THE FAKMEKS' ALLIANCE, LINCOLN. NEB., THUKSDAV, 3IAK. 3118U2.
THE HISSING $200,000
THK STORY OF JOHN SW1NTON AND
HtS WEALTH.
Tk Oil Mas IfMt Pot of Mammy Left
HL , h4 Kw th Qaaetlo- la, Wha
Oat Tkelr Budi ra II? Kmp4y Bx
. Only
tOopjrtght, 1W, by CWle B. Levi.
' In the rear t860-nd some of you will
no doubt remember it tha newspapers
had many paragraphs concerning old Jofao
Swintoo, of Creston, la. lie was an oid
bachelor sixty year old, living on a small
farm aeren mile bom the town of Crea
ton, and ba bad neither kith nor kin in
America. In January of the year named
he reeeired legacy from England. I have
beard the turn named aa low aa 150,000
and as high as (LVM.OUO. but I hare the best
of reason for believing that the exact
figures were 200,000. He got his drafts
easbed in Chicago, and be would take
nothing but gold. This money he shipped
borne in sheet Iron boxes ana burled la bis
cellar. He was a loquacious old man, and
be made no secret of his wealth. On two
occasions he Invited friends in and let
them inspect the contents of tbe boxes. It
got into the papers, and no doubt more
than one gang of robbers laid plans to get
bold of the money.
To prevent being despoiled and perhaps
murdered, the old man surrounded him
self with ten large and savage dogs, and
be armed the house with half a dozen guns.
After he got the dogs no one dared enter
upon his premises, and on several occasions
travelers on tbe highway were attacked.
Litigation resulted, and tbe old man be-
- cam disgusted and indignant and ictt the
statei One would naturally have expected
him to go east, and perhaps to England,
rhere be could have fully enjeyed bis
handsome fortune, but what did be do but
bead for the west! He bought a span of
horses and a covered wagon, loaded up his
few household goods, and taking seven of
bis ten dogs along be made bis way to
Council Bluffs to Join an emigrant party.
Ba bad bis boxes of gold in the wagon, and
people along bis route In Iowa turned out
to gaze at his outfit aa it passeiL Here and
there be even permitted strange to look
at the gold. It bas always been a wonder
that he was not robbed, but perhaps those
who would have entered into such a scheme
did not credit the stories afloat and re
garded him aa a boaster or a lunatic '
Swinton Joined a caravan bound to Cali
fornia. I had relatives in tb band, and
therefore can state that tbe party had not
been out two days before every one in it
knew of the gold. Many efforts were made
to persuade tbe old man to return to civili
sation, but be was as obstinate as a mule.
He didn't intend to go to California, but
to stop whenever the country suited him.
Than was hardly a tribe of Indians not on
the warpath against the whites, and there
was a spot when Swinton won Id be sals
for a day. Arguments proved umIww,
howsror, and ho accompanied the party
for many weeks. When it had reached a
Pont about Arty miles from South pass,
tm tb Wind River mountains of Wyoming,
11-old man found a spot to suit him and
Mnonnced that a would go no farther.
Th party numbered 188 people, of which
forty-eight .were men. They had been
attacked by Indians no less than eight
Unset on route, and had had three men
killed and four wounded. They were now
bj n country occupied and overrun with
' hostils red men, and a halt was made for
on day in hopes to persuade Swinton to
keep 'on. He was as thickheaded and
mulish as ever, and next day was loft to
his fata. Perhans he should have been
forced to go on, but there was trouble
enough from the Indians without creating
more in th party. He would not have
gone except as a prisoner.
Th last white man who saw old John
Swinton alive was the guide of the party,
whose nam was McCalL He rode back a
distanced two miles to recover some ar
ticle left behind, and he found the old man
turning his horses out to graze and look
ing for a sit for a cabin. To a last invita
tion to accompany tbe party he waved his
hand and shouted a goodby.
It was in tbe spring of 1861 when the
story got back to Council Bluffs. The war
had then fairly begun and was exciting
the country, and two or three expeditions
which were planned to learu the old man's
fate were abandoned. At no time, from
1861 to 1800, could a party have reached
the spot where he halted, as the embold
ened Indians had regained over 200 miles
of lost frontier and were unusually vig
ilant. Meanwhile the story had gone to
England, where Swinton had relatives,
and in March, 1800, Jackson Thomas, act
ing for the next of kin, arrived at St. Jo
seph to. organize a party to fight its way
to the spot and settle the question of
whether the old man was dead or alive.
