smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1868

This we regard as our main dependence, and will
give it especial and careful attention and would
say that the better the watch or clock, the easier
and more thoroughly repaired when in the hands Of
an experienced workman. We have constantly ap
piled ourselves to this business for than twenty
years. We are thankful that while yet scarcely
open our record of watches, which we carefully
keep, shows that the shop is in the right place. All
work warranted.


We came here because we have long desired to
live in Smyrna, and in compliance with the wishes
Of our friends.


Jan. 29th, '68 81 J.V. SMITH.
Year: 1868

A home should be the first care of ev-
cry man who has wife and children.


No matter how poor it is, if you own it,
1t will strengthen every thing about you.
Ii Will cause the real pleasures Of this life
to cluster about you


Homes make happy children


Homes make good Christians.


When you have secured home, your
next Care should be to make it comfort
able, and as soon as it is comfortable you
should m axe as effort to beautify it.


Plant trees and flowers, and even the
unseen Angels will love to dwell about
your cabin home.


God will bless the homes Of his people.
Year: 1868

During the consideration of section
making legal the union of colored people
during slavery, Mr.. Newcomb offered
the following amendment:


And the Legislature shall pass laws enabling
all children born out of wedlock to inherit a
just proportion of the property of their fathers
and mothers, also compelling the parents of
such children to provide for their support and
education until of age"


This Just and Christian proposition,
bearing alike on all classes, was voted
down, TO the shame of the Convention.


The section which was adopted is
simply no relief at all, and displays an
old Southern Chivalry spirit which we
had hoped did not prevail in our Conven-
ton. 1t also shows narrow, cowardly
kind OF craftsmanship which must meet
the contempt of all good Republicans.


All honor to those Republicans who
voted for Mr. Newcomb's proposition,
their names shall be remembered.


We do not intend to drop this subject
until it is properly recognized by our law
ma kers.


Il is question which interests every
phllanthropist and every one who is just.
Year: 1868

The Reconstruction Convention has
repealed the Sunday law passed during
the Rebellion, and fixed up by the last
Legislature to bear hard upon the Freed
people and at the same time to annoy
he Germans. The law which has been
done away with made it crime for any
person to work on Sunday except persons
who did housework, and laboregs on sus-
ar plantations, on steamboats,, railroads,
wagon trains, founderies, sugar mills, or
stock keepers, herders; keepers of toll
bridges, and hotels and hotel servants
and stable keepers and their servants.


So it will be seen that it was an unjust
law which made distinction between
the working people and others.


The law also prevented any person
from buying and selling on the Sabbath


The people are now at liberty to do as
they please on Sunday provided they do
not disturb the peace or interfere with
the rights of others.


We are glad the law has been done
away with because it was unjust and
could be used to cypress the people and
we believe it will not hurt the keeping
holy the Sabbath day. Let every chris
tan do his duty and every good citizen
make it law of his own to keen the
Sabbath as day of rest; and let the Off
GERS of the law put down all row wdyism
and all disturbers OF the peace.
Year: 1868

A look over the political field tells u.


that In Texas We will have but little USE


for politics for almost year TO come.
| The Reconstruction Convention will
take a recess until about the first o
the next year and then it will be far along
IN the Spring before the people will be
called upon to vote. In the mean time
the great election for President will be
held and General Grant will be elected.


Gen. Reynolds, our Military comman-
der will gradually put down crime in our
State, and our people will be able to ex
ercise their rights as American citizens in
perfect good humor, with. none to make
afraid.


Now, what must we do, during the
time we are waiting? attend to our crops
and business; keep up our Union orga nj
cations and read the Free mans Press,
These few months ahead of us shonld he
happy ones OF rest to the people of Texas;
while all the rest of the land is worked
up with great political fight the people
of Texas can gather their cotton and
corn and look quietly on, and Uncle Sam
will send enough of his "boys in blue"
to put down bad men and give us peace


The constitution now being made bv
the convention will come before us and as
free men we will have the right of exam
ining it and If it does not suit us, we can
vote it down, and order a new one made,


The difference between prominent Re-
publlcans can be examined, and princi-
pies not men be made the rule of action
of all good men.


