smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1879

LAWRENCE, KS, September 9.-The
north span, ljj feet long, OF the bridge
across the Kansas river at this point
was destroyed to-day. About noon, a
drove Of 80 cattle was being driven
across the bridge, when by some mis-
management, they were all concentrated
upon the north span and it suddenly
broke near the middle, falling into the
river. The south portion OF the span
drew off the pier and fell fiat on the
water with a portion Of the cattle. Five
cattle were killed outright and
twenty ruined. The cattle
belonged 10 the Young Bros, OF South
err Kansas. Old Mr. Young, their
father, war at the side Of the drove in q
wagon, and one Of his sons immediate
ly behind the wagon, having nearly
crossed the bridge when the catastrophe
occurred. The cattle on this part oil
the bridge, horses, wagon and the two
men were precipitated to the bottom.
The young men escaped without
a ascratch, but the old man had his shoul-
der broken and some Of bis ribs crush
ed in. The Young Bros. rendered Their
cattle TO the bridge commissioners, and
have notified them OF claim for dam
agee.
Year: 1879

or nearly so; and yesterday your cor
respondent went and looked through the
same identical window, from which a
plain and uninterrupted view can be
had Of the lot in question. Mrs. CALI
moro is a cIear-headed, clear-sighted
lady, and she knows what she relates,
and her testimony can in no respect be
impeached. A great deal OF Importance
attaches to what she beheld that dread
ful night.
Year: 1879

WASHINGTON, April 80.


The Senate resumed the consider
ton of House bill providing for GER
tain expenses Of the present session,
and for other purposes, the pending
question being whether it was in
order to amend, as proposed by
Mr.. Plumb, appropriating $4,000
to pay the mileage for the present
session.


The bill providing, for the ex~
penses of the Senate passed, after
which the Health bill was dis
cussed at considerable length.


A caucus was held Immediately
after adjournment.


HOUSE.


Immediately after the reading of
the journal, the Speaker presented
to the House the veto message of
the President upon the Army bill,
and it was read by the Clerk. Lit
tie or no attention was paid to the
reading by the members on either
side of the House.


On conclusion of the reading
of the Presidents message, Mr..
Sparks offered the following res olu-
tion: Be it ordered that the mes
sage of the President just read be
entered at length on the journal as
required by the Constitution of the
United States, and that the House
will tomorrow proceed to consider
said message, and thereafter to con-
slider the bill making the appropria-
ton for the support of the army
for the fiscal year ending June 80,
1880, and that said message be
printed. Adopted,
Year: 1879

a S-4 Wv -A'IHSO 1lASSs


Of one thing the people of Mis-
sissippi may rest perfectly assured,
and that is that they can not arrest
the movement by making trihing
political concessions, unless they
concede to the blacks perfect free
dom to go or stay, as they may
prefer. A correspondent who res
Gently passed up the river to Mem
phis from below writes that in one
day he counted twenty-four en-
campments of colored people
waiting for boats to give them
transportation they were able to
pay for, and the boats would not
pay any attention to their signals.
The whites would not supply them
with the ordinary neoessaries
of life, and they were actually fam
ishing' The planters had issued
their ukase that boats should not
stop, and the ukase was obeyed
through fear of losing the good
will of the white patrons Of the
steamers. Now, it is certain that
the hegira can not be stopped in
this way. The blacks will not fail
to discover the reason why trans
portation is refused, and when they
understand it they will be all the
more eager to get away. The at
tempt to interfere with their free
dom to go will far outweigh all the
fair promises of protection in the
exercise of their rights if they stay,
Those who are desirous of prevent
ing the exodus must rely upon per-
suasion, and such guarantees nf -
tice and fairrc
Year: 1879

AsheYine On. CT Citizen, March 20.