As I was one of the members of it I can
give you the particulars first hand.
There were thirty-six men in tbe party
as it finally .got away, and all except
Thomas were veteran cavalrymen of the
war. The leader was an ex-Confederate
captain named Wakefield, and we were
under strict military discipline from the
first. Each man furnished bis horse, arms
and ammunition, while Thomas furnished
two wagons loaded with provisions. The
agreement was to pay each man two dol
lars per day on our return, whether suc-
twuut v uuif, it uiuuey was recovered,
then each one was to have a thousand dol
;lars as a present. It was an adventure
' promising both excitement and profit, but
none of us had the least hope of securing
the slightest trace of the old man. It we
got his gold it would be because he had
buried it before the Indians had discovered
him, and some lucky circumstance would
On the trip to and fro we encountered at
different points an aggregate of 5,000 In
dian warriors. We had fifteen tights with
them, suffering a loss of four men killed.
We spent three days searching the valley
where old John Swinton was last seen, but
not a sign that he had ever been there
could we turn up. We should have felt
the hopelessness of further search even
had the Indians left us to peacefully pur
sue it. It was the general opinion, and it
was shared by Thomas, that the Indians
bad captured tbe outfit and removed it
miles away before destroying the useless
wagon and killing their prisoner. If not
that, then tbe man had removed of his own
accord, and might be hundreds of miles
away. We returned empty handed, were
paid off and disbanded, and it was general
ly considered that the search was ended.
In the spring of the following year, while
' I was at Fort Laramie, I met an oldhuntar
and trapper named Dunn. We got to yarn
ing, and he told me of finding some of the
Iron work of a wagon in a valley to the
east of South Pass. Not only that, but
there was a rude shanty which he believed
some white man had constructed and oc
, tupied. It was so far into the Indian coun
" try that beVas puzzled over his find, and
could only conclude that some emigrant
t family bad left the caravan and fallen vic
j tims to the savage red men. He had not
heard the story of old John Swinton.
When I told it to him we were agreed
that these were traces of him, and that
the pair of us should set out on another ex
pedition. The Indians were still hostile,
but we believed that a party of two, tak
ing all due precantipns, could accomplish
more than larger on. We outfitted for
a huntinff expedition, iavinir a third ani-
uuu w uear our paces, ana ws were sixty
two days making the trip from the fort to
the valley. Some days we had to lie quiet
to avoid the Indians, and on others the
weather prevented travel.
It was not a valley I had ever seen be
fore, and not th on in which the old man
had first stopped. It was a spot three
miles to the south of It, reached by a pass
through a separating spar. For reasons
which no on will ever know th old man
bad decided to make a change. This ral
ley wa smaller and was completely wailed
in, like take among th hills. Th area
was about 8o0 acres, with a ereek running
through the center, and it was a little para
dise. He hsd built him a rery comfortable
cabin of rorks and poles, and might bar
lived there for months before th Indian
discovered him. We found the tires of
th four wheels hidden in tb thick, green
grass, with other portions of the wsgon
scattered about, a id there was no question
bat that tbe vehicle bad been burned.
This may have been the result of accident
of coarse, bat no one bas ever reasoned tbat
way. We found about th shanty many
bones, which were undoubtedly those of
the dogs. The wolves must have carried
many away, but there were enough lying
about to ore us to the conclusion that all
the dogs bad perished. Who but Indians
would have killed tbemf
There was the cabin, bu t not a trace of the
old roan, and we were sure that none of th
bones was bis. Accepting the theory that
be had occupied the valley for some weeks
or months before discovery, what would b
bave done with bis gold? Hidden it away,
to be sure. II bad a ruilo fireplace in the
cabin, and we were not ten minutes dis
covering that bis money hod one been
buried under It. The Indians would never
have suspected his wealth or searched for
it, and this would have been a safe place,
but for reasons of his own Swinton bad re
moved 1U Where tof After half a day's
search we discovered the spot, but it was
also empty. He had dug a hole in the base
of tbe mountain near the pass, but some
strange idea had caused him to look for a
spot be thought more secure.
