Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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LEWIS M^GhMST, i " In |a^nt Jamflj Hrto^apcr: /or ijjt |rwnifa rf tjfe |oMcal, $otisl. ^.gricultnra! an) I onrctfraii $I5s cf !bf #onIb. ~ VOL. 13. YORKVILLE, 8. C., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 36, 1867. NO,. 33, Jdotg-irUer. VISITOR FROM THE QRAVfr BY MR8. LAURA OWINN. And yonder thine* Aaron's harbinger, At wbote approach, ghotu wandering here and there, Troop me home to churchyard*. Bitiirint. Mrs. N-?, was an invalid when I first knew her. She came to us in the Spriog of 18?, from her Southern home, in quest of that best of blessings, health. She had been a woman of remarkable personal attractions, and her fen? and face, though wasted and faded by sickness and age, stiH bore traces of a peculiar and striking beauty.? Her form was tall, graceful and majestic still, and her iaoe was fine enough for a Grecian model.? Her hair?originally black as midnight?was now silvered with age, but abundant, glossy and curling. < Her complexion, though quite pale, was smooth as ; polished marble; and her eyes?her most remarkable feature?fine, frill and dark, defied alike the ( ravages of time and disease. She was then seventy years old, and suffering from a painful and deadly malady, yet her mind was unimpaired, and, during her intervals of comoarative ease, her oon venation was animated, interesting and intelligent Mrs. N was not a christian, and often spoke of the Bible and its believen in a vein of bitter sarcasm. I know not what were her religions opinions. She seemed to believe in the existence of an over-ruling Deity?an all pervading spirit of the universe, and often spoke of her God as a being superior to the God of the Bible, in mercy and goodness. -For some months after she came to us she was able to walk and ride a little eveiy day; but as the summer advanced she waxed feebler, and when autumn began to "sprinkle penitential dust and ashes on the chestnut's head," she was unable to > leave her chamber. One pleasant September morning, as I sat by her bedside, she attempted to arise unassisted, but finding herself too weak, she sank back upon her pillow, exclaiming: "I shall die soon. I am weaker than I have ' * ever been. I know that my time on earth is short and a few more days of pain will bring me to the end.", "But you will live again," I answered, "and the grave is but the portal to another and a better world." "Who, my friend," she exclaimed, "hath been to your better world, and hath ever arisen from the grave to tell us that we shall live again! Your Lazarus, though four days in his charnel cave, tells us nothing of the mystery of another life.? As I said, I shall die ere many days will pass; and if thdire be another state of existence, I solemnly promise you that, if it be possible, I will return and reveal it to you." A few days after this conversation took place between us, she died. I saw her form arrayed in the grave clothes, her face bound in a napkin, and her hands and feet (which I think a very barbarous and revolting custom) firmly bound together. I saw her lie, still and stark in her coffin. I saw the coffin lowered into its last resting place, and the clods of the valley thrown over it! * The night after her funeral, and the third after her death, I was suffering from a severe spell of , headache. I drank a cup of tea and went early to bed. I left a candlewick flickering in the socket when I laid myself down, and I noticed that the ' . full moon hung low over the horiaon, and cast its pale beams through the thick branches of an oak tree that grew just outside my window. Being racked by pain and unable to rest, I arose about twelve o'clock and went out into the moonlight, hoping that the oool nightair would bring me some relief. Close to our dwelling lies a dense pine forest?a favorite place of resort with me? and thither now I bent my steps. The wind sighed dismally ip the pines, whose tall trunks and rugged limbs rocked and creaked as if they were strug% gling with some mighty invisible giant; while, what struck me as exceedingly strange, not a breath was stirring the atmosphere in which I moved. How long I walked in this forest I do not know, but as I listened to the moaning of the wind, and paused to watch the writhing of the old pines, there suddenly arose before my startled eyes a spectre, at the recollection of which my soul is filled Vi/yttwi. I -Tnat Kplnw the tmsinp hranches of the pines, and a little above the ground, glided? floated, rather?a tall, white robed form. Nearer ?nearer it drew towards me, and louder and louder seemed to roar the wind. Nearer and nearer still, it came on, until distinctly, to my terrified gaze, stood revealed the features of Mrs. N ! The eyes that I had seen closed in death gleamed upon me with a wild and fiery light The long talon-like fingers, extended towards me, clutching and opening only to clutch, as if eager to grasp their prey; while the teeth gnashed, and seemed to threaten me with more than mortal malice. Oh, the agony of that hour! How I struggled to evade that fearful grasp! I tried to flee, but one cold, clammy arm encircled my waist like a vice, and held my hand fast pinioned to my side! p 1 struggled with the energy of despair. In my agony of terror I struck her a blow with my lefl hand, just above the eye, and one drop of dark blood oozed from the spot, and trickling down her sunken cheek, fell upon my sleeve 1 Then with ber voice hissing through her teeth, hollow and wild, close to my ear, she cried: "Inhere is another world ! 