Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, March 26, 1868, Image 1
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VOL. 14. YORKVILLE, S. C., THURSDAY, MARCH Q6, 1868. LsTO. 13.
? flings in Washington,
THE IMPEACHMENT TRIA]
FULL PARTICULARS.
At 1 o'clock oq Friday, 13th instant the Pre
dent pro tcm. of the Senate, said the chair wot
now be vacated for the Chief Justice of the Unit
States.
The Chief Justice then entered and took t
chair of the presiding officer, and directed the s<
geant-at-arms to make proclamation.
The sergeant-at-arms.?Hear ye! hear ye! he
ye! All persons are commanded to keep silen
while the Senate of the United States is sitting <
the trial of articles of impeachment exhibited I
the House of Representatives against Andn
Johnson, President of the United States.
The sergeant-at-arms here announced the ma
agers of impeachment on the part of the House
Representatives.
The Chief Justice?The managers of impeac
ment will come forward and take the seats provid
4Vi bUVUii
A large number of the members of the Hou
of Representatives here entered.
The Chief Justioe?The Secretary will call tl
roll of Senators who have not been sworn.
The Secretary then called the roll of those wl
had not been sworn, commencing with Mr. Dooli
tie, who was not present The remaining Senate
were then sworn, as follows: Mr. Edmunds,
Vermont; Mr. Patterson, of New Hampshire
Mr. Vickers, of Maryland.
She Chief Justice?The Secretary of the Sena
will read the return of the sergeant-at-arms.
The Secretary then read:
The foregoing writ of summons, and the foreg
ing precept addressed to me, were duly served 1
me on Andrew Johnson, President of the Unit*
States, at the executive mansion, his usual place <
abode, on Saturday, March 7th instant at the hoi
of seven o'clock in the afternoon.
GEO. T. BROWN,
Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate.
The Chief Justice?The sergeant-at-arms wi
now call the accused. '
rm- - a??n-n* nf Anna ?A .In^insnn. Pre
-L IIC UCI^COUL-avr^ia ujj. * >..v??vn w w. r~, ~
ident of the United States! Andrew Johnsoi
President of the United States! appear and aj
swer to the articles of impeachment exhibited*:
gainst you by the House of Representatives of tl
United States.
After a short interval, Mr. Johnson, of Mar:
land, rose and moved that the counsel for the di
fence be notified to enter the chamber; and tl
motion was adopted. .
Messrs. Stanberry, Nelson and'Curtis, appeare
as counsel for the President, and took the seats a
signed them.
At 1.20 P. M. the sergeant-at-arms officially ai
nounced the members of the House of Represen
atives, and the remainder of that body entered an
took seats.
The Chief Justice?The counsel of the Pres
dent will now put in their reply to the articles <
impeachment.
Mr. Stanbeny?Mr. Chief Justice, my brotl
ers, Messrs. Curtis and Nelson, and myself, ai
here as oounsel for Andrew Johnson, President <
the United States.. I have his authority to answf
to the articles of impeachment, and with yoi
leave will read.
Mr. Stanberry then read:
"In the Maker of the Impeachment of Andre
Pr-om/7?j)* nf the United States :
. "I, Andrew Johnson, having been served wit
a summons to appear before the Senate to answt
the articles of impeachment, etc., etc., hereby ei
ter my reply through my counsel, Henry Stanbe:
ry, J. S. Black, William M. Evarts, B. A. Cuj
tis, aud Thomas A. R. Nelson, who are instructe
by me to answer to this summons, and to ask
reasonable time in which to appear and answer t
the articles which have been prepared."
The reply further says, that after a careful exan
ination of the articles, and a full consultation wit
his counsel, he (the President) is satisfied that i
least forty days will be required in which to answt
said articles, and most respectfully asks that ths
time will be allowed him.
The Chief Justice?The application will be coi
sidered as requested.
Mr. Stanberry then continued in support of th
application. He (Henry Stanberry) Benjamin A
Curtis, J. S. Black, Wm. M. Evarts, and T. A
R. Nelson, acting as counsel for Andrew Johnsoi
beg leave to make the following statement: "Th
articles of impeachment arc eleven in number, ii
volving many questions of law and fact. Th
counsel have arrived at the conclusion that wit
the utmost diligence and dispatch they can brie
to their task, the time asked for is reasonable an
should be granted.
The present respondent was ignorant of th
charges against him until within a few days. H
time is much engrossed with his public duties, an
he has but the few minutes he can spare from thei
to confer with his counsel. The counsel furtht
beg leave to submit, that as lawyers, careful <
their own reputation, and acting upon their coi
science, they submit to the candid consideration <
the court that the respondent has a right to as
for the time named.
Mr. Bingham objected to granting the prayer <
the respondent under the operation of the 8th ruli
adopted by the Senate for the conduct of this tria
After the appearance of the accused at the bar <
the Senate, no application of this nature can be a
Plowed, unless the 8th-rule is set aside. The mai
- agers of impeachment here at the bar of the Sei
ate maintain that the 8th rule signifies precise
what it says. If the defence had failed to appea
the trial would have gone on as if a plea of m
guilty had been entered; and the accused havir
appeared, the effect is the same. The trial mu
go on, and no time for preparation can be allowei
Mr. Curtis addressed the Chief Justice, and sa:
if the construction which the managers of impeacl
tnant nlnco nn this rule is correct, the counsel fi
the President have been entirely misled. Th(
have construed the rule as the practice provides i
courts of equity. It had never been held that
bill of complaint must be announced on the day i
appearance. The day to appear and answer
either fixed by some general rule, or there is to 1
a special order in the case. The counsel for tf
President contend that the part of the 8th rule r
lating to the answer has reference to a future pr
cecding, as we have assumed.
The counsel for the President therefore subm
that the interpretation of the 8th rule, as construe
by the managers of impeachment, is not correct.
