The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, December 25, 1903, Page 8, Image 8

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    r
IHEH 25 , 1903.
[ ropyrlcht , 1003 , by P. A. Olicr , ]
N13 ChrlHtmnn
m o r n I n g not
many yearn ago
I found myself
up a trco in
Crusoe's Inland.
I wan hunting
incut fur my
Christmas din
ner shortly aft
er (111 y break
th nt morning ,
mid IIH tlio most
abundant sup
ply wim prom
ciiufior. , ised by the pec-
curies , or wild
hogs , that rnimotl the island , I hud left
camp and slut-ted out after them. It
was great fun for awhile , for I fell In
With a herd of about u doxcn and hud
Hccured two of the "varmints" when
the survivors , seeming to think tliut
"turn-about IN fulr pliiy , " began hunt
ing me. Then the Hltuullou iiHHtimed u
dln'eient nnpcct entirely , for the pee-
cury when aroused IH one of the most
bloodthirsty of crcntutuu and IIH ie-
venguful IIH an Indian. Fortunately
for me , a gtcat gum tree Htood conven
iently near , and by means of the lianas
that Nwung from lln branches I wart
noon Hufo from harm and looking CM I in
ly down upon the little block boustH IIH
they raged around tlio trunk. Hut u
pcceary. H Is well kno\\n , can entertain -
tain only one Idea at a time , and thu
idea tlitit possessed ( ho Hlmllnw bruins
of my friends below was how to effect
my ( luHtrUL'llun , After rooting mound
awhile they all wit down In an uttltmlu
of expectation and patiently .wulted for
mo to descend. And they would Hit
there , I felt mire , knowing peeoury na
ture us I did , until they Hturved me to
death rather thun allow me to escape.
I had only a few ruuiidn of nmituinl-
tlon suited to their needs , but I killed
three moio befoni It was exhuusted
and peppered the hldeH of several oth-
crH so that If ( lu\v ever hud entertained
the Idea of leaving they ubundotied It
cnthely. I bud not u morsel of food
nbnut me. The limbs I nut astride of
weio not HO soft us they might have
been If they bud been miide to ordor.
and I was got ting niicomfortuble when
I noticed u commotion In the herd.
The lender of the bund , u grisly old
tusker with recurved fangs like Tink
Isli setmlterH , Hiiddonly stood up und
Biilffed the air ; then he uttered u
"whom" ' of rage und de.spulr , struck a
12:10 : gait and dlsuppeuied In the jungle ,
followed by all the survivors. 1 was
saved by u black man and a dog.
It may or miiy not be true that the
peccary bus us Intuiso u dislike for
the blue ! ; mail as be bun for u dog.
„ * but anyway the combination proved
effective In tills Instance. The man
* who appeared at this Juncture was the
I
&
t
THE SURVIVORS BEGAN HUNTING ME.
only other in that forest save myself ,
niy sable servitor , Pappy Ned. He hud
been out all night hunting crapuuds
or forest frogs , and was on his way
bock to our camp with a buckloud of
batrachluus. the legs of which were to
be served up in' a style which only
Pappy Ned know to perfection.
"Goramlghty , mnssa ! " he exclaimed
In astonishment. "Was ilut yo' gun
goln1 off pam ! pa in I Ink yo' shootln' u
reg'munt ob sogers ? IC1 , but It's lucky
ole Puppy Ned couio 'long , hey ? Dem
linwgs done know Pappy Ned an' Jes'
cl'ar out when dey hear mn a-comin'
along wlv dls yer dawg. Dey don' Ink
niggers , an' doy don1 Ink dawgs nuttier ,
but dey'se death on tie buckra man. "
"Well , pappy , the buckra man , as you
call me , has brought death to the pec-
carles this time , and they've good rca
son for not liking me. I fancy. Hut
you came along just In the nick of
time , old mend , and I owe you another
'
reward for Having my life a second
time. " He bad nursed mo through a
fever n'fuiv months before.
"Oh , me innFsn , dut nln' nunln1. Me
only too glnd to sarve me good mnssn ,
to' sliiiuh. Yo * Jes set do\\u an1 rest ,
whllo me done cut up an' flkln de-p
mw s-onc , | wo , three , fo1 , llbe. ( Jolly.
