smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1873

From the New Orleans Times


AS an evidence that the qualities


of nerve and downright pluck are


not confined exclusively to the her.


oic men of creation, there is here


with offered the narration Of a cir


cumstance wherein young lady


bore herself bravely under snch


trying circumstances rs would have


severely tested the most dogged de-


termination ever shown by the aver


age genus homo. On Sunday last
this young lady was at church, when,
during the delivery Of the sermon,
she suddenly became aware that
something Of crawling nature was


making an expedition up her leg.
Startled, as may well be believed,
she was for the nonce bereft Of the
power Of action, and there forthwith
chased each other through her mind
extremely lively, and fearful appre-
tensions touching snakes, rats and
and host of disgusting creatures,
but with determined effort she re-
covered her presence of mind and
by the time the "thing" had got a
short distance above her knee, she
clutchcd it through her dress with a
vice-like grip and held on like grim
death. Since the first revelation of
tho distressing circumstances, she
had not spoken word, nor indeed,
given any outward sign of the men.
tai torture which she must have suf-
fcred, but sat rigid and composed,
firmly grasping that "horrid thing"
which she knew was some living
creature, when upon being clutched
it gavo forth squealing sound. For
full threc-quarters of an hour the
brave girl sat there as composed as
ever, still retaining her hold to the
close of the service, when she de-
parted homeward, never relaxing
her grasp till reaching home, when,
giving hurried explanation to her
mother, she tainted dead away. A
quick examination revealed the
presence Of a rat, dead as door
nail, as the cause of the unhappy
adventure, which for lively interest
and the revealing Of a remarkable
spirit in the mind Of young girl,
is not often matched in this latter
day.
Year: 1873

The story is taken from q long ram.
bling letter to "Old Times" who lives
in Arkansas:
Twas living at Squire Jones'" BE
had q gal and she was pretty enough
to eat. To say l loved that gal wouldn''
be no description OF my awful feelings
but was awful bashful-I couldn''
tell her about it; and to make matters
worse, there was fsller coming to see
Sally; but he came once q week just az
regular as the cows come up, and he'd
buck right up to Sally and set up hall
the night.


I hated him, Of course, and nobody
couldn't blame me for it. / determined
to stop him or bust. fell on q plan
and told Sally's brother Of it; his name
was Ike; he was pleased, and be went
to work. They were scarce OF house
room, had q front and q back room,
which was used for a kitchen and
smoke-house.


Me aud Ike slept in this back room.
The floor was made OF puncheons, and
Immediately under our bed, and also
under the floor, was the big soap trough.
1t had about ten bushels OF soft soap IN
it Sally's beau was to be there that
night. / told her wanted to sleep
with her sweetheart that night She
said all right.


He came dressed mp in his best He
had one of those high collsred, lons,
ecissor-tailed coats, new copperas pants,
awful tight. high bee-gum hat, and q
square-yard red cotton handkerchief
around his neck.


He soon cornered Sally, and Inc and
Ike went to bed-but not 10 sleep. We
raised the floor over the soap trough,
:ook the boards off the bed, all only on
the ioreside, where / was to lie-just
enough behind to hold up q bed with
out q feller. Ike lay before the fire on
a pallet. / lay on my plank, holding
very still. Ibegsn to think they would
cit up all night; but finally, about one
o'clock, he came. in. | snored vio-
lently.


He hauled of his linen, and over he
crawled, and in be went, down into the
soap trough. OF all the snorting and
kicking you ever heard it was right
there. l began to yell at the top Of
my voice. Ike was making light,
and just as he got flaming pine knot
in full blast, the old folks came tearing
in in their night clothes-tbe old man
with his gun and the old woman with
the poker.


l had Sally's beau drawn out by this
time, and stretched out at full length
before the FIRE. The soap was halt an
inch thick all over him. Of all the
sights I ever saw he looked the most
terrible. A Ku-Klux wasn't nowhere.
Sally came with her dress in her hand,
and as she entered the door he broke.
The dogs all went after him out OF hear
ing-he don't come back any more.
Year: 1873