It was our fourth day in the valley when
I accidentally discovered what we hoped
was the clew to tbe treasure. Many bushes
had Bpruiig ug lu tu fiv or b!a years., In
pulling one sway which hid the face of a
rock near the entrance to the pass I saw
that some letters bad been cut iuto tbe
stone. We could not make them out until
we had brought water and washed tb
rock. Then we deciphered tbe following:
I'm
s
wo
It
The letters "J. S." doubtless stood for
John Swinton, but it was some time be
fore we could decide on the meaning of
"2d 100." There were three small and
narrow raviues running off the main pass,
and so w concluded thut he meant second
ravine and 100 feet or paces. The hand
certainly pointed down the pass, and the
dollar marks stood for money. There was!
nothing else rocks, troes, hills or stumps
which we could make "2d" out of, and
so we went down the pass and tuned into
tbe second ravine. We had the clewl On
tbe face of the cliff, a high as an ordinary
man could reach, were three ttt, which
bad been cut by tbe same band as the
other.
The ravin was dark and lonely, and not
over four feet wide. In the rainy season it
was a water course; in th dry a capital re
treat for reptilr; and animals. W had to
light torches to make our way, and as w
slowly advanced w measured all as near
as could be 100 feat, Tb old man had
mriat feej. Right ther was a nsural
cavern in th right hand wul ami we had
no sooner thrust a toroh into It mouth
than I caught sight of gold pieces. On th
rocky floor lay three twenty and two five
dollar pieces, and a we picked them up
we realized that we bod tb treasure at
lost. But bod wef A las I no. Old Swin
ton carried bis gold in six sheet iron boxes.
each one of which was a smart lift for an
ordinary man. There they lay in the cav
ern, each one open and empty! Tha lock
on each had been broken.
How had it been with tbe old man? I
have always believed that after a few
weeks of bis isolated life he could stand it
no longer and so made ready to set out on
his return to civilization. He bad cached
his money, expecting to return for it, and
he had wisely left marks by which it could
be found in case be sent others. Before he
could get away he hod been attacked. He
was killed, but where or how has never
been ascertained. Who got his money? Not
the Indians, as no gold was in circulation
among them when peace came, and their
finding it without a clew could hardly be
considered. White men, then; but whof
No expeditions had been organised any
where along the border, nor was hunter or
trapper ever subsequently discovered to b
flush with money. It would have required
at least three pack animals to carry the
coin; but at what point had they struck
civilization on their return? Also, how
could they have kept the find so quiet?
I ask you these questions. I have asked
them of myself until weary. Some one got
that golden treasure, but no further facts
will ever be known. Hundreds of Indiana
have been consulted as to the fate of old
man Swinton, but not one has ever fur
nished any information.
THE ROAR OF GREAT GUNS.
A Situation Tbat Will Test Any Han's
Nerve.
Here are two field batteries 12, 6 and
0-pounders in all firing as rapidly as they
can be loaded. Tbe reports blend into a
roar, and you must raise your voice as if
a hurricane was howling about you. You
are not impressed, but rather aggravated
and annoyed. There's a snap to each re
port like the cracking of a great whip a
spiteful sound which reminds you of a dog
following at your heels with bis yelp! yelp!
yelp!
There is no more trying situation for a
soldier than to be lying down in surmortof
a battery. He is only a few yards in front
or the guns, and he not only feels the full
force of the concussion as communicated
to the earth from the "kick" of the gun,
but the report itself seem to strike the
spinal column and travel up to the back of
the head. Then, too, there is the fear of
shells exploding prematurely or of grape
and canister "dribbling," to cause wounds
or death, and it is a positive relief to see a
column of the enemy break cover for a
charge. The roar of the guns does not'
linger for hours after, as is the case with
mortars and siege guns, but you find your
nerves on edge and your temper spoiled
for a day or two. The men who lay in lines
with a battery firing over them probably
endured more mental suffering than the
enemy at whom the guns were pointed.
rue tire or great guns is terribly trying for
the first few minutes, but this feeling
gradually gives way to one of awe and
sublimity.
There is something so terrific and ap
pallingyou feel yourself so atom less in
comparison that you would speak in
whispers if she roar Bhould suddenly ease.
You are an onlooker; it assisting to work
a gun, physical activity would take away
from the mental strain. When Admiral
Porter got his twenty mortar boats, each
armed with an 8f-ton mortar and a 82
pound rifle cannon, at work against the
forts below New Orleans, and the big gnus
in both forts had opened in reply, there
was something akin to the sound of heaven
and earth coming together. The mortar
shells weighed over 300 pounds apiece, and
the rush of them through the air made
one's hair feel as if it crawled. The venom
ous hiss of a big skyrocket was magnified
thousands of times, to be followed by a
crash which seemed to split the sky open
Into cracks and crevices,
, When tbe arlng had continued until all
reports had been merged into on steady
roar toerv was utu snort or an earth
quake on land or sea for ten miles around.
