"FOR G0D, FOK COUNTRY ND FOR TRUTH."
W. KLKTCHEIt AUBBON, EDITOR. . ,
C. V. W. AU8BON, BUSINESS MANAGER.
VOL. III.
PL y MOUTH, N. C, FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 1802.
NO. 35.
Published by Roanoke Publishing Co.
To tbe Unappreciated.
Fools, philosophers and preachors, and a
host of ether teachers,
t Have been trumping up prescriptions for
producing happiness,
Each warranted, 1 if shaken and regularly
taken, -
To result in perfect heaven, perfect peace
a.nd nothing less.
This has satisfied the masses, but there are,
among the classes.
. Another sort of people, and I stand here
as their friend,'
To be miserable they are yearning, to misery
they are turning,
No method can escape them that promises
that end.
Now my pity-seeking whiners, my persistent
sad repiners,
A good stiff resolution is tbe first thing
you must heed ;
Start up a determination that shall frighten
all creation
And vow you will have misery sufficient
, for j our need.
Now l n't mind what some are saying about
balmy breezes playing,
Or the bounties of kind Providence, or
nature's beauties fair;
Treat all such insinuations as you would
your poor relations,
, 13ut keep o,n e eye fixed on misery and you
' ' surely will get there.
Let your'jealousy awaken; think you are
the most forsaken,
Unappreciated mortal that ever walked
the earth. .'.
Search for peoplo in the mires, for the vil
lains, cheats and liars,
And your purpose will not fail you, but
yield you its full worth.
Shut your eyes to all that's fair, search for
blackness everywhere .
Except within your own heart, for that
alone is white.
Hunt for evil, and pursue it for the joy it
gives to view it,
And I'll warrant you that mfrcry shall
walk with you day and night.
Eliza Lamb Martin, in Boston Globe
A BEAVE WOMAN.
BY SAX ION EVARTS.
In a little country graveyard in Nol
eon County, Kentucky, lies buried the
heroine of a story an thrilling as the
flimals of pioneer life contain. The
6 to no at her head i9 mosegrown and
broken, but push aside tho clinging
vino that tenderly embraces it and
rcild the name of "Susan Merrill, died
1799." This young woman was
known among the Indians as "The
Long.Knife Squaw," and the story of
how she earned it was related for
long years about their campfires with
every expression of respect and ad
miration, accorded always by tho red
skins to the truly brave, even who i
that bravery was displayed against
them.
One night in tho early summer of
1787 Mrs. Merrill and her husband were
petting up late with one of their chil
dren who was dangerously , ill. Tho
hour was close to midnight, when tho
balking of the yard dog alarmed
them ,
"I will see what is the matter," said
Merrill, stepping toward the door, but
his wife, with a -sudden premonition,
clung to him, begging him not to ven
ture out and reminding him that the
dog might have seen Indians.
: lie laughed at her, however, and in
spito of her entreaties opened the
door. He was greeted by the lire of
six or seven ri lies in the hands of as
many "Wyandotte Indians, and fell
wounded severely, both arms and his
thigh broken. He fell across the
doorway, and as his wife bent over him,
6he saw tho redskins leap from tho
cover of the outhouses, where they
had lain concealed, and' ran toward
the main house, She dragged her in-
coticihln linaliniwl Snt a 1hn rnnm mul ina!
.V. ...W . w... ....... J...--
succeeded in closing the door, and
shooting tbo bojt, when tho Indians
flung themselves against it. The
lady, a magnificent specimen of
womanhood, the ideal of a pioneer's
wife, now realized that the -life of her
dear ones and her own depended on
her alone. She ran for her husband's
gun, and, snatching it from the rack
was about to , load it when she dis
covered that tho powder was damp.
As she afterward described it, this
discovery caused her nearly to faint,
until (ho knowledge that that was not
the timo for any such giving way
acted like a douche of ico cold water,
v Casting her eyes about for some wea
pon she spied tho axe, which she seized
and hurried back to tho door, which
wa being attacked by tho foe with
tomahawks..; As she reached it the
wood work gave way, and the tigly
visage of a painted warrior peered in.
She raised ln-r axe and brained tho
wretch with a single blow, actually
Cleaving the tkull from scalp to under
jaw. As tho body fell back another,
scarcely realizing what had befallen
his companion, thrust himself in, fol
lowed cleely by a third. AVitli an
other swing of her blood-stained Wea
pon, sho brought it down on the fore
most Indian's head, smashing his skult
and killing him outright. Thp other
Indian fired at her as she did so, but
tho bullet only carried away nlock of
her braided hair, and sho returned his
fire by a blow that struck him on the
breast, breaking the bone, and sending
him howliujr back. A fourth attempt
ed to enter, but she wounded him
severely in tho cheek, shattering hU
jaw. The Indian fell to tho floor, but
clinging to her dress, endeavored to
drag her down and tomahawk her.
