davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
The Lowly Corncob and Its $40 Furfural

Furfural is what the chemists call a
basic intermediary in dyes. That
means that you may make about as
many kinds of dye out of furfural as
a good cook can make good things to
eat out of flour. They have shown
at least dozen different shades of
cloth dyed with furfural. 1t is
highly useful, too, in the manu-
facture of paints and lacquers and
in the making of bakelite, the sub
stance used in pipe stems and other
articles. In addition to all that. fur
fural is such an excellent insecticide
that It has been used to considerable
extent for that purpose.
About bushel of cobs is produced
for every bushel of shell corn and they
have been almost a complete waste.
Commercial plants are now being
equipped to manufacture half dozen
products from them. One of these
products is an adhesive of exception
ally high quality-said to be better for
a number of important uses than any
adhesive previously known. Another is
cellulose, suitable for use in the man.
ufacture of dynamite and various
other things. Paper has been made,
using part of the corn cob product
as filler. Another product is acetate
of lime, from which acetic acid Is
made.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22


father and two daughters put in
cowshed and barn and covered with
hay.
When John Kraft, neighbor, en-
tered a barn on the farm he found
the bodies of Wolf and one of his
daughters lying on the floor. Not see
ing the rest of the family, Kraft went
down into the basement, where he
found the bodies Of Mrs. Wolf, the
other children, and the farm laborer.
Later the eighth body was found.
There was no evidence Of any strug-
gle, and as Wolf is not known to
have had any enemies, the sheriffs
office is unable to offer any theory for
the tragedy.
The only member of the family that
escaped was the youngest child, baby
eight months Old. The child was all
most famisfed, indicating that the
murders ha6 been committed at least
"a hours before.
Wolf was about forty-five years old,
and was popular in Turtle Lake.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
Be Careful When You Smoke in the Woods

IF THE manufacturers of cigars ana
4 cigarets adopt the suggestion OF
the agricultural department their new
billboard advertising this summer will
bear prevention slogans like these
in big lettering:
Don't drop FIRE when you smoke IN
the woods, nor throw it out along the
read. Keep the forests GREENl
DANGER Matches, pipes, Goals, CT
gar stubs and cigaret ends start many
forest fires. Help protect woods.
streams, scenery.
BE CAREFUL Don't start fire in
the woods when you begin or end your
smoke! Be sure your match. cigarer
or pipe it OUT.
FIRE is DANGEROUSl Be care
full when you smoke in the woods.
LOOK .OUTi When you smoke in
woods; don't start forest fire.
YOUR COOPERATION with this
company to keep down forest fires is
asked. Break your match In two.
Knock out your pipe ashes into your
hand Don't drop a burning cigaret.
HELP PREVENT FIRES.
Seven of the leading tobacco COM
panies in this country have been asked
20 give their cooperation in enlisting
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
WASHINGTON
SIDELIGHTS
How 1922 Appropriations Are to Be Made

This change will center in the hands
of a single committee the work of pre-
pairing appropriation bills heretofore
handled by seven different committees.
Under the new system the appro-
priations committee of the house will
be made up of thirty-five members.
There have been twenty-one members
of the committee heretofore. In the
past the appropriations committee has
handled such annual supply measures
as the legislative, executive and judi
cial bills, the sundry civil bills ana
the various deficiency bills.
The six other committees whose
power in handling appropriations have
been transferred TO the appropriations
committee are those on military al
fairs. naval affairs, agriculture, foreign
affairs, post office and Indian affairs.
The change ~ rules does not affect
the committee or rivers and harDors,
which will continue the preparation OF
the annual rivers and harbor appro-
priations bill, or the committee on pub
lie buildings and grounds, which VIII
handle public buildings measures.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
NO HIDDEN TREASURE THERE
United States Marines Searched Ocean
Floor, Found Nothing; That )
Settles 1t.

