smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1874

We think the personnel of the republican
county convention at Granite Hall, yesterday,
would compare favorably with any political
gathering in the country. Kennehec repub-
licans are intelligent, temperate and enter
prising men, who are among the best citizens
in the towns where they reside; such men
honor themselves and the party.
Year: 1874

Little Rock, -. Constitutional Conven.
ton to-day adopted an ordinance borrowing
sinking fund now in the Treasury TO run the
State government with, and directing the dis
continuance of the issue of State scrip
Year: 1874

The annual meeting of the Stockholders Of
the Squirrel Island Association, for the choice
of officers, and the transaction Of any other
business that may come before them, is to be
held at the hall on the island on Saturday
evening next. There will be clam bake on
the same day, at one o'clock in the afternoon.
Should the bake prove as successful as that
of last year, not many will go away hungry.
Year: 1874

formances of the New Orleans Mins.rels, II
the company remain unchanged since their
last performance here, when they gave such
complete satisfaction. Miss Maud Stanley,
the fine vocalist, is still with them, and adds
her melodies to the enjoyment of those who
attend the entertainment. There is a full or
chestra. The ladies and gentlemen Of this
city can safely attend this entertainment with
out fear of being offended by vulgarisms
The company give one performance only, at
Granite Hall on this evening.
Year: 1874

The Pittsburg Gazette relates the
following: ga short time since two
individuals we're living in one room,
very sick, one with brain fever, and
the other With an aggravated case OF
mumps. They were SO low that
watchers were needed every night,
and it was thought doubtful if the
one sick of fever would recover. A
gentleman was engaged to watch over
night, his duty being to wake the
nurse whenever it became necessary
to administer medicine. In the
course Of the night both watchers
and nurse fell asleep. The man with
the mumps lay watching the clock,
and saw that it was time to give the
fever patient his potion. He was I'M
able to speak, or move any portion
of his body except his arms, but seiz-
ing pillow he managed to strike the
watcher in the face with it. Thus
suddenly wakened, the watcher
sprang from his seat, falling to the
foor and awakened both the nurse
and the fever patient. The incident
struck the sick man asyery ludicrous,
and he laughed hartily at it for
some fifteen or twenty minutes,
When the doctor came in the morn
ing he found his patient vastly i'm
proved; said he never knew so sud
den turn for the better; and now
both are up and well.
Year: 1874

There is a sort Of deliriOus joy in
looking over family album, espe-
eially fit is a very old album with a
sprained back, which occasionally
and unexpectedly drops through
your fingers, leaving q couple Of
cousins in one hand, and three or
four aunts in the other, and the bal


lance of the family under the chair.
The first picture is Of an old gentle


man with an expression of wary
cautiousneSs in his face as if he was
engaged in dOdging a wild bull, and
was somewhat doubtful Of the result.
Opposite him is the grandmother,
patinet-looking lady in black dress,
with a book in one hand and pair
of spectacles in the other. There is
a feeble but we'll meaning effort to
look safe in her face. On the next
leaf is a middle aged man looking as
if he had been suddenly shot through
the roof of starch factory, and had
landed in the middle of e. strange
country. Oposite is the picture Of
his wife, who, having heard a rumor
of the catastrophe, has made up her
mind to be prepared for the worst.
Then follow the children-little girls
looking so prim as to make you
sqGirm, and little boys with their
eyes turned on their noses, and with
an expression on their face Of nm
earthly solemnity. Then follow un-
cles, taken in their overcoats, with
spreading inclination in their clothes,
hair and face, as if they were bound
to get their moneys worth and aunts
with warts on their noses, and varnish
in their hair, and preposterous lace
collars about their necks. Then there
is the bashful young man penned op
posite an aggressive young lady,
whom heaven and some married. Wo-
men have designed for each other.
There are also pictures of Cousin
A.iek and his young wife, who stop
ped here when on their tour, and no
young man looks at him without re-
firing at once and regis;e e lag a ter
rible vow never to get married. Be
sides these is the picture Of man
who lived the next door for eight
years, at the end of which time his
wife died, and he moved to Illinois
with the children, and is now worth
some fifty thousand dollars. He has
been photographed in his bat, which
is one size to large for him, and which
gives him an appearance of having
murdered his aunt and concealed
the body. Then there are two
fee looking corsairs of no particular
identity, and several broken spirited
women with babies in their arms
directly or indirectly related to the
owners of the album; and the exhib-
ition eloses.-IttusUiIIe Press.
Year: 1874

Death of a Maryland Farmer who
Whipped a Company Of confsder.


ate Cavalry.