There has been rejoicing in the


West over daylight" through the


Blue Ridge. We must not expect


the road to reach US, however, in


week or two. We understand that


Major Wilson has succeeded in plac-
ing his track down through MUD
Cut" is now laying it down to the


eastern approach of the tunnel, and
intends ID. W being there with his
train by the first of April. But the
clearing out of the bench now re-
naming in the Swannanoa Tunnel
will probably take from three to i've
months. In the meantime Major
Wilson intends throwing his whole
force, outside of the tunnel force, on
the work coming down the Swanna-
noa Valley, will run the track iron
the tunnel, and expects to
have several miles of the track down
in this direction by the time his
train comes through the Blue Ridge.
All in all, we have every reason to
hope that the trains will come down
the Swannanoa before the summer is
over. The Legislature has done
everything for the road that was
asked for by our Western members,
and we may now expect Major Will
son to push the work forward with
all the rapidity possible.


Our Western section has positive
cause for congratulation, Our men,
oers obtained all they asked for their
people and section, and our great
natural interest, the Western North
Carolina Railroad, was left in the
most favorable position it has been
IN. Instead of stopping the appro-
priation and otherwise hampering
The work and destroying the efforts
Of Major Wilson, that material help
vas given him which will enable him
TO prosecute the work with renewed
energy, and with much greater effec-
5iveness. We may now hope with
some degree of certainty, to see the
IRON horse plowing through our val
Ieys before the end of the present
year and to this extent most GER
tainly we can give praise to the Leg
stature of 1879, had we no other
reason for doing so.
Year: 1879




The man who was lost in slumber
probably found his way out on a
nightmare.


1t has never been found out how
much old ocean measures round her
gray and melancholy waste.


A Whitehall woman calls her hus-
band good resolutions, because he is
always broke,


Prince of Wales red is the new
color. Whales red We always
thought whales blew.
An accountant who visited Bun k
er Hill Monument last summer says
it is the longest column he ever foot
ed up.


1t has been proved that after kind.
ling his FIRE a miser stuck a cork in
the nozzle Of the bellows to save the
little wind there was left in it.


II never thought bat once" said
old Deacon Webbing, ''that it was a
sin to steal an umbrella" tAnd
when was that?' asked friend. ut
was when some peslzy thief stole my
new silk one" answered The deacon.
Year: 1879

borne. We have been many times
in the wilderness Of Judea with
David, and as we go through that
wilderness let US take the harp in
our hands and let us. as he did, press
our fingers, sweep the strings with a
song of gladness and cry out with
joyful acclaim, "Help me, o God !;
Thy will. not mine, be done"
Year: 1879

/ St. Louis Times-Journal 18th.


The influx of negroes still con-
tiuues, 800 more of the deluded hu-
man beings having arrived last even
ing on the John B. Maude. A Times
JounM reporter visited the colored
church at the southwest corner of
Eighth street and Chaisty avenue,
and found it literally packed with
well, em:grapts or refugees, it is
hard to tell which.


In conversation with some of them
the following thrilling narrative was
related:


"a negro woman was one of a
party of 175. vino came mostly from
back in the country, to Lulu, or Du-
lu landing, not far from Vicksburg,
where they intended taking a steam
er for the northern country, but be-
fore the steamer came along to take
them off lot of white folks, armed
with guns and pistols, came and
drove them back in the swamp about
half a mile or mile. The colored
people had taken all of their plunder
household effects) to the landing,
but were forced to leave it there
when driven back and it was all
burned and destroyed.


Some Of the negroes refused to
go back in the country, and every
one of them was killed, but one
cid woman, who made her escape
by crawling on her hands and knees
for mile and a half through the
swamp, after which she got up and
walked for about five miles up the
river, and succeeded in hailing an
upward bound boat, and came on
to st. Louis


According to report the Fannie
Lewis which should have left on
Saturday night, waited until Sun
day morning and got large load
Of colored people.


Those who came in last night are
still on the boat, but the majority
of them, having some money, will
start West this morning.


