Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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M fir o ! WEDNESDAY MORNING, AUGUST 2, 1871. NO. 14. DEVOTEfi TO LITERATURE, MORALITY AND GENERAL INTELLIGENCE. Le Sumter Watchman 'ESTABLISHED IN 1850.) 18 PUBLISHED rE RY WEDNESDAY MORNING .T SUMTER. S. C., BY [LB EUT & FLOWERS. Tsrm6. I year.*3 0C [months. 1 50 ! months. 1 00 JVBRTISE.MENTS inserted at the rate \NE DOLLAR AND FIFTY CENTS per j re for the first, ONE DOLLAR tor the ld, ?nd FIFTY CENTS for each subsequent ! kiori, for any period less than three months I ?ITUARIES, TRIBUTES OF RESPECT ' fall communication.'- winch subserve private 1 est?, will be paid :<>r as advertisements. rom the Philadelphia Telegram, July 15.] ("af from the Private Life of Mrs. Wharton. tr Love for Dress-A Wedding and no Bridegroom-Runs Away to Avoid an Asylum-A Loving Wife-Is she Insane. For women this is certainly the age promise and prominence. We find ?rn on every hand leaving the hearth tn? and storming the intrenched posi? es of male humanity They have Tied the rostrum and pulpit by force, i arc now thundering at the portals [the franchise. But in a graver and sidedly a tragic sense wc find them tterly entering into competition with tn. We allude to the simoon or tidal ive of murder that has but lately swept Iross our contioeut, and has left at this ry moment three prominent women, th blood upon their hands, ?traoded hon the beach ofjusttce. We allude, [course, to Mrs. Laura D. Fair, the nlifornia murderess, Mrs. Lydia Sher ian, the Birmingham Borgia, and Mrs. tajor Harry W. Wharton, who is the it esl sensation of the day in connection ?th the great Baltimore poisoning case, (ur preseut purpose is therefore to lay (fore the public some facts that are st koowu, facts cul'ed by laborious larch in private avenues of informa sn, and which, combined, contain toa irtain extent the private life of Mrs. rharton, and throw a great light upon hat will most necessarily be her only round of defence. BIRTH AND PARENTAGE. Ellen G. Nugent was born in this ty about 45 years ago. Her father, eo. Nugent, was a most prominent ld successful merchant of: the day, sing a large importing business of fine Bods, silks, &c. In character be was rielly upright and honorable, living. it were, by a set rule of firmness aod istice to all. His daughter., Kilon, was his second wife, he hiving been 'eviously married to a Cuban woman, r whom he had two children, both iys, one of whom is now a respectable ld prosptrous' member of our corn unity. There were six oth er children j the second wife, four sons and two taghters. Both of the daughters are j arried and living in the city. Mr. j01 ugent did not remain long in Phila-H llphia after the birth of hie daughter j w lien, or Nellie. He had been very ! ^ iccessful tn business, and fiually con- j fe? uded to retire, which he did, pur- j b? lasing a lovely place about a mile this ? at Ide of Conshohocken, at a spot called iC( juli" Mills, where, with his faun ly j m yowing up around him, he settled dowi j h? pass the closing hours of his life j ki r)id the sylvan scenery of <>ur beauri- s 1 I Schuylkill's banks. Of all the chil- jd? ren his daughter Neide was his idol.- w te lavished every attention upon licr' ^l lat money could command. Especial w ^ins were taken with her education, ! ?* ld she spent a considerable time at j a' [ishop . cane's semir.ary in Burlington, ! fr J And now tho real interest of our tn jory commences. Nellie has grown up tl tder our pencil into beautiful woman j f" Sod, and her mature character isj-^1 ?ginninsr to determine itself Thc j ta rene is the Gulf Mills House, and the jn' ie is about twenty five years ago. By Sf |e universal voice of those who knew ? la ir at that time she was certainly a r-| sst lovely girl Abour tweuty years ol' ( bi re of slender and graceful yet queenly j H baring, with magnificent jet biack hair j m unusual length, dark eyes and fair I P' iplexioo-such was her physical I to mty. But those who knew lier w?ll ?to |y that was the least of her attractions j was rather her engaging manner, her i ?hing, inspiring disposition that bound 1 t0 kptive at the chariot-wheel of Cupid so j (e ^acy ol her male acquaintances. LOVELY WOMAN FOND OF DRESS. It was about this time that she began develop a passion that has ever since Sen inordinate with her, and that was le desire to dress magnificently. Her ther spated oo expense to gratify her ightest whim, and gave her money lough to clothe a duchess. As a con? [uence, there was no more regular tendant at the then fashionable bazarrs our city than Miss Nugent, whose rriage got tobe familiarly known, no lubt, to the salesmen within. As we tve said, her father allowed her to ftry the purse of a duchess, and, con? tently, the reader can judge of his trprise wheo out side bills that had ?en contracted by his daughter to the )unt of thousands of dollars were sent to bim for settlement, and all this inning into debt had taken place in a imparatively short time, and without [ightest premonitory intelligence - 'here had the money gone? Hardly son herself, since, although always egaotly attired in obedience to shion'a latest mandate, this debt ex% was too absurdly large to be an? rered for on the ground of personal [xpendition. But a little-tn?esi igation lowed. It was found that this money lad been expended for laces, silks, swelry, &c, which were lavished with imperial hand as presente upon her meg friends. This was certainly a ttle eccentric, aod quite enough to tuse the eyebrow to raise. Beautiful sung ladies do not generally run their there into debt simply to give away idiseriminately costly gifte. But some* ting more strange was yet to come. 