Newspaper Page Text
Editor of Chronicle—Sir: I de
cline Mr. Gantt’s offer of the use of
bit paper. I, as soon as the poison
ing occurred, requested it not to be
put in the papers—requested
Mr. C., in presence of a friend, not
to let anything go into the Banner-
Watchman, also Pope Barrow.
The above innocent-looking para
graph, clipped from Mrs. M. E.
Compton’s reply in the last Athens
Chronicle, upon a careful reading,
will be found a hidden and cau
tiously disguised plot to take the
life of one of Georgia’s most honor
ed statesmen; and the only thing
that saved Hon. Pope Barrow from
to-day being in the last clutches ot
starvation is the refusal of Major
Con.pton to lend his aid to such a
dire punishment. In Mrs. Comp
ton’s own' language, she “requested
Mr. C., in the person of a friend,
not to let anything go into the
lianner-Watchman, also Pope Bar
row.” The only way that the hus
band of Mrs. C. could have thus
cut ofl the literary food of our
paper would be to steal or destroy
out office scissors; for so long as
they last we defy the world, the
flesh and the devil. But the design
on ex-Senator Barrow is of a far
-,..nre dangerous nature. Not being
accustomed, like Dr. Tanner, to a
fast of forty days and forty nights,
the Captain would doubtless have
called up the ferrymen on the river
Styx after missing three square
meals. There is no man in Athens
who relishes good living more than
our distinguished fellow-townsman,
and when Mrs. C. demanded that
"not anything go into Pope Bar-
row," it would have been far more
merciful for that lady to have called
upon those tried and faithful old
servants, Caroline Holt, her prom
sing son and heir, Wilson Lump
kin Holt, and that pure and patient
old deaf and dumb colored suf
ferer, and made them, by force of
arms, require that ex-Senator Bar-
row swallow the dose of strychnine
that some murderous hand had pre
pared for Mrs. Compton herself.
After a few hours’ suffering he
would then have slept sweetly, and
perhaps have been permitted to
play on a golden jewsharp with the
Celestial choir; but to doom him to
a living death by cutting off his ra
tions. would he a punishment too
horrible to contemplate. We are
in hopes that the typographical
fleml of the Chtonicle, and not
Mis. C., is responsible for thisstart-
wig demand
DYNAMITE. WARFARE IN LONDON.
The hellish attempt, on Saturday
la«t. to blow up the house of Par
liament an.l the tower of London
demands condemnation from every
civilized government on the globe.
There is hut little doubt that it will
he traced to that f natical element
of the Irish, who are no better than
the Nihilists of Russia. The wor
thy and law-abiding people of Ire
land have no sympathy with this
organized band of assassins, for
they are doing more injury to their
country than English tyranny ever
attempted. We can sympathize
with a brave people openly battling
for their rights,but for a set of cow-
milly lunatics, who seek to accom-
p'isli by secret means what they
have not the courage to openly at-
tempt, every honest man must feel
the most supreme contempt. We
hope that our government will put
itselt on record as against this new
mode of warfare, and furnish no
protection to men charged with
such crimes. Our shores should
not be made a place of refuge for
assassins and fiends from other
countries. When they are openly
protected and tolerated, we are har
boring a social volcano in our own
midst. Let the general government
and the various states pass laws ex
pelling from their borders these
agitators and incendiaries, and when
they seek refuge in our land, they
should be at once handed over to
the authorities of the governments
from which they are fleeing. The
Irish people owe it to the honor of
their country that they denounce
and disown this dynamite element
of fanatics who are perpetrating
such cowaidly and brutal crimes
in the name of Irish liberty.
NO XXXII.
— . ^ . j ] >Ati . .. - .11
ATHKN8, GEORGIA, TTJESIX&.Y, JANUARY 38, 1B&5. '•
> , . ; » 'ictTSiai sfiJ i. i v/ *
LL
f
ITitf iflih
On the oilier hand, the prohibition
ists can show thousands of reasons
why they should succeed.
Now note the following
parallel propositions:
2. Intemperance 9. The income of
is in direct propor- distillery, brewery
tion to the amount and saloon is, in dl-
of liquor .consum- rect proportion to
the amount of liquor
consumed.
3. Any reatrie- 3. Any restriction
tion which reduces which reduces in-
intctnpcrance will temperance will re-
reduce the amount duce the income of
ot liquor consum- distillery, brewery
et *. and saloon.
4. Any restric- 4. Any restriction
tion which does not which does not rc-
reduce the amount duce the income ol
of liquorconsumed, distillery, brewery,
neither can be, nor and saloon, cannot
ought to be.accept- reduce intemper-
ableto temperance ance, and neither
men - can be nor ought to
be acceptable to
temperance men.
THE MATTER IN A NUTSHELL.
Temperance men l.iquor dealers do
want to abolish in- not want to abolish
temperance be- intepree.eran b e
cause it is the ruin cause that would be
of humanity. the ruin of their dub-
incss.
No humar mind can unite these
irreconcdable things on one policy,
acceptable t<> both temperance peo
ple and liquor dealers. Men of
clear, good sense are fast coming to
see this, and to decide on which
side they will range themselves.
“If the Lord he God, serve Him!
But if Baal, then follow him !”
A NEW DANDER THREATENING TH IS COUN
TRY.
LET US HAVE A FAIR, CLEAN ELECTION.
THE CATTLE THIEF.
Acoount of Hi* Capture In Texas and Sutoseqnaat
Escape—Frotoatoly Ruled toy Jumping Prom a
Train—Only 571.25 Recovered.
Mr. Nix, of Clarksville, who had
been employed by the Booth Bros,
to follow up Charles Ivey, the negUi
who stole a ’drove ot cattle from
them, visited Athens the other day
and made his report, after receiv
ing a letter from these gentlemen
insinuating that he was not acting
square with them. Nix was back
ed by letters from the Sheriff of
Austin, Texas, showing that he
had arrested Ivey, and also exhibit
ed the thief's pocket book and pa
pers. He stated that he ran upon
the negro in the post office at Aus
tin, where he was standing. Ivey
recognized Mr. Nix at once, but did
not seem to fear arrest, and made
no resistance when the detective
informed him that he was his pris
oner. He was searched and $6.25
in money found in his possession.
