Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, August 24, 1882, Image 1
mm??????-j??? i ?^????1^^? ?? i i ...... . . . ...... ..
lewis m. grist, proprietor. | Jitittpcnlmtt Jitmlj} ^jtospaptr: Jfor tjjt promotion of t|{ ^dttital, Social, ^gricttltnral anit Commercial interests ef t|c ?<ral(j. |terms--$2.50 a year, in advance.
VOL. 38. YORKVILLE. S. C., THTJE8DAY. ATJGIJST 34, 1883. NO. 34.
Ibe ftarg ?eUer.
JOHN GEDNETSCHILDT
They were taking down the gallows in the
jail yard of old Henchley, one gray October
evening?the evening of Friday, which, has
been set apart for executions from time immemorial.
That morning there had been the strange
and awful procession from the jail; the last
good-byes of jailers and keepers; the last
words of the condemned man; tlie clergyman's
prayer; the terrible end. Amidst it
no woman's sobs, no terrible parting from a
shrieking wife, as happens often in such cases.
Nobody knew whether John Gedney's wife
was dead or not. He never spoke of her. But
he had said, just before they put the black
cap on his head :
"May God raise up a friend for my little
Ruth I Poor little Ruth! And let her always
t feel that I die innocent."
Now a eoffin lay in the prison dead-house, I
and the murderer, with peaceful white face
and peaceful crossed hands, awaited burial;
and the clergyman, going home across the
fields, thought what a sad, bad, cruel world
this is, and remembered, too, the dead man's
last worfls.
"Poor little Ruth! I think I'll stop and
speak to her tefore I go home," he said.
"The child knows nothing of what has happened
to her, but it has happened nevertheless."
And with this the good man turned down
a certain street, passed certain neglected cottages,
inhere ducks and dirty children paddled
together in the puddles before the doors, and
paused at one near which a group of slatternly
gossips had gathered.
They looked at him as he approached, and
there was a little smoothing of aprons and
" 1 - -- rni- ~ a.??!* IOOQCn/1 fn
twisting up or n&ir* mt tun^uco v&twvu w
wag for a moment, and the minister heard
from within the voice of a child, lifted in a
loud, sharp cry, and then the words, "You
tell a story !" in the same voice. In a minute
more a little girl, with her bright hair all
about her face, rushed out of the door, followed
by a woman, who looked half angry and
half terrified.
"Such a temper 1" she said ; but no wonder.
What else can you expect ?"
"Oh Mr. Martin, she said papa was a wicked
man ; a bad man," cried the child. "She
said?I dont know what she said about my
papa. Has papa done anything like?like?
Oh ! I know it's a wicked story."
"What have you been saying to this child,
Mrs. Chalmers ?" asked the minister.
"Well, sir," said Mrs. Chalmers, "she shows
her temper and I thought it was my duty to
warn her?"
"Against temjjer ? Very proper, Mrs. Chalmers,"
said the minister. "There is nothing
more dangerous."
The woman flushed a little and was silent.
"Tell them my papa is good," cried the
child. "You said you would see him every
day where he had to go and live. Tell them.
Oh Mr. Martin, when is papa coming back ?"
"My child," said the minister, "your father
will not come back, but you shall one day go
w:.v. vnf rot >,,,? ;n firvl's time. A little
IrU mill. l^UV J VvU? au V.V?. _
while ago I was with him."
He looked around upon the group of woman.
"We were alone. He knelt beside me and
prayed as a child might. When we parted
this was what he said :
'May God raise up a friend for little Ruth.
Poor little Ruth !'"
"God has answered his prayer. Mrs. Chalmers,
get the child's hat and such clothes as
she may have. I will take her home with me
and keep her there."
"She ought to be very thankful, I'm sure,
sir," said Mrs. Chalmers, with a very red face ;
"for otherwise, as 3he has no kin, she'd go to
the poor-house ; and little Andy shall bring
the clothes to your house after her. It's not
much a parcel, though I have cut up two old
gowns to make her aprons, and given her a
cape of my little Sally's to keep her warm."
And Mrs. Chalmers looked around at her
neighbors for praise of her benevolence, which
they gave in nods and hand-liftings; and in a
moment more the little Shaker hood was on
the child's head, and she was walking over
the field with her new protector.
