Newspaper Page Text
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VOLUME VIII.
Beautiful Thoughts.
A poet prayed for a beautiful thougt
Which he might make the theme
Os a song, as sweet to the ear it caugl
As wood-bird's music, nature-taught,
Or the laugh from a baby’s dream.
To pray is good; to <l ,is best!
Make, though thy voice lie dumb,
A pure heart home within thy breast,
Whero they, as sacred things, may rest
And beautiful thoughts will come.
—Adeie li. Ingersoli, in Youth’s Oompaniou.
CONVICT NO. 18, GOO.
My occupation a few years ago tvas
that of a newspaper reporter. I work
ed a large part of my time in a peni
tentiary, where more than 1600 pris
oners were coulined. My newspaper
xeqnired of me three “feature” arti
cles a week, the subject to be taken
from the lives and crimes of the men
and women so imprisoned.
One morning, on entering the peni
tentiary, and proceeding to the book
which contained the routine items for
the press, I found this slip :
“No. 18,600. Edward Washburn,
life prisoner, sentence commuted to
twenty-eight years, six months.”
Here was something to be investi
gated. On mak inr inquiry I found
that Edward Washburn had been re
ceived on a life sentence in 1870, and
that now, after a lapse of over twenty
years, the Board of Pardons the
eternal source of hope for all prisoners
in that Sjtato had acted upon his
case, with the above result Even in
prison good behavior pays.
Each convict has a certain number
of days deducted from every month of
his term, according to the length of
his sentence, if he demeans himself
properly. Thus it lies in the power
of <■ “long-time” man to gain years
of freedom. Alloy ing Washburn the
deducl ion each month for good con
duct during' the entire twenty-eight
years’ sentence, it caused his time to
expire on the following Sunday.
The next thing to do was to seo
Edward Washburn himself. The sen
sations of a mail who has been a cou
vict for twenty ye.ars, who has been as
conydetely isolated from the outside
world as if he were dead and buried,
and who is then resurrected, called
back to life and liberty, cannot lie de
void of interest to the most indifferent.
I found my man wheeling ashes and
refuse from the cook house’; In this
• occupation ho had been engaged for
.; seventeen years.
The long years of prison life had had
_ their effect.. The prisoner was an old
man, broken in body and Ijlind, al
' though he told mo his age was 42. I
explained that I had permission to
talk with him, and would like, to hear
about his’ history. He smiled the
. weak smile of enfeebled intelligence,
sat down on his wbeebarrow and be
gun with pitiful obedience, which
, plainly bespoke the. prison discipline.
“How did I feel when I heard I was
pardoned? Well, it was so sudden
like I jus’ had to sit down. I had give
up all hopes of ever gettin’ out long
ago, but Maridy was true grit, she was,
she never give up. ”
His next words were unusual. “I
don’t blame nobody but myself for
bein’ here,” he went on. Who ever
heard of a convict before, who attrib.
uted to himself the blame for being in
th» penitentiary? Most convicts are
the innocent victims of villainous con
spiracies. They never even dreamed
of committing the crime for which
they are serving sentence. Such a
virtuous, upright and deeply wronged
set of men can be found nowhere else
as in prison.
“It was all along of my bullheaded
ness, but I guess I’d better go back to
the beginnin’ of my story if you want
to hear it all. When I was about 19
years old, Jason Scott and me took the
job of clearin’ 80 acres of land close to
where Pauldin’ is now. In them days
the town was only a clearin’ with a few
log shanties. Jase'was acoupleof years
younger than me. His father an’mine
had come west from Columbiansr
county and settled in Pauldin’. W
was the only boys in them parts then
the only young folks exceptin’ Man
dv Pilcher.
“We figgered on clearin’ our land
winters, as our fathers agreed to giw
us the time after corn huskin’ was
done, providin’ we helped them good
iULinmor*. Jape and me built a cabin
and the:. we intended livin’ while we
wn« m ofeijqttA 1 clearin'.