'he debts were paid by the father, and 'ie current of events drifted aloog to rards the most remarkable feature of phis remarkable woman's life. As we -nave intimated, and as may laturally be supposed, Miss Nellie was the brilliant centre of a large circle of spte of the beet class in that ?icinty. that when, shortly after, each and ill of them received an invitation to the of that young lady you may i sore it created some little stir of ex? ti m bi P: tl d: tc C' b< M w Is : m i? : ti T lc f( h n c ii a ii a ii w fl ?tement. lo the first place it was * ?ntirely unexpected that it almost toe' tway the people's breath, acd seco?dlj ffhut caused the most surprise was tba he happy mau had not been selectei rom the large number of country gal ants ol wealth and position who coo ifantly surrounded her, but.was a Ml Williamson, of the city, who was but i casual visitor, and whose matrimonia ittcntions had not been suspected in th< least. it appears, also, that he bad beet 10 indiscreet and impolite as not even t< ?ave spoken to Mr. Nugent about it ind knowiog the character of that old ?rue gentleman, we ate somewhat sur? mised that the marriage was allowee 0 go on did we not also know thal vhatever his daughter Nellie had sel ter heart upon accomplishing she could uost certainly do, especially where thi ?ther's consent was only to be gained L WEDDING FEAST BUT NO BRIDEGROOM Veli, at length, the auspicious hout oiled round, and all the invited guests ssctubled at th ; Nugent mansion to fitness the marriage of the beauty. Jreat preparations had been made for he event. Mr. Nugent was determined hat the daughter who was queen ot his eart should be mated in a regal lanner. Never had the young girl >oked so lovely as did thc bride, laced 1 her satin and lace, with her attendant taids, about her, and waiting, with the >ve-light in her eyes, for the happy room. It was now nearly thc hour for lie ceremony, and still he had not ome. "Where is .Mr. Williamson?" nd "Why don't he come ?" were now requently asked by those who were resent. The hour at which thc nuptial not was to have been tied struck with dismal clang and yet no bridegroom, 'he miuister was there with book and own, the guests were there, the beauti 11 bi ide was there, and everything was ailing for the appearance of the tardy entleman from tbe city. The father's row began to darken, and the bride's lieeks to pale. Another dismal hour ore away, and its death knell was )!!ed by the clock, and still no groom, .nother hour and still no groom. Possibly he may have met with sn jcident ; let messsngers be sent." And lesseogcrs were sent in haste, while ie guests sat iu silence, and the bride, aw thoroughly convinced that her lover as false, raved and sobbed like one ad. The minutes flew away on wings f lead uutil the messengers returned, ho, instead of bringing with them Mr. Tiliiamson, or announcing at once some rasonable cause for his non appearance, ickoned the father mysteriously apart, id whispered in his ear. The news mid not bc kept secret, and in a mo ent it was known Mr. Williamson id not contracted the marriage, aud new nothing about it. ?Slowly and dly, as if from a funeral, the guests ?parted, glancingaskantly at thc bride, ho sat weeping before them, and taking their heads significantly, 'i his as certa nly the maddest freak that it possible for a young lady to commit, id the incident reads like a chapter om Mrs. South worth. Subs?quent vesti^ation showed conclusively tfrat ie marriage had not the slightest undatioo, so far a? any intention of Ir Williamson was concerned, and king this fact into consideration, it is >t stiange that people now began to teak mysteriously about the young dy, and to intimate forcibly that some ling W3s wrong in her head. This tter suspicion began now to shape self into thc solemnity of a fact in the ind of Mr. Nugent, aud after careful mdering of the matter, it was resolved i have Nellie removed to an asylum r the insane. A RUNAWAY MATCH. As a key to subsequent events, it is i bc presumed that sue knew the in ntions of her family at the time. It anted but a day or two of the execu? tor'the asylum project, when ooe orning it was found that the beautiful' rd had flo*n in the night from the iterual nest. Bot in a very little while ie father received intelligence that his lughter had eloped with young Lieu munt Harry W. Wharton, had pro .eded with him 'o Philadelphia, had ?co there married, and that now, ss Ir. and Mrs. Harry W. Wharton they ere living at Jones' Hotel, on Chestnut reet, above Sixth, just where the office the German Democrat now stands. his was almost as strange and unsc .mutable a movement as the burlesque larriage, and caused a great deal of miment. Although of acquaintance tere had been considerable between the mies, of courtship there had been ale or none, and, furthermore, at the me of the elopement and marriage the oung lieutenant knew full wei! that bis >vely bride was intended by her friends >r a temporary seclusion in a mad ouse. But the runaway couple bad ot been long from home until they re* et ved assurances of forgiveness and re iiroed to the house at Gulf Mills. They Iso for a time lived at Norristown, sod i Philadelphia again It wasn't long fter marriage until Mrs. Wharton was i