davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
DR.. William A. Hammond's Story OF
How He Turned to Writing of
Fiction, Following Example of
Or. A. Wier Mitchell.

The late DR.. William Alexander
Hammond was surgeon general Of the
United States army during a portion
of the time when the Civil war was
being fought, and thereafter until his
death. which occurred in 1900, he
was looked upon generally as one OF
the worlds foremost authorities upon
nervous diseases. He was also a
very yoluminous writer on medical
subjects.
But, 10 and behold, in the early
eighties, DR.. Hammond blossomed out
as a novelist, and there was no little
establishment thereat, and a good deal
of conjecture as to how he had found
time for such work. For he was be-
ing constantly consulted upon his spe-
cialty, he was engaged in teaching
in a university medical school, and
he was constantly publishing medical
treatises, some of which were trans
lated and published in France and
other European nations.
Soon after the publication of his
second novel, 'Lal," which attracted
the most attention of all his works
of fiction, and which gained the
common estimate that in none of his
other books had he come so near
the high-water mark as a novelist,
l CHANGED to meet Or. Hammond and
asked him why he had taken up novel
writing and how he had found the
time necessary to engage in such en-
deavor.
81 found time because l took time,
was the reply. "And | took the time
because of an experience of my friend,
DR.. A. Wier Mitchell of Philadelphia.
Both DR.. Mitchell and myself have
made a speciality Of diseases of the
nervous organs. I believe we are
commonly called alienists. DR.. Mitch
ell stands at the very head Of the
specialists in nervous diseases.
when DR.. Mitchell first blossomed
out as a writer of fiction I was curious
to know why he had taken up line
Of human endeavor so far removed
from his own, and l bluntly made in
quiry of him His reply was that he
had discovered that by writing down
what his fancy dictated IN the quiet
of his library after hard days work
he found that he soothed his own
nerves, quoted his brain, and, after
an hour or two thus spent, was in
a perfectly normal condition and able
to obtain sound sleep. Quite acct
dentally he had made the discovery,
in an idle moment picking up his
pen and writing down what his fancy
dictated.
II was sure that what DR.. Mitchell
had found good treatment for nerve
WEAKNESS l should find equally ad
vantageous, and l determined to try
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
Pienlant EASY to Grow.

Elephant is easily produced in a
commercial way, yields immensely,
and is easily gathered and put into
shape for the market. 1t can be
shipped almost any distance. Then,
too, the demand for it on the market
makes it one of the two best vege-
tables for commercial use. Pieplant
is usually set in rows four feet and
two and one-half feet in the rows.
Like asparagus 1t should be care
fully tended and heavily MANFRED. 1t
should be fortified every winter.
No piepIant should be pulled for the
market for the first year, no matter
how healthy and vigorous 1t may seem.
After the first year it may be pulled
for the market at any time as soon
as frost is gone
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
6tephen A. Douglas Admitted During
the Famous Debate That He
Dreaded to Hear His Oppo-
nent Begin an Anecdote.

One Of the commission that was
sent to Hawaii in 1898 by President
Mckinley TO establish a government
for those islands when they were an
nexed to the United States was the
late Robert r. Hit of Illinois, an in
fuential member of the lower house
of congress from 1881 until a year
before his death in 1906
A few days before Mr.. Hit started
for Hawaii I had an opportunity to
renew my. acquaintance with him,
which had begun when he was assis-
tant secretary Of state in 1881 under
James G. Blaine. In the course Of
our conversation Mr.. Hit took a small
memorandum book from a vest pocket
and made one or two entries in short
hand.
Il reported the Lincoln-Douglas de-
bates in shorthand" he explained,
"and ever since I have used that mode
Of writing. 1t has been Of great value
to me- l used it constantly when I
was in the state department, and !
expect to make much use Of it while
in Hawaii"
Your ability to write in shorthand
must have been put to a severe test
at the time you reported the Lincoln
Douglas Debates" l said.
mo, it was not very difficult work.
The chief thing I had to contend
against was the noise of the crowds;
many of the meetings were held in
the open air, and there was con
tinual noise all about, as is liable to
be the case in open air gatherings.
Both Mr.. Lincoln and Mr.. Douglas
were easy speakers for a competent
shorthand writer to report. Lincoln,
] think, was a little the easier, for
he spoke less rapidly than did Mr..
Douglas. Both Of them enunciated
clearly enough.
81 have been told" continued Mr..
Hit, that owe it to history to write
my personal recoIlections of that great
debate, especially as l am probably
the only person now living who was
present at all of the debates. But
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
. 3
: sS}gS~6fzESss - -
:H..E.Isl.1S0(1ES

