davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

blocks weighing hundreds of tons from
the quarries nearby. Tho temple has
walls sixty feet high, and the mighty
columns seven feet in diameter, and, in
Guiding the pedestals and capitals, as tall
as an eight-story house. rest upon a
platform which is more than fifty feet
high. These mighty pillars are put up
in three blocks, each twenty feet or more
in height and seven feet IN diameter
They are so placed that each looks like
one solid block and the erection was with
out the aid of machinery.
In the walls of the temple foundation
are what are I venture, the biggest
building blocks ever gotten out of the
quarry by man. One of the walls, which
has been recently uncovered by the Ger
mans, has three great limestone blocks
each of which measures sixty-four feet
in length, thirteen feet in width and
twelve feet in thickness. IT such stones
were placed end to end it would take
only about eighty of them to make one
mile. and il they were laid down be-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

it lies there on its side. half sunk in the
earth. l crawled upon it's top and took
a run over it. 1t is so wide that you
could drive two motor cars abreast upon
1t without risk of falling over the edges,
and an English traveller here says that
a cricket match might be played upon
it's face, putting the stakes at the right
distance apart and giving the bowler
at least two feet at the end for his run.
This stone is one solid block as smooth as
a marble column and accurately square.
Each side of it measures fourteen feet
and it is about seventy feet long. Stand
it on end inside a modern ten-story fiat
and it would fill ten rooms one above the
other, each room fourteen feet square
and seven feet high. 1t has been esti-
mated to weigh l,5OO tons and it would
be a fair-sized load for thirty freight
cars on the modern railroad track
Think Of moving stones like that out of
the mountains and UP and down hill for
. mile without the ala Of iron and steel
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

tween the Capitol and the Treasury at
Washington they would fill the sidewalk
OF Pennsylvania avenue with wall
reaching to the height Of the second sto-
ries Of the buildings on that street. from
one structure to the other. These stones
were brought from a quarry which lies
to the side OF Baalbek more than mile
from the temples. Some OF them have
been placed upon the walls at distance
Of thirty or more feet from the ground,
and they are so accurately laid that
knife blade cannot be driven in between
them.
i, X
AS to the size Of these blocks I got an
idea by visiting the quarries. Just outside
that from which the stones came is one
which was cut out of the rock, but for
some reason or other was not carried to
the structure. 1t was dragged only
few feet away from the quarry and today
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

machinery or electricity or steam mat
is the kind Of work the Romans did l,soO
years ago. All through the temples you
NAV see examples Of how they lifted
great masses into place and that OF
masses Of carvings more beautiful than
those Of our buildings today. On some
of the blocks still in the structure saw
lunches of grapes no bigger than my
thumb as beautifully cut though made
by nature. There were also Cupids and
cherubs, exquisitely carved. 1t was said
of the artist who built the great Temples
Of Delhi and Agra in India that they
worked like Titans and finished like
Jewellers. The same was true of the
Romans of the reigns Of Antonius. Cara
Gala and Nero
I have taken photographs Of some OF
the broken columns with myself standing
beside them to give an idea Of their
thickness. I measure five feet eight inches
and the large columns are fully two feer
more In diameter. Among the wonderful
carvings are those which form the frieze
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

this that the executors petitionei Con-
gress for the act confirming their title.
The act was passed by the 9th Con-
sress, but was made general. as to
relieve all pers N: whose lands wers
in the same danger. Yet 1t was enacted
especially to give title to the Washington
lands. And it was then that the gen.
erals executors rested assured that an
end had forever pean put to The evil Of
land jumping.
This man, who is alleged to have Jump
ed the generals $3.50 acres. was one Jo-
seph Kerr. On learning-that the execu-
tors were making inquiries he covered
the Washington lands a second time, now
using a means which has become more
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

