Newspaper Page Text
6.
THE ATLA NT A W EE.K1 Y S U N
Fry knew of these bills. I refer to tlie I collected bills. I never saw that bill be-
firm of Alexander k Co. fore. I pay on a warrant. Sometimes
Sccomi Day. when I was absent Hotchkiss could get
con. cclbebson. the money at the bank, but in this in-
Am Clerk of the Board of Railroad Com- j stance the warrant was presented by Mr.
our article under this Jieading , missioned—That (the bill) was brought j p-jy. I didn’t know there was anything
" before the Commissioners, of which this is
a record. My information i3 that the
THE DAILY
Thursday Morning August 17.
“Is It a Judicial Question 7”
j money was paid on the draft. These bills
J wrong about it. Am acquainted with
Muffin's writing. Have not seen it lately.
! Wilson kept books for Mullin. That
the other day, we were interrupted in
the midst of a sentence, but said we
had a great deal more to say upon
the subject. We have not time now I en trY wn.s made init. In this case, Alexau- ‘ j D g—think it is Wilson’s. I went with
to resume the topic, further than to , der came to me saying, ho had letters from j pjy to the bank, and requested them to
add, what we intended to do in the parties in New York authorizing him to
j are the papers that came together. That j (pointing to a bill) is not the same writ-
conclusioil of that article, which was, I draw for these bills; that he was anxions
that if the question of the validity of j to havc ifc passed by the Board, and was
the fraudulent amendments—as we | w “ lingto
clearly showed it to be almost uni-]
versally admitted to be fraudulent—\
is a judicial one x or even if it he a\
dehafalle question whether the courts
can rightfully and properly inquire
' into the matter, why should those
who hold these ..measures to be grossly
iniquitous, and utterly destructive of
the rights of the people and the States,
he so eager to accept and'sanction them
as valid parts of the Constitution in
advance of au adjudication of the
point in controversy? .Why not wait,
at leas!, until it be seen whether the
courts will or will not take jurisdic
tion of the question.
We shall recur to this subject again
before long. A. H. 8.
Why Retained and Paid.
It seems that a number of the higher
officers on the State Road, under the
administration of Governor Bullock and
Capt. Blodgett—how many wo do not
know—have retained their places and
their pay, from the time the road was
turned over to the lessees till now.
What was this for? »Ono or two clerks
in the Executive Department could have
wound up the unfinished business of the
road, or some person or persons could
have been assigned to that duty, without
keeping under pay a routine of high-sala
ried officers.
“But an important feature in this mat
ter seems to have escaped public atten
tion. There were large balances owing
to the road by connecting railroads, and
other parties. We are told that all
these balances, as far as they have
been collected, have gone into the hands
of Foster Blodgett. We would liko to
1 ::ow how much of this money lias been
e fleeted, and bow much of it has reached
.the State Treasury ? Will Dr. Angier
inform ns ?
The Legislature, wo believe, passed an
act creating a Board or Committee to in
vestigate and audit claims against the
State Road, and have all claims allowed
bydikat Board paid out of the Treasury;
but no provision was made, so far as we
are aware, to take care of the money due
the State on account of the debts owing
to tho Rand.
Who can furnish the country with any
facts on this point ?
THE STATE ROAD PLUNDERING!:.
The Hotchkiss Examination.
AIR. ALEXANDER—CONTINTUED.
Question—Did Hotchkiss get any of
that money ?
Answer—I don’t know of my own
knowledge, nor whether he knew of this
being paid twice. I had only conversa
tion with him once. Never heard any
one in his presence make any statement
that he got any of tho money. These
(bills in hand) are all in the same hand
writing—made out by the same man. I
did not see either
BLODGETT OR MULLIN'"
sign them. Don’t know whether it is
M.’s writing or not. That (bill) is signed
“ Blodgett” by Fry. I saw some one get
money on that draft. Don’t know that
anybody got money on that (bill). I
TURNED THE MONEY OVER TO FRY.
I don’t remember the day. Tho warrant
was made out iu tho name of McKewn,
Grant & Co. The account was furnished
me by Fry. I only know of one party
who got money. I carried the account
and draft attached to Hotchkiss. That
was signed by me at Fry’s request. I
think Hotchkiss’ name was not attached.
