davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-02-10
district ATTORNEY HENRY
OF San Francisco. short
time after his wounding. dis
I'll cussed with reporter at his
bedside one OF his statements


bedside one OF his statements
about the San Francisco boodlers.
sThey expect me To retract that
statement. do they?" he said grimly
swell. IL did retract II my retrac
ton would be like the Tombstone ed
TORS .
HE. you know, printed a story TO
< the effect that rival editors father
had served 81 years I'm Jail. Pressure
was brought TO bear on him and hnal-
~ he agreed TO retract that statement.
ID his retraction he said:
~'We/ find that we were mistaken
when we said I'm last weeks issue that
the Clarion editors papa had passed
"a summers In the -penitentiary. All
|Iorts OF friends TO have his sentence
ommuted to life Imprisonment failed
|nd the old man, as i matter of fact,
- hung - Minneapolis Journal
Caller ton crutches and with hand
The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-02-10
Famous Gems of Prose
THE PILGRIM MONUMENT
NJ u a A. BRACkErT-

r~presnfnE the MALE Al INC
a 1889
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06

with this there is the set of eight tentaces
which possess grips of iron and are lined under
meath with suckers" which, when in working
order, form vacuum over the OBJECT grasped
and thus insure a firm hold.
So firm is this grasp that story teers of sever
al decades ago were fond of dropping the treas
ure-hunting hero into the hold of the sunken
gaeon and there bump him up against the ter
rble devil-fsh which had thwarted all human
wes and for umpty hundred years been the
guardian of the don's loot" The hero always
won and captured the coin, being dragged to the
surface unconscious.
There have been one or two cases where the
cuttlefsh has made it's home within the cabins
CT sunken ships In in particular OFF
the northern coast of South America 1t is told
that devil-fsh killed three divers who descend
ed to lay plans for raising the ship. AS each
man was brought to the surface dead from
cause which none of his mates could guess, an
other sent to take his place Finally the
trouble was suspected and the last man sent
down gave explicit instructions about being
brought to the surface upon the fantest tug at
the guide line After numerous trips UP and
back he succeeded in dislodging the creature
by cutting off its arms one by one Deprived of
it's arms it fed and no further trouble was
perienced
Perhaps the most uncanny sight which ever
befas the devil-ish hunters is when, on a clear
day, the denizenS of the deep may be seen on the
tentacles which are used as feet. On land, 1t is
recorded. this is physical impossibty for the
fish, but buoyed up by the water of many faith
oms, it's easy.
Though absolutely the most dangerous of crea-
lures of the sea, ii is said the devildsh displays
greater fear of human attack than any of the
other species The first move when assailed, is
to try to grab the hunters with two or more of
the long that stretch out as occasion de-
mands. Failing in this the fish will attempt to
get away under cover of the inky "sepa,' but
when caught with the harpoon and it finds there
is no apparent escape the real tug of war COM
mences and the struggles are never ended until
the quarry ceases quiyering in death. Then the
cables which hold the harpcons are dashed to the
stern of the craft and the sailors turn the
sells nose towards home. the most welcome part
of the voyage.
Study the habits and origin of the cuttlefish
is one of the most interesting which any scien-
fist ever attempted The fish are propagated
by means of eggs. The tiny creature at first has
only one tentacle. which, when it grows older,
gradually divides into two and then into four
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06
UNCLE SAM SEEKS STAMP vsNoER.