The Free Mans Press will be fearless
and fair in its course. We will attempt
give our readers correct lessons in politics
during the few months OF rest now before
us.


la times of peace prepare for war
In times of political rest prepare for the
ahead.


Prepare the head and heart.
Year: 1868

All lovers of liberty in all ages have
been friends of education.


Men must be either savages like lnt
Wild Indian, who knows no want but
his appetite for buffalo meat and the
gfatihcation of his passions; o: they
must be Christian civilized men.


The simple difference between the
Wild indian and the Christian is educa.
ton.


Education is a big word, and has a
Dig meaning, but we only desire to draw
attention to the kind of education known
as the reading and writing education;
the knowledge of books, which is the
key that unlocks the door to the great
temple of wisdom.


The world is full of books, which tell
ofeverything that the mind of man has
ever thought of; and this great temple
filled with books, is open to all who can
simply read.


The world has been travelled over and
described, so that man, or child in the
humblest cabin in Texas can become ac-
quainted with the world.


We can learn from history how people
have lived thousands of years ago.


Science has visited the earth beneath
and the heavens above in search of
knowledge; books treat of all this.


The Bible stands open to the reader,
the Book of books. All what great
treasure is open to the person who can
simply read.


The great educator of this day is the
newspaper. Every family should take
a paper


A free people have every door of edu-
cation thrown open to them; aid a
man must bea savage or he must be
an educated Christian.


In Texas we hope TO have common
schools, free to the poorest child, and we
hope to cultivate the love for books, in
every home.


We intend to talk often on this subject |
Year: 1868

Satan never tempts wicked mau, for
as long as man is wicked Satan is con-
tented; but let person try to be goo !,
and serve God, and the Devil is full of
business in trying to find temptations
enough to cause the person to sin. There
fore when you are most tempted, resist
temptation tine more; and by the grace of
God you shall over come it.
Year: 1868

That the great, general and essential principles
of liberty aud free government, may he recog-
nized and established, and that the relations Of
this State to the Union and government of the
United States, and those of The people OF this
State to the rest of the American people, may be
defined and affirmed, we do declare: -.a


Section |. That we hold it to be self evident
that all men arc created equal; That they are en-
dowed BY their Creator with certain unalienable
rights; that among these are life, liberty the en-
loyment OF the fruit Of their own labor, and the
pursuit of happiness =G5 sf


Sec 3 That all political power is vested in,
and derived from the people; all government of
right originates from the people, is founded upon
their will only, and is instituted solely for the
good Of the whole. foE N


Sec. 3. That the people of this State hav,. the
inherent, sole, and exclusive right OF regulating
the internal government and police thereof, and
Of altering and aboiishing their Constitution and
form of government, whenever it may be neces-
sary to their safety and happiness; but every
such right should be exercised in pursuance of
law, and consistently with the Constitution of
the United States


Sec. 4. That this State shall ever remain member
Of the American Union, that the people thereof
Year: 1868

l said nothing. All could have an
swered would have been:


81 am impelled to go; must 60; l
dare not refuse, whatever may be
thought of me-"


In ten minutes we were splashing
through mud and rain along the road.
1t was perfectly dark; now and then q
blazing red star in the distance told US
that lamp was cleaning through the
rain in some cottage window, bat other
wise would not have been conscious of
our proximity to any habitation what
ever. At last nearing the spot where
the road from s. crosses the road
from P, we were indeed in as sol
itary place as could be we'll imagin-
ed.


The house, which abutted on the very
angle of the roads called in familiar
parlance the Crossroads, was the only
one for some distance in either direc-
ton, and certainly on such q night we
were not likely to meet many travel
ers.


All was, silent as the grave. We
stood quite still. In o moment Ben
broke out in one of his very widest
laughs,


"Well," he said, Chow now Will
you go home and have another night
mare 7"


But hardly had the words escaped his
lips when o shrek broke on the air,
and woman's voice plainly coming
from the interior of the cottage cried


"Help! help! helpw
| "Ben,n said /, "we were wanted at
Cross s-reads," and then understanding
each other, without more words we
made our way to a window, through
which light shone. A muslin cur
tain draped the panes, but through 1t
we saw an awful sight.


