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The Beaufort im Republican. AN INDEPENDENT FAMILY NEWSPAPER, DEVOTED TO POLITICS, LITERATURE, AND GENERAL INTELLIGENCE. OUR MOTTO IS-TRUTH WITHOUT FEAR. VOL. III. NO. 1. BEAUFORT, S. 0., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1872. . (SSWBWfflE? , Two Mercb&nt*. When trade grew slack, and notes fell due, The merchant's face grew long and blue ; His dreams were troubled through the night With sheriffs, bailiffs, all in sight. At last his wife unto him said? " Kise up at once, get out of bed, " And get your paper, ink and pen, " And say these words unto all men " My goods I wish to sell to you, " And to your wife and daughters, too ; " My prices they shall be so low, " That each shall buy before they go." He did as his good wife advised, And in the paper advertised; Crowds came and bought of all he had, His notes were paid, his dreams were glad, \nd ho will tell you, to this day, How well did printer's ink repay. He told mm, with a knowing wink, How he was saved with printer's ink. Another?in a place as tight? Contented was the press to slight; He did not let the people know, Of what he had or "here to go. His drafD8 w ere due and were not paid ; A levy on his goods was made ; The store was closed until the sale, And for some time he was in jail. A bankrupt now, without a cent, At leisure he can deep repent? That he was foolish and unwise, And did not freely advertise. IN BUSINESS HOURS. " It's a poor head that cannot bear i glass of wine," said the young man. "Few heads can bear it in b'isines hours," was the reply. " So, take i friend's advice, Howard, and let the win< alone." The last speaker was past the raeridiai of life. lie had a care worn face, ant deep, thoughtful eyes. If you studiet his countenance when in repose, you neat in many of its lines a record of disappoint ment and heartache. The other was i handsome young man, with clear, confi dent eyes, and a self poised air. You sav that he had faith in himself?was hopefn and strong, and meant to win in the rac< of life. " Why do you say in business hours Mr. Clarkson?" inquired the young man as he held the wine near his lips. 44 Because success in business needs i * clear head ; and no head is as clear aftei a trlass ot wine is taken as it was before.' Mr. Clarkson said this so gravely and impressively that his companion wai struck by his manner, and felt that h( spoke from some painful experience. H< stood irresolute for a moment, and ther set down the untasted glass of wine. 44 Right, my young friend!" There wa* a tone of satisfaction in Mr. Clarkson'* voice. 4' But," said Howard, as he moved bact from a table covered with the daintiesl refreshments and the choicest wines?i table surrounded by beauty and fashior ?441 see tnanv of our successful busines; men here, and they are taking wine free lv. At a bridal reception no one can re I U"?C? " The occasion does not lessen the dan per," Mr. Clarkson answered. il Som< men who 20 from here this morning wil he poorer by nightfall than when the] came/' " In the chances of trade and specula tion loss and gain come to some men even day. It is the natural course of things,' said Howard. " But I mean poorer for the wine dranl here,'' replied Mr. C larkson, " I se< men in this room who have large business interests of their own and others to man age; interests that require the coolesl judgement and the most careful thought. They will hurry away from here in a little while, and go back to their offices, their stores, and their counting rooms, tc take up the work intermitted for a briel hour. Do you think they will be as cleat headed as bef >re ? As well fitted to grapple with the Issues that demand tlieii highest ability ? Will the wine they have taken be a help or a hindrance? " I could tell you a story," Mr. Clarkson added, after a pause, " so tull oi warning, that its lesson would hardly fai to impress yon deeply. But this is neithei the time nor the place." 44 Will you make the time and place?' asked Howard, whose interest and curiosity were both a wakened. u Yes " 44 When and where?" 44 I shall he at home this evening, and will be pleased to see you. I live at No 403 street." ' Thank you. I shall certainly call." The fwo men seperated, yotmg'ffoWan wondering why Mr. ChrksoQ should have manifested any special concern for him What had been said about the danger o: confusing the mind by drink in business hours lingered in his thoughts, and the more he pondered it the more its significance grew upon him. In the evening he called upon Mr. Clarkson as he had promised. " Glad to see you, my young friend,' was the kind greeting lie received. u ] knew your father years ago; and there are many things in my memory of him that I recall with pleasure. He was f true man. Mr. Howard; and the world i; better for his having lived in it. It wa.