THE WEEKLY 00H8TITUTI0NALI8 T
WEDNESDAY MOKNINO JULY 12, 1871
POLITICAL WIHK WOHKEBS OF
THE WI TH.
These gentlemen, “and their name is
egion," are beginning to busy themselves
with electing, on paper, the next President.
It is In questionable taste for Southern men
to be volunteering their services in this mat
ter. Especially is it in bad taste for them
thus early to show a disposition to force
their preference, or what may be the pre
Terence of this, the minority section upon
the people of the North. The real pre
ferences of the South cannot be expressed
at all in any national convention author
ised to act on the subject; for to express
them would be to ensure defeat. There is
no real heartfelt affection In the South for
any of the possible candidates named, for
they are all outside of the Confederate
lines. There were three brave, f«rless men
in the North—peace Democrats —whose
record had endeared them to South
ern heart, and for whom some enthusiasm
mlgh* have been enkindled had they lived,
and either of them been put forward by
their section as the Democratic standard-
bearer in opposition to Gen. Grant. These
are cx-Prestdent thRUCK— ex-Gov. Thomas
Seymour, of Connecticut, and Vallandig
iiam, of Ohio. The two former would have
been out of the question, because they were
Peace Democrats, had the Northern Demo
crats no other objection. The last lived
long enough to abate, by his New Depart
ure Platform, somewhat of his claims on'
Southern admiration. Ills proposition was
not simply a waiver of discussion, of dis
puted rights, but a perpetual surrender.
They were, however, all high-toned men—
true to their convictions of constitutional
duty and fearless In their protests of the In-
Justlc done the South, even when the war
raged the fiercest.
Bat they have gone to their long ac
count, and no leading man is left in the
ranks of the Northern Democracy who,
like them, could kindle the affections of
the Southern heart.
It is then a mere question of expediency
at the South who shall be the nominee.—
The affections of the South are all with
tjielr Southern leaders. These are all out
side the pale of possible candidacy. But
expediency obviously suggests that the
Northern Democracy best know who will
best take with the Northern constituency.
They understand the situation better than
Sou<hern men can. It is therefore at least
in questionable taste, as already said, fur
Southern political wire workers to posh
forward into the lead In this matter. It
would be unwise for them to busy them
selves with the platform or the candidate.
What would really suit the South would
be wholly, unacceptable to the Northern
Democrats, li by any fatuity accepted,
overwhelming defeat would be the result.
Even tlie presence of Southern delegates in
a National Convention to nominate, we
consider of very douhtful policy.
Bat In opposition to these views, active
movements are on foot to thrust this dis
cussion upon the Southern people. In the
New Orleans Picayune of the 25th ult.
appears a carefully prepared exposition by
Col. Blanton Duncan in favor of Gen
Hancock. It Is in the shape of a letter to
ex-Gov. Baker, of Louisiana. This letter
was sent to us In print in advance of Its
publication, In the hope that it would be
Inserted In these columns. It was doubt
' less so sent to most of the principal South-
ern papers.
s’ We are strongly of opinion that Gen.
Hancock would be more apt to enrry Penn
sylvania than any other man available
to the Democratic party. And it is clear
that If Pennsylvania goes Democratic, the
success of the party in the general result
is almost certain. As goes Pennsylvania,
so goes the United States, is an old saying,
and it has always proved true.
Bat this is a matter In which the politi
clnns of the North, and especially of Penn
sylvania, are the best Judges, and they do
not want suggestions from a Kentnckv or
Louisiana politician. Any proffered as
siatance of that kind will do more harm
than good. It Is not an occasion for Louis
iana, or any other State, to assume the role
of leading off. It is Impossible for a South
ern State to have any very frantic enthu
siasm for a Northern war Democrat, and
especially a Northern Democratic General,
who contributed Ills full share to crush out
the South; nor for a platform of principles
on which such a candidate can comfbrtably
stand. It will be sufficient If we take them,
when offered to us, as we take many
measures of reconstruction since the war,
as the best we can get. *
But there are always restless and ambi
tious men, South as well as North, who
like to be amoug the earliest worshippers
of the rising sun, and who hope to be re
membered at the proper time, if they should
be so fortunate as to name the winning
man.
How the Laws ark Executed —At a
late term of the Circuit Court of Ouachita
county, Hon. Geo. W. McCown pre- ding !