The Middletown (Md.) Register
says; This gentleman, one Of the
! oldest, most highly esteemed, and in
telligent farmers of this valley, died
at his residence on Highland, in
Catoctin District, at 10 o'clock on
Wednesday night of last week, aged
nearly eighty years, For about three
years past Mr.. Blessing had been Sc
riously afflicted with asthma, and ii
was this desease that caused his
death. During the rebel invasion Of
1854, Mr.. Blessing acquired the tirle
of the Hero of Highland" on &C
count of the bravery he displayed in
protecting his property. His fight
with squad of soldiers on that oc-
casion is thus told in aletter written
by himself st the time:


son the morning of that day q
company of cavalry, commanded by
Major Harmon and Captain Walker,
came in sight of my farm, where they
detailed five men TO come and steal
my horses. As they road up gave
mp son two guns and I took six, and
went in the name of the Lord God
of Hosts to meet them, and as they
rode up in haste we fred upon them
in quick time; one was mortally
wounded (he died at Middletown, }
the other so bad they rode under the
Overshoot OF the barn, where we had.
cross fire on them. As they were
retreating Il fred, killing one on the
spot, and took the other prisoner.
The balance got back to the company,
which was from forty to sixty strong,
and before 1 had reloaded my guns
they returned, nineteen in number,
and had pressed in their service four
of my neighbOrs as guides, and
marched them in advance. gave
my son two guns and another young
man one, but they both retreated. 1
then took four guns and went to a
group of cherry trees; as the guides
came up, l halted them under the
pain of death if they did not stand.
One of then broke of and ran. /
fred on him without effect. AS soon
as he reached the rebles they opened
fire on me to their hearts content;
splinters from the trees and fences
few in my face, while some of the
balls fell at my feet. Ihad three guns
which l held back for shure work.
After firing some fifty shots they rode
of, leaving their dead and wounded
in my hands. They then sent me
word they would bring up battery
and shell me. I sent word back that
l had their wounded man in the barn,
if they chose to burn him up they
could do so. A little before night,
Coles cavalry, under command of
Lieutenant Colonel Vernon, came in
gight. l thought ii was the rebel
battery, and l took the dead rebels
carbine and concealed myself in a
bramble brush close to the lane, to
make that the closing scene Of that
bloody day. When l saw my happy
mistake l Icrawled outs they gave nae
a hearty cheer, and rode up to the
house, helped to bury my dead, and
stayed over night. Thus closed the
most tragic scene in the history Of
my life. 1 am 20 years ofage. lido
not wish to correct your error or to
boast, but 1 do it to encourage our
soldiers and people to fight better
and look to God for just victory.


GEO. BLESSING"
Year: 1874

wood loses its strength and becomes
brittle. An English authority states
that if trees are felled as soon az
they are in full leaf, and allowed to
remain undistufbed until the leaves
dry up and fall of the timber will
be found well seasonal, the leaves
having exhausted all the moisture
in the wood.
Year: 1874

lCOT. OcLlASlllAhl


Considerable is written now days
about false economy in various ways.
Nv observation leads to the conclusion
that one important item is almost en-
tIrely overlooked, and that thousands
Of dollars are lost each year by the
careless wintering of farm horses. For
instance, farmer A owns fine span OF
horses; he is not much of horseman,
but in the summer he works them, and
keeps a man who takes good. care of
them. In the fall, after work is over,
the horses are put into the stable and
fed all the hay they will eat (be it good
or bad); are left perhaps week or
two at a time, with little or no exer-
else, and, when they are driven, arc,
let 90 at the top of their speed Fast
driving, with stomachs full of undI-
gested hay, is the very worst of treat
ment. The result is that, in a year or
two, the horses have the heaves badly
are spoiled for market, and are unable
to do the usual amount OF service
on the road and this alone causes a
loss each year so long as the team is
used.