> my thoughs of him that led me to speaf as I did to you this morning. I might almost say that it was a voice of warning from your father through me," " i cannot but feel a little surprised at this," Howard said frankly. "My fathei used wine. I have often seen him take f glass at, his own tahle when we had company. He set it before his guests, an< partook of it on social occasions. Ai my sister's wedding reception, which oc curred during his life time, wine wai served as at the reception this morning. A shadow dropped over Mr. Clarkson'i face. After a little silence he replied " 1 know all this. Aud your father uevei used wine to excess?did not care mncl for it?was only in accord with a socia custom. And yet, temperate as he wai you are poorer to day by many thousand; of dollars than you would have been if h< had not taken a few glasses of wine a your sister's wedding reception." You *cannot mean what you say, Mr Clarkson !" the young man exclaimed, hii face flushing and paling by turns. "It is true, my young friend," wai answered. " And I too, was hurt bcyom recovery by the wine I drank in health t< the bride on that occasion. It was |ii business hours and robbed nay mind of the a clear sight needed at a time when to L blunder was next to ruin." v , " I am more surprised than I can ex- tl press," was the voung man's remark, tl " My father hurt by wine ? It seems im- h possible, Are you very sure about this n thing, Mr. Clarkson?"-* a " I cannot be mistaken. The records c of disaster are cut very deep." ' Will you tell me the whole story ?" h " It is still very fresh in my memory h It seems an event of yesterday. I had an tl engagement to meet your father after the a reception. The Lake Superior copper f< raining tever was then at its height. Your n father was a cool, clear headed man, and h generally kept aloof from schemes of v money making not connected with legiti- e mate trade. It so happened that one of u your restless, over sanguine men, who are t always on the look out for some scheme f< by which money can be made more rapid- o lv than in competitive mercantile or man- s ufacturing operations, had made a visit to b the Ontanagon region, and, in company t with a country surveyor, prospected for a v mine. According to his representation, 1j they had discovered one of the richest ii deposits of ore in the whole Lake Superior d retrion, and held the secret of its location, p He had come east to organize a company, and had yet only talked to a few capital- h ists, who had arranged to meet him at one s o'clock on the day I have referred to, in g order to get a full developement of his a rtloriQ J] " Neither your father nor I felt much n a interest in the matter. We had little f< faith in raining speculations, having seen C more money lost in thera|than gained, by v s a thousand per cent. But we had been g R so strongly pressed to attend this meeting g e that we were constrained to be present. o "From the wedding reception, flushed h with wine?we had each taken three or v 3 four glasses, and our heacs were not very a ^ strong?we went to this meeting to hear n 1 about the marvelonsly rich deposit of al- h ] most virgin copper discovered somewhere on the range of the great Minnesota con- d glomerate belt. Maps and plans were Ti 1 spread before us; specimens of copper si ore exhibited; cost ot land, and the par- li r ticulars of working mines, and the money v\ j needed for developement, set forth in elo- I qnent detail. e 3 "Isoon saw that your fathe.i', in whose si face there was an unwonted glow, and in a whose eyes shone an unusual brightness, p was becoming much interested, was fore- e most in making inquiries and getting at a facts and figures. His ordinary coolness A i and reserve were gone. He had permit- ? r ted himself to come under the magnetism u > ot the plausible individual who wished to si I draw us into his scheme of fortune mak- e , ing, and was completely carried away by si , his representations. n , " I, too, saw golden visions, and when o j your father said, k Gentlemen, I mean to c< go into this thing,' I was the .first to H , respond 4 So do I.' Our example was in- nr , fectious. We had the reputation ot being it prudent, far seeing men; and the fact w . that we saw money in an undeveloped t.l J copper mine had a strong influence upon t those present, none of whom had the re- o , motest suspicion that our judgment was , obscured and our vision distorted by wine, v " There were ten individuals present at ei . that meeting. Under your father's lead and mine, the preliminary organization ot e - a joint stock company was made, and a > committee appointed to procure a char1 ter. The capital was to be two hundred c< r and fifty thousand dollars, divided into five thousand shares at fifty dollars each ; ' . the money to be paid in by installments r as needed. As shown by full estimates ' and the result* accomplished in leading c mines, not over fifty thousand dollars & : would have to be expended before paying > returns were obtained. The stock would ; then rise to par, commanding fifty dollars a share for ten paid in. t "Your father headed the subscription, . putting his name down for two thousand ts > shares. His faith and example were po- ^ tent with me, and I followed with a thou> sand more. In a few minutes the whole ^ f subscription was full; and we had a com- . pact organization of ten men, two of 01 . whom, your father and I, held the con- c< trolling -influence; otir proportion of " ? shares being three fifths of the whole number. It was voted to pay in at once . two dollars a share, or ten thousand dol- 0 f lars, in order to make a cash payment on ai 1 the land, and to get funds for beginning Vl - immediately the work of opening the mine. The charter would come and the C1 ' company organization proceed in due w . course. 