Will the time ever come when Uncle Sam can
dispense with letter carriers? The increasing use
of the automobile, the pneumatic tube and me-
chanical devices in the postal service would ind
cate that eventually some method of delivering
mail will be found which will. in large measure
do away with the present system Of distribution
The postofiice department has an annual appro
praton which is used to experiment with mechan
ica devices, and every year the officials are called
upon to investigate the practicability and utility
of inventions. There have been hundreds of differ
ent styles of mail boxes submitted, and there Is
no end of devices designed for picking up mail
bags by fast-moving express trains There Is no
doubt experts say, that the stamp-fXing ma
chine will come into general use and they are
equally certain that the government VIII adopt
slot machines for the automatic sale of postage
stamps, as Germany and numerous other foreign
countries have. The department has made an off
cial trial of such machines.
little more than a year ago the postmaster
general appointed special committee OF officials
to make thorough investigation OF the stamp
vending machines. Washington is now having its
extended public demonstration of these machines
and other cities also will have chance to try
them for a long period under the direct superyi
sion of the postofice authorities.
When the postmaster general decided to make
experiments with stamp-selling machines he in
vited all persons with inventive tendencies to sub
init models He did not confine the invitation to
America. The result that some 10 machines
were offered for experiment, and the posto1ice
committee had long and tedious task in selecting
those that appeared TO be practical.
After much investigation the committee selected
a half-dozen machines for further test. To the
owners or inventors of these six makes was given
the opportunity to make public tests of the
ders under the direction of the department but at
their expense Finally three different models
were picked out for an extended public test at
government expense.
Two of these machines are foreign inventions
one German machine and the other the invention
of Australian.
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06

upon investigation find that a devil-fsh or cutie
fish was trying to bite off corner of the rudder.
Numerous cases of the fish attempting and
ceeding in towing ten-ton sloops for miles have
been recorded in the annals of the industry The
deviliishers always are compelled to put UP hot
fight against this animal of the sea- The intend
ed quarry will pull them far out of their course
after the first harpoon has stung his hide and
it takes two and sometimes three of them be-
fore the catch be brought close enough to
the sloOp to allow the gunner to place shot in a
vital spot
The fish must be continually worried or it
will descend to the bottom to rest, in which case
it usually takes the boat crew and apparatus
with it.
story is told of boat crew which had not
had devil-fsh strike for two days until finally
the harpoon expert on the bowsprit imbedded
his instrument of torture within the vitals of one
of the monsters. The creature, of course, went
through the formality of turning the water there
abouts into delicate black, this being one of the
traits of the species when attacked. This done
the devilfsh started for home, which was the bot
tom OF the gulf The harpoon expert hated to
let go, account of strikes being few and the
boat. crew and harpoonist also began the descent
in inky darkness. The craft being provided with
air tanks at each end, the harpooned had some
job on his hands, and when down in the sea
about 20 feet. near as the mariners could
figure. the eightarmed namesake of the American
trust gingerly climbed into the boat with the
men who were seeking his life-bood. 1t being
dark the fishermen did not perceive his presence
Once more at the surface, however and there
miniature fire panic. Regaining his pres
ence of mind, however. the harpoonist put an out
drop on his second throw and put an end to the
FRANKS OF the fish That tale has been called
Just a fish story but there are three deep sea
fishermen to-day who vouch for the truth of
portion of 1t and they still ply that trade the
coast of the gulf. But now when the devil-ish
starts for home, they let him go.
The manta as the creature is called by sci
ence is to be found as far north the Atlantic
coast as the Caronas and in those waters some
of the largest of this class of creatures have
been seen. One caught on the Atlantic coast
several years ago required three yoke OF oxen to
drag ii from the sea and it's weight was estimated
at four tons
Usually the devilfsh. measures from 20 to %
feet across its back when full grown and one
rlartuer on the Pacific coast reported that he had
estimated one to be 40 feet, which eye measure
nent OF course is within the realm OF possibility
The creature has two well defined plans of de-
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06
Juice VIII Wa . and Sea.

