smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1869

Recently We heard of and read part OF


the most singular will on record. The


maker of the will is represented to be I,
shrewd, successful business man, who


has accumulated quite large fortune.


He exhibits no other signs of insanity


than NAV be derived from the extreme
eccentriclty of his will, although it is
probable the court will, in due course.
be cal ed upon to determine the question
whether the testator was OF sound and
dlsposlng mind.


The will dlsinherits all the natural
heirs of the maker OF it, and devises the
entire property in trust for the establish
lnent OF an lnfirmary for Cats \ most
elaborate architectural plan for the nee
essary buildings is attached to and made
part .. the will. 1t provided areas for
that sweet amatory converse so dear to
the feline heart, and rat holes Of the
most ravishing nature, to be kept we'll
stocked. The most ingenious contriv-
ances are provided for the securing to
the rat a chance Of escaped, So that
the cats may not lose the pleasure Of the
chase by tiudIn- their prey come too
easily. High walls are to be built, with
gently sloplng roofs, for the moonlight
promenade and other nocturnal amuse-
ments of the cats The trustees are di-
rccted to select the grounds for this
novel Infirmary in tie most populous
part Of some American city, and the de-
visees are to be projected by competent
force of nurses from the ravages of men
and dogs. No person of the male sex is
ever TO be admitted within the walls.and
no female who has children, or is under
thirty years of age. There are hundreds
of minute directions which we have no
time to note.


One would suppose that in the forcgo-
ing provisions the testator had eN-
haustcd all the eccentricities of one man,
however unique his nature but the last
provision of the will seems more outra-
gcously bizarre than any that 90 before.
says the devisor 60 have all my life
been taught to believe that everything
in and about man was intended to be use
ful; and that it was mans duty, as lord
OF animals, TO protect all the lesser spe-
cies, even rs God protects and watches
over him. For these two combined rea-
sons-first, that my body even after
death may continue to be made useful
and secondly, that it may be made in
strumental as far as possible in furnish
ing a substitute for the protection of the
bodies Of my dear friends, the cats, l do
hereby devise and bequeath the intestines
of my body TO be made into fiddle strings,
the proceeds to be devoted to the pur-
chase of an ACCORDION, which shall be
played in the auditorium of the Cat In
Urinary by one of the regular nurses to
be selected for that purpose exclusively
the playing to be kept up for ever and
ever without cessation day or night, in or
der that the cat may have the privilege
of enjoying that instrument which is the
nearest approach to their natural voice.
-COLunaGuS Journal
Year: 1869

sand he has found, but a woman in all


that number. Now, Solomon was a wise


man IN his way, L doubt not but then


he never went out sewing, and in my
daily experience see more of the true


family life every week than l might in a
year of going visiting, when people


would don their company manners along


with their store clothes. Perhaps men


have degenerated and women improved


since Solomon's day, for to one family


where the woman is tyrant | find ten


where the man is. / do occasionally see


really hen-pecked husband, and L al


ways regard him with a mixture of pity
and contempt, while stand in as whole
some awe of his loud-voiced wife as if
she were tame tiger. AS occasionally
| find a really happy marriage, such
one, for instance, as is SO beautifully de-
scrlbed in "John Halifax" and | am
ready to exclaim, spinister of forty that
am, marriage is the only true life ~
But, alas how often / find men of the
type of Mr. Thecpolous Brown, so agree
able, and gracious abroad, so sour and
selfish at home, making me feel to say
with as self fcongratulatory an air as the
Pharasee Of old, 81 thank Thee | am
not as other women are :"


oh, husbands and wives, why must
these things be? To whom in all the
world ale you dear if not to each other .
And where in all the world should you
b. kind and tender and courteous, if not
at your own tiresides? Let the outside
w"rld go; they can spare your smiles
and honeyed words, but the home circle
cannot. And in defiance Of Mrs. Z. G.. /
5. or Miss 5. b. A., ] still claim that
whatever benefits the right of suffrage
confers on woman, far greater benefits
will be conferred on her were man to re-
llize continually t''at his care-worn wife
were really the same being he took in
charge under a solemn promise to love,
cherish and protect while life should last
Let him but keep that promise faithfully,
and t. e glad millennium of woman's true
rights will have come.
Year: 1869

