smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1876

Twice the poor woman crossed the
mountains and ransacked the great
city to find him in some den of misery !;
for more than a year she kept him
under her own eye every moment,
while the poor wretch fought the
devil of drink, nursing him. tenderly
as though he were still a baby, with
agony of soul to which the pains of his
birth were nothing. The boy con-
quered at last. He is now the leading
physician in his native place, a man Of
great force and stability of character,
and he is fond of telling his boys how
that all he is he owes to his mother.
There was the oldest girl, too, who
had spinal complaint, and for years lay
a hopeless cripple in the chamber over
the shop. Everybody in the village
remembers how dainty and cheerful a
place the little chamber was, and how,
no matter what drudgery or anxiety
waited for the poor mother outside,
she never entered door but with 4
smiling face. ~


Everybody knows the hard work
and saving and stinting she practiced
for years to educate the other children
to give son start in Kentucky,
and buy a daughter a house and outfit
when she was a widow. They are all
married or happily settled now. The
poor cripple, after her years of pain,
is at rest in the green hillside. The
mother lives alone, with such grand
children as can be spared to her now
and then. Her youngest girl went as a
teacher to Ohio, then entered a col
lege where both sexes were admitted;
now she is in the city earning her liv-
ing by drawing, writing for one or two
weekly papers, ETC.. It is she, who is
working for the woman's department
Of the Centennial, She is : brilliant
Year: 1876

with the left hand and the bones are
played out in a stream by the right
hand just as one plays on a jewsharP.
Yank says It is easy enough to make
a machine to bone herring, but he
means to invent one to bone shad
and porgies. If he succeeds his for
tune is made. There is money to be
made in every one of his inventions,
and if some capitalists would render
him the necessary aid to enable him
to perfect his machines, both parties
would make money by the transac-
ton. But you will see the venera.
BILE professor in Port Townsend and
hear him talk, which will convince
you that what l have said is all true.
Year: 1876

Wendell Philips told the women OF
Boston that seven out of eight husbands
were frauds and liars. but he didn't
say which tel m applied to himself.


The boy whose family had had its
first mnce, pie OF the seasoI Is perfect
ly justified in leaning over the gate and
sneering contemptuously at the riff ran.
AS St.Peter is universally alluded to in
connection with the gate of Hea zen, SO
Gen, Newton, is now spoken Of 10 con-
nection with He'll Gate.


Six weeks from now you will see peo-
pie suddenly stop aud sit down on the
walk as II struck with sudden idea,
and they will have no explanations to
make wher they rise up.


A man must be pretty drunk to go
along the streets holding to his coat
collar with botl hands TO prevent falling
down.
Year: 1876

The Emperor Of Germany has written the
following letter to Marshal Won Wrangle to
congratulate him upon the eighteth ami
yeosary of his entering the Prussian army
"MY DEAR FIELD MARSHAL GENERAL -
The anniversaries Of your busy life show
year by year how favored it has been by
Providence. The fiftieth anniversary, which
is generally the last stage in a military career,
is already thirty years behind you, and dur
ing these thirty years you have done such
great service and accomplished such great
deeds, that in your case the tiftieth anniver-
sary was only the prelude to the second part
of your glorious services. It is to-day eighty
years since you first wore the honorable uni
form of the soldier, and you must feel deeply
moved when you reflect upon the favor that
an Omnipotent Providence has deemed you
more than any one else worthy to receive


For it is to God alone that we owe the happl-
ness Of being able to celebrate this your
eightieth anniversary speak not only IN
my own behalf, but as the heir of three kings
when thank you for having so well kept the
oath Of fidelity which yon swor to them and
to me, and your name will ever retain an
honorable place in the history of the Prus-
sian army desire to assure you, in all SIN
cerity, that look upon you as one OF the
most eminent men that the Prussian army
has produced; and | will add that have de-
cided to raise a statue to you in order that the
most remote posterity may recollect your
services and my gratitude. In recollection of
this day, l send you the accompanying sword,
the arm with which after Etoges, at the head
Of your present regiment, you pursued the
enemy, and which invariably shown the path
to victory to the troops which you have COM
manded. What the statue will testify to the
world at large, this sword will tell to your
own posterity it will testify to the gratitude
and sincere esteem Of your devoted and
grateful sovereign, WILLIAM.
Year: 1876

