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THE LION HEART. drilling Arroitnl f Ih* klMMiy t'lgtil Mclwcph Jude* '•••• *mH Hob. Alti ■uiiti r >l. Hlaphrnaa. During Mr. Stephens’ congressional service, and pending the campaign of 1848, lie returned from Washington to Georgia, lie was fresh from the great dehates on the acquisition of California nnd New Mexico as Territories, and for having taken against the wishes of a majority of the Southern memtiers, a most prominent part in opposition to such acquisition, he was met with much ndverse criticism. Judge Cone, who was at that time one of the leading pel iticians of Georgia, was particularly severe in his comments upon Mr. Ste pliens’ action, and was rejiorted as hav ing publicly denounced him as a traitor to the South. Hardly luvd Mr. Stephens reached his home when these and similar re ports were conveyed to him. At first he did not credit them, but ns one kind friend after another informed him that Cone had culled him a traitor, and ad vised, in true Southern spirit, that he owed it to himselt to demand what is called “ satisfaction,” the fires of pug- nacity in his nature, which are always smouldering, blazed up, and he declar ed that if Judge Cone would admit having called him a traitor to the South he would “ slap his face.” Not long after this lie met the Judge at a numer ously attended Whig gathering, and going up to him, quietly said : ‘‘Judge Cone, 1 have been told that yon, for reasons of you own, have de nounced me. as a traitor to the South, and I take this opportunity of asking you if such rejHjrts are true ?” “ No, sir,” w r as Cone's reply, “ they are not true.” “I am very glad to hear you say so,” said Mr. Stephens cordially, and in the same friendly tone -continued: “Of course I do not desire to he in any way offensive to you, Judge Cone, hut in order that we may Itave no further mis understanding through the misrepre sentation of others, I think it right, to tell you that I have said I would slap your face if you admitted having used the language attributed to you.” Upon this the Judge again disowned having spoken disrespectfully of Mr. Stephens, and so for the time the affair ended. It, was the sotueet of mneh discussion all over tlie State, and the general verdict was that Cone, a very powerful man, by the way, had shown the white feather to “ Little Aleck Stephens” In such a community, no public man resting under such a charge could hope either for political prefer ment or popular respect. Cone, of course, knew this, and very much heat ed and annoyed by the comments which were being made upon him, wrote to Mr. Stephens demanding an immedi: te and public retraction of bis threat. In reply, Air. Stephens wrote that the threats of slapping the Judge’s face had been made contingent upon the truth of reports regarding him which he (Cone) had pronounced to be untrue, and that such being the case, there could be no cause for offense or angry feeling on either side. Unfortunately, this letter was not received by Cone. Three or four days after it was written, however, he met Mr. Stephens on the piazza of a hotel in Atlanta, and dis regarding that gentleman’s friendly greeting, said in a very offensive tone: • Mr. Stephens, I demand that yon make an immediate retraction of your threats regarding me.” Sick and weak though lie was. Alex ander H. Stephens could allow no one to speak to him in the fashion describ ed. Cone was a very giant in size and muscular development, yet the frail man whom he addressed, with aggra vating politeness and without hesita ting a moment, replied. “ Pardon me, sir, I have already written you fully on that subject; I must decline to discuss it further.” “ Am I to take this-as your answer?” asked Cone excitedly. “ It is the only answer I have to give you,” was the calm reply. “ Then I denounce you as a misera ble little traitor!” said Cone, mad with excitement. The last word had hardly left his lips, when a light cane, wielded by the quick hand of the man he had iusulted, left’its red scar across his cheek. Wild with pain and passion, without a word, he drew a keen pointed dirk knife and made one thrust at his weak little adversary's heart. Instantly as he did so, however, Stephens, seizing a stout umbrella which he held in his left hand, interposed it as a defense, and was able, for a moment, to hold him at arm’s length. The knife fell short of its mark. Once more it was thrust at The H artavell Sun. By BENSON & McGILL. VOL. IV—NO. ','o. Stephens, cutting a deep gash in his arm, but reaching no vital point; 18 times it cut deep into his breast, arms and body, but still he did not fall. I hen lie could hold on no longer. No courage, no spirit, however firm ami unyielding, could long withstand