davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1918-03-23

hold it closed. Policemen smashed
down the door and found the Meagher
children at the bottom of the stairs
more or less overcome by smoke.
Lineman Weihe was something of
a rover and had been in Duluth but
few weeks. Very little was known
as to his relatives.
Claude Medley and his mother,
Mrs. Elizabeth Medley, had rooms In
the Bunnell block. Claude, who was
clerk in the shoe department OF
Panton & Watson, now the Glass
Block store, said:
Claude MedIey's Experience.
1--WE had retired but, hearing the
noise, I looked out into the hall.
Neither smoke or fire were in evil
dence. I told mother to go back to
bed. An instant later, looked out
a second time and found the hallway
filled with smoke and flames. We
ran for it, in our night clothes, bare
ly escaping and losing every thing we
had. I believe that mother did have
on pair of shoes in addition to her
night Dress"
William Donaldson and family oc-
cupied quarters in the block. j. l..
Harquell, editor and publisher Of
LA Sentinelle," French paper, had
his office in the building. He lost
his paper, outfit( law library and VAL
liable business documents.
A. B. LANCE, editor of "Scandia"
also had his sanctum sanctorum In
the building.
Among the heaviest losers was e.
O. Wohlin, then one of Duluth's
leading tailors, who now has shop
at West Duluth.
List of Business Losses.
There were over a dozen families
lodging and living in the Bunnell
block. Aside from them, the bust
ness firms located in the building,
with losses, were as follows, viz:
Peter Butchart, saloon, .....$2,O00
E. o. Wohlin, tailor, ....... 5000
Tom Benton, saloon, ........ 1,7OO
Robert Hamp, confectioner, 1900
S. R. Chesser, meat market, 500
Hunter & Quinn, printers go. 900
w. A. Miller, bookbinder, 80. 900
A. B. LANCE, Scandal" 80. 1900
J. L. Harquell, LA Sentinelle," 5000
Miss Smedley, fancy work, -. 500
Tina Smith, milliner, ....... 400
Miron Bunnell, .... Is, 900
The aggregate insurance on the
losses was about rs per cent. Some
had no insurance at ALL
Start Clearing Up Ruins.
The next day, Is or 80 men were
set to work clearing up the ruins and
searching for bodies. Large crowds
stood on the viaduct and on Michi-
gan street, watching the work. Many
unique mementoes of the fire were
found in the RUNS. The site was
unocupied for a number of years
until the Metropole hotel was erect
ed under the auspices of L. S. Loeb.
There was much excitement, talk
and criticism over the fire. Absence
of fire escapes caused unfavorable
comment. Building inspector Rob-
inson and fire warden Emil Apple
hagen were blamed by some for the
bad conditions but, probably, with
out cause.
Coroner Eklund Holds Inquest.
A coroner's jury embraced N.
Youngblood, John Mckinley, J. E.
Cooley, J. J. Scarlet, Frank Burke,
Jr., D. B. Sellers.
Several meetings were held. J.
N. Bureau, assistant county attorney
was present and took notes. The
verdict finally was that no one was
to blame.
Mr.. Bunnell maintained that the
fire either was incendiary or else
started from electric wires connected
with an electric motor in the build
ing. The latter theory probably was
the correct one.
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1918-03-23

Freedom is a gift divine,
Shedding luster bright and fair;
It is yours and it is mine,
Beautiful beyond compare. d.
Then, as mothers, sweethearts, wives,
Prove the power of willing hands:
War demands unselfish loves
Giving all when love demands.
Eleanor Gregsten Thompson.
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1918-03-23
SPRING POEM ON PADDY" MCDONNELL

Spring Poet is abroad in the land. One sweet
modest violet recently broke forth IN tuneful lay
ng the candidacy of Hon. p R. Mcdonnell for sheriff Of
county, follows:
Now listen, every good old scott,
From Rainy Lake to Morgan Park;
I'll tell you of coming bout-
And while I speak, let no dog bark
Prelminaries signed and sealed;
The roles now revise;
St. Lous county is the field,
The sheriffs office is the prize.
Or od-time, genial doughty friend,
Know al around the world as "Paddy,"
Whoes deeds of kindness know no end
Or dear, fun-1oving Irish 1addie,
Whose every blessed cop of joy
Was always free and shared with others;
Whom we all knew man and boy,
And loved him as we love our brothers,
Has thrown his ehapeau in the ring.
Come veal, come woe, tits there to stay,
Till all his foes go scsrrying,
And a11 his friends have had their say.
Bot when the gong shall end the boot
And victory hands the juicy plum,
Then ali together will shoot:
Whurree! Whufroo! Or PaddY's won!
The Mena weekly star., 1918-09-19
NEWS OR MENA'S MANGANESE FIELD
(By Robert Nj. Berry.)

