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About Weekly constitutionalist. (Augusta, Ga.) 185?-1877 | View Entire Issue (March 9, 1870)
■ - 11 ■ ®l )t weehlg Constitutionalist. BY STOCKTON & 00. • OCR TERMS. The following are the rote* of Subscription: Daily, one year. $lO 00 Wtiitr, oue year $3 00 [From the Quitman Banner. The Rebel's Vow. dedicated to prof cevor, by zena. Though Italy may boast her sky. And Grei co her ancient name, \nd AtrisV fragrant breezes fly O’er isles ol storied fame— _ # I 3ut give to me my snuny land, ‘ Where zephyrs love to roam, \nd bine waved waters leave the strand Os mv somhev-j sunny home! When Bpring awakes from Winter’s sleep, And all looks bright uad gay, And mocking birds their vigils keep, Prom eve till break of day— And bilmy breezes play aronud The moumain’s pine clad dome— Oh! then I hear the magic sound Os niy Bonthern sunny home 1 Though red-gloved war its graves have filled With tears and sickening sighs, I And bright-eyed maiden’s hopes nre chilled, And sundered are life’s ties; Though loeroen tread its sacred bowers, And tyrants freely roam. Yet still a charm glides bright tho hours, Spent iu my sunny home ! it is my home! my native home! Although oppression’s there; And black will be the torrent’s loam, Ere other words declare, For deep withiD uiy heart I hate v The menials that have come, And spread destruction's fiery fate Throughout my snnny home! Long weary years, has raged the lend, From mountain into river, And fate did write the word, “ subdued ” But “ conquered ” never ! never! For -while the fiery orb of day Around the earth shall roam, No spark of love my heart shall sway, For the spoilers of my home! The coward kna7e shake hands with shame, And begs witb piteous moan, That sLe ah-mid spare his treacherous name, And all her mandates own; But never! never while the wave Bears high its crested loam, Shall hate be burled in the grave, For the tyrants of my home! May orphans’ cries and widows’ tears Disturb their midnight sleep, Ti 1 anguish, with her dismal peers, Their ceaseless vigils keep; May life neVr shed a pleasing strain, Where’er uey seek to roam, And may Despair attend their train, And make their path its home. Dark be the nay that saw them place Their feet upon onr soil. And black as midnight be the trace Os Peace, upon their spoil May Fa e fling lorth her blackest bolt, And hurl them tc tho tomb, And let Oblivion be their lot. And Hell their final home! By Hope’s fond dreams, by Love’s sweet vows, And Sot row’s sickening moan; By wan-worp. cheeks and care-worn brows, Yea, 8.-avm’s eternal throne; By all that’s dear in tinman fate From the cradle to the tomb, 1 swear to hate—forever hate— The demons of my home. May 23.1»!6. The Dead Confederacy. Pale, stark and cold she lies in utter silence, No more to rise up from that deathly swoon. To weeping States that whisper in great an guish, “ Dead, dead, so soon.’’ Ah I mourn for her with tender love and pity. Ye men that strove to lengthen ont her years! A little child grown old and gray with sorrow, Demands your tears: A little shlUl with blood upon her ringlets, A faded banner wrapping her tired arms, Bruised feet that faltered in the sweet revealing Os Freedom’s charms. Hushed into mute and reverent emotion, The people pass beneath the heavy skies. Knowing, to-day nor yet upon to-morrow, Will she arise: Arise, to spread her banner in rejoicing, To beckon honor from the waiting years! Who hints of fanlts, with every stain upon her Washed ont in tears ? The faulty Mol of a faulty people, Who loved her better that her fanlts were theirs. Who see her leaf, blind, dead to all perfection, The Future bears. As dead as those who sought to be her armor, Who held their hearts as shields ’twlxt her and death, And died to cherish into fuller being, The infant breath. Strong hearts, that in tho rush and roar of bat tle, Poured out their noble blood like holy wine, Wasting its wealth and richness on a broken And blasted shrine: A blasted shrine, yet even in its blighting Crowned with the homage of a million hearts, Mfttose burning tears poured out the last liba tion That Love imparts. A faded hope, yet fairer in its fading Than Victory’s temples reared above the dead, And sweeter, blasted, faded, broken, than rich incense For Conquests shed. Pale, pale she lies; the Autumn cometh gently And clasps its crimson fingers round her feet, And throws a golden spell npon the forest, As is most meet. . it is most meet that one who died in childhood, * Who smiled upon us from the purple West, fihould take amid the crimson and the golden' Her final rest. All cold she lies; the Spirit of the Winter Hushes the care'ess river at her side; ’TI» wcl’., we think, that thus should sleep iu xifencs A People’s pride. the UetU still; wo dare ii"l sing her requiem ; The Western star has faded out ol sight, Uko her who was the Idol of oar worship, L< aving ns night. Violet I.