IIIIHSII , we done gut 'miff meat fo' tie
ClirlntmitH dlnnuh , nln wcV Not to
nioiiHhun ( Us yere bug wlv two do'/.en
line fat crupnudH in tun. mill. "
Puppy Ned set to work diesslng ( or
to bo exact , undressing ) the peccaries ,
MIIK cmeful not to tulnt the llesh with
the contents of the peculiar musk glum. '
which the speelcs curries on Itn buck ,
mill while be Is thus enguged HOCIIIH u
good opportunity for me to mitke my
explanation IIH to the e.vnct location of
Crusoe'H iHlund ,
It is not. us ninety-nine persons In u
hundred thliik , the Island of Juan Ker
nitndcT' . on the southweHt const of
South America , but It Is u good ninny
miles nenier the coast of our own Unit
ed StuteH. In the Houlheustern purl of
the Caribbean HCII. I will not waste
any time , either the render's or my
own , In argument , but respectfully re
fer the earnest inquirer to old Ciusne
himself. Uoblnson Crusoe. Hsi | . . mar
iner , of Bristol , England , whoso adven
tures were llrst written out mid pub
lished by Daniel He Foe In 1710. wm
HOinowlioro In latitude 11 degrees north
of the equator when he WUH wrecked
that Is , of course , assuming there over
A rncoAiiv.
was an entity called "Crusoe" In th
flesh. But , whether he ever existed or
not. that IH where Do Foe placed bis
hum when ho had him wrecked on tin
const of bin Isluml. To quote the
wouls of Crusoe lilnifulf. Just before 1
happened , "The mumer miide an ob
nervation UB well UH he could und fount
tbnt lie WUH in about 11 degrees o
north latitude. HO that we were gottei
beyond the coast of Oulunu und beyom
the river AmuzoneH , toward the Orlno
co , commonly culled the Great river. "
Now , tluit would be evidence Hiifil
clent for any Biillor , but let Crusoe fur
ther explain , us he does well along In
his narrative , when he first circum
navigates bis Island kingdom : /'The
land which 1 perceived to the west and
houtbwest WIIH the great Island of
Trinidad , on the north point of the
mouth of the river Orinoco. " .
Trinidad , as everybody knows , Is off
the north const of South America und
Is one of Ihe finest British possessions
In the West Indies. The only other Is
land which fully answers the descrip
tion given by Crusoe In relation of lo
cation to Trinidad is that of Tobugo ,
from which Sir Walter Hulelgh prob
ably derived the name of the "weed"
we cnll tobneco.
1 long held the theory that this was
Crusoe's Island , and In order to prove
it went down there on n hunting and
exploring expedition , afterward writ
ing a book about my adventures which
gives all the evidence , even If it does
not BiiUlclcntly establish the facts. At
any rate. 1 "played Crusoe" for months
In Tobago , the Island of the ancient
mariner's adventures , built n hut of
palm leaves In the forest and for a
time Ihotl as good old Hoblnsou lived ,
witli the exception that I did not have
any goats ; neither did 1 tempt an at
tack of rheumatism by residing In a
cave. 1 even had my poll parrot , my
hammock under the palms and my
"Man Friday , " only the latter was not
n Cnrlb. like Crusoe's factotum , but a
blnck man , honest and faithful old
Pappy Ned , who soon finished skinning
those peccaries and was ready to go
1th mo buck to
Ur hut. Hung-
ig three of the
Igs up In a
aim tree to
wait his re-
u r n 1 * a p p y
s'cd shouldered
10 other two
nd the Hack of
rnpauds a n d
oted the load
0 camp , which
iiH dlHtunt but
mile or HO ,
nd I followed rnunumcic A. oncn.
fler with my
un. As Tobago Is a tropical Island tin *
lent would not keep a great while , irid
ve really bud much more tlmii we cor'd '
nit , but Puppy Ned suld he knew of
ionic black people over on the otli'-r
ilde of the forest who would devour
vhat there WUH left provided he could
; et word to them In time. .
