smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1876

We are sorry to learn that on Thursday last


Mr.. Jack Film, residing at Evansville.
wxs bit by mad dog. He was just returning
home at night from the MILL and as he got to
his gate strange dog was there, and on STAN.
ping his foot to scare him of he flew at him
and bit him badly on the hand and arm. 1t
was ascertained that the dog was mad and
from the Indian Nation, and had been
followed, he having bitten stock aud dog,
In that section. Medical assistance was at
once called In and every effort made to avoid
the dire calamity following the bite Of mad
Year: 1876

tH- Whitesidcs has Ginned 79S bales Cot
ton with his Hall Self Feeding Cotton Gin
which he considers the best Gin now In use
and he is now Grinding all the Corn that is
sent to him every Wednesday and Thursday
of each week 3w.
Year: 1876

An Iowa woman claims to have made
1895 fires during 1875 This is three a
day, and it looks doubtful. After tn
fire is built and the wood brought into
house, almost any man is willing to sit
around the stove and keep it going.
Year: 1876

Fashionable lady coming out of church
" What a powerful sermon! 4! was never
before so impressed with the duty and
privilege of giving freely. | am deter
mined to do better. and to send this very
week another silk dress to my daugh-
ter"
Year: 1876

WE publish to-day private let
ter from lady friend who has an
eye for the beautiful and keen ap-
probation of all that is great or
good. We beg her pardon for thus
publicly parading her thoughts and
views which were MT intended foI
the CITIZEN, but were really SO
good we could not keep them to
ourself. She must excuse us for
this breach of trust,
Year: 1876

Among the leading business enter.
prises i'll our city there is none more
woi thy of confidence and. patronage
than that of the Banking and In


sarance Office of. Charles Handy.


Mr.. Handy" is too well known
throughout the State as an Insur-
ance mah to require any comment
at our hands. 1t is we'll known
that he is at the head of one of the
largest Insurance concerns in the
South-his territory extending as it
does over three States-but the
Banking Department was only add
I'd about year ago, and SO ably
has it been managed, that we are
already justified in say ing that like
every other undertaking of its pro
prietOr. it has proved success, and
has won the confidence not only OF
this community but of the business
public generally. Mr.. Hapdy has
taken the precaution to provide
himself with one of Halls celebrated
Burglar Proof Safes, which will
throw around those who eptIust
their interests to him, every precAu-
ton. This, together with capital
ample for all the requirements of
his business the assistance of the
most courteous and attentive EN-.
ployees in bis Office, and his own
unremitting labor in the interest OF
the community, ought to insure sue
cess, and constant increase of
business. We learn that Mr.. Handy


will soon be at his post again as he
is now en- route home from long
trip through the Northern States.
Year: 1876

WE learn that Postmaster Smith
will soon be at his post again, and
that he-is Postmaster still, nOtwith-
standing the report that his head
had been cut off. Mr.. Smith has
many friends in Canton who will
welcome his return.
Year: 1876

A recent fatal accident on the Great
Western railroad, near London, Canada,
contains sufficient clements of romance.
The day express was racing along to
make up time when the engineer, George
Irwin, saw, as he rounded the curve,
that switch was open. The fireman
sprung from the cab and escaped unin-
jured, but Irwin had no thought of thus
saving his life, and reversing the engine
and applying the air brakes, brought
the train to standstill on the verge Of
q steep embankment, though not before
his engine had b en- thrown from the
track. He was scalded to death. Irwin
was one of the oldest engineers on the
line, and the first that crossed Suspen-
sion bridge. He had acquired sufficient
property ut Windsor to render him in
dependent of labor for the rest of his
life if he chose to retire, and was an al
derman of the city. The fascination of
his occupation, however, kept him on
the road till he met his death at the post
of duty. His remains were received at
Windsor by the whole population of
the city, and its flags we're half-masted
and bells tolled in his honor.
Year: 1876