PERU.s OF AN ONLY CTtLD.-It is
harder to bring up one child well than
six. In a large family, the children help
bring one another up. 1t is not merely
that the elder ones assist in taking care
of the younger, but they all influence one
profitably in other ways ; vanity is some
times laughed into modcsty, and AFRO
gance is snubbed into humility. Each
child is kept constantly in mind the 9th
ers have right and feeling and preferen-
ces, and he is thus prepared to "get
along" as we say, with those with
whom his lot may be cast. Parents
with one child have difficult task, and
their best way is to get for their solitary
chick as many playtellows of its own age
as they conveniently can. 1t is bad for
a child to associate too much with per-
sons of mature aye.
Year: 1869

A gentleman travelling in the South
attended worship in a colored church,
the colored pastor of which was remarka-
ble for his high-fown style in the use OF
words. On this occasion a white min
lister preached in plain and direct style
adapted to his audience. In the season
of exhortion and prayer, which followed
the sermon, an old negro thanked the
Lord for the various blessings of the Sab
bath and the sanctuary, ''and we thank
Thee that to-day we have been fed from
a low crib The Protestant Church.
man wishes that all preachers would re-
member that ''Chrio's flock are mostly
little ones Their necks are short. They
cannot reach high aud food placed in
too lofty crib is no better than none at
all They may then starve, though the
food be provided, because they cannot
get anything that will nourish them"
Year: 1869

ToUCHING INSTANCE OF CHILDISH DE-
vOnoN.-Three children in New Bruns-
wick got astray. One was about six
years of age, the others four and three


1t was wild region, and i'll wild weaIl-
cr, and at the edge of night. From
signs it seems that the six years old soon
felt sure there was no hope of their being
found, or finding themselves that night,
and SO ii took measures at once for the
safe keeping OF lis little ones. Putting
them in the most sheltered nook it could
find, it then stripped away the most of
ITS own garments to put on them and set
out % gather dry seaweed and brush to
cover them up in and defend them. Quite
Il quantity of this had been gathered and
piled about the babes into sort of
nest, and there they lay when the peo-
pie found them, still alive; but the SIX
year old matron and martyr lay out on
the shore dead of the cold-lay beside
the last pile of brush it had been able to
gather, but was not able to bring III.
Year: 1869

An old drunkard at indianapolis laid
down on the railroad track the other day
and had his life saved by faithful dog
which dragged policeman to the rescue.
The faithful canine ought not to be
blamed, for he doubtless had the best Of
intentions,
Year: 1869

A little boy while flying a kite at
Virginia City, New, the other day,
backward into the shaft of a
mine and fell $50 feet. The boy lived
long enough to be brought to the top.
1t must be rather risky to leave such holes
unfenced.
Year: 1869

explain this by saying that their peo-
pie are generally poor and exposed to
hardships, but much OF that poverty is
directly traceable to their religion. An
other sad fact is the general neglect of
medical care, or rather tendency to run
to wild and absurd schemes of doctor
ing. They claim that laying on Of
hands and the prayer of faith will heal
the sick, and yet no people within my
knowledge are so given to Thomson
ianism, steam doctoring," "yard-
medicine" and every other irregular
mode of treating the sick. But few
days ago three young children died in
the seventeenth ward Of scarlet fever
In neither case was a physician called
the bishop came and laid on hands, with
the holy anOinting, and an old woman
treated two Of them with mild pallia-
tive, such as is used for sore throat.


If the patients live, after such treat
ment, it is miracle and if they die, it
is the will of the Lord" Two-thirds
of the polygamists do not and cannot
attend properly to their children Heber
O. Kimball had sixty-three sons, of
whom only forty eight are now living.
The bishop Of our ward, the Fourteenth,
has thirty children living, and nearly
twenty dead Joseph Smith had half a
dozen spiritual wives but two sons
survived him-both of his legal wife.


There are five men in this city who
have, together, seventy wives they
have, ali told, less than a hundred and
fifty children.


