Newspaper Page Text
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“ERROR CEASES TO BE DANGEROUS WE
HjEN REASON IS LEFT FREE TO COMBAT TT. '-Jefeno*.
VOLUME XVIII.
ATLANTA, GA., WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8,1866.
NUMBER 31.
HJffhlD Jntrlligrnrtr.
PUBLISHED DAILY AND WEEKLY BY
JAEED IRWIN WHITAKER,
Proprietor.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA,
Wednesday, August 8, 1886.
Erclllnc Evctiu.
Among the exciting events which the electric
wires stated as having recently occurred, ac
counts of which appeared in our yesterday’s is
sue, there were two of them that doubtless at
tracted in a special manner, the attention oi our
readers. The first of these to which we shall
now refer, was the successful laying of the
TBLEORAPHIC ATLANTIC CABLE.
This event is one of those wonderful tri
umphs of human persevercnce and enterprise
that have made the present age remarkable, as
one in which space has been overcome, and dis
tant points connected by means not dreamed of
in t he past. Tbc power of steam and its capaci
ty to propel; the nature of electricity and cer
tain uses to which it could lie applied; doubt
less were in the philosophy of the past; but who
ever dreamed in past ages of the locomotive fly
ing at a speed of eighty miles an hour on a rail
road, or of a cable submerged in the “deep bo
som of the ocean” connecting the Eastern with the
Western Continent? It is a favored age we live in;
an age in which science and art have accomplish
ed wonders,and in which enterprise and skill have
overcome the hugest obstacles. Referring to this
wonderful achievracnt of “ laying the cable,”
the Charleston Courier appropriately remarks:
“We chronicle to-day another of those wondrous
human victories overtime and space, which have
been the great feature of the age in which we
live. The energy and perseverance of the pro
jectors of the Atlantic Telegraph have ai last
been fitly rewarded; and the cable, we are told,
is a complete success. Happily, the first tidiDgs
Hashed to us across the bosom of the deep, are
the announcement of peace and good will
amongst men. The brief but stupendous struggle
which has drenched the plain i of Bohemia with
German blood, is at an end. At the late liourat
which we write, we can but congratulate our
readers on this auspicious event.
“A word concerning the new bond which now
links the Continents. The present cable differs
from the old in one or two particulars. The
conductor in this is composed of seven copper
wires—six around one—each wire separated and
imbedded in a chemical compound, and the
whole surrounded by layers of gutta percha, so
as to form a core half an inch thick; this, again,
is still further protected by ten iron wires, each
covered with five strands of Manilla yarn—the
wires being laid spindly around the core.
“The Company have established a tariff ot
charges—forty words from London to New York
costing about $300; and the cost to the daily
press of the country—forty words per day—will
be about $1,700 per week. The Associated Press
Committee have arranged for two daily reports,
of not less than twenty words each, and as many
more ns the importance of the news may justify.
“The difference of time between London and
New’ York is about five hours in lavor of the
latter, and will allow a large margin for the re
ception of news for the morning and evening
journals. The reports will be prepared respec
tively in London and Liverpool at 3 A. M. and
3 P. M. As 8 A. M. London time is equal to 10
P. M. New York time, the dispatches of that
hour will arrive in time for the morning publi
cations in New York of that clay’s business in
Liverpool, and the English 3 P. M. being 10 A.
M. this side, the telegrams will be in time for the
afternoon papers.
“Doubts are expressed of ilic continued effi
ciency of the cable. But now that tbc feasibility
of the great work has beeu demonstrated, we
have faith that the efforts ot those who have it
in charge will never be relaxed until the Atlantic
Telegraph shall have become an institution ot
permanent and assured usefulness."
So much for the first event announced on yes
terday, and which most pleasurably excited our
readers. The second, to which w r e shall now re-
ler, imparted different feelings. It told of a
TERRIBLE RIOT IN NEW’ ORLEANS.
A riot in which much blood was shed; many
men slain ; one brought on by that radical ele
ment which is not content with making freed-
men and froedwomen of the former slave, guar
anteeing to them tlieir civil rights and the pro
tection of the law’s, but would elevate them, the
negro race, Vo political and social equality with
the whites—thus provoking a war between the
races We await further accounts of this terri
ble affair. That it was provoked by the radical
sentiment in that community we have no doubt.
That the negroes were instigated by the Radi
cal Convention which assembl’d in the Cres
cent City, to insult aud outrage the whites,
we have also not a doubt. When will these
mischievous and oad men cease to inflame the
deluded freedmen, and abandon the evil of their
ways ? Is it a war of Rices they desire to insti
tute in the South? Do they in this shut their
eyes to the blood that must flow’ iu such a con
test, and the horrors that must attend it, looking
only to the plunder that may accrue to them in
such a contest ? It seems so from tlieir conduct.
Bad men they must be, who would provoke sueh
strife. Wicked, intolerant men, thus to deceive
and betray the negro. But we forbear. In a
few days we shall get the particulars of this ter
rible affair. In the meantime, wc have only to
trust that order has been restored in New Or
leans, and that the law will vindicate the inno
cent
CUrysonla.
We are glad to be able to chronicle the fact,
that the mining interests of our State are begin
ning to attract great attention, both from our own
citizens, and trom Northern capitalists. This is
most assuredly a step in the right direction, as
we venturi to say that, in no part of the whole
United Suites is there a region richer iu gold,
copper, iron, Ac., than the extensive mineral
tracts of Georgia, and in n<> other investment is
there so great a certainty of immediate and enor-
ntous profits.
“Chrysonia” is the name given to a gold mine,
re’cutly purchased by Judge Strong, and others
of this city, situated in Cherokee county, eight
miles Northeast front Acworth, and comprising
eight hundred aud fifty acres of gold laud. Ot
these about one hundred acres of alluvial deposit,
lying in one body, promise to be the richest dis
covery of placer diggings, ever made in Georgia.
Stories are current, and confidently believed, in
the neighborhood, ot miners, who have, without
the consent of the owner, worked occasional
spots, aud, iu these short and necessarily imper
fect operations, have developed results of surpri
sing richness. Up to the present time, the owner
lias steadily refused to lease to parties of thii
character; their operations not being calculated
properly to develope the wealth of the place, and
their payments ot rent being extremely unrelia
ble. There are also gold bearing veins in this
tract, and iu one especially the gold can be dis
cerned even in the out-crop of the quartz. Judge
Strong picked up several specimens of this char
acter, which he will exhibit to the curious.