such an attack. Cone was determined to to finish his work, lie threw all his 'jrreat weight against the nmbrella which held him away from the man he had determined to kill. It broke; Steph ens, half fainting fell upon his back. Ihe giant Cone was at his throat in a moment; his head, by a grip of iron. was held against the cruel floor; the keen and blood-dripping knife was held aloft before him ready for the last fatal thrust but still the poor pale face of the little hero was set and defiant—his black eyes still flashed undauntedly. “ Retract or I’ll cut your cursed throat!” “Cut! 11l never retract!” gasped the almost lifeless Stephens. Like a flash the knife came down. With almost superhuman elfort the prostrate'jnan caught it in his right hand ! Clean through the muscles, ten dons, and bones of the hand it cut. then stuck fast and reached no vital part. With desperate strength, Cone tried to wrench it free. With a grasp almost of death, the horribly mangled and mutilated band held it fast. In the struggle Stephens was once more dragged to his feet; the blood was gushing in streams from his many wounds; his bol l upon the knife which sought his brave heart began to relax ; lie was dying. But even when lie be lieved the next moment would be his last, strong men came to his rebel. Hie madman Cone was secured and held fast. Then quickly the wounds which Mr. Stephens had received were examined* Ff. WOO “ 1 • etrated to within a sixteenth of an inch of his heart. An intercostal artery had been cat. The doctors declared that he would surely die. Happily their pre lictions were not verified. His life was saved by the tfn remitting care of a surgeon, his devoted friend, who, as good fortune would have it, happened to lie in the city at the time. When he recovered, with a magnanimity' of which few men are capable, even of under standing, be refused to prosecute Cone, and that person, instead of getting his deserts in a dark cell of a state prison, was fined SI,OOO, and with his “ honor vindicated,” was allowed to go free. To this day Mr. Stephens speaks of him in terms of consideration and for giveness. Not long ago, referring to the terrible struggle I have attempted to describe, and showing me the great hole in his mangled hand, he said, with a quiet and far away look in his dark eyes: “Poor Cone! I’m sure he’d be sorry if lie knew what trouble I have to write with these stiff fingers of mine.” She Had Him. A Quaker shop keeper once met a Quaker customer of his going hofhe with her bundles. lie had been absent from his place, and had a notion iu his head thas she had been trading with a rival whom he did not very much love. “ How much did thee give a yard for this, Mary?” “ One dollar.” “ Why, lam surprised at thee ! I could have let thee have it for seventy five cents. And how much for this?” “ Two dollars.” “ Why, that was unreasonable. I could have let thee have it for 81.50. Why will thee go away trading with strangers and the world's people, Mary? “ I don’t know what thee is talkiug about, friend John,” she said ; but I did buy these things at thy store, and if thee says the truth, thee must owe me considerable money.” phonograph: The youthful, rose budish-lonking editor of the Madisonian blushed clear back behind his auricles the other evening, because a gentleman friend remarked in the presence of some ladies, iu speaking of the weather, that the wind had shifted. Such an innate sense of delicacy of feeling is rarely found in the profession which he so ably illustrates, HARTWELL, GA.. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1880. BURIAL OF PERSONS ALIVE. Chieago 1 n(rrM)ctmn. “ All, merciful God!” piously ex claims Camillo, “how many livingpcn and women are annually taken tothoir graves !" Were it possible to get at the truth the victims in this country alone might be numbered by many scores—possibly by hum! reds. Mr. G. Eric Mackay, in the current num- ber of Belgravia, gives a very interest ing article on the subject of “ Prema ture Burials,” in which he points out how difficult it is to discern the differ ence between death and a case of trance—indeed, lie goes so far as to claim that the ditrerence has never been quite clearly understood by the generality of mankind. The article calls attention to several instances of premature burials on the (ffntinent of Europe; instances which involve sto ries of trance, the semblance of death holding Us sway over the human body for hours and days and not merely for minutes, as in the case of ordinary fainting fits. In his opening remarks the writer says ; “ In days when land is dear, and burial rights less sacred than the rights of builders and contractors, coffins have been opened with the pickaxe, in the act of converting