MT. VERNON, MONTGOMERY CO., GA., THURSDAY OCTOBER 26, 1893.
There was lots of snow that winter and
it come early. Oh, how I hate the
winter! The snow lyin’ out there
in the prison yard brings the hull
thing back to me, ant} how happy Juse
and mo was, workin’ and talkiu, about
what we was goin’ to do. I can most,
see the cabin now, with the doer open
and the snow all around as it looked
that winter mornin’.
“Jase and me was goin’ out huntin’
that mornin’. I took my gun and
started out, h avin’ Jase to follow’. I
walked out a little ways and then
looked around to see if Jase was coin
in’. He warn’t, and I waited and hol
lered until I got all out of sorts with
him. A crazy idea struck me, and I
jus’ thought I’d shoot toward the cab
in for fun and mebbe that would fetch
him. God knows I didn’t want to do any
harm. I wus jus’ a groat big foolish
boy and I got tired of waitin’ and I
thought I’d shoot for fun, and mebbe
that would fetch him.”
I looked at the man and he wits ns
one in agony. His face was drawn,
and a pallor was there which added to
the prison tan and made it ghastly.
His voice, puerile from the disiiso of
twenty years, had sunk into a hoarse
whisper. He was staring at the great
stone wall in front of him with dull,
vacant eyes. He seemed oblivious to
everything and kept repeating, “I
didn’t mean any harm. I only thought
I’d shoot for fun, and mebbe that
would-fetch him.”
I have looked into murderers’ faces
on the verge of eternity while the
death warrant was being read, in or
der that I might tell the public next
morning whether the lip quivered or
the eye grew dim, butas I gazed upon
this picture of weakness and misery
on the wheelbarrow in front of me it
made me sick. The victim of an act
done in “fun” —and this was fun !
The man presently came to himself
and went on;
“As I shot, Jase came into the door,
and, when the smoke cleared away, 1
saw him 1/in’ just outside in the snow,
face downward. I 'member pickin’
him up and earryin’ him inside, and
then startin’ out to Pauldin’ for help.
After that I don’t remember nothin’
until I found I was lyin’ on the ground
and a crowd of men Atandin’ round
me. I heard one of ’em say: ‘He
must have tripped up on that grape
vine and hit his head on the root of
the tree. It ’pears as if Washburn
and Scott must have had a racket—
ovot that girl most likely -and Wash
burn killed Scott.’ I found out after
ward that a huntin’ party had stopped
at the cabin and found Jase lyin’ on
the floor dead, with my bullet through
his heart. They looked for me anil
Anally saw my tracks in the snow and
followed them. They found me a
couple of miles away in the woods,
lyin’ at the foot of a tree where I fell.
•• “Some believed my story and some
didn’t. Them as didn’t b’lieve it said
’twarn’t likely if what I said was true
that I would ’a’ tried to run away.
All I know is I meant so set out for
Pauldin’, but it’pears as if I’d gon •
wrong some way.
“The Jedge, as he said, wanted to
’low me a tightin’ chance and give me
the privilege of enterin’ a jilea of
manslaughter. I said it was all along
of my bullheadedness that I am here
now, and so it was. My lawyer Maul
ed me to plead guilty of the charge
the Jedge offered me. I asked him
what it meant. He said it meant that
I killed Jase in a racket, and then give
me a long lingo about malice afore
thought, or something like that, but
I didn’t understand it. I only knew
they wanted me to say 1 murdered
Jase in a racket. I warn’t goin’ to
say I done a tiling when I didn’t. I
flared up and wouldn’t listen to no
body.
“I couldn’t see things l ight. Well,
the trial didn’t take long. Everything
went crossways for me. I told my
story and pleaded guilty to nothin’
except that 1 didn’t mean anything.