The colored people Of this city
have done nobly and displayed a
hearty sympathy with kindred in
distress. well worthy of emulation
by the white portion Of the communi-
ty. They have held meetings aud
appointed collection committees, and
to their credit be it said these COM
mittees were no drones or figure
heads-they have worked incessant-
ly and with vim which has resulted
in something very material or tangi-
bIe-that is the poor mans best
friend, greenbacks and silver. The
result of these strenuous efforts will
be that large portion of the emil
grants who are now quartered here
will no doubt be enabled to leave
for Kansas this evening. Arrange~
ments are in process ofconsummation
by which reduced rates will be Sc.
cured for all those who wish to go
out to Kansas to do so, the money
collected being used to defray the
necessary expenses,
Year: 1879

Scottish Courts sterply hold trustees to the very letter of their duties. The trustees Of certain fund were author ized by their deed of appointment to invest the fund in (among other things) the stock of any chartered bank. They invested portion of it in the stock of the late " City of Glasgow Bank" 7" which was an incorporated company, but not 8 chartered bank. The beneficiary of the fund not only assented to, but had even expressly desired, this investment. Af- ter the failure of the bank she brought suit against the trustees to compel them to replace the lost portion of the fund. The Court held that they were personal ly liable for all losses consequent upon the1r departure from the strict letter of the trust deed; that they had no right to take instructions from the beneficiary as to the investment of her fund and further, that it was their duty |" to pro- tect her against herself" It will be a fortunate day for widows and orphans when the Courts of this country adopt Scottish strictness regarding trustees.- St. Louis Globe.
Year: 1879

Professor W. E. Ayrton closed lec- ture to four thousand of the working men of Sheffield, England, on the sub- ject of electricity as motive power with this picture: "We are, it is true, commercial people, but do we not still love our hills and our fields? There was a time when the cutler of now black, grimy Sheffield was very fleet on foot in following the chase. There was time when not only in the villages around old Shefield,' go says the his- tory of Hallamshire, were the fle- makers shops or the smithy to be seen, with the apprentices at work but even on the hillside in the open country, at the end of the barn would be the cut lers' shed, while in the valley below, by the river, was the grinding wheel ready to sharpen the tools that had been manufactured. And why not now why should not the mountain air that has given your workmen of Hallam- shire in past times your sinew, your independence of character, blow over your grindstone now? Why should not division of labor be carried to it's end, and power brought to you instead of you to power2 Let us hope, then, that in the next century electricity may un- do whatever harm steam may have done during the last, and that the fu- ture workman of Sheffield will, instead of breathing the necessary impure air of crowded factories, find himself again on the hillside, but with electric ener- ey laid on at his command"
Year: 1879

A man who has been through bank ruptcy is always good candidate for office. Voters are apt to think that the man who cannot manage his own busi- ness successfully is just the man to in- trust with the management of the busi- ness of the public.
Year: 1879

Two MEN were driving along road that skirted g precipice, at Crawford, Iowa, and rain aud darkness came upon them. They had heard that horses could see in the dark, and therefore let go of the reins, trusting to their brute's instinct; but it happened that this horse was blind, which fact they did not know until after good many of their bones had been broken.
Year: 1879

Dog-days is a term for which we are indebted to the ancient Thebans, who first cultivated astronomy in Egypt, and determined the length of the year by the number of risings of the dog-star, or Sirius, At the season of the year when this brilliant star rose with the sun their combined influence was supposed to be productive of presidential heat and all manner of baneful influences. There fore the Egyptians watched the con- junction of Sirius and the sun with mingled feelings of hope and fear, for it foretold to them the rising of the Nile, and was ominous of fruitful crops or devastating droughts. Their dog-days extended from the 4th of August to the 14th of September. The rising of Sirius. however, has been so accelerated by the procession of the eqinoxes during the

 assage of more than two thousand years, that the corresponding conditions for the ancient dog-days would include them within the 3d of July and the uth of August. It will be readily seen that our modern dog-days have no connection with the rising of Sirius or any other otdi, poo'tuSO ho CiIht'lIohI u'test CfiH De based upon stars whose positions are always changed by the falling back of the equinoctial points. The dog-days refer to particular kind of weather, which marks about forty days occurring a month after the summer solstice, and based entirely on that epoch. They simply retain an ancient name, as in many other instances, without retaining its significance. It may seem strange that Sirius, which is seen overhead in midwinter, should be associated with the heat of summer; but it must be re- membered that this star is overhead in midsummer in the daytime, though, like the other stars, invisible on account of the sun.-ProUide,sce ( R. I.) Journal.
Year: 1879

LADIES YOUR ATTENTION, IF YOU PLEASE
1t isn't always safe to hide under the bed,
for fear of thunderstorms. A negro man
near Newbern crawed under the bed wit h
his oldest boy on his back The mother
stood in the floor with her babe in her arms
Down came the lighting killing the couple
under the bed, but not harming the woman


p S.-The safest way for young ladies
when there are signs of storm is to run and
throw yourselves into the arms of tall mar.
1t will hit him first, and if it shouldn't hap
pen to strike at all, you would at least have
the benefit of the fun.


