Black Hawk’s band found that their chief’s former friend, an Indian
fur-trader at Rock Island, had purchased of the government the
ground on which this ancient village stood, in the forks of the
Mississippi and Rock River, and with his associate speculators were
preparing to cultivate the Indian field of some 700 acres adjoining
the village. It seems marvelous that Black Hawk could so far restrain
his people as to persuade them to submit to a compromise by which
they yielded possession of half this field for the season to the
speculators. But the latter were not satisfied, and both parties
soon grew irritated. Governor Reynolds, of this State, was asked
to interfere. Soon after the militia were called out. On the 7th
of June General Gaines, of the regular army, commanding at Fort
Armstrong, on Rock Island, summoned the Indians to a council, when
he commanded them to leave the east side of the Mississippi. Black
Hawk refused; but as the State militia, to the number of about 1,600,
under command of General Joseph Duncan, drew near, he saw that his
few hundred warriors would be overwhelmed, and on June 24, during
the night, the Indians deserted their village, which the Americans
a few days later utterly destroyed. On June 30, Black Hawk and his
party signed a treaty by which for the first time he individually
joined in the relinquishment of the lands in dispute. The next
winter found him and his band in a destitute, starving condition,
owing to their being driven from their cornfields at a season when
it was too late to plant elsewhere. In the spring, in defiance of
the treaty, he and 368 warriors with their families, crossed the
Mississippi and passed up Rock River, to plant corn, as they said,
in the Winnebago country, in Southern Wisconsin. General Atkinson,
in command of the regular troops at Fort Armstrong, warned them to
return. Governor Reynolds again called out the militia, and placed
them under command of General Samuel Whiteside. Nothing serious
occurred until the 14th of May, when the rash conduct of a party of
275 volunteers under Major Stillman provoked a fight with some sixty
of Black Hawk’s warriors, near the mouth of the Kishwaukee a few
miles south of Rockford. The whites were panicstricken and fled with
the loss of eleven men. So slow had been the movement of the militia
that already their time of enlistment had nearly expired, and, not
liking this taste of Indian war, they became mutinous, and had to be
discharged. General Atkinson could do little with his mere handful of
regular troops, so he intrenched his company at Dixon and remained
there, while Black Hawk’s followers, re-enforced by a few Winnebago,
Ottawa and Pottawatomie braves, roamed over the country committing
outrages on defenceless settlers, a number of whom were killed.
Affairs grew serious. Governor Reynolds called for 2,000 militia. In
July the regulars and militia, all under the chief command of General
Atkinson, drove Black Hawk up Rock River and across to the Wisconsin
River, where General James D. Henry, the chief hero of this war, in
command of a brigade of Illinois militia, overtook him at Wisconsin
Heights, and inflicted the first serious punishment the Indians had
suffered. Over fifty warriors were killed, and the entire body of
them was badly demoralized. Escaping across the Wisconsin with great
loss, they fled, leaving their dead and dying, and abandoned articles
along their trail. The whole army followed in hot pursuit, and on
Aug. 2, General Henry again struck their main force and drove them
into the Mississippi at the mouth of the Bad Axe. Here the regulars
and the rest of the army joining in, soon cut them to pieces. General
Winfield Scott took command five days later, on Aug. 7, 1831, and
not long afterwards negotiated a treaty of peace. Black Hawk and two
of his sons, with several of his principal warriors, were held as
hostages for a time. After detention at Fortress Monroe until June 5
of the next year, he was released. During his captivity he was taken
to all the principal cities, where his fate elicited a good deal of
sympathy. After his return he lived peaceably with his tribe in Iowa
until his death, Oct. 3, 1838, in the 70th year of his age. He was
buried at Iowaville, Iowa.
THE BERMUDAS.
GENESEO, Ill.
Please give a concise history of the Bermuda Islands.
MRS. M. H. PIERCE.