charged, he again took advantage of his
official position-now SO much lo,tier than
when he was a deputy surVevor-and
after ransacking the land records at the
capital profted by the negligence Of the
officials in charge and had the Washing
ton tract transferred to his own name.
The general land office had not yet been
established and there was general con-
fusion Of the government land records.
Then two other horns Of the dilemma
appeared. Fire destroyed the courthouses
in both Hamilton and Gle mont counties.
Ohio. where the tracts are located. In
Washington records which would show
the payment OF taxes on the properties
were also destroyed, and by the time
the first third Of the past century had
rolled by both OF Washington's original
executors had died. And to the new
ones appointed in their stead the
government officials at Washington
it is said, failed to send tax bills Tor
these lands. Thus there was no reminder
OF the existence Of these tracts and thew
were forgotten.
Time went on and the generals es-
tate was never settled. From genera
ton to generation new administrators
were appointed One of these. desig
mated in 1859, was John Augustine
washington. great-grandnephew of
the first President He required an heir
who had been paid from seven to eight
thousand dollars by mistake to refund
this amount. Then. after this admin
istrator's death. his son. Lawrence
Washington of the Library Of Con-
gress took an interest in the estate
Three or four years ago he went over
to Fairfax Courthouse and ransacked
through the records of George Wash
ington'S home county to learn why the
old administrators had never given
any account of the western lands.
1t was by an odd coincidence that
while he was turning this problem over
in his mind Mr.. Lawrence Washing
ton secured from Nelson w. Evans an
attorney Of Portsmouth, Ohio infor-
nation which led to the placing OF the
Washington heirs claim before Con-
gress. Mr.. Evans had been retained by
the state Of Ohio to straighten out
conflicting claims arising out of old
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

II IS In this little valley which Is less
than lpo miles long and from : to s
miles IN width, walled ny these mighty
mountains, that lie the ruins of BaaIbe .
the most wonderful temples known through
Tie ages. Lave spent hours In wander
tng through them, and their immensity
and beauty steadily grow despair OF
pein8 ah!e - describe them and cal ONLY
nope 70 give YOU bits Of the details 7
nave seen most OF the worlds mighty
runs. IL Tie past year i have Wandered
through the tGuI5S OF the Afings outside
AGhdcn, Mancavria: have stood .1non tba
Temple 81 Heaven IN Picking and have
climbed tie great Chinese wall have
gone through the Temples Of karnak AT
Tie hundred gated city Of Thehes, far up
the Nile. have TAXI photographs or tho
Colossi Of Mcmuon and have rnaasured
TIE stones ~ tie pyramids with a two
loot rule. Not long ago | visited the
Temple or 6oru Eoedor In the heart OF
Java. TO describe its three miles Of won
derful carvings, and last year | spent
some time III the forts Of the Noeuls M
Delhi and wrote of the Tai Mahal and
It's wonders. | have also seen Tlmgad
tgc exGavated city on the edge OF the
Sahara, and have lately gone through the
Colosseum at Rome and Inspected the
equally wonderful amphitheater which,
lies AT III Diem, IN the heart OF the IT,
nissan desert All these wonderful,
but Baalbell is their superior.
Tie ruins here have been described, but
only by the writers OF the past, who
might as well have tried to picture Pom
peit before the ashes and washings of
Ne$uviGs We're dug away. These ruins
have never been so wonderful as they
are now. For centuries the most of them
have been as much buried as is Hercu-
laneurn. and II was only when the En-
peror Of Germany made his tour through
this part Of the world that thsy began to
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

fashionable in our day and which has
been the cause OF the great land frauds
OF the past few years and their scandals
involving senators and representatives in
Congress.
He employed dummy entrymen" to
jump the late Presidents tracts and these
men were entered upon the records un-
der the names Of Neville and Massie.
Kerr was a politician and became SUI
hciently popular six years later to be
elected to fill out the unexpired term of
Thomas Worthington in the United States
Senate, where he held his seat from De-
cember 30, 1914, until March 3. 1S15-a
little over two months. While in Wash
ington during this brief time, 1t is
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

