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MACON, FEBRUARY If .880.
—A Bradford (Pa.) family were made
very sick, one almost to death, by eating
poisoned cheese.
—Parisian fire screens are made of
frosted glass engraved with designs of
monograms, birds, butterflies and other
oddities, and mounted in gilt bamboo
frames.
—They call it a romantic marriage in
Michigan when a couple of the neighbors
get the bride’s father into a back room
and sit on him to prevent his interrupting
and breaking up the wedding.
—The lion. Mrs. Ronald Campbell,
whose husband was killed in the engage
ment on the hill of Eambula, will ac
company Empress Eugenie in her pilgrim
age to Zululand.
—There came very near being a panic in
a Chicago theatre a few nights ago. A
man arose between acts and said, “Come,
Colonel, lets go out and take something,
and half the male audience in the par-
quette got up and said they would.
—A young man was recently released
from prison in London, where he had been
confined for contempt of court for eloping
with a ward in chancery and marrying
her.
—Edgefield and Nashville each having
voted by a majority for annexation under
an act of the General Assembly, Edgefield
is now annexed to and becomes a part and
parcel of the city of Nashville, and in law
and is in fact subject to all the laws, rules
and regulations thereof.
—Queen Victoria is the owner of a sil
ver gilt casket in which are lockets con
taining locks of hair of thirteen officers
who fell at lsandula. Each locket is en
graved with an “In memoriam,” and the
name of the officer together with the date
of his death. The souvenir was ordered by
the Queen.
—A hill for the restoration of capital
punishment is before the Wisconsin Leg
islature, and a Janesville merchant, to
test public sentiment on the subject, made
a canvass among his customers who were
electors. Out of sixty-nine the sum of
one day's vote, thirty-seven favored and
thirty-two opposed the bill.
—The Canghnawaga Indians, who live
opposite Lacliine, on the beautiful Lake
St. Francis, have a reservation of 36,000
acres, which, under the treaty, no white
man is allowed to occupy. Canadian
squatters haved pre-empted about 16,000
acres of this land, and their expulsion is
demanded.
—Miss Rogers, a cousin of Richard
Cobden, was the prodigy in the last exam
inations at Oxford University, England.
She outstripped all the other students,
male and female, in Greek and Latin.
Her knowledge in other branches is quite
as wonderful. After passing her exami
nation she was at once appointed lecturer
in Somerville hall, one of the Oxford
buildings for women students.
—A Sacramento undertaker’s con
science accused him of being glad when
he heard of a death, and he became con
vinced that even the'probability of an epi
demic caused pleasurable emotion. He,
therefore,committed suicide, leaving a let
ter in which he said that he could no lon
ger remain in a business, the profits of
which were closely connected with human
misery.
—The oldest turpentine fields north of
N ewburn, North Carolina, are well nigh
abandoned, the industry having been
largely diverted to the more productive
pine forests of South Georgia. There are,
however, immense tracts of virgin pine
forests in the southern belt of North Caro
lina which will supply Wilmington with
naval stores fora century to come.
—A musician named Bruno, was killed
a fortnight ago by an electric shock receiv
ed from the apparatus for producing the
electric light at the Holte Theatre, Aston,
Birmingham. A single powerful battery
supplies all the lights at the theatre and
its adjoining grounds, and the wires con
veying the current pass over the orchestra.
Mr. Bruno placed his hand on the wire
and received the full shock of the electric
current. He was rendered unconscious
by the shock, and died in a short time.
—The latest case of absent-mindedness
comes from Tennessee. A young gentle
man of Memphis, loves a girl who
lives in the country, up the railroad.
Wishing to see her he hired a horse and
buggy and drove out to her house, hitch
ing the horse at the door. After a while
he came out, happy, serene and delighted,
walked down to the railway station, got a
ticket and rode back to Memphis, leaving
his horse hitched near the country gate.
—The Sedalia (Mo.) Democrat reports
that a party of gentlemen have discovered
a mound near Nob Noster, in that State,
which contains the skeletons of pigmies,
. with skulls no larger than a man’s fist,
and the jaws provided with a full set of
teeth, showing them to be the remains of
grown persons.
—fhe National Quarterly Beview for
Proercw of the Country—Interesting a vast crater or volcano, and may at any
fitntiatioa. t,me be blown U P- Reports have reached
,, _ _ _ Dtawauwfc us that two new craters have burst open,
Mr. R. B. Porter, a well known and re- an( j t j lat g re an Q smoke are issuing from
liable statistician of Chicago, has recently them and can clearly be seen at Laudat.”
been preparing comparative tables under • — ■
instruction from the Census Bureau, of the Tho Lease end Sale of the Macon
January, lias an article entitled “A South
erner’s Estimate of the Life and Charac
ter of Stephen A. Douglas,” by Hon. J.
D. Waddell, of Marietta. It is an article
of rare merit, scholarly and able. It is a
production that will reflect credit upon
Southern literature. Colonel Waddell is
a graceful, forcible and eloquent writer.
—Lady Thornton carries out her Brit
ish ideas in Washington. A correspond
ent of the Syracuse Journal says that the
English woman very emphatically de
clares that her guests shall not by her
consent, be criticised through the press.
Whoever attempts to describe what this or
that lady wore at the British Legation,
has gained such information without the
consent of the hostess; and, having once
offended in this particular, need not ex
pect to he again invited.
CURIOSITIES OF THE TELEPHONE.—
With a single telephone held, say to the
right ear, the transmitted voice appears to
come from a distance to. the right; while
with a telephone held to the left ear, it
seems to arive from the left of the list
ener.
With a telephone to each ear, if one ear
be less sensitive than the other, or if the
telephone he held further from that ear,
the voice apparently shifts to the side of
the other ear; and if both ears hear alike
and both instruments are equally near
their respective'ears, the voice apparently
proceeds from in front of the observer.
Marietta Journal: On last Saturday
evening, at a turkey shooting match, a
few miles below Powder Springs, in this
county, Mr. Thomas Entrican accidental
ly dropped his gun on the ground, the
hammer struck a rock, .and the gun was
discharged, shooting three men. Mr.