1 am a witness frtfaa it; but I have still a power in this and upon yon r* With a superhuman effort I wrung myself from her; fear lent wings to my feet, and as I fled I heard her voice once more shrieking in the wind: "A curse upon the ooming light! Were it not for those beams of the dawn you should not escape me thus." Glancing back, I beheld her in flight, also hastening away, in the direction of the graveyard where I had seen her interred; while far away in the dim East appeared the streaky fingers of the morning. I hurried home, and to my astonished and incredulous friends, I told my story. I begged them to open the grave and see if any appearance there justified my belief that it was indeed Mrs. N , whom I had seen. I told them of the blow I had r struck her upon the face, and showed them the blood upon my sleeve. After much persuasion from me, they at last consented to have the grave opened. My husband said it oould do no harm, and might possibly drive the strange crotchet from my brain. They all believed me to be mad 1 I The workmen were called?at my request the same who had a few days before placed the coffin in the grave. They went to work, wondering and half smiling at their strange task. A crowd of curious spectators gathered around, among whom, and close to the brink of the grave, stood my husband and myself. Gradually the earth and bricks were removed from the grave, until they came to the coffin.? Then they paused, for they had found everything just as they had left it?not a brick removed from its place. "Shall we open the.coffin," they asked, "or are you all satisfied ?" [My heart died out within me as one after another answered, "Wc are all satisfied." I felt as if upon the openiug of that coffin hung mv fate! "Open it, open it," I pleaded, and my husband sympathizing with me in iny distress, joined me in the request The crowd once more crowded around, but witli a curiosity whioh partook nothing of that whicl affected me. The screws that held down the coffin lid were quickly removed; the lid was lifted up by strong firm hands?and lo!? The crowd fell back aghast The workmen sprang from the grave with faces white as death! There lay the living oorpse, with rolling, glaring eyes, wide open; livid lips, covered with foam ; and just above her right eye a purple spot?a stain of blood?the blood which my blow had drawn! A low sound, between a groan and a growl, issued from her ghastly lips, as the full rays of the morning sun fell into her grave. Then I understood what she meant by the "accursed light;" for, in an iustant?in the twinkling of an eye?the quivering form?distended jaws-^bhroing eyesall, all became a heap of dust! The strong but kind hand of my husband grasped me by the arm, and with a vigorous shake freed me from the tyranny of a most distressing "nightmare." The candle still flickered in the socket?the moon. still in the horizon, looked down through the same oaken branches; and I had suffered all these horrors?this history of horrors, in two or three seconds of time. , IpsttUattMttsi JMiflcs. QUEEN VICTORIA'S COURTSHIP. Queen Victoria has published a life of Prince Albert, her late husband, much of which was written by herself. We have seen in the newspapers, several extracts from this book, which has not yet been printed in this country. Its whole tenor, so far as we have read, proves Victoria tc have been a faithful and loving wife. She seems to take a melancholy pleasure in recalling and dwelling upon the incidents of her husband's Hfe, and to cherish a fond regard for his memory. The character of Prince Albert, too, appears to great advantage. He was a man who filled evety station and duty to which he was called, without reproach. Few men of his high position in life, have left a memory so blameless. From the published extracts we select the following, as perhaps most interesting, and because it illustrates how differently a queen's love affairs are managed from those of less exalted maidens. FIHST ACQUAINTANCE. In 1835 the prince and his brother made a little German tour, and in the following year paid theii first visit to London, whence Prinoe Albert report ed home of the Princess Victoria, "Our cousin is verv amiable." In April, 1837, tbe princes went to the University of Bonn, where they remained for the next year and a half. It was on the 20th of June, 1837, that Princess Victoria, at the age of eighteen, and but three months older than hei cousin, who was even then pointed to as her future husband, became Queen of England. PROPOSED ALLIANCE. That the marriage was long contemplated by the Priooe's friends from his infancy, is obvious from many passages in this volume^ And though, as the Qneen says, 'more than oncer nothing had passed between her and her future husband till after the second visit of the Prince, in 1839, it is clfear that the project had been made familiar tc them both some time before. A tour to Switzerland and Italy (undertaken in May, 1838,) was recommended by the King of the Belgians, in ordei to divert public attention from the matter. Further on, we read:?"It was probably in the earij part of that year that the King, in writing to the Queen, first mentioned the idea <jf such a marriage: and the proposal must have been favorably received, for, in March, 1838, the King writes to Baror Stockmar, and gives an account of the manner ir which Prince Albert had received the communica tion which (of course with the Queen's sanction' he had made to him." The King writes:? "I have had a long conversation with Albert and have put the whole caso honestly and kindly before him. He looks at the question from its most elevated and honorable point of view. Ht considers that troubles are inseparable from all hu man positions, and that, therefore, if one must b< subject to plagues and annoyances, it is better t< be so for some great or worthy object than for tri flea and miseries. I have told him that his greai youth would make it necessary to postpone th< marriage for a few years, I found him very sen sible on all these points. But one thing he ob served, with truth. 'I am ready,' he said, 'to sub mit to this delay, if I have only some certain assu ranee to go upon. But if, after waiting, perhaps for three years, I should find that the Queen n< Ibnger desired the marriage, it would place me iu i very ridiculous position, and would to a certain ex tent, ruin all the prospects of my future life.' " The Queen, it would seem, wished for delay. She "did not wish to marry for some time yet,' and, she adds, writing of herself: "She though herself still too young, and also wished the Princ to be older when he made his appearance in Eng land. In after years she often regretted this deci sion on her part, and constantly deplored the conse quent delay of her marriage. Had she been en gaged to the Prince a year sooner than she was and had she married him at least six months ear lier, she would have escaped many trials and trou Wesof different kinds." THE DECISIVE VISIT. A delay, however, was fixed upon, and it wa during this delay that Prince Albert paid a visit t< Italy. The Prince returned to Coburg in June 1839, and in October of that year paid his secom and decisive visit to England. He seems to kav feared that the Queen was likely to change he mind, and that, when she asked for delay, she