smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1860

The New York Herald which 80 ably de-
Tended the cause of the Union in this terri
ble emergency, now declares that its ''hopcs
of the preservation of this Confedeacy,
through the mediatorial intervention OF
Congress, have vanished" We must tell
our more experienced and able coternpora.
ries that they had no right to have hopes in
that quarter from the beginning. There
never was greater set Of party hacks in
Congress since the foundation of the gov
ernment, than in the present one. 1t is
composed, in a large measure, of the men
whose denagoguical appeals have driven
the nation into its present disaster, These
men are yet fresh from their labors Of hate
their hearts still ranking with venom,
and echoes Of their virtuperations still ring
ing in the ears of the people. Their own
eyes arc not only blinded to the truth and
their hearts closed to the appeals Of be-
trayed people, but their personal pride is
irrevocably involved in maintaining the po-
sition they have assumed. Under these
circumstances, we think it was unwise to
calculate upon relief from the present Con-
gress. All that can be hoped for from the
present Congress is that they will not Who'll
ly ruin the governmcnt-that they will not
plunge the country into war, and that they
will call convention of all the States, fresh
from the people and untrammelled by party
lines, to readjust and settle this matter con-
stitutionally and forever This, we have
seen from the first, was the only hope, and
every indication confirms our original con-
ceptions. With a convention there is great
reason to hope; without a convention, there
is nome Chicago Times.
Year: 1860

Chicago, already the largest grain market
in the world, is steadily adding to its facili-
ties for carrying on this trade. We notice
with pleasure that Munger & Armour, and
Smith G. Sturges, WHO are among our most
experienced and enterprising houses in this
line, are each building new Elevator on
the South Branch These are to be of the
largest class, built in the most substantial
manner, and furnished with the best and
most approved machinery, and are to be
completed early in the spring. Some idea of
the immense amount Of grain which may
be handled in them, may be gathered from
the fact that they are to be furnished with
nearly thirty Of Fairbanks 400 bushel and
800 bushel Hopper Scales, which are by
universal consent the best in use, and that
each of these scales, so perfect will be the
machinery, can be loaded to its full capa-
city, and the grain discharged again from
the Hopper, in less than ten minutes. In
view Of the Immense and fertile country
lying back Of us, tiaversed in all directions
by numerous railroads, having their centre
here, and of our present and increasing
facilities for receiving and shipping grain,
the experience and enterprise of our bust
ness men, it is reasonable to expect Chicago
will be in the future, as now, the great
grain market of the world. - Chicago Press
G Tribune.
Year: 1860


Twas the night before Christmas, when all through thu
house,


Not creature was stirring, not even mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas would be there
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-pums danced thro' their heads
And mamma in her 'kerchsf and in my cap,
Had just settled brains for long winters nap
When out in the lawn there such clatter,
sprang from my bed to see what the matter;
Away to the window flew like fash,
lore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the ncw-falen snow,
Gave the lustre of midday to objects below;
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But miniature sleigh and eight tiny raindeer,
With Lit tie old driver so lively and quick,
knew in q moment it must be st. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
Aud he whispered and shouted and called them by


name


'.Now Dasheri now Dancer! Prancer! +! now Vixen
On Comet! on Cupid on Donder, on Bhxenl
To he top Of the porch to the top of the wall
Now dash away, dash away, dash away all !"
AS the leaves that before the hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to tho sky,
So up to the house-top, the coursers they nsw,
With a sleis sh full Of toys--and st. Nicholas too
Axd then in a twinklng, heard on the roof,
The prancing and paving of each little hoof.
So drew in my head and turning around,
Down the chimney st. Nicholas came with a bound.
lie dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot
And his clothes all tarnished with ashes and scott
bundle Of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like pcdlar just opening his pack:
Ills eyes, how they twinkcd, his dmples, how merry
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like cherry
His dro lit lc mouth drawn up like a bow,
And the beard on his chin white as he snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke, it encrclcd his head like wreath,
lie had broad face, and little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like bowl full of jelly
lie was chubby and plump, right jolly old elf
And laughed when saw him, in spite Of myself.
wink OF his eye and twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know had nothing to dread.
lie spoke not word, but went straight to his work
Aud filed all the stockdngsthen turned with jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving nod, up the chimney he rose.


lie sprang to his sleigh to his team gave q whistle,
And away they all few like the down of thistle.
But heard him exclaim ere he drove out OF sight.
"MRRRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL Goop


NIGHT"'
Year: 1860

Moment OF Horror.