Wade Mozley had his left ankle shattered
fearfully, and amputation will be neces
sary it i’s thought. Mr. Alec Gresham
and a Mr. Holbrook received painful flesh
Wounds.
wealth and taxation of the United States,
They show the progress made by the coun
try, but demonstrate that the advance of the
West has been much more rapid than that
of any other portion of the country. The ta
bles show the change in population
during the past nineteen years. In 1860 that
of the nine Eastern States, including New
York and Pennsylvania, was 10,594,300;
of the Western States, Ohio 'not included,
6,752,368, and that of the thirteen South
ern States, 10,259,016. At the close of
1S79, the populations of the same territory
were, respectively, 14,403,000; 14,655,000
and 14,295,000. These estimates are not
official, and will have to be verified,
but it is not likely they are very wide of
the truth.
When we come to the the tables of ag
ricultural products from 1870 to 1878, in
clusive, we get on firmer ground, because
there are positive data to go upon. The
only section upon which Mr. Porter ap
pears to be ill-informed is the Southern,
According to his tables the Eastern States
raised, in 1870,90,829,000 bushels of com
and 24,000,000 bushels ot wheat. In 1878
the same States raised 104,998,200 bush
els of com and 47,000,000 bushels^ of
wheat.
The Southern States in 1870 produced
343,613,000 bushels of com and 33,000,-
000 bushels of wheat. In 1878, 314,729,-
600 bushels of com and 40,000,000 bush
els of wheat—which is a falling off in nine
years of 30,000,000 bushels of com and an
increase of 7,000,000 bushels of wheat.
The Western States, in 1870, produced
659,813,000 bushels of com and 168,000,-
000 bushels of wheat, In 1878,963,490.-
950 bushels of com and 332,000,000 bush
els of wheat.
The manufacturing interests of the
country, also, show a large increase
throughout the country, the Eastern
States, however,making the best showing.
Pig iron, says the statician, can be pro
duced more cheaply at the South, be
cause of the low cost of labor and the
raw material.
He might have added that the ore is
of better quality than elsewhere in the
Union, and in some places its quality is
pronounced equal to the best Sweedish
productions. The statician fails to recog
nize the fact that the plainer cotton fab
rics are also manufactured cheaper than
anywhere else, and with slightly deeper
investigation would have found a health
ful revival in operations of the cotton
mills, not only of Georgia, but of all other
States in the cotton belt.
Mr. Porter,while evidently showing pa
tience and care in his researches, presents
tables which are essentialy defective. In
the consideration of the cereal crops only
com and wheat are considered,manifestly
doing injustice to the South with her va
ried products of this kind and consequent
sources of revenue. The tables conclude
with the prediction that the West will,
for the next decade at least, wield the
dominant influence in the politics of the
country and that the sceptre so long held
in the East will have to follow the west
ward star of prosperity and pass into the
keeping of the sturdy yeomanry of the
West.
For Ireland’s Sake.
The Richmond Irish Relief Society
have taken the proper course in regard to
the funds sent by that society to the suf
ferers in Ireland—that they shall be dis
tributed without regard to creed. This
is the only true manner in which the re
lief funds should be sent, and in so send
ing the benevolent desires of the donors
are more completely carried out than in
any other way. The responses to calls
from the Emerald Isle are liberal from
all parts of the countiy, and the sums
being daily placed to the credit of those
having the distribution in charge speak
loudly for the strong ties existing between
Old Ireland and this republic. The Irish
have the sympathy of the world, and now
that her people are in distress, gladly
docs this sympathy take tangible shape
and form in a generous charity, manifest
ed all over this countiy.
The
its
Franco-German War and
Cost.
The cast of the Franco-German war
has at last been footed up by skilled sta-
ticians and experts, and is found to
amount to 13,939,000,600 francs, or re
duced to dollars and cents in round num
bers to two billion, seven hundred and
eighty-seven million, eight hundred thou
sand dollars. This does not include the
damage to the material interest of the
country, by the stagnation of manufac
tures, nor its loss In the young life of
its yeomanry, who yielded up their lives
to their country, nor, indeed, a thousand
incidental losses indirectly entailed by the
war. War in all instances is a very ex
pensive luxury, and France to-day fully
realizes the fact.
Curious
Effects of a
Eruption.
Dominican
The St. Thomas, West India, Tidende
learns that on Sunday, January 4, at about
9 a. m., a heavy fall of rain commenced
in Dominica, which lasted for several
hours. About two horns after the rain
began to fall a heavy cloud suddenly
spread over the entire town, causing al
most total darknesss, and for about a
quarter of an hour there was a perfect
deluge of rain and ashes. The Roseau
river became much swollen, flooding a
greater portion of the town, carrying
away cattle and houses. The cause of
this disaster is a volcanic eruption at the
Boiling lake, the lands in the vicinity of
which have keen covered with lava. This
Lake is some thirty miles from the town
of Roseau. The River Point Mulatrc has
been filled up and its course turned, by
which several estates have been flooded.
It is fortunate that there was such a heavy
fall of rain at the time or the entire town
of Roseau might have been destroyed
by fire. Rather curious it is, however,
that there was not the slightest oscilla
tion of the earth which would have led
one to suppose that an eruption had oc
curred.
A private letter from Roseau says: “At
11 a. m., on the 4th fcstant the whole
place was darkened by a heavy storm of
sand, mixed with sulphur, antimony and
iron. In a short time it was thick on the
ground and housetops and the gutters
round the eaves of the house were choked
with it. Fortunately it rained heavily all
the time, otherwise we should have been
blinded or suffocated with the sand and
sulphur. The air being charged with an
timony many persons felt a great nausea.
Women fainted and went into hysterics.
The Roseau riveroverflowed its banks and
carried away cattle, sheep and a house be
longing to Mr. Davis. The storm was ac
companied with lightning and thunder,
and I expected every moment to feel an
earthquake and perhaps he swallowed up.
It took myself and four others from 7 a.
m. to 1 p. m. to clear up my garden, bration,
ard Brunswick Railroad Finally
Off
Despite the cheering tidings of a con
trary nature, so recently published, we
are forced to announce that, at the
eleventh hour, all the efforts of Messrs,
Couper, Hazlehurst and Lane proved
abortive, and midnight having been
reached on the 12th instant without a fi
nal settlement, the whole affair lapsed by
default, and netther lease nor sale was
effected. The following facts may be re
ceived as perfectly reliable, coming, as
they do, from the lips of one of the prin
cipal participants in the negotiations, who
was present to the very close of the last
conference.
