clutched the bag. The weight
of the mail was limited to ten or
twelve pounds and five dollars was
charged for each letter. Newspapers
sometimes printed an edition on it's
sue paper TO save expense in trans
portation. The first pony express from
/ the east carried eight letters. The en-,
terprise did not. pay the proprietors
but they claimed that it proved the
feasibility of railroad route across
! the continent. In 1851 an overland
mail route was established from tbs
Missouri river to San Francisco. The
company started farm at RUBY Val
ley. Nevada, the first experiment in
farming in that state. The schedule
time was twenty days. The company
was also required to run a pony ex
press semi-monthly. the schedule
time being ten days. These pom,
riders made excellent time on Their
periious journeys which were Away
liable to be interrupted by attacks
from the Indians and were often rem
dered very disagreeable by drenching
rains or scorching heat. But the
I riders, who were used to the country
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14
coHee-House Delivery.

What was called the coffee,
house delivery of letters was probably
the most unique feature connected
vitl the early postal service. Letters
not delivered from ship board were
spread out on a table at the nearest
coffee house. put into box, or stuck
behind strips OF tape that were drawn
lightly over a good sized beard Gov
cred with green baize. There they re
manned until called for It was often
weeks before ali letters reached their
owners When a person from the
country came 10 The coffee house for
mail le would carry out all letters for
his locality and deliver them himself
or leave them with the minister or
AZ an inn. Hence the custom grew up
Of depositing at the coEee-house let
ters written in the town to a place in
thu interior, letters brought from the
country and directed 10 an inhabitant
OF the town and even mail 10 be carried
across the sea Thus a rude postal
system grew up and long after the s.
Enlistment OF postofices this neigh
ba1ly method continued 10 be the main
dependence 81 the people Tor the trans
portation Of letters fer short distances
n Virginia the arst law on tbs sub
iect vas nassed il 1851 It required
each planter OF pain Of forfeiture Q,
one hogshead Of tobacco. 10 eoaye!
letters as they arrived 10 TIE mex
plantation and 50 On thus compelling
neigh Dor mess
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14
The Railroad Appears.

AT the inauguration of Jackson a
model of newly invented railroad
car was shown in which eight per.
sons We're drawn By a thread of com.
mon sewing cotton. In his first
hook of History Peter Farley said:
But the most curious thing al Balti
more is the railroad must tell you
tina; there is a great trade between
Baltimore and the states west OF the
Allegheny mountains Now in order
to carry on all this business the more
easily, the people are building what
they call a railroad. This consists OF
iron bars laid along the ground and
made fast so that carriages with
small wheels may run along
them easily In this way each horse
will be able to draw as much as ten
horses on a common road. A part OF
this railroad is already done and if
you choose 10 take ride upon it you
may do so You will mount a car
rage something like stage and then
you will be drawn along by two horses
al the rate of twelve miles an hour.
Soon the steam locomotive FepidcSu
the horses. The eccentric Dayy
+ Crockett thus described his experience
on the railroad: This was clean
new sight TO me About dozen big
stages hung onto one machine AT
ter 9 good deal of fuss we all got
seated and moved slowly OF, the en-
CINE wheeling as if she had tizzick-
By and by she began to take snort
breaths, and away we went with a
blue streak after us" The whole dis
lance is seventeen miles and it was
run in fifty-fiye minutes. IN 1884 The
building OF railroad had so far pro
greSsed that the postmaster general
recommended that the nails be trans
ported on the railroad then being con
structed But only a year later We find
the contract for carrying the mails be
tween New York and Philadelphia
given to the stage coach line because
the railroad company protested thai
the schedule time required -thirteer
miles an hcur-was too fast.
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14

Billy SUNDAY is making good bis
threat 10 turn Oy1umwa upside down.
As a sequel TO Nj SUNDAYS refusal
to ACCEPT the offer % $1,000 for his SER
vices there donating the remainder Ct
The free-will offering TO The peer Rev
Mr. SUNDAY and Mayor Phillips rad q
wordy. combat on the streets Saturday
morning. surrounded by crowd Of
several hundred. One Of the signers
of the $1,000 proposition was Henry
Phillips. president Of the Box Car
Loader company. As soon as The TACT
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14

D. Ward King, the good roads ex-
pert and inventor of the King drag,
says Missouri is making more prog
ress in the matter OF good road build
ing than is Iowa. The indictment is
unfortunately true, Missouri is going
about the matter of read Improvement
more Systematically and more general
ly than any other western state. Other
commemorative would do well to fol
low its examples in several important
particulars,
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14
psxeIopment Of Pos Roads.