A Mormon graveyard is the most
melancholy sight on earth. One bishop
here has seventeen ehildred buried in
one row, and the longest grave is not
over four feet If the men have but the
common feelings of humanity, how fear
fully they are punished for the crime of
polygamy. Brigham's children are
generally healthy, except that the girls
mostly have weak eyes, and two of them
are nearly blind but they are well fed,
housed and clothed. But such is the
exception, and could mention a dozen
men whose houses are full of women,
but their children are in the grave.


The Asiatic institution was never
meant to flourish on American soil, and
has resulted here in a slaughter of the
innOcents" which is saddening to con-
template.
Year: 1869

A correspondent Of the Practical
Farmer gives some very interesting in
formation about the beneficial effect of
celery upon the nervous system. He
says I have known as many men, and
women, too, who, from various canses,
had become so much affected with ner-
vousness that when they stretched out
their hands they shook like aspen
leaves on windy days-and by a daily
moderate use of the blanched foot stalks
of celery leaves they became as strong
and steady in limbs as other people. L
have known others so very nervous that
the least annoyance put them IN a state
of agitation, and they were almost in
constant perplexity and fear, who were
also efFectually cured by a daily mod
crate use of blanched celery as a salad
at meal time. I have known others
cured by using celery for palpitation of
the heart. Everybody engaged in labor
weakening to the nerves should use
celery daily in its season, and onions in
It's stead when not in season"
Year: 1869

Mr.. James Parton, is very readable
article on popularizing art in the A.
lantic Monthly, says that the imPahence
of a German washerwoman led to the
invention of lithography. The history
of that elegant art begins with a homely
domestic scene, which occurred at
Munich about the year 1893, and in
which three characters igured-Madame
Senefelder, aged twenty two, youn


man Of an inventive turn, and the
impatient washerwoman Just mentioned.
The washerwoman had called at the
home of this widow for the weekly
'swash, I" but the list was not ready,
and the widow asked her son to take it.
He looked about the room for piece Of
paper upon which to write it, without
being able to find the least fragment,
and he noticed also that his ink was
dry. Washerwomen are not apt to be
overawed by such customers; and this
one certainly did not conceal her lmpa-
tience while the fruitless search was pro-
ceeding. The young man had IN the
apartment smooth, soft, eream-colOred
stone, such as photographers now use
He had also mass of paste made OF
lampblaek, wax, soap, and water In
the hurry of the moment, be dashed upon
the soft smooth stone the short list Of
garments using for the purpose this
awkward lump of oily paste. The washer
woman went of with her small bundle Of
clothes, peace was restored to the family,
and the writing on the stone remained.
Year: 1869

r. The last trap to scoop in the peo-
pies spare change, is in the shape Of .
peripstetic Temperance lecturer. We do
not wish to say any thing to injurs the
cause of temperance but when tramp
er comes along whose chief solici.ude
seems to be. not for the cause. bat for
liberal contributions Of money for his
own benefit. it would be well enough to
understand the lsy Of the land befors
bleeding too freely.
Year: 1869

Yesterday wasione of comparative stasnation
on Wall street, the numerous injunctions
which have been issued tending TO restrain all
dealers and banks from dong any business


Gold was sold at the Stock Exchange, and
tbere was some small sales In in the Gold
Room. The Government put two millions
npon the market yesterday, for which prices
ranging from 100 TO I3l were obtained The
money market towards the close of the day
before the close OF bank hours as low as seven
per cent gold on railway and miscellaneous
collateral. Government dealers were literally
supplied throughout the cay at the legal rate
Year: 1869

The PRESIDENT was called upon yesterday
by gentlemen from Alabama, with whom he
conversed agreeably on the subject introduced
by them, OF a complete restoration Of law and
order in the South, and indicated his intention
Of visiting the South during the winthr.
Year: 1869

SCARCITY OF SMALL NOTES.-The demand
for five and ten dollar notes at the Treasury
Department is rapidly increasing, but Treasu.
rer Spinner Is unable to meet the same on ac-
count Of the failure Of the Bank Note printing
companies in New York to forward to the De.
partment supply Of the new issue, not sin.
gle note having yet been receiv by the Treas.
surer. In New York, Boston, and other large
cities the scarcity Of small notes Is having a
a very disastrous effect upon business, and
especially the retail trade. Complaints are
daily received from the disbursing officers OF
the Government in those cities caused by the
want OF small notes, but nothing can be done
to relieve them. This all results from remoy.
ing the printing Of the legal tender notes from
the Treasury Department to the New York
Bank Note companies, where the work upon 1t
was retarded by the strike.
Year: 1869