Through the whole of the property, and in
immediate contact with the auriferous deposits,
runs a noble stream of water, affording the one
thing so needful in gold mines, and yet so often
wanting, the means of successfully separating
the gold, in the most economical and expeditious
manner.
TJ. is property is now in the hands of gentle
men of energy and means, and operations on an
extensive scale will be at once commenced. Such
enterprises have our hearty good wishes, and we
cordially invite tbe superfluous capital, which
we observe is lying idle at the North, to turn its
attention hitherward, and to develope these our
mineral resources.
Spirit of the New York Press.
DISTILLATION IN NEW YORK.
The Express says that the late seizures of stills
in the city tor Illegal distillation, onght to have
been two hundred instead of three, as there are
known to be at present nearly two hundred in
operation uptown, all of various capacities.—
The distillers employ men to watch out for any
strange officers anxious to obtain the reward
which would follow the seizure of their liquor
or their premises. When the officer makes his
appearance, however, the proprietor cultivates
his acquaintance, and he is soon enabled to draw
two salaries—one from the manufacturer of illicit
whisky, and the other from the government. In
this way the business is allowed to proceed with
out any interruption.
Tbe proprietors do not fear the revenue officers.
Their chief apprehension is that they may be de
tected by needy and adventurous outsiders who
might hope to gain a reward from their convic
tion. In order to render the efforts of this class
of informers profitless, the owners of nearly all
the distilleries have large pipes and faucets con
nected with their stills, so that when the antici
pated enemy appears, they can “run off” all the
liquor into the sewer in less than five minutes—
thus leaving no direct evidence of the illicit man
ufacture of whisky on the premises.
A few months since a descent was made on a
distillery up-town, and one hundred barrels ot il
licit whisky seized by the Revenue officer. The
liquor was duly sold by auction, but the pur
chaser, on tasting the article, found that forty of
the barrels had been filled with water by the
dexterous proprietor, the whisky having been
taken out after the seizure, and removed from the
premises.
But the new revenue law will materially in
crease the difficulties of illicit distillers. It pro
vides that an inspector shall be placed in each
distillery, and that each proprietor shall pay $5
per day tor the privilege of being watched.
THE CAUSE OP HIGH PRICES.
The Express, quoting from the Commercial,
states among the causes of high prices the first
and most important to be the undue scarcity
of everything needed.' New supplies will com
mence to reach the markets this autumn, and will
undoubtedly tend to reduce the price of articles
of food, but it will require several crops to fully
overcome the injurious effects of the short pro
duction and the unusual consumption during the
wai.
A second cause is the innumerable taxes im
posed on the production, importation and ex
changes of commodities.
A third cause is the vexatious formalities now
necessary to every operation of the community
front the supervision and the interference of the
innumerable Government officials who impose
and collect our multifarious and annoying taxes,
excises, stamps and Custom House duties. ' Ev
ery expense and every delay add to .the price of
the articles for which they are incurred. If our
people would visit the Custom House of this
city, they would find a huge granite building,
occup3’iug a whole block, tilled with Govern
ment officials, Custom House clerks, merchants
and clerks, whose sole occupation is to overcome
artificial obstructions to the beneficial exchange
of commodities between the United States and
foreigu countries.
A fourth cause is the use of a depreciated and
coustautly fluctuating currency.
A fifth cause is the exorbitant cost of rents,
owing to the scarcity of houses throughout the
country.
The remedy proposed is a prompt return to a
sound currency, and that all taxes should be lev
ied iu such a manner as to be economically col
lected.
Another view of the same question is present
ed by the Times, as quoted by the Express: The
other day a Tariff bill was in process of discus
sion. The effect of it, if passed, would have
been immediately to increase the wholesale cost
of many imported articles. But one would have
supposed that the owners of stores would at
least have waited for the passage of the bill be
fore advancing their charges. But they did not
do so. Customers are blandly told that such and
such articles were raised because of the new
tariff. A lady, to make a slight instance of many,
went to an up-town store for hose and paid 60
cents per pair therefor. Her friend attempted,
next day, by her advice, to make a similar pur
chase, but was told that'one dollar was now the
price—because of the new tariff. A third lady
followed, and, having read that the Tariff bill was
shelved for months, hoped for a return to the
old charge. But no, the extortion continued;
the bill is shelved, but the advance is maintained.
It is added that there must be some change in
all this, or disaster will inevitably follow. No
people can with impunity disregard the plainest
dictates of common sense in respect to their
financial affairs. The present recklessness of
buyers, the present extortion of sellers, will pro
duce its proper fruits.
TILE MEXICAN SWINDLE IN CONGRESS.
The World, in an article under this head, re-
fers to the fact that Mr. Campbell, our recently
appointed Minister to Mexico, has been sent back
to his home in Ohio, there to spend his time and
his salary, much more agreeably, doubtless, than
he could in hunting up fugitive Presidents on
restive mules all the way from Matamoras to El
Paso.
It then adds that upon this comes Mr. Ex-Ma
jor General Banks, as Chairman of the House
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and gravely in
vites Congress at the tail-end of a session to de
cide whether it will, or will not, vote away “fifty
millions of dollars,” the property of American
citizens (whose taxes the said Congress has not
seen tit to reduce,) as a “loan” to some actual or
possible Mexican government, for the purpose,
more or less exactly defined, of maintaining in
stitutions more or less republican, to the south of
the Rio Grande! The introduction of such a
preposition, at such a time, can have only one of
two results. If defeated, it says, more plainly
than many speeches could, that the Congress ot
the United States are either indifferent to repub
licanism in Mexico, or that they look upon the
nominal representatives of republicanism in
Mexico as a parcel of humbugs and impostors.
If successful, it makes the representatives of re
publicanism in Mexico parties to such an outrage
ous swindle upon the revenues of the American
people as has not before been attempted, even by
the greedy and unscrupulous leaders of the “party
of great moral ideas.”
ADJOURNMENT OF CONORB8S.
