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The Family Journal.—-News—Politics—Literature—Agriculture—Domestic Affairs.
GEORGIA TELEGRAPH BUILDING.
fliBLISHED 1826.}
MACON, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1868.
YOL. XLH.—N0. 48.
, 'flowing beautiful poem was written by
(uPicssn:
fees the lesson and tasks are all ended,
tr.l the school for the day is dismissed.
Rud the little ones Rather around me,
n^bid me good-night and be kissed;
I * ’thelittle white arms that encircle
jit neck in a tender embrace:
ii the smiles that are halos of heaven,
, | "shedding sunshine of love on my face.
i;J when they are gone, I sit dreaming,
.if my childhood too lovely to last;
••jot* that my heart will remember,
"Chile it wakes to the pulse of the past,
r. ( the world and its wickedness made me
"ipartner of sorrow and sin;
(hen the glory of God was about me,
4tid the glory of gladness within.
1 C my heart grows weak as a woman’s,
icd the fountain of feeling will llow,
irV t o I think of the paths steep and stony.
Where the feet of the dear ones must go;
.-the mountains of sin hanging o’er them,
"of the tempest of Fate blowing wild;
r.| there’s nothing on earth half so holy
tithe innocent heart of a child 1
They are idols of hearts and of households;
l-ey are angels of God in disguise:
Hii lunlight still sleeps in their tresses;
ilis glory still beams in their eyes.
qi thoie truants from home and from heaven,
They have made me more manly and mild!
And I know now how J esus could liken
Iae Kingdom of God to a child.
It-knot a life for the dear ones.
All radiant, as other have done:
B-tbat life may have just enough shadow
temper the glare of the sun;
Imiij pray God to guard them from evil,
3at ay prayer would bound back to myself;
Ai.'j seraph may pray for asinner,
fit the sinner must pray for nimself.
He twig is so easily bended.
I have banished the rule and the rod;
leave taught them the goodness of knowledge,
' Ihey taught me the goodne«3 of God;
,Mv heart is a dungeon of darkness,
Where I shut them from breaking a rule;
Mv irown is sufficient correction:
Sly
j love is the law of the school.
I shall leave the old bouse in the Autumn,
To traverse its threshold no more;
Ahl how I shall sigh for the dear ones
That meet me each morn at the door!
I shall miss the ”good-nights” and the kisses.
And the gush of their innocent glee,
The group on the green, end the flowers
That are brought every morning to me.
I shall miss them at morn and at eve—
Their song in the school and the street:
I shall miss the low hum of their voices.
And the tramp of their delicate feet;
When the lessons are all ended.
And Death says, “The school is dismissed!”
May the little ones gather around me,
To bid mo good-night and be kissed.
OAKBB BV&SS & CO.
Some twenty-five years ago I was correspond
ing clerk in the good old shipping-house of Ca
leb Byles & Co., India wharf, Boston, Mass.
We were such an old and so respectable a
firm, that it was a passport into good society, a
letter of credit, and a certificate of honesty and
good business habits, to have even the remotest
connection with us, and I, a3 a confidential cor
respondent and attache of ten years’ standing,
felt my importance in a proportionate degree.
It was the Summer of 1842; had been mis-
chievously hot, and I was considerably weaken
ed with my year’s hard labor, when the annual
period came for my two weeks’ vacation, and I
was daily expecting the customary summons to
the office to make the necessary arrangements.
So, one morning, sitting on my stool fanning
myself, not being otherwise occupied, I was not
greatly surprised when one of the messengers
came to my desk, and apprised me that our se
nior wished to see me.
I was not often called into the presence of the
head of the firm, my line of business belonging
chiefly to the department of Mr. Scarble, the
junior partner; so, with something like aflutter,
I plumed myself a little, put on my best appear
ance, and proceeded to report myself.
Our office was one of the lowest and dingi
est on the wharf, and we almost wrote by lamp
light in the best of seasons; the private offices
were comprised in a small den in the extreme
rear of the building, and consisted of two rooms;
the first occupied by Mr. Scarble, the other by
simply these: To report myself at Havana to the
senior partner of the house of Hernandez, Care-
no & Co., and thence proceed, under his direc
tion, to meet the bark, which might arrive
there, or at Matanzas.
At noon I was on board, well provided with
funds, and at 3 o’clock we weighed anchor, and
rounded Cape Cod in good shape, just at eve
ning.
We had a pleasant passage, and in the after
noon of the eleventh day out, took our pilot just
outside the harbor of Havana, and sailed gal
lantly past Moro Castle, reaching our anchor
age just as the evening gun shut the gates of
the city upon the outer world.
I was not permitted to land that evening, but
early the next morning went ashore with the
captain, and while he visited the Custom House,
I sought the office of Messrs. Hernandez, Care-
no & Co., in the Calle del Sud, numero veinte
cinco.
I was, necessarily, a3 correspondent, familiar
with the Spanish language, and had no difficul
ty in inquiring my way to the low, dingy offices
of the firm to which I was accredited. I present
ed my credentials to Senor Hernandez, was po
litely received, and after he had read Mr. Byles’
letter, I was informed that the bark Albatross
was expected to arrive every day, and would
land her cargo in a little bay about eight mile3
to the eastward of Matanzas, for which town I
was to start the same afternoon, with a letter for
his agent there. I could not help thinking it
Tlie Sumac Trade.