Mr. Wilson briefly endeavored to controvert ti
position of Mr. Curtis. He expressed his grei
surprise that it was possible for the learned corn
sel to so construe the rule.
Mr. Stanberry said the objection on the part i
the managers was of so singular a character that 1
had not, in the whole course of his practice, ev<
heard anything like it. In a case like this, whe
the President of the United States is arraigned I
the House of Representatives, it is proposed i
treat it as an ordinary case before a police cour
and to put it through with railroad speed. Whei
do the gentlemen find a precedent for such actic
as is proposed in this case? We have been sun
moned to appear here on a certain day, and v
have appeared, but say we are not prepared to a:
swer, and we ask time. We have appeared to a
swer, and do not wish the case to go by defau]
but all we ask is a reasonable time. It has not
* been many days since the President received his
? summons. Two of his counsel are not present, and
I" one, at least, has not yet arrived in the city, and
we say, therefore, that we are not prepared to proceed
with the trial. Now, let us see whether the
rule, if oonstrued to the letter, would operate to
si- prevent this postponement Article 9 of the rules
ild commences as follows: "At twelve o'clock and
ed thirty minutes afternoon of the day appointed for
the return of the summons against the person imhe
peached, &c." Article 10 say? "the person imjr
peached shall then be called to appear and answer,
&c." Now, construe the letter of the rule,
ar and this is but the return day, and the person irnce
peached has appeared, by his counsel, to answer,
on' and asks further time to prepare that answer. By
by another rule, the 11th, it is prescribed that "at
iw twelve o'clock and thirty minutes afternoon of the
day appointed for the trial of impeachment, &c."
n- It seems, therefore, that the rules themselves recof
ognize two days?one of trial and one of answer,
and this is the day for the return of the summons
h- aud not the trial day, and the letter of one rule
ed therefore answers the letter of the other. The
President has not yet had sufficient time to prese
pare an answer to the charges. His time has been
fully occupied in getting counsel and in consultahe
tion with those whom he proposed should be his
counsel. All of the latter have not yet had time
tio or opportunity to fully examine the charges, and
it- had no reason to expect that such great haste
>rs would be urged. Now, if the honorable managers
of will go back to impeachment trials in the very
i ; worst days and under the very worst phases, they
will find that English fair play always prevailed,
te and ample time was given to answer all charges.
Another reason why this postponement should be
allowed was that no witnesses had yet been snmo
moned; and, indeed, the defence did not well know
>y who to summon. And now will the managers still
id iusist that we must be forced to proceed ? "Strike,
of but hear me." Give us the same opportunity and
it the same advantages allowed in common civil
cases, where at least thirty days is allowed for an
answer; give us a reasonable time and a fair hearing,
and there will be no cause whatever for dis111
satisfaction. For one, he would say that he could
not, in justice, proceed with so important a trial in
s- such speed?such haste?without giving it a more
a, harsh term.
The Chief Justice said he was somewhat embarrassed
with the construction of some of the rules.
ie The 21st rules prescribed that the case on each
side should be opened by one person, but he understood
that to apply when the testimony was all
B" in; and he construed another rule to mean that all
16 preliminary questions should be argued not to'exceed
one hour on each side. He was not fully satd
isfied whether that was to apply the house rule to
8* each side or to each counsel who chose to speak.
In view of an embarrassment upon those questions,
therefore, he had allowed considerable latitude
to debate, and would contiue to do so unless
d otherwise ordered by the Senate.
Mr. Bingham said the rules adopted by the SenK
ate were a law to themselves, and no common law
ly 23d day of March, instant.
r> Mr. Bingham said he was instructed by the
ut managers of the impeachment, on the part of the
,g House of Representatives, to offer the following orst
der:
i "Ordered that upon the filing of a replication
id by the managers of the House of Representatives
li- to the answer of Andrew Johnson, President of the
3r United States, to the articles exhibited against
;y him by the House of Representatives, the trial of
|n said articles of impeachment shall proceed fortha
with."
0f The Chief Justice put the question, and announjg
ced that it was decided in the negative,
jg Mr. Sherman offered an order that the trial of
ie the articles of impeachment shall be proceeded with
q. on the 6th day of April
q. Mr. Butler desired to know if the managers of
'1 TT mrrlit fA 1\A liOiir/1 An fllIIDA.
CQ6 XlUUSiC IlrtU lilt xjguu wu uv uvuiv* v/4* - -1-- it
tioD.
^ Mr. Sumner?Unquestionably.
The Chief Justice replied that he considered the
ie managers had a right to address the court on the
jt motion.
j. Mr. Butler said he represented the House of
Representatives, and the House of Representatives
represented the people of the United States in
ie pressing an early trial of the accused?in pressing
2r to as speedy a termination as possible this most imin
portant case. The state of the country, the intcr)y
est of the people, all seem to urge a speedy trial,
to The ordinary delays of the law, the usual mot,
tions and rules of a court, have no application
re whatever to this case, for this reason, if for no oth>n
er, that when ordinary questions are involved,
a- where no great interests are at stake, there is no
?e danger to the common weal in the delay; the ren
public can suffer no detriment. But here the
n- House of Representatives have presented, at the
It, bar of the Senate, in the most solemn form, arti
principles could be properly applied to the case.
The Senate had presented roles for the government
1_ of the trial, and he wanted to see whether, at the
* very threshold of the business, a very plain rule
was to be disregarded. Ho was surprised at the
!r manner in which his learned friend had* argued
11 this matter. He seemed to couple together, in one
link, the answer to the summons and the trial. No
one pretended that this was the day for the trial.
We cannot consider the question of trial or the
jj time of the trial until the pleas be pleaded; for it
;r depends upon the plea whether there will be a trial.