0 " I went away from that meeting feeling a strangely. On going to my store, I re member sitting down at my desk, and w 1 resting my head between my hands, trying " . to think just where I stood and what I ai had been doing. I remember saying to uivselt, as the excitement under which I * r had been laboring cooled down and my > brain got clearer, 1 Have 1 been dreaming " . or acting the fool V I was doing a inoderf ately profitable business, that required ^ 5 careful working. My capital while suffl- S1 i cient to ensure success, was not large, and needed to be well cared for and handled \ ; judiciously. I could rot take two thou sand dollars away from it without de- * ranging my calculations, and limiting, in a ' some degree, my operations. And yet, 1 t} [ had put down my name for a thousand n 5 shares of stock, at a par value of fifty 11 i dollars each, and might be called upon to t( i pay assessments to the full amount! I ? felt the cold sweat on my forehead. 1 1 ? said to myself, 'What came over me? I ; must have lost my senses!' Then it w t flashed into- my thought that the wine !' : drank at your sister's reception had been the evil influence which led me astray? f the blinding power that obscured my ^ - judgement. I was startled at the revelai tion?startled and ashamed. * 44 But there was now no going back 1 upon what I had done. I had entered . t into an honorable contract, and could not without loss of business standing, refuse . s to meet its requirements. Your father ' came to see me late in the afternoon to P 3 talk over the new mining enterprise. I e . saw that Ins fine enthusiasm was gone; ? r and did not tail to observe that in refer- J1 ) ing to the copper product his mind rested ' 1 more upon the work that had to be done , 3 than on the splendid results to be obtain3 ed. He was not sure that the sanguine 3 individual who had led ns into this t scheme was the cool, reliable, balanced man we needed for the management of r . our affairs in the mining region. His o s calm, strong, practical mind was going h over the whole ground in sober earnest; o ? and it was plain that the rosy hues which d 1 had so pleased our eyes a few hours be- h ) fore were fading fast away. n i 44 But he was not one to look back C fter once putting his hands to any work. [e was sensitive and proud, and more On rilling to face an enemy and dare a loss, Nation tian to acknowledge a mistake. Under be influence of his unwonted enthusiasm, saya 1 e had drawn a number of capitalists and have i len of business into a mining enterprise, sure, ! nd he felt pledged to the work of its sue- Quenc ess. ^ : " At an early day our charter was at ?ods 1 and, when an election of officers was has si eld, and your lather made president of times he company. The care and work, the force nxieties and disappointments he endured .. or the next jear or two, in his efforts to Almos aanage the affairs of the company broke fcated is spirits and impaired his health. Money swagg i-as poured into the mine like water into mj?ht and; assessment after assessment was , aade, until each shareholder had paid in noy hirty dollars a share. It was impossible if 1 or me to take thirty thousand dollars banne ut of mv business without destroying it; have o I was forced to sell half my stock at a , .... oss of fifty cents on the dollar. I carried ir he balance at a crippling cost. But sortsc our father paid at each assessment, until They e had sixty thousand dollars locked up way a certificates, that commanded no divi- ma"^g ends, and had ceased to be quoted at any rice in the stock market. thoug " I will not detail the experience we so mu ad in copper mining. It was a continued they eries of disappointments, from the time ^ round was broken until the work was bandouert. Ore was found, but never in mil[er aying quantities. What was sent to believ aarket paid us about a mill a pound of pei or a dollar expended in procuring it. trium )ur superintendent,whose cans ior monev . rere incessant, always wrote in the most soi(lie lowing terms. Every indication was once 1 ood. We were surely approaching one all my f the great lodes which other operators ^ow ad struck in that region, and the moment re reached it, our stock would go up to, nd far beyond par. But the lode was men*ever found. At the end of a year and a have { alf the mine was abandoned. naturj U1 shall never forget the meeting of f0] irectorsat which we voted to stop work. rour father, who presided at the meeting by at in the chair more like a statue than a by nc ving man. At its close I walked away hardy :ith him. He was not inclined to talk, an(j m saw that he was deeply mortified and ' , vidently much troubled. He had put a 3 ixty thousand dollars into this bubble has b nd it had burst. The land, for which we that I aid twenty thousand, would not sell for permi nough to meet the claims that still stood , . gainst the company. So, all was gone. ^ar lS we paused at the corner of the street 866 111 rhere our ways parted, he said, with After mch bitterness: ' To think of me being an(j e: ach a fool! I cannot account for it, gQ xcept on the grounds of temporary inanity. In less than an hour after I put ?