The saving, Westward the star OF
Empire takes its fight was as true
in the early DAYS OF our country as il
ever has been. The burning question
was. How shall We get 10 the inter
ior and when we do get there how
shall we keep in touch with those we
Rave left behind7' Where the buffalo
roamed his path formed the basis of
many OF the Indian trails Following
Inc Indian came the trader. bur he
made little impression on the condi-
ton OF the wilderness Soon the
hardy froniersman with his ak and
rife came along the trail and made
for himself q home The trail IS
widened By the Ak OF the next conner.
the farmer. who builds for himself
and family . permanent home and
soon z settlement springs into exis-
tence. For the recommendation OF
themselves and travellers 4 rope fer
~ OF floating bridge is built across the
streams; but these crude roads viii
rot long suffice for the increased tray
81. so government steps in and begins
road building in systematic way.
Power was given TO congress by the
constitution.
Ist To establish postoHces AMI
post roads
md To raise and support armies.
3rd To regulate commerce.
Post reads must be good roads in
order thar the mails could be carried
safely ana rapidly There must be
good roads 10 enable armies to 60
from one part of the country 10 an
other. hence road building was begun
On an immense scale. The very first
line OF posts extended from Maine tc
Georgia with spurs to the most i'm
poTtant OF the interior towns II
many cases the mail contractor couit
pse existing roads. bat often new one:
Lad to be opened The road laws o
the colonies were copies of raose II
[ England One Law compelled the wild
+ ching Of all roads TO prevent rot
q berries Later a demand for still BET
. ter roads was made and each yea
. every parishiouer had TO labor fou
/ days 10 keep the roads in repair IN
. necessity for good roads between III
I villages in New England and the mid
: die colonies was much greater thu
1 in the sparseIy settled southern co
J. onies. Before the close OF the 1st
t century there were fifty turl
It pike companies in Connectici
ii alone, owning 10 miles {
is read Companies mad been cha
c tered 10 build over 5000 miles Of tur
In pixies and there was a continuous liz
ID Of good roads from Boston 70 Phi
is delphia. while many lines We
OF planned for the interior The Cul
of tensive, was to go from Cumberlal
m to Jefferson City, No II was COZ
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14
First system OF Posts.

In II Chronicles SOS We read that
the posts Went with the letters from
the king and his princes throughout all
Israel and judah" We do not know
how early 8 regular system OF posts
was established. II was very simple
at the first. the messengers, swift
Of foot, bearing the commands of the
sovereign 10 distant parts OF his do
minion. the people having no share in
this privilege.
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14

The war department has decided to
try the plan of immunizing the sol
diers of the army from typhoid by
vaccination. After a study of the re
suits OF this method as used in Europe,
board of medical scientists con.
ciuded that the serum was at least
harmless and might prove effective.
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14

1t always seems as if every subject
that falls to my lo5 to write upon is
endless and this is the worst of them
all. | hardly know where 10 begin and
fear shall be ike so many others
not know when TO stop. There is one
person who has learned a heap in the
preparation of this paper and that one
IS the writer
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14

The ministers at Boone. Iowa. are
planning series of stirring revtvals
to commence in that city on January
4 The preaching will he strictly a
home production. The ministers of the
various churches interested in the
movement are 70 man the station for
the saving OF souls The idea is com
mended as a proper one by the Water
loo Reporter, which holds that the
ministers OF any CITY ike Boone are
surely equal to the demands OF such
a campaign, and in this direction. as
well as in all other desirable ones. 4
better impression viii prevail and
more substantial results viii follow by
giving support TO the home industry.
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14

In his annual report 10 congress
secretarv of the Treasury Coreiyou
shows that the largest factor in the
SIS coo. 400 deficit at the end OF the
fiscal rear was a failing of o. So,
o0Q. 900 in customs. A deficit Of Si1i
Coz GOO for the current year IS est
mated and he advises the tariff re-
visers 10 proceed With great caution
ard the legislators 10 have regard for
economy II the government is 10 avoid
still larger deficit in the following
years. To relieve the gold.moving
strain he suggests the possibility q
getting the leading nations 10 agres
TO the Issuance OF an international
gold certificate.
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14

A Missouri Judge evidently intends
to give future grand juries plenty to
do. He is asking all divorce applicants
in his court whether or not they con-
template early remarriage If the
answer. is in the affirmative he refuses
the divorce. If in the negative he
warns the applicants that should they
marry shortly after a divorce IS grant
ed they will be indicted for perjury.
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14
BY STAGE Over the Plains.

