davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1921-05-08
Some PeculiaritieS
of Great Musicians

HANDEL had an odd habit or toss
L ing sheets OF manuscript from
the table as fast as he wrote them.
The slightest gain in time WAS OF IN"
utmost importance to him. There
was only one man living. his copyist.
who could read his manuscript. Han
del often wept while COMPOSING.
Some Of his sacred writings are blot
ted with tears. He was blind during
the last years of his life.
Schubert was marvelously regular
in his attention to composition. Nheh
h.. was composing. his features
worked his eyes flashed and ms
limbs twitched. This unnatural eA-
element held complete control OF nun
until the fever OF composition passed.
away. He seldom made alterations
in his scores.
Gluck often had his servants carry
his piano out to the lawn. His hneSi
inspirations came TO him when play
ing in the garden. Several bottles ~
champagne were placed conveniently
near him. His theory was that
bright sunshine was favorable to in
spiration. and he always worked In II
when possible. Gluck was fifty years
old before he wrote an opera OF any
renown.
Chopin, unlike most musical genius
es. was A late riser. He practiced -
long at the piano with his back un-
supported that his spine was perma
nently injured. He never composed
except when seated at the piano. and
he always had the lights turned out
when he was improvising. A public
audience unnerved him to such an eN
tent that he could not properly ip
Evening star., 1921-05-08
CUSTOMSHOUSE
1

dents in the village. This is artesian
water and is preferred by many Of
the residents to mere well water. 1t
is deeper stuff. Old Willie's son. Young
Willie, throws over or makes fast
the lines of the Baltimore Richmon'l
boats that stop at Yorktown. The boat
from Baltimore to West Point at the
head of York river (whence it is a
short run by rail to Richmond) lands
at the Yorktown wharf. or rather
morning and the boat from West
Point to Baltimore stops there about
o'clock in the evening.
Some of the most conspicuous earth
the Nelson house. which is now the
property Of Capt. George 2. Blow man
of wealth. good taste and patriotic SEN
timent. He has converted the parade
Of the old fort into a park with tennis
courts. Benches on the ramparts allow
tired tourists TO overlook as fine a
scene Of river. field and forest as is to
be had in the United States. The blur
on which these old British works stand
is about seventy feet above the river.
dred feet deep. A little to your left as
you look over this scene is Gloucester
point, famous in the operations for the
defense and offenSe in the campaign Of
Yorktown. It juts out into the river so
that the York between the tip of the
Evening star., 1921-05-08

federate force fell back from York
town to Williamsburg in the early
days of May. 1862. Mcclellan and his
blue-clothed legions moved in. York
town was theirs!
1t is said that some time later a
federal magazine exploded. or it may
have been an ammunition wagon, and
the old bell was Jared from the bel
fry and was cracked by its fall. 1t
is said that Union soldiers sent the
bell north as souvenir OF their
outing in Virginia, and that it re-
manned in the north until the York.
town centennial in 1881. when it was
sent back to little Grace Church, hav-
ing been recast. Its voice is as fresh
and mellow as when it came out to
the colony of Virginia in 1925, and
ever since it was brought back to it's
home in the steeple of Grace Church
people in Yorktown will tell you that
it has pealed more merrily for mar
riages and tolled less sadly for fu-
neralS.
Across a narrow lane west of the
Nelson House garden is strange
structure built Of bricks, not imported
fl ON England. but made in the colony
probably by English immigrant brick
makers and in English brick molds. At
any rate. these colonial bricks were
Evening star., 1921-05-08

