Newspapers / The Wilson Mirror (Wilson, … / Jan. 13, 1892, edition 1 / Page 6
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A PRODIGY IN FIGURES WONDERFUL POWERS OF, AS LITERATE 3IISSOURIAX. tL Without '-Any. Book Education What ever He Performs the Most Difficult Problems With Unparalleled Eise I j and Accuracy. j Every age has lis wonder, i ancl wonder of this age is KeuH'.Fields the of Warrensbiirg,. VMo. , the greatest mat matical nrodicrv in the world, i Thod he can neither read nor write, nor has he least conception of the form of a figi his reputation as a master of matheir re, at- ics has extended to every state in Union. Those who have not i seen he an exhibition or ,1ns mathematical powi prs are slow to believe he possesses the won derful and seemingly miraculous ability that has made him famous throughput the whole country. He is 41 years of age and is a native of the btate ot Kentucky. In person he is above the average height, rather hea sluggish in movement and somewhat un gainly in appearance. He is often stand ing on the streets ot Warrensburg vw his hands in his - pockets, appearing different to, eferyone and every thi ith in- rcr around him. He is, at times, morose and very unsociable, often wholly ignor ing his friends who address him. It is more difficult to secure an interview with ljim than the President of the United States. He is very superstitious and claims to bo tinder the especial guidance of the Al mighty. i Prior to a year ago a dram of whisl:ey would induce him to talk, but now he says God has direeted him to use no in toxicants whatever, and so far he 'ias obeyed this visionary command! When disposed he w$J now talk and calculate for a pecuniary consideration, but if he notices any levity or incredulity ma ni f ested on the part of those with whom he is conversing, he instantly becomes as silent as the tomb, and no considerati an, however great, could induce him to say m- other word. After several ineffect ual attempts the reporter of the Republic succeeded in getting him to have lis photo taken. This was the first time that he could over be induced to hav 3 a negative struck. j J There is no problem in any branch of mathematics that he cannot correctly ; m awer as soon as the problem is statsd. Problens that have taken expert mat le maticians days to solve Reub (has cor rectly answered in less than fiftoen seconds. Though this may seem incrc di ble to many readers of the Republic it nevertheless has been verified hundreds of times. Yhen asked to add 784,675,675 to 86,534,671 and multiply the answer hy Gi he instantly replied 11,060,064,65. He can add a colnmn of any numbor of figures as fast as they can be called lit does, not matter how complicated or lull of simple or complex fractions the pr jb , lems may be he will solve f hem as rea( ily as if they were simple suifis in addition. While invoicing goods he sits lik ) a statue, keeping as many as twelve cle rks busy, and at the close of the day he will give correctly the invoice of the day. He has never been known to make a mis take, r He also possesses the . peculiar abi ity of telling the standard and local time of the day or night without consulting i ny time-piece. As a correct time-keeper ho is more reliable 4han the Seth Thorias clocks. . He not only can tell the correct time, but without seeing one's watch will tell exactly how far it is from being cor rect. . Yesterday the reporter of theEepuMicJ made an agreement with him) tor one hour's interview, and when the time was up Reub stopped suddenly while tell ng an anecdote about himself, and said: "I've talked an hour." "No, Prof. Fields" (he takes great fle- light rn being called Professor), "you said it was 1 o'clock when we commenced . talking, and it is not yet 2 o'clock by my watch." Without having any possible means of seeing the watch, he replied, ' Your watch is three minutes and a h alf slow."- This proved to be the case. Travelling east or west he is is conscious of how many degrees of longitude he ias passed through and of the difference of time between the place of starting i ind where he is at that time. When gil ren the year and day of one's birth he .will, with lightning-like -rapidity, tell the day of the week on which the person was born. ' j - Notwithstanding he can do all these wonderful things, he acknowledges his utter inability to explain the process of reasoning by which he arrives, always, at correct answers. ' ' : , In his early youth he showed no si ns of his remarkable talent. The only characteristie peculiarly noticed in his boyhood was his absolute power over renomous reptiles and vicious anim lis. A mad bull would not notice him and a wild and unbroken colt would! be trme and docile in his hands and ready to o ey his every command. Gentle persuasions or severe chastisement could not get lim to attend school, but he would often stroll into the woods, capture a number of rattlesnakes, put them into his pockets, where they would lie quietly coiled, and just before noon would make his appear- - anco at the school house and without a mo- .meat's warning turn the poisonous Rep tiles loose in the. school-room. This never failed to frighten the teachers and pupils away, leaving Reub .in 'full pos session of their midday meals, which, having an insatiable appetite,1 he n ver leftmnT Uall was consumed. j When he walbetween age of 7 and 24 his ap- ptite was neveS?! satisfied. He '-.would' .