THE OMA'IIA DAILY BEE : FRIDAY , AUGUST 21 , 1800.
The Hamilton County Mint.
Romantic Beginning and Disastrous Close.
New York K\-enln * Post.
Away up In the Adirondack wilderness
lies the county of Hamilton. Greater In
area than the state of Delaware , less In
population than the state of Nevada , It Is a
community peculiar In the eastern United
States. With 3,000 square miles and 4,000
Inhabitants , It has not a bank , a lawyer nor
a railroad , Two considerable settlements
nrc fount ! In the southern' part of thu
county , at Wells and Indian Lake , but the
bulk of the population Is scattered In
farms and logging camps throughout the
wilderness. Iho chief , Indeed almost the
only , pennant-tit Industries arc lumbering ,
farming , "guiding" and the vending of In
toxicating liquors at retail.
As Hamilton county Is today , so It has
been for nearly 100 years. Long before the
days when Andruw Jnckson was president
this mountain community was In numbers ,
; character anil occupation what It now Is ,
and going further back we find Its settle
ments as early as almost any In the history
of Now York. The pleasure seeker among
Its lakes and mountains Is hourly reminded
that here Iroquols and Algonquin , and after
them patriot and tory , fought for these miles
of lugged forests and blooming meadow.
Hero It was that young Sam Ilutler , with
a party of lories and Canada. Indians , came
in the early summer of 1777 , crossing the
wilderness with soldiers and artillery by Incredible -
credible effort , to strike the Tryon county
patriots In the Hank whileSt. . I-egcr took
thorn In the front , hoping to break down
that roar guard of the revolution which at
Orlskany foiled the British plan and made
possible tbc crowning victory of Saratoga.
It was on the shore of Lake IMscco that
Sam Duller and the Hrltlsh Major Sinclair ,
' ahead of their men ,
& a few hours' march
I wcro met by Indian canoe men , who told
them of tough old Hcrklmer's stout fight at
* Orlskany , and so alarmed their followers ,
both whltu and red , that the whole troop
nod precipitately to Canada , saving only
one , nnd that the lightest , of the eighteen
brass qannon which , wcre to have , garrisoned
the projected tory-'fort on the Mohawk ;
that ono gun , token two years before by
the Hrltlsh from the Massachusetts men at
Hunker Hill , was saved at all coat , perhaps
as a trophy , perhaps because the lightest In
weight , and now stands In the citadel at
Quebec. HH seventeen companions rusted
In the damps of the forest for nearly 100
years , and then discharged their volley upon
the peaceful Hacandnga settlements In less
fierce but perhaps ns dangerous a gulso as
Butler had planned In the days of King
Giiorcc
Once upon a time It was a pleasant
spring afternoon , and In the shadows of the
great forest Davy Dunlap was picking up
logs with a chain , a large Iron hook , and
' a pair of horses. The hook caught on
something solid , heavy , well sunk Into the
* ground , brought up the team with a Jerk ,
and broke loose again. The yellow gleam
where It had struck caught Davy's eye. In
' nri Instant ho was down on his knees prodding -
. ding away with his pcovy , until he had
brought to'ilEht a long , round object which ,
through Its coating of dust and dirt , showed
. the bright yellow color wherever struck by
the metal. All the mountain stories of
burled treasure and fabulous gold mlnca
' . Ho tot
came to Davy's recollection. sprang
his feet and ran for his father , who was
t busy at the skldway not far off.
In response to Davy's somewhat Inco
herent' narrative , Andy Dunlap came slowly ,
' looked at the mysterious llnd , and then
peered around him through the dim aisles
of the forest. With a crowbar he sounded
one object and another half hidden under
moss nnd rotting logs , and found here a
brass cannon , and there the form of a gbne
wheel or wood-sled. Something queer had
' happened there , and something queer was on
' the ground , but It wasn't gold.
If the nu\\s of Davy's find as It spread
. through the woods had come to an anti
quarian , ho would have secured the guns
* for the museum at Albany. If It had
como to the small boys of a large town ,
Just bcfpre the Fourth of July , the- guns
would soon have shouted for the Inde
pendence of the rebels that they had marched
from Canada to subjugate ; bill before c-lthcr
antiquarian or celebrating boys had heard
the story , Davy's find came to the knowl
edge of a political economist to the knowl
edge of Jimmy Tryon , the boy orator of
Pumpkin Hollow.
Pumpkin Hollow lies In a small clearing
by a beautiful wooded bend of the Sacandaga
river In the town of Hope , and there Jimmy
had grown up , watching the wagons come
up the road and the logs go down the ilvcr ,
until ho was 10. Then he had wandered
down to Glovcrsvlllo In Fulton county ,
where tllcre wcro a railroad and a bank.
Jlmmy"l < ; arncl that no ono could rldo on a
railroad without paying his fare , nnd no ono
could got money out of a bank unless he had
put some In , and hn became a populist and
wandered on to Albany , where' there arc n
museum and a legislature. But Jimmy soon
learned that there arc greater curiosities to
be sucn than the Albany ones , and wandered
further until ho came to a city with a big
white obelisk et ono end nnd a big white
donui at the other. In this city there were
a great many men , each of whom could
talk more than any of the rest , and what
they did not talk they printed In the
Kecord.