from the 1899 house the home Of
Conway Shield. for many years com
monwealtn attorney for York COun-
ty) by one OF those sandy lanes
called streets ever since the town of
York was laid off in 1851 by Laurence
Smith, surveyor. stands one of the
great colonial houses Of the United
States. It is surrounded by a garden
whose beauty arrests many pilgrims
and which occupies land equal to a
city square. Around that garden is Il
brick wall. tall az man. and clothed
in ivy and pink roses. The house. of
brick and sandstone. is partly over
grown with ivy and nearly screened
from the view of persons passing
along the road by box trees thirty feet
nigh and proportionately wide and
dense. 1t is famous house and was
the home of a man closely identified
with the young republic and the siege
Of Yorktown, was the place of his
ancestors and until 1907 belonged to
his descendants. 1t was the home of
Thomas Nelson. was the headquarters
of Lord CORVALLIS during the closing
period of the siege, and was preached
by a cannon shot fred by Thomas Nell
son.
CORVALLIS had made his headquar-
ters in the house of another Nelson in
Yorktown. The French brought il
under fire and CORVALLIS and his staff
moved to the Thomas Nelson house.
II is related that Gen. Washington
requested the Frepch not to fire on
this house. because it was the home
of fine American patriot, governor
OF Virginia and at that moment gen
Evening star., 1921-05-08

terpret the music before him. Seate
in the midst of a small select circ
ne easily eXtemporized and impr,
vised. He talked" to his pisr
whenever he was melancholy. He h.
superstitious dread OF the fgu,
seven and would not live in a hou.
bearing that number. nor start upc
Journey on that date.
Beethoven never allowed his ser,
ant to enter his study. He insist
that this room should remain exactI.
as he left il, no matter how deem,
the DUST lay ON the precious nusica
manuscripts. He seldom looked f.
1ne glass when he tied his stock
Half the time he forgot to brush his
hair. Every morning he carefuIIy
counted out seventeen beans from the
conte canister for the coffee served
TOT his breakfast. When he. oomnoseJ
ne would pour cold water over his
lands lands and often people below him
snoI complain OF the water that
soaked through his floor
haydn arrayed himself at davhro.,
IN iuli court dress-sword, wig La
run ana silver buckles. He said ths,
ne could never write so well as wbnn
massive diamond ring, which tbs
Iniperor Viii or Austria had given him,
Mas on mis- hnger. The paper on
winch he wrote must be of snnereU. !.
9ta!lty and of the most exouisits
,mnlteness Many times his innats
ioVe Tor practical joking got the bet'
yer OF him. One night in church n.
cne OF the queue of one of the otbe,
was expelled he
wagner had his tomb made In tho
garden Of his house, so that at anv
moment he could visit it. He son,.,
times insisted on having his guests
inspect this sepulcher. s"'''1
IiSZt smoked largo h1..,
When giving lessons he waILad re-,
and down the room, mutterine W.
himselt and emitting volumes ~
smoke by way of accompaniment tn
while he worked. ''ahtly
Meyerbeer's happiest insnir..,
came when the thunder rosred 1hs
winds howled and the rain dashed in
deluflng sheets down the windo,.
panes Of his study. uo"
Evening star., 1921-05-08

He sleeps in tho cemetery of Grace
Episcopal Church, pistol shot from
the monument and his great brick
house. On his grave is a fiat stone
inscribed: Gen. Thomas Nelson, Jr.,
Patriot, Soldier, Christian, Gentle
man; born December 1. 1888; died
January ., 1889. Mover of the Reso-
luton of May Is, 1916, in the Vir-
g,nia Convention instructing her
Delegates in Congress to move that
body to Declare the Colonies Free
and Independent States-Signer of
the Declaration of Independence
War Governor of Nirginia-Com-
mander of Virginia's forces. He Gave
All for Liberty
Generations of Nelson's before and
after Gov. Thomas Nelson are buried
in the holy acre about Grace Church,
and there also rest the bones of many
men and women who listened to the
music OF French. English and American
guns as they roared out the birthday
song of this republic. But these old
graves would make another story.
Grace Church was built in 1900. and
withstood storm and war until 1914,
when a marauding party from Brit
ish warships burned it. It was par
tally rebuilt in 1S25-that is. while
Evening star., 1921-05-08