Every requisite had been duly taken to
perfect the purchase and comply with the
very letter of the law. All the money
and bonds called for were forthcoming,
the titles, transfer papers, stock scrip,
blanks, etc., had been provided, and even
the seal of the new Company had arrived
from New York, to be attached to the fi
nal settlements. Indeed, the matter was
considered finally arranged. At this crit
ical moment, a dispatch from Mr. Wilson,
one of the company in New York, threw
a bomb shell into the camp of the negoti
ators. It was to the effect that unless
Governor Colquitt would, on the part of
the State, sign a warranty title to the
road and] its appurtenances against all
claims of every nature whatsoever, (of
course including the $600,000 second
mortgage bonds) that gentleman would
withdraw from the proposed purchase
This was a most serious hitch just when
the affair was about to be consummated,
Governor Colquitt called in Judge Bleck
ley and Hon. Martin J. Crawford to act
for the State, in concert with Attorney
General Ely, and the deliberations were
protracted until the last moment allowed
by the law. Finally, a little before the
clock sounded the witching hour of twelve,
a message from the Governor and his
counsel announced that the executive had
no authority to make the stipulated guar
anty. That was a matter requiring leg
islative action, and therefore the Governor
could not consistently assume the respon
sibility of such a proceeding.
As a necessary consequence, the sale
went by default, not having been perfect
ed within the prescribed thirty days, and
it was made practically null and void by
the surrender of all binding papers in the
hands of those to whom the property was
knocked off at auction.
Some say the Governor ought to have
played the part of General Jackson, and
given the required warrantee title. But
one must be placed in his position before
being able to decide in the premi
ses. A slrict construction of the law is al
ways the safest course to be pursued.
There is a terrible impeachment mama
abroad just now,too,and doubtless theGov-
ernor’s enemies would not have been slow
to attack him had he assumed to act for the
State in this important transaction. We
wish, however, that he could have seen
his way plainly to do so, and do not be
lieve that there is any reasonable doubt
that the next General Assembly would
have sustained him.
Of this thing, however, we are assured
even by one of the defeated lessees: Gov
ernor Colquitt earnestly desired the con
summation of the lease or purchase, and
sought, by every means which he consid
ered lawful, to accomplish it. No one
will regret it more than he.
The result is a sad blow to Southern
Georgia and and Brunswick’s prospects.
The whole ground will now have to be
gone over de novo with all the uncertain
ties of future legislation super-added.
There is one course, however, open to
the Governor, which some of our best
citizens earnestly desire him to pursue.
It is to call the Legislature together in
extra session to pass such enabling act as
may be deemed necessary in the premises,
and for that specific purpose only. Sev
eral of our prominent citizens, among
then Hon. A. O. Bacon, Colonel Whittle
and Colonel C. J. Harris supposing that
the time of the lease would not expire un
til the night of the thirteenth, telegraphed
yesterday to the Governor, advising him
to give the desired guarantee, and assur
ing him of the support of the people if he
did so. But the deliberations had already
closed.
There is another view of this transaction
entertained by some of the best legal
minds, which is deserving of considera
tion. They hold that the sale did not
necessarily lapse at the expiration of the
thirty days in this particular instance, be
cause the lessees had literally complied
with the law in its every requirement.
The first instalment had been duly paid,
and the bargain clinched, and they were
ready to turn over all the necessary bonds
and every dollar of the cash demanded to
perfect the purchase.
The laches, therefore, was on the part
of the State. Of .course the Common
wealth, just as any private individual, was
expected to warrant and defend the title
it gave to the sale of this public property,
and the failure to comply throws the
blame upon its accredited representatives.
It is held with seeming justice, therefore,
that if the difficulties in the way can be
removed, and the Governor properly as
sured that he may with safety give the
requisite guaranty—indeed, that the spirit
of the act contemplated that he should do
so—the thread of the negotiations could
be taken up again, and the affair, if the
parties are still agreed, prosecuted to a
successful termination.
We throw out these suggestions in the
earnest hope that something may yet be
done to retrieve the situation, and give to
the people of Brunswick, Macon, Jones,
Jasper, Newton, and all tho region from
the Georgia Railroad to the ocean, the
commercial facilities they so much need,
and which the General Assembly enac
ted, should be conferred upon them. The
people will await the issue with the deep
est interest.
Yorktown.—A Washington dispatch
says:
A committee of members of tho Virginia
Legislature, and others were here ttHlay,
in conference with members of Congress
with reference to the Yorktown celebra
tion. It is understood that‘the Virginia
Legislature will pass a bill appropriating
$10,000 to help defray the expenses of the
celebration, and it is proposed that each of
the thirteen original States make an appro
priation of $10,000. This would make
THEBKOKEX LEASE.
The Much Talked of Central Bail*
road Combination with the Louia- j How nUIppencd.
ville and Nashville Railroad. j Last evening Hr. J. M. Couper, of
The Constitution of recent date, gave a Brunswick, passed through the city, re-
startling account of the practical lease of turning home from Atlanta, and at the
Remains to b«aBene.
the Central railroad to the Louisville and
Nashville for five years, the contract in-
eluding the Georgia road and embracing
sundry Tennessee lines.
So far as we are 'able to ascertain, this
announcement was premature and lacks
confirmation. On the contrary, we have
it direct from a Central Railroad direc
tor just from Atlanta, that no such ar
rangement has been consummated.
As nearly as could be -gathered the
facts are as follows: A treaty has been
entered into between the Louisville and
Nashville and the Central and GeorgiaRail-
roads, by which the Louisville and N ash-
ville may regulate all through freights
from their lino to Savannah, Fort Royal
and Charleston, and also tier Montgomery
and the Central, with the understanding
that it will pro rate with each of these
roads according to distance, and giving
preference to the shortest route. Ameri-
cus will be the dividing line, as it is about
equi-distant from Nashville, viaMontgom-
ery, and via Atlanta. That is, the charges
for freight to that point will be the same
by either route. Beyond Americus the
pro rate according to distance is contin
ued. No discriminations of any sort
whatever will he made agaiust connect
ing roads.