lanO warrants, ana Wnllc engaged III
this task had come across the conflict
on the Washington case. So he has
been retained by the estate of the Fa-
Their Of His Country to prosecute its
claim before Congress.
If Congress pays the full amount OF
the Washington claim, 100000, the
greatest extent to which any individual
heir would profit would be. it is es-
timated, from $4,000 to $1,000, which
would fall to young lady who. with
true Virginia chivalry, the heirs Will
not mention because of the punilclty
which might thus be given to her
private affairs. She would profit to this
degree only by virtue of the fact that
she is the only child of father who
was an only child. The individual
shares of the other heirs would be in
significant, even on this maximum basis
of settlement, since the Washingtons
have never been prone to violate GER
tain domestic doctrines which a now
living successor of the first president
has been recently espouSing.
An heir Of the generation now nearest
Of kin to the immortal George is United
States Senator John Randolph thornton
of louisiana who only the other day
took his seat in the upper house OF Con-
press. Georges own brother Charles had
a son. George Augustine, whose dauPhter.
Anna Maria, married a Thornton, whose
son was the father Of the new senator:
The largest group of. heirs now gain
cred In one locality live at Charles TOWN,
w. va, where the generals brother, Col.
Samuel. built Hardwood. the mansion
that was the refuge Of Louis Phillppe.
aftervard King Of France, during his
exile in America.
Among the other living grand nephews
of two or three greats are Bushwick
washington, who was Confederate
lieutenant Of cavalry: J. A. Washington.
planter and land owner. and Samuel
Walter Washington. attorney Another
heir of the West Virginia branch
Is Robert Washington. who some time
ago retired as Hampshire. county far
mer, to spend his remaining days IN
the National Capital: and still another
is Bushrod c. Washington, who four
years ago-despite his three-score years
and twelve--decided to leave home and
go to pioneering.
He crossed the continent and in Lincoln
county, state of Washington. took up
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

be brought to the light OF day. Kaiser
Wilhelm Is a great archeologiSt, and
when he travels he leaves many
tracks as does Theodore Roosevelt.
I have marched in his footsteps through
Palestine and have seen there the
churches and other monuments which he
has erected. Before he came TO Syria he
stopped at Constantinople with the Sultan
Abdul Hamd, who gave him permit TO
do about as he pleased. AS the kaiser
travelled lie fattered the Mohammedans,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

inscrip ton in German and Turkish testi-
flying to his regard for the sultan and his
pleasure at visiting the ruins Shortly
a fter leaving he sent German scientists,
and they organized an army of natives
and put them to work excavatlng the
The Germans laid down a rail-
road track, and by means of dirt cars
they have carried away mountains of
earth and debris. They have used modern
machinery to lift the vast stones into
place and have, for the first time, given
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19
@s1.!!.I EIlllVlfZSSl&


us an adequate view of these most won
derful temples.
But first let me tell you something
about the origin of these structures and
the god whom they commemorated. The
Arabs claim that this is the oldest city
of the world. They say that Adam lived
here, and that it was between here and
the Mediterranean that Cain killed Abel.
One of Adams favorite residences was
Damascus, and Seth lived at Nebi Schitt,
a nest in the Lebanon mountains. They
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

IILE a grateful
public prepares to
c el e b r a I Q next
Wednesday { h q
lTeth birthday OF
George Washing
ton, the heirs OF
the first President
are busily engross-
ed with the task
OF striving to settle
his estate.
To this end there
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

the Christians and Jews. He was alive
to every possibility, and he stamped
Made III Germany upon every city he
visited. In Damascus he laid a golden
crown and a bouquet of artificial flowers
on the tomb of Saladin, the famous SOL
difr who fought the Crusaders; and
about Jerusalem he built hospitals and
schools and started a great sanatOrium
Here at Baaibek the sultan gave him
carte blanche, and. he has erected in the
Temple OF the Sun tablet bearing an
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

er peaks Of winch are now covered with
snow. These mount aims extend north
and south parallel with the coast OF the
Mediterranean sea. They begin little
below the border Of Asia Minor and lose
themselves il the Holy Land. In read
NJ OF them [ have always considered
fAem hills They are higher than anv
mountains or our country east of the
MSS siPpi and the average height of
the range nearest the coast is q thou
sand feet @featcr than that OF Mount
Washington. Mount Hermon IS over
s. 49, !set high and JebeI Makmel meas
uIes 1890 fret. The valley OF Lebanon
ITSELF IS iwIce as high as the top,nos,
peahs OF The Blue Ridge OF Virginia. and
y slopes from here to the north as ia
.t- .Nlcppo and q the south beyond Dan.
where rises the Jordan
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