perhaps, pleaded for the release from the engage ment altogether. The Queen's own words, em phatic and not to be read without deep interest are as follows "The Queen says she never entertained any ide of this, and she afterward repeatedly informed th Prince that she never would have married any on else. She expresses, however, great regret tha she had not, after her aocession, kept up her coi respondenoe with her cousin, as she had done be fore it. "Nor can the Queen now think, without indig nation against herself, of her wish to keep th Prince waiting tor probably three or tour years, a the risk of ruining all his prospects for life, unt she might feel inclined to many! And the Princ has since told her that he came over in 1839 witl the intention of telling her that if she could no then make up her mind, she must understand tha he could not now wait for a decision, as he hai done at a former period, when this marriage wa first talked about The only excuse the Queen ca make for herself is in the fact that the sudde change from the secluded life at Kensington to th independence of her position as Queen Regnant at the agfe of eighteen, put all ideas of marriag out of her mind, which she now most bitterly re pents. aA worse school for a young girl, or one mor detrimental to all natural feelings and affections cannot well be imagined than the position of Queen at eighteen, without experience, and witl out a husband to guide and support her. This th Queen can state from painful experience, and sh , thanks God that none of her dear daughters are exposed to such danger." I THE QUEEN OFFERS HER HAND. ? On the ninth of October the Prince arrived at Windsor, and on the fifteenth the Queen, having ! previously oommunicated with Lord Melbourne, ' offered him her hand. The circumstanoes are thus narrated : 1 "On the fifteenth there was an important interruption to the ordinary routine of the day. The ' Queen had told Lord Melbourne the day before, that she had inado up her mind to the marriage, 1 at which he expressed great satisfaction, and said to her, as her Mryesty states in her journal, "I think it will be very well received; for I hear that i there is an anxiety now that it should be, and I am very glad of itadding, in quite a paternal tone, 'You will be much more comfortable; but a i woman cannot stand alone for any time, in whatever position she may be.' . Can we wonder that the Queen, recalling those circumstances, should exclaim, 'Alas, alas I the poor Queen now stands in that painful position I' . "An intimation was accordingly given to the Prince, through Erren Alvensleben, Master of the Horse to the Duke of Coburg, and long attached i to his family, who had accompanied the Prince to England, that the Queen wished to speak to him the next day. "On that day, the fifteenth, the Prince had been 1 out hunting early, with his brother, but returned at twelve, and half an hour afterward obeyed the Queen's summons to her room, where he found her alone. After a few minutes conversation on other subjects, the Queen told him why she had i sent for him; and we can well understand any liti tie hesitation and delicacy she may have felt in doing so; for the Queen's poSitiou, making it imper; ative that any proposal of marriage should come : first from her, must necessarily appear a painful , one to those who, deriving their ideas on this subi ject from the practice of private life, are wont to . look upon it as the privilege and happiness of a | woman to have her hand sought in marriage, in. stead of having to offer it herself." LETTER OP PRINCE ALBERT. What Prince Albert himself felt on the subject, wc can learn from his own letters. He thus wrote to his grandmother:? "The subject which has occupied us so much of late, is at last settled. The Queen sent for me a: lone to her room, a few days ago, and declared .to ! me, in a genuine outburst of love and affection, that I had gained her whole heart, and would make her intensely happy if I would make-herthe sacrifice of sharing her life with her, for she said she looked on it as a sacrifice ; the only thing . which troubled her was that she did not think she i was worthy of me. The joyous openness of man; ner in which she told me this quite enchanted me, I and I was quite carried away by it. She is really t most good and amiable, and I am quite sure Heavi en has not given me into evil hands, and that we shall be happy together. ! "Since that moment Victoria does whatever she fancies I should wish or like, and we talk together a great deal about our future life, which she prom, ises me to make as happy as possible. > i ! From the Albany (N. Y.) Journal. - - * A REMINISCENCE OF THE WAR. Noticing a few days since, in the obituary coli uuin of a Southern paper, the following announcei rnent, relieves me from an obligation I voluntarily . entered into before the close of the late war: "Died, at ?, on the 18th instant, J? M?, aged 44 years. The deceased was long and favor ably known as a steamboat pilot, and throughout ' the rebellion a firm friend of the Southern cause, s for which - he made many sacrifices and rendered ; valuable services." The promise I made M. was that I would not 1 divulge what he then told me; but his death relievi inor mr> fmm that nmmise. I now offer it to the public through your columns: ' It will be remembered that, among the many reasons which operated to prevent the fall of Vickai burg, Mississippi, when it was first attacked by r General Sherman, and afterwards so laboriously beJ sieged by General Grant, was the certainty of the 5 information the enemy seemed to get Notwith standing every precaution was taken to prevent 5 spies from obtaining and transmitting information > ?notwithstanding the river was closely watched to prevent the least messuge from being floated down t to Vicksburg?nevertheless information, and that, J too, of the most positive nature, daily reached the enemy to the great annoyance of the officers and men, who were slowly wearing their lives away un* der an almost tropical sun, and also to the mortifi" cation of the Commanding General. ? It is my object, briefly, to show how that infor3 mation was transmitted. M. was at that time an 1 impressed pilot in the service of the Union army, Kovinrr in nhnrcrA nn? nf thfi tranSDOrtS lvin& be low Young's Point, on the West side of the Mis" sissippi. His plan for advising the enemy inside the garrison of Yicksburg, of what was taking * place or contemplated in