smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1877

Throughout the comfortable homes OF
Wheeling to-day people seat themselves
before the good cheer that has made the
Thanksgiving dinner" of America
famous throughout the world. Will they
think, as they bow their heads while
grandpa" or "father" utters the short
"g.sce before meat" that they all owe
debts of gratitude to the Father
of Love and Mercy, for all they have
and all they are2 We fear notl


This custom of national thsnksgiv-
ing is good one, and one that, If 1t was
observed with more thought and depth,
would be beneficial in a multitude of
ways. One day in the year, at least,
should be given to a sober consideration
of what has taken place with US while
twelve months have rolled on day by
day toward eternity and rest.


Perhaps we have lost some friend, some
companion, who has cheered our earlier
years of trouble and woe. 1t was
through the goodness OF Him who rueth
us all that this companion was given.
Let us be thankful, then, for what we
have had and not reprosch Him tor what
has been taken.


From your freside as you see beside
you, wife, children, the father and mother
that were patient when you vexed them'
and loved and shielded you when per-
haps you went sstsy, turn to the hun
dreds, homeless, iatherless and triendIess.
where the angry floods have swept over
the land. Think of the families whose
pride and whose dsrliugs lie buried in the
ocean near the great ship that so lately
went down and then ask yourself "have
nothing for which TO be grateful to my
Maker2" And as your thoughts come
back to the bright room whose walls Ell
close you, stroke the soft hair OF the IN
nocent prattler that comes to you TO be
kissed, and marmur, "God OF the just
and the unjust, l thank Thee for thy
great goodness to me and mine"
Year: 1877

Orr OF LUCK.-The Hullster Enter
prise tells OF II butcher OF that place who
think. there is now nothing worth living
for. He remem bers the good d days
when he could iced his customers Oh their
own beef, but the lack of rain has ST play
ed havoc with the stock that there is
nothing worth stealing. This lament re
mind, us of AN incident which happened
us few years ago. We had sent II val
liable COW to the valley 10 winter, but
she failed to return with the other cattle.
LATER we got intelligence that she had
come back with another drove and was
, then with it. We went in scaich at once,
aud there, sure enough, WAS our cow
We at 6nce asserted our clam and 1t was
admitted 10y the butcher with whu-c drove
she was, accompanied by the nlultnu,
in.urmalon that he had stolen many II
hoot IN hi day, bat we were the fist one
10 ever catch him at it.
Year: 1877

lN REHEARsAL.-Preliminary steps
have been taken and our people must pre-
pare themselves for IL Grand Amateur
Dramatic effort about the middle of next
months The net proceeds are to be de-
voted to the Weavervlie School Build
ing Fund, and the entertainment to be
followed by others for that object.
Year: 1877

FoUND.-A lady's leather belt, with
buckle. was picked up on the street the
other dav by young man. AS the belt
was OF no use to him without a wearer,
he has left it Mt this Office where the own
er can find it,
Year: 1877

Is THAT SO ?-Our Mrndocino friends
are doing some good growing over the
scalp mw, and we think n pretty earnest
move will be made for its repeal at the
next session of the Legislature. They
claim that their county ha> to pay for the
srhlp> of too many vnrmints taken IN
this county. 1t is rather crowding the
mourners.
Year: 1877




who for tho sako OF a few dollars in
their pockets, would put tho State of
West Virginia to twenty or thirty
thousand dollars unnecessary expense
for IN extra session Of tho Legislature
this winter. Speaker Gibson, Of
CabcIl, and W. L. Arnold, Of Weston,
arc represented as two Of the promi'
Hent ngitatOrs Of this scheme. They
arc credited with On clF1rt 70 work the
thing up among other members. We
arc not advised as 10 tho extent Of the
hcadNoy they arc making, but no
doubt they have q number Of signers
on their paper. Some Of the members
can make moro money BY coming to
tho Legislature than by trapping
bar" or digging "scng," and no doubt
would be glad to put down their names
for q perpetual session.


AS great piece of party folly We
might we'll afford to encourage this
scheme, for il carried out il will cost
the Democratic party good many
votes next year; but looking at it from
a higher stand point We feel called
upon to 10 all in our power to discour-
agO and prevent such waste Of the
public money.