-often eat raw rabbfs, squirrels, chicli ens or anything else he comld devour. Since he has grown Up to manhood j he has travelled extensively, but never j ays any railroad fare? Whe the condu Qtor asks Reub for his ticket he says: "1 ma lieub Fields; don't you know me?" The conductor passes on only to return and give Reub some knotty problems or listen to him converse about his 'wonderful gift." He fares equally as well at the hotels wherever he travels, j Though he has often been employed to invoice goods in the larger cities and towns of Missourijho cannot be induced to appear before the public, j A relative of his, about five years ago, made ar rangements to have himappear before the public in Kansas City and St. Louis, but in giving an initiatory exhibition at Harrisonville, Mo., he became greatly enraged at his relatives, who 1 introduced him to a large crowd as "the greatest mathematician in the world, though a natural-born fool," and since that time he turns the cold shoulder to any friend who tries to induce him to go again on exhi bition. Reub is. unmarried, and says he will always remain single unless he' can get a woman that can calculate like he can, though he despairs of finding one of that kind. St. Louis Republican. zulus m sham Battle. Even the Imitation Warfare of the Savages is Horrible. A sham fight among the Zulus is an impressive spectaclei The dusky war riors are fine, muscular fellows, athletic, and highly trained. The rank and file, untrammeled by ornaments and dress, move about with grace and freedom. The officers, chiefs and head men wear coro nets of ostrich feathers, which rustle freely with every movement of the body; circling their brows : are rolls of tiger skin, from which descend fringes of coarse hair ; from the neck and should ers to the knees their bodies are covered with the tails of monkeys and tigers and stripes of various hides strung together in girdles; their waists are I girt about with tufts of lions' mane and cowhair. Forming into line, their variegated shields are so close and regular that they appear interlocked, whilst above them bristle rows of gleaming assegai heads. The foe is imaginary, as even among their own tribes they are roused to such a pitch of excitement that, had they any opponents, though only in mimic warfare, they would be so far carried away by their feelings that at close quarters bloodshed would inevitably result. At the word of command they advance in precise order, first slowly, then at a quick march, then double, and with a shout of "Chiela 1" (imaginary enemies) the battle becomes fast and furious. Brandishing their assegais, stabbing and lunging with strength and dexterity, each stroke ac companied by a fierce grunt of satisfac tion, stamping, gesticulating, and gnash ing their teeth, they work themselves into a mad frenzy, in which their features are distorted, and their eyes glare with a fierce lust of blood. Suddenly the command is given to re tire, and, as victors t shouting triumph, they march from the field. Then appears upon the scene a horde of wild-looking creatures, running and leaping from place to place, screaming demoniacally, and frantically beating the ! earth with thick, heavy clubs. These are the wo men and they are engaged in the horrible atrocity of killing the wounded. After a sham fight the night is spent in feasting and revelry. Detroit Free Press. The Meaning of "Illinois." The true meaning of the word Illinois is now said to be "the plains," and that its Spanish original was llanos, pronounced el-le-ha-nos, the Spanish language de riving it from "Planus," the Latin for a plain, and corrupting it by pronouncing the letters pi as though they were 11. A recent writer who gives this theory for the origin and meaning of the word recalls having seen on old maps of government surveys the Spanish words "Llanos Esta cados," meaning 'The Staked Plains." An old map of the United States is also said to have been marked with the words "Llanos Indians" across the place where Illinois is designated on modern maps. The "Llanos Indians" were the Indians of the plains. There is but a very small transition from the Spanish pronunciation passing up,' as it did, through the French, and then converted into English. The name of Illinois, if so derived, means "Plains," and the term is very significant, because there is no State in the Union that is lelveler than the State of Illinois. Its vast inland prairies, inhabited by Indians, very properly gave to those Indians the name of the "Llanos"-Indians. Hence, it id reasonable to believe, that the word Illinois is of Spanish-Latin origin, and has no