Judge, Indictments were found against the'
rrg sirars of the county for corrupt prac- j
tice ut the late election. Over three hundred
names were stricken from the list of regis- ’
tered voters after the registration had boon
cl user I. Last week court convened lu this
county, when the prosecuting nttorney, pro I
fen, Mr. M. D. Kent of Washington, nolle '
proud the cases, against the solemn pro !
list of tlie members of the bar. Had the
caaes been prosecuted as it wts the duty of’
the H’aU-'s attorney, every one of the regis 1
trar# would have been sent to the penltcn
tltrv Ibe evidence was overwhelming
t"*’ •fiPhJU'i-’rat l >u .j the manner
.» wU*Vi the aos ofuUHt*’. ; ,f oaecnt-
U
s*»- fra*. •<m - , ,y
a*#*C iif nkl io.
BOX tot o* us MUU* limk. A At
****•• • S ss an
;giom the Atlanta OonsUtution.
» Dobbins vs. Gaskill.
Card from Jlr. Dobbins.
Atlanta, June 27,1871.
Editor Constitution : As there is some
excitement growing out of the fact of the
grand jury of this county, at the late term
of the Superior Court, undertaking to in
vestigate the acts of Col. Foster Blodgett.,
late Superintendent of the Western and
Atlantic Hallroad. and V. A. Gaskdi, Esq.,
touching a claim I Held against said rail
road, I have thought It my duty to give the
facts In the case to the public.
The nature and amount of this claim is
correctly stated in an account made hy
Col. A. B. Culberson, my attorney in the
case, and published by Col. Blodgett ib his
card of the 24th instant, amounting to
|10,848 00. I agreed to settle the claim on
'he basis of the actual loss sustained, with
interest. Mr. Culberson and myself ex
amined the amount of cotton destroyed,
and the damages otherwise sustained, anl
found that they amounted to the above
amount, viz: $10,848 06, Including Inter
est. For that amount I agreed to take
Foster Blodgett's Superintendent note at
60 daya for $7,000, which note was dated,
I think, on the 7th of November, 1870, and
was paid to me by Mr. Gaskill in his check
on J. H. James, on tlie 9th of January last.
This note for $7,000 is all the note I ever
saw or heard of until I was summoned to
the grand jurv room to testily in the case,
when, instead of the $7,000 note, 1 saw one
for $15,548 06, signed by Foster Blodgett,
Superintendent, payable to me or bearer.
As regards Mr. Gaskill being my attorney,
I never considered him assneh. If so. why
the necessity of giving him a special power
to sign my name to a receipt to obtain a
warrant founded on a note held by me on
Foster Blodgett, Superintendent, given me
in settlement of my claim ag&lnstthe West
ern and Atlantic Railroad?
I? regard to my promising Mr. Qaakili ail
he conld get out of the claim over $7,000,1
may or may not have done so. My memory
in that particular does not serve me ; but if
I did, why did not Mr Gaskill inform me
what he did get? Instead of doing so, he
has kept me entirely in ignorance. So far
as my knowledge went I never knew he had
received one cent above the $7,000 he had
paid me on the 9th of January last. My
understanding was that 1 was compromis
ing a claim against the State with Mr. Gas
kill as agent of the Wtate, and not with Mr.
Gaskill as an individual or as my attorney.
How could I compromise a claim with my
own attorney. He made no charge on me
for services, nor hud he any promise of pay.
I did say to him If the State was disposed
to pay him anything I thought they could
well afford to do so, as the claim was set
tled at a very low rate, viz : $7,000.
• M. G. Dobbins.
The above statcm-it of Col. Dobbins is
correct in its leading features.
I was the counsel of Col. Dobbins. I
never recognized Col. Gaskill as counsel of
my client. On the contrary, I negotiated
with him as counsel for the State Rond,
and when he agreed to the settlement on
the basis of Col. Dobbins’, and Ids counsel
receiving $7,000, and Col. Gaskill said. lie
must have counsel fees, my reply was, “7
have no objection to that " Gaskill having
said in the communication that when he
went into Col Blodgett’s office he reserved
the right to practice his profession in ad
dition to the salary he was receiving as
Secretary of the Superintendent.
A. B. Culberson.
[Corrcnpondence of the Courier-Journal
Indiana Ku Klux.
Salem - , June 24.
