smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1873

The city weekly newspaper is usually
made up from reading matter used and
paid for by the daily paper ; hence 1t
costs but little; while the country paper,
on account of the limited amount of the
local advertising patronage, cannot af-
ford daily, and must make its weekly
from matter expressly prepared for its
columns.


The city paper is made general in
character, adapted to one part of the
country as well as another, and conse-
auently has wide field for circulation;
while the country paper must be made
local, and adapted to its particular latl-
tude, hence its circulation is limited to
its particular locality. But does the
city paper answer the purpose, and sat
isfy the wants of the country reader ?
By no means.


The paper published in the city re-
alizes thousands of dollars from its ad-
vertising patronage, while the local
country paper gets but a meager sup
port from this source. The principal
clerk in one of the agricultural news
paper offices in New York informed us
that the advertising patronage of their
paper amounted to an annual income OF
over one hundred thousand dollars.


And yet the people of the country ex-
peot the local paper to be furnished at a
lower price than the city monopoly.
And while he pays cash in advance for
his city paper, he puts his home paper
off with promise to pay when he sells
his produce after harvest, or when he
gets ready, and can best spare the
money, at the end Of from one to three
years.


The tendency of such procedure on
the part of some delinquent subscribers,
as well as the recent act of Congress,
taking away from country publishers
and their county subscribers the only
boon they ever al lowed them to have,
will require the utmost economy in the
conducting of the country papers.


The best way for subscribers to en-
courage their papers and keep them up
to their present standard, is to be
prompt in their payments. Exchange.
Year: 1873

James g. King, the lawyer who killed
O'Neill some months ago on the stair
way leading from a law office in New
York, and who has been confined in the
Tombs ever since, it is now pretty GER
tain will never be tried. King, since
the day he committed the deed for
which he entered the Tombs prison, has
been sinking under the weight of sew
eral diseases, and has now come to such
a pass that he cannot rise from his bed.
Indeed the trial, which was to have been
on some time since, has been postponed
from time to time, to allow King to re-
gain his health sufficiently to appear in
court. Instead of this, however, he has
been growing worse, and it is now GER
tain that he can neverrecover his health.
He never leaves his bed, and lies on it
constantly without moving, being unable
even to sit up. 1t has been clear for
some time past that he was not well, but
it is only within the last few days that
the extent of his disease has become
known.
Year: 1873

Crowds of Northern men flock to
Enterprise during the winter, and many
of them employ their time in hunting
alligators, The guests sit upon the
verandah of the hotel hour after hour
polishing alligator teeth with sandpaper
and buckskin. Every day somebody
brings in an alligator which has been
shot in the vicinity. After killing the
alligator, the men hitch him to the
stern of their boat with a chain and
tow him to the beach in front of the
hotel They then hire a negro to cut
off his head and skin him. After the
head is cut off it is buried for two
weeks. This is necessary to secure the
monsters teeth. It is amusing to see
eminent bankers, ministers, judges, and
others watching a spot in the ground,
near the hotel, where they have buried
an alligator's head. Occasionally some
gentleman gets hold of the wrong head,
and then there is a row. Everybody
seems crazy on the subject of alligator
teeth. They sell from two dollars
apiece up to five dollars. [ saw one
tooth five inches long sold to Capt. Tom
Reeves for twenty dollars. Some ne
groes make fair living by carving
flowers and curious figures on the
teeth
Year: 1873

1t was hard drinking time, says q
letter writer, referring to many years
ago in the old country, time Of bac-
chanalian toasts and royal bumpers,
when gentlemen" sat down early to,
and rose up late from, the dining table
when at certain periods of the evening
q boy was introduced under the table to
unloose the neckcloths of gentlemen
who fell down drunk; and when a re-
monstrance at some one more temperate
than another passing the decanter was
thought to be more stringent ii it was
enforced by calling attention to the fact
THAT the night was young yet--tne cal
lant's not under the table," All classes
of society drank, and drank frequently
to excess too. A jovial farmer would
go into tavern when the landlady was
"setting" hen, and would never come
out again until the chickens were run
ming about. His superiors might not
carry things to such an excess, but q
two days drinking-bout was thought
the most common thing in the world,
and the capacity for standing certain
number of bottles the test of thorough
good fellow These were the days of
fve-bottle men, and in st. Andrews
University was a students club called
the Nine Tumbler Club, the test of fit
ness for entrance into which was the
ability of the candidate, after drinking
nine tumblers of hot whiskey toddy, to
pronounce articulately the words, "Bib-
li-cal criticism" A miserly old laird
used to make it his boast, that so popu-
lar man was he that he could go to
market with sixpence in his pocket, and
come home drunk with the sixpence
still in it.
Year: 1873