financial difficulties again, which rere again settled by her indulgent Uh er. A LOVING WIFE. After thia ber husband, who wss nptaio now, wss stationed st Fort [earny for five or sereu years. Mrs. Vbarton accompanied him, ss indeed he did in all bis wanderings, even . ??og down into Texas with him oo ooe ocasi?n. But while oat upon the plaios be eyesight of the captain hsd become elective, and he and bis wife returned ? Philsdelphis sgaio. They pot op at llass & Co.'s Hotel, on Chestnut street, uringsuch time ss the captain was oder the hands of so occulist. At ?he reaking out of the war the etptsio got ; commission io a Delaware regiment, nd eventually wss appointed gea etsi isbursing ageut, having his hesdquar ers io Eossw street, Baltimore, right oear his house ia Hamilton place. Wi the exception of a abort time they HT in Washington, this was his home np his mysterious death in 1867. Such are some of the salient pott and bold outlines in the career of tl most remarkable woman. Notwithstan iug the growing suspicion that 8 poisoned her husband and son, it is t universal testimony that never was th? a;mora loving wife. She was mc passionately devoted to him, and folio ed him everywhere. MRS. LAURA DTFAIR'S SW A WO? Alf SHUDDERING if PIDE THE SHADOW OF THE CALLOW A Widow at Seventeen, without a Doll -Entering a Convent to Complete h Education-Un?iappy Married L\ -Hie Unwelcome Suit of Judge Cri tenden. To TEE PUBLIC : I make th? folio? log statement, with proof attached i support of the same, with the view correct certain false and wicked repor that have been circulated by designio persons against me, and which, for th sake of my fatherless, and, perhaps, soo to be motherless, obild, I feel it a dot .o make. I have a strong conviction i my own mind that right will ultimate! triumph in my ease, and that the Sn preme Court of this State will, by ii adjudication plaoe me once more wher [ stood before my trial aod where I oa igaiu, be heard in defence of my cooduc >efore a jory of my countrymen, wh ire honest, true, and just, bearing n iatred or malice whatever towards ? poor woman twho has never done then liarm. In this, my statement, I shal ?ive names and dates as nearly as I cai remember them ; and if, by accident, should make any mistakes then thos -eferred to can correct them, bat I trns hey will have no occasion so to do. I ias been publicly charged against m< hat MY FIRST MARRIAGE Iras to a Wealthy old mao, whose wealtl vas squandered by me after his decease Thc name of my first hsband was Wil? lam H. Stone, who was about thirty ?X years of age at the time I married tiim, I beiog a yoong and thoughtless jirl cmly^ixie?'u-years oLagev . J?wai aeriell Wi* the r?Ueje ?7 t* fc> her. Wo were married in*New Orleans rhere Mr. Stone lived, being one of the lommission house and wholesale liquoi tore of H. L. Stone & Company. Mr. )tooe died in about one year after my aarriage ;o him, and left me withouts arching, although I have no doubt bis ?state was worth money. As proof that '. have never received anything from 'Ir. Stone's estate, I refer the public o A LETTER FROM H. L'.'STONE o me, written since I have become ic olvedlin this.difficulty, which, letter cads as follows. NEW ORLELA NS V. March 6 1871. ?Irs Laura Fair, l am informed that oa are my cousin Laura, formerly jsura Stone, - from whoo-1 hare not icard for maoy years. 1 regret to learn hat you are in trouble, aod suppose'you rill Deed all your resources to get oat if it. I once wrote yoa that if I could ave anything for yoa from the estate if W. H. Stone, I would do so. He left lothing at his death except aa interest if one-third ia twelve hundred acres of and in Texas Mr. Roberts and myself iwn the other two third?: It. cost wen ty-five cents per tere. I think it rill uow sell for fifty cents per acre, or S6?0 for thc whole.' This would be $200 or his estate, which, by law would be livided between yoa and bis mother; 1100 to each. She will take $100 for her jortion. Presuming yoa will do the ame, I have caused an act of sale to be >repared, which will be forwarded to rou through the the house of R. C. )unn & Co., of your city, On signing hat act of sale, they will pay yoa $100. '. shall have to beajt some expense to ell the land at'fifi} cents pat acre, and nay have to keep it some time longer ; ?ut for the purpose of getting control of t, so that I can sall it wheo I haves ihance, I am willing to take it at the ?rice. Please write me ? good long etter, tell tue all about your troubles. I 'ully sympathize with you, and hope he Lord will shew yoa the way oat of bern speedily. Yours, truly, fl. L. STONE. Direct to cara bf John A. Roberts, box 143, New Orleans. ENTERING A CONVENT. After Mr. Stone's death, I entered the 3on*enfof the Visitation, at Mobile," loder my maiden Dame,' there tb finish ny education. I hadoo money Dor any neans, and my mother paid my oxpenses here oat of the small meaos left her by nhere I met Thomas J. Grayson, a person I had formerly known ia that ?tty, and beiog without money or friends ?hq, could assist me, J marri ed bim io he-inooth of August, 1856. M AMI AGI TO A DRUNKARD. He proved to be a bad oran and a ;srrible drunkard, aod be became so helplessly lost I wat obliged to, leave hin; sad in January, 1857, leaving him there, I came with my mother and positively refused, aod he applied tor a ?ivorce upon - the ground of desertion, ind oooe other, fie employed aa torney by the name of D. W. Hoene?, theo of New Orleans, but.uow of New York eitj, asa 'Will?'