From thcso men Jimmy learned a great
many things which hu had not learned In
tlio red school house. Ho learned that the
number of cows' tails required to reach to
the moon did not nt all depend on the length
of the tails. He learned that Slnkespcnre wai
wrong In saying that "the thing we
call n rose by any other name would smell
as sweet , " but that Mr. Ignatius Donnelly
had proved that tlio bard of Avon ought to
have said : "Call anything a rose ; when
marked with such a name 'twill smell ns
sweet , " He learned that In measuring
things It was better to have two .or three
yardsticks of different lengths , and that the
hot material for making yardsticks was
India rubber. He learned that twice two
docs not only make four , but also five , six
or seven , and that congress might enforce
this principle by appropriate leg'natlon. ! And
Jimmy learned u great many other things
that are'not BO , and , with them buzzing In
lila brntn. went back to I'umpkln Hollow ,
watching 'till the opportunity should come
when ho might Invent a way for everybody
to get rich without working , just as the
ivlso men at Wellington had devised. I
When the supervisors of the county met at '
Lake I'leasant on the IIrat of September ,
everybody had hoard and talked more or
less about , th ; ) old , cannon that had been
„ found , but nobody thought that here was a
source of wealth to the country that might
> make the farmers and lumbermen of the
wilderness the most prosperous community
on the fape of the earth , until Jimmy arose
and addressed the board.
Ills , plan was Jhls : , _
The seventeen guns welglied , as nearly as
rould be figured , about COO pounds apiece.
Noyvr If the supervisors would agree and
order that an ounce of brass marked by
somebody whom they should appoint should
bo called a dollar , every gun would be
\\orth JlpiOOO. BO that the whole of Butler's
battery , would Increase the wealth of Ham
ilton county by $170.000 , or $42 per capita.
"It Is true , " said Jimmy , "that the guns
don't belong to the county , but to Andy
Dunlap and his boy and the Sacandaga
giver Dumber company of Fort IMwarU ,
who have claimed half the braes because
the guiu 'Were found on their land , but
they will spend the money , and there will
bo plenty of work for everybody. Tluu shall
thi ? Jnflnlto retourcca of our glorious county
be developed. Thus shall \\o' ' cease to be
ground beneath the Iron heel of the op
pressor. Today If we borrow a dollar of a
man we have to pay him a dollar back.
If we hire a man to work for us at $20 a
mouth thcra.ls no way to gut out of It but
by paying him , paying him dollars which
have cost us something. Wo are tired of
BUbmlttlng to these burdens which oppress
us ; we beg no more ; we petition no more ;
wo defy them ; we are hardy pioneer * who
brave ell the dangers of the wilderness
and make the ik-sert blossom as the rose.
We ploncen away out here , rearing our
children ueai to nature's heart where they
can mlugle their voices with the voices of
the blrda , out here where we have erected
bcbool houses for the education of our young
and ccuieterlca where sleep the a he of our i
dead , we deserve to have ns cheap and I
abundant money ns any-pepplo In this state. " I
Seine ot the supervisors thought It might j
be well to consult with -Fulton county , where
Itamtlton county bought Its clothing and
gold Us venison , but the Hey Orator scorned
him. "Is not , " said Jimmy In a loud and
Impressive tone , "Is not this the greatest
county , but ono or two. In the stale of New
York ? Why should we be slaves to the greed
of Uroadalbln and U.itchellervllle ? I would
bo presumptuous Indeed to present myself
against the distinguished gentlemen to
whom you have listened If this were but a
measuring of ability , but this Is not n con
test among persons. The humblest citizen
In all the land , when clnd In the armor of
a righteous cause , In trongcr than all the
'
whole hosts of error'that they can bring.
I come .to speak to you In defense of a
cause ns loly : 'ns the cause of liberty , the
cause of the Sncandnga Hlvcr Lumber com
pany. From Indian Lake to Morehousevllle
let there rise the glorious response. To
such dastards'AS dare to lay a limit to the
power of the Hamlltoulan people to do what
they please Independently of all other pee
ples. I hurl their Qowardlco and lack of
patriotism back In their faces. You shall
not sacrlflco/iv.ydyl IJunlnp and the Sacan
daga Hlvi-r Jfixilnbeit'coinpany on an altar
of greenbacks ! * ? . '
And so thfl ' supervisors of the seven
towns of Hamilton county voted with only
ono dlcscntlng voice that William Peterson ,
the blacksmith at Wells , should get a die
nnd should coin -Into a dollar every ounce
of brass brought to him nt the ratio of 1C
to 1 , sixteen ounces to one pound , without
waiting for the consent of any other
county , and that If the county judge at
tempted to help anybody whoso contract
called for other dollars , they would fire"
him out and elect a new county judge. The
single negative vote was cast by Lljo Henson -
son of Indian Lake.
The wave of prosperity came with a
rush. The Sacandaga Hlvcr Lumber com
pany paid Its back taxes for two years ,
$7SO nearly fifty pounds of old brass. Andy
Dunlap and all his friends had a perpetu
ally splendid llmu at Jake Jones' hotel ;
and the Ulnck Hlvcr Lumber company , al
though It hadn't found any guns , bought
up some second-hand brass bedsteads from
an auction and built a new dam on the
cutlet ot South Canada lake. It took
twenty men a month to build the dam , and
the company paid good wages every man
had three pounds of brass to carry home.
The summer boarders at the largo hotels
found It out , too , nnd sent for their friends.
Soon there was such a rush for rooms as
had never been Known. Each boarder
would bring an old candlestick or stair-
rod In his vallso and pay his board for a
week. The countrymen who brought ber
ries and trout and venison to the hotels
got good prices.-now , and milk was quoted
at 10 cents a quart a whole ounce of brass
for ten quarts. Levey , the tin peddler , no
longer came up the river with a wagon of
cotton stuffs and tinware and went back
with his pockets full of money. Ho got a
lot of old castings In the railroad shop ,
had them minted on his way , and went
back with a wngohload of tubs of butter
and nlco llttlo cheeses and deer-skins , and
a cow and two or three horses towing be
hind. The Satklidaga Ulver Lumber com
pany announced that It would cut twice
as many logs as usual and would spend
two guns Jn wages If It should be neces
sary , so that everybody had lots of work.