The earth shook as if a great steam ham
mer was pounding It a few yards from
your fees. If standing ' near a tree vou
could feel the roots letting go of tha soil
with a sound ltk bugs crawling over dry
leaves. On th water, groat mud spots
rose up bare and thorn to show where the
earth fotty fee below Bad Men disturbed.
In the Mississippi rtrer Itaetf huge catfish
leaped abor the surfac in fright ana
pain or finatnl belly up and were carried
along with U.e current gwping for breath.
Out on blue water air bubbles as Urge as
dining plu floated to tb surfac and
bursted with a snap, and fish of all kinds
exhibited tbe greatest confusion and alarm.
Thirty mile away th roar was Ilk tbat
of a gale sweeping over a pin forest.
Horses and cattle sought to bide away,
birds flew about uttering cries of distress
sod dogs pointed their noses toward th
sky and howled dismally. Birds and
fowls felt the air and earth waves long be
fore human beings did, and their actions
were so queer as to become alarming. Tbe
coming of th roar to those afar off was
preceded by a Jarring of the earth and a
moaning tn tue air. bprlugs overflowed
and tb water in wells circled around as in
a whirlpool. Tbe wildest species of birds
left tbe woods and thickets and came fly
ing about the bouses, and rabbits deserte
their burrows and sought the companion
ship of domestic animals. The thunder
storms of a score of years combined could
dot have rent the heavens nor disturbed
the solid earth as that canotude did.
If tbe begiuning was painful and exas
perating the ending was something to be
remembered for its grandeur. One mortar
after another, on great gun after another
wo silenced by order. The reverberations
hod traveled through air and earth and
water a distance of fifty miles. Tbey now
seemed to return back to tbe guns. Tbe
rent and riven skies bad kept up a con
stant moaning and complaining. These
sounds gradually died .way, as a man In
pain finally drops off to sleep. The earth
resumed its solidity again, the sun shone
forth in its old familiar way aud the bank
of clouds piled up in tbe west and tinged
with gold all along their lower edges
seemed proof to the eye that the world nil.
stood as w had lived in it the day before
those monsters awoke aud demanded
human blood and wreck and destruction
as the price of their silence. .
M. Quad.
Th Seas of Touch.
Of all the senses we possess, the sense of
touch is at once tb most complex aud the
least understood. Blindness and deafness
are too common, nnd we cut nil more or
less appreciate tbe nature and extent of
these dire afflictions. But who ever thinks
bow he would be affected by being de
prived of the capacity to feel, Inability to
distinguish by touch between smoothness
and roughness, heat and cold, or by an im
paired power to receive the various sensa
tions of pain and pleasure which reach us
through the surface of the body f How 'le
it that the same finger which tells us that
a substance ts hard or soft tells us also
tbat it is hot or cold, smooth or rough,
long or short, even though w do not be
hold it with our eyesf .
Have we, as soma physiologists aver, a
sixth sense, that of tern pe rat u-uf If not,
how comes It that a stngi touch of th
finger conveys to tbe brain, in th same
Instant, thre or four distinct Impressions,
for tbo substsao in question may be wet
or dry as -well as hot or cold, hard or soft,
rough 6r smooth?
But tb' physiologists cannot tell us the
-"why" of the things; they only know
that th sensations so conveyed are separ
able, and that tbe routes they travel be
fore they reach the brain are not the same. I
Observations on this Important subject, 1
besides ' being highly interesting, both
psychologically and physiologically, would
be, it seems to me, of considerable prac
tical importance in their relations to the
training of blind persons. St. Louis Re
public. ,
M. QUAD.
He Has Almost Forgotten That Bis Real
Nam Is Charles B. Lewis.
Of course you know M. Quad in a gen
eral way. He la the fellow who used to
write all those funny things for the Detroit
Free Press. And then there is the Arizona
Elcker, the Limekiln Club, Mr. and Mrs.
Bowser but we are not going to say any
thing about them, because if we did the
Illusion would be destroyed and you might
begin to think they were not real after all
Quad is fifty years old. He has been a
sailor. He has been in the war, and at a
certain period in his life he was probably
one of the worst newspaper reporters in
tbe known world. There isn't anything
about the newspaper business that M.
