davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27
DROuTHINf FIVE STATES
EXCEssIVE HEAT Is a FACTOR
AND RAIN Is NEEDED.
Texas Improvement Checksd-Crops
in the carolinas, Georgia and Mis-
sissippi Delta Improved.

Memphis, Tenn.-The crops are suffer-
ing from want of rain in Tennessee, Ar
kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and the hill
lands in Mississippi. Excessive heat in
tensified the need of moisture, and in
the three western states named above
the plant is shedding seriously and bolls
are opening rapidly. In Texas the inn
provement begun the previous week was
checked. A general soaking rain is need
ed to relieve the situation.
Crops in the two Carolinas, Georgia
and Alabama improved and reports from
the Mississippi Delta are better. In
these districts picking will not begin
until well after Sept. /, as the plant is
still growing and setting fruit. The date
of frost will have an important bearing
on the yield, as the crop is still late.
In Louisiana the hot weather was BEN
eficial because many weevils were de-
stroyed, but SO much damage has already
been lone that estimates for the yield
are light.
The plant is we'll fruited, and except
where the drouth has been prolonged, no
serious shedding has occurred.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27
State Capital Notes
Weekly Budeet of State News Items Gathered 81 Or Special
Correspondent at Jackson.
Mississippi for Education.

Two of the foremost gladiators in the
ranks of those who are working heart
and soul from week to week, month to
month and year to year, in the interest
of educational advancement in the State
of Mississippi, were at their desks in the
capitol building Monday, after little
journeys to different parts of the State
in the interest of their campaign. These
were State Superintendent j. n. Pow
ers and Commissioner of Agriculture II.
E. Blakeslee, the former having been on
the rounds for some ten days, travelling
by railroad and dirt road, and skipping
across counties in order to meet appoint
ments, while Commissioner Blakeslee
was touring and speaking on diversified
ton in the lower part of the State.
Both these officials report a real and
genuine interest in the message which
they are carrying to the people in behalf
of self-improvement and practical ad-
vancement through the medium of edu'
cation of the mind to think out the prob
lens that confront them, relative te
educational and agricultural advance
ment. They are giving the most attens
ton to the subject of agricultural high
schools, and are spending more time in
those counties that show an interest IL
this work, but have not taken the prac-
teal steps necessary in order to get into
line.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27
AIRSHIp RACES AT STATE FAIR.
First Real Speed Contests With Two
Flying Machines in Air at
Same Time.

~A
Nashville-At the Tennessee State
Fair the first real airship races ever at
tempted will be flown" by two of the
worlds most famous ~aeronauts, Roy
Knabenshue and Lincoln Beachy.
This is in accordance with a contract
made Monday, August 16, for the whole
of the week of September 20.
These two famous masters of aerial
cruising will bring two great dirigibles
to the fair, and rising from the field
in front of the grandstand at the same
time, will fly real races over a prescribed
course, finishing just where they start.
Besides the one race each day, these
flyers will give exhibition flights every
few hours, and will also make ascensions
in the glare of the s%earchlights each
night.
The State Fair management had al
ready spent nearly $4,000 for free
amusement features, but when the op-
pertunity was offered to get these air
ship masters right at this time, when
there is such an interest in h con
quest of tile clouds, the executive COM
mittee took a chance and contracted tor
an expenditure of $4,000 additional.
This is the browning feature in one
IF the greatest free amusement programs
ever offered at any fair.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27
Radical Laws Not Anticipated.

There will be no extraordinary or gen.
eral legislation introduced or attempted
at the 1910 session of the Mississippi
lawmakers if the ideas of some of the
leading workers in that body are adopted
by the chief executive. There is a grow
ing disposition among a number of these
men to oppose any attempt to present
matters outside the revenue and appro-
p~riation measures, and they are ready to
take Gov. Noel at his word and to expect
NJ recommendations for special legisla-
ton except such as may be of vital i'm
p%ortance for the good of the whole peo-
pie, and SO patent and imperative as to
command action without undue delay and
spinning out. There are plenty of laws
on the statute books now-indeed, as has
been stated in various quarters, the stat
ute books are t~opheavy with laws, and
what is needed more is the spirit of en-
forcement, and if such spirit can be crys-
tallized into the statutes, such statutes
ought by all means to be enacted.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27
Romances Of Progress
BY Albert Payson Terhune
ENRY BEssEmER-The Man Whose Failure Won Success.