derivation whatever from Indian languages. Boston Transcript. Danger in Canned Goods. That there is a danger attached to the use of improperly canned goods is dem onstrated by the numerous reports of poisoning due to the use of these articles. Many cases are reported each year, and in an article on foods Dr. John B. Hamilton, of the United States Marine Hospital Service, gives the following ad vice for the guidance of consumers of canned goods: P "Examine the cap of every can, and if two holes be found in it,, don't use it, for only one hole is necessary to let out the air before final sealing. Two holes show that the can had begun to swell on ac count of the decomposition, arid had been punctured and resealed. If decomposition is commencing, by pressing up the bot tom of the can the tin will rattle as the bottom of the oiler of a sewing machine does. If the goods are sound, it will he solid, and there will be no rattle of tho tin." Mail and Express, . i Vegetation in the Alps recedes downward irom year to year. BUILDING THE FAIR. BUSY SCENES AT THE SITE OF 1XP0SITI0X. THE CHICAGO A Fence Six3Iiles Long Encloses the Buildingsf-Hundreds of Workmen Erecting Big Structures of Won derful Transformation. It takes a fence six niles long to en close the -World's Fair buildings in Chi cago. All these structures are to be of extraordinary! dimensions, but the largest of them, on which tho foundation work has just been! commenced, will be some thing stupendous, j It is the hall of Manufactures and Liberal Arts. The site for this Ivast building, is a broad, highly situated plateau overlooking the lake. A railroad track runs through its center, und on each side rise tremendous piles of lumber, iron and all sorts of con struction material, j A similar scene is witnessed at the other great buildings, on which further progress has j been j made. Within the enclosure the- Exposition site resembles one vast work-groined, surrounded by freight cars and lumber yards. Looking out towards the lak0, the breakwater, the long pier and! foundation for the naval exhibit present the appearance of a mam moth dockyard. Changed, indeed, is Jackson Parkrand those who visited it three months ago would not know it now. A world's workshop, employing an army of builders, environed on three sides by the foliage and flowers of the j south parks, and on the fourth by the infinite expanse of the lake. 1 The exposition site has undergone a wonderful change since last spring. Then it was a soft marshy ground shelv ing in irregular stretches to the water line. Now it j is a firm level, a smooth sandy surface upon a clay subsoil. A perfect and admirably improved build ing site. The hundreds of visitors who view the grounds cannot immediately appreciate the immense difficulties that have been overcome and the great labor involved in the earthwork accomplished on this lake shore site. It is now a level surface to the! line of the lake, a surface a mile and a half in length and, at its southern extremity, nearly a mile in width. This has been created, graded and leveled by codstantly employing a small army of men and" now, within the six miles of fence that surrounds it, the work of constructing the great buildings is be ing pushed with ceaseless activity. From the 1 slight eminence already known as "administration hill," which the lofty administration building is des tined to effectively crown, the observer can even thus early gain a realistic sense of the distinctive features and general magnitude of this stupendous under taking. At this point he is practically in the center of the sites allotted to the principal buildings and the system of terrace work Which will surround them. He is also in the center of a complex net work of railway track, 50,000 feet of it extending in every direction and con nected with tho trunk lines by fifty switches, all of them in constant use. This system of railway is laid upon what, four months ago, was wild park land un touched by the first improvement. The tracks are covered with cars, loaded with lumber, iron j and every description of building materials. These roll into the grounds unceasingly and are switched up to the buildings to which the materials belong. Gangs of men take hold with a will and as if by magic towering piles of material rise j in every section of the grounds. Mounted superintendents ride from point to point urging things for ward. The word is "rush" in every de partment and branch of construction. The big buildings are beginning to rise. Already some of the principal structures are not only in evidence, but progress on them is marked from day to day. Looking north wesTfrom the ad ministration building the visitor sees the Woman's Building, already so far ad vanced that it looms up imposingly against its background of park trees. Rising in the vista are the Electricity and Mines and Mining buildings, on which the foundations are already com pleted. Upon the sites of the Horticul tural and Transportation buildings all preliminary work is completed, and hun