. The minister's good, kind wife welcomed
the child heartily, and under their roof she
grew to be healthy and strong and pretty,
her principles were formed, her faults corrected.
She was at sixteen as fine and well-mannered
a young girl as could be seen in a year's
journey.
She loved her adopted father and mother,
and honored them, and she was friendly and
kind to all. Bat malice and ignorance are
never to be trusted. Although the best people
in Henchley called Rutli a lovely girl, the
gossips down in the hollow, envious of the
fact that her education and dress were better
than their own children's, and that she walked
up the aisle and sat in the minister's pew
every Sunday, was called "my child" by his
wife and "Miss" by his servants, were always
speaking to each other of the fact that her
father was hung, and taught the story "to the
younger ones, with the additional precept
that such folks' children never came to good?
that the minister would be sOrry some day,
and that Ruth Gedney never would turn out
well in the end. Unconscious of this, good
Mrs. Martin often sent the young girl into
that quarter of the towri with glasses of jelly
or loaves of nice bread for the poor old women,
a little tea and sugar, and with a charge to
read a chapter before she came back. Ruth
Gedney accomplished the tasK, out sometimes
with repugnance. More than once cruel
things were said to her, and once when she
was reading to old Auuty Markham, who had
a drunken son and a miserable puny grandson
who was not quite full witted, the latter
danced on the floor before her, calling out:
"Your father was hung, and you'll come
to be hung too, Miss Ruth; everybody says
so."
Mrs. Chalmers, the very parson who had
"said so," boxed the boy's ears and said something
apologetic ; but Ruth was too angry to
stay ; she went home forgetting to give old
Aunty Markham her medicine, and her flushed
face and red eyes attracted the minister's attention.
The good wife could not explain it,
so Ruth was questioned. She told the truth.
"I knew my poor father met with that
shameful death," she said, "but certainly,
even if he was guilty, it was not iny fault. I
have heard spiteful things before, but this
time it made me furious ; oh ! so furious. I
hated the child?I hated Mrs. Chalmers ; I
could have killed them both. Oh, yes, I was
angry enough for that. And I came away
with the chapter half finished, and I forgot to
leave the powders?forgot until I was half
way home. Then I would not go back ; I never
will go down there again."
"My child," said the minister, "the first
thing a Christian should do is to forgive his
enemies. You are a professing Christian ;
you must set an example. Go to your room
and pray for power to do this."
"And then," said Mrs. Martin, "go back to
the poor old woman's home, read her chapter
^through, and give her her medicine. Think
how much evil speech Jesus bore, and we are
his followers."
Ruth went to her room ; when she returned
to the study her adopted mother again advised
her to go back to old Aunty Markham. She
gave her a jar of jelly to take with her, and
Ruth put it in a little basket on her arm.
Ah ! what bitter reason the good woman soon
had to repent of what she did with the best
and highest motives.
As Ruth passed out of the gate the old servant
ran after her.
"Please, Miss Ruth, be you going past the
hardware man's ?" she asked.
"Yes, Phooebe," said Ruth.
"Then won't you leave my bread-knife to
be sharpened ?" said Phceebe ; "it's getting
dull."
Ruth nodded, and took the knife in her basket
and departed. She was gone along while.
The tea-table was set, the sun setting in the
sky, and still no glimpse cf her simple blue
muslin and broad shade hat was seen along the
road ; and at last the old minister put on his
hat and declared that he would go to meet her.
The street seemed very quiet; he did not meet
the usual people standing about ; but at last
he saw them all gathered together in a portion
of the road that divided the lower town from
the "heights."
On the "heights" lived the gentry; down
in the "hollow" lay the poorer dwellings.
A bit of road led under a great rock, over a
bridge which crossed a stream which made
1 their boundary line. Here was the crowd.
With a great foreboding of evil the minister
pressed into its midst, and saw old Aunty
Markham standing uttering curses loud and
deep as she shook her shriveled fist toward
the sky; a group of women bending over
something that lay on the bank; and, standing
like one petrified, his own adopted daughter,
Ruth Geduey, in the midst of a rude, insulting
crowd.
"Oh, papa!" she cried, when she saw him ;
and he hurried to her, and took her hand.
