smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1874

From the Buffalo Express january ~.


We find in the Welsville Free Press of
recent date the particulars of a suicide
which occurred near that village, in
which the selfdesroyer was a boy but IL
wears of age. The story is such an extra
ordinary one that we republish it, this
morning, entire:


"The name of the boy is Eugene, and
that of his father is William Johnson. 1t
would appear that the boy and his sister,
aged II years, have always been objects
of aversion to both their parents, and that
from infancy they have been subject to
the most inhuman and brutal treatment
Kicks and blows have been administered
for every little childish offense, and
these have only been varied by
cruel and unmerciful whippings
whenever the anger of the un-
natural father has been more than usually
aroused. 1t is said, that the boy, failing
at times to find the cows when he has
been sent for them, has remained in the
woods for nights and days together, rath-
er than to return to his home and un-
dergo the excessive punishment which
he knew would be inflicted. For
weeks past he and his sister have
been compelled to cut from two and one





a cross cut saw, under penalty Of severe
beating. Last Sunday the parents went
to neighbor's to supper, leaving THEN
children at home; but, before going,
johnson told the boy to water the horses
Returning to his house in the afternoon
on some errand from the neighbor whom
he was visiting, he ascertained that bis
instructions in regard to the horses had
not been complied with, and at once COM
menced beating and abusing the boy in
the most outrageous manner When he
became weary of torturing the child, he
left the house and went back to the
neighbor's to finish his visit. Shortly
after he left, the poor boy, according to
his sisters statement, gathered up his
playthings and put them away in little
box, and then went to the barn. Being
gone long time the girl followed him to
the barn, where she found him dead and
hanging by the neck to beam. Terribly
grieved and frightened, the girl remained
with her brother until her parents return
ed, when her frantic screams attracted
their attention, and their father soon ar
rived at the scene of the tragedy. Was
he shocked? Did he cut down the lad,
and manifest as much sorrow for his death
as a tigress would for the loss of her
young? Not by any means He was not
the kind of man to indulge in any such
nonsense. Telling the girl to go home,
he did up his chores, left the boy as he
had found him, closed the barn door, re-
turned to the house, went to bed, and
slept the refreshing sleep of innocence
till morning. He then leisurely informed
his neighbors of the occurrence, and they,
eighteen hours after the suicide, cut down
the cold and rigid body, prepared it for
the grave, and, in due time buried it, 1t
the statements made to us in regard to
this case are true--and we have every rea-
to believe they are--Jo johnson and his wife
ought to spend the balance of their days
in State Prison"
Year: 1874

"parallax," arc" chord" "anglen or any other
term better known TO students of geometry than to
the average newspaper reader.


THE DELIsLE METHOD OF OBSERVING THE TRANSIT.


CONCEIVE OF two concentric wheels the inner one
having spokes the outer one without any, The
inner wheel makes one revolution in seconds the
outer one, one revolution in l3 seconds. If one Of
the spOkes of the inner wheel were 30 extended
as to touch the outer wheel, this spoke
would go around on the outer one one
end hve-eighths times while the outer wheel
revolved once. Transfer this conception to the
problem before u.s. lee suppose these wheels to be
the orbits of Venus and the earth; the year of
Venus being 225 days. that Of the earth S65 their
times are about in the proportion of to 3. In place
of the extended spoke of the inner wheel, suppose
that Venus casts shadow that reaches the earth's
orbit 1t will be shown that by measuring the
speed with which this shadow moves along the
earths orbit. we have means for ascertaining the
distance of the sun.