See, isn't this about the season of the
year, asks an exchange, to start the
original and veracious item about the
woman whose child fell into tho we'll,
and while sho was fishing it out the
screams Of her baby called her to the
house, where she found it he'd pulled n
tub of water over itself, which was writh-
ing in the agony of death (the child was.
not the tub), and then when she ran to
call her husband from the field, met the
hired man bringing in all they could
find of him after short but vigorous
Greco Roman wrestle with reaping
machine, and then as she turned in
despair to run into the house again,
stepped on tho teeth of hay rake,
causing the handle to fly up and hit her
in the back of the head with such vio-
lence that it broke bran new comb
that she gave three dollars for only the
week before? 1t appears to us that this
is about the right time.
Year: 1876

The Sacramento (Cal.) Union says
We had exhibited to us an apple of the
Early Harvest variety which was quite
a curiosity, by reason Of its having grow
ing from its side n little bunch of vege-
tation in the form of grass, which had
attained length of about an inch, the
stalks being white, while the seed sacks
were of the color and otherwise resem-
bled those of blue grass. The growth
did not appear to iniure the fruit; the
skin Of the apple was not raised where
the "grass" emerged from it, and the
roots were so diminutive or nicely dis
tributed that, Notwithstanding there was
quite little bunch OF the "grass, they
could not be traced,
Year: 1876

It is not SO very long since we had the
pleasure of conversing with one of the


best Scotch deer stalkers and most sue


cessful of chamois hunters, says trav-


eler. According to this gentleman's OK


perience, getting shot at red deer


is mere child's play compared to getting


within range of the lynx eyed and keen


scented chamois. No one need to sleep


out all night upon an icy mountain ledge


to kill red deer; but in order to cir


cumvent a chamois the sportsman is


compelled to adopt this course for many


nights at time before he even sees his


quarry. Then, again, deer stalkers


draw up the mountain as rule, while


the chamois hunters object is to attain
high altitude first and creep down to-


ward the object he wishes to "draw a


bead" upon. At gray dawn the chamois


hunter is on the alert, and by the aid
of his clear eyed Swiss guide and one
of the best deer stalker's glasses he
sweeps the rocky peak and ledge within
his ken. If he is lucky enough to spot
the sentinel chainois perched on some
pinnacle of rugged granite, they partly
separate in order to ciroumvent the
flock, a proceeding which in nine cases
out of ten end, in miserable discontinue.
Sometimes, however, the party above
the chamois get crack, at others those
below. Even should the bullet take
effect, not bone of the quarry may be
even picked at the camp fire. Some
times the death-struck chamois topples
off the giddy ledge, and bounding from
projecting crag to crag as he falls down
ward, eventually lodges in some inac-
cessible crevice, mere pommeled mass
of shapeless skin and bone. At other
times the hunters find it impossible to
get at the ridge upon which the chamois
has fallen. Should the party, however,
succeed in catching the old goat great
and horn blowing isindulgedin.
The flesh of the chamois eats more
like goats than deer meat, and from
the gourmand's point of view is a dead
failure. The wild, sterile and romantic
scenery, the dead silence of tho Alpine
heights where the dangerous sport is
pursued and the extreme righteousness of
The pursuit-all have charms for the
true sportsman and lover of nature.
Sportsmen love sport for sports sake,
and it is not tho prize they value so
much as the winning of it. The Swiss
are ardent chamois hun
ters, and many of the goiter affected in
habitants lose their lives yearly in hunt
ing the wild goat.
Year: 1876

do not think, says traveller, TIM,


the ants build nest or homo OF any


kind. At any rate, they carry nothing


away, but eat all their prey on tho spot.


It is their habit to march through the


forests in long, regular line-a line


about two inches broadand often several


miles in length. All along this line are


large ants, who act as officers, stand


outside the ranks, and keep this singu-


lar army in order. If they come to a


place where there are no trees to shelter


them from the sun, whose heat they


cannot bear, they Immediately build un-


derground tunnels, through which the


whole army passes in columns to the


forest beyond. These tunnels are four


or five feet underground, and are used


only in the hcat of the day or during a
storm. When they grow hungry, the
long file spreads itself through the
forest in front line, and attacks and
devours all it overtakes with fury that
is quite irresistible. Tho elephant and
gorilla fly before this attack. The ma
tives run for their lives. Every animal
that lives in their line of march is
chased. They seem to understand and
act upon the tactics OF Napoleon, and
concentrate, with great speed, their
heaviest forces upon the point of attack.
In an incredibly short space of time the
mouse, or dog, or leopard, or deer is
overwhelmed, killed, eaten, and tho
bare skeleton only remains. They seem
to travel night and day. Many a time
] have been awakened out of sleep, and
obliged to rush out Of tho hut and into
the water to save my life, and, after all,
suffered intolerable agony from the
bites of the advance guard, who had got
into my clothes.


