davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-29
WORTHY OF ZoLA

From the Chicago Tribune.
 | Fast has an odd fashion of corroborat- ing fiction. when 1t does not throw it en- tirey into the shade. A French court at | Bourges has just brought back from New Caledonia, where he was sent as a murderer r lyears ago. one Michaut re- tried him. found him innocent, and given him 5000. AIichaut was a neer do well of Sl who lived by doing odd jobs about the village of Mornat, when old Pere Tis- sier, the miser, was found murdered in his hut
 Michaut had worked for him that day, and the night of the murder he was seen in Tissiers garden. cravat supposed to be his was found in the misers room On his shirt were stains which were thought to be blood. He had no witnesses. His reputation as a ne'er do well was against him. and the eircumstantial evil dence was strong. The trial resulted in a life sentence to New caledonia. That was r years ago, and the little world of Mornat soon forgot him and the crime. He was ignorant and friendless. and he always declared himself innocent
 But last year another vilager of Nor nat died and on his deathbed confessed that 1t was he and not Michaut who did old Pere Tissier 10 death Then the lum- bering machine of the law was put in mo- ton and after months of waiting the judges saw totter in before them pre- maturely old man burned brown and gray with the Pacific suns. It was Michaut. He went through the trial as one in a dream, and he scarcely realized that he had been exonerated and reimbursed" | It is proof of the truth of Zola's pessi- thistle view of the French peasant. how ever, that there was no rejoicing in the village at the new verdict. and not home was opened to him or a hand put out to welcome him back. No one gave him work and all refused to give him lodging.
 He has 5000 francs. but not a friend | in all the world
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-29
Fixing the Price of Cotton

This is the time of the year when no two persons agree about the size of the cotton crop and therefore about what the ruling price of the staple should be. Last week the price of cotton contracts were mark ed up. The week before they were marked down. What will be done this week is problematical. The government will, on Friday next, is sue a bulletin purporting to show the condition of the crop on August 20. A month ago it reported the condi- tion at 891 per cent of normal, and some believe the government will, in it's report of next Friday, state that the crop has deteriorated ten per cent. If so, prices will go higher.
 It is difficult to say what the price of cotton will be. The Southern Ru- ralist, published in Atlanta, says prices should range between B and 15 cents. Its correspondents put the condition of the crop on August 20 at 69.s per cent. Low as this percentage is the Ruralist says the crop will be IF, 100000 bales.
 Such crop should bring 15 cents, and such crop would surely bring 13 cents if it can be marketed slow ly. The truth is, the farmers who are their own masters are also mas ters of the situation. By holding their bales until the price they wan' can be secured they would greatly help themselves and their neighbor' also. The time spent in marketing the growing or opening crop will have much to do with the prevailing price, and every farmer who can holo his bales should do so.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-29
Baltimore the Convention City

It is freely stated that enough votes already have been pledged in the democratic national committee to insure the holding of the next demo- cratic national convention in Balti- more. Some of the other ambitious applicants have become satisfied that the Maryland city is to become the winner and they have withdrawn from the contest.
 Baltimore, on the other hand, has gone ahead until a fund of $1O0,OOO has been secured, and a convention hall large enough to hold 15,000 peo- pie is to be built.
 Before the war Baltimore was a favorite democratic convention city. Andrew Jackson was nominated there and so was Martin Van Buren and James K. Polk. In the coming cam paign democratic hopes will be high higher indeed than they have been since the war, and Baltimore is there fore an appropriate place at which to hold the national convention.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-29
WHY CRABS ARE SCARCE