to fire 1t, Bessemer simply set to work
to find some stronger material for
nno He knew little of metals, but
began a careful study of them. At
that time, iron, not steel. was used for
railways. big guns and nearly every
structure requiring metal. Steel was
hard to make and al far too expen-
sive for common use. Few men were
employed in working on 1t. and these
used a tedious, laborious process in
its production.
But Bessemer was not content with
the modes then In use. He knew that
steel was an alloy of iron and carbon
in certain proportions, and he went
the following process for making it:
He drove a blast of air through
masses of pig iron that was in process
of fusing until it was cleared of car
bon. Then. by introducing the proper
proportion Of carbon, he found he had
an excellent quality Of steel. He could
thus make steel far more rapidly than
It had eve before been manufactured,
and at a mere fraction Of it's former
high price. He also found that by
blowing through molten pig iron until
all it's carbon was oxidized ne could
produce a fine grade of malleable iron.
In 1850 Bessemer patented his steel
making process. At once it revolu-
tionized industry. Sheffield was Eng
lands chief steel center. The a
facturers there refused to take up
Bessemer's idea
and sneered at it
- as impracticable.
1919 So he opened
steel works in the same city and under
sold his rivals until it brought them
to terms.
! Steel became at a bound one of the
| worlds foremost industries. The
United States at once took the lead in
it's production. Before Bessemer's in
vention our annual production of steel
was about 1885 tons. A few years
later it had risen to 3,019,90 tons a
year. Bessemer was the father of
steel rails. steel frames for sky
scrapers, steel ships. steel cannon and
modern armor-plate. His invention
gave work to millions of men.
But he had not forgotten that early
occasion when England had regarded
him as a fool. When he was too rich
and famous to be neglected he de-
manded that the British government
make him some return for the stamp
| ing device they had adopted and for
which he had received no pay. He no
longer needed the few thousand dol
lars that represented the devices
money value. But he insisted on some
recognition of his service According
ly Queen Victoria made him a knight.
thus granting tardy PREPARATION to the
poor youth whom her official subordin-
ates had once regarded as a mere, butt
for their jokes.
(Copyrighted.)
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27

A young inventor-Henry Bessemer
By name-awoke one morning In the
first half OF the nineteenth century
to find himself the laughing-stock OF
England. His name was On all lips.
and the story Of his latest folly was
told and retold amid the derision of a
nation. He was pointed out as a fore
ordained failure in life. Here in brief
Is the tale of his odd ill-luck:
The stamping system in the British
government Offices was carried on in
an expensive and old-fashioned way.
Bessemer, though little more than q
boy, invented an improved stamping
device, which was SO excellent that.
in spite of the increased money out
lay involved, the government decided
to adopt it. In payment Bessemer
was to receive a life position as super
intendent of stamps at a salary OF
$4,000 a year. 1t was unheard-of good
luck for SO young a man. Bessemer
In his delight became overzealous and
forthwith spoiled his prospects by in
venting still another system whereby
the old-time arrangements for stamp
ing could be continued probably at no
extra expense or special alteration.
In other words, he improved" away
the necessity of his own promised po-
sition. There was no longer any need
of his services. The government
adopted his second system, thereby
saving much money. Bessemer re-
ceived not one penny for the inven-
ton, and was, moreover, out of a
$4,000 a year job. All England
laughed; for there is scant sympathy
fer a fool, and "fool' was the mildest
of the many terms applied to the
youngster.
He stood ridicule bravely, and by
means of several lesser inventions
(gold paint, velvet making, and i'm.
provements in ty~pe-casting) he man
aged to support himself. Soon the
a mi.for+ur. Crimean war broke
rLs e..u.. out. England was
Luck. piepa Dc
semer devised a
long ~prOjectile for use in smooth-bore
cannon. His government would not
adopt the invention. So he carried it
to France, where a test was made. 1t
was proven that such cast-iron can.
non as were then in use were not
strong enough to fire the new oblong
shot. 1t was declared useless: and
once more people laughed at Besse.
mer.
But, inadvertently, these two fail
ures formed the foundation of his fu.
ture fame and fortune. Had he re.
ceived the easy government job prom.
lsed him years before he would prob.
ably have rested content and done lit
tie for progress. Had his %projectile
been adopted, he might have remained
q mere cannon-ball inventor.
When, however, the French emperor
rejected his new shot, on the ground
that no cannon was sufficiently strong
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27
BANKER PROTECTED RELATIVE
Took Mortgage for sister-in-Law Be-
fore Bank Closed.

