Newspapers / The Franklin Press and … / Feb. 7, 1906, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Franklin Press and the Highlands Maconian (Franklin, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
ANKLIN ; PRESS, VOLUME XXI. FRANKLIN. N. 0.. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY ?, 1906. :vumbeu c. THE FR Days in the Saddle Adventures with After 0 Soon after the close of tho Civil War a number of troops of the Fourth Cavalry were sent out to the different , posts on the Rlq Grande. Their prin cipal business was to watch Indians, who would cross over from Me.l30 to Steal horses. The Indians seldom de stroyed ranches; that would not bo good business. The men living on the ranches, if not driven oil or killed, ' . would In the course of time gather Bp , another bunch of horses for the In dians to steal. Our troop and ono . other woro Eent to Camp Verde, Texas, which was one of th9 frontier posts then; about all the country west of It was still out of doors. We began hunting Indians as Boon as we had . got hero. There were a good many settlers east of us and several small towns. Kcrrvlllo and Banders were the nearest ones. They aro probably larger towns now. The citizens were continually lf,nc horses and we were kept busy hunting " them. The greatest drawbnek to our finding them was clue to the fact that these men did not report their losses soon enough, and about the tinre we would bo told of It the Indians would be safe in Mexico. There was an ar rangement now under which wo could . follow Indhns to Mexico, and the Mexican troops could follow them across to oar side of the line If they wanted to do so. They ran them over to us, then quit, while we have often followed them 150 miles Into Mexico. . I have been as' far down as that after . them myself while in the Fourth Cav alry. Wo hid no such arrangement when we first went across, and had there been any civil government in Mexico then our presence over there T-ould have been the cause of an x- . tended diplomatic correspondence be tween Mexico and Washington to ex plain what we were doing over there, but at this timo there was no civil gov ernment in Mexico, or rather there were two so-called governments. Gen. Juarez was at tlio head of one, the Emperor Maximilian had the other, nnd they were too busy just now try ing to keep out of each other's way to pay any atten'ion to us. An old gentleman who hid a ranch near Korrvllie lost a bunch of horses and told us about it. We followed up the Indians, nnd crossing the Rio Orande a few hourB after them, ran Into their camp at night when they thought they were safe at homn. We got back all the horses, tho Indians making their escape on foot, all ex cept a few that came in contact with our piMto bails; they stayed where t they were. These Indiana were Lipan3 and Klckapoos. They had originally be longed In Texas, but had emigrated to Mexico and would now come over on foot, then rids back on stolen horses, sell them to the Mexicans and como nnd get more. We returned the horses to where they belonged and a short time after Mr. Crawford, their owner, paid us another visit. He had 'found us more Indians, but they had not taken his horses this time. He had been west of this hunting up his ' rattle and had seen a bunch of In dliais, how many he did not know; he had not stopped long enough to couJt them. About a dozen of us under command of ur First Lieutenant, a Brevet Ma jor were sent out with Crawford to . help him count those Indians. He led js lip through Bandera Pass, a few of the post, then turned I only fa thar or there, you fi pretty yself trying to I rode Just be would not do to Krawford wan cu- ' about 60 years old stirrups so abort a shoved half way 'and In riding he leaned saddle something as I are represented In 'cuts aa doing, but no fox any one- else could follow fids riding as he did. I oould nrQght to ride with stirrup tough to allow: our tegs ir full length and to alt (saddle. , Had we leaned .tie did, an officer's saber Jacks would' have stralght b. Crawford carried a on the saddle In front of 'gged around two Colt's pls- and night ' He slept with We had to do that ourselves but unless I was told to keep it rame off promptly when 1 wn. I eould get it quickly 'i If I needed It. V t bad been u Indian fighter all re, or 8u lil he had, and as he to Jl he cave i J I. : J h. Troop of Cavalry Indians. found us at) Indians this trip, and never made another one with us I will have to take his word for it, but from what I saw of him afterward, if I were an Indian he Would be the man t should want to follow mo. I would not expect to bare to fight him oftencr than twice a day. We Went Into camp more than half a mile beyond the cave, and as soon as our horses were staked out t went to Crawford and asked him If he would go and examine that cave with rte. No, he did not care to walk that far. "It Is only half a mil." I said. "Yes, but It is another half mile back, and I ain't used to walking. Vou may go down and get that bear if yot want him." "I want him. of course, if ho Is there." "Oh, he Is there all right I saw his tracks there," I went to the major and asked per mission to hunt the bear. "Yes," ho told me, "hunt him, but don't crawl Into that cave after him, as Mr. Crawford was going to do." I had no Idea of doing that. I did not want bear quite so badly as that, and I don't think that Crawford had ever meant to crawl Into