«a. Princeton, Are., 1M&. General Wade Hampton has accepted Mio Invitation if the Washington Light Infantry <J V arKable Association, and In •lay next will deliver an address in •'liarleston, dedicating the monument now I 'wing constructed In nonor of thOM of ill* nembera of this gallant eorpe who fall dur !ng the late war, [From the Scientific American , Artificial Light from the Pinewood Chip to the Gas Chandelier. I liY I. CANTINKI. I lire long we shall not be able to imagine to ourselves a city or towu without gas light, or a country farm-house without its petroleum oil lamp. The present genera tion is swimming in a sea of light. But these acquisitions are . of recent date, and the remembrance of smoking lamps, drip ping candles, caudle snuffers, etc., is still fresh in our memory. Dark and gloomy centuries lay between the piuewood light end the gas chandelier. Chips of pinewood afforded the first lights, I but as soon as the combustibility of animal fat was discovered, the idea of filling it into a vase and putting a wick to it, almost suggested itself. This crackling, flickering light was transmitted from father to son, until the introduction of oil, which soon threw animal fat into oblivion. t Orientalists and antiquarians agree that the Assyrians, the Egyptians, the Jews, the Greeks, and the Romans, all used the oil lamp. Most wonderful designs for these utensils, made of stone, iron, and brass, have been discovered iu the Pyramids, in the old temples of India, and among the ruins of Jewish cities. Os the lamps used among the Greeks and Romans, the exca vations at Pompeii have furnished a rich assortment. Gold, silver, marble, precious stones—nothing was considered too costly an ornament for this necessary household article. Most of those lamps were works of art of the first order, and even the more common kind used by the lower class of inhabitants, made of terracotta , are tasteful in form and artistic in execution. Even our modern industry has not been able to excel their workmanship. Yetthese ancient lamps were not as practical as they were beautiful. A common lantern of our day affords a better light than the elaborately wrought vessels of ancient Rome and Egypt. The art of refining oil was unknown to the ancients. As an especial luxury they mixed their oils with the essence of roses and with sandalwood, which, however, dis guised the bad odor of the oil, only dimin ished the strength of the light. The his torians mention that Lncullus, and others, spent large sums for these perfumed oils, and yet the illumination of our most mod est ot .shops and stores is of course far su perior to that of the most magnificent of tho palaces of ancient Rome. The gold and sliver lamps were hung'on the worked chains from marble pillars, but the flame was small, and besides smoking excessive ly, it flickered or weut out entirely in a slight current of air. From Rome the oil lamp passed into France, Germany, and England, where the piuewood chips, and wicks soaked in fat, were still in use. The inhabitants of Den mark, Scandinavia, and Scotland, when in want of pine wood, caught some fat bird, | or other, greasy animal, and set Are to it, | and patiently endured the smell emitted from the burning carcass until it was burn ed to ashes. The Roman lamp underwent but little change until the discovery of the tallow candle. The spare illumination explains in some measure the sober habits. Tiiey arose with the break of day, and retired when the present' generation begins to get ready to go to places of amusement. The “ curfew bell,” derived from the French couvre-fcu, was not without its significa tion. Under William the Conquerer, every tight lied to lie extinguished at eight o’clock, and no one was much incommoded by this law, for the people were generally too poor to pay for an extra quantity of oil. The first step to introduce the tallow cau dle was taken In the twelfth century, when the tallow torches came Into use; during the following century the tallow candle was brought before the public, much in the same form and shape which it bears the present day, only they used a flaxen wick, cotton being unknown at that age. These candles were, however, considered a great luxury, and