? Hoot of New Orleans acted fer me. ht February, 1868, . decree wot gratted dif?reiof bim from ?Sief and boarf-thelaip of that Stott requiring ooo year to elapse beforro d?voifot could be entered from the booda of matrimooy, or what woo called * fiat! divorce. I beeem* ot-' quain ted with Gol. Wm. ?. Fail, wh was a lawyer io thfs city, and pat tb matter io bis bands as my attomej Prior to this I had advised With Gov Foote io relation to the same matter. MARRIAGE TO COL- FAIS. In 1859 Col. Fair, as my attornej advised me that the final divorce ha? been granted j and,' after being assure* it-was ao, ? married-Col. Fair. We wer married io ?be town of Shasta, and sooi after left for Yreka, where Col. fair wa then settled ia business. It was her that my on iy child was born, in th month of August, 1860, Judge Bagg ia now living in this city, and knows o onr marriage, and knows also that Col Fair was poor then, and always was poor I did not marry Col. Fair for money and there is no truth in the base chargt made against tee that I was extravagan and impoverished him. I append to th< end of this statement the affidavit o Judge Baggs, sustaining me fully or these points. I did all my own wort wheo We kept bouse in Yreka, and kepi no servants. Every person who livec in Yreka at the time we lived there will bear me witness of the troth of what I say. Col. Fair lived only three months after we left Yreka. THE DEATH OF COL. FAIR. In October of the year .1861, Col. Fair bad made bis arrangements to move to San Francisco, and sent me and m j child in advance, while be remained to close up his business, expecting soon to follow j and on the 1st of December o? the same year he came down and settled here. I was stopping with my mother in a house she bad reoted from Dr. Hitchcock, on Bash street, where thc Brooklyn Hotel now stands. Col. Fair came immediately to the house, and we lived there together in peace and quiet? ness till he died. He sent his books and other things to Dr. Murphy's office and took an office there with him, until he could get one. It has been cruelly reported that Col. Fair was jealous of me, and that we had separated before bis death. This is all slander, and has io it no troth. On the moroing of his death he left the house as usual and went to his office. Soon after Dr. Hitch? cock called to see bim, and was told by me that he was at his office. He went to his office, and, in attempting to open the door, found something heavy against it, and pushing it open, found that the obstruct i oo ras the dead body of Col. Fair. He bad been SHOT THROUGH THE nEAD sith a pi'H ball, and the world said be bad committed suicide. Dr. Hitohcock came immediately to our boase, and in? formed me of his death. Col. Phelps left Col. Fair but a few minutes before bis death in Dr. Murphy's office near the corner of Montgomery and Wash? ington streets. Dr. Murphy told my mother and myself, the same morning ? his death, that Col. Fair had left a letter with bim io which he stated that bis wife and family had nothing what? ever to do io causing his death. Dr. Murphy was requested afterward to produce tba letter, as the papers were tccasing me of thc cause of his death. This request waa made at different times, ind 1 have begged of. him to produce it, bot be will not. A FOUL SLANDER REFUTED. There is no scandal that the ingenuity jf men can devise but what has been ! raised against me and circulated with the rapidity of lightning since this un? fortunate affair of mine with Mr. Crit? tenden. It bas been said that Col Fair ; aaa Sheriff of Siskiyou county, and that be absconded with a large tam of inonej Ulonging to tbe county, and that I, his ?rife, ran away with a man by the name >f Gordon. Now, there was a ?nan by tbe name of Fair, Sheriff of that county, md he is reported to have absconded, but whether he had a wife or not I am amble to say :-or whether a man by the same of Gordon ran away with her. His name was Samuel Fair, bat in no tray wai he connected with my husband; ind aa for Gordon, I never saw him. . It bu been stated that I SHOT MT PARTNER in the Tahoe House in Virginia City Tor attempting to raise the American Sag over my house, tad that Mr. Crit? tenden defended me. Also, that I walked the streets of that city with a Confederate flag tn one band and a pistol io the other. All this ia false, sod ooe of the meanest thiogs ever ut? tered. There waa falsehood enough uttered against me OD my trial, under the solemnity of aa oath, to crush a dozen mortals like me, without resorting toa wholesale mendacity like this. This is all a malicious manufacture. lu the first pitee, I never had a partoer io business, nor io the Tahoe Houae. I never had a Confederate flag, and never saw ooe. I never walked the streets of Virginia City with a pistol in my band or a flag of any kind, or the streets of asy city with either. I kept the Tahoe House io Virginia City, and kept it alone. A NOTT! ER SLANDER SILENCED. About Christmas of 1863 a man en? gaged in the toy business kept a store under my boos?. He plaeed a large Christmas tree, covered with dolls, drams, flags, fifes and other articles be? longing to . toy store, opon my balcony. Ny boarders complained of the obst ruc? tion*-1 theo requested the toy merchant pre^etf ^refused; and Whth?d a right to put it there, wheo I called mjr. fcttksr, O. D. Host, who wis taso aefiag as my elerk, aad had been for same time, to como and. cut it down, which be did. Some of my