If during the transit of venus this supposed
shadow made a mark on the earth, when moving
over it. and we proposed to measure the mark and
note the time taken making 1t, it would OBJ
viOuSy simplify the calculation to substitute q
straight line for the curying surface of the earth
This astronomers effect by using instead of any
given distance on the surface of the earth. the
corresponding distance on an imaginary line
drawn through the earth and passing through
its center; or, in other words, having the
measure on the surface of the earth, they ascer-
tain what this distance would be if measured on a
diameter of the earth. and make of the dis
tance thus obtained. Thus if observers were sta
toned so far apart that they antpOdes to each
other, instead of using their distance the curve
of the earths surface, about 1900 miles, their
direct distance taken Numerically through the
earth, somewhat exceeding 1900 miles, would be
employed in astronomical calculations. Mathc
matical tables furnish the figures a diameter that
correspond 10 any other distance which may bs OBJ
tanned on the earth's surface.
Year: 1874

nearly parallel that mistake in observation to the ex
tent Of thickness OF hair at the distance OF
mile makes in the calculation OF the distance
OF the sun of $1,000 miles,


But II the observer at the window closes II ana
selects bar OF the sash for intermediate point OF
observation, he may draw lines from bis eyes toward
the bar which Will approach each other so rapidly that
their angle is easily measurable Looking with one eye
and then with the other. he will the bar projected
on the building opposite two different places he
may measure the apparent space between these places
and can certain that all the parts Of triangle OF


which that space the base and the bar the apex are
exactly prOpOronate to those Of the measurable III
angle of which space between his eyes Is the base
r. now, he has the OF knowing the proportion
which his distance from the window bears 10 the
width OF the street he Will have difficulty In calcI-
lating by the three his absolute distance from
building and ascertdiaing all Its visible dimensIUus


DISTANCES BETWEEN CENTEEs.


Tn what is known as the Direct Method reli-
ance is to be placed instrument called the
hehometor, which is more known to the German
astronomers than to those of other countries,
doubt having been expressed as to whether there
such an instrument IL actual service IN EagiaAd.
The hcliomet,r was originally devised for the pur-
pose of measuring the diameter Of the sun. and 1t
enables the observer to divide the images OF the sun
which it furnishes, into parts, by scale.
Year: 1874

In the above diagram. A represents the SUD- the
earth, C, EFF G, II, Venus in different positions
in her orbit. In the whole space ii u, Venus Is
further from the earth than the s and OF course
her distance from the earth in that large part OF her
orbit would be more difficult TO measure than the
distance Of the sun. When moving from c to ID, or
from to c. her direction of motion is nearly toward
or from the earth and her distance, measured at
such times would leave open the question as to what
part Of her orbit she was then in. When she Is
moysng from 10 r her direction Of motion is favor


able for aseertainng just where she is and she Is
comparatively near the earth but ordinarily she ls
then 30 lost In the suns rays, low down in the
horizon where tue vapOrs Of earth interfere with ac


curaey that Trustworthy observations cannot at such
times be mace But when she ia In transit
across the face OF The SUM- she very near the earth


her notion il az right angles 10 our view and the
sun. whose apparent place among the stars is Der


tectly known, serves as background on which
Venus appears. Hence If the transit of venus were
utilized solely by obtaining more exactly than be-
fore the distance Of Venus. IL would furnish the
best opportunity for that undertaking. But there
are more direct means of attacking the greater
problem, the suns distance. One of these will now
be explained This method s selected first, because
II Is eaDable Of being described without Weption Of
Year: 1874

The Herald Of Heath recommends
white underclothing as not only more
healthful, but on account Of its not ra-
dating the heat of the body rs some
other colors do. Another strong incen.
tive is the avoidance of possible poison
ing, resulting from deleterious dyes.
The Journal Of Chemistry gives an In
stance of the poisonous effects of ami
line colors upon the skin in the expe-
rience of a gentleman of Bayfield,. He
had few days previous purchased some
new undershirts of cotton. colOred with
various tints, among which aniline red
predominated. In short time after
putting on the garment peculiar erup-
tion of an irritating nature appeared on
the body covered by the cleth. The
effects were not merely local, but to q
considerable extent constitutional, pain
and uneasiness being experienced in
the back and lower extremities. In
proof that the eruption was caused by
the dye colors, it may be stated that a
portion of the garment about the upper
part of the chest was lined with linen
on the under side, and wherever this
came in contact with the skin no erup-
ton or redness occurred. 1t is proba-
BILE, the Journal remarks, that the num-
ber of persons is large who possess such
idiosyncracies of constitution as to be
easily poisoned by dye colors, but that
there are some does not admit OF a
doubt.
Year: 1874

