davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18
NOT THE BRANDYs FAULT.

The late Orrin s. Wood, the
pioneer telegraphist-Mr Wood open
ed the first telegraph office in New
fork-was, though a most temperate
man, unfriendly to the more intolerant
and bigoted type of prohibitionist.
Mr.. Wood, at banquet in Turner
made witty speech on the drink
question that many Turnerites still re,
member. He declared that prohibit.
ionists blamed drink for evils that
were often due to other things - to
weakness of will, poverty, lack of ed.
ucation and SO forth
L once was present" he concluded
at a teetotal meeting where dear
old lady rose and gave her experience
Dear friends she said my hus-
band is a good and worthy man, but
for long time he was in the habit OF
taking, before he went to bed, raw
egg beaten UP in brandy. That, dear
friends, was a great cross to me for
many years. But, last month my hus.
band discovered that the brandy made
him bilious, and so he abandoned this
vile and filthy nightly indulgence, and
now his biliousness has entirely dis
appeared
There was loud applause; but a
crusty old fellow III back seat rose
and shouted angrily:
1t was the egg, madam, that made
your husband bilious. You go home
and tell him to take the brandy
straight. Washington Star.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18
nscARE sroRlEs.u

The best thing about scare stories
says one of the weeklies, is that they
are usually not SO. This statement
was inspired by perusal of report
made by physicians who had made an
extensive study Of several thousand
school children in Edinburgh, Glasgow
and London These physicians report
ed that there is no sufficient evidence
that school environment has a de-
Ieterious effect on the eyesight of chill
dren. The charge has frequently been
made that the schools were running the
eyesight Of the rising generation,
whose descendants and their de-
scendants would become affected to an
extent that would eventually turn all
humans into specialized race. The
foreign investigators found that hered-
ity is an important factor in the mat
ter, and that where a child has good
sight or poor he probably got it from
his parents, even though it appeared
late in his school life. The schools
have been blamed, the physicians con-
cluded, because the changes of vision
occur during school years, one of the
phases of the law of growth.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18
STORIES ABOUT PEOPLE.
When Jerry Turned the rabies

When Jerry Turned the Tables.
Half dozen Kansas men who NOV,
ed and had their political being sew.
eral years ago, were mixing political
and tobacco smoke the other night in
front of Topeka hotel AS was to be
expected, they fell to EARNING, and
their subject was Jerry Simpson.
They told a lot of stories concerning
the sockless Socrates, and here are a
few of them:
One time Jerry arrived at an Excel
sior Springs hotel and registered,
Jerry Simpson, Wichita" The news
reached the parlor, which adjoins the
office, and several feminine guests
hustled out to look at the signature.
1t was at the time when Jerry was at
the zenith of his notoriety.
Oh giggled one of them, address
ing the clerk. Il wonder if he wears
socks?"
Mr.. Simpson was standing hard by
and heard the remark. The women all
laughed at this well worn witticism
and they stopped suddenly when Jer-
~ said quietly to the clerk: 81 won
der If they wear stockings?"
Whereupon the women fed to the
parlor amid silence that was knee
deep.-Kansas City Journal
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18
WAS PADDLE IN
POWELL'S BOAT?
WITNESSES DECLARE THERE
WAS NoNE-MANY PARTIES
GIVE TESTIMONY.

The question Of whether or not
there was a paddle in the launch OF
Halle Powell at the time the boat
went over the dam and the death Of
the Powell family and Mrs. j. Fred
Stevens and daughter, is in the minds
of three witnesses who have testi.
fed in the damage suit now being
heard before Judge d. M. Anderson,
viewed in different light. Ed Ham
mona stated that there was no paddle
or ancher in the aoat, while Verne
Caughlin says that Halle had pad
die and that he had borrowed it upon
one or -wo occasions.
The plaintiff completed the introduc-
ton of testimony yesterday afternoon
after securing in the records through
witnesses Hammond, James Cullen,
Miss Helen Lambert, Miss Gertrude
Van der Veer, Mrs. D. N Sprague and
Mrs. Maggie Millisack, some items re-
lating to the pleasant disposition and
industriousness of little Miss Anna
Lucille Stevens, and the wages sales
ladies, school teachers and domestics
earned.
The first witness called by the de-
PENDANT was w. x. Caughlin, who
asserted that any gasoline engine is
liable to stop at any time. H. L. Bell
gave the same testimony. julius
Fecht told of the dam going out in
1907, while ]. w. Murdoch and D. Nc
Cullough testified to finding the
Powell launch after the river tragedy.
Miss Georgia Heath told Of the wages
salesladies generally earn and of the
cost of clothing FOR the same Frank
Bells and G. y. Arnold asserted that
Halle Powell was employed by the
Arnold Jewelry and Music company
and the latter stated that he had
some stock In the concern. George
Haw, Jr., the defendant in tie case
went on record as saying that the VI
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18