The fsamOrs Of the present C6nstitu-
tiou thought Tint they had provided
for biennial sessions Of tho Legislature,
but under ono psetcrt and another We
have had a session every year. And
now comes fresh protest for session
this year, albeit the Legislature did
not adjourn to meet again, and no one
had any idea Of any necessity for an
extra session when the Legislature ad'
jourucd in March last The discovery
Of such q necessity has been made, We
presume, by tue aid of q very "smsll
object glass," aud passed round among
the members us matter Of great
moment.


Tho scheme is barren Of any merits
whatever, and We warn tho people OF
the State against it, SO that before it is
cousummated they can let those enga.
gCd in it know that it will not meet
with popular favor IThceliag Mtellt.
gcaccr.
Year: 1877

NEW HOUSES. Gideon B. Guyer is now
engaged in the erection of Six three story
BRICK houses on Poplar street, west side,
between N nth ana T-nth. They will be a
valuable imp ovement to that neighbor
hood
Year: 1877

Elsewhere will be found copy OF a me-
mortal 10 Congress asking for some needed
legislation for this District. Among the
matters named is one upon the importance
of which we have dwelt In this column at
some LENGTH e., that of the definite appor-
fionment OF the rate to be contributed rela-
lively by our tax payers and by the general
government towards the District expenses
The other legislation asked for in this me-
mortal is also Of much moment to the people
Of the District, but that providing for the
definite assumption of the governments pro-
portion OF the expenses Of the capital city is
paramount and must take the first place in
the list OF District measures to be urged upon
Congress. Everybody is interested in the
passage Of this measure OF justice and neces-
sity for our overburdened taxpayers, and
backed UP as II Will be BY the prayers and
energetic advocacy of our best and most in
fluenrial citizens, it can hardly fail to be
come law.
Year: 1877

SENATOR MoRToN's attitude towards
the Administration of President Hayes
is definitely ascertained from an editor
ial in the Indianapolis Journal of the
23d, upon "The Duty of Republican
Members of Congress- which is au-
thoritatively announced as having been
read and revised by him and as embrac-
ing his ideas upon the subject. The
following extracts contain the gist of
the article:


While there are few Republicans wh0 can
give a full and hearty Endorsement to every
act and declaration made by the President
which go to make up what are known as his
Southern and Civil-service policies, yet we
have seen nothing which, taken either sep
arately or collectively, justifes the Repub-
icans in distrusting either his policy or his
Republicanism. President Hayes has a
most difficult role, and, instead of
receiving the unfriendly criticisms and at
tacks of his party friends, he should receive
their support and be given their best and
truest advice. The day for discussion has
passed as to the right or the wrong of the
Southern policy of the Administration.
We might not have gone to the same ex-
tent in placing the South upon its honor
and good behavior. We might,
after what has transpired in the
past years, have required some protection
or exacted some bond to keep the peace, but
President Hayes has seen proper to accept
the assurance of the people of the South
that they will maintain the law and respect
the equal rights of all classes, and if they
keep faith with the Administration the
Southern policy can not fall. The Repub-
hcans in Congress should not embarrass the
Administration by any factious opposition
to the measures inaugurated or appoint
ments made, and should seek to promote
the harmony of the party, in which none are
more interested than the President and his
Cabinet, and to secure which they have only
to remain steadfast Republicans.
Year: 1877

IT is significant of the size to which
the eucalyptus, which is doing SO much
for Algeria, grows, that when an Aus
tralian wished to send fine specimen
to the London Exhibition of 1862 he
couldn't find a ship long enough to carry
it. In six. or seven years its dimensions
are those of an oak in 20, and in its TWEEN
tieth year it furnishes such timber as an
oak could not under one hundred. The
untiring devotion of Dr. Miergues of Al
geria to the development of the proper
ties of this invaluable tree has greatly
enlarged the sphere of its usefulness.
Year: 1877

AN article is going the rounds of the
press under the head of "Why Some
People are Poor We haven't read it;
but suspect it is because they haven It
got any money or Government bonds.
Year: 1877

The Senate Committee on Privileges
and Elections have agreed to make a
thorough investigation of the Louisiana
case, and have requested Messrs. Spofford
and Kellogg to present in writing their
views as to the scope of the investiga-
ton, which will include the question of
the legality of the Legislature by which
each claims to be elected. .-
Year: 1877

