davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1911-05-13

Salt Lake City, May l0.-Charges
of murder in the first degree for the
killing OF Joseph Walter Axtell in the
street battle after the holding up and
robbing of Uncle Sans pawnshop on
Fest First South street, Tuesday al.
ternoon, were formally filled yester.
day against j. J. Morris, who killed
Axtell and wounded &c. r. Wellman,
and F. ID. Higginbotham and Mike
ConnoTs, alias John Murray, who par.
ticipated in the holdup and was can.
tured in An effort to make his es.
cape.
Complaints We're issued from the
county attorneys office and were
sworn to in the jrsJice court of Hsr.
~ Harper by Deputy Sheriff A. A
The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1911-05-13
Real Wisdom

II is far better TO pin rose in a
mans coat than TO send twenty
wreaths to his funeral.-E. H. Manley.
The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1911-05-13
]. ]. MORRIS, A MUCH WANTED
CRIMINAL, CAPTURED after
FIERCE STRUGGLE WITH
OFFICERS

Butler against Morris and by Patrol
man Ed Mccormick against Connors.
In recognition of the fact that Nor
ris, who fought so desperately for
freedom, was captured by Deputy
Sheriff Butler, this prisoner was
turned over to the county offices by
the police authorities and was taken
to the county jail during the after
noon. Connors was booked to the
credit of Patrolman Mccormick and
retained at the city Jail as city
prisoner until he is arraigned on the
murder charge and sent to the coun-
ty prison.
TO guard against a possible attempt
to escape or an effort to remove
Connors from the jail, special
guard was maintained about the
prison last night and will be contin.
ued until the prisoner Is removed to
the county Jail.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-16
The Souvenir Hunters.

1t is not to laugh; ii is to weep. Ameri-
cans have made a new record for snoh-
bishness. We have the word of the Rev.
Lewis Meyer of Cincinnati, who has just
returned from London. that he had seen
Americans paying SO apiece for tho
privilege of entering Westminster Abbey
in order that they might touch the seats
where the king and his court had sat dur
ing the ceremonies of the coronation. onS
wonders from what part of the United
States these people come and what they
do when they are al home. 1t is reason
ably certain that they do not work for IL
living. The habit of working for living
gives the greatest simpleton too much
sense to permit him to pay $50 for the
privilege of pla cling his hand on the spot
where wearied royalty reposed itself when
its exhausted legs gave out.
The Rev. Mr.. Meyer probably took too
seriously the class Of Americans that he
saw in London after the coronation. Their
habit of hunting souvenirs renders them
ridiculous, and they do not fully realize
how silly they appear when they pur
themselves in the attitude of worsniping
royalty In Westminster Abbey they
picked up some CREASED paper in which
the peers had carried their sandwiches.
But they pick up all sorts OF trash in
Italy, Egypt and Palestine. They even
have a passion for swiping towels and
napkins from the big hotels in their ma
tive land. Generally speaking, they have
no use for what they take. America can
not be judged by its tourists abroad.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-16

, Church steeple, the Pennsylvania assem-
bly, decided that the state house was not
complete without q bell. and instructed
the superintendent Of the state house"
to procure one forthwith and hang it in
the belfry. One of the superintendent
was Isaac Norris, that fiery Philadelphia
who declared that no man should ever
trample on his grave and say: Here
lies one who basely betrayed the liberties
of his country" Norris and his colleagues
instructed Capt. Budden to bring them
the bell-whether because they hoped the
skipper might carry 1t gratis. in spite of
it's being lay bell. or merely because
they knew him to be a reliable bell
bringer, does not appear in the records.
Budden sailed away in November. 1851,
with the following courteous letter from
the superintendentS Of the state house to
Robert Charles. colonial agent in London:
Respected Friend Robert Charles:
The Assembly having ordered us to procure
bell from England, to be purchased for their use.
take the liberty to apply ourselves to thee to
the cost of which, presume, may amount to
the charges, something
in this affair and that thou wilt procure and
forw ard 1t by the first good opportunity, our
workmen inform us it will be much less trouble
to hang the bell before their scaffods are struck
from the building where intend to place it,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-16

