The banner of the South and planters' journal. (Augusta, Ga.) 1870-18??, June 22, 1872, Page 6, Image 6

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

6 [From the New Orleans Times. 18th. ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION. A Murderous Attack In a Private Household—A Divorced Wife At tempts to Shoot Her Successor—The Fury of a Woman Scorned. Between half-past 11 and 12 o’clock yesterday morning, while Mrs. A. M. Holbrook was engaged at her toilette in the second floor, front room of her resi dence, No. 208 Constance street, between Orange and Richard, she became con scious that someone had entered her apartment, and, turning to observe the visitor, was instantly fired upon by a well dressed woman, standing in the door. Horror stricken at the evident attempt at assassination, Mrs. Holbrook faced her assailant, and after the discharge of a second shot succeeded in clutching the weapon. The two women struggled in a death-like contest for some seconds, and the pistol at length dropped upon the floor. At this juncture the would-be murderer seized a quart bottle of bay rum, which was standing on the bureau, and began beating Mrs. Holbrook with it over the head. It was quickly shivered into a hundred pieces, and the infuriated woman, snatching a China vase from the mantel-piece, continued the attack. The report of the pistol attracted the attention of an aged colored cook, who gave the alarm, and a white servant named Mary rushed to the rescue. She seized the assailant (who proved to be Jennie Bronson, the divorced wife of Mr. Holbrook) from behind, and the present Mrs. Holbrook, succeeding in extricating herself, rushed out of the house. The unfortunate lady, covered with blood, first went in next door to the residence of Mr. Rainey, where a servant furnished her with a basin of water anil a change of clothing, and the family being absent, she then took refuge at the residence of Mrs. Martin, just op posite. The attack created the wildest excitement, the servants left in a body, and, in probably less than five minutes, Jennie Bronson held undisputed pos session. THE WORK OF DEMOimol Flushed with at once commenced a on the furniture. and urmoir glasses were atoms, ami whatever articles that could be found in the were scattered about in the ■Descending to tty she pro surned the work of destruction/ A China closet containing apparently two bar rels full of dishes and cut-glassware was «offiolete'y stripped of its contents, and the promiscuous heap was beaten into fragments upon the hall floor. A side board containing castors, silver service and wine glasses shared the same fate. The glazed doors of several bookcases were knocked into smithereens, and the dial plate of a handsome clock broken to fragments, the sounding board of anew piano smashed to pieoes, and a portrait of Mr. Holbrook hurled from its place on the wall and cut to shreds. An hour later, when our reporter reached the scene, he found the drawing room, parlor, dining room and hall heaped with the debris, and, indeed, hod the establishment been jarred by the explosion of nitro-glycerine, or shaken by a first-class earthquake, the demolition could not have been more complete. THE EXCITEMENT. A curious crowd of ladies, children and servants still lingered in front of the house, but even at that time infor mation concerning this most unfortunate contretemps was difficult to glean. A lady living in the immediate vicin ity, and fearing from the shots that a murder was being perpetrated, sent her servants in all directions for the police. At least twenty minutes elapsed before an officer could be procured, but at length a little boy succeeded in finding Officer Dorsey, of the Sixth Precinct, who at once came to the house. MEDICAL AID. In the meantime Dr. Thos. Nicholson, residing on Magazine street, near the scene, had been sent for, and he reached the house first. The Doctor found Jennie Bronson in the parlor. She had ceased her work at that time, and was endeavoring to staunch the blood from a slight wound on her finger. The Doc tor extracted a piece of broken glass from the cut, and hearing that Mrs. Holbrook was across the street, imme diately repaired to that domicil. The only remark Jennie Bronson made was “ P n her, I want to kill her.” Mrs. Holbrook, whom the Doctor found to be quite faint from loss of blood, presented a most deplorable pic ture. The unhappy lady had received a deep gash in front of the forehead, where the hair joins it, one an inch long on the left of the head, and a similar wound on the right of the head. The top is also badly bruised. Her