The banner of the South. (Augusta, Ga.) 1868-1870, September 12, 1868, Page 3, Image 3

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concluded in December, without any suspicions having been awakened. On the evening of the 12th, Dillon showed great anxiety lest his friend Desroques should take part in the cere mony. The printer ailed a little, but it required all Billon’s persuasion to extort an unwilling promise from his friend to stay at, home. On the morning of the 13th, also, Billon made Desroques again promise that he would not stir abroad. Other friends had also been warned by him. Let us now return to the procession which we have left at the Town Hall. Twelve o’clock fairly struck, it got un der way, and the beating of the drum's, and the children’s cries came to the ears ot Billon, who was hurrying homewards. He had sent out his wife and servant, and the house was empty. Having en tered, he locked the door, and threw the key intoadark corner; then, going upstairs to*his room, he opened the slides which he had made in his window blinds, and took one after the other several guns of uue kind and another which he loaded, and placed ready to his hand on a table. Almost as he finished, the cries of the mob came to his ears, Billon gave a last look round. On a table near him, were some slips of paper, on which on the preceding night he had written in large letters, verses, texts, and incohe rent sentences. On one was written “ I shall be great as the Eternal. Like Him, I shall be terrible in my ven geance.’ 7 On another, “You shall rush in with the fury *of lions, and you shall be swept away as gnats.” By the side of these, lava humorous epitaph on him self. But the procession has reached Bil lon’s house ; the detachment of National Cavalry has even passed it, and the com panions of the Arquebuse are advancing. A shot is heard; for a moment it is thought that a guu has gone oil* by acci dent only, but one of the drummers of the Arquebuse has fallen with a bullet in his head. Another shot whilst his com panions arc bending over the drummer, and another Companion of the Arque buse fills. Murder is too evidently at work ; some turn and fly; others run aimlessly. In the confusion, shot after shot is heard. A cooper, Henry Spore, was the first to notice that smoke came from the win dows of Billon’s house. Spere lived in the opposite house. He rushed to his room, took down a guu, and fired at Bil- Wn'u shuttore, sending two panels into splinters. Billon in his turn, aims at Spere, and lodges a ball in his hat. Spere reloads for another shot. Mean while M. Du Boulct, commanding the militia, has ordered M. Hamelin to break in Billon’s door. A rush is made at the house, but while some attack the door, and others the windows, Billon is still at work, and at each shot fresh victims fall. M. Do Lorme, Billon’s old enemy, re ceives three balls in his chest, and falls without uttering a word. The watch maker is a terribly sure shot. M. Des landes, in his turn, secs the gun levelled at his chest; he bends forward, and seven shots rattle in his skull. The door at last gives way, and the crowd rush in, M. Hamelin at their head. A second door, leading to the dining-room, is burst in, and M. Lanier, hurrying up a staircase leading to the first floor, is stopped by another door, leading to a room looking on the street. A vigorous blow with the butt-end of a musket opens this door also, but the room is empty. This and the next room are ransacked; but discovering nothing, the storming party return to a passage, and trying a door there, find that it is secure ly barricaded. This way, then, to the murderer’s retreat. Hamelin goes down and brings back a sapper, who in vain plies his hatchet. Enraged at the delay, M. Chevalier, a man of immense strength, seizes the hatchet, and with his first blow, dashes in the panels of the door, which is then seen to be scientifically bar ricaded. Rapidly cutting down tiie ob stacles to further progress, Chevalier cries out that there is fire .in the room beyond, and sends for the engine. The room is at last entered and Billon has fied a moment ago only, for the door of his room is heard to close. While some t! ) to break in this door, others strive to put out the fire. Billon, meanwhile, knowing that the door on which he hears blows rattling will Hold firm for awhile longer, makes ready to gain a loft by a hack staircase. But he hears stops ; "his I'otreat is cut off. Rapidly shutting the woor which commands the back stair case, he puts the muzzle of a gun through one of the holes which lie has taken the precaution to make, and as his assailants come