The fast horse plows the short fur
row
The telephone is an errand boy that
is easy to board.
Some people speak as they think,
only more frequently.
Under the average conditions, corn
is the best crop to grow for the silo.
Success in bee keeping, as in most
other things, depends upon the man.
The man who gets the best returns
from his soil studies the needs of his
soil.
The implement mans best friend is
the farmer who never houses his farm
tools.
High priced implements ought to
have good protection all the year
round.
Cowpeas are very susceptible to
frost and are materially injured even
by light frosts.
Because manure is black and has
bad odor, that is no sign that it is Of
the best quality.
1t is just as necessary for the farm
er to read and study as it is for the
professional man.
The droppings of granted cattle
and horses, well mixed together and
each layer covered with land plaster,
will rot quickly and will produce a
good crop of vegetables when properly
used
If barnyard manure is to be used in
the garden it should be rich, well
rotted and very fine.
Farmers should not buy more land
Until that which they already have is
producing to its maximum capacity.
The day Of more efficient farming
is coming, and by the same token the
Individual farmer must be more eff
cient, or meet with partial or complete
failure.
Expert gardeners spread a little
rotted manure in the drill rows and
sprinkle a medium handful of some
good bone fertilizer over every ter
feet of row.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
Fls.s -o5aeGRp7po, III
Fig. What MacAdam Advocated

Fig. What MacAdam Advocated
is not macadamizing at ali, but tel
fordiz1ng," for what is commonly
thought to be a macadam road is
built after the method advocated by
Telford, says the Country Gentleman.
MacAdam advocated the use of stones
Of uniform size all the way through
the roadway (see Fig. u, while Tel
fora advocated the use of larger
stones at the bottom of the roadbed
with smaller ones on top of this
foundation, still smaller ones above
that and finally pulverized stone, or
breaker dust, as a top dressing (see
Fig. p, and 1t is this Telford practice
that Is usually followed in construct
ing what are commonly called ma
cadam roads.
Now to build a good driveway one
must begin with dry, hard bed on
which to lay the foundation. Should
the ground be marshy or damp, some
means of drainage must be installed
and solid, dry sub-grade established.
Having secured a proper sub-grade,
the next step is to select proper ma
terial for the driveway building. The
stone used must be a hard stone that
will break angularly and not have
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
Politics Of One Vanderbilt

intimate friend in adult life, was as
staunch a Democrat as there was to
be found in the east. He idolized An
drew Jackson, was a great admirer Of
Martin Van Buren,, and stood firmly
by his Jeffersonian principles when
engaged in occasional political argu-
ments with the commodore.
In the early forties Mr. Barton re
ceived the offer of the Democratic
nomination for congress in the dis
trict of which Staten Island, the birth
place and residence of both himself
and the commodore, constituted the
chief part. The commodore at that
time had greatly enlarged his steam
boat operations. IN view of these
commercial enterprises, Mr.. Barton
sought his brother-in-law and said to
him:
'COrnel, the Democrats say that
can be nominated for congress in our
district. If l am nominated | am
pretty sure to be elected. l thought
would come and see you and ask you
what you think about it."
We'll, If you want to go to con-
gress, why don't you go?" replied the
commodore.
Then you wouldn't have any objec-
tions?" asked Mr.. Barton.
~ don't care whether you go to
congress or not retorted the COM
modore. 81 won't give you any sup
port, because you are Democrat, but
I won't oppose you"
Thus satisfied that the commodore
was Indifferent to his election to con-
gress, Mr.. Barton accepted the nomi-
nation and was elected. Two years
later there came the great presiden-
tial campaign in which Henry Clay
was the candidate of the Wings and
James K. Polk of the Democrats
Commodore Vanderbilt was intensely
interested in the campaign. He was
sure that Henry Clay would be elect
ed, and he used all the influence he
had to bring support to the Clay
ticket.
After the election, and while he was
still feeling deeply the defeat of his
political idol, the commodore learned
that his brother-in-law had voted for
the Democratic candidate. At their
first meeting thereafter the commo-
dores pent up wrath broke forth. $50
you voted against Henry Clay" he
cried. well, when you voted against
Henry Clay you voted against me.
don't want to have anything more to
do with you
With those few words the interview
ended. For a little over two years
Commodore Vanderbilt did not speak
to or in any way recognize his broth
er-in-law. Then he became as init
mate as ever with him; and from that
day until his death no man ever knew
the commodore to permit his political
opinions to influence his personal con-
duct.
Copyright, 1911, by E. J. Edwards All
Rights Reserved)
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
An Arabic Pompeii.