Quad wasn't familiar with, but there were
some things that he couldn't da One of
them was to go out and get facts. But on
the other hand there was one thing that
be could do. He could be funny. He
could do still another thing. He could be
pathetic Here is a man who for years has
been making people laugh and cry. Think
of the power. There are plenty of million
aires who can make people cry. Mr. Lewis'
CHARLES B. LEWIS,
power lies in the fact that he cannot only
make people laugh and cry, but he always
makes them better for it. He writes about
real life, and he comes very close to it at
times so close that the majority of peo
ple know his characters better than him.
So that if you should say to some colored
brother of yours, "Hello, there goes Br'er
Gardner, of the Limekiln club," he would
reply, "Wall, I 'clare ter goodness, sah, ef
my eyes ain't ben pinin f er a look at dat
good ole man."
But if you should say, "There goes M.
Quad," he would look at you m wonder
and say: "Cm! I neber heard ob dat man."
We are not going into details about M.
Quad's life, or how he came to be what he is.
He couldn't help it. He was born so. He
is probably the most prolific writer in
America. His copy comes to the editor
10,000 words at a time without a word al
tered and as plain as print. He writes
with a lead pencil on plain white paper,
and those marvelous stories of his which
the New York Sun has been publishing so
long under the heading of "Good Stories of
th Present Day," come side by side with
those odd creations, those humorous concep
tions showing how wide is the range of this
genius who started out on his career by
being blown up iu a steamboat explosion,
and then writing an account of it which
was the cornerstone of his future fame.
He is a small man. You wouldn't pick
him out of a crowd. But it may be said of
him as was said by Goldsmith of his school
master And still they gaz'd and still the wonder grew
That one small head could carry ail he knew.
Some time ago Mr. Lewis left Detroit
and now live in Brooklyn, where his writ
ing is done. His circle of personal ac
quaintances is not wide, but how many
are there who are Indebted to hinif
Keep Blm from Catting Them.
"What's th baby howling abouM"
rrowled Mr. Newpop.
"Poor little soul, he is cutting his teeth,"
replied Mrs. Newpop.
"Well, why In thunder don't you watch
him and see that he doesn't get knives or
scissors In his mouth?" New York Truth.
TIIE YOUNG FOLKS CORNER.
INSTRUCTIVE AND INTERESTING
READING FOR THE YOUNG.
A Fairy Talo That Is Popular In th
Land of th Mikado A Mov
ing Tall Th Boomerang
Magto Eggs.
J a panes Fairy Talo.
It is said that one upon s time a
cross old woman laid some starch in a
basin, intending to put it intheclothes
in her wash tub, but a sparrow, that
a woman, her neighbor, kept as a pet,
ate it up. Seeing this the cross old
woman seized the sparrow, and say
ing: "You hateful thing!" cut its
tongue and let it go.
When the neighbor woman heard
that her pet sparrow had got its
tongue cut for its offense she was
greatly grieved and set out with her
husband over mountains and plains
crying: "Where does the tongue-cut
sparrow stay? Where does the tongue
cut sparrow stay?"
At last they found its home.
When the sparrow saw that its old
master and mistreM had come to it,
it rejoiced, and brought them to its
house and thanked them for their
kindness in old times, and spread a
table for tliciil, aud loaded it with
cake and fish till there was no more
room, and made its wife and children
and grandchildren all serve the table.
At last, throwing away its drinking
cup.it danced a jig called the spar
rows' dance. Thus they spent the
day.
When it began to grow dark and
they began to talk of going home, the
sparrow brought out two wicker bas
kets and said: "Will you take the
heavy one, or shall I give you the
light one?"
The old people replied: "We are old,
so give us the light one; it will be easier
to carry it.
The sparrow then gave them the
light basket, and they returned with it
to their home.
"Let us open it and see what is in
it," they ai. And when they open
six it and looked they found
gold and silver and jewels and
rolls of silk. They never expected
anything like this. The more they
took out the more they found inside.
The supply- was inexhaustible. So
that house at ouce became rich and
prosperous.
When the cross old woman who had
cut the sparrow's tongue saw this
she was filled with envy and went and
asked her neighbor where the sparrow
lived, and all about the way. "I will
go, too," she said, and at once set out
on her search.
Again the sparrow brought out
two wicker baskets and asked as be
fore: "Will you take the heavy one or
shall I give you the light one?"
Thinking the treasure would b
great in proportion to the weigh of
the basket, the old woman replied:
"Let me have the heavy one."