This agreement in no wise disturbs the
present management of the contracting
roads, each retaining its existing organi
zation and officers, and controlling local
fares. In other words, it is simply a qua
si pooling arrangement, which it is asser
ted will inure equally to the Benefit of all
parties interested.
We give the above as related to us, but
vouch for nothing, when the combination
of to-day is dissolved to-morrow, and all
the railroads seem to be lying around
loose, and gravitating in this or that di
rection, according to the behests only of
that mighty motor, capital,
One thing is certain, however. The
Central railroad people must think they
have made a good thing of it as their stock
was held firmly yesterday at ninety-three.
We will keep our readers posted when
ever anything ^reliable actually trans
pires.
Alas, and A-Lack-a-Day 1
Our esteemed cotemporary, the Sea
port Appeal, publishes the following ju
bilant extra:
GLORIOUS NEWS!
THE LEASE AND SALE PERFECTED,
The hi. <fc B. Transferred to purchasers.
GEO. H. HAZLEHURST, R. T. WILSON, .
J. LANE, AND C. M. MCGHEE THE
MEN WHO DID IT.
Atlanta, Feb. 12, I860.—The lease
and purchase of the Macon and Bruns
wick railroad were perfected yesterday
evening, and the road was transferred to
the lessees and purchasers.
R.T. Wilson, C. M. McGhee, George
H. Hazlehurst, A. J. Lane and associates
are the purchasers.
R. T. Wilson is President of the East
Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia, and
Memphis and Charleston railroads, and
McGhee is his General Superintendent.
It is understood that Hazelhurst will be
President, and that the extension will be
built from Macon to Atlanta at once.
The company is a strong one, and the
friends of Brunswick may rest assured
the road will be built, that good connec
tions with Western systems will be effect
ed, and that the day of discrimination
against her has passed.
The morning papers contain further
particulars.
Your friends here send greeting and
congratulations. H.
Note.—The Kennesaw route is Presi
dent Wilson’s route, and Joseph E. Brown
is its prophet.—[Editor.
Now, is it not too bad that all this good
news should afterwards have dissolved
into thin air? How true the apothegm,
“there is many a slip twixt cup and lip.”
Can’t Brother Styles help us resurrect
this pet enterprise of Southern and Mid
dle Georgia? By the rood let us “never
give up the ship.”
The Effect of a Good Example.
Since the New York Herald led off with
its magnificent subscription to the starving
poor cf Ireland, the good people oi Goth
am have come to the front with $44,29S.46
more in the short space of eight days.
What the sum total will amount to, cannot
now be ascertained. But it will certainly
reach a princely sum. How many thou
sands of sufferers will be made glad by
Mr. Bennett’s royal bounty 1 Nor will he
bethe loscrbyitintheend. VictoriaRegia
gave $2,500 to her perishing subjects, out
of a revenue of millions. Citizen Bennett
$100,0001
Protection to Innocent Purchasers of
Patented Goods.
Our readers will remember that, during
the sessions of the late State Agricultural
Convention, Col. T. J. Smith introduced
resolution, which was unanimously
adopted, to memorialize Congress to add
an amendment to the. patent laws for the
protection of unsuspecting parties who
purchase goods that are patented from
those not authorized to sell them.
The following from the Herald of yes
terday shows that the matter is already
under advisement by the National Legis
lature :
The bill for the protection of purchasers
of patented articles which passed the
House on Monday should become a law
as soon as possible. It provides that
when buyers of patented articles are sued
for purchasing from persons not author
ized by the owners of the patent to make
or sell the same, and judgments for small
amounts are rendered, the persons bring
ing suit shall pay all or part of the costs.
Nothing but such a law—unless it be a
properly handled shot gun—will dispose
of the numerous sharpers that have
played into each other’s hands
so successfully, that many people,
particularly farmers, are afraid to
rarchase patented articles of any kind,
So citizen who is not a special student of
Patent office records can be expected to
know anything about infringements or how
to guard himself against them; therefore
the power which makes the right of a
patentee absolute should defend honest
purchasers. A better method of defense
could hardly be devised than the hill that
is now awaiting further action, for the
profits of sharp practice would be brought
down to nothing if the wily prosecutors
were compelled to pay the costs.
The Latest Corset.
London Correspondence of the New York Timet.
By the way, as a privileged person, I
was on* day this week, in a famous store,
shown the latest corset from Paris. It
was a most elaborately made pair of stays
made to exaggerate a narrow waist by the
addition of artificial hips and an artificial
bust. “English ladies will wear this a
great deal during the coming season,”
said the artist who presided over my pri
vate view of the new invention, “but my
Paris correspondent tells me they expect
to send more of them to America than to
England.” The truth is the United
States is quicker to adopt the French
$130,000, of which $30,000would be ample - . . ... . .
to defray the current expenses of the cele- fashions than England; and in contradrs-
. 3 an .i f i 1(i remainder, $100,000,1 tinction to this bad sign of the further
g**™* «?% ’iWXK - styi^?i2S±gS!
SZgS&SEi JdVSSsSlSiS structure uSl.y of the e.eut couW then; sociew of the bahy-trarst, and loose robes.
! nary weather. We seem to be living on . be reared. lortneyea laaya. 1
carshed, just before the leaving of the train
on the Macon and Brunswick road, was
interviewed by a representative of this
paper. Mr. Couper stated that the refu
sal of the Governor to give a warrantee
deed to the road caused his com
pany no little surprise. It had
come up to every legal requirement of the
lease act. The funds were all in hand to
the amount of a quarter of a million of
dollars, the amount required by the act,
They were required by the Governor to
strengthen their bond, and did so by plac
ing, through their hankers in New York,
securities to the amount of four hundred
thousand dollars, in such position as,to
be a cash security to the State.
Tho only demand they made was
warrantee deed. This was insisted on.
The Governor took the matter under ad
visement. The time steadily passed
away and up tc-nearly twelve o’clock the
lessees waited patiently for a reply. The
Governor finally announced that after
consultation with legal advisers, he did
not think under provisions of the act, he
could give the required guaranty bond.