When they enter house, they clear
it Of all living things. Cockroaches are
devoured in an instant. Rats and
mice spring round the room in vain. An
overwhelming force of ants will kill
rot in less than minute, in rite of the
most frantic struggles, and in less than
another minute its bones are stripped.
Every living thing in the house is de-
voured. They will not touch vegetable
matter. Thus they are, in reality, very
useful Gas well as dangerous) to the ma
tives, who have their huts cleared Of all
vermin, such as immense
cockroaches and centipedes, at least sew
eral times year. When on their march,
the whole insect world flies before them,
and I have often had the approach of q |
army heralded to me by this |
Wherever they go, they make
q clean sweep-even ascending to the
tops of the highest trees in pursuit of
their prey. Their manner of attack is
an immense leap. Instantly their strong
pincers are fastened, and they only let
go when the piece gives way. At such
lines, this little animal seems animated
oy kind of fury which causes it to dis
regard entirely its own safety, and to
seek only the conquest OF its prey. The
bite is very painful. The natives relate
that criminals were in former times ex-
posed to the path of the ants, as the
most cruel manner Of putting them to
1eath.
Year: 1876

John Farrell, young profligate of
Milwaukee, closed his life by his own
hand. He was seen prowling about the
home of his wife, who had discarded
him on account of his evil habits, and
espying his mother-in-law in the wood
shed, shot at her. Her screams that she
was shot led him to believe that he had
killed her, and in an instant he had sent
ball through his own head. Farrell
was the only son of wealthy parents, had
sent his father to an early grave with a
broken heart, and had spent thousands
of his patrimony in debauchery. He
was going from bad to worse when he
SO suddenly and tragically ended his ex-
istence.
Year: 1876

OYsTERs.-Oysters do not abandon
their ova as great number of other
marine animals do, but detain them
within the folds of the bronchial lens
inside their shells, where they remain
enveloped in q mucous substance, in
which the embryo development is ac-
complished. The young ones come out
of their shell with temporary swim
ming apparatus, which enables them to
float and search a solid body, to which
they can attach themselves. The num-
Der of young oysters expelled at each
period of breeding from the mantle of a
single mother amounts to from one to
two millions.
Year: 1876

Some time ago Mrs. Marcus Stanly, of
New York, sued for the recovery OF
$11 ZOO rent alleged to be due for the
occupation of premises. The lessee
of the premises was John Chamberlain,
and the annual rental was $40, 900. The
suit was tried in the Monmouth county
IN. J.) court, and the defense offered
was that the premises were used for
gambling purposes, and that as the pur-
pose of occupation was illegal the plair-
tiff could not recover. The jury decided
in favor of Chamberlain.


The case was again brought before
Judge Scudder at the Monmouth county
court on motion of the plaintiff coun-
sci for new trial, on the ground that
the verdict was not in accordance with
the evidence. Judge Scudder said:
"The jury has right to take the state
ments Of either side as true, but the de-
fendant Chamberlin has sworn that the
gambling apparatus in the house was
the property OF plaintiff, and that Will
liam @. Traphagen, who was their conf
Dental agent, continued to let the house
to the defendant Chambcrlin while the
plaintiff and her husband we're in Eu-
rope. I Therefore think tho jury were
clearly warranted in their conclusion
that the plaintiff knew spd sanctioned
the purposes for which the house was
used. That under the common law q
gaming house is public nuisance"
The judge added he thought the jury
did their simple duty in finding the ver-
dict they did. 1t was a struck jury se-
lected from among the best luen in the
county, and they were only short time
in reaching their conclusion. He denied
the motion. The only appeal is TO the
general term of the supreme court.
Year: 1876