it, either, He Ww not exactly a fool. On my way to the cave I began to Btudy plans to get him out of it if he was In It, without going in and drag ging him out. I flr3t thought to climb up there, then give him a shot or two Into, but I dismissed that plan. I might kill him if I did and Would not know It. I was not going In to see. According to some authorities on bears. It takes a, man and a gun half a day to kill one. Sometimes it does. I have followed one with a rifle a hair day, then did not kill him. I doa't know that I ever wounded him, though I shot at him often enough. And again I have killed One in less thin two minutes with a pistol. It depend a good deal on where you hit the bear how many shots it takes to kill him. I got down In front r.f the cave and examined the ground for bear signs, but found none. The ground, what lit tle there was of it that was not cov ered with lo;o rocks was hard yellow clfiy aa ox team passing over il would hardly leave a sign. Gathering up a lot of dry brush, weeds and leaves I piled them in front Of tho cave, set them 'on fire, and going off a few feet to one side walli-ll for the bear or bears W tome out. I had a Spencer carbine and a Colt's pistol, and I though that I could stop all tho bears that might be In there. Tho wind drove the smoke right Into the cavo, tho Are burned out, but no boar made his appearance. There would be no danger in going into that carve now, and I tried it, but as there was too milch smoke In it I had to craWl out. I went back to camp and Crawford wanted to know if I had wen the bear. "No, sir, there Is none there, nor has there been any lately." "Oh, yes, there has been;" he had seen their Blgns. "You could not see a sign there with a mirroscope. The ground Is tot) hard." "There might be plenty of signs there that, an old hunter could see, and you could hot. You have not been In this country long." "Yes, I know; but we have men In this troop that, have been. Borne of e frontier. well over hunted with w something We are not .vere born and t there has been hnr ntft vrtil too up there. I can't in early next morning ndlans of Crawford's, reaklng camp It began pt on raining all fore- ajor went into cslmp as Id find grass and wood. t need to look for water, we wanted of that and all more. e timber here was cypress, and re was a lot of blocks of it that Men euf to make shingles out of which had beep. left; Indians had pro bably interrupted the shingle making before It had got well started. That had been some years ago, "before the war," probably, to use Crawford's fa vorite expression when giving the date of his numerous fights with Indians. We tried to start a cook fire with these blocks but they were wet and would not burn, only smoke. ; I got a liberal dose- of this smoke, and a small dose of cypress smoke is a cure. Then I hunted up something that would burn more and- smoke less, and found a lot of dead cedars, but It took hard work to get wood oft them, the branches had to be broken oft. We had no axe; we never carried one on a pack mule then, and there Is hardly anything thai can be carried on him that is needed oftener. When f had anything to do with the pack trains in after years I always carried at least One axe in a .leather sting and a spade. While riding through the rain today we were continually passing small bunches of cattle. . They belonged to ranches away east of us and had wan dered out here. - : ; .i ; ; Nearly every cow had .' a different brand, some, had none at all. They were still tame and would let a man ride close enough to examine them, but further west could be fonnd thou sands of them that we could not get within a mile of; they had been born wild. Crawford would examine , every bunch we passed; he wanted to see If any of them had his brand on, he said. This was what bad brought him and us here; he had seen no Indiana, but wanted a cavalry" escort so that he could noma out here and look up his and his neighbors cows. ' These men would not think of com ing out here alone. If they dii th 1 i m Xou A A would has', ho trouble in seeing all the1 Indians they wanted. I noticed tha Major watching Craw ford while' he was engaged in taking the census of these cows, and i knew that if Crawford did not find Indians' In a day or two he would hear front the Major. The "Major had risen front the ranks and could swear not only like the proverbial trooper, but like halt1 a dozen of them1. He dare not burse an enlisted man, and never did j he would Stand a chance of being court-martialed if he had, of else have to give the man he had cursed an apology In front of bis troop. It was given to me by another officer in the presence of the Colonel once, after 1 haf repotted this officer fof cursing me, But the Major could curse A teamster of citizen guide, and he often did, and I expected Crawford to got the full benefit of the Major's expe rience in the line of cursing before ho was a Week older. When In camp Crawford kept down among Us. Ho would not go near the Major unless he was called, and we kept htm busy blowing about the Indians that he had killed. 