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ALBANY, OREGON, AUGUST 21, 187.
NO. 60.
A M MmwI Boy M ARcndy Rerkonrr.
A corresjHiiident ot the St. Louis
Republican, writing trom TU(
Mo., says : We have quite a mar
vel of a uian in our community, a
natural mathematician, Mis n&me
is Reuben Field?. Having heard
of him frequently through farmers
and others, who got him to do
their counting, I determined a short
time ago to make him a .visit, . and
to ascertain lor myself if the re
markable stories told of him were
truer"
I am free to confess that at first
I was fully as ii credulous as many
readers of this paragraph will be,
in fact," would not have believed
statements concerning him bad not
the authority been undisputably
good.
Proceeding to Fayetteville, the
small village in which he lives, I
inquired for "Reub," and was told
that he was in town and was shown
his residence, toward which T made
my way. When nearly there I
met a young man apparently about
twenty-five years of age, walking a
little lame, and seemed to be
leisurely and vacantly gazing about,
and accosted him with: "Does
Reuben Field live in that house
yonder?" "Fes sir." "Well, 1'Ve
heard that Reub was a great cal
culator, and I must go and see
him," and I started forward, when
be stopped me with I'm him."
"Well, Reub" said T, "I have a
tew questions I would like to have
you answer, and will make it worth
your while to do so."
Gazing around, he answered5:
"That's all right," and remarked
that he could "count" anything he
could understand.
I may here remark that he can
not read or write a letter or figure;
he says if he could he should lose
his gift. He cannot- explain any
thing, but says he has a numeration
table away on "beyond the books."
"You commence at the bottom and
work up I commence at the top
and work down ; it is easier falling
out of a tree than climbing one."
He frequently observes: "If I
could read and write, I shouldn't
know any more than you do." It
is aaid he never makes mistakes.
Of all these questions I gave him,
lie made but one, and be corrected
that ou recounting. The following
lire dome ot the questions asked
him:
If, to tlie time past noon, there
be added its , and 2-5, the sura
will be eqnafto 1-6 ot the time to
midnight ; what is the hour ?
Divide $11 50 between two per
sons eo that one shall have 75c
more than the other.
A tree 136 feet long tell and was
broken into two pieces; two-thirds
of the loi.ger piece equals three
quarters ot the length of the short
er. What is the length ot each
piece?
What is the interest of 1 cent tor
1 day at 6 per dent per nuu;
What is the exact length' 6f otte
mde of a square aore?
These questions were all correct
ly answered, Kis answer to tit lat
ibeing, "It can't be told."
I then said : "Reub, I hear that
you can tell what day of the week
any given date was, or will lie; is
that so?" "Yes, sir." "What
was July h 1868?" "Wednesday."
"Collect. What was the 22d pf
January, 1848?" "Sunday." "What
day will the 4th of July" como on
this year?" "Saturday." "New
Year?" "Friday." "All right."
I have also heard, Reub, that you
can tell the hour at any time of day
or night. Is this so?" "Yes, sir."
'What time js it now?" "It is 17
minutes past 2 o'clock, railway
time eau time is .13 minute slow
er." We walked around town and
he gave me the hour several times,
correctly each time within two or
three minutes, Several times he
called on citizens of the place to
attest the truth of his statements,
whicti they did. One of the lead
ing citizens told me he had tried
"Reub" on the time question on
b th clear and cloudy days, and
also on dark nights, and he always
gave the correct time. Reuben
asked the gentleman we were talk
ing with to write down a column
of figures, which he did ; they were
tlifii read to him, Thirteen numbers,
two figures in eacb number, and he
at once gate their sum, and could
repeat the numbers in the order in
which they were written, either
forward or backward.
The tax collector got Reuben to
look over his work last fall, and
Reuben raid thai he could remem
lier the numbers in the column and
the sum yet County clerks have
sent from Kansas for him to help
straighten their books. A whole
sale firm in Kansas City heard of
him arid sent for him to do some
invoicim?. He told them he could
do the work of ten men in making
computations. They tola mm ir ne
pnnld bH should have the nay of
ten men. He mounted a high stool
with the clerks around him, and
kept them giving the number, of
articles, price of each, and taking
down his answers. The gave him
45 tor his day's work. A firm in
Fayetteville selling out took an
invoice of their goods. Reub was
sick at the time, but they
figured it out and sent it to him ;
be found a mistake of $300.