YOU are done with ought to go to your
constituents out here, and all my men
folks voted for you, SO l want that type
writer without you a hanging back no
more
II want an assorted list of every bird,
beast and flower to be found in the Ma
tional Park at Washington. L nave ten
children and l work hard and can't take
'em nowhere to show them notnlnS, anu
its I'D to you as Representative from my
district to furnish me this Information
for these pore ignorunt children. L want
you to go see these critters and SEND me
a full description of the object IN queS-
ton in each and every instance. l see py
the morning paper that the United States
Engineering school has been cutting up
some high didoes and coming gloriousiy
to the fore. Now what l want TO know Is
whether that there school Is Tree TO boys
in the L. s. or not My Bill has been
wanting to be a ENGINEER ever since he
went to the Coffeetown fair and rode on
the engine, and if it Is free school /
want you to get my boy in. +. s.: he
has had two years In the town schooi,
but he amt going no more, f., his
teacher don't know nothing, SO Bill says.
rs
In another Office the following commu-
nication gave the member pause:
Dear Sir: Is 1t true that you git forty
cents a mile for every mile you travel?
Well if 1t is all 1 got to say is you are
shore lucky cuss, and If 1 was you
would travel all the time. By the way,
what started out to say was that your
pa was a mighty smart man and keen
for any job that he could make money
on, and il you are brainy and have got
pull you will get busy on this here
proposition. My grandfather, as yore
pa well knows, was in the employ Of the
government in 1924. end he went from
New York state to California and never
got a cent for no mile OF the trip, and
in course II 1t was due him II would come
to me now. If you do take the matter up,
which l think you ought, l will give you
half
A confding youth out west sent this In
and got what he asked for: My NAV Is
a hard working wilder woman in yore
district, and all my cash / can git hold
OF goes to her and the little kids. which
10 my eight brothers and sister. and all
OF which I wouldn't mention. only 1t
shows how goes all we git. What want
more'n a pair of new Sunday pants 10
q great long slidin' trombone, one OF the
yellow kind. The town band has organ
lied fresh agin and asked me fer to come
in reglar. You see before this all last
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-16

summer ! kept a winning over Jim Little
matchin' pennies. only mostly We had u
borrow the pennies, and the rules of the
game was that Jim had to let me take
his place in the band when he lost. and
l myself was pretty generally lucky.
And / also let him wear my best pms
and white shirt other times when L
wasn't so lucky on the same conditions.
and so l learned to play the trombone all
o. X. But now Jim he has went TO Kan
SaS and there amt no more trombone IN
town l don't like TO ask nobody for one.
and wouldn't mention it to you, only they
tell me 1t don't cost you nothing froni
start to finish on account of that there
Governor Frank that looks out for VOC
fellers when you git thing and send 1t.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-16

eesary four postal divisions. or these
the largest Is the post office in the House
OF Representatives, OF which w. Nj. Dun
bar is postmaster. with a force or thirty
men. The Senate post office corresponds
In every way TO the House office. except
that II IS smaller. Both these main offices
have branch Offices In the Capitol. where
stamps are sold and letters may be given
IN for registration.
When the United States mail bags are
brought to the city post Office on Penn
sylvania avenue all mail for the House
members is thrown into special COM
partment, where there are four House
clerks to receive It. These men throw II
into floor and route mail divisions. The
mail for the four floors of the House is
thrown into separate boxes. from which
II Is brought IN wagon TO the post ONCE
IN the House OF Representatives.
Mail clerks in this office distribute the
mail to boxes numbered to correspond to
the room numbers. and four clerks
known as floor messengers gather the
nail up and pack IL into wheeled baskets
in which they convey II along the corri-
doris They make the rounds of the offices
four times every day. delivering an aver
age quota of five tons of practically letter
mail klooc.
Unless ore IS or has been a congress
man Or O oongr essroaa's secretary. one
ran hava little conception Of the variety
c: SUBJECTS 1n.chad upon 5aily in a con-
Sronxnan's iSIaiA Tt the folks at home
their 11I jim or Charley or John or Joe
:n-round-go-get-' for the district; and
shcS keep HIM well supplied With knowl-
t>1gc - ;hair requirements.
AVsasc: Clark Is, Of al! the congress
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-16