_Answer._—The Bermudas were discovered successively by Juan
Bermudez, a Spaniard, in 1522; Henry May, an Englishman, in 1593:
and Sir George Somers in 1609; the discovery in each case being due
to the shipwreck of the discoverer. Sir George established the first
settlement shortly before his death. In 1612 these islands were
granted to 120 persons, an offshoot of the Virginia Company, sixty of
whom, led by Henry More, and followed by fugitives from the civil war
in England, commenced the cultivation of the soil, which soon yielded
rich crops of tobacco. Later the salt lagoons furnished the chief
article of commerce. The government consists of a Governor, appointed
by the crown, and a privy council of nine members, appointed by the
Governor. The House of Assembly is composed of thirty-six members,
elected by the people. The acts are revised from time to time, being
passed for a limited period.
LIVE QUESTIONS FOR DEBATE.
WEST PILOT, Iowa.
Will you please give some live questions for debate in a lyceum?
WILLIE G. SPRINGER.
_Answer._—Should an international copyright system be established?
Should the government establish postal savings banks? Should
literary ability be acknowledged and encouraged in this country, as
in England, by grants or pensions from the government? Should the
election of President and Vice President be by direct popular vote,
instead of through the electoral college?
GIVE FOWLS GOOD FOOD AND EXERCISE.
NEBRASKA CITY, Neb.
What is the matter with my fowls? They do not seem to be sick, but
they are languid and do not lay or seem to have any ambition.
AMANDA.
_Answer._—Perhaps it is because they are too closely cooped and have
not sufficient exercise. Give them plenty of sunlight; keep them dry;
bury a share of their grain in their dusting-place so that they will
have to scratch for it; scatter the rest of their food so that they
will have to exercise in order to get it and can not eat too fast;
give them a variety of dry and cooked food, including cooked meat and
vegetables in the morning and grain at night; and the probability is
that you will see a marked improvement.
THE SULLIVAN-HANFORD MURDER.
CHICAGO, Ill.
When did Alexander Sullivan shoot Francis Hanford, the Chicago
school principal? When did his trial take place and before what
Judge? Was the Judge impeached for his course on that trial? Is it
certainly so that this is the same Sullivan who is now at the head
of the Irish National League of America? One friend says it is and
another says that this latter Sullivan is a New Yorker.
INQUIRER.
ST. HELENA, Neb.
Is the Alexander Sullivan, of Chicago, elected President of the
Irish National League, recently organized in Philadelphia, the same
man who some years since killed Francis Hanford, the Chicago school
principal? Why was that Sullivan acquitted?
JOHN MARTIN.
_Answer._—Alexander Sullivan shot Francis Hanford, Principal of
the North Side High School, Chicago, on Aug. 7, 1876, under the
following circumstances: In an anonymous paper read that afternoon
in the City Council it was charged that Mrs. Alexander Sullivan had
procured the appointment of her husband, as Secretary of the Board
of Public Works, through undue influence over Mayor Colvin. It was
also charged that she was the moving spirit in a corrupt ring that
dictated the management of the public schools. Mr. Sullivan was told
that the author of this paper was Mr. Hanford. At 7 o’clock that
same evening, himself, wife and a younger brother drove up in front
of the Hanford residence as that gentleman was sprinkling his grass
plat, while Mrs. Hanford sat on the door-step looking on. Sullivan
demanded an immediate retraction; after a few words he knocked Mr.
Hanford down. A scuffle ensued which ended in Sullivan’s drawing a
revolver and shooting Mr. Hanford dead in the presence of his family.
He afterward claimed that during the fracas, when Mrs. Sullivan came
up to separate them Mr. Hanford had struck her. On the trial the
prosecution claimed that if this were so, the blow was not directed
or intended for Mrs. Sullivan, but came about in Mr. Hanford’s
efforts to protect himself from Sullivan’s attack. The first trial
of Sullivan began Oct. 17, 1876, and ended Oct. 27 in a disagreement
of the jury. The public was greatly exasperated, and, believing that
the disagreement of the jury was due to the rulings and charge of
Judge McAllister, there was a loud call made by the most respectable
citizens of all classes for his resignation. When the news reached
the Board of Trade such a scene was witnessed as seldom occurs in
such a place. By unanimous consent all business was suspended. In
ten minutes a petition was prepared, asking Judge McAllister to
resign at once. In half an hour it had received 500 signatures, and
by night there were 1,200 names appended, all of members of the
board. The Judge treated this petition and the unanimous condemnation
of the press with silent contempt. Sullivan’s second trial opened
Feb. 26, 1877, before the same judge, and closed March 9 with a
verdict of acquittal. Judge McAllister was never impeached before
any legal tribunal; but at the bar of public opinion he suffered the
condemnation of the intelligent, order-loving element of the entire
country. This Alexander Sullivan is now the President of the newly
organized Irish National League of America.
