Newspaper Page Text
W. F. SMITH, Publisher.
VOLUME VIII.
NEWS GLEANINGS.
In Mississippi there are 5,024 public
schools and 909 private schools.
The little county of Wythe, Va., pro
duced last year $1,000,000 worth of iron.
During March the yellow pine lum
ber shipped from Jacksonville, Fla.,
amounted to 4,831,779 feet.
The Houston (Texas) Post says that
over 100,000 people petioned the Legis
lature on the prohibition question.
The Vicksburg (Miss.) Herald says
that the cotton factory at Water Valley,
which has been idle for some years, will
soon be put in repair and run again.
Col. James Crook, one of the Alabama
Railroad Commissioners, told a reporter
of the Atlanta Constitution that Gen.
Gordon owns 279,000 acres of the finest
coal lands in the world.
Gainesville (Ga.) Southron: The gold
mines of Northeast Georgia are yielding
large dividends, with all the drawbacks
of a winter and spri ig unequaled for se
verity in half a century. The rainfall
in March and April largely surpassed
that of any season within the memory of
the oldest inhabitant.
Memphis (Tenn) Appeal: With the
city-debt bill in force, and also the State
debt bill, the rate of taxation in Mem
ph is will be as follows; State-debt com
promise on the SIOO, fifty cents; city
debt compromise on the SIOO fifty cents;
city taxes for all purposes, $1 GO; State
and county tax, seventy cents; total
amount of tax, $6 30.
Columbus (Ga) Advertiser: Numbers
of our planters are now paying high
prices for hay to feed stock on, and in a
short while will be paying nearly the
game per 100 pounds to have the grass
killed in order to make a bale of cotton
to an average of three and a half acres
>f land. This is one reason why our far
mers can accumulate no money, and in a
great measure accounts for the many
poor horses, cows and hogs to be found
in this country.
Emigration lias set in from the Valley
of Virginia to Piedmont, Va. A num
ber of fanners in the valley have recent
ly sold out and bought farms in Fauqui
er and Piedmont counties. At Warren
ton, last week, a farmer arrived from
Rockingham county seeking suitable
farms for twenty-five neighbors in that
county. The cause assigned for the
change is that Piedmont (Va) lands be
ing cheaper, the farmers can own laager
tracts.
Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Times: Tuscaloosa
has three newspapers and one magazine ;
a Methodist, a Catholic, a Presbyterian,
a Baptist, an Episcopalian, and several
colored churches; a University, two
High Schools for boys, and a number of
good schools for small children; two j
banks, one national and the other pri
vate ; two cotton factories, two planing
mills and furniture manufactories and a
cotton-gin factory; an Insane Hospital,
and a Theological Seminary for colored
preachers; and fifty business houses.
Atlanta (Ga.) Constitution: Mayor]
English told me yesterday that the in
crease in city property this year would
go sharply over $1,W0,000. Bob Griffin,
one of the assessors, estimated that of
this amount fully $500,000 was in new
houses that had been added during the
year, and the ballance in increased val
ues. This is a capital record for a young
city and puts our total assessments above
$20,000,000. The debt of the city is
about ten per cent of the total value, but
it is decreasing while the city is growing.
Mayor English thinks that in three
years the debt will have shrunk to sev
en per cent of the total value, which is
highest rate permitted. The outlook for
building next year is quite as good as
last.
A writer in the Reidsville (N, C.)
Times, speaking of the birthplace of Ed
Richardson, said to be the richest man
in the South, says that he was born in
Sergcansville, Caswell county, N. C.
He and Esquire Samuel S. Harrison
were born not half a mile apart and
within two weeks of each other. The I
old ladies used to say that when one
died of old ago the other would quake
with fear. His name is Edmund R
Richardson, not Edward R. ‘‘He first
set out as a young man clerking in Dan
ville at Sullivan’s Hotel, the “Old Bell
lavern.” Forty years ago he drove all
the way from Mississippi herein a sulky,
and there wasn’t a railroad to be seen ;
now see the difference. They wanted
him for Governor, but he wouln’t hear
to it. When spoken to about it he said
was the very last place he should
think of; he would as soon have the
town constable’s,'’
M ifife ffengja
Devoted te Industrial Interest, the DjfTn>ion of Truth, the Establishment of Justice, and the Preservation of a People’s Government.