The News of Friday says that, with very bad
grace and evident reluctance, Congress has con
eluded to adjourn to-morrow. But the reins
could not be relinquished without a parting crack
of the whip at the President, which was duly
administered by Mr. Wade. “ There was,” he
said, “ an apprehension throughout the country
that something would take place, detrimental to
the interests of the country, if Congress adjourn
ed. It would be different if the departments of
the Government were harmonious; but it was
evident that when Congress adjourned the Gov
ernment would pass into hands hostile to the
best interests of the country.”
Upon this the News assures the Senator that
though “ something will take place,” it will be
detrimental only to the partisan interests of his
faction, and not to the welfare of the Republic.
ITEMS.
Henry Bergb, President of the American So
ciety for the prevention of cruelty to animals ad
vertises for proposals (with designs) for the erec
tion of suitable drinking troughs for hones and
dogs at convenient points throughout the cities
of New York and Brooklyn, to be placed in
front of stores or shops with the consent of the
owners thereof, and to have attached thereto by
chains iron cups, enabling persons to drink there
from.
General Grant having been elevated to the po
sition of General in tbe juiny of the United
States, and Farragut to that of Admiral, Sher
man and Porter have been nominated and con
firmed—tbe former as Lieutenant General and
the latter as Vice Admiral.
The wigwam for the accommodation of the
grand National Union Convention, at Philadel
phia, is already in process of construction on
Broad and Wallace streets. It will be a a mon
ster in size, covering the whole block, and har
ing three main entrances.
B. C. Truman, of Washington City, estimates
this year’s cotton crop at 2,600,000 bales. He
puts down Georgia for 200,000, Texas 500,000,
and Mississippi 700,000.
The Washington correspondent of the News
writes that Congress will probably adjourn on
the 31st, but not before all the Radical measures
have been put through. Both Houses have now
a clear two-thirds vote in favor of all the Radi
cal measures, and they will not be slow to show
their strength. It is pretty safe to say that every
bill which has been vetoed will be passed before
Congress adjourns. Among these is tbe bill ad
mitting Colorado; and another biU admitting
Nebraska will also be passed. This, together
with the new Senator from Kansas, will give the
Radicals five more votes in the Senate, an addi
tion to their strength which will render them en
tirely independent of the President, mid will be
of infinite service to them iu 1867.
There is a delegation of prominent Louisiani
ans in Washington, urging Congress to pass the
$1,500,000 appropriation to repair levees along
the banks ot the Mississippi river. They say
that the above sum expended now will save
many millions another year, and if tbe work is
neglected, the city of New Orleans will eventu
ally be destroyed.
The income of Edwin Forrest is put down in
Philadelphia at $25,476. The largest revenues
we see there are, J. F. Burner, $122,727; H. N.
Burner. $97,097; Henry C. Gibson, $103,485;
and C. H. Clark, $74,174. For the District 01
Columbia tbe following are among the largest
incomes: Henry D. Cooke, $189,335; W. W.
Corcoran, $20,990: George W. Riggs,.$55,280;
A. Chadwick, Willard’s Hotel, $28,705.
The correspondent of the Express says there
seems to be no doubt that the House will agreje
to the Senate amendment to the Miscellaneous
Appropriation bill, increasing the compensationi
of members of Congress from $3,000 to $5,000
per session, and going back to the 4th of igarcb,
1865. Such an eminently patriotic measure can
not fail in the present Congress.
The Concord (N. H.) Statesman says that on
Friday morning, the 20th ot July, there were
fires kept on board the cars on the Northern
Railroad for the comfort of passengers. Two
days previously the thermometer was about lOjD
degrees.
The editor of the New Haven Register, writing
from the Clifton House, Niagara, on the 25th in
stant, says:
“We met, accidentally, with Hon. Jno. C. Breck
inridge, (who happened to be a day here with,
some friends) and with -whom we spent a pleas
ant half hour. He is in splendid health and con
dition, a little bronzed by exposure, a few more
gray hairs than when we last met him, seven or
eight years ago—but the same noble demeanor,
the same polished gentleman. He hopes, witji
us, for the early re-establishment of real peace
aud unity, and brighter days for the Republic.”
A foreign correspondent of the Express writes
of the old portion of the city of Vienna, that the
streets are generally only from twelve to twenty
feet wide; often not more than eight; the houses
tower many stories high, and away down between
them the sun is scarcely ever seen. Hundreds ef
bouses are built entirely over the street, so that
carriages drive directly through the house, as it
were under arched ways, long and narrow and
dark. Gas burns here day and night It is sur
prising what a limited extent ot room a poor:
family will occupy, the tradesman working in
the same room occupied by his family. Here
you are shaved for two and a quarter cents, your
boots are mended for five cents, you make a sub
stantial dinner of soup, beef, potatoes and pud
ding for fourteen cents, and so forth.
mysterious Removal of Prisoners at
Charleston.
The Charleston Courier states that the prison
ers Messrs. F. G. Stowers, Crawford Keyes,Rob-
ert Keyes and Elisha Byrem, who have been
confined in Castle Pinckney, since their convic
tion by a military commission, and for whom a
writ of habeas carpus was recently sued out by
their counsel Hon. Annistead Burt and General
James Conner, were on Saturday night quietly
removed, under guard, from their place of con
finement, and it is believed sent North beyond
the jurisdiction of the United States District
Court for South Carolina. We have not been
able to learn under what authority, pending the
decision of the President, in reference to the ha
beas corpus writ, the prisoners have been thus
removed. This mysterious proceeding would
certainly appear to ignore the fact of the exis
tence of a United States Court in this State.
•rtiu«csT
( Lift Leave*.