N. B-A tall editor is much the best
style of man to run to-
Year: 1879

The SCHOOL BILL.-On Tuesday the Su-
preme Court adjourned, after a session Of 81
days. Before adjourning, the Chief Justice
(wl.o will write the opinion to be filed at next
term) announced the unanimous decision of
the court in answer to the petition for man
damus to wit, that the attachment of the
Speakers signature to an Act of legislation
is vital formality, made mandatory by the
wording of the Constitution. Furthermore
that the signatures should be affixed during
the session of the Legislature, but if not SO
affixed, the Supreme Court possesses no au-
thority to require the Speaker to correct
their neglect, whether accidental or inten-
tiOnal.


The decision, we expect, will excite wide
spread comment, pro and con. The question
is difficult one. AS it now stands, all that
is necessary to vitiate law, however impor-
tant, is for one of the speakers to neglect, or
refuse to sign; or for one of the clerks to
abstract the bill in such manner that the
speakers never have it brought for sigma
ture. Per contra, it is important that every
possible formality shall be thrown around
the act of legislation since we are not with
out instances of wrong doing in consequence
of informality Doubtless the next LegIs-
lature will prescribe new regulations on the
subject.
Year: 1879

Mr.. Edward Cooper takes possession OF
the Mayors Office to-day, and will be at the
head of the municipal government for two
years to come. He enters upon his duties
under favorable circumstances. He is not
subject to the influence or dictation of any
political organization, having been elected
by the votes of men Of all parties. He finds
the city debt decreasing, the public credit
good, the annual expenditures lessened,
business improving; real estate, under the
influence of rapid transit, looking conf
IDENTIFY to recovery from its long depres-
sion, and the promise of increased employ
ment for labor good. Before and after his
election Mr.. Cooper assured the people of
his entire freedom from pledges, di-
rect or implied, regarding his official
action, and OF his determination to
give the city government based upon
the sound and honest principles that
would control the management Of private
business. We have heard such promises
from executives who have preceded Mr..
Cooper, and have, unfortunately, seldom
known them to be fulfilled. But in the
present case the Mayor has every facility
for keeping faith with the people and every
inducement to do so. The new administra-
tion will receive tho hearty support of the
HERALD if it is found to be based on the
principles Mr.. Cooper has announced. II
he will truly and honestly conduct the city
government as he would his own business
he will establish precedent whose good
influence will be felt for many years to
come.
Year: 1879

Seldom does the press intrude upon New
Year festivities trio Of narratives as sod
as those which we give this morning. The
testimony in the Furniss shooting case, the
investigation and verdict in the Harlem
Bridge accident and the story of the Schultz
mystery embody considerable reading
which is all the more dismal because most Of
the mishaps recorded might have been
avoided. It is very unlikely that
il he had been in uniform. fright
ened man is always reassured by the
presence of men whom he knows to be off,
GERS; but the crazy man, Palmer, naturally
imagined the policemen in civilian dress
to be the enemies that he thought were
dogging him. The verdict of tho Coro-
ner's jury in tho case Of Mr.. Ste
venson, who was drowned by stepping
off q bridge which should have been closed,
duplicates single man, but even II he be
proved innocent tho testimony already
given shows that the fatal draw was
opened and closed without the prccau-
ton which prudence would dictate in
even the case of drawbridee over q
country stream. No matter what individual
may be pronounced responsible, the moral
blame must attach to the authorities who
leave bridge on On important highway
without men enough to properly work
and guard it, and without any facilities for
life saving The Schultz affair, although
still unexplained, shows that the victim
was reckless to degree which seems
inexplicable, when his usual pru-
dence is considered. That q man who
always remained within doors after dark,
undoubtedly because the character OF his
property was known, could have not only
departed from his cautious habit on single
occasion. but gone into Secluded road,
which was also hidden nv the darkness of
Year: 1879