The company, therefore, thinking that
there was too much at stake, in a trans
action of this magnitude,to risk the taking
possession of a road over which was
suspended a claim for six hundred thous
and dollars worth of bonds, and they ac
cordingly withdrew from the transaction,
Mr. Conper assures us that his com
pany has acted in the purest good faith
throughout. The failure of the lease was
entirely unlooked for, and almost up to
the last moment a consummation was an
ticipated. The company, through Mr.
George H. Hazlehurst, had ordered ten
thousand tons of steel rails, and he
doubts whether the contract can be easily
cancelled.
The intention of the company was,
among other things, to give Atlanta
a railroad from Gunter’s Landing, by
completing the Georgia Western. Con
nections would also have been made by
the East Tennessee, Virginia and Geor
gia railroads, and the Memphis and
Charleston railroads with the West,
The company was composed of nine per
sons, their aggregated wealth amounting to
little less than twenty million dollars.
As to the future course to be taken.
Mr. Couper could give no information,
Yesterday the news produced a profound
impression in the city. There seemed a
general feeling of disappointment over the
failure of the lease. The opinion was
freely expressed that the Governor, if suf
ficient assurance could be given by the
company which has just declined the lease,
that if the proper guarantee were given
they would re-assume the contract, he
should call the Legislature together.
A telegram suggesting such a course sign
ed by some of the most prominent gentle
men of the city, was sent to the Governor
yesterday. Central stock, which had de
clined the day before, yesterday took a
booming upward tendency and went to
ninety-six, at which figure it closed in
good request.
TRAMPS.
TbeCMylnlMtedbya Gang-.
Reports now reach us daily of the ex
ploits of tramps in the city, and it seems
as if there was a regularly organized
gang now operating in the corporation
A few nights since a lady was knocked
down by a tramp in her own house, and
on the same night attempts were made to
enter several other houses.
On Thursday night no little excite
ment was occasioned on Magnolia street
by the attempt of tramps to gain
entrance to one of the residences on that
street. About ten o’clock Mrs. L. B,
Pike was attracted by a noise at the back
door of her residence, and leaving her
bed-room, went there, discovering that
there were several men on the back pi
azza. She was told to open the door or
she would be killed. She did not reply,
but went to the front of the house and
cried loudly for help.
Several gentlemen in the neighbor
hood rushed to the rescue, but the tramps
had made good their retreat. Several
persons heard footsteps as they ran off
into the darkness. Mrs. Pike with two
small children was unprotected, all the
male members of the familyjbeing absent.
She was unable to say whether they were
white or black. It is thought that the
tramps have several women accomplices
who go around the city »and dis
cover the places where mere are
gentlemen, examine the fast
enings of tho doors, or in other ways
prepare the way for the operations of the
masculine members of the gang after
niglit-fall. The attempts which have
come under notice so far have been made
in the early hours of the night. The po
licemen have been notified, and are keep
ing lively watch on suspicious looking
parties about the city. In th* meantime,
a loaded revolver or a reliable shot gun
on the premises, would be a decided re-as
surance and an agreeable protector,
Harried.
The Columbus Times speaks as follows
of the marriage of Mr. Peyton E. Moore,
Jr., of Macon, which occurred in that
city day before yesterday :
At the residence of the ' bride’s father,
Colonel E.M. Hogan, yesterday morning
at three o clock, Mr. Peyton E. Moore,
Jr., formerly of Athens, but now mail
agent between Macon and Columbus, and
Miss Susie E. Hogan, of this city, were
united in marriage, Rev. A. H. Campbell,
pastor of the First Baptist Church, per-
i brining the ceremony. Only a few
friends and relatives were present to wit
ness the impressive and solemn ceremony.
Mr. Moore is a most estimable and es
teemed young gentleman, and we con
gratulate him that he has won the heart
and hand of one of our charming young
ladies, who will make him a treasure as a
wife. May all that is good and success
ful attend them in all their journey
through life.
—A hill for the restoration of capital
punishment is before the Wisconsin Leg
islature, and a Janesville merchant, to
test public sentiment on the subject, made
canvass among his customers who were
electors. Out of sixty-nine, the sum of
one day’s vote, thirty-seven favored and
thirty-two opposed the bill.
—A vineyard proprietor of the Haute
Garonne was recently engaged in testing
his wine, and, coming to a large vat of
the last vintage, was shocked at what he
described as its “fantastic -flavor.” He
accordingly allowed it to run off into
other vessels, and proceeded to examine
the bottom of the receptacle, when, to his
horror, he discovered the body of one of
his own workmen, who had mysteriously
disappeared last October. The comfort
ing piece of intelligence is added that the
authorities have forbidden the sale of the
I wine and it will he turned into brandy.
The Defeated Lease auk,Sale—What ent throughout, he receives it in that spir-
-n , . " it by which every honorable man should
• be actuated unde: like circumstances. It
is proper to say to General Gordon that
while Mr. Stephens accepts his apology
and the withdrawal of the words he re
grets having uttered in the spirit in which
they were made, yet he cannot admit the
correctness of the version of what occurred
on the occasion referred to as set forth in
General Gordon’s letter. He cannot ad
mit that there was any such provocation
as General Gordon assumes in apparent
justification of the words which he regrets
and withdraws. Mr. Stephens does not
admit there was any provocation on his.
part at all, certainly none was intended.
In further response to General Gordon’s
letter, Mr. Stephens takes the occasion to
add that nothing was further from his at
tention in anything he said or did on the
occasion he referred to, by tone or action
to wonnd the feelings of General Gordon,
or to be in anv way, by manner or other
wise, in the least degree discourteous to
him. As to the remarks of General Gor
don in relation to what seems to have
been an extreme sensitiveness O i Li*
part at that time on account of what had
been reported to him about Mr. Stephens
having done him a great injury in private
conversation, and about his having sent
to Mr. Stephens a mutual friend to correct
erroneous impressions under which Mr.
Stephens seems to be laboring, it is proper
to state here briefly that Mr. Stephens was
not aware at all of any such sensitiveness
or cause of such on the part of General
Gordon. It is true, a gentleman who
stands in a friendly position to both Mr.