The following poem ia touchingly beautiful. Many an
of the Prussian mgap over those of Austria,ia «Je will be dima»d by a ini a*it reals theeelinea, aud
now set down as *“ great statesman.” Doubt- ' J ‘
less he is a great statesman, and the great Prus
sian statesman. Indeed, he is a remarkable man,
skilled in European diplo-
of his life,- which
does him no more
in 1814, at Schoanhaasen,
stithy descended from one
of the ancient chiefs of a powerful Slavonic
tribe. He stadieggt the Univenfekt ot Getten-
aagadous, bold,
macy. The fa!
we copy from
than justice: 1
on tbe Elbe, and
gen, Beriinsnd 1
in the infantry, ’
of Saxony in
the following j
ingenious and
them made frim <
attention, of the 1
ted to enter the
vented his gov
and Paris. In]
sia, and
Minister of;
King’s bom
(aid of.]
censure,
force of will,
countrymen
iwald, became a volunteer
i made a member of the Diet
d of the General Diet in
political theories, and his
exposition and defense of
and attracted the
and in 1851 he was invi-
serrice. Ha repre-
i, be vnssnmmoned to Pros-
In tbe .. doable capacity of
Affairs and master of tbe
•fcs administration was- dia-
r towards tbe press, disre-
aad defiance of public
indomitable courage and
be has been called by his
nan of blood and iron.” His
appearance it tbub described by tbe Pell Mall
Oaeette: “A large bead, capacious forehead,
firm, resolute mouth, and soldier-like bearing.—
Brilliant and singilftrly restless eyes, rather take
from the otherwise thoroughly German charac
ter of his features.!’
With all this we doubt much whether this
Prussian Count isTn statesmanship superior to
other European statesmen less successful than
himself with his policy and his armies to sustain
it. Success, however, is said to be the highest
evidence of statesmanship, as it is said to be of
military merit. But “the great statesman of the
age,” who is he ? Bismarck, with all his present
power, will not compare with him. Louis Na
poleon is tbe man. The statesmanship of tbe
former, pales before that of the latter. Bismarck
may have overreached Austria, led Italy, and
won in the late conflict of arms, bat France, not
Prussia, nor Italy* gathers the spoils of victory.
Austria has been bumbled, but neither does Prus
sian gallantly, nor Biamark’s statesmanship, reap
the reward due them. The result of the late
European conflict. iit'Csbumt. and in the field, re
minds one erf the dispute between , two men for
the oyster. The arbiter’s derision is well known;
to each of the me^he give a u hedf shetP’—fhe
oyster he »wallowe9mjm*el£ Prussia and Aus
tria will represent tbe two men; France, the
arbiter; so Lows Napoleon swallows tbe oyster,
and so pales tbe Prussian's statesmanship before
that of the Frenchman—“the greatest statesman
of the age.” ’
Vise How «f Carroll Coastty, Stanfla.
Mr. G. W. Adair, of this city, received a few
days ago a letter from an Alabama friend, from
which we are permitted to make the following
extract. - The only comment .we shall make upon
it is, that Georgia can illy spare her Men of
Carroll County, to whom the writer of the
letter pays so handtaome a compliment:
“ The past wnsJdta.no parallel—it was unlike
all otherWKfs ; no other ever destroyed the
labor of a country. Free nigger labor with us
has proved a failure; this mountain tree labor,
for one hundred miles South of this baa tailed,
and is no better than free negroes. The most
successful labor we have in this valley is a lot of
white men from the good old county of Carroll,
in your State. These men are earnest men—
they are working men. Most of them were in
duced to move here from Walker county, in this
State, by Col. Pruit, my father-in-law, while on
his refugeeing trip in those, mountains to try to
save a few niggers. Carroll county stock com
mands a premium in this market We want
five hundred such families from old Georgia, to
settle in this valley.;, with such; wc.can make
this valley bloom and blossom as the rose in ten
years. George, we do not want to build up our
country at tbe expense of the good old Empire
State; but we think you can spare enough to
fill up our valley, and still have enough left to
engineer the thing with you. W« want to pop
ulate this valley with white men from old Geor
gia. Tell the earnest working men of your sec
tion of the country, that if they will come out
here they can control and govern this country.
Negro aristocracy i& played out; the amount of
negroes and lands that a man once owned is no
longer to be the standard of respectability, and
the poor white man, who is honest and industri
ous, will now take his true position in life. Our
valley extends from Huntsville to the Mississippi
Ijna—gay seventy-five miles in length, and an
average of five to ten miles wide. As tp her re
sources, the beauty and fertility of the country, I
am too modest a man tp brag of. You have,
however, seen something of it, and can judge.”
Arrest or Colonel Henry A hfcfejr, ChwrjR
wtoh Treason.
In reference to tbis arrest at Knoxville, Tenn.,
the Nmbville Dispatch of the 31st ultimo, says :
We printed a Washington dispatch a few days
ago announcing the arrest of Colonel Ashby on
a charge of treason. The person arrested was
Colonel Henry Ashby, of Fauquier county, Vir
ginia, late of tbe rebel army, and tbe arrest was
made at Knoxville, in this State, under an indict
ment for treason against the State ot Tennessee.
The Knoxville Commercial says he was released,
having, without the least difficulty, given bail in
the sum of $10,000 for his appearance at the next
term of tbe Circuit Court.”
memory’s - wild-
Tbe President’s Private Secretary.
The Washington special of the New York
Times, of the 24th, says Colonel Cooper, now
acting as the President’s Private Sesretary, will
take his seat in the House to-morrow, as a Rep
resentative from Tennessee. During the recess
of Congress he will voluntarily give his assist
ance to the President in executive business, bat,
of course, only in tbe capacity of a private citi
zen. The President has not yet designated a
Private Secretary, and it is not probable that he
will appoint one for some months. The officers,
of his household, under the law just passed, will
be named in the coarse of next week.
Early Cottas.
The Bainbridge Georgian, ot tbe 25th ult,
mentions samples of cotton of this year’s growth,
and from two plantations in its section. This is
more forward than the cotton in this region, and
we presume is several weeks in advance of the
great bulk of the cotton in Southern Georgia.—
Columbus Enquirer.
Edward Bates, Attorney General under Pres
ident Lincoln, endorses Mr. Johnson’s policy.
Tbe Way they Ho Thlap 1* Attaate.
