smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1874

1t. fancied a strange color, a curious


smell. put it from me and would not


have tasted it for kingdom.


mad not intended to sleep, and did
not undress myself. I merely removed
my disguise, and sat down beside the


table with my pistols beside me. That
some attempt might be shortly made to
murder me I felt to be possible. /
thought of all the old tales I had heard
OF trap doors, and sliding panels, and
secret entrances to travellers rooms. I
was not coward, but I felt strangely
nervous, and singularly enough for a
man IN my perfect health my hands
were growing cold, and my feet were
Jumps of ice, while my head was burn
ing hot.


Fifteen minutes had passed and the
fire was kindled, but the room was not
warm. The blue flames struggled
among the black Goals, and flung forked
tongues tipped with yellowish tints.
into the room. There was nothing
cheerful about the stove, though it was
OF that open style now called Franklin.
Yet drew a chair toward it from
habit, and sat with my feet upon the
hearth. do not know how long I sat
there. Suddenly L became aware that
was not myself. I was losing my
senses. If unseen hands had been
clasped about my neck, and an un-
seen knee been pressed against my
chest, my sensations could not have
been different.


A thought of the evil spirit which nv
friend had suggested family struggled
into my mind. AS I staggered to my
feet a noise like the roaring of a sea
was in my ear. The flames of a candle
turned to a great yellow blue. I barely
retained strength enough to stagger to
the window and fling it open. The fresh.
cold winter air rushed in at it. It gave
me intense psin, but it relieved me. In
a moment more was able to Chamber
out of it upon the shed below.


There I remained until the day dawn.
With my returning senses the truth
came to me. That which had murdered
the three men who slept before me in
the blue chamber was nothing more or
less than the coal stove.


1t was provided with what is called a
damper, and this being caught in a man
ner which closed it sent the poisonous
air into the room. 1t had been kindled
as a wOod-fre would have been at the
hour of retiring, by one quite ignorant
Of the danger possible from coal gas,
and they had slept never to awaken.
Had I thrown myself upon the bed, I
also should have been found dead at
daylight, in all probability.


As for the fact that neither doctor nor
coroner discovered the truth, I have but
to say that they were not deeply scien-
tific men.


OF course I rejoiced the household
by my discovery next morning, and
equally, of course, Nine. Matteau, who
was not only freed from suspicion, but
became the object of universal sympa-
thy. She was always grateful to me,
and she proved her gratitude by giving
what L soon asked for, the hand of her
daughter Gabrielle in marriage.
Year: 1874

1t was a Scotch woman who said that
the butcher of her town only killed
half a beast at a time it was a Dutch
man who said that pig had no marks
on its ears except a short tail and it
was a British magistrate, who, being
told by a vagabOnd that he was not mar
for your wife. It was an English re-
porter who stated, at a meeting of the
chronological Society there was exhib-
tied " casts of the skull of an individ-
ual at different periods of adult life, to
show the changes produced in ten
years." though Dean Swift certainly
mentions two skulls preserved in Ire
land, one of a person when he was a
boy, and the other of the same person
when he grew to be a man. It was a
Portuguese mayor who enumerated
among the marks by which the body of
adrowned man might be identified when
found, a marked impediment in his
speech" It was a FrenchmaH, the
famous CarlinO, who, contentedly lay
ing his head on a large stone jar for
a pillow, replied to one who enquired
if it was not rather hard, Not at all,
for I've stuffed it with hay." 1t was an
American lecturer who sOlemnly said
" Parents, you have children, or if not,
your daughters may have" And it was a
German orator, who, warming with his
subject, exclaimed, "There is no man,
woman or child in this house, who has
arrived at the age of fifty years, but
what has felt the truth laundering
through their minds for centuries.
Year: 1874