Our town Is in a blaze of excitement
this morning, occasioned by the arrest of
four men, named John Richardson, Joseph
Richardson, Peter Wolf and Henry Shep
pard, charged with attempting to hang
Jesse Trneblood. Some two weeks ago the
barn of Ira Richardson, two miles west
of this place, was bnrned, and was un
doubtedly the work of Incendiaries. Sus
picion, from some cause which I am not
able to give, attached to Jeasc Trneblood,
Dave Butterfield, and another man, whose
name I have not learned. Last night (Fri
day), about 9:20 o’clock, the Richardson
boys (sons of Ira), assisted by Wolf and
Sheppard, caught Trucblood, and, after
knocking him dowD, tied a rope around
ills neck and swung him np to a tree,
threatening to take his life unless lie told
who burned the barn. Trneblood, it he
knew, refused to divulge anything, and,
after considerable rough treatment, he was
turned loose, after being admonished to
say nothing of what had happened If he
valued liis life. Immediately on being re
leased, he came to town and made an affi
davit against the parties, all of whom were
arrested about daylight this morning, at
the residence of Ira Richardson. The per
petrators of this outrage wore masks or
h id their faces blackened, and how True
blood will be nble to identify them I an un
able to tell. They will have a hearing be
fore Justice MeGrindley, and in all proba
bility be recognized to appear at the next
term of the Circuit Court. X.
The Now York city directory for 1871-73
has made its appearance It contains
1,260 pages of names and 63 of ml-cel lam
ons information. The names number 200,
953, against 204,617 last year, which is a
decrease of 8,864. Brooklyn gives an in
crease for the present year of 8,700 names,
the total being 94.304. Adding New York
and Brooklyn we have the following: New
York, 200,953 names; Brooklyn, 94,304
names ; total for both cities, 295.357 names
The New York papers offer do explana
tion of the fact that the number of house
holders in the metropolis has actually de
ceased, while the population dolag business
and having its legal “ residence" there has i
increased. It is plain that the Journals of
that city do not Intend to make the disad
vantageous fact conspicnons throughout
the country. A variety of causes undoubt
edly combine to produce the effect noted,
but it may be fairly suspected that no one
of these has been more potential than the
heavy taxation, falling upon a high if not
Inflated valuation, which attends the hold-
I ing of residence property in that city.
] It was'a matter of speculation in the
minds of some people what took the l’resi
) dent back to Washington in such a hurry
■ last week. A correspondent who has set
; tied the matter says it was not in the in
terest of tlie Government, but to see about
! his horses! He inquired about them, and
| had all tlie veterinary surgeons In the Dis
' trict of Columbia at his side before he even
| attended to the smallest official rcquirc
' ment. A« for the Cabinet meeting which
| was said to have taken place, the Chicago
i Timet say*: “If the Cabinet were only a
1 "Übv.and a President need only be a ho*-
! '.hr, we *h mid the 1, *t Cabinet oft)-
o ut tkt
lag " ’ia t i U f * 'kit Will - ,»
' kin. u * *p> a i..h i. -it ii. ~
i *!«, !(,„ i,, . > (U*t
of list U >’
from the Onfflc Middle (Korgien.
Indian Springs.
There are a few historical facta concern
ing this popular resort for invalids as well
as pleasure-seekers, that may be new to
some whilst they are familiar to many.
For the benefit of those "Vtiwitt-e ignorant
of these facts we briefly refer to them.
From what the name, Indian Spring?, is
derived, we know not, but suppose that,
as the place was frequented by the aborig
ines, and was the headaua’-ters of Mcln
tosh, the Chief of the Crest tribe, and was
the scene of important negotiations between
the white and the red man, it was so
called.
It la said that the first white man that
saw the spring was named Douglas Wat
son. He, acting as a spy. visited the
place about the year 1818. When he near
ed the spring he became alarmed at the
scent of burnt gunpowder, which greeted
his olfactory nerves, and In his fright came
very near abandoning not c dyhis scheme,
bot the country. After? Allying all the
courage that his pride cc lid summons he
ventured, however, to re lain, and before
leaving the action he bo) 1y ran the risk of
taking a look at the th' Jg itself. He was
prevailed upon to taste of its waters, but
no—that which seemed to emanate from
the very regions of brimstone, was not
made for him to drink (in this world), so
he returned to report tljat he “came” and
be “ saw,” but he did not drink.
A few years after our old friend Douglas
made his discovery, the whites began to
settle the place, and in the year 1825 a
treaty wa> made, in winch the
then Chief of the Creek tribe, ceded to the
whites all that territory lying between the
Ocmulgee and Chattahoochee rivers. The
authorities treating with Mclntosh allowed
him to reserve for his own use and benefit
one thousand acres of land; in the centre
of which was the Spring. This reserve
was afterwards bought from Mclntosh by
the State, and then surveyed off in two
acre lots and sold at public outcry.
The house in which the treaty was sign
ed was bnilt by Mclntosh, and stands to
day at Indian Springs, occupied by Mrs.
Varner, and used as a hotel.