Under this heading the Augusta C hronicls &
Sentinel says:
Atlanta has some progressive features which
are worthy of notice. For instance: Although
almost totally destroyed by fire two yean ago,
the burnt district ia nearly covered with commo
dious business houses; fifty thousand dollars
have been subscribed tor an open house, and the
amount is to be raised to seventy thousand dol
lars. Herein Augusta, we have been talking ten
years about building a theatre. Tbe hotels of
Atlanta were all burned, , and now she has the
“National ”—a hotel furnished equal to any in
the country—the “ American,” the “ Planters,”
and one or two others. Those named invited
the members of the recent District Convention
to din* with them, and Beermau & Kurtz, cigar
dealers, tendered the delegates the freedom of
their establishment
We mention these ms incidents, though trifling,
to show the liberal aud wide-awake spirit of the
business men of Atlanta We might allude to
the and one little tokens ofgood fellow
ship lavished on the locals of tbe Atlanta papers,
by the merchants, as some evidence of their ap
preciation of the kind offices of the press, but
some carping old skinflint would say that we are
after something, so we modestly draw the curtain
over that part of the subject But if somebody
don’t wake up, somebody will get behind in the
race—that’s all.
Queen Matrimonial Freak.—A letter from
a citizen of Livingston county, Ky., to the Dan
ville Tribune, relates tbe following bit of family
history in that ndgborhood:
“A widow lady took an orphan boy to raise,
quite small, and when arrived it the age of 18,
she married him, she then bring in ker 50th
year. They lived many years together, happy
as any couple. Tea years ago they took an
orphan girl to raise. This tall the old lady died,
bemjjrMyeanof age, addin aeren weeks after,
the^td mn nadrm fib Mrl they bad raised, bn
being 68 yean old, soffahe 18."
the thought* go wintering, away to
The day, with iU sandal* dipped in dew.
Baa passed through the evening'* golden gates.
And a atngte atar tn the elondtessulue
For the rising moon in eiteoce wait*:
While the winds that righto the languid hoar*
A lullaby breathe o'er the folded flowers.
The lilies nod to the aonsd of tbe stream
That winds along with a tailing flow.
And el there wake, or half in a dream,
I pan through me realms of Long Ago;
Wh&eibcea peer with anay a smile
From the bowers of Momo^’a magioal Kale.
There are joymsnd sunshine, aorrowa and tears,
That eteick the puta of tiih's April hours,
Andahmgingwiah for the coming year.
That hope over wreathe* with the fairest flowers;
There are friendships guileless—lore ah bright
And pure as the stars n the halls of night.
There are ashen memories, hitter pels.
And buried hope* and a broken vo w.
An aching heart ny the? restless main.
And the aea-hreaaoflondaftapalHd teow ;
And a wandering on the ahell-Uned shore
Listening for voicea that speak w more.
Than are pnnalon* strong and ambitions wiki,
And the fierce deals* to stead in tbe van
Of the battle of life—and the heart at the child
Ife crashed in the breast of the straggling man;
But ahort the regrets and flaw Are the tears,
That U at the tomb of the. Vanquished years.
There’e a quiet, and peace, and domestic love.
And toys arising from faith and troth.
And a love nnouestioniong, hr above
The passionate dreaming* of ardent yonth;
And kisses of children on lip and cheek.
Ana the parent’s bHas Which no tongue can speak.
There are loved ones lost! There are little graves
In the distant dell, ’neeth protecting trees.
Where tbe streamlet winds, and the Violet waves,
Aad the aia*aee. a way to the sighing breese;
And we mourn fbr the pressure or tender lips,
And the light of'eye* darkened in death’s eclipse.
And thus, as the glow of the daylight dies,
And the night’s first look to the earth is cast,.
Igase ’aauth those beautiful summer skies.
At the pictures that hang on the baUoftke past;
Oh, Sorrow and Joy, chant a mingled lay
When to memory’* wild-wood we wander away.
TT*» Iron Vault.
I five in San Francisco, and am a loekman by
tirade. My calling is a strange one, and posses
ses a certain fascination, rendering it one of tbe
most -agreeable of pursuits. Many who follow
it see: nothing in it hut labor—think of nothing
but its returns in gold and silver." To me it has
other chanhB than the money it produces. I am
called upon, almost daily, to open doors and
peer into long neglected apartments; to spring
the stubborn locks of safes, and gloat upon tile
treasures piled within; to quietly enter the apart
ments ef ladies with more beauty than discre
tion, and pick the locks of drawers containing
peace-destroying missives, that the dangerous
evidence of wandering affection may not reach
the eye of a father, Or brother, in possession of
the cash boxes and depositories of records, tefi-
ing of men made suddenly rich, of corporations
plundered, of orphans robbed, of hopes crushed,
of feihilies ruined. Is there no charm in ail this;
no food for speculation ; scope for the range ot
pleasant fancy? Then, who would n<rfhe a
foekman, though his face is begrimed tafth. tbe
soot of the forge, and his hands are stained with
rust? :noses tm&3
Bat I-have a story to tell-—not exactly, a story,
either, for a story implies the completion, as well
the beginning, of a narrative—and mine is
scarcely more than the introduction to one. Let
him who deala in things of fancy write the rest.
In the spring of 1850—I think it was in April—
I opened a. little shop on Kearney street, and
soon worked myself into a fair bumness. Late
one evening a lady, closely veiled, entered my
shop, and palling from beneath a cloak a small
japanned box, requested me .to open it. Tbe
lock was curiously constructed, and I was all of
an hour fitting it with a key. The lady seemed,
nervous et the delay, and at length requested me
to close the door. I was a little surprised ut the
suggestion, but ot course complied. Shutting
the door and returning to my work, the lady
withdrew her veil, disclosing as sweet a face as
can well be imagined. There was a restlessness
in the eye and a pallor in the cheek, however,
which plainly told of a heart ill at ease, and in
a moment every emotion for her had given place
to that of pity. ' .
“Perhaps yon are not well, madam, and the
night air is too chilly,” said I, rather inquisi
tively.
I felt a rebuke in her reply: “In requesting
you to close the door, I had no other object than
to escape the attention of persons.”
I did not reply, but thoughtfully continued my
work. She resumedv
“ That little box contains valuable papers—
private papers—and I have lost the key, or it
has been stolen. I should not wish to have you
remember that I ever came here on such an er
rand," she continued, with some hesitation, and
giving me a look which it was no difficult matter
for roe to understand.
