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forces of this great city on a military
footing’ is quite marked. That the
police force should be regularly organized
into platoons, divisions, and so on, uni
formed, armed, drilled, and officered by
captains, lieutenants, and sergeants, is
perhaps but necessary, seeing the police
are, as it were, the standing army which
corporate bodies keep on foot to wage
constant war on crime, but the arinyizing
spirit, to give it that name, goes still
further here. Some time since, the old
volunteer fire department was broken up,
and the hand engines sold, a paid depart
ment, provided with steam fire engines
being introduced. This force is now, by
a late order, divided into brigades, and
the various ranks in the force assimilated
to certain Army grades, the Chief En
gineer haviug the rank of Colonel;
Assistants, Lieutenant-Colonel and Majors;
Foreman, Captain; Assistant Foreman,
Lieutenant; Engineer, Sergeant; Fire
man, Private ; and Hosemen and Ladder
men, Cadets. The move is a feeble imi
tation of the pompier system of Paris,
where the firemen are a part of the gar
rison, aud is not much relished by the
men themselves. Next to the firemen,
the letter-carriers of the city have been
put into divisions and uniformed. The
other day several hundred of them were
out, for the first time, in their uniforms,
which is grey throughout— coat, pant,
cap, aud cloak—with a horse at full
speed, aud a mail rider embossed on the
metal button.
The land bridge, which will be remem
bered by those who may have visited this
city as spanning Broadway at its nar
rowest and most crowded part, is now in
process of demolition. It seems not to
have answered the purposes of its erec
tion very well, and in addition to that, a
hatter, whose store on the corner was
very much darkened by the massive
structure, was quite energetic in efforts
to have it removed. Finally, the authori
ties so decided, and workmen are now
taking it away, while a placard is posted
on it which leads : “Hard Knox lo(e)w
--ered me at last !”•—Loew r being the name
of the builder of the bridge and Knox
that of the merchant to whose persistent
hostility its demolition was chietiydue.
Quite a sensation has been made here
by divers accounts in the World of
alleged adulterations and short weight in
articles of food, but these revelations have
not excited half the attention that the
published analyses of the quality of
liquors sold in the prominent saloons
here, have received. By the statements
given, it appears that fusel oil and tannin
enter to a considerable extent in the
potables which so many absorb in the bar
rooms, and the current salutation now of
one who asks another to imbibe, is :
“Will you have a little fusel oil?” or
“What will you take in your tannin ?”
The old soakers, who are now known as
fusileers , are quite merry over the
analyses, but their disgusting nature does
not seem to deter the toper from his
dram. To all appearance, it rather, on
the contrary, adds zest to Ids “nip,” as
giving him an assurance that it is strong
and will “fetch him good,” even as a
certain old reveller was wont to pour some
of his liquor out upon his handkerchief,
and then, if it burnt a hole therein to
drink the balance as being fully up in
point of vigor to his stomachic require
ments. In sober earnest, however, the
long stories of the World are as much an
advertising dodge as anything else, and
though some cheating doubtless exists in
food and liquor, it is not, after all, very
much—the sole object of adulteration
being, of course, profit—adulteration
ceasing, at a certain point, to prove re
munerative.
The amnesty proclamation issued on
Christmas Day has oue bearing that must
not be forgotten. It extends amnesty for
what some folks term “participation in
the rebellion,” without exception; and as
everybody is pardoned under it, you can
see that nobody needs any more forgiving,
and the cuckoo cry of Universal Amnesty
for Universal Suffrage is all fudge and
buncombe. The South don’t want any
Universal Amnesty. She has it already,
and will not make such a fool’s bargain,
therefore, as to buy what she stands in
no need of by paying Universal Suffrage
for it. The next time you hear the
“trooly loii” talk about giving you Uni
versal Amnesty if you will concede them
Universal Suffrage, tell the rogue? you
don’t want the thing they promise ; you
have got it already; while, as to Universal
Suffrage, they may go hang. No giving
something for nothing.