the Union army was siras pie and effective?so simple that it easily evaded ~ all attempts at detection. Daring three or four * hours of each day, M., after gathering from the * officers at headquarters what information he" de* sired?for officers would talk?would repair to a > farm house down on the point, and with a large " mirror which he had previously taken from the * cabin of the steamer, amuse himself by throwing the sun's reflection up and down the river, occasionally darting the concentrated rays of a May or s June sun into the eyes of some gull or loon, quiet0 ly floating on the water, causing it to dive down or , fly up with a half frightened shriek, and then 1 turning it full upon the enemy's works along the e Yicksburg levee. No one thought of suspicion? r no one asked him what he was doing?for the em!, ployment was so simple and apparently abstracted, t- that none thought for a moment of attributing any i- other motive than mere idle pastime. i But this was his secret, previously agreed upon between himself and General Pemberton. Vicksa burg is mainly upon a high bluff; the lower part e of the city during certain hours of the day being e entirely in the shade. Commencing at the upper ,t end of the city and within view, M. had selected - thirteen houses behind and above these. To each ( one of these houses a letter of the alphabet was given. From the .window in the farm house he threw the reflection first upon one house, and then e upon another, an officer of Pomberton's staff, in t the secret, at the same time standing on the levee [] with his back to M., and yet reading every word e easily and rapidly. And he not only gave informal) tion of what was transpiring in the Union camp at t Young's Point, but also gathered from newspapers ,t important news relative to the movements of ar& mies elsewhere, sending it across the river in the s same manner. n This plau was kept up until a short time before n General Grant made arrangements for going below e Vicksburg, crossing at Grand Gulf, and coming up in the rear. Just before that event, M. was e ordered to another point, and consequently the eni etny had no light upon the subjeot of that last move, which finally resulted in the capture of that e stronghold of the Confederacy, j, These facts I obtained from M. himself, while a afterward an officer on board one of our transports i- with him, and I have every reason to believe, from e experiments made at the same place, that it was a e "plain, unvarnished tale," he related to me. ANEW SENSATION IN PAItf8. Aocording to the Paris correspondent of the London Star, there is a Zouate in Paris whose gifts of healing rival those oflfe Newton, who was much talked of in New York sikbe time ago. The Star's correspondent says: "The great novelty of the day, and the subject of all conversation, is the miracfulous gift of healing possessed by a Zouave of the name of Jaoob, who, by the mere exercise of his will, performs daily the most extraordinary cures of paralyzed persons who for years have been unable to move without assistance. The Zouave receives no payment for the boon he confers; he is perfectly unassuming in manner, and does not attempt to explain by what means he accomplishes the cures he undoubtedly effects. His regiment is quartered at Versailles, but in oonsequenoe of the difficulty the ])oor experienced in reaching the only portion of this barrack in which he wis allowed to reoeive his patients, the Count de Chateauvillaid, himself a paralytic, offered him the use of several rooms in his hotel, where Zouave Jacob duly administers relief to thousands who flock from all parts. The Count publishes in La Petite Presse, a plain stateof his own experience in the efficacy of Jacob's influence. He drove in his carriage, accompanied by his wife, to the manufactory of M. Du Novet, where Jacob was engaged with several poor and disabled patients. The Count, who had been paralyzed for years, was supported by his footman and a workman, who obligingly lent him his arm from his carriage to the galle, where he was allowed to take a place in the circle of the sick, surrounding Jacob. "Persons were being transported on litters or carried in men's arms to his presence, many being so utterly helpless as to be unable to sit upright, and only able to support themselves by leaning against each other. As soon as the room was full, Jacob entered, and said: "Let no one speak until I question him, or I shall go away." Perfect silence ensued. The Zouave then went from one sick person to another, telling each exactly the disease from which he or she was suffering. Then to the paralytics he simply said "Rise." The Count, being of the number, arose, and that without the slightest difficulty. In about twenty minutes Jacob dismissed the crowd. M. De Chateauvillnid walked to his carriage without the slightest difficulty, and when his wife wished to express her gratitude to Jacob, he replied that he had no time to listen, for he had other patients to attend to.? Medical men are themselves taken by surprise, but the facts are not contradicted." In a later letter the same writer says :* "The 'Zouave Guerisseur' is decidedly the lion of the day. The importance attached by the public, aB well as by the press, to the toi-disant cures operated by this private, affords a striking indication of the temper of the public appetite in this country towards supernatural agency, r ranee is a Catholic nation, and cannot do without miracles. To many the feats accomplished by the said Zouave appear as a delusive farce and extravagancy of superstition; but to many more, I am assured it is a serious, all-absorbing faith. Scores of people in Paris, as well as Versailles, are actually made crazy by the miracles operated by Monsieur Le Zouave. He has created the greatest curiosity, and hundreds of men and women of character and ability now seek opportunities to witness and investigate tho phenomena produced bv Jacob Le Zouave. "Tf tbisi Jannh is a mere impostor, which many persons broadly assert, it is nevertheless confessed by careful and candid investigators that he is most successful in concealing his imposture. The fact is that Jacob, disdaining the former manifestations of spiritualism, which merely consisted in rocking, lifting, rapping, or tapping, has had the good sense to turn his mind towards things of ordinary and tangible utility. He does not pretend to introduce you to Socrates and Solomon, to put you in