cemeteries intostreets and gardens. Here a grave has been discovered whose inmate has turned in its shroud ; here a corpse clutching its hair in a strained and unnatural condi tion ; dead men and dead women lying in their graves as the dead never lie in a Christian land at the moment, of burial.” Mr. Mackay gives an account of a young and beautiful women who, it is supposed, died of over excitement at the prospect of being married. When t J‘ wasW" on the inside. The coffin was unscrew ed, but tpo late. The girl was found in an attituHe’of horror and pain impos sible to describe —her eyes wide open, her teeth clem h?d, her hands clutching tier hair, but life was extinct. An in stance showing the utter depravity of the Italian undeitakers and grave-dig gers is given in which they actually tried to snatch the body of a lady from her friends, one of whom thought she was not dead. As they were about to drag it from the bed the “ dead body ” moaned, and soon afterward was thor oughly revived by a medical practicion er of the neighborhood, and lived to tell the story of her escape from the tomb. A learned Cardinal incurred the displeasure of the King, and on being rebuked fell to the ground, to all appearance, dead. It was decided that the unfortunate Cardinal should be em balmed, but when the surgeons began their operations the patient awoke, but too late, for the wounds were mortal. A case is given in which a young lady arose out of he* coffin and appear- ed before the family at supper, “pale and frightened, but fair to see as be fore death.” The doctor, the priest, and the undertaker saw the error of their way, but the priest alone made amends by. officiating at the young lady’s wedding a year after he had reached her funeral sermon. Petrarch, when a middle-aged man, lay twenty hours in a trance, and narrowly escaped being buried itllve. We have often heard the story of the Consul’s wife, who was buried alive and released from her painfdl position by robbers, who broke open the coffin to steal the lady’s jewelry. Among the other stories of resuscitated victims of apparent death, is one of an old gentleman who was revived by one of his skeptical friends putting a burning taper to his nose, llis life was saved but the sad story of bis escape from the very jaws of death was ever afterward told by the scarred and crimson beacon on his face. A number of stories are given of the revival of hospital patients after they have been carried out to the dead house. This seems a very common occurrence in Europe. Two of the most terrible statements are of children being born in the tomb, one of whom, according to Mr. Mackny, being discovered by a lucky incident lived to be a man, and occupied for several years the post of Lieutenant-General on the frontiers of Devoted to Hart County. truth was discovered. It is impossible to prolong the list of examples, but enough has been already to show the wickedness of hasty funerals, and the necessity of estab lishing a proper system of tests. Does it ever occur to the minds of Ameri cans that funerals are often conducted very quickly in this country, as well as in Tfaly and the warm countries of Eu rope > It Is diSßhtful if the bodies of peojJleJwho live in the tene ment houses of our large cities are ex amined very closely before they are in terred; it is doubtful if the greatest eare is exercised in this matter in the rural districts, where good physicians cannot be at the death beds of sick persons, apd where tick and poor alike are often instrusted to doctors who are neither famous fyr learningor intuition. Ilie writer in Belgravia iis ifcclinod to think that onej of? the nels of‘the world is a simple test ami not a com plicated serie* of tests, which would be out of the resell of the poor and be yond the power of inexperienced or badly-paid doctors. It will be reas suring to have that test as soon as pos sible. Fiflif Dot ween a Cat mid a Snake. Sumter Republican. A gentleman who witnessed the fol lowing, gave us the particulars. About three Weyk&.W'whirhijr .Utp. beautiful siiUO-V the trees to bud and Liloon, j n . was walking ill my garden one morn ing, thinking about preparing for an early start for spring vegetables, when I saw a large rattlesnake sunning. My first impulse was to go to the house, get a gun and kill it, but looking around I saw a very large house cat cautiously creeping upon the reptile. Anticipa ting a fight, and equally desirous of the death of the cat, which killed chickens, I concluded to witness his attack upon the snake. The cat crawled upon its stom ach, pulling along on its feet, whisking its tail from side to side, and every now and then stretching its neck to view the snake. When about eight or ten feet olf the snake suddenly