point and the steamboat wharf at York
| town is only about half a mile wide
Across the river a ferryboat. which
makes steam by burning oil. plies back
and forth. The road from Washington
and Fredericksburg strikes the York
river at Gloucester point and many ma
chimes are ferried by this boat.
The old earthwork which has been
parked is also owned by Capt. Blow. He
is the owner Of other parts of the York
town fortified fields. and his offer to do
nate certain historic acres to the govern
ment, announced at the convention of
the D. A. r. at Washington. aroused
enthusiasm among the daughters.
Half a mile southeast of the monu-
ment and adjoining the field in which
the surrender of CORVALLIS took place
is Yorktown national cemetery, where
sleep all that is mortal of LAS unknown
and 757 known federal soldiers whose
bodies were taken out of shallow battle
field graves after the peace Of Apo
mattox. These men fell in the fighting
around Yorktown in the peninsula cam
paign No national cemetery is better
maintained than this. Its greenery is
the greenest and it's flowers are as bright
as flowers can be. On the ranks Of little
white tombstones one reads: Peter Nc
Evening star., 1921-05-08
Historic Battlefield of Yorktown May Become Govern

made in the same fashion as bricks in
England. The mason set them in OLD
English bond and the outer butts OF
brick were glazed-that IS. vitrired
by heat. 1t is square building,
two stories high. with a pyramidal
roof, shingled. Until recently II was
the home Of the Peninsula Bank and
Trust Company. which has treated
acHoss the road and also opposite is a
house of venerable aspect. occupied
by the First National Bank Of York
town.
THAT little old square brick build
ing on the corner is the birth
place and the cradle OF the American
tariff system. one might say that it
was the first nurse of protection At
any rate. il bears this legend Erect
ed 17l5-Ff rst Custom House in
America-Was Port Of Entry for New
York, Philadelphia and other North
ern Cities" Mrs. Sydney Smith. in a
charming little pamphlet on old York
town, writes:
The old customhouse. which
stands now in a good state OF pres
ervation. was the first customhouse
! in America. Yorktown being the first
port Of entry, all vessels doing busi-
ness with the northern cities had to
come first to this port for papers be-
fore going on.
The building is said to have been
erected in 1715. but this date is not
authentic" Mrs. Smith has a picture
the old customhouse and in front
of il is an OK harnessed between the
shafts of a cart. A colored man is on
the cart, and although his features
cannot be made out in a little print
it is two-to-one bet that the figure
is that of Old Willie Marshall. the
water carrier of Yorktown The OK
IS dead and Willie is years older. but
instead Of driving a truck he drives
I bay horse of patient. gentle man
ners, and with barrel in his car,
serves drinking water to many resi-
Evening star., 1921-05-08

mandsr Of \ force valiant. disciplined
and well ehicsred. and strong and
veil equipped as armies were meas
uYed in that time, surrendered. Many
great Americans have said that the
American republic was bonn at York
town.
an the centennial of the surrender,
~ October -, 1881, the corner stone
Of . national monument was laid at
Yorktown. That monument STANDS
near the east edge OF the village. in
the midst Of earthworks that in 1881
were British defenses and in 1882
~xere Confederate. The monument was
Aot set on the spot where the sur
render was made, because that spot
vas then a matter in dispute, and to-
theu4h the field in which the sur
render took place has been identified
"A thA spot where the sword or the
british commander passed to the rep
resentative OF the American com
mander is shrewdiy con)ectureo.
The house in which the articles
~ Surrender were signed Is standing.
inscriptions on the monument which
vas built among the Iorkto~h
eaYthvorks tell . synopsis OF the
drama acted there, ana as tnat o. IAma
vas Of vast import to the people OF
America and OF vast influence on
many other peoples. those inscrip-
tions ought to be of interest. On the
south face of the monuments base
the historian has written in granite
letters that "at Yorktown. on october
-. 1881. after 4 siege Of nineteen
days by $500 Americans and 1000
French troops OF the line. $500 Vir-
ginia militia. under command OF Gen
Thomas Nelson. and thirty six French
chips Of war. Earl CORVALLIS. COM
mander of the British forces at York
and Gloucester. surrendered his army
Of 1881 oficers and men. $40 sea.
mon, 2<4 cannon and - standar rds to
His E1cellency George Washington
ooniHaAnder-in-c chief Of the combined
forces Of America and France: to Hi
Exoellenoy the Comte de Rocham-
beau, commanding the auxiliary
troops of His Most Christian Majesty
In America. and to His Excellency tn,
Coute de Grasse. commander ir
chief the naval army OF France il
Chesapeake"
On the east side of the monumen,
the historian has engraved this
story: The treaty concluded Feb.
ruayy 6, 1TIs. between the United
States Of America and Louis vi. kine
Of France. declare the essential and
direct end OF the present defensive
alliance Is to maintain eneotually the
liharey and sovereignty and inde'
pendenee absolute and unlimited oi
the said United StAts0 - we'll in mat
Evening star., 1921-05-08