hair was completely matted with blood, and at the first her garments fairlv streamed with gore. He found no difficulty in BANNER OF THE SOUTH AND PLANTERS’ JOURNAL. checking the flow of blood, and believes that although Mrs. Holbrook will suffer great pain for several days, she is not in any great danger. THE PISTOL Isa small Smith £ Wesson seven-shooter. The chamber was taken off very shortly after the weapon fell, when it was found that four cartridges were missing. THE ARREST. Officer Dorsey, upon reaching the house, at once took Jennie Bronson into custody, but at her solicitation procured a cab, and drove with her to Pacanier station. There she was conducted to a room adjoining the clerk’s office, and placed in charge of the colored turnkey. Officer Dorsey, at her request, went to the hotel, procured from her room a traveling dress and skirt, and brought the garments to the station. She ap peared much excited, but declined an interview with any one. Mr. Holbrook reached the station perhaps half an hour alter the arrest, and preferred a charge of shotting and wounding Mrs. Holbrook with intent to kill. THE ACCUSED. At a second visit paid to the station house otur reporter was admitted to the presence of the accused. She declined {poking any statement of the affair, say ing she only desired justice. She did state, however, that coming to her own house she hod found it in the posses sion of another woman, and had con ducted herself accordingly. This as sertion was made with many tears. At 4 o’clock Captain Bovd Robinson informed Jennie Bronson that he would be forced to place her in a cell. She strenuously objected, but at length was induced to enter cell No. 2, where chairs and a stretcher were placed for her accommodation. She reached the city from New York yesterday morning, and at once secured a room at Wade’s Upper City Hotel, at the corner of Magazine and Jackson streets. In a conversation with a well known gentleman on board the train on Suuduy, she is said to have remarked in a wild way, ‘‘l do not expect to be ; alive twenty-four hours from this time. ” PREVIOUS HISTORY OF THE CASE. The handsome, and by no means un cultivated cause of the above terrible misfortune was met by Mr. Holbrook during the war, and being of a social disposition, and apparently ready to re ceive the attentions of gentlemen, his ed together, became intimate, and at length Jennie Bronson went North. Mr. H. met her again at the New York Hotel during a Summer tour, and the intimacy was resumed. She then represented herself as a widow, and the daughter of an eminent attorney. When Mr. H. was about leaving New York she sent for him to her room, and demanded that he should marry her. Upon his refusing, Jennie swallowed an immense dose of laudanum, and, lying down, calmly in formed him that she nail but two hours to live. A physician was sent for, but she refused utterly to permit a stomach pump to be applied, and so worked upon the feelings of a naturally credulous gentleman, that he at length consented. A priest found conveniently near was summoned, the ceremony was perform ed, a stomach pump was applied, and the woman recovered. That day Mr. Holbrook, after making liberal appro priations for her support, left for New Orleans, it being agreed that she should remain in New York. He had not been long in the city when Mrs. Holbrook, selling her furniture, came South. She stopped at Havana, and finally, greatly to Mr. Holbrook’s surprise, reached here, and taking rooms at the St. Charles, summoned him to her presence. A series of violent quarrels, in which he was maltreated in the grossest man ner, was very shortly afterward the re sult of their meeting, and Mr. H. was compelled to seek a private lodging. She ferreted him out, entered his apart ment, cut up his clothes, and in fact acted so maliciously that proceedings for a divorce were instituted. A recou- 1 ciliation followed ; and, in another, she went to his house, on Hevia street, broke the mirrors and furniture, and, when the man in charge of it attempted I to eject her, she bit him so severely that to this day he bears the mark of her teeth. There was another reconciliation and then another quarrel in the editorial room of the Picayune, in which Mr. Holbrook was severely bitten. Pro ceedings for divorce were again institu ted, but when the cause came to trial the litigants were off ou a bridal tour and it was dismissed. So the matter went on for years, and finally, in consid eration of certain emoluments, she left forever. They met again at the North, where Mrs. Holbrook, conspicuous as the best dressed woman of the