Savannah.-If there is any hidden
treasure lying on the bottom of the
ocean near Paris Island, and legend
says there Is, United States marine
searchers have given up hopes of find
ing 1t.
Bell divers of the marine corps are
operating off the coast of the island,
in an attempt to salvage boxes, metal
and odds and ends of cargoes lost over
board from vessels during the last few
years. This is side line for the ma
rines, who so far have been satisfied
with patrolling the land, sea and air,
and have never gone in for deep-sea
diving.
Negro residents of this vicinity. have
faith in an old-time myth that there
is hidden treasure on or near the is
land, supposed to have been left by
Jean La Fitte, the pirate, on one of his
coastwise wanderings. The "sub" ma
rines say the legend won't hold water.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
Highway to Join Twelve National Parks

TWELVE national parks lie in
j rough circle of about $500 miles
between Denver and the Pacific.
Starting toward the north, the visitor
comes in turn to Rocky Mountain
in Colorado, Yellowstone in Wyoming,
iGlacier in Montana, Mount Rainier In
washington, Crater Lake in Oregon,
Lassen Volcanic, Yosemite, General
Grant and Sequoia in California,
Grand Canyon in Arizona, Zion In
Utah and Mesa Verde in Colorado
Between Mesa Verde and Denver are
the Mount Evans region. which is to
be added to Rocky Mountain and the
Denver municipal mountain parks.
These II parks are more or less con-
nected by roads of widely-d.ffering
quality. What is needed and projected
is a national park-to-park highway
connecting with the Lincoln highway
and other transcontinental roads. The
visitors last year to the national parks
numbered over 10000 and more than
50 per cent of this travel was by pri-
waite automobile.
June 1 A. L. Westgard represent
ing the national park service and the
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22

skin draw a map of any part of the
far West. He learned the trick from
the Indians.
Waniyetu yawapi wowapi--that Is
American Indianese, the Sioux dialect.
1t means winter count writing'-the
Indian method of keeping a calendar.
The Oglala Sioux (Dakota) Indians
exploited ''art calendars" before our
present New Year productions were
in existence. They represented each
year by q Photograph, or picture, la
beled with a descriptive motto. The
picture and name were generally sug-
gested by some important winter
event whence the name "winter count
writing"
These photographs drawn on buff
falo skins, were kept in serial order,
the keeper trusting his memory to
recall the details of the events sug-
gested by the pictures so identifying
the various years. In other words,
each year had a name instead of
mere number, and in the official cal
endar this name was illustrated by a
picture. A Dakota born in 1858 would
say that his birth occurred in "the
year of the deep snow or, if in
1889, sin the year of the moons
eclipse"
The American Museum of Natural
History is fortunate in having been
able to obtain one of these chron-
icles complete and parts of two 9TH
ers
1t is interesting to follow these old
Indian records; to trace the history
of the Dakota by his own account of
hunting parties, tribal wars and mas
sacres, the coming Of the white men,
dealings. with traders, occasional out
breaks, gradual submission to the
stronger power Of the white mans
government and civilization, and the
development of the Indians relations
with the United States, with his~con-
sequent interest in United States poll
tics. The names of some Of the years
are for us merely amusing; others are
very significant. A few chosen at ran
dom will give fair idea of the old
Sioux calendar:
1779-SO- Smallpox used them up
winter.
1791-92-Saw a white woman win
ter.
1797-Beaver-small come winter.
1799-First firearms to issue winter.
O3-Horse-foot iron they say
brought home winter. (This commem-s
crates the first horseshoe seen by the
Indians. 1t was on stolen horse.)
1S21-22- Star passed by with loud
noise winter.
183O-Wood house first made win
ter.
1S41-Drunk fight kill winter
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22