The
(NEW YORK) BILLS
were made out after the draft and ac-
- count had been presented, as much as a
month or six weeks after Hotchkiss
gave the draft I got money on the first
account before I went before the Rail
road Committee. I got from Fry, on
first account,
TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS.
Both accounts have been paid. Alto
gether I got $3,400. I have returned my
money. I only returned the money to-
PAY A SMALL COMMISSION
j to get it passed. He came before the
Board and made a statement of his au
thority to draw this money. The bills
bad
THE ENDORSEMENT OF BLODGETT A MULLIN.
After it was passed I receiretl seventy-fire
debars! which I am
NOW READY TO PAY BACK,
not as conscience money, but if it belongs
to the State of Georgia. Ihave not paid
back any. I will pay it back if it is found
that it belongs to the State of Georgia.
I have got it, and will pay it back when
ever it is decided that the State has been
wronged out of it. Fry handed me the
money. Never was any conversation be
tween me and Hotchkiss on this matter.
Have no remembrance of him being be
fore the Board. Alexander was before
tho Board; do not know that he was
sworn.
MR. SCOTT,
Siyorn—Am clerk in the Executive De
partment. I never saw that draft. J. G.
Alexander got the warrant. I delivered
it to Fry. I gave warrant for full amount.
Hotchkiss said nothing to me about it.
*r
E. F. BLODGETT,
Sworn—I was Supply Agent of W. & A.
E. B. last year. Fry was clerk. Fry
signed the bill. It was not by my in
struction. Occasionally he would sign
bills by my direction. It was not ensto-
mary for him to sign unless I told him.
He had no authority to sign without my
knowledge. When he did sign that was
tho usual form. That is not my hand
writing, but Fry’s. It is my opinion that
that is Mollin’s hand-writing.
[Several bills were shown witness.)
Question—Are these bills
BOGUS BILLS’?
Answer—I think they are l about two
months since I found it out. I saw an
entry in my books that excited my suspi
cion. I then went to the General
Bookkeeper’s office. I am satisfied
he knew nothing of it till I went
there. Dont think I had conver
sation with Hotchkiss about it. There
was a meeting of Alexander and myself,
Mr. Fry, Mr. Hotchkiss and CoL Harris,
for the purpose to get this money paid
back. At that meeting Hotchkiss was with
us. There was no definite plan arranged.
Alexander was willing to make restitu
tion. The other parties who had got
money were not willing. At that time it
was charged that
HOTCHKISS WAS IMPLICATED.
At that time Fry stated in the crowd
that Hotchkiss knew nothing about it.
I believe Alexander claimed that Fry had
said that he paid Hotchkiss $800.
A. L. HARRIS
was there, making effort for restitution
of the money. Alexander was willing to
return, Fry was not, and these weie all
the parties that I understood had any
thing to do with it. Hotchkiss said
nothing about returning money. He was
sui-prised at Being called to attend such a
meeting
don’t KNOW WHERE FRY IS.
I saw him on 'Whitehall street on Sunday.
I think he was at my father’s house on
Saturday. I do not know where McCaUa's
pass look is. Fry was
“MY CLERK,”
from October, 1869, till the Road was
leased. I can’t tell how Hotchkiss came
to attach his name to that draft without
taking upon himself great responsibility.
If that draft covers the hill, it ought to
be attached. If the bill was passed while
the draft was out, Hotchkiss did not do
that
IN THE REGULAR WAY.
Question—State to the Court if you
got money from Alexander ?
Answer—X never got any of that money
that I am aware of.
I GOT SOME MONEY
from Alexander, for which I gave my
note—$1,400. I paid Fry $500. On the
23d of May I got it. I owe Fry $1,000.
m’calla
Sworn—Discovered fraud in either De
cember or January, The witness ex
day (August 15), altogether $3,950, that | P la ^ ne ^ routine °f business in the
J v 'State Road offices. The amount
is all I ever received of these accounts.
These accounts were made out by me.— (
That (one in hand) was signed by Fry
for Blodgett. It was presented by Fry.
I think Fry turned over these accounts
to Culberson. I never showed these to
Hotchkiss, nor notified him that these
DOUBLE ACCOUNTS
had been made out. Went before the
Railroad Board when this matter was ex
amined. The warrant was passed up and
i drew the money.
