davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1916-03-19

FOR RENT-Offices at 10 North
Fifth street. Craig & Sprowls.
Phone No. 1852.
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14
community have the brains, but where's the action?
 Whats the matter with us, anyway?
LET'S TALK AND DO
anyway!

Spring is coming on and 1t is quite time for us to get busy and push the agitation for good roads-for the best roads in this whole section of the state.
 Nothing much will be accom- plished if only a few do the talk ing. It needs a general talkfast, with everybody talking and de- manding better roads at the same time. When the noise gets loud enough some one Will hear it then we will get the road improvements we so great ly need.
 The fact that you may live in town is no reason why you should not talk for road improvement. Better country roads mean just as much to the town man as they do to the farmer, for what is good for one is of equal value to the other.
 If we want to keep pace with other communities in this state we must have better roads. Haulino produce to market over heavy roads is not a profitable business to any farmer, and we don't want any thing in this community that does not begin and end with profit.
 We can talk learnedly on the elevation of humanity and kin dred subjects if it will serve as 8 balm to our consciences, but everybody knows that every body else is out for every dollar he can gather in. And we can not annex any great number of those dollars with a lot of bum roads. That may be a blunt and cold blooded statement, but it is fact, and we all know it.
 When we go to the meat market for a steak we want a good one. And good roads are just as essential to our well be- ing as a juicy steak.
 Let's everybody get mighty busy and go after the best roads obtainable. Suppose 1t does cost us @ cent or two each to get them. For every cent we spend we get ten in return. And at uogts the expenditN.e would only amount to few smokes per man.
 We are always ready to set aside a certain date for some specific object-eXcept good roads. Now let's vary the order of procedure and declare 1916 our good road year, and live up to our declaration.
 If we all agitate for good roads and go after even better roads, the end of 1916 will see a wonderful improvement in our country highways.
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14
NOric FOR PusilcATI0N
nnant nf the Interior.

Department of the Interior,
 U. s. Land Office at Harrison, Arkansas, March 21st 1916. Notice is hereby given that Lena D. Douglas, of Rule, Ark, who, on November 18th, 1908, made homestead entry, No. 01181. for N E IA s W IA, Section 2S, Township 19 North, Range 23 West, 5th Prin Meridian, has filed notice of intention to make five year proof, to establish claim to the land above described, before the Register and Rrceiver United States Land Office, at Harrison Arkansas, on the 29th day of April, 1916.
 Claimant names as witnesses:
 E. F. Sims, A. Bradshaw, Lee York and Ebert Jackson, all of Rule, Arkansas.
 Brice B. Hudgins, Register.
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14
NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION

Department of the Interior U g. Land Office at Harrison, Ark, April 6, 1916
 Notice is hhreby given that Marquis L. Hammons, of Rudd, Ark, who, on March 11th, 1909, made homestead entry, No. 07317, for NE1-4 NW1-4, Section 26, Township Is North, Range 24 West, 5th Prin. Meridian has filed notice of intention to make five year Proof, to establish claim to the land above described, before the Register and Receiver United States Land Office, at Harrison, Ark, on the 20th day of May, 1916.
 Claimant names as witnesses:
 R, L. Brawley, Charles Hurt, Char les Allison and Henry Ward all, of Rudd Ark
 Brice B. Hudgias, Register.
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14
WHAT'S YNE aeAvTER WlTN US 2