"Don't tremble so, my dear," he said.
"What does this mean ?"
It was Mrs. Chalmers who arose and with
her strong arms pushed away those who interposed
between the minister and what the
crowd had gathered about.
"It means that the girl that calls you papa,
the daughter of John Gedney, that we all
know was hanged, has followed him to the
gate of the gallows," she said.
And now Mr. Martin saw lying on the
ground a little dead boy covered with blood,
staring upward with his terrible dead eyes.
"Who is it?" he cried. "What does this
mean ?"
"It is my poor little grandson that she has
killed for telling her the truth," shrieked
Aunty Markham. "She threatened to do it.
She said : "I could kill you for that!" and
off she went. I was looking up the child for
his supper, and I found him here, and her,
with her knife, beside him. I'll hang her!
IM1 honn tior ' Ob ! nnnr little Sam !"
Uttering a shriek the old woman fell down
on her face in a sort of a fit.
"Papa," cried Ruth?"oh, papa, I did say
"I could kill you," but I was not even angry
when I went out of the house. I came down
the road to cross the bridge, and there under
the bushes I saw poor little Sam lying dead.
I shrieked and my basket fell out of my hand.
I could not speak or take a step. 1 held by
the rails of the bridge and everything was
blank before me. Then Mrs. Markham came,
and other people. They said I killed Sam. I?
I, oh, papa!"
. "They are all mad, my child," said the poor
clergyman; but what he said and thought
was of little avail.
The sheriff appeared upon the scene and
took the poor girl in custody. Her adopted
father went with her to jail, and alas! left
there and went home with the awful news to
his wife.
He believed Ruth's story, but alas I the little
basket, the knife, the package of medicine
had rolled into the pool of blood at the boy's
side. All were bedaubed with it. It was certain
to him that Ruth had fainted and that
she did not know how time had passed ; but
oonn lior rrr\ fruunrH f.hp hriflfffi loilf?
pcvpic liau OtCII 11V1 {jV vviimv* vmw -x. ?o
before, and evidence was against her. Three
or four swore to her threat to kill Sara for his
speech, and their own old servant had heard
her say that she had felt like killing him.^
The poor girl, beside herself with shame,
still never doubted that her innocence could
be proved. But the trial came. All the malice
of years and all the indignation- that was
inspired by the evil deed they really believed
the girl to have committed had its full influence.
The young creature, with her blonde hair,
who looked liked an angel, was declared guilty
by a jury who thought themselves unbiased
by prejudice, but who all remembered that
John Gedney was hung, and the girl was condemned
to death. The murder was premeditated.
She had a knife with her. Vainly old
Phoebe swore that she never would have taken
j it but for her. No one believed her.
| Ruth lay in prison. The dreadful day drew
near. But she was strangely calm.
Her adopted parents believed her word and
she asked no more.
"I was so afraid," she used to say, "that
you might come to think I killed the poor little
boy. But I was wicked to feel so?you who
1 *1
are aiwa^s ?u ^unu.
Mrs. Martin never left the prison, and was
with the girl day and night? Mr. Martin
came often.. Their hearts were well nigh broken.
Every effort was being made to obtain a
pardon, but so far fruitlessly, and the end was
hard at hand.
"Papa," Ruth said, "I have one comfort
out of this : I believe my own father was innocent,
too, and when I shall meet him in
Heaven I shall be glad. You- see any one can
be hung who is innocent, if I must be."
The poor clergyman burst into tears for the
first time, but Ruth soothed him and kissed
him, and bade him good night. On the morrow
the-dreadful end would come.
Mr. Martin walked out of the prison door
with his head bent down, but as he would
have passed the prison door a jailer stopped
him.
"There's a man inside dying," he said.
"The policeman shot him in self-defence. lie
wants to set* you ^uie uum&iei, juu miuh.;
He's got a confession to make."
Mr. Martin turned slowly back, and went
with his heavy heart into the prison again.
The wounded man lay upon a cot. He had
been taken in the act of burglary, and his
breath was fast leaving him.
"You don't know me, parson," lie gasped.