The Indians, knowing that negotiations
relating to their country were under con
sideration at the time, assembled in thou
sands near Mclntosh’s house, awaiting the
result. When it was announced that Mc-
Intosh had ceded away the territory be
tween the Ocmulgee and Chattahoochee,
they deemed it an outrage. One of their
number, a young warrior uniriendly in his
feelings to Mclntosh, took this occasion to
appeal to the passions of the tribe, and to
create a feeling of enmity against Mcln
tosh. So soon as the result of the negotia
tions was announced, this young warrior
advanced to a large oval-shaped rock in
front of the house, and, taking his stand
upon It, began his harangue to the mul
titude. The rock stands to-day in front of
Mrs. Varner’s hotel. The citizens of the
place object to its removal because of the
incident that it seems planted there to
commemorate. The gesticulations of this
orator indicated that he advised vengeance,
and Mclntosh should be the victim to pay
the penalty. Upon the conclusion of this
speech, the Indians dispersed to seek camp
ing grounds further west.
A few months after this treaty, Mcln
tosh, in company with his son Chilly,
visited a place which he owned on the
Chattahoochee, and while there thepeualty
was paid. His house was attacked by his
own tribe, broken into, and he was killed.
His son Chilly escaped by jumping out of a
window and swimming the ChaiX^ioochee.
SITUATION of .the town.
The surface of country
in which the town of Indian Spmpgs is im
mediately located, is undulatnig and in
some places rugged. A descent in the bed
of the big Sandy Creek lends, to a small
extent, an attraction to the scenery of the
place. Indeed, by some, St would be con
sidered picturesque. On one side of this
creek are huge stones—some of which are
symmetrical in*form and ponderous size.
Just at the point where the descent in the
stream commences, a bridge crosses It, the
road leading down from the town.
THE SPRING.
There you find, not a gushing, bubbling,
spring, curbed with marble and decorated
with choicest shells: but yon find a large,
black rock, which in size, as well as color
and general appearauce, resembles very
ninch an extra large elephant. At the
base of this rock is-nes a stream about the
size of a ladies’ little finger, which trickles
down and fills a cavity in the rock, the
capacity of which is the whole amount of
a pint and a half without exaggeration. The
crevice through which this water passes,
as well as the small basin that holds it. is
lined with a yellowish-white coat, which
Is the sediment, of the miners 1 properties of
the water. This spring, though small, is
sufficiently large to accommodate the de
mands of as many “as will likely visit it in
qnest. of health. One Is not apt to become
so fond of the water as to prefer it to our
free stone •well?. We therefore conclude
that it will not be drank dry for some time
to come, but on the coutrary, will be the
sceneofinnch festivity, and that its effi
cacious waters* will prove beneficial to the
inn lids of the present and future genera
tions.
When tlie Griffin and Madison Railroad
is complete and in running order, “ the
Hprings ” will, by reason of its free access,
lie frequented by greater numbers than has
been the custom. Asa tows for trade, in
ducements can he offered that at present
are impracticable.
Its population will at once increase in
nn nliers and property will corresponding
ly advance in price. We expect to see the
day when our friend Johnson’s term will
become a by-word, aud Indian Springs will
be called the “ Saratoga of the South.”
Dog Team Traveling. — An lowa team
is thus described by the Tipton Advcr
tiecr: •
A Mr. Loomis arrived at Tipton last
week, by a rather novel conveyance, a team
of dogs. Mr. Loomis’ house is in Nauvoo,
111., whence he came by dog express, with
: a circuitous route through Ills own State,
making‘he trip of about 240 miles. This
: lie accomplished in thirteen days, thus
i making an average of eighteen and nine
teen miles a day. His dogs are Newfound
lands, both less than a year old, and are
harnessed to a small skeleton wagon and
i driven by lines attached to leather inozzles.
Mr. Loomis was so unfortnuate as to re
ceive n spin al injury when a l»oy, that
i makes him wholly unable to walk, and
almost entirely helpless, but, once in his
wagon, he manages hla team easily, until
wishing them unharnessed and taken care
iof He say* that neither cats, rabbits nor
strange dogs along the road can tempt h's
canine horses to for a moment forget their
i duty ; but that deep inud “ gets ” them.
In traveling, he waters them very often, and
, once or twee in each half day stops and
riei* them, unbanns* <<o«* at » time for a
■ w ti.n un-. iibeity, ~iUi which U nomre
<*ut, n.tr- making In py" - r» “b
Em 1
[From the Baltimore Gazette.
Decision of an Interesting and Im
portant Case.
The cases of the State of Maryland vs.