1 had found out from him that he had been in tho Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, Lee's army, and t had been In tho Army of the Pbto man at the same time, so I got him started telling about tho time that "we uns had fit you tins," and we put In some hours fighting thi War oi the Rebellion over again. The weather had cloared up this afternoon nnd gave the ground chance to dry. I had been thinking that I Would have to sloop tonight seated on my saddlo with my back to a tree; I oi'.en had to sleep that way, We carries no bed blanket; we were not allowed to put ono on the horse; I would not put It on anyhow; I never earried anything on him I could do without; I did not want to make pack mule out of hlra, then ride him. It had been good weather when we left the post and no one had an over coat along with him. I had a rubber coat, though few were worn then, it did not weigh mifli and often eamo in handy. In dry weuther I used It to lie on at night. Soon after dark tonight we were Gathered around the lire nnd Crawford was giving us an extended nccount of the Indians he had killed "before the war" he had not got to the ones he had killed after the break-up yet. When he was about in the middle of this Interesting nar.iratlve the sentry on post outside of the horses fired a shot V picked our carbines and fip out to form a line out beyond the herd. Crawford had followed me with his ri He and 1 thought he had fallen In line until I heard a noise behind me na I stood In line In my place on the left. Looking around I saw Crawford down on bis knees here ainbng the horses, With Ills hands pressed to gether; he was busy praying. I wanted to tell him to postpone that prayer and full In here and shoot a few more Indians but I was not in command. Thero was a sergeant here who ranked me, and had I begun to give order he would soon let me know that he was' here. The Major had not got out here yet. He had been outside of camp somewhere when the shot was fired, and (ante hinntng out .now and almost fell over Crawford. What hd Said to Crawford need not be re peated here. His remarks would have to be principally iff dashes if they were recorded. None-of them could be mistaken for a prayer, though. We Ratified nut-selves that there Were tlo Indians out here now, nor had there been .ny hero lately. The sentry bad fired at a bunch of cows without challenging, as he had been told to do; it wa dark, and he cbuid not see them. We went back to the fire and tried () get some more Indian stoFies front Crawford, but I had hurt his feelings on the way In by telling him that we generally fought our Indians without the aJd of a chaplain. He went to bed now. This happened to be his last night with us. Had he remained, 1 don't suppose he would have given Us any more Indian stories. His failure to night to get but to whefe ho could slaughter them, after both he and we had thought that there were plenty of them here, had put a large dls count on the stories he had given us already. Next morning the Major gave no orders to saddle up. Ho seemed to be going to make a permanent camp here, But calling Crawford up, he told him to go out and find those Indians or their trail or be phot. That was the gist of his remarks. Crawford started to find the trail, Whether he found It or not I don't know; he never camo back to tell us about It. He probably found a trail that led straight home, then took it. The Major waited until noon, then started us home. Correspondence in Forest and Stream. A Regular Customer. Uncle Erastus, the village plasterer and wbite-wnsher, who had married and buried four wives, was about (o ac quire a fifth. He went to the house of the Presbyterian minister, a Tenor able man who had officiated at several of his previous weddings, to make ar rangements to be married there the following evening. ' , ' i "Of course I shall be glad to marry you to your new wife, Uncle 'Rasiua," said the minister. J. "This will be the third or fourth time for nv won't It? How does It happen, uncle,, that yon never have a colored preacher tie the knot for you?" .. -' ' I ' "Well, sah," he answered, "Fse kind o got In do haiblt o' glttln' a whit i n to do my marryln', an' 1 reelect lit alius do it " Ts turrible sot iu my ways." Mlstah Pa'ker." Youti "s Com panlon.-'' 'V".': "':';".:- j';,,.-,: f'A..c;; ;.'i;A Record 8ummer of Tip. , ; Last summer has been a recorj one In Paris for tips. ; The inference Is that nlore tourists come here than ever before. The porters In all the Paris museums say that the have never had such a prosperous season. They made more out of visitors whnna umbrellas and sticks they took charge of than ven during the World's Fair of 1900. At the PantheonA6urlsts who went to see the . craves of France's Illustrious dead brought in as much as 1 4a dally In tips of pen nies oil fwo-penee to the atendants London Telegraph, . , .A the sxofiy oft Bob whites FACTS APOUT AMERICA'S MOST POPULAR (SAME BIRD Quails Being Rapidly. Exterminated; Though They Might Easily Be Pre erved They Are Great Allies of : the Farmer It Would Pay to Raise . Therm . ... ..