I just shot to scare him. I didn’t care
much what they done with me for
that. The other side showed how Jase
had been found dead in the cabin,
how I "was found lying in the snow
miles from Pauldin’, as if I hadn’t
been going for help. I hen they got
witnesses who swore as how Jase
and me were jealous 'bout Mainly,
how I’d asked her to go to a gathering
with ri.e, and she’d gone with Juse.
“It waru’t *>o, I kaowed it, but it
wouldn't do no good form« to say it
warn’t. Mandy aud me understood
one another, though there warn’t
much betwixt us then. I s’pose she
might have told me what she knowed
about it on the stand, (but I wasn’t
going to have her mixed up in the
Ihiug. I ’lowed they couldn’t convict
me because what I said M r as true.
“The jury fetched in a verdict ol
murder in the second degree, and ac
cordin’ to law that meant for life.
“They carried Mandy out of the
court room. Seems as though she
thought it was her fault some May or
’nother. Mandy’s been try in’ to get
me out ever since. She said if it
hadn’t been for her they couldn’t ’a’
shown no motive and couldn’t ’a’ sent
me for life. I don’t see what good that
’a’ done when they was all a’gin me.”
I made a note of Mandy. She was
good material from a reportorial stand
point. When 1 went out I asked the
warden who Mandy Mas. “So you’vo
been talkin’ with Washburn, havo
you?” said lie. “Well, Mandy is his
girl. They say she has been coming
down here from Paulding once every
year with petitions aud signatures to
place before the Board of Pardons.
Yesterday Washburn’s scut' ce Mas
commuted, which, by the May, you
Mill find by looking on the press hook. - ’
A picture of a faded little woman Mho
had asked me the year before in the
capitol if I Mould please tell her what
time the Pardf n Board met, rose in my
mind. I said to myself, “That M-as
Mandy. *
As a i lie world does not throw
open its arms to released convicts. It
sees that all the windows in the house
are well secured at night, and that all
the doors have extra fastenings on the
day the papers announce a new list of
releases. The people have not time
to go down to the prison and Match
the men pass out through the big gate.
They i lay a smal I sum each year to
have that office performed by big bur
ly policemen. The policemen accom
pany the convicts down to the union
depot anil see them off on their trains.
It would be such a pity to liave them
go alone.
The morning of the day Washburn
went out there M as only one other pres
ent besides the policemen and report
ers. It was the worn little woman who
had asked me a year ago in the capi
tol if I would please tell her -what
time llie Pardon Board met.—[Kate
Field’s Washington.
II ii man Life in Die Glacial Epoch.
The period at which the glacial epoch
existed in this country has long been
an interesting problem. With few ex
ceptions geologists have united in plac
ing the date within comparatively re
cent times, and evidences are multiply
ing that the great ico age in North
America actually occurred during the
present era of human life. These evi
dences consist in the finding of stone
implements of ancient man in undis
turbed glacial gravel.
Among the discoverers of these rel
ics is Doctor C. C. Abbott, a distin
guished archaeologist of this city. The
specimens were all found by him in the
Trenton gravels at Trenton, at record
ed depths and in ttndisputably undis
turbed glacial deposits. Professor
Putnam also found specimens in the
same locality, and other scientists have
come upon implements of stone in
similar deposits in various parts of the
country. The most convincing, how
ever, is a find made some time ago by
W. C. Mills at Newcornerstown, Ohio.
In a glacial gravel terrace in that town,
at the remit Ii of the Bitckhorn creek,
In- came upon a stone implement. 15
feet below the* surface, and which is
now in the Western Reserve Historical
Society of Cleveland. The gravel in
which this relic was found was covered
by six inches of sand, several feet of
supplementary gravel arid from three
to live feet of earth.—[Philadelphia
Public Ledger.
A Wide Choice.
Guard (at the World’s Fair) —“I
advise you to go to your State build
ing and make that a sort of headquar
ters for receiving mail, writing letters,
re-ting, etc. What State are you
from?”
Drummer—“Well—er—which State
building is the most comfortable?”—
New York Weekly.