up, fires. A man falls. Billon opens his door, and is making for the lott, when a M. Rouiilcr seizes him by dm throat. With a blow of a pistol, Rfiion knocks down Rouiilcr, and bran dishing two other loaded weapons, goes backward up the narrow stairs. Perfect ly calm and collected, he fires at his pur suers whenever they make a dash at him, and at each shot someone falls. Meanwhile, M. Lanier has discovered that the fire is burning over a frightful mine—a large chest firmly fixed in the flooring. “Quick, quick,’’ calls Lanier, “bring up the firemen ; drown this in fernal room, or we are dead men.” Over head firing goes on. Billon has reached the loft, and behind the shelter of cross beams, still scatters death. But M. De la Bruyere dodges him, and seeing his chance, runs in and closes with his man. “Let me go,” cries Billon, “let me go, and look to yourseif. The house will blow up.” “I’ve got you, and I don’t let you go,” answers I)e la Bruyere ; but almost before the words are out of his mouth, the floor shakes beneath his feet, there is a hideous crash, a shower of beams, stones, tiles, plaster, and bricks, and the murderer’s work is completed. For awhile there is a terrible silence, but presently those who have escaped the cloud of projectiles, draw near the horrible ruin. Willing arms worked for hours, and frightful deaths, and miracu lous escapes, come to light. Among the last is that of De la Bruyere, who, at the final moment had closed with Billon. The upper part of his body had been pro tected by a sort of arch formed by falling beams ; the rest of him was covered with ruins, stained with his blood. “My heart’s all right, lie cried, “saw away this beam, and I answer for the rest.” Near him, horribly mangled, lay Billon, still kept up by his wonderful energy, and struggling to free himself. But some of the workers recognizing him, dashed out his brains. The short December day had closed in before the list of the dead and wounded could be completed. Twenty-six persons killed, and forty wounded, that was the final result of Billon’s last day’s work. M. De la Bruyere survived for more than forty years, the day on which he so bravely fought. He underwent the most torturing operations, but came out of all with the loss of an eye, and the splinter ing of some bones. His wife died, over come by fright, and by self-reproaches for having persuaded a friend to stop in Senlis on the day which was so fatal to him. But the list of victims was not the only result of Billon’s crime. On the morrow of the loth, Senlis looked like a bombarded town. Billon’s house was blown all to pieces, sixty-six others had been seriously damaged, and one had fall en in altogether, crushing a lady who was in it. The Cathedral, at a distance of more than two hundred yards, was so shaken by the explosion, that an immense stone fell from the vault, harmlessly, a« it happened, among the persons gathered together to witness the ceremony. Scarce a pane of glass was left whole in the town. A heavy clock weight, and bul lets of twelve, twenty-four, and thirty six pounds weight were found in the walls of neighboring houses. Great misery was caused by this destruction of proper ty, even in families, where no loss of life was deplored. Fifty families were re duced to indigence, and the State had to come to the aid of private subscribers, who sought to relieve this misery. Bil lon’s widow, perfectly innocent of all knowledge of her husband’s machinations, was dragged to prison, from which she was released a fortnight later As soon as she was free, she sought permission to bury the remains of her husband, which had been dragged through the fields to the foot of the gallows, and there left to wolves and birds of prey. The unsatis fied vengeance of Senlis had only left as a mark, the ruined house of the watch maker. It was razed to the ground, and in accordance with an old custom, salt was sown on its site. The authorities of the city ordered that the space should forever remain vacant, so that the very memory of the crime might die out. But to this day the widened space be tween two streets, is called by the name of the mad or maddened watchmaker. A VOICE FROM THE FAR WEST. A private letter, enclosing $12.00 for subscriptions, from Idaho Territory, to the publishers of this paper, contains the following pleasing item : Centreville, Boise Cos., Idaho Ter., ) August, 18th, 1868, ( The election returns arc just in, and it is with great pleasure I inform you that our Territory has gone ‘T)emocra*tic” once more. Thank God, this is a white man’s country. The following gentlemen are elected: Judge J. K. Shafer, Congress, B. E. Foote, District Attorney. J. B. Britten, Sheriff of Boise County. Yours, etc., L. 0. B. Another Come-outer.