SENATOR WITHERs of Virginia has
introduced a bill, for the relief of own
ers of property in the late Confederate
States, which was sold under what is
known as the g Confiscation act" The
bill provides that the Government of
the United States will pay to the former
owners of such property the amount of
money received for their land at the
sale and receive in return quit-claim
conveyance of ownership, which title
can be transferred to the purchaser.
Year: 1877

Never write with pen or ink. 1t is al
together too plain, and doesn't hold the
mind of the editors and printers closely
to their work.


If you are compelled to use ink, never
use that vuIgarity known RS the blotting
pad. If you drop blot Of ink on the
paper, lick it off, The intelligent COM
positor loves nothing so dearly as to read
through the smear this will make across
twenty or thirty words. We have seen
him hang over such piece Of copy half
an hour, swearing like a pirate all the
time, he felt that good.


Don't try to write too plainly. 1t is a
sign of plebean origin and public. school
breeding. Poor writing is an indication
of genius. It's about the only indication
OF genius that great many men possess
Sprawl your articles with your eyes shut
and make every word as illrgible as you
can. We get the same price Tor it from
the rag. man as though it were covered
with copper-plate sentences.


Avoid all painstsking with proper
names. We know the full name of every
man, woman and child in the United
States, and the merest hint of the name
is sufficient. 1t is a great mistake that
proper names should be written plainly.


ALWAYS write on both sides OF the
paper, and, when you have filled both
sides of every page, trail a line up ana ana
down every margin and back to the top !,
of the first page. closing your article oy
Miiss Mn,n 30 I do love to get hold OF articles
w,itten aria W in this style. And how we
would like to get hold OF the man VINO
sends them Just for te minutes !
IT, In the woods, with cannon in
onr hin pocket burlington Ha~keye.
Year: 1877

can city than any other Canadian city,
except Toronto. Some OF its public
buildings, particularly the new postotlice,
were very fine. 1t dealt very largely in
lumber, which was floated down the
river from the heavy wooded upper coun-
try. Its location made it one of the
depots of the fishing interest. Its close
connection with the United States, with
which it had constant communication,
gave ita growing commercial importance.
Within few years it has been one of
the favorite summer resorts, Il centre
from which visitors radiated in all drec-
tons. The ST. John river in summer is
one of the most beautiful in the world,
while the sail from Portland down along
the coast of Maine and through the bay
of Fundy is unsurpassed. The destruc-
ton Of the business portion of the city is
n terrible calamity ; it is like destroying
the lungs on which the body depends for
its vitality. The appeal of the impover'
ished people for assistance is a strong
one, and il enforced, by every cOnSidera-
ton of sympathy and humanity New
Brunswick ought to belong to the United
States, and St John should be the
eastern city of the union. Her interests
are chiefly American, AMI the kindness
of our people toward her, in her present
extremity, will strengthen the American
feeling which is already strong in her
people.
Year: 1877

An insane man recently called at the
executive mansion to obtain an order for the
payment to him of the Geneva award. He
had large bundle of papers supporting his
claim.


The chief of the ordnance bureau has
given orders for the issue OF 1000 stand OF
arms to the state Of Oregon, six hundred to
the territory of Idaho, and five hundred to
Washington territory.


The president has issued his formal
order on the subject of the interference OF
federal officers with the management an!
control of party politics. The text of the
circular, addressed to every officeholder in
the country, is as follows.
Year: 1877

If ever the sympathy Of crowd of
guests at hotel was excited in behalf
OF a poor, oppressed man, it was a night
or two ago at the Burnet House. A
gentleman and lady from Adrian, enter
ed the Office The man was small, slight
smoothtongued and harmless. The wo-
man was large, stern and quick-spoken
while her voice fell upon the ear like
the rasping of hoarse buck-saw. The
man opened his mouth and said:


We would Ii" when his spouse
pushed him one side sharply, and said
to the clerk:


Have, you any rooms, sir? If so,
give us the best you have"