This could in some degree be avoid
ed by building shed with yard for
exercise, and by feeding food Of suf-
ficient strength to keep the muscles in
full strength. Some say that winter
ing horses in the field on hay alone
will cause a falling away of muscles
and strength difficult to regain. No
doubt, being chilled by standing in a
cold barn is injurious to horses.
Year: 1874

AN exceedingly valuable and desir-
able paint for rough buildings may be
made as follows; Take two ounces
of sal ammoniac and two ounces OF
potash, dissolve these III three quarts
of water; add one quart raw llnseed
oil, then take say ten pounds dry red
paint, and add water to make 1t thin
enough to put on with a whitewash
brush. Add one gill of turpentine 10
the linseed oil. If red does not suit,
add anything to alter the color. Paint
made as above will be almost as bright
in ten or twelve years on rough build
ings as wher first put on. To make
the building fancy you paint tie cor
ner boards with white lead and oil.
Year: 1874

EXPLOSION IN A FLOUR MILL~-A
recent explosion at the Tradeston
Flour Mills in Glasgow was explained
on the theory that minute particles
floating in the atmosphere became
so mixed with oxygen as to form an
explosive gas, and this conclusion has
been corroborated by similar explosion
at the Park Brewery during the grind
ing of a quantity of malt, A small
flint was introduced into the malt be-
twaon the iron rollers of the mill, and
a spark being struck the floating dust
Immediately exploded with loud re-
Year: 1874

DRAIK1NG causes the rain to sink
through considerable thickness of soil
before it runs off, and hence 1t causes
less loss of nutritive matter than Is
occasioned by rain washing soil, as it
does in undrained lands, carrying OFF
to the streams and rivers much OF the
valuable nutritive matter that abounds
on the surface.
Year: 1874

DAVID Cox, the celebrated painter
wss very particular about the quality
OF paper he worked on, and was very
fond OF g certain Scotch variety,
which however, wss marked here and
there with little black specks. In the
landscape part OF q picture these
specks we're Of no consequence, but
they looked out OF place in the sky.
On one occasion, being asked what
he did to get rid OF them, he replied /:
"Oh, / just put wings to them and
they fiy away as birds
Year: 1874

A CEMEkT.-A good fire, proof and
waterproof cement is little carriage
oil vanish rubbed upon the edges OF
broken china with a camel's hair
brush. This can hardly be seen and
ifthoroughly dried is most excellent.
Year: 1874

STARCH PoLIsH.-Take common dry
potato or wheat starch sufficient 70
make a pint OF starch when boiled.
Then add halt drachm OF sFermaceti
and halt drachm of white wax, and
then use it as common starch, only
using the iron as hot as possible. In
this manner brilliant polish is pro
duced.
Year: 1874

lJOurnAl OF Nnemlblry.J


What sight is more pleasant than a
row of sleek, well csred-for, healthy
animals in Winter? Outside, the ther
mometer stands close upon zero in.
side, the temperature is SO comfortable
that we can well dispense with our
overcoat. From whence comes this
genial warmth? ? No coal or wood is
consumed to raise the temperature.
The problem is easily solved. Here
are fifteen stoves, not constructed OF
iron or stone, but of flesh and blood,
and III these stoves hay and grain are
burned constantly, and hence the heat.
1t is the warmth radiated from the
animals that we feel, and this comes
from actual combustion, produced by
the play of vital OF chemical forces
within the organisms. A large per-
eentage of the food supplied adds
neither to our store of milk or flesh,
but is burned TO produce animal heat,
and in Winter the supply of food must
be increased, to compensate for the
loss by direct radiation from the sur.
face through the respiratory organs
No greater mistake can be made than
to house your animals in cold, oper
barns. A shiveriug cow can give NJ
milk, nor gain any flesh. To feed (
COW. or any other animal, in the cold
open air, is about as foolish and waste.
ful as to place a stove out Of doors
fill it with fuel, and expect to receiv
benefit by warming the atmospher
generally. Animals need protectlol
and warmth as well as human beings
Year: 1874

Some papers would like to have it
appear that many of the daily reports
of outrages ON the blacks by the whites
in the Southern States are invented
for election purposes; but the brutal,
cowardly and wholesale murders re-
Gently committed are too numerous
and too we'll authenticated for denial.
No more fiendish crime was ever com
mitted than that in Tennessee by the
boasted chivalry (D Of the south. A
dozen or more negroes, guiltless ofany
crime, were taken out of Jail. bound
hand and foot, and 7.aen shot like dogs.
Such course may prevent the ne
groes from voting at the approaching
elections in the Southern States. but
it will cause the people of the North to
hesitate long before they consent to
turn the Govcrnmento over to the con-
troll Of men who would give these
murderers and their apologists a con


trolling voice in the administration of
affairs.
Year: 1874

The following is the conclusion of a
school boys trial in England--thc
preceptor being the presiding Judge.
The conclusion Of holding where all
combined to conceal the oulprit may
seem hard; but the decision is just
one, because necessary to maintain
order Boys. what do you think
about it?