And real estate began to boom just as the
Hey Orator had promised. Thcro was a
fine site for a tannery 011 Coleman's creek
In Gllmantown. but the year before Sam
Coleman had asked $500 for the water power
and twenty acres , and the Gloversvlllo tan
ner who wanted the place hart stuck at
$350. Hut now , when the tanner heard of
Hamilton county's * Tree coinage boom , he
drove back again ns fast as his horse could
trot with n lot of door-knobs from a hard
ware store , and came right up to Sam's
figures and paid' him In cash just as quick
as ho could get the door-knobs through the i
mint , and sent to New Yonc for some brass i
Ingots and sp.ent them all In putting up
a fine building' and hiring hides drawn ]
from the railroad , and told the boys to i
bring In all the 'bark they could get he'd ]
take It all , and was wrltfen up In the
Adirondack Populist as "Hamilton County's
Prosperity A Great Influx ot Foreign Cap
nAnd
"
ital.
And what lots of engagements the guides
had that fall ! How the deer had to scam
per ! In St. Lawrence and In Franklin
counties there were few parties In the woods ,
but the stage companies had to put on extra
teams to haul the1 , ' hunters who poured by
the tralnload Into" . Northvllle nnd Prospect
nnd Reolsen > and .North Creek bound for the
Hamilton hunting-grounds , every man with
a rlllo In his 'haml 'and a goodly supply of
cartridges In his trunk. The parties
stayed In the woods till they had fired off
all their cartridges , stopped at the mint
on their w'ay , houievaud had the empty
shells coined Into good brass dollars , paid
their guides and their board bills , and went
homo with n load of .birds and venison ,
their cheeks glowing with health and their
pockets no lighter than when they came.
It was not long hefore prices began to
rise. A horse that It would have been
hard to sell at $30 now brought $100 and ,
next week would bring $250 In brass. Yet
take that horse to Fulton county and you
could get only $30 for him. Everybody was
sorry for -the poor people down In Fulton
county. Yet somehow the Fulton county
people wcro foolish as we'll as poor. They
sent all the brass they had up the river :
and Imported everything that was for sale ,
oven though they lost so heavily by doing
It. And other things became moro valu
able as well as horses. Flour went to $20 ;
a barrel , then $50 , then $100. U was splen
did. Kvcn wages rose a little. The men
who worked for the lumber companies at :
$30 a month last year were now promised '
that-they should have $10 by and by.
There were a few difficulties , of course.
No great reform was ever accomplished
without difficulties. The man who com
plained first was Peter Tulllvcr. Peter
was In Jail that year for breaking the game
law. The county allowed the sheriff $3 n
week for Petur's board. Under the gold
standard Peter had fared sumptuously on
bread nnd ham and potatoes , but when
potatoes went to $1 apleco and ham to $5
a pound , the sheriff felt it his duty not to
exceed the approprjatlbn , and Peter Tulllver
grow so thin'that they had to let him have
his gun nnd flshpolo and the key to the
jail and tell him that If ho would sleep
there nights It would bo all right.
Mrs. 'Wllks was the next to complain.
When old nym WJIks died , she had sold
.her rights. In' the property to her stepson
for $15 a month as long as she lived. Now ;
her allowance would not keep her In to
'
bacco , and when she applied for admission
to the poorhouse she found that the poor
ta , ula Ollly " "PPO't one pauper ,
\\lllle Davis nnd Sam Smith caught n
wolf In a trap over west of Long Lake and
had to go to Wells to draw the bounty $30-
but although they walked both ways they 1
spent $48 along the road , and yet had only
ouo squarq meal and ono good drink aplccu.
Then the county judge resigned , for his
salary would no longer supply him with
postage stamps. The women who did washIng -
Ing for tljo lumbermen and the boarders
at the hotels atj76 centq c dozen were the -
next to suffer , and the families of the men
who worked for day's wages found that
however fast wages might go up , they could
never get In sight of the prlcu of clothing '
and provlslpns. The schools were closed
bKcausu theschool tax would not buy pen :
cils nnd stove wood , which was lucky for
the teachers , who toduld otherwise have
had to fulft ) their contracts and work for
salaries that would not pay a quarter of
their board. ; It/6ecmed strange that when ,
the county "was BO prosperous nnd every '
body had plenty of work so many people
were hungry and ragged. Yet there was g
always a chance for a smart man. For cl
example , thcrpjtas Hen Cole. Hen had a w -
steady Job of "chopping nil through June
and July for the Illnck Ulver Lumber com-
pauy , and a steady Job of guiding nil
through August. IK-n had a tomato can full
of brnss dollars nnd concluded to get mar
ried. Ills father had never finished off but
half his house , BO Henry got some clap
boards and patched up the unfinished end and
plastered li himself , and got married and T
went down to Johnstown to buy seine furni
ture and thing * . The furniture man won
glad to sell to him , and Henry found things h ;
BO reasonable compared with home prices tbat ai
be bought f. table -uni three common chairs ci
and a patent rocking chair and a bedstead
and a stove nnd some carpet and n nice
brass kettle , nut when he offered a hand
ful ot Hamilton county dollars In payment
the shopman's face changed ,
"If I'd known you wcro from up the river ,
I wouldn't have spent so much time on
you , " ho said. "Wo can't take those
things. "
Hen was Indignant. "They're Just ns
good money as ever was , * ' no said. "You
fellows must be a lot ff goldbugs , "
"Now , look here , my young friend , " said
the furniture man , "where did this money
come from ? "
"I earned It , " said Hen. "by guldln' nt $3
a day , and I worked hard for It , too. "
"All right , " said the man. "Where did
the man get It that you guided ? "
"Well , he was a feller from Amsterdam ,
and he brought up an old brass tea kettle
and had It coined. "
"And you worked for him how long ? "
"Three weeks. "
"Well , " said the furniture man , "If you'd
worked three weeks for good money you
could have paid mo easy , but I'm not going
to glvo you a new kettle for nn old one nnd
throw In n bed nnd a stove and n lot of
chairs. If I wanted nn old kettle there's
ono out In the back yard. "
Hen wns astonished as ho had tievcr been
astonished before.