The clerk immersed the pen in ink,
handing it to the husband, and said
will you please register?" The hus-
band grateful to be allowed to exercise
his rights as free born American citi-
zen, and stepping gladly forward, wrote
the word Mr., and had entered on the
somewhat laboriOus contract of forming
the letter J, as the forerunner of the
cognOmen James, when the wife again
stepped forward, took the pen which
her little husband was wrestling with
out of his hand, remarking as she did so.
" Here, I'll do that! and, adding an IS"
to her husbands Mr. wrote in bold
hit-or-miss hand, Mrs. Malvina H"
and underneath it in smallcaps, the
words, and husband" The clerk then
assigned them their quarters, and. as the
bell-boy led the way upstairs, the bet
ter-half jerked the family carpet sack
Oft the counter and snapped out at her
husband in tone that made him Jump
SO as to dislocate his collar-button,
Come along here! " He followed
meekly in the rear, and as the bell-boy
came downstairs he could hear her Civ
ing out orders in reference to unpack-
ing the baggage in tone of voice that
made the hoarse notes OF ship captain
seem in comparison like the gentle COO
ing of dove, The next morning the
patient little man followed his wife
down to breakfast, ate the meal which
she ordered for him. and afterward,
when they came to depart, he stood in
the doorway and held the valise while
his wife went up and paid the bill.
Year: 1877

Circumstantial evidence, which still
keeps its place so powerfully in the ad-
ministration of law and penalty, is so
repeatedly discredited that it seems a
wonder that it can ever be accepted as
conclusive in cases of life or death. Its
recorded failures are so many and so re-
markable that they naturally assume Il
prominent place in the arguments urged
against capital punishment; for death
is fact that no proof of innocence can
do away with, and none who has been
hanged by conspiracy of circumstances
can hardly reap the benefit of a formal
atonement in the court records. Even
those who believe in hanging should be
ready, after these years of discussion of


social science, to have the law so modi-
fed that no person should suffer death
ON the evidence OF circumstances alone.


We have recently had notable in
stance of the weakness of this sort of
proof in Vermont, in the case of Phair,


now under reprieve for new trial on
charge of murder; and the same State
furnished the memorable Boorn sensa-
ton, in which a man reputed murdered
appeared in the flesh to save the alleged
murderer, and destroy one of the most
perfect series of evidential circum-
stances ever woven together. The


French causes celebres' are full of
such things as the tragic tale of Lesur-
Year: 1877




" Now, John, listen to me, for I'm old


er than you, or couldn't be your moth
er. Never do you marry young wo


man, John, before you have contrived tC
happen at the house where she lives at
least four or five times before breakfast


You should know how late she lies in
bed in the morning. You should take
notes whether her complexion is the
same in the morning as it is in the even,
ing, or whether the wash and the towel
have robbed her Of ,ar morning bloom


You should take care 20 surprise her. Sc
that you can see her in her morning
dress, and observe how her hair looks
when she is not expecting you. If pos.
sible, You should be where you can hear
the morning conversation between he,
Year: 1877

The children of poverty! My heart
bleeds when [ think Of them; the chill
dren simply covered by rag; the chill
dren of famine and starvation; the chill
dren OF drunkenness and the children Of
crime, flotsam and jetsam upon the wide,
rude sea of life; the children in alleys;
the children that crouch in the corners
when they hear the unsteady step of
drunken brute of father; the children,
little babes with drinking mothers; the
children, too, of the rich, that have no
liberty-these children that are crushed,
that are trampled upon, that are fright
ened pity them all from the bottom
Of my heart. What right have you to
tyrannize over a child? [ have very lit
tie respect for man who cannot govern
a child save by brute force. Think of
whipping children! Why, they say that
children tell lies. Yes, cowardice is the
mother of hes-tyranny is the father of
lies. Suppose a man who is as much
larger than you as you are larger than a
five year old child, should come at you
with pole in his hand, and demand,
Who broke that plate!' You would
tremble, your knees would knock to-
gether, and, and you would swear you
never saw the plate, or that it was broke
when you got it.