He also had a pony that Nix sold
for $65, with which to get money to
buy tickets back to Georgia, as he
was out of funds. Ivey vyas hand
cuffed and went along quietly un
til about 4o miles the other side of
New Orleans, when he requested
his guard to remove his handcuffs
for a short time. This was done,
and the negro stepped aside. He
was absent longer than Nix
thought necessary, when lie started
in search of him. One of the win
dows of the car was found hoisted
and the fellow was missing. The
train was making 37 miles an hour,
the country was a dense swamp,
the night was pitch dark, and it is
highly probable that the fellow
was killed by his leap. Nix had no
money with him, and decided that
the best thing for him to do was to
come on home. The Messrs. Booth
are convinced that he had no hand
in the escape of his prisoner.
stsitno ! Sfl>
to XXXI
GREETED BY DAVIS. GHOSTS, HAUNTS, WITCHES
slight fevers, sometimes produce] The workofstrippingoffthe blub
JEFFERSON DAVIS QRBBTS THE LIBERTY BELL
AT BEAUVOIR.
Taken as a whole, Athens has as
clever a set of liquor dealers as can
he lound engaged in the business
in the state, and to this cause can
be attributed the couiteous course
of the campaign thus far in our
county. No hard feeling has been
engendered, and we think it will
so continue until the polls close on
the 25th of February. If possible,
let us have a clean, decent election
for once, and submit the question
to the, voters solely on its merits.
The prohibitionists pledge them
selves not to buy a single vote, and
use none but fair and honorable
ends to secure success. Now if
the opponents will make the same
pledge, wc guarantee .that the re
sult will be accepted as final. While
the Banner-Watchman will sup
port the cause of temperance, hon
estly believing that it is to the best
interest of our city and its peo
ple to do away with the liquor
traffic, at the same time our columns
are always open to the liquor men
for a full and free detense ot their
side and to answer any argument
made against them. We do not
run any one-sided paper, and con
tend that a cause that cannot stand
argument is no cause at all. As be
fore stated, the Banner-Watchman
is not the organ of any order or set
of men, but strictly a newspaper,
laboring for what its editor consci
entiously believes will best advance
the prosperity of our section and the
happiness of its inhabitants. We
shall always support any move
ment ihst will encourage virtue,
morality and religion, or Is ealeu
lated to advance the civilization of
the country. We always endeavor
to represent the progressive ele
ment, and advance onward, not
backward. We have never as yet
heard a satisfactory argument made
in support of the liquor traffic, and
do not believe that one can be made.
The recent dynamite outrage in
London, we fear, is the beginning
of a secret war of destruction and
assassination that will not only
sweep over the European mon
archies, but even invade our own
republic. You see the first note of
warning now already in the social
istic demonstrations in Chicago,
Cincinnati and other sections where
foreign-born citizens are most nu
merous. Many of them ate refu
gees to our shores, filled with ha
tred and malice against wealth and
power, nurtured by oppression and
tyranny on the part of their former
rulers. They are a dangerous ele
ment in any government. The
great labor riots and troubles on our
continent arc all tracable to this
imported element,and the meetings
and outbreaks that we now see are
only a premonition of what is yet
to come, unless our government
taketTsome firm and decided action
in the premises. These socialistic
demonstrations and threats need
but a little breeze to fan into a dan
gerous civil outbreak, into which
vertex will be drawn thousands
of the poorer classes of our popu
lation, who have long groaned be
neath the oppressive heel of capi
tal. These people need but a few
fearless and fanatical leaders to or
ganize them into a mob as danger
ous and destructive as that which
overturned the goverment of
France and caused the streets of
Paris to run with blood. These
people have long watched with
jealous eye the gtowth of the
immense and unwieldly fortunes
gathered together since the late
war, and saw a few men collect
their hundreds of millions, while
they and their families are reduced
to the brink of beggary. So long
as this money is legitimately used
there is no serious danger; but
when it is employed to the robbery
and oppression of the masses—to
control the bread they eat, the cloth
they wear and even to coerce them
by threats of starvation in working
for wages that will not satisfy the
hunger of their dependent fami
lies—you will see these, men trans
formed into murderous demons, and
they will first turn for revenge upon
the authors of their misery. The
dynamite explosionsin London will
find an answering echo in the mar-
ble palaces of such men as Gould,
Vanderbilt and like millionaires
in New York and other American
cities. It is far easier for a govern
ment to cope with an open insur
rection than this new mode of war
fare. No one can tell when or
where it will break out, and the
only signs left are shattered walls
and mangled bodies. It is one of
the most important duties of our
government to prepare for this
new danger, for it is coming as
surely as the sun rises in the east
and sets in the west. First let con
gress place its veto upon the im
portation of these dangerous char
acters, and give them neither aid
nor countenance. Nip in the bud
everv demonstration that threatens
the peace of this or any other coun
try, and show to these incipient as
sassins that while America will
welcome them as citizens, she will
disown and discard them the day
they overstep a certain mark. And
when this is done, let our law
makers turn their attention to the
real moter of such troubles—the
pitalists. Say to these men,
build up as many millions as you
can in legitimate traffic, but confine
your operations to that channel.
Syndicates and monopolies to con
trol the great products of our lands
and factories will not be toler
ated. Prices must be governed
by the legitimate rule of
supply and demand, and not shap
ed at the dictates and to the inter
ests of controlling monopolies.
While we believe in our general
and state governments extending
capital every protection and encour
agement, at the same time it should
be kept within legitimate bounds,
and not be tolerated as an instru
ment of oppression over the masses.
A half dozen of these large capital
ists, by combining theTr wealth,
can control every pound ot grain
raised on our continent, and -coerce
the people into paying any price
they see fit to ask. This is as
great a danger to our country as
the threats of dynamite.
POWELL’S MILLS.
Poieoning of Convict!—Other Interning Newt
From this Section.
Messrs. Powell & Davenport are
having trouble with some of
their convicts. It seems that they
are in the habit of chewing angeli-
ico, and through mistake five got
hold of the poisonous kind and one
them died before they could get
him to camp and two more after
wards. He called in two other
physicians besides nis regular one,
and they all say it was caused by-
poison. We visit Messrs. Powell
& Davenport’s camp frequently,
and can testify that they fare
sumptuously everyday. I have seen
the free labor at work and the con
victs in the camp by the fire, so we
know that they did not intend to
poison themselves, but did it acci
dentally.