* ly name down for two thousand shares insteai f that accursed stock, I knew that I had capabl amrcitted the greatest blunder of my au un fe; and nothing but a morbid sense of icrcantile honor kept me from repudiate PenIlg the whole thing. If I had done 60 I were { ould have saved myself and others from ter sol aese cruel losses and disappointments.' think " ' I have long since divined the cause . . f both your folly and mine,' I replied. "'You have!' He spoke with a ner- the m ous throb in his voice. The color deep- ceived tied in his face. He looked at me with i)rj f unething like startled suspicion in his . 69. "' Wine is a mocker,' I said. bave ; "' Wine! What has wine to do with a Europ ^pper stock company?' he asked. distan " * It had more to do with this one, stioulc imncrinft than von rnav have susneeted.' ? 7 - ? j j r . " He looked at me steadily for a mo- vlctor leut or two. I saw his countenance tiange. As his eyes fell slowly to the round, a deep sigh parted his lips. ^ C( "'Good morning!' he said, an instant gives 1 fterward and strode away. He had un- wiii erstood me. * nnt "Trouble never comes alone. With xty thousand dollars taken from your a tall, ither's business, and nearly twenty thou- receivi tnd out of mine, we were both in peril. Havin o reach port, we must have a smooth sea mur(je nd favoring winds. But we had neither, here came a sudden panic in financial txener rcles; banks reduced their lines of dis that, )unts; and rates of interest went up to would linous figures. Trade sympathized and }lftiSteil ;11 off. Weak houses began to totter and | . o down, and stronger ones to show signs Places f trouble. I struggled and sacrificed, ad held on with desperate energy ; but issued ainly. My boats went under. Bady " I knew that your father was badly . rippled ; and when I thought of him, it loner 'as with a concern made acute by my those wn sense of danger. One day, in passing geDtle large auction house, I saw him step as his >rth and stand for a moment, looking be- jmme iUlered and agitated. I crossed over to iin and said: 'Good morning, Mr. How- demrn rd. Nothing wrong, I hope.' a few " ' Ruin! That is all!' he answered vainly 'ith forced calmness. p 'TrT)b,nr></ I returned. lNot so bad as , . , V WHICH " He drew his arm in mine, and we ring a 'alked away. After a little while he ed ofl poke, his voice less steady than before. ^je(j j " 4 Yes, my friend, ruin?and the cause ou know too well. To save myself, I "hnai >rced a sale of our pioperty on Walnut They treet, and it lies just been struck down Bady t a little over half what I would have ]ian(]], iken for it a month ago! And that ' . leans ruin ! The sum to be received will ft ot meet my wants, and T shall be forced raised > suspend after all, with assets and re- any e uirces diminished by the amount, lost in jieat| lis disastrous sale !' . ' ' And all this,' I could not help saying, a 01111 ith bitter emphasis, 'comes as a result Death fa glass or two of wine taken in business for tl ours ' withoi " lie caught my arm with a sudden rip. There was a wild, desperate, half | ngry look in his face. It went off slowly he wa nd his fingers as slowly relaxed their at the old npon my arm. ** J, " We parted without another word, and le subject was never referred to again, 'our father went through his painful or- hrotln ml unrl r>amo out. with a small remnant of in ha\ roperty, after paying his debts. I lost had jr very thing, and have been a poor man jrQm j ver since, lie was moderately successful ,. i new business enterprises. At his death 'lim ? e left an estate worth at least a hundred himse housand dollars less than it would have witho een if he had not tasted wine in business ours."