:e Norfolk Virginian, of a late date, has
following article on the sumac trade,
s may be interesting to some of our read-
mastic Marriage.—We understand that a
ie are to be united in marriage this evening,
a city, who have never yet seen each other.—
jrldegroora. who is a man of talent and con-
Jble wealth, came Jrom his home, hundreds
iles west ol the Mississippi river, to meet his
tlied for the first time.
t bride is a Boston lady, possessed of rare ac-
tlishments, and one greatly admired for her
;!ined mind and prepossessing appearance.
•- engagement was brought about m a manner
iiing somewhat of the romantic. The bride-
si. while in the army, advertised in a Boston
vy paper for a lady correspondent, stating it
-Ms object only to enliven the dull hours of
-'life. AmoDgthemanyanswerstohis reqaest
eteted one Irom a lady In Boston with whom
* np a lively correspondence, which contin-
is departure for the West, until it final'
x Sriuc Trade.—This new item of inter-
.'<rar industrial class is now attracting much
rJcs in this State, throughout the entire
•j and breadth of which it flourishes in pro-
: in a wild 6tate.. The material is used
i] for the essential principle of tanning,
.it contains, and factories for its extraction
been establlsed in this State and elsewhere,
.“ration has bees particularly called to the
Aliment ol Messrs. Chlsman & Crocker, in
:;od, who have gone into the business on a
kale, and from whose circular we make the
ring extracts, for the guidance of those who
fish to engage in its collection; “Sumac
le of a good color, free fromstems, dirt, and
V * ' * * * * “It should be eathered
be first of July until first frost, after which
turn red, and then it will he worthless. It
I be cured as much as possible under shel-
r in the shade, to preserve its color and
dh—carefully thrashed (and not cut) on a
Joor, or sheet, to keep it free from dirt and
The sticks, stems and berries should be
■Jjraked and picked out, before sending to
-7 also give the following direction for gath-
«il curing the product:
.'.her like you would fodder of this years’
th, except the blossoms and berries; dry It
■shelter, stir it like you would hay; be care-
does not heat; do not dry in the snn—both
■iQ it; when dry put it in bulk. When dry
Tdsys set in, then lay it in beds like you
■1 wheat or oats thrash it with a flail, when
ares and stems will break np fine—rake out
-•ze stems and throw them away—all the fine
■ -i thrashed Sumac. Be careful not to have
*ad on the floor before thrashing. There is
's?ht in the large stems, being mostly pith,
to strength; to bring them to market will only
v the price of your Sumac, and when you
-the large stems you have to wait that much
v for your Sumac to cure. The strength of
*o is in the leaf and leaf stem.”
!h these instructions,a large class of tbepopu-
s in the surrounding country can spend their
-'dime in light hat very remunerative em-
zent, at no cost beyond the laber of gather-
Xrl
sited in an engagement. Portraits were in-
-inged probably, bnt it is a fact in onr own
^edre, that the lady and gentleman had nev-
~a each other till to-day. From what we
1 oi the parties, We are inclined to believe
tie marriage will be a happy one.—BosiSk
5clar Freak of Lightxino.—The follow-
ris related in our presence at the “Boleseau
" on Friday morning, by a gentleman from
county. He stated that during a severe
3 which passed recently over the village of
Pntown, in that county, a young lady was
mj at the window of a private residence,
out upon the contending elements, when
: cly a flash of lightning passed through the
' J *. severely shocking tne young lady, hut
<i»e doing no damage. Upon investigation,
s ascertained that the likeness,or photograph,
dutiful alanthus tree, which stood In the
•JJtto front of the window, by the electric
t-d been impressed upon the bosom oi the
5 hdy, where it still remains plainly visible,
*nb all the indelibleness of the natural flesh.
(ATy.) Sentinel, 26.
the senior partner. Passing through the outer I rather odd that the bark should land her cargo
room, which was vacant, I tapped at the door of j at an out-of-the-way bay, instead of proceeding
Mr. Byles’ sanctum, and was told to come in by i direct to Matanzas or Havana, and I was still
that gentleman himself; entering, I found my- more mystified by Senor Hernandez, who, wrink-
self in the presence of the two partners. I Img up his yellow skin, and screwing his eye
Caleb Byles was a little withered old fellow 1 ^ nt0 die Spanish conception of a wink, remarked
in knee-breeches, and buckled shoes, and looked i * n an undertone, “You know, Senor Canfield,
altogether like an eighteenth century portrait j we l> av e to be very careful in these cases.” I
just stepped out of the frame. He was noted ' foiled to appreciate the necessity for care, but it
as one of the keenest men on a venture—one i ’ Rras no business of mine; so, dismissing the
who seldom met with a loss; careful to the verge i subject from my mind, I accepted the Senor’s
of cowardice, and accounted as honest and con- I invitation to dine, and strolled off to see some-
seientious as a man well could be without dan- ! thing of Havana manners and customs.
ger of exploding with the consciousness of his
own virtue.
Caleb Byles had ships on every sea, and in
those days of non-telegraphic intercourse, he
knew the state of the markets from Boston to
Trieste, from Santa Cruz to Singapore, before
bis neighbors had an inkling of their fluctua
tion. Thus he had grown to be one of the rich
est merchants in New England, while as he grew :
I passed the day pleasantly; amusing myself
watching the negroes, the volantes, trying to
catch a glimpse of the Creole beauties through
the latticed windows, and inspecting the market
and quaint old looking Moorish buildings, that
made the city look so different from anything I
had ever seen before.
