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* -> : . * &&&& t . ii'S&Tih" - ?.V'HLiJiBtHnnwoirmtitBuj^ ? . el)c CamOctt Journal. VOLUME 11. CAMDEN, SOUTH-CAROLINA, MAY 14, 1850. "NUMBER 38. 1 - - i, , lk ? . ~,r , 77^ ?77 ? {poetical department. POEM. T GKORGK W. CHRISTIE. There lurks deep-seated in each human breast, Some cherished Dream, round which we love to uest Our fondest hopes?an image of the brain; Soipe Idol Thought, whose outlines still remain, j ? _ in the West, | ^ fl^-0 All 61Bt> J&UCn ) oo ouu-vav>??.^- ? When rosy day pales slowly to its rest. Tis God's great gift to man, whose restless mindHad else been portionless; nor, may we find Em mptions from our nature's common law, Or teiiud, a loss, each finder must deplore. Xoi Youth alone, when impulse holds the sway, And uncurbed Fancy spreads her bright array, And passion's glow doth quicken into birth Fair visions, ail too beautiful for Earth, * " 1 -1?- ?.:ma tKnir tribute T>aV I Hut Age, ana siauuuuu P Jpri iiiiv) m*v. f ^ T?wdav, is but the Dream of yesterday! And why this law, since swiftly rolling years Betray how fast each Vision disappears; How fast each hope, close nestled to the heart, Spreads forth its wings impatient to depart ? Alas! Man's selfish nature seeks return For every feeble effort; and thus we leant Great aciitm. springs from telf, naught else 'twould seem May kindle it to warmth save idle Dream Without Ideal.aims, Man's life would be A pulseless soul, a dead Reality! Art wanders to the shades of Solitude, By gentle winds to gentler feelings wooed; Low murmurs fling their music on the ear, And forms of beauty to the mind appear. Fair An^el forms, for Beauty i6 divine? And whilst we gaze we worship at her shrine, * * measured strain. Ana u we wummp, ?, Wild inspiration leaps through every vein. All hail! sweet Dream! with thoughts of Beauty rife, The canvass glows?the marble breathes with lite, Thy shadowed form stands outlined to our gaze, And Art, triumphant, wins immortal praise! What seeks von watcher of the starry waste, Where rolleth along in her lazy haste, The pele-feced moon, through each billowy cloud, Half wrapped in itslbhWjke a corpse in its shroud! Are the lines of his destinyMyritten there ? Is his fete hung out on the pulseless air lake a scroll to be read by some midnight Seer, With its hones and its pains, its joy and its Jear? Is the horoscope rought! Is the teeming wcfiflb Of the Future pierced for a glance at the tomb ? , No, a loftier Dream now sweeps through his brain, And tinges its cheek with a deep'ning stain. There is order and method in every star, The impulse which hurls the red comet afar, The phases which marshal each change of the moon, Hie shadow which dims and eclipses her noon. A wild hope up-springs in the wondering mind, A dream of its power?why should it not find That law which retains each bright orb in its sphere, And bids the faint ray in the west disappear ? Night after night the starred heavens are scanned, Facts noted and measured, and theories planned, Till proofs are augmented, and labor upholds That Science which triumphs, and Nature unfolds. From room till eve, irom eve iu ruuu? mum, AH feint, o'ertaskod, perchance with hunger torn, The Student toils?neelect and paie disease, 8ole ministers, attendant on bis ease. What Hushes now that wan. dejected fece ? What passing impulse leaves the lingering trace Ofro*y health! TTis midnight's solemn hour, And chill the wind which breathes upon each flower? An unseen presence fills his lonely room; i- 4iml* the nthprinr rloora: Alt U1IKM U?4.? D C c, , He soars in boundless thought?leaves earth behind, And reigns the monarch of bis world?the Mind! So dreams the Poet, and his measures tell, How sweet the Dream, how lasting is its spell. Mail's elevation is our common Dream. Where seek, where find, on ?arth a nobler theme? Tis God-like in each feature, and each aim Might pinnacle our hopes of deathless feme. Turn to you city of the sainted dead, Turn to the Brother, round whose couch is shed, The ministries of love?turn to the tear Of Grie? which finds a friendly solace near? Turn to the shaft, the column, and the pyre! Sweet offsprings of our cherished Dream?but, hieher. . Aims true Fellowship?we seek to elevate Mao's fallen nature to a loftier state. To teach him, is he came from Goth alone, To God his thoughts should turn; whose throne No Jewels deck?in whose Eternity Naught mingles which may spot its purity. Then onward still; our battle-cry be heard. Whilst strength remains to shout the noble word. Tie Action / Action ! tilt our Dream shall be, A living Truth, a stem Reality! ' a? JHisfdlancous deportment. WOKDERFCJL REVELATIONS! "We find tlie following published editori/illy In die New York Sun of the 23d ult?a paper of the largest dally circulation on the American continent Revelations of so wonderful a character, and vouched for on such