The Louisville Courier Journal re,
ports: The new steam street car made
frequent trips from Brook street to
Portland yesterday, and was a well
patronized institution, hundreds OF peo-
pie taking a ride just for the novelty Of
the thing. The car is pleasant, COM
Portable, and beyond doubt very safe.
The usual rate OF travel is about ak
miles per hour, but the engine can
easily be made 10 turn the wheels at
fifteen miles an hour. The machinery
is very easily manipulated, and the car
is even more perfectly under the control
Of the engineer than are the mules in
the hands OF driver. While running
at the rate OF fifteen miles per hour the
application of the brake and reversal OF
steam simultaneously will bring the car
to q standstill in the distance OF street
crossing. The engine requires a
practical engineer, and is non-explosive
in it's construction. 1t 10 noise
less and smokeless in it's work, and with
steam pipes running through the car,
keeping it at the requisite temperature,
the passengers can sit and ride as com-
fortably as though they were on first
class railway palace coach. The water
is carried in q tank underneath the rear
end of the car, and is conveyed into the
boiler by means of pipe, through
which it lis pumped by the machinery.
The fuel box, gauges and manipulating
machinery are all on the front platform,
half OF the boiler, which stands per-
pendicular, extending npon the plat
form, and the other half within the car,
but handsomely encased with beautiful
ornamental wood, 80 that the entire en-.
CINE and machinery is shut out from the
view Of the passengers. There is no
difficulty in turning the curves. as it
was at first supposed there would he,
and the propelling power seems TO be
equal to any tssk on level ground. AL
together, the steam car 10 very gen.
teel affair, q nice and comfortable vehi.
Gle to ride in, and bad on first acqusint.
ance, and retains through it's brief
trials, the appearance Of a successful
invention,
Year: 1873

ARE loSers Always W oe ou'osse
And ought not . lover in Q town with
q poetical name OF Milton, Wisconsin.
to have been more fortunate He was
. student. and in order to show his
depth OF his love for the lady whose
heart beat as one with his own, he un-
dertook to saw a cord OF wood for her.
But he made one little mistake, and
sawed cord of wood belonging to an
other fellows girl. Under the circum-
stances, another fellow should saw a
cord OF wood for the other fellows girl
but perhaps it is better TO leave the
affair as it is. Otherwise the relations
of the parties might become painfully
complicated.
Year: 1873

BROOKLYN, January 29 This morning
William Connally, a grain shoveller al
the Union stores, was suffocated in the
grain. He was removing the grain as
it came through a shute in slope al
the dock. A companion, who saw that
he was being buried, tried to pull him
out, but was unable to DO 30, and had
to abandon him. The machinery was
stopped as coon as it was known, but
not in time to save the unfortunate
mans life.
Year: 1873

TIE manufacture of false eyes is an
important business in Paris. The
average sale per week OF eyes for the
human heal amounts to four hundred.
One OF the leading dealers in this arti-
Gle carries on business in q saloon OF
great magpifceuce, his servant has but
one eve, and the effect Of an eye wanted
by customer is conveniently tried in
the valet's head. The charge Is about
$40 per eye. For the poor there are
secondhand eyes, which have been
worn and then exchanged for new ones,
Year: 1873

Our moon is one of the satellites or
secondary bodies and although it appears
to Us at night to be infinitely larger than
the fixed stars and planets, it is little
body but 2,153 miles in diameter, or one
forty-ninth as large as the earth. The
apparent size of the moon must be due to
its nearness and astronomers have found
that to be the case its distance from u
being but $4,000 miles. A powerful
telescope that will magnify ! 600 times
enables astronomers to see it as it it were
but 800 miles off, and consequently they
have been able to study and map it with
considerable accuracy.


With the naked eye we see some parts
of the moon much brighter than others
which when viewed through telescope
are found to be plains, the bottom Of
oceans, and mountain ranges billy couu-
try &c., broken up in the most tremen-
dous manner by volcanoes of all sizes.
AS on the earth we have volcanoes so
had the moon, but the difference in size,
number and activity of the lunar volca-
noes is far beyond our Imagination.


Several Of the craters exceed fifty miles
miles in diameter and one of them even
measures la miles, beside which that of
Kilauea in the Sandwich Islands, the
largest terrestrial crater known, two and
one half miles in diameter, dwarfs into
insigni6cance.


AS far as the astronomers know the
volcanoes Of the moon are all extinct /;
the oceans have disappeared and no wat
er exists on its surface; the valleys are
no longer fertile, the very atmosphere
has apparently left it.