Receiving this, she started home
with it on her back the sparrows
laughing at her as she went. It was
as heavy as stone and hard to carry,
but at last she got back with it to her
house.
Then, when she took off the lid and
looked in, a whole troop of frightful
devils came bouncing out irom the
inside and at once tore the old
woman to pieces.
A Moving Tall.
Some one is acquainted with a very
fascinating and wonderfully intelligent
dbg named Lion, who shows plainly
that he knows just what is said to
him, and also what is said about him
to others. He manages to do consid
erable talking himself with his tail;
and a conversation took place one
day, when a lady called on his mis
tress, that amused tha visitor very
much. During her call, Lion walked
into the parlor with an air of being
the right dog in the right place, laid
himself comfortably down on the soft
carpet, and closed his eyes in great
content.
"What a handsome dog you have!"
said the lady, as her eyes rested on
the noble-looking animal.
Lion opened one eye at this.
"Yes," replied his mistress; "and
what is still better, he is a very good
dog, and takes excellent care of the
children."
The other eye was opened now, and
Lion waved his tail to and fro along
the carpet.
"v hen the babv coes out," contin
ued his mistress, "he always goes with
her, and I feel sure then that no harm
can cometo her."
Lion's tail thumped violently up
and down on the floor.
'And he is so gentle to them all,
and such a nice playmate and com
panion, that we would not take a
thousand dollars for him."
The tail seemed in dancer of being
thumped and shaken off; it went up
and down, to and fro, round and
round, in such uproarious glee.
There was something different, how
ever,, to come, "uut ion nas one
fault," added the speaker.
The tail was now perlectlyquiet, as
though it had been turned into stone;
and if ever a dog's face expressed dis
appointment and uneasiness, Lion's
did at that moment.
"Again and again have I told him
that he must not .come into the
parlor with dirty feet and lie down on
the carpet, and again and again does
he disobey me."
Poor Lion! The visitor really
pitied him, his expression was so
utterly wretched and crestfallen. He
packed up, as it were, his eloquent
tail, and slunk mournfully out of the
room in the deepest humiliation.
The Boomerang.
Three years ago I lived close to an
aboriginal camp in New South Wales.
This camp was only about two hun
dred yards from our settlement, and it
was my daily custom to walk over to
the mooring, as they called it, and
study the habits of the blackfellows,
as the original ' natives of Australia
are called.
I was naturally more interested in
the bo'omerang than in any other of
their weapons, and with a little prac
tice soon learned to throw it". In the
language of thla tribe, the Wng-ei-bon
which is situated in the Bogan
River region, th boomerang is called
a womera.
I shall therefore call it a womera.
Tit womera is made from what is
technically known as an "elbow"
from the kurrawung tree, and some
times from the y arran and myall trees
All of the trees belong to the acacia
tribe, and have sweet-scented woods.
The blackfellow, having found a
suitable elbow, chops it out of the
tree, and, as it is generally too heavy
to carry home, trims it on the spot in
to the rough outline of the forthcom
ing weapon.
After two hours' labor the womera
will be reduced to three or four pounds
weight, but it is still a long way from
being a finished weapon. As it now
appears it is a flat, heavy club, longer
and thinner at one arm than at the
other. The black is a decidedly
lazy specimen of the human species,
and he will as often as not lay
aside his uncompleted weapon for a
week or perhaps a longer period.
When he resumes work tbe wood will
have become hard and dry, and con
sequently difficult to work upon, but
it never occurs to him that he is now
paying for his former indolence. Time,
however, is of little or no consequence
to the black.
After some paring down the weapon
is charred ail over, and this part of
the work is quite skillfully done, no
one part being more burned than an
other. The charcoal is chipped off,
and tbe blackfellow then licks the
weapon all over with his tongue, and
E laces it in a smoky lire of green
oughs, which warms it and makes it
quite pliable. Arthur Ho wlet t Coates,
in March St. Nicholas.
Magic Eggs.
Blow .the substance out of an egg
through as small a hole as possible.
When the interior shall be perfectly
dry fill it about one-quarter full oj
line sand, then close the opening
dexterously with white wax, so that id
appears like an ordinary egg.