Whenever we see the business men of any community wake up and go to boosting we take off our hat to them. We would like to do the same to the business men of this town.
 Arvada, Colorado, is an exam pie just now of what can be done when people want to do.
 In some manner the impression was spread abroad that the busi- ness interests of Arvada did not invite an overly close relation with the community at large. It injured the town.
 When this impression reached the ears of the business men they wasted no time in vain regrets. They went to work like men and organized a community club-it is called "The Arvada Commun- ity Club. "
 The object of the club is in the main to unite the interests of the town and the surrounding trad ing territory by bringing all of the people into closer touch one with another.
 They will organize and eX- change, with a competent man in charge. Farmers, gardeners, any person in the country or town who has anything for sale can list it with the exchange and it will be disposed of for them with out the charge of any commits sion. Once a month a big public auction will be held at which all articles not heretofore sold will be disposed of without expense to the seller. The sale days are to be widely advertised in the local press and the most eXper- fenced auctioneers obtainable will be engaged. The business men of the town are to be urged to advertise their merchandise heavily in the Arvada papers and make special bargain days for the auction sale days, and in this mahner establish a close relaGon- ,i1i ii l. 5e tsv and rt rounding territory that will be of lasting benefit to both.
 Now if Arvada can do it, why can't we? Whats the matter with us, anyway?
 Any man with a particle of gray matter under his hat knows that if the farmer could dispose of his crops and his small stuff all in this town to advantage he would do so. And if he did that he would also do his trading here, for he is just as intelligent and as much probably more so-as some of the rest of us. He knows when his bread is buttered, and he invariably takes the buttered piece.
 We shonld have such an organ ization in this town, and 1t should be in working order in time for the summers output.
 Signing and growing and cuss- ing the mail order man won't do a particle of good. Nothing but brains and action will put him out of business in this commun- ity and keep our trade at home where it justly belongs.
 The business interests of this
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14

There's a fellow we know who IS so grouchy he'd growl about the weather if it rained silver dollars. He'd want lem to be gold.
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14

It's fact we have never set the world ablaze with our edi- torial genius, but we are a deal too diplomatic to name the pret- tlest baby, the most beautiful woman or the smartest man in tOMn.
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14

The horse never travels faster than it's own tail, and the mer- chant keeps pace usually with the quality and quantity of his advertising. You can always tell.
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14

Politely speaking, in the mat rimonial market money is the csfinecting link between the cEaaIe@ard the grave. In vul-
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14

Occasionally, however, some benighted soul forgets himself and remembers the Golden Rule.
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14

Dead men tell no tales, but a living gossip keeps the world in squirm.
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14

These are the days when the political orator loves all the world and covets what it has to give.
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14

Henpecked? Not bit of it. We want it distinctly understood that we are master of our own home-When our wife's away.
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14

Speed the good cheer to others. It may warp your own face into a smile.
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14

Now, really, did any one ima- zine that Villa would simply squat down and wait to be cap- tured?
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14

The man who thinks only of self wastes his thoughts upon a 2.c.er-s 2n.oc.oer-ssl,Hiieecct------sN. noor- ssl,H iect-
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14

Come on with the next thriller. Even our own little war is be- coming stale.
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14
And again, hoWdy!

No peace anywhere, you say? To be sure there is-in heaven.
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14

It will be a crime against na- ture if the war deprives us of the dyes for our Easter eggs.
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14

No, there is never anything new under the sun-except our Jokes.
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14

What, you wonder, does your neighbor think of you? Your own actions tell the story.
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14

A brave man lets others do the talking, while the coward toots his own horn.
The Green Forest tribune., 1916-04-14

gar English, it enables a dodder- ing old millionaire buck to buy a doll faced chicken for a wife.
Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1916-08-04
"WoULD YOU MIND MY STANDING nv YOUR BOILER TO GET
WARMEp?" &@
WARME D?"