Stephens and General Gordon, did call
upon Mr. Stephens sometime ago and sta
ted General Gordon had requested him to
come and make some explanations which
he thought would disabuse Mr. Stephens’
mind of impressions existing on it in rela
tion to his conduct. Mr. Stephens said
promptly in reply, as soon as the object of
his mission was stated, “tell General Gor
don that I do feel that I have been badly
treated by him, and if he has any expla
nations to make to come in person and
make them himself. I want no interme
diate. We can talk over all these matters
ourselves, and in this way come to a bet
ter mutual understanding.”
General Gordon did not act in accord
ance with the request, but Mr. Stephens
was in no irritated mood with him be
cause of that or anything else, and there
fore had not the slightest intention of be
ing in the least discourteous to him before
a committee of his associate Senators in
anything he said. Mr. Stephens did not
know what General Gordon wished to
explain through a mutual friend, or what
Mr. Stephens had been reported to him as
having said about him, and therefore does
not knew even now what portion of his re
marks before the committee was considered
by him as such “insinuations” as produced
the great excitements which he admits.
Mr. Stephens was entirely unconscious at
the time of what had occasioned it.
We hope the end of this unfortunate
controversy has been reached. By its
notoriety the pigmy, Simmons, has been
magnified into a most unseemly impor
tance. Now let the Senate sit down up
on that illiterate secession hater, and con
sign him again to the oblivion of the past
Shakespeare’s Wisdom.
Shakespeare, wisest of men, over two
hundred years ago, detailed almost every
experience of the human heart, and al
most every phase of human life, and in
one place he even seems to have prophsied
that remedy of remedies, the Safe Kidney
and Liver Cure. 2w
The failure of the Governor to ratify
the sale of the Macon | * Brunswick
railroad, however conscidsiy&us may have
been his motives, has created intense dis
appointment throughout^ Middle and
Southern Georgia. Marry able lawyers
believe that the lease or sale Act and em
phatic deliverances of the General Assem
bly, were tantamount to a guaranty of
title should the provisions of the law be
duly carried out. They say, in no event
did the Governor assume any personal re
sponsibility, even if his action, (which is
not probable) when received by the next
Legislature should fail to be sustained.
So far as any liability for the $600,000 is
concerned, the matter has been solemnly
pronounced upon in the negative by the
highest authority known to the find on
two separate occasions.
A strong effort will be made, therefore,
to induce the Governor to reconsider his
late action and sign the warrantee title to
the road, which is all that the purchasers
called for.
Should he decline finally to do this, un
less consenting to call an extra session of
the General Assembly, there will be no
other alternative left his Excellency but
to proceed at once to appoint the five rail
road commissioners, as directed by the
law, and defer farther action in the .prem
ises until the meeting of the next Legisla
ture.
No one seems to thiuk that Messrs.
Bullock & Kimball havo a shadow of
right to claim the lease as the next high
est bidders on the 13th ultimo. According
to the terms laid down in advance by the
Governor, the legality of the several bids
were to be strictiy scrutinized, and, in the
event that the road had been knocked off
to any party who should, upon investiga
tion, be found ineligible under the terms
of the laW, then, and only then, should
the next highest bidder be allowed to
come in.
But in the instance under review, no
objection of any kind whatever was made
to the successful bidder, and after due de
liberation the transaction was approved
and the bargain ratified, by the prompt
payment of the ten thousand dollars ad
vance money required under the act. This
made the lease perfectly legal. And if it
failed afterwards for any non-fullfilment
of the proposed terms, then the whole
matter necessarily fell through, and the
Governor could only proceed as instructed,
to appoint five commissioners to take
charge of the road, etc.
Able lawyers assert, as the lessees came
to time in every particular before the ex
piration of the thirty days, and there was
no default on their part, that the Govern
or has still a perfect right to re-consider
his action, if he deems proper, and ap
pend his signature to the warrantee title,
which was demanded. It could not be
supposed that any company, making a
purchase involving an outlay of millions,
would be content with any other than a
perfect title to the property in question.
A New Bankrupt Act.
The Judiciary Committee ot the Na
tional House of Representatives, are
taking steps to perfect another bankrupt
law. It seems to be generally conceded
that some such measure is needed for the
protection of the victims of misfortune
who have relentless creditors. But up
to this time every statute of the kind
has served but to cloak the villainy of
thousands, while the instances are few
and far between where any real benefit
has been derived from such legislation,
As a general rule the honest debtor can
always make terms with his creditors. It
is the dishonest who ought to be made to
suffer, that seek relief from a bankrupt
law that enables them to pay their debts
with the sweep of the pen, and then start
business full-banded again. We do not
believe the people of the South desire any
such law.
MARDI-GRAS IN NEW ORLEANS
The Spat Between Senator Gordon
and Hon. A. H. Stephens.
The unpleasantness growing out of the
Simmons matter between General Gor
don and Mr. Stephens has been amicably
adjusted. Our gallant Senator, on the
7th instant, addressed the following mag
nanimous note to Georgia’s Great Com
moner :
Hon. A. H. Stephens—Dear Sir
hope you will receive this letter in the
spirit which prompted me to write it.
I deeply regret that I allowed myself, un
der any extremity of provocation, to use
toward you the harsh and angry words I
uttered in the controversy yesterday be
fore the census sub-committee. But it
had been reported to me that for some
time past you had done me grave injus'
tice in private conversations, and I had
sent to you a mutual friend to correct the
wholly erroneous impression under which
you seemed to be laboring. Therefore,
when you repeated the same^insinuations
before a sub-committee of my associates
iu the Senate, I, of course, felt the wrong
still more keenly. Then, when you ad
ded the statement that you had heard that
I favored ex-Marshal Smyth for the office
of supervisor in the first census dis
trict of Georgia, in the face of the fact
that I had just a moment before, in an
swer to a question from the committee,
stated that I had urged the appointment
of both Mr. Albert Howell and of our
mutual friend, Colonel Mark Johnson,
and, failing with both these, had done all
I could to secure the appointment of Mr.