The next time boiled eggs are served
for breakfast place amongst them, on
the sly, your prepared one. And thai)
is the one you must take to put in
your egg-cup. Tell the family that)
your egg is a very obedient little
fellow, and that he will hold himself
in any position deshed. Iu fact, you
can show them that your egg
can balance itself on the handle
of a knite, stand on the edge
of a bottle, etc., etc., etc., whether you
put it on its point or give it an oblique,
position, which last case will seem
very contrary to the laws of equili.
brium. All that is required to make
this trick successful is to shake the
egg slightly in the position which you
desire it to keep. The sand will be
come compact and take a horizontal
level, permitting the egg, in this man
ner ballasted, to remain fixed in a
position of stable equilibrium.
You may prepare another shell by
putting into it some shot mixed with
tiny pieces of sealing wax. Heat the
whole on a stove, holdingthe egg in an
upright position. The wax melts and
with the shot forms a small mass at
the bottom of the egg. Let it cool,
keeping it in a perfectly vertical po
sition. Then close the hole with white
wax and you will have an egg which
will refuse to take any but one posi
tion. This one you will call tha dis
obedient egg.
Difficult Feat,
' In the old days in western Pennsyl
vania, when the people had little
money to pay for teachers, and could
spare their children but little time
from the field, school "kept" almost
incessantly during the few weeks when
it was in session, with no Saturday
holidays and' very brief recesses.
At one little school house among
the mountains, an old-fashioned Iris'h
school-master was once employed,
who kept his boys grinding steadily
at th.nr tasiks, but gave them per
mission to nibble from their lunch
baskets sometimes as they worked.
;: One day, while the master was in
structing a class in the rule of three,
ho noticed that one of his pupils was
paying more attention to a piece of
apple pie than to the lesson.
""Arrah, there!" said the master,
"Jack Bates be listenin' to the lissin,
will ye?"
"I'm listening, sir," said the boy.
"Listenin' it is!" exclaimed the
master; "then it's listenin' wid one
earre are an'atin'poi wid the other."
A Popular Mistake.
"Couldn't be hotter at the equa
tor," is a common hot-weather ex
pression; a common way of giving the
idea of intense heat.
That is a mistake that is ignorant
ly said. It "could be hotter" iu Detroit
than in Equatorial Africa, in the in
terior, and it often is.
The nights in the torrid zone fre
quently are cold. Travelers sleep,
right over the equator, under a quilt
and a pair of blankets. The author
of "The Greatest Thing in the World"
says that during the hottest montfi
in central Africa thermometer never
registed above 96 degrees.
He gives the reason, and with one
who knows physical geography there
is no question about it.
The interior ot Equatorial Africa is
not low land, not a steaming jungle
as is commonly supposed; the land
rises as you go in from the coast,
plateau on plateau, until it is from
three to five thousand feet above sea
level, and we all know that with every
300 feet of ascent the thermometer
falls a degree.
Breath.
The following composition by a
twelve year-old English schoolboy
was the cause af his being recommend
ed to take a special course in physiol
ogy the next term. The theme given
him was "Breath."
Breath is made of air. We breathe
always with our lungs, and sometimes
with our livers, except at night,
when our breath keeps life going
through onr noses while we are
asleep. If it wasn't for our breath
we should die whenever we slept.
Boys that stay in a room all day,
should not breathe; they should wait
till they get out-doors. For a lot ol
boys staying in a room make car
bonicide. And earbonicide is -more
poisonous than mad dogs, though
not just th same way. It does not
bite, but that's no matter as long as
it kills you.
OTJTR, BOOK LIST
Oar list of choiee literature Is made np of the best and most reliable reform
books, by the most noted writers. If you want to keep posted on the great ques
tions before the American people you should consult the authorities. We name
below a cumber of the best books published.
PAPER. CLOTH.
The E iiway Problem, by Stickuey. The greatest sensation of the
year s this great book on the railway problem by a railway
pre.leut. Cloth edition has 14 illustrative diagrams I J50
Jason Edwards, by Hamlin Garland, a new book that should be
read by every Alliance member in Nebraska. Dedicated to
the Farmers' Alliance it gives a graphic description of life in
a pioneer settlement, and the glimpses of city life are not in the
least overdrawn,- 50
Main Traveled Boads, by Hamlin Garland. Don't fail to read it. . . .60
In Office, Bogy. The latest sensation .25
Dr. Huguet, Donnelly... 50
Caesars Column " go
Whither are We Drifting, Willey
The Farmers' Side. Senator Peffer of Kansas bas in a very careful
and plain manner stated the injustice of the present methods in
' this new book, and outlined plans for relief
Looking Backward, Bellamy 50
Emmet Bonlore, Reed. A new book of engrossing interest by a
popular author 50
Driven from Sea to Sea, Post. A book that should be read by all... .50
An Indiana Mx.n, Armstrong. A well told story of a young man who
'entered politics "and what" came of it .50
A Kentucky Colonel, Reed. The deepest thinker and the most pro
gressive of all the writers of humor in thi3 country is Opie P.