?T. S. Arthur. ment The three communists, Lolive, De- due ] champs, and Deniville, who failed to preset btuin a commutation of sentence, a reb, aving been convicted by court-martial cent, f murdering the hostages, were shot at aybreak on the plain of Satory. Eight Th< undred and eighty of their more fortu- all pa Ate fellows embarked at Brest for New unkn< Caledonia. playe The Auitrians aa Soldiers. what rests the much boasted repuof Austria as a military power, Julius Henri Brown, in a letter, 1 lever been able to discover. To be she has always vapored grandilo y, and pretended to beard the n King Cambyses's vein ; but shf eldoga been pitched in modern against any thing like an equal without being soundly beaten. ?t every nation in Europe has de her again and again ; and yet sh< ;ers and prates of the haughty and y house of Hapsburg (it should ?e called the house of Mishapsburg) rictory had ever perched upon hei rs. Whatever paft of Austria ] visited, I found soldiers drilling, ig, drilling, and undergoing al >f gymnastic and warlike evolution seem to spend their lives in thai and I have no doubt that thej excellent troops theoretically, h I fail to perceive the benefit oi ch discipline and manoeuvring, if must be routed every time thej he field I am not a particular adof military prowess, nor am I s er in military glory?the triumphs ace to my miml are the greatest phs?but if I were an Austriar r I should like to win a victory n a while for novelty's sake. Witt patience and indifference, I shoulc weary of engaging in battles cony resulting in a retrograde moveThe Austrians must by this time p*own accustomed to defeat; musl illy expect the order to charge tc [lowed by the order to retreat they are so unfortunate in war is ) means clear. They are brave, , resolute ; have all the physical lental qualities that insure success, ret they rarely achieve it. Sucl een my curiosity on this subjeci 1 have entered, with or without ssion, every barrack and barrack n the vicinity of my wanderings tc i what the great defect consisted, carefully observing the evolutions tercises, it has occurred to me thai ldiers are overdrilled?that excess :ics makes mere machines of them, dof self-dependent, reasoning men le of extricating themselves from forseen difficulty or unanticipated In other words, if the Austrians >oorer soldiers, they would be betdiers. They learn too much, and too little ; have unceasing drill oi xly, and hardly any discipline oi tind. They are said to have rea valuable lesson during their bnt humiliating contest with a, and for their sake I hope they for I am really anxious in the next ean war. which now seems not far t, that the courageous Austrians 1 some time be disappointed by a 7 Execution of an Arab. jrrespondent writing from Algiers this description of an execution, ile waiting in the inner court and e the door of the justice chamber, gaunt Arab was dragged in tc 3 final sentence from the Bev g been already condemned for r, the dragoman of the Consul al, who accompanied me, told me if not pardoned, the executior take place immediately, and ied me out of the palace to take uf in the open space in front. We :arcely done so when the crowd forth from the gates, headed bt Schafhar, the hereditary execu , in friendly conversation witl nearest him. This interesting old man wore no disguise of any sort office is not held disgraceful here diately after him came the con ofvnrrr/linnr in flio lxOrulfl A 5U OM ili ui+Ks UUUV.O w. Arabs, wliile a handful of official: strove to keep back the crowd arty came up to the very spot or we were standing, cleared a litth bout twelve feet in diameter, pull the victim's burban and clothes lis hands behind his back, am olded him with a piece of rag then forced him on his knees, anc Schafhar drew his old wooden ?d scimiter ; there was a paus< :ew seconds ; then the executionei his arm, and seemingly withou xertion, and with one stroke tin rolled clean from the body, anc itain of boiling blood gushed forth must have been instantaneous le body tumbled on the groum ut a quiver. As the prisoner wai ed forth from the justice chamber s followed by an Arab crying out, top of his voice : ive the Bey ! live the Bey !" inquiry, I found he was the ?r of the murdered man triumphanl dug got ''bloo<l for blood." H( ist refused 50,000 piasters (84,250 the^friends of the prisoner, to le jo ; and I was told that the Be] If had offered a large sum, bu at succets. ) United States Treasury Depart gives notice that all luterst coupon November 1, 1872, will be paid oi itation at the proper offices upoi tte of inteiest at the rate of 6 pe per annum, in gold. ; game of euchre, so popular ii rts of the United States, is almos awn in England, where whist i d by men, and cribbage by women China and (Haas tbrics. Many of the exquisite forms given to those beautiful specimens of earthern ware which form the service of our breakfast and our dinner tables, are not capable of being executed in the lath? of the potter. The embossed ornaments ? on the edges of the plates, their polygoi nal shape, the gilded surface of many | of the vases, would all be difficult and costly of execution by the hand ; but . they become easy and uniform in all ? their parts, when made by pressing the [ soft material out of which they are formed, into a hard mould. The care and skill^estowed on the preparation of r the mould are amply repaid by the mul; titude it produces. In many of the works of the China manufactory one part 1 only of the article is moulded?the upper surface of a plate, for example, whilst t the upper side is figured by the lathe. r In some instances, the handle, or only a few ornaments, are moulded, and the f body of the