"You see. " snld the Johnstown man , "you
can't make n thing what It Isn't by putting
n label on It. There wasn't any more
property In the world after your blacksmith
chopped that kettle Into pieces .ami marked
the pieces than while It remained n kettle.
You cnn't get milk from n hedgehog by call
ing It n cow. "
Hen went out In front of the store and
sat on the stone horse-block for half an
hour In deep thought. Then ho walked Into
the furniture man's back yard , picked up
the old kettle that lay there , and ntnrted for
the mint. The next week he was back with
a sheep which he had bought from a man In
Morohouse. He sold the sheep and bought
all the brass hinges he could carryi A fort
night later ho was In Johnstown again. Ho
had a nlco pair of horses and a big wagon
this time , and the wagon wns full of coun
try produce , of knit stockings , and legs of
mutton , and rolls of butter , and fresh killed
partridges , and all the nice things that the
up-rlvcr country sends down to market.
Hen took back a load ot pig brass and
bought a roadside hotel with a nourishing
trade In Us bar. Dut -displayed. . In his
sales of drinks a preference for foreign
money , and every week his wagon went
down to the railroad , and when It came
back Hen bought a few cows br somebody's
farm , or hired a gang of me'n"'to ' put up a
new barn. ' lf v
Everybody else had expcrlcTiccd the same
dlfllculty In paying for thlrigs outside of the
county , so that they used their Unltc'd States
money for their foreign trade and the brass
money for domestic transactions. As the
Boy Orator explained to some puzzled cltl
zens , "Even If the gold nnd silver nnd
greenbacks do go away , Is there not brass
enough to give everybody plenty of money ? "
It was noticeable , too , that the greatest
prosperity came to the poor men. The few
rich men of the county did not seem to take
much Interest In the boom. They went
nbout their business , took no more of the
brass money than they could help , nnd
paid that llttlo very promptly to their hired
men , or In buying the farms and live stock
of their poorer neighbors. Lljo Henson was
the only one of the well-to-do men who
traded extensively in Hamilton dollars. Soon
after the free coinage act became a law
Llje took a three days' trip to Glens Falls
and had a long conference with the officers
ot a bank. After this Llje's operations
attracted much attention. He had a good
many thousand dollars of brass coined , and
ot course became at once a wealthy and
prosperous citizen. Then bo went about
calling on every man In the county , and
of each man he bought one suit of old
working clothes nnd hired the man's wife
to put them In order. Also he purchased
pork and potatoes of everybody who raised
them , and laid In great stocks of hay and
oats , and bought nearly a hundred horses.
A great many people thought Llje was out
of his mind nnd ought to resign ns super
visor.
"I tell yc , " said old nil ! Burton to his
wife. Sar' Ann , early ono morning ns . .by
candle light ho pulled on his boots to drive
to Northvllle , "Llje Benson Is crazy If ever
a man was. He's got that museum of old
does end a hundred horses catln' their
heads off and more provision than ten
families could cat In n winter , and I believe
he's spent every cent ho had. "
"Then ho ain't the only old fool In town , "
responded Sar' Ann. "I know ono that ain't
got provision In the house to last three days
and winter comln1 right on. "
"Well , ain't I goin' to Northville now ? "
said the old man In disgust. "I'd gone last
week If I hadn't been hop * so In the woods. "
It was past noon when Bill pulled up his
borrowed team In front of Hank Meadows'
general store In Northvllle Main street. Dill
was hungry , but he decided to attend to
business first. Entering the store he sought
the proprietor.
"Well , Hank , I want a big bill of goods '
this time. " i
Hank looked troubled. "Bill , " said he ,
"I'd llko to sell you , but unless you've got
? oed money I can't. "
"Ain't my money as good as any mnn's ? " I
; ald Dill In much Indignation. '
"If It's your country brass money , It ain't , " I
said Hank , "nnd you know It nln't. " . I
"I know. " said BUI deprccatlngly , "that <
Folks do like the old kind of-money n llttlo (
better , but last I knew you could pass It ; f
KOU could always pass a dollar for CO cents 1
ip our way. But I've been In the woods the \
last month and things may have changed a
Ittle. But now , Hank , " ho said , his cholcr
lolng. "I've traded with you twenty year , I
ind if you go back on mo now I'll do all my
iradlng In Wells. The storekeepers there
iavo got to take the country rabnejr- whether
hcy llko It or not. " , lrl
"Yes , but you got to II pay their prlco
vhethcr you like It or nnti" said Hank ,
'They have to send down river for their
oods nnd they can't pay for them In country
noney. Silo Donohoe was hero yesterday ,
ind he said to Wells they wanted $00 ,
ounty money , for a clothes line and $10
'or a drink , and they won't sell for nothing
iut cash neither , tor they can't collect
lathing but brass money If they have to
lue the bills they trust out , and It's worth j
ess and less every day. "
The old man's hand shook. "Hank , " said
10 , "If my money ain't good , you know my ;
mine Is good. Won't ye trust mo. for a suit
if clothes and my winter provisions ? " : '
Hank hesitated a moment. "No , Bill , "
10 answered , "I can't. I know you're honest ,
mt what property have you got ? I've got
ivcry cent trusted out that I can stand In
hat county of yours , where a man" can pay
its debts with an old lamp ,
The old woodsman sat down on awash -
ub and his face qulvcied , ' 'Hank ' , " said
ie , "this mornlnf ; I thought I wan rich. I
iwed no man a cent and had 10.000 county
lollars hid In my potato cellar , but If what
ou say Is true I haven't got a cent. , I've
ot no provisions In the liousg , I * oia my
earn last month to Hen Cole , nnd my
'cry liouso and farm are sofd , und 1'vo got
0 give them up the 1st of March , "
Mt-ndowii took n quick stride up and down
he store. "Bill , " said he , "It's n hard
ute , n darned hard ease , but you're no worse ;
iff limn half the people up your way. I've t
ad 'am here every dny this week. I'd
lelp 'em all If I could , but I can't , Put
vhat will keep you a week or two In the
vagon and pay mo when you can. "
Burton drove homo very slowly , very
houghtfully , and although Llje II CUE on
Ivetl a dozen miles from the Burton farm
-IJe was disturbed at breakfast the next
uornlng. Bill went straight to the point.