The Wlilow x Protest.
One ot the sadest things that ever
came under my notice (said the
banker's clerk) was there in Corn
ing during the war. Dan Murphy
enlisted as a private, ana totigiu
very bravely, The boys all liked
him; and when a wound, by and
by, weakened nira down till carry
iir ' musket was too heavy work
for him, they clubbed together and
fixed him up as a sutler. He made
money then, and sent it always to
his wite to bank tor mm. ne was
n Washer aiid an ironer. and knew
enough by hard experience to keep
money when she got it. Mie uian i
waste a penny. On the contrary,
she began to get miserly as her bank
account grew. She grieved to part
with a ceut, poor creature, for twice
in her hard working lite she had
known what it was to be hungry,
cold, friendless, sick, and without a
dollar ra the world, and she ftaa a
haunting dread of suffering so again.
Well, at last Dan died ; and the
boys, in testimony of their esteem
and respect for him, telegraphed to
Mrs Murphy to know if she would
like to have him enba'med and sent
home; when you know the usual
custom was to dump a poor devil
like him into a shallow hole, and
then inform his. friends what had
become of him; Mrs. Murphy
jumped to the conclusion that it
would only cosUwo or three dol
lars to embalm her dead husband,
and so she telegraphed "Yes." It
was at the "wake" that the bill for
embalming arrived, and Was pre
sented to the widow.
She uttered a wild, sad wail,
that pierced every heart, and said :
"Sivinty-lbive dollars for stufhn
Dan, blister their sowls! Did thira
divils suppose 1 was goin' to start
a musoim, that I'd be claim' in such
expulsive curiassities?
The banker's clerk said there was
not a dry eye in the honse. Mark
Ttrithi. .
A singular difference Call a girl
a young witch and she is pleased;
call an elderly woman an old witch
and her,, indiguation knows no
bounds,
Hank Honk on "Saratogas.'
; Hank Monk, the stagd-driv
er
uhn mm Horace Greeley his
memorable mountain ride, in com
mon with all his tribe, hates .the
sight ot those pouuerous specimens
of architecture in the trunk line
known as the "Saratoga bandbox
He likes a "Saratoga" about as
well as a cat likes hot soap. He
now. drives, on the stage line be
turoon Parson Citv mid t.sitri
Tahoei1 He Was 'Wiving on 'the
same tine last snrnmer.' i a Virginia
lady who was stopping at the (-itou
brouk I Ipuse had a , "Saratoga?, , aj
Carson which he Wished brought up
to the lake. It was about' as loifc
and wide as a first-class spirhfg mat
tress and seven or eight feet high!
The lady had managed to get, it as
far as Carson by rail, but the trout),
le was to get it up into the moun
tains; Hank had promised two or
three times to bring it rtp "next
trip," but. always arrived without
it. At ast Hank drove ud one
evening, and, as usual, the lady
came out upon the veranoa to a.K
If he had brought her trunk. Like
that great and good groan, George,
11 auk cannot tell a lie, and so he
said:
Tn mo'm 1 httVPnVKrnnorht.it.
aw, -) - ..--v... v ..f
but I think some of it Will be up
by the next stage."
"Some of tt W cried the lady.
"Yes;, maybe half ot it, or such
a matter."
"Half of it " erroatied the horri
fied' owtier 'of the Saratoga
"Yes; halt to-morrow ana tne
rest'iiejct day. or the iday after."
"Whv. bow. in toe name ot com
mon sense can ther bring half
!. . " 1 '
oi u :
"Well, WheB I left they were
sawing, it iu two, and" .
"Sawing it lt two, : Sawing my
trunk iu t,wo?.
"That was what T said," coolly
answered Hank. "Two men with
a big cross-cut saw were working
down through iunibout in the
middle, 1 ihwk." ......