friends aim? sad told me that the crcwd outside misunderstood my motifs ia removing Ils tree, and saapoeed it was on account of the iafi which were apo* it I at osee topped to tbs frost sf the balcony sad amassed fas ess? to them ; adding lo remove all doubt shoat it, en y gentle man among them who so desired had , I my fall permission to place a flag upon I raj boase, and I think some ooe did so. | The toy merchant also sect his clerk to j I raise a flag over my boase, to which I ; objected, as he bad oot treated me like j j a gentleman j bat he persisted, where- ! upon I asked the loan of a pocket knife : from a Mr. Walters, and attempted to j cat the rope ; for which act thc toy ' man brought a sait against me, which resulted in a verdict against him ; and : being tried for the act of aggression, he was fined 875. STOCK SPECULATIONS. And now a few words I wish to sob mit to the public about the money it is alleged was giren me by Mr. Crittenden. I kept the Tahoe House thirteen mouths, and after paying all my d*bts cr.d fifteen thousand dollars on a house on A street, which I furnished with my own raoaey, except two rooms furnished by Mr. Crittenden, I had left over six thousaod dollars. The Tahoe House contained thirty-seven rooms, thirty-one of which were rented, bringing in each night over fifty dollars. I invested in Savage stock, which I purchased for sums varying from 8700 to 81.100 per foot? I sold it io 1867 for 84.000 per foot, having ten feet, and purchased other stock, and made all the money I ! ever had in the way and manner above indicated. For the truth of this, I most respect? fully refer to Mr. Ned Eyre and .Mr. Bradford, who were then my brokers, and also Mr. Burling. Mr. Eyre pur? chased and sold for me other miuiog stock, after I sold my Savage, and in all these transactions I made money. MARRIAGE TO MR. SNYDER. Mr. Ralston of the bank of California, knows that Mr. Crittenden never paid a dollar for me os any note, or for any stock and any who doubt my statement can call upon these gentlemen for in? formation. I am in no way or manner indebted to Mr. Crittenden for any of the money I ever had, or the little I now possess. When Col. Fair died I had never seen or known Mr. Crittenden, lie sought me and found me and would not let me go. I married Mr. Snyder to avoid Mr. Crittenden, and as bis own letters prove, he would not then leave me. All the force and power of the , San Francisco bar were, and aro to-day my enemies, because a brother lawyer , had been killed by me in a moment of unconsciousness, and, as my God knows, of irresponsibility. Every effort of roy , attorneys, made in my behalf on trial, ( was treated as idle chattering, or at , least it appeared so to me, and those > who sought my blood drank of it to their ; fill, if there is a just God who rules ? and directs the judgments of men, I ] shall live to satisfy the world that I hare , been, to say thc least of it, greatly , wronged. There is one other matter to which I wish to refer. In the spring of 1862 I leased and ] furnished a house on Mission street, io j this city. It was between Second and | Third streets. I purchased my furniture ( on credit. I kept a boarding and ? lodging house. The Legislature of the ? State were io session here, having been , driven oat by I THE FLOOD OF SACRAMENTO. ' Among my tenants wera Messrs. , Wilcox, Pemberton, Tompkins, and ( others, members of the L?gislature. . After the Legislature adjourned I had a { vacant house and bad not yet paid for ' my furniture. I was obliged to seek aid, and as my husband, Col. Fair was j a prominent Matoo when alive, I made , application to the Masonic Order for , assistance. Walter Tompkins conveyed j the application to Mr. Laidley, and he to the proper authority. In response ( to my application, a committee composed g of Alex. G. Abell and two others called , on me and were showo through my j house, and saw MY POVERTY, and acknowledged it. My relief was embraced in tbe following language ad- ' dressed to me by one of that Com \ mittee : "Well, Mrs. Fair, a woman with such ( s pretty fsce ought to be able to sup- ( port herself without applying to the ; Mssoos." When on my trial I was allowed to go j with George Knox, Judge Quint oe- j, companying, to see Mr. Abell for the . purpose of his identifying me as thu party he had called upon. But he re fused to see me. Of the thousand snd one things charged to me snd my dishonor since ( my conviction, I can only add, they are pare inventions sod all false. I desire , tbst tbs newspapers will leave me alone. I ssk tbe charity of their silence. Let me settle my troubles with the legal tribunals where I now am, and where I expect to find exact justice. LAU KA D. FAIR. [The above is accompanied by a num? ber of affidavits to prove the several as? sertions contained in it.] 19* Some men move through life as . s bsnd of music moves down the street, ! flinging oat plessare 00 every side v through the sir to every one, far and sear, who can listen. Some men fill the sir with their presenee sod sweetness, ss orchard, in Oetober days, fill the sir with the perfume of ripe fruit. Some women cling to their own houses like the honeysuckle over the door, yet, like it fill the region with the subtle fra? grance of their goodness. How great a bounty sad a blessing it is to hold the roys! gifts of the soul that they shsll be music to some? sad fragrance to others, sod life to all ! It would be no unworthy thing to live for, to msks the