work is turned. Another instance which may be cited in illus tration of this peculiar kind of mechanical operation, is that of glass seals. As { is well known, the process of engraving 5 upon gems is ene requiring considerable t time and skill in order to insure a per! feet result. The seals thus produced can r therefore never become common. Imii tation s however,are made,of various del grees of resemblance, and these have . extensively taken the place of the genu. ine article. The color which is given to > glass, is perhaps the most successful part t of the imitation. A small cylindrical ) rod of colored glass is heated in the flame of a blow pipe, until the extremity , becomes soft. The operator then pinches it skillfully between the ends of a I pair of nippers, which are formed of brats, and on one side of which has been t carved in relief the device intended for t the ornamenting of the seal. When the ; requisite care has been taken to heat the . glass in a proper manner, and when the ^ , mould has been well finished, the seals thus produced are not bad imitations, ^ some of them being extremely beautiful in their appearance. They are produced i in very large quantities and at a small cost. i The Advertising Swindler. ? The Chicago Times', in an elaborate article, I "swindling," has this to say concerning i the advertising swindler: He coaxes the unwary merchant into giving him his i "ad." by a hundred spurious dodges. He is going to have a fabulous number r of hotel registers manufactured, or a lot of directories made to be hung in rural g post-offices and railway depots ; or is j about to issue an advertising sheet for a " gratutions circulation, devoted to the Lord knows what ; or is a painter, and being about to sally forth to bedaub the rocks and hills of a beautiful land i with his impudent announcements, he wheedles the tradesman into letting his name be associated - with this vilest of ( advertising swindles. Or he is going to ornament telegraph poles in the same I manner ; or to rig up a vehicle, containing notices, to be driven about the ^ streets, or has frames for your card in divers public places ; or, in short, wishes to defraud, by some specious game, the advertiser out of his hard earned money. He has a thousand or more methods of perpetrating his frauds, from proposals 1 to disfigure street lamps and board fences 1 to painting your announcement on the ) front of the country pulpit. But the basis of all his propositions is arrant cheating. Advertising is one of the I most blessed boons vouchsafed to the commercial world ; but the columns of a . newspaper are the only medium through j which the desired end of the advertiser j can be attained. Lablache's Thunder-storm.-Apropos of Lablache. it was after dinner at Gore House that T witnessed his extraordinary f representation of a thunder-storm simply ' ? by facial expression. The gloom that 1 gradually overspread his countenance ! appeared to deepen into actual darkness, j ? and the terrific frown indicated the angry j . louring of the tempest. The lightening f commenced by winks of tlie eyes nnd ' twitchiugs ot the muscles of the face, * 1 succeeded by rapid sidelong movements i . of the mouth which wonderfully recalled ] \ to you the forked flashes that seemed to ^ rend the sky, the notion of thunder being conveyed by the shaking of the p 2 head. By degrees the lightning became [ r less vivid, the frown relaxed, the gloom i t departed, nnd abroad smile illuminating his expensive face, assured you that the sun had broken through the clouds and 8 ^ the storm was over. He told me the idea 1 . in company with Signor de Begnis, he I witnessed a distant thunder-storm above i the Arc de Triomphe? Recollections of J. R. Planche. 1 Marriage in* Assyria.? Among the ( Assyrians, all marriageable vouug girls were assembled in one place, and the j public crier put them up to sell one after ; the other. The money which was re- j t ceived for those who were handsome, and consequently sold well, was bestowed as a wedding portion on those who were ) plain. When the most beautiful had t been disposed of, th" more ordiuary - looking were offered for a certain sum, ; t and allotted to those who were willing ? talra thnnv TIpnpp all the worn on were kindly provided with husbands. The Babylonians, like the Assyrians, - held a kind of market of their daughters s at certain times every year. They were 3 assembled in a public place, where they 3 were exposed to general view, and disr posed to the best bidders by the public crier. The money given for the p.irchase of the handsome ones was applied a to portion out those who were deficient t in personal attrations. The cnstom was s j said to have originated with Atossa, the 1.