resort, again at tracted her husband, and both return ing to the city went to housekeeping. They lived peaceably together for some time, but the trouble again breaking out a few months ago. suit for divorce was instituted in the Eighth District Court. ! Upon being served with the process, she | wrote a contemptuous reply to the plain | tiff's attorney (Messrs. Mott and Semmesj, which was filed, and then went North. Judgment was rendered in Mr. Holbrook’s favor, and about a month ago he married. Jennie Bronson is the daughter of an ovsterman doing business near Harlem, >«ew York. While separated from Mr. H. she amused herself by writing squibs for the newspapers, and, we believe, at one time succeeded in entering the Hotel | Dieu as a Sister of Charity. She is a handsome, stormy woman, with jaws like a tigress, a fine figure, and at times most attractive. The present Mrs. Holbrook is not only an estimable lady, but one of South land’s sweetest poets, and under the nomrne dc plume, Pearl Rivers is known the length and breadth of the land. A large circle of sincere friends truly sympathize with her in this trying hour, and will watch with no feigned anxiety for her convalescence. NEW ENGLAND. In many places in New England, says the New York Express, alders are spring ing up in the pastures, young pines ap pear in the ancient mowing fields, and the feathered birches wave where once the farmers turned their rich furrows. In New Hampshire nearly 9,000 people 1 left daring the last decade, and as many : more left the agricultural towns for the I cities and villages. Maine barely held ; its own during the last decade. There j was a loss in the agricultural towns anil a gain in the manufacturing. Through-! out New England general agriculture is j becoming of less account relatively each I year, while special farming and manu- I factoring is steadily on the increase, i Os the six States east of the Hudson river, Vermont is the nearest to raising itsown bread—producing 454,000 bushels of wheat in 1869, or a bushel and a peck to each inhabitant. Taking the army rations of 22 ounces of flour per day ft's a basis for computing the consumption of bread, it follows, Vermont raises bread enough to supply the people of that State thirty-seven days. To make up the deficiency they are obliged to purchase 3,836,000 bushels per annum. Maine produces 278,000 • bushels, suffi cient to last II days, and purchases 8,500,000 bushels. New Hampshire pro duces 193,000 bushels—little more than ' a half bushel to each inhabitant—and I j supply. Connecticut makes n poorer ' show, producing 38,000 bushels—a sup ply of bread for two days—add purchas ing 7,518,000 bushels. Massachusetts raised only 34,000 bushels, or just bread enough for breakfast and dinner, but not for supper! The purchase was 20,- 300,000 bushels of wheat, Rhode Isl and raised 784 bushels of wheat in 1869, and purchases 3.000,000. The six New England States together purchase from forty to fifty million bushels of wheat, and quite as much of other grains, or in round numbers 100,000,000 bushels of grain. The New Postal Rates. —The follow ing reply to a telegram from the New York postmaster has been forwarded in regard to the new postal rates : Referring to your telegram of the 12th instant, I wonlil say that the following are the rates to be charged on third-class printed matter. On all pamphlets, occa sional publications, transient newspa pers, magazines, handbills, posters, un sealed circulars, prospectuses, book manuscripts, proof sheets, corrected proofs, flexible patterns, sample cards, phonographic paper, letter envelopes, postal envelopes and wrappers, cards, plain and ornamental paper, photograph ic representations of different types, seeds, cuttings, bulbs, roots and scions, j at a postage of one cent for each two ! ounces or fraction thereof on packages i to one address, to be prepaid by stamps, j On all hooks, other than those printed by order of Congress, postage at two | cents for each two ounces or fraction ; thereof, limited to four pounds in weight. ; On samples of merchandise, ores, metals j and miueralogical specimens, two cents I for each two ounces or fraction thereof, ■ ] limited to twelve ounces in weight. Brilliant Achievements of Southern Bors.