The steamer Cassini, which lately
reached Philadelphia, after long pass
age from Liverpool, was evidently com
manded by an officer with a genius for
the healing art. The ship ran out of
coal, and rather than run the risk of
putting into Halifax, her commander
used parts of the cargo for fuel. He
first selected quantity of asafetida,
and with this odorous drug fumigrated
his passengers until he felt assured that
they were safe from contracting any dis
ease of typhoid character. This novel
practice he fellewed up by burning vast
quantities of Peruvian bark, whereby
he evidently believed that he would rem
der his passengers proof against the
malarious poison which they would en-
counter in Philadelphia. Other articles,
most of which are new to the materia
medica, were subsequently packed into
the furnaces, and the steamer was
brought triumphantly into port, his
passengers being in vigorous health and
full of gratitude to their medicinal cap
tain.
Year: 1873

THE MARRIAGE SERvIoE.-An English
clergyman lately reported in an evening
contemporary some of the blunders he
had heard in the marriage service by
that class of persons who have to pick
up the words as best they can by hear
ing them repeated by others. He said
that in his own parish it was quite the
fashion for man, when giving the
ring, to say to the woman, "With my
body thee wash up, and with all my
hurdle goods / thee and thou" He
said the women were generally better
up in this part of the service than the
men. One day, however, a bride start
led him by promising, in what she sup
posed to be the language of the prayer
book, to take her husband "to ave and
to old from this day form fer betterer
horse for richer power, in siggerness
health to love cherries, and to bay"
What meaning this extraordinary vow
conveyed to her own mind the clergy
man said it bafled him to conjecture.
Year: 1873

The BITTER BITTEN.-A man in the
dress of workman was lately walking
in the streets of Berlin with packet
in his hand, sealed and inscribed with
an address and note that it contained
100 thalers in treasury bills. AS the
bearer appeared to be at loss, he was
accosted by passenger, who asked him
what he was looking for. The simple
countryman placed the packet in the
inquirer's hands, and requested that he
would read the address. The reply was
made as with an agreeable surprise:
"Why, this letter is for mel Ihave been
expecting it for a long whilel" The
messenger upon this demanded ten tha-
lers for the carriage of the packet, which
was readily paid, with liberal addition
to the porter. The new possessor of
the packet hastened to an obscure cor
ner to examine his prize but, on break
ing the seal, found nothing but few
sheets of paper, on which was written
"Donaw
Year: 1873

a CHARITABLE Cincinnati man keeps
n pair OF dogs chained at his front
door. so that poor people who stop to
get "a bite" can be accommodated
without taking the trouble to so into
the house.
Year: 1873

Tux Boston Trdreiier remarks that
for real unadulterated sensation, for
tragic and blood-curdling reading, to
n person fifty miles from the locality.
there Is nothing that compares with n
list of premiums at n county fair.
Year: 1873

PHILADELPHIA, Sept 10, 1878.


This afternoon well dressed German was found
in dangerous condition upon the corner Of
Minor aud Filth streets, bleeding terribly from the
lungs and trying in vain to support himself by
lamppost. He was first seen by local
expressman, and officer Pearson, with great diff
Guilty, brought him iuto the Central Headquarters.
On the way the man could not speak, and c0ntin-
ued bleeding after his arrival The officer tried in
vain to get word from MIN, but the blood caused
great strangulation. and he died in few moments.
without saying anything except Nassau Street,"
There were no papers whatever upon his person.
by means OF which anything concerning him could
be ascertained, and after death he was turned
over to the Coroner.
Year: 1873