would probably have to journey to
the wilds of Africa to find anybody
actually wearing tapa. But in Samoa
an excellent quality is still manufac-
tured-for the sake of the tourist
trade. -
81 shall now describe their way Of
making Cloth, which, in my opinion,
is the only Curious manufacture they
have.9 So wrote Lieutenant Cater
Commander) James Cook at Tahiti,
Society Islands, Pacific ocean, in the
diary he kept during his first voyage
around the world made 176S-71, in II.
M. Bark Endeavor. He proceeds
"All their Cloth is, believe, made
from the Bark of Trees; the finest
is made from plant which they Gull
ttvate for no other purpose. Dr. Sol
ander thinks it is the. same plant the
bark of which the Chinese make paper
of. They let this plant grow till it
is about or feet high, the Stem is
then about as thick as ones Thum
or thicker; after this they cut it down
and lay it Certain time in water.
This makes the Bark strip off easy
the outside Of which is scraped off
with rough Shell. After this is done,
it looks like long strips of ragged
linnen these. they lay together, by
means Of fine paist made of some
sort of root, to the Breadth of yard
more or less, and in length 6, s or 10
Yards or more according to the use
it is for
"After it is thus put together it Is
beat out to its proper breadth and
fineness, upon long square piece of
wood, with wooden beaters, the Cloth
being kept wet all the time. The
beaters are made IF hard wood with
four square sides, are about 8 or 4
inches broad and cut into grooves of
different fineness; this makes the
Cloth look at first sight as If it was
wove with thread, but believe the
principal use of the Grooves is to
facilitate the beating it out, in the do
ing of which they often beat holes
in it, or one place thinner than an
other; but this is easily repaired by,
pasting on small bits, and this they
do in such a manner, that the Cloth
is not the least injured
''The finest sort when bleached is
very white and comes nearest to fine
Cotton. Thick cloth, especially fine,
is made by pasting two or more thick
ness's Of thin cloth, made for that
Purpose, together. Coarse thick cloth
and ordinary thin cloth is made of the
Bark of Bread fruit Trees, and /
think have been told that it is some
times made from the Bark of other
trees The making of Cloth is wholly
the work of the women, in which all
ranks are employed. Their common
colours are red, brown and yellow,
with which they dye some pieces just
as their fancy leads Them
On view at the American Museum
of Natural History in New York City
is number of fine specimens Of bark
cloth or tapa. In many localities
throughout the tropics of both hem
ispheres, crude civilizations, lacking
both the knowledge and means of
weaving, have fashioned cloth from
the inner bark of certain trees. The
Micronesian, Polynesian and Melanes-
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22

DROBABLY you think of a corncob
I as a handy thing to eat green
corn from and the thing from which
the good old missouri meerschaum'
is made. Stop, look, read! Henceforth
you must know the lonely corncob as
the source of furfural and half a
dozen other things, but especially fur
fural. The chemists of the agricultural
department have discovered that the
corncob is a regular catch-all of good
things.
Up to this time furfural has been so
rare that it has sold as high as $50
a pound. Every ton of corn cobs will
WELD about thirty pounds of furfural
a. a by-product, and the chemists esti-
mate that it can be manufactured in
this way for less than 20 cents a
pound. What it will sell for is another
story.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22

smokers in a.campaign against careless
use of fire in all forests. Smokers, sta
tisffcs show, are annually responsible
for large number of confiagratlons
in timbered areas, causing immense
losses. The letter suggests that the
tobacco companies can render an in
valuable service in this movement by
including in tobacco packages brief
printed legends urging smokers to take
every precaution to prevent the spread
of fire from matches or burning to-
bacco.
With millions of tourists visiting the
national forests and national parks
each summer the question of the care
less smoker is one of national import
ance.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22

American Automobile association. left
Washington by automobile for Den
yer. From there he started on a
pathfinder" circuit of the national
parks named, seeking the best route
for the park-to-park highway.
In August he will report at Denver.
Then large party will go undes his
guidance over his preliminary route
and make selection of permanent
route.
The purpose of this trip is three
fold: To select a park-to-park route,
which is to be improved by state and
county organizations pending assist
ance from the federal government
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22