We welcome Mr. O. P. Stovall
back to our community.
We are glad to hear that the sur
vey of the river from this place to
to the railroad crossing was favor
able, and we hope the proper steps
will be taken to get the boat sub
scribers.
Ser Arwu and
Fitter it—Iff. Davit Invited to he Onefol the
Party—Be Bate* a Speech in Which Be Salute*
the Belt—In New Or leant. Etc.
New Orleans, Jan. 26.—When
the train bearing the liberty bell
drew up at Beauvoir, at about 1
o’clock t his afternoon, among the
large crowd assembled at the station
was Varian Davis Hayes, the little
grandchild of Jefferson Davis. As
soon as the train stopped, a gentle
man caught the child in his arms
and lifted her to the bell, which she
warmly clasped with her tiny arms,
and reverently kissing it exclaimed:
“God bless the dear old bell.”
The incident was greeted with
cheers, which had not entirely sub
sided when Mr. Davis himself drove
up with an escort of gentlemen, who
had been sent for him.
MR. DAVIS GREETED.
Upon his arrival, Frank Bacon,
United States commissioner of Kan
sas, and president of the committee,
greeting him, said:
Mr. Davis: In behalf of the asso
ciation of the United States com
missioners, representing the differ
ent states and territories of our com
mon country, joined by the great
common industries.and representa
tives of the military organizations
throughout the union, we extend to
y ou a cordial invitation to join us in
escorting to New Orleans, and to
the exposition grounds, the old lib
erty bell, so generously loaned us
by the city of brotherly love.
As the bell in its vijor proclaim
ed liberty throughout the land, and
its sentiment was “peace on earth
and good will to men,” and as his
tory ever repeats itself, we believe
its visit to the south will be an ef
fectual means of burying all sec
tional strife.
We hope, Mr. Davis, that your
engagements will allow you to ac
company us on this excursion to
the exposition grounds, to aid us in
the reception of the bell.
HIS FEELING REPLY.
Mr. Davis responded as follows:
“I feel most deeply complimented
by this reception, and the expres
sions that accompany it. I was
sick in bed when this notice reach
ed me, and I immediately rose
when I heard that that glorious old
bell was at the station.
I thank you and your associates,
and trust that your anticipations of
the harmonizing tendencies of this
journey of the old bell across the
states of the union, some of* which
had not sprung into existence when
its tones first filled the air, may, in
every respect, be fully realized. I
think the time has come when rea
son should be substituted for pas
sion, and when men who have
fought in support of their honest
convictions should do justice to
each other.
The Augusta Bank.
One of the sufferers by this fail
ure tells us that the trouble was
owing to the President of the bank,
Mr. Roberts, speculating on the
stockholder’s money. He did busi
ness under the assumed name of
Spencer, and together with his pre
decessors, lost $250,000 of other
people’s money. The stockholders
first had to submit to having their
stock scaled 33^ per cent., when it
was all cleaned up at one wipe.
An investigation of the failure will
be made, and the guilty parties
brought to punishment. Plenty of
money will be forthcoming for the
prosecution.
A Simple Curs for Rheumatism.
Our friend Dr. J. E. Walker has
been suffering for some time with a
severe attack of intercostal rheu
matism. He tried numerous reme
dies, and at last resorted to a sim
ple application of cold water. The
application was effected by means
of a saturated cloth bound around
the affected ribs, and this cloth was
covered by dry cloths. The appli
cation gave immediate relief and
the rheumatism disappeared. . This
remedy is a simple one, and the
doctor kindly recommends it to
those suffering with the affection.—
Greenesboro Herald.
Ths Habersham TheOs.
’Habersham’s new Ordinary hav
ing filed his bond and taken the
oath required by law, took charge
of the Ordinary’s office Friday.
Upon taking an inventory of the
debris left after the raid on Tuesday
night, it was found that the follow'-
ingbooks were stolen: The min
utes of court, book of stubs, blank
county orders, the Ordinary’s seal,
and the ex-Treasurer has said about
$11,000 or $12,000 jn uncanceled
county orders.
“Yon sacred organ that gave
voice to the proudest declarations
that a handful of men ever made
when they faced the greatest milita
ry power on the globe, when a
handful of men declared to all the
world their inalienable rights, and
staked life, liberty and prosperity
in the defence ot this declaration,
then it was with your clear tones
you sent notice to all who were wil
ling to live or die for liberty, and
felt that the day was at hand when
every patriot must do a patriot’s
duty.
Glorious old bell! the son of a
revolutionary soldier bows in rev
erence to you, worn by time but
increasing in sacred memories.
Mr. President, accept my thanks,
which are heartfelt and sincerely
given.”
WE SPOKE WHEN OUR WORDS
AVAILED.
Paying Cut.
The Southern Mutual Insurance
Company commenced yesterday
paying out the amount due past
policy holders. The claims audited
yesterday were for various amounts.
They run from 33 cents to $25. Ap
plications must be filed with the
company and then audited by Judge
Mitchell.
Chang* *t Patronag*.
Mr. Poyner, of the News-Mon
itor, tells us that Sheriff Maxwell
will change bis legal advertising
trom the Echo to their paper.
NEGROES USING A BULLDOG TO
KILL A PEDDLER.
We clip from the Macon Tele
graph and Messenger the follow
ing:
The Atlanta Constitution’s elo
quent silence regarding the propos
ed outrage upon the people of Geor
gia in the confirmation of Emory
Speer would make a dumb man
weep from|sympathy.” _
The Constitution has given fully
all the news of Mr. Speer’s appoint
ment, and the comments of demo
crats and republicans on it. Our
readers have been fully posted and
more than that, we have furnished
the news to the Macon Telegraph,
on which they have based their ed
itorials. Of this we do not com
plain. We printed in our columns
w,hat the Macon Telegraph & Mes
senger had to say about Mr. Speer,
because that paper was printed in
the circuit interested. We knew
that anything we could say to a sen
ate having a decided republican ma
jority would do more harm than
good. Nothing we could say would
help to defeat Mr. Speer before that
body. We were not dumb during
the late presidential campaign. We
did not throw cold water on demo
cratic candidates and canvassers.