Columbus (Ga.) Enquirer-Bun: Whe
the grange was a flourishing institution
in Oglethorpe county, some years since
it was customery, when a member want
ed credit for a committee to examine in
to his solvency. If found solvent the
officers of the grange would give him a
written recommendation. In numerous
instances these debts were not paid and
now the officers are being sued. If the
court decide that these written recom
mendations are binding, the officers will
be bankrupt.
Orangeburg county item in Charles
ton (S. C.) News and Courier: The ques
tion of fencing crops or stock was dis
cussed two weeks ago at a meeting of the
citizens of Pine Grove township, and a
vote ol those present taken to test the
sentiment of the people on the question.
The result was an almost unanimous
vote in favor of the law as it now stands,
and it is thought that there are not more
than twenty or twenty-five citizens of
that section who favor the new law, that
is, fence in the stock and not the crops.
Tampa, (Fla.) Tribune: Capt. James
r. McMullen, living near Bay View, in
the Clearwater section, has a citrus tree
which bears both oranges and lemons,
which was never grafted and bears the
characteristics of the sweet orange tree.
What is further remarkable about it is
that some of the oranges arai one-half
yellow and one-half red, each color be
ing confir ed to one hemisphere, and the
line of demarkation between the two col
ors being as distinct as if the coloring
had been put on with a painter’s brush.
Capt. McMullen sent us several speci
mens of this fruit for inspection.
Columbia, (S. C.) special dispatch to
the Charleston News and Courier: Ten
immigrants arrived this morning, and a
party of eight or more will reach the city
to-morrow, it will be seen that arrivals
are of almost daily occurrence, and they
are prbmtly engaged. Of those not
hitherto disposed of, J. W. Davis, of
Ridgeway, Fairfield county, takes seven;
Edward P. Mobley, of Fairfield, three;
and C. C. Montgomery, of Richland, sev
en. Two of these gentlemen had obtain
ed members of the first party, and was so
much pleased with them that they have
secured more. Reports come in that
they do twice as much daily work as the
negroes, and do it well. From March 18
to date (about three weeks) 144 immi
grants have been received and settled by
Col. Butler. This does not include those
who will arrive to morrow. Col. Boy
kin will probably leave here t,o-morrow
for New York in place of Col. Butler,
and will make a personal examination oj
the method of securing immigrants to
the Castle Garden and familiarize him.
self with the work before him.
For Rheumatism.
Many persons along the sea coast in
this country recommend and use sand
baths in July and August for the cure
of rheumatism. In Greece, near their
sea coasts, it is one of the sure remedies
used by persons affected with chronic
rheumatism, anchylosis, and chronic
synovitis of the knee joint. The pa
tients bury themselves in the sand or
cause others to cover them with it, so
that only the head, which is covered
with a night cap or straw hat, remains
free It is a ludicrous sight to see
twenty or thirty such odd-looking heads
sticking out of the sand. In conse
quence of the. weight and the saline
character of the sand, the skin of the
patients becomes so red that when they
emerge from their sandy bed (which
they occupy as long as possible) they
look like boiled lobsters. Wooden huts,
or tents improvised with oleander and
plaintain branches, are used as bathing
houses, and a piece ol bread, some
grapes and a glass of wine, generally
constitute the meal of a patient.
Fighting a Bull With an Ax.
[Richland (Iowa) Special.]