The discovery of what may be
.aIled an Arabic Pompeu in the neigh
borhood of Cordova has recently been
reported. This was once a pleasure
resort of the great Khalif Abderrah-
man III, who erected it between 936
and 961, has been jealousy concealed
by the Spanish psychologists, and
came to light accidentally through the
examination of certain fragments of
Arabic sculpture of the tenth century
recently deposited in the museum Of
Cordova. The remains may be as
signed to the Egyptian or Copto-
Arabic school, and among them the
most remarkable are the specimens Of
glass, work with q silver sheen, the
secret of which has long been lost,
and the painted and glazed pottery
made out of calcined clay. So far,
the excavations appear to have been
most ineff1ciently conducted, and much
valuable material has been destroyed.
II is hoped that the Spanish govern
ment will now arrange for the scien-
fife examination of a site which is
likely to supply much information on
a little known chapter of the history
CT Moorish art.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
SILENCE THAT WAS WASTED
Aunt Melissa Supremacy Indifferent to
Fact That Pa Had for Days
Been in duff"

Aunt Melissa Spigott was such an
Exceedingly energetic talker that the
youngsters of the family used to sup
pose that her tongue must be copper
toed, because it never wore out. Uncle
Silas, on the other hand, was as eco
nomical of words as a marketman is
of early strawberries.
The too free exercising of this IN
ruly member Of Aunt Melissa's on
one occasion, gave Uncle Sias serious
offense, which he manifested by &
severe silence lasting for several days
At the end of that period one Of the
older daughters approached heI
mother upon the subject with the re
mark, Ma, seems like you ought tC
make up with pa by now"
Make up with pal" exclaimed
Aunt Melissa, in great establishment
Make up what ?"
Why" returned the daughter
don't you know poor pas feeling
bad yet? He's still huf1ng"
Huntingdon the lands sake! How
longs he been a-hufing?"
Ever since you came down on hin
SO hard about wasting sugar by MOI
stirring his coffee; that's three day:
ago.
Why, you don't tell me, jamie
Maud" Aunt Melissa looked amazed
Your pore pa! Been a-huflng fol
three days, and l never mistrusted {
thing of it!"-Youth's Companion.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
Wrote Novels to Gain Rest

the experiment. One night, after a
day of great labor, l went to my
library, put two or three cigars upon
my library table and as l smoked
them let my fancy have full sway.
Almost instantly I found that the
operation of the mind which the play
Of fancy makes possible served as a
real brain rest. Moreover. it was a
physical rest. So 1 speedily con-
tracted the habit of writing fiction
after my regular days work was
over. Sometimes I write until an
hour or two after midnight. Then
a delicious languor, perfectly normal,
comes to me, and 1 go to bed as GER
tain of sound sleep as is a lad who
has played out of doors all day. In
just this way I have written my two
novels, and I hope to write others
in the same way" Which he did.
Copyright, 1871 by E. ]. Edwards. All
Rights ReServed.)
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
Nrt1r NFutn 5
q yfnter:n<au
60 by z. T. FAu7srnz