We had no favors to ask of General
Logan, Mr. Sherman and a host of
other republicans, who take great
pleasure in doing what the demo
crats don’t want done.
It is just here that we differ from
the Macon Telegraph & Messenger
as to the policy to pursue. They
are in a condition to court favor and
advise with a republican adminis
tration—we are not Above all pa
pers in Georgia, it has the call on
Senator Logan—we have not
We regret that our course makes a
dumb man, or journal either, weep
from sympathy. Such sympathy is
wasted. We do not need it If the
Oxford, N. C., Jan. 25.—A Rus
sian Tew’ peddler, named Farber,
has been traveling in the upper part
of this county with a pack laden
with showy articles for the holiday
season. A party of negro men plot
ted to murder him and divide the
booty. One of the number had a
large and savage bulldog. They
followed the peddler into a piece of
wood, and there releasing the ani
mal set him on the defenseless
man. Farber was torn to pieces,
the dogs being urged on by the ne
groes. The murderers buned their
victim in a shallow grave, and then
divided the contents of his pack and
pocket.
NELLIE BAILEY ACQUITTED.
Wichita, Kan., Jan. ao.-Nellie
C. Bailey was acquitted of the
charge of murdering a wealthy En
glishman named Bothamley, with
^f.kom she was traveling in the In-
jjj* n , , rr ‘ toi y shout a year ago.
The defendant maintained ’that
Bothamley shot himself. The court
room was crowded and much inter
est manifested.
Telegraph has gained power by its
dumb course during the Presidential
campaign to influence a republican
senate to defeat Emory Speer we
will give it proper credit for it. We
think the proper thing to do now is
to lay the facts before the senators
and if they wish to defeat Mr.
Speer’s confirmation let them do it
If it was a democratic senate we
would have something to say. We
claim no right on account of silence
in the late campaign to tell republi
can senators what to do, because
we were not silent We were alive
and proclaimed our democratic
principles from the house tops, and
we were sorry to see some dumb
then who not? take every occasion
to lecture us. We want no sympa
thy from these dumb people. We
will be on deck when we can avail
anything- The time is short, and
we are ready when it comes.—At
lanta Constitntion.
A CARD.
T**U who sts cafftosiasfrsia tto* tames sad
Indiscretion* ot ]-oatb, (nemos weakness, early
decay, loss of manhood. At, I will (send a redye
nalwm core 100. FREE OF CHARGE. Thla
great remedy w»i discovered toy a missionary in
South Aniarloa. SendnselStddreaaed anrelopa
lotto* Key. JotsraT. Ixxjcs, Station" D, New
Torklfiitf. aurtddwly
IV Indian Ring—Stnrfe Setter's Fiery Spectre.
[CamearlUe Register.]
Sixty or seventy years ago, a be
lief i$ Jfasta, jj&itnta and witehes
was almost universal in this part of
the country. Startling stories were
tolk for the truth, by truthful men
and women, who claimed to have
been eye witnesses to the ghostly
scenes, and the wonderful effects of
witchcraft which they narrated.
Many of the stories they told were
apparently well authenticated, and
it is difficult to conceive, why or
how, so great a number of honest
and truthful persons could concur
in a statement of alleged facts that
never did occur.
' A man named Joseph Cline once
lived in the northern part of this
county, who had the misfortune to
be ridden by witches almost every
night. They would whisk him out
of the house, change him into a
large black horse, put a saddle
upon his back and ride him many
miles to attend some diabolical
ogie and return before the dawn.
One morning he arose weary and
exhausted from a long night’s
tramp, and informed his family that
the witches had given him a hard
ride during the night, and that on
his return through the Barton old
fields, he struck his tore foot against
a bell. Several of his neighbors re
paired to the spot at once and
found the bell—it had been dis
placed by a horse’s fore foot only a
few hours before—fresh horse
tracks were traced through the old
field upon the very route Mr. Cline
said he had traveled. The witch
doctors and the neciomances made
many unsuccessful efforts to break
the charm that bound the unfortu
nate man to his hard destiny. They
shot hair balls and silver bullets at
a drawing of the witch, but she was
so agile that she always passed in
front of the picture before the ball
reached it and escaped harm.
Ten and a half miles north of
Carnesville, on the Jarrett’s bridge
road, is a spot called the Indian
ring. It is a circle of raised earth
with a depression in the centre, like
many others in this section of the
state. This ring was once the
trysting place of ghosts and goblins.
Horsemen were frequently arrested
in their journey at night, by a huge
barrel which rolled into the road
before them, and which it was im
possible to pass without leaping
over it. At other times a fearful
animal, with protruding tongue,
fiery eyes, a tail thirty feef long and
a voice that struck terror to the
heart of man and beast, would leap
upon the horse behind the terrified
rider and bear him company sev
eral hundred yards. A headless
man, mounted on a large claybank
horst, was often seen in day time,
riding rapidly through the woods
and passing out of sight over the
brow of a hill. Emsley Wolf, in
passing on foot one night, was con-
lronted by a man of gigantic size,
who emitted a light. He had an
immense Roman nose and large
glowing eyes, and was dressed in a
strange white robe. His limbs
were loaded with chains, that clank
ed as he strode back and forth
across the ring. Mr. Wolf fled in
terror to the nearest house and fell
fainting at the door, and was not
fully restored to health for several
weeks.
An old Dutch doctor named
Sturfle Setzer, who lived in Gum-
log or Big Smith’s district, was the
subject of a very strange visitation.
His house was situated about a half
mile from a graveyard, out of which
a brilliant light would rise night
after night, and passing over the
tree tops settle over his house and
remain stationary for a time. Then
it would again rise above the trees,
sweep through the air in the direc
tion from which it came and sink
into the earth at the graveyard. On
the night of Setzer’# death it shone
more brilliantly than ever before—
it hovered over the house for a long
time, and as the dyfog man drew
his last breath, it arose in the air
and like a great flaming meteor,
moved swiftly to the graveyard,
sunk into the earth and was never
seen again. There are men yet
living who witnessed this strange
phenomena, and saw the blazing
specter .on the very night that
the old Dutch doctor died.
