smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1876

General Matt W. Ransom is to be
chosen by a newly elected Legislature
IN North Carolina next November.


Without disparagement to the other
,ble men in North Carolina and the
old North State retains her prestige in
respect to the ability of her public
men-we hope General Ransom will
be returned He is a legislator of
rare qualifications, and the advantages
of experience and long standing are
e. pecialIy marked in a body like
the Senate. Those States have by far
the most influence who retain their
delegations the longest without
change.-Herald, Washington City.
Year: 1876

A CHICAGO firm, Graham & Co.,
dealers in fancy soaps and perfumery,
discovered last week that an old en-
pIoyee had been for years engaged in
heavy swindling upon his employers.
This is no unusual thing The best
business men in the world are at the
mercy of their employees, and no mat
ter how strictly they overlook their
business, many Of them find that a
system of fraud has been practiced for
years under their very eyes. Still,
there are people who regard it as Grim
inally neglected on the part of the
Government, that, with an army OF
10000 employees scattered over the
length and breadth Of the land, any
one of whom has as good opportunities
for committing thefts as a clerk in a
store could have, crime goes on so
long undiscovered and unpunished.
How often we hear Of defalcations
which have been carried on so cleverly
that the employers, who give their
whole time to their business, never
discover any evidence of it until they
find themselves involved in absolute
ruin. IF such things can occur, and
they do, is it not wonderful that there
are not many times more frauds COM
mitted than there are in the civil ser
vice of the government . IFaupaca
RepuJA can.
Year: 1876

! The employees Of the Government
must be overpaid, for the entire force
Except two who died in the effort) of
one of the bureaus of the Treasury
Department were able to live without
incomes at least thirty days before the
! contribution tox was passed around tc
keep them from actual starvation. Ii
matters little how they existed, the
very fact that they lived until charity
came to their relief is proof positive
from the Democratic standpoint that,
while at work, they must have been
overpaid.


The clerical force of the Department
must have been greatly beyond the
actual necessities of the service, be-
cause said Departments have been able
to furnish cords of copies of official
records to the number.ess investigating
committees of the Democratic House,
and yet have been able to keep their
doors open for the transaction of pub
| lie business.


The appropriations made by Re-
publican Congress must have been
enormously y extravagant when it is con-
sidered that with six-feet burners
when five might have answered-the
public buildings have been lighted nine
months out of the twelve before the
fund supplied was exhausted.


! The appropriations for water and
fuel must have been equally reckless
, and extravagant when it is known that
by using more whisky and less water
the water funds would have held out
for a year. and by the economic inter
al heat tkls generated less fuel would
have been required. Here is proof
positive that the Democracy could run
the Government at least twenty per
cent. cheaper on whisky basis than
Republicans can on cold water.


Of course our diplomatic service is
overpaid, because it is a we'll known
fact that at least one representative of
the country abroad has actually reach
ed his home after an absence Of five
years without borrowing dollar from
his landlady or leaving unpald his
board bill abroad


With sach clear proof of the neces-
sity of economic reform is it any won
der that Democratic House feels JUS
tilted in e1pending 100000 for wit
ness fees alone, when out of the
mouths Of these witnesses it may be
able to gather sufficient data on which
to base saving of $25, 900.


Is it any wonder that Democracy al
lows the public buildings to go without
gas and water, and the Centennial I'M
portations to go without protection,
and the idle employees of the Govern
ment to go without work i?


Better a general suspension of the
public business, and the starvation of
every public official than such wasteful
extravaganza as Democracy has discov-
cred. -Repu6lc..
Year: 1876

THE Blackbird camp closed on Monday
morning. The Sunday crowd was immense,
tho only full day the camp had after q
week Of rain and drizzle. The spiritual re-
suits seem to have been so unimportant that
a record was not kept of the converts
The social aspect Of the meeting, however
notwithstanding the unprecedented bad
weather, was well-pleasing. The TINES
has been asked, in this connection
to express the thanks of our citizens
to the young ladies who "kept house
in the Smyrna tent, and made it so pleasant
to the scores Of visitors who called A
number Of our citizens feel that some pub
lie recognition should be made for their
kindness, and also to the gentleman who
provided the tent.
Year: 1876