From the Washington Post.
 There is a great scarcity of crabs In the Chesapeake Bay this season." said Henry W. Franklin of Annapolis at the Ebbitt. "The reason is easily found in the fact that there has not been much rain this summer in the headwaters of the bay; therefore, the water becoming very salty did not grow as much fungus and sea weed as usually. The crabs have suffered a lack of food. The fish, too have been driven, because of no food, from some of the smaller rivers that empty into the Chesapeake. In the Severn river,
 which joins the bay at Annapolis, there
 usually have been quantities of rock
 fish and perch. These have suddenly
 disappeared and the fishermen seldom catch any rock in the waters there now. The game laws recently were put into effect. and all netting has been stopped in the Severn. It was in
 that river that many of the fish ship ped to the Baltimore and Annapolis
 markets were caught. All of the rock
 now caught in the bay are taken from the waters of the Eastern shore of Maryland.
 ''rhe most popular method of catch ing crabs is by the use of trot lines. These are pieces of rope two or three
 thousand feet long. The rope has
 cords fastened upon it about three feet apart, and at the end of each of these pieces of cord Is tied a piece of raw
 meat or uncooked trpe. This latter Is the best bait known for crabs. In previous seasons the crabbers have got at least one and sometimes three or
 four crabs from each of the pieces of
 meat, every time they went over the l line. This season. however, the crab 1 bers had to pass many of the pieces | of bait before they got even a single crab. Then it usually was small The Chesapeake Bay oysters this year will be plentiful. Just at present the oystermen are planting their beds and cultivating the shell fish. The | oysters are taken from the deep wat CTS of the bay and carried in boats l to salt water creeks in inlets of the | rivers. There they are dumped. The oystermen have their beds marked
 with stakes, and every now and then
 they will visit them. turn the oysters
 over, and see that they are undisturb-
 ed by the shifting sand and mud. Also 1 an effort is made to keep the beds free from sea weed and other sub
 marine growths. These, it is said by
 some, prevent the oyster from getting | fat.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-29
OVER THE HILLS

By Eugene Field. over the hills and far away, A little boy steals from his morning
 play. And under the blossoming apple tree He lies and dreams of the things to
 be; Of battles fought and of victories won. Of wrongs o'erthrown and of great
 deeds done Of the valor that he shall prove some
 day, over the hills and far away
 over the hills and far away. Over the hills and far away, It,s n for the toll the livelong day! put if mattered not to the soul aflame win a love for riches and power and
 fame! or q man! while the sun is high on to the wonder joys that lie, Wonder where blazeth the noon of
 day. over the hills and far away
 over the hills and far away! over the hills and far away, An old man fingers at close of day; Now that his journey Is almost done, His battles fought and his victories Won-- The old-time honesty and truth, The trustfulness and the friends of youth. Home and mother--where are they? Over the hills and far away? over the hills and far awayl
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-29
NEW LEADER FROM NEW SOUTH

From the New York World.
 Six months ago Oscar w. Underwood of Alabama was scarcely known by name to great majority of American voters Today he is a strong, commanding figure in national affairs and the recognized leader of the democratic majority in the House of Representatives. Of the hs- tory of the special session of Congress no other member has written so much as the chairman of the ways and means com mttee.
 | 1t is an excellent thing for any party to | produce leaders of MT. Underwood's cour- | age, ability and common sense. It. is an excellent thing for the country that it is still possible for such men to achieve | leadership by sheer talent and fitness 1 If MT Underwood lived north of Mason and Dixons line his name would already | figure conspicuously in all discussion of ! the demoaratic nomination for presi,lent in 1912 Yet whether he cornes from the north or the south. It must be admitte that he has proved himself to be presl. dential timber of presidential size.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-29

form is supposed to be countersigned by the buying bank and forwarded to the central office, which compares it with the validated certificate, du- plicate of which it is supposed to have received from the railroad agent.
 MT. Wexler shows that this plan offers no additional security what ever. The railroads disclaim any liability even though the bills of lad ing are signed by their authorized agents and validated by their own validating agent. If they can show they did not receive. the bales in question they can and will resist li- ability for them. No one seems to be aided by the plan except New York bankers. The Hartman lines in Texas have accepted the Liverpool New York plan, and the indications are that the railroads will be forced to accept it.
 The plan relates to export cotton only. Domestic and interior bills are not affected by it. Mr. Wexler claims that the scheme will afford oppor- tunities to dishonest and irresponsi- ble buyers, for it substitutes vali- dating machine for confidence in the individual or firm.
 The plan will not stand the test of practice and in the long run the rail- roads will have to consider them selves responsible for the acts of their own agents. This is the only settlement that will prove satisfae- tory to all concerned in the long run.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-29
The Beattie Trial