\ daughter of Belochus. A Swindle Exposed. A special telegram from New Y sontains the following, which may po )ly interest some of our readers : " Parties who have suffered by rauds of Frederick H. Greer, who p >orts to publish a book entitled ' t rersal Biography,' are prepared to pi scute him. It is reported that he led from the city. Greer was form< i telegraph operator iti Cincinnati i >ther Western cities, and has been jaged in his biograph swindle ab hree years. Persons familiar with ransactions say of the 1 Universal I jraphy' business, that there never mch a book ; that Greer had a la lumber of specimen copies so boi hat he can remove and insert lea1 vith the aid of a sponge and a poi nucilage, he writes a biography, ha let in type, and pastes it in the coj urnished to his subscribers. If J( ?. Smith orders his biography and ?en copies of the book, he ia set up i justed in that manner, occupying paf lay from 200 to 220. John Jones ore ?e same number of copies, and find rirtues recorded on pages 200 to \ nclusive. It is further said that by ngenious wording of the contract sig jy eacli seeker after fame, he is boi ;o take and pay for an entire editioi ive thousand. Greer's ledger is in josession of Justice Hogan. All jagea except two were sealed but jrdered the seals to be broken, wh< lpon it appeared that a great many ] ions of more or less prominence v lown for sums running from fifteen < ars to one thousand five hundred doll )ver 200 pages of biographies avei ;ight names each. The names incl joliticians, clergymen, officials, ma acturers, authors, army and naval < ;ers, editors, and men of nearly all ] essions, and will shortly be publisl: vith the amounts which they have j or their glory." The Oil Question. The movement of the Association Jil Producers, says in Oil City dispal ,o shut down all pumping wells and s he whole production of oil iu the co ,ry for thirty days, is fast gain ground, and it is likely that in a lays, few, if any, wells in all the egion will be operation. There i meeting of the Oil City Associatioi )il city, and a committee was appoin o make an examination and report 1 '*f +Vio fr?fal nrmliicHrm can IIUUU V/JL kUV itopped. Some of those most anxi n the matter pledged themselves at 01 md shut down to remain shut if novement becomes general. # Sev< mndred wells in several districts dready stopped under the above coi ions. The total production of oil in 1 :ountry is now above 900,000 barrel) itock. On account of this immense fc >lus the producers are in the powei he refiners and exporters, who are a 0 keep the price of crude oil down vhat the producers regard as a ruin ate. It is expected by stopping j luction for thirty days the stock ou hi vill be rednced to four or five hund housand barrels, and some favor a i jension of production for sixty di vhich would reduce it to 200,000. r. jroductiveness of the wells would not >ver 1,000 baiTels per day on resumi ind the price of crude oil, it is calci ed, would go up to $5 per barrel learly double the present rates. ' >nly reason why the suspension of p luction will not certainly be general 1 few days, is that a few producers r efuse to unite in the movement, i ;his will induce others to keep worki because they say they will not shut d( or the benefit of the few, if any, \ vill continue. An Immense Brewery.?The larj irewery in the world is that of Bare Perkins, Co., London. They mnually 18,000 bales of hops, that m; >ver 1,000,000 barrels of ale. IT ilace covers twelve acres in the heart [iondon, for which they recently refn ,he sum of $20,000,000, or 1,750,000 icre. Barclay, Perkins ?feCo., use 9, >ounds of hops and 12,500 bushels nalt salt daily. They make 1,750 bar: )f beer at a brewery. Their porte: ttowed in 172 large tubs, each hold rom 1,500 to 3,000 barrels. Talk ab iig barrels! Why, they have se asks, called the "seven sisters," wh lold 3,600 barrels each. They are 'eet high and 30 feet in diameter. T1 Iraft horses are the marvel of all L Ion. They have 162 of the splendid land horses, worth ?700 apiece. Tl ire so heavy as to wear out an inch tl lorseshoe once in two weeks. The Missing Men op the Metis. Dottle was picked up near Wood's H Mass., containing a letter dated Au>, 30, in which the writer says he i passenger on thp steamer Metis wr< ?d on that morning, and that he ;hen on a raft alone. After stating t ae had a wife and two children he ( dudes the letter as follows : It is onely to die without friends near yo rach a place as this. May God 1 mercy Jon me. I am a native of N ^astle, Pa., ; am not afraid to die. 1 my friends this. So, good-by, all. done ! all alone I ( Signed ) Cha H. Paine. - #v Brevities. 