Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

W t=j 02 COUNTY HERALD. VOL. IV. Two Ilards. A bard who wrote in staves Once made a henthen hymn. It had this stern refrain, And moved as though in pain, “The underthonght of graves Makes the sea grim.” A south-land singer sung With happy heart anil free; The living, not the dead, He dealt with, and he said, “The world is glad nnd young, And good to me." And over since mankind Is shuttled back and forth Between these siugers twain Of glad and sad refrain: The south-laud warm and kind, The bitter north. —[Richard E. Burton, in Harper’s Weekly. DETECTING A R0GIJE. BY LAWRENCE LESLIE. One of the cleverest feats in the de¬ tection, pursuit and capture of crimi¬ nals that has been developed for years was performed by an officer of the New York detective police force somo years since. About that time the officers of tho City Bank of New York discovered that they had been swindled out of $75,000 by means of a forged chock for that amount, purported to have been drawn by Commodore Yander. bill. Nearly a month passed before the fraud was discovered, and in the meantime several other checks for large amounts, drawn by the same party, had been honored; so it was almost impossible for &nv of tho bank officials to remember with satisfactory distinctness any of the circumstances connected with ihe payment of the fraudulent document. However, it was placed in the hands of a shrewd detective, and lie went to work to find a clew and trace out the mystery. The officer’s first suspicion was that 6ome of the clerks of the banks had been in collusion with 4 doubtless shared crime. After two w t the character, habits and as». ciations of the various clerks, that theory was abandoned, and it only remained for him to gather from them, if possible, some clew, however slight, of the bold operator. Ilis first inquiry was if any one, not in the habit of presenting ihecks, had been doing so Avithin the past month. Only ttvo of the clerks had any memory on the subject, and theirs was of the most shadowy and unsatisfactory character. One remem¬ bered seeing a stout, elderly man driving a strikingly beautiful black horse and fine carriage up to the bank, enter the office,, and transact some bus¬ iness, he kueiv not Avliat, and depart, since which he had not seen him. The other clerk, after a thorough examination, and a multitude of questions put to assist or quicken his memory, at last concluded that he did recollect a strange man, who entered the bank one day about the time the forged check was presented, and had a draft cashed for a large amount. A peculiarity in the man’s neck-tie at¬ tracted his attention, and he looked him full in the face, and retained a vivid recollection of every feature. He was an amateur artist, and especi¬ ally expert in pen-drawing. Taking a sheet of paper and an old pen Avhich was lying upon tho desk, he quickly produced a portrait, Avhich he de¬ clared to be a good likeness of the man he suspected. The officer did not look upon these clews, if such they might bo called, as promising much hope of success. He first exhibited the drawing to the clerk who had seen the suspected rogue drive up with the fine black horse, and he confidently identified it. Here at last was some encourage¬ ment. The first attempt was to trace the horse and carriage, and discover who owned or who had hired such a rig. The effort was unsuccessful; the officer, however, avus convinced that the man, whoever he might be, was an admirer of fasI; and stylish horses, and he therefore commenced a search among the establishments devoted to the stabling and sale of such animals, hoping that he would find some one who could identify the parties. After going to nearly all such es¬ tablishments, exhibiting the portrait, he came upon a man Avho recognized in the drawing one William Liviug- eton, whom he had known a year or two, but who had disappeared within the past month, after paying up some pld debts and buying one or two fancy “We Seek the Reward of Honest Labor.” JASPER, PICKENS COUNTY, GA , ♦ THURSDAY. MAY 21, 1891. horses. Further inquiry brought out the faci that Livingston was in very straightened circumstances but a few months previously, and bow he could honestly obtain the means to pay his old debts and gratify his love for horseflesh was not 60 clear, and gave fresh encouragement to the persever¬ ing detective. To follow Livingston was necessary, but how could lie be traced? He had disappeared, and no one knew when or whither. What, then was to be done? Should the trail be abandoned and the case given up as one of the mysteries that baffled solution? Never, said the indefatigable officer, and he went to work with desperate energy to unravel the