Morganton news. (Morganton, Ga.) 1891-1???, July 23, 1891, Image 7

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MERINO SHEEP. History of Their Introduction in the United States. American Merinos Far Ahead of the Original Stock. American Merino sheep history is one of strange vicissitude—of wild and unreasonable inflation and still more unreasonable depression. The first importation ot which there is any authentic record was that of a fine Merino sheep sent as a present to a Mr. Foster of Boston. So far from comprehending the value of the gift he had the animal slaughtered and ate the mutton. He pronounced it “deli¬ cious” ; it certainly was costly, for he soon after paid a thousand dollars for another sheep of the same kind. The incidents attending the advent of the breed to these shores are typical of its career ever since. During the first decade of the present century thou¬ sands of fine Merinos were brought from Spain, and sold at prices ranging from three hundred to one thousand dollars each. Then came the noiMntercourse acts, the embargo, and the war of 1812-14 between the United States and Eng¬ land which gave an enormous stimu¬ lus to the woolen industry. Fine wool was sold as high as three dollars per pound and the sheep brought corres¬ ponding prices. Five years after the end of the war those sheep or their immediate descendants were a drug in the market at a dollar each. With the American ports reopened to com¬ merce, a flood of foreign textile fab¬ rics was poured . to the country over- whelming the American manufactures of woolen goods. The woolen mills were closed, the operatives thrown ont of employment were driven to farm work,increasing to a still greater extent the surplus of farm products for which there was no sale. Wool, except for the limited amounts used in household industries, was without a market, and sheep had only a nominal value. Flocks which had been the wealth and pride of their owners were slaughtered olf. Nor have the bitter experiences of those two de¬ cades been wholly without parallel in later times. The last forty years have witnessed fluctuations in sheep hus¬ bandry, which if not as violent were as needless and as preventable as those. Meantime tho Merino sheep, beset by wild animals, worried by dogs,and tossed in the whirlwinds of political contests, has kept on adding millions of dollars to the national wealth, fur¬ nishing employment to thousands of tusy hands supplying both food and clothing. The breed has not only survived all vicissitudes without de¬ preciation, but has improved to such an extent that, the American Merino of today is as far ahead of the origi¬ nal stock as a Rhode Island Greening or Northern Spy is ahead of a wild crab-apple. This is wholly due to the enterprise, intelligence and “pluck” of American breeders and flockmas- ters. Holding on to their flocks through evil and good report—often at serious pecuniary loss—they have strictly maintained the purity of the breed, and advanced it in excellence, until the American Merino is beyond question the best fine-wooled sheep in the world, A perfect, typi- cal sheep is level, broad-backed, with a well-developed, symmetrical body, standing on good strong legs, the whole covered with a true Merino fleece, a year’s growth of which should weigh, unwashed, as high as even twenty-five pounds from ewe and forty from a ram. A well-bred American Merino is a bold, upstand¬ ing animal. He has a stately grace, inherited from a long line of ances¬ tors which would seem to have caught something of it from the high-born Spanish dames who held exclusive possession of tho breed for so many centuries. The American Merino im¬ proves every ether fine-wooled sheep with which it is crossed. In Australia they are eagerly sought because they add density to the open but otherwise admirable fleeces of the countless flocks which graze there.— [American Agriculturist. Gargoyle—I should think that wo¬ men could find more congenial em¬ ployment in banks than anywhere else. Mrs. Gargoyle—Why? Gar¬ goyle—Because money talks. The First Martyr of (lie Revolution. All of the school histories and popular text-books give us to under¬ stand that on April 19, 1775. at Lex¬ ington, Mass., the first blood of the American war of independence was shed. Within the last few years his¬ torians, who have been giving tho matter much attention, claim West¬ minster, Vt., ns the scene of the first tragedy in that memorable conflict and one William French as the victim. Vermont at that time was a part of New York. The people of the Ver¬ mont district were badly worked up over tho royalist question, and had decided not to allow the regular ses- sion of the King’s court to be held in Westminster that spring. Accordingly, when the court officers wore sent they were accompanied by a body of royal troops. The people were exasperated, and assembled in tho Court House to resist. When the court officials and troops arrived orders were given for the people to vacate the room, This they refused to do, when the troops of George III. crossed the grounds and fired into the little band of patri¬ ots, “wounding some,” the accounts say, “and instantly killing William French, who was shot clean through the head with a musket ball.” French was buried in the church- yard at Westminster, and a stone with the following inscription was erected to his memory: “In memory of William French Who Was Shot at Westminster, March ye 12th, 1775,- by the hand of the Cruel Ministerial tools of George ye 3d at the Court House at 11 o’clock at Night, in the 23 year of his Age.”