Unable to do this lie raised himself
and struck at her breast with his knife,
when she brought her axe down oii
his face, breaking it In and sending
his warm brains and blood all over her
dress and hands.
Abandoning any attempt to o ter
the house in this way, the enemy now
ascended to tho roof and endeavored
to effect an entrance by way of the
chimney, tho wide, old-fashioned fire
place of that period, but once more
they were foiled by the heroic and
clever woman, made strong and cun
ning by her beloved ones' peril. She
seized the only feather bed the cabin
home afforded, and ripping it open
with all haste poured its contents on
the fire. As she did so, tho clock on
the mantel near her, proclaimed the
hoar when her sick child's medicine
was to be administered and with a
firm hand (he admirable mother
poured out the draught aud held it to
tho little one's lips.
By this timo a furious blaze and
suffocating smoko Avas ascending the
chimney, and in another instant, two
stifled and half roasted Indians came
tumbling down into the fireplace.
Thoy lay choking, and nearly insensi
blo for a moment, when, seizing her
axo once more, she despatched . them
hastily, for the only remaining savage
now appeared at the door, and was
about to effect an entrance, while Mrs.
Merrill was engaged at the chimney.
She met him as he was stepping over
the dead bodies of his companions,
which blocked the doorway, and
struck at him with the axe. The
blow fell on his shoulder disabling
him in tho right arm, but seizing his
tomahawk in tho other hand, he rushed
upon her. Dropping the nxe she caught
up one of tho lire brands from the
hearth, and holding it by tho un
charred end, hurled it ablaze at the
other full in the advancing warrior's
face. It struck him, blinding h m for
the moment, when running forward
she grasped him about tho lower
limbs, and tripping him up, scut him
head foremost into tho fire. Hastily
scrambling to his all fours ho was
again felled to the floor, by a blow on
the head, which stunned him. Mrs.
Merrill caught up her axe once more
and was about to brain tho Indian,
when he sprang to his feet and with a
howl of terror and pain rushed from
the house with such precipitaucy as to
upset the lady in his rush. It was be
who carried the story of Mrs. Mer
rill's courage aud strength lo his tribe,
which bestowed on her the title of tho
"Long Knife Squaw."
Her foes once gone, the lady busied
herself barricading the doorway with
logs of wood in place of tho. shattered
door, and in caring for her wounded
husband and her sick child. She had
gone out the next morning to dig a
grave for tbo dead Indians, when, by
chance, her nearest neighbor called to
see them. He could scarcely credit
her story, but the five bodies were to
be seen as evidence. Promising to go
after a physician for her husband, the
neighbor, tho only other white person
besides themselves in eight miles,
assisted her in interring tho corpses,
which still cumbered the house.
. While they were engaged in this
work, a heavy groan from a little
wood close by startled them. The
m'an, more frightened than tho
woman, was for retreating to the
house, but Mrs. Merrill insisted that
there was somebody in pain or trouble
near them and that he must investigate
the matter. He still refused, and at
last the lady, borrowing his gun as a
precaution, declared her intention of
entering the wood herself. She per
sisted, though warned that the groan
ing might only bo a stratcgem to decoy
her into tho woodt where sho would
be slaughtered br th Indians. She
had gono but a little way When a trail
of blood confirmed her in her resolu
tion, and proceeding sao saw an Iih
dian lying Under a bush, where the
suffering wretch had endeavored to
conceal himself. It was the one whom
she had wounded in the breast whil
he was endeavoring to enter the house
at first. He was delirious and blood
was irsuing from his mouth. So,
calling to Hie neighbor to come and
help her, Mrs. Merrill determined to
take tho Indian to tho houso and caro
for him. When her friend came and
saw tho redskin, he caught up his gun
and was about to shoot tho wounded
savage, but throwing herself beforo
him in such a manner as to shield him
by her own body, Mrs. Merrill cried:
"if you harm him, Robert K ,
I will reason with you as if the injury
was to one of my own family.''
"But he is likely to murder the
whole lot of you if you take him into
your house. Tho hounds understand
nothing 'but treachery. Didn't you
ever hear of the man that warmed
the snake in his bosom?"
"Yes, I've heard of that, but I've
also heard that 1 must love my neigh
bor as myself."
"Yes, but is this butchering, cruel
savage your neighbor?"
"Aye, sir, my neighbor and my
brother."