—The Raleigh (N. 0.) Sentinel says : It is a singular anil pleasing fact that Southern boys have borne off the high est honors at Princeton College, New Jersey, during the last three years. The late wonderfully gifted Theoderick Pryor, son of Gen. Roger A. Pryor, of Virginia, was graduated in 1875 with higher honors than were ever taken be fore by any student. In 1871, Skinner Lassiter, of Oxford, N. C., stood fore most in his class, and is now at Berlin, Prussia, in attendance upon the Univer sity, his Princeton scholarship sup porting him ; whilst the other day, Richmond M. Pearson, Jr., son of Chief Justice Pearson, of N. C., bore oft’the highest distinction in a class of ninety six graduates. | The Tax Bill.— The following are the | most important features of this bill, i which was passed "by both Houses of j Congress on Tuesday : The tax on spirits is fixed at 70 cents ■ per gallon, and distillers are relieved | from special tax and the tax of 84 per i barrel, wholesale and retail dealers from | the tax on sales, and rectifiers from the tax of 50 cents on each barrel produced j in excess of 200 barrels. The tax on tobacco is fixed at 20 cents | per pound uniform. The time for tak ; ing tobacco from bonded warehouses is j six months. All stamp taxes are repealed, except two cents on bank checks, drafts and orders. The provisos authorizing re imbursement of match manufacturers on account of unused stamps or stamp ed paper, and authorizing the immedi j ate exportation, unstampted, of articles i in schedule C, are stricken out. The words “capital employed” shall ! not include money borrowed or received | from day to day in the usual course of business, from any person not a partner |of or interested in the said bank, asso- I ciation or firm. The internal revenue districts are re . duced to eighty, and proceedings for | recovery of illegally collected internal j taxes will be commenced within two years from the date of payment, or a year from the passage of the act. Progress of the Strikes.— Brewster’s men are at work again, at the old time of ten hours a day and the old wages. Steinway’s piano men are also at work for ten hours, and about two-thirds of the other piano men. The carpenters stick to eight hours, but have agreed to take 81 50 a week less wages. These are some of the concessions, while the great majority hold out for “ten hours’ pay and eight hours’ work.” The move ment started here six or seven weeks since i- just being felt in certain por tions of the State and country, under the influence and manipulation of com mittees supported bv the city leagues and lent from New York to New Eng land, Western New York, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. Almost everywhere the conflict is going on, and at times it looks as if there might be a compromise.— The worst local feature is the closing up of so many warehouses here, and the ordering of so much machine work to b 6 done in Europe. All our vessels sailing . much other work will be done out of j the State. Anohter feature of the strike 1 it, that thousands of persons are cur ' tailing expenses, and thereby diminish ! ing production, rather than submit to | the strike. All such results will, in the J end, fall upon labor. — Express. Liability of Stockholders in Banks for Their Issue.— ln a recent decision ! on this mneh mooted question, Judge j R. F. Graham, of South Carolina, held : j 1. That the acts of the Legislature do ! impose an individual liabiuty on the ! stockholders of the banks, covered by ! its terms. 2. That this liability is confined to those who owned shares in the banks on the 29th of November, 1860, when they suspended specie payments, or who had held such shares at any time within twelve months previous to that date. 3. That liability is alone for such bills of the banks as were actually in issue on the 29th of November, 1860, the date of their suspension and refusal to pay their notes in current coin, and therefore of their failnre. 4. That there is no individual liability on the part of the stockholders for any bills issued after the 29th of Novem ber, 1860, the date upon which the banks failed to pay their notes, • according to their legal obligation, in current coin. 5. That those who dealt with the banks while in a state of suspension, did so at their peril and are not within the mischief against which the law in tended to provide, by fixing individual liability upon the corporators. 6. That the burden of proof is upon the holder of the bill, to show that it was issued and not in circulation by the banks prior to the 29th of November, 1860. “ Dan” Sickles Coming Home—Not Dr. Houard. —A great ado was made awhile ago, in the Washington organs, about the peremptory demand the Gov ernment had made on the Spanianls for the surrender of Dr. Houard. The demand doubtless was made by our Minister, Mr. Sickles, but we do not learn that the Dons paid any atten tion to it. Now it is reported that Sickles himself is coming back home— not Houard, who remains in a Spanish dungeon, just as if no demand for his release had ever been made. What a commentary on our feeble foreign policy ! What'a contrast to the manly vigor which used to distinguish our dealings with foreign nations, i» such cases, in former days. Earthquake in Georgia.