There has been, mirabile dictu, a fish
congress in session here, that is to
say, a certain concourse of people
who are deep in the mysteries of
pisciculture, or the raising of fish
by artificial means. It is said that
by proper treatment of fish-roe, any num
ber of salmon, trout, shad, and so on, may
be raised, and there seems reason to sup
pose the thing not altogether a humbug,
though doubts have been expressed as to
whether there would not be as much
difference between the flavor of a natu
rally and an artificial^ 7 hatched shad, for
instance, as between the meat of an ox
and a deer. Gov. Seymour, who takes a
great interest in agricultural matters—if
one can call this kind,of farming by that
name—was present at the meeting, and
is one of the fish commissioners of the
State. If pisciculture could beget us a
few whales, it might do; for, as it is, the
sardines in the best Government the
world ever saw, entirely carry the day.
But let us drop the fishy theme.
Tammany Hall is shortly to appear as
a combination of theatre, drinking saloon,
fair, ‘*free and easy,” concert room, circus,
and so on—quite a fit consummation, one
might say; for, seeing the leaders here
have sold out pretty much all else there
was of the Democracy, it is only in keep
ing to sell out the Hall too. They are
very good fellows to work, these Demo
cratic leaders, but they can’t lead. In
stead of taking a principle, and then
sticking to it with an invincible tenacity,
they race off after policy, and half the
time get tripped up entirely, and the
other half just escape by the skin of their
teeth. “Policy” don't pay.
The New Year was duly celebrated
according to the custom which has ob
tained here from the days of the Old
Holland settlers in IG’23. It is the cor
rect thing on this day for Augustus to ar
ray himself in gorgeous attire, and sally
forth to present the compliments of the
season to all the Arabellas, Aramintas,
and Dora Clotildas that he knows. Each
smiles very sweetly upon him—though,
poor, silly bird, he knows not that this
same smile, which thrills him down into
those very corns which his preternatu
rally tight boots inflame, has been lavished
on an hundred before him, and will beam
on ten score to come. Dora smiles;
Augustus says, “I Wish you a happy
New Year—a complimentary phrase
which, toward night, generally becomes,
in the excess of many potations : “Wisher
a PPJ» c > ’ Yars !”—then they drink a
glass of wine, or rather he drinks, and
she pretends to ; and out he goes to bore
somebody else, while she turns to in
dulge in the light festivities just over
with anew comer. Thus it goes, and at
night Dora Clotilda is fagged out, and
Augustus is as likely as not arrested by a
watchman, and taken, with his high hat
smashed and his coat in ribbons, to the
watch-house. But then it is New Year’s,
and “what’s the use of a feller, you
know, unless he can have his fling ?”
Tyrone Powers.
NEW ORLEANS (LA) CORRESPONDENCE
OF THE BANNER OF THE SOUTH.
Editors Banner of the South :
A mental review of the events of the
past pear, affords good grounds to be
hopeful of an increased happiness in the
year just opening. The gradual, and fi
nally, total removal of political disabili
ties from the mass of Southern citizens ;
the increased energy and eousequent pros
perity of our agricultural, manufacturing
and mercantile interests; the wide spread
sympathy with our suffering cause, as ex
pressed throughout the North in the late
electoral canvass; the teeming crops and
their favorable prices ; the absence of
our accustomed epidemics and devasta
ting floods ; and, last mentoined, though
first in importance, the steady growth
amongst us of True Beligion, in spite
of its red-mouthed, howling enemies; all
conspire to gild the youthful year with a
radiant halo of hopefulness. These hopes
however, will prove fallacious unless we
all work for their accomplishment—work
w r ith hand, head and heart; work with
our hands in simple obedience to the
Divine command to “earn our bread by
the sweat of our brow;” work with our
heads for the promotion of our individual
and commercial interests, and work with
our hearts in couformitv with that other,
the greatest of all Commandments, to
“love God with ali our hearts, and our
neighbor as ourselves ’ Working thus
we may all be assured »i a Happy New
Year!
In addition to the above mentioned
auguries of happiness, we are touching
ly told by our dear, pious, Puritan friends,
that this shall be for us a year of “Peace,”
and that nothing shall impede our onward
march to prosperity and happiness, un
less our own stubborn disloyalty shrill
block the way; and we of the South
know that this is all very true, according
to the Puritan dictionary, which defines
“disloyalty” to mean any assertion of
human rights, and “Peace” as death and
destruction to ali non-Puritans, under
which definitions we are pretty sure of
“Peace” in any event.