tangled skein. He finally reached the following conclusions: The perpetrator of the forgery was Livingston; ho was a good deal of a horse-fancier, and would doubtless spend a considerable portion of his dishonest gains in the purchase of fine stock; and, further, that the stock would be purchased in New York, as that market promised a better selection, and the criminal con¬ sidered himself entirely safe from de¬ tection. The first step, therefore, was to learn if any one had recently made any extensive purchases of such stock, and if so, to run them down and see who they were. For weeks the search was without reward, but at last the case brightened. A man was found, of whom several horses had been purchased by a man much resembling Livingston, but here giving the name of Peck. The horses were shipped to Buffalo, whither “Mr. Peck” stated thdt he was going. Here was a long-sought clew, and the officer lost no time in visiting Buffalo, to learn further of Mr. Peck’s present abode, Another disappoint- ment met him here. The freight v ’’s showed that the horses had been ed f' or three months pre- y anu .uken away, but nothing further was known concerning them or Mr. Peck. Nothing daunted, however, the in¬ quiry was pursued, and finally the horses were traced to a stable, but were now owned by a Mr. Welch. Several other animals were purchased, and the whole then shipped to Chi¬ cago. From the description, the officer was convinced that Livingston, Peck and Welch were one and the same person, and the pursuit began to wax interesting. Arriving at Chicago, he found that the horses had been taken away, but the most careful inquiry revealed nothing more. As they had not been reshipped, the officer concluded they had been driven into the country. There were some mares among tho stock, and lie concluded that the party, whoever lie was, designed to open a stock farm. Finding all other attempts to trace the horses vain, be attempted to learn if any farm suitable for such a purpose had been purchased recently, and if so, by whom. At one of the real estate agencies he found that a man from the East,named William Livingston, had been looking for such a place, and had finally pur¬ chased one, but where was not known, certainly not in Cook County, as an examination of the records proved; but the officer reasoned that it could not be far from Chicago,' as the stock was apparently driven instead of being shipped. If, reasoned the officer, Livingston, who was without doubt the criminal, has purchased a farm of this charac¬ ter, he must buy a large quantity of tools, harness, saddles, wagons, and like goods for its use. A careful search among dealers in those articles revealed the fact that a liberal quanti¬ ty of such goods had recently been bought by a Mr. William Livingston, and sent to Du Page County, about forty miles from Chicago, where he had bought four small farms and con¬ solidated them into one handsome stock farm. Believing detection im¬ possible after the lapse of %o long a time, he had boldly taken his own name, and, though almost within the clutch of the officer of justice, was yet entirely unconscious of his danger. The game was found—now for its capture. Taking four or five police officers from Chicago, all in citizens’ clothes, the party went out to the farm, and inquired for William Livington. The “elderly, short, stout gentleman,” who had figured so conspicuously in the officer’s search, appeared, and the correctness of the pen and ink sketch impressed the officer as remarkablo. The party represented themselves as from Chicago, who, having heard of his farm, and come down to see for themselves, and perhaps purchase some of his choice stock. They wore cordially received, hos¬ pitably entertained, shown over tho place, and finally dined and wined in the spacious mansion. On rising from the table the New York officer remarked: “Well, Mr. Livingston, do you like this place and this quiet life as well as life in New York.” % The man was startled,looked sharply at the officer and answered: “What do you mean? I was never in New York in all my life.” (i Well, then,” retorted the officer, “you will have an excellent opportu¬ nity to go there. William Livingston, I arrest you!” Livingston turned as pale as a ghost, and gasped out: ‘What for!” “For the forgery of a check on the City Bauk of New York for $75,000,” replied the officer, drawing a pair of handcuffs from his pocket, and ad¬ vancing toward him. “Stop, sir!” exclaimed the culprit “Stop, sir! This is an outrage,” and he glanced around the room for some weapon Avith which he could defend himself. He was quickly surrounded, however, and tho irons fastened upon him. For a time he raged furiously, mak¬ ing fearful threats against his