Madison J. Marcos, of'Augusta, Georgia,
indicted on the charge of obtaining goods
on false pretences in Baltimore last fall,
were decided yesterday in the Criminal
Court, his Honor Judge Gilmor sitting as
judge and jury, the prisoner having elected
to hwe his trial beiore the court. The
trial occupied an entire week, having been
began on the 22d instant, and attracted
very general interest throughout the com
munity, more especially among the mercan
tile classes, bix indictments were found
against the accused, one of which was
based on charges preferred by Messrs. M.
L. Starns & Cos., wholesale clothiers, from
whom there was obtained merchandise val
ued at $-1,300, being the largest bill bought
by Mr. Marcns.
The other indictments were on charges
of Messrs. Hurst & Cos. dry goods dealers ;
Messrs! Baker, Bruff & Cos., wholesale dry
goods dealers; Messrs. Wiesenfeld & 'Co.,
wholesale clothiers, and two indictments
on similar charges by Messrs. Hecht & Put
zell, boot, shoe and hat dealers. The
amount bought by the accused from these
several houses aggregated about $7,000. Mr.
Marcus was arrested in Augusta last Sep
tember upon a requisition from Gov. Bowie,
end|brought on and lodged in jail in this city.
In a week or two thereafter his counsel,
Col. J. Fairfax McLaughlin, procured his
release, Hon. John Merry man, Gustav Ober,
Esq, Col. B. M. Johnson and Solomon
Marcus, Esq., appearing as bail for the ac
cused in the penalty of $15,500.
The various indictments, by agreement
among counsel, were tried together, and
the test case was that of Messrs. Straus &
Cos., the evidence developed in this being
supported principally by that brought out
by the witnesses for the same house, and
for those of Messrs. Baker, Bruff & Cos., and
Messrs. Hecht & Putzell. The prosecution
abandoned the other indictments, the testi
mony not going to prove the cases for the
State. The specifications alleged against
Mr. Marcus were embraced under four
heads, viz: First, that he represented his
business in Augusta as a cash one, and
that it reached $35,000 to $30,000 a year;
second, that he represented his stock on
hand at the time of his purchases at about
$8,000; third, that he represented himself
as free from debt, and lourth, that he repre
sented himself as owning $2,000 in real es
tate in Elberton, Ga. To these several
statements the indictments plead negative
averments, and issue was joined.
The arguments of counsel extended over
three days, and at their conclusion, on yes
terday, Judge Gilmor summed up the en
tire evidence and law of the case in a very
full and interesting manner, and laid it
down as a well settled principle of law that
the actual condition, the financial ability,
and the solvency in connection with the
representations of the acc used at the time
the purchases were made, constituted the
gravamen of the case, and that in order to
make it out on the part of the State the
representations of the accused must be
proved to have been false, and the goods
obtained by means of them; the scienter of
fraudulent intent be proved, and the insol
vency of the traverser be established. In
the case in question it was proved by va
rious witnesses, among others by the clerk
of the accused, that hi3 business was sub
stantially as great as he represented it to
be; that his stock was worth SB,OOO, and
evidence of a legal title in Mr. Marcus to
property worth $2,000 in Elberton, Geor
gia, had actually been produced in court.
In regard to the representation made by
the traverser that he was free from debt,
his Honor held that the prosecution had en
tirely failed to produce evidence of the ex
istence of any liabilities against him. His
actual condition tunc, when he bonghtthe
goods could only be considered by the
Court. Judge Gilmor made numerous
citations of authorities to fortify his decis
ion, and concluded by ordering a verdict
of not guilty to be entered in the case.—
The accused was accordingly discharged.
The State was represented by A. Leo
Knott, E=q., State’s Attorney, Col. Charles
Marshall and Milton Whitney. Esq.; the
accused by Judge Linton Stephens, of
Sparta, Georgia, Richard J. Gettings, Esq.,
Col. J. Fairfax McLaughlin, M. A. Mullin,
Esq , and Malcolm Johnson, Esq. The trial
was conducted with eminent ability on
both sides, Messrs. Marshall and Knott
participating in the argument for the pro
secution, and Messrs. Sittings, McLaugh
li.n and Stephens for the defense. The last,
a brother of Alexander H. Stephens, dis
played, in a marked degree, many of the
distinguishing talents of liis kinsman.
A Speck o? War v
The Little Hook Upon which Eng
land and Germany Threaten to
“Split.”