communication with Voltaire or Alfred de Musset, c.nd offer to describe to you the scenery of the plane t Jupiter or the star Aldebaran ; but he, more practical and matter of fact, undertakes to rid you of rheumatism, gout, amaurosis, palsy, &c. For startling effects, the phenomena wliich he produces are worthy of the age of Michael Scott" MANIA FOR RELICS. In the early part of the late war, Col. Ellsworth, commanding a Regiment of Zouaves, attempted to remove a Southern flag from the roof of a hotel belonging to a man named Jackson, in Alexandria, Va. Jackson killed Ellsworth, and he in turn was shot and killed by a member of Ellsworth's regiment A correspondent of the St Louis Democrat lias recently visited Alexandria, and graphically describes the mania of our Yankee brethren, for relics. He says: We stopped a colored individual and inquired the way to the place where Colonel Ellsworth was killed, and were informed that the ''Marshall House" was a square farther on. There we found it, a three-story brick building, old and dilapidated, aristocratic euough, perhaps, for Virginia as it was, and entirely typical of the old civilisation. At the entrance, sitting upon the wooden steps, was a tall, hard-looking white man in shirt sleeves, surrounded by three or four "plain people," like himself. As an excuse for entering the house, we inquired the way to the "bar," and were directed by the first mentioned individual to pass through the office, turn to the left, and go down stairs. As we left the office and passed into the hall, we at once recognized the scene of the murder, from the pictures we had seen in the pictorial weeklies at the time of the sad catastrophe. We found the tall individual in shirt sleeves to be A. H. Gheen, the proprietor, who has been running the machine since the spring of 1862. Mr. Gheen kindly took us though the whole houBe, and showed us various evidences of the recent civil war. For a long time Mr. Gheen was excessively annoyed by visitors, nearly everyone of whom wanted something or other to take away as a relic. He has had the * * * -lvAA?i]a nn J stairway, banisters, mouldings, wmu-woiuo >uu flooring repaired throughout the house twice, on account of visitors whittling away the wood to carry off as relics of the place. Sinoe the last repairing, we were shown further evidences of the desire to secure some memorial. Many of the new banister rails were whittled away to kite sticks, and about half the cornice and washboard have disappeared, Even the steps have been cut into, and in some places pieces of the plastering which is believed to have been rubbed by the shoulder of Mr. Ellsworth as he felL Mr. Gheen told us he assured people that that which they take away was recently placed there, and was never touched by Ellsworth, but it will not satitfy the rapacity of the relic-seeker. In a short time, even at the present rate of whittling, the banisters and rails will have to be lenewed. The flagstaff which Ellsworth ordered to be cut down is still kept in the house, but the flag was carried away by the Zouaves. The floor stained by Ellsworth's blood was cut away long ago, and that which took its place was disappearing so rapidly, that the landlord had to be constantly on hand to prevent the complete disappearance of his house. In order to save his building, he told us that he took the remnant of old boards, oornioe, rails and bannisters and out them into small pieoes, which he besmeared with beef blood. Visitors were satisfied with this stuff as long as it lasted, and the new bannister rails are now a curious spectacle, suffering as they do from the attack of many knives. The room on the second floor, out ol which Jackson stepped when he shot Ellsworth, who was descending from the third story, was al? shown us, as was a door, now permanently closed through which Jackson intended to escape ifh< had not been prevented by Sergeant Brownell. L this room large pieces of plaistering and wood bavi also been carried off. Of late there have pot beei so many visitors, and Mr. GhSen is in hopes tha he will be left to enjoy whatever profit he can reaj in keeping a first-class loyal hotel, without th< constant intrusion of sight-seers and relic-hunters We took the hint and did not stay long, nor die we whittle away any portion of the stairway." A STRANGE STORY. Under the caption of "truth stranger than fiction," a correspondent at WestBloomfield, N. Y., writes to the Rochester Democrat as follows: "We have an "Institution" in our town which, were it in Italy or Switzerland, parties making the "grand tour" would go miles to see, and thinl themselves well paid for their trouble, and as 1 have not seen any notice of it in the papers I wil give you a short account of it Fifty years ago, some of the early settlers living near what is now called "Bebe's Brook," (three miles south of our village), conceived that there was coal or some other valuable mineral in a local ity near the brook, and accordingly sunk a shaft tc A?A AL. -ax? A A? fkivk lest ilib iuauer. Aiier gctuug uuttu ouujo iumg feet they perceived indications of foul air, and fired a bundle of straw and threw it down the shaft. Il instantly ignited and burned high above the sur face, causing them to retreat on the double-quicl (badly scorched) with the entire loss of baggage. It burned a short time and went out, but the ex periment induced them to abandon any farther in vestigations. In later years, parties fishing in th< brook by torchlight, could, by touching the surfaa where the water was still, ignite it at pleasure when it would burn a short time and expire.? These facts being well known, when the "oil fe ver" was at its height some three years since, par ties here decided to bore for oil. A company wiu formed, an engine and the necessary tools procur ed, and boring commenced. After boring aboui one hundred feet, they struck a orevioe which e mitted a strong volume of gas. This gave then renewed courage, and they bored away for monthi until they reached a depth of five hundred feet when their oourage and capital being alike exhaus ted, they concluded to abandon it and pocket th< loss, as many a seeter after oil has done before 01 since. Since then the well has remained in statu quo (the volume of gas never flagging for a moment) until about the first of July one of our citizen! visited it, to show it to a visiting friend, and con eluded to tiy an experiment with it Accordingly he attached a lead pipe to the curbing-tube to con duct it outside of the building, and applied a light ed match to it, when "presto change," quick? than you could say "Jack Robinson," the pip< melted, the flame following it up. They used eve ry effort to extinguish it, but in vain. It woulc not "out" at their bidding any more than the spo of blood from the hand of Lady Macbeth. It reached the building in less time than I couk write it, and in a short time the structure was i mass of smoking ruins, the heat damaging the en ~!?? levins dftmnffM nf ill .000 or M glue jsooi* iupuu, T w -?.