' If a plea of guilty, for instance, were entered, there
r_ would be no necessity for discussing the question
r_ of the trial at all. It will be time enough to talk
j about the trial when the pleas are in and the issue
is made up. The rule adopted by the Senate is a
plain one, and there is nothing in the 10th and
11th rules to limit the operation of the other rule
x which requires an answer upon this day. All the
k managers ask on the part of the House of Reprelt
sentatives is that a plain rule shall be strictly enforced,
and that the case shall not be postponed
for forty days, and at the end of that time to be
met, perhaps, by a dilatory .plea as to whether this
lm is the Senate or the United States. The summons
was issued six days ago, and the President has had
ample time to reply. The action of this body does |
not limit the plea to be entered, and under a gene-1
^ ral plea of not guilty every conceivable defence
' may be made. He saw no reason, therefore, why
^ the rule should not be enforced and the accused be
compelled to answer.
ie No other gentleman rising to speak, the Chief
h Justice said the counsel for the President had ask,g
ed a continuance of forty days in which to prepare
1(j their answer. The rule requires that the question
shall be taken without debate. All in favor of the
ie motion say aye, and?
jg Mr. Morton moved that the Senate retire for
^ consultation.
jj This motion was agreed to, and at 2 o'clock the
;r senators retired to the marble room for consultajf
tion.
j. At four o'clock the senators re-entered the Senjf
ate chamber, and the Chief Justice resumed his
jj. chair.
The Chief Justice then addressed the counsel
for the President and notified them that the Sen3
ate had declined to grant the request for forty days'
] time in which to prepare to answer the articles of
gf impeachment, and then directed the secretary to
j. read the order agreed upon by the Senate,
a- The secretary then read the order, which requires
the resnondent to file his answer on or before the
cles of impeachment against the chief ruler of the
nation, and they desire your judgment upon it
That he is wielding powers which do not belong tc
him ; that he is recreant to the best interests oi
the nation; that he is acting in a manner detrimental
to the peace and safety of the country, and
that he still purposes thus to act, we do not believe
can admit of any doubt, or do we doubt our ability
to prove it; and we contend that the necessities of
the occasion call for an immediate determination of
this question.
Sir, who is the criminal ? I beg pardon?the
respondent ? He is the Chief Magistrate of the
nation. For the first time in the history of the
world has a people brought its ruler to the bar of
its highest court; and, therefore, all precedents
which may be cited fail to have any proper beari ng
on the disposition of the question. He is the commander
of your armies ; he controls, through his
subordinates, your treasuiy; he controls your navy;
he controls all the elements of your power as
a nation. He controls your foreign relations, and
may, at any time, if it so suits him, seriously complicate
them, even while he is arraigned at your
bar for high crimes and misdemeanors; and, mark
ine, sir, the great question at issue now?the prin
cipal charge upon which he is arraigned?is whether
he shall be able of his own will to control your
armies against your wishes and in defiance of your
laws?whether he shall control the great militiuy
arm of the country to your ruin, and to the ruin
of the country. He will not now recognize the
Secretary of War, whom this body and whom
! Congress has declared to be the legal Secretary of
War, and while he has appointed a Secretary, ad
interim, he dare not recognize him, and thus to-day
the whole machinery of the War Department is
stopped. Large numbers of the gallant officers of
your army whom you have confirmed, cannot receive
their commissions because he will not issue
them through the proper channel. Yet with this
chaotic state of affairs?with the wheels of government
clogged?you are asked to give him foity
days in which to answer the charges which have
been laid against him. Forty days! As long a
time as it took God to destroy the whole world:
and then, after the forty days is granted, the learned
and subtle counsel will, by all the means in their
power, delay the course of justice as much longer
as they are able.
The pulse of the nation beats in perturbation at
the course of this constitutional but anomalous
proceeding. When Congress stops, its pulse beat
feebly ; when Congress goes on, its pulse beats
freer. Everything is at a stand-still, the spring
business is paralyzed, and no confidence can be felt
until this matter, which is engaging the attention
of Congress, is settled one way or the other. Still
the anxious flutterings of the public pulse by bringing
this respondent to justice, from which God
send him good deliverance, if he so deserves it, at
the earliest possible moment. Fix the trial at an
early day, and when he comes forward here, and
kic nafK nro-ps tlint. ho rtflnnot nronerlv nie
pare for his defence without time is given him,
then, in God's name, give him all the time he justly
ought to have. But he (Mr. B.) respectfully
submitted, don't, in advance, give him this time
before he comes here and proves that it is essential.
God forbid that we should deprive him of a single
right, or of a single indulgence consistent with the
public safety. We ask that no more should be required
on the part of the respondent than was required
of the managers. We are perfectly willing
ourselves to be guided by the same rule.
The gTeat act for which the respondent is arraigned
here, was committed on t^e 21st of February
; the House of Representatives dealt with it
on the 22d; on the 4th of March we, as managers,
appeared here at your bar and presented the articles
of impeachment. We are here, ready to proceed
with the trial. Wfc are ready to emulate the
example of the righteous judge who, for the good
of his country, devoted twenty-two hours a day to
the trial. God giving us strength, we stand here
ready to give twenty-two out of twenty-four hours
to this trial, until it is brought to a conclusion. He
knows all about this matter?knows more than we
do now?and we ask that we be allowed to go on
with the trial.
Pardon one other simple suggestion. He hoped
that hereafter no man would say that the charges
upon which the articles of impeachment were
brought are frivolous, unsubstantiated, and devoid
of respectability. We have the highest authority
that they arc otherwise. Here we have the spectacle
of learned counsel, eminent for their legal
acumen, coming in here andavering on their word
that the charges are so grave and important that
it will require at least forty days to answer them.
So grave, so serious are they, that this able and
eminent counsel confess their inability to properly
reply to them in less than forty days.