II he cannot accomplish things"
Why does he need such sheepskins
II he accomplishes things? Recon-
mendations, press concentrations
oral eulogies, notes Of introduction
have far too much influence.
A lawyer may be a fine speaker al
political meeting or an agricultural
fair, and yet in a community be- q
most unsafe man to whom to commit
a difficult case.
A physician, in addition to an ordin.
airy graduation in medicine, may have
travelled in Vienna, Berlin, London
and Paris and visited every hospital
in those great centers of the medical
profession, and yet be a clumsy sur.
geon or useless family doctor.
To speak the French language we'll
is great accomplishment. but we
nave met men and women from whose
lips those musical accents came when
conversation was not worthy of atten.
ton.
1t is we'll, the Advocate concludes,
TO nave earned the sheepskin, it is
well to be able to speak French. but
neither Of those things will enable
man to accomplish things" His ma
tive ability, his conscientious industry
his tact, his experience, his accuracy,
MS personal influence and his honesty
are the means of accomplishing
things.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18
1t is Taking Lots of Pie
to Build the Panama Canal

that. No less than $4,000 loaves can he
turned out daily If need be.
When 1t comes to pie, this bakery
has the death-dealing capacity of TO-.
900 pies daily. 1t can also turn out
5000 pounds Of cake. AS a matter of
fact, but a small part of this is turned
out. The pies are strictly of the
"machine-made" variety, such as are
familiar to the habitues of the dairy
lunch counter. This will be better un-
derstood when 1t is learned that the
machinery in the pastry division of
the bakery consists of zone cake mix
er, one automatic cake molding and
dropping machine, one egg-beating
machine and one pie-making ma
chine"
rms, however, does not tell the full
tale of the canal zone pie. The -four
that was distributed in a raw state
to the hotels and messes, and through
the commissaries to families. amount
ed In the fiscal year 1909 to 1904 bar
rels.
At the hotels and messes it was
made into hot bread, pies and cakes
and used in general cooking. About
$500 people living in married quar-
tiers buy portion of the flour for
their bread at the commissaries. In
the bakery at Ancon Hospital, be-
tween LOO and 1900 loaves of bread
are made daily. For therapeutic rea-
sons good and sufficient, pie is barred
out of the hospital bakery.
Another form in which flour is dis
tributed by the subsistence depart
ment is in biscuits of various kinds.
In the fiscal year $4,000 pounds OF
soda biscuits, $4,000 pounds of pilot
bread and $4,000 pounds Of fancy bis
cuts were sold to canal workers. The
pliot bread is used almost exclusively
by the West Indians. and the fancy
biscuits by the gold" employees. or
those not on the silver" or labor
roll.
T n JUolJ;vor
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18
PARTY Leaves
FOR BIC REUNION
CELEBRATION AT ELDON DRAWS
A LARGE CROWD FROM
FOUR COUNTIES