ters Of government as of commerce"
On the north side OF the base OF
the monument is this: Erected in
pursuance of a resolution of Congress
adopted October %. 1871. and an act
of Congress approved June I. 1850,
to commemorate the victory by which
the independence of the United States
was achieved.
Stand on the west side of the monu-
ment and you may read this chapter
in the history of the country we call
ours:
considered November. 80. 1882. and
the definite treaty of peace Septem-
ber ). 1888. between the United States
of America and George III. King of
Great Britain and Ireland. declare
his Britanic majesty acknowledges
the said United states. viz. New
Hampshire. Massa chusetts Pay. Rhode
Island and Province Plantations.
Connecticut. New York. New Jersey.
Pennsylvania Delaware. Maryland.
FirSini North Carolina. South Caro-
lima and Georgia. to be free. sover-
eign and independent states"
A y acre of green turf thickly dotted
at this time with buttercups sur
rounds the base of the monument
Around the lot is an iron picket fence
and the unlocked gate opens on an an
cient road which is the main street
of the village of Yorktown. Across
the road and nearly opposite the
monument lot is brick house. one
story and attic high. still home that
is bright and fair. that was built in
1899. 1t is believed to be the oldest
house in the village. though this dis
tinction is diputed Some inhabitants
of Yorktown hold that brick build
ing now a part Of hote' is the old
est structure of the town.
Yorktown has suffered three fires
that claimed many buildings; other
buildings have passed away in flame
and smoke because of an upset light
ed candle. an overturned coal oil lamp
or blazing fagots fallen out Of an open
fireplace. Many houses have crumbled
Evening star., 1921-05-08
Prehistoric Races.

THE Indians OF that part Of An.
lea in which We live had not ad.
vanced beyond the stone age ar N.
.,ihe OF the coming of Columbus, and
'housh 'here is a theory that th,,
part OF the continent was inbabjt.a
by another race before the corin
Oh the Indian, it is but a theory ara
lew facts which seem to sust,in
have been brought to light.
Ihere were prehistoric races inn
"hat we call South America. Mexico
ana the southwestern states Of tbs
United States which had advance,
far beyond that stage of deyeIonns
called the stone age. They worksf
IN sold, silver, copper and bron,s
Wove cloth or excellent texture, mad:
pottery and gave il artistic Gecnro
tion, and must have had considershI.
knowledge of human anatomv ~
cause they practiced such form, oe
surgery as trephining broken skuIIs
and setting broken arms and Leo ~!
splints. Scientists working mnda IN
direction of the American Musenn, 30
Natural History have unearth-
skeletons in New Mexico with snIints
sun IN position around broken bonaS
ne ga hdases which held the splints
!nough nearly crumbled. could h..
traced. De
Among some of the prehistoric rac.v
the chief weapons of war were cInhs
with stone or copper heads, and IL is
thought that large percentage of
casualties must have been in the
form OF broken skulls. Trephined
skulls belonging to men of a lon,
time antedating the coming of The
whites have been found It is as
sumed that races that hid Progressed
SO far as to mend broken skulls ana
leg and arm bones must also have
learned good deal about drugs for
relief of internal maladies. Our own
Indians knew something of this sub
Ject, because they used decoction
of holly leaves as a purge and emetic
took steam baths. made a brew of
that plant which we call boneset as
sudorific or as a medicine to induce
sweating. and they used yarious
plants. such as spicewood and sassa-
fras. as febrifuges. or medicines for
the alleviation of fevers. They dis
covered the value of numerous min
eral springs. some of which we use
today on the advice of the most
learned physicians. Whether our rude
stone age Indians made these dis
coveries. or learned OF the uses of
these plants and springs from the
more advanced peoples to the south
and west OF them Is . question.
Evening star., 1921-05-08
n HE fields OF Yorktown may be
taken over by the United States