If the minds of the Senate were-now put to the
' i i ? :
true poise, justice must oe sausueu uy uu iuimcaiate
trial. The country wants quiet, the country
needs quiet, and it can only be secured by a speedy
termination of this question. 'If, after a fair hearing
of the charges, the respondent is adjudged riot
guilty and goes free, be it so; the country will then
have quiet; if he is found guilty, let it so be; the
country will then have quiet. Let us deal with
this matter as one in which the life of the nation
hangs in the scale. No such trial ever engaged
the attention of the world before.
Mr. Nelson, as one of the counsel for the President
of the United States, had, in coming here,
endeavored to divert his mind of any idea that he
was about to engage in a political discussion, but
that he was to appear before a tribunal of men,
who are sworn as judges, not as partisans. Having
thus come here, he was under the impression
that there was mneli force in some of the remarks
of the honorable manager (Mr. Butler) in reference
to this tribunal. It should not be guided by the
iron and rigid rules of the law, but should be disposed
to allow the largest liberty, not only to the
counsel for the defence, but to the managers of the
House of Representatives; that it should not stand
upon forms of evidence or technical rules that prevailed
in other courts. Iustead of this, every one
would say that it was proper and right that much
more liberty should be allowed by the Senate of
the nation.
What do we ask for and on behalf of the President
of the United States? We ask simply time
for his defence, and in this matter and upon all
kiudrcd questions, upon whose judgment must the
President rely except upon that of his counsel,
who are best presumed to know when he is ready
to answer, or ready to proceed to trial ? Now, we
have asserted here upon our professional honor, in
the presence of this Senate, in the presence of the
House of Representatives, and in the presence of
the whole world, that it will require the number of
days of preparation stated in the paper presented
to the court. Are these charges agaiust the highest
officer in the land to be rushed through with
railroad speed, and without the same time for preparation
that would be accorded to any criminal in
the land ? He did not believe the Senate would
refuse the time asked for. He knew that this honorable
Senate would, in justice to tbemselves and
to the country they represent, conduct this whole
investigation in such a way as to stamp the impression
of honor and justice upon their memories
for all time. This is an exalted tribunal, and he
felt an increased pride in his country that they were
enabled to assemble here for the purpose they did,
and in the way they did. It is an unusual spectacle,
and one to be ever remembered, that a ruler
of a people, when arraigned in proper form, by the
representatives of the people, oomea here peacefully
to answer the charges preferred against him;
> and he comes, too, with confidence that this august
f tribunal will deal with him in all justice and honor.
He hoped that the time asked by the counsel for
t the accused would be given, and that this whole
i proceeding would be conducted with due gravity
' and decorum. i
Mr. Cockling desired to amend the pending mo'
tion by the following orders i
Ordered, that unless otherwise ordered, the trial <
of the pending impeachment shall proceed immediately
after the replication to the answer shall be <
filed.
Mr. Bingham said he was instructed by the man- <
agers to say that the order of Mr. Conkling met
with their hearty approval. He would call the attention
of the court to the fact that a similar order ]
was made at the impeachment <tf Judge Chase. <
The managers would leave this whole matter with i
the Senate, but, without intending any disrespect,
he would say that the action of this body had taken i
them somewhat by surprise. The House of Representatives
asked that no delay should interpose
between the people of the United States and the i
President, who was on trial, and it therefore struck
them with surprise that such a proposition as this 1
should be made by a member of the court, when
no annlieation for it had been made by the accused.
It is true a motion was made for a delay of forty
days in which to file an answeT, and the Senate
having fixed the day when the answer should be
filed, it might have rested there, and let the counsel
for the accused show cause for a further postponement
He saw no good reason for the postponement
of this question. If the President be
innocent, the fact will soon be known to the country
and to the world, and the accused has a right
to. and must have a speedy deliverance^ and the
country must be relieved of this excitement But
if, on the other hand, the President is guilty of the
great crimes charged against him, no one in this
Senate or out of it would wish him an hour longer
to hold and disgrace the place which has been held
by the noblest and best in the land. We do not
wish to act with any indecent haste upon this subject,
but at the same time we do not wish to be
subjected to any unreasonable delay.
The question was then taken on Mr. Conkling's
order as an amendment to Mr. Sherman's order,
and it was agreed to by a vote of forty yeas to ten
nays.
On motion of Mr. Howard, the court adjourned
until Monday, March 23d.
The Chief Justioe descended from the chair of
the presiding officer.
The President pro tem, Mr. Wade, resumed his
seat and rapped the Senate to order for legislative
business.*
Ipstrlteiwotiis fliMing.
THE FLEETING STAB;
OR,
THE MORE WE HAVE, THE MORE WE WART,
'TO, /laoxl" eirrhifA MrO Knindl#?. flfl flVlfi flCfltfid
herself in the comfortable little parlor in which her
husband was reading the evening paper.
We say a "comfortable little parlor," for Mr.
Spindle, as yet, was only a man of expectations.
He was a clerk in a broker's office on a thousand
dollars salary?a sum which the "old fogies," say
was considered a fortune when they were boys;
but that was a long time ago, and the fashion of
things has materially changed.
Mrs. Spindle did not think much of a thousand
dollars. It was a meagre and contemptible sura,
and filled but a very small space in her calculations.
In her estimation, it would not purchase even the
comforts of life, to say nothing of a long list of
coveted luxuries. She did not live to her mind,
and everything went wrong with her.
It is true, tbat when Mr. Spindle had been the
recipient of only four hundred a year, his lady had
looked forward upon a thousand dollars as the
heightof her wishes. She wonld not ask for more;
and if she could go to housekeeping in that nice
snug little house in Narrow street, she should be as
happy as a princess. It was all she desired, and
she confidently assured her husband, that when
they got the thousand dollars salary and the snug
little house, he "would see" how contented she
would be.
The dream had been realized. They had been
in actual possession of the house in Narrow street
for more than a year, and the thousand dollars had
been expended to the last cent in the purchase of
such luxuries as that sum would procure.