The way astronomers prove the ab.
sence Of atmosphere is, that clouds are
never seen there and when it gets be.
tween us and star the star disappears
at once and does not seem to linger on
the edge as it would ifthere were one.


The lunar days must have a singular
aspect. There being no atmosphere to
diffuse the solar light, the fiery disk of
the sun stands out sharp and distinct
against the back ground Of sky everywhere
else dark except where it is dotted with
stars there is no cloud, no wind, no
twilight, no sound, but everywhere a
silent and ifeless desert.
Year: 1873

SALARIgs.-The New York World says
that the increased salary OF tho President
will not permit hin to lay up au amount
worth as much as an English Prime Min
ister's pension. As to the Judge of the
Supreme Court, the man with a family
to support who goes upon the bench even
low can make little or no provision
against disaster.
Year: 1873

A Staten Island young man was so
worked up, when he called to take his
girl to prayer-meetiug the other night, 70
find another fellow had played the early
bird trick on him, that he followed the
couple and hung around the sanctuary till
tho meeting was over, and when they
came out, drew his revolver and banged
away at the "other fellow" until the pi-
tol ran down. He hit everything except
what he fred at, and before he cou.d
wind up his weapon, he was in Jail.
Year: 1873

tinent. These two positions are ln the ruling latitude of the world.

 The first and all important point ln "placing" a mine, Especially gold or silver in the eastern market, IS to tread your title clear" to these over cautious capitalists. Get U. 5; patent, including all dips, spurs and angles of former ownership from the great Jehovah to Jesus, the Council of Nice, the capture by Cortez, the Guadaloupe Hidalgo treaty; full abstracts, old and new testament and Humboldt to boot. you bet. Next thing on the programme IS to have a meritorious mine, and then dont over look the fact that the discovery thereof is but mere bagatelle compared to what is necessary to make 1t pay. That is, see what amount you can make for the man who will put up the money to make 1t pay. Acting on these hints you may find millions here to invest in mines as well as ln manufactures. Then you want to come prepared to beseige these devils from one to three years. If you don't succeed in "placing" your property in that time. the wear and tear of body and mind will be such that you will be glad to get off with a cheap funeral. I am of nervous disposi- tion at best, and I am in perfect costa sies to think that I am alive and able to get out of town occasionally, after three months worry here. had only four months time, which will bring the hot weather, when I will be dead on my feet. Gov. Mccormick pro- poses that I take passage for Vienna by the Pennsylvania - second trip about the 9th of July. have agreed to do so, for the privilege of doing the rough swearing on the trip for two. If Barney, of Hooper & Go. goes along, I will damn things for all three. If we don't all be happy yet, there is good prospect for little fun ahead if nothing else. W.
Year: 1873

The following very extraordinary question was asked by the Indian Agent at the Lapwai, Idaho, Reserva- tion recently. He desired to know of the Commissioner of Indian affairs, whether he had the right, he being sent there as Agent by and in the in- terest of the Presbyterian Church, to prohibit catholics from holding service, "though the Indians desire it and clamor for it." The Commissioner re- piled in substance that 1t was desirable that the mission work should be done under the direction of the religious body nominating the Agent, but that it was not in accordance with public policy or the spirit of religious tolera- tion to forbid or hinder such service in any way.

 Now we propose to discuss this question briefly to its logical con- clusion, and in doing so we do not expect to receive the endorsement of religious denominations of any kind, but we intend to do so fairly and without prejudice to any. We have shown Tn previous number of this paper the great wrong and the viola ton of the very essence of the genius of our institutions by giving to Church rule an important branch of the civil government of the country by saying in effect, to any portion of the sons of America, you can have no part in the management of this inn portant branch of our service because you do not belong to nor are recom- mended by a certain Church. The bare statement Is obnoxious and revolt ing: to every free American, but IS as true as it is obnoxious. The true Christian spirit as taught and prac- ticed by our Savior cannot but inspire feeling of reverence and love. He was meek and lowly, abounding in charity to all, carrying the gospel of love and forgiveness among the people in an unostentatious manner, laborlng to do good in comforting the widow and fatherless and in relieving dis tress, suffering, privations and hard ships without complaint and without receiving compensation. If all Chris fan denominations followed his exam nle and precepts we would have little need of civil governments of any kind. The faithful observance of the golden rule, edo ye unto others as ye would they should do unto you," would al- most do away with the necessity of laws made by men and much more the
Year: 1873