Asheville, N. C.-Joseph E. Dickerson,
co-defendant with Breese and Penland,
charged with conspiracy to wreck the
First National Bank of Asheville, testi-
fed Friday on cross-examination in his
own behalf. He declared that certain
overdrafts appearing against him on the
books of the bank were erroneous, and
that the overdrafts were on account of
interest and principal on a certain paper
which he had secured for Breese. He
declared he had gotten no benefit from
the notes.
Dickerson also ADMITTED that he took
a mortgage for Mrs. Alvey, his sister-in-
law, from Penland for $4,000 shortly
before the bank failed, and in reply to a
question he said he thought he should
take care of Mrs. Alvey's interest be-
fore he did the bank.
The witness stated that there was
practically no business one by the bank
during the last three years Of its ex-
istence save the renewal of old notes.
Many of these "old notes." he said in
reply to a question by counsel, were
held by himself, Penland and Breese.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27
Roundup" in Mississippi

President j. NJ. Taylor of the Mis-.
sissippi Live Stock Association of Clai-
borne county calls attention to the fact
that during the annual roundup" farm
ers' institute gathering to be at the
Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical
College, Aug. "a to %, the annual meet
ing of the organization will be held. At
the same time the Mississippi Dairy
mems Association will hold their regular
meeting, and as the membership in the
former organization is almost tanta-
mount to membership in the Dairymen's
Association, the conference ought to be
interesting and attractive enough to in
sure a large attendance.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27
DAGUERRE--- The Man Who Made
Sunlight Work for Him.

A little French boy lay sick in his
darkened bedroom one summer day in
1775. Outside was a glare of sun
light, but heavy shutters rendered the
sick-room gloomy and dark. The white
washed ceiling alone reflected patches
of light from holes and cracks in the
wooden blinds.
The little invalid was Joseph Nice
phore Niepce. AS he lay staring up
ward. very lonely and very sick, he
saw a cart and horses drive slowly
across the ceiling. Then a drove of
cattle, and after a while his fathers
figure and that of his pet dog.
AS the sun went under a cloud these
wonderful images faded. The child's
mother came in and he told her of the
procession that had crossed his CELL
ing. The good woman, thinking her
son was raving in delirium, sem post
haste for a doctor. When it was dis
covered he was quite sane the family
came to the conclusion he had been
lying. But he had not.
He had merely been side the first
camera in existence. A chink in the
blinds had served as lens and the cell
ing had been the plate or finder"
rejecting objects passing in the road
outside. The boy did not forget. AS
he grew up his memory often returned
to the strange phenomenon, and he be-
gan to figure out in his own mind the
cause of it. At last, in the course of
time, he hit upon a very fair solution
of the mystery.
This decided, he set to work trying
to reproduce the process in real life
| and to obtain some permanent image
of objects thus photographed. After
uow n. First many failures
row '"e Niepce found, in
Made. -. -
a metal plate with a mixture of law
ender oil and asphalt, putting the
plate in a primitive camera and ex-
| posing it a long time, a very faint
image of the object or landscape in
front of it would be cast upon the
metal. He developed such plates by
washing them with a combination
| of petroleum and lavender oil.
Great as was Niepce's discovery it
remained for another man to put it to
practical use. This collaboration was
Jacques Daguerre, who had begun
life as a soldier and had later won
maker of the first Diorama. A theater
fire made Daguerre poor and out of
employment. He met Niepce and went
into partnership with him. Soon aft
erward Niepce died, and Daguerre car
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27
WOULD AMEND TRUST LAWS
President to Have Attorney-General
Make Law More Specific,