— The Pitcairn Islanders. Of course, everyone hasdieard of the remarkable colony on Pitcairn island, the little rock in the Pacific Ocean, less than three square miles in extent, where the mutineers of the Bounty took refuge in 1789 with the women they had stolen from the island of Tahiti. There many of their descen - ants live today, one of the happiest and most contented communities in the world. Pitcairn island became too small to hold this prolific people, and in 1856 the entire population 11 was re- moved to Norfolk island, far west of their native home. A part of them, however, yearned fov Pitcairn and re¬ turned to the little rock that gave them Birth. There are, therefore, now two settlements of the descendants of the mutineers, one on Norfolk island and one on Pitcairn. A more wonderful story was never told than that of those sunny-hearted people who, having their origin in crime and bloodshed, have been shield¬ ed from nearly all the temptations that beset the world, and are now a pros¬ perous Christian people, simple mind¬ ed, pure and upright. No such thing as a jail has ever existed at Pitcairn island. The world seldom hears from this handful of people, living in (lie far southern Pacific Ocean, but it is always glad to learn tidings of their welfare, and when news does come it rarely fails to report the continued prosperity of this remarkable settle¬ ment. A while ago the Pitcairn Isl¬ anders celebrated the hundredth anni¬ versary of the landing of their fathers on Pitcairn rock. Dearly as they love their little home, it is probable that some of them will be compelled to emigrate before many years, because its population is again becoming crowded.— [Goldthwaite’s Magazine. Sand Tornadoes. A German physician who has passed several winters iu southern Italy claims to have discovered the cause of the sick headaches and respiratory troubles so often experienced during the prevalence of a protracted sirocco. Having noticed that those symptoms are observed even without a percepti¬ ble increase of temperature, lie con¬ structed an apparatus enabling him to demonstrate that the atmosphere of southerly gales is impregnated with countless particles of fine sand. On tha limitless plains of the Sahara those gales oftgn acquire the force of a hur¬ ricane, and whirl up sand-clouds to a height of several miles; from there the upper air-currents carry them across the Mediterranean, aud even across the eastern Alps, since in the valley of the Danube southwest storms are often accompanied by a curious haze, hanging for days about the hill-tops like the smoke of a forest- fire.— [Belford. LIKE CORN IN A GRANARY. HUMAN BODIES PILED UP IN A MEXICAN GRAVEYARD. A Ghastly Sight in tho Strangest Burying Ground of tho World— Mexican Burial Customs. The strangest burying ground of the world is here at Guanahuato, writes Frank G. Carpenter to the New York World. I have visited the most curious graveyards on record, but I have never Been anything that compares with the horrors I saw to-day. Imagine if you can the bones of a hundred thousand human beings torn to pieces and piled one on the top of another like so much corn in a granary. Put all ages and sexes together. Tear them limb from limb and mix the mass of skulls, legs, arms and ribs together so that the bony fingers of one runs into the hollow eyes of its neighbor and the parts of the differ¬ ent skeletons lose themselves in tho vast pile of this vaulted granary of bones. The cemetery of this city of Guana¬ huato is situated on the top of a high hill overlooking the town. I entered by its wide gate and found myself sur¬ rounded by great walls in a court which contained perhaps five acres of ground. The walls of this court were about eight feet thick, and as I examined them I found that fchsy were in fact made up of pigeon holes about three feet square and six feet deep, some of which were open and others of which were closed with marble slabs on which were printed the na mes and virtues of the dead who were shelved away within. There were thou- 3 ands of these pigeon holes, and my guide showed me a card giving the rates. From it I sec that these holes are rented out to the bodies of the dead, and the guide tells me that the most of them arc taken lor about five years, after which the bones of the deceased are taken out, the pigeon hole is cleaned and it is ready for the next occupant. It costs $25 for the use of one of these pigeon holes