I received $3,400. I received some other
(of transactions monthly with Alex
ander was considerably less than the
amounts I entered for December. This
is the pass-book—that is my writing.— I
The entries for December were $15,869.
carry the check a few days. ‘ Sometimes
paid drafts before the Superintendent
had time to sign them up.
I AM IN OFFICE STILL,
drawing my pay from the lessees—
DRAWING DOUBLE FAY.
Question—Does old Joe pay you too ?
Answer—Yes. I know Burnett. I
think he was a general agent of some
kind. He looked after things generally.
There were four officers of the road con
tinued by the Governor—
BLODGETT, HOTCHKISS, THE GENERAL BOOK
KEEPER AND MYSELF—
to wind up the old business of the road.
I am there under the order of the Gov
ernor. Brown and his officers took
charge of the Road on the 27th Decem
ber.
HOTCHKISS HAD NOT TO WALK THE PLANK
at that time. He was retained for a
month or two by Brown. I think Judge
Cabaniss took possession in February.
Question—Did not you and Hotchkiss
receive orders in reference to payments
from Blodgett?
Answer—I paid only on Warrants, and
paid but little attention to Blodgett’s
written orders outside of the Warrants.
I think
HOTCHKISS IS STILL RECEIVING A SALARY.
I h ive not the record here. That is on
the pay roll. I paid him $250 in Janua
ry. Have not paid him since. I under
stand he is still acting as Auditor
UNDER EXECUTIVE ORDER.
Hotchkiss is not authorized to collect
anything un der the lease. I gave Hotch
kiss papers, with authority to collect
Post Office money. He told me he had
collected about a thousand dollars. I think
that was in February or March.
HE HAS NOT PAID OVER THE MONEY YET.
That was after the Alexander transaction
was over. We have not yet had a full
settlement
GEO. P. BURNETT
was recalled. Question—Is your memo
ry clear as to what Hotchkiss admitted
about the $800?
Answer—I think there was no chance
for a misunderstanding. He acknowl
edged that he had received $800. The
postoffice matter came up before. He
did not mention $900. I am certain he
mentioned $800. I told him that Alex
ander told me, and Fry told me, and
probably other parties, that ho liad re
ceived $S00 of this money. I said, if you
have got this money,
GO AND FIX THE HATTER UP,' AND PROTECT
YOURSELF.
If you have not done it, go and see about
it. He said, “I will have nothing to do
with it.” I said, very well. That is my
recollection. I think that is all that was
said then. I said to him: “Harris says
that you have collected about a thousand
dollars, and
“YOU HAVE MADE NO RETURN.”
He didn’t say whether he had or had not.
He talked a while and then dropped it.—
McCalla was present when wo talked of
the Alexander question. After McCalla
left, Hotchkiss and myself were talking
about it.
Question—Whom have you spoken to
about this matter since you were exam
ined yesterday ?
Answer—(the witness named a number
of persons) I talked with
BOGUS BILLS
prepared, footing up $28,000. ‘ When I
examined the vouchers I was satisfied
hat that amount had not been stolen. I
reported the case back to Blodgett, saying
I could do nothing with it. Iam a Com
missioner, settling the old ailairs of the
Road, and preparing the annual report.
J. C. ALEXANDER
was recalled and further explained his
testimony..
Question.—Did Burnett ever propose
to you to pay him a certain amount of
money ?
Answer.—Sometime ago ho did make
such a proposition. Burnett said to me
at the Sasseen house if I would
GIVE HIM TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS
I should be clear as far as I was interested,
and let others shift for themselves. This
conversation E repeated in the presence
of Burnett,
BLODGETT
and Fry. I never saw Hotchkiss get any
money. I don’t think the two thousand
dollars Burnett wanted was to be paid
back to tbe Road.
After several other persons were exam
ined, the case was committed and a de
cision will be rendered to-day at the City
Hall at ten o’clock.
SUN-STROKES.
£ss?“ The Courier Journal is a largo
sheet—of water.
KENTUCKY’S TRIUMPH.