TINE fields OF Yorktown may be
taken over by the United States
and held forever as national
battlefield park. A bill to do
this pends in Congress and its pas
SAGE is urged by the Daughters OF the
American Revolution. 1t is this patri-
otic society which brought forth the
idea and inspired the drafting OF the
bill and its presentation ~ Congress.
Nothing less than the enactment OF
the plan for bringing these fields un-
der the ownership of the American
people will satisfy the D. A. r., and
great numbers OF people not members
OF that order approve the proposal. If
you should walk the streets OF little
Yorktown. see its houses that were
built two hundred years ago and look
on the acres Of land within and out
side the town, all tumbled with
trenches and redouts that were peo-
Piled with American. French and Eng
lish troops during the revolution and
federate states during the civil war.
IT would perhaps seem 10 you tnat
this tragic and historic ground should
be held by the nation and that these
earthvorks. camping grounds and
batuenelds should be preserved.
The last act Of the drama Of the
American revolution was staged in
Yorktown and on the fields that lie
about the village. There the British
forces, land and sea. which were to
break the backbone Of the Amer car
rebellion" against the Kingdom of
Great Britain. humble the pride of
the "revolted" oolonists. prevent the
United States Of America taking it's
place among the nations and bring
to justice" those brave and patriotic
men who dared to set up this republic,
were trapped and captured. There
Corvallis, an earl a distinguished
soldier of the king, veteran of cam
PAL gns that had brought imposing
victories to British arms, and COM
Evening star., 1921-05-08

years. Some have been destroyed by
storm. Some famous old homes wer.
battered down by French and Ameri-
can guns during the siege and bonn
bardment of 1881.
Others were destroyed by British
troops and sailors in the course Of
enemy forays in the war Of 1912. Old
houses sustained casualties in the
course of Gen. McClellans peninsula
campaign when. in 1862. he sought
TO capture Richmond by fighting his
way up the southern neck" which
Is that peninsula. deeply indented by
rivers, bays and creeks. narrow in
places. wide in places, which lays
between the rivers York and James
When the theater OF war between
the north and south shifted to the
Evening star., 1921-05-08

DILL Pending in Congress Will Bring Own
- ership to the American People-Daueh-
ters of American Revolution Behind Project.
Little Town. Built 200 Years Ago, Has Been
Peopled With the Fighting Troops of Many
Nations-Where Great Victory of Revolution
Was Won and Last Act of Drama Was Staged
Monuments and Historic Spots.
Evening star., 1921-05-08