The boy who spends an hour Of each
evening lounging idly on the street cor
ners, wastes in the course of a year
three hundred and sixty-five precious
hours, which, if applied TO study, would
familiarize him with the rudiments of
almost any of the familiar sciences. III
in addition to wasting an hour eat b
evening he spen is ten cents for cigar,
which is usually the case. the amount
thus worse than wasted would pay for
ten of the leading periodicals of the
country. Boys, think OF these things.
Think of how much time and money you
are wasting, and for whata The Rratifi.
cation afforded by the lounge on the
corner or the cigar is not only tempo
rary but positively hrttul. You cannot
indulge in them without seriously in
juring yourselves You acquire idle
and wasteful habits, which will cling to
you with each succeeding year. You
may in after life shake them Of, bnt the
probabilities are that the habits thus
formed in early life will remain with
you to your dying day. Be warned,
then, in time, and resolve that as the
hour spent in idleness is gone forever,
you will improve each passing one and
thereby fit yourself for usefulness and
happiness.
Year: 1876

While the Earl Of Albermarle was per-
forming military service in India he had
frequent acquaintance with that deadly
reptile, the cobra di capello. At one
time servant who had been bitten by a
cobra was brought to the government
house, in hopes that the physicians in
attendance could save his life. The
remedies given were Intellectual, and the
man died in half an hour. His death
appeared perfectly painless, for so long
as life remained his body rested in a
state of complete repose, with the hands
open and the palms upward. The cobra
can be domesticated, and when tame
allows itself to be handled by persons to
whom it is accustomed with perfect i'm
punity. An instance of its amiable
bearing is cited by the earl


The general in command OF the Bar
rackport district in my time, an old gen.
tleman of the name of Hardwick,. was
passlOnAJely 1Ound OF cobras, of which
he had large collection. His pets, be-
ing of truant disposition, would fire.
quently escape into the adjoining COM
pounds, to the no small annoyance and
terror of his neighbors. I once paid a
visit to his snakery. I saw him seize a
cobra by the tail with his right hand,
while he passed the body of the animal
rapidly through his left till he reached
the head. He then forced open the
serpent's mouth and showed the poison
bag at the base of the fangs. When he
let the reptile go, so far from showing irri-
tation at such rough usuage. it seemed
rather gratified at having been chosen
to exhibit the idiosyncrasy of its species
in its own person.


The Hindoos have superstition that,
if cobra is killed, some of its relatives
will avenge its death. For this reason
the serpents are allowed by them to
multiply without molestation. 1t is
cd in recent publication that in the
of Bengal alone IL, 4l6 per-
sons died of snake bite in the year 1869.
Year: 1876

Spiders, in many respects, are just
like other animals, and can be tanned and
petted and taught great many lessons,
and which they will learn as readily as q
dog or cat. But you must take the
trouble to study their ways, and get ON
the good side of them. One day I had
been reading in q book how spiders
managed to get their webs across
streams and roads, and from the top Of
one tall tree to another. Invent out and
caught large garden spider, one Of
those blue-gray sprawling fellows, and
fixed him up for my experiment. took
a stick about eighteen inches in length
and fastened piece of iron to one end
of it, so that the stick would stand up
that end of itself. Then put this III
the center of a large tub half full of
water, and placed the spider on top OF
the stick. wanted to SEQ if it could
get to the "land," which was the edge
of the tub, without any help. He ran
down first one side of the stick and then
the other; each time he would stop
when he touched the water, and shaking
his foot as the cat does run up again.
At last he came to the conclusion that
ne was entirely surrounded Dy WaJef, on
an island, in fact. After remaining per
fectly quiet for a long while, during
which, have no doubt, he was arrang-
ing his plans, he began running around
the top of the stick, and throwing out
great coils of web with hind feet. In
few minutes little fine strings of web
were floating away in the light breeze
that was blowing. After little, one of
these threads touched the edge of the
tub and stuck fast, as all spider web will
do. This was just what Mr.. Spider was
looking for, and the next minute he took
hold of his web and gave jerk as
sailor does with rope when he wishes
to see how strong it is or make it fast.
Having satisfied himself that it was fast
at the other end, he gathered it in till it
was tight and straight, and then ran on 1t
to the shore, rescued castaway.
Year: 1876

The correspondent OF the London


Times at Calcutta writes as follows


The river Hooghly was the scene OF O


terrible accident. Last year the ship


British Viceroy sunk at her moorings
OIL the strand road, within two hundred
yards Of tho crowded streets in the bust.
ness quarter OF the town. The wreck
impeded the navigation. and the torpedo
commission undertook to blow it mp.
TwS .i tntlsss .. sttsmRts were g. made:


pounds of gunpowder was anchored on
the spot, preparing for third attempt.
Sergeant Harrison, royal engineers. and
thirteen natives we're on board.