"Llje , " said he , "I thought I was rich ,
iiit I'm ruined ; I want you should help me ,
've got nothln' In the world but a wogon-
oad of old brass. My farm Is gone , I've
ot no team to work with and nothln' to
at. But you're rich. You've got a farm ,
ou'vo got horses , you've got provisions , ;
ml I've only got the clothes I stand In. "
"I won't go back on ye , Bill , " answered
ljo Benson. "I've seen this 'coniln' and
'vo got ready so far as I could to help my
rlends. Come up In the garret and I
?
uess wo can find a suit ot good warm
lothes that'll about fit ye. and there's
r-agon and a pair of horses In the barn that
ou can take home with a load of stuff ,
nd If ye'll come back next week I'll give ye
Job to draw bark that'll help yo to pay for re
no things. I don't culc'lato to make any
loney ou this bust up , and what you get
com mo will coat you just what ( hey cost [
ie. "
Thu next week the supervisors met again ,
he Boy Orator explained that If they
ould change the weight of the dollar from
n ounce to half an ounce everybody would
ave twice as much money as before and
nether wave of prosperity would itrlko tbo
aunty , Hen Cole ami Lev _ y , tlio peddler ,
who now wore a big diamond In his shirtfront -
front , and the agents of the lumber com
panies , also expressed themselves as think
ing that the reduction In wages and the
riseIn prices was a good thing nnd would
enable them to compete with Japan. Yet
the repeal of the tree coinage act passed
the supervisors unanimously.
Of course they could not put things quite
back where they were. Most of the prop
erty In the county had passed Into the
hands of speculators or had gone out of Its
borders to pay for the brass that had come
In. But Andy Dunlap was the richest man
In the county , though ho hadn't done a
stroke of work In years ; the Sacandaga
Illver Lumber company had never paid
such big dividends , and the Black Ulver
Lumber companj-1 had a very fine dam.
The years have > rolled by In Hamilton
county on the same standard on which they
roll by clscwhore.i Many years of hard
work have cffnoed the sears of that brief
fever of prosperity/ But the aged men still
remember , and Ivlien boy orators Invent
now means ot sudden wealth to ho gained
by calling 60 cents n dollar , some venerable
woodsman will take his pipe from his
mouth and tell the events of the summer
° f IS , and especially nnd many times
over will he niul-lils hearers who remember
these days mention with great fervency
the dnm which tsnst the Black River Lum
ber company sixty pounds weight ot ol
brass. Indeed , the word Is frequently spoke
throughout Hamlltdii county.
Long bus Lljo Ilen on silent slept ,
And Jimmy Tryon silent sleep * ;
And time tbc rulnud dam bus swept
IJown the clear stream that suiiwnr
Icnps.
Unt.n ' tnp forest's shmlow cool
Still wnrns the old nhtitmcnt stone ;
No more the trick thu HOHH wiinl ! fool
Which fooled the sires In yenrs itgonc.
THIS AM MAI , WOULD.
Comliirl or nirilM nnd HOIK < H Townr
Tllflr 1-VlllMVH III lilNil-fSN.
An Adirondack boy of 13 set out Ins' '
week to hunt four young crows that h
heard down on the flats of the West Canad
creek , near Northwood , relates the Nev
York 'Sun. It happened that the boy go
a bunch shot at the young birds , and tw
fell dead , while a third clutched at th
branch on which It was standing , pltchci
forward , and was soon hanging head down
ward , crying pitifully. The fourth youn
crow now away. The wounded crow's crle :
attracted not only Its parents , but l
other full-grown crows besides. All sever
circulated about encouraging- woundei
bird ns best they could. One of them vcu
lured In too close , nnd another shot klllci
It. The joung bird soon fell .fluttering t
the ground , when the boy killed It.
Sympathy had brought ono bird to It
death. But the crows wcro not the only
sympathizer. } with the wounded young crow
A flock of bluejays from over In Park's bal
sam swamp came across the creek am
hopped about In the branches of the blrcl
trees , protesting In bluojay talk agnlnsl
the killing of the crows. The little birds
the woodpeckers nnd the warblers , the spar
rows nnd the Bnpauckcrs peeped louder nnt
more frequently than before , showing aglta
tlon over the young crow's cries.
Once n young woodsman who wanted veil
Ison more than ho feared the game consta
ble went deer crusting in n yard away bacli
in the woods , where the snow was live feel
deep. Ho found the deer , a fair-sized buck
whoso horns had been dropped some tltnc
previously , and he nnd his companions , will
the dog leading , started on the Jump afte ;
the animal. The dog got there first am
grabbed the deer by the hams. The deei
cried out and did Its best to get away. When
at last one of the men got u knife into its
throat the woodsman observed that as man >
as fifteen or twenty bluejays had gathers
about in the trees overhead , and were pro
testing In loud , angry voices at the killing
of their woods brother.