Mr.. Douglas answered that there
had not been a moment when he had
been afraid of Lincoln as a debater.
All through he had been confident
Of his ability to hold his own in the
give and take of debate and in the
presentation Of arguments. He hest
tated for moment, thinking appa-
rently, and then continued:
Il, Of course, have perceived that
Mr.. Lincoln is very strong with the
crowd, but l have felt that I have
held my own with the crowd as well
as he has. There is one thing, how
ever, Of which I stand constantly in
dread. When Lincoln begins to tell
a story begin to get apprehensive.
Every one of his stories seems like
a whack upon my back-that is ex-
actly the effect that the allegories and
anecdotes, of which he is master, have
upon me- Nothing else-not any Of
his arguments or any of his replies
to my Questions-disturbs me. But
when he begins to tell story, feel
that I am to be overmatched.'
Copyright, 1911, by z. ]. Edwards. All
Rights Reserved.)
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
USE CARE WITH FERTILIZERS
Excellent Method Given for Utilizing
Two Familiar Farm Products
Apply Separately.

Both wood ashes and hen manure
are farm products, and one supplies
what the other lacks. The ashes con-
tain potash, phosphoric acid and lime,
while the hen manure is strong In
nitrogen. 1t is the worst practice,
however, to mix the two together be-
fore using. The lime in the ashes will
act to set the ammonia in the hen
manure free. If this is done before
the mixture is put in the soil the am
mOnia will be lost
If, on the other hand, the hen ma
nure is worked into the ground sew
eral inches deep, and then the wood
ashes spread and raked or narrowed
in there will be no loss. The lime
will still act to set the ammonia free
but, being in the soil, it will be safely
held there for the crops. Thus the
way to use hen manure and ashes is
to apply them separately and work
both into the soil.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
Commodore Would Not Recognize
Brother-in-Law for Two Years Be-
cause the Latter Voted Against
Henry Clay for President.

In his later years, when he was un-
deniabIy the railroad king Of America,
few persons knew what was the poll
tics of Commodore Vanderbilt, or
whether he had any at all. But in the
earlier part of his career, and espe-
ciaIly when he was gaining the
sobriquet of Commodore, through his
work in building up the largest feet
of river and coastwise vessels in the
world, he left no opportunity for doubt
as to where he stood upon the po-
Iitical issues of the day. Then the
Commodore was a staunch Wing. He
was also an enthusiastic admirer Of
Henry Clay, and he was strong pro-
tectionist Of the Henry Clay school
of protection.
On the other hand Samuel Barton,
who had been a boyhood playmate Of
the commodore's and had eventually
become the latter's brother-in-law and
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
Jerusalem's Public Ovens

There axe public bakeries in Jeru-
salem. The dough is kneaded at
home and carried in great Jumps to
the public ovens. These are to be
found in almost every street. They
are cavelike vaults, running down be-
low the street level. At the back of
each vault is the oven, with sort
of well before its open door. In the
we'll stands the baker, with a long
paddle in his hand, upon which he
puts in and takes out the loaves.
The oven floor is marked out in
blocks, so that the baking of each
family is put on separate block.
The loayes, which are about an inch
thick, are of the size of a tea plate
and have a hole i'll the center. The
baker makes them from the dough,
bakes them, and returns them hot
from the oven to the customer. He
receives two cents for each half
dozen loaves, or he may instead take
a toll of one loaf for each dozen. Be
fore starting the baking ne greases
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
Feared Lincoln's Stories

I was so occupied in taking my short
hand notes that I did not have good
opportunity to observe the speakers
or to take much heed of the crowds.
I do remember, however, one Incl
dent which at the time struck me as
very interesting, and of which I have
frequently thought There have been
occasional reports of Senator Doug
las estimate Of the effect Of Lincoln s
speeches upon the crowds that heard
them, but so far as l know there is
no report telling of the effect of the
debates upon Mr.. Douglas himself.
Yet 1 know from his own lips what
that effect was.
81 think 1t was after the fifth de-
bate-there were seven in all-when
some one asked Mr.. Douglas in my
presence how Lincoln's speeches af-
fected him, and whether at any time
he thought that he had been over
matched by his opponent or not
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
The Naked Truth