respectable authority, deserve to be read to say the least We are dnable to form an opinion, and express none, in reference to them. We republish them with the endorsement of the editors of one of ' the most extensively read papers in the world, 1 and will simply add that they will be read with I ibe deepest interest: A F*w Facts fok the Incbeduloi;*,?Wc i liave been aware, for some six weeks past, of i occurrences in the family of a well known and < highly respected gentleman, residing in the i -town of Stratford, Conn., a short distance from 1 Bridgeport, a simple authenticated narrative of i which Lis already staggered the Incredulity of i| + xl?1?4(<ikAliAtiAPO in ann/i#nofiii?al .some oi uie uuiut?? uiswiis IV* o III OU|/VI IIUIUI U? | -agency,' and inspired the timid, to a considerate degree, with terror. We have not felt at i liberty, however, to make public mention of them,.from a regard to the feelings and wishes of the family; bat that restraint is now removed? by die appearance of a garbled statement j in die eointntts of a cotemporaiy; and we shall i proceed to detail a few facts, which are so well vouched for to us, that we endorse them as freely as we could do, had they passed under our own eves, and in our own dwelling. There is in them, to say the least, a mystery, which has not yet been solved, and which, from the unsuccessful endeavors made to discover it, seems uncxplainablc by any supposition of human agency. Six weeks ago last Sunday morning, on their return from church, the family wns alarmed at finding the outside doors, which they had locked an hour or two previously, open, and a piece of black crape tied to the handle of the front door. Supposing the house had been broken J into for the sake of robbery, they immediately searched to see if they missed anything, l hey found all the chamber and inner doors, many of which they had left locked, wide open, hut nothing was missing. The next dav, on entering the room occupied by the eldest daughter, they found the w indow and looking glass covered over by sheets, and on the bed a figure laid out to represent a corpse. This discovery was followed, in the course of a few days, bv strange noises about the house, and by various articles being thrown about, apparently by invisible hands, most of which seemed directed at the young lady. She liecame very much alarmed, and eventually was taken ill, and seized with convulsions, from ?l :-U <A? ??...? nnnnll if UIIO faimli clll> VVOIlld WIIIUU, 1UI Otliur lltl iwu, lb iruo ivuivv. w..v -- not recover. Notwithstanding the close guard which was kept over her during her sickness, strings, handkerc^ iefs, and other articles, were i from time to time found tied tightly around her neck, and pillows from another bed, in the same room, placed over and pressed upon her face. Many such thing occurred, which it was impossible for her to effect, without attracting the notice of those who were watching by, and ta king care of her. After some days she recovered, and was sent to a neighboring village. A day or two after her departure, things began to l>e thrown about the house as before. They consisted chiefly ot small articles, such as nails, screws, pebbles, spools of thread, etc. During the young lady's sickness, neighbors were called in, and became eve-witnesses to many of the strange things which were occurring about the house. The articles which were thrown about began to be.of larger dimensions, ?a sjjoon, knife, fork, book, or poker being occasionally moved. The disturbance was neither constant nor regular. At times, nothing at all would hap|ien for hours, and again a succession of falling, or throwing incidents would ' ' " < I *1 J occur within a lew minutes 01 cacn oilier, unit in different parts of the house. The gentleman's son, a lad of some twelve or fourteen years of age, far from being alarmed, found great amusement in chasing and picking up the moving articles. One evening he thns ran Into a room adjoining that in which the family was sitting, whence had proceeded the noise of something falling to the Hoor, and immediately uttered a piercing scream. His friends going in tound linn on Uie floor, writhing in a tit. He was taken up and cared for, and recovered from it the next day, when he said that the cause of his screaming was, that somebody caught him around the body, just above the hips, and was lifting him up, as he feared, through the ceiling. Of the fit he was not conscious. The next evening, and every evening for about ten days thereafter, at the same hour, and occasionally during the day time, the boy was seized with similar fits, which would last one or moru hours, and then pass off". To enumerate the articles thrown, and the manner and aprearance of them, and above all, the impressions made upon neighbors and strangers who frequently were witnesses, would require not only whole columns but whole newspapers. We