"Richmonds great sensation is the trial of young Beattie, accused of mur- dering his wife. and not only are the Virginia dailes giving much space to the testimony, but many of the metro- politan papers are featuring it very ex- tensively,' said a member of Birming- hams Virginia colony
 "Beattie lives in Richmond, but as the crime for which he is being tried was committed on a road in Chesterfield county about 10 miles from Richmond the trial Is taking place in the little old Chesterfield courthouse. The term ination 'courthouse,' by the way. is a remnant of the old style of calling small courthouse towns after the name of the county, and the postpark for merly read Chesterfield c. H. Nut about 25 years ago the postoffice department at Washington, In order to get rid of all unnecessary words and letters ruled out the e. H. I notice, how ever, that the date line in most of the press telegrams conforms to old usage hence the daily appearance of the tern Chesterfield c. II.
 "The courthouse building is very small. Although I lived in Richmon, l the greater part of my life I was nevei at Chesterfield c. H. but once, and tha
 was when I was correspondent of tn
 Now York Sun. I went there to repog il hanging. The condemned man was negro named Hilary Page. He was con yictcd of arson. It was quite cele
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-29
That Tariff Board of 1909

The tariff board" appointed on September 24, 1909, consisted of H. c. Emery, J. B. Reynolds and A. H. Sanders. If the board has been en- larged to five members, two of whom are democrats, as the President stat ed in his Massachusetts speech of last Saturday, the fact has escaped the keen eyes of the editor of the World Almanac.
 The make up of this strictly Taft ian board is, however, immaterial. There are two kinds of tariff-one that is primarily protective, covering profits of plant as well as labor and other costs of production. The Payne tariff is extravagantly and outrage ously protective. It was practically dictated by greedy manufacturers, and it is safe to say those manufac- turers to whom Mr. Taft always lis tens suggested a majority of the so- called tariff board, and that that ma jority will bring in figures that will sustain a protective tariff.
 The democrats led by MT. Under wood and Speaker Clark stand for a revenue tariff, that being the only tariff that has any constitutional au- thority behind it. No one expects the Taft board to bring in figures to up- hold a tariff for revenue only, and time is wasted in waiting for any such outcome.
 The issue is one between tariff for protection of manufacturers and a tariff for revenue only. This is the issue, and the consumer who is not a manufacturer is demanding a rev. enue tariff. To wait upon the Taft board for figures is the merest non sense. The figures that will be pre- SenCeu Dy IL VIII pe isuIeo oeNioe, by and for manufacturers, and tht ultimate consumer wants tarlf, that will decrease the cost of living What the manufacturers want an( what the consumers want are sum med up in two wholly different set of figures, and the Taft board is be yond all reasonable doubt committe' to the former.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-29
This sorrows heavenly, St strikes where 1t doth love.
 -OtheIIo.
What Is a "Normal Crop?"


 Those who read the percentages of D crops condition issued monthly by the bureau of statistics of the de- partment of agriculture are not greatly enlightened when they are told that they relate to "a normal crop"
 This raises the question, What is a normal crop?" in the eyes of the crop experts at Washington. It real 1y is a crop raised under all-around favorable conditions. The bureau of statistics thus defines it: "A full normal condition is not an average condition, but a condition above the average, giving promise of more than an average crop" In other words, a normal crop is record crop, even if it is not a maximum crop.
 The phrase is considered in Eng land very definite. Instead of call ing for an average crop in a given state it calls for as good a crop as the state can make under the best of conditions from first to last. "A full normal condition" is something that no two correspondents would agree over, and the monthly reports of the department of agriculture do not, for that reason, closely agree with the figures of the census bureau at the end of the season.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-29
REHEARSING AT HIPPODROME