While R. D. Hooker, of Richland, was
engaged in chopping pumpkins for his
stock, and was on one knee, paying no
attention to his cattle, without warning
a bull came at him, striking him on the
right side and shoulder and prostrating
him on the ground. Though severely
bruised and hurt, Mr. Hooker got on his
feet before the animal had time to make
a second attack, and, as it rushed at him,
struck it with an ax just under the horn
and above the eye. The blow, however,
seemed to have little effect on the angry
beast, stopping it for a moment. It
again pitched at Hooker, one horn gor
ing him in the arm and the other inflict
ing a wound on the face. By this time
the case looked desperate, but as the ani
mal came at him the fourth or fifth time
Hooker managed to plant a blow on its
forehead that felled it to the ground,
and before it had recovered sufficiently
i to renew the attack, he had got out of its
reach.
Aim prosperous men can give good
| counsel, and they like to do it; it costs
them nothing. It is easy to declaim
I against feasting, when the stomach is
frill. *
INDIAN SPRINGS, GEORGIA.
A Thrilling Sketch.
One warm day in August, upon the
bank of the muddy Colorado, we chil
dren were lazily sitting about on the
ground. One sister was stringing beads
taken from an old moccasin, and most
of the men were sleeping under the
wagons through the heat of the after
noon. There was a great stillness upon
everything, save for the children’s chat
ter, and a heat rose from the ground
that smote the eyes. Suddenly there
was a dreadful scream, echoed, re
echoed, multiplied ; then another, and
another, as when one strikes the hand
upon the mouth, till in one second of
time the air seemed rent and tom with
yells. In just that second the close
chapparal had become black with Indi
ans, who had crawled, serpent-like, on
hands and knees, till, right upon us, in
concert they could leap into sight. They
wore cloths upon their loins, and had
some feathers wound in their hair, with
hideous paint glowing on face and
breast. I gazed in dumb anazement,
benumbed with surprise, and then I
think I awoke to the excitement of the
occasion. The women and children,
through an air thick with flying arrows,
were marshaled into one covered wagon,
and there my mother wrapped us all
round with feather beds, blankets and
comforters. Ido not think I was fright
ened, not because of any precocity of
courage, but because of a wild excite
ment that filled me. I half leaned upon
the knee of my sister. She said she was
conscious of no pain, she felt no sudden
pang, but something warm seemed
running down her side, and, looking
down, she saw an arrow which had
pierced her flesh and protruded its flinty
head from the wound. “Mother,” she
exclaimed, “I am shot,” and fainted.
My mother, the woman whose spirit
never failed her in this or the dreadful
trials which succeeded this disastrous
fight, put forth her hand and drew the
arrow backward through the wound. It
was while thus supporting the head of
the girl she supposed dying, it somehow
became known to her that her husband
was lying quite dead and filled with ar
rows under the great cottonwood tree
under which the'camp was made. It was
but a few moments more till one of the
men spoke from the front of the wagon.
Saidhe: “Ourammunition is giving out
and we do not know but it may come to
a hand-to-hand fight. Get out the knives
you have in the bed of the wagon.”
Through the backward march which fol
lowed it was ever the women who rose
superior to suffering and to danger. The
men lost courage, hope and spirit, but
the women never. A few moments after
the demand for the knives a Methodist
preacher, who had seized my father’s
rifle, aimed at the chief with the dinner
bell depending from his belt, and saw
him fall. In five minutes not an Indian
was to be seen, the living dragging with
them the dead as they went. In the mean
time, under cover of the fight, our great
herd of cattle had been made to swim
the river, and were safely corraled in the
Mojave villages.— Kate Heathy in Janu
ary Californian.
Tilings Hard to Understand.
Why an endless procession of drinkers
from a public dipper will, without ex
ception, drink close to the handle.
Why half the human race was not
born without hearing and the other half
without speech Then the talkers might
talk on in uninterrupted flow, and the
hearers exercise their especial gift with
out their present pruriency to speak.
Why people will go into society to get
bored,’ when they can get bored just as
well at home.
Why the young lady who will eagerly
chew boarding house mince pie will
carefully eschew boarding house mince-
meat.
Why a man’s stomach will be so ever
lastingly squamish at home, and at the I
eating house display a faith like a grain
of mustard seea.
Why a woman will make excuses for
her bread when she knows it is the best
she ever made, and knows her “com
pany’’ knows it.