coiled up, sprung its rattle, faced the cat and darted its forked tongue out rapidly. The cat commenced a rapid cii*Cle around the snake ; so fast in fact that the eye could hardly keep up with it. At last it got.near enough and made a dart at its enemy, but through provi dential reasons, it went high above the snake which also struck at the cat, thus breaking its coil. • The cat went too far, and by thfe time it had turned to face its foe, the reptile was again coil and ready for the attack. The same method was adopted and carried on for four or five times, occupying at least half an hour. The cat wished M catch the snake but seemed aware that if it missed the neck it would be certain death. At the sixth assault they met, and instantly, the snake was wrapped in several folds around the body of the cat, which used its sharp claws with deadly effect. The cat had been bitten on the bead and neck several times, and both continued to fight. The snake was torn nearly to shreds, but did not unloose its coil around its victim. The poison was swift and deadly, but be fore the cat died it caught the snake’s heat! in its mouth and crushed it, and fighting they died, the snake enwrap ping the cat in its coils. The snake measured four feet eight inches and had thirteen rattles. Cherez. Several instances are given of per sons who have been cognizant ot what, was going on atmijtfl them, yet power less to stop their burial. One case is given of a schoolmaster who, had it not been for the arrival of a sister, would have been buried nlive. 'flic passion- of the sister caused the eye lidSof the deceaseifto quiver, and the A little Woodstock, Conn., miss had long desired a sister tor a playmate, and having been taught to ask God for ev erything, she asked him for a sister, tel ling her mother she would do the pray- ing if she would make the clothes. Af ter praying several nights and getting a little impatient that her request was not granted, she said one night: “ O Lord, send mo a little sister right away. If 81.50 Per Annum. von haven’t got a white one, send me n black one." This same little girl anus corrected by her mother the other day for being naughty. ” Well, I can’t help it,” she said; *• when you prayed forme why didn’t you pray for a better girl?" Advice to Newspaper Correspondents, First, and most important: Deal onlv in facts, nnd only such facts as come under the head of news. Use the simplest words, or at least only such as you can spell and know Imw to use. Remember that you uro writin ,r for the entire county ; that it is not quail tity but quality that is wanted—that is, the news furnished should bo of a na ture to interest the general public. It will be seen that the general public do not care to know that, the Squirts boys have bud their heads shaved, to bo in stylo, or that Deacon Snille's new pig pen is rapidly "approaching comple tion.” The public want meat. Don’t hurt, anybody’s feelings if you can help it. If you do, and the other fellow comes out in a “ card,” don’t you fly off the handle and try fo get even. Nobody cares. Never try to be funny. Never! The country is now groaning under the weight of about 0,000 “humorous” writers. Besides nothing is drearier than a labored attempt at humor'. Be funny only when you are so by ncci dent. When you know a good joke on any body, tell it if you want to, and it will not make him an mv. If you arc afraid to tell it, don’t insinuate. Never in sinuate ! Avoid prolixity or diffuscuess. Pro lixity degenerates into redundancy, than which nothing is more ridiculous. Call tilings by their right names. A cow is a cow ; but a cow- is not a bo is tint a ten fie, mu a t*og ea These words are adjectives, and it is altogether wrong to use them ns nouns. Remember that. In itemizing it is not necessary to in dulge in introductory and commentary. State the fact at once and—stop ! Avoid personalities, and ypn will get along very well uptil next lesson. Tlie Same Old Story. The Oxford graduate was showing his sister over his room in college, when so ml: one knocked at flic door. Sup posing that it was one of his friends, and not wishing to lie chaffed, he hid her behind the curtains, and admitted an elderly gentleman, who apologized profusely for his intrusion, and excused himself by saying that it was inauv years since he had been at Oxford, and he could not leave without paying a visit* to his dear old college, and the old rooms lie luql occupied as a student. “ Ah,” cried the old gentleman, look ing ar< u k', “ tlie same old s< f.i! yes, and the same old carpet —everything tlie same!” Then, walking into the bed-room, ho remarked : ” Yes, and the same old bod ! and the same old washstand ! Yes, everything the same.” Presently lie stepped toward the cur