President to Have Attorney-General
Make Law More Specific.
Beverly, Mass.-President Taft aims
to make the antitrust law so clear that
there can be no violation of its pro-
visions without swift Jail punishment.
The antitrust law, the president points
out, is a criminal statute, and business
men are entitled to know definitely the
lines which they may not cross. Con-
sequently he believes that amendments
are necessary, defining in more detail the
evils against which the law is aimed,
making clearer the distinctions reason
ably restraining trade and those which
are pernicious in their effect and p~articu-
lariy d~enouncing the various devices for
monopolizing trade, which investigations
and prosecutions are shown to be in
actual practice.
With the law 81 amended, the presi-
dent thinks business men who are will
ing to obey the law will know what is
to be avoided. And when the law has been
SO amended and business men and cor
porations understand exactly the limits
placeu upon tne1f acts, Jnen II previous
illegal practices are continued nothing
but criminal prosecutions should be re-
sorted to.
1t is the conviction of the president,
with the law thus cleared up as to it's
meaning, there could be no excuse for
it's violation by the corporations, nor
could there be any hesitancy on the part
of judges, where convictions are OBJ
tanned, in applying punishment to fit the
literal meaning of the statute.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27
New Disease Discovered.

State Treasurer George R. Edwards,
Jr., returned Monday from Attala u
ty, where he made a weekend visit to
relatives and friends at his former home
near McCool. Mr.. Edwards commented
on a disease that is now prevailing in
that neighborhood that is battling the
medical men and causing considerable un-
easiness to the laity as well, having
claimed one or two victims, while the
other cases being watched are consid-
cred critical. 1t is a sickness that in itA
characteristics and symptoms resembles
tropical dysentery more than any othe,
disease with which the doctors are ia
miliar, the persons afflicted lying inert
and simply wasting away, without fever,
but with temperature about 2 or 3 de-
grees below the normal, and pulse beats
from so to 60, also considerably less
than normal.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27

ried on he work to completion. The
ideas were, practically, all Niepce's.
But 1t was Daguerre who got the cred
it for them n who had the honor Of
making the first successful photo
graph. He, too, it was after whom
such early photographs we're named.
for he term photographic picture"
was shortened to "Daguerreo-type."
The process whereby Daguerre made
these first pictures was absolutely
crude. A sheet of silver-plated copper
was highly polished and freed from
every particle. of lust. Then it was
hung, face downward, over a saucer
containing iodine. The fumes of the
iodine formed, on the surface of the
plate, a substance known as silver
iodide, which is sensitive to light.
When enough of this had collected to
turn the surface of an orange color
the plate was ready for exposure and
was put into the dark side of a Gem
era. The exposure itself, which had
formerly taken several hours, was now
cut down to between three minutes and
half an hour, according to the light.
But another difficulty confronted
Daguerre. H, could not hit upon the
right chemical for developing his pic
lures. One day after taking a photo
| graph he was called away. Before GO
ing he stuck the plate into a closet
nea his stove. Taking it out on his
return he found, to his ~amazement, a
| picture perfectly developed. He was
utterly mystified until he searched the
! cupboard.
There he found a jar of mercury.
The warmth of the closet had vola-
A Discovery That tilted the mer'
Was Made by NY anu the va
A..,a.,+ por thus formed
had developed the
plate by condensing on such places as
had been acted on by the light in
nearly the same ration as the intensi-
ty of the lights action. Next the print
was fixed by dipping it into a solu-
ton Of hyposulphite of soda. In 1889
the first Daguerrotype was exhibited.
Other men took up the idea and
improved 1t. In 1910 Prof. John w.
Draper Of the University of New
York invented an improved lens, and
by it made b first sunlight picture"
of a human face. This revolutionized
photography. From that time further
improvement was a comparatively
easy matter.
Though an American did SO much
for photography, yet France rightly
claims the credit of originating the art.
l (Copyrighted.)
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27
w. C. T. q.