There nqvcr WUH a more benutltul
situation for n but than the Hlto of
nlno on u hilltop above the forest line ,
vlth views of tropical woods and shin-
ig shore , and , us the wenther that
lirlHtmitH day WUH slmiily perfect , I
ordered my limn to make our "spread"
n the open , beneath tlio cocoa palms ,
sheltered from the binding sun by the
golden rooftrees only. So ho sot the
tnblo out of doors und lost no time In
gutting at the cooking , which was done
over an open fire. Puppy Ned WHS us
ndept at preparing exquisite dishes
from next to nothing us any Parisian
chef that ever lived. We bud n garden
filled with Hitch plants as the manioc ,
tanln , sweet potato , arrowroot , yam
etc. , not to mention corn and mountain
rice. From a wild grove of coffee trees
1 obtained the fragrant berry for my
morning beverage ; also cacao , or choco-
lale , from another copse on the bolder
of the forest , while the cocoa palms
above and around my hut held n de
licious cool drink In their unripe nuts
Pappy Ned dried und grilled the cnssii'
va tubers , making "farlne , " fiom wblcli
be cooked gieut cakes more than a foo' '
across. The Juice of the cassava Is
poisonous In Its crude Mute , hut It Is
converted Into n palatable substance by
bent und forms the basis of the noted
"cuNsnreep , " or pepper pot. We always
lnul n pepper pot on bund as a stand
by , Into which wo threw the odd pieces
of meat left over after ordinary re
pasts , and a goodly amount of the pec
cary tlesh was thus disposed of , the
cutmnrccp iictlng its n preservative as
well as condiment. But pepper pot
WIIH a poor man's makeshift , Pappy
N'cd nlwnys declined , and the- day be
fore he hud walked the bench for sen
turtle egns , several score of which ho
hud brought buck to camp , together
with n fine fish bo had caught on the
shore
After working three or four hours"
over the open fire Pappy Ned cnrno to
announce. "Dlnnab done ready , sab , "
at the same time hntidlng me a
'cashew cocktail" made from the Julco
of nn aromatic fruit brewed with rum
and stirred to effervescence with a
'nwlzzle stick. "
The grand repast of the d.iy opened
with gumbo soup , followed by fish ,
frogs' legs and turtles' eggs , while In
the center of the table was peccary
roast , Hanked by a nicely browned
guinea bird and a native wild turkey ,
with a vast assortment of vegetables
from my garden. There were no drinks
artificially cooled , Ice being nn unob
tainable luxury In Crusoe's Island , but
there were tropical fruits In abun
dance pines , guavas , mangoes , oranges
and custard apples all of which bad
been plucked within a stone's throw of
my hut.
One thing only was lacking n good
ly company to enjoy that Christmas
feast In Crusoe's Island. But we were
content , for. as Pappy Ned observed.
"Do good Goramlghty done gib us all
wo want , mo * dan we need and a heap
eight mo' dnn wo desnrve. "
FREDUIUOK A. OBEU.
State Officials Explain Why
They Didn't Get Here.
HOSPITAL TO BE DOrlE BY FALL.
Commissioner Follmer Says he Will
Set up the Banquet If the Instltu-
tlon Isn't Done Then Award Con-
tract , Perhaps , In January.
[ From Wednesday's Dnlly , ]
" 1 will make you a proposition. The
Htato hospital for the Insane which/is
to bo rebuilt In Norfolk , will bo fin
ished by October or I will give the
people of your city a banquet ; If It
Is completed , you glvo us a banquet. "
In these words Commissioner Foil-
mor of the Board of Public Lands and
Buildings iiSHiircd Chairman nobort-
son , of the local 'committee , Unit the
reconHtruetlon of the hospital would
be nn ended font by next fall. And
the people of Norfolk are willing to
take up the offer.
At the site for tlio hospital , the
boat d found a great deal of material
which can bo used In reconstructing
the Institution and which will , there
fore , bo a not saving so far as money
to the Htato Is concerned. They found
many buildings as good as they were
the day they were built and planned
the places for the now structures.
Let Contract In January.