Among the remarkable features of the
year just past is the small mark which
America has made in literature. The read
ing public has not lacked for books, but most
of those published during the year were re-
prints, while of noted American works
large share consisted of collections Of
material published piecemeal in previous
years. The notable works of the year can
be enumerated on the fingers of two hands,
even after including the more prominent
volumes of poetry and romance. The record
is certainly disappointing one, but
it does not prove that interest in lit
erature has declined. People have probably
done as much readingas ever and students.
singers and romancers have been faithful to
their respective vocations But readers
have grown so rapidly in wisdom and taste
within the past few years that American
writer's are compelled TO be more careful
and thorough than ever before, and to real-
ize that collections of hasty notes cannot
safely be offered to the public as books The
prospects of our native littratevs are better
than they ever were; there is more reputa-
tion and money for them when they sue
ceed than there was for men Of their clan o
generation ago; but while the daily and
periodical press is employing hosts Of
specialists to give tragmentarily to the pub
lie the information and entertainment
which once could be found only in books,
the tendency of the reading classes is to
decline and discourage every new work
which in merit is not above the average
Year: 1879

During the good times, so-called, which
existed just before the panic of 1873, a
favorite deiusion of many people in rural
localities was that to have q railroad in their
neighborhood was rather more beneficial
than to discover gold mine New roads
were projected faster than engineers could
survey the lines, and the town that had no
row of chalked stakes crossing it was con-
sidered to be entirely out of the world.
For once the capitalists who clutch at
everything that has money in it we're too
stupid to perceive the golden opportunity
that was waiting to be grasped, so the towns
along the lines cheerfully voted large guam
titles of their own bonds to assist in
building the roads. The transaction seemed,
financially, the simplest and safest in the
world. A town gave its bonds in ex-
change for an equal quantity, at face val
uations, of railway bonds or stock; the inter-
est on the latter was to pay that on the for
mer, and the principal Of the one was to
offset that of the other. Slowly, however,
it dawned on the minds of the forefathers of
the ambitious hamlet that, although inter-
est on town bonds was promptly paid out
of the local treasury, there was delay,
which became chronic, about the payment of
interest or dividend on the railway securities
held by the town. A railroad can pay in
terest only out of its net earnings, whereas of
the roads completed not one-half could earn
running expenses, while many have yet to
behold their first rail. A science peculiar
TO railroad building enabled many COM
pany to pay several times as much for its
road and rolling stock as any possible trade
could ever yield surplus upon, and in
most cases the towns learned that the secu-
rites they had taken in exchange for their
own yielded nothing but assessment.
The end was powerful sentiment
of disgust with railroads and every
thing connected with them, but disgust
never filled an empty treasury, SO at


present some hundreds Of towns are search
ing the law for loopholes of escape. Some
OF them may be successful upon technical
points, but the general result is bound to
be the same which overtakes every one.
community or individual, who pays cash for
prospects. The towns. at best. have been
Year: 1879

sinking money in possible improvements.
In many cases they have been wild specu-
lations, but the law is powerless to annul
any contract merely because one of the
parties was blind, careless or stupid. The
dance which is over may have been silly
one, but still the piper must be paid.
Year: 1879

WALL STREET YEsrERDAY.-The stock mar
ket was active and strong. Gold sold at par to
1-64 premium. Government bonds were firm,
States weak and railroads strong. Money on
call lent at q 5, and at the close as high as
per cent.
Year: 1879

VIRGINIA BoSDHoIDERs will be interested in
an article on another page outlining plan Of
adjustment which seems to meet with good
deal of favor on both Sides An honest settle
ment of her indebtedness is the first step to be
taken toward prosperity
Year: 1879

Or COURSE the Aldermen passed over the
Mayors veto their resolution giving portion of
Harlem Bridge to street railway company.
We ought to be thankful they did not give
away the whole structure.