iteea, ana tnis is his best work
The Coming Climax in the Destinies of
Dara. 480 pages of new facts and
politics. Radical yet constructive.
amunuion ior tne great reform movement
A Financial Catechism, Brice
A Xramp in Society, Cowdrey
Richard's Crown, Weaver
The Great Red Dragon, Woolf oik
Pizarro and John Sherman, Mrs. Todd
Money Monopoly, Baker
ur Republican Monarchy 05
Labor and Capital 20
Ten men of Money Island, Norton. CoL Norton has told his story
in a way that cannot fail to interest you, send for a copy 10
Geld, Shilling. This book should be in the hands of every German
in the state l5
Cushing's Manual of Parliamentary Rules .'. ' 5
Smith's Diagram and Parliamentary Rules
Roberts Rules of Order
Seven Financial Conspiracies '.' 10
Labor and Alliance Songster, words only 10c each. Per dozen .... 1.10
" " " " Music e:l. 20c " " " by ex 2.00
" " " " " " board 25c " " " 8.50
Songs of Industry, Howe. In this book the author has given ns a
number of entirely new songs, words and music complete, and
Alliances will find it a splendid collection 20
Any book on the list sent post paid on receipt of price. Liberal discounts to
Alliances wishing to purchase a library.
We are offering The Farmers' Alliance one year, and any 50c book on the
list for only $1.85. Address
ALLIANCE PUB, CO., Lincoln, Neb.
HERMAJN-:-BROS. ,
WHOLESALE AND RETAI
Clotin, is, caps and Min Hoods.
BRANCH HOUSES:
BEATRICE, GRAND ISLAND, FALLS CITY", WEEPING WATER AND
AUBURN. 19m3
Special Attention
PRICES 2-OW.
1017 S 1019 0 STREET.
J. O. McKELL,
Successor to BADGER LUMBER CO.
Wholesale 1 Retail Lumber
TELEPHONE 70i.
0 ST. BETWEEN 7TH AND 8TH LINCOLN, NEB,
Itta
MANUFTURERS OF
Pure Hemp Binder Twine
FROM HOME
We can offer to fanners a
tney nave ever oeiore Known.
Will ship sample bag and take lodge note payable Oct 1,'92.
Patronize Home Industry.
For further information address Nebraska Binder Twine Co., Fremont, Neb.,
or J. W. Hartley, Alliance Purchasing Agent, Lincoln, Neb.
The Most Powerful,
,'yot the Simplest in
tfl Suseessfullv Work'5'''
-ft Ma o-uv
01 WELLS KP.T0JP0.Ff .7
.ill
.iv'r".. .A :v,ir
NTfl .lir-
Wood and Steel Mills also Wood and Steel towers.
Our mills are guaranteed to not be excelled by any and we can make you low prices and
low freight rates. If our mill should blow off the tower or need any repairs withina
year from the time of sale, we will replace same free of charge.
36-lm SPENCER MANUFACTURING CO., Blue Springs, Neb.
ESTD1IL HOT:
INDEPENDENT HEADQUARTERS.
CORNER 13TH AND II STS., LINCOLN, NEB,
Three blocks from Capitol building. Lincoln's newest, neatest and best up
town hotel. Eighty new rooms Just completed, including large committee rooms,
making 185 rooms In all. tf A. L. HOOVER & SON, Prop'rsT'
1 25
1 00
.80 1 CO
America, by Lester C. Hub-
generalizations in American
An abundant supply of new
50
, 50
1 00
1 25
1 00
1 00
; 50
,59
.' .' .50
,05
35
to Mail Orders.
LINCOLN. NEB.
GROWN FIBER.
better article for less money than
36-Sm
FARMERS
AND
STOCK MEN.
In all localities where we hive no estab
lished agrents, we will sell directly to you
at prices which will be satisfactory.
If you are needing anything in wind
mills, pumps, tank., pipes, eto., we would
be glad to have you correspond with us. We
manufacture both
Bier Tie (limi.
25
25
00
00
25
00
50
50
75