— The Mil ledgeville Recorder, of Tusday, says: “ About 3 o’clock p. m., yesterday, our good people (lots of good people here) were startled at a sudden and loud re port, resembling heavy artillery at a dis tance, or the muffled report of a heavy blast. For a few seconds thereafter the shock jarred brick buildings, rattling windows and frightening some persons. What unnatural or natural phenomenon it was, unless an earthquake, we cannot conceive. ” Eatonton had a taste of the same warn ing on the same day. The Press <fc Mes senger says : About two and a-half o’clock on yes terday the people in our vicinity and'ad joining, so far as heard from, felt an earthquake shock. Some of our intelli gent citizens state that they very sensi bly felt the vibrations of the earth at the time. We felt the shock and heard the rumbling noise, but being busily en gaged gave it no thought just then.' telegraphic. Terrlllc Boiler Explosion in the Ohio Penitentiary. Columbus, Ohio, June 21.— The boiler in the extensive shops of the Ohio Brush and Wire Works, within the walls of the Ohio Penitentiary, exploded this morn ing, just after the convicts had started to work, with a terrible noise and effect. The flying boiler tore out of the large three story building in which it was placed, making it a mass of ruins, and tore out the side walls and the roof off of Huff’s cooper shop and Geo. Gill’s stone foundry, not far off. Pieces of the boiler were thrown a great dis tance. At the time of the accident 85 men were in the brush shop, and were just going to work. The shock was ter rific, and yet no person was killed out right. Several men were blown out of the windows, and fell with the debris from the fourth story of the building. One man, at work in the lower story of the boiler house, remained for thirty minutes between two heavy timbers. The fireman and engineer in charge of the boiler were both buried under the piles of nrick and timber, but were dug out alivei although considerably burned and bruised. Some escapes were mi raculous] As soon as possible a large were bused were all dug out, and with the othenwonnded, were taken to the prison hospital, where good nurses are on hand, pnd they are now all well cared for. It is thought all but a half a dozen will recover. The engineer in charge of the boiler says he cannot account for the accident, as a second before the ex plosion occurred he had on but 85pounds of steam. One end of this same boiler exploded about a year ago, and it is said it has leaked ever since. Political. Washington, June 21.—The Ken tucky Democratic Convention reaffirms the principles of recent State Conven tions—urges a union of all elements against Grant, and instructs its dele gates to vote as a unit, • San Francisco, June 21.—The Demo cratic delegates from this State to the Baltimore Convention include ex-United States Senator Wm. M. Gwinn, ex-Gov emor Downey, Judge J. H. Hardy and Senator Eugene Casserly, all of whom, except Casserly, are known to be in favor of the Cincinnati ticket. Lincoln, Nebraska, June 21.—1n the Democratic State Convention resolu tions were unanimouslv adopted endors ing the Cincinnati platform, and dele gates to Baltimore were instructed to vote as a unit for Greeley and Brown. Entire harmony prevailed and the Con vention adjourned amidst great enthusi asm. Geneva Tribunal—lndirect Claims Not a Subject of Consideration. Washington, June 21.—Reliable in formation has been received in official, quarters showing that at the brief ’ session of the Geneva tribunal on the 19th in st,, the arbitrators decided that the ' indirect claims are not proper sub jects for their consideration. The formal announcement will be made on the 26th, anil will cause further controversy about the amended article to the treaty of Washington and settle the question of adjournment of the tribunal until next December, as lately contemplated by the British. New York Gossip. New York, June 21, —Schurz wrote a note regretting that he could not break fast with Mr. Greeley. Horace White and others were present. There were no additions to the Stokes’ jury to-day. Delegates from sixty Orange lodges met last night to make preparations for the 12th of July parade. It was decided not to permit members to arm them selves on the day of parade.