State Architect James Tyler , Jr. , al
ready has some rough seiches for the
new Institution and ho will finish these
Immediately. "I believe , " said Mr.
Tyler to a News reporter this morn
ing , "that wo will bo able to let the
contract for building In January. Af
ter that the work will depend on the
speed of the contractors and the
board , itself.
"Tho west wing of the old admin
istration building is the only part of
the burned portion which will bo loft
standing , " said one of the members
of the board. "It is In very good
shape and wo will bo able to use It
for any ono of a number of apart
ments when the whole institution is
rebuilt. "
The Cottngc System.
The cottage system will prevail in
tlio now hospital. There will bo anew
now administration building of two
stories and a basement ; and two cot
tages on either side of this , of two
stories each.
Tlio now administration building
will stand just south of the old ono
and the cottages will bo at the west t
side and the cast side of this. The
lawn which formerly lay just in front t
of tlio largo brick building , will bo
covered with these now structures.
There 'will bo no basements to the
cottages.
The administration building will bo
about 12x00 feet in dimension. Each
of the cottages will bo larger than the
administration building and they will
bo about 80x75 feet. They will aV bo
Identically alike.
Colonial fire faced brick will be used
for the facing of the now buildings
and many thousands of the bricks
which remain from the old building
will bo used for other portions of the
work . The boaid found all of the rock
and stones that will bo needed.
No Iron Bars. .
liach cottage will bo built to bold
sixty patients comfortably. There
will not bo an Iron bar over any of
the windows at the institution , as
there were over all of the windows
on the old one. The plans show home
like apartments in all quarters for
the patients and In each long sleep
ing ball ono attendant will bo so sit
uated that ho can overlook the en
tire section.
It is the plan of the cottage system
to take off every possible restraint and
to give the patients as much liberty
as can bo safely done. Every comfort
is to be given them in the way of free
dom and recreation , so that oven the
most violent ones will want to come
back and live there.
The cottage system Is just now talc
ing precedent in all of the newer In
stitutions. The largest is in Toledo
and It was hero that the board got
mofat of Its ideas. The system orig
inated in Germany many years ago
and was first Introduced into America
through Boston.
All of the sleeping apartments will :
bo on the second floor of the cottages
The attendants will sleep in the same
apartments. Each cottage will DO
quipped with a dining room and in
each dining room will bo four little
tables at which eight persons may
eat. This will seat thirty-two people
at ono time and if there are onougl
patients , there will bo two shifts for
each meal.
If there is not enough money fo
four cottages and the admlnistratloi
building , three will bo built. lie
architect Is required to make but n
plan for the several cottages BO tha
this need not take much time. The
administration building will bo con
structcd in such shape that addition
may later bo put on.
Whllo the cottage plan will no
make as imposing an institution a
the outset , it wit ) , the board says
grow further than the other style eve
would and consequently take mot
appropriations later on.
The Norfolk hospital , when It i
completed , will bo ono of the fines
In tlio country as every feature wl
follow the newest scientific methods
In regard to their delay in gettln
hero , the members of tlio board hat
much to say In trying to make good
inw
with Norfolk and north Nebraska.
"Wo 1 belong to so many boards , " ono
ol them explained , "that It seemed almost
elm
most Impossible for us to got together.
Wo know , too , that wo couldn't do
anything In particular when wo did
niK
get < hero because the plans would have
tc bo nrndo first.
Lay It Onto Architect.
"Ileally , " explained another , "wo
would have been ready to conio
months ago If the architect had had
111h
his plans ready. It was up to him and
It was for him that wo had to wait.
Wo want the people to know , how
ever , that wo have not forgotten them
during all of this time and that now
they may expect us to get busy. "
nitlB will Imvo to bo advertised for
during thirty days preceding tlio
awarding of the contract.
The Schools Are Closed.
Yesterday was the last day of school
irccedlng the holiday vacation and
io\v the teachers and pupils will bo
lormltted to devote their entire time
o the pleasures and duties Incident
ipon tlio Christmas and New Year's
jbservances. In some of the looms
examinations have been occupying the
Imo previous to the closing , while in
others programs appropriate to the
lollday season were in course of propn
iratlon and wore given during tlio afternoon -
tornoon , quite a number of parents
ind friends visiting.