The typical Centennial visitor made his
debut at a pominent Broadway hotel yester-
day morning, accompanied by his blushlng
bride. While he rang the night bell eau
tiously she moistened her spit-curl with the
tips of her fingers and otherwise freshened
her toilet A benevolent person suggesting
that they had better step IN and inquire al
the office for the landlord, they forthwith
locked elbows and marched with much cere-
monv into the reading room, billlard-room,
bar-room, barber-shop, and furnishing goods
store next door before discovering the proper
goal of newly arrived guests. Declining the
pen proffered by the clerk, with the remark
that he guessed be wouldn't write to the folks
till they got to Philadelphia, the stranger ex-
pressed desire for nice room with car
pet and an extra quilt, intimating in an un-
dertone that expense was no object. Being
initiated by the clerk into the mysteries OF
that useful volume known as the ''register,
the typical visitor wrote his name in it with
much effort and elaboration, adding the
maiden name of his bride and minutely specl-
flying the village, county and township from
which they came, Then recovering from
the horizontal attitude rendered necessary by
the labors of inscription, he drew hard
boiled egg from his coat-tail pocket, and,
cracking the shell gently on the ink stand,
he proceeded to pick off the pieces, casually
announcing that he and Sal merely wanted to
be lodged, being amply provided with the
necessary comestibles fora fortnight's visit.
Late last evening the interesting couple were
seen taking icecream in neighboring restau-
rant A single dish and two teaspoons served
them both, and in the course of the subse-
quent conversation they bit the spoons to test
the genuineness of the metal, looked through
the saucer at the light, smelled all the bottles
in the caster, and being instructed by the
waiter where to settle the bill, pocketed the
napkins and walked up to the desk. In the
course of the ensuing debate upon the un
reasonableness Of the charge, the stranger
assumed seat on the counter, but happen
ing to light on a fresh custard pie, the discus
sion was abruptly terminated, the frugal
victim being obliged to pay for both ice
cream and pie in order to obtain the loan of
knife to scrape the. custard from his trous-
er's legs This Isof1ing they went to Phila-
delphfa. T0fE W0Tl0.
Year: 1876

MIR. Mcdonald, in Land and Water, says:
81 beg to invoke the powerful aid of your
columns to dispel the delusion that person
bitten by dog will die of hydrophobia should
the animal go mad afterwards. Many people
of nervons temperament have actually died
of this fear alone, while lamentaoie amount
of ignorance on the subject is still allowed to
grow up. When a dog bites he is instantly
suspected of madness, although but one in a
thousand of the offenders is rabid; conse-
quent]y numbers of our canine friends are
cruelty sacrificed in mere panic. Moreover,
hundreds of our fellow creatures, once bitten,
live in horrible suspense, believing that they
must die of the horrible malady. Now, the
bite of sound dog is no more fatal than the
scratch of child. Furthermore, compe-
tent authority states that even when rabid
dogs bite, only one case out of twenty-nine
is followed by hydrophobia.
Year: 1876

Months ago a Detroiter was sent to the
house of correction for habitual drunkenness.
The wife, hard working woman, and sorely
afflicted in health, managed to provide fuel
and food for herself and child until the other
day, when death came to end the struggle.
The little girl, hardly eight years old, was all
alone in the house when her mother died.
The event occurred at dark, and at midnight
the child was heard singing in the darkness.
A pedestrian who halted heard her say:


''Mother, won't you wake up and light the
lamp? If you will will sing some more!'


Suspecting what had happened, he reused
some of the neighbors, and, as they went in,
the child sat in the darkness, holding her
mothers cold hand and singing:


The Lord will lead little child,


And teach me how to pray.


A dark room, death on the bed, poverty,
hunger and cold to make her situation more
desolate, and yet the child of shadows was
not afraid. She said:


4 kept still long while to let mother
sleep. Then sang all my songs to keep me
awake. Then l looked out of the window
and didn't move, SO that the angels
wouldn't be afraid to come and talk to her
and make her smile. | wish God had made
more daylight for poor folks
Year: 1876