dreds of tons of material are ready to be placed in position. Hundreds of men are engaged on every possible sort of construction work. Lay ing water-mains, electric-light plant, modeling for the exterior decorative work and developing landscape effects around the ornamental waters. A busy place indeed is the exposition ground, and soon it will be as busy by night as by day for the electric lighting necessary for; night construction has just been arranged for. From one end of the grounds to the other everything is pushed, and that, too, in all sections of the work. In the land scape system which includes the lagoons, basins and ornamental waters, the break water and lake shore terrace, the great pier and casino; in fact, all principal departments and even their minor divis ions are being pressed forward with a business-like j ambition thoroughly in accordance with the impelling spirit of this gigantic enterprise. Harry Walter and Benjamin Talbot, of Morgantown, -Penn., caught a large turkey buzzard in a steel trap. They took the bird home, and after keeping it a few days by means of fine wire attached a small sleigh-bell to one of its legs and set it at liberty They never heard of the bird until a few days ago, when they read in one of the newspapers of the capture of a buzzard with a bell fastened to its leg, in Bolivia, South America. From the description of the bell and the manner of fastening they have no doubt that it is the identical ; buzzard that was liberated by them. FIRST USE OF THE POTATO. Kuse by Which It was Made Popn . lar Origin of Foodstuffs. There is much curious amusement to be had m tracing where tho foodstuffs we use and the domestic animals we eat or use, originally came from. ; Prof. Max Muller, reasoning through his science of words, finds that the goose was domesti cated very early, or at least some bird like it. Goose in English, ganse in German, dropping the g according to the laws of language, the word becomes anscr in Latin and correspondingly in Greek, with the aspirate that marks the digauima dropped, and so back to ansa in the San scrit. Our prehistoric Sanscrit ancestors of the Indian fable lands had - geese, Prof. Muller therefore concludes, or birds resembling them closely. Through thousands of years the name has remained, varying only according to the known laws of the change of pronunciation, and pro bably tho thing stood throughout behind the name. Such is the antiquity of geese. It is since Queen Elizabeth's time,onlv four and a half centuries ago, that tobacco, sugar and potatoes havo been used, Sir Walter Kaleigh being instru mental in establishing the use of all these in England. The circumnavigator, Francis Drake, has the credit of introducing the potato to Europe;, but the Spaniards had brought it with the tomato from the Andes some while before, and it was established there and in Italy, where they called it tartu "foli, long before Sir Walter Raleigh shipped his cargo, in 1626, from Virginia to England. According to Humboldt it has been cultivated in England since since 1684, in Saxony since 1728, and 17d in Prussia. There was much difficulty in introduc ing the potato into France. It was only toward the end of the reign of Louis XIV. that it began to be used. Tho learned had opposed its introduction systemati cally, saying it produced leprosy; and the common people refusing to test it even on their liye stock. A trick at last established it. Fields were planted all over France with pota toes and carefully guarded till the tubers were ripe, it being given out that these fields were growing a new thing specially for the king, and that trespassers would be prosecuted. Now the laws at that time were severe. A man might be hanged when he hunted in the wild forest, for the game was the seigneur's, almost each ono of whom kept his private gallows. Trespass against the king implied, therefore, terrible punishment. The danger of the punishment proved itself an alluring bait. As the contriver, wise in human, had foreseen, the fields that were purposely left unguarded were pillaged right and left, the potatoes eaten, some kept and planted, and the tuber at last effectually introduced in France. New York Sun. They Slept Under Snoir. The case of Mrs. Elizabeth Woodcock, who survived long burial under snow, may be known to many readers. This woman, forty-two years of age, of Im pington, a village three miles north of Cambridge, lost her way in returning home from market on Saturday evening, February 2, 1799, and was buried seven feet deep in the snow. In this state she continued eight nights and eight days, when she was dug out alive on Sunday, February 10th. She retained the full possession of her senses all the while she was immured. She died July 24, 1799. A somewhat similar case occurred in the snowstorm of November, 1890. A middle-aged woman, named Alice Jane Lowe, belonging to AVigan, was admitted into Spalding Workhouse in a very weak state, having been found by the relieving officer sleeping out in the snow in the Lincolnshire