FATAL ACCIDENT on THE SMYRNA BRANCH.
Last Thursday night, as the Smyrna
Branch train was leaving Clayton, from the
Ocean City excursion train. about / o'clock,
it ran over a man named ChaS. Phillips and
injured him so badly that he died on
Saturday, at the almshouse. lie tried to
jump on the car after it had started, and
missed his footing. IIcwas terribly stunned
and the wheels ran over one of his rists.
No one knew of the accident until next
morning, when the man was found in a
clump of weeds in lot near the church at
Clayton. lie was unable to give an account
of the affair. DR.. Collins amputated his
hand and raised enough means to send him
to the almshouse. lie was carpenter and
had been working here for about six
months, but would never tell where he
came from. Parties at Clayton saw him
running towards the train, but as they saw
nothing more Of him they supposed he got
on, and but for the blood and the hair on
the track it would not have been known
how the accident occurred. lie was looked
upon here as sober, industrious, unobtru
sive man.
Year: 1876

MARK TWAIN AS A REPORTER Il re-
ported on morning newspaper three
years, and it was pretty hard work


But enjoyed its attractions. Re-
porting is the best school in The world
i'll which to get a knowledge of hui
man nature and human ways. A nice
gentlemanly reporter make no ref
erences-is welftreated by everybody
Just think of the wide range of his ac-
quaintanceship, his experience of life
and society. No other occupation
brings man into such familiar social
relations with all the grades and
classes of people. The last thing at
night-midnight-he goes browsing
around after items among the police
and Jail birds in the lookup, question
ing the prisoners, and making pleas
ant aud lasting friendships among the
worst people in the world. And the
very next evening he gets himself up
of expense, puts on all the
good clothes his friends have got,
goes and takes dinner with the Gov
ernor, or Commander-in-Chief of the
District, the United States Senator,
and some more of the upper crusts of
society. He is on good terms with
all Of them, and is present at every
gathering, and his easy access to ev-
cry variety of people. Why, | break
tasted almost every morBing with the
Governor, dined with the principal
clergy, and slept in the station-house.


\ reporter has to lie a little or they
would discharge him. That is why
left it, | am different from Washing
ton; / have a higher and grander
standard of principle I can lie, but
won't. Reporting is fascinating,
but then it is so distressing to have
to lie so. Lying is bad-lying is very
bad. Every individual knows that by
think that for a man to
tell lie, when he cannot make any
thing by it, is wrong.
Year: 1876

TIE BROWN CURL Men do not cred
it their fellow men with half enough
sentiment and kindness of heart, and
i'll looking for sentiment the searcher
leaves the walks of every day life,
where it is most often. found. A
month ago, on one of the Brooklyn
ferryboats, one of the passengers
dropped a brown curl of hair, severed
from the curly head Of some darling
whose soul is with the angels.


sit is too bad!" sighed the rough
ly dressed laborer who picked up the
curl. "Fll hang it here in the cabin,
where the mothers eye may see it
again"


He hung it over a hook, and Of the
thousands who crossed and recrossed
by that boat, not hand was lifted to
take it down Thousands saw it
hanging there, and often and again
ladies stood before it with tears in
their eyes. a day or two ago pale
faced widow was among the passen-
gers. Her eyes were drawn to the
curl, and with a sob in her throat she
lifted it down, pressed it to her lips
and sohbed out:


God bless the poor people Who
saved this for 'me!"
Year: 1876

"Is there an opening here for an in-
tellectual writer?" said a very red
faced youth, with the cork of bottle
sticking out of his breast pocket.
The editor with much dignity took
the mans intellect in and said: "An
openingY Yes sir; kind and consid-
crate carpenter foreseeing your visit,
left an opening for you. Turn the
knob to the right"
Year: 1876

guides and trappers of the Adirondack
region have proved rich mines to Mr..
Murray. One of the most powerful of
these narratives is that of an old trap
per depicting his experience in pro-
tecting a dead body from the beasts
of prey BY night: -


"Well, Henry, | took my stand at
the foot of the bed, and kept my death
watch, rife in hand. sternly as SEN
try ON duty, save when | stirred the
fire or lighted a pine-knot For the
animals was Uneasy, as they always
is ween corpse is round, and ! need
ed the pine-knots more than once, and
some of the varmints got the tech of
lead and the smell of powder that
night, tell ye, for they was full of
their devilmentS, and made me and
the hound as wakeful as If we were
surrounded by lnlmlcS."