Wichita, Kan.-Following the refusal
of the city's commission to prohibit the
sale of imitation beer, commonly known
as "near beer" the county Woman's
Christian Temperance Union held an IN
dignation meeting Friday night. The
erecall' of three of the commissioners
under the recall" election system was
proposed. It has been found that one
resort which had been closed for six
months, sold 200 cases OF genuine beer
within six hours.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27

The tuberculosis exhibit, with DEM
onstrations OF the tubarculin test,
which has been determined upon by
the Wisconsin state board Of agricul-
ture as a feature of the Estate fair,
will serve to present the scientific
under authoritative circumstances,
and thus aid in the work Of mollify.
Ing the opposition, says the Milwau-
kee Wisconsin. Wisconsin is one Of
the foremost dairy states Of the union
and she should occupy advanced
ground In theastraggle against bovine
knbercnlosfs.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27
M. & o. Making Money.

The "Old Reliable" Mobile & Ohio rail-
road has also been making a little
money, according to the June quarterly
report, which has just been received from
Auditor w. s.. Cooke, with an increase
in net earnings for the three months of
nearly a quarter of a million over the
showing for the corresponding quarter
of 1908. The records show that the re-
ceipts from passenger and freight traffic
were $4,000, 173.15, while the operating
expenses amounted to $1,937.s25.O2,
leaving a net revenue account of $780,
O62.7O.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27
Mining Congress Delegates.

Gov. Noel has received a request from
the secretary of the American mining
congress asking that he appoint delegates
to represent Mississippi at the congress,
which is to be held at Goldfeld, Neb.,
September 81 to October 3. While Mis-
sissippi is not directly Interested in min
ing and has no necessity for mining laws,
her people take an intelligent interest in
such matters as will naturally come be-
fore the convention at Goldfield, and
hence Gov. Noel has designated a list of
delegates.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27
JACKSON.
Wants Insanity Law.

Col. H. NJ. Street, at present acting
governor and speaker of the lower house
of the Legislature, has announced that
when the Legislature convened in Janu-
airy he will introduce a bill bearing on
the plea of insanity. His bill will pro-
vide for a jury composed of from four to
six physicians to pass On the sanity OF a
man who commits murder and offers a
plea of insanity in defense. This trial
will take place first of all. If the de-
PENDANT is adjudged insanse he will be
sent to an asylum. If he is declared sane
he will have to stand a regular trial and
offer some other defense. The bill will
provide that where alienists are engaged
that the State will pay all expenses, thus
relieving the witnesses of the supposition
that they are t~estifying save in the in
terests of truth.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27
State Treasury Balance.

The State treasury balance Thursday
was $500, ITO. so, which amount was out
at interest in the repositories, there being
practically no cash in the treasury
vaults, the balance On hand at the close
of business Wednesday having been
$500, O66.50 The treasury balance at
the same date last year was $223,o29.62,
the excess on the 1909 account being
$~77,OSO.SS. The auditors books show
that there will be no extraordinary de-
mands IN this balance, as there are no
heavy construction accounts outstand-
ing, and from now until the end of the
year the drafts on the treasury will be
on account of the maintenance of the
State government, the remuneration of
assessors and the meeting of the Confed-
federate pension warrants.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27
Telephone Returns Good.

The Alabama : Mississippi : Tennessee
Telephone Company, located at Pontotoc,
submits reports for the quarter ended
June 80 last, and also for the fiscal year
ended the same date, which indicate that
while the figures and business handled
has been small, comparatively, the re-
turns have been remunerative. On the
quarterly operations the receipts were
$3.50 and operating expenses $3.50, leav-
ing a net profit of $500. The figures
for the twelve months were: Receipts,
1920, and expenditures, $1,15s, leaving
a net profit account of 1852.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27

Experiments have resulted in the
production from petroleum of a brand
of butter said to be something just
as good" as the genuine bovine ar
ticle. But it is doubtful if this sort
of near butter" will be in good odor
among those who are a little particu-
lar in such matters.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-08-27
Has Startling Illusion.

Eugene Henard, who attained fame
with his palace of illusions at the
Paris exposition in 1900, has just COM
pleted a similar but larger piece of
eccentric architecture for exhibition
In that city. The impression made
upon the person who enters the mir
ror-walled space is that there are
$4,000 electric lamps burning. The
hall IL hexagonal in shape. and stand
inx In It's center one sees six halls Of
equal size. and beyond these AZ more,
and then IS. and % on The inner