captors; but the storm soon spent itself, and he was able to talk over the matter calm- ly. He represented that a relative, who had recently died, had left him o considerable sum of money, with which ho had purchased the farm and stock. On searching him, however, a roll of bills amounting to $10,000 was found in an inner pocket, nuny of them being entirely new, and on the City Bank—the very notes Avhich had been paid out on the fraudulent check some months before. After this dis¬ covery he was more quiet, and Avill- ingly accompanied his captor to Nets York. 1 lie cash found on his person, the farm and stock Averc taken possession of by the victimized bank, and man¬ aged so judiciously that more than $05,000 was realized, leaving the bank a sufferer for less than $10,000. Livingslon was soon after brought to trial, convicted, and escaped with a sentence of four years and a half. At the expiration of his sentence he went West, and Avlien last heard from Avas opening a small stock farm in Iowa. The case in all its phases ranks among the most curious and interest¬ ing in criminal annals. The slight clew so perseveringly followed, tho little incidents Avhich pointed so uner¬ ringly toAvard the culprit, and the sa¬ gacity Avith Avhich all these little hints Avere folloAved to the end, places the detective art among the most notable and useful of the sciences.— [New York Weekly. A Maltese Dog. A rival to the Maltese cat is the Maltese dog, an irresistible bit of canine beauty Avhich comes straight from the Paris kennels. His mistress, a Washington belle, who has but just returned from abroad, considers him the most valuablo prize she has secured during her wanderings. He has been dubbed Marquis, and is thoroughly French from tho top of his curly white head to the tip of his snowy tail. Spoken to in French he becomes a most obedient dog, but his knowledge of English is at present very limited.— [New Orleans Picayune. Kept His Appointment. Mrs. Blifkins (time, midnight) — Horrors! husband! husband! I hear some one burroAving through the wall! Mr. Blifkins—Well! well! It must be that book agent. I knetv we’d all be in bed bv 11 o’clock and I told him to call at half-past.—[GoodNews. Vegetable Diet. Jones—That’s all nonsense about eating meat being injurious to health. My ancestors for hundreds of years ate meat. Vegetarian—Yes, and where are they now? Dead, ain’t they?—[Texas Siftings. HOME OF THE MAFIA. Traits Observed Among Sicilians in Their Native Land. They Rely Upon Themselves to Right Private Wrongs. The last British Consular report from Sicily remarks that there are dark shades in tho Sicilian character which contrast with the simplicity by which one might imagine the people to be wholly possessed. They can be deceitful, reticent, malicious and vin¬ dictive; petty thefts and robberies are not.uncommon; it is said also that in gratitudo they are sometimes wholly deficient. It is significant that to be “scaltro” (cunningly clever) is with them a meritorious quality, and that advantageous lying is regarded with favor even in children. Owing to the spirit of “mafia” and “omerta,” which pervades all Sicily, they combine to hide each other’s mis¬ deeds, and in the case of robbery, and even assassination, it is generally im¬ possible to get evidence against the wrong-doers, even from the victims themselves. There is a secret under¬ standing among all that no one shall assist the legal authorities in their ef¬ forts to bring criminals to justice, and the Sicilian, as a rule, relies on himself and on his friends for obtaining retri¬ bution for private wrongs, and every one who transgresses this unwritten law has to fear the vendetta of his neighbors. One of the most disagreeable traits in their character is excessive cruelty to animals of which travelers in Sicily frequently have seen revolting in¬ stances. When remonstrated with on account of this they simply shrug their shoulders and say: “What matters? They arc not baptized.” They cannot comprehend that any creature has any claim to consideration the outside pale of the Church. Frightful raws in horses and donkeys go unnoticed, and are fed on by flies; deep holes are plugged with tow, and lame animals are made to work with heavy loads as though nothing was the matter with them. As for relieving a horse or a donkey of a heavy burden going up hill, such a thing never enters their heads. To see a country cart crammed with people behind a horse which can gcarccly Btagger under its heavy load, and to observe that no one ever en¬ deavors to relieve the poor animal in the most difficult passage is a common occurrence. Live poultry is carried to the market slung on pack saddles, or carried by pedestrians from tho hand, by the legs. The birds keep their heads up as long as strength en¬ dures, till at last they can do so no longer, and die a painful death by a rush of blood to the head. Children are, it is said, taught cruelty to animals from infancy, for one of the common¬ est sights in town and country is to see children playing with newly caught robin redbreasts and goldfinches, which they held tied by the leg with a string, and pull back when the poor bird attempts to fly. Another defect in the character and habits of the Sicilian peasant is lack of cleanliness. But in spile of all these the general demeanor and habits of the Sicilian are so pleasing that one feels inclined to regard his deficien¬ cies with much leniency.