has lately hecu appointed a new admin
istrator OF Ills testamentary affairs, and
il is fact Of no little interest that this
function has been Entrusted to Robert f.
Lee IT,. the grandson and namesake Of
the late co!nmaader-in-chief of the Con
federate army.
More than one hundred and eleven and
i half years have elapsed since the
country's founder signed. on July o, 1893.
the last WI and testament which he had
written entirely with his own hand and
crroneoLsly dated "the year one thousand
seven hundred and ninety, and of the
Independence OF the United States, the
twenty-fourth" In this testament he
made two 9th errors. leaving property
10 persons under wrong names. but these
lips OF the pen were apparent that
lie court carried out the very manifest
intent of the Will
Five months and four days after sign
Ing III $ document the great general was
BLEED 10 death by his physicians. while
suffering from an attack of quinsy.
The Will disposed of certain land ION
the western borders" which Washing
ton described in an appendix schedule as
3,05l acres in the Northwest Territory.
and in the vicinity of Cincinnati. one
tract near the mouth OF the Little Miami,
another seven and the third ten miles
up the same" These tracts which he
valued In the schedule at SIS per acre, or
at a total of $15,251. he left to twenty
three residuary legateee. But he advised
his executors not to sell them until they
advanced in value. He foresaw the west
ward course of empire and rightly be-
lieved that by leaving the money In these
lands II would increase In value far
faster than through any other investment
that might be made OF II. So his ad-
ministrators left this land untouched and
had Congress pass an act protecting II
from Jumpers" Then they rested upon
their assumption that II was secured and
died before taking means to sell It,
But in spite Of this act OF Congress
this land was "jumped'-so the present
Washington heirs clarn-as q result of
unbusinesslike methods of keeping gov
eminent records century ago. and of
general government neglect. So the heirs
have presented to Congress a bill.
ITO reimburse the estate of Gen.
George Washington for certain lands of
lis in the state Of Ohio. lost by con-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

LIS 17eth Birthday Will
i ! Find a New Administra-
tor at Work Trying to Wind
Up His Affairs-Grandson
and Namesake of Robert E.
Lee Entrusted With the
Task-Forty or Fifty Thou
sand Acres of His Land Still
Unaccounted for = Through
Dummy Entrymen," Tis
Just Alleged, Former Mem
Der Of the Senate Fleeced
the General-Present Senator
Among the Interested Heirs.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

bAALBEk-
AM IN the valley
of Lebanon. the
high, narrow plain
which lies between
the two ranges of
the Lebanon noun
tains. The word
Lebanon m e q n S
white" and the
Lebanon m un-
tains are the
" hite mountains
IF Syria, the high
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19
GERMANS

piles of these marble balls inside the
temple today. They were p-oba ~ cut
from the columns. The Arabs ma 10 Il
mosque in the temple. They wiped out
all the traces of the Christian religion
and used a part OF the church f3r a
bath After them came al earthquake.
so that much of the ruins were covered
up. until the Germans began their great
excavations and left them as they now
are.
l am stopping here in the little town
of Baalbek. which stands right on the
edge of the ruins. il has an excellent
hotel. and its people are hospitable. Ii
has about five or six Thousand inhab-
itants. made up Of Mohammedans and
Christians. There is a small garrison OF
soldiers, two Greek Catholic monasteries
and several girls schools. The children
US as we walked about through
the ruins. selling purses made Of Syrian
great columns Of the temple They also
a sked for baksheesh and the begging palm
was everywhere to be seen
l am surprised at the scanty vegeta-
ton of these mountains of Lebanon. 1
had expected 10 find them covered with
1OT6EIk, NI6I eds lH6A are almost lfee-
less. Their lower slopes are we'll c7ilri-
waited and some of them are terraced
almost TO the top. Thousands OF acres.
made up Of little patches. rise step-like
one above another, covering the hills
for miles and miles. The patches contain
orchards and vineyards. There
are also peaches and apples. and in the
valleys are rich fields of wheat barley
and clover. The chief formation is lime
stone and there are rocks everywhere.
the soil seems wonderfully rich
The cedars of Lebanon may have been
great in the past. but they have now dis
appeared The only ones left are sftuat
ed about nine or ten hours from Baalbel.
The trees grow in the thin soil. which
covers the white limestone the ground
being coated with spines, cones ana
leaves. The oldest trees are seven in
and the tallest is not more than
eighty feet high. The largest of all is
about fifteen feet thick, so you see taty
are mere sprouts in comparison with
the big trees Of California and quite
small as compared with the giants OF
Washington and Oregon. The cedats
which We're taken for the temple prob
ably came from the region where the OH
cedars stand, although other parts of the
mountains may have then been
covered with woods. The logs must have
been cut in the forests. and carried over
The mountains. a distance OF forty or
fifty miles, to the seacoast. The rafting
was done under the direction of kins.
Hiram OF Tyre, and the logs were prob
ably towed down to Jaffa, and themes
carried up the mountains of Judea To
Jerusalem, a distance OF about forty
miles. The cedars bear cones which are
about a q large as a goose egg, the leaves
Or spines of the cones being solid rather
han detached, as those of our cedars az
home The wood is whitish in color: il
IS soft and for building is far inferior to
cypress or pine.
FRAME C. CARPENTER.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