A favorite programme with the hotel dead
beat is to hand large sealed envelope,
stuffed with paper, to the clerk and ask him
to take care of those ''three hundred dollars
for few days" The game has been played
at one hotel in this city, and the clerks are
on their guard. A seedy-looking old man
registered at the house yesterday. and after
dinner he handed the day clerk an envelope
marked $780," and asked that it be put in
the safe. ''You can't play that game on me,
mister !" replied the clerk, and he tore the
package in two. AS he held up the ends his
eyes began to bulge out. He had torn eigh-
teen new $40 bills in half, and he had insul-
ted the owner. One reason why he wasn't
at his post the balance of the afternoon was
because he was pasting those bills together
Detroit Free Press
Year: 1876

The famous Modocs are rapidly disappear
ing, and will soon be but the shadow of
name. After the execution of Capt. Jack,
they were removed to a reservation in the In
dian Territory on the border of Missouri.
Climatic influences have proved very unfav-
orable, and in three years time have lost
fifty-eight from their total number of one
hundred and ifty-three. There is no physi-
clan on the reservation, and the light diseases
like whooping cough could prove fatal:
They suffer greatly from home-sickness, and
their fatality may be that loss of heart to
which Indians and other races like the Ma
lays are subject, and render them peculiarly
liable to sickness.
Year: 1876

A BosToN lady who was at the Centennial


Exhibition on Pennsylvania Day, remarked
to friend that she saw all sorts of people,
among whom was woman with one eye,


who thought she ought to be admitted for
half price.
Year: 1876

hsa queer and quaint old relic, about two feet
Elk inches by tye feet in size; entirely Of wood,
except the wires and keys, the frame being Of
mahogany, inlaid With satin wood, the whole
showing degree Of taste and skill quite credit
able; and standing amid the '.modern improve
Year: 1876

The verdict OF the jury in the case OF
J. s. PreetidSe. charged with the mur-
der Of W ID. Hsrdeman. has given rise
to grcSt deal Of feeling In this oommu-
nifty. The complete exoneration of the
accused wcs anticipated, we believe. by
very fcw. aud Is well calculated to add
10 that sease II insecurity Of life which
is beginning ~ prevail among us. 1t is
certainly time that the habit OF shooting
and killing upon any and every provoca-
zion shsuld he brought to an end.


We reed q more rigid enforcement of
the law IN that matter, and men should
he made 60 understand that they cannot
resort 10 deadly weapons except where
there ishn uncomfortable necessity to do
so. A verde. which acquits man who
has. without cause. taken the life Of n
fellow being il OF infinitely more dan
ser TO tn. community than the original
act q pi1,ence. In the latter case,
the lie Of good citizen may be
taken and infinite misery caused,
hut. II the 'aw Furnishes the Of
fender th. evil is checked. IN
the former case the due restlaiut Of
the law upon the violent passions Of
men il brckgU down. Bad men FEEL
secure ID striking down their foes, and
violence and murder flourish to the
detriment of the general good and the
alarm OF the better classes Of society


The verdict Of the jury in the Pres
tidge case. a. the Times remarked this
morning. cannot now be impeached
by individuals or by the press But ii
is a fact. nevertheless, that that verdict
has disappointed and alarmed the COM
munity. and It will doubtless suggest to
all law w-nbiding and peaceable men who
are Interested In the welfare Of the city,
that some steps are necessary to make
the administration OF the criminal law
more efficient, that life may be better
protected
Year: 1876

y HcDeCAC0v0vuvC


Nave the Nomination.


New York Sun.I


Who, then, should be the candidate
Of tho Cincinnati Convention, and whom
should we be bound in consistency to
support If we unite our fortunes to those
OF the Administration Unquestion-
ably, the most appropriate man is
Ulysses s. Grant. A representative man
is required. and he. above all others.
represents tho party as II is. Since his
accession to the Presidency his career
has been characterized by avarice.
seltishness and perfidy. At the outset
he charmed the country by the dulcet
sentence, LET us have peace" but he
lost no time in kindling the flames OF
civil commotion In several Of the States.
BY rendering the military superior to
the civil authority, thus rearing a des-
potism upon the ruins Of constitutional
liberty, he drove large numbers OF our
people to desperation and bloodshed. He
pretended to adopt the principles Of the
civil service reform, but he habitually
violated the rules prescribed by himself,
and finally filled up the measure OF his
hypocrisy by openly discarding them
altogether. He endeavored to ingratiate
himself with the religious community
by professedly Christian mode OF deal
ing with tho Indians, yet he suffered
them to be despoied and slaughtered
to an extent unparalleled in our previous
history. Some persons, while disap-
proving his conduct, profess to believe
in his honesty Of purpose. l cannot
agree with this judgment On the page
OF impartial history verify believe that
he will be held up not only as the assas-
sin Of liberty, but also as the corrupter
Of other men, notably Of his boon com
panions and Cabinet Ministers.