"Sawing my irunk in two?
and all my best ch-thes hi it Saw
in j k in the mMdle ! God help
the man that saws my trunk 1"
and in a towering passion she rush
ed indoors, threatening the hotel,
the stage line, ihe railroad company,
il.p tnwn of Catssn and the State
of Nevada with suits for damages.
It was in vain that she was assured
that there was no truth in the story
of the sawingT-4bat Monk was a
great joker she could not be made
to believe but that her trunk had
been sawed in two, until it arrived
intact and she had eiamined its
contents niost tht roughly. Hank's
"SaratiMa." ioke is still remembered
and told at the Glenbrook House,
but the ladies see no fun m the
yarn. Virginia Vity Enterprise.
u , i , - 11
TrT-wi,r liv Pi WKlyFHi;iT.-
A 1101 ' v - -,
The Wheatland Free Press of the
1 1th instant says:
M. O. K. Retz. of Wheatland,
went with her husband, Mr. Isaac
Het,z, on a vsit to some tnenaa near
Viwlaus, on the 4th, and during
the day Mrs. Retz ate some canned
onrij-ots which had been nut tip 5n
metallic cans last year. She was
immediately afterwards taken; wiui
cramps and has since been very sick.
Sour fruit, atter stanaing a long
tim.) in metallic cans, has in some
instances proved fatal to those who
partook ot it
Another old pioneer gone. He
lived at San Jose, and be "goned"
with $6,000 which did not belong
to him, and took along the hired
girl to comfort his old age.
Nothing is rarer than a solitary
lie ; for lies breed like Surinam
toads ; you cannot tell one but out
it. rvmiafl with a hundred young
ones on its back.
A Wonderful Well.
A correspondent ot the Chicago
Inter-Ocean gives an account ot a
remarkable artesian well on the
farm of Mr. T. Henryson, iu Story
county, Iowa. He says: Being
6hort of water tor his stock, Mr. H.,
in the rail of 1873, commenced dig
ging a Well, little dreaming of the
ample supply of water he was about
to obtain. After digging in the
usual way till nearly thirty feet in
depth had been attained, he com
menced boring with a common two
inch carpenter's auger, attaching
rods, till tie had penetrated to the
.depth ,ot ninety-seven feet when, on
withdrawing tne anger, the waiter
rushed' up with such force and ra
pidity as to induce the workmen to
feek the surface of the earth iu the
quickest possible time; indeed so
rapid did the water rise that some
of their implements were left in the
pit, and have never been recovered.
Mr. H. soon attempted to curb the
well, but found much difficulty ; he
finally succeeded, and then at
tempted to find how high he could
raise the water above the surface of
the ground, using common' Wood
pump tubing tor the purpose. At
taining the height of twenty-four
teet the pipe burst, but before that
happened a pebble as large as a
hickoiy nut, from the lower re
gions, had been burled up through
the pipe fully fifteen feet in the air
above. Mr. H. then conceived the
idea of a mill, and to this end cor
responded and consulted with those
experienced in such matters, and
was advised to wait at least six
months before risking any outlay in
that direction. After the expira
tion of that time finding that in
stead of diminishing the water in-
creased in quantity, he procured
from, vour city four-inch iron tub
ing, and securing the services of a
competent engineer, luiroouceu mu
nine to the depth ot one hundred
feet Upon opening the pipe the
water issued, and still runs at the
rate of nearly two hundred gallons
per minute. Mr. II. informs me
that it was the oppinion of his en-
ginecr that the water could be
raised w ino iieigiu ui iui ij rc v,
rnore, and would afford ample
power for a good flouring mill, a
thing we much i.eeu m tins county.
Ikon Dams. The Elmira. New
York. Gazette urges a new depart
ure in the method of constructing
dams, saying: Masonry is but a
little better than earthwork when
nnnosed bv rushing water. What
is needed, it seems to us, is material
which will not crumble or break up
when attacked bv rushing water.