— Col. I). S. Curtis, of Wisconsin, a soldier brave and true, heretofore a Republican, has come out Irom among the foul party. ©f fSI IS©S7PS Michigan Awake!— A couple of weeks ago, we published assurances we had received from Michigan that that State would go Democratic this fall. Such a result was regarded improbable by many. The indications, however, verify our information. On the 26th, the largest political meeting ever held in that State outside of Detroit, was held at Jackson. Twenty-five thousand persons are claimed to have been present. There were delegations and clubs present from all quarters. Thirty bands of music headed the different processions. Senator Doolittle was the chief speaker. At night there was a monster torch-light procession. Never in the political his tory of Michigan was there such excite ment. and enthusiasm. Equal Taxation Club. —We learn from the Newark (O.) Advocate, that the voters of Homer township, iu Licking county, as an offset to the Grant Club that was attempted to be organized in that township a couple of weeks ago, have organized an Equal Taxation Club. The Constitution of this club was pre pared by a mixed committee of Demo crats and Republicans. The injustice and wrong of taxing the soldier and ex empting the bondholder serves as a plat form on which all men of just and honest feeling may take a stand. Added to this is that other plank on which is written, " Hostility to every attempt to extort from the toil of the people gold payment of Government bonds that are legally payable in greenbacks.” Come Out From the Foul Party.— The Pittsburg Post of the 31st ult. con tains the following: ‘ Gen. Richard Coulter, of Westmore land county, better known as Fighting Dick, has come out for Seymour and Blair. He is a real General. [For the Banner of the Sonth.l Two Years Ago. You never paid you loved me—never; You never wrote me notes or rhymes; But we were to be “friends forever,” And looks say more than words sometimes. Your eyes were wont to sparkle brightly, Your lips to smile, your cheeks to glow, My foolish heart to throb more lightly— But that was just two years ago. So long a time that you, forgetful, Have waned the friendly bond with ease, Without a single pang regretful. Well, wane it, break it, if you please. My spoken word is good forever, The past has proven that, you know, But I will never blame you, never, For what you said two years ago. Vou don t remember—no, how should vou; How kindly then you clasped my hands, And if you could, you wouldn’t, would you, Where now that promised friendship stands. Come, take it back; I do not want it, Since you have set its price so low; You're not responsible, I grant it, For contracts made two yours ago. It grieves me sometimes, I confess it; It was the only joy I owned— My single hope—and I shall miss it, And sigh to see my king dethroned. And though your future life should never Elsewhere than near love’s landmarks flow, No truer friend will claim you ever, Than one you had two years ago. Good-bye—God bless you ! I'm not weaping, Thrugh one might count a tear or two, Just now a tender thought came creeping. Os days when I believed in you: In this, our friendship’s dull December, I can not help but hope, you know; But how should any man remember A promise made two years ago. Irate. The Cry is “Still they Come.”— Scarcely a day passes when we cannot glean from our exchanges a list of fresh accessions to the Democratic ranks, gained from among the influential and representative men of the country. The following will do for to-day : “On Monday, of last week, the Auburn (New lork) Democracy held a meeting. Many Democrats, and every Republican, present, were surprised to hear a speech from General George D. Robinson. The General has heretofore been an extreme Radical, and lias stumped Caynga County in behalf of the Republican cause. Gen. Robinson is an educated man, of strong reasoning powers, fearless in the expres sion of his sentiments, and always ready to give a reason for his faith. He entered the Seventy-fifth Regiment New York State Volunteers as private, and worked his way to the rank of brevet Brigadier General. He is lame now from the effects of wounds received in the war. He was a delegate to the Radical Soldiers’ Convention at Pittsburg, and has hereto fore been fawned upon by the Republi cans, but now they turn their backs upon him as they find he is of no use to them. The General was made a convert to De mocracy by living in Florida, where lie has been for the past eighteen months, and has had the acts of the carpet-baggers daily before bis eyes.” —Buffalo Courier. White Heat and Black Coats.