THE CABINET con vened at noon to-day. All
OF the members were present except Secretary
Fish and Postmaster General Cress well. who
were represented by Assistant Secretary Davis
and Assistant Postmaster General Earle.
Year: 1869

The PRESIDENT and Mrs. Grant rode over
TO the Agricultural Department this morning
where they passed an hour in going through
the Museum and inspecting various objects of
interest in the Department. After their return
Gov Pile Of New Mexico, and Representative We
Blair, OF Michigan, had short inter view with
the President, and few ladies and gentlemen
were admitted to pay their respects.
Year: 1869

OF Church Government, Book of Discipline,
Catechism, Confession of Faith, etc., have
never been changed, and really there was no
vital distinction; it was merely ideal. So far
as the membership was concerned there was
little or no division. There are two Presbyte-
rles In this State, the Presbytery of Whining
ton and the Presbytery of Lewes, the former
New the latter Old School, yet the congrega-
tions of the various church made no distinction
so far as we can learn.


The effort at reunion just made by the two
branches of the Methodist Church was unsuc-
cessful, but even the effort was good augury
for the future. 1t is locked upon as the be-
ginning Of move in that direction, which will
be successful at no distant day. This effort
was made on the 7th of this month, when Bish-
ops James and Simpson, of the Methodist Epis-
copal Chulch, visited the Bishops of the NJ
Z. Church South, in session at St. Louis, and
presented them with an address, as recommen-
ded by the Board of Bishops in 1865 The
address states that the cause which led to the
separation from us Of both the Wesleyan and
Methodist Episcopal Church, South, has pass
ed away, and we trust the day is not far dis
tant when there shall be but one organization,
which shall embrace the whole Methodist fam,
lily in the United States" Inreply the South
ern Bishops state that the slavery question was
not, in any proper sense, the cause but the oc-
casion of the separation, which they regret as
much as the Church North. 1t was the theo-
ries evolved in connection with the slavery is
sue. There must be an establishment of fro
ternal relations, before official relations can be
maintained proftably to both, and until such
relations are fully established they decline to
urge reunion.


The division took place in 1874, and we be-
lieve this is the first time the Bishops of the
two branches of the Church have had formal
meeting since the separation. The meeting
was cordial one.
Year: 1869

Town ORDINANCES Is.-The Town -Commis
sioners have just issued new set of ordinances
under the new charter, and we think the citi-
zens of both town and surrounding country
will do well to read them Between building
town hall, which some people don't want
and there was never an enterprise that didn' t
meet with opposltion-making people repair
their uneven pavements, opening new Streets
abating the fsh-cart nuisance land others from
the "corners" aud muzzling the dogs the Com
miSiOners have kept many persons in hot wa
ter for the last six weeks or more, and they
have been talked about, abused, and even car
featured in lead pencil drawings but their work
goes bravey on. Had they the weight of the
whole government of the United States resting
upon them they could hardly be viewed
with more solicitude by some of the old fogies
who didn't vote for them, but who are wonder
fully afraid they will do something to render
themselves unpopular. The Commissioners
they think, are rather regardless of public opin
ion. But the Commissioners proceed with
the work they were elected to perform, and
have fully anticipated the opposition they would
meet with. This opposition they take as ar
evidence that they are doing their duty.
Year: 1869

A RAILROAD DIsPUTE-A regular difficulty
seems to have been thrown in the way of
the further progress of the Maryland &
Delaware Railroad at this time. Some per-
sons along the line of the road between Hills
borough and EastOn deny that the company
has acquired any title to their land and have
applied for an injunction to prohibit the COM
pany from trespassing on their land.
Year: 1869

Often to town just for day and want place
where leave bag while running around
and where appoint to meet with friends and
others with whom have business Messrs. Wanamaker
Brown invite to up with them Leave bag
in charge OF the clerks at the delivery counter and
house. If find to advantage make purchases
well and Road If not you will be welcome all the
Year: 1869