ÜBed only by persons of high rank. Some fifty years later the wax can dles were manufactured for the courts and royal palaces. When they were first used in churches their cost was enormous. A wax candle offered on the altar to the praise of God was considered a royal gift. The price was still high up to the six teenth century. The anecdote related of Oliver Cromwell, who one day found two wax candles burning npon his wife’s toilet table and extinguished one, shows that even among the rich illumination formed an important item in the household budget. The eighteenth century brought an es sential change in this necessary household article, caused by the discovery of rape oil; olive oU had till then been used iu Italy and France, and whale oil In the North ; rape oil was much cheaper, and thus af forded opportunity to the poorer class to enjoy the comfort of an oil lamp. In the year 1783 the first great reform In the construction of oil lamps was devised. A Swiss, named Argand, who had been adopted by an Englishman in London, was the Inventor of the cylinder-formed wick, which moved like a tube between two me tallic pipes. This mechanism allowed an even current of air to feed the flame, the smoking of which was obviated by the ad dition of a glass cylinder, which latter not only prevented smoke, bnt also diminished the disagreeable smell of oil, and more than all caused an increase in the strength of the light. This new invention soon came into gen eral use. The Gerard Brothers improved it greatly by placing the oil receptable be low instead of above the flame, which gave to the lamp a much more graceful form. They also introduced the milk glass shades to break the glaring light. The next im provement appeared In the “ Carcel" lamps; the “moderators” soon followed, which latter are still in use Jn many places where oil is burned. With the Improvement of lamps refining of oil also underwent an essential change. In 1790, vitriol was useed in purifying oils, au Invention which was msdc slmultaiK*- oualv lu France and Kngland. With every year the number of substance* irom which oil could he obtained was Increased by new discoveries: but all these inventions were lest far behind after the discovery of |* troleum wells In America In IMS. lint tallow slid wan, and even the most refined oils, nru far surpassed hy the ira» livid Tin first attempts U> burn vaa were mod* by an Knglfahinan named Murdoch, who dfatlllwl gss from coals slid with it II umliiMtcd Id-house In Ifad, Mr, M«ir AUGUSTA, GA., WEDNESDAY MORNING, MARCH 9, 1870. doch introduced it into a factory at Man chester. A few years later the first gas company was organized in London, where it has been in U9C ever since. The fast pro gressing civilization of America did not tarry long in adopting this new invention, and the improvements In the art of illumi nation, which in America are almost a daily occurrence, prove that this western hemisphere will never have to pass through such an ordeal of darkness as that which for centuries has been allotted to the east ern world. In the days of Shakspe&re the theatres were illuminated by tallow candles, and the actors had to come forward between the acts aud themselves perform the work of snuffing the candles. This always oc casioned a great deal of merriment among the audience, who, having a moment l>e fore been moved to tears by their tragical speeches, were made, to witness such a me nial performance. To such Hamlets and Othellos, our sperm candles and petroleum lights, not to speak of the gas, would doubt less have appeared as a gift from heaven. Some fifty years have passed since gas was first introduced, and already danger ous rivals threaten to take its place. The electric and calcium lights, and various kinds of gas, have been tried with very considerable success. Nobody believes, however, that the art of illumination has arrived at its Climax of perfection. Un doubtedly the time will yet come when our city streets, bridges and tunnels will be lighted in a style scarcely inferior to day light, a desideratum which might even now be attained, were onr officials as anxious to serve the public as to fill their pockets. (From the Haffnlo Kxprepo. Mark Twain. HR WRITES ABOUT CHINAMEN' AND DES PERADOES. One of California's curiosities the people in the States will some day become familiar with through the Pacific Railroad. I mean the Chinamen. California contains 70,000 of them, and every ship brings more. There is a Chinese quarter in every city and vil lage in Califom’a and Nevada, for Boards of Aldermen will not allow them to