From the Indianapolis PeOple.l


One of the prominent mem 5ers
of the Young Mems Christian
Association one day week before
last was called upon by two chill
dren who told II most pItiiuI story a
bout their mother being dead and
they being entirely without fire
or food. He accompanied the
children TO their home in Nc
kernansville, and sure enough be
found povert. stricken looking
room, in which was coffin, aud
therein the form Of one VIII, m he
supposed had been woman, ar.
rayed in the habiliments Of the
grave. He left a FIVE dollar bill
and somechange with the children,
and say ing he would make arrange
mruts for :heir comfort he lett
the room. Thinking Of something
else hedesired to tell the htlle ones,
he had beenabsent but a few min.
utes when he returned. Judge of
his surprise upon entering the
room which he had just left to
discover the supposed corpse sit
ting up in the coffin counting the
money he had given the children.
We wonder how often this coffin
had been made to do duty in
similar manner?
Year: 1873

A Tennessee preacher an
nounced to his congregation re-
Gently that a prayer meeting
would be held in behalf Of the
Memphis sufferers, and exhorted
his congregation to put on sack
cloth and ashes for the solemn
occasion. A sister accordingly
procured a lot of old coffee
sacks, worked them into a WELL
fitting dress, sprinkled said
unique dress profusely with ash
es, and when the day of prayer
arrived put it on and started for
the house of God. She was
stopped by her mistress, who
had considerable difficulty in
explaining to her the real mean
ing of the minister.
Year: 1873

A Milwaukee married man has
promised not to do 80 any more.
He went home one night suffering
from an over dose Of whisky, and
staggered into the fashionable
street where be lived with more
noise than was becoming. HIS
wife boIe with him meekly until
IN undressing for bed. he had d,.


vesled hiulse If Of all but a single


.rticle of underwear. She then
took up god healthy stick OF


wood and began to make motions
which the lord of the manor con-
stsued into preIiminaries Of active
.hostilities. He ran and she al
ter him-down etairs-out OF the
front door, into the street. She
caught him on the sidewalk, and
holding by the fluttering end OF


the aforesaid garment padded
him until he promised to go into
the house for the present, and be-
have himself better in the future


If he had not run out like a mis-


cradle goose that he was, the
neighbors, for a square all ronnd,
would not have known anything
about the little family jar. As II
is he has made himself the butt
of the neighborhood:
Year: 1873

a citizen of New York not
many years ago died leaving
fortune Of three millions TO lie
divided between one son and
three daughters. During his
life the merchant had been a
cIose-fsted skinfint, denying
himself the common necessa-
ries of life that he might ainass
fortune and leave his son a
man of wealth. The son soou
found the destiny IN store fer
him and early began the life -.
fast young man. He married
to a young woman who thought
only of his wealth and In..ue
her as unhappy as she deserved-
His father died leaving the
young man an income OF S50,-
900. In d drunken quarrel the
fellow killed his wife AMI then
finished his own miserable ex-
istence by suicide.
Year: 1873

A woman stated to q LONDON
magistrate recently, that during
her five years Of married life her
husband had knocked her down
lis times. That woman certain
ly deserved better fate, for she
is the first one of her sex we ev-
er heard Of who kept her family
account with such mathematical
accuracy. -s...-
Year: 1873

'I wish you wouldn't give me
such short weight for my mon
ey," said customer to grocer,
who had all account Of long
standing. Sand / wish you
would not give me such long wait
for mine, replied the grocer.
Year: 1873

ter.


Insist on cleanliness.


Be cheerful and hopeful


Do your duty to yourself, and family, your
neiGhbOr, aud leave the rest to merciful Prov
idence.


The body and the mind act and react upon
each other, and no human power can break or
impair the alliance.


Fear and gloomy forebodinTs invite disease
calm and moderate pursuit Of whatever one has
to do without feverish overwork is a most ex-
cellent sanitary precauhon."