The London Saturday Review SAYS !:
q" For nearly three centuries royal per-
sonages were so scarce in England that
1t was no wonder that, when they began
to be more common, people began 20
look upon them as a distinct class from
other people. All through the six
teenth and seventeenth centuries the
royal family consisted of very few mem
befs; sometimes, as in the reign of
Elizabeth, there could not be said to be
al y royal family at all. Between Henry
the Fourth and George the First six
sovereigns only we're the fathers of a
Prince of Wales two Of them, it may
noted, were the fathers of two Princes
of Wales. And in all that time Charles
the First, as Prince of Wales, and
James the Second, as Duke of York,
were the only son or brother of king
who had ever the opportunity of play
ing any part in affairs. The rest either
died young or succeeded young.
Through the whole sixteenth century
there were crowds of people who had
contingent claims to the crown. but
they were not people whom any body
would have called royal. The 'royal
family, as a working institution, really
takes leap from the son of Henry the
Fourth TO the son and grandson of
George the First-is it too bitter a sar.
casm to say from John Duke of Bed
ford to Frederick Prince of Wales /?
Between these there was only a prince
or princess now and then. It was no
wonder, then, that when the royal
family began again they started on
quite new terms. And, after all, no
one has ever told us what Is the royal
family. No one has yet been further
off the reigning sovereign than first
cousin"
Year: 1874

The pencil marks you see around this
paragraph (thus) mean that your sub
scriptioT is ont or unpaid, and that
you are requested to pay up at once,
We would take great pleasure in extend
ing credit 20 our friends and patrons,
but cAsh alone viii pay expenses, and
We are forced to adhere to a strict cash
rule. We hope you viii comprehend
and appreciate the necessity Of such q
course and renew your subscription
without delay. We solicit your favor.


~ We enter no new names on our
OOoks without the money in adv1ree,
Year: 1874

SOMEBODY told us the other day that
If Won will put little syrup and water
in . bowl and set the DO VI on your ta-
bIe. with a small piece of wood extend
mo from the table to the rim of the
bowl. to serve as a sort of bridge, you
can catch all the reaches in the neigh
borhood in a single night. We tried It,
The reaches went to the syrup and wa
ter by companies, battalions and brig
ades, but when you gave them smal!
scare they shot up the sides OF that
bowl faster than a lightning express
train can travel an upgrade OF three
feet to the mile. A more dlabollcal
fraud upon a confiding and unprotected
orphan was never perpetrated.-CouTteT
Journal.
Year: 1874

MORE CERTAIN THAN PHmosOPHIoAL.
One of the students at Davidson
College, who was too lazy to do any
thing right, was in the habit of cleaning
out his iamp-chimney by running his
finger down it as far he could and twist
ing it around. After he had cleaned it
out in this partial manner, one day not
long ago, a fellow student took it up
and carried it to the residence Of one of
the Professors, with the inquiry, g Why
is II that this chimney is smoked up to
this point and no farther ?" The learn
ed gentleman entered into an elaborate
scientific explanation of why 1t was,
arguing with great lucidness, and citing
various authorities to show the correct
ness of his reasoning. When he had
finished. the student said to him, " No.
sir, vou are wrong" GO Why is it, then p
INQUIRED the Professor. "Because the
fellows finger wasn't long enough to
reach any farther" replied the student
Year: 1874

TIE famine in Turkey is only little
less severe than IL was IN India, but it
is restricted TO q much smaller district.
The accounts of suffering are enough
TO destroy one's appetite for a week.
Year: 1874

The new and costly Masonic Temple on Twenty.
third street and sixth syenne Is now receiving its
finishing touches and will be ready for dedication
early Ia the fall some OF the stores on the ground
door are already occupied, and the Masonic frater.
nifty have used q portion Of the upper stories for
meeting purposes since the lat of June last The
new temple 10 solid and imposing structure, and
s credit TO the fraternity and to the city. de-.
spiiption oil the building appeared Ia the HERALD
m any mGuths anO.
Year: 1874

DIR. COTTMAN, Of Louisiana, who re-
Gently made a report of the condition OF
affairs in Louisiana to the executive de-
psrtment at Washington, was in New
York on Thursday last, and presented
his views to a representative of the Her
aid at some length, the following being
the principal thing to which we invite
the attention OF our readers: II think
myself that if General Grant is disposed
to favor the conservative element and
lend his influence for the general pacifi-
cation Of the State, trouble may be post
poned for time. 1t is imperative that
he do something at once; for so sure as
be permits the negro and the carpetbsg
element to go together any longer they
viii both get cleaned out by united
force Of all parties" This, it would
seem 10 US, is very significant of the
effects of black majority, controlled by
white thieves.
Year: 1874

THE proposed government tax Of one
twentieth Of one per cent. on all sales oi
stocks, bonds and other securities, has
created excitement among the brokers.