The first im-i tion of money in the
Scriptures Mat Abraham’s purchase of
a sepulcher ic* 490 shekels ot silver,
ii. c.
GOLD AND SILVER.
How the Output of the Two Met
als Compares.
■lterestlng Facts and. Figures by
the Treasury Department.
According to a table prepared by Mr.
Edward O. Leach, late director of the
United States Mint, America produces
a very large proportion of the silver of
the world. The silver production in
1802 was according to his figures $lO6,
505,184 ; of this amount America pro
duced $160,000,000, or five-sixths of
the entire silver production of the
world. Os this $160,000,000, produced
in 1892, $75,000,000 Mas the product
of the United States ; $59,000,000 from
the mines of Max|oo ; sls,ooo,ooofrom
the mines of Bolivia; $3,000,000 from
Peru; $3,000,000 from Chili aud $2,-
000,000 from the Centra} American
States. Os the $36,000,000 worth of
silver produced by other parts of the
world, one-half comes from Austria,
one-fourth from Germany, and the re
mainder from France, Austria-Hun
gary, Turkey, Spain, and small amounts
from other European countries, M'hile
Japan produces about $2,000,000.
Thus the United States is not only tho
greateet silver producing country of
the world, but actually produced
about two-fifths of the entire output of
the world, and nearly one-half of that
produced in America.
In this connection some figures ob
tained from the Treasury Department
on tho production of gold will also be
interesting. The gold production of
the world in 1892 is set down at $130,-
816,627. Os this the United States
produced $34,431,677; Austialia pro
duced $33,870,800; Russia, $23,546,-
900; Africa, $22,069,578; British In
dia, $3,057,900; Colombia, South
America, $3,475,000; Venezuela about
two millions, and other South Ameri
can countries small amounts ranging
from $756,000 to $1,500,000.
While tho United States is today
producing as much silver as gold, her
productions of silver in the past 6he
hundred years have only been about
one-half as much as her productions of
gold. The silver productions of the
United States from 1792 to 1892 were
$1,146,809 000, and the gold produc
tions during the same period were sl,-
937,881,769. Add to this the gold
productions of the present year and
you get in round figures $2,000,000,-
000 of gold which lias been taken out
of the mines of the United States.
California still remains our chief
gold producing State. We hear of
gold mines in Colorado, Montana, Ne
vada and Idaho, but none of them size
up along side of the old mines of Cal
ifornia. Os tho $34,481,677 of gold
produced in the United States last year
the mines of California supplied $12,-
571,900; those of Colorado $5,539,-
021; South Dakota, $3,942,496 ; Mon
tana, $2,966,522; Idaho, $1,721,364;
Nevada, $1,571,500; Oregon, $1,491,-
781; Arizona, $1,177,577; Alaska, sl,-
080,446 ; New Mexico, $959,176 ; Utah,
$660,175; and Washington, $373,553.
The southeastern Slates still produce
small quantities of gold. North Caro
lina turned out last year $78,560 worth
of gold from her mines; South Caro
lina, $123,365; Georgia, $94,734; Vir
ginia, $4970, and Alabama, $2393.
These southeastern States also pro
duced some silver. The mines of
Georgia last year turned out $95,251
worth of silver; North Carolina, $90,-
196; South Carolina, $123,822, and
other States in that section small sums.
In silver production Colorado leads
the way, the production of her silver
mines last year having been $37,017,-
993. Montana comes npxt with pro
ductions of $25,410,127; California,
$18,025,520; Utah, $10,696,225; Ida
ho, $5,812,540; Nevada, $1,422,700;
South Dakota, $4,011,262; Arizona,
$2,550,955; New Mexico, $2,350,532;
Oregon, $1,555,861; Alaska, $1,090,-
476.