Thu Sun told recently about a wildcat thu
visited her sweetheart that had been trappci
by a cracker down In the Okcfcnokce swam ]
In Georgia , and there Is scarcely a trappc
of fur but could tell of some story or othei
of how a beast In a trap had been vlsltei
by one of Its species. The male fox some
times kills the vixen when .she Js so un
fortunate as 'to gcb Intoa trap , and semi
woodsmen bcllcvotbat it is a heroic method
of trying to releaseher. .
The question hasibcen asked why It was
that when a cow bellowed out In distress
all the others ofi the herd promptly rushed
at her and gored -her to death. It has
often been described how wolves set upon
Injured companlonsiand tear them to pieces ,
Dogs have becni 'known to do the same
thing , while other. , dogs have been ob
served to run up ito an Injured comrade
whlnning and fau-ninj ; around as If to con
Jure away the palp.
A DOK'N U'U--r Ocuniiiitlon.
Keys , canine employe of the Union Iron
works , recently -met with an accident by
which his right front leg was broken , says
the -San Franclscm Examiner. Keys has
been looked uponby the officers of the Iron
works as one of their regular workmen for
about four years. He Is n dog of no par
tlcular beauty and his pedigree would no
be considered by dog fanciers , but be pos
scsscs wonderful Intelligence. He makes
the Potrero police station his home , and he
Is the pet ot Lieutenant Bennett , but nearly
every workman In the shipbuilding concern
claims the friendship of the 'dog. At the
first tap of the gong every morning Keys
lias reported for. duty at the Union Iron
works , and he has never left until a full
lay's work had been accomplished. He
was particularly useful In the ship yard and
In the holler shop , and the foremen of these
departments soy ho was more valuable than
i man for doing certain klnus of work. He
: ould crawl through small holes In boilers
ind about ships , and his particular work
was to carry tools , bolts , nuts , rivets and
ithcr small articles .needed by workmen
who had crawled Into such places , and to
liave them creep back and forth for such
irtlcles would cause considerable loss , of
tlnte. Keyti thoroughly understood his
work , and ho was always on hand when
needed. Yesterday n steamer was placed
in the dry dock for repairs , and the dog ,
realizing that his services might bo needed
> y the workmen , was climbing a ladder to
ho deck , when ho slipped and fell about
wenty feet. The men picked him up , and ,
naklng n stretcher of some pieces of canvas ,
arrlcd him to the police station and sent
'or a physician to set the broken limb.
A 1 > < > K mill Monkey
A score and more of people at Munrle
ere the Involuntary witnesses of ono of
ho funniest fights to a finish Imaginable ,
elates the Cincinnati Enquirer , A monkey
lelonglng to an Italian escaped from Its
lonflncment and was ambling along the
trect when It was attacked by a largo yel-
ow dog of mongrel breed. For several
econds there was such a blinding rush of
lust that the spectators could scarcely
08 which was ahead , but finally the monkey
iroke away nnd sc | i.-d up a polo clone at
land , while the dog established himself
t the foot and bayed loud and angrily ,
The monkey chatK.-red In several dialects ,
unnlng up and down , and all the time
ceplng a wary eye on Its enemy. Finally
began to slowly slide down the polo , and ,
omlng within range , It bounded plump on
he dog's back , and , with teeth and claw.
iado the hair fly. The dog jumped and
owled and shook hluibclf , the crowd yell- I
ng Itself hoarse shouting "Go It , Tlge , "
Hold to him , Monk. " The dog finally
nppcd over on It * back , dislodging the I
lonkoy , which again bounded up the pole.
By tills time thu dog was crazed with
ago and pain , , nnd It made herculean ef- I
Drta to reach Its chattering enemy , who ;
gain brought Into' plaj the same tactics
B before. A second' time It landed squarely
n the dog's back , land there was a repo-
Itlon In which teeth and claws played a
adlng role. This round resulted In a com- ;
lete victory for < the "monk , " the dog
ventually unhorsing his enemy by rolling
ver , and then bounded to his feet and
unnlng away at fast as his legs could ;
irry him. The monkey chased htm for a
w yards nnd then returned to the pole
itUfled with result * .
<
ToilllloxNiuin'iiml tlic JIornctM ,
As long as Tony ( Bloxsora of Uuntlngton ,
L I , , was content to match the game
io3ters he raises cagalnit birds of their
tvn size be did -very well , says the New
ork Sun , but orf Thursday he put up one
till very best feathered warriors against
brood of smallt but game fighters , with
Isastrous effects both to himself and thu
water. The other t parties to the conflict i
ere a swarm of ( small striped hornets ,
illed yellow Jackets.
Anybody who lias had any experience with , -
ellow Jack-its known tbat , to use the lan-
uagg of the day , they re "hot tutt" ak >
ono end. Tony Blaxsom knows It. This
particular swarm camped out In the back
yard and he didn't like It , so he went over
to Investigate their nest. Two or three , ol
them came out and gave Tony a. pointer
that he might better move along. It was
a very pointed pointer , nnd Tony raised his
voice In lamentation. Ills pet game rooster
came over to see what was going on and
n couple of yellow jackets took a shot nl
him. The bird squawked with amazed
distress and threw several agile handsprings ,
which , to paraphrase Mr. Lewis Carroll , was
odd becauseho hadn't any hands , To his
own everlasting disgrace Tony Bloxsom fled
from the field of battle Into the house and
Immersed his head In a pall of water ,
thereby drowning several hornets that had
staked out claims upon his countenance and
were boring for oil. When ho emerged from
the house three minutes later lie was
swathed In protective towels. Thu paine
rooster was getting very tired of the fight.
All around him on the ground lay yellow
jackets In sections as evidence of the de
structive powers of his beak , but all around
hint In the air flew more yellow jackets In
battalions , and his feathers were Insuinclcnt
protection. Grabbing his rooster. Tony
rushed back Into the house , and such of
the ciiemy as were nble to get In followed
him. Having got them Inside , Tony slew
them ; but not without suffering further
wounds.