SECURITY OF NATIONAL BANKS.
DOWNSVILLE, Wis.
Are the notes and deposits of the National Banks well secured? What
is the rate of loss suffered through these banks?
S. S. C.
_Answer._—The currency issued by National banks is amply secured
by the deposit of registered bonds of the United States with the
Treasurer of the United States. The Comptroller of the Currency
makes frequent inspections of these institutions, and whenever the
market value of the bonds thus deposited falls below the amount of
the circulation issued for the same, he is authorized to demand
additional security in United States bonds or money to the amount
of such depreciation. National bank notes are all printed by the
government, and furnished to the banks only in such quantities as
they are authorized to circulate. As a consequence there can be
no over issues. In case of the failure of a bank to redeem its
circulating notes, the holders may present them for payment at the
Treasury of the United States, where they will be redeemed. The
government is protected against loss by holding a first lien on
all the assets of such banks. Depositors in cases of failure do not
always realize the full amount of their claims, but the history
of banking shows no parallel to the excellence of this system in
respect of the small proportion of loss suffered by depositors. The
loss to all creditors of the United States National banks from the
passage of the act of Feb. 25, 1863, to Nov. 1, 1882, amounted to
only about $400,000 per annum on an average capital of $450,000,000,
and annual deposits averaging $800,000,000, so that the average
loss to depositors during a period of nearly twenty years was but
one-twentieth of 1 per cent per annum.
GOVERNORS OF IOWA.
ANAMOSA, Iowa.
Please give a full list of the Governors of this State from the
organization of Iowa Territory, with the years that they were in
office.
SUBSCRIBER.
_Answer._—The Territorial Governors of Iowa were:
Robert Lucas 1838-41
John Chambers 1841-46
James Clark 1846-46
Iowa was admitted into the Union as a State Dec. 28, 1846, since when
its Governors have been:
Ansel Briggs 1846-50
Stephen Hempstead 1850-54
James W. Grimes 1854-58
Ralph P. Lowe 1858-60
Samuel J. Kirkwood 1860-64
William M. Stone 1864-68
Samuel M. Merrill 1868-72
Cyrus C. Carpenter 1872-76
Samuel J. Kirkwood 1876-78
John H. Gear 1878-82
Buren R. Sherman 1882-
The above does not give the names of the Governors of Missouri,
Michigan, and Wisconsin Territories at the dates when what is now
Iowa was attached to those Territories. After Missouri became a
State, in 1821, Iowa was left without any civil government. From
1834 to 1836 it was attached to Michigan Territory, then embracing
Wisconsin, Stevens T. Mason, Governor. In 1836 Wisconsin Territory
was organized, including Iowa, and the Wisconsin Territorial
Legislature was actually in session at Burlington, Iowa, when news
came from Washington that Iowa had been constituted a separate
Territory. Of course there was nothing left for the “Badgers” but to
pack their carpet bags and decamp for their own Territory, which they
did instanter. Henry Dodge was Governor of Wisconsin while Iowa was
joined to it.
STEEL AND STEEL RAILS.
MARION, Ind.
Please explain how steel rails are made.
ALPHA.
_Answer._—Steel is a carburet of iron, rendered as free as possible
of all foreign matter, such as sulphur, phosphorus, etc. It may be
produced by working pig iron, which contains 4 or 5 per cent of
carbon, in a suitable furnace until the amount of carbon is reduced
to about 1 per cent, the average carbon in good steel. This is a
decarbonizing process. In the other process, which is directly
opposite to this, iron bars, freed of carbon, are heated in contact
with charcoal until they have absorbed the necessary per cent of
carbon. The steel, in the form of ingots, is brought to a proper
heat and welded together in proper quantity to make a rail of given
length and weight. This is then rolled into proper shape by immense
rollers, grooved so as to give the right shape to the rail. Bessemer
steel rails can be cast in molds.