At the appointed hour I dined with Senor
Hernandez and his family in grand style, for he
in wealth, he grew in grace, and in favor with i was one of the richest merchants in Havana.—
correspondent of a Chicago paper says
candidates for matrimony living in the au-
••f the Hub find itneceseary to send their
j* bo fewer than eight different cards. These
J *t, the individual names of bride and bride-
two; then their joint title alter marriage,
' ride’s parents received, etc., four; cert-
I at church, five; name of the clergyman, six:
etc., seven; time of special trains to and
oostoa to accommodate guests, eight.
■HMoU-. I
j! ?regation last week that what they lacked
1 they could make np in matches, adding:
are cheap—five ceatsa box—and those who
sjootcsn burn." Send more troops to pro-
‘-ose lambs.
wox Boot and Shoe Mabket.—The boot
'-oe trade is generally active. Large lots are
"Southern Dujers, and promptly paid for.
of the past week will loot up about
Manufacturers are slacking up a little,
•“C Mock now on hand in our market is fully
o the demand. There seems to be an un-
Ccrcand tor poor and medium grades of
which are selling cheap, and the specula
te shoddy has not wholly abated. Although
la fairly active on orders, and an ic
flWMfoa Is looked for In —
1 for in October.—Aeiciurp
1^°* D War.—There is a renewal of the war
the New York Central and Erie railroads,
th rates to Chicago from New York are
;7,}? be scarcely high enough to pay for
. tae freight. Good for shippers of freight,
C , ril - v ut *«ast, but death to the railroads
ltr£C flock,to
—man, at all events; as to his standing above,
perhaps this story may give a hint towards a
just conception of it.
Mr. Scarble, on the contrary, was 3fr. Byles’
opposite in everything, at least as far as the
world knew. He was large, portly, and pom
pons; his voice was loud, and though his enun
ciations were but the reflection of his senior’s
ideas, he gave them so much of his own individ
uality that they carried his mark, and seemed
his property. Only in the presence of the head
of the firm was lie obsequious, mild, and retir
ing, and this conjunction we were permitted to
witness but seldom, as their conferences were al
ways held with closed doors.
When il entered the room, Mr. Byles sat at
the desk/ with his hands on his knees, and his
spectacles on his forehead. Mr. Scarble stood
by the dirty old cobwebbed window, leaning
with hi3 elbows on the window sill. They both
regarded me attentively, and as I bowed respect
fully, Mr. Byles pointed to a chair before him,
and requested me to be seated.
Mr. Byies commenced at once in his soft, slow
tones:
“Mr. Canfield, it is about time for your vaca
tion, I believe, and yon have done so well dur
ing the year that we—Mr. Scarble and myself—
(here Mre Scarble bowed and rubbed his hands)
have concluded to give you a proof of our appre
ciation of your services and worth, and, at the
same time, of our confidence in you, by extend
ing your (ime for relaxation, while you attend to
some special and confidential business for the
house.” |
Here Mr. Byles took his spectacles from his
forehead,; and placing them on his nose, pro
ceeded to'regard me very benignly, but I could
not help remarking, very earnestly. Turning
to Air. Scarble for an instant before I replied, I
observed an anxious look in his countenance,
which, however, changed into a flattering smile,
when he caught my eye.
Of course, there was nothing for me to do but
to thank the firm for their confidence and
proposed jkindness, which I did accordingly,
when Mr. Byles said;
“Now Mr. Canfield, in a few words let me ex
plain to you what we desire. We are in expec
tation of the arrival of a large and very valua
ble cargo, to be landed on the coast of Cuba, and
being anxious to have the business properly con
ducted, we propose to send you down there to
meet the consignees and complete the affair. As,
for business reason we wish the matter kept a
secret, you will be good enough to announce that
you are going to take your annual vacation,
which will, on this occasion, be prolonged by
our express permission. Do you understand ?•
I signified that I comprehended, when he
went on:
“You will leave on the day after to-morrow
by ship; your passage will be engaged, and Mr.
Scarble will give you all the necessary directions.
Your salary will be increased from this day, if
you complete this business—as I am sure you
will—successfully. Good-bye!” And I found
myself shaking his hand, bowing, and out in
the other office, before I had time to answer him.
However, it was better as it was; he was a man
of few words, and liked the same, and, as of
course there could be no question about my ac
ceptance of so important and confidential a mis
sion, what difference did it make? To be sure,
I would prefer to go to a cooler’ climate, but
then to see Cuba and Havana, and—; here I
was interrupted in the swift current of my
thoughts by Mr. Scarble, who, tapping me on the
shoulder, appeared as bonnceable as ever.
“Well done, my man l” said he, in his loud,
jolly voice. “You will have a capital time, and
have done well to accept Mr. Byles’ proposi
tion ; make your arrangements to go on board
the brig to-morrow night, and come to me in
the morning for your directions.” So saying,
he ushered me into the main office, and I went
to my desk with my brain full of pleasant antic
ipations of my West Indian frip- \
, That night I packed my trunk, and by Mr.