tairts, and remarked, ” Ah, and the sameohl curtains!” Looking round he beheld the young lady, and turning round, lie said : ‘‘Ah, you young dog! and the same old game!” “ lint,” hastily replied the other grad uate, ‘‘that young lady is my sister.” To which the reply came, “Yes, I know, and the same old story !” Little Henry returns from catechism. He wears an air of melancholy. “ What is the matter, dear,” asks aunt Augusta. “ Monsieur de Cure is always scolding me. To-day he asked me how many Gods there were.” “ Well, you told him only one I suppose?” “Oh, aunty! told him five, and even that many die not satisfy him !” “ A senses taker,” said the old lady ; “ waal tliar’s me an’ Jeremiah, an’ Sa rah Ann, an’ that’s all, ’cept Jim, an’ he's a fool an’ ain’t got no senses to take.” Man’s inhumanity to woman makes countless thousands crawl out of a warm bed to kindle a fire these cool mornings, while they roll over and take another 1 snooze. WHOLE NO. !*•_>. CALLING THE DOCTOR. BuMmort .1 mcn>nn. The otlver morning as u belated member of the Owl Club was steering home through the dense fog, which tire writer is reliably informed hangs over this city at 3 a. m., he passed a boii'C on Mission street, where resided a well know n physician. The vestibule of this residence was open, and on its side tl e dim rays of tho moon, s'rigglirg through the gloom produced by the efforts of the City Gas Company, ant} I inclosed the mouth of an acoustic tube, underneath which was the inscription. “ Whistle for Dr. Potts/’ Not wishing to be disobliging nlwut -o small a mutter, the Ow l stumbled up the steps, and, steadying himself, up against the wall, blew into the pipe with all the .strength of his lungs. The physician, who was awakened by the resultant shrill whistle near his head, arose, nnd after wondering at tho singular odor of whisky in tho bed-room, groped his way to the tube and shouted, •* Well?” “Glad to know you’re well,” was tho reply; “but being a doctor, I s'jiose you ean keep well at cost price, can’t you?” “ " hat do you want?” said tlai man of pills, not caring to joke in the airy nothing of his night gown. “ " ell, said the party at the other end of the tube, after a niotffent’s medi tation, ‘‘Oh! by the way, are you young Potts, or old Potts?” “ I am Dr. Potts —there, is no young Potts.” “ Not dead, I hope?" “ There never was any. I have do son." “ Then yofi arc young Potts and old Potts, too. Dear, dear, how singular.” “ What, thj do you want?” snap ped the doctor, who was beginning to feel ns if his legs were a pair of elonga ted icicles. You know old Mrs. I'cavine, who lives in the next block?” “ \ es. Is she sick? What’s the matter?” “ Do you know her nephew, too —Bill Briggs 5” “ Yes. Well ?” “ Well, lie went up to Bridgeport shooting this morning, and .” *- • ’ 1 > i -fc t. . rr i.i “ No, he’s all right; but he got sixty two ducks—eighteen of ’em mallards. I thought you might like to hear it.” And the joker lning on to the nozzle, and laughed like a hyena digging up a missionary. “ I say,” came down from the exas perated M. I)., “that’s a jolly joke, my friend. Won’t you take something?” “ What?” said the surprised humorist, pausing for breath. “ Why, take something, 'l ake this.’ And before the disgusted funny man could withdraw his mouth, a hastily compounded mixture of ink, ipecac and assafelida, squirted from the pipe and deluged him fr< m head to foot, about a pint monopolizing his shirt front and collar. And while ho danced frantically around, sponging himself off with his handkerchief, and swearing like a pi rate in the hist act, he could hear an angel voice from above sweetly mur mur: “Have some more? No? Well, good night, (mine again soon, you fun ny dog, you. Bv-hy.” Remembered Exactly. A lying witness will often tell a very glib story, but he generally fails to guard all his weak points. At a recent trial in court the following took place in at- tempting to prove an alibi: “ You say that Elias plowed for you all day on the 20th of November?” ask ed the attorney. Witness, referring to his book, “ A es.” “ What did he do on the 30th?” “ He chopped wood.” “ On the 31st?” “That was Sunday, and we went out squirrel-hunting.” “ What did lie do on the 3‘2d?” “ He thrashed wheat on that day.” “ What did he do on the 33d?” “It was raining, and he shaved out some handles.” “ What did he do on the 34th?” “ He chopped wood.” “ What did he do on the ?” But before the question could he fin ished, the witness’ wife seized him bv the collar and whisked him outside of the witness-box,yelling in his affrighted ear: , . “ You ohl fool! don’t you know that there are only thirty-one days in the month of November?” February, May and October of this year will each contain five Sundays.