live all around town, just wherever they choose to locate. This is not a hardship; for they prefer to herd together. PECULIARITIES AND SUPERSTITIONS. They are a people who fondly stick to their ancient customs. They dresth in the quaint costumes their ancestors wore five hundred years ago. They build temples, gaudy with gilding and hideous with star ing idols, und there they worship after the fashion of their fathers. A strict record Is kept by their chief of the name and resi dence of every Chinaman, and when he dies liis body is sent baek to China fpr hm'lal, for they can never get to their Heaven unless they start from China. And besides, Chinamen worship their ancestors, and they all want their share of worship after they arc done with this world. Even when the Chinese Government sells a ship load of degraded and criminal coolies to a Cuban or Sandwich Island planter, it is strictly stipulated that the body of every one of them must be sent back to Chiua afterdeath. The Chinamen being smart; shrewd peo ple, take to some few of our commercial customs and virtues, but somehow we can’t make great headway in the matter of civilizing them. We can,teach them to gamble a little, but somehow we can’t make them get drunk. It Is discouraging, be cause you can’t regenerate a being that won’t get drunk. The Chinaman is the most frugal, indus trious and thrifty of all creatures. No matter how slender are the wages you pay him he will manage to lay up money. And Chinamen are the most gifted gardeners In the world. Give one of them a sand-bank that would not support a lizzard, and he will make it yield generous crops of vege tables. The Chinaman wastes nothing.— Everything has a valne in his eye*. He gathers up all the castaway rags and ImncH and bits of glass, and makes marketable articles of them. And he picks np all the Old fruit cans you throw away and melts them up to get the tin and solder. When a white man discards a gold placer as no longer worth anything, the patient China man, always satisfied with small profits, and never in a hurry to getr rich, take pos session and works it contentedly for years. The Chi naman makes a good cook, a good washerwoman, a good chambermaid, a good gardener, a good banker's clerk, a good miner, a good railroad laborer, a good any thing you choose to put him at; for these people are all educated; they are all good accountants; they arc very quiet and peace able ; they never disturb themselves about politics; they are so tractable, quick, smart, aud naturally handy and ingenious, that you can teach them anything; they have no jealousies; they never lose a moment, never require watching to keep them at work ; they are gifted with a world of patience, endurance, and contentment. They are the best, laboring class America has ever seen, and they do not care a cent who Is President. They are miserably abused by the laws of California, but that sort of thing will cease some day. It was found just aimut impossible to build the California end of the Pacific Railroad with white men at s:> per day, and take care of all the broils and fights and strikes; but they put. on Chinamen at *1 a day and “ find” themselves, and they bniit it "with out fights or strikes or anything, and saved the bulk of their wages, too. You will have these long-tail toilers among yon in *< the States” some day, but you will find them right easy to get along with—and you will like them, too, because they will stand a heap of abuse. You will find them ever so convenient, because when you get mad you can snatch a club and go out and take satisfaction out of a Chinaman. The native American negro is getting so inso lent now that the patriot from Ireland can not take a little recreation out of him without getting into trouble. Ho the China man will afford a needed relief. MODEST VILLAINY. | As evidence tiiat Chinamen are satisfied with small gains, 1 will remark that they drill fine holes in the edge of gold coins (drllt clear through from edge to edge), and save the go Ia thus bored out, and lilt up S the hole with some sort of iDOtutla eonqio sltlon that doss not spoil th* ring of flic coin. Their counterfeit* !* put line uarts good nwtal and only on* part base metal In iWlr lldlff coinsi and no It Is very lucre-! I five In the long run, an-I the next thin* Or l impossible to detect the cheat. It Is only greedy, bungling, Christian counterfeiters that blunder into trouble by trying to swindle their fellow-creatures too heavily. DESPERADOES. Another curious feature about Califor nia life was the breed of desperadoes she reared aud fostered on her soil, and after ward distributed over adjacent Territories through her vigilance committees, when she had had enough of their exploits.