With the proverbial charity of step
fathers, our municipal rulers have pre
sented us a stupendous Christmas “Box,”
in the shape of a stunning, staggering
blow at our already tottering credit. By
a heavy vote, at a late session of the
Mill! ©f SI! ®o®m
Council, they endorsed the damning die
tv in of the late Destructive Slay or,
Heath, and declared that the city promises
to pay should be repudiated and not re
ceived into the treasury in payment of
taxes ! This is the disgraceful culmina
tion ot all the backing and filling that
has been going on the past six months,
between our city Solons and their friends
the Solomons who have been growing
fat on the distresses of the poor city em
ployees. The city notes in question were
issued in accordance with regular ordi
nances, and were accepted by the
working men and women in good faith ;
and it is truly pitiful that these should
now find their money suddenly turned
into dead leaves, by this mocking refusal
to receive its own issues in payment for
dues to the city. Shades of Caldwell
and Peters ! How agonizing to see the
once fair fame of proud Orleans fallen
so low!
The Fair for the benefit of St. Joseph’s
Church is going on swimmingly. The
selection of the holiday season for these
entertainments, is a right smart move;
as it secures the income of a good many
hundred dollars, that would otherwise
flow into the already plethoric toy ba
zars o f Piffet & Konig on Canal street.
It also affords to egg-nog drinkers a bi
bulous companionship far superior to any
they can find elsewhere.
The Lazarist Fathers who have charge
of St. Joseph’s congregation, are leaving
no stone unturned to maintain a suc
cessful rivalry with the indefatigable
Redemptorists of the Fourth District. The
latter Fathers are now projecting the
erection of another large church near
the cemeteries, far in the rear of Mel
pomenia.
In our street cars all Nigs are still al
lowed to ride without regard to color or
scent, indeed, the more they are flavored
with the bouquet d'Afrique, the more ac
ceptable they seem to our “friends of the
conquering clime ; but if any preten-,
tious white man ventures to enter with
an aromatic habana between his lips—
no matter if its fragrance equal that dis
illed from the rich spices of “Araby the
blest,” he is sternly ordered to stop
smoking or leave the car! It would
seem that our railroad companies are
emulating the example of the “best Gov
ernment under the Sun,.’ and offering a
premium on the deepest color and strong
est smell.
Southern Radical.
GEORGIA CORRESPONDENCE
OF THE BANNER OF THE SOUTH.
Van Wert, Ga., Jan., 1 869.
Banner of the South :
Van Wert, in Polk County, Georgia,
is situated near the head waters of
Uharlee Creek, a beautiful stream, af
fording several valuable water powers,
anu draining one of the finest and most
productive agricultural valleys in North
ern Georgia, It is about fifty miles from
Atlanta, and directly on the line of the
projected Railroad from that point to
Memphis—on which it is now certain
that active operations, under the auspices
of a strong, moneyed company will
speedily be commenced.
Slate, marble, of various colors, lime,
grind and whet stones, of the finest
quality, and in the greatest abundance,
are found in its immediate neighborhood,
only waiting the developing advent of
railroad transportation to yield to the en
terprising hand of man their long hidden
and incalculable riches. The siate has
beeu opened in a few places since our
attention was drawn to the fact of its ex
istence in our midst, about the beginning
of our late war, and worked since the
war on a very limited scale, with a profit
of fifty and one hundred per cent ; not
withstanding our crippled condition and
the heavy expense of wagon transporta
tion, over a rough road for twenty miles,
to Cartersville, on the State Road, which
had to be incurred to reach the markets
of the country. West of us, in full view,
commences a splendid belt of pine forest,
extending to the Alabama and Georgia
iine. which will supply all our local wants
and furnish large quantities of superior
lumber to other less fortunate sections of
our country, for many years to come.
Our climate and soil are admirably adapt
ed to the production of cotton, corn,
wheat, oats, the grasses, and up-country
fruits, apples, pears, peaches, grapes,
etc., Ac, &c.; and, for health and fer
tility, will suffer little by comparison, to
the most favored spots on earth.