The New York exchange has sent a
committee to Washington to prevent
the amendment to the tariff bill impos-
ing this tax from being adopted. 1t
is stated that the effect Of such a tax


would be disastrous to the brokerage
Year: 1874

In relation to the rumors regarding the
future operations OF the Erie road, the
officers say that the plans adopted, in
view Of the success OF the new loan, are
TO be fully carried out, and that all re-
uorts to the contrary have no foundation
in fact. The work on the double-trsek
road-bed is proceeding with dispatch,
and the change from the present broad
gauge to a narrow-g gauge will be made
as soon as practicable. All new locomo-
tives have been built with view TO the
change Of gauge, and the builders have
contracted TO do the extra work for two
hundred and fifty dOllars on each en-
gine-
Year: 1874

Judge White gives us an evangelical story
of the first water. One of his students was a
convert at aprotracted meeting, but not find
ing the peace he hoped from his conversion,
he waited on his minister, and informed him
of his backsiding condition. "Your heart is
hardened by your professions" solemnly said
the man of God. "Quit the law office; retire
on your knees to your study, and be brought
out either Christian or a corpse"
Year: 1874

LITTLE Rock, March 13.-The par
ties who left CIarksviIIe at ten O'Clock
this morning, state that Sid Wallace, the
Johnson county desperate, was to te
hanged at twelve o'clock, and every
PREPARATION was made. A Gdsstte re-
porter was with the condemned man up
to eleven o'clock last night, and through
out the conversation he wore that same
confident air which has characterized
him during his long imprisonment. He
wrote letter to the Gazette last night,
which will be published to-mOr-
row, and In which he states
it is his last letter; that he
Is murdered by his enemies through the
forms of law, without giving him the
least showing.


The scaffold was erected in the court
house yard, just in front Of the Jail,
where Wallace was confined, looking at
it. He asked the reporter if he did not
think that was mighty shabby affair
upon which to hang him. He express
ed no fear of death, whatever, and
stated his confidence of being borne
away to heaven by angels. II
turned loose now, he said, with q
couple of good six-shooters, he thought
he could get away with good many Of
his enemies, but he stated they were
afraid to meet him. They were a pack
Of towards who had sworn away his life
because they were afraid of him.


The crowd in attendance at the execu-
ton is described by parties down from
there tonight as the largest ever assem-
bled in Johnson county. Wallace was
related to one of the oldest and best FAM
lilies in the county, His father prior to
the war, was member of the legisla-
ture and a prominent Methodist
divine. He was killed by jayhawkers
about the close of the war. Sid had the
reputation of killing several men besides
the one for which he was hung. There
was also a sentence of four years
in the penitentiary hanging over him
for attempting the assassination of
another man. A special train was to
leave Clarksville at two o'clock, but has
not yet arrived. The other train left at
ten o'clock, two hours before the execu-
tiOO.
Year: 1874

0O'''--''
Which will be distributed on the 3lst March,
among the ticket-holders in this magnificent
scheme.


The announcement Of drawing on the day
named is POSITIVE AND FINAL, and 1t is
hoped that all intending to purchase ticket
win order promptly, that there may be no
confusion or disappointment in filling orders.
The object is a good one, the confidence OF
the public in the good faith Of the manage
ment is thoroughly established, and the re-
mainder of the tickets will all be sold by the
time appointed for the drawing. All agents
are required to make their returns on Il
10Th March
Year: 1874

AS the coffin was removed from the
chamber, the members of the house of
representatives, the judges of the su-
pleme court, the President and cabinet
and other guests then retired in the
order named, as called by the president
pro tempOre.