"Did you really have to Kill any
thing?" | asked, speaking for the first
time in an hour; for the old trapper
had told his story with snch natural
ness of intonation and gesture that he
had me spell-bound by his narrative
for no one could hear him tell the
strange tale he was telling and not be
carried along by the movement of it
and now that he was evidently reach
ing the climax, | feared that should
miss some detail of his experience
which being omitted would mar the
narration, 50 hoping to hold his utter
ance to the line of actual occurrence,
| said, "Did you have to kill anything
that night?"


"Well, yis, did," he replied. ~
bored hole through dog wolf over
there on the beach, after had borne
his onnatcral howlin' as long as "a NOR
tai could; and | dropped a Cat from
u deaf cedar there, artcr me and the
hound had stood the stare OF her eyes
ten minits or more, and about two in
the mornin', litter of pantherS
crawled in on rs until the bush seemed
alive with 'cm, and lifted the scalp
off the biggest of the drove, arter he
had got within forty feet of the corpse,
and paid no more attention to brands
| pitched at him than if they were
tufts of sod; SO with u pine-knot all
afre in one hand to show me the
sights, drove the lead in between his
Internal eyes in style that taught
'em all manners for the rest of the
watch Yis, Henry, we had a solemn
and lively time of it, for sartin, that
night, and at times it looked as if
there would be no funeral the next
day; Ieastways, none that me and the
hound would attend, onless we made
one for ourselves; but we stood toI
our post, and between the brands and
the lead and the hel p of the Lord we
brought the body through safe till
sunrise.


"But it was mighty solemn watch
in by the body all 10y myself in the
depths Of the woods there that night;
for at times the animals would make
the air roar and scream, and the
mountains to yelp as if the upper
world was inhabited with cats and
wolves and panthers, and then theyl
would suddenly become quiet, and the
world round about was nothing butt
silence, with the moon shiniIp through
it: and the dead mans face was pale
as the moon and still as the air, for
his troubles was over and tile marks
of them passed from his featur when
the breath went away. And SO me-
and tie hound kept watch till the sun
riz in the east and the hour had come
for the funeral"
Year: 1876

In Mondays issue of the HERALD we
were pleased to compliment the London
Rowing Club, but since then we learn they
have done themselves great discredit in
complaining that they were beaten by
tradesnen, and in dong SO have forfeited
our respect, and put themselves in a posi-
ton far from enviable in American eyes.
They say the rules of their association
rule out the class Of tradesmen. Why did
they not make objection to rowing with
tradesmen before the race began! The
reason they did not reject was because they
felt confident of an easy victory, and it
mattered nothing to them what class of
men they beat. 1t would have been mean
enough had the objection been made be-
fore the race, but to urge it afterward is
,neaner stil1
Year: 1876

In former issue of the HERALD we
stated that Father Taft was dishing up an
opinion to Justify the Grant Cameron rev.
olutionary attempt upon the peace of the
Southern States by suppressing the honest
expression Of the people. Since then the
faithful old servant has completed his job,
and made the best he could out of it. 1t
is, however, disgrace to him, as he has
monstrously perverted the plain meaning
of the spirit Of the law. He places the
army and their guns at the command and
beck of graceless civil officers, whose
special business it is to plunder the people,
to stuff ballot boxes and to pollute the elec-
lions. Father Taft must evidently have
had some trouble Of mind before he could
relinquish his natural respect for law, to
make up such fearful decision, but he
dared not to refuse to do the political work
assigned him. In obedience to his order,
he deliberately nulliaed the clear mandate
of the law to find even an excuse for the
action of the President and his Secretary
ofNar. He hugged as close as he could
to the law not to interfere with Cameron's
order for defeating honest elections in the
South. Father Taft is more obedient and
obssrvant Of the political duty assigned
him than to just Interpretation of law
Taft's instructions to the United States
Marshalls throughout the United States in
regard to the coming elections is a mons.
trous perversion of the plain spirit Of law,
and an outrage upon law and order that
will for ever disgrace him.
Year: 1876