power which ws hs?? within as tbs breath of other men's joy ; is fill the atmosphere which they mast stand io with s bright? ness which they eso sot crests for themselves. [Reported fur the Richmond DUpateh.] BXEC?TION OF THOS. .TfxGIFFIN HICKFORD, GREENSVILLE CO., VA., ) July 21st, 1871. f THE LAST NIGHT. Mr O. H Bidwell, the sheriff of th i county, left for Richmond yesterda; morning, and returned with Thoma McGiffin on that evening. He wa heavily ironed and safely lodged in th? county jail. Buring the night he occu pied his time in reading and talking ti those around him. He seemed to b< totally indifferent as to his terrible fate and spoke of his death in the mos light and trivial manner; said there wa a time for all meo to die-they conk not escape it; some would die one way some another ; that man could punis! the body, but the soul was cared for bj a Higher Power; he had hoped iori respite, bot the Governor had refused and that he was now to die, but thal death was by far the lightest punish? ment that could be inflicted upoi him. He is, without a doubt, the boldest most careless mao apparently, that eve! went to thc gallows. There seems to be a kind of dare devil spirit about bim ; none of that subdued, contrite peni? tence that should characterize the truly brave. He said: "I die with no malice in my heart to any one, but I think it hard that I should suffer death wheo I did not commit the act myself, and especially before Lewis, the principal, is tried. I think if he were tried I could prove my iooocence." . About 9 o'clock this morning McGif? fin sent for John H. Wilson, Esq., At? torney for the Commonwealth. He wished Mr. Wilson to make application to the Governor for a respite; said he did not think it was too late, though he did not have much hope. He was told by Mr. Wilsoo that his counsel had done all that could be done for him, and that it would be perfectly useless to make any such attempt. He theo re? marked to Mr. Wilsoo that this was the second time he had been tried, and from all appearances it would be the last before aoy earthly tribunal, but that he believed a merciful God wonld pardon his sins and save his soul unto V" everlasting. He has confessed the Catholic faith since his conviction, and was accompa? nied by Father Jeanses, of that Church. He drew from his pocket a crucifix and thirty cents io mooey, which he re? quested Mr. Wilsnu to forward, togeth? er with some religious books, to his baby boy, who i* with his mother io Nash County, North Carolina. Said it seemed hard bc could not see his child before bis excutioo, aod that he eoald aot live to train him iu the way he should go. For several hours before his execution Father Jeanses remained alone with bim in his cell. At twenty minutes to twelve o'clock the sheriff aod bis depo? ties, accompanied by the other officers rf the court, Doctors Geo. C. Starke tod John li. Jones, the physicians sunmooed, aod about tweoty citizens ic ug as a guard, left the jail for the place of execution, followed bj a large crowd, principally negroes. McGiffin was led up on the gallows, tod the sheriff read the sentence of death ; after which he asked him if he had anything to say before he proceeded to ?xecute it. McGiffin, who seemed to be perfectly self-possessed and cora* posed-indeed mofe so than aoy one ?round him-commenced by saying he was an innocent mao ; he was condemne? for the crime of another, but that he bore his punishment with resignation. He did not aid Dr. Lewis in the morder sf Constable Drummond by speakiog to bim, for you might say a thousand words to me but that would not fill my belly, but give me bread, and it wouid. I die with malice towards no man; I freely forgive all who have iojured me, and hope to be forgiven by all I have in jured. Let my fate be a warning to nil, from the cradle up ; let me urge all to abstain from intoxicating liquor, for it has brought me to thia ignominious death-not that I drink, or that I had drank one drop the day of the murder, but that the most of Drummond's posse weie in liquor and ignorant of what they were doing. He then knelt and repeated a prayer after the priest, and received his blessing ; after which ho arose and shook hands with the sheriff aod other officers, telling each of them to meet him in Paradise. He s .ill con? tinued to talk to the crowd, and re? quested their prayers for himself and his little boy. [And, said he, when I speak of my little boy that mores me more than anything else.] Observiog Dr. Powell who resides in the cora muoity io which Drummond lived, io the crowd, he requested him to prcseot his regard* to all the people up there. Looking around, he said : "I want to .ee somebody 1 know;" and seeing Mr. R. H. Turnbull, nf Brunswick, he said : "How have you been getting along, Mr. Turnbull?" The sheriff thea pro? ceeded to adjust the rope, when McGiffin turoed to a guard standiu by him and ; said : '.'My freud, don'tVeroble ?o ) ; you make me tremble." The black cap j was placed over his face, and at ien miootes after 12 o'clock the trap fell, j when one of the most heart rending scenes was presented your reporter ever witnessed, tor the rope broke and the uofortuoate mao fell, half-dead, to the ground. While lying there he Raid : "Sheriff, don't let it choke me." It waa loosened and adjusted agata, and as soon as possible he was carried upon the platform, and stood alone without ut? tering a groan or a murmur until the koot was tied, wheo the trap again fell sod Thomas