The Murray news. (Spring Place, Ga.) 1896-19??, September 03, 1897, Image 1

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YOL. II. __THE WIND BLEW IN THE WHEAT, A sickle moon hung low and white, In tho edge of a golden west. With clanging bells the herd came home; and mother birds on the nest Thrilled to the song in that is never sung—so soft! and the so wildly sweet! wheat. The whippoorwill the marsh-land called, wind blew in the High summer had broken to hedge-row waves with a foam of elder bloom. By waste and way-stde the sweetbrier stars showed faint in the tender gloom. And nibbling hares (jrept out to play, on the silent wind velvet feet. As waxing dewdrops timed the ehant, blew in the wheat. “Benison to each bearded head, in tho land of golden grain! Ye shall dvink of tho sum, in strength and power, nor lack tho grateful rain. In Ye the bitting mills, smile ln of the the ocean Lord of pressed Hosts,” with the the wind keels blew of a in laden fleet, may read the the wheat. . ' —Martha MoCulloeh-Williams, iu Harper’s Weekly. A*RAjLWAY* vV ADVENTURE. V -*-* Ely DR. MAX NORDAU. mt i N the this windows night fl of the crowd¬ ed cafe had been thrown PM open, and m the fresh, cool air of the spring night strug¬ gled for mas¬ tery with the close tobac¬ co-laden at m o s p h e r e which filled the large hall. A glance out into the night showed the deep-blue heaven overhead and a brilliant full moon, whose cold, clear rays sparkled on the fresh foliage of the budding trees as they swayed gently to and fro in the light breeze. The members of the society to which I at this time belonged bad been accus¬ tomed for some time past to reserve a certain table in the cafe for them¬ selves, where they met every evening to chat over and discuss the events of the passing hour. They were, for the most part, respectable citizens, who had far more appreciation for bright gas-light and a good dinnerJhan for the charms of a glorious spring night, nothing was further removed from their thoughts on this particular occa¬ sion than a romantic contemplation of the beauties of nature. On the night I am speaking of our conversation was of a prosaic enough character, as was only natural in a small town, and exhausted itself in discussions about local matters, the theatre, taxes, and similar—to an outsider—extremely un interesting topics. Through some chance remark, how¬ ever, which I can uo longer recall, the question had sprung up if it were really credible that a man’s hair could suddenly become grey in consequence of a violent shock to the mind. Some of those present were only half inclined to disbelieve this somewhat startling theory, whilst others could not be sufficiently scathing iu the remarks they made concerning people who were simple enough to place any credence in such nursery tales. As the discussion grew warmer and warmer, until every member of our party was engaged either in champion¬ ing or combating the question in point, a man, seated near us, rose slowly, pushing his chair from him, and ap¬ proached our table. He was a fine, tall fellow, of herculean build, and his in¬ telligent features, which bore an ex¬ pression of great determination, were rendered very striking by a pair of keen blue eyes; but what made his appearance still more remarkable was the fact that both his hair and beard were as white as snow, although they surrounded a countenance which would not permit one to reckon his age at more than about thirty-five. “Excuse me, gentlemen, if 1 am in¬ terrupting your conversation,” he re¬ marked, bowing politely to us. “You were just discussing a subject that has more than an ordinary interest for me. I happen myself to be a living proof that, under certain circumstances, a terrible shock to the mind can pro¬ duce that self-same physical effect of which you were just speaking, and which the majority of you seem to dis¬ credit. ” These words naturally excited the curiosity of all present to the highest degree. We quickly made room for our new acquaintance at the table, and, when he had seated himself comfortably, urged him to had] relate to ns the circumstances which pro¬ duced such a strange and sadden change in his appearance, The stranger feigned no great shyness, and acquiesced in the most pleasant manner possible by relating to us the following: have “If any of you gentlemen ever interested yourselves more closely in American affairs, the name of Auburn cannot well be strange to you; it de¬ notes much the same for the United States as Spielberg does for Austria. You must not picture Auburn to your¬ selves merely as a gloomy and exten¬ sive prison—as one large, solitary building—no 1 It is rather an entire colony of criminals, a sort of town or metropolis for the wretches that the community has thrust out. “Shut in by immense walls, which rise up from the level plain to a con siderable height, are crowded to gether a large number of detached Murray News SPRING PLACE. GA., FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 3. 