Why a “young gentleman” swears so
much louder and more copiously when
stranger ladies are within ear-shot; or in
other words,
Why the desire to make a fool of
one’s self springs eternal in the human
breast.
Why we are so much angrier against
him who shows us our error than him
who leads us therein.
Why evervhody is so prompt to an
swer, “ How do you do?” when you ask
that inevitable question. And,
Whv you seem to be perfectly satis- j
fied with the information contained in
this echo.
Why one’s piety strengthens as his
health weakens.
Why people will get married when
courtship is so sweet.
Why a man who claims to have found
marrying a delusion will again embrace
that delusion upon the first convenient
opportunity.
Why cold weather comes during the
season when it is least agreeable.
Whv it is so much easier to be polite
to people whom we shall probably never
see again than to those whose good opin
ion we have reason to cultivate.
tt hen a young man gets a cutaway
coat that buttons from the watch chain
up to the shirt collar, and can hold an
inch stub of a cigar between his teeth
and look unconcerned, he s entitled to
quotation, and it’s an ungrateful public
that fails to notice him. What incen
tive has a young man to effort in a
world that persistently refuse to recog
nize merit?
“Downy” way of putting it—Men jure
geese, women are ducks, and birds of a
feather flock together.
The Great Bridge.
[Boston Transcript.]
Work on the great East River Bridge,
New York, is continued vigorously,
about nine hundred men being employed
at the present time. The work upon
the superstructure will be continued
through the winter, except in the most
severe weather. One thousand tons of
steel are to be delivered this winter.
The first suspenders for the support of
the roadway were placed in position last
week. All those for the Brooklyn side
will be in position wdthin a week, and
after that those on the New York side
will be placed. There will be thirteen
suspenders on each of the four cables
on each side of both towers, making 204,
all of which wili be put up during the
winter. The longest measure 128 feet.
These suspenders are of steel wire rope,
If inches in diameter, with a socket at
each end. The upper socket is fastened
by means of a bolt 1£ inches in diame
ter to a band of wrought iron five inches
wide and five-eighths of an inch thick,
which is bolted to the cable. At the
lower end of the suspenders are two
bolts inches in diameter, through
cast-iron sockets, by which to attach tne
beams to the suspenders. After the
beams are in place, the trusses will be
erected. The thirteen suspenders to be
placed this winter will extend nearly
one hundred feet from the piers. The
cables are to be swayed thirteen feet
nearer together than they are now, the
outer ones being brought six and one
half feet nearer the centre. A strain of
twenty two tons will be required to draw
them together. They will then be con
nected at intervals with wire rope stays.
This will secure strong lateral bracing
for the whole structure, and add im
mensely to its ability to resist the winds.
Sixty or seventy men will be employed
during the winter. If all the work that
is now laid out is accomplished, about
one hundred feet of the superstructure
on each side of both piers will be com
pleted by spring, except the flooring
Elank. Four thousand tons of steel will
e used next summer, in addition to the
thousand tons to be used this winter.
The security Disraeli GaTe.
London papers, in noticing the death
of Mr. Henry Padwick, which occurred
recently, tell an interesting story con
cerning the deceased gentleman and
Disraeli. Padwick began life as a
money-lender, and Disraeli, quite at the
outset of liia political career, finding
himself pressed for money, went one day
to call on Padwick, who knew him by
sight, of course, perfectly well, and
frankly asked him for an advance of
several thousand pounds for a certain
time. When Padwick inquired what
security his distinguished client had to
offer, Mr. Desraeli quietly said: “The
security of my ambition and my genius.”
The two men looked at each other for a
few moments, when Mr. Padwick said:
“Well, Mr. Disraeli, this is an unbusi
ness-like sort of transaction, but I will
think of it. Could you call on such a
day ?” The day came, Mr. Disraeli
made his appearance, mastering as well
as he could his anxiety, and Mr. Pad
wick, opening a portfolio, took out and
handed him a check for the required
amount. In many ways it proved to be
the best investment the shrewd man of
money had ever made.
The Remedy He Needed.