Kentucky sends a noble greeting. By
nearly fifty thousand majority she pledges
herself to the Republic and the Constitu
tion, and repudiates the efforts of the
monarchists to make an imperial master
of a corrupt and unscrupulous President.
Kentuckians see with the intelligence of
freemen the danger that menaces even
the shadow—for the substance is already
perverted—of republican institutions,
and they have uttered their reprobation
in no doubtful tones. Though fifty thou
sand negro votes have been added to the
Radical list, and though every one of
them was marched out to make an appa
rent gain, the Democracy increased tlieir
majority over last year’s by nearly'twen-
ty thousand votes. The ball is rolling
and enlarging as it rolls.—Baltimore Sun
day Telegraph, Aug. 13th, 1871.
Tubal Gain.
EX BliO. CHARLES MACXAX.
Old Tubal Cain was a man of might,
In the days when Earth was young;
By the fierce red light furnace bright
The strobes of his hammer rung ;
And he lifted high his brawny hand,
On tho iron glowing clear,
’Til the sparks rushed out in scarlet ront,
As he fashioned the sword and spear ;
And he sang : “Hurra! for my handiwork ;
Hurra! for the spear and sword,
Hurra! for the hand that shall wield them well.
For ho shall be King and Lord!”
To Tubal Csiu came many a one,
As he wrought by his waning file ;
And each one pray’d for a strong steel blade
As the crown of his own desire;
And he made them weapons sharp and strong.
Till they shouted loud for glee,
And gave him gifts of pearl and gold!
And spoils of the forests free :
And they sang : “Hurra! for Tubal Cain,
Who hath given us strength anew,
Hurra for the smith, Hurra for the fire
And Hurra for the metal true.”
But a sudden change came o’er his head
Ere the setting of the sun,
And Tubal Cain was filled with pain
For the evil he had done ;
He saw that men with rage and hate
Made war upon their kind.
And the land was red with the blood they shed
In their Inst- for carnage blind.
And he said : “Alas! that ever I made,
Or that skill of mine should plan,
The spear and the sword for men whose joy
Is to slay their fellow-man!’’
And for many a day old Tubal Cain
Sat brooding o’er his woe ;
And his hand forbore to smite the ore,
And his furnace smouldered low;
But he rose at last with a cheerful face,
And a bright courageous eye,
And ho hared his strong right arm for work
While the quick flames mounted high.
And he sang: “Hurra 1 for my handiwork,"
While the red sparks filled the air,
Not alone for the blade was the bright steel made,
And he fashioned the first plow-share.
And men, taught wisdom from the first,
In friendship joined their hands—
Hung the sword in the hall, the spear on the wall
And plowed the willing lands;
And sang : “Hurra! for Tubal Cain,
Our staunch good friend is he.
And for the plow-share and the plow
To him our praise shall be ;
But while oppression lifts its head,
Or a tyrant would be lord,
Tho’ we may thank him for the plow.
We’ll not forget the sword."
THE OLD GENTLEMAN.
I forget whether it was the old gentleman
or the young one (the Blodgetts),
have known them two or three years,
talked with the young man
AND WITH THE OLD MAN TOO.
I don’t remember what I said to him.
am not very certain I said anything to
him. I am not sure that I talked with
him.
Question—What about Blodgett, Jr. ?
Answer—They asked me about the
progress of the case. We were in the
street when we talked about it
WE WENT AND TOOK A DRINK
in the saloon. We came hack into the
court room after I was sworn to-day.
Question—Did you “interview” Sas
seen ?
Answer—I did not.
Question—Do yon swear now, before
this Court, that Hotchkiss said to you
that he had got $S00 of the Alexan-
dermoney ?
Answer—I do. I want to explain:
will swear that I believe that is what he
meant He admitted to me that he had
I got $800. That is my impression.
97; lor Norember the entries m S3.322.-! M ”1*2'? 'T.
40; lor October 0220 60. I 1 H °‘ cWnSi beeD dOTged mill fraud?
The Courier-Journal is published every
day. It is a diurnal distribution of
“poppy cock.”
£@“There will be something from Bret
Harte in the forthcoming number of the
Atlantic Monthly.
Jteay 2 * It cost just $292,000,000 to run
Grant’s government for the year ending
June 30tb, 1871.