shall have room for but few, and in selecting them we shall not refer to what we have already narrated. They are vouched for in the most unequivocal manner, by gentlemen who are iu no wav connected with the familv. and who could not, for a moment be suspected of the least collusion, and are the result of examinations made by them at the request of the family. On one occasion, two gentleman of our acquaintance made a thorough examination of the upper part of the house, leaving the whole of the family below stairs. Having looked through the different rooms without observing anything unusual, they were retiring down stairs, when a fire-poker, which they had noticed hanging on a nail in one of the chambers, passed near their heads and stuck into the floor before them, near the foot of the stairs! They returned, and once more examined the premises. Nothing, and no person, could be found. The door of the chamber in which the poker huug was closed, just as they had left it, but the poker was not in its place. Moreover the rlonr was so situated, that it could not well be opened without attracting their attention, until they had passed further down the stuirs than they hud done when the poker whizzed by. A gentleman and his wife, who reside in the vicinity, and had been with the family frequent* ly while these strange things were going on, found at another time, in a room into which thev. as well as the family were passing and repassing every few minutes, nine figures representing females in a kneeling posture, before each of which was a Bible, opened, and a passage therein marked in by turning down of a leaf to it, or by a small piece of paper laid upon it. These figures were dressed with great precision, every hook and every button was fully adjusted, and their preparation would bo tho work of many jiours if attempted by human hands. The dresses belonged to the youon lady and her mother, and were hanging up In - " *'L - J!-, -PI closest within n short time 01 me uisuuver. x no passages in Scripture were chiefly in the prophecies of the Old Testaraont, and wdro very appropriate to the mystery which apparently existed in the house. Not the least wonderful of these things was the discovery, in ditterent parts 01 tne nouse, . generally in the morning, of a species of liiero- < glyplilc character on the walls^ and on the floor of the piazza, and also on oiled paper One of j those on paper, was of exceedingly high finish, fully equalling engraving on steel. Across the i top were characters in Hebrew, and below, in < ?"! nnlnmnii nfnora similnr in AnnAAr* up M"V ??< r, flnce to Chinese. The Hebrew character were i deciphered by intelligent neighbors, and found to be. "The Key to the Mystery." Of the i Chinese, or other characters, nothing ha6 yet been discovered, but they hato been^ or soon will be, submitted to gentlemen in this cit;*, who are acquainted with the Chinese, Arabic and other languages Up to the 15th inst, these manifestations invariably occurred in the dajf time. On the night i of that day they were maintained with inCieas> < ed violence, and without cessation, until about 4 o'clock in the morning. During that time considerable damage was done to various orti* < cles of furniture, and several panes of glass i were broken from the windows-i-all under the ] eye of another gentleman from those previously j mentioned, who, at the request of the family, ] was endeavoring by all the means and ingenui- j ty at bin command, to solve the mystery. The particulars of all the unaccountable things which ( took place during that night we must pass over < at least for the present, confining ourselves, as 1 we have hitherto done, to the more striking and < extraordinary ones. i While at the supper table the previous eve- i ning, he was amazed more than once at the the 1 falling upon the table of a kuife, or fork, or ] spoon, apparently from the ceiling overhead; , and while seated near the fire, after tea, books, i daguerreotype cases, and other articles, would \ fall from tables and shelves which were distant six to ten feet from any person in the room. In . the same way a pair of candle-snuffers which < were 011 the mantle piece, and which the gentle- . man we speak of had just examined, (they be- i | itig of curious workmanship) seemed to jump | 1 from the shelf and fall to the floor near his feet . i ho hoinir the while, the nnlv ncraon near them. ?