ScarWe’s tlirections, had, it sent on board the
‘brig Catherine, for. Havana; and then lying at
anchor iff the strearn ; “' ! * ! “‘'" c !-J rm '~
His son, a fine-looking young Cuban—the father
was from old Spain—was to accompany me, and
in the cool of the afternoon we started on horse
back for Matanzas, intending to pass the night
on a sugar-plantation, about ten miles from Ha
vana. Our ride was a most agreeable one, the
young Hernandez amusing and interesting me
with his descriptions of Cuban life, and the time
passed so quickly that I was not fatigued when
we arrived at our destination, just as the sudden
gloom of the tropical night fell like a curtain
before us, from behind which the moving lights,
activity, and noise of a large sugar plantation,
invited me to a scene as novel as it was interest
ing. Our reception was one of true Spanish
hospitality, and after our horses had been taken
away to be cared for, and we had eaten and
drank to the satisfaction of our host, we were
taken by him to inspect the processes of sugar
manufacture, to my great delight and infinite
wonderment. Finally, I retired to my bedroom,
with my brain considerably exhilarated with
the old rum I had drank, and the superb cigars
I had smoked, and with a confused glamour of
brilliantly flashing lights, grim, dark, and
naked figures moving actively about, and roaring
flames and streams of molten syrup mocking my
last wakeful moments, I slept at length in peace.
I was aroused ut daybreak, and after a hasty
breakfast we continued our journey, arriving at
Matanzas before the heat of the day had fairly
set in. Here I delivered my letter to the agent,
Senor Vasquez, and f6und him making prepara
tions to go and meet the bark, which had been
signalled, and would be up that evening.
Two hours served for the necessary prepara
tions, and we rode out of the town just at dusk,
following a road that led along by the seashore
in an easterly direction. Young Hernandez ac
companied the agent and myself; and we ambled
leisurely along, chatting on various topics, until
by-and-by the stars came out, and the whole
beauty of the Southern constellation lighted us
on our way. To the right of us, thick woods
lined the road, while on our left the sea rolled
heavily upon the beach, or occasionally dashed
upon the rocks that in some places walled it in,
with a dull, monotonous roar, full of unfathom
able music, but so mournful withal, that we soon
ceased our conversation, and rode on in silence.
After a ride of about eight miles, during which
we had not met a human being, I observed my
companions began to move cautiously, and final
ly Hernandez said:
“It must have been somewhere about here
that he was to meet you, was it not?”
“Yes,” said Vasquez; “hut the Dutch block
head fo as likely as not, to go to sleep off the side of
the road. No, by Jove, there’s his light!’’
And sure enough, I saw a little 1 way ahead of
us the faint glimmer of a light, that flickered for
a moment, and then disappeared. My compan
ions halted, and presently we saw the same light
again, and again it disappeared. This was re
peated for the third time; and then Vasquez
drew from his pocket a dark lantern, and draw,
ing the slides, its faint rays pierced the gloom
in front. In another moment we heard a dis
tant shout, which Vasquez answered; and then
closing his lantern, we all trotted briskly for
ward.
I was surprised at all these precautions, and
asked Hernandez what they meant. He laughed
and said I would soon know; and just then the
light appeared again close before us, and we
were joined by two men.
“Is she in ?” said Vasquez.
“Yes,” was the answer. “She got in just at
sundown, and lies at anchor on the old spot.”
I caught a view of the speaker by the light of
his lantern, and was not specially prepossessed
in his favor. He was a short, stout-built man,
dressed in ordinary seamen’s clothes, and had
a large, red face, and heavy brown beard. TTia
speech was guttural and his Spanish fluent but
foreign. I judgedhim to be a Hollander, which
he was. ’ . ■ ' '
Forborne time our road had tended toward
the interior; and now • following the newcomer
and his'companion j who kept silent, we rode a
entering a narrow path, and plunging directly
into thick woods. • I
We rode on in single-file for, I should think,
about half a mile, when we came to an opening,
where we found two other men. Here we ill
dismounted, and, leaving our horses, continied
to follow the path toward the sea, which I cotld
now hear roaring again in the distance.
It was so dark that I had to keep hold of Her
nandez’s hand; and as none of us seemed indited
to talk, I was left to my own thoughts.
These were by no means pleasant; for I could
not conceive that the simple landing of a cargo
could require all this secrecy and mystery, and
I grew 03 nervous as if I were engaged in a plot
to commit a burglary. My orders wc.,3
and explicit—directing me simply to inspect the
cargo and see that it tallied with the manifest
a copy of which was among my papers; and
then on a delivery of a note to the captain of the
bark, and another to the consignee, whom I was
to meet on the ground, to receive drafts on
Havana for a certain sum in paymsnt of the
charter of the hark, which belonged fo our firm.
In this I could see nothing but a straightforward
business-transaction, by no means requiring the
midnight expedition, with its dark lanterns, by
roads, and mysterious meetings. However,
there was nothing for me do but vait the pro
gress of events; so I waited with vhat patience
I might while we wound through the intermina
ble jungle that separated us from our destina
tion.
The sounding of the sea came again to our
ears more loudly, and at length, After walking a
full hour, we emerged from the forest, and found
ourselves at once on the beach. Directing our
steps toward a light which seemed to come from
a house near by, I was surprised to see, by the
dull glare of a lamp on approaching it, a long
row or low wooden shanties, surrounded by a
high board fence. Our Dutch guide knocked at
a door, and immediately it was opened and we
entered.
I found myself in a large, square room, un
furnished ; and whose rough timbered roof
stained black with smoke, rude furniture, and
general makeshift appearance, were for from in-
inviting.-
A large pine table was drawn up to one side,
under the light of a dull oil-lamp hung from the
ceiling, and at it were seated two men; on the
table were pens, ink, and paper, and a bottle and
glasses. In a far comer of the room a figure sat
crouched in a heap, and from a casual glance sis
I entered, I judged it to be an old woman.—
There were several doom leading indifferent di
rections, and a staircase on one side, without
railing or other support, led to the floor above.