JBfifc Pogue says it wouldn’t do for him
to become immersed in the Courier- Jour
nal, as it is so watery that there would be
danger of his drowning.
£sy“ The prisoners in the Bloomington,
Illinois, jail have “struck” against the
quantity and quality of the food fur
nished them.
Cincinnati has stopped the Sunday
beer traffic, the folks cross the river on
that day to do their drinking. They call
it “crossing the Rhine.”
£2r° The Louisville Ledger is one of
the handsomest and sprightliest of all the
papei^that reach The Sun Office; and
what is best of all it is “ Bourbon.”
gentleman, evidently one of the to:*
Teuton, met another on the street yester
day and asked if he was “an Alternate at
law.” The answer was “I reckon not.”
£•2?“ The Courier'-Journal admits, sub
stantially, that it “left Governor Leslie
to paddle his own canoe,” and that ac
counts for the unprecedentedly large
Democratic vote polled in that State.
£@““AE a late baby show in Livexpool,
England, tho little ones were all so hand
some that no prize was awarded.” The
judges could readily have decided as to
babies, 4 but the mothers had to be pleased
and that was impossible.
“ISa Since the Kentucky election the
New Departure papers have beguu to
turn their attention to agricultural mat
ters. The Nashville Banner of the 16th
has over a column leader upon the sub
ject.
£Sr\Tlie largest Democratic vote ever
cast in Kentucky was oast during the late
canvass; and the campaign was conducted
on a strict “Bourbon” platform,—in fact
it was “ Bourbon” straight, and that was
what made the Courier-Journals head so
dizzy.
£2^ The New Yorkers are just now
disturbed about the legality of Sunday
marriages. The Chicagoans would not
be disturbed about so silly a matter, for
if Sunday marriages should be decided
to be illegal, it would only save the form
and cost of divorces.
L P. HARRIS
Answer—Yes, they have charged me
with having taken money.
Sworn—Am Treasurer of State Road. This closed the prosecution, and in de-
Tliis is my official book. Here is an en- ■ fense the. letters referred to in preceding
try that that bill was paid December 27. ! testimony were read, and then
►
; That is an entiy of- its being audited. It] a. ik haurtr
money improperly. There was an agree-1 was paid by me to Mr. Fiy. I don’t j was sworn. Am acquainted with Hotch-
ment some tune ago to settle this matter. | know who drew the check. Gave the' kiss, and Fry and
check on 27th December, probably, to ! Blodgett requited
Hotchkns was not one of the party.—
Don't know that he had anything to do
with it. I would like to state to the
Court that nobody outside of myself and
J. C. Alexander.—
me to endeavor to get
Aiexander, on the Georgia National Bank, the money refunded. Witness explained
Delivered tho check to Fry. He had au
order from Alexander for it. He usually
the meeting alluded to. Nothing more
done by me. McCalla had a list of
Dow’s Idea of Heaven.
A Washington correspondent of the
New York Tribune furnishes an anecdote
of Lorenzo Dow, which is new and good.
He says :
My wanderings led me one day to an
old grass-grown burying-ground just be
yond the boundary-line of the city, near
its northwest comer; and here I found
the grave of one whose saying used to be
household words among those of like
faith with himself, but of whose burial-
place scarce “any man knoweth unto this
day”—the grave of Lorenzo Dow. Here,
in this retired, neglected spot, that
stormy, unquiet spirit found its rest.—
One of the best anecdotes of Lorenzo
Dow has, I believe, never been in print.
It was related to me by a gentleman
whose father was a witness of the scene.
In a small town in Western New York
lived a noted infidel, Col. Root. There
was no settled minister in the place, and
the people were dependent upon traveling
preachers, principally Methodists. In
those days Methodist preachers were not
apt to be overburdened with learning,
and CoL Root, a man of fine education,
familiar with Greek and Hebrew, made it
a point to engage every new comer in an
argument, from which he almost invari
ably came off victorious. His great wea
pon was the errors in the translation of
the Bible, which the Methodists; unable
to read in the original, could neither re
fute nor explain. So many had been
worsted in these encounters, that preach
ers were beginning to give thi3 place: the
goby, when Lorenzo Dow appeared. —
Hearing of the arrival of another Meth
odist, Col. Root proposed to his intimate
friend, Mr. Bush, that they should “go
down to the tavern and demolish this
one.” After a little preliminary skir-
►--*-<
One man in a hundred reads a book;
ninety-nine in a hundred read a newspa
per. Nearly a century ago, when the
American press, which is now a spread
ing oak, was in its green trig, Thomas
Jefferson said he would rather live in a
country with newspapers and without a
government than in a country with a gov
ernment but without newspapers. The
press, instead of being th,e fourth, is the
first estate of the realm.—Gokleti Age.