> j r He retired, witli the family; soon atler 10 o'clock, and just as he was getting into bed he heard a loud clatter and a scream. Slipping , on a portion of his clothing and running into , the hail, he found it came from the young lady's room. He called to her to know what was the matter. She told him the noise was in the closet in her room, and requested him to come in. He went in, the noise and screaming being continued at intervals. The young lady was in bed and the closet door shut A light was burning in that, as also in other rooms of the house. The noise seemed to be a series of i knocks upon the door as though with a person's knuckles, from the inside, succeeded by a blow like a kick mruiiist the bottom of the door. He T ?." V 0 could distinctly see the door vibrate, as lie ran to it. On opening it nothing likely to produce such a noise was to be found! I The chamber spoken of was located similar 1 to the usual second story hall bedrooms in our ( city dwellings. The door to the hall was locket!. After his unsatisfactory search in the closet, the gentleman stationed himself in the doorway leading to the large chamber, the door being wide open, and door from that chamber to the hall being shut tight. The scream had ceased, and the knocking in the closet stopped, j Presently the door from the hall to the large , chamber was knocked upon in a similar manner j to that of the closet, from the side in the hall? j a succession of raps and then a kick near the j bottom. He went to it, and biking the knob in his hand, awaited a reception of the knock, it came, and opening the door instantly, (there , luiiiwr :i lifrht hIso in the halM be saw?nothinu. "?"6 ~ "O '' i . w He was more disconcerted than before. ( Considerably amazed at bis discomfiture, but more determined than ever to ascertain its ori- i gin, he again took his position in the doorway. j The knocking ceased, and he was on the point , of retiring again when ho distinctly saw the bro- , ken leg of stand which had been lying 011 a bureau in the young lady's room, fly, us it were across the room find striko the window, break- | ing two panes of glass and then fulling to the ] floor. On being made acquainted with this, < the mother came in to assist the gentleman in s covering the broken windows, on account of the j cold air, with a blanket, and while so doing he j saw a hair brush, which had also been 011 the ] " 1 / _ II * ! bureau, coming towards ner, ana nnauy sirme , upon her head. All this time the young lady remained in the bed, and not less than six feet from the bureau. ! Having seen, or fancied he had seen, the < middle of three small drawers on the top of the I bureau move in and out, the gentleman took it i out and examined it thoroughly. Soon after a I cessation of these things occurred, he left the room, but hardly had he done so, when, on hearing another noise and breaking of wood, he ran back, and found pieces of the little draw- I er previously examined by him, falling upon the Hoor from the bed, and the front piece of it falling from the window, where a pane of glass had ? evidently been broken by it. lite occurrence, j whatever it was, firighlened the young lady so < that she left her bod, and was running into her < parents' room. She afterwards stated that the , drawer had beaten itself or betM beaten, against ( tho headboard of her bed, until it was completely broken in piecos; and the indentations in the head-board and tho scattered fragments wore conclusive proof that such was the fact* Shortly after this tho chamber occupied by the parents became the scene of knockings uitniiur flir>uo wtiinh ImvH been described as * having occurred at Rochester. They seemed \ to come from the head-board of the bed. 'I he 1 gentleman was called in there, and with the i closest scrutiny ho could make, was fairly both- i ered, At his request, the occupants of the bed j moved as far from the head-board as possible, i but still he heard the gentle rap, rap, rap, now I on tills side and now on that, and again direct- i Iy unaer nis nose, xiaving studied tne accounts of the Roehestel* knocking, he set about enden Voring to open a communication with the spirit in the way pursued at that place. In this he was, after spending considerable time, partially successful. The revelations made were, however, strictly of a family nature, and for their benefit, and among them many by-gone facts stated^ and also some things, the truth or falsity of which the lapse of a short time will determine.) The next day more stuffed figures were found in another room, and several ol the neighbors were called in to look at them. While there, one of those present, a gentleman, received a blow from the top of a candle-stick, on the back part of his head, in such a way that it could not be explained by himself or any one else. Subsequently, the same gentleman, while walking up stairs with the boy above spoken of, suddenly found him choking by his side- the effect of a handkerchief tied tightly around his throat. From the tie, and from its tightness, he was convinced the boy did not do itliimself, snd no one else was near them. It seemed to have been effected instantaneously, while the gentleman's eyes were, for an instant, averted. At other times the boy's clothes had been torn almost off from him, and he tumbled into a cis tern near the house while it was full of water; books