—[London Times. - Forgot to Slide Down. The primitive knotted rope firc- jscape has done some service at hotel fires, but one must know how to handle it, just as he must know how to handle a lobster. One of the guests of a hotel that burned last week tied one end of the rope to the bed post and leaped out of the window with the other end in his hand. When he reached the ground, which lie did in about the tenth of a second, he must have been greatly pleased to discover that he might have fallen ten feet fur¬ ther without taking up all the slack.— [Hotel Mail. The Whale’s Latent Power. An English naturalist who has been out to see the whale in his native pastures estimates that a full-grown whale, driving ahead at fall speed, could break down any break-water ever built, and that the sweep of his lower jaw is equal to the foree of a thirty horse-power engine working at full speed.--[Detroit Free Press. Peculiarities of Seven Children. People of Munson claim to liavo among them tho queerest family as to physical peculiarity in the wholo country. Jacob Biers, a farmer in modcrato circumstances, has seven children. Tho oldest is sixteen, a bright boy, but having thirteen lingers and thirteen loos—sevon on one hand and six on tho other, his toes being similarly divided. Next to him is another boy, fourteen years old. As long iis this boy is quiet no one would suspect lie had any peculiarity, but tho moment lie opens his mouth to talk ho logos all control of his hands, arms, feet and legs, and they jerk and thrash And kick around as if they were hung on wires. The boy is as slow of speech as his limbs are active, and in answering a simple question it is no uncommon thing for his logs to have carried him a rod or more away beforo lie is able to articulate yos or no. The boy does not seem to mind his affliction, and not only does not hesitate to respond, or try to, when he is addressed, but is always ready to begin a conversation on the slightest excuse. He can be seen almost any day arguing with or explaining some point to some com¬ panion, who is kept constantly busy either in avoiding the involuntary kicks or blows of the boy’* sprightly feet or hands in following him briskly to keep the run of the subject The third child is a girl, who is a hunchback and a dwarf. She is twelve years old. A boy next to her is deaf and dumb. The fifth child has a bright red birthmark encircling her neck like a piece of flannel, It is an inch and a half wide. The other two children are twins, three months old —a boy and a girl. Tho boy’s head is covered with hair enough for a grown person, while the girl twin hasn’t tho sign of a hair upon the head, the little poll being as white and shiny as a bil¬ liard ball. The girl is fat and the boy lean. Whe the boy laughs the little girl cries lustily, and* when” 5 sister is merry tho boy sheds tears utifl yells. children is Every one of these seven handsome and mentally bright. Mrs. Iliers is a fine-looking Avoman, and her husband is sound physically and mentally. — [Philadelphia Inquirer. A Lake with Petrifying Properties. A Avriter in Donahue’s Magazine tells of a st-range lake in Irolahd, Avliose waters have the power of petri¬ fying any substance that may bo put into it. Of course it is understood that petrifaction is not the actual turn¬ ing of a substance into stone, but that the material of stone, dissolved in water, is deposited in its cells where it hardens. A stone is made upon the model of the substance petrified as a casting is made by filling a mold. An English firm, a * well-known cut¬ lery house, heard of this lake, and at once sent a man to examine it. He selected several pieces of hard wood, and having tied Aveights to them, plunged them in to tho lake, and marked their location by small buoys. In two weeks, lie returned and took up tAVO pieces, which lie found to bo partly petrified. Two weeks afler- Avard the rest Avas taken up, and each piece of hard wood was hard as flint, petrified through. Then the firm made experiments with the wood in the different stages