A correspondent of the Pall Mall Ornette
gives to that journal the following inter
esting account of the little Island which
Germany is now trying to recover from
England:
1 see the Heligoland question has turn
ed up again, and a few words of descrip
tion may not be without interest to vonr
readers, for there is no place like it on the
f.ce of the earth. It ts a red Bill, rising
straight ont of the waters, with a sand
bank on one side. < a the sand and part
of the wav up the hill, is a town, or rather
village. It was inhabited in former times
by sailors and wreckers, but they have de
generated into lodging house keepers.—
Heligoland is the Gargate of Hamburg.
Thither stream the citizens of that rich
city to gamble at rouge et-nor (at least
they did when 1 was there), and to enjoy
the sea bathing.
“There is a regular season in the sum
mer months, and sometimes many passen
gers that are brought in the steamer are
obliged to sleep on board, and to go back
again—the island being full. Every house
probably takes in lodgers; but then there
are not very many houses. The bathers
resort to a "neighboring sand bank, a cis
island, which the Governor, it will be re
membered, some time ago stocked with
rabbits, which began eating up the grass
j that held the sand bank together, so that
i the Heligolanders became furious and
■ talked of shaking off the English yoke.—
! However, the rabbits were ail shot and the
l islanders were pacified, and nothing more
[ was said about their old Frisian constitu
tion.
“Their language is German, but they
detest that nation more even than they do
i ourselves. They are not Euglish, though
; they are English subjects; they are not
i German, though they speak German. They
are Heligolanders, the noblest of created
j beings ; all foreigners are 1 skit,’ which, in
t their homely dialect, means dirt. The top
of the island hill Is flat, ami, as well as I
t can remember, about the size of the Green
I Park. There la a well known story of a
[ man from the far West—and therefore sc
! rnstomed to aee land only on a large scale
who paid a visit to England When
-
Corea.
Origin of the Trouble Between Our
Government and that Country.
Five years ago the American ship Gen.
Sherman went ashore on the Corean coast,
the crew were captured and horribly treat
ed and tortured, some being put in cages
and carried around and exhibited to the
natives. One of the men escaped, and
reaching an American man-of-war detailed
these atrocities. Admiral Bell, then in
command of the Asiatic squadron, sent
the United States steamer Shenandoah to
the Corean coast to inquire into the mat
ter and demand redress. The Coreans
fired on the Shenandoah from shore bat
teries, and as her commander had no or
ders to return fire he left, and reported the
matter to Admiral Bell. Here the matter
rested nntil Admiral Rowan, in the Dela
ware, took command. He left the country
with orders to settle up the Formosa and
Corean difficulties. When he got on the
station he found that the Formosa matter
had been settled, and before proceeding
against the Coreans the Navy Department
sent word for him to await further or
ders. No further orders were given, and
when Admiral John Rogers sailed in the
Colorado it was understood that he had
full authority to demand redress from tiie
Corean Government, and if it was refused,
to go lor them to the best of his ability.
With this in view he carried in the hold of
the Colorado a battery of field pieces, a
battery of Gatling guns, and other means
of carrying “ the war into Africa.,” having
fall powers in the matter.
As the initial step taken by Admiral
Rodgers has excited considerable interest
throughout the country, it may not be out
of place to say a few words about the
country which our navy has undertaken to
teach the ways of civilization.
Corea is a kingdom on the east coast of
Asia, northeast of China. Area about 90.000
square miles; population from 10,000,000
to 12,000,000. It comprises a peninsula
' 400 miles long and 150 broad, the island
adjacent and a part of the neighboring con
tinent. The total length of the country
from north to south is somewhat less than
600 miles, between latitude 33 deg. 20 min.
and 43 deg. north. The coast is rugged
and barren, and the northern portion cold
and mountainous, but in the western part
the climate is more genial and the soil
more fertile. The government is despotic,
and though tributary to China and Japan,
the freedom of it - action is uncontrolled.—
The army of Corea is estimated at 640,000
men, and the navy has 300 vessels (war
junks), carrying from 10 to 20 gnns each,
old 20 and 30-poundcrs. The political or
ganization is similar to that of China.—
The King unites in his peison temporal
and spiritual authority.
The archipelago of Corea is a group of
small islands in the Yellow Sea, on the
west' coast of the peninsula of Corea. The
Islands are chiefly of granite, some of them
rising to the height of 2,000 feet above the
sea. The navigation in Corean waters is
both difficult and dangerous, and compara
tively little is known of the channels. Con
siderable anxiety is felt to hear from Ad
miral Rodgers, as it was fully expected he
would make another attack upon the Co
reans next day after the date of his last dis
patch. It is the opinion of competent
naval officers here that the combined force
of European government now East is not
sufficient to meet and punish the aggres
sive spirit exhibited by the Coreans.