nounced convalescent. The doctor
took her out to ride as soon as she was
able, in the easiest Of all carriages.
Rare delicacies were sent every day
from the hotel to tempt her returning
appetite. The sweetest and most fra
grant flowers that could be found adorn-
ed her room. Meta demonstrated with
him for all this lavish kindness, but he
would silence her by saying he was the
cause OF all her suffering and she must
allow him to atone for it in every way
he could. How eagerly he watched the
faint color that crept into her cheeks at
his approach How tenderly and deli,
cately he ministered to her comfort and
pleasure day after day, until at last lie
ventured to tell her of his love and his
great desire to have her for his own.
He had become very dear to her during
all those weeks of suffering, and she ac-
knowledged it and promised to be his
wife. He fastened to inform Mrs.
Smith of their betrothal, and asked her
forbearance for another week when, he
assured her, he would relieve her from
all further care and responsibility OF
her niece. Imagine if you can her as
tonishment She was completely
"dumlfounded ;" and had not word
to say; though doubtless in her heart
she thought it another most "mysterl-
Gus dispensation."


The next day notable dressmaker
from the city arrived with various won,
derful and costly fabrics, which she had
orders to make up for Miss Langdon in
the latest style. Such time rs there
was then of cutting and basting, OF
trying on and trimming Two other
seamstresses kept theirsewing- machines
running at the highest rate OF speed,
until ut the close of the week there was
enough of q wedding trousSeau to fill a
huge Saratoga trunk. The doctor made
daily pilgrimages between that chamber
and the city, until at last he could not
devise another thing which his darling
could possibly need for dress or orna-
ment during the trip to Europe which
he had planned. Never was there q
happier bride and groom than those
who were made one in Mrs. Smiths
parlor that bright September morning.
They went Immediately to his home on
the Hudson, where his mother received
the new daughter with open arms, and
soon after went to Europe, where they
spent year. Meta made good use OF
the time by putting herself under the
care of the best private teachers, and
when on their return the happy doctor
presented his wife to his friends, there
was not among them one more highly
accomplished or more elegant and re.
fined. The doctor was very proud OF
her, and never tired of telling his lnt1-
mate friends how he found his wife, or
the result Of his last shot.
Year: 1874

A letter from Cold Spring, Col, to a
Chicago gentleman, says: L have just
arrived from the headquarters of our
company, which is located at Gurney's
Mill, and l have most horrible story
to communicate to you. Your agent,
J. n. Watson, has been foully robbed
and murdered. The following are the
particulars, as near rs can write them


After corresponding with him for
some time, he..came here dayibefore.yeS.
terday. To illustrate the usefulness OF
the we'll auger he bored down ninety
feet, and our company being pleased
with the working of the machine puIr-
chased the rights of this and four ad-
Joining counties. We paid him in cash
81 900, and gave him three notes on us
amounting to 81 800.


It got noised around that he had this
amount of money in his possession, and
late in the evening three men, without
doubt, the murderers, went to where he
was stopping, pretended that they
wished to purchase some territory:
They made remarks to the effect that
they doubted hetruth Of the report that
he had bored ninety feet in one day.
They induced him to accompany them
to the place where the hole was, one OF
the men carrying lantern and cord for
the purpose, they said, OF measuring
the depth themselves. That was the
last ever seen of poor Watson alive.


We had not, however, heard that he
had been missing, and early this morn
ing we rigged up the auger for the pur-
pose of going still further down in our
prospecting. Imagine our horror when
the first auger full was brought to the
surface; it contained the head and part
of the torn remains of your agent. The
face was easily identified By those pres
ent. Whether he was dead when the
auger reached him ornot we cannot tell,
though some Of the men fancied that
the body was yet warm. He was doubt
less robbed and thrown into the hole he
bored himself the day before.