on the installment plan. It is the sort of gossip one might hear in any Village cir cle. H tsE
 And these people. when their season be- gins. are hard workers. They play every afternoon and evening. Some of them make 13 changes of costume each per formance. That means that 26 times day they change their clothes, some of them running up and down five flights of stairs each time. E9
 Of course, there Is Patsy" in the Hippodrome chorus. Her name sounds
 like Memo.
 When there is a difficult effect to be tried for the first time. like flying ballet or diving chorus, the stage manager looks about
 Where's Nemo?" he asks
 And Memo is first to go through with the new effect. She is venturesome and
 loves novelties in her art.
 As a result she has been in the hospital
 three times.
 Nemo's mother was a Spansher dancer. Her father was Frenchman. She speaks several languages fiuently and would
 make a good interpreter perhaps a secretary to importer, or something useful like that.
 But Memo is moved by the art impulse
 only. Consequently she sings and dances at the Hippodrome. |SThe rehearsal of the scenery alone on this big stage is like the movement of a military campaign. When quick change has to be made in the dark, in a minute and half, it means that every man must do his own particular task, and do 1t
 with the regularity of clockwork or ma
 chinery.
 Just to put down the grass mat" alone is an episode. The men to do this stand in two lines at either side of the stage That would be called the first en- trance in theatre Here it is run leading down to the animal quarters be- low the stage.
 | At a signal, the men rush forward and meet in the centre, forming line that extends clear across the stage. Then they run out on the apron in fan forma- | tion, spreading the grass mat as they go. As this operation must be done entirely | in the dark, it is rehearsed until there can be no mistake, light or dark | It is when the water rehearsals com | menee that the chorus enjoys itself.
 Then the tank is open and the fun begins. 1 And after rehearsals they often use the tank for bath tub.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-29
In Atlanta Today

The Right Rev. F. P. Allen, bishop of Mobile, was in Birmingham yesterday on his way to Atlanta, where he will take part in the conservation Of the Rev Father John F. Gum, who has been ap- pointed bishop of Natchez. In addition to Bishop Allen the following clergy of the diocese Of Mobile will be present in Atlanta to witness the conservation: The Rev. Father Eaton, the Rev Father Henry. the Rev. Father Turner and the Rev Father Coyle, the latter being pas tor of St. Pauls church in Birmingham, and Father Turner being the pastor of the new parish in West End, Brming- ham.
 Father Gunn's conservation will take place today, and the presiding prelate will be the Most Rev. James H. Blenk, archbishop of New Orleans.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-29
AN OLD MANS GOSPEL OF WORE

From the New York World.
 At 94 Abraham Teachout, a wealthy manufacturer of Cleveland lays down the rule of hard work for old age. Working six days a week himself, he says: "A man of 50 who has good health is in his prime. It would be the greatest folly for a man of that age, if he was vigorous, to settle down to a life of inglorious ease.n
 Physicians have noted a tendency among men of years to break down rapidly after withdrawing from active business. Work provides the physical stimulus and interest in life without which their forces fail. likeness, even voluntary, Is apt to become a confess sion of incapacity and loss of useful ness and saps the moral energy
 To die in harness is a title to honor. Foreign critics who make it a national reproach that few rich Americans re- tire to live on their fortunes attribute 1t to the unsuitable love of money in this country. What they do not under stand is that the leisure class idea has never taken strong root on this side of the Atlantic A fixed occupation is still part of the American system. Love of the game, the need of doing things for the sake of doing them aside from the rewards. the sense of power and re. sponsibility, are habits that old age finds it hard to change.
 The busy man who has not learned how 10 seek rest and recreation before aa fc iUf ic tnA old "inglorious ease" when freed from need of work. may bore rather than profit him.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-29
MIGHT SHOP A LITTLE. We feel we must
 Rise up and say, Christmas is just
 Four months away.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
 Not long ago a family residing in tn, suburbs expected to have a friend out to dinner The mistress of the household WAS therefore exasperated when her dusky cook appeared with melancholy countenance and said she would like to get off to attend her grandfather's funeral. Although this was the day when her services were most needed, the mis- tress found 1t hard to refuse such request, so she let the servant go and cooked dinner herself It was not until later that the family learned that the cooks grandfather had died four years before in Georgia. and the important business of preaching his funeral had just been eonsummated.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-29
SOME FRIENDLY ADVICE.