Veterans and pioneers are gathering
in Eldon since yesterday and will con-
tinue until tomorrow when the great
meeting of the oldtimers will come to
close and each will again seek his
home be it near or far laden with
| memories of a pleasant meeting with
friends and former comrades of the
| Gays gone by. The meeting is the
Big Four Reunion of Old Soldiers and
Old Settlers from the counties OF
Wapello, Davis, Van Buren, and Jeffer-
son. which is being held in the Big
Four Fair grounds. A homecoming
has been made an added feature in
the celebration of the annual meet
this year and the railroad men have
lent hand to make the event bigger
and different from former years. The
city of Eldon is doing its best to en-
terrain the throngs that are attending
the meeting and the program arranged
for the event is an excellent one. Men
prominent in public affairs, pioneers.
old soldiers and we'll known railroad
ers are on the program for talks, and
"reminiscences of the early days in the
four counties will furnish volume Of
interest and entertainment for those
present A number of those who left
Ottumwa this morning to attend the
reunion are:
Mike Mcdonald of Bayard, post
commander of the G. A.. R., for Iowa;
Congressman N. E. Kendall of Abba
Past Commander T. R. Buckley, Mr..
and Mrs. Charles Schwartz; Palmer
Chisman, Lawrence Mott, Samuel Ran
dali, Mexican war veteran and DR..
d. A. LaForce.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18
BLOC MFlELD
ATTRACTS MANY
A LARGE NUMBER GO FROM OF
TuMWA TO ATTEND THE
FESTIVITIES.

Former residents and others having
relatives and friends in Bloomfield,
left over the Wabash this morning to
attend the Davis county fair and visit
Old familiar scenes. sSigourney and Ce-
dar Rapids wero among the places
| that sent representatives to the neigh
boring city located south of Ottumwa.
Among those who were passengers
from the Jefferson street station this
morning destined to Bloomfield were:
Ex-congressman Daniel Hamilton of
Slgourney; DR.. e. F. Lowry, 218 EEast
Second street; Mr. and Mrs. l. H.
Wagner and baby, 600 West Mechanic
street; Mr.. and Mrs. M. Bales, 313
keota street; Mrs. Emma Howk, sos
Wabash avenue; Mrs. Nellie Whit
field, COL South Ransom street; Miss
Eva Richardson, Cedar Rapids; Mrs
f. l.. Reinhardt of east of the city;
Miss N. Still and D. N. Still of Bir-
mlngham; Mrs. Allen and baby, 4OS
North Iowa avenue; Miss Orpha Co
hagen, TIC Wabash avenue; Miss Bes-
sic Grove, I'll Wabash avenue; Mr..
and Mrs. John Order and baby, sol
West Second street; Mr.. and Mrs. ].
Noe and daughter Katie, r. f. D. No.
z, Ottumwa; Mrs. d. H. Criley, 1902
North Davis street; F. Whitman of
west of the city; z. Sylvester, corner
of Washington and Second streets;
zadie Rown, 408 South Sheridan ave-
nue.; Miss Mary Tharp, ZIG South
Moore street, Mrs. E. P. Casady of
Milton, who has been visiting her
daughter, Mrs. II. C. Corrick, 1O5
South Ward street
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18
MR. HILL AND THE CROPS.

James J. Hill has a habit OF breaR
ing into our hours Of pleasant renee
lions with an occasional Earring note.
Just as we were engaged in pleasant
contemplation of the Forthcoming mar
vests, thinking that We would nave an
average crop in spite of the drought
and concentrating ourselves for living
in state that manages to get a Dig
crop weld even If weather conditions
are not the best, along comes MT. Hill
and reminds us that we are not grow
ing near as much wheat as we shouid
grow He warns the country, TOO,
that instead of dreaming OF the time
when we shall be feeding the Whole
world, we had better be preparing 1of
the time when we won't be able 10
feed ourselves and will have to import
wheat for the Saturday baking.
1t seems to be just possible that MI.
Hill is spending too much of his time
in the dry farming territory and is
viewing the country at large as OF
piece with some of the strips he views
from his car window when he makes
trip over his northern routes between
the coast. Here in Iowa we might
mint ont to Mr.. Hill that while we
are not doing as much as we might
with wheat we are doing quite nicely
with corn; that we are raising hogs
that the foreign as we'll as domestic
market relishes when transformed IN
to Iowa Pride bacon and hams, and
have added immensely to our wealth
by the butter, eggs and poultry we are
marketing.
Perhaps we are not digging hard
enough, however, and it may DO US
some good to have Mr.. Hill throw
scare into us occasionally.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18
PARSONS MEN TO
DON MOLESKINS
FAIRFIELD STUDENTS WILL RE-
sumo FOOTBALL GAMES AFTER
FOUR YEARS OF INACTIVITY.