I was at once introduced to the two men, one
of whom proved to be Senor Moratin, the con
signee, and the other Captain Blair, an Ameri
can, and master of the bark Albatross.
After we had seated ourselves, I delivered my
two letters. Senor Moratin simply acknowl
edged his, but the Captain remarked, “You have
all the necessary papers, I suppose, Mr. Can-
field.” I replied that I had, and offered to pro
duce them; but he stopped me wiih a motion of
his hand and a laugh, and saying;
“No, I have done business enough for to-day;
we will examine them to-morrow-norning when
we go on board if you please.”
He helped himself from the bottle, invited
me to do the same, which I declined. But in a
few moments the whole party WA3 drinking,
smoking, and talking together; and I found that
I might as well suspend my curiosity until the
morning, as suggested.
I was tired and sleepy; the conversation did
not strike me as peculiarly interesting; and at
length I hinted to Hernandez that I would like
to retire. Upon that, he stepped over to the
crouching figure in the corner, and, with a
rough kick, aroused what turned out to be, as I
had surmised, an old Spanish negro woman,
who roused up with many oaths, and being at
length informed of my desire, lighted a small
lamp, and opening one of the doors, ushed me
into a small room, where I found a bed and one
or two chairs, comprising the only furniture.—
Bidding my companions good-night, I closed the
door and prepared for rest.
The room possessed but one window; but that,
as I saw on opening the heavy, wood shutters
which protected it, looked out upon the water.
Sitting down beside it, partially undressed, I
put out my lamp, and, by the brilliant starlight,
could presently see the waves dashing upon the
beach, and even made out the long, dark form
of the bark, a3 she lay at anchor with a light
burning in her chains I finished my cigar, and
was preparing to throw myself on the bed, when,
by the noise in the outer-room, I conjectured
that the party were about breaking up; and, in
fact, In a few moments, the outer-door was,
opened and closed, and I made out the figures
of the Captain, our Dutch guide, and his com
panion, all evidently worse for liquor, on their
way to the shore. There they took a boat, and
pulled out to the bark. I waited until they had
boarded her and then threw myself as I was
upon the bed, and in a few moments were fast
asleep.
I had slept for several hours, when suddenly,
with the inspiration of an instinctive horror, I
sparng from the bed, broad awake, and in cold
perspiration.
A bright glare filled the room until every cor
ner was visible. At first, I thought the house
was on fire; but a glance through the window
told the story. It was the bark, and she had
evidently just caught; for every mast and yard
was standing, and each rope was lined out
against the sky, as with the fidelity of a mirror.
She had caught aft, and I could plainly see her
men getting the boats out; while the captain
stood by the wheel giving his orders, andsepara-
ted from the forward part of the vessel by a
broad sheet of flame that poured up the compan
ionway, and now began to lick the cordage, and
twine round the spars like serpents.
I dressed myself as quickly as possible, and,
with one hand on the sill, sprang out of the win
dow to the ground below- Here I was joined by'
Hernandez, Vasquez, the consignee, and the old
negres3, who was howling and praying in Span
ish with such extraordinary fervor, as to sur
prise me. hurled down to the beach, and
saw the boat3 pulling rapidly to the shore.
“I hope the men are all safe,” said I; but just
as Hernandez opened/liis mouth to reply to me,
there arose a yell from the hark, so perfectly
horrible and uneart&ly, that ,my blood curdled
in my veins; and^now it was caugbbup by an
other, until the shrieks and cries, as in seemed,
of hundreds renf (he air; and I covered my ea*s
* “ * ^reat'God 1’, ■
I shrieked to Hernandez, who stood next to me,
“what m that?”
He turned to me with his dark face flushed
almost white as he shouted in my ear
“Slaves 1 There are four hundred of them
chained to the decks, and burning alive!”
I pray Heaven that whatever sins I may have
committed, my punishment may never be a
tithe of the anguish of that horrible moment.
Stangely enough, in all the mystery surround
ing my mission, the truth had never dawned
upon my mind until then.
The first boat had already reached the shore,
and the men stood in a. group gazing at the ill-
fated vessel, which was now one mass of flames.
Just then the side of the bark bu3t out near the
mainmast, and I saw,in the roaring fire, a confused
moving mass of human being, writhing about in
agony, while their fearful shriek made the scene
•o utterly beyond anything the most terrible that
I could conceive that I turned away and wept
scalding tears of agony at the sight.
Suddenly there was a thunderous crash, and,
turning quickly around, I saw the whole mass
dashed into the air, and bursting into fragments
of spars, beams, human bodies and limbs in hor
rible confusion; and then, as the shattered whole
was plunged into the sea again, all was dark, ex
cept where a burning mast or other portion of
the wreck made the gloom more palpable—
everything was silent as the grave, save the
hissing of the waters as they closed over that
merciless holocaust of the slain.
The first sound 1 heard was the voice of the
half-drunken Captain who had just joined us,
as he shouted out, “There goes twenty-five thou
sand dollars, and as good’a ship as ever sailed;
and I guess old Byles will have to whistle for his
insurance.”
I turned away with Hernandez, who never
spoke, and walked slowly up to the shanty,
whither the rest followed ut.
There we learneclthat the Captain, who had
gone on board intoxicated, had by some means
set fire to the cabin, narrowly escaping himself.
The flames had spread so rapidly that it was ut
terly impossible to save the poor wretches who
were chained between decks, and the final ar
rival of the fire at the store of powder in the
hold had caused the explosion.