Fens, near Spalding. She was put to bed, and then stated that she had slept out for five weeks continuously, including within the last few days, the severest weather of the year, when the snow covered the ground to the depth of nearly a foot. The poor woman's hair was in such a matted state that it had to be all cut off. She stated that she had tramped from Lancashire, where she had formerly been in domestic service, and at the ,time she was found in the snow she appeared to ed SMt SSS2MtSeated Ulcers of 40 7 -.woman survived the exposure of the cold. Leisure Hour. Coloring Malay Teeth. Mr. Merrifield, a British officer in Ten asserim, says that the belief that the teeth of the Malays and Siamese are col ored by chewing betel mixed wjith lime is an error "The black color is produced by a special process employed for the purpose ; for no respectable Siamese would like to have white dogs' teeth, like Chinese, Indians and Europeans. Cocoa nut kernel is carefully charred and then worked to a stiff paste with cocoanut oil. When carefully and regularly worked over the teeth this produces the black varnish which is so much admired. Among some Malay tribes it is considered the proper thing not only to blacken the teeth, but to file them down to points like sharks' teeth." Boston Transcript, Tinegar Dissolves Bones. A gargle of vinegar will dissolve small bones quickly. When a large bone hap pens to lie across the windpipe or throat, a dexterous use of the finger will dislodge it when' other means are lacking, pro vided both j the operator and patient keep calm. The -honey crop this season will be the lightest California has ever known. in 2oston ram j-4 . . . tire a ttiu; : :' u. conntrf has heZ mZu t Vh whl NOW, this ffentlmQ ?.rJ h.w Boston niniT :.rclt:D to tU r& menjDer another uwvw.uiusiuenuij exceed hu cial strength- so ranch o. in bulletin-board as posted in-r V This rery much provoked the aonetS man, whose friends lost no opportuaitT of twittintr him on th. f,f Li; t lt? behind in his payments; and so u wrote to the gentleman real I v at finh to thi, effect: -I am tired of wifig name displayed all ever the' bulletin board, and will give you choice of o-e or two things; you must either re,i from the club or allow me to pay roar dues erery month." To which' swell friend replied: I am tired 7l seeing my name displayed all over the country on $0 shoes, and will giTe roa fin a rtf f-mrr fViin . 1 can either resign from the club toh L" cr Herd .norre, , The Indian Territory is certainly ea utled to the blue ribbon for an exhibit 3f unadulterated rerre. Two citizens ifj iiiat highly original land engaged sars and then stole horses to put ia thea !or shipment. " Evert man has hln price, but bridej we given away. A Life Saved Mr. Geo. Raymond, of Seneoa Kail, '. Y jg ( pump tetter in the employ of R&mmy A Co., th well known pump makers of that rIftce member of Ramsay Engine Co. lie says: My wife without aoubt owe her life to nyji Sarsaparllla. A few year ago she wm at death's Soor, due to blood poisoning, or aa physician Uy pyaemia. After ererrthlaS els falls 1 Hxls sarsaparllls brought her oat of th crisis all rl;ht. Since then she has suffered at times with numboeu and headache, but continues taking Hood's SarsaparUla and Is gradually getting orer thesa troubles. Sh cling to Hood's, tak nothing else, and ws beller It will effect a complete cure." 66 ust 55 How does ho feel ? He feels blue, a deep, dark, unfading, dyed-in-the-wool, eternal blue, and he snakes everybody feel the same way August Flower tho Remedy. How does he feel? He feels a beadache, generally dull and con stant, but sometimes excruciating August Flower the Remedy. How does he feel? He feels a yioleiit hiccoughing or jurrpingof the stomach after a meal, aising bitter-tasting matter or what ne has eaten or drunk August Flower the Remedy. How does he f eel ? He feels the gradual decay of vital power; he feels miserable, melancholy, hopeless, and longs for death and peace August Flower the Rem edy. How does he feel ? He feels so full after eating a meal that he can hardly walk August Flower the Remedy. G. G. GREEN, Sole Manufacturer, Woodbury, ?Jew Jersey. C. S. A DONALD ICENNEDT Of Roxburv. Mass., says Kennedy's Medical Discover cures Horrid Old Sores, Deep standing, Inward Tumors, ana every disease of the skin, ex cept Thunder Humoi, and Cancer that has taken root Price, $1.50. Sold by every Druggist in the United States and Canada. PAGE BOOK, the wplft nd fj . 91 fi cur written on JM "."'. "st- pa. v. v. tju. 1 ,j Vane urrw - VBsrast mil ww M . -11 SOLUI ' Defter nrlmee. Write ior -- - Soars. Washiksw. "HowweMaks tha Fruit Farm Pajr. Sple COPT ( C7t BIS I l jTrsio m Harvest Excursion "U At LOW BATfRy wla Missouri F?"Z0Jte. To Mljri.52wet. i- Wr nolxtta Went and "lt(l top-or v . sfa. g? Good for day. "tn SL ifu. H. C. T0WNSEND, C ?- 9 A 11 i wsc we
The Wilson Mirror (Wilson, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Jan. 13, 1892, edition 1
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