of petrifaction, and discovered that unusually excellent razor hones could be manufactured from it. These hones are noAV a famous product of the firm, but the razor-sharpening Avorld little knows that tho stone is, so to speak, wood, petrified in a few weeks in tho largest of the Irish lakes. In several ancient histories there is veference made to tho “hard, woody stone,” which was taken from the bot¬ tom of Lough Neagh for spear and ar¬ row-heads by the early Irish. So that, although Irishmen today arc unaware of the useful peculiarity of their “big lough,” those of ten and fifteen cen¬ turies ago knew it well, and utilized it. In the museum of Trinity College, Dublin, can be seen several of these spear and arrow-heads made centuriei ago. _ Not So Difficult, After All. DashaAvay—Just look atMi68 Jasper. She lias a dress for every day in the week. Cleverto*—How the mischief can her father afford it? DashaAvay—Easy enough. It’s the same dress.—[Cloak Review. NO. 29. In Quietness Is Strength. Cleanse, cleanse your soul from sin and •oil, And poetry will in it grow; Quell in it greed and lmte’s turmoil, And music from Its depths will flow. Still, still In tranquil mood advance, From everchangefjl scene to scene; Atoms and molecules may dance, But man should hold a constant mien. Mad, inad, my masters, is the age. It plunges down, like Phreton’s team; Consumed by fear and lust and rage, We have forgotten how to dream. Less, less tho golden store he mine, So that I may have quiet hours In which to train my cottage vine And pick the priceless wayside flowers. — [The Academy. HUMOROUS. An ico bill may be cool, but it is no always collected. When is a window like a star? —When it’s a skylight. Teacher—Freddy, how >s tho earth divided? Freddy — Between them that’s got it and them that wants it. Here’s a remarkable case. The other day a wagon-maker who has been dumb for years picked up a hub and spoke. The Squire—Good morning, Miss Violet. Bent on an errand of mercy? Miss Violet (tho rector’s daughter)— Oh, no! I am just taking a few little pies of my own making round to the cottagers. ' Aged Husband—I understand you were engaged to him before we were married? Young Wife—Yes, but he’s single yet, and there’s certainly no barm in his asking how your cough is getting along. “Has she no pride—no self-respect? How can she permit that fellow to smoke while they are promenading on the avenue?” “Oh, that’s Charley Van Ninny, and she’s afraid people wouldn’t know it’s a man.” Gadsby—Those three dude sons of Van Nostrand cost him about $6000 a year. Miss Caustique—Then he has bten putting a good deal of money into real estate. “How’s that?” “He is spending $6000 a year on a vacant lot.” A gentleman had just succeeded in saving a big clothing merchant from drowning. ‘ • Ah, ” remarked he, grate¬ fully, “I soe, in rescuing me, you have ruined your clothes. Permit mo to hand you my business card. Ten thou¬ sand of the best suits in tho city from $10 upwards.” His Idea of Heaven: He had been telling stories and spinning yarns with great vivacity and emphasis that made them audible throughout the car for an hour and a half, and then turned to the gentleman in tho next scat, asking: “What is your idea of a perfeet heaven, sir.” “An impossible place, where every old story will be told to a new audience!” Silence reigned supreme until Springfield was reached. A Strange Punishment. True to the well-known motto of E Pluribus Unum on the armorial hearing of our country, the navy ii composed of tho descendants of many nationalities; and in the future, as in the past, these adopted sons of Uncle Sam will, undoubtedly, point the guns of his cruisers to the confusion of his enemies. But it happens that they are not seldom addressed in language at once abusive and contemptuous by the thoughtless and ignorant. I recol¬ lect, some years ago, a strange punish¬ ment being dealt out to one of these revilers—a “hard case” from San Francisco—who had called one of his shipmates a ‘'Dutchman.” The ex¬ pression was heard by the command¬ ing officer. He at once ordered the oflender “to the mast” (the break of the quarter deck, where all delin¬ quents are arraigned on a man-of- war), and roundly reprimanded him. “Now,” said the commanding offi¬ cer, “you will stand four hours of each day for a week on the bridge, and every quarter o£ an hour you will point to the ship’s ensign, flying at the peak, and while doing so you will say to the officer of the deck: “That flag is potent enough to nationalize and uaturalize every one who sails under it!” The man was astounded, but I rather think it had a most salutary ef¬ fect, subduing many asperities of Bpeech in other directions for a long timei—[New Orleans Times-Demo- crat.