SThefnext morning I started for Matanzas and
Havana, and sailed at once for Boston in the
brig Catherine. As soon 03 I arrived, I went
to the office, and in what language I know not,
informed my honorable employers of the fate
of their last venture. I shook the dust of Bos
ton from my feet within a week, and entered
house in New York, having previously ascer
tained that I need never fear being again sent
to pass my holidays in the manner prescribed by
the respectable old Boston house of Caleb Byles
& Co.
-cam, waiting for. a wind, -The short distance and then turned sharp to-lhe left,* Hd shut out the^^rqadful sound.
* ’’ •. * T . ♦ ’ *:/* * * * :V- . % -i, 7 7 *
fistM- * rv, t A ‘ *. • ’ i. * ■ • -y .^ . ... *
A Card from the Hon. 6. H. Hill, of
Georgia.
To the Editor of the Tribune:
Sir :—Thanking you for your liberality in
opening your columns heretofore to my com
munication, allow me space to add some fur
ther facts touching the Camilla riot. I have
read all that appeared in the Tribune, and
have waited for additional information my
self from the State that I might be sore of
correctness in what I write.
1. The chief information upon which Maj
Howard’s first letter was based, and upon
which Bullock based his message to the Leg
islature, and upon which your correspond
ent from Albany seems to rely, was derived
from the statements of a notoriously bad ne
gro. who had served a term in the penitentiary,
and whom five hundred witnesses, black anc.
white, would discredit on oath in a Court
of justice.
2. I have been planting several years in
that region. I am there habitually. It is
one of my homes in the State. I have never
seen or known of, or, before I read itinyonr
paper, heard of a bloodhound in that coun
try. I am assured, and do believe, there is
not one in that whole region; and I do not
believe there is a dog there of any kind
trained to track either a black or a white
man.
3. I knew, personally, Jndge Yason and
the gentleman who acted with him in inves
tigating this matter, and whose report throws
all the blame on Pierce and Murphy. I know
also some of the witnesses who gave their
evidence under oath. We have no more re -
liable citizens in our State. Judge Yason is
an old Whig and Union man; was long
Judge of one of our Superior Courts; is a
Christian gentleman of fine education and
most exemplary character and elevated mind,,
and whom any Northern jury would believe
without doubt or hesitation.
4. The letters of your correspondent, at
least the statements they make, are origina
ted by some persons, for the express purpose
of inflaming the Northern mind and influ
encing the elections pending.
5. You think it strange that so many ne
groes were killed, and so few whites injured.
To me this is not strange. The negroes were
slaughtered, as they will always be, under
the circumstances. Their white leaders es
caped, as they intended beforehand to escape.
If the people'of the North will not be moved
by the wrongs and dangers to the whites of
the South, I beg them to rescue the poor
negroes from sure destruction, by repudia
ting these Beconstruction measures, and
thereby remove the inducements offered to
carpet-baggers and renegades to breed strife
and hate, that they may get office.
6. Is it not singular that so many Northern
people will persist in believing with implicit
confidence tne wild statements of frightened
convict negroes and of bad white men who
abandon white society to use the negro for
selfish ends, and of anonymous writers, sum
marily set aside the most solemn statements
under oath of our best white people, add the
assurances of the whole white race of the
South as mere attempts to “whitewash rebel
outrages ?" Strangers and renegades of the
most original secession stamp, are inciting
negroes to acts which lead to their slaughter,
in order to make dnpes of educated, refined
Northern whites, that these strangers and
worst secessionists may get the offices for
their loyalty! These are the only fruits
which the Reconstruction measures have pro
duced or can produce at the South. Ought
such measures to be “ maintained and per
petuated 1”
The attempt to weaken thefactf l state (if
so intended) by a little personal ridicule of
myself is, in view of the issue, scarcely par
donable, hut is pardoned. Your kindness in
permitting me to be heard through your col
umns in behalf of our people win, with me
and them, excuse any criticism your sense of
propriety may permit. But do even me jus
tice. On this subjeet:
1. The version of the Atlanta speech from
which you quote I never saw before; but al
lowing its substantial correctness, does it,
properly understood, sho w violenafc ? It only
proposed social ostracism for the Southern
men who would vote to destroy the equality
of their. States, and to fix the degradation of
their own and onr families. I had in view such | by force, and we shall have peace! The will
consequences as this Camilla riot. Is it vio- I of the people, your leaders write, is the
lence to say that a man who will, through ne-1 higher law, and Constitutions will bend and
groes as his tools, endanger my property, my break before this unstable arbiter without
life and my. family, shall not eat at my table disturbing the peace of the nation 1
or sleep under my roof 2 Even Orator Faff Sir, do not charge me, as did theseces-
was never so illogicaL I sionists, with a desire to alarm or an intent
2. The Forsyth speech, from which you to threaten. But I cannot see the Constitu-
quote in your issue of yesterday, I never saw tion—the grandest prodnetion of human
as printed. I never in my life, on any occa-1 effort for the security of human freedom—
sion, either felt or used the language you hopelessly toppled to its foundations by a
quote toward or of “Union men.” I donbt- I maniac storm of passion and hate, and utter
less may have used such language toward in- no protest or whining against the ruthless
citers to riot and bloodshed in the South, but act. I tell yon these reconstruction measures
toward no other. You qnote me in parallel I of Congress cannot be maintained and per-
columns with the colored man, Turner. Al- petuated without destroying the Constitu-
low me to thank you for allowing me to be 1 tion. The Constitution cannot be destroyed,
equal with the negro in the Tribune. It is I in peace. Wake your people from this fatal
a privilege which is denied me by the Be-1 delusion before it is too late. I cannot tell
construction measures. The Tribune is more I when or how or between whom war will
liberal tban-the policy it seeks to “maintain I come. But it will come. The nation’s “blood
and perpetuate.’* I will flow when the nation’s Constitution is
It m impossible for the Northern people I stabbed. Freedom will die when this free-
to conceive how adroitly and yet how dom’s life is destroyed.” And as the shadow
effectually our utterances in the South are I is greater than the substance, so will the war
distorted here, and how completely our which will follow the attempt to destroy the
meaning is often reversed, and the applica- j Constitution be fiercer than that which fol-
tion of onr words changed. I lowed the attempt to dissolve the Union.