An old man lay upon the floor, and
over him him bent ruffian, clutchiDg
his throat, and holding pistol to his
ear, while another man grasped a
shrieking girl by the arm-a girl in a
floating night dress-with such long
golden hair as belonged to the woman
of my vision.


Not q moment was to be wasted.


Ben flung his weight against the
slender lattice and crushed it in, and we
had grappled with the ruffians before
they knew whence the attack came or
how many foes were upon them.
/ do not intend to describe the strug-
gle: indeed, could not, if would. But
we were strong men, and inspired by
the cries of the helpless old man and
the terrified girl, soon had one of the
Williams bound, and the other lying
on the floor.


Then Ben started for assistance, and
before morning both were in Jail, Ben
admitting, as we shook each other by
the hand, that we were "wanted at the
Crossroads"


The old man was not miser,
but he had saved some few thou
sands for his old age, and living
more plainly than he need have done,
had given rise to the rumor, and so
brought the burglars to the Crossroads
in the hope of booty.


The girl, beautiful creature of sew
enteen, was his granddaughter, and as
no story is acceptable to the lady rea-
der without flavor of romance, / will
tell them that she became in after
years, not my wife, but the wife of my
darling brother Ben.
Year: 1868

A RADICAL campaign song was sung
at the Chicago Convention with the
following classic refrain:


Then rally again. then rally again,


With the soldier. and sailor and hummer;
We viii fight IL out here, On the Old Union line
No odds Il II take as all summer"


A sweet lot are these "God and moral
ity- bummers.
Year: 1868

1 WduG u WllUlCH CApISSslOu


of views that can be followed by
Il concurrence of action. I want to
know if you and the gentlemen who
will join in that written expression
are willing to pledge the people ofthe
South to chivalrous and magnani-
nous devotion to restoring peace and
prosperity to our common country.
| want to carry that pledge high above
the level of party politics, to the late
officers and soldiers of the Union
army, and the people of the North and
West, and to ask them to consider it,
and to take the necessary action, con-
fident that it will meetwith response
so warm, so generous and confiding
that we shall see in its sunshine the
rainbow of peace in our political sky,
Year: 1868

That Louisville girl who was wanted to
inherit fortune of 100000 in gold was
found in garret, dying of consumption.


"A party of benznists near New York
thought it a good joke to bury alive one of
their number who was the drunkest, and they
did IT,
Year: 1868

The project TO add over $lSO,OOO to the an
nual expense of the Metropolitan Fire Depart
mcnt, now costing the city over 100000, to
which has been added a section which allows
the Board of Supervisors to pass upon the
claims Of eight volunteer companies of the old
Department, whose organizations were kept up
by the former Commissioners for nearly two
aud a half years, on the payment of 81 900 to
each company, and who now claim to be en-
titled to the same pay as fremen giving full
time to their duties, making Ill the aggregate
900 additional, is still hopefully pressed
by the projectors in the face of tho opposition
of the Board of Commissioners, and of the ad-
verse report of four out of five (Messrs. Crow
ley, Palmer, Banks and Kennedy of the Com
mittee on Municipal Affairs. 1t is well known
to the Commissioners and to the public that a
large contribution in the way of an assessment
OIL the increase has been made by the men,
naturally individually anxious to obtain an adj
ditional 5000 each, without regard to the con-
sequences to the Department or the public.
This contribution, which is estimated to reach
$4,000 in amount, is too large for any ordinary
compensation for lobby agents, and should
take the bill out of the order of measure
presented on its merits, and place it on the
list of jobs, grown so common OF late years,
and which the public, alive to steadily increas-
ing taxation, are watching with interest to see
how the good men in the Senate will strangle
The action of the Committee in reporting
against the matter, and of the Commissioners
in actively opposing it. cannot fail to be sus-
tanned without an inquiry as to how it was ef-
fected and WHO is responsible.
Year: 1868