Temperance in eating and drinking, moder
alton in thinking and doing, following al
''the rule of not too much" will prove an
effective safeguard not only against chOleTa
but many other misfortunes, bodily and men
tai
Year: 1873

A curious story this from London, and ct to be
worked up in one of Wilkie Collins novels.
There Is a rumor that a rich barOnet, long crazy,
and represented to be stll living, did really die
some years ago, but that the relatives to whose
custody he was committed desiring to retain the
allowance made to them for taking care of him,
have caused to be made aclay figure, a great like
ness of the deceased. When the official guardians
of the dead lunatic call to sec him, the figure is
shown to them seated in an easy chair by the fire.
with the ntimation that the old gentleman can.
not bea7 to be approached or disturbed.
Year: 1873

Why, this is my birthday !" exclaimed
Miss Fehsse, as her eye fell on the date of
the morning paper she had been reading.
l bad forgotten it until now. Forty to-
day wonder if | look that old p and
stood before the glass, where the hand
some appointments of her room were
mirrored, and looked critically at the prim,
pleasant face and angular figure reflected
there Forty to-day, and still unmar-
rled am an old maid at last. 1t is no
use trying to disguise it any longer. No
one would mistake me for anything but a
maiden lady OF increasing uncertain age,
and she flashed a swift smile of comlcal
alSmay, and heaved mock sigh, showing
Inc Natural mirtbful spirit still alive under
the outward repression. Shaking her soft,
graylsh curls at the pictured face in the
glass, saying: "It's no use, my dear, you
nave been weighed in the balance and
are sadly wanting in those attractions
Necessary to secure kindred spirit. They
say that while there is life there is hope
Out 1t Is always best to be resigned to the
worst, and Fate, who has dealt pretty
Aindly with you in regard to the worldly
comforts of this life, has her unkind cu
In reserve"


She sat down in a deep easy chair BY
Tue low window, and holding the paper
'uiy IN her hand, her thoughts ran on il
Year: 1873

IMPROVEMENTS IN THERMoMETERs.-It
would be task of no small magnitude TO
describe all the heat measurers devised
since Hero, the Egyptian, discovered that
volume of confined air would expand
and contract with variations of tempera-
ture, and by the movement of mechanical
appliances be made to indicate the same.
The air thermometer, so called, brought
out by Sanctorio nearly three centuries ago
was followed, later, by that in which col
ored alcohol was used as the fluid, and
after this came the mercurial thermometer
now in common use and sufficient for ordi-
nary purposes, but not for the more deli
cate operations of scientific recearch.


For these latter the most delicate and
beautiful instrument is the thermo-electric
pile, which being warmed at one end, he it
never SO slightly, establishes an electric
current through the pile which, by defect
ing galvanometer needle, accurately iudi.
Gates the intensity Of the heat which con.
stitutes the exciting cause. For finding
the temperature at great depths in the ocean
the greater ease with which an electric
current passes through wire of given
normal resistance, as the temperature
diminishes. has formed the basis of very
efficient deep-sea thermometer. DR.. Joule
few years ago, contrived unique ther-
mometer comprising two copper tubes, one
within the other, and the inner one having
axially within ita silk thread suspending
a spiral wire to which a small mirror was
attached. At its lower end the instrument
was furnished with hinged plate, to close
or open as desired. When closed the
mirror was stationary, but when opened, a
current of air was established which twist.
ed the silk and rotated the mirror one
time for each degree of Fahrenheit. The
theory assigned for this novel operation
was that the outer tube absorbed heat and
radiating it inward, produced draugh,
through the internal space, this air current
acting on the spiral wire with power
proportioned to the radiation which pro
duced it. The instrument affords fin,
illustration Of the manner in which very
simple things may be put to abstruse uses
for the spiral wire Of the thermometer jus
described revolves on precisely the sam
principle as the pasteboard 8. whirligigs
that children delight to see whirling in th
lupwardly moving currents Of air by
warm stove pipe.
Year: 1873