Fairfield, Sept. 16.-(specia)-
Football is to be played at Parsons
college this fall for the first time in
four years, and forty men RESPONDED
to Athletic Director Pickens' first call
for practice. Parsons has had no
football since the reform of four
years ago, at which time, in common
with practically almost all the smaller
colleges of the middle west, 1t was
temporarily abandoned The students
are rejoicing over it's resurrection.
While this years work will probably
amount to little in the way of produc-
ing winning team, the interest that
is being taken in the revival of the
sport here shows that an excellent
foundation for team will be laid.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18
Washington Bureau Of
The Ottumwa Courier.
Washington, D. c.. Sent. lf

1t Is taking big lot of pie to get
the Panama canal dug.
AT the rate the canal workers are
consuming the unhealthful pie now,
millions of them will have been con.
sumed by the time the great ditch is
IN use as waterway. Not only that,
but all the while the dirt is flying.
vast quantities of cake are being
eaten. 1t seems to take pastry in var
lous unhygienic forms in order to keep
the canal excavation business in oper-
alton.
The canal commission has given out
some figures from the subsistence de-
partment on the bread for the canal
workers and also the pie, cake and
plscult consumed in the fiscal year
ending last June 30. These figures
snow that over 40 pounds of flour
We're supplied in the fiscal year 1909
to each of the persons engaged direct
~ or indirectly in canal construction.
This is on the basis of 10000 people
drawing their food supplies from the
commlssarles, number which in
GUIDES the employees and their famil-
les.
1t appears the commissaries import
ed 4,SO9,l24 pounds of wheat flour or
24,536 barrels in the fiscal year The
flour is distributed by the subsistence
department principally in the form of
bread, rolls, pies and cakes and also
as raw flour. In the fiscal year 1909,
about two-thirds of the flour was used
at the bakery in Cristobal and from
enls nour the output was nearly s.
ooo'oOo loayes of bread, 615,7S2 rolls,
l3o,2l9 pounds of cake and 129,414
pies. This product sold for s249,276.
On an average through the fiscal
year, this bakery turns out 1850
loaves of bread a day and 1000 rolls
The capacity is much greater than
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18
Chinese BARRIERS Don't latber

Baltimore American.-"One of the
chief trials of the average man is the
way his razor pulls when he proceeds
to erase the beard from his face, .
remarked Julian v. Apperson of big
ST. Louis hardware firm, at the Hotel
Herman. sSome years ago l aw as in
China and noticed that the cum
ming BARRIERS of that country instead
of putting lather on the faces of their
customers, used number of hot tow
els instead l went through the expert
ence and became quite a convert to
the Chinese system. To this day when
/ go to shave, in lieu Of soap, l steam
my face with hot water, and find that
this method takes all the witness out
of the whiskers far better than lather,
so that if the blade be reasonably
sharp one can shave without any tor
ture incurred in the pulling process"
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18
Accommodating THINGS.

A remark made by a gentleman in
Introducing Glenn H. Curtiss, the
American aviator, to President Falli-
.eres of France, that Curtiss did not
speak French, that Curtiss did not
president, He does better than that;
he accomplishes things" is taken as
the text for the following editorial
reference in the Christian Advocate:
What is the value to man or to
the public of sheepskins on which are
recorded his name and the degrees
which.thave beer conferred upon him
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18

News from Washington indicates
that President Taft has established
peace between the interior and agri.
cultural departments as regards the
difference of opinion existing between
Secretary Ballinger, Chief Forester
Plnchot and their various associates.
1t Will now be up to the Washington
correspondents to revive the Secre-
tary W1lson-Dr Wiley feud, or, failing
IN this, to stir up new row altogeth-
er. Let us have trouble" is the only
slogan known to some of the Wash
lngton newspaper men.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18
LOOKING up THE OLD FRIENDS