crude oil, was emptied one night, at
a time between midnight and daylight.
by some person who had gone to the
tank and opening what was known as
the lower faucet. This faucet, which
was two inches in diameter, entered
the tank at a point about six inches
above the bottom. 1t was placed
there for the purpose Of drawing of
the salt water at the bottom of the oil.
All oil wells in that locality which did
not flow but were operated by pump
ing produced a certain percentage of
salt water, which came up with the
oil out of the ground. Salt water be.
Ing heavier than oil, it Immediately
settled to the bottom of the tank, and
for this reason, when the tank. had
become nearly filed with the mixture,
1t was the duty of the men employed
as bumpers to open the salt water
faucet at the bottom of the tank and
let the salt water escape through 1t,
the oil thus settling down and making
o for a fresh influx above.
On the night when this tank was
emptied in the manner described.
there was about three feet of sno
on the ground. The weather was cold,
and the snow had been heaped up
around the tank by the wind, SO that
1t was piled about four feet above the
salt water faucet at the bottom. The
constant drawing off of the salt water
had thoroughly saturated the ground
for a space of two or three square
feet under the faucet, and the ground
was soft and muddy, since the satu-
rated earth would not freeze on &C
count of the large quantities of salt
which had intermingled with the dirt.
Salt and snow form a muddy slush
which does not harden.
When the faucet was opened the salt
water ran out, followed by the total
contents of oil within the tank,
amounting, as has been stated, to four
or five hundred barrels. This oil,
which was highly inf1ammable. even
in its crude state, ran down into a
r~avine, which was thickly dotted with
oil wells, partly belonging to Mr.. Ack-
ert and partly to other producers, for
the distance of more than a mile. Had
this stream. in the course of its jour-
ney, reached any of the fires that
were under the boilers of the pump
Ing stations, It would instantly have
been converted into a fiery river, car
rying destruction all along the mile
OF Its course, destroying hundreds OF
thousands Of dollars worth Of property
and probably sacrificing many lives.
Mr.. Ackert called upon me on the
morning after this occurrence.
Il have not the slightest idea who
was dastardly enough to commit this
malicious act" he said. 81 am not
aware that ! have an enemy on
! earth"
Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1916-08-04

left Oil City, passing unrecognixed
through the streets by reason OF my
costume, and walked through the dark
ness and bitter cold to the pumping
house on the Ackert property, where /
arrived a few minutes after nine in
the evening.
inside the pumping house George
Book was seated alone in a large easy
chair, close to the boiler, which was
nred and well lighted with natural
gas, and was kept warm and neat.
He was reading a novel when I en-
tered.
The engine house was located only
. few feet off the main road that a
between Oil City and the neighboring
town Of Plummer, and it was not an
unusual thing for oil men, or any other
men for the matter of that, to stop
at the door while passing, to get a
drink or to warm themselves, espe-
cially on a February night with zero
temperature. Book, looking up from
his book, was consequently not in the
least surprised to see another of his
fraternity-as he imagined me to be
standing at the door at that hour
In the evening.
Would you mind my standing by
your boiler to get warmed?" 1 asked.
Not a Bit" responded George
Book. Its, mighty cold outside, and
I'll be glad Of your company. Where
do you work." he continued. cycling
me closely, and a little suspiciously
at first.
Il have been working on the Foster
farm" I replied, naming a property
which was situated on the Allegheny
river, about fifteen miles southwest of
Oil City.
How did you get hurt?" asked
Book Immediately afterward, observ-
ing the bandaged hand, which / had
slipped into the sling just before en-
tering the pumping house.
l muttered something inaudibly and
stood nearer to the boiler. After a
period of silence 1 said in q slow
manner, as a man uses who Is about
to reveal a confidence:
You have been mighty kind in al
lowing me to get warm in front of
your boiler. and you look to me like
you would not get a fellow into
trouble by giving him away, SO ! will
tell you all about it. You see," /
continued, II am a driller, and / was
working under a superintendent. We
had some trouble over a girl, and
he had a gun. He shot me through
the hand"
With that I pulled my hand out of
the sling and showed him the band
age, to which the liver, adhering, had
given a hideously stained appearance,
while the liver itself looked like q
chunk of raw and %quivering flesh.
Gracious! You've got an awful
hand there" said George Book. look
Ing at the liver and the bandage and
~shuddering. you ought to have it
attended to at once"
I'm going to have it attended to
when I reach Petroleum Center" ]
answered. 81 don't want to stop or
the way. either, because of the other
fellow. / shot him, but I don't know
whether he is dead or not; in fact, ]
didn't wait to see. I left Immediately
he dropped, and have walked the en-.
tire distance, only stopping long
enough to get a cup of coffee at the
eating house in, the Oil City depot" !,
Books sympathy was now fully
aroused, for he was really a good
hearted fellow. you must be awful
: hungry" he said
Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1916-08-04