for five years, and this seems to be the short¬ est term for which they are leased. A man who wants one perpetually can have it by paying $100, and if he cares to crowd his whole family into the same bole he can have it for the lump sum of Leaving . tne court I was next con¬ ducted into the great storehouse for tho bones of the dead after their leases have expired and they have been ousted by their landlords from their tenements above. There I saw great piles of skulls and other pieces of skeletons jum¬ bled together in all sorts of shapes and mixed up into in' one heterogenous mass of bones, rising a slanting way the floor of the tunnel at an angle of forty-five degrees to the roof. Every¬ thing was jumbled together in the of great the democracy of death. The bones old and young were piled in rested and on in one the another. The feet of men skulls of women, and I saw a great-toe in the grinning teeth of what may have once been a beautiful girl. About an¬ other skull the bones of an arm were thrown almost caressingly, and legs and arms, whole and in bits, were piled up one on the top of another like so many stones, and the whole, ghastly as it was, looked more like the piled up Indian corn in a crib than anVtbing else. I had my camera with me in (his vault, and I wished to take a photograph of it. There was, however, no place on which to rest the camera, and I suggested to the guard of the cemetery that he go get a board. lie at once picked up a coffin trom a little pile which contained the mummies of babies, and taking the mummy out held it under his arm while he propped the coffin on end and made it stand level by putting a thigh bone from the great heap under one corner. Upon this I rested my camera and suc¬ ceeded in taking a very fair picture. Be¬ fore I left I took a picture of and this another man with the mummy in his arms of him and his brother ghoul holding up the municipal coffin, in which all the dead of this town have to brought to the grave¬ yard. There are no hearses in this moun¬ tain city, and the town has fixed rates for the rent of its coffins. These coffins are so big that another coffin can be put inside of them, and they are carried on the shoulders of the bearers up the steep hill. As soon as they enter the cemetery the coffins are placed on a ledge or stone table and are opened, for the purpose, it is said, of seeing that not more than one corpse is buried iu one coffin, and that the ceme¬ tery gets its full fee for every corpse. perhaps the only Mexico City is place in the world where the street cars are the hearses. A funeral costs $500 if at all respectable, and in tho case of for¬ eigners the expenses run up into the thousands. This is especially so when it is desired to take the bodies out of the country. If the friends of the dead are not posted all sorts of extravagant charges are imposed upon them, and the estate of a Kansas millionaire named Smith, who died here lately, paid $2000 for expenses here. Among the charges was one of $800 for embalming, and I heard of a case yesterday in which a Mexican embalmer or doctor charged $5000 for preparing for shipment the body of a Frenchmm who died here. Next year all students in St. Peters¬ burg, Russia, are to have their heads measured. Brazil’s exports for 1891 are estimated at $200,000,000. The Stars and Stripes. The American flap—the stars and the glorious red, white and blue—has under¬ gone several changes within the past six¬ teen months The admission of North Dakota, S >uth Dakota, Washington and Montana recently, added tour stars to the blue field of the flag; then came Idaho, and now the latest new state, Wyoming, the claims a star in the constellation of union. The flags of the government are always changed on the Fourth of July, and bow the spangled banner of forty- four stars is the standard of the union. Here are the terms announced of the president’s ihc latest order, as to army: flag “The field or union of the national in use in the army will, on and after July 4, 1891, consist of forty-four stars in six rows, the upper and lower rows to have eight sta's, and the second, third, fourth and fifth rows seven stars each.” Cash and Credit Accommodation. Clerk—“Here is a lot of goods for Mr. Smith ought to be sent out to-day.” Proprietor—“Can’t do it. Too mauy orders ahead.” “They are not for the Mr. Smith who pays cash, but the Mr. Smith who has an account here—good deal overdue, too.” “Oh! hire an extra team and take them out .”