Today Tony Is wearing his fnce In several
slings nnd the rooster has n carefully ad
justed collarette of wet mud , renewable
cviry hour. He may recover. Tony will
recover. The hornets nrc carrying on the
business of storing honey nt the old stand.
Tom ( 'n ( , MOIIXC IIIH ! MotiiHsr * .
A midsummer quiet rested upon Mr. Gcr-
her's dry goods emporium In Sayvlllo re
cently , , relates the New York Sun. Mr.
Gerbcr and his half dozen clerks were
drowsily waiting for the arrival of closing
time. Two young women were pawing
tentatively an assortment of silks. Mr. Gur-
ber'8 big cat sat In the doorway feeling for
a breeze with her whiskers. It was n calm
and peaceful scene.
Enter , n small mouse upon the peaceful
scene , a mouse with a sad lack of Judg
ment. It scurried across the floor in full
view ot the bead clerk. Exit the two cus
tomers with whoops of chagrin.
"Hey , Tom , sic "em ! " cried the head clerk
to the big cat , not meaning the customeis ,
but the mouse.
Tom , the big cat , doesn't understand dog
language , but the squeak of alarm which" th
mouse emitted woke him up. By this Urn
the mouse had boltc.l Into a molasses bar
rel and stuck fast In a morass of molasses
In wcn.tuTom also. When ho emerged I
ivaa with laggard feet trailing thick sweet
ness. The. mouse , covered with molasses
wns [ a l ln mouth. Ills tur was shiny wit"
molnsscq'and his whiskers reeked of It. Mi
Jei-ber and all his clerks said "Scat ! " slmul
lancously. Tom misunderstood. He sus
; > cctod they wanted that mouse for them
selves. So he bolted , but not out of th
loor. Instead he went straight down th
aisle. The entire store force turned out li
pursuit. Dodging a basket which was hurlci
at his head with evil Intent , the cat as
cendcd thu counter In one leap and pro
ceeiled to prance disastrously upon the out
spread silks. Tlicncu he departed hastll
throughnn open window , leaving wratl
and profanity behind htm.
Mr. Gerbcr has on "land a stock of waterei
silks of unique pattern.
IMiri-oiiH Oitdvlt 11 Hawk.
The Southern Sportsman told recent !
nbout n flock of pigeons that measure' '
brains with n hawk and came out on to
n the contest. H. S. Edwards owned ;
flock of pigeons which one day were cut oi
Yom their cote by n Inrge hawk. The pig
eons knew that If the hawk once got abov
them , one at least of their number wouli
fo to make the hnwlc a meal , and HO u
they flew In circles , perhaps hoping to g
higher than the hawk. In the rising gam
they wcro no match for the hawk , Th
Irtter kept under the pigeons , nnd leisurcl ;
followed their laborious movements.
Then came a curious and unexpcctei
sight to Mr. Edwnrds. Every pigeon closci
Its wings , when they nppenrcd to be th
slzu of sparrows , and down they came pas
the hawk at a terrific rate. That aston
Ishcd tbo hawlc. It actually dodged th
dropping birds , -and missed halt a doze :
wing strokes before It got In full chase o
them. When It got down to the barnyan
not n pigeon wns In sight some were ti
the cote , some In the porch , two In th
well house , and ono was In the kitchen
The hawk had been outwitted completely
It Is a question how the pigeons manage
to check their fall , as they did not slackci
up till they were nbout sixteen or twent
feet nbove the ground , when they sent
tcred In all directions to escape the hawk.
Mor.iiulio an
"I have rend accounts of fights between
turtles , between snakes and between tur
tics and snakes , " said a hunter to a Wash
Ington Star reporter , "but the hardest flgh
I ever saw was In New Jersey. I bean
a rattling and n buzzing Just ahead of me
and knew something unusual was happen
Ing. Soon I came across the scene o
trouble. A largo rattlesnake and a full
grown mosquito , such as they raise on the
Jersey coast , were engaged In n deadly
conflict. The snake kept up a constant rat-
tlci and would strike nt the mommoth In
sect , which , realizing the danger , would
with an angry buzz , get out of the way
and strike for the reptiles' eyes. I watchcc
tbo fight for an hour , when the mosquito
got n firm hold In the eye of the snake , am
In n few minutes the rattler stretched oul
straight , and the mosquito made a bee line
for me , evidently not having had fighting
enough. I shot the Insect and had both
It and the rattler stuffed. "
ou A I'nrrol , Ser - .
parrot story Is told by an Eng-
llshj-sho\vjnaiijwho : possessed a beautiful
parrot which excited the admiration of the
crowd b i Itsncapltal Imitation of the show
man's Vtifcoand tones when Inviting the
public to step Into the booth. Ono day the
creature escaped. Soon a number of men
and boys wcro on Its track , but before they
had gone far they heard a loud nolso caused
by the- screeching of birds In the wood. .
On arriving nt the spot where the sounds
proceeded , they found poor poll perched on
the withered branch of a tree , bereft ol
most of her feathers nnd surrounded by a
flock ot screeching crows , that wcro merci
lessly pecking nt her with their beaks. In
Vcrfcct Imitation of the showman's voice ,
however , tlio poor bird kept saying ;
"One at a time , gentlemen ; Don't crusli
so , please ! Take your time ! There's plenty
of room ! "
AVKli Iliul DrinUIni ; Wilier
VKK HorHforiPM Aolil I'lioN | > Iia i- .
Dr. E. G. Davles , Do Smet , South Dakota ,
says ; 'H Is ono of the best agents wo
have to rectify the bed effects of the drink
ing water upon the kidneys and bowels.
Tin * Mlrriiry Tnlii .
"Have you ajways written or Is your
talent a development of later years ? " was
nsjed.of Mrs. Cragle ( John Oliver Hobbes )
recently by a London correspondent.