A Washington belle was troubled by the
unsympathizing conduct of the mamma who
took occasion upon the thirty-first of Decem-
ber to indulge in an attack of continent small
pox. However she put the old lady into
back room and had her New Years reception
according to rule. When the yellow flag was
flung to the breeze the next morning, there
was rush for the vaccine matter among the
lady's friends and her list of acquaintance
will be small in future.
Year: 1873

De very pleasant to the cat
Remember if bereft
OF one life which is dear TO her
She only has eight lett.
Or il, supposing life is sad,
(And often it is SOY
Think tenderly how you would feel
With nine to undergo.
Good friends to cheer one single life
VIII perpetrate much fun;
Remember, he who cheers nine cats
Cheers really eighty-one.
Year: 1873

The-Boston Irareher and other virile, vi
vacious journals at the Hub must plead guilty
of most scandalous act. They have been
striking their grandmother-even the vener-
able Boston Aduertiser-and so thoroughly
aroused the old lady that she glares at them
over her spectacles as if she would like to
give Providence piece of her mind f r ever
bringing such midges into existence Com
merciol Advertiser.
Year: 1873

New York fashionable mammas have sue
ceeded in establishing peculiar style of dress
for the school-room. Merino is the standard
material and Scotch plaids of every variety
come next. Jewelry is very sparingly used,
aud the hair is either braided at the back or
allowed to flow over the shoulders.
Year: 1873

Some ST. Louis boys snowbalIed man who
had the impudence to object. Then they
threw bricks at him, and cut him with a knife
and he win know better than to interfere
with the sports of artless childhood again, he
will.
Year: 1873

Two men escaped from the Pittsburg Jail
the other night, after digging six months to
makea tunnel one hundred feet long. They
left note telling the sheriff they would meet
him in heaven.
Year: 1873

Shut up in houses nine-tenths Of their
time, with either no exercise, or that
which is Of a limited, irksome sameness,
they are, as q consequence, unnaturally
pale, soft and tender; their blood is poorly
organized and watery, their muscles small
and fabby; and the force and functions Of
their bodies, as a whole, run low iB the
scale of life. A spurious fullness is often
seen in the outline during girlhood, which
usually melts like snow under the April
sun whenever the endurance is put to test,
as in performing the functions Of mother.
The change ofappearance from the maiden
of one year to the mother of the next is
often so striking and enduring that it is
difhcult to believe we are looking on the
same person. The round, pleasing shape
Is prematurely displaced by pinched
angularity, and an untimely and unseemly
appearance Of age. Travellers from other
countries, who have had extensive means
for observation and comparison, have re-
marked upon the great beauty of American
women, and the early age at which it is
lost. Some have ascribcd this to the
climate but more intelligent observers
agree that it is hot-house, enervating
mode of life. English ladies of rank, who,
by the way, are celebrated for keeping
their beauty to ripe old age, think moth
ing Of walking half dozen miles at a
time while American ladies would think
such thing perfectly dreadful" If
American women, so daintily and richly fed,
will sit in dark and sultry rooms the live-long
day, they must expect to bloom too soon,
to hasten through this charming period
at the longest in about ten years--and for
twenty-five years after, have the grim
satisfaction of being thin, wrinkled angu-
lar, and sallow.
Year: 1873

There is one thing that nearly everybody
knows and hardly anybody attends to, that
is, to sprinkle Stacked lime on the roofs
once year, either in fall or spring. II
the shingles are covered ever so thick
with moss, the lime soon clears 1t of,
leaving the roof clean and white and good
for dozen years longer. 1t ought to be
put on pretty thick, and rainy day is
best for the work. Strong wood ashes
will answer almost as well to keep old
roofs in repair, but they will not look as
nice. To make new shingles last three or
four times the usual period, they need
only be soaked few days in tank half
full of thick lime water, which must be
stirred up well before the shingles are put in.
Year: 1873

ktaFe anu mOmehb0cs hcl, ana u ought
not to be left within the reach Of trick, or
faction, or corrupt influences, 70 drop il
out by indirection. If the subject is TO
be left to new parliamentary rule, that
rule ought to read that the electoral vote
Of q State shall be counted unless the two
Houses concur in u positive decision that
it shall be thrown out.