The search for the treasure the British
war ship Hussar is being kept up. A
large sum Of money, near five millions of
dollars in gold went down in the Frigate
Husar, at He'll Gate, in the year 1880.
The treasure which the Hussar carried at
the time she attempted the dangerous
passage, consisted Of golden guineas to the
amount Of nine hundred and eighty thou
sand pounds sterling, intended for the pay
ment Of the English troops. She had also
on her at the time, chained between decks,
seventy American prisoners Of war, all of
whom were lost. In 1894 the British
Government sent over two vessels to try to
raise the Hussar, at which they worked
two seasons without making much, if any
progress. No further efforts were made to
raise her until 1919, when an organized
English company undertook to secure the
treasure by means Of diving bells, but the
powerful current neutralized all their ef.
forts and the search was again abandoned.
In 1850 the Frigate Hussar Company was
formed who again took the matter in hand,
and continue at work, being confident o.
success. This Company's capital is the
amount Of the Hussar's treasure, $4,706,-
900. The plan Of this Company is to
break away the vessel piece by piece until
the treasure is reached. Many things have
been taken from the wreck, among which
are manacles worn by the prisoners who
went down with the vessel. There has
been as much as five hundred thousand
dollars expended in various efforts to re
cover the treasure, but that large sum O
gold still lies hidden in the wreck. Tht
progress made however, is said to be en-
oouraging, and the Company have hope
| Of recovering The treasure.
Year: 1876

From the bustle and stir Of tho cities q
the living, it is well q times 70 stroll
through the cities Of the dead, for among


the dead you have graver and faire'


thoughts and higher and nobler views o.
life. Nowhere do birds sing 90 sweetly ~
over the dead. Impotent for good or evil
to the living, busy, worldly throng, are the
dead. Among the dead, one loses for a
timeal the little, petty passions, jealousies'
meannesses and envies Of the world. No
where else is there such calm unity as in
the graveyard. The hand that smote and
the hand that carressed, rest alike in the
bed Of death. The warrior is as gentle as
the maid that sleeps by his side. They all
alike sleep undisturbed and unmoved in
their dark, narrow resting-place. And
there is but one step from. here to there
only short step from the beautiful, bright
world, to the gloomy, dark realms of death
only mement from constant strife to
endless peace. Take a stroll through any
of our cemeteries and you will find there
material for much deep reflection. 1t is
essential to human happiness that our
thoughts should at times have something
sad to ponder over, and there is no better
opportunity for turning our minds in that
direction than to walk through the ceme-
teries, the cities of the dead.
Year: 1876

As evidence comes out, the fact is al
ready established that the boy Roster
(alias) Walker, was brutally driven to
death. His murder seems more and more
horrible as evidence after evidence is OBJ
tained. He was inhumanly pounded to
insensibility and left with but two of his
boyhoods friends to see him die. 1t is
hoped that the officers Of the law will not
cease in the performance of their duties
until every one OF the participants in that
boys murder is sentenced to the scafold or
the States prison. 1t is disgrace to the
country, and has aroused universal feel
ing of contempt and hatred for all roughs
and thieves who run to prize fight.
Year: 1876