The Mobile Register Is arswerxbis ~
the following:


For twenty three years old Jake Willard
has cultivated the soil Of Baldwin couatlE
and drawn therefrofn support for hisuSlk
and wife. He is childless. Not long ago
Jake left the house in search Of mlaoina
cow. His route led him through IN oh
worn out patch of clay land; Of about six
acres in extent, in the center 6f which wax
a well twenty five or thirty feet deep that
at some time probably had furnished th,:
inhabitants Of ruined house near by With
water. In passing this spot an III wind
lifted Jake's hat from his head and mali.
ciously waited it to the edge Of the well and
in it tumbled.


Now Jake had always practiced the viri
tue of economy, and he Immediately set
about the recovery Of the lost hat. He ran
to the well and finding that il was dry at
the bottom, he uncoiled the rope which he
had brought for the purpose Of capturing
the truant cow, and after several attempts
to catch the hat with moose, he coilelude4
to save time by going down into the well
himself. To accomplish this he made one
end of the rope fast to stump hard by and
was quickly on his way down the well.


1t is fact, of which Jake was no lesa
obvious than the reader hereof, that Ned
Wells was in the ruined building aforesaid,
and that an old blind horse with bell on
his neck, who had been turned out to die;
was lazily grazing within short distaacs
Of the well. -


The devil himself, or some other wicked
spirit, put it into Ncd's cranium to have Z
little fun; go he quietly slipped up to the
horse and unbuckling the bell strap ap-
preached with slow and measured ting q
ling" to the edge of the well.


"Dang that old blind horscr' said Jake,
''he's cummin' this way sure, and amt
got no more sense than to fall in here
Whoa, Ball I" ...... ... .. .....ss


But the continued approach of tho sting
a ling" said just as plainly as words that
"Balr' wouldn't whoa. Besides Jake was!
at the bottom resting before trying to shin
it up the rope.


Great Jerusalem!' said he, 'thc old cuss
will be a top Of me before | can say Jack
Robinson. Whoa, dang you, whoa!''


just then Ned drew up to the edge Of
the well, and with his foot kicked little
dirt into it. r.s.s.


"Oh, Lord =! exclaimed Jake, falling up.
on his knees at the bottom, "I'm gone now,
whoa Now lay me down to slecp--w-h-o-a
Ball ! pray the Lord my soul to--w-h-o.s
now. Oh, Lord, have mercy on mcr'


Ned could hold in no longer, and fearing
that Jake might suffer from his fright, be
revealed himself .. a..


Probably Ned didn't make tracks with
his heels from that well. Maybe Jake
wasn't up to the top of 1t in short time;
and you might think he didn't try everv
night for two weeks to get a shot with his
rife at Ned. Maybe not l don't know.
But do know that if Jake finds out who
sent you this, it will be the last squib you
will get from this writer.
Year: 1860




Last week we paid the enterprising city
of McGregor visit. It's progress seems
to be onward, not with the faltcring, timid
tread of many of our Western cities, but
at each visit its pace seems to have been ac-
CELEBRATED. There is no town west of the
Mississippi that seems to have increased so
steadily and rapidly in all the elements of
material wealth, as this marrow city" Its
location is such rs to make the North h-west-
crn portion Of this State, and the Southern
part of Minnesota, tributary to its interests.
And this location has created demand for
business men that has been promptly sup
piled, by transferring from the eastern cities
to that point, their most thorough, active.
honorable and solid business men. In such
a town, droneS are as naturally excluded by
the activity Of its business men, as they ave
from. the hive, by the industry Of its frugal
occupants. The same prosperity that has
marked its progress since we came to
Northern Iowa, continued for the next two
or three years, will make it the most noted
business town of its age west of the lakes.
-Nsu Oregon Pldindedler.
Year: 1860