—Street <6 Smith's Good News. w^rorSEoid“ e0 Brow n n ’B7^ OV Bu: ™vL splendid eb eSs^birind*ct tonic for and re children. s‘Kivia. women Waste of money and time usually go hand inhan< h _ Van Winkle Gin and Machinery Co- Atlan- ta, Ga„ manufacture Cotton Gins, Feeders, Ice Condensers, Presses, Cotton-Seed Oil Mills, Machinery, Shafting, Write Pulleys,Tanks, Pumps, disc'ts. Wind-Mills, Etc. for prices and FITS stopped free by Dr. Kline’s Great Nerve Restorer. No Fits after first day’s use- Marvelous cures. Treatise and trial bottle free. I)r. Kline, 931 Arch St., Pkila., Pa. FOB Swifts Specific S. S. S. medicine. Considered For over Mr. Henry V. fifty WestVa.. says: years, cure of Scrofula it has been the most had the disease all all his life until curing age, and his of blood bittered by it. sorts all sorts of trouble from benefited him he took S. S. S. ordinary poison from his a him sound and pimple to the worse types BOOKS Of/ BLOOD 4 HD SKlH DISEASES I ■ V & ’S •4 irffll v- 1 'M FOR GIVE IT TO TEETHING CHILDREN » IT WILL SAVE THEIR LIVES. DON’T let your druggist or merchant per¬ suade you that something else will tlo as well, tor it WON’T. A T EVER before in the history of live stock has such success attended 1 1 |\j 1 the resist efforts disease, of breeders and containing in perfecting the an elements animal possessing of rapid growth the power and to having# great size as the OHIO IMPROVED Chester bogs, two the weighed States 2,800 and foreign lbs. countries, These have facts, excited together the with our of enormous competitors, sales who iD^gjpr; ugsr envy call in question the facts claimed. \^e therefore have decided to convince pair! JS&Jr every one of the superiority of this breed each by locality offering to sell a ON TIME to the first applicant from with references. reception® Foreign countries having taken steps to re-open their ports for the Ijr of American pork*, also the fact that fanners have sent all sizes to the butcher, rnggpr has already caused a lively demand for brood sows and pigs for breeders. ■***" ; They see their mistake, and that the raising of a superior breed of hogs that \ have a vigorous.and strong constitution, with consequent ability to resist the I attacks of disease, will in the near future take rank with the most profitable I industries. First come first served on a pair on time and an Agency, e a n n d d fec d uT^Sn m cf The L.B,SILVER CO,.Cleveland,0. esj & Physicians. ro Best Cough Medicine. Recommended by CD Cures where all else fails. without Pleasant and agreeable By druggists. to the o taste. Children take it objection. ©s © § jj Ik 1m In 1 ygS Thorough, Practical Instruction. ^BRYANT fe .. S I Is us illTON $/& IInESS n_ Graduates assisted to positions. & &. SMITH’S WORM OIL WORMS port IS A SAFE AND SURE REMEDY, Sold Everywhere, 23 Cents. kk ll&rl/ Ren FYF» LI Ik tobacco US THE REST for n HEADACJHE. Mild, Sweet Send CHEW. 10 No HEARTBURN Stamps SAM¬ nor cents in fora PLE. if your dealer does not KEEP IT. TAYLOR BiiOS., Manufacturers. Wiuatou, N. C. SICK Weak, Nertods, Wretched well. Health, mortals Helper get well and keep tells how. 50 cts. a year. Sample Y. copy free. Dr. J. H. DYE. Editor. Buffalo. N. PENSION "51“® vL t vrt rl s? V COPYRIGHT. .690 A prompt return of your money, if you get neither benefit the doctor, nor but cure. safe Risky and terms tho for sure for patient. to lose. Everything There’s just to gain, medi¬ noth¬ ing one cine of its class that’s sold on these conditions—just one that could be— Dr. Pierce’s Golden Medical Dis¬ covery. It’s a peculiar way to sell it—but it’s a peculiar medicine. It’s the guaranteed remedy for all Blood, Skin and Scalp Diseases, from a common blotch or eruption to the worst Scrofula. It cleanses, 1 purifies and enriches the blood, and cures Salt-rheum, Tetter, Eczema, Erysipelas, taints, from and whatever all manner of blood- It cause. costs you The nothing only question if it doesn’t is, whether help; you. be helped. you want to “Golden Medical Discovery” is the cheapest blood - purifier sold, through only druggists, for the good DCCauSQ J'OU pay you get. p ^ an y ou asK u. more o ‘ Tho n ® “ T4isr>r>v»rxr JUlscovery ” acts equally •* well all the year round. Made by the World’s Dispensary Medical Association, at 663 Main Street, t> ijUIialo, , vr JN. xr X. YEABS. a record enjoyed by no other Wonderful. s. s. s. of Belmont, is considers his PURELY S. S. S., one of VEGE¬ on record. He TABLE, of the worst type AND was 22 years of youth was em¬ IS harm¬ course he had less but nothing TO .HE until MOST cleansed the DELICATE and cured CHILD. scrofula and blood poison. THE SWIFT SPECIFIC CO., ATtAfTA. 04. CURES DIARRHEA. DYSENTERY, CRAMPS. The Best Thing BOWELS 9 i a «> \\ % : v <S Tulane University of Louisiana. Its advantages for practical instruction, aud espe¬ cially in the diseases of the Southwest, aie unoqualed, from the as the OUftrifcy law secures Hospital it superabundant with its 700 materials bed^, and 20,000 great patientBannually. Students have hospital fees to no pay and special instruction is other daily given at. THE Bed¬ Next side of THE SICK, as in no institution. college session begins October 19th, 1891. For cata¬ logues or information address Prof. S. E. CBAILEE, HI. D., Dean. tJrP. O. Drawer 2M. NEW ORLEANS, LA. yc%%JwzeJd' A?/ CV/ PRACTICAL J2 p taraass hy, Ladiei ««■- .«* § COLLEGE. Richmond, Va fWMfc. "fiB mm HJSfiP ill Bfl Hill and ured Whiskey at home Habits with- ml ‘ liaHJBiiilSS m 9 AtlanU».4*a. Olbcu 104 y* Whitehall Bt- A.. N. V. Twenty-nine, ’91