Tho mat' eyed her for a moment in
silence and then saying, "Mrs. Mer
rill, I haven't another word to utter
except praise God, I have this day
seen a Christian!" 6toopcd and helped
her carry the wounded Indian into the
house.
Though busy with her own 6ick the
lady nursed the rod man several days,
but ho had been mortally wounded
from tho first and died at the ' end of
that time. By some means tho Indians
heard of this generous act. and com
prehending it as they did her courage
and fierceness in defending her homo,
voted her in their councils "One
Good Squaw," and never again at
tacked nor molested her or her family,
but arc even 6aid to have remembered
her after each hunting into the game
lands farther west by the presence of
a fine buck or brace of wild turkeys,
left quietly at her door by night by a
hand that neither sought nor desired
to bo thanked. And this in a time of
the bitterest feud between the whites
and the Indians. St. Louis Re
public. The Deri ration of Dollar.
Few persons have ever troubled
themselves: to think of the derivation
of tho word dollar. It is from the
German thai (valley), and came into
use in this way some 300 years ago.
There is a little silver mining city or
district iu Northern Bohemia called
Joachimsthal or Joachim's Valley.
The reigning Duke of tho region au
thorized this city in the sixteenth cen
tury to coin a silver piece which was
called "joachimsthaler." The word
"joachim" was soon dropped and tho
name "thaler" only retained. The
piece went into general use in Ger
many and also in Denmark, where the
orthography was changed to "daler,"
whence it came into English, aud was
adopted by our forefathers with some
changes in the spelling. San Fran
cisco Chronicle.
Dead Sea Water an Antiseptic.
Tho discovery has recently been
made that the water of the Dead Sea
is a powerful antiseptic. An experi
menting chemist recently tried it upon
germs, or more properly, microbes, of
diphtheria, measles, scailctina, small
pox, and various other zymotic dis
orders, and found that the microbes
were killed inside of forty-eight hours.
Whether it will prevent bacterial
growth in wounds is yet to be deter
mined, but so far everything is in its
favor, and it may soon come to past
that Dead Sea water will be on sal
at so much a bottle. It can be easily
fabricated. New Orleans Picayune.
Preventable Fires.
Most fires originate iu preventable
accidents. If every one were as care
ful as the insurance journals urge him
to be, fires would be rare indeed. But
many people dre not careful are, in
regard to the danger of fire, aggres
sively careless. It is this heedlessncsi
of au ever present danger that makes
our annual fire losa the largest in tin
world, in spite of the efforts of tb
best fire departments to be found any
where. -Commercial Advertiser.
"FANAMPOANA."
Curious System of Forced Labor
in Madagascar.
Honoring Royalty by Carrying
Heavy Burdens.
"Fanampoana,'' or forced labor, has
a Protean shape. It may be best un
derstood by describing it as partaking
of the nature of the corvee; it is also
applied to conscription, to all kinds of
government service; it is part of the
feudal system, and it even sometimes
takes the shape of the "logging bee."
It would be unjust to tho astute old
man who presides over the destinies
of the peoplo of that countryi if it
were not slated thajfhe has moro than
once considered a plan by which it
might be modified and reformed. But
tho system is too deeply woven into
the inner life of tho nation to be
dealt with except by a master hand,
and. then only with the assistance of
outside and friendly financial support.
For instance, it is one of tho main
characteristics of fanampoaua that it
supplies tho place of the payment of
officials throughout the island. In
fact, in all Madagascar no secretary,
clerk, artisan, soldier or civilian serv
ing the government, in whatever ca
pacity (with the exception of a trifling
percentage received by some of tho
governors of districts), is paid or even
fed by tho stale. "The queen honors
them by employing them" (so the offi
cial enphcmi-in runs), and (hey must
feed and clothe themselves. But when
loyalty takes the shape, as is constantly
the case, of carrying vast weights of
wood, iron or stone on raw or bleeding
shoulders, alouggoat tracks (for roads
there are none), through swamps and
forests, up and down hills 5000 feet
high, then tho additional stimulus of
shackles and leg irons is needed to
persuade tho poor captured peasant
that on the whole he had better accept
the "honor," half starved though ho
must be. If ho runs away he brings
punishment on his family and becomes
a fugitive and a bushranger; the nu
merous roobcr bands are mainly re
cruited from 6uch runaways. Hun
dreds of instances could be cited,
especially whhiu the last twelve
months, to show (hat this tyranny is
becoming more aud moro uusupport-
able.
In the first place all the land in
Madagascar, with ' comparatively few
exceptions, belongs nominally to the
queen, but actually to the government.