Think of member of the Board of
Exchange whipping one of his children
for prevaricating. Think of lawyer
beating his own flesh and blood for evad-
ing the truth. Think of dealer in
stocks Furnishing his child for setting
afoat false reports. What an inconsist-
ency Think of it. If you should here
after whip your child, | wish you could
have photograph taken when doing so,
with brows corrugated with anger, your
cheeks red with wrath, and the little
child shrinking, trembling, crouching and
begging! If this child should happen to-
die, wouldn't it be sweet in Autumn,
when the maple leaves are turning to
gold, and when the scarlet vines run like
sad regret out of the earth-wouldn
it be delightful to 90 and sit on the
mound that covered the flesh you had
beaten, and look at the photograph of
yourself in the act of whipping that
child?


Now think of it; think of it; and if all
| say tonight will save one blow from
the tender flesh of infancy, am more
than paid.


[ have known men to drive their own
children from their doors, and then get
down on their knees and ask God to.
watch over them | will never ask God
to do favor for a child of mine when [
can do it; never. Another thing. There
is nothing in this world like being hon
est with these children. Do not pretend
you are perfection; you are not; and if
one of them happens to tell a story do
not let on as if the world was going to
burst. Tell them honestly you have
told thousands of them.
Year: 1877

and her mother. If she is ill-natured
and snappish to her mother, so she will
be to you, depend upon it. But if you
find her up and dressed neatly in the
morning, with the same countenance, the
same smiles, the same neatly combed
hair, the same ready and pleasant an
swers to her mother which characterized
her department in the evening, and par
ticularly if she is lending hand to get
the breakfast ready in good season, she
is prize, John, and the sooner you Sc
cure her to yourself the better"
Year: 1877

l was very much interested in Captain
Nemo's letter on the thrssher, which
appeared in a recent number of the Sun.
He is doubtless right in saying that the
thrasher has been frequently mistaken for
the sea serpent. As few are perhaps
aware, right whales frequently find their
way into the Bay of Fundy, and are there
captured. The Bay is also a favorite re-
sort for the thrasher and the swordtish.
have heard old coasters say that they had
seen thrashers forty-iive and fifty feet
long, moving with great velocity on the
surface of the water, their heads raised
ten and twelve feet above. Bay OfFundy
fishermen, in speaking of them, say they
are the greatest of sea villains. Twenty
odd years ago, one of these monsters got
caught on sand bar, where he was left
by the rapid falling of the tide in the
Cumberland branch of the Bay of Fundy,
and was killed by the people on shore
after an exciting struggle. He measured
forty-six feet in length. AS Capt. Memo
says, the head is flat and serpent-like, the
eyes almest red, with ugly white circles
over them. Indeed, nothing could be
more repulsive than the head of this sea
monster. The only other sea villain it is
known to fraternize with is the sword
fish. Both are well-known to old coast
ers and fishermen as the deadly enemy of
the whale; and it is the common belief
that they hunt in couples, and on finding
the whale make immediate war, the
sword-fsh attacking beneath and the
tlrasher on top.


The common belief is that the thrasher
has huge weapon, very like a sledge
hammer, protruding from his mouth, with
which he administers on the whales back
those terrible blows you can hear ten or
twelve miles distant. Ihave myself stood
on bluff overlooking the Bay of Fundy,
and witnessed three of these terrible bat
ties between a whale and its enemies, the
swordtsh and the thrasher. The sword
fish did its deadly work underneath,
while, as Capt. Memo says, the thrasher
coiled himself half over the whale, and
applied the blows with his ponderous tail.
In the distance, however, the thrasher
seems to raise and let his weapons fall
very much as a blacksmith's helper han
dies his sledge. You could see the weap-
on rise and fall; you could hear the blows
distinctly, although the distance was be
lieved to be not less than ten miles from
shore, and you could also hear the whale
below and see him blow. On one of
these occasions the terrible contest lasted
nearly three hours, the water in the vicin-
ity being red with blood. About every
fifteen minutes the whale would disap-
pear in an attempt to escape from his en-
emies, but they would quickly pursue
him and force him to the surface, where
the combat would be renewed.


These two sea villains, the sword-fish
and thrasher, invariably kill the whale
when they get him into close quarters
and as soon as the combat ceases, which
can be clearly seen by the whales body
floating motionless, the thrasher will pro-
ceed to clear water, where, raising bis
serpent-like head in triumph ten or fifteen
feet above surface, be will continue some
times for twenty minutes lashing the sea
into foam.