- 1 . A little paniphict just Issued by the Department of Agriculture's' Bureau of Biological Survey might properly be entitled "The Story of Bob White." It treats of the quail and was the last official work of Prof. Sylvester D. Judd, an assistant In the bureau who hanged himself a few weeks sgo at his country home Hear Baltimore. Prof. Judd had been In poof health for several niontl's and just before his death had been released frorfl a hos pital In Baltimore, nftcr a course of treatment for melancholia. The story of Bob White is Simply told, as becomes the life of & simple member of tho quail family. Many in1 foresting fnrts concerning the habits of the bird, Its usefulness to the farm er and Its popularity on monu cards are told. There ftrO seven members bf the quail family In the United States, the most beautiful species' oerilr In the Southwest and on the Pacific Coast. Of the seven species only one, thd nob white (Collnufl vlrglniantis), ,1s In digenous of tho eastern United States, whero It ranges from southern New England to Florida and Texas. The sub-species, tho Florida Hob White and the Texas Bob White nro recognised by scientists. Owing to tlitf climatic Influences, the birds of Florida nnd cf Texas differ enough to be distinguished as geo graphic races. But wherever it oc curs, tho Bob Wbito has tho samo call and varies littln In habits. The Bub Whito proper is a hand some bin, but. Is the plainest of the seven species, with the' exception 6f tho cotton top or sealed quail of the deserts of southern Texas and Ari zona. The latter Is slatey bluish on the upper parts, which are ornnmented with Rcalc-like Markings, and has a whitish crest. "The most bizarro and curious of all," said I'rof. Judd, "Is tho Merns quail of the high broken plains and mountain slopes of southwestern Texas, southern New Mexleo and Ari' zona." It looks not unlike n little guinea hen. It Is the gentlest and most un suspicious of tho quail family and Is frequently killed with a stick or a stone by persons who encounter' ll. in their walks. Tho people In the region which It inhabits hnvo given It the name of fool quail on account of this trail. Tho Bob White is the most widely distributed and popular game bird In the United Stales. While it is rapidly being exterminated, its preservation could be secured very easily, for, un like most wild f-wls or animals', it does not vanish wit h the ghlwlh of hq rlculluio, bul Increases when not mo lested by hunters. The Bob Wlilto Is railed a quail in the Northern, Western and Middle States, while in tho Southern States it is known as a partridge. Both names wero brought 10 America by English colonist. The rianit! Beb White is from the familiar euii hole of tho bird. In some of Its characteristics the bird differs strikingly from oilier niem: hers of the family. "For oaample. the crest a well developed adornment of several closely related American quails In Bob White is Invisible oxcept when the bird Is excited." Tho common Bob White ranges nioro or less generally over the eastern halt of the United States and south ern Ontario, except In the colder moun tainous parts, from Maine In Flofida( and west til South Dakota, Kansas and Texas, i riaddltion colonies have been introduced and found to thrive in Colo rado, New Mexico, Utali and the Island of Jamaica. The bird has also been found in limited numbers In Cuba, Mexico and Guatemala. "In the field," said Prof. Judd, "the nuptial call note of the cock bird Is an infallible guide to Its identity, This familiar challenge, sounding to the sportsmen like 'Bob White,' 'Bob-Bob' White,' and to tho farmer tike 'more wet' or 'no more wot,' ii by fie means the only note of the epeJlfig during tho breeding Season. "It was tho good fortune of the writer during the last week Irt June, 1902. to hour the nesting note and oth er calls. Again and again the Cock left his distant perch, where he had been whistling 'Bob White' and, still calling, approached the nest on the banks of a little sluggish briery run between open fields. "When within fifty yards bf his mate he uttered the rally note bo thrilling to the Sportsmen lh the fall, Tta-loi-kee,1 which tho hen often answered with A single clear whistle, - then fol lowed a series of queer responsive caterwaullngs,' more unbirdllke han those of the yellow breasted chat, sug gesting now the call of the cat to its kittens, now the scolding of a caged gray squirrel, now tha alarm notes of a mother grouse, blended with the strident cry of the guinea ben. "As a finale fometlmea came a loud. rasping ndlse, not unlike the effort of a broken Voiced whlppoorwtll." The call of the hen to her young sters li Invariably "ka-lol-kee," "ka- loi-kee," while the youngsters respond "wholl-keo." At a close range tha whistle of the bird loses all Its melody ind becomes a nasal shriek1 almost painful to the ear. ;" ':: : :; As many as forty-twi eggs have been found In the nest of a Bob White. The main breeding season for the Bob White In tho Northern States ts May. June and July,, although Prof. Robert Rldgeway, curator of ornithology tn the Smithsonian Institution, found' a nest of Bob White eggs in southern Illinois in the middle of October, , Another naturalist found a nest filled with eggs in Missouri In January, on men the mother bird was found frozen.. Two or three broods have' beJn produced In a season. There Is a tendency among Bob Whites toward local migration. In Virginia 'and Maryland, particularly. they leave their sijwmer homes on the , approaeH , of winter and congregate .hear the large1 water courses. The habit of the bird during tha hunting seasoli is to move about most actively and feed id th early morn lng and late aftenioon. The beat shoot Ing is to be had the hotir before SUA sot, in thd place where the birds have decided to spend the night They roost on the ground, forming 4 dolld ring, with talis In and heads out The Bob White as an ally of the farmers 18 chiefly valuable as a de stroyer of weed seeds. Prof. Judd made aft estimate of what the Bob Wlilto would accomplish In this line for the