ian Islands, and Africa were all tapa-
making countries. The Maoris of New
Zealand, too, knew the art. But with
them it was only briefly cultivated,
due to the scarcity of trees producing
the sort of bark needed and the Sc
verer climate which soon led to the
use of the strong native flax for the
manufacture of cloth.
Within the last century tapa has be-
come rarity in practically all the
regions where it was once so album
dant. But thanks to the efforts of a
few interested people, excellent collec-
tions of bark-cloth have been brought
together. The collections at the Amer
lean Museum include in addition to
examples of tapa from all the regions
mentioned, examples of the implements
used by various peoples In the man.
ufacture of the cloth.
The implements include shells for
cutting the bark, peeling it from the
stems and scraping it; the wooden
slabs on which the bark was laid for
beating; and mallets, square or round
according to the locality in which they
were used. These mallets are carved
into grooves, squares or other pat
terms of various sizes according to
the degree of coarseness or fineneSs
desired for the finished piece of tapa.
The African beaters are made of
pieces of tusk fastened to bamboo
handles and wrapped about with rat
tan. Hawaiian ruling pens, for max
ing lined designs on the tapa, and
stamped bamboo stencils sometimes in
the form of half-cylinder testify to
the progress which the Hawaiians had
made in the technique of tapa dec
grafton. They seem, also, to have
led in variety and beauty of design.
AS to the cloth itself, the finer va
rieties resemble fine cotton in soft
ness, are frail and easily torn, and very
COOL In Samoa and the Tonga Islands
the cloth was glazed with sort of
varnish which rendered it rain-proof.
In connection with the American
Museum of Natural History, it should
be noted that this institution and
the American people owe much to the
late Prof. Albert S. Bickmore, of in
ternational reputation, who was for
many years the leading spirit of. the
museum.
Another "cIoth" Gone.
With the extinction Of the American
bison or buffalo another savage "cloth"
has disappeared-to be found only in
museums. The buffalo was clothing
and shelter as we'll as food to the
American Indian. He wore the "buf-
falo robe" and made his tepees of the
skin and kept his records on it. The
American West followed the Indians
example so far as to use the skin for
"cloth." Men of 60 will remember that
in their youth the buffalo robe" was
almost as much a part of the family
sleigh and the cutter as the bells on
the harness. In these days buffalo
skin coats were the winter wear of
outdoor men all over the country.
James Bridger, one of the giants of
the early days of the American fur
trade, the discOverer Of Salt Lake
about 1926 and the builder of Fort
Bridger on the Oregon trail in WyO-
ming, was a born photographer It
is said he could take a charred stick
from the campfire and on O. buffalo
s.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22

WASHINGTON = Budget legisl alton,
w which failed in the last session ow-
ing to the presidents veto, will prob
ably be enacted in the next session.
A year has been lost, however, and
the budget system cannot apply to the
appropriations for the fiscal year be-
ginning July 1, 1921.
In the meantime a new system OF
making appropriations will be tried,
owing to a change in the rules OF the
house, which was put through in the
closing days of the recent session as
supplemental to budget legislation
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
Lady Love Profiteer
Calls Victims GorilIaS

Vancouver, Wash.-Opposite
the name Of Babe Lewandaw-
ski on the police blotter Is the
word "profiteer."
Miss Lewandawski reached
Vancouver recently from De-
troit. She inquired for Jack
Sullivan, saying she had come
to marry him, the climax of a
mail order courtship. When Sui
Ivan hove into sight the lady
burst into violent tears. When
three other suitors appeared all
saying they had sent Babe $125
for expenses to Vancouver, Miss
Lewandawski became hysterical.
81 thought 7 could pick one
cut of the lot" she wept. "But
look-somebody left the gorilla
cage OPEN"
The quartet had her arrested.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22

ADORE than fifty department of agri-
1yA culture activities will have to be
abandoned. according to Secretary
Meredith, because Of reductions in
the annual appropriation. The bill ap-
propriated approximately $31, 600, 600.
This, he says, is $6.O00.0O0 less than
the department needs and $2,185, 900
less than was appropriated for this
year. Az matter of fact the appro-
priation for the 1920 fiscal year (calen-
dar year 1919 was 33,899, 761.
Work designed to wipe out our hog
cholera will have to be abandoned
In several states. Cooperative work
toward improving the quality and In
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
UNITED TO DANISH GLOOM

NIT to our compartment only those
with cheerful faces.
"Smile!
eve have two placards, one for each
window of the compartment. sOn
these the traveller reads:
"'Only those who are cheerful trav-
ell in this compartment. If you can
not smile you will be out of place.
ut has been very effective. Glum
faces appear, read the notice and.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
MURDER REvEL
YIELDS EIGHT DEAD
HatChet Weapon Used in Whole
sale Killing on Da-
kota Farm.

