davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
OCEAN HAS KEPT ITS SECRET
No One. Knows What Became OF tho
Steamer President, Missing Since
March, 1e41.

The first steamer to be reported
missing was the President, which sail,
ed away from New York as long ago
as March, 1s41. Perhaps it was be-
cause big steamers were then marvels
In the eyes Of the people of both the
old and the new world that the whole
public of America and of Europe
thought of nothing but the missing
liner over a period Of many weeks.
Ship after ship arrived which had
started after the President and still no
tidings of the missing ship came to
hand.
On April 13--unlucky day--a letter
was received by one of the family Of
passenger of the President, saying
that the missing ship had been driven
to Madeira with damaged rudder.
Flags were hoisted and there was 10y
on both sides Of the Atlantic. but, alas l
1t was all cruel hoax.
Since the ill-starred day when the
President left New York there have
been many missing ships. and the story
Of the old American liner has been
repeated again and again, with per-
haps slight variation in detail. Some
mysteries, although never actually
solved, give us something on which to
found theory. The ship which sail
ed away with cargo of railway met
ais, matches and gunpowder, and was
afterward reported missing" may
have SINK hI,f Shprlocly HoJrnac mould
probably have thought otherwise.
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
HERE'S DEFINITION OF "PEP.
Altogether It's a Quality of Which tn
Fortunate Possessor Is to
BE Envied.


It's the thing which makes the lamb
gambol with glee, the colts prance with
joy, the calves throw up their tails and
run like fury, the birds sing In split
throat notes, the frogs croak upon the
creek bank, the insects buzz and hum
in the air, the milkman whistle as he
joys along, the blacksmith laughingly
beat the iron into shape, the plowman
urge his horses with "gee-up, there"
the engineer wave kiss to his sweet
heart as he throws open the throttle,
the woodman smilingly plunge his axe
into the giant tree, the banker and
merchant rush to their work with q
CHEEKY 'bye-bye," the mechanic and
laborer fairly dance to their jobs, the
soldier Ego over the top" with clinched
jaws and courage that knows no. fear,
the live salesman HE to his calls with
shoulders squared, pride in his heart,
and nerves a-tingle with anticipation
of new success.
oh, pep" is anything that puts hap
piness in the heart, energy in the body,
determination in the SOUL and invinci.
BILE courage in the will.-Exchange.
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
Barrel as Novel Mousetrap.

When difficulty is encountered in
Kidding place Of mice by the ordi-
nary methods, try this one, which is
outlined by s. L. Bastin in Popular
Mechanics Magazine: Get a fairly
tight barrel and bore hole near the
bottom to serve as. an entrance. Throw
into the barrel quantity of shayings
or any material that would be useful
to the mice in forming nests. Add
some grain to serve as an additional
attraction and then cover with piece
of wood. Let the barrel remain in a
place infested with mice for a week
or ten days. At the end of this time
numbers Of the creatures will have
taken up their abode in the barrel and
be busy nest making. Then stop up
the hole in the bottom with a cork
or wood plug Of proper size, lift up
the cover of the barrel a little and
pour in water until there is sufficient
to drown the occupants. The trap
may be emptied and, after drying, set
up again. In this way a locality Ia
soon cleared of mice.
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
BY NO MEANS BARREN WASTE
Group Of Islands Known as spitzber.
gen Has Been Found to BE
Rich In Minerals.

Spitzbergen, 400 miles northwest
of North Cape in Norway, has been
looked upon for centuries as a great
ice-bound waste not worth the trouble
Of exploration. It was discovered in
1858 by iWilloughby, British naviga-
tor, and nearly fifty years later was
visited by the Dutch explorer Barents.
1t had been known to the Russians and
to the old Norsemen years before but
they had taken no interest in the place.
Its shores have been visited during re-
cent centuries by the crews of whaling
ships, and Arctic explorers have used
1t as base Of operations.
1t was not until Sir w. Martin Con-
way Of Great Britain made tour Of
exploration in 1896 and 1897 that any
thing definite was known concerning
the interior of Spitzbergen. He made
comparatively complete tour Of the
six islands constituting the group, but
seemed more interested in the glacial
aspects of the country than in looking
for coal and iron, which are now known
to be there in vast quantities. But he
established effectively the claim of his
country to sovereignty, which seems to
be about to develop into a very valu-
able asset.
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
GREAT DAY IN cHILD's LIFE
Syracuse Youngster viii Never Forget
His Meeting With His Hero,
Theodore Roosevelt.