G. McGiffin was suspended between heaven and earth. After haoging for twenty minute* Ora. Starke aod Jones pronounced him dead, when he was cut dowu and buried. Thus died a man whose psst history what little of it is knowe-is stained with crime-a man almost destitute of every moral sensibility, and oblivious of the awful cons?quences of death or eternity. WILSON. [From the Boston Post. July 19 ] HEATH CP THE DOUBLE SA Bl*. One Head OutMvee the Other. We mentioned io our columns, yester day, the presence in Boston of a most remarkable child, the offspring of Joseph &nd Ann E. Finley. It presented the remarkable ss well as unprecedented phenomenon of two beads, four arms, and two legs, and all upon a single body. The girl-for such was its sex-died last evening at No. 6 Bowdoin street. The first half or head breathed its last at 5, and the second shortly after S o'clock. The many thousands in the Western or Middle States who have seen this marvellous eccentricity of nature will learn its early death with regret. The child-or children as it would almost seem proper to allude to the phenomenon-had enjoyed excel hint health from her birth, nine months a??o, until within two weeks, at which time one exhibited signs of illness ? Tbis, however, was but temporary. It recovered and waa bright and playful. Since reaching Boston, a few days since, the other-or the other half-was taken sick and died yesterday sfternooo, as already stated. The two portions of the body were so intimately connected that the death of one rendered that of the other inevitable. The spectacle was equally novel, strange, and un? paralleled. Upon one end of the body reposed the head of the dead infant; upon the other that of the live one with its eyes still bright and curious, aud its lungs in full breathing order. AU that medical aid could accomplish was done, but it was found unavailing. The child died in the presence of its parents, j The corpse presents the appearance of two infants asleep. Apparently they escaped the ordinary suffering incident to death, for the countenances had the expression of repose. The disposition j of the body is not determined upon, several of our physicians were desirous, .?st evening, of having it opened for examination. It is doubtful if Jthe parents consent. They reside in Monroe j County, Ohio, and live upon a farm/ They have other children, but none; have exhibited any unusual develop-! ments. Nor can this extraordinary departure from the laws of nature be accounted for. In Philadelphia, where all the medical Sol?os undertook to solve the problem, nothing whatever was brought to light. The shild was j j looked upon with amatement and in- , terest, but all attempt? to account for j j its existence were futile. It is regarded j, as more of a curiosity than the Siamese j ( twins. The parents were especially . devoted to the little martel, and their: ( sorrow is grievous. h BIEN WANTED. The great want of this age is men men who are not for sale ; men who are honest from centre to circumference, j ! true to the heart's core* men who will; condemn wrong io a friend or foe, io j themselves as well as others; tuen whose! consciences are as steady as the needle to! tho pole; men who will stand tor the:; right if the heavens .should totter and ] the earth reel; men who will tell thc { truth and look the world and the devil ? right io the eye; men who neither brag;, nor run ; men who neither fl >g nor flinch; ; j men who have courage without shouting ? ' to it ; men tn whom the courage of ever? j, lasting life runs still, deep, and strong; | men who do not cry nor cause their i, voices to be heard on the streets, but'J who will not fail nor be discouraged till < ? judgment be set io the earth; men who j j know their message and tell i: ; men who ? | know their places and fill them ; mcu | who know their owu business ; men who I will not lie ; men who are not too lazy io :, work nor too proud to be poor ; men who , are willing to eat what they have earned , and wear what they have paid for. '1 hese j ] are the men who move the world. I. . ? . m* - , SELF-RESPECT. - 1 Teach a man to think meanly and! contemptibly ot himself, to cast off a:l ' \ sense of character, and all consciousness of a superior nature, and moral pt-rtua- ; ' sion can no more act upon such a mau i than if he were dead. Aman my be . addicted lo many vices ana* Jet then , may be a hope of reclaiming him. Hut ' the moment be loses ail sense ofcharac-j ter, and all consciousness of a superior; nature, that is, the moment ho begins to j look upon himst-If and his vices as' wonhy of one another-that moment ail ? hope of i ?claira i nj; him perches ; for the j last ground i* surrendered on which it I, is possible lor his remaining j;ood prin- j ciplcs to rally and make a htand. Wc have often known men who have retained j their self respect long after they have;, lost their regard for principle ; but ! never one who retained his regard for j principle alter he had lost his .