— V\ by do not the members of our profes fession set a good example by clothing themselves in a rational manner during the present weather ? We learnt from Franklin a century ago that the solar heat is absorbed with greater or less facility, according to the color of the ob ject exposed to the rays. Every one re members how he put pieces of cloth, similar in texture and size, but different in color, upon fresh fallen snow in the sun-light, and how he found the snow melted under the pieces of cloth quickest when the noth was black, less quickly under the blue, green, purple, red, yel low, in the order enumerated, and very slowly indeed under the white. Each day’s experience shows us that we do not need to be made of snow in order to melt rapidly under a black coat. What we require for comfort is, of course, a white material, in order that the heat rays may be i effected as much and absorbed as little as possible. The material should be porous-—should imprison—that is, large quantities of air in its texture, and sene, therefore, as a very bad conductor of heat, while, at the same time facilitating evaporation of the moisture from the surtace of the body. These qualities are possessed in the highest degree by white flannel, and there is no reason that we can find why this material should not bo adopted generally in place of the atrocious costume which fashion inflicts upon suf fering mankind. —The Lancet. Chinese System of Calculation.— Every finger od the left hand represents nine figures; the little finger the unit; the ring finger the tens; the middle finger the hundreds; the forefinger the thousands; the thumb the tens of thousands. The three inner joints represent from one to three; the three outer, four to six; the right side, seven to nine. The forefinger of the right hand is employed for pointing to the figure to be called into use ; thus 1,234 would at once be denoted by just touching the inside of the upper joint of the forefinger, representing 1,000; then the inside of the second, or middle joint of the middle finger, representing 200; thirdly, the inside of the lower joint of the ring finger, representing 30; and, lastly, the upper joint of the little finger touched on the outside, representing 4. Or, again, 09,999 would be represented by touching the side of the lower joint of the thumb (90,000) and the lower side of the joint of the fore, middle, ring, and little fingers, representing respectively, 9,000, 900, 90, and 9. A Servant Refusing to go to Bed.— The West Sussex Gazette reports a case which came before the County Court Judge, at Guildford (Mr. Stonor), lately. “Elizabeth Wheatley v. James White,” was a claim of 16s. Bd. in lieu of notice The defendant is the landlord of the Tal bot Inn at Ripley. The plaintiff said she was in the service of defendant, who had dismissed her without giving her any notice. The cause of her dismissal was that the defendant came down into the kitchen one night, and told her to go to bed at a quarter to ten o’clock. She re fused to do so, as they never went to bed till half-past ten. On the following morning, ho threatened to kick her out of the house, if she did not go. The Judge—l think your master was quite justified in dismissing you. When your master told you to go to bed, it was your duty to do so, and, as you did not obey his reasonable commands, he was quite justified iu dismissing you. I shall find a verdict for defendant. Curious Application of Musical Notes.— One of the most interesting uses to which it has been proposed to apply musical notes is that lately suggested by Mr. Airy, an English practitioner, who suggests that, through their agency, the strain exerted upon bridge and other girders may be very accurately ascer tained; the notes given out by girders of the same length and structure at any given tension being identical, so that any difference in the notes will indicate a cor responding difference in the tension. The experiments of Mr. Airy were made with a model of an ordinary bow-string bridge ; and Engineering suggests that the same process may he employed to advantage in the construction of largo and compli cated iron structures, and also for ascer taining the strains on the arched roofs of railway stations and the ties of suspension bridges. Diocese of Boston. —On August 9, the Rt. Rev Bishop confirmed, in East Cambridge, 226 persons. On August 11, at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Lawrence, 60 persons On August 15, 384 in St. John’s Church, Worcester. On August 16, the Bishop dedictated the new Church of £>t. Mary’s in Haydens ville.