Theodore Roosevelt, the man who
made and held strong friendships
among men, was beloved by children.
He loved them and they admired
him, made hero Of him.
When he was at Syracuse, during
the famous Barnes libel trial, citizen
sitting on his veranda, saw Roosevelt
riding by for his accustomed exercise,
and called to his wife, 'gThere goes
Theodore Roosevelt on horseback"
The six-year-old son of the house was
In the bathtub when he heard the an
nouncement, and rushed downstairs
without waiting to dress, to see his
hero pass. His father told the story
at reception that night, and the
colonel said: Bring that boy to me
want to see him." So the boy was
brought, and for half an hour sat on
the knee Of his idol, listening to sto-
ries of life in the West, of Indians
and grizzlies and African lions, and it
has been said that when he was
taken home, in state of mental in
toxication. he had grown an inch in
height.
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
Exploration of Nineyeh.

The great rediscoverer of NineveA
was, Of course, Sir Henry Layard,
who, in the early forties of last CEN
fury, having obtained the patronage
of Stratford Canning, British ambas-
sador at Constantinople, himself an
enthusiastic archeologist, journeyed to
Mosul and commenced work Of exca-
walton on the mounds Of Nineveh in
real earnest. The story of the won
der series of discoveries which fol-
lowed has been told wildly in his
book, "Nineveh and It's Remains" pub
lished in ls4S. This work created a
great sensation, and the following year
Layard set out east once again, this
time as the agent of the British mu-
scum, with grant of $4,000 to carry
still further his great work at Mosul,
For more than year his labors went
on steadily. The palaces of Sennach
crib and Ashurbanipal at Kuynj:k
We're partly uncovered, as well as
those OF Sennacherib and Esarhaddon
at Nebi-Yunus,l and in 1858 LaSard
published an account Of his sscond
series Of excavations in las book,
"Nineveh and Babylon" -
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
BEFORE DAYS OF LINOTYPE
Detroit's First "Newspaper" Used
Town crier to Make Public the
Events Of the Day.

An item that appeared In this col
ann recently to the effect that GER
tain Swiss village still retained it's
spoken newspaper" for the dissemina-
ton Of news instead Of the modern
method of the printed page. recalls to
mind the fact that Detroit once had
a spoken newspaper" too, and that
here the spoken newspaper prob
ably reached its highest development
In the United States.
The Rev. FIR. Gabriel Richard, a
priest of the Order Of the Sulpice,
who came to Detroit as resident pas
tor of the Roman Catholic church Of
Ste. Anne in 1889, was its conductor,
and it was the precursor Of Journal
ism In Michigan. To arouse the pub
lie and awaken an interest in the af-
fairs of the government, Father Rich
ard appointed town crier, who every
Sunday at the doors Of his church, told
the public In general, and the congre-
cation in particular, all the news that
was fit to speak. In addition to this,
the public crier mentioned the auction
sales and related other advertising
announcements. Later, to supplement
the spoken newspaper" written edi-
ton was posted at convenient place
near the church. Father Richard was
assisted in his news enterprise by
Thopolis Meetz, the sacristan Of Ste.
Anne's church, but later printer and
ublisher.-Detroit News.
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
Destructive Crows.

Grows are destructive to the melons,
pecking holes in them and causing
them to rot on the vines. 1t is no un-
common sight to see small cotton
cords encircling and across the melon
fields Of the south stretched to keep
away the crows, because the crows
fear trap where they see the white
strings. They pull young rabbits from
their nest, destroy young birds and
chickens and even sometimes young
pigs. They are very destructive to the
pecan groves, and men are employed
on some of the big pecan plantations
to keep the crows away.
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
Songs That Awaken Memories.