Glue. Mich Il. ". Hilburn. Pa: Jacob
Miller. y Y: Timothy Matlock. Fa.
Unknown. Unknown John Book. y. Y;
Sergt J. w Brown. Mich. (; Unknown,
Unknown: Patrick Harne!. l. :. a
H. Fisher. L. =. A.: Unknown. IN
known; Lieut.. Voorhees, Dye, y. j;
Lieut. Jere O'Leary. n. Y. And so or
the story runs, Alfred n. Ackley. a
regular Army man. is the superin'
tendent
Evening star., 1921-05-08

i; was originally cruciform, as so
many carly churches were. it was re-
built in its present quadrangular
form. The bell that calls the Episco-
palianS of Yorktown to prayer was
given to that church in 1925 by Good
Queen Anne and il tolled and pealed
until the little church was desecrated
hv the English in our second war with
Evening star., 1921-05-08

1874. His home was Sherwood For
est, near Greenway. Va. and he died
at Richmond. January Is, 1862. The
county clerk of York is Floyd Halo
way: the commonwealth attorney, w.
E. Hall. and the sheriff. w. F. Law
son.
Diagonally across the main street
from The monument lot and Separate ed
Evening star., 1921-05-08

eral in command of the Virginia
troops participating in the siege.
Z 4 \
THE story is that Gen. Nelson said.
Il want no property of mine
saved that serves as "A refuge for the
enemy" and then aimed and fired q
Evening star., 1921-05-08

cannon at The house. A ragged hole
through the wall Of the house be-
tween the gab!" windows is pointed
out today as the effect of that shot.
But tn" house WAS not destroyed.
Thomas Nelson's name is prominent
in Virginia history and patriots Of
maximum distinction We're his friends.
Evening star., 1921-05-08

the mother country. What duty the
old bell did from 1914 until 1925 has
not been told, but in that year back
in new Steeple it was hung. Its
tones rolled softly over the fields of
Yorktown and the beautiful York
river until the civil war came on.
When Gen. Magruder and his Con-
Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1921-02-10
GERMAN POLICE
DOGS ARE STYLISH
tBy Associated prcsa)

New York. Feb. lO.-"Latest
style in dogs" is the title given
the German police dogs by Dean
W. Horace Hoskins. of the New
York University Veterinary col
lege, who says fashions in dogs
fluctuate as they do in dress.
The Boston terrier and Pekin-
ese are also fashionable, Dean
.HOskins said.
The Boston terrier has en-
joyed longer period OF popular
|ity than any other dog, having
been in vogue for 80 years. and is
still fairly popular" he said.
The pug dog and the old black
nd tan ,or rat terrier, which en-
joyed an immense popularity in
the SOS and COS are almost eX-
Itinct and the dean said he knew
OF no one who still breeds them.
The elbows. which were favOrites
in 1000, are we'll liked.
Dean Hoskins Iamented passing
of the collie. and regretted the
current vogue for the police dog,
saying he was not SO gentle 4
companion as the collie.
German police dogs were
brought to America in great num-
bers aboard army tranports by
officers and men OF the army of
Occupation in Germany.
Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1921-02-10
FOREST HILL

Mrs. Hiram Azbil visited her
daughter, Mrs. Boyd Wells, Sunday.
Mrs. Hattie Hale and daughter,
Miss Etfie, and Mrs. Elmer Cosby Wis
tied Mrs. Wink Cosby and family
Sunday.
Mr.. Arnett Taylor spent the week
end with relatives in Newly.
Mr.. Eliza 'Pigg and children spent
Sunday with relatives near Red
House.
Mr.. and Mrs. J. H. Million and
children visited relatives at Newly
Saturday night and Sunday.
Lucille Azbill spent the weekend
with Elizabeth Jenkins at Richmond.
Mrs. Lucy Pearson, of Berea, and
Mr. jim Wells, of Nicholasville, visit
ed Mrs. A. Fl. Wells and family Sun
day and Sunday night.
Word has been received by Mr.. and
Mrs. A. H. Wells that their grandson
Harold Wells, of Woodford county
had the misfortune to lose one of fin
gers.
Aunt Mary Hayden, Mr.. Oliver
Cosby, Mr.. Andy Flannery and Pau
Moore are on the sick list.