Our gold productions in this country
began in 1849, aud the silver produc
tions 20 years earlier. The total gold
production prior to 1849 did not ag
gregate more than about $25,000,000,
and thesilver producitonsdid not reach
even a million dollars in any one year
prior to 1861, and it was not until 187)
that they reached as high as twenty
millions a year, Since that date they
have gradually increased, reach
ing iu 1574 { $46,-
000,000 in 1878; $51,000,000
in 1885; $75,000,000 in 1891,
and $74,000,000 in 1892. The largest
silver production in any one year in
the history of the country was in 1891.
which Mas $75,417,000. The lar
gold productions were in the ten
from 1860 to 1860, at which time they
reached from fifty to sixty-five millions
per annum, the highest being $65,000,-
000 in 1853. During the past decade
the average gold production of tho
gold mines of the country has been
about thirty-three millions per annum.
Pearls.
Very few people are aware that the
pearl-oyster is not in any way like tho
oyster which wo eat. It is of an en
tirely different species, and, as a mat
ter of fact the shells of the so-called
pearl-oyster are of far more value to
those engaged iu “pearl-fishing” than
the pearls. There are extensive pearl
fisheries in the Gulf of California, and
some of the finest pearls have been
taken from these waters. In 1881 one
pearl a black one, was sold for $lO,-
000, aud every year sinco that time
many pearls have been taken from
the beds in the Californian Gulf valued
at over $7500 each. But such “finds”
are very rare, and, as a rule, (ho
pearls which are brought up aro of
very little value. The shells, however,
are very valuable; most of them are
shipped to Europe, M-here they are
manufactured into ornaments, knife
handles, buttons, and the hundred of
other articles for which “mother-of
pearl” is used.
Another fact concerning the pearl
oyster and tho pearl itself is very little
understood. I have seen in books of
instruction both in this country and
in England the statement that “tho
formation of the pearl in tho oyster
shell is caused by a disease of tho
oyster”; and this statement is more or
less generally believed, ns is also tho
erroneous inference to be drawn from
it, that the oyster referred to is tho
edible oyster. The mother-of-pearl is
nothing more than a series of layers
of nacreous matter deposited by the
oyster upon the interior of tlve shell,
and tho pearl itself is a perfectly
accidental formation. It is caused by
a similar deposit of nacre around some
foreign object. This foreign sub
stance may boa grain of sand, a para
site, or some similar object; but most
authorities agree that, it is more usual
ly an undeveloped egg of tho oyster
around which this natural deposit is
thrown.
The largest pearl ever found meas
ures two inches long, aud — weighs
three ounces. This is of Eastern or
igin. The largest found in the Gulf
of California did not exceed an inch
and a quarter long and was somewhat
larger than the egg of a bluebird.
Many of the Californian pearls are
black and speckled. These are con
(lored more valuable than the whitcl.
The Sermon That Was Not Breached.
The Rev. William Dayton Roberts,
pastor of the Temple Presbyterian
church, devoted several of his earlier
years to newspaper work as a reporter
on a morning paper in this city. Ho
tells of the following incident; “It
mbs announced that on a certain Hun
day evening a prominent clergyman
would deliver a sermon on a religio
seientific subject then being ranch dis
cussed. I was sent on Sunday after
noon to get an advance copy of the
sermon. The clergyman had had ’lie
foresight to have two copies made, as
he supposed it would be wanted for
publication, and gave rne, as he sup
posed, the duplicate copy. J had sev
| eral other assignments to cover, and
did not return to the office until late
| in the evening, when, to my surprise,
I discovered that 1 had two copies of
1 the sermon. It was then too late to re
turn the original manuscript for use,
arfd I learned the rifAct day that the
j clergyman, when he found his sermon
was gone, had to preach on another
! subject and announced from the pul
-1 pit that a reporter had taken his manu
script and he must, therefore, take an
other text. My paper next morning
printed three columns of the sermon
that should have been preached.”—
i [Philadelphia Press.
Ills Last Application.
Housekeeper—“ Here is u telegram ;
your nephew in dead.” Property-Own
er (with a growl;— “Humph! Now, 1
guess he wants money to bury tuimielf
NUMBER 33.