Griffin, who - is also a Democrat—I say,
when in the presence of these facts, you
repeated to the committee that you had
been told that I was endeavoring to se
cure Mr. Smith’s appointment, I felt a
sense of wrong and of outrage which
compelled me to ask for the name of your
informant. The charge by your informer
was so false, so malicious, so directly in
conflict with what I had just stated to the
commtttee, and therefore so inconsistent
with my character for truth, political and
social integrity, so absolutely without
foundation or even the shadow of an ex
cuse, that upon your refusal to give me
the reason of your informant, my indigea-
tion.was so great that I used to you lan
guage which, in view of your age and
our long established friendship, I deeply
regret. I allude to the words that “I
would hold you responsible for the false
hood until you divulged the name of the
traducer 1” Of course I meant by this only
that I would consider that you were re
sponsible for the false charge, unless you
would give me the author.
These words, I repeat, I deeply regret,
and, although still suffering under a
sense of the wrong you have done me and
still repeating the utter falsehood of your
informer’s statement, I wish to recall the
words which seemed to imply that I re
garded you as responsible for the false
hood. Very respectfully your-s,
J. B. Gordon,
To this Mr. Stephens replies at length,
speaking in the third person. We extract
as follows:
Mr. Stephens acknowledges the receipt
of General Gordon’s letter of the 7th inst.
It was handed to him late Sunday even
ing by a special messenger, and Mr. Steph
ens has had no time to give it that atten
tion which it deserves until last night and
this morning. He wishes to say now
that he duly appreciates the motives by
which he is assured it was prompted, and
without any comment upon the tone, feel
ing and excitement in it, quite appar-
The Boss Racket—Its History in New
Orleans—The Present "Floats”—
An Immense Theatre.
St. Charles Hotel, New
Orleans, La., February 12,1880.
Editors Telegraph and Messenger: Per
haps no celebration on the American con
tinent is comparable to Mardi-Gras in
this city. Whether it be the feeling of
desperate longing to supply the appetite
with the forbidden meats upon this the
last day on which they (the Catholics)
can eat meats that they thus indulge in
great glee, or a strong desire to enjoy ex
tensive merriment, meeting old friends,
etc., is a matter which may be referred to
to the “Mistick Krewe,” or some other
power. It is nevertheless a fact that the
people of New Orleans, in some way,
have formed a brilliant conception of the
old Roman Saturnalia, and, by intermix
ing modern ideas, Lave succeded in giving
an entertainment of high degree, which
far exceeds the ancient awkwardness.
ITS ORIGIN IN NEIV ORLEANS.
It will be remembered that this city has
a large Catholic population, hence the
conformance to this established feast of
their church in Europe. Hardi Gras or
Fat Tuesday is also called Shrove Tues
day, the last Tuesday before Ash Wednes
day, which is the beginning of Lent. It is
a movable feast, being governed by Luca
phases. In 1856, on Mardi Gras day.
something was said here about a proces
sion that night, and the famous “Mistick
Krewe of Comus” appeared in procession.
This is the original body of Masqueraders
in New Orleans. From 1856 to 1872, up
on each Mardi Gras day, scattering mas
queraders were to be seen all over the city,
but there was really no organized body
nor a systematic celebration.
Early in tbe year 1872, Mr. Arm
strong, of tbe New Orleans Times, wrote
an article on tlie subject of a combined
demonstration. This valuable suggestion
from his gifted pen attracted large atten
tion, and responses were suddenly made
by leading merchants, bankers, etc., Mr.
Charlie Howard, President of the Louisi
ana State Lottery, heading the subscrip
tion list with $100. By the day of Mardi
Gras, in 1S72, sufficient funds were gath
ered to give an impromptu celebration,
with a Rex. The Grand Duke Alexis
was here at the time, and his presence
gave the affair some impetus.
This occasion marked the first celebra
tion of consequence of the day in New
Orleans. I am told that it was tbe most
interesting ever held, as it was really a
general gala-day, all parties and ranks
taking part. It comprised an unrestricted
display and a universal participation, and
the city was alive with the sound of horns
and clatter of horsemen, while the mas
queraders were energetic in their efforts
to represent merriment. Each year im
provements have been made, and from
the original procession of hacks,
drays, cavalcades, societies, etc., has
come .a gaudy— pantomime on
wheels; or a ^tableau. • representing the
mysteries of enjoyment, beyond the capa
bilities of an outsider. The “Royal
Guards” were'organized at this time, and
were out in their scarlet uniforms. The
‘Knights of Mourns” is an order of recent
origin, but of importance to the day. As
to the participants and the masqueraders,
little is known. There is, of course, au
organization, having rales, officers, etc.;
but a modest mau wont risk his counte
nance by asking questions of a royal Mo
ral m the Carnival of the Fat Tuesday in
New Orleans.
It is, however, safe to assert that mer-
drants, hankers and leading citizens com-
irise the principal organization. A meeti
ng is held each April, when
are made for the next
elected, etc.
THE CAENItAL JUST ENDED,
is said by knowing ones, to be the larges
and most elegant ever given hero. Be:
sides a population of over two hundred
thousand who reside in New Orleans,
there were estimated forty thousand visi
tors. Trains consisting of only sleeping
cars, ordinary passenger trains, freights,
steamers, both ocean and river, came to
the city literally packed with visitors.
The weather was clear and cool, and all
things seemed to conspire to the success
of this, the leading street parade of
the world. Canal street, the principal
thorouglifare of New Orleans, was impas
sible because of tbe assembled crowds to
witness the procession, and yet all had a
good view. Banners and flags being un
furled from nearly every window. Hand
somely dressed and beautiful ladies waved
their fans and kerchiefs to the merry
makers. Bands of music made the air
melodious, while the eye rested upon the
beautiful pageantry. On Monday after
noon the King arrived, and was formally
received by the. officials.
and five volunteer companies of this Statn.
acted as body guard, while four superior
brass bands discoursed martial airs. The
city officials and the King’s Royal Guards
made up the balance. On Tuesday morn!
ing the great Mardi Gras begun, and hv
eight o clock the streets were crowded *
To minutely describe the procession is
not only beyond tbe capacity ofthewrf
ter, but impossible because of spaeel
First came the King of the carnival; the
King in his chariot drawn by twelve
horses—his handsomely costumed guards*
besides advance guards, etc. Next a
“float ’ on which stood a white ox, dec
orated in ribbons and wreaths—the “6o>vf
gras, and then followed twenty floats
representing the four elements—earth, air
water and fire. In design and delicate
conception of subjects the artists, inure
paring the floats and the costumes, dis
played talent of no inferior grade. Then
followed the “Phunny Phorty Phellows ”
with their inimitable burlesques—the
“Cotton Jammers Benevolent Society”
and the “Products of America,” “Rum
and Tobacco Excelled.” And next
came an indescribable mixture of general
nuisances. Bands and military were
prominent in the procession. The pro
cession was about one mile long and took
about a half hour to pass any one point.