The coffin having been carried out to
the entrance of the senate wing of the
capital, it was deposited in
Year: 1874

The senate was then called to or
der, and the chair announced, as
a member to fill the vacancy in the
joint select committee to investi-
gate the management of the af-
fairs of the District of Columbia, Senator
Stewart Nev.P to be chairman Of the
committee in place Of Senator Bout
well, who was excused on account of i'll
health. The senate then, on motion of
Senator Buckingham, adjourned till
Tuesday next.


AS soon as the senate adjourned 8
rush was made by large number Of
women and some men to the
Year: 1874

The senate of the United States
entrusts the remains of Charles Sumner
TO its sergeant-at-arms, and the commit
tee appointed to convey them to his
home, there to commit earth to
earth, ashes to ashes, and dust to dust,
in the soil of the commonwealth of
Massachusetts. Peace to his ashes.


The coffin was then closed, and the
flowers having been replaced, it was re-
moved from the chamber followed by
the committee appointed by the senate
and house, to accompany the remains
to Boston.
Year: 1874

of Senator Sumner to gain possession of
the flowers which had been placed upon
his desk, and similar attempts were
made to carry off the floral decorations
that had been removed from the cata-
falque and coffin. The crowd managed
to seize many of the flowers before the
officers of the senate could interfere.
Year: 1874

How to Make a Good Cement


As the idea that good mortar
requires certain proportion Of
earth in its composition is preva-
lent in this community, we desire
to call attention to the following
taken from the SCIENTIFIC AMERI-
CAN, which generally knows what
it treats of.-ED. News.


To obtain good mortor, saj 3
Graham Smith. as much depends on
the character of the ingredients and
The manner Of mixing them as on
the goodness of the lime Itself. 1t
does not necessarily follow that be
cause lime is good, the quality OF
the mortar will be good also: The
best lime ever burut would be spoilt
Uy the custom common among some
builders, to mix with it alluvial soil
and rubbish taken from the founda-
ton pi's of intended buildings. The
sand should be hard, sharp, gritty,
and for engineering purposes, not
100 fine it should be perfectly free
from ali organic matter. and with no
particular smell. Good sand for NOR
tar may be rubbed between the hands
without soiling them. The water
should also be free from all organic
matter, and on this account should
never be taken from Stagnant ponds
The presence of salt in sand and wa
ter is not found to impair the ulti-
mate strength of most mortars; new
er the less. it causes tie work to
nitrate" or, as it is commonly
termed, "saltpeter," which consists
of white froty blotches appearing on
the face of the structure. 1t also
renders the mortar liable to moisture,
and for these reasons should never be
present in mortar intended for ar
chitectural purposes, although for
dock walls and sea works it may
generally be used with advantage and
economy. +.f


Sand is used to increass the re-
sistance of mortar to crushing. to
lessen the amount of shrinking, and
to reduce the bulk of the more costly
material. lime. Water is the agent
by which combination is effected,
and as sand does not increase iI
volume by moisture, it necessity
follows that no more of the aqueous
elements should be employed than
is absolutely necessary to fill the
interstices between the sand. and
render the whole into paste con-
venient for use; and the greater
strictness with which this is adhered
to the more compact and durabte will
be the mortar.
Year: 1874

The result of the recent elections
means tie disintegration of the
radical party in Tennessee and
North Carolina. In Virginia it
practically disappeared last autumn,
witness, the late result in Peters
burg.


Does any one suppose Horace
Maynard conld next year, in any
possible sort of canvass, succeed him.
self as Congressman at Large?-
The people have every where taken
the first opportunity to resist the
insult, wrapped up in the Civil
Rights Bill. Perhaps the most
remarkable result has been at
Knoxville. There Brownlow and
Maynard made the sqaure issue be-
fore the people, and the heretofore
heavy majority Of the Republicans
was overwhelmed by an avalanche
OF public seorn. The CHRONICLE was
stricken with amaEement at the res
suit. The fact is the people have
at length in the teeth of a para
mount peril broken ever the old
party limits and together sworn
that they will not have this mad
measure forced upon them. Tho
result means that Radicalism must
stop
Year: 1874

dan village during the visit of the
chief to camp had packed up and de-
parted Gone Stab" has recently
returned from the hostile camp on
Powder river, and says that the In
dians lost ten killed in the fight with
the Rozeman exploring party. He
remains with us three days longer,
when he will take his departure and
rejoin his band.