farmers of the two states of Virginia and North Carolina from the beginning of September to the end of April. He allowed four Bob Whites to each Square mile of land, which is a low estimate, and would give 354,820 in the two states. The crop of each bird holds half an ounce of teed and la filled twice a day. Since at each of the two daily meals weed seeds constitute at least half the contents of tho crop, A half ounce dally is thus consumed hv each bird, and on this basis the total lontuaiptlon of seed in tho two states covering the period mentioned would amount to 1341 tons. A similar calculation shows that 340 tons of destructive insects would be cohSttmed by the birds In the same period. The Bob White oats the Rocky Mountain locust, the chinch bug, the potato beetle, the cotton boll weevil and cotton worms and army worms. Prof. Judd estlmatod that with prop cr management somo farms of from 600 to 1000 acres would yield a better revenue from the raising of Bob Whites for the market than from poul try growing. In North Carolina many farms yield a rcgdlar Income' by this industry. The shooting rights are leased to sportsmen who pay considerable sums for the privilege. In some places in Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina sportsmen pay frdni five to twenty-five cents for every bird Bhot Millions of dollars can be realized by the proper management of the quail crop of the United States. No game is so much sought for In the market as quail. "The, writer," says Prof. Judd, "knows of a single dealer in Wash ington who In 1902 sold 100,000 quail. The present price Is (3 to $5 a dozen, yet Audubon tells us that In 1810 the bird could Ho bought, fur 12 cents a dozen and In j 851 for 50 cent a dozen." T. S. Van Dyde, tho author says': "Dear little Bob White has brought more rest to tho business wearied soul, moru Hew life to tired Humanity than nearly all other American game coht- blned." Prof. Judd said that the pur suit of many kinds of game is possi ble only in' the distant wilderness, where traveling Is difficult and the ex posure incident to the sport may be dungefous to health) hut the pursuit Of the Boil White fteltings to 6 pen, ac cessible country, and Is hdt too severe for men accustomed to a sedentary lift. To thousauds of s.-h mfil quail hunting Is tho yearly jeans 6f restora tion &nd results in i direct benefit to the community, though one not readily computed in money value. At a con servative estimate, between 300,000 and 400,000 sportsmen go out from cities every fall 8 hunt Bob White, which means a large expenditure bt money, much of which goes td farni ors who hold shooting land; New York Sim. QUAiNT And curioUs. Her eggs having been taken front her, a hen at Aytborpe Roothlng, in Essex, England, Is brooding over a litter of young pigs, which readily leave their mother at the call of tho hn, India has; for the first lime; given recognition to women as aids to good government by appointing Mrs. Ram abai Ranade, widow of the late Justlcu Ranade, a visitor to tho Yenowda cen tral jail. The visiting card Is not an exclusive institution of polite society. The Cor eana, have visiting cards a foot square. The savages of Dahomey announce an Intended visit by sending in advance a board! When the visit Is paid the board is returned to the owner, who keeps' it fof futufe use, The Sumat rans use a piece of wood decorated with stfaW. There is a regular business id Italy bf making little wife cages for grass hoppers. The Insect Is regarded as lucky and If one can be kept alive In a cage fof A tnonlh It il believed tha year will be prosperous. The supersti tion arose front this incident. A car dinal, (it the Medici family invited a bishop to dine with him In his gar den. The cardinal handed the bishop a glass of water. A grasshopper fell from a tret Into the water and the bishop did not drink It. The water was afterward found to have been poisoned. . , "A little Incident that occurred at a fashionable society wedding last week should serve as a warning to the bar gain hunter at the summer sales,'' says the London Chronicle. "A woman in a new batIt was a particularly suc cessful hatr-sat serene and telf-eatls-fled In one of the top pews, T her came an agitated lady's maid. A whis pered colloquy followed, resulting In the blushing discomfiture ot the serene and well-satisfied' woman. The maid fumbled In the chiffon, dealing havoc among the spring, summer and au tumn flowers, that bloom with such amazing spontaneity on hats of . this sort, and finally retired with a label, but not before many a feminine eye and one or two masculine ones had read on It the compromising legend. 