Certainly, madam, if you desire it. If I can
not forget your face, I wifi at least attempt to
lone the recollection of ever seeing it here. 1 ”
. The lady bowed rattier coldly at what I con
sidered a fine compliment, and I proceeded with
my work, satisfied that a sudden discovered par
tiality for me had nothing to do with the Visit-
Having succeeded, after much fitting and filling,
in turning the lock, I was seized with a curiosity
to get a glimpse at tbe precious contents of the
box, and suddenly fairing the lid, discovered a
bundle of letters, a daguerreotype, as I slowly
passed the box to its owner. She seized it hur
riedly, and placing the letters and picture in her
pocket, locked the box, mid drawing the veil
over her face, pointed to the door. I opened it,
and as she passed into the street, merely whis
pered—“Remember!” We met again, and I have
been thus particular in describing her virit to the
shop to reader probable a subsequent recogui
lion. About two o’clock in the morning, in the
latter part of May following, I was awoke by a
gentle tap on the window of the little room back
of the shop, in which I lodged. Thinking of
burglars, I sprang out of bed, and in a moment
was at tbe window, with a heavy hammer in my
h»i.which I usually kept at that time within
convenient reach ot my bedside.
“Who’s there ?" I inquired, raising my ham
mer and peering out into the darkness—for it
was as dark as Egypt when under the curse of
Iarael’a rod.
Hist r arid a figure, stepping in front ot the
window; “open the door. I have business for
you.”
“Rather past business hours, I should say; but
ho are you ?”
“No one that would harm you,” returned the
voice, which I imagined was rather feminine for
a burglar’s.
“Nor one that can 1” I replied, rather emphat
ically, by way of warning, as I tightened my
grip upon the hammer, and proceeded to the
door. I pushed back the bolt, mid slowly open
ing the door, discovered the stranger already
upon the steps.
“Whatdo yon want?” I abruptly inquired.
“I will tell you,” answered the same soft voice,
“if you care to open the door wide enough for
me to miter.” .
“Come in," arid L resolutely throwing the door
ajar, and proceeding to light a candle. Having
succeeded, I turned to examine the visitor. He
was a small and neatly dreaaed gentlemen, with
heavy Raglan around his shoulders and a blue
navy cap drawn suspiciously over the eyes. As
I advanced toward him be seemed to hesitate &
moment, then raised the cap from his forehead,
and looked me curiously in the tace. I did not
drop tbe candle, but I acknowledge to a little
nervodanw, as I hurriedly placed tbe light upon
& tfhi*. and silently proceeded to invest myself
with two or three very necessary articles of
Ax the Lord liveth, my visitor was a
and the same one for whom I had opened
thefittle box about a month before! Having
completed my hasty toilette, I attempted to
an apology lor my rudeness, but utterly
jailed. Tbe tact> i* I was confounded. Smiling
at my discomfiture, she said:
“ Disguise ia useless; I presume you recognize
m# J”
“ I believe I told you, madam, I should not
soon forget your face. In what way can I serve
YOU?”
“ By do’"g a half an hour’s work before day
light to-morrow, and receiving five hundred dol
lars tor your labor,” was the reply.
" It is not ordinary work,” said I inquiringly,
“ {hat commands so munificent a compensation.”
“ It is a labor common to your calling,” re
turned the lady. . “ The price is not so much for
the labor as the condition under which it must
be performed.”
“ And what is the condition ?” I inquired.
“ That yon will submit to being conveyed, from
aud return to your own door blindfolded”
Ideas of murder, burglary, and almost every
other crime to villainy hurriedly presented them
selves in succession, as I politely bowed and arid:
“ I must understand something more ot the
character of the employment, as well as the con
ditions to accept your offer.”
Will not five hundred dollars answer in lieu
of an explanation ?” she inquired.
“ No—nor five thousand.”
She patted her foot nervously on the floor. I
could see she had placed entirely too low an es
timate on my honesty, and. I felt some gratifica
tion in being able to convince her of the facts.
“ Well, then, if it is absolutely necessary for
me to explain,” she replied, “ I must tell you that
you are required to pick the lock of a vault,
and—”
“You have gone quite fhr enough, madam,
with the explanation,” I interrupted; “ lam not
at your service.’’
“ As I said,” she continued, “ you are required
to pick the lock of a vault, and rescue from death
a man who ha9 been confined there tor three
days."
“ To whom doee the vault belong?” I inquired.
“ To my husband,” was the somewhat reluct
ant reply.
“ Then vkhy so much secrecy ? «r rather, how
came a man confined in such a place ?”
“I secreted him there to escape the observation
of my husband. He suspected as tnpeh, and
closed the door upon him- Presuming he had
left the vault and quitted the house by the back
door, I did not dream until to-day that be was
confined there. Certain suspicious acts of my
husband this afternoon convince me the man is
there, beyond human hearing, and will be starv
ed -id death by my barbarous husband, un
less immediately rescued. For three days he
has not left the house. I drugged him less than
an hour ago, and he is now so completely stupe
fied that the lock may be picked without his in
terference. I have searched his pockets^ but
could not find the. key; hence my application to
yog. Now you know all; will you accompany
me?’*
* To the end of tbe world, madam, on such an
errand.” - -
“Then prepare youfoelf; there is a cab wait
ing at the door.”
I was a little surprised, for I had not heard the
sound of the wheels. Hastily drawing on a coat,
providing myself with the'required implements,
Lwas soon atthe.door. There, sure enough, was
the cab with the driver in his seat, ready for the
mysterious journey. I entered the vehicle, fol
lowed by the lady. As soon as I was seated,-She
produced a heavy handkerchief which, by the
faint light of an adjoining street lamp, she care
fully pound round my eyes. The lady seated
herself by me, and the cab started. In half an
hour the vehicle stopped—in what part of-the
city I am entirely ignorant, as it was evidently
driven in anything but a direct course from -the
point of starting. .Examining the bandage, to
see that my vision Was completely obscured, the
lady handed me the bundle of tools-with which
I was provided, then taking me by the arm, led
me through a gate into a house which I-knew was
of brick, and after taking me along a passage
way wliich could not have been less than fifty
feet in length, and down a flight of stairs into
what was evidently, an underground basement,
stopped beside a vault, and removed the hand
kerchief from my eyes.