1897. buildings—houses that contain the prison-cells, warders’ dwellings, hos¬ pital, and workshops—all sullen and forbidding-looking; and here and there dotted about may be seen a small patch of grass, a few trees, and, very occa¬ sionally, a flower-bed, like the last lingering recollections of innocent childhood amongst the black thoughts of a criminal. “Certain events, which would have but little interest for you, had led to my journeying from Hamburg—my birthplace—to America, immediately after the completion of my studies, and, after a short stay in New York, I ac¬ cepted the post of prison-doctor at Au¬ burn, which, as you perhaps know, is situated in the State of New York. I was intrusted with the medical su¬ pervision over that part of the prison which was set apart for the worst class of criminals—men, or I should say, human hyenas, whose blood, as Mepliistopheles says, had already ceased to be ‘a fluid of rare quality. ’ “Two of these wretches were des¬ tined to spend the remainder of their days iu the prison, and they, by rea¬ son of their great physical strength as well as by the extraordinary cunning they had evinced in several desperate attempts to regain their freedom, were subjected to even closer super¬ vision than the rest of their compan¬ ions. I was an object of particular hatred and dislike to these two scoun-. drels, because I bad been instrumen¬ tal m tbe discovery of a number of iron implements which they—God only knows how they had obtained possession of them!—had concealed under their clothes; and again on another occasion, because I had re¬ fused to receive them into the hospi¬ tal when they feigned illness, expect¬ ing doubtless when they were once in there that they would find more favorable opportunities for ac¬ complishing their escape. The ruf¬ fians were separated and placed in re¬ mote parts of the prison, and were laden with chains; but in spite of all these precautions, one fine morning the one, and a few days later the other, together with their chains, had disappeared without leaving a trace behind them. “It must have been almost a fort¬ night after the flight of these two criminals, which had caused the ut¬ most consternation amongst the authorities at Auburn, that I ordered my horse one afternoon, and started off for a ride to Cayuga Bridge. It was midday when I reached the end of my journey, and I stood still for some time contemplating with silent delight the exquisite scenery which lay stretched out for miles before me. The Cayuga Lake, one of those which, that together with Lake Erie, compose vast system of inland seas in the State of New York, lay in all its beauty at my feet. The long, slender streak of silver wound in and out of the rugged black cliffs which hemmed it in, and which rose sheer up out of the lake, facing each other like grim opponents who had for thousands of years bid one another defiance. Far down the lake, which is forty miles long, and at this particular spot about one broad, I could discern the enormous trestle-bridge, a marvel of American engineering skill, which carries the Auburn division of the New York Cen¬ tral Railway across, passing on its way through the small station of Cayuga Bridge. village “My business in the was soon finished, and towards evening I started home again. Do you know how de¬ lightful a ride on a summer’s evening is? Cayuga Bridge is surrounded by extensive oak forests, through which the greater part of my journey lay.. The gnarled aud massive trunks cast long shadows, and the foliage rustled so gently in the soft evening breeze, that one seemed rather to feel than to hear it. As I rode between these giants of the forest, sweet recollections of my distant home crept into my heart, and, sunk in my thoughts, I let the reins fall on my horse’s neck, who trotted steadily forward. I admired the mar vellous variety of color that the rays of the setting sun produced as they shone through the mass of dark-green leaves, and seemed to kindle their edges into flame. “Suddenly I was startled out of my i reverie by a slight noise which ap ! peared to come from the undergrowth j j on sharply either round, side of I grasped the road. my revolver. Turning —;--; --: -rr===; but in the same moment I received a stunning blow on the back of my head, which knocked me senseless from my saddle. Onoe more I recollectopening my eyes, and thinking that I could see indistinctly one of the escaped criminals bending over me, and then all became a blank, ‘ ‘It must havo been late in the night when consciousness again returned to me. Slowly opening my eyes, I saw far above me the dark blue vault of the sky, and the full moon shining bright¬ ly. A dull, painful sensation at the back of my head prompted me to place my hand there, and then I discovered that I was bound hand and foot. Grad¬ ually I collected my thoughts; I re¬ membered now the murderous attaok iu the forest, and a fearful foreboding flashed through my mind, which al¬ most caused my heart to stand still. I felt that I was laid across two sharp parallel projections, which cut into my shoulders and the back of my legs, causing me iutanse pain, and far be¬ low me I could hear the gentle plash¬ ing of water. “Heavensj there could no longer be any doubt: I was lying stretched across Cayuga Bridge, bound, incapable of moving an inch, with the hideous and absolutely certain prospect of being cut literally to pieces by the next train that passed. For the second time that night I almost swooned as I realized my situation; but by a powerful effort of will I recovered myself, and tugged desperately at the ropes that bound me until they cut almost into my muscles; I shrieked, and wept finally like a child. I made mad endeavors to roll myself into another position, and then recollected that a careless movement might precipitate me into the flood be¬ low—bound hand and foot, to sink like a stone! “A shudder ran through my frame, and I lay motionless again; but not for long, for the light of the great.—almost fearfully bright—moon overhead, the ripple of the water deep below me, the breeze that came in light puffs, and then died away again, giving place to a death-like stillness, occasionally broken by the scream of some distant night-bird—all was unbearable, and caused me the anguish of death. And then the rails! the rails! My thoughts were torturing me,'and yet I could not escape them. The wooden twice of the bridge vibrated perceptibly from the movement of the water below, and I thought that I could already feel the approach of the train, and my hair bristled with the horror of it. The breeze now blew somewhat stronger, and I Imagined that I could already hear, far away in the distance, the puffing and panting of the looomotive, and my heart stood still, to beat with redoubled force the next moment. “There are certain things, gentle¬ men, which are absolutely incompre¬ hensible to me: one of them is the fact that I was able to survive that night. One thought stood ever clear in my mind: I must endeavor by some means to shift my position—if possible, to one between the metals—if I did not wish, possibly even in the next mo¬ ment, to become the prey of the most awful death one could conceive. And I succeeded! I strained every muscle, every sinew', till I could strain no more. I wound and twisted myself, and panted until I thought my head must burst, and after superhuman exertions, which appeared to last an eternity, and perhaps lasted but a minute, I found myself in the hollow between the rails. “Was I. saved? I had no time to consider that, or to rejoice over the fresh chance of life which was now offered to me, for my whole being con¬ centrated itself in intent listening. Far away in the distance I could now hear —first of all indistinctly, and then gradually increasing as it drew nearer and nearer—the regular, monotonous panting which heralds the approach of a locomotive. The fearful stillness of the night gave way, as each minute passed, to the more fearful noise, to the clanking and thundering of the en¬ gine ns it raced on towards me at the headlong speed of American trains. Now a thousand feet more—now five hundred—all the horrors of hell pos¬ sessed me; but I lay without moving a muscle. Once, indeed, I triedto scream. I could no longer hear my own voice; how, then, could the people in the train be expected to hear me? And now for an immeasurably short space of time a blaze of light beat down upon me, and a blast of hot air rushed over me, then everything became dark, and I heard ft thunder as if the heavens were crashing in. Close, quite close, at scarcely a hairbreadth’s distance, rushed the enormous mass over me. I was saved! “Already half-unconscious, I was still sensible of a deafening clattering and roaring above me, and I saw shad¬ ow-like