SOME FRIENDLY ADVICE.
 The following story will be of interest to the friends of ''Shep'' Camp, both in Birmingham and in Anniston. where Mr. Camp formerly lived. Since leaving Ala bama, "Shep" has had very successful career on the stage as a comedian. Here is the story:
 Every now and then one of Henry B. Harris troupe of trained actors returns to New York with a new story-which is then set down to his credit by Lee Kugel, keeper of the Harris mimeograph. This Is the one he has wished on Shep Camp. Details of the production In which Mir Camp will appear, brief history of those in which he has appeared and interesting biographical data on Henry B. Harris will be supplied by MT. Kugel on request
 Camp was in Anniston, Ala.," alleges MT. Kugel. ''He was eating dinner at one of the principal hotels there. A drummer who had just 12 minutes in which to catch a train had been beat ing on the table with the handle of his knife, as signal for more speed in service. By and by the waiter came bombashaying' down the dining room with the tray covered with the drummer's S dinner held high in air.
 'Heah. you, said the head waiter.
 'The waiter wore the usual short black service jacket. To the amazement of the head waiter the drummer and MT Camp, a large fish was seen projecting from the servitor's hip pocket. Its head waggled intelligently at the audience as the waiter stopped. 'Whut you doin' wiv dat fish In yo pocket?' demanded the head waiter.
 An got hungry folkses at home said the waiter.
 Oats all right said the head wait CT. Oats all right. But de nex' time
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-29
Iiyerpoors Bill of Lading Scheme

Liverpool is memorable. Its cotton men say that export cotton bills must be verified in a central office in New York city. Under this plan, says Chairman Sol Wexter of New Or leans, New York bankers will have ;mportant advantages. Before the buyer receives his bill of lading he also receives a blank form in which he writes the number of the bill, the amount of cotton and the marks, and also that he transfers said bill to the bank, naming the bank. The form reuuests the central bureau to give such information to the bank buying the document as it may require. This
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-29
WHERE HE CAME IN

From the Harper's Weekly.
 He gazed tenderly into her eyes as she spoke.
 ter all nothing but a romance in which we are the characters, moving hither and lyon as the supreme Author of our being directs And in the novel of your life," said
 he, tenderly, where do I come in?'' "You?" she answered with a smile. "Ol you are-let me see--one. two, three-yol are Chap Seventeen''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-29
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
The south's Great Future

notwithstanding pessimistic reports emanating in New Yorks business dis trict, general trade this fall promises to be brisk" said F. H. Payne of Chi cago. but even if business happens to be comparatively dull from now until after the presidential campaign, the south is in better condition agriculturaly and commercially than it has ever been.
 "One is impressed with the remark heard on all sides that the south is the coming great section of North America Nature has done more for that large ter rtory south of the Potomac and the Ohio than 1t has done for any other part of this country. The south has the soil for producing all the crops at minimum cost and with the minimum of physical exeition The old souths cotton belt made only cotton as it's money crop. while Virginia had tobacco as Its prin- cipal money crop Today the south is making big corn and hay crops, and in horticulture no section produces such a variety rarely visit Virginia, but understand that that commonwealth is fast coming to be a proverbially rich state, and that it's new wealth Is based largely on modern farming. We usually expect a cessation in business throughout a presidential campaign year. but if the south's crops in 1912 are normal busi- ness In this section will move along briskly regardless of national politics. There is going to be wonderful advance in values in the south during the next five years"