SETTLEMENT OF THE CAROLINAS.
BURLINGTON, Iowa.
When and by whom were the States of North and South Carolina
settled?
AMERICUS.
_Answer._—A company of Huguenots, many of them soldiers and men of
rank, with Ribault as their leader, while on an exploring tour,
entered a harbor, which they named Port Royal, and being much pleased
with the country, thirty were chosen to begin a colony. Their object
was to search for gold, but failing to discover any they built a
rude ship and put to sea in it. In 1650 a settlement was started
upon the Chowan River by emigrants from Virginia and England, which
was afterward called Albemarle County Colony, and another settlement
near Wilmington, made by planters from Barbadoes, was named Clarendon
County Colony. In 1670 a colony settled upon the banks of the
Ashley River, but ten years later it removed to the present site
of Charleston, S. C. These three colonies were similar in origin
and under the same Governor until 1729, when the two Carolinas were
erected into distinct provinces.
THE GREATEST OF VALLEYS.
BRIGHTON, Cal.
Is there any valley in the world larger than the Mississippi Valley?
C. C. HARRIS.
_Answer._—The Valley of the Amazon is larger than that of the
Mississippi, the former river draining 2,330,000 square miles, the
latter 1,244,600 square miles. The Amazon drains a greater area than
any other river on the globe.
UNITED STATES MINTS AND ASSAY OFFICES.
FARRAGUT, Iowa.
How many mints are there in the United States, and where are they?
What are assay offices, and where are they?
ADA A. HALL.
_Answer._—This government has coinage mints in Philadelphia, San
Francisco, New Orleans, and Carson City, and a mint at Denver used at
present merely as an assay office. This last and the assay offices at
Boise City, I. T., Helena, M. T., and Charlotte, N. C., are limited
by law to melting and assaying gold and silver bullion and paying for
the same from Treasury funds. There is an assay office at New York
for the testing of foreign coin or bullion bought by the government
to be coined or recoined. All the precious metal purchased for
mintage is computed at the value given it at these assay offices. The
single letters, O., S., C., etc., stamped under the eagle on American
coin indicate where the pieces were minted.
POLITICAL AND GOVERNMENT TOWNSHIPS.
WINDSOR, Ill.
Is there any difference between political and “government”
townships? If so, what is it?
A SUBSCRIBER.
_Answer._—1. A full township, according to the United States
Government land survey, is six miles square and contains thirty-six
sections. This is often called a “Congressional township,” sometimes
a “government township.” Along the borders of large lakes and
navigable rivers, and particularly next to State boundaries,
fractional Congressional townships are common. For purposes of
township government, fractional townships are in many cases united
with adjoining townships, or two full townships may be joined under
one town organization. In other cases three or more Congressional
townships organize under one or two political town governments,
according to the convenience and wishes of a majority of the
inhabitants. 2. For an explanation of the United States Government
Land Survey, including definition of base lines, ranges, and names
and location of all the principal meridians, see Our Curiosity Shop
of last year.
INTRODUCTION OF POSTAGE STAMPS.
HORTONVILLE, Wis.
When were postage stamps first used, and by what Nation?
P. G. M.
_Answer._—The use of postage stamps, one of the great reforms
advocated by Rowland Hill, was introduced into England through his
efforts May 6, 1840. They began to be used in this country in 1847.
TIMES THAT TRY MEN’S SOULS.
ROCKFORD, Ill.
Who was the author of the expression, “These are times that try
men’s souls?”
E. D. H.
_Answer._—Thomas Paine, who professed to believe that men had no
souls. During the Revolutionary war, soon after the British captured
Philadelphia, and when the cause of independence was shrouded in
gloom, Paine, who was certainly one of the most spirited, brilliant,
and effective knights of the pen that championed independence, wrote
in “The American Crisis,” “These are times that try men’s souls.”
WHO BURNED MOSCOW?
ALMA, Wis.
Did Napoleon burn Moscow, or was it burned by the Russians on his
approach?
INQUIRER.