On the 3lst General Custer, with
the engineers. ascended Harney's
Peak, and found it to be the highest
point in the Black Hills. General
Custer, in his report on this region,
says:


In no portion Of the United States,
not excepting The famous Blue Grass
region of Kentucky. have l ever found
grazing superior to that which grows
wild in these hitherto unknown re-
gions. know of no portion of our
country where nature has done so
much to prepare homes for husband
men, and left so little for them to do
as here. Everything indicates az
abundance of moisture within the
space occupied by the Black Hills
Gold has been found in several places.
and it is the option of those who are
giving attention to the subject that
it will be discovered in paying quans
ties. l have upon my table forty or
fifty small PARTICLES of pure gold, in
size about that of a small pin>head.
Most Of it was obtained to-day from
a single pan of earth. but as we have
not remained longer at any camp than
one day, it will be readily understood
that there is no opportunity to make
a satisfactory examination in regard
to deposits of valuable minerals
Until further investigations is had
regarding the richness Of the deposits
of gold no opiuion should be formed
Veins of what the geologists call
bearing quartz, crop out on al
most every hillside. All existing
geological or geographical maps of
this region have been found incor-
rect.


The northward march begins in a
few days from this date, and General
Custer expects to reach Fort Lincoln
by the 31st of August.
Year: 1874

We have heard of the anticipa-
ted war Of races in the Southern
States until we have begun to
doubt the prophecy, but the close
observer of to-day must admit that
there is something more than mere
smoke in it. Wherever the with
drawal of federal support has left
the whites and negroes free to con-
test their thirst for power we have
had but one story told us of the
result. Either the whites have
submitted to absolute ruin as in
South Carolina, or they have had
TO resort to the last argument of is-
solatcd communities and carry
their lives under the point of the
pistol. There must be the abso-
lutte domination of one race over
the other as in Va. or S. G. to in
sure peace. In such disputed
States as Mississippi and Louisiana
blood alone has been the end of it
al. Even in West Tennessee we
have the Somerville riot. A white
man challenges negro ballot-box
suffer and the result is insolent
resistance which causes the death
of a number Of good citizens. But
for the arrival Of aid from Mem
phis the result would have been
lar worse AT Austin, on the Mis-
sissippi side of the river, some 80
miles below Memphis, a white man
shoots accidentally a negro child
and has to seek refuge in Jail from
a negro mob, as bloody as though
it had been in the kingdom of
King Coffee, at Coomassie. His
final escape from them is made the
occasion for a declaration of war
against the white people of the
whole town. A black levy EN-
MAssIE is made, the town surround
ed and the torch thrcatend with the
sword. Partial help arrives and
battle ensues, at the time of this
writing the result is undecided
We have a letter from friend in
louisiana, in which we are told
that a blood outbreak of the ne
groes is expected at any time
The Grant Parish bloodshed is yet
fresh in our memories. These
things are stubborn facts which we
cannot disregard and they mean
that the equal admixture of the
black and white races in this Union
is an impractica5le dream of such
giganic idiots as Sumner and Ho-
race Mayard.
Year: 1874

One Of our exchanges has some
very sensible advice to give touch
ing the liberties taken by ministers
of the gospel with ladies in their
social intercourse. The following
remarks should be attentively read
and if those newspapers whose edi-
tors are too mawkish or refined to
copy the Beecher-Tilton affair
would spread them before their
readers they would be of some SER
vice to them. As for the Bristol
News it means to expose these
social leaprosies and point out the
causes of these social rots until the
public will learn from them those
wise lessons which hurt none but
fools.-ED. News.


The common custom, for instance,
of the minister's taking the first kiss
at marriage. is pointed illustration.
This usage dates back to the time OF
feudal robbery OF privileges and pri-
vate rights. 1t is indecorous now,
and is probably the shadow and relic
of an observance more than indeco-
rous. 1t is INDUCED in, of course,
now without thought of any history
in the past or any meaning in the pre-
sent. but it is this very thing of
which we are con-



Let the Observer speak, however;