At night the streets were filled early, and
the Orleans Club and Pickwick Club
rooms were brilliant. Fire-works, brass
bands and crowds, about twenty mount
ed policemen came dashing down the
street (Canal street), and the crowd di
vided like the waters of the Red Sea, and
then the night begun. Great lights were
lit, all colors of lights were seen, and the
procession begun. First, the Mystick
Krew of Comus, with their fifteen floats,
representing the Aztec people and their
conquest of Cortez. Next, the Knights of
Momus, with seventeen floats—subject,
“A dream of fair women.” These floats
or cars, both in the Mystick Krew of Co
mus and Knights of Momus, are elegant
and grand. After the procession came
the tableaux, at the opera house, of the
Knights of Momus, which were surpass
ingly splendid—an extensive historical
representation.
TheM. K. of C. gave their tableaux, in
design and execution excellent. After
the tableaux the balls were in order, and
tlie various parties divided to attend the
different balls. The invitations to the
balls of the two orders cost nearly six
thousand dollars, and were made in Paris.
The whole Mardi Gras cost about fifty
thousand dollars.
THE LARGEST THEATRICAL AUDIENCE
ever assembled in New Orleans was that
of the Grand Opera House on Monday
night, 9th instant. Nearly twenty-five
hundred people were seated. Mr. T. A.
Hall, who is well known at the South for
his excellence as a gentleman and supe
rior capacity as a theatrical manager,
well sustained his reputation by having
the Emma Abbott English Opeia Troupe
to play here during the season of Mardi
Gras. It is the first time they have ap
peared in America, and they are already
receiving high plaudits lor their talent.
Mrs. Partington Says _
will cure general dilapidation, costive
habits and all comic diseases. They saved
Isaac from a severe extract of tripod fever.
They are the ne plus unum of medicines.—
Boston Globe. 2w
hen preparations
carnival, officers
—Grant ought to be able to pick up a
great mauy points iu Ctesarism from Diaz
whose guest he will he in a few days.
The history of Mexiceisthe recognized
text book and standard authority on dicta
torship.
—The ex-Empress Eugenie has ordered
of the sculptor Boehm a marble group of
life size representing the Prince Imperial
1 lying dead on the ground, partly wrapped
In his cloak, while an angel is crowning
him.
—The comparative force of gunpowder
and dynamite was discussed by two miners
at Tunka, California. They agreed, as a
test, to explode certain quantities of the
substances under two planks, the friend of
gunpowder to stand on the dynamite
plank and the friend of dynamite on the
other. The test was made in the presence
of an interested crowd of spectators. It
resulted in a broken leg for the man who
was lifted ten feet into the air by the dy
namite, and uncounted bruises for the
one whom the gunpowder threw against
the trunk of a tree.
AFire in the Rear.—Washington,
February 11.—There is some talk here
among Liberal Republicans, who are ap
prehensive that Grant will be nominated
at Chicago, of holding a mass convention
there to nominate some man whom they
might have reason to believe could be en
dorsed by the regular Democratic Conven
tion which would he held shortly' after
ward. Just how much weight may be
given to this proposition cannot now be
said, inasmuch as it has only been broach
ed among certain Liberal Republicans in
Congress within the past few days.
—What does Don Cameron mean when
in urging the claims of Grant as a strong,
man to the Presidency, he says: “The
people of this country are tired of the un
certainties of its government? Is it the
uncertainties attending elections that trou
ble Don?”—Cincinnati Commercial.
To this the Courier-Journal responds:'
That can not trouble any Republican
leader who understands the facilities in
the hands of the party for defrauding a
majority out of the legal result of their
vote. Mr. Cameron’s remark only ex
presses the dominant desire of the Repub
lican party fora kind of government
which will do away with the expense
and farce of holding Presidential elec
tions.
—Our army is composed of 2,187 of
fleers and 24,262 enlisted men. At West
Point Academy there are 24 musicians,
8 professors and 212 cadets. There are
388 retired officer. The active or com
batant force of the army numbers 20,566
men, 11 generals and 1,559 officers, or one
officer for every fourteen men. It would
appear that there is entirely too much of
ficers in our army. Tecumseh Sherman
wants more officers and more men. He
would like 200,000 but he will die with
out being gratified. Sherman is more of
a Mexican than Grant. He would “pro
nounce” for himself in a minute if he had
200,000 men under him. At present there
is not war material enough in the govern
ment’s hands to fully equip 50,000 men.
—Courier-Joumal.
A Royal Author.—King CeteWayo
has dictated the history of the Zulu nation
and the Zulu war to Captain Poole, of the
English army, and it has been published
in Macmillan's Magazine. It appeared
that the King when dictating the story,
occasionally divested himself of nearly all
his clothing to give his ideas fair play,
which would tend to show that the excen-
tricities of genius are not confined to civi
lization. So long as he was narrating
questions of foreign policy or domestic
finance he remained calm, hat when he
came to the story of a battle he worked
himself into frenzy,.and on one occasion
seized Captain Poole’s sword and hacked
the furniture of the room-in illustrating
the incidents of the fight. It is needless
to say that after that tima all weapons
were carefully removed.
“ Facts are Stubborn Things.
And few facts are more stubborn and
difficult to overcome than the various skin
diseases caused by impurities of tlie blood.
But Warer’s- Safe Bitters or Safe Tonic,
A long and purifies the blood and removes the sores
handsome procession, in which two com- and eruptions which disfigure ami annoy-
panics of the regular United States army 2w.