Manganese of the right sort affords fine possibilities to the operator on a small scale. With a regular ore buyer on the local market it will be possible for operators of claims to sell the ore in small lots and not have to go to the expense of mill building before realizing something from their hold ings.
 It is possible that some Polk county farmers, who own mining claims, will in the future be bringing in loads of ore instead of the familiar cotton bales. corn or hogs.
 Men who have investigated the Mena district say there is large amount of free milling ore to be had This class of ore can be handled on a lesser scale than some others, and 1t is possible for the owner of such a claim to secure returns without going into the expense of mill building 4 inck hammer outfit and crew of ten men can produce, it is estimated about 60 tons or ore weekly. This ere t is figured. should be worth betwee en s20 and S30 a ton at the mine. and would prove a profitable sort of york for the claim holder lacking capital.
The Mena weekly star., 1918-09-19
He Found Fountain of Youth.

Of all the promoters, prospectors and others who are hiking over the hills where the manganese claims are, none do it more easily or stand the hard trips better than does A. ]. Bar bor of Kansas City.
 And Barbor is the veteran of them all. He is less than year of be- ing four score, yet his 79 years are no handicap when it comes to long bike and climb over the hills. Barbor is a veteran of the Civil war and saw service in the Indian country later, so he is accustomed to hard knocks.
 He attributes his good health to his temperate habits of living and the liberal use of pure water. A sponge bath every night is one of his health commandments. Judging from his looks Barbor should live many years longer, and see the Mena manganese field prosper.
 While interested in manganese and milling propositions in the Mena field. Barbor is most reticent about discus sing them. While willing to admit the wonderful possibilities, the veteran says this isn't the time for him to talk.
The Mena weekly star., 1918-09-19
HOME pApER roR HoMEFoLKs

Sometimes you hear folks say There's nothing in the paper" but those who say that are not talking about The Star, for as q paTveyoT Of home news. of local happenings and of the comings and goings of folks we all know, The Star takes high rank and has the figures to prove it.
 The fact is lots of readers do not realize the extent in which the home paper covers the field of purely local happenings It may be that some folks get so accustomed to The Stars high standard that they do not really appreciate what is being done to re- cord the happenings of Mena and of Polk county.
 Just to show that you can find the home news in your home paper is cited the proof gathered by Mena youngster who took the trouble, and a lesson in arithmetic. too, in counting the names used in the local and coun- try news of The Star of September l2.
 He found the names of 105S home folks had been mentioned in the do- ings of the week. And this was no ex- ceptional issue, either.
 
 A newspaper that, in one issue re- cords the names and doings of more than one thousand of it's home people, as The Star did last week. certainly is entitled to be classsd as home paper, which The Star claims to be-
 And. it is unnecessary to add, there are mighty few important events in the worlds news that do not receive attention.
 The Star long has sought to be the ideal home paper, 3 paper that serves it's readers in a full and broad sense
 It still is seeking to do more and do it better.
The Mena weekly star., 1918-09-19
Bill wxIie Comes to Town.

Manganese may bring men to Mena with more wealth, or with names of greater prominence, but it is hardly possible any will come who will at tract more attention or receive more genuine adulation than did William, christened Bill, Wylie, who came in Wednesday from his habitat near Brushy creek.
 Bill entered the city in state. too. on the soft side of the cushions in a big Oakland car. He spent the night with friends, but early next morning announced his intention of going back to his manganese holdings. Bill Wy lie is the original manganese booster in the Mena field. and may yet realize his lifelong ambition to convert his mineral claims into real money.
 For a quarter century Bills pie turesque figure has been seen now and then hiking over the hills or along Mena streets.
 Out in the hills and hollows where the manganese lodes run, Bili is prov ing wonderful assistant as a guide 10 visiting tenderfeet
The Mena weekly star., 1918-09-19
Justice to Germany.