Very many years ago wise man,
called Fletcher Of Saltoun, said that
If he were permitted to write the
songs for a people he would not care
who made their laws, and the senti-
ment has gone echoing along the cor
,ridors Of time.
But although we do not know the
names Of our song writer's, says the
New York Herald, the songs them
selves make an impression on our
minds that remains long after they
have become trite and passed into
oblivion. There is not one of them.
however, that will not in later years
awaken memories long dormant.
Lyrics that catch the public fancy
usually voice some passing mood OF
condition, but there Is one theme that
never passes one that served singers
and poets before Cadmus invented let.
tiers. There is never a season, from
mating spring to dreary winter, in
which the passion that rules mems
lives does not seek expression in some
new melody.
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
Wind. Driven Dynamos.

An account was recently given in
1ngenioren by Mr.. b. G. Yogt of some
experience Of the utilization of wind
power for driving dynamos. The mills
described had sails 100 feet in diam
eter and an area of $3.50 square feet.
With mean wind velocity Of "a feet
per second 800 horse power was OBJ
tanned. Power is transmitted from the
main shaft by series Of cogwheels
with the spokes in tension; rope and
chain gearing were found not to an
swer. By means of gearing the speed
Of the main shaft, 12h revolutions per
minute, is increased to 1900 revolu-
lions per minute for the dynamo. SD.
entific American.
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
LEGEND OF CHRISTMAS ROSE
Story Merely Beautiful Imagery, but
Beautiful Flower Really Does
Bloom In Winter.

There is much beauty and pathos
IN the legend Of the Christmas rose,
which comes down to us by way
cf both Italy and England. It
concerns little girl Madelon. flow
OF seller, according to the English YER
sion; q shepherds daughter, accord
Ing to italian sources. She desired
to see the strange little king and fol-
lowed the shepherds to Bethlehem,
foct-sore and weary. "But she for.
got all her trouble in the joy Of see
Ing the mother and the child" says
Mr.. Jackson. "She. stood entranced
By the sight. She saw the rich gifts
the wise men had brought. She saw
the humble gifts Of the shepherds.
the loaf of barley bread, the home
made cheese, the fleece Of lamb.
white and soft, fit to wrap around the
baby's limbs this cold winter night.
She was seized by childhood's native
spirit of generosity. She, too, must
give Of her best. The best she ever
had to give was flowers. But there
are no flowers now. for 1t is winter,
nor has she farthing Of money with
which to buy anything else. She
looked down at. her little sun-browned
hands, and great sob arose in her
throat. To have the impulse Of love,
without the means Of expressing 1t, is
real pain, and Madelon burst into
tears. Her tears brought an instant
response from the Guardian Angel Ga
briel, who took her by the hand and
touched the ground with his stick,
when, 10. rich flowers sprang up on
every side. Yes. there really are
Christmas roses. They bloom in mid
winter, under blanket Of snow, and
their petals never wither. 1t is true,
only the legend tells it in the form Of
poetry, that is ALL"
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
Stone Goes the Rounds.

A merchant in little town does
business with an illiterate farm wom-
an who comes to town once month
and trades him 20 pounds Of butter
for 20 pounds Of sugar.
She is too ignorant to know the
price Of butter, but she is smart enough
to know other things. The butter she
brings him comes in the form of big
roll, and inside the roll Of butter the
woman always hides a stone weighing
three pounds. Every, time she brings
the butter the merchant cuts open the
roll and takes out the stone and puts
1t in the sack of sugar before he
weighs it. Thus, the woman gets II
pounds of sugar for II pounds Of but
ter, and imagines she is cheating the
merchant.
The stone comes back in the roll
of butter every month, and the mer-
chant sends it back just as regularly
in the same sack.-Nashville Ten.
nessean.
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
Old Roman Plumbers

There were plumbers in ancient
Rome, and they knew their business
well. The great baths (most impor-
tant and extensive of all the public
buildings) We're supplied with water
by elaborate piping systems. Along
the principal streets ran lines of tall
pillars of light construction, carrying
pipes through which running water
was supplied to the dwellings on Ell
Their side.
When the ancestors of the present
day Germans had destroyed Rome,
and with it the Roman civilization, the
plumbing art was lost. 1t stayed lost
until within recent years, and now we
are reviving it with some strictly mod.
ern improvements.
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
KEEP GOAT IN BACK GARDEN
All Kinds Of Reasons Why the Newly.
WEEDS Should Give Some Con-
sIderation to the Animal.