The high school was adjourned at
noon and the grades were dismissed
following the rendering of their pro
grams. In a number of the grade
rooms trees and other treats had boon
prepared by the teucherc , and the last
half day was a pleasing occasion for
the Httlo folks and the parents and
friends attending. Appropriate decorations -
orations adorned many of the rooms
and the holiday spirit reigned
throughout the closing day.
The vacation will bo of a week and
a half in duration , and school will re-
convene on Monday , January 1 , when
teachers and pupils will bo expected
to resume their duties , rested and refreshed -
freshed by their holiday.
During the vacation a number of
the teachers will attend the state
meeting at Lincoln. Officers and com
mittees will assemble In the capital
city early next week to do preliminary
work preceding the assembling of the
convention which meets Wednesday.
The session will continue during
Thursday and Friday. Other prelim
inary work will bo the examination
of teachers for state certificates ,
which will take place on Monday and
Tuesday. A number of the pupils will
i ttend , and especially those interested
n the spoiling contest , which will
ako place on Now Year's day.
Getting Ready to Click.
Linemen are busy looping up the
Ires for the Edwards , Wood & Co.
Copper wire which traces its way
irough northern Nebraska and into
ho Black Hills. A loop has been
retched to Stanton where an office
vill bo established.
Operators for the various offices
ave been employed and one will ar-
ivo shortly in Norfolk to take chargp
f the key. The towns which will
ave oillces are : Norfolk , Nellgh , At-
inson , Long Pine , Chadron , White-
vood , S. D. , Belle Fourcho and Dead-
vood , along the main line west. Then
heie will bo Stanton on its special
> op and Winside , for whoso office
ho wire between Sioux City and Nor-
oik will bo tapped.
Butte , Spencer , Fairfax , Bonestecl
mil Stuart will be covered by the
Vm. Krotter Co. telephones out of
bo olllce at Atkinson.
"We never employ women as op
erators , " said Mr. Wright , in speaking
of the new offices. "It ds work for
nen and we have to have thorn. Not
hat wo have any prejudice against
vomankind but it is too rough a Job
'or anybody but big , husky fellows.
Once wo did have a woman , though.
I
She had to support a whole family of
(
> rothers and sisters and I finally de
cided to give her the key. In at the
louse they always supposed she was
a man. No one on the wire sent in
moro business than she did , either.
She was a rustler. - Finally some
young fellow fell in love with her and
made a roar because she woiked in
the olllce. They weren't to be married
for six months and she wouldn't quit
the job. So ho just married her right
away to get her out of the place and
we've never had a woman since.
"Tho men In at the house asked mo
why I let that fellow go that fellow
who sent in so much trade. Finally
I thought it was too good to keep so
I explained that tlio follow wasn't a
follow at all , but a girl. They never
got over the joke. "
STANTON.
Henry Buckendahl has been greatly
lyfl
Improving his farm in Butterfly precinct
flit
cinct tlio past season. Ho has built
a flno house and erected numerous
other buildings. ISd
Wo are Informed that Peter Ludwig -
dT
wig and Wm. Kleckncr have pur
chased a livery and feed barn at Wls-
nor. They arc good men and we hope
they will do well In Wlsner.
The Stanton orchestra gave a ben
efit dance at the Gormania hall on
Wednesday evening. The proceeds
wont to C. E. Kranz , one of their play
ers , who has boon ill for some time.
The school board held their regular
monthly meeting Tuesday night. The
board agreed on a vacation for the
schools from December 21 to January
4. Nothing else of importance excepting -
copting the allowing of bills was trans'
acted.
Elaborate Preparations Made
for Observance of the Day.
CHURCHES TO HAVE PROGRAMS.
Trees and Treats for the Little Folks.
A Number of Dances Family Din
ners Tomorrow Activity Among
the Shoppers Preceding the Day.