The Transcendentalists and others of the mod- *
ern Progressionists, teach us that the wiser and bet- '
ter a man becomes, the greater will be his capacity <
for further progress; and we have in our mind a 1
very pretty allegory, from the German, in which 1
a little child goes out to play, and sees a bright, t
beautiful star, twinkling beyond the distant hills. J
A desire to visit this star takes possession of the 1
child, and be sets out on a pilgrimage towards it '
He reaches the hills from whose summit he had <
hoped to gratify his longings, but the stars seems 1
just as far off as ever. Again he pursues his weary J
way, now skipping lightly over flower-decked plains,
and now climbing up the steep and jagged sides of
the mountains, and breasting the fierce storms, till j
he reached the top of another hill; but still the }
star seemed just as far off as ever. Thus he pur- <
sues his pilgrimage, emblematic of the life below, |
going farther and farther, and higher and higher, |
hut. never reachine the obiect of his ardent long- 1
ings. |
It is a very pretty story, and very forcibly illus- l
trates a great truth; and we commend it to the atr
tention of those who are not particularly given to (
transcendentalism. (
It seems to us that the "back track" is in every ]
respect analagous?that a man can never get to ]
the foot of the hill, any more than he can get to the
top. However bad he may become, he still thinks j
he is a tolerably respectable man, much better than j
three-fourths of earth's purest saints.
Mrs. Spindle had a bright, twinkling star some- i
where, which she seemed particularly desirous of i
reaching, but which was quite as obstinate as that
perverse star in the allegory- When she got at the
top of one hill, where the star?house in Narrow ]
street and thousand dollars salary?seemed to nestle,
she found it was not there; and at this point in
her pilgrimage our story opens. i
"Oh dear," sighed she, throwing herself into a ]
chair. ' \
It was a deep, heavy sigh, and told of a world
of trial and disappointment But Mr. Spindle was
not wholly unused to the music of that dirge of
faded hopes. Its bitter cadence had rung in his i
ears since the first month of his marriage; but he
was a patient man, and strove to bear with forti*..?11
Ulo +-V?!a />t?niTAflll lifi? 1
LUUU au tuc liU Ul UliO ?w
"What is the matter, my dear?" he asked, 1
dropping the paper from before his face, and
glancing at the woe-begone countenance of his i
wife.
"Mrs. Blount has been here this afternoon," answered
Mrs. Spindle, sadly. 1
"Is that all ? I was afraid you had the toothache."
"No." :
"Mrs. Blount is well and happy, I hope?" con- i
tinued Spindle.
"Yes; she has everything to cheer her up and
make her happy." *
"I am very glad to hear it But, my deart you :
do not seem very happy to-night. Are you sick ?''
"No."
"What ails you, then?"
"Nothing."
"I am glad to hear itand Mr. Spindle, though
he was perfectly satisfied that something was the
matter, was so provoking as to drop the conversation,
and turn his attention to the paper again.
"Mrs. Blount had on an elegant new silk dress,"
continued the lady, after a while. I suppose she
came here on purpose to show it."
"Very likely; I have known ladies to be guilty
of such a weakness," replied Spindle, wickedly.
"It is an age since I had a new silk dress. I
Dnly wish you were in Blount's shoes."
"Bah!"
A very expressive interjection this, which was a
peculiar favorite with Mr. Spindle. It was, indeed,
almost the only means he had of satisfactorily
expressing his disgust.
"You would be contented-if you'only had one
shirt to your back."
"I should try to be, if I could not get another."
"If you were only in Blount's circumstances, I
should be perfectly contented."
"Perhaps you would I" replied Spindle incredulously.
"1 know 1 should be."
"I have made up my mind that a person who is
not contented in one sphere will not be in another.
Do you remember when I had a salary of only four
hundred dollars?"
"What of it?"
"Then, if we could get an. income of one thousmd
a year, and this very house, you would be satsfied."
"We associate with people so much better off,
:hat I cannot but feel our inferiority."
"Bah!"
"We don't have anything like other folks. Here
ve are 'skived up' in this little martin-box of a
house, no dinners, no parties, only one servant, and
me new dress a year."
"Dreadful, isn't my dear I"
"You, who are away all your time about your
business, don't feel as I do."
"Poor woman 1"
But Mrs. Spindle went on, in spite of her husband's
ridicule, to enumerate a list of wants and
Icficiencies, which it would pain a reasonable person
to read, and which included a hundred things
bat her husband's salary placed far beyond her i
each.
Her "bright, glowing star," at present, was the
wcial position of the Blounts; but it was far, very <
*ar off, which made her desire to reach it all the
norc. A larger house, finer funiture, newer dress- 1
is, more opera, more fashionable dissipation, were ;
ust then her ideal of perfect happiness. j
But Mrs. S. was discontented?and she had ]
been discontented all her life. From being a shopjiri,
she had become the wife of a poor clerk, <
vhich seemed to her, at the time, to be taking a (
ong step. She was a habitual grumbler, and after ]
hrftA vears of married life, her husband had made
lp his mind that marriage was a lottery, and that
le had drawn a blank.
Abont three months after the scene we have inroduced,
Mr. Simpson received a visit from aseaaptain
who had just returned from Valparaiso,
vhere the former had an uncle who was reputed to
lave had a handsome fortune. This uncle had a
vife and one child, so that Spindle had never alowed
the Valparaiso fortune to form one of his (
expectations. (
But the sea-captain informed him that his uncle ,
vas dead; and not only his uncle, but his 'uncle's
vife and child. This was most astounding intelli- (
jence, and Spindle had nearly turned himself in- j
side out in the excitement of the moment
The fortune had been left to him and another
iephe$ of deceased, and Spindle wanted to turn a
louble somerset when he was told that his share
ather exceeded fifty thousand dollars.