_Answer._—It is not certain that Moscow was set on fire by official
order. If so, it was by command of Count Rostoptchin, who claimed
that honor after he saw the result, the forced evacuation of the city
by Napoleon and the French army, which had taken possession of it
on Sept. 14 and 15. Some say that it was fired by Russian fanatics
when they knew that Napoleon had taken up his headquarters in the
Kremlin, which they regarded as sacred. The French endeavored to
extinguish the conflagration, which was ruinous to them, as it was
their reliance for winter quarters.
GRADES OF BARLEY.
OOSTBURGH, Wis.
1. What constitutes the difference in grades of barley? 2. Wherein
does the color of barley affect the quality of the grain? 3. How,
except to gouge the farmer, did the custom of making fifty pounds
of barley for the bushel originate, the legal standard being
forty-eight pounds? 4. Are farmers under obligation to conform to
board of trade rules, contrary to law?
QUIZ.
_Answer._—1. The following are the rules governing the State
inspection of barley in Chicago: “No. 1 barley shall be plump,
bright, clean, and free from other grain. No. 2 barley shall be
sound, of healthy color, bright or but slightly stained, not plump
enough for No. 1, reasonably clean, and reasonably free from other
grain. No. 3 barley shall include slightly shrunken and otherwise
slightly damaged barley, not good enough for No. 2. No. 4 barley
shall include all barley fit for malting purposes, not good enough
for No. 3. No. 5 barley shall include all barley which is badly
damaged, or for any cause unfit for malting purposes, except that
barley which has been chemically heated shall not be graded at all.”
2. The color of barley is an indication of its age and condition
in several respects. 3. The legal bushel by weight is different
in different States. In California and Nevada it is 50 pounds; in
Wisconsin and most other States it is 48; in Pennsylvania, 47; in
Oregon, 46; in Louisiana it is only 32. Boards of trade make rules
for themselves, one object being uniformity for the whole country.
4. As a rule, statutes fixing the weight per bushel of various
commodities specify that this is to apply only in cases where
contracts fail to specify the weight to be given. When grain is
sold on ’Change the rules of the board determine the weight to be
delivered. Since seller and purchaser are presumed to be acquainted
with these rules, it is hard to imagine how either can justly
complain of being “gouged.”
HERODOTUS.
CROMWELL, Iowa.
Please give a short sketch of Herodotus, the father of history.
FRANK SMITH.
_Answer._—Herodotus, called the “Father of History,” was born at
Halicarnassus, a Dorian city of Asia Minor, B. C. 484. In his youth
he became disgusted with the tyrannical rule of Lygdamis, and
abandoned his home for the island of Samos, upon which he acquired
the Ionic dialect, which he used in writing his history. After
remaining there some time he began his famous travels, visiting
Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, Babylon, and Northern Africa. Returning
to his old home he assisted in the expulsion of Lygdamis and the
establishment of a new ruler. The latter, however, became nearly as
tyrannical as the former, so that Herodotus again looked abroad for a
home. Hearing that a colony was about to leave Athens for Italy, he
joined it and settled, B. C. 443, at Thurrii in that peninsula. At
that place he lived the remainder of his life, writing the history
which has been a lasting monument to his name. It is not known in
what year he died; but it is supposed that he lived to be a very old
man.
A PENSION QUERY.
IOLA, Ill.
Please answer the following: A soldier applies for a pension
because of a disease contracted while in the service, but dies of
said disease before action is taken by the department, leaving no
wife but one child, a daughter, under 16 years of age, who dies
before the claim is allowed; who, if anybody, is entitled to the
pension?
J. ROBINSON.
_Answer._—Section 4,718 of the Revised Statutes of the United States
reads as follows: “If any pensioner has died or shall hereafter
die; or if any person entitled to a pension, having an application
therefor pending, has died or shall hereafter die, his widow, or if
there is no widow, the child or children of such person under the
age of 16 years shall be entitled to receive the accrued pension to
the date of the death of such person. Such accrued pension shall not
be considered as a part of the assets of the estate of deceased nor
liable to be applied to the payment of the debts of the said estate
in any case whatever, but shall inure to the sole and exclusive
benefit of the widow or children; and if no widow or child survive
no payment whatsoever of accrued pension shall be allowed, except
so much as may be necessary to reimburse the person who bore the
expenses of the last sickness and burial of the decedent in cases
where he did not have sufficient assets to meet such expenses.”