“Here is the vault—open it,” said she, spring
ing the door of a dark lantern, and throwing a
beam of-fight upon the ; loek v :. ; . ,
I seized a bunch of skeleton keys, and after a
few trials, which the lady seemed to Watch with
the most painful anxiety,- sprang’tbe bolt. The
door swung upon-its hinges,'add my companion
falling me not to close it, as it was self-locking,
sprang into the .vault. I did not follow. I heard
the murmur rifloiv vices within, aHd the next
moment th,4adv-reappeared, and- leaning' upon
her arm a man, With face so -pale and haggard
that I started at the sight. How he must .have
suffered during the three long days of his con
finement.
Remain here," she said, handing me the lan
tern ;-“I will be back in a moment.”
The two slowly ascended the stairs, and I
heard them enter a room immediately above
where I was standing. In less than a minute the
lady returned.
“Shall I close it madam,” said I, placing my
hand on the door of the vault.
“No, no!” she exclaimed, hastily seizing my
arm; “it awaits another occupant! ”
“Madam, you certainly do not intend to—”
“Are you ready? ” she interrupted, impatiently
holding the handkerchief to my eyes. The
thought flashed across my mind that she intend
ed to push me into the vault, and bury me and
my secret together. She seemed to read the sus
picion, and continued : “Do not be alarmed-—
You are not the man 1 ” ",
I could not mistake the truth, or the fearful
meaning of the remark, and I shuddered as I
bent my head to the handkerchief. My eyes were
as carefully bandaged as before, and was led ta
the cab, and thence driven home by a more cir
cuitous route, if possible than the one by which
we-came. Arriving in front of the house, the
handkerchief was removed and I stepped from
the vehicle. A purse of five hundred dollars
was placed in my hand, and in a moment the
cab and its mysterious occupant bad turned the
corner out of sight. I entered the shop, and the
purse of gold was the only evidence I could
Summon in my bewilderment that all I had just
done and witnessed was not a dream. A month
after that, I saw the lady and the gentleman tak
en from the vault, walking leisurely.along Mont
gomery street. I do not know, but 1 believe the
sleeping husband awoke within the vault, and
his bones are there to-day ! The wife is still a
resident of San Francisco.
[Lexington (Va.) Correspondence of Richmond Times.)
General Lee in Civil Life.
A visit to Lexington, pleasant on many ac
counts, is peculiarly so by reason of the fact that
you hear on all sides incidents, anecdotes and
personal recollections of the two great men
whose names are so dear to the South. Every
one loves to talk about Lee, and every one has
something new to fell about Jackson. I know
net when in my life I passed as pleasant an eve
ning as that at Colonel Massie’s, where for hours
the conversation related wholly to his colleague
and intimate friend, the leader of the Stonewall
Brigade. Never before had I. heard or read so
lively and grapbip a description of the complete
physical, mental and moral nature of the man,
ana I am quite sure that if this oral sketch could
be put in print, just as it came from Colonel Mas-
rie’a lips, it would be far more entertaining than
anything which has yet been published.. It is
surprising what a number of characteristic inci
dents are remembered by almost every person
you meet, and this feet alone is enough to prove
that Jackson must have been no ordinary man.
Perhaps at some future time I may give your
readers an outline of what has been told me
about “the major.”
With regard to General Lee, the following
questions and answers will afford you some idea
of his way of life, and of tli§ esteem in which
he is held by all classes:
“Do the college boys like him ?”
“Like him ? They love him.”
“Well, does he like his position as president,
or does he merely put up with it in view of
something better ?”
Unfortunately be likes it. When the place
was first offered him, by letter, lie declined it;
but after Judge Brockenbrougli had visited, him
and explained to him fully the views and.wislies
of the faculty, he accepted, and accepted in good
faith, being satisfied that he could discharge the
duties of the position and be of service to his
countiy.” . , , T
“Since he came, he has been pleased, 1 sup-
pose?” .
“How could it be otherwise? Everybody is
delighted with him, as he must know whenever he
looks in the face of student, cadet, or citizen ;
besides, he is conscious that he is doing good.”
“He lives comfortably ?”
“Quite so. He has a comfortable house well
furnished; and while his salary is not large, his
every want is supplied, and often-times antici
pated.”
“How do vou mean ?"
“Why, every stage that enters the village
brings him a parcel or box, sent by express, and
these parcels contain almost every imaginable
thing, from books and pictures down to clothing
and provisions.”
“Where do these boxes come from ?”
“From every quarter of the globe, you may
say, but ehiefly from Baltimore.’^
“Are the donors known ?”
“Not always; indeed I do not think they gen
erally are, but when known the gift is promptly
acknowledged. The other day a little girl, living
some four miles in the country, sent the General
a present ot apples, and the very next evening,
in her great joy and the amazement of her pa
rents, General Lee rode up, alighted, entered the
bouse, and returning his thanks, paid his little
friend a visit of some length.”
“Does he mingle freely with the people:
“He is not at all unsocial, is free, yet cautions
in conversation, but his visits are made chiefly to
the ladies.” ,, ...
“I suppose he is greatly annoyed by visitors (
“No, you can hardiy say that. Sometimes his
is tried by persons requesting him to sit
for his picture or bust, and one occasion he was
heard to declare that he had rather stand the fire
of half a dozen of the best marksmen in the army
of Northern Virginia than be vexed by the con
tinued solid'ations of artists, photographers, and
the like. He was particularly worried a few
days, ago by an old lady from the South, who in
sisted on having a lock' of even “three threads”
of his hair, which she had promised faithfully to
carry to a young female friend in Alabama or
Georgia. ,
“ After considering the difficulty, he persuaded
the old lady to put up with a photograph in place
ot the lock of hair. She ttas by no means satis
fied, but the General waA firm. He is also-an-
noyed by letters on all sorts of subjects. One ot
these lately received waS from an old woman in
England, who sent him- a bill for $4, which a
man of his name, Roheret E. Lee, had borrow
ed from her in 1862. 'As the old lady was evi
dently in earnest, aud the letter genuine, the Gen
eral promptly replied, and proved an alibi.
“ Is he writing a history of his campaigns ?”
“ I think so. At all events, he is collecting
materials for a history. Many think he would
be unwilling to publish a history just at this time,
when so many of the actors are living, and the
passions engendered by the war are still fresh
and rankling; but tbe iact that Richardson, the
New York publisher, paid him a visit not long
since, is regarded by others as proof that the his-
toiy is now in process of composition.
Have no other publisners, besides Richard
son approached him ?”