The ruse which I am about to de-
time when l was chief Of police of Oil
City, Pa, and resulted in the appre-
hension of an anonymous letter-writer.
The Ease was more serious than that,
however, for the property of a number
of men, valued at several hundred
thousand dollars. and the lives of an
entire city as we'll, were imperiled.
One cold winter morning in the
month of February / received a visit
from a gentleman named Sam Ackert.
Mr.. Ackert was well known in the dis
trict, being the wner of a large oil
lease, on the Towles farm, as it was
called, situated IS upon the Plummer
road, to the northeast of Oil City, and
in Venango county.
Mr.. Ackert was considered to be at
that time one of the largest oil oper-
ators in the district. He was operat-
ing from twelve to fifteen oil wells, all
of which we're producing large guam
titles of oil. Some of it was being
pumped while others were flowing
wells. One of the latter kind was
producing as much as four hundred
barrels a day, and at that time crude
oil was selling at the well for about
eight dollars a barrel.
Ackert employed a large number of
men to attend to the wells and to look
after his general interests. Some OF
these men were employed as en-
gineers, being generally known in the
oil regions as bumpers. To operate
each we'll two of these bumpers were
required, each man working for IL
hours at a stretch. Their work was
divided into watches, and men who
were SO employed usually lived IN
houses or shanties adjacent to the
wells at which they were employed.
The cause of MIR. Ackert's visit to
me was that some months previously
he had received a threatening letter
in his mail. 1t stated that unless he
would discharge his superintendent. a
man named Joseph Sullivan, and thor
oughly competent and trustworthy,
the property would be destroyed by
fire or by other methods. Mr.. Ackert
paid no attention to this letter, which
was followed in the curse of time by
three others of the same threatening
character, each one being anonymous,
and each demanding the discharge oil
the superintendent, Sullivan. The
three letters followed each other at
intervals of four or five days. AS Sui
Ivan was not only a competent man
but thoroughly reliable and of good
character as well, Mr.. Acksrt paid nc
attention to these letters, but laid
them aside In his desk.
A short time after the receipt of the
last anonymous letter one OF Mr.. Ack
ert's oil tanks. containing at the time
from four to ive hundred barrels o.
Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1916-08-04

be no probability of my meeting him.
Approaching the emptied tank, / care
fully shoveled the snow from around
the salt water faucet and, when / got
down to the muddy ground, 1 found
very distinct traces Of a No. 8 boot.
The boots had been very recently half
soled, and the shoemaker who had
made the repairs had placed three
nails in a row across the center Of
the half sole. as his trade mark and
sign manual.
Returning to Oil City, / made din
gent inquiries among the shoemakers
Of the town. There was not a large
number of men who did repair work
of the rough and ready type which
was required by the men employed In
the oil leases, and after a short In
vestigation the man who had sOled the
shoes was discovered. He at once
remembered having repaired o pair Of
shoes for Henry Book a couple OF
days before the oil tank had been
emptied.
1t developed then that both the
brothers were in the conspiracy, the
one having written the letters and the
other having acted upon the threat
contained in them. Undoubtedly
George Book had been nor Oh less
q tool in his brothers hands, for with
a wife and a good position he had no
reason to feel a grudge against his
n-opIoxy1. N- o1na,Int ~ Ahn u1nnorfrn
tendent.
/ at once procured a warrant for
the arrest of the Book brothers, and
that night returned to the Ackert
lease, this was a sleigh and ACCOM-
panied by two officers. Arriving about
II o'clock l found George Book In
the pumping house on duty, as he
had been the night before, and at
once arrested him. ] then proceeded
to Georges house, where l found hts
brother Henry in bed and arrested
him also. After this the house, which
was a one story building with an
attic, was thoroughly searched, and
wagon loads of loot were found, all of
it taken from the Ackert and adjacent
leases. This was afterward identified
by the owners as having disappeared
from time to time. t,..
After a preliminary hearing the
Book brothers were cemmAtted to the
county Jail in default of bail.
Henry Book o 70 confessed to the
emptying of the OH tank and George
to the writing of the anonymous let
tiers. There seemed no doubt of their
conviction. However about a week
before the trial was to have begun
there was a Jail delivery from the
county Jail at Franklin, Pa, fifteen
or more prisoners making their
escape, among them being the Book
brothers. They boarded a northbound
freight train on the A. G @. w. rail-
road, now known as the Erie. When
at a point about twenty miles north
Of Franklin this freight train collided
with another train and in the wreck
Henry Book was killed instantly.
while George was SC badly hurt that
he died the following day.
This was the ending of the Book
case, which occupied In all only six
DAYS of my time.
Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1916-08-04
An Agreement at LAST.