The cartoonist, with whom the New
lyweds are q favOrite If somewhat
hackneyed subject, may sharpen q.
fresh pencil the day is coming, If not
already here, when the joys and sor-
rows Of young wedlock may be PIC
tured from a new angle. We are IA
miliar with the Newlyweds' bungalow,
with their baby, with their Tin Lizzie,
fruitful Of mishaps; soon with these
stock possessions may be listed anoth-
er-to-wit, goat.
One may keep goat in the ordinary
city or suburban back yard, Eleanor
Anstruther writes In Sunset. No ex-
tensive pasturage is required as in
the case of the COW. If vacant lot or
brushy hillside be available, goat
Will thrive on what 1t can CLEAN there,
though COW, horse, or even sheep
might starve. But our suburbanJte
Newlyweds presumably must keep
their goat within the confines of their
own back garden. Very we'll; every
one may still be happy, including the
goat. For the goat will contentedly
resolve into milk and mutton any kind
OF vegetable or green stuff that grows
In the garden. Weeds enchant her
she will eagerly .deyour, and with great
profit to herself and owner, the results
OF strenuous mornings wedding on
the part of Mr.. Newlywed. By-prod-
ucts Of the kitchen, such as the par
ings OF fruit and vegetables, are well
come, though 1t must always be re-
membered that contrary to general be-
lief the goat is clean feeder; the
garbage must go to the chickens, net
to the goat.
Briefly, single goat may almost b
kept on the waste from garden, and
the feed Of COW will maintain seven
or eight goats.
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
Be Ready for Advancement.

There are men who labor for dec
AIDES without advancing. They are
good workmen, but they know nothing
beyond the narrow confines Of the
work they are doing. They have no
interest in the problems of their work,
no desire to Improve production
through the discovery Of better meth
DDS. And they wonder why others
pass them on the upward climb. It Is
no mystery.
Prepare for the morrow, If you hope
that the morrow will be more. rosy
than today. Preparation is the open
sesame to advancement. Exchange
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
The Pork Barrel.

The phrase pork barrel" originated
from an old saying Of the people in
the farm districts that they had no
need to worry on account of severe
winter, as they had their barrels filed
with sailed pork or other meats. From
this to the sharing of political plums
is but step. When appropriations
for improvements are made by con-
gress or legislatures, such as post Of
fee improvements, and river and har-
Dor work, each representative strives
to secure part of the appropriation
for his district, SO that his constitu-
ents may share in the financial distri-
button in the form of contracts or
labor.
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
HERMIT OF NORTH ATLANTIC
Small Island Of Eriskay, on Southern
Coast Of Scotland, Deserves
the Appellation.

Just off the southern coast of Scot
land the tiny island Of Eriskay rises
abruptly from the sea, as rocky and
barren bit Of land as even the Scot
fish coast can show. The rough wa
tiers of the Atlantic beat angrily
against its steep gray walls, or rush
madly up the white-sanded beach Of
the western coast. Stormy winds sweep
the tiny island from coast to coast In
unbridled fury. Nature seems to cast
herself in accumulated rage against
Eriskay's few sparse acres.
The defenseless victim Of storm and
sea, this tiny scrap Of an island is pa
thetic in its utter solitude. It is the
hermit Of the northern Atlantic, the
recluse among islands. Its people,
chiefly descendants Of Jacobite refu-
gees from Scotland, are quiet folk
the ocean has taught them to endure
In silence.
The treacherous rocks along the
shore are the terror Of the sailors Of
that part Of the Atlantic. They dread
and shun them as they would avoid
wild beasts. Yet the island, barren
and desolate, is sacred to every Scots
man. The sandy, wind-swept beach is
holy ground to his heart. History tells
how Prince Charlie, the hero Of Scot
fish song and story, landed here when
he came to recover his fathers king
dom. The descendants Of his faithful
followers still call the tiny inlet the
sPrtnce's bay"
The people fish and raise diminu-
tive hens for their eggs, but even a
hardy Scotsman would hesitate before
attempting to eat an Eriskay chicken
for his Sunday dinner.
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
Rotherhlthe Old Saxon Town.