A dam might be constructed with
a frame work of iron held by sub
terranean guvs anchored beyond the
reach ot the water. The foundation
could be planted in a rock bed, or
in the absence of rock, against a
system of piling, so as to bo abso
lutely immovable. J bus strength
would be attained. By planking
the iron frame and covering the
latter with earth or cement, tight
ness wontd oe secured, mis system
Would achieve One end at least.
In case of a break in the dam, no
disaster could follow to the region
' below, because only a small portion
Would' give way and the1 Water
would escape comparatively slowly.
The anchor could be so disposed- as
to render a complete, giveing way
impossible; or at least improbable,
. The matter of cost and the process
of rendering the iron durable as
against rust, are matter tor engineers
and iron makers to consider. We
believe that for dams as well aa
bridges, iron is destined to come into
use.
R. C. McCormic, of Arizoua,
has deolined a.renominftion''atdele
gate to Congress. ,; ,, ;
KeantlMor Washoe Butter.
It was our good fortune, a day
or two since to hear tho following
rather interesting dialogue in one cf
our principal "hash-bouses." The
interlocutors were a daudified-lwk-ing,
side-whiskered, lisping, middle
aged man from California, and
burly, round-headed, merry-eyed
Comstocker, who were seated at
opposite sides of the same table.
The men were evidently strangers
to each other, I he conversation
ope
ned as' follows :'
Qimdreary Deal) me, tbt6 h
disgusting! (Holding up his knife
and gazing, fixedly at its point.)
I his is eithaw the second or the
third hair I think it's the third
that. I've foundin1 this. buEab f
Comstocker You've not been
here hu g, I judge? , ., , V(
Dnndreary-a-No, mr; I arrived
here yesterday morning.
Comstocker I thought so, other,
wise you would not have complained
of hairs in the butter- :
Dundreary No, complain ; .of
hairs in the buttah 1 Yon suppwise
me, sir. How could I do other'
wise?
Comstocker- Thosebairs, mr, are
just as natural to Washoe butter as
butter is a natural: product of ra,ilL
They are just as good and j,ust as
clean as the butter.
Dundreary Impossible f
Comstocker-Notatall.sir. All
our butter comes from the great
valleys ot our State where tlourishea
that most nutritious and truly won
derful plant the white sage. On
this our cattle feed and fatten. This
white sage has many virtues.
Strage as it may appear to you f sir,
from the white sage is manufactured
a most wonderful and very popular
hair resttmrtiw.
Dundreary Ah, yea; I've heard
of it in fact I may say that on one
occasion, when thought I observed
my hair growing a -little thin J
used some of the prepawatioii.
Comstocker Weft, then, sir, m
a country where all the cows i feed
on the white sage do you tbauk it
likely that the butter will be bald
headed? Dundreary turned red, pushed
hack his chair and left without
deigning to answer the conundrum.
Virginia Utty JWerprtse,
Pt ivnn it Back. Rather an
amusing incident occurred during
flbnrt week in thiB wise: Two
jurors were delayed by some means
beyond the allotted time, ano an
attachment was issued for them.
The truants appeared just aa the
formidable document, unoer tne
seal of the Court, was placed in the
Sheriff's hands, and after a slight
reprimand the good-natured Judge
let them off upon payment ot tne
costs of tho attachment The delin
quents interviewed the Clerk 1 and
Sheriff upon the amount necessary
to make good the fractured law.
Tlie Sheriff said he would break
bread with the parties when he
happened near their homes, aod call
it square. Tlie Clerk, Tecogniiing
a "fitter Root turn" as legal ten
der, said he would, , come to about
three qozen eggs, the next morn
ing, to the great amusement of the
Court and bystanders, and to the
eonrternatioo of the Clerk, obe of
the defaulting jurors walked deUp.
u three dozen eggs upon the desk
of the worthy UleTk, and aemanaea
a receipt in full. jifonai a Mit
awlina, Jvly 2d.
"What was the picture M Uie
Sm?',,.asked,theatturiKv? ' "Two
diaris," was the reply. "What
were the Indians doing?' hI
didn't ask 'e," answered the boy.
Tlie attorney suddenly discovered
that lie had w tuber use ot the