Silas fled before his irate wife, and
seeking the first shelter that presented
itself, crept under the bed, from whencU
after q short time, he peered cautiously
out.
Seeing his wife standing neal by.
with an uplifted broom, he shouted:
'Mirandy, / think it's absat time
somebody was b.sss In ibis house,"
Christian Herald
The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1916-06-08
$40 Pound Pigs.

With corn above so cts. hogs eat
their heads off very quickly. The
hog that takes two or three
months to get on full feed never
brings you a profit.
When you are ready to put your
shoats on feed, begin with the B.
A. Thomas Hog Medicine. Use
regularly and watch your shoats
round out into fat hogs in nine
months--hogs going well over 200
pounds and as high as 24O pounds.
NgnEe-tAe-average feeding and
you will see why the B. A. Thorn
as medicine is a good investment.
Try feeding out your hogs on this
plan and if you are not more than
pleased, we will refund the cost
ut the medicine.
C. C. Rhodes Pharmacy,
33-1M o KIM Hess Old Stand.
The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1916-06-08

The 10000 Missouri farmers
who will be selling cream during
the next few weeks should use
just as little skim-milk in it az
possible because az If bought on
the butter-fat basis, he gets
nothing for the skim-milk, ~ it
takes less ice to cool it and less
work to haul and handle it, it
costs less to ship it, and ~ the
skim-milk in thin cream sours and
forms small Jumps Of curd.
Creamery men advise the farm
er to sell only rich cream because
it is an advantage to all parties
concerned. Every bit of skim
milk is needed on the farm as feed
for calves, chickens, and pigs, and
it does harm instead Of good if
sent to market in the cream. Of
course, if the cream is sold by the
pint or quart instead Of on a but
ter-fat basis, the story is some
what different, but wherever the
grading system is in operation,
every bit of skim milk marketed
is worse than wasted so far as
both buyer and seller are con-
cerned.
The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1916-06-08
Apaches Routed Villa Band.

American Field Headquarters
Near Namiquipa, Mexico, June 2
(via wireless to Columbus N. NJ,
June 3).-The twenty Apache In
dian scouts from Arizona routed a
Villista band near Las Varas Pass
yesterday, killing the bandits
leader and wounding another
Villista. The Indians, commanded
by Lieut.. James Shannon of the
Eleventh United States Cavalry,
received no casualties.
The Apache scouts, led by Chief
Jesus Velasquez, were on the trail
of the bandits, for week, accord
ing to Shannon s report. received
at field headquarters today. The
scene of the fighting is forty miles
south of Namiquipa.
Another American cavalry de-
tachment has found a Villista
cache of one hundred rifles in a
mountain cave fourteen miles
south of headquarters here. A
former bandit revealed the loca-
ton.
The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1916-06-08
Damage Suit Filed.

Charles Edwards of this city
through his attorney j. A. De-
Almond last week filed suit in
the circuit court against j. L.
Fisher and Harry Fisher in which
he asks for $500 damages.
Edwards claims that on April
81, 1916, Harry Fisher was driv-
ing an automobile at an unlawful
speed when he ran into a buggy
occupied by Edwards and his
three children, bruising up the
horse so that it could not be used
for several days and making it
wild and afraid Of automobiles so
that it is no longer safe for the
use of his family.
The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1916-06-08
Army Horse Retiring ON Pay,

Washington, D. c., June A.
Rodney" a faithful army horse,
who has served the Government
steadily for 20 years, is to be re-
tired from active duty and cared
for by Uncle Sam for the re-
mainder of the animals life.
Rodney is a horse with a his
tory and has been identified with
artillery organizations as a drag
ger of cannon since he entered the
army in 1896. The horse is no
longer military property, the en-
listed men at Fort Myer, through
sheer love Of the animal, having
bought him at auction, and for
this reason the question of his
forage had to be put up to Secre-
tary Baker. Under the unusual
circumstances it was felt that his
case calls for special military dis
pensation.