From the Arkansas Gazette.
 Justice Clarke of the United States Supreme Court suggested in an ad- dress delivered recently before the American Bar Association that Ger many should be offered "just and generous peace as soon as her mili- tary rulers come to a full realizing consciousness that they are defeated and that they will not be able to in- llict an unjust and ungenerous peace" upon the Allied countries.
 Justice Clarke's address brought re- plies quickly The replies are inter- esting, among other reasons, because they show the trend of public thought with reference to the punishment of Germany for the crimes she has com mitted.
 Charles Stewart Davison, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American Defense Society, is one of the men making answer to Justice Clarke. Mir Davison thinks we should be just before we are generous. He says if we are generous to Germany the generosity must ef necessity be at inc expense of some of the allied peoples. Germany. Mir. Davison ar gues. owes the allied nations in dol lars and cents large amount of money. Justice requires reimburse ment and justice to Germany means that Germany shall make compensa- tion--ordinary plain, common-law, reimbursement for actual damage done, including restitution of, all properties and lands wrongfully taken thru the practice of aggression on weaker nations in the pursuit of do- minion."
 And above the matter of mere property damage, Mir. Davison thinks, is still the punishment of Germany for destroying cathedrals, bayoneting children, rnaiming the wounded, bombing hospitals, sinking passenger vessels, poisoning wells and other atrocities. As he points out, if these harharities are overlooked in the final settlement crime against the de- cent nations will be committed in or der that Germany may be treated with generosity.
 The peoples of the world will hard ly let their generosity go so far.
 - --------------s,--------
The Mena weekly star., 1918-09-19
WILL. Yor7

Many of the boys have volunteered and are now at the battle front. They are lever therer million and a half strong; more are going daily, and still more are waiting to be called Sep tember 2S and 29 are Volunteer Days for the folks at home in the purchase of bonds of the Fourth Liberty Loan. Everyone will be given an opportunity on those days of buying bonds with out being solicited. Will you be a Volunteer?
The Mena weekly star., 1918-09-19
SEEKS WORKING MEN.
Camp Wilder to Be Revived and Work
 CTS Needed to Mine Manganese.
(By Robert M. Berry.l

0. W. Thompson came to Mena Monday seeking men to work in de- veloping manganese holdings at Camp Wilder, which has been purchased from o. B. Ashcraft Thompson as- serted he and his associates will inject new life into the abandoned camp. He has four men at work, but wants 15 or 20 more at once to help in opening up claims on Boar Tusk mountain.
 Thompson may have the honor of being the first to sell a carload of manganese in the Mena field. He says they already have about a half car load out. Before leaving the city Thompson sought out an ore buyer he heard was here.
 It is the intention, Thompson stat ed, to add new machinery to that at Camp Wilder and get mill in oper- atioh as soon as possible.
The Mena weekly star., 1918-09-19
wHERE MAsTE RUNs RAMPANT

The Government. thru it's various departments, is urging all sorts of con servation. reduction of waste, etc, as is justified and more than right. In doing so. it does not overlook the newspapers. demanding certain sav- ing methods. which also are in line with the proper spirit With this ac- tual saving few newspapers find fault
 they welcome this one more chance to do. their full part for their country in this time of war.
 In this matter the only complaint and it seems well founded, is the in- creased burden thrown on small pa pers in meeting all the detailed de mands for explicit information that while necessary in dealing with the big plants, seems great burden of extra work on the small ones when they already have all they can do to meet the difficulties the war and it's numbcrless activities place upon them.
 But it would be interesting to find a newspaper man whose soul is not filled with disgust. and more or less resentment at this red-tape work and this insistenee on curtailment in the use of paper when he receives his daily mail At such times he has to spend time opening and at least casually Investigating dozens of gov ernment franked envelopes and pack ages filled with matter. that is wholly useless to him or any ordinary paper. In fact it is in nine. times out of ten useless to any paper, big or little, for if it's news it has been published days before, and if it's scholarly ad- vice to the farmers or some other class it already has been treated CT sufficiently. To make 1t worse, it is so common as to be the usual thing to receive from one to three copies of some lengthy dissertation on the tar if, or crops in Argentine or New Zealand, or some like topic And, as if that was not enough, there seems
The Mena weekly star., 1918-09-19