An earnest plea was made by Attor-
ney Charles Pettijohn to Judge Pritchr
ard OF the criminal court for leniency
TO client who had entered a plea OK
guilty to larceny. The burden of this
attorneys argument was that his cli-
ent was the father of twins and was
tempted to theft in order to feed ths
mouths OF the infants.
Your honor, will say frankly"
said Mr.. Pettijohn in closing, that IL
were the father OF twins and needed
food for my family, ! would not hesl-
tate to go out and steal It,"
'Mr Pettijohn, when you are the
father of twins will consider your
proposition" said Judge Pritchard.--
Indianapolis News.
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06
FOUND IN RUINS OF MEMPHIS
Prof. Flinders Petrie Has Brought to
Light Many Secrets of That
Ancient City.

From beneath the overburden OF
earth and rubbish which has been ac-
cumulating for ages, Prof. Flinders
Petrie, in his first year OF work of
cxcavating the ruins OF Memphis, has
laid bare many of the secrets of that
great city of ancient glory, which un-
til his explorations began had been
more completely hidden than those
OF any other city of the distant past.
The focus of the city was the great
temple of Ptah, or Hephestos. and the
sacred grove. or Ternenos, which in
closed It, The massive wall which
surrounded the temple was traced
piece by piece, although but single
corner was above ground, all the rest
being buried to great depth by
debris of every description.
Evidences OF the pillaging hand Of
Rameses were visible everywhere.
Some Of the sculpture revealed was
Of great delicacy. Throughout the
temple areas were found about 100
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06
Descendant Of the eourbons.

A descendant of the Bourbons In
the person OF Countess Montarsolo di
Carignanio is now living in New York.
She was born a princess of La Tour
dAuvergne, but was married when
little more than child to count of
the royal house OF Savoy. Her great
grandfather was the Duke de Bouilion,
who, with his wife. was beheaded dur
ing the reign OF Robespierre. Her
grandmother was a girl of IL at the
time, and was ordered to stand under
the scaffold that the blood might drip
on her head. A widow at 16. the
countess has seen many lands and
had varied experience.
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06

often told of the battles which they have seen In
clear water between these warriors OF the Driny
deep but accounts telling OF the vctors are scarce
Along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico the sharks
show their delight at the plight of the deviEhsh
when caught by following in its bloody wake and
with wideopen jaws, seeking bite here or there
from the carcass. At night along the coast they
fight in the water for the opportunity to consume
the dead devilfish after the fishermen have fin
ished with him.
All in all devilfshing is the most thrilling, most
hazardous most enhancing method OF angling
which has ever been discovered for the creature is
doubtless the craftiest of the inhabitants OF the
tropical waters. And the man who goes after the
scalp of the deyil-fsh while he is not armed with
modern accoutrements is taking his own life in
his hand The plain hardware store Ratchet with
the short handle is declared to be the best weapon
of defense in close quarters and dozens of lives
have been saved simply because the parties at
tackled were equipped with hatchets and knew
how when and where to use them upon the an
atomy Of the dangerous fish.
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06

Finally she drew from her own hair
the floral decoration which she herself
wore. This was of jasmine blossoms,
worn in the Chinese fashion. with the
leaves all removed and long pin
thrust through rows of blossoms,
which were packed tightly together on
the pin. The head OF the pin has a
branch of coral. with a setting of two
large pearls,
When the empress had tried this
flower strung pin against Miss Carl's
hair and gown she was pleased with
the note of color 1t Afforded, and.
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06
GIFT OF CHINESE EMPRESS

1t was while Miss Carl was living at
the palace for the purpose of painting
the empress portrait that the incident
occurred. On one occasion when Miss
Carl appeared before her the empress
was not satisfied with the unrelieved
gray of the painters gown. Sending
for flowers from the garden she tried
them against the gray gown. but as
they were all pink or red in tone the
combination did not please her.
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06

little tablets dedicated by private per
sons, many of them going back to
great antiquity and proving to be OF
much interest. as clearing up doubt
full points In archaeology. Many lit
tie terra Gotta grotesques were also
found, which are not so much por-
traits as types.
1t Is calculated that the exposure of
the whole surface of Memphis. and
then its excavation at lower levels,
will be the work of 40 years more
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06
Eyea Are relieved By Murine