-elf respect. Destroy this, and you destroy evey tn in jr ; lor a man w ho does not rcs- i pect himself, respects nothing. - The people of Key Weat, Florida, ! allow their preachers thirty minutes to; each aeruior.. Sometimes., when the! man who bolds the watch goes to sleep,] they preacn a few miuutes longer, but j the regular schedule time is thirty i minutes. -Seventeen decorations from various : European countries await Dr Living-, stone upon his return from Africa. - An Omaha paper advises the peo I pie -Bot to make sueh a fuss about the j shooting of one eeoatahle, as lhere are, over forty candidates for thc position/, JOB WORK EVERY DESCRIPTION PROMPTLT EXECUTED AT THE OFFICE OF The Sumter Watchman, -IN THE i Highest Style of Hie Art. 1HE VALLE OF A M itt,? KOOK. AH who take a newspaper which they I in the least degree appreciate, will ufteu ! regret to see any oue uurnber thrown 'aside for waste paper which contains some interesting an important articles. A goou way to preserve these is by the use of the scrap book. Oue wb^o has never beeti accustomed tims to pre? serve short arr?elos, can hardly estimate the pltasure it affords to sit do?T aud tum over the pleasant familiar pages. Here a choice piece of poetry meets the eye, which you remember you were so glad to see in the papet, hut which you would long since have lost had it not been Jor }our scrap hook. There is a wit'y anecdote-it does you goo 1 to laugh over it yet, though for the twen? tieth time. "Next valuable recipe you had almost forgotton, and which you have found just iu time to save much perplexity. There is a sweet little story, tho memo? ry of which has cheered and encouraged you anny a time when almost ready to despair under the pressure of life's cares and trials Indeed you can hard!} take up a single paper without pcru-ing it. Just glance over the sheet before you, and see how many valuable items it con? tains that would be of service to you a hundred times in life. A choice thought is far more precious than a bit of glittering gold. Hoard with care the precious gems, and sec at the end of the year what a rich treasure you have ac? complished. A BEAUTIFUL X HO Li; HT. When the summer of youth is slowly wasting away on the night-fall of age, and the shadow of the past becomes deeper and deeper, and life wears to its close, it is pleasant to look through the pista of time upon the sorrows and felici? ties of our earlier years. If we have a home to shelter, and hearts to rejoice with us, and friends have been gathered together around our firesides, then the rough places of wayfaring will have been worn and stnoothea away in thc twilight of life, while the macy dark spots we have passed through will grow brighter and more beautiful. Happy, indeed, are those whose intercourse rritu the world has not changed the :one of their holier feeling, or broken those musical chords of the heart, whose ribrations are so melodious, so tender tnd so touching in the evening of their life. CLEANSE THt: SKIN'. It is a curious fact, illustrating thc necessity of cleanliness, and of keeping ;he pores of the skin open, that if a :oat of varnish or other substance im? pervious to moisture be applied to the sxterior of the body, death will ensue in about six hours. Thc experiment ?as once tried on a child at Florence. ')n the occasion of Tope Lenthe Tenth's tccession to the papal chair, it was iesired to have a living (?gare torcpre ?ent thc Golden Age, and so a child wa-* rilded all over with varnish and gold eaf. The child died in a few honrs. [f the fur of a rabbit or the skin of a >ig be covered with a solution uf India .ubbtr in naphtha, thc anima! ceases to >reathe in a couple of hours* A WORD TO HO VS. Truth is one of the rarf-r virtues. Many a youth has been lost to society >y ailuwit.g falsehood to tarnish his ?baracter, and by foo?ahlv throwing ruth away. Honestly, frankness, jeuerosiry, virtue-bh-ssed traite ! !>?. .hose yours, my boys wt1 shill not fear, fou are watched by your elder?*. Men ?rho "are look int; for chrks an: ap? prentices have their eyes cn voa li' rou arc profane or vulgar they vs ?li n- : :hoose voa. If von arc upright, stta ly iud industrious, before long yon w: ! ind good peaces, kind masters, and iii?: prospect of a useful life before y??u. - All kinds of excitement arc d u-, zero s where there is a tendency tn lisease of* thc heart. Ali place? and .renes where the passions are liable t > be s?rred-anger, or fear, or strong sympathy-are to be shunned. M "!? :rr . imusement will do no harm, hut the tragic drama and the acm*! hatti ii dd re alike unsuited lo tins kind of] lty?i cal iii The excitement of a crowd at a Sro. or <>f a crowd io sun" n<>?sy >'::i cal meeting, may he disastrous A regular and quiet life, tree from ex? tremes, unbroken by noi.-c and eonf-i-i rn, is better lor the heart. ():her things being equal, the heart keeps ii? ev? n play more surely in thc country than i:? the city. -Thc Baroness Tautphoyts. au? thoress of the .'Initials," and n e -rs n nf Marta Edgeworth, i? thus oV?ribd by a recent lady visitor ; flor figure is slight, her complexion c<>:?>r'e-s. her features regular, her n-.rk bair still abundant, her forehead broad and h gb. her eye bright and lur whole face fui! of expression Her dress was simple, of some black fabric, and six? wore a c*f?. She is about fifty yea?-* of agc, but is in frebic health and looks older. -*. A piece of alum, the si.r.0 ?T a ?Mail pea. will cure heart burn :??-*aOtly lt will also stop a cough, wheu caused from bronchial affection. - Keop doing, alwr-ys doing-re member that wishing, dreaming, intend? ing, njorunuritig. talking, ?tinging and repairing arc all idle anti pr fi:less employment?. - - {~- - - A contemporary gm rely r^rn"irks 'thc place a i<?xton fill? is no' an ei<y one tn fill' Most ptv?pl? 6!l i: easily enough. sotr.?titnc or other. - ??? -'Kqu-ili'v.' ?ny?- a French "-??'.< r ?means to be oq'nl to ?-nur sn;- ri >rs, and superior t?.< your r<? i l-.'