But Spindle was a queer fellow; after the first
excitement had spent itself, he relapsed into a kind '
>f stoical indifference, which, however, was appa- ;
ently not in the least real. When he went to dinier
that day he did not even mention the fact of
lis sudden attainment of wealth ; but waited till
n the evening, when the Blounts were alluded to
n the usual manner.
Of course Mrs. Spindle was overwhelmed with
istonishment and delight; and while Spindle cooly
read the morning paper as though nothing had
lappened, she pictured out the establishment they
vould have, and in particular wondered what the
Blounts would say now.
Six months after, and Spindle has the fifty thousind
dollars in his possession, minus ten or fifteen,
vhich it required to satisfy Mrs. Spindle's modest
lesires in the matter of house aqd furniture. They
ive in Wide street now, and the Blounts are completely
distanced. Mrs. Spindle has very serious
-houghts of cutting them, on account of having
eceived calls from sundry persons whose sphere
vas a peg higher than the Blounts; but the satisfaction
of calling upon Mrs. B. in a new silk dress,
svery three months, cannot be lightly dispensed
vith, and the patronizing friends of humbler days
ire retained for the sake of "glorying" over them.
* i - J
A year may be a sbort, or a very long ume, depending
entirely upon the circumstances under
vhich it is passed away. To Spindle it has been
;he longest year he ever know?to Mrs. Spindle,
;he shortest. The late clerk in the broker's office
iuds that "elegant leisure" is not only unprofitable
but exceedingly tedious. He had been accusx>med
to a life of activity; and riding, walking,
oiling about, hang heavy on his hands.
Mrs. Spindle has had her hands full. Parties
rod visiting have kept her full of excitement, but
sven upon her senses they began to pall, and she
lias found out the meaning of that ugly word "enlui."
Spindle sits in an easy chair, reading the evening
paper?it is almost the only satisfaction he experiences
in the course of the day. His lady has
just come in from a promenade of the fashionable
side of Broadway. She throws herself languidly
into a chair.
"Oh I dear!" gasps she.
Mr. Spindle only glanced at her over the top of
bis evening paper.
"Oh! dear!" almost groaned Mrs. Spindle.
Mr. Spindle understood this as a prelude to
some complaint of more than ordinary seriousness;
but he was so provoking as not to ask her what the
matter was.
"Oh! dear me!" repeated Mrs. Spindle.
Still Spindle was immovable.
"Spindle," said she, finding that her skirmishing
did not bring out the enemy.
"Well, my dear?"
Tx A nAKtr nnrvli'nnfinn flmf. Ka HSPfl.
It y/iXO Ck vcij l^uul/l u|/jjuvuv1vu vhmw uv
but it was applied more from the force of habit
than from any tenderness on his part.
"Don't you think you could keep a carriage,
Spindle ?"
"A carriage I"
"The Fitzherberts passed me to-day, on Broadway,
in their carriage," sighed Mrs. Spindle.
"Well?"
"And Mrs. Fitzherbert looked out of her carriage
window, and bowed so patronizingly on me,
that it made my blood boil''
"Bah."
"I was so provoked."
"You were a confounded fool, Mrs. Spindle!"
replied he, coldly.
"Humph! That is just like you! Instead of ?
sympathizing with me in my trials, you laugh at c
me and call me a fool. I suppose I am; but can't {
you keep a carriage ? It won't cost much."
"Ican't afford it" t
"Yes, you can, Spindle. Only think of the i
Fitzherberts. I don't believe they are any richer 1
than we are." J
"At the rate we have lived the past year, our r
fortune, as you call it will all be spent in five t
years."
"But we don't have anything like other people, s
Our last party was positively mean, compared with c
the Fitzherberts and the Fitzmorrises."
"Very likely." t
"And we keep but three servants."
"No; only three for two of us." e
What a stupid fellow Spindle was. He talked i
more like an old fanner than a retired gentleman 1
living on his income. Mrs. Spindle thought so, t
but she had not the courage to say it I
"Besides we have no country house." t
"And shall not have." f
"How absurd! Not have a country house!" a
"Bah!" c
And so Mrs. Spindle "ran on" till she really be- c
lieved they had nothing. She began to fed posi- t
tively unhappy, in view of the numerous unsatis- a
fied wants, and invoked sundry maledictions ou i
the head of her husband's deceased uncle, because e
he had not left all bis fortune to them. e
A few months more passed on, and Mrs. Spin- c
die was miserable. She had found out they were d
second rate folks, and poor Spindle, conscious that e
they were living beyond their means, spending I
double their income, was tormented by continued L
repinings at the hardness of their lot ii
"If wc only had a carriage," began Mrs. Spin- li
die one day.
"I am going to buy a farm in the country/' re- I
plied Spindle. . o
"That will be delightful 1 ' I have so longed for ti
a countiy house." li
"I shall sell this." a
"What?" exclaimed Mrs. Spindle, aghast I
"Sell this, and move out of the city." o
"But in the winter " ti
"Wo will live in the couutry." t
"Horrible 1" a
"Horrible, but true. I am tired of this kind of o
life. Spending double my income, and miserable J
all day long for something to do." p
"But I shall be miserable in the country." fi
"You are here," replied Spindle, firmly. "You 0
can't be worse off than you are now." a
Mrs. Spindle wept and begged; but her hus- b
band was as firm as the rock of Gibraltar. He v
had a very clearly defined idea of a happy home o
in the country, or at least of the employments and '
recreations of the country. As he was, he was u
"wasting his substance in riotous living." His U
wife was determined to be miserable under any cir- b
cumstances, and she had lost her influence over fi
"Ua hn/1 if nmOTT
Li 1 111 0UC 11UU giuuiuitu AW unu;.
Spindle sold his oity house and purchased a fine ei
place in a village about ten miles from the city.?
His wife grumbled but he paid no attention to it.