The Toronto Globe Of the 10th inst,


treats the idea of the absorption of Cana


da, the rejection of the Alabama claim


Summers speech and the prospect OF war;
with good humored sarcasm and no little


keenness Of point The Globe says:


"Thc talk which Sumner INDUCES in


shows very clearly that the American


Government does not wish the question


settled forthwith. 1t is useful in the busi-


ness of home politics, and it is regarded


as n convenient screw for pressing good


bargain with Britain in other ways. 1t


will help to keep up the feeling OF ami


mostly toward the old country, so de-
voutly cherished by a considerable por-
ton of the free and enlightened; /; and it is
hoped will make the offender, real or
supposed, willing to come to better terms
by and by Very few in the States, except
among the ignorant Fenians and more
rabid and reckless politicians, dream at
this moment of making the Alabam. dis
pute the occasion for war. Nothwith
standing all their swagger, the Americans
have clear ideas Of what is involved in
such an eventuality, and they have no in
clination to run the risk Whenever o
hard bargain has mad to be driven, this,
however, had been their cue, and they are
now reckoning upon the ignorance and
Of British statesmen, as in
former times, for securing good deals
any rate, of what they want In this we
believe they are mistaken. Formerly
they were contented with large slices of
territory, more than were justly due. The
ignorance Of English diplomatists made
this easy. Now, perhaps, grown bold by
success, they dream of taking all North
America as peace offering, and imagine
that all is necessary to do this is to kick
and swagger, as in the case of the Maine
boundary, and the thing will be done.
Like the soldier that drew his sword and
threatened dreadful things if he did not
get pair of boots at his own price, they
would be the readiest, after getting what
they wished, to reply to the inquiry about
what they would have done, supposing
they had been refused. Done Why !!
what could we have done? Done. with
out, to be sure! Exactly, and that will
be found to be the upshot of the whole
affair When the Americans have dis
covered that they can not secure anything
by bullying, they will either forget the
Alabama altogether, or will agree to
some equitable method Of settling the
claims
Year: 1869




Our notice last week in the Love case,
which was before the Grand jury, have
been construed as rejecting on the U. S.
Commissioner that committed, from the
fact that the Grand Jury found no bill
against him. There were seven witnesses
that appeared before the Commissioner,
when the case was before him and the
evidence strong and positive against Mr..
Love. But since that time two Of the
witnesses have died, and why the District
attorney did not have the other Ave before
the Grand Jury we knew not; but con.
cluded that the evidence was not sufficient
to sustain the charge made against Love.
We make this statement that our remarks
last week may not be taken as reflection
on the action Of the U. S. Commissioner,
whom we believe to be conscientious,
honest, upright gentleman, and who in
the action he took in the case, done moth.
ing more than his duty and what the evi,
dence fully warranted.
Year: 1869

At the last term of the United States
District Court At this place, Judge CALp-
WELL made two rulings that are full OF
importance TO the people Of the Indian
country ard of the frontier. One that the
civil process Of this court can run into
the Indian country, in behalf Of the Uni
ted States and final process after judg-
ment in favor of private ltigants This
will admit of Indians and residents OF the
Indian country, being taken as bail in
criminal cases in the District Court, and
security on bonds to the United States.


The second ruling is, that the mere
possession of spirituous liquors in the
Indian country is prime .racia evidence
of its having been introduced by the
party in possession, and if unexplained
how possession was had, sufficient to
work conviction. Those who love their
" toddys" in the Indian country, must
now look out for informers' and Dep
uty United States Marshals, when they
choose to indulge their appetite in this
Year: 1869

This great enterprise, says the. Con
necticut Register, commenced less than
four years ago, has been pushed forward,
at an astonishing rate. The completion
of the Union and Central Pacific is now
accomplished. Such q work is an honor
alike to the nation by whose bounty it
was sustained and to the age in which we
live It's influence upon the United
States cannot well be over-e estimated.
The union Of these two roads, which the
public very properly regard as one, gives
a continuous line Of rails from New York
to San Francisco, a distance of over three
thousand miles.


AS we have said, the distance from
New York to San Francisco is over three
thousand miles, and the running time
less than seven days, as will be seen by
the following table, which is as nearly
correct as we can, at the present time
oh ~