According to Section 4,707 pensions may be granted to relatives who
were dependent upon the disabled soldier, but these are limited to
the mother, father, or orphan brothers and sisters under 16 years of
age, named in the order of precedence.
SPORTING FEATS.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill.
Please answer the following questions: 1. What is the fastest time
in which dashes of 100, 150, and 200 yards and one mile have been
made by athletes? 2. What is the greatest record for running long
and running high jumps without weights or spring-boards? 3. What
is the longest base-ball throw on record? 4. What is the longest
foot-ball kick?
S.
_Answer._—The fastest time for a dash of 100 yards was made by
George Seward, an American, at Hammersmith, England, Sept. 30, 1844,
say 9¼ seconds; the fastest 150 yards was run by George Forbes,
at Providence, R. I., Dec. 20, 1869, say 15 seconds; the fastest
220-yard dash was run by L. E. Myers, at New York City, Sept. 15,
1881, say 22½ seconds. The fastest mile run on record was made by
William Cummings, at Preston, England, May 14, 1881, say 4 minutes
16⅕ seconds. The fastest mile run in this country was made by W.
G. George, at New York City, Nov. 11, 1882. 2. The longest running
long jump, without artificial aid, was made by J. Lane, at Dublin,
Ireland, June 10, 1874, say 23 feet 1½ inches; the greatest running
high jump in Great Britain, 6 feet 3¾ inches, was made by P. Davin,
at Carrick-on-Suir, Ireland; the greatest in America, 5 feet 11
inches, was made by E. W. Johnston, Belleville, Ont. 3. The longest
base ball throw on record was made by John Hatfield, at Brooklyn, N.
Y., Oct. 18, 1872, say 133 yards 1 foot 7½ inches. 4. The longest
foot-ball “place kick,” with a run, is 187 feet 10 inches, made by R.
Young, at Glasgow, Scotland, July 2, 1881.
THE COLOSSEUM.
LAMONI, Iowa.
When was the Colosseum at Rome built, and for what purpose? What
were its dimensions; what is its present use, and who owns it?
E. B. T.
_Answer._—The Colosseum, or Coliseum, as it is sometimes spelled, was
a colossal amphitheater constructed by the Emperors Vespasian and
Titus. It was in the form of an oval, the longer diameter being 612
feet, the shorter diameter 515 feet, and the height of the walls from
160 to 180 feet. It contained seats for 87,000 persons, and standing
room for 15,000 more. The arena, or oval in the center, where the
gladiators fought and the deadly conflicts with wild beasts took
place, was 281 feet by 176. The walls were of marble, the external
face consisting of four stages, or offsets, adorned with engaged
columns of the three orders of Grecian architecture, Doric, Ionic,
and Corinthian. The lowest three were arcaded, having each eighty
columns and as many arches. Statues, sculptures, figures of chariots,
metal shields, and other embellishments adorned the niches and
salient points. What was the internal structure of this vast building
is not fully understood. The tiers of seats above referred to only
rose to one-half the height of the stupendous walls. Whether there
were hanging galleries above these marble seats is now only a matter
of conjecture. Over 2,000 wild beasts were killed in the dedicatory
service. There were means by which, when the combats were ended, the
immense arena could be filled with water for the exhibition of sea
fights. During the various persecutions of the early Christians, many
of these were thrown to the wild beasts in this amphitheater. One of
the first of these was St. Ignatius, who was torn to pieces by lions.
In the sixth century, when Christianity gained the ascendency, the
church put an end to the use of the Colosseum. It still stood entire
in the eighth century, but subsequently large quantities of the
marble was used in the construction of public and private buildings.
Pope Benedict XIV., in commemoration of the martyrs who had suffered
within its walls, consecrated the Colosseum as a monument to them,
erected crosses and oratorios within it, and so put an end to the
process of destruction. Ever since it has been regarded as sacred to
the martyrs and subject to the church.
WARMING ARCTIC DWELLINGS.
JOHNSONVILLE, Ill.
Do inhabitants of the Arctic regions use fire as a means of heating
their ice or snow-block houses, and for cooking? If so, what kind
of fuel do they use?
H. E. T.