'Reduced from r.' This la a true story." A Ctnerous View. ' "They say that sneaky-looking man across from us la two faced!" whis pered the first boarder. ' "Well, I hope he Is, tor his sake," said No. 2, generously. , ' "It would be too bad to be reduced to the one he has on, wouldn't t?" Detroit Press Prwss. OLD-TIME CATTLEMSN, Zack Addlngton Tells About the Glori ous Days. Zack Addlngton, of Addlngton, down In the Chickasaw Nation, dropped In to Paul's Valley the other day and the old-time cattleman held a pow-wow at Jim Hybargef'S real estate office that was like writing a history ot th old times. Jim Hybargef was engag ed in the cattle business until he got mixed up so much In the land business and building railroads" thai he had to drop riding round and look ing after stray steers and take to. rid ing round and looking after stray land buyers and "vamoosing" tenants on his places up and down the Wash ita and Wild Horse1 creeks. . When Zack Addington rode into town and saw Jim Hybnrger's real e tato sign ho resisted his impulse id perforate It with a few free and easy trigger pulls, got down off his horse, drifted Into Jim's office with the re sult as stated of starting a pow-wow that gathered tt rogulnr round-up of old-timers In town. "Old Zack Ad dington," as ho Is called all over the southwest territory, Came to tho ter ritory from Texas In 1857 with a lit tle bunch t " 43,000 head of Cattle and located near Burneyvllle. Later, along about 1866, he put In the first land lease of 1000 acres, known as tno "B. I." ranch on Mud Creek, and worked up a string llko 30,000 head of cattle. He prospnrod In those palmy days until ho became tho largest cat tle owner in thd territory and felt able to tako his regular outblow in St, Louis, until 18s4, Whon, between the alien land law, drought and rustlers, tho "hell and ...gh water of the attle men," he went ' bumped for his pile" and walked out of the Kansas City stock yards a few hundred thousand dollars Worse off and no cattlo worth putting kn iron on, rnuch lass pulling grass by hand to food. "Wo used to throw crackuloo for $20 gold pieces In those days," said Addington with a sly wink, "and shoot slickers just to while away the timo while waiting for the" ramp cook to make gravy." Shooting "slicks," by tho way, for the benefit of the modern generation, was filling a tin eiljl Of nickels, quar ters or dollars, as the case might bo, and throwing them In the air Instead of heads and tails; ll was heads or "slicks," "slicks" being tho reverse side o f the coin. The man who guedsed "slicks" got. tho pot If most coins came slick side u1. "These days' of town building arid farming are ull right," declared Old Zack pensively, "and show n fellow that the cattle business and the cat tleman Is not the 'only pebble on tho beach,' of the 'only rhlp on tho prairie," but It makes a fellef fftel what I read In a poem called "Sweet Pain' when ho gets to talking over the old days and thinkin' about 'em." Plans aro being made to have an did time ertltlemPn's reunion at Paul's Valley in tho neat- future, Thero has never been anything of thS kind Irt tho territory, nnd respons6s to lettefrf sent it last week indicate that an af fair of this kind will bo a notable round-up. James (Jim) Hybargcr, E. M. Moore nnd others halve been ap pointed a committee to take thd mat ter in hand and push it. Daily Ard morlte. A Jailer's Ekptrlenoe. ''No, sir. that lady, with ail her pleadings ,nnd the likes, can't com Into this iock-up unless she lenves that cat behind," said the old Jailer. "I have had somo sad experiences with cases like that, and I'm more afraid of cats than I a'm of lightning, You know I've been a Jailer for nearly 25 years, and I will never forget aU e perionoe I once had with a crying lady and a cat. The lady who had Just loft hero 'wanted to go in to see that kid in 21. She says tliat cat was his pet at homo and he wanted to see it. I told her there was nothing do ing, as that chap wad fehargdd with 1 capital crime and I couldnt let her take the cat. up because I didn't know but what she bad stuffed some find saws Into that .pat's etomach or among Its fur. But' about that gad experience. I was up in tho East at the time. There was a youngster In the jail con victed of murder in the first degree. He came from a fine family and his folks swore he'd never hang. The day before the execution a lady came to me crying. She was the kid's sis tor and she said she wanted to see him before 'he died. She told me that the little cat she had was a particular pet of the condemned youngster, and, after listening to her pleadings for a while, I decided to admit her with the cat Around the cat's peck was a little ribbon, and sewed up In the little rib bon was enough poison to kill three men. I didn't know It Anyhow, when the lady went out the ribbon was hot on the cat's neck, but had been left In the cell. " Three hours later we went to the kid's cell to give htm his last supper. He was dead'r'n Hector. The little ribbon was In his drinking cup. and when the water In the cup was analysed 7 It was found to contain 'nough poison to kill two other1 men. That's why I am suspicious of eats and crying women, sonny." -New Orleans Times-Democrat. ' The Criminal Year In England". . The annual report of the commis sioners of prisons show that the number of commitments per 100,000 ot the population has been the subject of considerable fluctuation during the last quarter ot a century, varying from the highest (621.6) In 1882-1, to the lowest (460.T) In 1900-1. Since 1900-1 thore has been a progressive i rise, criminating In 686.2 for.ve year ii04, which Is the highest since 1884-5. This rise has been almost entirely In offence tried' summarily. So far as serious or Indictable crime Is con-' cerncd, the number per 100.000 has fallen from 37 In 1880-1 to 25.S for the year under report, Summary offen ces have arisen from 642.S to S60.3. - The principal offences which ac counted for this increase are aa fol lows: Drunkenness, J551; begging and sleeping out, and misbehavior by pau ers, 3609; offences against police reg ulations and county and borough by laws, 1605, which Include sleeping out and begging. London Globe, ' WITH THE VlL.r DUCKS. the Comrr.sn Varieties Can Rarely Be '-.. -tzM Ci.