£@“ The question having arisen as to
where Grant’s home is, and as it is as
serted upen good authority that “home
is where the heart is,” and as Grant’s
heart is in the United States Treasury, it
is reasonable to presume that his home
is there also, and will be as long as
any balance remains.
£2^ The Couriei'-Jourual is of the
opinion “ that every Radical vote cast in
the State or out of it is just as bad as a
fraud. ” One might infer from that that
Harlan and the other Radical friends of
the Courier-Journal have not paid their
bill for “advertising list of appoint
ments.”
£2?“ It was announced some time ago
that the Pennsylvania Central Railroad
had purchased the right to use the bridge
over the Ohio river at Louisville. The
remark of the Sun at that time was that
it would not be long before Scott would
claim the bridge. This has come sooner
than could have been expected. The
Cincinnati Times and Chronicle of the
14th says: “The Pennsylvania Central
Railroad Company on Saturday comple
ted the purchase of about three-fourtbs
of the stock of the Jeffersonville, Madi
son and Indianapolis Railroad and
branches and of the Louisville Bridge,
and Thomas A. Scott was elected Presi
dent of both companies. By this ar
rangement the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company secures the control of the
bridges across the Ohio river at Cincin
nati and Louisville, and therefore of all
through lines leading to the South and
Southwest, giving that company a com
manding position in regard to traffic with
those sections.”
Look Out, Crll'ld !
A day or two since, in Augusta, a
young lady, with two young gentlemen,
was walking down the street. The young
lady was carrying in her hand a piece of
a parasol handle, or something similar,
and in a coquettish manner was striking
first one of the beaux and then the other.
Strange enough one of the young gentle
men had a loose pistol cartridge in his
vest pocket, and in striking him the
switch came in contact with the cartridge,
which exploded, and the ball struck her
just above the knee joint, inflicting a se
rious wound. The doctors think the le
may have to come off. -
This should warn the girls from acting
so silly whenever their sweethearts may
say anything funny. Such accidents al
ways keep the boys scared, and many a
nice, sweet thing would be said if the
poor fellows thought things were perfect
ly safe.
Moral—Girls should never hit the hoys
with a stick, either in fun or anger.
GEORGIA NEWS.
Pike county assesses her wealth at $1.
S87,355, and grieves. ’
The Chronicle and Sentinal asks, “Shall
we make Augusta grow ?” By all means
as you have plenty of room for growing.
During the week ending August 15th
there were nine interments in the Savan
nah cemeteries, three of which were
white.
The Valdosta Times says: Judge O’Neal
is out again, and will soon have entirely
recovered his health, notwithstanding
the press of Georgia had him dead some
two weeks ago.
The Argus says the health of Bain-
bridge ancl Decatur county continues
to improve, and that but few cases of
sickness of any kind can be heard of.
The Bainbridge cotton factory, says
the Argus, is in full operation, running
its spindles and looms, and manufactur
ing cloths of all kinds woven by it here
tofore. Wm. G. D. Tonge, son of the
late S. Davis Tonge, is Superintendent.
The Columbus Sun of the 16th says •
We understand that Mr. Hawks, who has*
been identified with the new bank, leaves
next week to solicit subscriptions in Sa
vannah, at which point he hopes to raise
$50,000. The success met with here is
most encouraging—$80,000 having been
raised, and yet the soliciting committee
have not entered upon their duties. No
doubt over $100,000 will be taken here
The Milledgeville Union of the 16tb
says : We have had several fine showers
recently which, though too late to benefit
the cotton, will help corn, peas and pota
toes. The crops in this county certainly
do not promise to be as good as last year
but our farmers, when they read the un
favorable reports from other portions of
the State, have reasons to congratulate
themselves that it is as well with them as
it is.