Turtle Lake, n. D.-Eight persons
were found dead at the farm home OF
Jacob Wolf, three miles north Of here,
the victims of a mysterious murder.
The dead:
Jacob Wolf and his wife; their five
daughters, Bertha, aged thirteen;
Edna, eight; Mary, ten; Lydia, five,
and Martha, four, and Jake Hofer,
who was employed on the farm.
Indications are that the crime was
committed in the kitchen of the Wolf
home, and that the weapon used was
Ratchet. The bodies of the mother,
three daughters and the hired man
were thrown into the cellar by the
slayer or slayers, and those of the
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
Real Optimist

Mark Tapley may have been some
pumpkins as an optimist. but he had
nothing on a tall Kentuckian, who
worked for Tom Dodge in Kentucky
oil district. The men slept in a bunk
house that was built of green oak and
the boards had shrunk and left spaces
between them that you could see
through.
1t was terribly cold one night and
the covers were thin and some Of the
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
Enulish Business Men Form Associa
ton in Which Only Smiling
Faces Are Welcome.

Brighton men who travel to London
every day to business have formed a
straveling colony of good cheer
"Some of us grew so tired of travel
ing with stiff, unsmiling faces" Mr..
Johnson, a London merchant, told a
reporter, 'sthat re determined to ad-
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
A Lengthy PROGRAM.

'You have a pretty good library"
"Yes," replied the patient man. Il
have worked twenty years or so accu-
mulating lot of books and place
to put 'em. Now I'm going to start
in and work another twenty years to
provide for enough leisure to enable
me to read 'em."
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22

men were complaining about the open
spaces in the walls.
"Oh, WE'LL" said the big Kentuckian
as he rolled over and prepared to
pound his ear ''they's one good thing
about sleepin' in here. You don't
hev to git out of bed to throw the cat
out.--Cincinnati Enquirer.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22

welded to gloom and distrusting
cheerful company, pass on and enter
another carriage. All the cheerful
spirits come to our compartment and
form the jolliest travelling colony ever
known. continental Edition of Lon.
don Mail.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
A Business View.

Sne--So papa said yes. Does he
favor long or short engagement?
Jack Poore-That depends, he says,
if he has to support me, the longer the
engagement the better.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
BROUGHT SAD MEMORIES.

Mrs. Wells-Yes, stree, the cook re-
fused to drive out in our car when |
offered 1t to her.
Mr.. Good-What excuse did she
give2
Mrs. Wells-Said she wouldn't ride
unless it was q self-starter, as crank
ing it reminded her so much of a
washing machine.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
Made Him Doubt His JUDGMENT.

Friend-What makes you think the
new singer won't do? You said her
voice was good.
Manager-Well, did think SO at
first, but I'm a little doubtful about 1t
now-none of the other singers are
Jealous of her.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
Life in old Manhattan.

Mrs. Knicker-Haye you had busy
week?
Mrs. Booker Rather; I've had two
husbands, three landlords and four
cooks.-Sun and New York Herald
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
Too Good to Be True.

my son." said the elderly sage,
'sbeware the man who says he wants
to make you rich"
"But he may be sincere"
"There's not that much sincerity In
the world"
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
Girl Chased Man Who Rugged Her.

New York.-After strange man en-
braced her In the hallway of the fac
tory where she is employed, Miss
Esther Miller, seventeen years old,
formed a posse of employees and they
caught him after chase of several
blocks.
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
A Good Memory.

"How does Scribson get the atmos-
phere for his stories of rural life?"
she goes up to an office he uses
on the twentieth floor of a skyscraper
and thinks about the time when he
was boy on the farm"
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
Sentence Passed.

whats the matter, old man? You
look as If you'd been sentenced to hard
labor for life"
"Pm afraid I have been. Miss de
Millyuns has just refused me-
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22

Ironton, O.-Twin brothers-John
and Albert Beckelhamer-have been
granted divorces from Lucy and Eftie
Beckelhamer, the brothers filing their
action at the same time. John alleged
willful absence aud Albert gross neg.
Loot
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
EASILY HIS FAULT.

"What In the world made you
jilt Reggie?"
"Oh, ne got on my nerves, always
asking permission to kiss me-"
The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-07-22
Naturally.

"What book in your library Is pro-
nounced favorite with the family?"
"Now that you come to speak Of 1t,
guess it is the dictionary"