masses flying past; still one moment more of deadly anguish—one of the coupling-hooks, hanging some¬ what lower than the rest, had caught and dragged me several yards, tearing finally a large piece out of the breast of my coat—then all objects seemed to whirl around me, the moon, the bridge, and the lofty cliffs, in one mad dance, and I became insensible. When I next woke I found myself in my own bed, and around me well known faces. And now to be brief: I had been found on the morning after that awful night by a plate-layer who had recognized me, and had brought me back to Auburn. For a fortnight I lay delirious with brain fever, hover¬ ing between life and death; but my strong constitution pulled me through. The first time after my reoovery that I had occasion to use a looking-glass, I saw what traoes those moments had left on me.” The doctor ceased speaking; but his pale face, the look of horror, and the great beads of sweat on his forehead all showed how keen his recollection •was of that terrible experience, We also had listened to his narrative with breathless attention, and it was some time before we oould shake off the im¬ pression it had left upon us.—From the German, in Strand Magazine. WORDS_ OF WISDOM. 1 Society is the book of women— Jean Jacques Rousseau. Behavior is a mirror in which every one displays his image.—Goethe. Life is not so short but there is always time for courtesy.—Emerson. Mail’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn.*—Burns. Labor rids us of three evils—irk¬ someness, vice and poverty.—Vol¬ taire. In business three things are neces¬ sary—knowledge, temper and time. —Feltham. Whatever makes men good Chris¬ tians makes them good citizens.— Daniel Webster. Labor to keep alive in your heart that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.—Washington. One part of knowledge consists in being ignorant of such things as are not worthy of being known.—Orates. The fountain of beauty is the heart and every generous thought illus¬ trates the walls of your chamber,— Bovee. Nature gives us many children and friends, to take them away; but takes none away to give them us again.— Sir W. Temple. There is no open door to the tem¬ ple of success. Every one makes his own door, which closes behind him to all others.—Marden. The diligent fostering of a oandid habit of mind, even in trifles, is a mat¬ ter of high moment both to character and opinion.—Howson. The youth who starts out by being sf>-«Art to spprik what he thinks will usually end by being afraid to think what he wishes.—Marden. It is with narrow-souled people as with narrow-necked bottles—the less they have in them the more noise they make in pouring it out.—Pope. If any one speak ill of thee, con¬ sider whether he hath truth on his side; and if so, reform thyself, that his censures may not affect thee.— Epictetus. Wheu infinite happiness is put in one scale against infinite misery in the other; if the worst that comes to the pious man if he mistakes be the best that the wicked can attain to if he be in the right, who can, without mad¬ ness run the venture.—Locke. Pearl Farming;. James Clark, of Queensland, “the king of the jiearl fishers,” who em¬ ploys 1500 men and 250 vessels in har¬ vesting his crop, recently told a cor¬ respondent of the Melbourne Age: “I have been fifteen years engaged in pearl fishing. My experience has led me to the belief that, with proper in¬ telligence in the selection of a place one can raise pearls and pearl shells as easily aB one can raise oysters. I started my farm three years ago, and have stooked it with shells which I ob¬ tained in many instances far out at sea. My pearl shell farm covers 500 square miles. Over most of it tlife water is shallow. In shallow water shells attain the largest size. I ship my pearls to London in my own ves¬ sels. The catch each year runs, roughly speaking, from 8200,000 up to almost five times that amount.” Reed’s First Speech. The one which opened Reed’s way to fame as a man was short. It was delivered (not long after he began his career iu Congress. He had not, up to that time, taken much part in de¬ bate, but one day, while he was mak¬ ing a somewhat labored argument, an older member tried to break him up by putting a question to him suddenly and demanding an immediate answer. Reed gave the answer readily. Then he paused, turned toward the speaker’s desk and drawled out: “And now, having embalmed that fly in the liquid amber of my remarks, I will go on again.” The house roared, The galleries took it up. The newspaper correspondents sent it flying all over the country, and to