“ Can you cure my eyes?” said a man
to Dr. Brown.
“Yes,” said the Doctor, “if you will
follow my prescription.”
“O, certainly, Doctor,” said the pa
tient; “I will do anything to have my
eves cured. What is your remedy,
Doctor?”
“You must steal a horse,” said the
Doctor, very soberly.
“ steal a horse, Doctor!” said the pa
tient, in amazement. “ How will that
cure my eyes?”
“ You will be sent to State Prison for
five years, where you can not get whisky,
and during your incarceration your eyes
j would get well,” said the Doctor.
The patient looked somewhat incredu
lous, but he did not adopt the Doctor’s
remedy. ■
It Was Bitten Off.
The andedote of the inquisitive man,
who asked another how he lost his leg,
and, after having promised to ask no
further questions, was told that it was
“bit off,” lias been variously told, and
often wrongly attributed. The incident
is properly told in Scribner , in a paper
on Copley, the American artist of the
last century. The incident occurred be
tween Brook Watson, afterward Lord
Mavor of London and his servant, who,
in pulling off his boot, was warned in
vain that if lie was not careful He would
bring the leg off too—-which, much to
his astonishment he did. As a matter o.
fact, Watson’s leg had been bitten off by
a shark in the harbor of Havana; an
J event commemorated in a famous picture
I,y Copley, which is engraved with the
above mentioned paper.
A London journal says of Mayo in
“Davy Crockett:” “He has many per
gonal advantages; a manly figure, ex
pressive features, a fine voice. His
elocution is admirable, and he knows
how to infuse many shades and changes
of expression into the pronunciation of
a monosyllable* by subtle inflections of
voice. He use* this power with equally
happv results in comic scenes and is
those" which call for pathos or vigor.
Mr. Mayo carried the audience with
him, and his picturesque, natural,
quaint, and pathetic impersonation ol
Davy Crockett deserves to become as
popular here as it has been in America.*
Mxlbcbn, the blind preacher, says
that Carlyle, in a conversation, foretold
the downfall c f Louis Napoleon, whom
he likened to an opera singer whose
opera house was soon to be blasted by an
1 earthquake God, _
A Clerical Ancedote of the Olden Time.
An old Connecticut clergyman, once
upon a time, while his wife was absent
from home, was invited by one of bis
parishioners to diue with him, which in
vitation he accepted?
The first proposition made, on entering
the house, was, that they “take some
thing,” to which the minister assented.
The liquor furnished was old Jamaica
rum, and the visitor drank as was his
wont—as he would have drank tho rum
he usually purchased of his deacons, both
of whom sold it.
Just before sitting down to dinner the
host produced the decanter again, and
again the twain partook. The meal was
eaten, pipes were smoked, and, by and
by, before setting forth into the chill
autumnal air for the afternoon meeting,
the host offered the decanter once more.
The good old clergyman thought he knew
his own capacity, and he drank accord
ingly. It made him feel good. The rum
was excellent—smooth as oil—the best
he ever drank. And on his way to the
church, in the chill, bracing air, he was
all light.
But, alas! upon sitting down in his
pulpit, with the great box-stove, at the
head of the broad aisle, directly below
him. sending up its heat of old hickory
wood, the strong rum began to take
serious effect—so much so, that tho
poor old clergyman could not deliver liis
sermon! His friend, with whom he had
dined, saw the trouble at once; and, hav
ing explained to the congregation that
the good man had complained of feeling
very unwell at his house, lie summoned
the assistance of the deacons, and helped
the unfortunate man out into the open
air.
Of course, this made a stir; and the
good deacons, feeling themselves called
upon to uphold the morals of the people,
proceeded forthwith to make complaint
against the minister, and to summon him
before the church for trial.
The day appointed for the trial arrived,
and the minister was called upon to con
fess, and, if lie wished, to explain. He
did so, as follows:
“Brethren —I confess my misfortune;
but, let me assure you, I was led into it
through a misconception of facts. I took
dinner with our good Brother Arnold.