[ rrom Thursday's Dally. ]
Preparations are today being com
pleted for the Christmas observance
In Norfolk. Dainties and delicacies
are In course of preparation for the
numerous dinners that will bo served ,
churches and homes and halls are bo-
ig decorated for tile entertainments
nd exorcises that will take place to-
Ight and tomorrow and there is ac-
ivlty and bustle everywhere.
Unless the weather man hurries
hero will bo no white Christmas. , Yes-
- onlay and this morning ideal wtuthor
' " as prevailed. The streets have/been
' mrd and dry almost dusty ajyt the
tin has shone bright and warm while'
n , t night the stars and the now moon
invo blinked merrily.
Church Festivities.
Almost every church in the city
s to observe the anniversary of th'J
hrist's birth , by giving Joy to the
Ittlo folks and some who are older
Christmas trees with treats for the
Ittlo folks will bo a feature for to-
light , with appropriate musical and
Kerary programs , cantatas , drills ,
and other exercises in which the chil-
' Iron will take leading parts. The
. .utlicran churches will have their us-
" ml holiday observance , the Metho-
list , Congregational , Baptist , Epis
copal ' and other churches are making
elaborate preparations for entertain-
j5
ng their people and tonight and to
morrow will bo replete with pleasure
joyond a doubt , and It Is anticipated
that there will be full houses at each
and every entertainment.
Christmas Dances.
Tonight there will bo a dance In
Must hall. On Christmas night there
will be another one , given by thei'0.
H. C. club and also ono by the fy-
mon In Marquardt hall. Between
Christmas and New Years several
functions of a social nature are prom
ised and the thus inclined of Norfolk ,
| "
will not lark for amusement. * -
Shoppers Have Been Busy.
Those who have viewed the im
mense holiday stocks of the Norfolk
merchants and their increased num
ber have done so with the impression
that their purchases had exceeded any
possible I demand. Not only did thosp
who bad carried holiday stocks pre
vious years lay In a larger stock this
year , but many who had not previous
ly 1 carried seasonable goods made
largo 1 purchases and shelves and windows
dews and counters were piled high In
about every place of business In the
city. The appearance of things last
night and today wont to show that
the t merchants had not missed their
guesses ! and that there was an unus
ual i demand , especially for goods of
moro ' than ordinary value.
The streets weio crowded with
shoppers yesterday , which was the
best day of the season preceding
Christmas ( and the proprietors , clerks
and messengers wei e kept on the
jump from caily in the morning until I
late at night attending to the wants
of the .customers. The stocks of |
goods molted away before the on-1
slaught of the shoppers like a snow1
ball In a fiery furnace , and In the
place of the goods there was an omp-
tincss on the shelves and a litter on.
the floor that bore mute witness to *
the rush. Men , women and children
jostled each other to got to the bargain -
gain counters and the choicest selections -
tions were quickly packed off , so
belated shoppers had rather sill
picking. Many of the shoppers well
farmers , whose" teams lined til
streets , others were from distau\ \
towns and the people of Norfolk wer
caught in the squeeze.
Holiday Travel.
The number of people who have
taken advantage of the holiday ex
cursion rates is astonishing , and all
incoming and outgoing trains have
been packed to capacity since the
rate went Into effect Incoming trains
have belched forth crowds of vis
itors coming to Norfolk and their
places have been quickly filled by
those who were outward , bound to
spend the holadays with distant rel
atives and friends. The train in from
Bonesteel this morning unloaded
scores of visitors to Norfolk , and be
fore it left the platform at the
ton depot , a crowded waiting room
full of people was transferred to the
plush seats in the varnished cars and
undoubtedly the company found it
necessary to attach more cars for the
accommodation of the passenger \1 \
traffic long before Fremont . was
reached. What was true of the Bono-
steel train was likewise true of other
trains and the holiday passenger traf
fic has probably never been exceeded.
The overloaded condition of the pa-
benger coaches ts duplicated In the
express and mall cars where the
spaces were filled with boxes and'
packages and mall bags taking and
bringing cheer to many homes , and It
will be surprising if all the prelim
inary work by the mall clerks and express -
press mcsengorSj.can bo done In time
to deposit the boxes and packages and
letters at their proper destination In
time for the festival.