I find a wide-spread idea at the North But this much I know: A united North
that the election of Gen. Grant will insure will not again wage battle against a divided
peace and quiet at the South. This result I South. Repeated pledges of “rights, dignity
the South will desire, but it is not possible if and equality preserved unimpaired,” will not
Gen. Grant, as President, shall “maintain and I again induce armies to disband, and States
perpetuate” the Beconstruction measures, to become helpless. Magnanimity in loyal
The fault does not lie in the temper of the I destroyers of Constitutions will not again be
Southern whites, as is represented at the expected. The holy traditions of common
North, but it lies in the character of the I struggles will not again weaken revolution;
Beconstruction policy and in its logical nor will even the adhering properties of corn-
workings. These measures breed a dirty class mon blood and race, under the dominion of
of office-seekers at the hands of negroes, who fanaticism again be trusted,
in turn, breed Camilla riots. Our best white I defy you to point me to a single respecta-
people are now doing all in their power to ble white man of the South who said, or will
prevent these results in hope of early relief now say, he approves these Beconstruction
in the Presidential election. We do not measures of Congress as either constitutional,
regard the governments forced under these right or just. The very men there who ac-
Reconstruction measures as yet legally cept them, do so with the known intention
established. In our opinion the American I of repudiating them as soon as they get back
people, in this election, are to express tbeir in the Union, and have tbeir disabilities re
will on that question. If Gen. Grant shall moved. I point you to millions in the North
be elected the carpet-baggers and negro in- I who hate these measures. How long can
stigators will feel sustained and encouraged, governments founded on such measures last 2
Our white people will feel abandoned by the How long ought they to last 2 They are out-
North, and, I fear, will become hopeless and side of the Constitntion; they libel the
desperate. I turn from the picture of results. Declaration of Independence; they nega-
When you blame men for not keeping quiet tive every pledge made to induce surrender;
and cool in a fire, then blame the Southern | they outrage blood; they subject the men,
whites for results in that case. People of the women and children of ten States to daily
North, save us now I On the other hand, scenes of riot and decaying industry, and
the election of Seymour will be accepted as a nightly forebodings of pillage and rape; they
decision by the American people that these I organize semi-savages, under protection of
governments are not established; the few bayonets, into armed' political bands, that
whites who now support them from policy strangers, knaves and vagabonds may be
will abandon them; all inducement to or- chosen to fill the seats once occupied by Mad-
ganize negroes as voters will be at an end; ison, Lowndes and Berrien, and be called the
the people will be encouraged, hopeful; good representatives of a people whom they tbu3
governments for all colors will return, and insult, endanger and enrage. Can such meas-
peace will be assured, and universal and in- ures work peace! Are these guarantees
stantaneous. I do know that all our in- against disturbance 2 Come wbat may, the
dustrial arrangements are affected by this people of the South will never vitalize these
contingency. If Mr. Seymour is elected, governments with their consent. It is not
plantations now idle are to be worked, I the want of that consent that breaks the
factories built and capital invested, and at peace. The evils which break the peace are
fair, good prices. If Gen. Grant shall be in the governments themselves—their nature,
elected, bargains are to be rescinded, and origin and workings. These evils would net
none will venture, except such as are com- be removed if this consent were given, bnt
pelled fora living, and have no other re-1 would only bestengthened and made perma-
source. I nent and destructive.
I firmly believe it will cost the Federal I defy yon to show me a single condition
Government two hundred millions per an-1 of restoration, or of reconstruction, prepared
num to keep the peace under these recon -1 by the army, or by the President, or by Con
structed governments, and then the peace gress, which the South rejected, and which,
will not, because it cannot, be kept under* being rejected, damaged the North, or which,
them. if accepted, would not have dishonored the
But will the destruction of local peace South,
and property be all 2 I fear not, and believe Do not, I beseech you, drive the Southern
not. people to utter desperation. Bemecdber your
Sir, let the deep sincerity of my convic- promises before all faith is hopelessly de-
tions crave your indulgence for a few addi- [ stroyed. Return to the Constitution before
tional sentences. I am entitled to an audi- your wanderings from its boundaries are for-
ence from your readers, and through your as-1 ever irretraceable. Restore your currency
sistance. I allude to the incident following and your bonds to gold value, and the Union
in no spirit of reproach, but in entire kind-1 to good will, by allowing to the Southern
ness, and only to illustrate my point and my States, over tbeir ^internal affairs, the same
motive. I have seen the explanation of the power, under the same Constitution, which
Tribune, and recognise its force viewed from is allowed to and exercised by the Northern
the standpoint of the Tribune, but our peo- States.