He, as usual, offered me the friendly cup;
and I imbibed as had been my custom.
As many of you are aware, I have been
in the habit of drinking spirit as fur
nished by our worthy deacons; and I
knew not, at the time, that Brother Ar
nold had another article entirely. He
has explained to me, however, that the
Jamaica rum which he furnished on that
occasion was procured by him directly
from the importer; whereas, you will
remark, I measured my allowance in the
belief that it had passed through the
hands of our deacons! I can only say,
that I have learned a lesson, which 1
trust will be of profit to me.”
You can imagine, I fancy the appear
ance of those two deacons on that occas
ion. Suffice it to say, they did not press
the complaint any further.
But those were things of the past. In
those days a wedding without wine would
have been no wedding at all; and your
total-abstainer was as rare in the pulpit
as he would have been in regimentals !
New York Ledger.
In the Australian Bush.
I was terribly frightened one night in
Queensland by a dead man riding up to
my camp-fire at midnight. I was quite
alone. I heard my horses neighing and
another answering in the Malgas bushes,
so I got up and put wood on, making a
bright blaze, and presently into the cir
cle of light came a horseman bending i
over his pommel, with his large straw
hat slouched over his eyes. I took my
revolver off my saddle and sung out: '
“Good-night, mate! You travel late.
Will you have a drink of tea ?”
Not a word of answer. Just then my
two dogs, who were sniffing about, set
up such a terrible cry it made me jump
again. After a bit I began to open my
eyes to the state of affairs and mustered
courage enough to walk up to the horse
and take hold of the reins. While doing
so I touched the rider’s hands, which
were cold as ice. I tried to get him off the
saddle, butit was of no use. His legs were
out of the irons and wound tightly round
the mare. I had to cut the reins from
the grip of his fingers. I packed him
on the horse when sunrise came and led
him into Tambo, where I found he was
well known as a digger. He had set
out thence that morning—after drinking
nearly a bottle of brandy—to go to a
place distant about forty miles, and
I was only twelve miles from
the township when he paid his
ill-timed visit. There was no doctor
within 200 miles at that time. How
ever, they held a kind of inquest, at
which the P. M. talked learnedly of
muscular contraction and sunstroke, and
was puzzled to decide whether the
brandy had anything to do with it, as
he could swear, from his own experience,
that the liquor was first-class. He
praised me more than I deserved, for I
had half a mind to run away at first.
When I am camped out even now alone
strange thoughts of that nocturnal
horseman come into my head. If any
one had told such a story to me I should
hardly have credited it. I mean
that a man should stick to his
horse in that way without any other
help than his saddle straps afforded.
His little mare was very quiet, though,
and was evidently attracted by the
sound of my horse bells. —JSiew South
Wales letter.
A sea captain was brought before a
justice in Marseilles and mercilessly at
tacked by his opponent’s lawyer. When
it length he was suffered to speak, he
*aid: “Your honor, I ask a delay of one
week in the proceedings, so that I may
find a big enough liar to answer that
nan."’ His request was granted.
SUBSCRIPTION—SI.SO.
NUMBER 36.
BITS OF INFORMATION.
One cubio foot of water measures
gallons.
Wood will furnish, when properly
burned, 16 per cent, of coal.
Senators and Representatives each
receive an annual compensation of
$5,000.
Knives were the earliest branch of
cutlery, and were first manufactured in
England in 1563.
Pliny tells us Dsedalus invented the
saw. The earliest saw-mill of which we
have record was built in Madeira in
1420.
In England and in the United States
here are 43,564 square feet to the acre,
oi Germany there are about 28,316*
square feet to the acre.
The first historical appearance of gyp
sies was found 450 years ago, or there
abouts, in the City of Luneburg, on the
Elbe. They came from Egypt.
Black is not the only color worn in
mourning. In China and Siam white is
worn, and white was also the color of
mourning among the ancient Romans.
The greatest number of vessels of war
at any time in the service of Congress,
during the Revolutionary war, was
twenty-five. Our little navy captured
over 800 vessels during 1776-77.