-, for some one to pay. Sinoe then it has bame< constantly. The iron tubingrises fifteen feet abovi the snrface. and a ronrinxr. <mrxnn?. teapimr enlnmi of five or six inches in diameter rises thirty fee above that, making the vicinity light as day in thi darkest night The reflection on the sky can b seen for miles away." THE NOBLE REVENiJE. The coffin was a plain one?a poor, miserabli pine coffin. No flowers on its top, no lining of thi rose-white satin for.the pale brow; no smooth rib bons about the coarse shroud. The brown hai was laid decently back, but there was the crimpex cap, with its neat tie beneath the chin. The suf fercr from cruel poverty smiled in her sleep; shi had found bread, rest, and health. "I want to see my mother," sobbed a poor child as the city undertaker screwed down the top. "You can't?get out of the way, boy; why don' somebody take the brat?" "Only let me see her one minute," cried th< hopeless, hopeless orphan, clutching the side o the charity box, and as he gazed into the rougl face, anguished tears streamed rapidly down th< cheek, on which no childish bloom ever lingered Oh! it was pitiful to hear him cry, "Only once M m TV,Of AT- nnlv nnpA " 1CV 1UC luj mvvuv* vuij wuvwi Quickly and brutally the hard-hearted monste struck the boy away, so that he reeled with thi blow. For a moment the boy stood panting witl grief and rage?his blue eyes distended, his lip, sprang apart, a fire glittered through his tears, a he raised his puny arm, and with a most unchiid ish accent screamed, "When I am a man, I'll kil you for that" There was a coffin and a heap of earth betweei the mother and the poor forsaken child?a monu ment, much stronger than granite, built in his boy heart to the memory of the heartless deed. The court-house was crowded tcsuffocation. "Does any one appear as this man's counsel?' asked the judge. There was silence when he finished, until, witl lips tightly pressed together, a look of strange in telligence blended with haughty reserve upon hi handsome features, a young man stepped forwar< with a firm tread and kindly eye, to plead for th< erring and friendless. He was a stranger, but fron his first sentence there was silence. The splendo of his genius entranced?convinced. The man who could not find a friend was acquit ted. "May God bless you, sir ; I cannot." "I want no thanks," replied the stranger, witl icy coldness. "I?I believe you are unknown to mo." "Man! I will refresh your memory. Twent; years ago you struck a broken-hearted boy awn; from his mother's poor coffin. I was that poo boy." The man turned livid. "Era vnn rpsniipd me. then, to take my life?' "No, I have a sweeter revenge; I have saved th< life of a man whose brutal deed has rankled in mi breast for twenty years. Go! and remember thi tears of a friendless child." The man bowed his head in shame, and went ou from the presence of a magnanimity as grand U him as incomprehensible, and the noble younj lawyer felt God's smile in his soul forever after. ? An Example Worthy op Imitation.?W< learn that a gentleman, residing in or near Fay etteville, a short time ago being conviced that th< real value of his property exceeded his debts, anc being unwilling to risk Court costs and lawyer'! fees and a Sheriff's sale, very sensibly determincc to settle with his creditors and save costs and in terest. He gave notice to all of his creditors that on a certain day, he would offer, at public auction his entire property, and invited every creditor t< attend, pledging that whatever his creditors chos< to purchase should be entered as a credit on hi debts due them. The day arrived, a large num ber attended, the bidding was spirited, and hi) property sold well. He paid off his debts and stil had something left, with whioh to begin the work i anew. This was a wise act and others might pro fit by it, instead of holding on, to be utterly crush ed by interest and Court costs. Those who hav< 7 lands to dispose of in this way should divide it ii parcels small enough to meet the demand. D ASYLUM FOR USELESS YOUNGJKEN. , In every community there is a certain per cent8 age of useless young men, whose ultimate condition i must excite the sympathy and consideration of ev3 ery philanthropist What will become of them ? ) We do notput the question as to their future state, b but how will they round off their earthly existence ? > They have no visible means of support; still they J hang on, they vegetate, they keep above the ground. In a certain literal sense, they may be said to live, I move, and have a being. They lounge in offices, promenade the streets, appear at social amusements, play the gallant to good-natured ladies, and attend to the necessities of lapdogs.. Their more quiet and undemonstrative life, may be described 1 as an intermittent torpor, in which meals, cigars, drinks and sleep marie the changes. Their exis1 tence would be a mystery, but for their bearing re' lations to other substantial people known as "pa," j: "ma," or "better half," whoare able to make pro vision for the waste and protection of their bodies ' in the way of clothing and lood. Stifl, ought these tender young men to be left to the chances of pa' rental or domestic affection ? All are not equally ' fortunate. . ' What shall we do with those whose dependence is precarious? They do not admit of any utilita > nan disposition. In cannibal countries they could r be eaten as. a substitute for veal; their bodies would also# make excellent fertilizers for sterile t lands; but the prejudices of a Christian people would revolt at this Solution of the problem. A : certain number could be employed as lay figures in ' shop windows to exhibit clothes on, but the tailors might not have Confidence in them. Most of them could color meerschaums, but this business would ' produce little revenue. What, then, shall be ! done? The tax falls upon a few, and it oughtto 1 bo distributed. We