"I Joved/ bette" than anything else , when
I was a child , " she confessed. "Before I
could write ( or spell for , tbat matter ) I
used to print novels with pencil. Once
when I was beginning to sit up after a long
Illness I think I was not more than 0
my "greatest Joy was to dictate long stories
to my faithful nurse. I was extremely fond
at the theater , too , when I was small , though
did. not often go. But I had a little toy
theater , of my own , quite an elaborate affair ,
with plenty of paper actors and actresses.
wrote all thn plays and acted them out. In
llffc'rent voices , for my dolls. Some of them
were of the most sensational character and
was fond of making my puppets I ( e In
rcat agony. " ft
"Were you brought up In Englandlfi was
isked. Of
"Both In Franco and England , thC7nh I
un , you know , un American. I paid a visit
o my own country when I was a child , but
ny late trip theru was the only ono I have
nailu since. Oh , yes , once 1 went back
resides , but I did not stop. It was only a
ea voyage for my health , I love America ,
iut I fee. ) naturally that my home la Eng-
and , for the future , as It has mostly been
n the past. I did want to go to Glrton , you
now , but then I married lit 18 , so all my
itudlous plans went by the board. How-
iver , I have been very diligent a ( the London
mlverslty. "
"Much has been said about your odd nom
Ie plume. Would you mind telling bow
ou happened to adopt It ? " f
"Oh , Us plainness and crudity were In-
ended as a sort of blow to my supposed
ientlmentallty. H has always been rather
Joke. "
Many a days' work l lost by sick headache ,
-auised by Jndlgestlcn and stomach troubles.
JeWltt's Little Eaily HUers are the most
ffectu l pHt for overcoming such dlttlcuUles.
7 Right in the face
'of all these old prejudices and false ideas in favor of
" \ \ soap , see what Pearlinc has done.
Hundreds of millions of packages
have been used ! That shows it
Probably there never was another
household article that came into
general use so rapidly , so wonder
fully , and from the very start , too.
You see , women were ready for
it. Most of them were tired to death
of wasting their time and strength
and money with needless and ruin
ous rubbing. It hasn't taken them
long to prove to themselves that Pearline is easiest , quickest ,
safest , most economical , in all washing and cleaning. Bvery
woman can prove it.
a : \t > i.U ! rt > vi' ( > u-ji
Has views 'on the silver question which the people
of the West should in fairness learn. New England
has invested ho.r savings largely in western enter 3
prises. She has sent her sons and daughters to R ?
establish their homes in the West. New England
looks to her children and grandchildren in the West
to aid in the right settlement of the issue of honest
money , in the common interest of all sections of
our common country.
i
OF SPRINGFIELD , MASS. 1
Is a leading newspaper of New England , whose cd- I
torial opinions are more widely quoted than those of
any journal in that section. It has alwa'ys kept in
close touch with the Great West. Its famous editor ,
the late Samuel Bowles , wrote several important
books about the West. The Republican of today ,
though an earnest advocate of the cause of sound
money , is not bigoted or narrow-minded. It is tern- ' 1 'M '
perate in tone , fair to opponents and thoroughly in '
dependent. It is ever the honest and courageous
advocate of-the true causes of the common people.
THE
An able , interesting and attractive i2-pagc news and
family jouinal , will be acnt until January I , fSp ? ,
for 25 cents. The price for a year is $ T.oo.
The price of The Daily Republican without 1
Sunday is $2.00 a quarter , with Sunday $2.50.
Specimen copies free.
The Republican , Springfield , Mass.
"EAST , WEST , HOME IS BEST , " IF KEPT
GLEAN WITH
AND
The Financial Question is an issue between
Patriotism and Americanism on tlio one hund ; Revolution und
Repudiation on the other. This Is tv jjravo crisis in the welfare ol
our country , anil the peed citizens of the West must , keep in touch
with the peed citizens of the East. Pennsylvania has long been the
banner Republican State. It is staunch and true for Sound Money ,
nnd this great cause has no udvocato more earnest , none more capa
ble , than
g The oldest daily newspaper in America. Amer S
g H lean in Everything nnd Always for tlio People Is the buttle cry , und
g - iho glorious Stars ttnd Stripes Hunt dully at the lioail of its editorial g
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q * respondents everywhere , The North American la enabled to give its
fl readers Z
ALL .THE NEWS OF THE WORLD. .
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Orders and remittances should be sent to
THE NORTH AMERICAN ,
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33SA23I
GENTS.
LADIES.
Hundred * nfri-miMlk-ii are mil IIP ( Mini-an-
Do not trlHo with Htopiwd tot-d to cum lo t maiihooil. bul iliuy don t do
ini'iiHtrimtloii , but w.iidil It. Turliisli I.OHI Mauliuuil Uapviilv * uru
fortoxTurklNliTiHibViiml warranted mid money rutiiriiwl foryverr CUHU
' ' - U docs not curu ol Weak Mpmnr. U > l liMln
1'imiirrujrnl J'lllBBHIO o .
Iliu dny. Solt ! on'by ) 1'owt-r , 1-oi.t Manhood , . '
HA UN'S I'HAIIMAOr WeukmtM of HeproducHre Or.'nnv uaiHud
. .
- - , liv vouilifiilc.-rrorH. Ulvi-Hyon new lite. Sold
JHlli nnd Fiinutiii Htn-i-tu .
Omaha , Neb , lly mall. mini oulybi Stu. JIAIIM-SPIIAKMAOy. , Omaha , Neb. tl.OU box 1HII , uy ; mid mall Par. ,
Ilie Keeley Institute
88'OT ' WHISKEY , MORPHINE , OPIUM , TOBACCO AND CIGAllETTB HABITS *
Vrlto for torwis and testimonials , Correepondunce confldontinK .
Hlair - Neb. , /j