that according to him. the cracking of
the Liberty bell occurred. That is the
year usually given as the one in which
the mishap occurred but Mr.. Rauch Is.
emphatic In his statement that the bell
was not cracked on the occasion of Chief
Justice MarshaIl's funeral. Here is his
own version Of the occurrence:
The Liberty bell was cracked. as l
remember, on Washington's birthday,
1895, and this is the way 1t was done:
II was then ten years old. On that day
I had been sent by my mother on an er-
rand to shop not far from our home.
On my return from it 1 was walking
through Statehouse Square when l no
ticed that the janitor or steeplekeeper of
the old statehouse building was reckoning
TO me His name was Downing-'Majo r
Jack we used to call him-and he was Il
we'll known character in Philadelphia at
that time.
Come herer he called to me and to
several boys whom he spied in the
square. After he had corralled six or
eight Of us-I don't remember exactly
how many-he told us that he wanted
us TO ring the liberty bell in honor of
Washington's birthday. The idea pleased
us very much-we boys were not in the
habit OF ringing the old bell--and we
agreed TO 40 II.
Then Downing climbed into the steeple
of the statehouse and tied a rope to-
the clapper OF the old bell. Coming down
again. he put the end of this rope into
our hands and instructed to pull with
all our might, which we did.
I'VE We're working away, and the bell
had struck, so far as l can recall, about
ten or a dozen times, when we noticed
change in the tone. We kept on ringing,
though, but, after a while, the steeple-
keeper noticed the difference, too. Sur
missing that something might be wrong,
he told Us 10 stop pulling the rope. Then
he climbed back into the steeple, We boys
following behind.
"On the side OF the bell that hung
toward Walnut street we found that there
was a big crack. "a foot or fifteen inches
long. Downing then told us to run along
home. We obeyed.
What happened after that ! forget
boy-like l didn't do any worrying, and
heard no more about the cracking Of the
bell until some years later. Then, how
ever, and many times since, 1 have read
of how the bell came to be cracked. but
never have l seen the version which I
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-16
THE LIBERTY BELL.

have just given. I honestly believe it is
the correct one"
AS to why Mr.. Rauch took no decisive
steps to make it known, a brief resume
OF his busy life since his boyhood adven-
ture is a good answer.
At the age of sixteen he enlisted in the
army, serving for a while on the first
steam war vessel that flew the American
flag. Then he entered the employ of the
Reading railroad, and rose to be gem
erai dispatcher at Reading. At the out
break Of the civil war he helped raise
company. and served till the end of his
enlistment. He retired with the rank of
second lieutenant.
Then came more rairoading, much of it
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-16


have become famous in American annals
most especially July +. 1916. when it
proclaimed to all within hearing. and,
through them, to the entire world, that
the American colonies had declared their
independence of British rule.
For more than a century the bell. stiil
preserved in Independence Hall, has been
a shrine for hosts OF patriotic pilgrims
from every corner of the United States.
These pilgrims as we'll as other hosts OF
Americans, who knew the Liberty bell
merely by seeing pictures of IL are aware
that in one side of il is a wide crack.
If. growing curious. they seek to ind out
how that crack came there, several con-
f1icting explanations at once present
themselves.
The one commonly accepted IS that the
famous bell was cracked while toliins
for the funeral of Chief Justice John
Marshall. July 8, 1880. Another story
has il that the damage was done cot
when the bell was tolling the nations
grief. but when it was toyfully ringing
in honor of a visit Of Henry Clay to
Philadelphia.
Still other chroniclers OF the bells his
tory, scared evidently by such conflicting
tales gloss over their narratives when
they come 70 the cracking by merely
stating that il occurred something like
half a century after the ringing in of
American independence. without specify
ing when or how the damage was done
Now, more than three-Guarters Of a CEN
fury after the old bell was silenced, comes
man who declares that none of the
more or less accepted versions of how 1t
came to be cracked is correct; that his
version alone is the true explanation of
<ha bon ~
he declares. he has been reading in news
papers and elsewhere all the various con-
fiicting stories of the accident. but. IN
asmuch as his has been an extremely
busy life. he has never bothered his head
over much about them until quite re-
Gently.
Being now old and retired from active
work, he has more leisure on his hands:
his mind dwells more and more on the
past. his tenacious memory, of which he
IL extremely proud. is prone to take him
back to early youth and review the hap
penings that still stand out from the haze
Of yesterday.
So. when a few days ago this man saw
yet another story of how the Liberty bell
was cracked, and realized yet again that
his memory branded il as incorrect he
FASTENED to protest
II was one of those who were present
and assisted In the cracking of that bell
perhaps / am the only person now living
who present" he stated.
The man who as he says. helped crack
the old Liberty bell is Emmanuel Joseph
Rauch of $50 West 10th street New
York. He is eighty-six years old, but does
not look it. In fact, straight is ne
still. so square and robust, that he seems
scarcely older than his son, a man who
has turned fifty.
And Mr. Rauch's manner of speech is
such as to justify the pride he takes IN
his memory. His talk goes straight ahead
without hesitation confusion. He
never adds anything concerning which he
feels the slightest uncertainty.
He was born at Chester, Pa, of Penn
Sylyania Dutch stock November 6,
1926, and removed with his parents to
Philadelphia when he was seven years
old. 1t was three years later-in 1856
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-16