his own surprise more than any one’s else, Reed found himself a man of note from that hour, —Illustrated American. Fire in a Carious Place. A fire has occurred, of all curious places, in the ice-cold storage vaults of a New York firm. While the fire¬ men were at work a vessel containing ammonia used in the refrigeration ex¬ ploded, instantly spreading its fumes in all directions. For several hours the firemen fought the flames in the cellars, working in a freezing at¬ mosphere amid stifling smoke and am monia vapor, Ultimately, however, tbe fire was subdued. One fireman lost his life, while two were taken to the hospital, suffering terribly from the effects of the ammonia and the in¬ tense cold.—Scientific American. OUR BUDGET OF HUMOR. LAUCHTER-PROVOKING -STORIES FOR LOVERS OF FUN. The Modern Marco—Fair to Look Upon—A Ivldleuloua Ouch!I on—In Waatilngtoit— Fp» and Downs—Labors Divided—An Easy Exploit— Snvlng Labor, Etc., Etc. At midnight, in his gold boudoir, The broker dreamed, with smiling lip, That Greeks and Turks, in strife afar, Hud made wheat take another skip. —Detroit Freo Press. A liidlcnlons Question. Miss Flitterley—“Oh, Mr. Soper, didn’t I see yon asleep iu church?” Mr. Soper—“I really could not say if you did.”—Pick-Me-Up. In Washington. Office Seeker—“Have you given up all hope of getting that job?” Ex-Office Seeker (sadly)—“Yes, I’ve just grasped the situation.” Dps and Downs. “Betterdays has come down in the world, hasn’t he?” “Decidedly. He’s living on the top floor of n tenement.”—Puck. Fair to Look Upon. “Miss Highaee is a beautiful singer, isn’t she?” “Very. That was all that made her singing endurable.”—Washington Times. Acrhe Lord Speaks. “Doy luBfcink hi^price?” it's true that every man has asked the heiress. “I’m sure I don’t know,” he an¬ swered thoughtfully, “but if you want a bargain you needn’t look any further. ” —Chicago Post. Labor* Divided. Parke—“I have a joint account in the bank with my wife now.” Lane—“Good! You make an even thing of it, eh?” “Yes. I put the money in and she draws it out. ”—Detroit Free Press. A—- An Easy Exploit. Brown— “I don’t see why bo much fuss should be made about Queen Vic¬ toria reigning sixty years.” Jones—“Nor I. We have thousands of statesmen who would guarantee to hold on to a job sixty years, provided they didn’t die aud were notremoved.” —Puck. Golden Bridge Building. “Of course you’ll give me one little kiss before I go,” he pleaded. She looked at him intently for a minute and sighed. “It’s pretty high pay,” she replied, “but if yon will go early enough I sup¬ pose I’ll have to call it a bargain. ”— Chicago Post. SuvLabor. “Our typewriter girl asked the boss if he couldn’t lighten her work this hot weather.” “What did he say?” “He told her not to hit her type¬ writer keys so hard and to lick her postage stamps only on the corners.” —Chicago Record. The Returned Student. Upton—“Well, I see your son is home from college. What does he in¬ tend to do?” Manville—“I don’t know exactly, but, judging from the start he has made, I’m inclined to believe that he proposes to put in most of his time ex¬ plaining how he was turned down when the racing crew was chosen.”— Cleveland Leader. ‘What He Wanted to See. “Did you see the account of the new submarine boat?” “Yes; but I didn’t read it. It doesn’t interest me, you know.” “It certainly indicates extraordinary progress.” direc¬ “Of course; but in the wrong tion. Enough boats go down now. What I want to see is one that is guaranteed to stay up.”—Chicago Post. A Caprice of Fortune. “I noticed in th’ colyumns of the daily pr-press that Actor Bancroft was knighted by th’ gr-r-rncious hand of the lady queen. Now, who in Erebus is Bancroft?” “Barnsy, me boy, I dunno. I un¬ derstood he was retired.” “Gods! Listen to that! Retired! Such is ourpr-r-rofession. The obsolete and spavined oldlaid-on-the-sbelf gets garters, while we active ornamentous of the stage can’t even connect with dime suspenders! Truly it is a parlous world,”—Cleveland Plain Dealer. Clever Trick With »n Umbrella. A clever aud practical device for hiding a portable washstand aud toilet set was carried out by a bright young woman recently iu the following way: A large canvas umbrella, such as artists use out of doors wheu sketch¬ ing, served for the frame work. This was raised in the corner of an artist’s room and secured in place, and from it a full curtain of figured material was hung. Dog Meet* the Mail Train. A big black dog of uncertain breed seizes the mailbag when it is thrown off the train at a certain rural town in Georgia and scampers away with it to the