OF course we did not attempt to go
any further, but, after satisfying our.
selves that the remains were those OF
Watson, we placed the mangled parts
back into the we'll and filled it up. 1t
has caused great excitement in our
camp, and I think we have some clue to
the fiends who perpertrated the cold.
blooded and horrible murder. feel
certain that the robbers secured the
81 900 which was paid your agent, as
as he told me that he would not remit
it until he got to an express ofice,
Year: 1874

A gentleman who has Travelled ex-
tensively throughout the State of
Georgia, informs the Augusta UtTon-
iclc and Sentinel that the acreage in
cotton will be about twenty-five per
cent less than last year. A larger
area Of land will be devoted to corn
and small grain. The State Grange of
the Patrons of Husbandry recommend
cd one-third cotton and two-tlirds in
corn, and other cereals, and such pro-
ducts as are needful for the support of
man and beast. If the programme
laid down by the Changers be adhered
to and faithfully carried out the plan
ters of Georgia will find their financial
condition vastly improve at the close
OF this present year. The mania for
all cotton has we'll nigh ruined the
South. If experience is worth any
thing our planters have had it bitter
enough to deter them from trying to
make money by planting cotton exclu-
ciyalv
Year: 1874

The New York Times is discouraged
to "tind some of the foremost citizens
in that community asking why taxes
are higher now than they were III
18Th"


In this latitude when foremost citi-
zens learn that the Radicals are in
power, they seldom waste BREATH I'm
asking why taxes are higher now. ,
High taxes follow Radical triumph
as surely as night follows day and that
is what is the matter in New York City
Year: 1874

Rumors exist in Washington that
there will be a change in the Tieasury
Department, Secretary Richardson
having been too intimately mixed up
with the Sanborn contract and mo!ety
business to render his remaining at
the head of that Department with any
degree of credit to the Government.
Year: 1874

Strange as it may sound the great project
of tunnelling the English Channel is, accord
ing to late reports, in process of experiment,
and the preliminary steps toward the stu
pendous undertaking are being steadily ad-
vanced. Not an unfavorable omen for its
prosecution is the withdrawal of the scheme
from merely popular agitation and the quiet
action of it's originators.


The first thing to be ascertained was the
geologic formation of the Channel bed, with
reference to the permeability of its strata As
the laying of the first Atlantic cable was dis
covered to be practicable by the discovery OF
the ''telegraphic plateau" lying between New
foundland and Ireland and furnishing safe
bed for the strand, it is claimed that the geo
logical survey of the Channel demonstrates
the feasibility of the tunnel project Mr.
Prestwch, the leading English geologist, in
an exhaustive discussion of all the conditions
of the channel bed, has recently paved the
way for a confident and energetic prosecution
of the magnificent design to connect England
and Europe. This cautious investigator
thinks the scheme can be carried
out and that the geologic conditions are
not unfavorable. He shows that the
deeper rocks are protected by i'm
permeable overlyng strata of great
dimensions, and so compact as to
offer the secure construction of submarine
tunneL And hs cites the fact that these
Year: 1874

General Butler was renominated for Con-
gress by his old constituency with such re-
markable unanimity that there apparently was
no need OF his taking the stump, but he is
like warhorse, who smells the battle from
afar and neighs for the onset. He has already
begun his canvass and is uttering his peculiar
opinions with his customary boldness. One
remarkable feature about these opinions is
that most of them are Numerically opposed
to the policy of the administration. While
Mr. Fish Is negotiating, or talking about ne
gotiating, reciprocity treaty between the
United States and Canada, General Butler is
arraying the sentiment OF New England against
scarcely thank him for this, especially as he
went out OF his way to say that the Treaty of
Washington, upon which Mr.. Fish must rest
his reputation tor craftsmanship, was a
mistake. 1t was scarcely necessary how
ever for Mr.. Butler to thank God that he was
not one of the Joint High Commissioners who
negotiated that treaty, as we do not believe
the Divine displeasure will ever fall upon the
country SO grievously as to commit SO deli
cate o matter into his hands. On the cur
rency question General Butler is exceedingly
humorous. He thinks the country needs more
money and he is willing to make it, but not
entirely because the country needs it The
West wants it, and as the West is soon to
govern the rest of the land, General Butler is
anxious not to oppose the Western Empire.
He ia not 40 complaisant toward the South
however, and sees that the civil war is not yet
over. This is significant, especially because
il is the only question upon which he is in
harmony with the party to which he belongs.
Though we concede that General Butler is a
very great man, We begin to suspect that he
is also politician. This is the more painful
to u.s. since it was always SO congenial with us
to call him statesman and all that sort OF
thing.
Year: 1874