At the present moment and for many
years past the government is and has
been completely centered iu and des
potically ruled by the prime minister,
Rainilaiarivorny, who, besides his or
iginal wife, has married two suc
cessive queens of Madagascar. For
tunately for himself and his family
his rule has on tho whole, been wise
as well as vigorous. In the Sakalava
expedition out of tens of thousands
of peasants who were summoned, as
sembled and even partially
drilled throughout the country,
only about two thousand could be
actually laid hold of, and a few
months of fever and numerous deser
tious quickly reduced this number.
Similarly iu tho alluvial gold fields,
which are being worked by forced
labor upon the enormous nominal
royalty of 55 per cent, to the govern
ment (45 per cent, is -divided among
the foreign shareholders, directors
and superintendents), immense exer
tions have to be constantly made to
keep up tho supply of forced labor
Thus it comes about -that this most
important branch of tho national
wealth is not developed. Here, as
elsewhere, serfdom spells poverty.
Again, in the case of craftsmen and
artificers. Madagascar possesses and
could produce plenty of men whose
talent would compare favorably with
that of most almost any people in the
world. But the moment they show
proficiency in their art they are "fan
ampoaned." that is, they are honored
by being employed by the govern
ment or by some powerful official,
without wages aud without food. A
clever craftsman from whom you buy
a work of art, in whatever metal, begs
you not to say from whom you pur
chased it, solely for fear of the
'honor" which would bo iu store for
him. So if you want a good tinsmith,
carpenter or jeweller, you must not
search for him among the tradesmen
of his own craft ; but the . clever
jeweller is found among tho
washermen, and so on, in au amus
ing "bo-pcep" of industry. Tho
queen honors "Jiainibe" or "Bootoo"
by taking him ' away from his rice
fields just at the season when his labor
and supervision are most required for
his crop. So the unfortunate "free
man," who is not allowed to send his
slave as his substitute mark the
grandeur of the distinction conferred
upon him is remorsely bled, even to
his penultimate dollar, if he desires
to procure exemption from the honor.
-Fortnightly Review.
The Bines and Reds of hnnset.
Observers of the gorgeous sunsets
aud afterglows havo been most par
ticularly struck with tho immense
wealth of the various shades aud tints
of red. Now, if the glowing' colors
are due to the presence of dust in the
air, there must be somewhere a dis
play of the colors complementary to
the reds, because the dust acts by a
solcctivo dispersion of the colors. The
small dust-particles arrest the direct
course of the rays of light and reflect
them in all directions; but they prin
cipally reflect the rays of the violet
end of the spectrum, while the red
rays pass on almost unchecked. Over
head deep blue reigns In awe-inspiring
glory. As the son passes below the
horizon, and the lower stratum of air,
with its larger particles of du6t which
re licet light, ceases to bo illuminated,
the depth and fullness of the blue
most intensely increase. This effect
is produced by the very fine particles
of dust in (he sky overhead being un
able to scatter any colors unless those
of 6hort wave-lengths at the violet end
of tho spectrum. Thus we see, above,
blue in its intensity without auy of
tho red colors. When, however, tho
observer brings his eyes down in any
direction except the west, ho will see
the blue mellowing into blue-green,
green, and then rose color. Aud some
of tho most beautiful aud delicate rose
tints are formed by tho air cooling
and depositing its moisture on the
particles of dust, increasing the size
of the particles till thoy are sufficient
ly largo to stop and spread the red
rays, when tho sky glows with a
strange aurora-like light. Popular
Scieuco Monthly.
Jenny Li;: d and "Home, Sweet Home."
No American poet ever received a
more enviable compliment than one
paid to John Howard Paine by Jenny
Li nd on his last visit to his native
tand. It'wasiu the great National
Hall in the City of Washington, where
the most distinguished audience' that
had ever been seen in tho capital of
tho republic was assembled. The
matchless singer entranced the vast
throng with her most exquisite
melodies "Casta Diva," the "Flute
Song" and the "Greeting to America.''
But the great feature of the occasion
seemed to be an act of inspiration. The
singer suddenly turned her ' face
toward that part of the auditorium
where' John Howard Payne was Bil
ling and sang "Homo, Sweet Home"
with 6uch pathos and power that a
whirlwind of excitement and enthus
iasm swept through tho vast audience.
Webster himself lost all 6clf-control,
and one might readily imagine that
Payne thrilled with rapture at this un
expected and magnificent rendition of
his own immortal lyric Chicago
Herald.
Her Unfortunate Mistake,
It was at her first dinner party.