Thf, Gregorian calendar was adopted
by Germany in 1700, and by English
law in 1752, when the Julian calendar
gave place to the new style, by dropping
eleven days from the month of Septem
ber, that year.
yAfter the restoration of Charles 11.,
England, that King had the mean
ness to order the bodies of Cromwell,
Bradshaw and Ireton to be dragged out
of their tombs, and hanged upon the
gallows at Tyburn.
The first income tax was passed by
Congress July 1,1862, and took effect in
the year 1863. It taxed all incomes over
S6OO and under SIO,OOO, at the rate of
3 per cent., and on all over SIO,OOO it
levied a tax of 5 per cent. By an act of
March 3, 1865, the income-tax law was
amended so as to increase the 3-per-cent,
tax to 5 per cent., and the 5-per-cent,
tax on incomes over SIO,OOO was changed
to a 10-per-cent, tax upon the excess
over $5,000 income, the exemption of
S6OO remaining the same. The act was
further amended March 2, 1867, so as to
increase the exemption, then standing
at S6OO, up to SI,OOO. At the same time,
all discrimination as to the taxing of
large incomes a higher rate was abol
ished, and the tax fixed at 5 per cent,
on all incomes over SI,OOO. The act also
contained a limitation or proviso that
the taxes on incomes should be levied
and collected until, and including, the
year 1870, and no longer. The tax was
renewed for one year by act of July 14,
1870, the rate at the same time being re
duced to 2b per cent., and the exemption
increased to $2,000. The bill repealing
all income tax passed the Senate Jan.
26. 1871. and the House March 3.
Aaron Burr and Mrs. Hamilton.
When on an official visit to the United
States in 1853, I spent a day or two at
Mr. Stuart Browne’s place on the New
Jersey shore of the Hudson River, above
Hoboken. General Tayler, of Ohio, waa
another guest, and as the house was at
no great distance from the spot where
the fatal duel between Burr and Hamil
ton took place (July 12, 1804), a conver
sation arose on the event, and the char
acteristics, public and private, of the two
men. General Taylor told us that wheD
a very young man, studying at West
Point, he was one day on board a rivei
boat, and among the passengers were
Mrs. Hamilton, widow of Alexander
Hamilton, and Aaron Burr, who had re
turned to the States after his enforced
absence in Europe, in consequence of his
proved treasonable practices. Burr waa
then an old man, but still retained much
of his former confidence and manner, es
pecially with ladies. To the astonish
ment of those who knew him, on discov
ering that Mrs. Hamilton was on board
the steamboat, he approached her, took
off his hat, and bowing, said: “Mrs.
Hamilton, I believe? My name is Burr.
The effect upon the lady, now well
stricken in years, was electric. Rising
from her seat, she gathered up her dress,
as if to touch Burr with it would be con
tamination, drew herself up, and looking
at him from head to foot, swept away
with a dignity and grace worthy of her
best days, and left him standing abashed,
if he were capable of feeling so, before
the spectators. Burr replaced his hat
upon his head, and slowly moved hack
to the reat he had left purposely to make
this experiment upon the feeling*
of the widow *bf the man he had
slain, for one can not suppose that he
had any intention to apologize or explain,
since this was impossible. —Notes and
Queries. . __
The Square Man.
The square man mezzures the same
each way, and haint got no winny edges
nor shaky lumber in him. He is free
from knots and sap, and won’t warp.
He is klear stuff, and I don’t care what
yu work him up into, he won’t swell and
he won’t shrink. He iz amongst men
what good’ kil dried boards are among
carpenters, he won’t season krack. It
don’t make any difference which side uv
him yu cum up to, he is the same big
ness each way, and the only way tew
get at him, enny how, iz to face him.
He knows he iz square, and never
spends enny time tneing to prove it.
The square man is one of the beet
shaped men the world has ever produced.
He iz one of them kind ov chunks that
kant alter tew fit a spot, but you must
alter the spot to fit him. —Josh Billings.
Happiness and unhappiness are qual
ities of mind, not of place or position.