propose, therefore, a State Asylum for useless young men. An institution of this kind could be easily filled with those between the ages of eighteen and thirty, who should be 3 -grouped and associated together so that the rude ' jostling and friction of the working world would not disturb their delieate nerves. Here they could cultivate their moustaches, part 1 their hair behind, and practice attitudes. In this 3 resort, with a little enforced exercise to keep their ' circulation in a healthy state, with dolls to play with as compensation for the abseooe of ladies' so5 ciety, these useless young men could be supported r with ease and comfort, and all industrious people would be willing to pay the expense of this insti> tution, rather than bear the painful solicitude in ' regard to the welfare of theso superfluous mem3 bere of society. When provision has been made by the State for idiots, for insane, poor, aged and ' crippled, is it not astounding that asylums have never been erected for a still more helpless class? Lot this philanthropic enterprise be started at r once.? Watertown Reformer. FLORIDA CRACKERS. 1 A Florida correspondent of the Farm and Fire t side gives the annexed not very flattering acoount of some of his present neighbors. As he takes a 1 prejudiced view of some other classes mentioned i iu his letter, there is reason to consider him one of - those genl.-v who can see nothing good at the South j except the nigger." But though his picture is 1 probably overdrawn, it is evidently founded on e facts. He says: fi ' 'Before the Rebellion, farm and forest labor was t all done by the slaves in this section. The white 3 population comprised two classes; the wealthier f. nlnnfora nrwl orrnziorq whn wore Jlhove WOrk. and the miserably poor Crackers who lived by hunting, fishing and finding other people's property before ; it was lost They never returned from a day's * shooting unless they found a, stray hog or bullock? which invariably died a few yards in advance of r their rifles. Their liberality to the owners of such i unfortunate stock was always manifested by appro. printing only a leg or shoulder of the animal?leavs ing the balance to the birds and-beasts of prey.? This class of citizens exhibit no improvement in the way of industry. The war made little impres' sion upon them. But few voluntarily joined the t Confederate armies, and the conscription laws were powerless in three-fourths of the State. They e; vaded the recruiting officers and spent their time ^ then, as now, in gaming and depredating on disj tant neighbors. a The home of the Florida Cracker is as simple and primitive as that of the Indian. His dwelling is a one story cabin, frequently with but one room, ' and his furniture comprises a bed, table, perhaps three chairs, a few cooking utensils, a rifle and a a whiskey jug. His live stock enumerates his wife 3 and children, a small marsh pony, two cows, a half 3 dozen goats, poultry, and frequently four to six hounds. This last mentioned stock is considered the most valuable, as three-fourths of their masj ter's time i9 passed in the forest in pursuit of game. Deer, wild turkeys, quails, partridges, rabbits, rao3 coons, opossums, fox squirrels, wild geese and ducks are abundant in their season, and as the Craclcer is a dead shot, his family is always supplied with game. Generally he has a small patch of corn and sweet potatoes, another of ground nuts, perhaps a garden; while his pasture extends from ' sunrise to sunset" THE MOSQUITO. A writer in the Scientific American tells how s the mosquito looks, what he does for a living, and j how he is produced. It is an interesting sketch, e but by no means a compensation for a mosquito 3 bite, or the "small horror of his bugle horn." The r writer says: "It is unscientific to say that mosquitoes bite, for they have no teeth; an 1 they have no need of teeth to seize upon or prepare their food, for they ore dainty, and take food only in the liquid form 1 ?spoon victuals. They are a chivalric race, and attack their enemies with a sort of sword orl&noe; no doubt they consider biting and gouging quite vulgar. The lance of the mosquito is a very beautiful and perfect piece of work; it is smoother than hurniahed steel, and its point is so fine and perfect that the most powerful miscroscope does not discover a flaw in it As the most delicate cambric > needle is to a crowbar, so is the mosquito's lance j to the best Damascus blade. The lance is worn in "7 a scabbard or sheath, which in every respect is j worthy of it; it is often ornamented with plumes. Man carries his sword at his side, and the most quito on his head. The latter arrangement has j manifest and wonderful advantages?the weapon is r always en garde, and does not impede locomotion 5 by getting entangled with the legs. The lance and its sheath being on the head and i being somewhat flexible is often called a probos cis. This view of the case is strengthened by the 3 fact, that the scabbard is a suction pipe through 1 which the mosquito drinks its food. As Moses i struck the rock with his staff, so the mosquito with 1 a thrust of his lance pierces the fountain, and the - n/vntm. miaViino> intn t.liA omKhnrH finds itawnvtn , the more sensitive and vital parts. But is not , this calling the lance and scabbard a proboscis, ) thus likening the delicate mosquito to the moni strous elephant, a little far fetched? 3 The mosquito is the most musical of all wiimnla - There is no bird which sings so much. He never 3 tires of his simple song. Linnseus, out of oom1 pliment to the musical powers of the mosquito, 1 named it Culex Pipiens. But there are those who - say that the mosquito has no vocal organs, and - that his notes are not music, but the sounds pro2 duced by the flapping of his wings, or by some i other similar and purely mechanical movementHave these detractors music in their souls? MODERN FEMALE EDUCATION. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes portrays the advantage of an education at a modern boarding school, in the following dialogue supposed to take place between two ladies representing Boston and New York: "Don't you think she's vuny good looEnT' said a Boston girl to a New York gui c "I think she's real pooty." ? v di.;/ "I dew indeed. I didn't think ahe was half ae handsome the freest time I saw her," answered the New York girl ri . ??