Sho was naturally a little nervous,
but everything went off well and 6he
soon became more at ease and talked
rather brilliantly to thoso around her.
The dessert was being served and the
stately colored waiters were engaged
in passing thoso funny little frosted
cakes which seem indispensable to tho
proper service and deglutition of ices.
They were cakes with pink frosting.
The waiter came to where the bud sat
aud presented them. She looked them
over and said: "I don't care for any."
The waiter was about to pass on when
she saw what sho thought was an
eclair on tho side of the dish farthest
from her. "Yes, I will, too," she
said, reaching over for the eclair.
"There is one with chocolate on it."
"Beg pardon, Miss," said the waiter,
as sho tried to pick the chocolate
covered cake up, "beg pardon, but
that's my thumb," Rochester Democrat,
Tick Tack.
Tick tack, tick tack, the eld dock goes;
I wonder what it has to say? :
It stands above the carpet stair
Therein the grim old entry way.
Tick lack, tick tack, 'tis time tq sleep;
Quick, to your slumbers, darling, go, ' '
Your downy cot is Boft and warm ;
Go to your sleep, my baby go.
Hush! angel wings watt you to bleep.
Sleep, my precious baby, sleep;
Soft hands touch tby drowsy eyes, . ..
Go, my bud, to paradise. ,
Tick tack, tick tack, the same oli? fi-Uad,
There high up in the entry ball ;
Awake my Iamb, 'tis time for light.
Oh! do you hear the birdlings call? .
Tick tack, tick tuck, your slippered fect
Come bounding down the carpet stair
Come kiss me, dear, your sleep was well,
I see tbe sunshine in your hair.
H. S. Keller, in Chicago- Item.
HUMOROUS.
The good in every man will come
tur, and you can't blame it in the oase
af some men.
In bread-making, as in base ball,
there is nothing Jiko & good batter in
she hour of knead.
A pugnacious ram is fond offt
practical joke. He tries to mako a
butt of every one he meets.
Guest Waiter, you forget yourself.
Waiter (grumpily) Well that is be-
cause you never remember me.
Wl., i if colli lmt iha Aarinr niv
trtaifo whan pvnru nnA timWH ill lit it .
VJOA0, ....wm..J
is tho visits which pay the doctor ? ,
A man in a boarding house is justi-
fied in finding fault with his dinner
when there isn't much elso to find. , :
A cobbler and accountant have
something in common it behooves
eacn lO ue particular ui m iuuuug. i
"I havn't been shaved by a barber
this year." "Well, I've noticed you've
lost a good deal of flesh from your
face." - . v
Russian parents take the precaution
t name their children before they are
i d enough to know Svhat is being
clone. ,
How orators are made. Heeler-
This paper didn't report my speech
exactly as it was made. Wheeler
Aren't you glad? - ,
1 aon i unuersiauu wuui juu ecw
in a game of foot ball," she said.
"You see stars," replied the new
player emphatically.
.Manager at the Dime What's the
matter with the bridge jumper ? At
tendant He stepped off tho platform
and broke his ankle.
the telephone, they say." "So I have v
heard.N She seems to (iud plenty , of
ether uses for it, though:"
A little girl, whose attention was
balled to the fact that sho had forgot-'
ten to say grace before beginning her
meal, shut her eyes meekly and said: .
"Excuse me, amen."
Miss Passe (sweetly) Do you think
you could guess my ageP Mr. Good- :
fellow (honestly) I'm not good at
guessing ages. I probably couldn't
como within 30 years of it.
Lady Lisette, you are not going
out like that, are von? You smell
so horribly of turpentine. Cook You
see, mum, I couldn't find any other
sort of perfume in the house.
One of the bridesmaids was softly '
crying during the ceremony, and her
escort, nudging her, whispered: "What
are you crying for ? It isn't your
wedding." "I know it, and that's
last what ails me," she said.
Face Growth.
Careful measurements, made on
persons of both sexes by Professor
G. M. West, have so far yielded some
definite results which are publi'ed as .
preliminary; further details no
doubt be forthcoming later. Ia the
cate of the female face, tho results go 1
to show that there are three distinct .
periods of growth, tho first of which ''
ends at about the seventh year, the third
beginning about the age of fifteen.
The abrupt transition from one period
to another i indicated, by tho '"mv
slow growth of some children
tho ages of eight and fourteen, wloors
a rapid development often occur:
From the fifth to the tenth year thff
average growth appears to be about
6.5 millimetres, and from this time
little advance is made, the maximum
being reached about the age of twen.
ly. Tim male face is larger than the
f cm ale face at all ages. Its growth is
moro rapid and continues later in lif
- TNew York Dispatch,