In 1S4S when so many OF the peo-
pie OF the country were suddenly
stricken with the gold fever and
the rush 10 the far west was so great,
the question of transportation of the
mails was very vital one. There
was much excitement and danger con-
nected with the enterprise. as the
western country was full OF Indians.
The long trains OF the emigrants were
not so often molested as the smaller
ones OF the mail service. The men
having charge of the mail were dar-
ing frontiersmen and always went
armed to the teeth. The Indians
often appeared in considerable num-
beers, but they had men of nerve TO
deal with. who were used TO their
tactics and were we'll supplied with
arms and ammunition The Indians
called the long range guns ashoot-em-
furs.'' while small arms they desig-
mated as -shoot-em- shorts II they
4 did not succeed in capturing the mail
stage or rather the provisions and
horses. which We're really what they
wanted. they would do some act OF
mischief along the route calculated to
annoy and harass the travellers. They
would throw dead skunks into the
water al the springs where the stage
would have L stop to obtain fresh
supply Once they shot red-hot metal
arrows into the hay covering the
stables, for the purpose of setting them
on FIRE During one fight with the mai
agents they riddled the water keg oil
their opponents with bullets. and or
another occasion they threw in q well
for the purpose of poisoning the water
the bodies Of those they had killed
In 1851 there vas monthly mai
between Sacramento and Salt LAX
City. distance Of $50 miles. the mai
2 bags being carried on the backs c
! mules II was quite customary I
send letters through the express CON
+ panies. several Of which were starte
7 in 1919. among them being the Wells
= Fargo & Co. and the Adams express
The California Legislature in ls5
2 paid 70 the express companies s2i OF
e in postage and only s2,076 10 the pos
: Office.
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14

became known t. D. Foster, president
OF the Morren Packing company, Of
tered for sale his stock in the Box Car
Loader company. saying he would nos
be associated in business with an
enemy OF Jesus Christ, How much
the town win sain by the stirring up
process OF which these things are the
result remains 10 be seen.
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14

Adiutant General Thrift has been
notified that the number of persons
subject to military duty in the state as
shown by the returns from county au-
ditors fled in this office is 3o0.54S-
This is a falling of of nearly 5000
Iowa fighting men.
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14
nAuY az NAIL.

~
One year........ SS.fo -Four months. 49,
Six months -. 1.5o One month .....-s
Entered in ksckuk postotfice as secoiiN
class matter
Postage prepaid; terms in advance
All subscription orders should give the
O address and state whether II Is ,
new or renewal order If change u az,
dress is desired, state both the oie ana
Remit oy postofiice money order, eN-
r,ress money order. registered letter OF
The date printed on the address Of each
paper notes when the suoscF4plio1l ~
pireS 49,; -
49, s,r,sY,,,flv Will confer = Favor by
rfvirig notice Of the fact
Address al communion ions 70
THE GATE CITY COMPANY
NJ x Narfh Sixth ST heokuk. lows
THE GATE CITY is on sale Al the fol-
lowing news stands.
Hotel Keokuk. cor. Third aud Jonnsoli-
G H. Rollins 4 &C.; q Main se'es'-
I0sz1Ht News Stand
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14

stopped at nothing and performos
some memorable feats. In 1861 tbaa
made the quickest time on recora
delivering President Lincoln's inn
ural address in Sacramento in ss,
days and eighteen hours. Tho l.s,
pony, in running to Denver, made ter
miles in twenty-one minutes. Burial
Bill when a boy was a pony exnross
rider. His route covered a distance
of seyenty-six miles Once on arr;r
ing at the end of his route he fonra
that his successor was dead drun,,
The successors route was eighty.fvs
miles. Bill at once mounted his NOW
and dashed of, accomplishing tba
round trip of 322 miles without an
hours rest That is said to have haan
the longest ride in the annals Of tho
pony express company.
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1908-12-14
The PONY Express.

The idea of carrying the mail by the
pony express grew out of this express
business Al first the relay stations