— These men went armed to tho teeth with monstrous revolvers, and preyed upon each other. Their selfish misunderstandings were settled on the spot by tho bullet, but they very rarely molested peaceable citi zens. They robbed, and gambled, and killed people for three or fbiir years, and then “died with their boots On,” as they phrased it; that is, they were killed them selves—almost invariably—and they never expected any other fate, and were very sel dom disappointed. SAM DROWN. Ham Brown, of Nevada, killed sixteen men in Ins time, and was journeying to ward Esmeralda to kill a seventeenth, who had stoptxbd the breath of a frieud of his, when a party of law-abiding citizens way laid him and slaughtered him with shot guns. Mourners were exceedingly scarce at his funeral. It is said that Sara Browu called fbr a drink at the bar of the Slaugh ter Honso in Carson City one morning, (a saloon so nicknamed because so many men had been killed In lt),and invitedastrauger np to drink with him. The stranger said he never drank, and wished to be excused. By the custom of the country that was a deadly insult, and so Brown very properly shot him down. He left him lying there and went away, warning everybody to let the body alone, because it was his meat, he said. And it is said, also, that he came buck alter awhile and made a coffin and buried the man himself—though I never could quite believe that—without assistance. Virginia City was full of desperadoes, and some of tho pleasantest newspaper re porting I ever did was in those days, be cause I reported the inq nests on the on tire lot of them, nearly. We had a fresh oue pretty much every morning. Toward the last it was melancholy to sec how the ma terial was running short. Those were hal cyon days. 1 don’t know what halcyon days arc, but that is the proper expression to use in this connection, I belle.vc. JACK WILLIAMS. Jack Williams was.one of the luckiest of the Virginia City desperadoes. He killed a good many men. lie was a kind hearted man, and gave all nls custom to a poor'un derffiker who was trying to get along. But by-and bye somebody poked a double-bar relled shot gun through a crack while Wil liams was sitting at breakfast and riddled him at such a rate that there was hardly enough of him loft to hold an Inquest oii— and then the poor unfortunate undertaker’s best friend was gone, and lie bad to take in his sign. Thus he was stricken In the midst oi his prosperity and his happiness —for lie was just on the point of getting married when Jack Williams was taken I away from him, aud of course lie had to. give it up then. . CRMETEIUAL CURIOSITIES. It is said that the first twenty-six graves in the cemetery at Virginia City were those of men who all died by the bullet. Aud the first six In another of those towns con tained the bodies of a desperado and five of his victims—and there in the bosom of ills family, made dear to him by ties of blood, he calmly sleeps unto this day. MIL SLADE. At the Rocky Ridge station in the Rocky mountains, in the old days of overland stages and pony expresses, I had the gor geous honor of breakfasting with Mr.Hlade, the prince of all the desperadoes ; who kill ed twenty-six men in his time ;\vho used to cut off his victims’ears and send them as keepsakes to their relatives; and who bound one of his victims hand and foot and prac ticed on hltn with his revolver for hours to gether—a proceeding which seems almost inexcusable until we reflect that Rocky Ridge Is away off In the dull solitudes of the mountains, and the poor desperadoes have hardly any amusements. Mr. Blade afterward went to Montana and began to thin out the population as usual—for he took a great interest in trimming the cen sus and regulating the vote—but finally the vigilance committee captured him and hanged him, giving him just fifteen minutes to prepare himself in. The papers said lie cried on the scaffold. The vigilance committee is a wholesome regulator fn the new countries, and bad characters have a lively dread of It. In Montana one of these gentlemen was placed on his mule l and Informed that he had pre cisely fifteen minutes to leave the country in. He said, “Gents, if this mule don’t balk, five’ll answer.” But that is sufficient almut the despera does. I merely wished to make passing mention of them as a Californian produc tion. A Great Trade in Horns.