case first cxtiuguishing the "pyrotechnics" of
the defense, and then bringing to bear on the
Presidents crimes something more ne ri re-
Sembling the simple solar light. We may
safely infer, from his allusion to the length of
Mr. Evarts's address, that he will not also seek
to make his Grafton immortal by making it
eternal. He dwells most fOrcibly on the dangers
of the doctrine that the President shall he per-
mitted to annul all laws by merely denying their
cOnSttutiOnality. This would rcvolutiOnize the
Government into u monarchy. AS it has never
been asserted that the President is any more
independent of the legislative than he is of
the judicial branch of the Government, the
same doctrine which the Presidents counsel
have advanced and defended would justify him


in declaring null the judgment of the Senate
itself and, instead of retiring from Office in
obedience to its sentence, i'll procuring himself
to be crowned King Andrew the First.
Year: 1868

In view of the studied attempts of the Dem
ocratlc press to represent the trial of Andrew
Johnson as partisan proceeding it is some
what singular that the only Senators who have
spoken or voted on the questions which have
arisen on the trial, with strict regard to party
lines, are the Democrats Republican Senators
have divided in every way according to their
individual convictions, now sustaining and now
condemning in mass the course of the I'M
peachment Managers. But every solitary point


raised by the Presidents counsel has been
voted for as soldly by the Democratic Senators
as if they were all owned by the President


body, soul, and breeches.n Indeed, no part of
the Democratic press seems to think it worth
while to inquire how the Democratic Senators
will vote. 1t is assumed that their vote is with
out discretion and purely partisan, Willie Dem
ocnts of every shade admit that the
Reuubhcan Senators arc unbiased by the
Year: 1868

doubts they express of their final decision


Is it possible that Democratic Senator,
all conscientiOusly believe in the novel
and unprecedented claims on which the presi.
dents defense rests Does Rcverdy Johnson


as a lawyer, believe that a Presidents lawful
independence of the legislative and judicial
branches of the Government exteuds 80 FAR .s
to authorize him to disobey the judgments Of
the latter or the laws of the former? II 80


why has the astute Maryland lawyer lived
quarters of a century without announce
ing this startling discovery to the world And
yet Senator Johnson has in effect anDounced
in advance his intention to vote for the presi-
dents acqiittal. A solid vote of the Demo-
cratic Senators for propositions of law that
abolish the Constitution and convert this Gov
ernment into monarchy, are looked for as a
matter of course. The dainty Democratic press
swallow this very large camel as if it were
gin sling. But if Republican Senators should
as unit vote that Andrew Johnson is not a
monarch, then there will be an uplifting of un-
washed hands in horror at such partsanship
Year: 1868

The City and County Tax Levies had their
third readings and were passed in the Senate
last night. Some of the most glaringly ex-
tra,agant appropriations had been reduced in
Committee. but others were increased by the
vote of the Committee of the Whole For in
stance, the donations to schools and churches
were cut down 100000 but the Court House
appropriation was raised by the same amount,
An amendment providing for new street
cleaning contract was added to the City Tax
Levy. The Governors veto of the bill to in
crease the salary of the Sheriff was sustained
Year: 1868

Dozens OF young men write us TO this effect:
You exhOrt young men (and older) to quit
y" the oyer-crOwded cities and find (or make)
homes in the broad, free country; but
"Where2 What section do you consider most
Inviting for those who take with them little
"mOre than stout frames and willing hands n


To all such, we desire to say once for all.
There is 40 section which seems to us decidedly
preferable to all others. We have seen prairie
and timber as well interleaved in Missouri
(along the North Missouri Railroad) as We
could wish and the whole region seemed just
about enough diversified in altitude and the
timber quite good. So throughout Eastern
Kansas, but especially as we travelled south
ward from WyandOt and Lawrence, it seemed
to us doubtful if there could be better cOun-
try than we then saw. So we have as
good land in Minnesota, and in different parts
of Wisconsin, as we ever want to see. Part of
Western Michigan is still open to prGemptiOn.
and is especially desirable for the Timber that
now covers it and Fruit that it will readily
produce.