to be little or no coordination of ef- fort. and two or three different de- partments send out literature on the same topic.
 In his righteous indignation at the wastefnlness of it all, the ridiculous inconsistency, the editor must be ex- cused if he feels that there are some ten thousand or more men whose ten ure in boiab-proof jobs is dependent on the volume of slush they are able 10 compile, all of which clutter up the mails. the transportation systems and
 don't forget-thc waste packets.
 And the average little newspaper feels so helpless-he can only choke down his ire and euss while he throws pounds of perfectly good paper into the fire, all the time seeing the price If what he buys and must have hiked higher and his postage piling up in order io pay for the carrying of this r-junk. realizing all the time that great raft of fellows are drawing pay for doing a lot Of wholly useless eerk. and that. in the end this cost is piled on top of the burden of carry ihg on the war-and the taxpayer must earn and then pay 1t all.
 With this slight load of hand, here is a little clover patch in the desert of wasteful methods. report of the words of Senator Kenyon of Iowa, who, in opposing an appropriation to establish another news service' for the benighted public, said:
 Now what in the world that is for I am unable to comprehend. We do not need news service on the meats in the District of Columbia.
 Then Senator Shoot of Utah took punch at it:
 T sincerely hope this item will he stricken from the bill I suppose ev- cry senator every morning finds his desk loaded with circulars and bulle- tins from the various departments and it is getting so that the waste bas- kets we have are not large enough 70 receive these bulletins under the heading of news services The waste is simply appalling If we adopt this appropriation now and the news sery- ice Is established it will demand s25,- GOO next year and there is no telling how many hundreds of thousands of dollars 1t win amount 10 before fl is through.
 The Star candidly believes that full ly~99 per cent of matter of this class now sent out is total loss both as to the original cost. which is tremen- dous. and in any effect it is having an the general public.
 An instance to illustrate: A few days ago a department in Arkansas this was a state affair-sent out a bulletin--franked thru the mails, of course. Following it closely came an- other franked envelope containing a note calling attention to the previous envelope urging that it be not over looked in the "great mass of matter that. it was realized, the ordinary ed itor could hardly be expected to open, much less give serious consideration.
 Yes, we're patriotic We are will ing to suffer any inconvenience that is asked of us that has a purpose worth while, but we are full up on this idiotic waste of effort and per fectly good paper and ink
 If there's newspaper man in the United States that does not agree, let's hear him shout. Even one such might relieve the situation by prov ing there's more sense in the system than we thought.
The Mena weekly star., 1918-09-19
Tirst of Truck Fleet Here.

The first of the fleet of big motor trucks that will be depended upon to furnish most of the transportation of manganese ore from mills to Mena, has arrived. The early bird is 31s- ton Acason, which came overland from Fort Smith Wednesday in charge of c. N Payne.
 The truck will draw a trailer of equal capacity, giving a possible haulage of 2 tons a trip. As pre- paratory course to the rush of work he is confident will come, Payne is learning the road system between Mena and the manganese holdings.
The Mena weekly star., 1918-09-19
tBv Robert M. Berry.)