. "Boys"-thc tones of the judges
voice seemed unusually clear and SON.
orous, as they invaded the still air
Nobody is finally and irrevocably
banished from Heathcott Hall, after
being fairly tried, speak adyisedly-
by a jury of his peers. Remember it
was by your act he was sent forth
from us; it shall be my care he does
not return. Henceforth there must
be found an agent for every misde-
meanor. After strict inquiry, if he
cannot be found the speaker
paused and scanned each face, which
was plainly written, "What then?'
and then went ont shall DOT be
laid to Nobody as heretofore, for he
is baEished, but to everybody. This
may seem hard at first glance, my
dear pupils; but l believe, after much
thought on the subject, it will work
we'll with you. Bear in mind then
each of you, that for every offense
committed in this school, the perpe
traitor of which cannot be discovered,
the school as body must bear in the
punishment. lH lI ri
Year: 1874

Mr.. V. K. Morris, of the firm of
Wright 4 Morris, who has been
travelling through the far West for
the past month, returned to his ma
tive heath yesterday. He brought with
him, in glass case, few specimens
of the grasshopper now devastating
that portion of the country. They do
not grow to more than half the size of
an adult native of Indiana soil, one of
which was enclosed in the case with
the others. and eaten nearly up by its
voracious companions. Mr. Morris says
there will be UNTOLD suffering through
out all that region this winter on ac-
count Of the plague. aud that many Of
the new settlers will have to be helped
or starye. Hundreds settled there this
spring and spent their last dollar in
putting in crops, which have been ut
terly destroyed. The grasshoppers
having eaten mp everything consum-
able, are moving southwark, and the
air is literally black with them as they
fly in countless millions. 1t is only
when looking up toward the sun that
they can be seen to advantage. Then
they resemble snow fakes and the
spectator feels cold chill run down
his back and can almost feel the de-
scending snew A terrible storm Seems
to be in progress. 9si se
Year: 1874

Autumn transplanted trees have the
advantage of those planted in the
spring. in the better settling of the
earth about the roots, so that they are
ready for an early start. But there
are two things to look to, or they will
be likely to be worse off than spring
set trees. The wind often whips them
about, and makes hole around the
stem, greatly to their injury. The 9TH
er difficulty is the hardening of the
surface Of earth into a crust. This
must be dug up and made mellow, if
you would have the trees do well
through summer.


Trees set out in spring often have
the advantage of fali-transplanted
trees, because the earth is left mellow
after setting. instead Of hardened into
stiff crust by winter and spring rains.
But if the care is taken here pointed
out, the fall set trees will do the
best.
Year: 1874

Cannelton has an old man who
shows an admirable tenacity for life.
He hiss been dragged through the cot
ton mill machinery twice and terribly
mangled each time. He once fell over
the cliff back of town and was thought
to be killed, and yet he is seventy
years of age and appreciates a good
drink. t
Year: 1874

The Burlington Hawkeye man says
the other night d man who lives out on
Columbia street was kept down street
by business until very late hour, and
his wife, knowing how cold it would
be when he got home, put an iron on
the stove, and when she heard him
open the gate, she jumped up aud hur-
riedly wrapping the iron in a piece of
flannel, chucked it in bed for him to
warm his great ugly feet by. The man
was cold and taciturn and cross. He
crawled into bed with a growl, and
shuddered with cold as he stretched
himself out. Then he gave a yell that
lifted the roof of the house and jammed
his head through the head-board, and
screamed fire, and waltzed out on the
floor and around the room in the dark,
straddling rocking chairs and breaking
his shins on bureau corners, and knock
ing down brackets with his shoulders
and upsetting one or two things, and
filling the darkness with wierd, fantastic
profanity. When his wife lighted the
lamp, they discovered a beautiful pho
tograph of a sad-iron on the bottom of
the mans foot, and it was found that
the flannel had somehow got off the
woot-warmer. The man says that here
after if he must sleep with hardware
store, he wants it put in cold.
Year: 1874