You are now slightly acquainted with
the head of Uharlee Valley, with its natu
ral resources and surroundings. It suf
fered, like other portions of the South, in
her late and ever-glorious struggle for
Constitutional liberty; but, thank God,
there is life in the old land yet, and she
promises to rise from her fallen state,
with all its burdens, and thrive and
prosper again. We are Constitutional,
law abiding people, and have the warmest
welcome ready lor the same kind ot folks,
come from whence they may. Life,
liberty, and property are as secure from
violence at our hands as they are any
where. Our own interests render them
so, and we earnestly invite honest, intel
ligent, and industrious capital and labor,
to come to us, and help us rebuild our
lost fortunes, and make their own, to the
end that we may speedily resume our
former proud and happy position among
the States of the Union. Work will soon
commence on the Railroad from Atlanta
towards this point, and property will rise
with the first lick struck, and continue to
rise with the progress of the work.
Property which can now be bought for
one hundred thousand dollars, "in five
years will be worth a million. Slate and
marble, which can now be bought low,
will in that time command enormous
prices. Now is the time. Our circum
stances will make us liberal in the sale of
part of our property, and thus we and
those who join us now will grow rich
together. Our farming lands range from
five to fifty dollars an acre. Our crops
for this year have been fine. Point us
out to the world as a people altogether
deserving, and as occupying a country
altogether desirable.
Politics are below par with us; though
we are, emphatically , white folks.
Thus much, in acceptance of your
kind invitation for contributions to your
valuable paper. If you like the style and
kind, I may have something more for you
anon. I harleb, alias Batt Jones.
Contributions of the same character
as the above, from all parts of the South,
will be received and published with
pleasure iri the Banner of tiie South.
We are occasionally in receipt of letters
from the North and West, making just such
inquiries as are answered in the above cor
respondence.—Editor.
LETTER FROM SAVANNAH.
The Ogeechee Biots —Their Origin and
Progress—The Deviltry of Radical
ism— Yankee Reconstruction—The
Negroes Organized—A New “Rebel
lion"—“ Crushed ” by the Military.
Savannah, Ga , Jan. 13, 1869.
Editors Banner of the South:
Your readers have, doubtless, been
fully advised, ere this, of the riotous de
monstrations recently made by the Ne
groes on Ogeechee neck, and the par
ticulars connected therewith; but a brief
resume of the riots, in a compact formas
part of the history of the times, and as
an other evidence of the spirit of devil
try which seems to characterize Radi
calism, may not be inappropriate or un
interesting. The facts in the case are
substantially as follows; Sheriff Dooner
went down to the Ogeechee plantations in
the latter part of December to arrest
some Negroes, against whom warrants
had been issued for various offences. The
Negroes in the vicinity made an attack
upon the Sheriff and his party, who
barely escaped with their lives. These
gentlemen state that the Negroes were
well organized, and armed with new
muskets aud bayonets said to be fur
nished to them by parties in tins
city in exchange for rice. What a
pity that the rascals engaged in this
nefarious traffic cannot be discovered.
Hanging, if it is not too uuchristian to
say so, would be too good for them.
The Negroes, elated with their suc
cess in driving off the Sheriff, com
menced a movement upon all the neigh
boring plantations, driving the white
men off and plundering the houses.
Capt. Tucker and Maj Middleton made
their escape, as did also Mr. Geo. Baxley,
his brother, a lad about I*2 years of age,
and a fisherman at the Ferry. The
latter were closely pursned by a gang of
Negroes.
At the Southfield plantation the most
outrageous scenes were enacted. Mr.
Reddin Baxley, R C. Winn, and Jas.
Donnell were attacked, and the two former
very roughly handled. Two Negro
watchmen were also attacked. Several
ladies and children being left defenceless
by the injuries to and lligiit of their
natural protectors, were about to seek
protection from the Negro women at the
quarters, but were driven off by the
Negro men.
Mr. Baxley, while hiding in a ditch,
heard the Negroes say that no white
man should ever live in the Ogeechee
neck again. Their object seems to have
been to force the white people away from
the plantations that they might own
them themselves. For a time they had
everything in their own hand, aud held a
wild Saturnalia, as it were, in honor of
their temporary victory. Seizing the
rice mills, and rice, sacking the houses,
beating the white men and peaceable Ne
groes who fell into their hands, and,
while engaged in their work of plunder
and lawlessness, yelling and shouting
like a pack of savages. They went,
armed, as we have said, with muskets
and bayonets, in gangs of 15 or *2O, un-
dor the command of Captains, and }, \
the approaches to the city heaviL
picketed.