MathenaticaIly inclined persons, particularly those who delight in big figures. will find rare treat listen ing in~ to conversations between vis- iting mine operators and promoters who have been attracted to Mena by the openag of the manganese field.
 The manner in which some of these well-dressed strangers, who are run ming in and out of Mena every day, hand out numerical combinations makes one dizzy.
 An interesting fact is that they generally put the dollar sign in front of the frures. Some of the sums they mention in finance come mighty near to breaking the high altitude record.
 Catch your manganese booster in the early evening, while he's at ease and resting after the days work, and vou1l hear numerals with five fig ures plentiful in the talk, with now and then one breaking over into the million class.
 Recently I overheard 6 conversa- lion on the portico of The Antlers that will illustrate what l mean. Two men, both of whom are now financial ly interested in lead and zinc mining near Miami, Ok, were discussing the probabilities in manganese mining. One of these men is said to have al- ready invested pretty heavily in the Mena field, while the other is waiting for further developments.
 One man said the ten per cent roy- atty alone his company might be called upon to pay to Mena party on just one 20-acre lease amounted to SCOT 500. If you are familiar with interest rules you can see this sum is the offspring of another totalling more than six millions.
 Another combination of figures heard involved yearly profits On a certain turnout of 40 per cent ore, which assays shows is to be found in quantities in the Mena field, mill operator figured $20,000 investment would return a yearly profit of Ss2,- 900.
 Should some of the hopes be real ized there are number of Mena resi- dents owning manganese leases, who will get royalty returns that will be staggering to contemplate.
 In speaking of lucky investments and how "shoestrings" sometimes grow into fortunes, visiting operat- or told me that up in the Batesville district in Arkansas, a man named Beatty has about $2,000 invested in a manganese mill and pulls down S50C as his daily earnings.
 With only an average run of ore, il was declared possible for $20,00C mill to pay for itself in six months time and leave future operations as Sclear profit over investment.
 Most of the operators say they vii be satisfied if they can get a two I year run at present prices. A major. fly figure manganese prices will holC good for at least year after tht war ends, and they all expect another twelve months to elapse before the Kaiser is sufficiently whipped. i When man worth $40,000,00t walks into Mena's new postoffic, what will people say? Yet no on' need be surprised if the federal build ing has among it's first visitors such { distinguished person. The multi-mil lionaire is expected to be interested 1T the manganese field, and if certain negotiations now under way are car. ried out, will come from his Texas home for a stay in Mena.
The Mena weekly star., 1918-09-19

Don't Let the Son Go Down" is the first message in the advertising campaign for the Fourth Liberty Loan Read the message elsewhere in this issue, and decide to be Volun- teer on September 2S and 29, when everyone will be given an opportunity to buy bonds without solicitation.
The Mena weekly star., 1918-09-19
Visitors Were Impressed.

f. D. Stevens of St. Louis and F. X. Woodruff of Kansas City, were two visitors to Mena who said little about their business here. They arrived Sat urday and left Sunday, but all the time possible while in the city they spent Investigating the manganese proposition. It was hinted the visit ors were financially interested in a reducing mill, but they would not ad- vertise the fact. Beyond admitting Mena manganese looked good to them they had nothing to say concerning their business here.
The Mena weekly star., 1918-09-19
PROSECUTION FOR AcQuii''
In Polk County Cases t'o'e''
 Failed in Their Evidence :.

In referring to the trial m .s' .a eral court at Fort Smith '' ,m, known locally, the southWe'' ican said: #. q
 The federal court failed ln '. ',a.p \ forts to visit penalties on fola ..,,tr. citizens charged with ...ire draft registrations. The case 'ss s..s eight defendants from 'ns ''..':;,,IT neigbborhood went to trial y'',,rt yes's,sl,t morning and after three s,s s',sssl u+osssl witnesses had testified the ,rt to ?, ing Ms'eit attorney asked the eSur. eSSuurrsrspi'si 'r struet the jury to acquit. { GOvsts o~,' tssa. T,ony ms's which they had given .ll,.D Dsl rsIst eonmissioner conn, and grand Ju.yasnts Julya sra to the activities of !, the sy 0erU q. U. of inc Rocky council w. ' .,.,. Wanted ,o Reut-A farm nsaGd advsel, ~
 Will pay money rem reno later, .ss Es with prospects of Duyias and i. " mo know what you nase W F Pr M nor,e and see it. Address Lena v" Tss 60 come s,a a''s Spruce st., TsSarKs''
 Adv. 3S-2t
The Mena weekly star., 1918-09-19
Ore Buyer Ready for Business.

Albert J. Parent of Duluth, Minn., who makes a speciality of ore buying, has arrived and will probably make his initial purchase of manganese this week. That Parent intends to make his stay in Mena an extended one is evident from the fact he was accom- panied by his wife and baby daugh- kaxs
The Mena weekly star., 1918-09-19

Many an American Son Has Gone Down." some of them from Polk coun- ty; but you can keep them from go- ing down by heinz a Volunteer fer the purchase of bonds of the Fourth Lib erty Loan on September 2s and 29. Will you do it?
The Mena weekly star., 1918-09-19
PUBLIC SALE.

At the Glass House Dairy Farm, one mile east of Mena. my entire herd of Jersey cows at auction on Septem- Der 24, beginning at 10 o'clock a. m. See bills. W. J. POPE, Owner. Adv.38- -222-1w