For young men who are worth 900 each,
we regard Virginia, Tennessee, and the CarOli-
mas, as very inviting Twenty such may buy
for $4,000 an estate large enough to cut up
into twenty good FARMS and then have half
their money left for Improvements, &C. BY
settling together and cherlshing fratenal
spirit, they may diminish by one half the
amount they must otherwise invest in teams,
implements, &c. We advise no poor young
man to migrate South alone; but let
twenty to forty go together buy an
estate judiciously located, cut it up,
or NJ sto loci,C
school, &c. and they will double the value of
their purchase in one year, and be in good
circumstances within ten years There are as
cheap lands and as good chances to-day in the
South as in the West; but man worth 500
may squat in the West on a quarter-section in
some section remote from present settlements,
and grOW into a completeness whereas we could
advise no one to migrate Southwark with less
than $500; while, if he goes alone and settles
among utter strangers, he will need far more
than that.


Understand, once for all, that he who takes
only his hands to the West and undertakes to
acquire a home by mere settlement, must pre-
pare for rough time. He must strike out
beyond roads, settlements, and all cyilizing
influences; he must work hard go ragged, and
live coarscy for some years, and endure many
hardships and privatiOns. If you are not
resigned to this or if your wife is not, better
hire out for q time, and thus acquire skill as
well as means. But to hirelings everywhere
and always we say, BE not content to live and
die hirelings; work hard and live frugally to
get something ahead, and whenever you shall
have secured the means, strike out at once for
a home of your own!
Year: 1868

The darkness and degradation in which
Slavery imprisoned the Poor Whites of the
South has never yet been adequately depicted
nor generally realized. A recent murder trial
at Statesvile in Western North Carolina ex-
posed a state of utter destitution of morals
and of decency pervading an extensive district
which would have disgmced SOdOm. Along
the coast of that State, and about its sounds
and inlets, there has for generations been II
very large portion of the Poor Whites living
in condition whereof Ignorance. indolencc.
Year: 1868

A dispatch was received in this city yester-
day. early in the afternoon, announcing that
the Tory Ministry had resigned, that Mr.
Gladstone had been sent for blythe Queen, and
that to him would be entrusted the formation
of new Ministry. This report is now Off
cially contradicted by the speech of Mr. Disraeli
in the House of Commons last night, who
stated that the Queen had asked him not to
tender his resignation, and not to dissolve
Parliament, but to retain office until the next
election, to be held according to the new cleo
toral law, would give to the people an oppOr-
tunity to declare their will Mr. Disraeli de-
clared his desire to adopt this policy and asked
for it the cooperation of the House.
Year: 1868

The Memphis ArdlaRche closes a long and
malignant article on the necessity of organizing
White Mans party, preparatory to war OF
races, with the following gentle paragraph:


The white of the nation combine. They must
organize and hurl their whole strength against the ma


gnant, ncendary, agParian black and Radical organk
alton which is menacing their lives and property. We
must defeat and utterly rOnt IL. We must speedily
teach the blacks that II Is not safe Tor them
10 meet In midnight cOncave c0nsre and plot against
and abuse whom they faces OF kindness and
good will There must DO an end TO the open ana ioo
mOuthed billingsgate which those in employment
collect by thousands TO heaped upon tho white men
OF the South This state of things Is without pleeeden,.
and must lead TO the most terrible results il 1t continues
much longer.
Year: 1868

only wishes them to get themselves out of the
track of a speedy decision of the triaD to con-
strue the present rules as admitting of speeches
of fifteen minutes length on each article.
What there will have been left to be said on
either side we cannot imagine. Any speech
making will he manifest buncombe and vain.
glorious display. The country longs for the
verdict and demands of Senators action. not
Year: 1868

The first whispcrings Of the whirlwind of
gab" which threatens to burst upon the
Court OF Impeachment at the conclusion of the
arguments are already heard from Washington.
We understand that it is resolved on by
those Senators who burn 20 set themselves
Fright before tho country (which, however,