— The Bos \ lon Commercial lMletin, of the 12th, says: “ A cargo of horns was landed on one of oft* wharves this week, direct from Cali fornia. The number received Into Boston annually is immense, and they come from very distant lands. Mouth Americasends the bnlk of them, though many come from Tex 'ns, and not a few from California. The last number received numbered 27,500. — They are mostly ox horns, and are very large. Some buffalo horns are received from Asia, bat in small quantities. There is quite a speculative business done In these articles, and they arc put to very many uses unknown to most of our read ers. A short distance from Boston is the factory where these are all sent, and at that place they undergo a chemical change, by which they are transformed Into many articles which are both useful and orna mental-—combs, knife handles, paper-cut ters an*l buttons. Besides these, they are j now making a great variety of parlor or-! nament* and piles of Jewelry, some of! i which is very elegant lu Its designs. They 1 ■ have a preparation that changes horn into i | nearly every color, and much ol this Jew chy, bought cheap for pure rubber,is made 1 ' from ox horns and colored." The Columbus Hun report* the death of ! Union Mitchell, a well known and highly | esteemed cltlzon of Harris county; and of | Jl»mey Frost, a Columbus cotton buyer sines I*4o i [From the New York Ban, 21»l A Sunday Race for a Wife. A BROOKLYN DRUGGIST’S FLIGHT WITII KEMPTON’S DARLING. The northern part of Hudson City had a glorious piece ot gossip yesterday morn ing, in the sudden disappearance of the daughter of a well-to-do citizen. The flight was effected late ou Saturday night. The young couple—for the beauty fled with the youug man of her choice—were closely pursued by flip girl’s 'at Lev and a friend. Louisa Kernpatou’s parents moved Into Jcr ey from Brooklyn in May last, and took up their residence on Bergen Wood avenue, hoping, it is said, to hide their beautiful daughter from Adolphus Albert sou, a young druggist to whom they had taken a dislike. But the girl had given her whole heart to Iter lover and engaged to become his wife. She had asked her parents’ consent, and this was the first in timation that her father had of the young people’s courtship. The old gentleman bade Ids daughter never sec Albertson again; and learning that the young couple had clandestine meetings, he moved away from Brooklyn. But we have a [tost office, and Albertson was not long in learning tbc whereabouts of his charmer, and during the past few months they met at the residence of a mu tual friend on Palisade avenue, near War ren street. Opposed by the old folks, the young peo ple naturally resolved to run away at the earliest opportunity. Louisa had packed up her clothing preparatory to her escape, which was IS have been effected on Sunday, the 6th Inst.; but by some means the pa rents ascertalnd what she wns about.— They accused her nnd she confessed, adding that she would marry Albertson In spite of them.' Then they kept her imprisoned in their garret. Albertson, however, was not to be fooled, and with the aid of the friend at whose house they had frequently met, managed to get a line to Louisa, requesting her to keep a sharp tookout fbr a visit from him at any moment. Effecting an arrangement with two young men of tho neighborhood, ho took them at, about daybreak yesterday morning to the residence of Lousia’s pa rents, and with a painter’s ladder reached his uffianccd’s prison. It was but the work of a few seconds to help ids Lo,uisa down, but in getting out her trunk under excitement they lost their grip, and it fell with a crash on tho pave me.nt. Each, however, snatched an armful of clothing, and thus laden they dashed down toward Montgomery avenue, where they took refuge iu a lager beer saloon.— the father, awakened hy tho noise, was soon in the street, and getting trail of their line of retreat by an article or two of the girl’s clothing that they had dropped, he pur sued like a madman. A t length he tracked them into the lager beer saloon, aud thence the couple escaped through a rear door. Mr. Kempston, wide awake, made after them, and was joined by u friend, and Albertson’s two friends also joined in tho raoc. Down Van Vorst street they rushed, until Mr. Keinpston wns favored with a bird’s eye view of the couple ronudiitg ex sheriff Wright’s corner on Palisade avenue. It was now a case of life and death. — Kempston was closing on them, when orte of Albertson’s friends sprang in front of the old fellow. The old man rose so badly bruised by the fall that lie gave up the chase, aud was helped home by his friend. The