I heard a truthful, religious old
lady say, that when she was a little
girl she was sent to pick up qorn
stalks with the child of a reputed
witch. Growing weary of the
work, the child of the witch moth
er proposed to collect the stalks
without further labor. A few min
ules later the wind began to rise,
furious whirlwinds made their ap
pearance in different'parts of the
I ield, the stalks were lifted in the
air, but my informant becoming
frightened, begged that it might be
stopped. The witch child waved
her arms, the wind subsided and
the stalks fell back in their places.
These stories might he multipled
by scores; they were sufficiently
well authenticated and corroborat
ed to produce conviction of their
truth, if only within the bounds of
reason and common experience.
They were thought to be reasona
ble, and according to common ex
perience; and were believed to be
true, from fifty to seventy-five
years ago, and such stories are even
now believed by some few persons.
The printing press and the school
teacher have wiped out most of the
grosser superstitions, but there is
much yet to he done, and the work
is still going on, slowly it may be,
but nevertheless surely. There
seems to be a superstitious element
in human nature, that is prone to
believe in the supernatural, and to
magnify and exalt the marvelous,
which nothing can fully comet,
except aolid education, and extend
ed experience.
There is often a shadow of foun
dation upon which marvelous and
unnatural stories, rest. Ghosts are
usually seen at night, when the
imagination is more active and rea
son less potent. Things are seen
too obscurely to compare shape,
size and distance with accuracy;
hence objects ot unusual appear
ance, for lack of a clear sigtoof
known objects with which to com
pare them* There are many opti
cal illusions, which misled those
who are not informed upon the
subject. -Persons often think they
see objects that have no existence.
They see as they think, distinctly,
men, women, children, animals, ve
hicles, any and all sorts of objects
that do not exist, that perhaps dii
appear in a sudden and mysterious
manner. They know of no expls-
vivid spectral illusions.' ‘ They
sometimes appear without.* any.
known exciting cause, i Dr, Aber
crombie treats the subject At, great
length, and; attempts to account for
these illusions, in most cases, upon
philosophical principles, but men-
tions a number of instances, that he
regarded as incapable of explana
tion. Among others he mentions
an old gentleman in good health,
of temperate habits, and, clear,
strong mind, who , received daily
visits from troups of spectral guests.
They were generally grave, court
ly, pleasant-fooking people,wearing
the dress of several generations
ago. Another gentleman had a
company of spectral visitors to join
him at the dinner-table daily for a
long time. They never troubled
him at any other time. He men
tions still another man, who for a
number of years, was joined at the
door by a pleasant, sprightly old
lady dressed in the garb of a Scotch
woman. She always left him at
the door—never entered any house,
but he always found her at his
side when he passed the threshold,
and was never deserted by her at
any time or place, e::cept when he
entered a building.
IN THE WAKE OF A WHALE-
CAPT. EDWARDS SETTLES A TTARPOON IN
TO A SO FOOT WBALE.
Dragged Eight Mile» to Sea Off the Coaet of Long
Island— Three Boat! Arrive U’OA Their
Enormou* Tint Alter Midnight-
Amagansett, Jan. 26.—Every
old resident of this part of Long
Island is an old whaler, and every
young man longs for the proud mo
ment when he shall drive his iron
into the blubber of his first whale.
A school of nine was sighted a
week ago, and one was captured on
the same day by a crew. It sank
when killed and drifted twenty
miles down the coast, and was final
ly washed ashore off Shinnecock
Point on Saturday. Ever since
then the men who killed it have
JiCfW taking put . the whalebone
w«a begun at once, apd it has Been
ewr aiqce. There is great
TplUettandnbJeaL
ousy among the crews, as each ot
the eighteen Amagansett men will
receive an equal share, Captains
and men all faring alike, without
any preference for those who did
the killing. The whale is valued at
about $2,000, which makes a little
more than $ioo to reward each
man for risking his life.
TELEGRAPHIC SPARKS.V
An Indiana railroad is heiqg soed
$*.$50,000,000. * I--t,„
Arthur will resume the practice
of law in New York.
Major Fink is now receiver of the
E. T., Va. and Gecagia road.
A young man in Detroit suicided
on the eve ot his marriage.
Augusta is said to be trembling
on the brink of commercial ruin. ’
An old citizen of Charlotte, N.
C., was killed by a tack in his
boot
A white brute has been arrested
in Savannah for insulting young
girls on their way to school.
A 15-year-old boy was sentenced
to the penitentiary in Baldwin
county, Ga., for horse stealing.
At Buflalo, N. Y., a young man
whp got angered at being thrown
in a wrestling match, shot his oppo
nent. .
' A Cleveland, O., man butchered
his young wife in bed and then
committed suicide. He had been
drinking.
Ex-U. S. Marshal Wm. Spence
was sentenced to be banged at
Nashville, Tenn., for the murder of
his son-in-law.
Florida strawberries are selling
in New York at $3.50 per quart.
A negro child, left in a house,
was burned to death in Marietta,
Ga. *
A Wheeling, W. Va., man, while
lying in bed, was strangled to death
by his false teeth.
A Philadelphia juryman was
found crazed for the want of liquor.
He tried to murder an officer.
Five men were shot dead and
others seriously wounded at a
dance house in the Chickensaw Na
tion.
Ottawa, Ont, Jan. 26.—A stran
ger succeeded in passing off a fifty-
dollar confederate note here to-day
for a diamond-ring.
John Edward Plush, an Atlanta
negro, suicided by blowing his
brains out with an old Enfield ri
fle. This is the third colored sui
cide in that city.
Raleigh, N. C., Tan. 24—It was
ascertained to-day that definite ar
rangements have been made for
the completion of the road from
Asheville to Hendersonville. The
use of 200 convicts has been grant
ed by the state. It is positively
stated that they will be put on the
work by March first.
Raleigh, N. C., January 25.—
W. A. Anderson, who was found
guilty of the Mica mines murders,
has been sentenced to be hanged
April 15th, next.
An Ohio father confessed on his
death bed that he killed his daugh
ter’s lover in her presence, many
years ago, and buried the body of
the young man in his meadow. The
girl pined away and died, hut kept
the horrible secret
Newport, Ky., Jan. 25.—Mrs.
Carrie L. Winslow choked her son,
seven years old, to death; beat her
ten year old daughter so severely
with a baseball club that it is believ
ed her injuries are fatal, and then
cut her own throat with a razor,
producing speedy death.