READING.-Kcep your view of men and things
extensive, and, depend upon it, that mixed
knowledge is not superficial one AS far as it
goes, the views that it gives true; bat he who
reads deeply in class of writers only gets views
which almost sure to be perverted, and which
are not only narrow, but false. Adjust your pro-
posed amount of reading to your time and inclina-
ton; this is perfectly free to every man; but
whether that amount be large or small, let it be
varied in its kind, and widely varied.
Year: 1860

A TOUCHING APPEAL-A mothers love for
her son is never weakened, never dies. The
mother of William A. Choice, under sentence of
death at Atlanta, Ga, for the murder of a young
man named Wceb, while under the influence of
liquor, has petitioned the Legislature that her
might be saved from the gallows on the ground
that he subject to frequent fits of alteration of
mind. 1t appears that she was prevented FROM
bringing this fact before the jury at the trial. in
consequence of being prostraIed by illness. In
her petition she the following words, appeal
that could only come from mothers heart: "The
law which cannot show mercy, has doomed him to
die on the gallows, but am still his mother, and
that tie which nature creates and makes holy is
most sacred-it is not weakened by his impending
fate. If any among you be inclined to deem me
intrusive, let him remember this-et him remem-
Der his own mother, and say whether she ought to
be silent if cruel destiny was about to consign
him to such fate


The Senate, after an able debate, passed the
bill granting pardon to the condemned by vote
of 81 to 3d.
Year: 1860

Be2gH Committee of the Maryland Legislature
is taking testimony in of impeachment Of
one of the Judges of Baltimore One of the wit
nesses, who had been twenty-one days juror in
the court over which the Judge presides, sworc
that the Judge was on the bench drunk every day.
Year: 1860

tho proprietor. A perfect combination al


more useful remedies it is impossible to


conceive and the Arctic Liniment is Ger


tainiy destined to achieve brillian. sue


cess We would advise our readers to pre-


serve this article for future reference. The


disehses susceptible of being cured BY the


Arctic liniment " are specified in another
lcolumn.
| foUSe MEN SHOULD MARRY.-Rev. Mr..


Dow once closed discourse as singular for


Its quaintness as practical in its advice


want you, my young sinners, to kiss


and get married, and devote your time to
morality and money making. Then let
your homes be provided with such COM
forts and necessaries IS piety, pickles, pots
and kettles, brushes, brooms. benevolence,
bread, virtue. wine and wisdom. Have
these always on hand and happiness will
be with you. Do not drink anything in
|toxicating, eat moderately, go about busi-
ness after breakfast, lounge a little after
dinner, chat after tea and kiss after quarrel
ing Then all the joy, the peace and bliss
the earth can afford, shall be yours until
the grave closes over you, and your spirits
are borne to brighter and happier world"


~ The Yanceyites are concerned about
Douglas speaking, says the Louisville
Democrat, while he is a candidate for the
office of President What, is it their bus
mess ? The friends of Douglas desire him
to speak. The people want to hear in these
times of division what he has to say. He
appeals to the people against combination
as unscrupulous az ever was formed
against President who has disgraced the
office he holds by stump speaking to elect
his successor, and who is employing against
him all the power of official patronage.
The old party hacks who have ruled at the
public crib are against him, and using all
the influence that official patronage gives
them to crush man whose ability they en-
W and fear. They don't want such Pres
ident as he would be; apower coming from
the people that they cannot control. The
fanceites can speak-and their candidates
if they dare-trot them all out
Year: 1860

fair division OF time is rendered to either wing
Of the opposition, attending the above appoint
ments- A favor will be conferred by any friend,
who viii place Posters in prominent places, that a
full attendance of the people may be had.