Either man must be content with pow
erty all his life. or else be willing to de.
ny himself some luxuries. aud save. to
lay the base Of independence in the fu.
ture. But if man de6es the future.
aud spends all he earns whether his
earnings be one dollar or ten dollars ev-
cry day. let him look for lean and hun
cry want at some future time-for it
viii surely come. no matter what he
thinks. To save is absolutely the only
way to get solid fortune; there is no
other certain mode. Those who shut
their eyes aud ears to these plain facts
win be forever poor. and for their obsti-
nate rejection of truth. mayhap will die
in rags aud filth. Let them so die, and
thank themselves. But no They take
sort Of recompense in cursing fortune.
Great waste of breath. They might as
well curse the mountains and eternal
hills. For l can tell them fortune does
not give away real and substantial goods.
She sells them to the highest bidder. to
the hardest and wisest worker for the
boon. Men never make so fatal mis-
take as when they think themselves
creatures Of fate: tbs the sheerest folly
in the world. Every man may make or
mar his life, whichever he may choose.
Fortune is for those who by diligence.
honesty, frugality, place themselves in
a position to grasp hold of fortune when
it appears iu view. The best evidence Of
frugahty is the five hundred dollars or
more standing in your name at the saw
ings bank. The best evidence of hon.
esty consists in diligence and frugality.
Year: 1876

ed it The sun was going down, and all
was very calm and peaceful A kind Of
Sabbath hush seemed to have fallen on
everything. and wondered why it was.


told you that | had n.ver asked a
word about Gretchen before; that day |
added a postscript TO my letter:


-Is Gretchen Werner well. and living
near you ?" l said. Tell me something
about her."


Just as said these words the lily
shadow swayed more darkly over my pa
per- and looked up. Beside the lily
stood Gretchen, white as the flower. and
rObed in white. Her long. fair hair
dropped over her bosom. and between
her crossed hands lay bunch Of lily
flowers as they are laid on the bosoms
Of the dead She smiled as looked at
her. but never stirred.


Gretchen I" l cried. Gretchen
Gretchen :" and she smiled again, and
seemed to vanish in the smile. and fell
on the floor in sweon, for l knew that
had seen Gretehen's departing spirit.


l was i'll for many days, and before l
had recovered q letter came from home
"a letter from my mother.


How strange it is that you should
have spoken of Gretchen Werner in your
last letter for the first time" she wrote.
"My son, am afraid the news will
grieye you. On the day on which your
letter is dated she died, just at sunset.
l think she must have always been fond
Of you, for she never seemed to think Of
any one else, and declared that she
would never marry. But few months
ago neighbor Werner. actually went SO
far as to command her to give her hand
to friend Of his, rich old German.
She pleaded hard. but be was not to be
moved, and she thought she must obey,
poor child. The wedding dress was made
and all ready for the nuptials, wher
they found her dead.


Il think her father killed her as much
as if he had stabbed or poisoned her
The doctors call it heart disease. She
was lOvelier than anything Il ever saw
when l saw her last, in her coffin, witt
white lilies on her bosom. She was good
and pure, and true. and she has Away
loved you. my child. l an a woman
and can read another woman's heart
She has always loved you"


l knew it then. l went home to M
p3renss very soon. and never left then
again. live in the old house now, ant
on my window-sill there always stand
white lily. Believe it or not, once
year, at sunset on the anniversary of on
betrothal eve, l have ever since see
Gretchen standing near it, smiling upOl
me.


| think it is an omen that God vii
reunite Us in heaven, where. though ther
is no marrying or giving in marriage.
may still call my white lily. my pure
true-hearted darling. my own; still we
her in the spirit, and dwell with he
through all eternity among the angels.
Year: 1876

A remarkable toad story comes from
Acton. Canada A pine log was being
sawed up into lumber; the outside slab
and one board had been cut of. and the
wOrkmen were turning over the log. when
they were surprised 10 see large toad
poke his head out of hole in which be
was embedded, and where be had barely
escaped being cut up BY the saw. How
the stranger got there was mystery. as
be was completely encased in the wood.
with DO possible means Of ingress or
egress. As the log was the fourth Or
ffth from the butt Of the tree. bis posi-
ton must have been at least fifty or
sixty feet from the ground. and be bad,
DO doubt. grown up with it from infancy,
being probably hundreds Of years old.
The animal was quite fat. and nearly as
large a. q mans hand. tie was perfect
Iy blind. bat when taken from bis bed,
be made use Of his limbs 70 crawl away.
The tree vas perfectly sound. with the
exception Of decayed spot Of about =
foot in length below the hollow place in
which be was imbedded How did be
get there. and what did he live On