Chattanooga Convention ought to have q very
different effect on the Northern mind from
that which its authors expect. Instead Of
rousing public sentiment against the Southern
whites and encouraging the republican party
to persevere in its measures of subjugation,
il should teach the country that republican
reconstruction is an egregious failure. Alter
trial of many years it is found to provoke
riot and disorder. The condition of the
South is worse to-day than it was eight years
ago All the narrowing descriptions which
the Chattanooga Convention sends forth to the
country are SO many demonstrations that the
republican policy in the South has failed to
bring peace and civil order


We believe there is no adequate remedy but
in national convention, called to establish
order on the basis of justice. Attempts to
intiame the public mind of the North against
the Southern people, with view to strengthen
the hand OF oppression, will only intensity
the evils and increase the embarrassments of
the present situation. The Chattanooga Con-
.yention may be quite correct in its statement
exaggerates only prove the necessity of revising
the experiment of reconstruction and making
the newly acquired rights of the negroes con-
sistent with honesty, economy wisdom and
justice in the Southern State governments.
We do not see how this desirable object can
be acc omplished except by national conven-
ton for revising the constitution.
Year: 1874

strata have. at Whitehaven and Mons, been
actually and safely worked at considerable
distances under great bodies of water. So
far as theory can throw light on the subject
this has been done, leaving the question solely
for the engineers.


But, apart from Mr.. Prestwichs researches,
it is now known that the gray chalk-a mass of
strata, five hundred feet thick and impervious
to water-which forms the principal cliffs at
Dover and Calais, strikes across the Channel
and SO nearly approaches horizontally that
tunnel could be bored within its vertical
limits. A high mechanical authority on the
other side of the Atlantic states that the most
eligible line for the tunnel is now pretty well
concluded to run from st. Margarets Bay,
South Foreland, to point about midway be-
tween Saugatte and Calais. This line Of the
main tunnel, which has been fixed upon by
the promoters of the enterprise, is acciden-
tally almost coincdent with that of the Dover
and Calais submarine cable. 1t has been
selected after some hundreds of borings
(Which have been made by an ingenious ap-
plratus for periorating the sea bed and bring
ing up the rock specimens) we're examined
and complete geological chart constructed
from the data


The greatest depth Of water overlying the
selected tunnel line is less than two hundred
feet and it is proposed to penetrate two hun
dred feet or more beneath the bed by long
descents of four miles from either shore.
This would make the total tunnel length
about thirty miles, and would afford great
security and ease of gradient to the structure.
The whole perforation will be wide enough
for double railway.


In an engineering point of view it is doubt
less practicable undertaking, the only ques-
ton being its financial expediency. This
must depend on the action OF President
MacMahons government, which, it is said, is
favorable, and likely to grant the concessions
asked for by the French and English company
who have the matter in hand.


The actual distance from Dover to Calais
does not exceed twenty miles, and if the
piercngs on either shore could be nearer the
sea it would seem that six or eight miles of
the estimated tunnelling could be saved.
This might save one-fourth of the estimated
cost ten millions Of pounds sterling), and re-
duce the expenses of construction within the
limit of remuneration. The undertaking,
even at these fgures-which are said to be the
highest estimates-would be cheap and mex
pensive, compared with our proposed isthmian
canal
Year: 1874

The ENGLISH DEMOCRACY AND THE PRINCE
OF WALEs.-The radical reformers Of Bir-
mingham appear not to care very much for
royal visits. They have protested in public
meeting against municipal proposal to
illuminate the city on the occasion of the
forthcoming visit of the Prince OF Wales.
The Mayor is accused of toadying to the
Court in the hope of obtaining the distnc-
ton of knighthood. The speakers were not
by any means choice in the quality of the
language which they used toward the heir
apparent to the crown, and the scene was not
on the whole, by any means consoling to the
cause of :,e--nanent roy atty u Great Britain.