Both Fred Shireman, chief clerk,
and Jud Carter, night clerk at the
Seelbach hotel, are becoming bald
headed, and both have until recently
been quite proud of the fact.
According to a friend, it took a
negro bellboy at the hotel to take the
conceit out of them a few days ago.
A travelling man, who had not been
stopping at the hotel for some time,
pulled up at the desk the other day.
He gazed at both over the rim Of his
gold spectacles for minute. era
cious goodness he said, you fellows
will soon be combing your hair with
a towel What's the trouble?"
Excessive brain work." said Shire
man. Isn't that right, Carter?'
Correct" corrobOrated Carter
only thinking men become bald
headed" Then he turned and winked
at a negro bellhop. Fact, isn't it,
Sam?" he said.
The negro boy grinned. well, now,
boss" he said, 81 don't know fob
suah bout that. My ole dad he al
ways low dat al empty balm don
need no covah."-LouisviIle Times.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
ProperIY Thankful.

Clark Howell Of Atlanta tells of
the sad case of an elderly darby in
Georgia, charged with the theft of
some chickens The negro had the
misfortune to be defendeI by young
and inexperienced attorney, although
1T Is doubtful whether any one could
have secured his acquittal the com
mission OF the crime having been
proved beyond all doubt. The darby
received a pretty severe sentence.
Thank yo' sah," said he cheerfuly,
addressing the judge when the SEN
tence had been pronounced. Oats
mighty hard, sab, but it amt any
thing what / expected. I thought
sab, date between my character and
dat speech of my lawyer dat you'd
hang me, shore!'
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
Gar to Make Iona Trip.

The threat that he would never visit
Denmark as long as King Christian
lived, made years ago by the car Of
Russia, is recalled by the news that
he has made plans for an extensive
Eurspean journey which will include
the country which King Christians
death made free to him. The trip
will be the longest he has ever taken
in Europe and will carry him through
Finland. Scandinavia, including the
cities Of Copenhagen, Christiania and
Stockholm, and thence to Berlin to
visit the German emperor and to Italy.
The date for the cars departure on
the tour has not been fixed, but it
will probably be this month.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
Endive Not Hard to Grow.

Endive may be sown early in cold
frames or in the open ground like let
tuce. Servings may also be made at
any time during the summer although
mer have not the best quality. Fail
grown plants may be taken up with
a good supply of adhering earth and
stored in a dry cellar for winter use.
There are several distinct varieties Of
endive, those having smooth leaves be-
ing the larger and coarser. The fine
Iy cut and curled varieties and more
particularly those with naturally
whitened leaves are most attractive
and usually most tender
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
STRANGE Children.

George Bancroft, the historian,
used to relate with gusto a joke that
he caught while trotttng to school
along a Massachusetts country road.
1t was about old Levi Lincoln. says
Percy H. Epler in Master Minds at
the Commonwealth Heart"
The old gentleman was nearly
blind. A flock of geese was being
driven gobbling up Lincoln street
Leaning far out of the carriage, the
fine old aristocrat, thinking they were
children, threw out a handful of pen
MES. graciously excIaiming:
God bless you, my children!"
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
Pumpkins for Eaftenino.

Pumpkins will soon be close rivals
of silage crops as ration for fatten-
ing purposes. They contain large
amount of protein and albumen and a
fair amount of ash and potash. Their
composition is so well balanced in
comparison with other feeds for
young animals, that strength Is i'm
parted by the ash and potash to the
bones of the stock, and the protein
builds the flesh. Eighty per cent. Of
the mature pumpkin can be utilized
for feeding purposes.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08
Deep or Shallow Seeding.

Dig up grain plants, and you will
find that they form their roots at the
same depth whether planted deep or
shallow. When sown too deep the
plants send up growth till within
about an inch of the surface and there
starts the real root system. 1t takes
work to send up this growth, so the
more shallow the seed can be sown,
and yet deep enough so it can get
moisture, the better. A good seed
bed should be fairly compact, the
more compact it is the nearer the sur
face the moisture comes