postoffice. It is said he seems to know the time when the train is due, and is always punctually at his post. NO. «. WORDS. If words could satisfy tho heart. The heart might find less care; But words, like summer clouds, depart, And leave hut empty air. The heart, a pilgrim on tho earth. Finds often, when it needs. That wordBnre of as little worth As just so many weeds. A little said—and truly said— Can deeperjoy impart Thau hosts of words that reach the head, But never touch the heart. The voice that winds its sunny way A lonely the home to cheer Has oft fewest words to'say, But, oh, those few—how dear! PITH AND POINT. The happy people are not those who do right, but those who are blessed with conceit.—Atchison Globe. The secret of success has been fair¬ ly well kept, consideriug that so many people are anxious to tell all about it. —Puck, Ruralville Citizen—“Did you enjoy the band concert last night?” Another Ruralville Citizen—“All but the mn sio.”—Puck. A close friend is one who will not lend you any raouey, and a dear friend is one who borrows all yon will give him.—Columbus State Journal. First Golfer—“Did you hear about Weaver? He’s learning to play lawn tennis.” Second Golfer—“He must be paying an election bet,”—Brook¬ lyn Life. A person who judges solely by baseball standards can’t be made to see how it was that Turkey won when Greece made all the runs.—Philadel¬ phia Times. Ethel—“Wonder why Good Friday is oalled Good Friday?” Freddy— “Why, you s’prise me—it’s named after Robinson Crusoe's faithful ser¬ vant, of course.”—Judge. “Do yon mean to say that you have actually seen such a fashion as that?” “Certainly I have.” “Where?” “On the fashion page of a Sunday news¬ paper.”—Chicago Evening Post. “My wife has joined a physical culture class,” remarked the Judge. “All the exercise my wife takes is to run up dry goods and millinery bills,” replied the Major.—Pittsburg Chron¬ icle-Telegraph. Clara—“I don’t know how jon manage to break oft'yonr engagements, aud still keep them as friends. I can’t.” Maude—“But I always make it a point to return all their presents.” —Brooklyn Life. “I have proposed to seven girls al¬ ready this season,” said Timmins, “and I haven’t been able to get ac¬ cepted once. Dinged if I am not be¬ ginning to feel like one of my poems.” —Indianapolis Journal. “Did you hear old Gotrox boasting that his life had always been free aud open to the observation of all the world?” “I did. And yet everybody knows that his first big money was made in a corner.”—Indiauapolis Journal. “I see that some scientist claims that death is largely a matter of habit, depending upon thought aud all that,” he said. “Nonsense,” she replied. “Did you ever know any one who was in the habit of dying?” she returned. —Chicago Post. “Mrs. Stebbins is tho meanest wo¬ man on earth.” “Whathas she done now?” “She gave her little bo Lm slice of bread and butter, and told to go out and sit where he could smell the blackberry jam Mrs. Perkins was making.”—Chicago Record. “Yez kuow Casey, the contractor,” said Mr. Dolan, “Oi do,” replied Rafferty. “Is he what ye’d call re¬ liable?” “He is the most reliable man Oi iver knew. Whiiiever he tells yez anythin’ ye kin depind on it’s not bein'so. ”—Washington Star. “Does your wife take any interest in current politics?” asked the earnest woman. “Naw,” replied Mr. Sod farm, “she don’t. But if it’s currant jelly or currant pie, why, I allow she could tell yon more things about ’em ’n you ever dremp of.”—Household Words. Why a Boy Was Good Fifty Year* Ago. Assistant Marshal Wright amused himself the other day with watching a small boy, who thought he was unob¬ served, try to let the wind out of a bi cyole standing iu front of the Western Union office. He unscrewed the cap from the valve and then glauoed about to see if any one was looking; then he squeezed the tire, put his knee on it, and tried various means to get the air out, looking, meanwhile, to see if the owner was coming. He finally had to give up. Mr. Wright said to ex-Mar shal Hendrick: “Talk about bad boys; they wouldn’t have done that fifty years ago.” Mr. Hendrick, evidently a believer in the boy of to-day, answered: “Oh, no; they didn’t have bicycles fifty years ago.’’—Springfield Repub¬ lican. Returning to Palestine. During the last few years nearly 150,000 Hebrews have entered Jerusa¬ lem, and the arrival of another host is said to be imminent. Already the railways are opening the country and be¬ tween the coast and Jerusalem Damascus, and a Hebrew migration on a large scale may cause Syria to be¬ come once more of vast importance in the Eftst. __