young couple escaped, and soon con trived to recover all the girl’s clothing from tho saloon where they had bidden it, and last eveuing they were quietly married In Jersey City. The old gentleman may find them to-day comfortably quartered In Brooklyn, over Albertson’sjffll shop. (Uorrcspoudence of the Pittsburg Republic oi. Struck Dead While Gambling. A STORY OF NO. 17 ANN STREET—STAKING BEAUTIFUL DIAMONDS AND A GOLD WATCH —AN ENORMOUS STACK OF CHIPS—DEATH CALLR FOR HIS CHIPS—HOW HENRY PETTI IIONK DIED. The number of persons who have died suddenly in gambling houses in this city during the past year has been remarkable. At 17 Ann street is a gambling hell, kept by a man generally known among the fra ternity as “Uncle John.” One night, nbout six months since, a young man dressed In the height of fashion, with gold watch and diamond pin and rings, entered and began to gamble. Ho was unlucky, and rapidly lost his money ; then he 9taked his watch, and that, too, followed hts money. Ills diamond pin was next risked, and still for tune was against him. Then he took from his linger a ring—a beautiful solitaire dia mond—and for which he was allowed one hundred dollars. And now he won. For tune seemed to have changed and was smiling upon hliu. Every bet he made he won, until his “ stack ” of “ checks ” was larger than that held by the “ bank.” Suddenly his head dropped forward on the tabic, and he was dead. Os course, immediately all was excitement and confu sion around the table, during which “ Un cle John” quickly raked In the “cheeks’' and closed the “ bank,” thereby saving him self over ffi.OOO, which the dead man had won. On the inside of the ring was en graved the dead man’s name. He was a young man of good family, and was to have been married next week. Ills friends were notified and took the body away, and it was given out that he had died suddenly of heart disease while reading a paper at home. Far distant from this was the case of the poor devil who died in a gambling hell in East Broadway, a short time after. He was one of the “ regulars.” For twenty years he had been a constant habitue ol faro j banks. When he commenced, he was doing I a good business, had a happy wife, and was : in a fair way to fortune; when he died lie 1 was a vagrant and outcast—llls wife died | of a broken heart long ago, his children had grown up lu misery and vice, and he had : not a frl* nd In the whole great city, where once he had hundreds of them. The Coroner 1 was notified, an Inquest was held, and a. | verdict rendered that he, too, had tiled of, ■ heart disease, but no effort w*« made to ! conceal the fact of where lie died. Iln ha*l l . no wealthy friends or Influential politicians j I to “ see" the Coroner aud press and “ fix’’ things. No one was harmed by the iiuit 1 | that Henry Fattlhone ill* and suddenly in a ! fourth-rate gambling hull lu East Broad- VOL. 29. NO. 10 There have been at least half a dozen other sudden deaths in faro banks in this city daring the past year, to say nothing of three who have committed suicide there. (From Mack.lr. the Cincinnati Enquirer. The Rejected Pup. THE PRESIDENT I.EARNS TIIAT HE IS WORTH ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS —HE ORDERS DENT TO INTERVIEW A COIORED CITIZEN. Just ns I was scratching my head for subjects of epistolary discourse thus morn ing, a friend came along with a face full of smiles, and said lie, “did you hear about that dog?” “ What dog?” said I, thinking that perhaps another pointer, or perchance a terrier, had been sent to his Excellency. “ VVhy, that same dog that was sent to the President from Cleveland.” I replied that the last I had heard of the unfortunate an imat, his fate hung suspended between Barnum and Bologna, und U wns a ques tion whether he should adorn a museum or be converted Into sausages. But my friend Immediately said I was mistaken. It was vpry truo that tho President had concluded’at first not to receive that pointer, aud had sept him summarily from his premises. But sltg-e then, one of hls confidential advisers, who was an expe rienced dog lancier, had called on him and set forth the praises of this Cleveland con tribution In glowing terms—told him he was an Imported animal, worth one hun dred dollars, and that it was a great mis take not to accept him; furthermore, that the Express charge of ten dollars was au error, all tho cost of transportation having been prepaid in (till. The President’s countenance was in stantly overcharged with the gloom of a conscious blunder; ho saw at a glance that he had acted hastily In not receiving