pie did aot then so understand it On the How is it courageous to oppress the South
passage of the Kansas-Nebraska bill, nearly only because yon can 2 But I warn you, the
all the old Whig leaders of the South joined same Government cannot administer force at
the Democracy. This left the Whigs or the South and freedom at the North. The
Americans in a decided minority. It was I time has come when emphatically the country
then I felt it to be my duty to change the must be all free or all slave,
purpose of my life and enter politics. I Ten millions of white people—Americans
It was my lot to engage with all my hum-1 —wearied with repeated offers of Union;
ble powers, from 1855 to 1861, in a vam ef- exhausted with protestations of good faith
fort to arrest the tide of secession*that was and security; voiceless with vain pleadings
sweeping the South, as I thought, into revo- for peace; hopeless of the redemption of
lution. Late in the Winter of 1860, more pledges; impoverished with insatiate ex
earnest than ever before, I warned our people actions; sick with fruitless concession 9 to
that war, on the most unequal terms, must malignity; distracted because they will not
follow secession. On one of these occasions, consent to dishonor; despised because they
a distinguished secession gentleman replied will not be inferiors; oppressed because
to my war warnings by reading extracts from they will not agree to be ruled by slaves;
prominent Northern Republicans, and with maligned as rebels because they will not sab-
special emphasis from the columns of the I mit to pillage by negroes led on by strangers,
Tribune, to the effect that if the people of and driven by a terrible experience to the
the Sonth desired to secede they had a right final conviction that in themselves alone is
to do so, and would be allowed to do so in I their protection—such a people, though de
peace. He then alluded to me as one born serted by all mankind, are not powerless.
and raised in the South, and yet was endea- Yours, very truly,
voring to frighten our people from their I B. H. Hill.
rights by threats of war, while Northern J Chanler House, Hew Tori, Sept. 20,1868.
Freesoilers, who had been est«*m'ed the ene- w Gen. Blair Thinks of the Pbos-
mies of the South, were conceding ournghts pKCT ._ Qen . Frank P . B lair passed through
and assuring its peaceful exercise. Now, my Washington on Thursday last enroute to Bed-
, 1 ule. The General was just from his Western
“I care not what Mr. Greeley andMr. Wade F - ~ ,
I tour and was in fine spirits. In a conversa-
tion the editor of the Express, he ex-
together have said or may say to the contrary. p rease( j no doubt, whatever, about the'result
More to be relied on than aU these, I plant P f h l ti t j in October, bnt in
myself on the inflexible laws of buman u- -- - —
fni>A nni-1 n fanAKin na ah I Av 0 t CUJ DC •
ture and the unvarying teachings of human ^ better ^ t0 know^haS himJlf.-
expenence, and warn you this day, that no He bas been in s Indiana , 0 hio, and Pennsyl-
^ hls . Umon ’ c “ vania, is fresh from among the people, with
ufr. whom he has talked, as also with the leading
to SaSm men our party in those States, and every-
to thing he saw and heard inspires him with
\ the fullest confidence in the election of our
follow the throes of dissolving government. J Tbig stateme nt of General
sud
S? e |SSS t SSn^SL d, 22lS' I B'air'fhlly C corroborate8 S alTthaYw e~have
recently on this subject in these columns,
whom I was bom and reared, and trust my b j b stated, was based upon the beet
vindication to the realities of the ^ture S 0 Sation from all quarters of the country,
which I deprecate and would avert, and 0f ^ e " 3U i t in Missouri (and who knows
again tell you that dissolve this Union, and w™about it than himself!) he does not
war will come. I do not say it ought to come. 5n even the shadow of a doubt. Its
I cannot tell whe* nor how, nor between “if will b e cast for Seymour and Blair
whom it will come. But it will come, and
it will be to you a most unequai, fierce, vih- w ,
dictive and desolating war.” I Mr. Prentice and the Louisville Jour-
Since the passage of these fatal Recon- nal.—We are glad to read the following in
struction measures by Congress, I have done I the last number of the Louisville Journal:
my pow
North which is trampling on all the guaran
tees of liberty in ten States of the Union,
and which is destroying the Constitution for
all the States of the Union. I find now a
bitterness at the North and a feeling of dis
trust toward the South far more irrational
and unprovoked than I ever witnessed in the
days of Secession straggles at the 8outh.—
If the North in I860 had done half as much
to allay the fears of the South as the Southern
whites are now doing to inspire confidence
and good will at the North, those of us who
were in the midst of the unequal struggle
would have been enabled to prevent seces
sion. But I find? the same fatal delusion
rerailing here with the architects of the
onstitution’s overthrow that prevailed with
the secessionists of the South 10^1860. It is
said, let us maintain and perpetuate measures
‘which originated outside of th4 Constitution,
and which have been or- may be established
Personal.—Some intermeddling gossip
concerning the senior editor of the Joum
to which a city contemporary yesterday gave
prominence, makes it proper to be saia in
these columns that Mr. Prentice’s relations
with the Journal are not dissolved, that he
holds on the paper the place which he has
ever held, and it is the sincere desire of all
connected with the paper that he may held
the place as long as he lives, as it is their
earnest prayer that his days may be long and
pleasant in tbe land. Thns much is due
alike to Mr. Prentice and to the Journal. We
deeply regret that the intermeddlesomeness
of outsiders has rendered necessary even a
word. -In view of one aspect of this inter
meddlesomeness, it may be proper to add
that Hr. Prentice is neither broken down nor
pOot; that bir means are not only comforta
ble but affluent; and that he is quite able to
live independently of his connection with
t^is or any othef jquraal. * ,
fcanKaz."-"'
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