"You used to years ago. I am Setli Markham,
Granny Markham's son, and the father
of little Sam who was killed. I am going fast,
and I don't want to hurt a girl that has been
good to my old mother, and that I've done
harm enough, to any way. Let them all come
and hear, so as to swear to it. I killed Sam
myself. He was a troublesome, half-witted
brat, and he came in my way when I was going
to do a good trick?pick a pocket, if you
must know?and called "Paddy." I kicked
him, but he followed me to the bridge. I was
in a rage, and I always have a knife handy ; I
cut his throat. Then I went off, and I swear
that the police would never have got me, if
seeing that bloody little face over my shoulder,
hadn't put me in such a state. He's haunted
me, that little wretch, ever since that. Have
I said enough to clear her ? Yes, there's an-.
other thing, too. John Gedney?I?did the :
deed he was hung for years ago?I swear to
that. Is it any good praying for me ?"
lie was gone, and they carried the poor
minister away in a dead faint.
But Ruth was saved?Ruth was cleared,
and, moreover, the father who had been her
shame, had become a martyr.
""It was worth it all," she often said, with
tears in her eyes, "worth all the agony, and
terror, and disgrace. It would have been
,1.frsr. it 4-1i.it liorl VlOOTI UPA^flll
\VU1 til UYlliK 1U1 U UIIUV ?iuu ..VW..V...
Mary Kyle Dallas.
An Old Time Outlaw.?The deatli of
Jessse James in Missouri, and the frequent
reference to his robberies and to his notoriety
as "the most conspicuous and formidable"
scoundrel of the Schinderannesand Cartouche
type ever known in this country, may suggest
to some of the News readers, with long memories,
that forty years ago or more there was
a robber and a band organized and directed by
him in the lower Mississippi, more famous
than Jesse or Frank James, or the "Blue Cut"
gang, more dreaded, more wide reaching in
crime, and far more bloody, for they made it
a rule to leave no victim to become a witness.
John A. Murrell was a name of terror from
the mouth of the Ohio to the Yazoo, and far
back into the interior of the States bordering
the Mississippi, on the east side. The west
" J- *?A 1
side was too wna a woous iui iraveicia ui iuubers
in tliose days, but the east was beset for
hundreds of miles along the roads leading
northward from New Orleans, which were
largely traveled by dealers from the North,
who had taken down droves of horses or flatboat
loads of grain or pork or whisky.
The depredations were not confined to the
land, by any means, but unsuspecting "broad
horns" were captured and pillaged and their
crews fed to fish, while tied up at night out of
the wake of steamers and rafts that might
sink them in a fog. It is said that the Murrell
gang had hiding places in caves and stored
their plunder in them. Western Tennessee
was said to be their favorite ground, but
they ranged from the mouth of the Mississppi
to the Ohio. Many efforts were made to capture
their leader and break up the gang but
without effect, till an adventurous young fellow
named Virgil Stewart undertook it of his
own motion, partly to clear the country of a
terror, and partly to employ his superabundant
enenergy and daring. He became a
member of the gang and continued so for
some considerable time?a year or two, possisibly
more, and finally trapped the greatest
villain ever known on the American Continent
since the days of the buccaneer chiefs, Montbass
and Morgan. He was sent to the penitentiary
at Nashville for a long term on conviction
of robberv. it is to be presumed, as a
conviction of murder would have hung him.
It may be that no legal evidence of direct participation
could be advanced even by his captor,
however complete might have been the
moral certainty of his guilt. Stewart published
an account of his adventures in a large
pamphlet forty years ago or thereabouts. The
robber chief died in the penitentiary, or, at
all events before he got the chance to resume
his old career, even if he had been so disposed.
There are, no doubt, persons in this city who
retain accurate recollection of the man's adventures
and notoriety.?Indianapolis Xews.
- . - _ ? ? ?
Texas Archaeology.?Evidence of the
existence of man at a very remote age is
found in many locations in this portion of
Western Texas. On the dividing ridge, between
Cherokee Creek and San Saba River i
Valley, there is, covering a space of 10,000
acres or more, evidence of the whole of this
tract having been occupied by the dwellings
of an ancient people, who probably thatched
with straw or covered by the skins of animals.