It is stated that the action of Admiral
Rodgers in his attack upon the Coreans is
the subject of diplomatic correspondence
between the ministers of leading European
Governments and the United States.
[from the Columbus Sun.
The North and South Railroad.
Rome Subscribes sl2s,ooo—Proposi
tions to Bnlld.
The following telegram from Senator
John T. Burns explains itself:
“Rome, Ga., June 29,1871.
“W. A. McDougald : Council unanimous
ly appropriated one hundred thousand dol
lars to the North and South Railroad. The
subscription will be submitted to the people
on July Bth. John T. Burns.”
Prtvate letters state that private sub
scriptions have already been made to the
extent of $25,000, making $125,000 from
that city.
The Rome Commercial, which rame yes
terday, in reporting a meeting which oc
curred at Rome on the night of the 28th,
says:
Maj. Burns, who spoke ex cathedra, said
that the road would certainly be built.
Messrs. Lane & Cos., with an able engineer,
CcH. Hszlehurst, would contract to have the ;
road bniitin eighteen months, and trains
plying between" Rome and Columbus in.
seven hours within two years.
Ist. If the corporators would raise $500,-
060 in money by the 10th of July.
2d. If the corporators would adopt the
three foot gauge.
3d. If they would permit the commencing
of the work at both ends of the road at
once.
4th. If no person or corporation be al
lowed to take a controlling amount of
stock in the road.
They also propose to take one hundred
and fifty thousand dollars in the stock in
this road.
This money has been, or will have been,
raised ltefore the 10th of July, and the road
will be commenced from Columbus at that
time. Wall street brokers have agreed to
cash the bonds of the road at ninety cents
on the dollar if the three foot gauge is
adopted, and sixty cents if the broad gauge
is chosen.
Circumstantial Evidence —How a
Mail Robber was Detected.— The old
saying, “ Murder will out,” is so frequently
exemplified that it has almost become lite
rally true. With some potency, after the
recital of a recent incident, we may remark
that “robbery will ont.” In August last,
an estimable yoneg lady, a resident of San
Francisco, died. During the following Oc
tober, a lock of the deceased’s hair, together
with two rings, were placed in a registered
letter and dispatched towards the East.—
Daring the mail robbery on the 22d of that
I month, the letter in question was opened
i and one of the rings appropriated. When
! Postal Agent Barstow took possession of
’ the debris in the mail car, he found the
! lock of hair, one ring, and several pieces of
J the letter. After considerable trouble, he
Inansged to decipher the name of the party
forwarding the letter, and that of the party
! for whom it was Intended. The writer of
the letter—a lady—furnished him with a
, minute description of the missing ring,
i mentioning that its principal feature con
sisted of a heart crossed by two clasped
1 hand*. This clue was furnished to the de
tectives, and through tta aid they captured :
ime of the leading spirits in the robbery I
But for the ring, which lie had devoted to
the tub it unrf of Ids own rlurn*y land, ,
he might have craped ill<«r*tl»rd l!" hv. I
taken up Ma n stdeuce at the Neva la Hut.
Prh“<" The rfr ; was returned to »*« owner '
[‘Un Frannsso Built**, lUA I
Sunken Iron-Clads.
Carious Things Seen toy Divers,
The Charleston Neves, in giving an ac
count of the work of wreckers in Charles
ton harbor, says that the iron-clad Housa
tonic lies in thirty-six feet of water, just
over the bar, sixteen miles from the city.
She rests on a hard shell bottom, and lies
northwest and southeast, upright on her
keel. The water out here is beautifully
blue and clear, and the divers prosecute
their work with less difficulty than at the
Weehawken. Her decks, masts and rig
ging have all been eaten by the worms,
and little else is now left of her but the
huge black bull. Her propeller, shaft,
chains and anchor, and a large portion of
her machinery have been hoisted from her
by the machine, and also two of the small
er guns composing her armament. The
rest of them were taken up by the Govern
ment several years ago. The Government
has a buoy planted abont three hundred
yards east-sontheast of this wreck, which
enables the wreckers to gness pretty closely
as to her whereabouts. To render the
matter a certainty, however, Capt. Soames,
when he leaves her to come up to the city,
marks her position with a buoy fastened to
the centre of her hull. About twenty feet
south of the wreck of the doomed ship lies
the hull of her destroyer, the Confederate
torpedo boat.
She has been visited by the Captain, who
reports her to be lying bottom upwards,
and seemingly in good preservation. There
are no holes in her hull, and the wings of
her diminutive propeller, now uppermost,
seem to be in good running order. She did
her work effectually. In the null on the
port quarter of the huge ship is a hole large
enough to drive a carriage and a pair of
horses through. The heavy oaken ribs
and thick planks are blown in with tre
mendous power, and the Housatonic must
have gone down with but little preparation.