In the country he found abundant means of em- r<
ploying his time, and was as happy as his wife's b
unfortunate disposition would permit him to be. u
But Mrs. Spindle found, at the end of the ye?r, a
that she was one of the lions of the place, that she f
was a lady of influence; and she became, in some e
degree, reconciled to her sad fate. Yet she was 0
discontented; and if she ever gets into Heaven, ^
she will be sure to grumble at the accommodations, d
7j.' moral of our story is, that they who are dis- '
contented in one sphere will be just as discontented ?
in another?the "star" is just as far from Beacon "
Hill as from the pool of Poverty Hollow. d
' From the Native Virginian. j
A. DRUNKEN REPORTER IN LYNCHBURG, it
Below will be found a letter written, some two ti
pears ago, to the Richmond Examiner, by a re- *
porter named Piddle. It is believed that Piddle F
was really in the condition described in his letter, *
which will be found sufficiently diverting. In re- ^
sponse to many inquiries, we reproduce this "very v
tight paper," a copy of which we were fortunate e
enough to secure during our recent visit to the city s
so drunkenly depicted. il
We knew Piddle, He was, in some respects, the F
most remarkable man on the brilliant staff of the F
Examiner. He may not have had the towering 1]
genius of Hanna, the pure Attic wit of Pollard, or a
the fruity humor of Elam, but he certainly had a e
capacity for drinking greater than all three com- I
bined. Poor fellow! He has never been heard
from since this, his Big Lick (in more senses than n
one) effort. li
We give, first the Editor's introduction to the t>
letter, and then the letter itself: r
"Our readers can hardly have forgotten the confused
notes of the reporter of the Examiner newspaper
who was sent to Lynchburg a few days before
Christmas. The tenor of those notes was 1
such as to prepare us for a hiatus in his correspon- '
dence, but we confess we were not prepared to hear ^
the melancholy effects of the excessive hospitality *
which he received at the hands of the good people *
of the Hill City. From the evidence before us, it D
appears that he remained in Lynchburg about ten ^
days, during which time he neglected to draw a
sintrle sober breath. But he did draw on us for ?
funds, which, in anticipation of his correspondence,
we immediately forwarded. The result, wc fear, F
was fatal. He bought two kegs of lager beer from >'
Shaner, and shipped himself and freight for Bris- c
tol. Proceeding as far as Big Lick, he got off, f
opened his kegs of beer, and, on the strength of (
our money, ordered a ball, which was kept up for ?
three days, after which time he disappeared, and a
has never been heard from since. The landlord of Q
the hotel at Big Lick sends a bill against the Ex- 8
aminer for $56.08, and the following letter which ti
he says was found, together with a broken gin bot- a
tie and the stump of a lead pencil, in the bed last 8
occupied by the unhappy reporter. We have for- t
warded the amount of the bill by Adam's Express I
to the landlord, but we take occasion here to say, n
that we shall in future be responsible for no more '
bills contracted in this manner. The name of the a
deceased was Frederick A. Piddle. He was a na- t
tive of Waterford, but lived for many years in this
State as a jobber in dry goods. Becoming addict- ?
ed to drink, he took naturally to newspaper life, n
and was in the employ of the Examiner from the h
time of its re-establishment in December last. He 11
was about the medium height, his nostrils were of &
unequal size, and he wore a suit of darkish clothes. 11
Should he be alive, we will be thankful for any in- k
formation which may lead to his arrest, for we are t
determined to punish the swindler. t
Here is his letter, as nearly as we have been able
to make it out, for it is written in an atrociously ^
intoxicated hand:
Lynchburg, \ t
Dec. or Jan. the something. > s
There are?Lynchburg is?confound this pencil, i:
how it wabbles 1 o
Lynchburg is one of the?no it ain't Thetrav- F
eller, coming to this city?arrives?of course he arrives?arrives
bottle in hand, bottle empty, just t
before?no, just after he had taken the last drop, o
Bad Start, d?d bad. Make Pollard mad as h?. a
Musn't swear?mad as a wet hen?no, anybody d
can say hen?wet watering pot, or whangdoodle.
Try again. \
The reporter of the Examiner newspaper (al- d
ways say Exam, newspaper?John M. Daniel al- d
ways said it?and it tickles Pollard, sounds big), a
irrived here in the care. That won't do?a man
>ught never to call himself reporter. Start ajain.
*
Your especial correspondent reached this beauiful
and Nourishing mountain city (now I'm a dong
uv it) in the magnifioent, handsomely embelished
and rapidly rolling cars of the Orange and
Alexandria Railway. "Railway" is better than
ailroad?mocp English?seldom used in thiscounty.
Hot whiskey punch is mighty good?mightyend
for more?finish this infernal letter and drdw
m Pollard for $50. I'm out
Ah 1 this pitcher is better than t'other. Wish
o gracious this table would keep still.
Lynchburg is pleasantly situated at the confluence
of Tom and Jerry, with the toll bridge leading
to Amherst, which is on the top of several hills.
Hie Virginia and Tennessee Railroad depot is hard
>y, and is a noble structure, reminding the Euro>ean
traveler of the Rialto at Venice, or the Egypian
pyramids. A creek called the Blackwater
l/troo ?t fnnf rtf tllo rtifu Imt. ft mi'nH tn Pftll it
IUITO a\J VUV iWW VI vuv V?VJJ ? ? ?? ?
i village and make the people mad,) and-from the
olor of the creek I judge it to be egg-nogg made
if bad eggs. The James river runs under the
iridge, and is veiy watery. The town, from these
plendid streams, rises higher than a kite, until it
s lost in the cupola of a Courthouse, which is so
levated that it can hardly be seen with the naked
iye, and has an eight day clock in its im posing faade,
which enables the people to tell the time of
lay by the aid of a twenty foot telescope. The
ffect is sublime, and the scenery, viewed from the
'iedmont House, is the grandest in America. It
3 like looking up from the bottom of a well, and
t is the d?dest steepest town outside of h?, the
Jghlands of Scotland and Abyssinia.