A Cuthbert letter to the Macon Tele
graph says: On Saturday last the taxpay
ers of this place, by a vote of eighty to
three, decided in favor of imposing a cor
poration tax of $5,000 to secure, if possi
ble, the location hero of the male dis
trict school, about to be established by
the Methodist denomination. Two free
schools also were opened to-day (for
whites) under the late law, presded over
by Prof. McNulty and Mr. Murray, both
gentlemen of experience and the highest
attainments.
The Macon Telegraph has the follow
ing : A colored loyal Benedict approached
a gentleman of this city the other day,
and says: “Massa Wilkins, look me good
in de face and tell me how much white
man you tinks I is.” He was informed
that he had, possibly, as mnch as one-
fourth of white blood in his veins. 1 ‘Well,
sah,” {said Sambo, “dat is all I want to
know, kase I had daughter born to me
lately, an’ its white as you is. Now, I’se
gwyne to give my old woman three weeks
to turn dat chile black, and ef she don’t
do it, I quits her on de spot! I aint no
ool, ef I is a niggak.”
Writing from Cuthbert, one of the ed
itors of the Macon Telegraph says: The
rains have been- copious and general
throughout the country, but the cotton
promise, in the judgment of the writer,
is worse than it has been at any previous
stage of the season. On the red lands,
the forms and young fruit had nearly all
fallen off before the rains, and the plant
had blossomed up to the top. A new
growth of the weed will now set in, caus
ing the bolls already on the stalk to dwin
dle or stop growing, while it is too late
to mature another crop. The cotton on
gray and sandy soils looks better, but has
also lost much of its fruit, and is exceed
ingly small and irregular. Planters are
greatly disheartened with the prospect.
The Louisville, Jefferson county, cor
respondent of the Savannah News writes
as follows: On the 10th instant, during a
thunder storm, two negroes moving to
M. B. Carroll’s place, stopped under a
tree near the residence of W. S. Alexan
der, Esq., in the county of Jefferson,
when the lightning struck and killed the
mule that was drawing tbe cart, also the
negro’s dog and a mocking bird. The
surprising part of this occurrence is this:
The woman was sitting on the cart, with
the bird upon her fcft side; the man was
on the ground, with his hand upon the
cart, and the dog was lying upon the
ground at the root of the tree. The mule
and dog were killed on the right of the
woman. The man, who was between the
mule and the dog, was knocked down and
severely stunned, and but for the timely
aid rendered by Squire Alexander, who
was near him, in using remedies, may
have never recovered. The woman was
knocked off of the cart to the left of
where she was sitting, but not seriously
hurt. Both negroes are doing well.
Four Historic Estates.
The Charlottesville Intelligencer re
calls attention to the following interest
ing fact:
“Within three miles of Charlottesville,
and almost at the four points of the com
pass, there are fonr estates that at one
time belonged to men who will always
occupy prominent places in American
history : Monticello, the home of Thomas
Jefferson; Penn Park, where lived Wil
liam Wirt; Monroe Hill, the property of
James Monroe, and Franklin, which at
one time belonged - to Benjamin Frank
lin.”
>-♦-<
The New York Journal of Convmrce
favors the recognition, by law, of suicide
as a felony. It would punish the atempt,
since it could not be an acomplishment
of the act. The paper says : “Tho pub-
lie welfare is, in many ways, endangered
by allowing the people to kill themselves
at pleasure—suicide often assumes an
epidemic type, unless checked, as is well
known, and hence there should beapun-
ishment inflicted upon those who attempt
to comit the supremely selfish act of
suicide, in contempt of all obligations to
God and man.”
>-•-«
Mention is sometimes made by Eng
lish writers of “The Auchinleck MS.
This is the manuscript of “The Romance
of the Bevis of Hampton” (Southamp
ton,) the hero of which was a Kniglk,
living eight hundred years ago, in the
time of William the Conqueror, who, a^-
ter the fashion of his class, performed
many noted feats of chivalry. The man
uscript was preserved by Lord Auchin
leck, a Scotiish judge, father of James
Boswell, to whom literature owes the besi
biography over written—that of Dr. Sam*
nel Johnson.