LOOKING UP. THE OLD FRIENDS
There was a pretty sentiment pc
hind that plan adopted by DR.. Creatn
of Ottumwa of rounding up all the
friends and playmates Of his boyhood
days. In this case 1t required more
than ordinary efforts to locate THESE
scattered friends. Old Ashland, tne
childhood home, had all but ceased to
exist and its youth, grown to manhoou
and womanhood, had scattered 10 inc
four winds. But many were located by
means of clever chain letter schelne
and there has been an exchange OF
,atters that have renewed friendships
highly priced.
Reading over the chain letter with
It's reference to the good old days at
the old church, the song practlce LOT
special services, the taffy pulls, the
barnyard corncob fights and the SKIP
to-my-Lou parties" some memories OF
pur own boyhood and girlhood days
will return. And If we act on the i'm
pulse and send few lines to some
friend Of the youthful days, there is
no doubt we will find as much pleas
ure as the "old Ashland crowd has
found in reviving memories OF the
times gone by.
There is no truer saying than that
nthere are no friends like the old
friends" Too often we allow them to
slip from the mind, unless we are
thrown together by a pleasant chance
meeting, and we miss the joys of re-
newing our youth by exchanging rem
iniscences with our friends Of the old
en- days.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18
oUANDARY OF A GEORGIA NEGRO

Clark Howell of Atlanta tells a
good story about a former janitor OF
the Atlanta Constitution office, who
lost his place through over indulgence
in liquor, and who afterwards secured
a position as assistant in an automo.
bile garage in that city
He had been working around the
garage as a handy man for about six
months" said Mr.. Howell, and, hap.
pening to meet him on the street one
day, l asked him how he was getting
along in the automobile business.
Fine said he.
I suppose you know everything
about an automobile now, Tom?' |
said to him.
Yes, sir, Mr.. Howell, l knows a lot
about dem cars, for Use been work
ing under dem and over dem, and all
around dem ever since left the Con
stitution office. But dere is just one
thing about dem automobiles dat puz-
zles me-, said Tom.
What's that?' / asked.
Well, sir, Mr. Howell, | can't get
it into my head how they make EN-
go without hitching horse to EN- I"
Post.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18
PROOF POSITIVE.

A western newspaper man visited
Washington recently and told the fol
lowing story on former Representative
Amos j. Cummings of New York, who
was once city editor of the Sun. One
Saturday night it was announced
that all the saloons were to be closed
next day.
Cummings called his star reporter,
Murray.
tom" he said, go out tomorrow
and find out if the saloons are selling
liquor"
1t was Thursday when Tom again
appeared at the city desk
They were" he reported. Success
Magazine.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18
Easily Located.

Literary Digest. Bridget, who had
administered the culinary affairs OF
the Morse household for many years
was sometimes torn between her de
yotion to her mistress and loyalty tc
the small son of the house.
Bridget said Mrs. Morse in a
tone of wonder after an inspection OF
the store room, where have those
splendid red apples gone that the man
brought yesterday-those four big
ones?"
We'll, now, ma'am, !" said poor Bird
get, Il couldn't rightly say, but I'm
thinking if you was to find out wnere
my loaf of hot gingerbread is, likely
them four red apples would be lynn
right on top of it, and I'm only hopin'
his little stomach can stand the
sthrain."
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18

Mr.. Taft has started on his trip
Ihose parties who have been spec.
ulatlng as to just what he will have
10 say about the tariff will soon know
whether they guessed right or wrong
President Taft's trip, by the way. will
not be all play. With thirty states to
visit and each state expecting any
where from one to a dozen speeches
there Is a probability that the presi.
dent will finish with his vocal cords
in about the same shape they were in
when he wound up his campaign tour
last fall
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18
Sorry He Spoke.

Literary Digest.-The usual after
dinner tiff had taken place, and Smith
ers had cooled down. After all, peace
was a good thing and well worth the
having, and little humble pie, more
or less, did not much matter. He de
termined to try woman's weak point
dress-and remarked in a pleasant
voice:
Il see dresses are to be worn longer
than usual this season"
But the hard lines at the corner of
her mouth were still there.
We'll" she observed bitterly, eff
they are to be worn longer than I am
compelled to wear mine, they will
have to be made of sheet iron, that's
ALL"
And then they started all over
again.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-18
A Tale of a Wau.

London Daily News-A sentry while
on duty was mitten by valuable re.
trleVer, and drove his bayonet into the
dog. Its owner sued him in the county
court for its value, and the evidence
given showed that the soldier had nor
been badly bitten after ALL
Why did you not knock the dog
with the butt end of your rifle?" asked
the judge. The court rocked with
laughter when the sentry replied:
Why didn't he bite me with his
tail?"