—Pilot, Sept. 5. Visit of the lloly Father to the Troops. —On the 2d July His Holiness, Fius IX, paid a visit to that portion of the Pontifical Troops encamped at Rocca di Papa, accompanied by Mgr. Pacca, his Majordomo, Mgr. Ricci, and a large number personages belonging to the our h Arriving at the place, . 8 H u h'ness was received with enthu siastic devotion by that portion of the troops encamped at Rocca di Papa, for whom he celebrated a Pontifical Mass, at the close of which the Papal Benediction was given to the troops, and immense crowds, whose patriotic devotion had at tracted them to the encampment. On his return to Rome, quite a surprise was prepared for His Holiness. When the Pontifical cortege entered the tunnel of Frescati, the entire passage was sudden ly illuminated with electric light, render ing the brilliant view one of the most magnificent that can be conceived. As a temporal sovereign Pius IX lives in the hearts of his faithful devoted chil dren.—Catholic Mirror. Wanton Tyranny.— The Philadelphia Daily Neus denounces as wanton tyranny the attempt of the carpet baggers to com pel the white people of Louisiana to send their children to the Public Schools, in which they shall be mingled with flic children of Negroes, and expresses the opinion that it will receive the execration of every honest man. There are a great many Republicans out this way who claim to be honest, who will justify this wanton tyranny. They are in favor of anything that will aggra vate, humiliate, and degrade the white people of the South.— Columbus (Ohio) Statesman. Information Wanted— Of Patrick O’Sullivan, a native of Youghal, County Cork, Ireland. When last seen by his sister, be was in South Boston, about 17 years of age. Any information of him will be thankfully received by his sister, Ellen Sullivan, otherwise Ellen Foley, Fitchburg, Mass. Os Hannah Rooney (maiden name Hannah Downs); when last heard from, six months ago, was residing in Washing ton, Pennsylvania, where she has lived for the last twelve or fifteen years Any in formation respecting her whereabouts will be thankfully received by her brother, John Downs, in care of E. M. Connor, Savannah, Ga —Boston Pilot. Test Your Kerosene. —ln view of the many lamp explosions resulting al most invariably from the use of bad kero sene, we urge upon the heads of families the importance of testing their oil before use in the lamp. This may be readily done by any man, woman, or child, by means of a thermometer, a little warm water, and a tablespoonfull of oil. Fill the cup with warm water, the temperature of which is to be brought to 110 deg. Fall. Pour the oil on the water ; apply flame to the floating oil by match or other wise. If the oil is unsafe, it will take tire, and its use in the lamp is dangerous, for it is liable to explode. But if the oil is safe it will not take fire. All persons who sell Kerosene that will not stand the test at 110 degrees, are liable to prosecu tion.—Ex. The Court of Cassation of Turin has confirmed the judgment by which the re sponsible editor of the Unita Gcitldica wa9 condemned to a month’s imprison ment and a fine of OOOfrancs, for having published that “ the Emperor Napoleon 111 failed in his duty as a Catholic sov ereign towards the head of the Church.” Thus the Courts of Italy are afraid of the Emperor of the French. What con temptible national independence it is for the Supreme Court of a country to muz zle the press for the sake of a foreigner ’ ► The arrests in Ireland of men who made free speeches in America arc nothing ?o this miserable Victor Emanuel! [Phila. (Cath.) Universe. When to Fish. —An old fisherman, who thinks he knows his business, states, if a man wants to catch fish when he visits the creek, let him not pick the full moon days to do it. He gives a philosophical reason for this advice—whether sound or not, we cannot decide. He says, when the moon is full, the nights being bright, enables the fish to do all their foraging in the night time. Os course, having all their wants supplied, they lie up all day, and, consequently, there is a scarcity of “bites.” Under the new moon season, the fish have to sleep at night, and work by day. That makes the differ ence in the fisherman’s string. A thirsty Quaker, having [stopped at a Long Island tavern to get a pot of beer, and observing that the measure was deficient, asked the land-lord how many casks he drew in a month. “Ten/’ was the reply. “And wouldst thou not like to draw eleven, my friend?” “Yes.” “Then I’ll tell thee how; fill thy measures!” 3