From an eastern QlStrlCt comes tnlS
letter:
"Mr. Congressman: ] know as well as
anybody how big fool you will think 1
am when you pereuse these lines. but
they have got to be penned. I am
bachelor in your district. and I am thirty
eight years old. and as you will guess,
unmarried, nor am l wanting to be. That
is the subject about which feel that you
can give me some help. Its this way.
Mary Ann was as pretty girl as you
could wish to see a matter Of fifteen
years ago, but 1 amt no notion how old
She was then nor is now. but do know
she Is no spring fry. I have went with
her till she is getting awful serious
about 1t. to say the least. and / am get
ing anxious my own self seeing as 1t has
been thirteen years since I commenced a
hitching my old horse to her pas back
fence. You find out at the census bureau
her age and II she is not older than me,
which I think she is, then / will make
good and take the koncequenses, which
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-16
INDEPENDENCE HALL, PHILADELPHIA, IN 1776.

Justice Marshall, who had died two days
before. while tolling" is an ambiguous
phrase Is 1t not possible. probable even.
that. as stroke after stroke of the clap
per s1note the side of the bell those who
heard detected something wrong in the
sound, exactly as did Downing and his
youthful helpers in Mr.. Eauch's narrative,
and promptly arrived at the conclusion
that the damage had been done on that
very day, being unaware that the bell
unhesitating nature of Mr.. Rauch's state
ments. this view seems distinctly plaus-
:ble
There is something else which lends the
color Of truth to the octogenarlan's mar
rative. AS he relates. 1t was by no means
customary to have boys ring the bell.
Major Jack Downing evidently aston
ished young Rauch and the rest when he
pressed them into service as his CO.
adjutors. When the lusty efforts Of the
squad Of urchins cracked the bell, may
not Major Jack" have decided, per-
chance. to say nothing about 1t? The
to be gained by crying 1t from the house
tops.
So, perhaps, Major jack babe The
little boys run home. supposing that Moth
ing would ever come of the incident, even
if they told what had befallen to their
elders. Granted that the Rauch version
of the cracking of the bell is right, and
that the steeplekeeper reasoned as here
suggested, his reasoning was not bad.
Apparently. the damage to the bell has
never been laid at the door of the band
of eager boys who acted as bell ringers
on that WashingtonS birthday seventy
six years ago.
Anyhow, whether they were the guilty
ones or not. the bell was effectuaiiy
cracked. and has rested in solemn silence
for three-quarters of century, after
having been rung on scores of memoir
able occasions through more years than
that. And an interesting thing about it
Is that the accident which, in its old age
put an end to it's long and valiant serv-
ice, was not the only occasion of the
kind In the liberty's bell life.
Strange rs it may seem the bell which
was to help celebrate with its sturdy
tones every important event In American
history for we'll nigh a century. disgraced
Itself at the very outset of it's duties
broke down utterly, like An affrighted
schoolboy. exactly as IL the strokes of it's
clapper were q "piece" which 1t had been
set to recite by a stern teacher The dis
grace was wiped out later. For eighty
years the bell recited pieces de-
iivered mastery orations-and became
thing before which Americans did reyer-
ence, but the fact remains that. on the
very first day of it's active career-the
Liberty bell cracked.
That was in 1852. Not long before a
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-16

ing the cracking Of the Liberty bell gives
considerable plausbility to Mr.. Rauch's
narrative First, there is, as has been
already mentioned. confusion as to just
how the bell was cracked.
1t was the custom to ring 1t on impor-
tant occasions, notably on each recurring
Fourth Of July, but, according to one au-
thority. it was not rung on that day after
1891. This would explain how, If the bell
was indeed cracked, as Mr.. Rauch main
tains, February 90, 1895. the crack was
not discovered the following Fourth of
July.
Then, again, the usually accepted ver-
sion is that the bell was cracked July S,
1885. while tolllng for the funeral Of Chief
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-16