thrown from a book-case, flat-irons and other household implements thrown hither and thither about the house, of which it is impossible to give anything like a connected account The family have, thus far, rendered every possible facility to those who have undertaken to examine the subject, and in that have offered most convincing proofs that they were not parties to any attempt at deception. We have not yet told tne half of what we are full}' satisfied is true, upon the best of authority, and not connected with- the family in any way; but for everything which we have named above we have the most reliable, and to us, undoubted and undoubtable testimony. We are as perfectly satisfied with the truth of what 1 i -l - - il L I I 1 we nave repeateu as uiuugu we ourscives nau witnessed it And now a word as to the family. They are of excellent repute in every way. Not a shade of suspicion can rightfully be cast upon tliein by any of their friends or acquaintance. Their position in life alone, forbids the thought of any wish or desire on the part of auy of them to practise or to get up any imposition of the kind, They have, however, been made subjects of ridicule among the thoughtless and unfeeling, and have been excessively annoyed by the impertinence and disturbances created by gangs of rowdies from neighboring towns. 'J'heir wishes, that the subject might not be talked of and spread about in the neighborhood have not been strictly regarded; and for the last few days they have been so constantly run down with the visits and questions of the curious, that they ran hardly find time for meals or repose. They hope, and so does every real friend of theirs, that the mystery, whatever it is, has now finally ceased its operations. The distress which has been brought upon the family in consequence of the unjust and unfeeling imputations cast upon the children in consequence of what has transpired, can only be appreciated by those who have families looking to and resting upon thern; and, for tho sake of those concerned in this instance, we hope that none will be so forgetful as to indulge in remarks of a harsh nature, at least until they know more of the case than they as yet do. Plan'k Roads.?-We understand that the receipts on the 13 5-8 miles finished of the road for the past week, averaged about $5 per day equal to about 10 per cent interest on the cost, Many wagonsfdo not travel on it, as yet, because tl 1 I'ill'- fi 1 I ?L-1 xl._ I..L inure is ?u uiiiu iiII131H U tuai uiej u<tu viuj uiivt; in such loads as formerly. Others it is said, evade the payment of tolls, hy going on and all' the road between the toll houses. We are informed that a proprietor of a Saw Mill on Little River, whose usual load of lumber to town on the old road was 800 feet, brought '2800 feet at a load a few days ago. He thus performed in one day, the labor of three md a half days. Hire of wagon, four horses md drivers, saved for two and a half days, at $3 a day, 87 50. Toll paid for going and returning, 62 cts. Net gain on one load, one lay, 86 88.?FayeHeville Observer, Mr. Dates says that there are seventeen States of the Union which do not make sntiijieut returns, from their Post Olliees, to defray the expenses incurred by the Post Office Department for the transportation of the mail within their limits. The man who first pegged a shoe in this or iny other country, is said to be now living at Hopkinton, Mass. His name is Joseph Walker. The Rest Sermon ever PitKACHEtj.?We jopy, says the London Christian Times, the following anecdote from Mr. Jainos Everett's ' Methodism in Manchester and its vicinity"? ' Dr. A. Clarke, in the course of a conversation i .1 _ ??i... IVllll Hie writer, vuiuuiuiiiuiut-u tun juu>>tYiiig jharncteristic anecdote of Mr. Edward Pcrroict. He remarked that Mr. Wesley had long jecn desirous of hearing Mr. Edward Perronet ironch, and that Mr. Perronet aware of it, was esohitely determined ho should not, and therefore studied to avoid every occasion that would load to it. Mr. Wesley was preaching in Lon< i n _a _ 1 Jon one evening, ana seeing jwr, rerronei in Llio chapel, published, without asking his consent, that he would preach there the next morning at five o'clock. Mr. Perronet had too much respect for the congregation to disturb tlieir peace by a public remonstrance, and too much respect for Mr. Wesley entirely to resist his bidding. The nkjht passed over; Mr. Perronet ascended the pulpit under the impression that inr. wesiev wouia De secreted in some corner of the chapel, if he did not show hntifcelfpflbliclv; and after singing and prayer informed the congregation that he appeared before .them contrary to his own wish?that he had'never been once asked, much loss his consent gained, to preach?that lie had done violetice to his feeliugs to show his respect for the publisher; and that, now he had been. compelled to occupy the place in which