Columbus, January | 25.—The
bridgeover the ravine in Girard,
Ala.,, near the residence of the late
Walton B. Harris, gave way this
afternoon, hurling half a dozen boys,
who were on it at the time, into the
torrept forty feet below. They
were all more or less injured, and a
little son of Mr. Green Blakely had
both legs broken. The embankment
and foundation had been undermin
ed by the recent floods.
A SOCIETY OF ASSASSINS.
00FFB8SI0M8 OF XRHBSR8 OF TBS BAUD OF
murderers nt Florida.
Banded Together to Kill Penon* who Incur Their
Enmity—The Aatasnnation of Postmaster Abbe
Eight oj the Men in Jail.
been busy with their friends cart
ing the blubber back to this village
and trying it out. Yesterday after- gave himself up,
noon they were on the shore hahi, was 80 wc *k from loss of sleep and
Braidentown, Fla., Ian. 32.—
The murder of C. E. Abbe, post
master and United States Land
Commissioner, at Sarasota, Fla-, and
the subsequent discovery of the ex
istence of a society organized for
the purpose of removing by assas
sination all persons objectionable
to the organization, as already de
tailed in special dispatches to the
Sun, continues to be the reigning
sensation in that part of the state.
Mr. Bidwell, the storekeeper, made,
it is reported, an unsuccessful at
tempt to commit suicide by taking
morphine. Charles Willard, who
fired the shot which killed Abbe,
alter eluding his pursuers for almost
two weeks, has given himself up,
being driven to it by hunger and
suffering. After making his escape
from Yonge’s house he took a
southerly course. He was follow
ed almost to Pease creek, and while
beating through the bushes his pur
suers came upon his camp. He
heard them before they discovered
him, and fled, leaving behind his
coat, hat and shoes. Leav
ing two men to watch
for . him, they took charge
of his clothes and returned to Man
atee. He eluded the two left be
hindhand made his way to what is
called Shepherd’s Camp, where he
At that time he
at work over the try pots, when a
black mound was seen rising above
the water, two miles off shore,
shining in the sun, and forging
slowly ahead, moved by the lazy
flapping of a gigantic tail.
Blubber and try pots were de
serted, and in ten minutes the three
boats of the village were cutting
the water in hot pursuit. Five
men were pulling at the oars in
each boat, with a sixth as Captain
or boat header, standing in the
stern steering and watching the
monsters movements. Half a mile
of hard rowing brought the boats
to the point of the bar, and as they
pulled out into the open ocean
they saw the three whaling boats
from East Hampton, come dancing
over the waves.
The whale at tbis time became
suspicious and dived out of sight.
Then all the whale boats separated,
each pulling toward the spot where
its captain thought the whale most
likely to appear. At sundown the
whale still had the best of it. He
had been down and up innumera
ble times, and succeeded in throw
ing ofl the track all but one of his
lursuers. One of the Amagansett
mats was still with him, and was
following closely every one of his
movements. Old Joshua Edwards,
the oracle of whales, was in com
mand. He seemed to know just
what the whale’s intentions were,
and just as the sun set he succeed
ed in fooling it He had all
along carefully avoided crossing
the whale’s track, because, he said,
whales can feel a boat crossing
their track. All the other boats
being well to the rear, the big
monster stopped to breathe and
take it easy. Capt Edwards mo
tioned to his men to make but little
noise. The unsuspecting whale
lay still on the water until the bow
of the boat was in fifteen feet of his
side. Then the Captain motioned
to his men again. They stopped
rowing, and George Smith, laying
aside his oar, stood up in the bow
of the boat and hurled a harpoon
deep into the whale’s back.
Then it was “stern all!" for their
lives. The men backed water as
hard as they could from the dan
gerous vicinity, but the whale went
off like a shot, lashing the water
with his tail, and dragging the boat
behind him at railroad speed. After
the first burst of fury he sank, and
fathom after fathom of the tow line
attached to the harpoon was paid
out. In a few minutes he rose
again, and tore through the water
once more. Capt. Edwards had
taken up his position in the bow of
the boat, holding a hatchet in one
hand, ready to sever the rope in
case of necessity, and in the other a
long, keen lance, eagerly watching
his opportunity to plunge it into a
vital spot£but the whale was a
whopper, fifty feet long, and his
powers of endurance seemed inex
haustible. In a short time the boat
was dragged eight miles out to sea,
with a long crimson wake stretch
ing far behind it The other boats
were doing their best to catch up
with the chase, but in vain. Occa
sionally the stricken monster would
lie motionless on the water, and
the men in the boat endeavored to
approach him by drawing them
selves up hand over hand, but this
strain on the harpoon generally
spurred him to renewed straggles,
and he would start away again. He
had been lanced a dozen times be
fore 6 o’clock, but the constant
lashing of his terrible tail kept the
men at a distance, and the wounds
were not deep.
At last, however, he showed
signs of weakness, and Capt. Ed
wards, after drawing up as close as
possible, took up instead of a lance
a broad, sharp instrument called a
spade. He hurled it with such dex
terity and force at the monster’s tail
that he severed some of the mus
cles and seemed to paralyze it The
whale then lay at the mercy of his
pursuers. The latter drew up with
out fear, and the Captain, taking
deliberate aim, inflicted a fatal
wound. The whale tank at once,
but sooncame up spouting blood,
and in ten minutes he rolled over
and floated lifeless on the water.
In a short time the other two
Amagansett boats came up. All
three boats were fastened, one be
hind the other, in ttondem style, and
the fifteen men, guided by a big
nation, and attribute it to the super- beacon fire built by their friends on
natural Such illusions can fre
quently be accounted for. Quin- . .
ine, stimulants, loss of sleep, and l*“ e difficult task was accomplished,
snd the whale lay stranded ofl shore.
the shore, started to tow their prize
back. At one o’clock this morning
lack of food, and his feet were so
sore, that ne was hardly able to
stand.. He was taken to Pine Level
jail, where he now is. Willard is a
member of one of the most influen
tial families in the state, being a
brother of A. E. Willard, proprie
tor of the Suwanee house, Cedar
Keys, and great efforts will undoubt
edly be made to release him.