the dog; and his first Inquiry on recover ing his self-possession was as to how he could retrieve that false step. The dog was now tho property of a colored citizen, and the occupant of au inverted dry goods box In a back yard adjoining the White House grounds. The President directed Dent, to proceed thither aud negotiate, if possible, lor the surrender of the animal on payment of costs. But the colored citizen, who Is said to bn an excellent judge of dogs, was not easily persuaded Into this arrangement; and at last accounts he and Dent were discussing the matter In a very animated and excited style of language. But, Dent was evident ly getting the worst of It. The Death Wed of Young Fish.— Tho Pisciculturist, Bet,h Green, is known throughout the land for Ills energy and per severance in Inquiring Into nnd ascertaining the cause of anything that may bo new in his little world of interest or nature. For many years Mr. Green lias been ut a toss to account for the enormous destruction of very small trout, but ho has now ascertain ed the cause. He says in regard tp the matter: “ There, is a small worm which Is a favorite food of trout ami many kinds of of fish. This worm Is one of the greatest enemies which the young fry have. It spins a web in the water to catch young fish, just as a spider does on land to catch files. I have seen them make the web and taKS the fish. The web is as perfect ns that of tho spider, and as much mechanical In gonult.v is displayed in Its construction. It is made as quickly and In the same way as A spider’s, by fastening the threads at, different points, and going back and forth until tho web is finished. The threads are not, strong enough to hold the young trout after the umbilical sac Is absorbed, but the wel> will stick to the fins and get around the head nnd gills, and soon kills the fish. I have often seen it on the young trout, and It has been a great mystery and caused me many hours, days and weeks of wonder to find out what was wound around the heads and fins of my youug trout ami killed tbciu. [Rochester Union, February 1(5. Fish .Showers in Nevada and Cali fornia.—Daring the rain last week a quantity of small fish fell in one of the showers at Hlx-milc Canon, Nevada. The fish are described us two or three inches long, hlnish In color, with brown stripes down the sides. — CrutrovQU Argue. We arc creditably Informed of a still more strange occurrence of a fish shower In this county, which occurred a few weeks since In the vlehdty of Lagnna Beco, ten miles north of Monterey. The shower ex tended for a distance of three or four miles; theie were no clouds visible at the time.— The fish were of different kinds, and vary ing in length from six Inches to three fret. A person who witnessed the shower, and is deep In piscatorial knowledge, pronounced them of the species Inhabiting salt water. Will some of our savans give a solutlon.of this phenomena? [ Monterey i Tax on fiiCOMkb.—The Commissioner of I Internal Itevenue has, in reply to inquiries made l>y assessors, informed them that un j dor kub-dlvision seven of the annual rc j turn, entitled “ Amount actually paid for j rent of homestead,” the amount actually ! paid for room rents deductible ; hut no de ! dnclion should he allowed for rent ot furni -1 til re, enre of rooms, or for fuel or lights used. Where persons occupy a room or rooms in a hotel or boarding house which constitutes their home, and piy for board and rooms a stipulated sum per month or quarter, they should be allowed to deduct from their income so much of said sum as is properly attributed to the rooms (unfur nished). It is for the assessor to determine, from the best information he cau obtain, what proportion of the amount paid was considered payment for tho room only.— Persons in making their returns will be governed accordingly.— Baltimore Sun. ! A mermaid Is on exhibition In Benares, the holy city of Bengal. There is no de ception. Anybody can go In and see the prodigy on payment of a single pice—a coin so small lu value that Western na tion* would scorn to acknowledge it. The mermaid does not come up to the old de scription* and pictures of the creature, for there is nothing of tho lovely woman about it. •' It exactly resembles a flab covered with seal* *on the lower Imif, and it mon key, having a head and two arms, with lingors and nails In the upper half." It was found lu the sea near Japan, and the present owner gave 500 rupee* for it—About S3OO ol our currency, Another on* wm brought oyer at the same tint* "as Mg re a man " That fetcfe-d 1,400 rupees or $340.