whom Irrltated by Chalk Dust and Eye
Strain, incident TO tho average School
Room. A recent Census of New York
City reveals tho fact that in that city
Care. Why not try Murine Eye Remedy
for Red. Weak, Weary Watcry Eyes,
Granulation, Pink Eye and Ego Strainf
Is Compounded by Experienced Physi-
clans; Contains no Injurious or Prohibit
ed Drugs. Try Murine for Your bye
Troubles; You win Like Murine. Try II
In Baby's Eyes for Scaly Eyeids. Drug
gists Sell Murine at 50c. Tho Murine Eye
Remedy Co. Chicago, VIII Send You In
terosting Eyo Books Free.
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06

and after u year or so into eight
small arms. These grow larger and
stronger as the age of the fish in
creases. Some adult specimens have
been caught, the tentacles of which
were over 90 feet in length. Jets of
water squirted by means of fins con-
stitute the method of locomotion OF
the cuttlefish.
The devil-fish's choicest occupation
is that of feeding upon shoals of
smaller members of the tinny tribe
and when interrupted in this pursuit
he effect is terrifying. The great
creature will toss several of its ten
tacles to the surface, still continuing
to feed with the rest of them; and II
this bluff fails to scare the intruder
away, the devil-fish will come to the
surface personally to see about 1t.
While next to human beings,
sharks are the greatest enemies OF
the cuttle6sh, the scavengers Of the
sea are just about as frightened by
the tentacled monsters as the latter
ora nv fhe sharks Mariners taye
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06

thrusting it into Miss Carts hair. she
said:
Keep this pin when the flowers
have faded as souvenir of me and to
remind you also that 1t is the duty of
all of us to look as well as we can at
all times. and especially that 1t Is the
duty of women
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06

Ical condition when l began with
Doan's Kidney Pills, and they certain
ly did wonders for me. Though I are
81 years old, am as well as the aver,
age woman of so. ! work well, eat
well and sleep we'll"
Sold by all dealers 80 cents n box.
Foster-Milburn Co. Buffalo. N. Y.
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06

Tense. and thus the Al
mighty has endowed the
species with more than
the ordinary powers, for
usually fish, beast or
bird of the air has only
one natural mode of pro-
lection. The cuttlefish,
however, can cast from
its tissues an inky sub
stance known as "se-
pia," which turns the
water in it's vicinity an
impenetrable black and
allows escape. Combined
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06
A Famous Health Builder.

A medicine that will cleanse the bowels
and put them in condition TO do their
proper work unaided will do more than
anything else to preserve health and
strength. Such n medicine il tho tonic lax.
alive herb tea, Lanes Family Medicine,
Get. a 25c package to-day at any druggist
or dealer. No matter what you have tried
before, try this famous herb tea.
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06
Vases In Autos.

Vases OF flowers have for some
time been an adjunct OF the closed au.
tomobile. Now some smart broughams
have o vase OF flowers beside each
door The hanging vases of Japanese
porcelain are the favorites though the
metal cases into which vase slips are
also used
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06
Miss Cart, Portrait Painter, Has an
interesting Jewel Presented
by Isl Ann.

Miss Katherine Carl. the portrait
painter, has an interesting jewel. pre-
scented to her by the empress OF China,
which reveals Isl Ann. even amid her
cares OF state. as remarkable enthu-
siast for the minor harmonies of life.
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06

three years l suf-
fered everything
with rheumatism In
my limbs and a dull.
ceaseless aching in
my back. L was
W o a k, guild,
broken with head.
aches and dizzy
spells. and the kid
ney secretions were
thick with solids. I
was rpoI1y In n crit
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06