he stood, weak;and inadequate as he was for the work assigned him, he would pledge himself to furnish them with the best sermon that ever had been delivered. Upening the Bible, he then proceeded, with the utmctet gravity, and with great feeling, to read our Lord's Sermon on the Mount, which he concluded without a single word of his own by way of note or comment He closed the Sep vice with singing and prayer. No imitator has been able to produce equal effect, and perhaps for this reason?the case is one which, under similar circumstances, ought not to be imitated. . Scolding a* Children.?I will tell you what good it does to scold at your children for doing what you have told them not to do; just as much good as to scold an unruly ox for jumping over the fence and eatinc the corn contrary to orders- previously given to him.? Children are governed by two motives: the hopes of reward and the fear of unpleasant consequences. A stream of scolding) from sun to son, never yet had nuy other effect upon children than to render them wholly regardless of what is said to them. If you wish to make your children troublesome, scold them occasionally. If you wish to make them bad, scold them a little louder, and more frequently. If you wish to ruin them, and have relinquished all hopes of conquering them, scold continuallv; and you will be sure to gain your object PLEASANT SURPRISE. A young man, of eighteen or twenty, a Student in a University, took a walk one day with the Professor, who was commonly called the Student's frieud, such was his kindness to the young men whom it was his office to instruct. While they were now talking together, fttid the Professor was seeking to lead the.conversation to grave subjects, they saw a pal$ Of old shoes lying in the path, which they supposed belonged to a poor man who was at work in a field close bv. and had nearlv finished Kio dntdn work. The young Student turned to the Professor saying: " Let us play the man a trick; we will hide his siioes and conceal ourselves behind those bushes, and watch to see his perplexity when he cannot find them." " M}' dear friend," answered the Professor, " we must never amuse ourselves at the expense of the poor. But you are rich, and you may give yourself a much greater pleasure by means of this poor man. Put a dollar in each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves." The Student did so, and then placed himself with the Professor behind the bushes hard by, through which they could easily watch the Laborer, und see whatever wonder or joy he might I express. The poor man soon finished his work, and cmne tho tinlrt u-lioi'o Ku<l ?. ?V.MV ,mM., .. ..V-.V ... ....? left his coat and shoes. While he put on the cout he slipped one foot into one of Ids shoes; but feeling something hard, he stooped down and found the dollar. Astonishment and wonder were seen upon his countenance; he gazed upon the dollar, turned it around and looked again and again; then he looked around on all sides, hut could see no one. Now he put the money in his pocket and proceoded to put on the other shoe ; but how great was his astonishment when he found the other dollar! Ilis feelings over came him; he fell upon his knees, looked up to Heaven, and uttered aloud a fervent thanksgiving, in which he spoke -of his wife, sick and helpless, ond his children withnnt lirpnH u'linm l?I? Hmnlw lirtnntv frnm onmu unknown hand would save from perishing. The youth stood there deeply affected, and tears tilled his eyes. "Now," said the Professor, "arc you nofc much better pleased than if you had played your intended trick." "O, dearest sir," answered the youth, "you have taught me a lesson now that I will never forget. I feel now the truth of the words which I never before understood: 'It is better to give than to receive." We should never approach the poor but with the wish to do them irood. "Time is money," said a debtor to his creditor, "and therefore, if you give me time, it is just the same thing as if I gave you money." He tvho swallows up the substance of the poor u ill, in the end, find it contains a bone which will choke hiiu. What is Lovn??An inexpressible thing; a volume in a word; an ocean in a tear, a whirlwind in a sigh. There are two ways of gaining a reputation; to be praised by honest an or ubused by rogues. What kind of a face should an auctioneer. have ? A face that is for-bidding. Why is a lady's hair like a bee-hive? It holds the comb. Years rush by us like the wind. We see net ^vhence the eddy comes, nor whitherward it is tending; and we seem ourselves to witness their ilight without a sense that we are changed; atid yet time is beguiling nran of his strength, as the1 wihcla rob the woods of their foliage* He is s wise man, who, like the mill-wright* employs every gust.?Scott. . A movement is on foot iri St Louis to isutM* diately extend the telegraph to Cairo, I1L / * a? A vtyi >