-r.ciy, By tho river, t'j lake, and the swamp, when tho tall grasnos end reeds are sighing In thb wind, an in teresting company of birds is gather ing. Porhapa wa havo madJ tho ac quaintance cf sinie cf tl:cm In bpring when they went n 3rth t'.cy aro the wild ducks, to npt expect Uietn to allow ycu so clcso a friendship as the robin and ctlier bir,.j that people do not often harm. Kor tho ducks, you renscaibvT, are great gnme birds, ana so they havj a dread of everything that locks at all like a shocter. So hldo near tho water nnj watch them from a distance, it we keep still and out of riglit, they may como qnlto close. Most of tin drakes aro hand somely colored, while tho ducks are generally grayish and look a good deal alike at a little distance. Whon you sco ono distinctly marked, black next tn whits, or sny very dark and light colors which moot Wlthoul blend ing, you may bo nrctty sure it is a urako. Tlireo of the klnls wt) oe most of tan nro sI.otu In tho heading tho scaup, t!j2 mallard, and tlto pin tall. Others are I ho teal, which you may know at a glance, they are so small; tho wMkc';j, wood duck, shov eler, black -duck, bnldpatn, golden eye, buftlehoai, tnj th'j mergansers, or fish-ducks. If you succeed In getting a-quaint-ed with suveral of theto you will do well. It neacls pat ence nnd good eyes, and if you can add to tlie-to an opera gloss, you will bo still tetter fitted for duck-hunting. To stalk chirks near tho shore In open water, approach them by short stages whenever all Rte under watei at once. A duck will usually romaln under water about half a minute; In the meantime you have covered a hun dred feet or more of ground, and concealed yourself as much as pos sible, allowing only an opening to watch from Sometimes one finds a feeding ground where he can hide and wait for the ducks to come. This is the best way to observe them at close range. I knew of a small p?nd, sur rounded by willows and other bush es, where scaUp-dtlckn came every day to feed. While waiting beside the pond I have seen a flock of ducks pall down over the water only a hun dred feel from me. then turn and, coming back, repent tlio performance. As they swooped down with set wings and making a loud, swishing noise, they were a fhia sight, well worth an hour's waiting. Although ducks aro very wary and alert, (bay do not readily see danger when (ht'y are about to alight In the water. This appears to be a rather difficult act, for it saems to engage their entire attention. Tho most common itff ducks can rarely be seen closelyJwen the black duck is not often to be sTtldtad, except at an aggravating dlstanco, though he Is found In every marsh, It Is a common saying that water leaves no trail. But where some black ducks had bren pluming and sunning them selves I read tho story very plainly In the- ftSter, whore numerous small, downy featherl floated and clung to tho grassy tussocks. In a lagoon. In Jackson Park, Chi cago, whpro no shooting Is allowed, the ducks PCS remarkably tame; though cn I nke Michigan, a quarter of a mile away, they are hunted and are wild. There ore other places wnere ducks find safo retreats from shooters, nnd In these they soon be come very tame. From Nature and Science, In St. Nicholas. Valuable Military Records. The navy department library has recently come Into the possession of some valuablo documentary relics. These include the old papeis of Guert Gansevoort, consisting of dlarios, Journals and official correspondence which havo been retnlned In the fam ily for many years and which are now acquired from the estate-ln New York city. The papers relate for the most part to the Northwest boundary troubles and show that the situation between this country and Great Bri tain approached perilously near the state of war. The library has also acq' Ired the Reynolds papers which embrace the period of the civil war and include some valuable historical documents descriptive of the situa tion abroad. These papers have ' een obtained from descendants "of Rey nolds who now live In Rochester, N. Y. Still another acquisition ot value Is that which Includes the diaries of Flag Officer William Mervlne, cover Ing a long period beginning with the war of 1813 and describing the situa tion on the African coast in the early days of the slave trade. Would Learn New Songs. A Kansas City lawyer has In his office a small boy who Is addicted to the whistling habit The lawyer tries to stop the whistling, but he is only partially successful. The noise both ers htm greatly, but as the lad Is a good office boy his employer is loath to discharge him and gets along with him the best he can. Monday the boy said to the lawyer: V ' ' "Mr. Blank, kin I draw halt a dol lar? I want to go to the minstrel show." "Any new songs being sung in the show?" asked the lawyer. - "Yep, some dandy ones." f "I'll tell yent what I'll do," said tha lawyer, after a pause. ."If you won't go to the minstrel show I'll let you draw naif a dollar and make ' you a present ot another half." The boy accepted the offer and tha lawyer If now, priding himself on his success aa a strategist. Kansas Citi Times. . :.. .. 