His name his human name to every eye


The climax of all scorn, shall hang on high.


Exalted DER his less abhorred ompeers,


And fostering in the nfamy OF years.


l repeat, he represents the men who
hold the offices and who will compose
the Convention. He represents the
whisky ring, which has robbed the
Treasury Of countless millions; the In
dian ring, the Postoffice ring, the Dis
trict Of Columbia ring, the real estate
ring, the printing ring, and the black
Friday ring. What is more, he repre-
sents the entire army OF carpet-baggers
throughout the Southern States. His
nomination would be hailed with de-
light by all these, and their efforts to
promote the success of the ticket would
be enlisted as they could be by no other
name.
Year: 1876

Grant! Poon! Nothing can be an
element of strength for Grant. He is
an impossibility. Why, i hear it said
that, in event of failure. Mr. Conkling
proposes to transfer his strength and
influence in the convention to Grant,
and that Morton and Cameron are to do
the same thing. 1t can't be done


Strong as these gentlemen are and in
fluential as they are with their friends,
/ do not believe suoh an event rs Grants
law Of the example OF the earlier pres
idents Is binding upon the people and
will be potent in the convention. But
II such thing were possible, il Grant
were to succeed in getting the nomina-
ton, a new man would be found, and on
q third ticket would ride triumphantly
in. don't know that I would not be
glad to see just such a state of things. :"
Year: 1876

So far as Informal expression can be
trusted, Governor Tildeu. OF New York,
In to-day the choice Of the large major
ity OF those upon whom tho selection OF
n candidate will fall. That he Is 80. is
due In great measure to the fact that he
has carried out SO thoroughly In prac-
eice the idea Of reform in government
IL Is partly due also to tho wholesome
fear which tho Republican party leaders
exhibit at tho prospect OF his Domina
ton: for tho Democracy are learning ut
last that the policy and tho conduct
which their opponents dislike and fear
arc tolerably certain to be right and
safe. There aro other candidates. OF
course, whose friends do not despair as
yet but there Is nothing in the pressure
brought to bear for any OF them to in
dictate that no will not be- Withdrawn
gracefully and unbesitatingly In favor
of any other who proves stronger be-
fore tho Convention or upon whom tho
party can unite more heartily. IDetroit
Free Press tDem.)


The political conference which has
been In session In New York tho last
two days. issue nm address to the Coun-
try, In which they bring IL strong indict-
mcnt against tho leaders OF tho Kepub-
Hcan party. Tho text Of tho document
rules out nearly every prominent re
publican candidate for the Presidency.
Il might as well have named some Of
them There Ia no mistaking its import
aud it's object = Albany Argus Dom.)


As u result OF tho Cabinet session,
General Augur Is authorized to give the
aid of tho United States forces to keep
the peace in Louisiana, IL Gov. Kellogg
asks, and circumstances seem to require
such interference. Governing the South
by Federal troops has not, however,
been 30 successful in praetice within
q ha last two or three years Ms to call Tor
repetition New York Tribune und)


The latest Democratic ticket Is. for
President. Samuel !. Tilden. OF Now
York Vice President. William u. Nor
rison. Of Illinois. lSpringiield ullt
Register DemJ


The simple thing to do Is to amend
Sherman s bill for the coinage of the old
silver dollar by striking out the legal
.onUer limitation. The States have the
right. by the expresa terms OF tho Con
stitution. to make silver n gal-tondcr.
and this Is right OF which they cannot
be deprived by Congress tCincinnai
Commercial Ind)


Mr.. Schurz was fclictous in quoting
the old witticisrn about keeping on the
fence so long M there was SO much mud
on each side of it, but the suggestion is
inevitable that reform is not practically
furthered by those who are more anxious
to keep their boots clean than to make n
pasaabIe road through the mrcs thatare
in the pathway of progress New York
Evening Mail.
Year: 1876