Thousands of circular elevations exist of a
size almost uniform, being twenty-five feet in
diameter across from the out line of circum- i
ference at the base of the mounds?the elevations
at the highest point do not average
more than two and a half feet above the surrounding
planes?instead of being mound
shaped, round on top, they have in centre a
depression about six feet in diameter. This
depression never exceeds in depth one-third
the height of the mound. The material of
which the circular ridge is composed is geneally
small broken stones or gravel taken from
the surrounding deposits, intermixed with
earth. The material of which the central part
is composed is of somewhat different nature,
being earth and ashes intermixed with small
fragments of stones, which show unmistakable
evidences of having been submitted to
frequent heatings?the earth shows to have
been baked. Fragments of the shells of mollusks,
principally mussels, of a species differing
little from those found in neighboring
creeks at the present time, are common. The
writer has had several of these mounds thoroughly
searched for human remains or deposits
of implements used by the ancient, people
who constructed them, but without result.?San
Saba Xews.
Outwitting tiik Lawyers.?A wealthy
peasant, who felt that his hours were numbered,
called his sons around his bedside, and
began, "James, you are the eldest, and I bequeath
you my blessing." The second son
came forward, with bowed head, and the
father said "John Henry, you have been a
good boy, and I bequeath you my good name."
The third son showed up, and the old man
kindly remarked, "Andrew Jackson, you are
my youngest, and I bequeath you the care of
my grave. Good-by, my dear sons. Each
of you press my hands for the last time and
then skip to the field, for this is glorious
weather tor corn." "uut, uaa, you are wurui
820,000!" they protested, in chorus. "That
is true, boys, but I have tried to make an
equal division. I have left all the honor to
you and all the money to the lawyers. They
would have got the sugar, anyhow, and, in the
getting, would have left you nothing, and
proved your mother a fool and your father a
lunatic, beside. I die happy and full of peace.
Bury me just to the left of the old cow shed
and pay for my tombstone on the monthly ini
stalment system." Moral?The lawyers were,
j of course, dissatisfied with the will, and carried
the case into court.?Detroit Free Press.
"I say, Robert, what is it that is dearer
than life, and freer than air; the rich man
wants it, the poor man has it, the miser spends
it, the spend-thrift saves it ?"
"Give it up. What is it ?"
"It's nothing. Nothing is dearer than life,
j nothing is freer than air. The rich man
I wants nothing, the poor man has nothing, the
miser spends nothing, and the spend thrift
saves nothing."
gg" More hearts pine away in secret anguish
from the want of kindness from those who
should be their comforters, than from any
other calamity in life.
miscellaneous Reading.
Correspondence of the Yorkville Enquirer.
NOTES OF TRAVEL.
Prescott, Ontario, Canada, August 10,
1882.?When we had Satisfied our curiosity at
the bridges, we were next driven to the group of
islands, the principal one of which is known as
Goat Island. While on our way there, we
learned that the water is always much higher
at this season of the year than at any other ,
time, which.fact is accounted for by the way
the wind blows on the lakes in the summer and
winter taken in connection with the terrible
freezes that occur in this region from early in
the fall until late in the spring. But our team
moved in aouuie quicn nine ; so ill n lew iuuments
after leaving the place last named, we
were landed in the park, and truly a beautiful
place it is. It is well laid off and ornamented
with trees and shrubbery of all kinds indigenous
to this latitude. It contains something
more than sixty acrest embracing a beautiful (
cluster of islands well oiled with little groves
and unique rustic seats wherein the weary and ,
tender in heart may rest and hold social chat.
Goat Island is much the largest of all the ,
group. Bath Island, Luna Island, Terrapin |
Rocks and the Sister Islands compose the
cluster, that have from time to time been ,
bridged, so that they can be conveniently and
safely reached from land at all times and any
season of the year. Besides these, however, (
there are others known as the Bird islands, and
on none of tliese has the foot of man ever yet ,
trod. Goat Island is situated at the briuk of
the great Falls, and has separated the current ,
of the river, for ages past, as it will for ages ,
yet to come, near its centre, into two great ,
and strong currents, making what is known ,
as the American and the Canadian Falls?one J
on each side of Goat Island and the river.