1 Brutal! . A. Memphis (Mo.) man has discov ered a new way to get rid of mos quitoes. He say; rub alum on your face and hands. When the mosquito takes a bite, It puvkers his buzser so it can't sting. It si 7 down In a damp place, tries to dig the pucker loose, catches its death of cold and dies of pneumonia. Kansas City 8tar. In the traveling clauses of France the babies of the cenpany are put tc work ai clowns, ? HOW SHE'D REPLY; "If f Rhnuld my," I aflked my tort, "Thnt your dear eym outnfione lbs MM . Tbal git-tuna In yontler sky above. What would you dor" "1 ii soil) at you." "And If I'd'MI you that my heart, Whatever happened, would lie true, And that from you I'd never part - What would you do?" "I'd laugh at you." ... "But nhoiitu f awrar la mak yho mine, ' Whatever awaina rame hera to woo, . And ankcd you for a tvue love sign - What would you do 7" "I'd wtuk at yon." "Then If Ihl cootietrv ahould force Me to turn rhlll and frerw you through- It I pm-Rttftl a .-aim. cold ronraa. What would you do ?" - . . ? "I'd sneeze atohoo!" Cleveland Leader. ..Mrs. Knocker Professor Searchllto is going on another baboon hunt, they say. Mr. Knockor Is he going out ot town? Judgo. - Hoax Why did he commit sulcideT Joax Tho after effects of a blow-out. Hoax A blow-out, eh? Gas or brains T. Phtlnrtnlnhlii n..nril A Cashier (couching) Pardon me, I didn't catch your last name. Ethel - (blushing) I haven't caught. It yet,, myself. Cleveland Leader. "Was he kind to his family?" I should say he was. He couldn't have been kinder if he had been an insur ance president." Cleveland Plain Dealer. Farmer Socedo What's thet book ycr readin' all about, Mandy? Aunt Mandy 'Bout the war, Joshua. It'a one o' these here hysterical novels. Brooklyn Life. "It takes a lot of patience to run an automobile, does It not?" asked tha mart. "Yes, lots of patients," replied the doctor; "and I've got 'em." Yonk ers Statesman. I ady Don't you know that a bark ing dog never bites? Tramp Yes, but how am i to know that all of a sudden your dog won't quit barking? Detroit Free Press. Sborte Chugger Is just carried away with his automobile. Sharpe Yes; oiid were it not foy Hank Hlbbiey and his two horses he wouldn't be back for several days. Judge. "What are you making such a kick about? You're carrying a policy ot . only a thousand." "I'm kicking be cause I find ( am carrying all the prejtfc ueiiLs rviauves. cnicago xmrane. "You are always having- more orv al-Tlcss trouble, aren't you?" said the sym pathetic friend. "You are mistaken," answered the Czar with hauteur. ."Wa never have less." Washington Star. "I wonder what Bragg means by for ever talking of his 'social obliga tions'?" "1 suppose he's a member of several social organizations and nevefT pays his dues." Philadelphia Ledger. "Ah, darling," remarked Newed, "I see you have prepared some pudding with your own little bands. What kind is it, pet?" "T-that," sobbed Mrs. Newed, "is b-bread." Chicago Dally News. Old Gentleman (as the train gets a terrific bump at a station) Phewl What's that? Old Lady I guess they must be coupling on that buffet car we've heard tell about New York Weekly. "Pop, what's a synonym?" "It's on of those places where you have noth ing to do for a big salary. That'a right, my son. Always come to papa for Information In your studies." Bal timore American. Knlckor So James got mixed in his excuses? Bocker Yes. He told his wife that he had been up all night with the baby, and his employer that ha was detained In the office on business. Harper's Bazar. Mrs. Hunks I wish you wouldn't ba so positive. There .ve two sides to ev ery question. Old Hunks (with a roar) Well, that's no reason why you should always be on the wrong aide I Chicago Tribune. "Starr's manager has promised to give a presentation ot that comedy ot mine," said Do Rlter, "but I don't know when it's to come off." "Proba bly the night after it' put on," sug-. gestod the cruel critic. Philadelphia Press. ' ' Little Gladys Auntie, dear, do aU the people who die and go to tha bad place camp out? Aunt Why, no child. Why do you ask? Little Gladys Well, our Sunday school teacher told us today that the heat waa in tents. Judge. ' i-V -t" "What do you" think posterity WlU say ot you?" aaked the Indignant Sorg hum, "what posterity say I do not expect to hear, It la the present gen eration that duns you If you do not, look out for your flnanoca'j Washing ton Star. ;;i';-;;.-vlVv;N;A '" " "What silly verses that woman reciting!" "I wrote them, air!" "Ah ohi yes to be sure clever lines, but horribly delivered, don't you Jraow-f woman must be a 'fool to bungle 'em so who Is sher -"My wife, llrl" Cleveland Leader." j,;v':'.fc':;;;i'i'.';'''-'i: Tom I hear you called upon atlas Subbubs last night. Dick Yes, and It was as much as I could do to tear my self away. Tom She I fascinating. Isn't she? Dick Oh, t waan't think ing of her, but of her father'a bulldog. Philadelphia Ledger. - "I don't think I'm conceited," said Bragley, "but I cant help wnsi-klpf how much the girls mate of me." "Say," remarked Knox, jMon't leava words out In - that careless- way." "What do yon meant What wordt" "The word 'fun' after 'much.' "Phila delphia Press. ' "I hope," said the drummer, "that you were thoroughly satisfied with my report for the past month." "Well," replied the head of the Arm, "there was one feature of It that really er ceeded our expectations." "Yes? What was that?" "The exnn account." Vhiladelphla Press, f - .1 7
The Franklin Press and the Highlands Maconian (Franklin, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 7, 1906, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75