“Oh.yes, one certainly has. A New York
publisher, whose name is withheld, offered to en
dow Washington College with the sum of $10,000
annually, if General Lee would contribute oue
article a week to his paper. The proposition
was made inform to the rector by a responsible
party; but the rector, for reasons which you can
appreciate, withheld it.”
“Gen. Lee, then, never heard ot it ?”
“Yes, he did, at least it is said he did. lie be
came apprised of it in some way and declined
the offer.”
“Does he concern himself about politics?”
“Not at all. On the contrary, he is extremely
careful that not even the suspicion of politics
should attach to the college.”
“His habits are industrious, I have heard ?”
“They are. As early as 6 o’clock iu the morn
ing you may see him walking into town to get
his letters and papers; the remainder of the day
is devoted to his manifold duties, and in the
evening he rides into the country on his white
horse, not unfrequently stopping to converse with
the farmers and country gentlemen with whom
he chances to meet, about crops and 'such mat
ters.
“Is there any truth in the story that during
one of these rides he was halted by one of his
own soldiers, a simple-minded, enthusiastic
countryman, who insisted on giving him three
cheers, then and there, in the middle of the
road ?”
“I think not. We never heard of it.”
“The family of the General is as much beloved
as the General himself, I have been told ?”
“Yes; every member ot tbe family is a great
favorite with our people.”
“General Custis Lee is said to be a man of
promise ?”
“He is. In some respects he is a more myste
rious man than his father. There is something
of Jackson in him. He is veiy modest, but he
is very firm in his convictions, and liis opinions
are remarkably practical and sound. He is a
practical thinker/’
“General Lee dose not intend to quit the col
lege?”
We have no reason, whatever to believe that
he will abandon the college so long as he is com
petent to discharge the duties of President. It
is said that he once expressed a desire to become
Governor of Virginia. But that was before the
war. Times have changed, and under the new
order of things, the gubernational chair of a
Southern State can have few charms for any
gentleman, much less for General Lee. We think,
therefore, that he will remain with us, and this
is one reason, indeed,. the chief reason why you
find our people so cheerful and so hopeful of the
future of their town and county, and in fact ot
this entire portion of the valley.
The President Opposed to the Test Oath.
In a speech made some months since the Pres
ident remarked emphatically that the oath to
support the Constitution of the United States im
plied all that any officer ought to be required to
swear to. Consitently with this remark, and in
anticipation of the action of the Philadelphia
Convention, his organ (the National Republican)
contained, on Wednesday morning, a leading
editorial arguing against the necessity aud pro
priety of test oaths. Coming from such a source,
and under existing circumstances, we regard the
article as both significant and important, and ac
cordingly reproduce a portion of its reasoning.—
The Republican says:
Among the inventions which resulted from the
supposed or real necessities of our recent war
was what is commonly called the test oath, by
which, hi addition to the usual obligation to sup
port the Constitution and perform official duties,
public officers were required to swear that they
bad neither directly or indirectly participated in,
or in any manner aided the rebellion. This, for
aught we have to say to the contrary, was a judi
cious provision at the time it was enacted, and
subsequently to the end of the war.
But we have doubts of its propriety now that
the necessity which called for it is passed. And
our doubts are greatly strengthened by evidences
that it is being used in some instances to the pre
judice of the public service. Second, third, and
even fourth-rate men in the Southern States are
frequently entrusted with important public duties
merely because first-rate men in the same locali
ties, although now equally loyal to the Govern
ment, cannot take this oath. The anti-reconcilia-
tionists roll it as a sweet morsel of vengeance un
der their tongues upon the late insurrectionists,
merely, as one of their number recently said in a
public speech, to let them know that “ there is a
punishment after death.” It suits precisely that
class of bigots whom we find in most of our
churches now-a-days, who are as busily employed
in expelling members from the church as the
clergyman is in getting them in—Christians of
the Beacon Sniffles species, who devoutly pray
ed for the salvation of “me and my wife, my son
John and his wife—we four and no more.” But
it smacks too much of hide-bound proscription
of our fellow-men merely because they have, at
a former period, been guilty of wrong doing, to
suit the spirit of the age in time of peace.
Badly as any of our Southern brethren have
acted, they are, nevertheless, members of our
great political family, and must sooner or later
be awarded their seats at the family table. What
public good can be attained by excluding them
from it any longer ?
An Elopement Nipped in the Bud—The
Lover up a Tree.—A correspondent of tho
Detroit Post relates the following:
An elopement almost occurred a few days ago
in the town of Thornapple, near the village of
Hastings, Michigan. A long, Jean, lank speci
men of the genus homo, a regular seven footer,
fancying that he had discovered charms in a
young lady superior to those possessed by his
wife and family, made a vigorous attack upon
the fortress of her affections, and carried it by
storm. An attempt to elope was the natural re
sult. The two lovers started together on foot for,
nobody knows where, all the time indulging in
blissful anticipations cf future happiness. But
alas I their experience verified the truth of the
old adage, “the course of true love never was
smooth, for the friends of the young lady hav
ing became advised of the state of affairs, soon
started in pursuit The short step and smali
track of the young lady close by the side of the
long stride of her lover, pointed out unmistak
ably tbe direction taken by the fugitives ; they
were overtaken in the town of Irving, about six
miles from the starting point, and the girl was
takeu back to the paternal mansion. The gay
lover, when he discovered the pursuit, broke for
the woods, where he was subsequently found in
the top of a tree, and captured. A disappointed
lover up a tree, his idol ruthlessly snatched from
his embrace, and all his bright anticipations
blasted, it is no wonder that his feelings took a
religious turn. Such was the fact, for when the
officer found him he was praying lustily for the
good people of Thornapple. The officer thinks
that a petition delivered in such a loud tone of
voice, by a seven-footer, standing in the top of a
high tree, must have been heard in the upper re
gions. Whatever the. result may be, he was
ordered down from his elevated position, brought
to this town and placed in jail to await the next
sitting of the Circuit Court.
Another history of the war is announced to
aippear smultaneously in England and America,
by R. R. Howison, Esq., a member of the Rich
mond bar. Mr. Howison began the publication
of this work during the war, the opening chap
ters appearing in the volumes of the Southern
Literary Messenger.