fitcttng grants made under the authority
Of the United States"
4 few days ago the House committee
on private land claims-which has re-
Gently held hearings on this bill-reported
In favor of the Washington Feirs, but
recommended that they be reimbursed
for their loss in an equal area of govern
ment land now vacant In the public do
main. But inasmuch as all of the good
government land has long ago been
taken up. little remaining but semi-arid
and desert lands, the heirs will not be
satisfied with such settlement. How
ever, the committee report corroborates
their claim that the estate was entitled
to those $3.50 acres in Ohio, and this is
a step forward.
What they demand is q Treasury draft
for s3d5.OOO plus interest at 6 per cent
from the date of their claims presenta-
ton.
These tracts on the Little Miami, they
say, contained a wealth of the finest oak
and hickory timber which the region al
forded, and one acre OF the original area
is worth today about hundred times
as much or more than any vacant public
land in the public domain. Disinterested
appraisers sent to look over the tracts
report that some Of this land which the
general valued at IS per acre has more
than confirmed his prediction of growing
values, and reported that within these
Ill years much Of this land has in
creased In value 1900 per cent. Some OF
it is now worth $500. some $3.50 and some
less than s10o an acre, and they make a
conservative estimate, II Is claimed, Of
800 per acre for the whole area.
OF this Ohio land, 100 acres lie just
opposite Cincinnati, on the east bank OF
the Little Miami. in what is now Ander-
son township, which includes also place
named Mt Washington. This land is
within only four or Ave miles Of Cincin-
MATHS streets, and in the same county
with that city. And a little farther up
the same river, after 1t becomes the
boundary of Clermont county. are found
the remaining tracts-1,235 acres in Mia
mi, S4s acres in Union and $50 acres in
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

Copyright 1910. By Frank G. Carpenter
Special Correspondence OF The Star.
The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1911-07-27
BULL BATTING.
A Brutal .Sport" That Was Popular In
Former Days.

A Brutal "Sport" That Was Popular In
Former Days.
The principle Of bull batting was ex-
tremely simple. A collar was fasten-
ed round the bulls neck. and by this
the bull was attached by rope to a
stake. The rope varied from nine TO
fifteen feet in length aud therefore al
lowed the bull but little movement.
The audience was accommodated in u
circle or ring"
The bulldogs duty was to grasp the
bulls nose. and when he had succeed
ed in obtaining a grip he was required
to maintain his hold. despite the eff
forts OF the larger animal to tiislodge
him. The bull awaited the attack with
lowered horns. which the. dog sought
to evade by crouching toward the head
OF his opponent. Sometimes the bull
managed to get his horns under or
into the dog. which WAS then thrown
high into the air.
Writers state that dogs had been
tossed up to a height Of thirty or forty
feet. The dog. II he survived. would
'retire hurt" On the other hand. once
the dog. which was trained to grip only
the nose, obtained hold his adver-
sary would have little chance Of shak-
ing him of The bull would whirl the
dog in the air and struggle frantically
to wrench his nose free from the ter
rible grip. When. from sheer exhaus-
ton. the dog dropped clear Of the bull
a fresh dog was sent into the ring.