It is now known .that the murder
of Riley, a respectable citizen of
Bee Ridge, committed some {six
months ago, was also the work of
the assassination society. Riley had
been condemned to death, and four
men were appointed to do the'
work. He was shot while riding
alony the road, and was then drag
ged from h is horse and his throat
was cut. Nothing could be found
to indicate who did the foul deed,
except that it was shown that- there
were two assassins. There were
two roads leading from the post of
fice to Riley’s house, on one of
which Tom Drymon and Lewis
Cato, and on the other Dr. Hunter
and Joe Anderson, were stationed.
Riley took the road on wuich Dry
mon and Cato were in ambush, and
when their victim approeched they
did their Work thoroughly, Drymon
shooting him and Cato cutting his
throat. In like manner did Willard
and a confedetate watch for Mr.
Abbe, and it is supposed that his
throat was also cut after he was
shot, as great clots of blood were
found where be fell.
It is not known that the society’s
prescribed manner of death was
three loads of buckshot fired into
the victim, and to make assurance
doubly sure, the throat was to be
cut. Persons never suspected have
been found to belong to the gang.
Old men with grey beards, men in
their prime, and beardless boys
have been known by the cabalistic
initials S. S. V. V. C-, which, being
interpreted, means, Sara Sota Vig
ilance committee.
Dr. Hunter’s confession has been
supplemented by those of Ed. Ba
con and Joe Anderson, who have
revealed more of the secrets ol the
gang. Dr. Andrews is shown to
have been a ringleader. He claim
ed to his associates that he belong
ed to a similar association out west,
where mercy was shown to none,
even women and children, have
been sacrificed, when husbands and
fathers could be reached in no oth
er way. He approached Mr. Bid-
well, and the two formed the nu
cleus ot what seems to be a power
ful organization, spieading to many
parts of the state. Andrews and
Bidwell were appointed judges and
Alford of Sarasota Captain. The
manner in which they approach
ed all the members is not known,
but the stories of two, Dr. Hunter
and George Tyler, agree in every
particular.
George Tyler, little more than a
boy, went to his father last night
and told him the whole story. He
was approached by Alford last
summer, and invited to join a se
cret society whose object was mu
tual protection. He was told that
many rich and influential men be-
longed to it It cost nothing, and
there was nothing wrong. In fact,
it was represented as an association
resembling the Masons in many
particulars. He attended, one of
their meetings, was'initiated and
was no longer free. Hunter’s story
of the inducements held but to him
fully corroborates this. Mr. Lowe,
an old man, and a minister was sen
tenced by the S. S. V, C.tobe
whipped, on account of two mis
understandings between him and
his stepson, Louis Cato, George
Tyler was appointed by the Cap
tain to do the whipping,'but stoutly
refused. The question was again
debated and the old man spared.
According to Dr. Hunter, Tyler
was the first member to- rebel He
did not join until after the Riley
murder, and therefore Was inno
cent of all knowledge of that crime.
It is intimated.-that the organization
has chapters in other places in the
state, and that its members ate men
of good standing. Dr. Hayden, of
Tampa, is said to be a member of
the society. Eight.men ol the so.
dety have been arrested, and are
now in Manatie jail They are Dr.
Hunter, Mr. Bartholomew, John
Fletcher; James Fletcher, Thomas
Drymon, Louis Cato, J obn Tippitt
and Dr. Andrew.
J
A white and negro prisoi.
<BS Lexington' jail occupy the
bed:
• rMr. Wilson, the -gentleman wh
aspires to be postmaster at Savan
, nah, is meeting with a vigorous op
position* ; _ '"•-V'Mj
diMtei u r ® ro , wn ’ 1
Gieenesboro, has recently lost elev
en head of cattle from some un
known disease;-;* ;i —?*-*
RoME; Ga., Jan. 24.—Mrs, L,
Cheney* died.ti>is morning, aged 6c
veaftl.* ShS was a most estimable
ladr and ; her death is regretted.
The old fog- crib< that has stood !
centuryx>r more, in the lot of
CoL J. D. Munnerlyn, in Waynes
boro, has at last''been pulled down.
During the present inactive sea
son it might be well for the farmers
to clean up their cyclone pits and
have them ready, for. emergencies.
It is now sought to arrange a re
union of the Twenty-sixth Georgia
and Twenty-sixth Massachussetts
regiments on the battlefield of Win-.
Chester, Va. ‘
Mr. W. H. Sidell, formerly pri
vate secretary of Governor Ste
phens, has assumed charge of the
iome Courier, which he purchased ,
a few days ago.—Chronicle.f If
he has, he spells his name at the
present time HidelL)
The people of Augusta seem to
be thoroughly aroused fon the sub
ject of reforming the- methods of
tier, money handlers. An excite'd -
French depositor at a meeting pull
ed a rope out of his pocket and in- j
sisted on adopting the “Texas idea"
on the president of tW ‘defunct Au
gusta bank. . i
Mrs. General Hancock, wife of < j
the distinguished General of that '
name, and late candidate for the
Presidency of the United States,
will spend the season here. At
present she is the guest <of the Gulf
House, but later will be the guest of
her niece, Mrs. Merriam, of Minne
sota.—Thomasville Times.
^Christopher, of the Montezuma
Record, thus sums up bis experi
ence: “Some ot the coffee served
now-a-days is so weak and feeble
that it looks shameful for a strongs
healthy man to tackle the poor,
helpless thing.” • r-
A man by the name of Mizgett,
who lives a few miles from Baxley’s
ate at one sitting last night, at this
place, 4 two-pound cans of oysters,
r one-pound can oysters, 1 two-
pound can peaches, 2 can sardines,
2 cans beef, i£ pounds crackers and
1 pounds of candy, besides taking a
drink of whiskey at the conclusion
ot each can.
Ambricus, Ga., Jan. a».—When
Carey Williams, an attache of Har
ris & James’ store, looked up to
day he saw before him Miss Breed-.
love. She had grit as well as love
in her eye. Carey begged for time
to put on his Sunday clothes. “Ill
excuse your clothes, said the dam
sel as she caught his arm and led
him off to the ordinary’s office,
where they were married. “You
see,” said the newly made wife to
an officer, “I was a little foolish to
begin with, and this marriage was
necessary.” • ^
,A BLOODY FIGHT.
A Desperado and Bit Three Wive* Betitt the Offi
cer*. ■
Chattanooga, Tenn., Jan. 25.—
Later news has just been received
concerning the capture of Joseph
Jackson, the notorious Alabama
desperado, who fought a duel in a
cave Saturday, with two officers,
while .they were endeavoring to ar
rest him.