Democratic papers will please give publicity to
the shove appointments.
Year: 1860

A MURDERER CONVICTED by THE MIC
RoscopE. - The microscope is daily be.
coming a more important aid to legal
investigation An illustration of this
occurred not long ago, in which murder
was brought home to the criminal by
means of this instrument. Much circum-
stantial evidence had been adduced
against him, among which was the fact,
that knife in his possession was smeared
with blood, which had dried on the blade
and on the handle. The prisoner strove
TO turn aside the force of this circumstance
by asserting that he had cut some raw
beef with the knife, and had omitted to
wipe it.


The knife was submitted to an emf
nent professor of microscopy, who imme-
diatelv discovered the following facts =
|. The stain was certainly blood. 2. 1t
was not the blood Of piece of dead flesh,
but that of living body; for it had
coagulated where it was found. g. 1t
was not the blood of an OK, sheep or hog.
4. 1t was human blood Besides these
facts, however, other important ones were
revealed by the same mode of investiga-
ton. s.. Among the blood were found
some vegetable fibres. 6. These were
proved to be cotton Gbres,-agrecing with
those of the murdered mans shirt and
neck .kerchief. Z. There were present
also numerous tessellated epithelial cells.
In order to understand the meaning and
the bearing of this fact, | must explain
that the whole of the internal surface OF
the body is lined with delicate mem
brane IA continuation of the external
skin,) which discharges mucus, and is
hence termed mucus membrane. Now
this is composed of loose cells, which
very easily separate, called epithelial cells;
they are in fact constantly in process OF
being detached lin which state they con-
stitute the mucus,) and Of being replaced
from the tissue beneath. Now microsco.
pial anatomists have learned that these
epithelial scales or cells, which are SO
minute as to be undscernible by the
unaided eye, differ in appearance and
arrangement in different parts of the
body. Thus, those which line the gullct
and the lower part of the throat are
tesselated, or resemble the stones of q
pavement those that cover the tongue
are arranged in cylinders or tall cones,
and are known as cokaawner; while those
that line some Of the viscera Of the
abdomen carry little waving hairs (ciiia)
at their tips, and are known as ciliated
epithelium.


The result of the investigation left no
doubt remaining that with that knife the
throat of hDing human being, which
throat had been protected by some cotton
fabric, had been cut. The accumulation
of evidence was fatal to the prisoner,
who without the microscopic testimony
might have escaped.-Gosses EecningS al
the Microscope.
Year: 1860

GENIUS AND LABoR.-Alexande Ham
ilton once said to an intimate friend =
"Men gave me some credit for genius
All the genius have is just this: When
| have a subject in hand l study it pro
foundly. Day and night it is before me
| explore it in all its bearing. My mind
becomes pervaded with it. Then the
effort which 1 make is what the people
called the fruit of genius. 1t Is the
fruit Of labor and thought.


Mr.. Webster once replied to a gentle.
man who requested him to speak on a
subject Of great Importance: "The subject
interests me deeply, but l have not time
There, sir" pointing to a huge pile Of
letters on the table, "is pile of letters
to which l must reply before the close oi
the session, (which was then three days
off / have not time to master the sub
ject so as to do it Justice"


"But, Mr.. Webster, few words from
you would do so much to awaken public
attention to it,"


off there be so much weight in my
words as you represent, it is because
do not allow myself to speak on any sub
ject till l have imbucd my mind with it.
"Demosthenes was once urged to speal
on great and sudden emergency. 81
am not prepared" said he, and obstinate
ly refused.


The law of labor is equally binding OF
genius and msdiccrity.
Year: 1860

WHALE FIsuuNG.-A young man who
left Syracuse some months ago, on a
whaling voyage, writes an interesting
letter to the Standard from the Sandwich
Islands, where the ship he was attached
TO was anchored in November. We make
the following extract:


On this voyage, thus far, VIC have ia
ken 13 whales and one stinker, (dead
whale,) and in these captures we have
used the Bomb Gun. This gun is about
feet in length, with bore of / I inches,
made of steel, and weighs 30 lbs. 1t is
stout, solid and compact-carries q lance
Of 20 inches in length. The lance is
round, with one end pointed, and concave
on three sides; on the other end, for about
8 inches, is drilled very fine hole, in
which is placed fuse, leading to the
chamber or the other IL inches of the
lance, which contains an explosive COM
position which in force is sixteen times
that of gunpowder. The lance contains
ounces, thus making the charge equal
to Abs. gunpowder. The gun is first
charged with a small quantity of gun
POWDER and with leather wad, with a
hole in the center. The fuse end of the
lance is then put in, leaving the other end
to cut its was into the whale. When the
gun is discharged the fire catches the fuse
through the hole in the wad, and in three
or four seconds you hear an explosion in
the whale which generally ends his life,
and is always sure if put in vital part.
This lance is generally used after whale
has had his "frst run" or sound. The
boat is hauled close on to him, and as
soon as he shows chance the lance is
fired into him just abaft the shoulder
blade, which is sure to reach his
life. Sometimes whale shows good
chance when going up to "fastcn," and
he is "bomed" at the same time he is
struck. The gun costs sixty dollars, and
each lance SO, and is Yankee invention,
excellent for the saving of life and
limb in the whale business.
Year: 1860

The removal of the ruins of old st.
Paurs, in London, formed an instructive
chapter in architecture. We learn from
the NLife of Wren" that the walls, eighty
feet perpendicular, and FIVE feet thick,
and the tower at least two hundred feet
high, through cracked, and swayed, and
tottering, stuck obstinately together, and
their removal, stone by stone, was found
tedious and dangerous. At first men
with picks and levers loosened the stones
above, then canted them over, and labor
ers moved them away below, aud piled
them into heaps. The want of room (for
between the walls of the church and those
Of the houses there lay a street only some
thirty yards wide) made this way slow
and unsafe. Several men lost their lives,
and the pile of stones grew steep and
large. Thus, however, Sir Christopher
Wren proceeded, gaining every day more
room till he came to the middle tower
that bore the steeple. The remains of
the tower being nearly two hundred feet
HIGH the laborers were afraid to work
above; thereupon he concluded to facili-
tate this work by the force of gunpowder.
He dug hole down by the northwest
pillar of the tower, the four pillars Of
which were each about fourteen feet in
diameter When he had dug to the foun-
dation, he then, with crows and tools
made on purpose, wrough hole two feet
square, hard into the centre of the pillar.
There he placed little tin box contain
ing eighteen pounds of powder, and no
more. a case was fixed to the box with
a quick match, as gunners call it, within
the case, which reached from the box to
the ground above, and along the ground
was laid the train of powder with match


After this the mine was carefully closed
up again with stone and mortar to the
top of the ground. He then observed
the effect of the blow. This little quanti-
ty of powder not only lifted up the whole
angle of the tower, with two great arches
which rested upon it, but also two ad
joining arches of the aisles and all above
them. And this it seemed to do some
what leisurely, cracking the walls to the
top, lifting visibly the whole weight above
nine inches, which suddenly jumping
down, made q great heap of ruins in the
place without scattering.


1t was half minute before the heap
opened in two or three places, and emit
ted some smoke. BY thisdescription may
be observed the incredible force of pow
der eighteen pounds of which lifted up
three thousand tons, and saved the work
of thousand laborers. The fall of so
great a weight from height of two hun
dred feet, gave a conclusion to the ground
that the inhabitants around took for an
earthquake. During Wren's absence, his
superintendent made n larger hole, put
in greater charge of gunpowder, and
ncglecting to fortify the mouth Of the
mine, applied the match The explosion
accomplished the object, but one stone
was displaced with such violence that
it flew to the opposite side of the church
yard, smashed in window where some
women were sitting, and alarmed the
whole ncighborhood so that they united
in petitioning that no more powder should
be used.
Year: 1860

An OLD YARN--A yarn has been 60
ing the rounds Of the newspapers to the
effect that the Grand Trunk Railway had
five thousand axes made in England from
pattern, which was so closely initiated
by the mechanic that there were no eyes
in any of them, the pattern itself being
destitute of that requisite. The same
story was told of the Hudson's Bay
Company forty years ago.