of Mexico there are lots and lots of
men who exc out their livings doing
just this thing. For the man who
doesn't have to fish for the devil-fish,
it's fun, but to the man or crews of
men who do it for their daily bread:
we'll, they content themselves with
single catch a day.
Aristotle of old is recorded in his.
tory as the first writer on the sub
ject of devil-ishing, but as he was
exceedingly fond of Mr.. Aristotle's
health he left lots unsaid because he
disn't investigate.
Every Gulf of Mexico sailor who
fishes for this creature carries
Ratchet close by, for that is the only
means of getting away from the fish's
tentacles- simply cutting them off as
they are about to grasp the intended
victim.
In the gulf the devil-fish is har-
pooned and seldom after one of these
great prongs has been imbedded in
the body of the victim are the fisher
men able to land their quarry within
two hours. Usually it takes from
three to four hours of good, hard mus
eie-grinding work and then lots of
times the crew of the hunting craft
must cut the cable and lose the har-
poon simply because the brute fights
too hard to allow the occupation to
be carried on safely. 1t is little
wonder that one fish day of this
variety is considered sufficient.
Many wild, weird tales are told of
the devii-fish. One class of stories
deals with the creatures addiction to
towing ocean-going steamers out of
their courses. So strong is the deep
sea monster that captains of vessels
have been known to wonder what
was carrying them to windward, cad
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06
What Did He Mean (?

Miss Bore-Do you ever think Of me
when you are driving your car?
Auto Enthusiastically, certainty.
especially when / run over somebody.
Harvard Lampoon
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06
Wisdom from Uncle Eben.

"Nursin' a Crouch" said Uncle
Eben. "is like neglectin' de flowers
an vegetables an putin in yoh time
tendin de weeds"
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06
NEW STRENGTH FOR OLD BACKS.
No Need to Suffer Every Day from,
Backache.

Mrs. Joannah Straw, 526 North
broadway, Canton, s. D.. says: "For
Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-05-06

a great, fat
Shiny something poked
out Of the water into
your face, quickly fol-
lowed by another Shiny
something and then
another and another;
each endeayoring TO
secure an option ON a
different portion of
your anatomy, and you
have one of the vari-
Gus joys of fishing for
the devil fish.
But along the Amer
lean coast of the Gulf
Amador ledger., 1909-04-02
Traced by a BluebottIe Ely

The great objection to the use of
poison for rats is that they retire to
their homes and die there, to become
nuisance and q menace to health.
Friends of the writer were compelled
to have the floor and wainscoting of
their. dining room removed for this
reason. A wiser man, knowing that n
pair of poisoned rats had got under his
floor, summoned not carpenter. but a
naturalist, to his aid. They knew that
the rats were under the floor, but the
difficulty was to fix the spot. There
seemed to the owner of the house no
alternative to the removal Of the
whole floor; hence his appeal to the
nature detective. The latter would
not hear Of the floor coming up. He
cried out for bluebottle fly. One was
captured unhurt and turned loose in
the room. After a little preliminary
hawking the bluebottle darted to the
floor and remained on one spot, like
a pointer which has found game.
"Your rats are under there" said
the naturalist. They cut down through
that board, and there were the rats
New York Mail.
Amador ledger., 1909-04-02
The First Pantomimo.

John Rich has the credit Of produc-
ing the first pantomime ever seen in
England. This was performed on
Dec %, 1717, at the theater in Lin
coins Inn Fields. Rich had found him
self unable to compete with the legiti-
mate drama at Drury Lane, so he be-
thought himself of the comic Mosques
occasionally performed in London and
combined with their scenic and me-
chanical effects the maneuvers of the
pantomime ballet. The result was
Harlequin Executed" which the ad-
vertisement Of that day described as
"a new Italian mimic scene, between
n scaramouch, a harlequin, country
farmer, his wife and Others" There
was all the business with which we
were familiar from childhood, huts
turned into palaces, shops into gar
dens, houses into trees. OF course the
earnest student Of the drama" pro-
tested against this innovation, but
Harlequin, Columbine & Co. have
maintained their hold on public favor
until the present year Of grace.