Rotherhfthe is one Of those old Eng
fish towns, Saxon In origin, whose
name lends itself to two genealogical
explanations. Red Rose Haven is said
to be the origin of Rotherhithe, from
a Red Rose signboard which used to
mark some seaman's tavern centuries
ago. Probably the more accurate YER
sion points to the old Saxon word
"redhra," a mariner, and "hith," a
haven, as accounting for the word.
Certainly Rotherhithe had a great
reputation for the quality Of her sea-
men; Sir John Leake, the hero of La
Hogue, hailed from the old port on the
Thames. In Pepys' day 1t was COM
monty known as Redriff, and occurs
under that name in the Diary on many
occasions.
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
Martyrs

The word martyr" has various
meanings. Specifically, it is still con-
fined to those who give their lives for
their religious convictions. The Holy
Innocents" are notable example Of In
voluntary martyrdom. The word "mar-
tyr" should not be applied to q
person who loses mere property, bat is
used to persons who have died while
striving to attain their object. The
dictionary gives as the primary defini-
ton of marty" One who submits
to death rather than forswear his re-
ligion specif., one of the early Chris
tians who suffered death for their re-
ligion." In general, the word is used
also to denote one who sacrifices him
self for cause, as martyr to the
pursuit of wealth.
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
Numerous Rubber Plants.

There are nearly two hundred difrar.
ent kinds Of plants which carry rub-
Der, and they are still under 1nyesti-
cation by botanists. While the plant.
are found for the most part in the
arid portions Of the Great Basin conn
Try Of eastern California and Nevada
rubber-producing shrub has been locat-
ed as far north as Washington and
Idaho and as far east as Colorado and
south to our southern boundary.
Whether or not these plants will he
brought under cultivation is cues
ton which can only be answered a fta.
many years of study and experlmen.
tation.
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
Not Much Wasted Nowadaxs.


Tin and copper are not wasted, al
though thrown away by one who has
no, further use for them. DEFINING
processes enable manufacturers to re-
cover most Of the tin and use 1t over
again, and copper is almost as good
when resmelted as when first taken
from the mine.
Even the bones which come from
our tables are not wasted. Bones are
Of value for glue making, and they are
persistently gathered up and sold to
the glue factories. Millions Of pounds
of glue are made yearly from bones.
Heretofore the trouble has been to
find a perfectly waterproof glue or ce-
ment which would hold the particles
together under the effects Of water; ;
but today cement is used which is abb
solutely waterproof. -Leslie's Weekly.
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
Authorship Not Determined.

"The more see Of human nature,
the more love dogs" The common
phrasing Of this cynicism is: "The
more / see of men the better I like
dogs" This has proved the despair
Of the industrious folk who run quot
able passages down to their source.
Because the sentiment is somewhat
sardonic 1t has been attributed to the
French and credited to Victor Hugo
and Georges Sand, but the attribution
has never been satisfactorily fortified
by the citation Of chapter and verse.
The authorship remains problem, and
when 1t was proposed here some years
ago the curious scholarship Of those
who are alert to answer these CUES.
lions failed TO shed any light.
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
About "stvIe.n

To comprehend the real uglIness of
"style" we have only to study out of
date fashion plates. Women them
selves say How could we have made
such guys Of ourselves?" The answer
is. it was "the style and everybody
did it. One of human natures idiosyn-
CRASHES is sensitiveness. We may not
value the opinion Of the person who
smiles or sneers at our dress, may
know ourselves the superior in intel
lect, and position, but we resent or
feel hurt by the tacit criticism. Thus
we pay tribute to convention as estab.
lished by style"
Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-05-01
Famous Old Town Of Mosul,

!, The town OF Mosul reached its,
greatest prosperity toward the begin
ming of the decline Of the caliphate,,-
when 1t was for 9 dme an independent
capital. In the eleventh century it be-
longed to the Seljuks and in the
twelfth, under tie sway of the famous
Atabegs, particularly Of zenki, it had
a short period. Of splendor. One Of Its
curious distinctions in history is the
fact that the governorship of the
town, as the pashalik, was long hered-
itary in the originally Christian fam
lily Of Abd-al-jalil, and it was only dur
ing the nineteenth century that the
porte succeeded. after long and sc
we're contest, In establishing a more
centralized system of government. J