_ SURROUNDED by his wives.
After the fusilade in the bowels
of the mountain, Jackson darted
out of the cave and took refuge in a
house in the swamp, which was oc
cupied by his three wives. The of
ficers pursued him, and another ex
change of shots took place, Jack-
son using two Colt’s revolvers. Af
ter having been shot in the body
eight times, he finally fled from the
house and was captured.
ONE OF THE WIVES SHOT TWICE.
During the firing at the house one
of his wives, Ann Jackson, was shot
twice and mortally wounded. The
house has been used as a repository
for Jackson’s stolen plunder, and
wishing to destroy all evidence
against the desperado, one of the
remaining wives set fire to the build
ing and it was burned down. 4
BURNED TO DEATH.
The wounded woman was burned
to death. One of the women con
fessed there were several thousand
dollars worth of goods stored in the
house. A quantity of melted silver
was found in the ashes, and it is
said there was a large quantity of
money in the house. Jackson has’
murdered seven mtn, and has also
burned four depots, besides com
mitting numberless robberies.
Boston-has askating rink whose
proprietor will not allow colored
people on the floor. Several suits
1 under the civil rights law have been
1 entered against him.
GENERAL NEWS.
AN OLD
HUNfER EATEN BY
WOLVES. ... < '
Kankakee, III., Jan. 28.—A. H.
Butts, Secretary of the Chicago
Lumber Company, has just, returned,
from the logging camp near Metro
politan, Mich; He says the night
before he left camp the mercury
dropped 1043 deg. below zero. This
was the climax.of four days of very
extreme weather. That night an
old trapper and Indian hunter; Tom
Dudging, returning from hunting,’
was killed .and eaten by wolves
within two miles ofcamp. The,
wolves there are more numerous
and bold than’usual, on account of
the scarcity of small game. His
triends, searching for him next
morning, found his closely-gnawed
bones. Thirteen dead wolves were
lying near him, pierced by his rifle,
bhlls. 3Dd hlR r'lfln ronr 1
The Mexican president, Diaz,- is
at loggerheads with the ex-pr<si-
dent, Gonuzalez.
A new railway bridge across the
Mississippi, to cost $1,000,000, is to
be built this summer at North Mc
Gregor, Ill. 1 , •
Mr. Talmage’s sale of pews and
Sunday collection make the incomo’
of the Brooklyn Tabernacle for 1885
not less than $30,000.
Marshall, Texas, Jan. 33.—An
thony Walker, the colored Metho
dist preacher, was hanged here at
z p. m. in a large vacant field in the
suburbs.
The heavy rains seem to be gen
eral throughout the southwest In
Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana
and Texas they have caused great
loss of property.
The fight between two officer*.
and a desperado in an Alabatn*
cave forms a scene of rare and '
thrilling interest, with the outlaw j
fatally wounded and the defenders
of the law grazed with ballets.
Washington, Jan. ax.—Repre
sentative Oates, of the House Com.- i
m'ttee on public lands, has preparr
ed a report on a bill to prohibit aliens
and foreigners from acquiring o;
owning lands within the United *
States, which the committee hat
reported to the House with the rec- T a
ommendation that it shall pass.
Far out at sea, along both the
Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida, >
says the Savannah (Ga.) News, are
several springs of fresh Water. They
are well known to the spongers and^ 'j
fishermen, who frequently visit
them to replenish their water casks.
On this same coast it an oil spring,
which, difluses a calm over troubled
waters, and affords a refuge to small
vessels during a gale. . ,
Pittsfield, Mass., Jad. at.—The
io-year-old son of George Bidwell
found a broken thermometer in his T
father’s store, a day or two ago, and
took the bulb containing the mer
cury and about two inches of the
glass tube into his mouth. He ac- r,
cidentally swallowed ity and it is ;
likely to result in his death. Local
physicians are unable to dislodge
the unwholesome mouthful, and 7
Albany and other city expert doc- _
tors are experimenting on. the case.
Galveston, Texas, Jan. 34.—The
Home and other fire insurance com- ‘
panies of New Yerk have instruct
ed their agents in Texas not to in
sure buildings in this state after
February 1, This polity is, due to
a decision of Judge Pardee, 6f foe
United States circuit court, that tUe
face of a policy expresseslthe value
of the property insured . in case of
its destruction by fire; ‘ ,
The Gadsden, Ala., ^Hmes gives
the vote of Etowah connty on the
Prohibition question last week. Of
precincts in Use county, all but two
gfve majorities against Prohibition,
and the consolidated vote stood—
4i
balls, and hia Winchester rifle was
bj his side, with one chamber load':
Augusta Newt: If the President
had sought for a man wbq is capac
itated to do dirty. wprk, in carrying
out the plans ot a republican admin
istration, the selection would* be a
proper one. But such injustice is
revolting to the decent people of
tms state, and giyes a fair specimen
of what republicans consider civil
service reform. Speer has sold
himself for the spoils of office, and
deserves only the condemnatioa of
respectable people in this state..
444. We believe .that this repeals
an existing Prohibition law for, the
county.
There is to singular natural curios
ity in a laketftf-Vermont; consisting
of one hundred and fifty acres of i
land floating on the surface of the
water., The tract is covered with
cranberries, and there are trees fif
teen feet high. ' When the water is
raised or lowered at the dam of the
pond, tbolsland rises and falls with
it,,;It Affords a fine shelter for fish,
largo numbers of which are caught .
by boring,a hole and fishing dowojQ!
through, as through the ice in win-K
t**- -. ;
if
i i'R hiimfene blacksmith in Nevada
.*
has built a cart with the axles bent
so that the horse is directly under J
it, sheltered from sun and wind. ! fe
The driver sits in front, and other ’ Si
passengers sidewise, on seats run* j ’4
nine lengthwise over the horses r • .J;
back.. There is, of course, a steer- ;<■
_ is, of course, 1
ing apparatus, and also an arrange-
"’int with a wide band under too
. so that in going down hill
the animal can be lifted bodily - off
of his feet and given rest, while the
whole outfit “coasts.” And the
lifting machine comef into use if the
horse tries to run away, aa a turn of
a crank leaves him working his legs
ra the air to no purpose whatever.
■ - . -