The chief attractions of the place are Lawson's,
laily's, Hendenrich'sand Peter Wren's?grandson
f Christopher Wren, the great architect?a mulitude
of tobacco factories, where the glorious Highinder
and the immortal Lone Jack are made. Alo,
the water-works dam, built in imitation of the
lorse shoe Fall at Niagara, by some infernal fool
r other. Also, there are some churches, built in
be highest style of art, and two newspapers, edied
with marked ability, dignity, vigor of research
nd trenchancy of etymological, philological aRd etetrological
power by Glass, and Burton, and Alick
IcDonald, besides a job office of due proportions,
tower, style and pathos bySchaffter, (deuced good
dlow,) and another newspaper in the early uterus
f coming events by Ned Christian, Old Waddill
nd Colonel Robert "Withers, which is destined to
e a powerful organ of popular sentiment, taste,
irtue, faith, hope and charity, it the type ever
Dmea to hand. Now,
if these Lynchburg editors ain't pleased
ith that, they, may just go to?bed, and dye their
jes with bed-bug poison, and die there, for Fm
ent on having their good will, they being the
ghteoest editors in this country.
Boy, tell Peter Wren to send me two more pitchre
of punch, for it is veiy fine. Make it stiff.
Now I can go it
The geology of this portion of the State is very
imarkable. I observed in my rambles (I haven't
een outside the town since I came here) some adlirable
diluvian remains, the principal of which is
market house, found here by the first settlers a
jw centuries ago. The timbers in this edifice, its
levation above tide water, and the incrustations
n the buthers' blocks, attest its hoary antiquidity.
'he best biblical students are agreed that it is a
istinct and lineal relic of Noah's Ark, and it is
dthin easy reach of some of the best drinking-hou83
in town. The hill on which this very interestlg
and instructive ruin stands, is called, for some
octrinal or historical reason, Jake KnolL
Think I'll step out now, and see if I can't get a
rink somewhere. No; I'll finish this. By Jove 1
: is raining, snowing, and sleeting, at the same
[me. Here, more punch, quick 1 View from my
rindow?slish, slesh, slash, slosh, slush. How it
K)urs! PHsh, fplesh, plash, plosh, plush. Bad
ralking?slippy, sleppy, slappy, sloppy, sloppy.
Vhat a town for a man with pump soles and a
rooden leg to live in. Mid, med, mad, mod, mud,
verywhere, and up to the hub, and somebody
tole my umbrella, and I-got no stilts, and itavainSg
pitchforks, petohforks, patchforks, potchforks,
latchforks, potchforks, potchforks ? why not
unchforks ? What a world this would be if it on7
rained hot whiskey punch three days in the week,
nd egg-nogg on Sunday, wouldn't it? In that
vent I would live always, wouldn't I? Believe
'11 sing,
Come, rest in this boo?scenes, that are?meet
ae by Heydenrich's alone?dog Tray ever?tra tar
ir terrum tu too?my Leonora fare tbfeo well?on
urkey and champagne this dirty Xmas weather?
eminds me of the girls.
LJUa aP tlaia Ai'fw nro lw fur flip mftflfc flPflll
XUC iOUlUO Ml buio Vibj wv *rj ??w ?MV ?
iful, accomplished and refined, in the whole world;
he men are bold and fiery as apple brandy ; and
he entire landscape is forty degrees above proof.
)n every side the incoherent hills look up in a very
ecoming manner; the distant mountains are blue
s a pop bottle, and in the West the towering
'eaks of Otter stand up like?like?stand up like
len determined to their durndest, or die in the atampt
The above is really eloquent, and I deserve a
rink for it Here goes.
People of Lynchburg?the most hospitable peoile
in the world?treat all the time, observe Xmas
n the most sacred and festive manner, with firerackers,
rockets, niggers, and whiskey, in all its
orms. People, named generally Latham, Payne,
Christian, Langhorne and Guggenheimer, with a
cattering Thurman here and there. Gug keeps
11 the stores, and the rest inhabit the multitudious
hills and vales. A few named Seabury and
itabler; three kindsuf Latham?one thin, dyspepic
and gloomy?hence called Grey; another, with
forehead that runs back to his coat-collar and a
ilt-edged three-ply soul, hence called Woody; a
hird called Bob, because an apothecary and eats
^haraoh's serpents for supper; remarkable dwarf,
lamed Baugh, from Baugh-naugh-claugh-baughille
Court House. Other people, equally reraarkble,
blowers of tobacco horns mid ringers of aucion
bells.
Places of interest?Poe's Tanyaid and Hollins'
lill. Curious topography of city?people in the
aorning, when they come down, sway-backed and
ow-legged, from holding back, going down hill;
? tlin Avoninur whAn thftv refcnrn hnme. humn
bouldered and box-ankled, from leaning over goag
up hill Wives have to iron 'em out before
bey can get into bed. Hills so inexcusably steep,
ravelers going up from the Depot can't tote valise,
Lave to lay down on stomachs, put valise between
jgs and back up hill, after the manner of a turnJe?not
another word.
All drinkliquor, live in mud half the year, wash
heir faces sometimes in the morning, and take
hares in the Petroleum Company. Principal citjen,
Colonel Robert L. Owen; got the biggest
vercoat on earth, and knows how to treat newslaper
men like a house a fire.
There, that'll do?wrote enough?too much
oo?thirsty, very thirsty, pencil writes two lines at
nee. "No. 2" pencil, acted on by Lynchburg
tmosphere; singular influence of most singular
[linking and delightful place on this continent.
Now, I'm done?my letter is writ -Pollard's
rrath appeased 1 Whoop 1 rip ! zip ! derumte
loodledum, deyoodledoodledump, dedoodaddledelay,
bah 1 hoo I heyl he 1 whah! d?n a cow with
, calico calf 1