Her diminutive but dangerous foe met with
a similar fate, and the two now rest in si
lence, side by side, in the bottom of the sea.
Under the waters the divers see curious
things and make curious acquaintances.
Near the surface of the water on his way
down the diver sees sharks of enormous
dimensions, which seem afraid of the cu
rious monster thus intruding their domain.
The sharks are never seen at the bottom ;
they keep their distance ; but the small fry
at the bottom are much more sociable.—
These swim around the diver in the most
indifferent manner, and, with a curiosity
truly feminine, insert their noses in every
orifice in his submarine armor. Their par
ticular amusement is to pry into the glass
eyes, and at times they are as troublesome
as the musquitoes are to us landlubbers.
All varieties and immense quantities of
these small fish feed around on the shells,
and their curiosity renders them easy vic
tims to the insinuations of hook and bait.
At night the phosphorescent sparks in the
clear blue water ont at the Housatonic
light up the depths in a wonderful manner,
and the diver enjoys the illumination,
though he has not much time for admiring
the beauties of nature. He stays down six
hours or less, as his work renders it neces
sary. In rummaging about the ship, the
Captain discovered several bottles of Rhine
wine and ale. He also brought a globular
brass lamp and several metal mountings
from officers’ sword. The Captain has also
in his possession a massive jaw bone. It is
1 vidently the lower maxillary of a man,
but its size and the strength of the teeth
are wonderful.
t from the New York Sun.
Swindling the Farmers.
An Ingenious Mode of Obtaining a
Man’s Signature—Elongating the
Vlsagc-s of Long Island Agrlcnltu*
ralists.
On Saturday Henry O. Bedeli, a farmer
of Hempstead, L. L, made an affidavit before
Justice Cox, accusing Josiah Preston of
forgery. Preston called at the carriage
factory of Calvin Witty, at 638 Broadway,
and bargained for a carriage, for which he
agreed to pay $465. In part payment for
the carriage Preston tendered two notes
for $250 each, otfe purporting to have been
made by Mr. Bedell, and the other by Mr.
C 'melius Vau Nostrand, of Oyster Bay,
L. I. Mr. Witty, before accepting the
notes, wrote to Messrs. Bedell and Van
Nostrand, inquiring whether the notes
were genuine. In reply, both gentlemen
said that the notes were not genuine, and
that their signatures had been obtained by
fraud. They also advised the arrest of
Preston.
Mr. Witty placed the matter in the
hands of Captain Irving, and Detective
Kelso, of the Central office, was detailed
to work the case up. Having obtained
sufficient evidence, the detective arrested
Preston, and he was locked up in one of the
cells of the Central offee until Saturday,
when he was taken before Justice Cox and
by him committed to answer, the manner
in which these notes were obtained dis
closes one of the most ingenious swindles
ever practised on the public. An indivi
dual professing to be the owner of a
valuable patent right to a newly invented
and improved seeding machine calls upon
a responsible farmer, and after expatiat
ing upon the merits of the invention, in
duces the farmer to accept an agency for
the sale of his machines. The following
contract as between Mr. Bedell and
Preston will illustrate
the ingenious manner in
which these sharpers
manage to obtain the
signatures es respon
sible and well-known,
although unsuspicious
par' ies to a note for a
large amount of money.
Having induced the
farmer to accept an
agency, as specified in
the accompanying note,
and having obtained his
signature, the rascal de
puts. After having read
the accompanying note
carefully, one would sup
pose it to be all right
for $lO. Cut it in two
between the words or
and bearer, in the first
line, and it will be found
that the left hand piece
is a perfect note for $250.
The sharper then cuts
off the right-hand por
tion and proceeds to the
nearest biokeror banker,
to whom he offers to sell
the note at a discount,
'on the plea of needing
money. The signer Is
generally a responsible
person, well known to
th* business men of the
village, and the note
Is readily purchased.—
When the note falls due
it is presented for col lee
lion, and ae rii" signa
pay #$W, when b" »«p*
IrtNMJ h< wuly owed #lO.
• Hemustkad, L. 1., April 15,1871.
One year afterdate, I promise to pay to Josinh Preston or bearer Ten Dollar- l* t j
order, Two Hundred and Fifty Dollars worth of seeding saarAnc*
for value received, at ten per cent, per annum, said Ten Dollars. «• . -j»
payable at Hempstead, L. I.
HENRY O. BEDELL.
Witness: John Doe.