1 got into the cars, took seat in jux-
taposition to a female. The females
face was perfect life insurance COM
pany to her. 1t insured her against
ever getting married to any person ex-
cept a blind man. Her mouth looked
like crack in dried lemon, and there
was no more expression in her face
than there is in a cup of cold eustard.
She appeared as ifshe had been through
one feminine and got two thirds of the
way through another. She was old
enough to be great grandmother to
Mary who had little lamb. She was
chewing prize pop corn and carried in
her hand yellow rose, while band
box and cotton umbrella nestled by her
side. l. couldn't guess whether she
was on a mission of charity or going
West to start saw mill. was full of
curiosity to hear her speak, so said:
THE exigencies of the time required
circumspection in a person who is
travelling 'What?' says she. The
orbs of day shines resplendent in the
vault above says i. She twisted
around uneasily, and then raised her
umbrella and said: i don't want any
of your sass-git outp And I did get
out.
Year: 1874

A Man in Ruins-One of the sad
dest spectacles in the world Is human
being shattered and broken down by
the use of ardent spirits. But the dam
age may be reparaired, the ruin resto-
red to perfect soundness, by course of
that most powerful of all invigorants,
DIR. WALKERS VINEGAR BITTERs.
Beware of those 'tonics' of which rum
is an element. They aggravate dis
ease and promote decay.
Year: 1874

Ex-Governor Albert G. Brown, of
Mississippi, is reported to have said in
conversation that he had held every
Office within the gift Of his State, from
seat in the Legislature to one in the
United States Senate, and had never
songht place without getting it; but
that, nevertheless, there was not an
farmer or laborer, in the State whose
life was not at bottom nobler, more
honorable and more truly successful
than his had been.
Year: 1874

SECRETARY BELKNAP has lately
come into the possession of a valuable
collection Of records pertaining to the
Revolutionary War, hitherto unknown
to historians. They are nothing less
than the complete official papers of
Timothy Pickering, Quartermaster-
General of the Patriot Amy. They
were found in the garret of an old
house in Philadelphia, whence they
were about to be taken, when the house
was being being demolished, to a pa
value accidentally ascertaincd. g.,
Year: 1874




The President, referring to the Civil
rights bill, thinks that legislation de-
signed to regulate the social relations
generally gives rise to more damage
than good, and there were some things,
he thought, that had better find their
own level than to undertake f. force
results out of the natural course. In
the matter of mixed schools the Presi-
dent thinks that to enforce such me6-
sure would be of no service to the col
ored man, and would destroy the COM
mon schools of the United States and
deprive the poor of all classes of an
education. What change there might
be in public sentiment on this subject
in the future, he thought the future had
better determine. 1t was quite evid-
ent that mixed schools would drive
away the children of large class who
received education and for whom free
schools were first established. AS far
as the action of the States is concerned,
he thought that WAS questson entire
ly local and for them to decide. If
public sentiment favored mixed schools
they could have them; but ii was no
part of Congress to force such a measure,
whether or not upon communities of
antagonistic views. The President
thinks there should be appropriate pro-
vision for the education of the colored
race. that experience has shown that
where their numbers are great they
should have their own schools and a
proportionate share oc the receipts for
the support of schools, and where their
members are small they have generally
been admitted to the public schools Of
the whites.-,SpecidL to the Piits.-Co
Year: 1874

TaE TRIBUNE in it's mission Of warning society
and projecting it from the nefarious practices Of
the gamblers and thieves who prey on the COM
1nunity, has devoted considerable space OF late
to description OF the various games and prac-
ticcs By. which the stranger is taken in and re-
7ie7ed of the cash that seems to have such m
unsettled anchorage in his pocket. This series
OF articles is concluded to-day by the account
given below Of some Of the petty forms of choat-
ing adopted, supplemented By disclosure OF tho
methods used to bring about that clnss OF rob
berries that, from the peculiar circumstances at
tending them, oftenest elude exposure and go
unpunishcd. It is learned that the new form Of
operating the candy prize swindle, the details Of
which arc shown below, is put into daily prac-
tice at the store formerly occupied by HoVey l.
Co. on East Madison street, with what appears to
be fair degree of success. As the opening Of
the concern followed 50 quickly upon the heels
Of the offer made to the reporter, it is presumed
that the eEterp1iBing young man found some in
dividual possessing more cash and less virtue
than the reporter to whom be made his brilliant
promises.