About two o'clock Harrison was seen
hamm'ripg a wooden plug with fuse
through it into an iron cylinder contain
ing four hundred pounds Of powder.
He called for some melted wax to make
the plug wateitight. A native melted
some wax in an iron ladle over fire in
the jolly boat alongside, and handed the
ladle to Sergeant Harrison, who twice
again called for more. As the ladle was
being halded to him for the third time
an explosion occurred. No traces have
been found Of Harrison and eight of the
crew. Four others and some persons
in neighboring boats and on shore were
injured. aud one is since dead. To.
gether with two hundred pounds Of
powder. blown uninjured into the strand
road, half human trunk was found and
head in Hare street. Fragments Of
flesh and limbs and pieces of iron were
scattered along the strand. All the
windows in the vicinity were broken
and some walls cracked, but no very
serious damage was done to property.


The torpedo boat sunk at once. Un-
til it is raised it is impossible to say
whether the whole cargo of powder in
the hold exploded, but probably not, or
the damage would have been much more
serious. The total killed consists of
Sergeant Harrison and eight natives.
There were twelve natives injured, one
of whom has died in the hospital.
Year: 1876

4 Danbury man put palr OF nine
dollar shoes in the stove oven to dry,
the other night There was not much
fire in the stove and 80 he closed the
oven door. The next morning he
built the fire without a thought of the
shoes, and it was not until an hour
later that they occurred to him. They
were ruined then,-The soles were
turned up in playful manner, and the
uppers resembled somewhat the coast
OF Maine. He didn't say word.
Sadly and silently he was removing
them with Il shovel, when his wife
came in, and saw at a glance what
had happened.


"Well, that's just like man !" she
indistreetly exclaimed. "Why didn't
you have sense enough to look into
the oven before YOU started the fire -


lie hadn't said Il single word of his
loss. But now he spoke:


,Gosh dun my eyes if | ever build
another fire :"


And he is keeping his word, When
will woman learn wisdom p Dan
bury News.
Year: 1876

blow upon her neck which severed
her head from her body, two small
pieces Of skin only holding it, The
father had, besides the cut on his
neck, which laid bare the windpipe,
two deep cuts in head with the ak,
reaching from the crown of the head
down below the eye, into each of
which Il mans hand could be inserted
The young man had a severe knife
tut in his throat, which shows that he
first attempted suicide by cutting his
throat, but failing in this, sought a
more certain method.


1t is difficult to account for this
triple tragedy. There seems to be
evidence of his having passionate
nature, and that there has been an in-
creasing ill-will on his part toward
his mother since his marriage, which
occurred a little more than year ago,
and that the mother has been displeas-
ed with his wife and found fault with
her somewhat, as is quite commonly
the case under such circumstances.
He has been subject to epileptic fits
for some years past, and has recently
been taking medicine which has stop
ped them. 1t is hard to believe that
the man could resolve upon such a
fendish and unnatural scheme of mur-
der in mere fit Of anger, yet some of
his neighbors state that he has made
threats in times past that ''if it were
not for the law there would be less
Wilders in the world"


There has been some difficulty in
the property. The father had decided
his farm to his son with the condition
that he should support his parents
while they lived. 1t is thought by
some tnat he had been brooding over
some annoyances which have c)me
upon him, and cherishing malice in
his heart toward his parents, until it
has eliminated in this appalling trag
edy, which might have been excited
this morning by his mothers cutting
remark with regard to his overalIs. 1t
might be that the medicine which he
had taken for his fits had produced
such an effect upon his mental condi-
ton that the arousiny of his angel
produced a kind of temporary insani.
ty. This is the most charitable view
Of the case, and perhaps the best, as
no positive cause can ever be ascer-
tanned