Daybreak Sornr.
Pull sweet is tho night locust-haunted, moon
kist,
Tho noon-tide, strong creature and splendid,
But dawn inis a loveliness blended
Os health and keen hope and a puissant de
light
vlng, that shameth tho languor of night
Or stress of the noon with its urgenoe and
plight.
And so, when I list,
Shaking slumber and sleep from mine ejee,
.Soft somnolence scorning,
I love to be under the skies,
1 long to bo up and away,
1 lust to be out with tho day
At light’s first forewarning,
When the winds are all whist
And the magic of mist
Is over the shine of tho morning!
-[Richahd Bouton in tho Independent.
HUMOROUS.
won’t be long until the coal-ileal
er's victims lind him lying in weight
for them once more.
A love-sick swain declares that love
iR a tickling sensation around tho
heart that cannot be scratched.
Harmony is all right in its place,
but tlio barbel’ and his razor should
never undertake to pull together.
Figg—“You evidently think I am a
fool.” Fogg—“l am grateful to find
that what 1 think is evident even to
you."
Mrs. Bouton—“My daughter likes
to sing music of the highest class.”
Mrs. Malaprop—“Natcherly, she bo
in’ a soprano.
“Mr. Editor, I am told you called
mo a swindler in a recent issue of your
paper!” “No, sir, wo only print the
very latest nows. ”
As a regiment, headed’by its band,
marched by, a little boy remarked,
“I say, mn, what is the useof allthoso
soldiers who don’t play?”
Willis: “He never fails to give me
a cigar to smoke when I call on him.”
Wallace : “He must be afraid you wiH
smoke one of your own.”
Ido not weep, because, forsooth
Whatever tears might fail
* Are idle tours—that is to say,
They do not work at all.
“Do you look to the future with
courage?” he asked the maiden,
“Yes,’ she replied. “Pa says nerve in
everything in the wheat business.”
I’apa—“Do you say grace at the
Seminary?” Product of Modern Edu
cation—“ Certainly. I never heard of
more than the one pronunciation.”
Sarcastic Citizen: “Traveling on
the recommendation of your physician,
I suppose?” Hungry Higgins: “Naw,
on de recommendation of me lawyer.”
Tommy—“Do you know when a
nail cannot be driven?” Mi. Figg—
“No. When?” Tommy—“W’y, I
don’t suppose a nail could be driven
if it was lead.”
“11 ell you that idleness don’t pay.
The surest way for a person to get
ahead is to keep moving.” “Guess
you’re right. That’s the way four
or five tenants got ahead of me last
week.”
Miss Marshmellow (to young Leech,
druggist): “How much is it?” Young
Leech . (computing): “Blue mass, 5 ;
box, 10; label and wrapper, 5; pink
string, 5—25. Thirty cents please.
Nice weather.”
“Don’t you know, Milly, that it is
very rude to turn around to look at a
gentleman?” “Mother, I only turned
to see if he turned round to see if I
looked at him.” “Well, if that’s all,
that’s all right.”
“What’s that girl singing?” said Mr.
Topfloorto Iho bell boy. ‘ “Oh, Prom
ise Me.’” replied the youth. “Well,
for goodness sake, go down and prom
ise, her whatever she wants and charg*
it to my account.”
Scene—-Dining-room in fashionable
boarding-house. Lady boarder (about
to leave table)— “Will you excuse me,
please?” Gentleman boarder—“ With
pleasure!” And still he doesn’t know
why she has snubbed him ever since.
About Postal fard*
the first Amercan postal card was
issned in May, 1873. During the first
two months of their use there were
34,000,000 used. During the follow
ing year 00,000,000 were used, and in
1878 the number had risen to 200,000,-
000. In 1802 we used 380,000,000
postal cards, and 400,000,000 will be
about the number put out this year.
These cards cost tho Government
thirty-live oeuts per 1,000, or at tie
rate at thirty for out cent