Behind the cry of "bloody shirt" South
ern criminals have hid themselves, and
Northern journals have mislcd the pco-
pie by putting into prominence issues of
little value, but which served to cover
from sight the names of men who had
done deeds of intamy, deeds of bloody
wickedness In the largest cities of the
Union the influential press will find
that it cannot continue TO sneer out of no
tice either murder or the murderer 1T
has made a mistake. The condition of
the South is source of National danger,
for which the people will hold recreant
journals responsible. Editors and corre-
spOudents who impudently told their read
ers that the news of the lawless state OF
the South was the fiction of the " bloody
shirt" have deceived the people, and de
ceived the people who trusted them will
fully and audaciously, and the result of
the deception by the press under the pre-
tense of their undertaking to pronounce
Southern bloodshed as "bloody shirt"
fiction is a South still dislOyal in a great
measure, which has defeated the great OBJ
ject for which the war was fought and the
sacrifices borne, and the public debt un-
der which We stagger has brought little
fruit. The Democratic States of the South
to-day are standing menace to the
Union!-Repu6lic Magazine.
Year: 1876

The Protestant Episcopal Diocese of
Iowa has had hard time in getting a
Bishop. II has decided now not to call a
special convention for the election of an
other clergyman to fill the office, but to
remain without prelate to the regular
convention, which meets on the Both OF
May. The income of this office is only
$1,000, and the work is hard. So the po-
sition seems hard one TO fill with exactly
sthe right kind Of a man.
Year: 1876

In Chester county, Pa, roads are
in charge of township officers, who
are held responsible for their condi-
ton. Every three years they are di-
vided into short sections of not more
than half a mile, ank sold at public
auction, to the lowest bidder, who is
bound by written contract; the on
ly reservation made is, that the pur-
chaser must be a citizen OF the town
ship, and must sign the contract. Lee
gal decisions have fixed that the pub
lie have no rights beyond that of
passing over the road in the ordi


nary course of travel, and that the
right TO all the grass. fruit or miner


ais, remains with the owner OF the
farm from which the land was taken.
The township supervisors have un-
limited control as to earth needed
for repairs, and there is no appeal
from their commands. The benefits
Of this plan are, that the roads are
usually bought by some adjacent
farmer, who by little work at the
proper time, may keep them in good
order at less expense to the town
ship than by the old plan, under
which the mending was done only at
stated times. The main drawback
seems to be, that the supervisor,
being man and "neigbor," is not
always as particular near home as
further off. Will strict legal con-
struction allow line fence, no mat
ter how wide, to have its middle on
the line? L think in this county, it
would be found that each one of two
adjacent neighbors must have all of
his half of the fence on his own land.
Suppose one elects to have a hedge
with a ditch on each side of it, can
he place one ditch and q half of the
hedge on his neighbor's land? Many
farmers have an idea that they may
have any unsightly object near the
road, provided it is on the field side
of the fence, and if, when in this po-
sition, it frightens horses they are
not responsible. Recent legal decis-
sions seem to show that even in the
above case they may be held respon-
sible for damage arising from horses
being frightened and running Off
Cor. Country Gentleman.
Year: 1876




A mother on the Green hills Of Yer
mont was holding by the right hand
a son 16 years old, mad with love of
the sea. And as she stood by the
garden gate one morning, she said:


Edward, they tell me-for 1 never
saw the ocean-the great temptation
of seaman's life is drink. Promise
me. before you quit your mothers
hand, that you will never drink"


And" said he for he told me the
story, Il gave the promise, and ]
went the globe over, Calcutta and the
Mediterranean, San Francisco and
the Cape Of Good Hope, the North
Pole and the South. I saw them all
in forty years, and never saw a glass
filled with sparkling liquor that my
mothers form by the gate did not
rise up before Inc, and to-day L am
Innocent of the use of liquor"


Was not that sweet evidence Of the
power of a single word? Yet that is
not half


"For," said he, yesterday there
came into my counting room a man
Of forty years.


DO you know me?"


NO"


"'Well,' said he, Il was once brought
drunk into your presence on ship
board; you were a passenger; they
kicked me aside; you took me to
your birth, and kept me there until l
had slept off the intoxication; you
then asked me if had mother. /
said / had never known a word from
her lips. You told me of yours at
the garden gate, and to-day / am
master of one Of the packets in New
York, and L came TO ask you 20 come
and see mep"


How far that little candle throws
its beams! That mothers words in
the green hills of Vermont Oh, God
be thanked for the mighty power of a
single word limited Presbyterian.