- "if r. n-varV "What a pity she hadn't been bawn in Bawtton!" "Yes, and moved very young toNu Yook!" "And married a sarsaparilla man, amffivedia ffiff Avenoo, and moved in fosfc society." "Better dew that than be strong minded, and dew your own cookin' and live in your own kitob^ M en- l : f - J?>i A- 1 ouu uvu v iuij^ol uj ocuu jvuk vwu mil jum are Mrs. Old Dr. Jacob!" "Indeed, I shaont Whit is the name of the alley, and which bell?" : x3 *! ' *UI - The New Yorkgiri took ont a memorandum book as if to put it down. '' n ' * Had yon not better to let me write it for you, dear?" said the Boston girL "It is jest as well to have it legible,yon know."' y ?r .... "Take it," said the New York girL;- 'Them's tew York skill'ns in it'when I hsndedifetpjtai?' "Your whole quarter's allowance, I bullieve^ ain't it?" said the Boston girl. JKB?The Doctor clinches the abfcVehit with tiler annexed extract from the protpedms of Madame Db- . lacoste's Boarding SchooL ... . '/r "Elegant manners, correct deportment, will be strictly attended in this institution. t The ntpst correct stardard of pronunciation will he incoloated by precept and example. It will berths special aim of the teachers to educate their pupilsoufc of all provincialisms, so they maybe recognized a| well bred English scholars wherever the language is spoken in its purity.**' 1 , , *" '' SMALL FARMS. As the question of small or jarge farms is occupying much attention amoqg us, we take fromoor excellent cotemporaiy, the Baleigh JSoUmdz the following arguments on one sido of tTyt gnr^n" . "Two years' experience will or eughi ta satisfy our farmers, that the employmeat of large nam* ben of hired laboring men, whose wives and-chftdreD are doing nothing, and yet are to be fed and clothed ont of the labors of the men, on luge ferms, is not the way to pay debta or make money. The size of the farms renders it almost impossible for them to be weQ kept up; the fences, ditches, and necessary provision for cattle, sheep and hogs, iriH not be well attended to wholly by hired laborers, who are only interested in the crop or the monthly wages. Proper cultivation and regular manuring arrangements cannot or wfll not be carried on. # # It must be apparent to every land owner, who is indebt, that it will never do to expose Inge tracts of land to sale or allow them to aro under the Sher iff's or Marshal's hammer. The scarcity of money will make all such sales ruinous.. Besides, introduce among us rapacuma land speculators, whose greed will not be satisfied at any small sacrifice afthe landowner. i'<'; a. <f? il Small flu-mo, woftouJtNwUxl ami caml tiff, limit become the order of the day. Large plantations must be divided and sold, or leased out to practical honest men, who will do right, and whogs industry and skill will either enable them to pay. for the lands, or return them to the owner improved by their management. Faithful men, who hate^beew former slaves of land owners, maybe food in some instances, whowoold do well in such eates, and who ought to be encouraged in their industry and * honesty." An Arab Dinner.?A correspondent ofa London journal having dined in the Arab custom at the Exhibition, makes a note in the English fashion :?"There were nine in the party. As we were ushered into the dining apartment, a servant handed each guest a towel, and held a metalic basin, while another poured water overthar hands. We were theD seated on cushions, on the floor, Arttiftfl" a circular xnetalic table, abou? eighteen inches high with a rim around it In front of each guest was a spoon, with a piece of bread., , First eatnesonp, of which each dipped. hotted wte placed in the centre of the table, and. rapidly and ' gracefully carved by the governor with his ffngem. He then with his fingers passed a piece to each.-*- The greatest compliment an Araboahpay,fch> pass to you the leg of a fbwl, after having flrs{ Kt off a mouthful for himself. Then came eleven other dishes in rapid succession, each served the same manner-even dishes that were like our pies and puddings. The cooking was all good, and seasoning excellent. After we arose from the table came long pipes?chQxntx, and ooffoo pvoeodisg which, however, the ceremony of wtMflug hands was gone through with; and they needed it. We were soon ushered into the main hall of the house, and witnessed an exhibition of dancing, accompanied by Egyptian musie. The dancing women are the most beautiful of all the fiurandfraSef Egypt, and danced as did the daughter of Hswdine? which I should say was all the Hone for the daughter." Disease Produced by Sleeping Together. ?Daring the night, says a writer on hygienics, there is considerable exhalation from oar bodies, and at the same time we absorb a large quantity of the vapors of the surrounding air. Two healthy young children sleeping together will give sad receive healthy exhalations; bat an old, weak .^person near a child will, in exchange ferheahk^dnfr return weakness. A rick mother near her daughter communicates sickly emanations to her; if the mother has a cough of long duration, the daughter will, at some time, also cough and suffer by it; if the mother has pulmonary consumption, it will be ultimately communicated to her child. It is known that the bed of a consumptive is a powerful and sure source of contagions, as well for men as women, and the more so ior young pereous.? Parents and friends ought to oppose as moch as in their power the sleeping together of old and young persons, of the sick or the healthy. * .?. "i. Reduction in Freight Charges.?The following dispatch was reodved on Tuesday, by 01 X Bollin, Esq., Agent of the South Carolina Rail Road Company in Columbia : Charleston, S. C., September 17. The Augusta tariff will be used to Columbia, commencing to-morrow. H. T. PEAKS, General Superintendent This, says the Phoenix, will be gratifying intelligence to our merchants, who have for a length of time complained?and very justly too?of the serinrtfl diRftdvantace under which they labored, "from the great discrimination in the freight charges on goods between Charleston and Augusta, and the former city and Columbia?nearly fifty per cent? Mr. Bollm, it is said, has labored fkithftiDy to have this change effected. We aw informed that, under the new tariff, goods-can be brought to Columbia via Charleston at lower rates than by aqy other route. It is worth enquiring iato? 1ft-England uses aBout 22O,OOO,Q0O p<?ndi?f paper annually. Fraooe yearly oonsu?efl l?,000,000, while the United States demands mow paper than both these countries combined?404,000,000 pounds.