When all these particulars reached this
city, you may well imagine the intense
excitement which prevailed among a |j
classes of our people. Sheriff Dooner
Ordinary 7 Wetmore, and Mayor Ander'
son, held a consultation and it was re
solved to ask the aid of the militai v
Gcn. Williams, however, acting untie,'
instructions from Gen. Meade, declined
to interfere until the civil authorities had
exhausted all the means at their disposal
Under this decision, it became the
Sheriff’s duty to act at once. Accord
mgly, he procured warrants from Justice
Russell for the arrest of someone hun
dred and fifty negroes on the Ogeechee
river, on various criminal charges, and
proceeded to summon a posse comitatu;
to secure the arrest of the rioters.
On the 31st a public meeting was held
in this city, at which Maj. Middleton de
tailed some of the outrages perpetrated hV
the desperadoes. Gen. Henry R. Jackson
also spoke, and urged the necessity . •
prompt and organized action.
Reports from the insurrectionary dis
tricts at this time, reported the troubles
as spreading, the forces of the insur
gents augmenting, and their outrages
being repeated. The 'Sheriff’s potse
having failed to make arrests, the mili
tary subsequently came to his aid, and
companies of U. S. troops from Augusta
and Macon were ordered to Savannah
Beiog placed under the command of
Gen. Sweeny, they proceeded with
Sheriff Dooner to the scene of riot.
Oil some of the plantations they wit
nessed the work of destruction executed
by the black rioters. The companies
camped on “the Grove” place, and mes
sengers were sent out to the different
plantations to summon the offenders to
surrender. This seems to have had the
desired effect, and a large number came
in and gave themselves up to the United
States authorities. Upwards of eighty
arrived in this city and were lodged in
jail, previous to which Justice Russell
addressed them a few words, informing
them of their offence, offering them
early examinations if they desired it,
and counselling them not to criminate
themselves.
The troubles have ended, and peace
once more reigns upon the Ogeechee.
It is possible that the riot has been some
what exaggerated in its details; but
there is no doubt that it was the result
of a deep laid scheme to place the
plantations of that fertile section of our
State iu the hands of the Negroes, and
at the same time provoke another Ca
mille affair that it might go before Con
gress as another evidence of the necessity
of reconstructing Georgia. The civil au
thorities, however, acted moderately
and prudently, and so the affair has
come to an end.
We can but sympathise with the poor
deluded Negroes who have been forced
into the lawless opposition to the civil
authorities of the State, and condemn
the white devils who are the authors of
their woes. The latter arc the really
guilty parties, and it is hoped will be
ferretted out and brought to justice.
Yours, truly, Rebel.
A CARD.
Augusta, Ga., Dec. 24, 1868.
Father Ryan :
Rev. Sir: The Committee of Ar
rangements, in charge of the Entertain
ment given last evening for the Benefit
of the Poor, have instructed me to trans
mit the enclosed check for fifty dollars
(SSO) with the request that you will
hand the same to the Sisters of Mercy,
for the benefit of the Orphans under their
charge.
The Committee cannot, of course, at
this eariy day, arrive at the entire
amount of the fund; but, with a view to
wards doing all they can at once , have
divided the amount on hand, as follows, to
be distributed by them as may seem
proper :
Mrs. E. P. Clayton
Mrs W. A. Walton ?°
Mrs. G. N. B. Moore ■ ,l>
Mrs. H. F. Russell
Sisters of Mercy ;,l)
Mrs. C. W. Key 50
Mrs. H. Myers 3 °
Respectfully,
P. L. Cohen, Treasurer,
Per Matt. O’Brien*
Having left Augusta immediately aftei
Christmas, the above Communication wa>
mislaid. It is not too late to publish it.
nor is it yet too late to return siuceie.-t
thanks for ihe donation made to out
Orphans. May God bless thedonois.
The Catholics of Germany are consid
ering how to celebrate the 50th
sary of the ordination of the Sovereign
Pontiff as Priest.