But as Senator Morton argued in his
admirable speech, delivered in view Of this
very condition of affairs, so momentous
thing should not be left to any rule, but
should be regulated by the Constitution
and by statute under the Constitution. In
the present instance, the throwing out Of
the electoral votes Of Georgia, Louisiana
and Arkansas fortunately made no change
in the result. If the result had been
changed what condition would this
country be in to-day-the passionate call
for forcible resistance would be ringing
everywhere throughout the land, and pre-
partitions would be on foot for the inau-
guration of two Presidentsl


We have, however, pointed out but one
of the threatening dangers of the "Joint
Rule" under which Congress acted on
Wednesday. Those who understand the
Constitution ofthe United States are aware
that, whenever ii shall happen that no
candidate for the Presidency shall have a
majority of the electoral votes of all the
States, the duty of electing President
devolves upon the House of Representa-
tives, which body votes by States, each
State casting but one vote; and the House
may make its election from the ''three''
highest candidates, and thus may throw
over the two highest competing candidates
and may select the very lowest Of the three
even although he may have had but one
solitary Electoral vote. The ''Rulev pre-.
sents to the House Of Representatives an
almost irresistible temptation to throw the
election into the HHouse" whenever the
Electoral vote is against the candidate pre-.
ferred by the majority Of the members Of
the House. All that body would have 70
do would be to object to MS many States as
would reduce the remaining Electoral votes
to tic, and then refuse to concur in any
action the Senate might take. Thus, ii
the vote on Wednesday had stood 1877 for
General Grant, and l79 for all Others,
including Mr.. Hendricks and Judge David
Davis (Which latter received one yote)-
all the House would have had to do, if il
had desired to throw both General and Mr..
Hendricks overheard and to elect Judge
Davis, would have been to object to the
eight Grant Electoral votes in Louisiana
and then refuse to concur" with the SEN
ate. Then there would have been sstie. .
and the election would have been thrown
into the House, where the three highest
would have been eligible, and Judge Davis
being one of them, with his one solitary
Electoral vote out of the 366, could have
been chosen President in defiance ofnearly
the whole voting population of the United
States. Surely such condition ofaffairs
should not be permitted to continue over
another election PHILADELPHIA Ledger.
Year: 1873

When DR.. johnson asked the widow
Porter to be his wife, he told her candidy
that he was of mean extraction, that he
had no money, and that he had an uncle
hanged. The widow replied that she
cared nothing for his parcntage, that she
had not had a relative hanged, but she had
fifty who deserved hanging. So they
made match Of It.
Year: 1873

A correspondent, writing from Amster-
dam, saws: This morning, as the curtain
was lifted for the first time, about o'clock,
we saw a funeral procession, which was
one of the novelties of the place. The
hearse was covered over with heavy pail,
and horses draped from their eyes to
their tails in black covering, which is
made to fit the body, and on either side
walked long row of men dressed in
black, long stockings and breeches, black
dress coat, white necktie, black gloves and
cooked hat with long streamers of Grape
floating off behind them. There was but
one carriage all black, too. Perhaps it is
not the fashion here for friends to go to the
grave.
Year: 1873

The origin of the expression the
"Man in the Moon" is unknown, but
the name has from time immemorial
been applied to the dark lines and spots
upon the surface of the moon, which are
visible to the naked eye, and which,
When viewed through good telescope,
are discovered to be the shadows OF
lunar mountains. 1t is one of the most
popular and most ancient superstitions
of the world that these lines and spots
are the figure of man leaning on fork
on which he carries bundle of thorns
or brushwood, for stealing which on
Sunday he was confined to the moon.
The account given of man who was
stoned to death for gathering sticks on
Sunday, is supposed by some to be the
origin of this belief. Dante supposes
Cain to have been the offender who was
placed eternally in the moon for punish.
ment of his crime. Some of the old
poets thought these spots and lines rep
resented the boy Endymion, "whose
company the moon loved 30 we'll that
she carried him constantly with her. "
Other ancients thoughtthey represented
q fox.