COURTESY TO SERvANTs.-The servants
right to be politely treated is just as abso-
lutte and indefeasble as that of the queen.
She is a child of the Great King, and to
her applies the royal law, according to the
Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself." That law, which is the high
est of all, surely includes politeness. If
we are bound to love our neighbors as our
selves, we are bound to treat them cour
teously, at any rate. This is one of the
first and most Tudimental of our duties to
them. Your servant, dear madam, is your
neghbor-the nearest of all your neigh.
bors. She has right. then, under this
royal law-which is itself the spirit of all
just laws--to be courteously treated by
you. 1t is no more condescenson for you
to use respect and gentleness in your in.
tercourse with her than it is for her to
sweep your floors and build your fires.
You are entitled to no more credit for
speaking kindly to her than you are for
not stealing her pocket-handkerchiefs. If
you do not govern yourself in all your con-
versation with her by the same laws of
courtesy which you observe in your con-
versation with the callers in your parlor,
you are very vulgar person. The maid
in your kitchen is woman; the guest in
your parlor is nothing more. Will you
give to silks and feathers and q purse
what you deny to womanhood? That is
the very essence of vulgarity. Do not
say that the guest never tries your tenn.
per as the servant does. You know that
many of those whom you greet with smiles
tell lies about you when you are beyond
their sight The laws Of good manners
lead you to treat their deceitfuness with
forbearance. Should they not require
equal torbearance toward the ignorant
servant girl in your kitchen ?-Hearth and
Home.
Year: 1873

SIR: A correspondent, advocating in your
issue Of the 10Th inst the Of the guone in prefer
ence TO present method Of execution, as causing
death painessy and speedily thus attaining the
desired object while preserving the condemned from
much unnecessary torture Oyerooks the fact that the
few moments OF physical agony which a criminal en-
dures the caold in wise TO be cOmpared with


the days and weeks Of mental suffering which intervene
between the words which deprive him Of the last ray Of
hope and the execution. This change I'm our Instruments
Oi death may merit consideration after have removed
the greater and serious evils OF delay In the nd
mintratOn OF jus tce. which are glaringy apparent


hut n would relieve the convicted from ali the
antcpaOnsO far beyond the short pains OF the
galOws-and at the same time more thoroughly intimi


date those for whose benefit the example Intended
we cannot do more ehectually than by shortening
tho time between sentence and punishment. our
dangerous classes have especial dread OF that rapid
retriDuton which Ia the distinctive feature OF Lynch
law and when we have closed up a few Of the legal
knOt-hOles which murdeTers for temporary
hIding-placos from the hands OF justice, we sha not
only have made the example which seek TO impress
upon society forcble and coereIve but also les
sened incOnceyaby the tOrures OF capital punishment


NeD York, July q, 1873. II. Il. p.
Year: 1873

The horrible letters written by Mansfield 7.
Walworth to his wife will no doubt save the
neck of his son and murderer from the raliows
He will, however, never be regarded in any other
hght than that of murderer. II those letters
had been presented TO any Court their author
would no doubt have been pronounced insane,
and placed beyond carrying out Ills terrible
threats to slay his wife and children
Year: 1873

AT length it is proved that
a man has more vanity than a
woman. This is the way it
came to pass: A curious in
veStlgator watched while a
thousand men passed q look.
ing glass used as a sign on the
sidewalk in Broadway. The
result OF his observation show.
ed that nine hundred and ninty
nine men glanced complacent.
ly at their image as they passed.
The other man was blind
Four hundred and tifty-two


women passed in the same
hour and a halt, and none Of
them looked in the mirror-ali
of them being engaged intent
Iy in examining each others
appearance and dress.
Year: 1873

ufdWn sign.


Yes, yes; I see it all the mystery
is solved. There is no dark providence
here. All, how many Like her are daily
cut down in the very flower of life; cut
down ere half their work is done I"


cit is melancholy fact, !" we replied,
" that the whole average of life in this
country is diminished by suicidal dis
regard of the plainest laws of health !;
and this sad detective ought to say
criminals chargeable more upon your
sex than our own. 1t gives one the
heart-ache to think of the daily deaths
of young mothers-the sharp sundering
of the tenderest ties that can bind heart
to heart. People clasp their hands,
look grave and mysterious, and say,
What an affective providencep But
there is no providence in the matter
only provision of the divine mercy to
lessen, as far as may be, the evils that
must flow from the disruption, by death,
of the most intimate relations in life.
Here is solution of the whole mystery
that has 80 perplexed you, and hundreds
of others"