This letter comes from a state near the
Kansas border:
t'He and my pa and the neighbours is
all a-having trouble about them garden
seeds you sent my pa. We have got a.
garden with them in it and We amt got
no chickens, but the neighbors has. They
have got a garden from your seeds too,
but that amt a-botherin me nun. What
does hurt me is a-runnin' after them dang
chickens a-eitting them out Of pa 3 garden,
which he makes me do TIL the flesh is
week and my heels Is blistard. Now pa
he said last night that you cud jest as
well as not send US watch dog, which
same I am asking you phor. Pa sed
something about you Ascending him on
phrank which ] am willing you shud.
get everything free you put solid silver
collur on him and have wrote on 1t in
them funny scratches like is on a umbrel
Ter in a store. Kind regards of yore
friend Don't fergit phor pa ses this is
pertickler."
From the hills of southern state trav-
eled a phonetical curiosity, in which the
following appears: Deer Sir: I and my
Teller constituents here in this good old
deastrict of ourn, we wants to see law
pa ssed up there to Washing Town, d. c.,
House Of Congress, Map of U. S. A..
which will give the peepal a parcial post
sistum, and Inc same to be insured by
the government. And we want the GRIM
inals punished fast and hard. also send
two quarts ternip sead and cast your vote
for Ressiprosity. And send me some Of
them farm bullytins you help git out
the Farmers free list er we wont send
you no more to offs. P. 8. send me one
Quart of carrot seed and one of the same
to my son John that lives on the old
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-16

place across the crick from the cross
roads poast offs"
Among his own private treasures one
secretary keeps this letter. nor does the
CONGRESSMAN know Of it's existence: Dear
Sir-You will remember me. I think. as
you stopped at our house to stay all night
seventeen times during the hottest wealth
er of your campaign last fall, and my
wife washed twice for you the shirt that
you told folks around there was the only
one you had. We knowed that was
dyed in the wool campaign lie, but you
was a good talker, which offset that plain
reflection on our good sense in some
cases. Even II you did pay my wife 20
for every time she washed that honery
shirt and me enough greenbacks for lodg-
in to line up the whole Greasy Nation
Deestrict, which as being man of honor
and a wanting to support my party, L
did. But 1 went too darn nigh close to
the bottom Of the sack in my great eX-
element at election long before noon.
and so had to sell to your opposin' can
didate to git even, which l did. and VIII
again in future, being as you WASH
enough of a honest man to come around
even if you knowed you was a winning
and ask me private and confidential how
you stood on them there lodging pllls.
and l could told you and you could
give me back the sum that l spent over
what had by rights ort to spent Now
that you are there In office 1t is yore
bounden duty to serve the folks In yore
deestrict, and that takes me In. no mat
ter how feel about It," In the list
that follows he asks for all the usual
items in such a catalogue. and concludes
Also eighty acres Of government land
and two of the stoutest mules in the gov
eminent pens. And don't ask me to pay
no frate on them mules, as tnat Is what
yore frank is give you for and this Is
where you use 1t.
From p big trouble budget in another
office the following were selected by the
secretary as being fair samples OF the
common grist:
..This is not the frs. time have wro.s
you about that typewriter for my Nelne
to practice on and want you to tend 70
the matter and not delay no longer. II
a congressman didn't get a new one
every six months to a year, as told you
my husbands sister told me they did.
then l wouldn't mention it to you in the
first place. But them you throw out after
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-16

THE Latest Story of the
1 Historic Bell-New
York Resident Says Bell Was
Cracked While Boys Were
Ringing 1t on Washington's
Birthday-Other Stories of
Cracking of the Bell--Its
History.