0fk It is now a penal offenceitn play cards ssi- even for amusement in a Georgia bar room. the Justice is prompt in Chicago, and the (Ur other day tried and convicted a man of j . murder in twenty minutes. St. Joe county, Mich., saved its rer08" cords from fire by letting them be hidhas den in the woods, and now offers 33,500 ?rly to know the spot and A. man who has a red headed sweet en_ heart addressed her as "Sweet Aubnrn; loveliest of the fair." Sweet 'Auburn 0ve got mad about it k*8 A few bridal parties linger at Niagara *io- and their billing and cooing, it is said by was a bachelor who has just returned, can be heard above the roar of the falls. A rumor is current in England that the fifth and only unmarried daughter ^es> of Her Majesty, the Princess Beatrice, : of j has Jjeen betrothed to the Marquis of s it Stafford. lies The cholera is raging to a frightful ex)hn tont *n Bokhara, according to a despatch gj from Teheran. The ill-fated inhabitants are said to be dying at the appalling ftQd rate of 1,000 each day. jes, "What's to become of me if you die?" lers asked an affectionate wife of her receding hi8 husband. "I don't know," he snapped joq ou^ querulously. "It would look better ' in you to be thinking about what's to toe become of me." ne^ . Thousands of bushels of apples will be and left to rot on the ground in the orchards 3 0f of western Massachusetts this autumn. In some towns farmers are offering cider at ?1.50 per barrel, and it is difficult to the find purchasers sufficient to exhaust half he the apples at any price. 4 ere- ???? ?er" A Robber Castle.?Aggstein, now a rere ruin, says Henri Brown, was once a tol- robber castle, concerning which there ars. are many terrible traditions. One of age the lawless chiefs entirely outdid the ude nursery Blue-beard in cruelty. He was uu- in the habit of taking a new wife every offi- month, and yet he never had but one at 5ro~ a time. He seems to have been so con iedf scientiously opposed to polygamy that >aid j^e always killed his last consort before securing a new one. He had the reputation of being extremely careless respecting the marital rights of others, fre8 of quently seizing and carrying off the teh, spouses of even the most powerful barons, top .who, as is related, so far from becoming un- incensed, sent him valuable presents as . tog tokens of their friendship and gratitude, tow Another of the outlaws hurled all his oil prisoners from the top of the rock into was the abyss beneath, and is recorded to a at have murdered in this manner more than tod a thousand unfortunates in a single year. iow This fellow, according to accounts, was a veritable monster. There was no species ous of iniquity or crime which he lid not lcei practice; and though every effort was the rnfldp to take him. dead or alive, he in sral variably succeeded in escaping. He are was supposed to have made a compact with his Satanic majesty, who, finally fearing he might be excelled by the bandit in wickedness, seized the scour.*111 drel as he was trying to get |way from iur* some of his enemies by climbing over a r ridge of rock, and bore him down to hie the Pit, the earth opening and sulphurous flames shooting up, as is usual and ous proper under such circumstances. The )ro ridge, which resembles a wall, and exteuds from the river to the summit of red the hill, is still known as the Teufels*U8~ mauer, or devil's wall. iys, Girls in France.?An American lady ke friend of mind, says Olive Logan was to give a grand dinner on the occasion of ' her birthday. Some of her French or acquaintances were invited. One afternoon when I was calling on my friend, the name of a French countess was >ro- , , , . announced. After salutations, she said, " I came here to-day principally to ask and ^ou a questi?n?is the young Baron de Luynes to be at your dinner ?" " Yes," answered the American lady. " Then," vho tho countess, " you must not feel hurt if I do not bring my daughter Victorine." " Why, Madame la Coun?est tess," said the American lady, Monsieur lay, de Luynes is a charming young^man." use " True, true ! A very charming young nkc man?far too charming to throw any ieir young girl in contact with. lie is poor, ; of and in the army. I wish my daughter to sed marry a man of equal fortune with herper self, and one who is not a soldier." 000 When the countess took her leave I of said to my friend, " do you not think re}?, she was looking rather too far ahead ? There is a wide difference between meet \ 18 ing a gentleman at a dinner party and inf> marrying him." " That is the way out with the French," she answered ; " they ven never expose their children to the temp , tation of falling in love with a person 1C 1 whom they may not marry." 50 ; p leir The Result of Fooling with a Dog. ion- ?One of our up-town merchants owns a 19- handsome bull dog which is a great pet hey among the employees of said merchan t lick and is exceedingly playful, so much so that he carries a stone in his month most of the time, waiting for some one to take it away from him and throw it, that ho "IC' may enjoy a chase. Yesterday morning >Ufl^ he appeared in the office with the inevitwas able stone firmly fixed between his teeth. Jc^" His master being in a playful mood, was seized the stone and threw it through an hat open window, where a carpenter was at jon- work adjusting the weights. The dog , so rushed after it and soon returned, ana the fun was repeated. A third (time the u 1U proprietor succeeded in takingfcthe stone lave from liixa, and not noticing that the carew penter had meanwhile shut the window, pell dashed it through a 40x60 French plate .glass worth S25 or $30. Ordera nave been given throughout the establishment tries "not to fool with that dog."? Springjltld Republican.