This famous island acquired its name from
the following circumstance : One John Stead- (
man having cleared a portion of the upper end ,
of the island, in the year 1797, placed a Hock '
of goats upon it; but subsequently the winter ,
proved so exceedingly inclement that the own- .
er of the goats found it impossible to convey j
any sort of provender to them, and they all
perished. From that day to the present the island
has gone by the name of Goat Island, ,
notwithstanding many earnest efforts have j
been made at various times, and by different .
parties, to give to it a more poetical and beautiful
name, more in harmony with the roman- |
tic surroundings. This lovely island, I was
informed, was long used by the Indians as a j
burying ground, and in its soil many of that ,
race now lie entombed?their graves unmark- j
ed by stone or tree, as is the spot where Stead- j
man's goats perished.
All the islands above named are entirely ,
surrounded by water and separated from each .
other. And as I have before observed, all of
them but the Bird Islands have been made |
easily accessible from land, both to pedestrians
and carriages, by the construction of iron t
bridges firmly secured by large bolts, chains |
and bars of wrought iron, deeply sunk and t
firmly fastened into large, and immovable j
rocks in the bed of the river. These bridges j
are all well and neatly floored and strongly
banistered, rendering them perfectly safe, and j
making it impossibterior a person to fall from .
one of them into the water ; and it is surely (
well that it is so, for under most of those '
bridges go dashing, bounding and wildly
leaping strong and resistless currents, forcing
their way over and between enormous boulders
as if the divided river on each side of the i
island was running a race to see which of the j
streams would first reach the Falls and have 1
the courage to take a leap over them from a
height of one hundred and sixty-five feet, l
which they soon do after they pass under the \
bridges into the Rapids. Any one falling a
from the bridge, would, *in a few minutes, be
dashes to pieces over the Falls. Many persons (
have been known to come here for the express j
purpose of committing suicide. It is said that c
but one human being has ever passed over the ^
Falls alive, and he was an Indian brave who ^
was so skilled in managing his canoe that he \
proposed to pass over the Falls on a wager, c
which he won ; but no one since has ever pass- f
ed over and reached the shore alive. I am \
sure the hazard he run was greater than the i
amount he received, and I imagine if W. II.
Vanderbilt's estate was offered as a bounty to -,\
any one who would now undertake to perform 1
a similar feat, with or without a canoe, few, I
if any, could be found willing to take the risk. ;
From the islands can be obtained decidedly 1
the best view both of the American aud Cana- i
dian Falls, as also all the Rapids, as well as i
the famous gorge, and what is known as the c
Whirlpool Rapids, to say nothing of manyoth- r
er splendid views not obtainable elsewhere. \
Xo poet or artist, however gifted, can ever
portray to life any one of those enchanting 1
views that can be readily obtained from al- I
most any one of these islands, the beauty of \
the scenery being beyond description. Rut as c
to what is to be seen, heard and felt from the t
Bird Islands, will be left for the reader to im- j:
aginc until a way has been made to reach them t
with the same convenience and safety as the i
other islands. These islands are thickly situ- 1
ated in the midst of the strongest of the Rapids,
and appear to be floating there as so many i
great green bubbles roughly tossed on the ]
foaming surface of the infuriated waves as 1
they go apparently recklessly sweeping under c
them. 1
On these ten uninhabitable islands the birds s
of various wings have found a safe and quiet
resting-place, and there do they resort in <
great numbers, morning, noon and night, at .
all seasons of the year?in the spring to coo,
woo and wed and build and rear their young; 1
in the warm, leafy summer months to rest and <
sing; and in the winter to find shelter from I
the howling storms and cold, piercing blasts <
or tne cneeriess season. i
Here, too, from the Three Sister Islands, <
situated in the midst of the Upper Rapids, !
can be had unsurpassed views of the river as
it comes sweeping down for miles above them, >
and every now and then bounding high over ]
great boulders and lofty ledges of rock, where
the merry white caps sun and dance a cotillion <
to the music of the waves. Nor are the little
cascades under some of the bridges least of
all the curiosities here to be seen.
From one of these can easily be seen how :
the bar, extending up the river for more than i
a quarter of a mile, divides the river into two i
great channels until it unites again below the i
Falls. The average depth of the river above
them is twenty feet; below them, one hundred
feet. But at the Lower Rapids, as I have be- i
fore stated, the river is known to be four bun- i
dred feet deep. The channel of the river, from
the surface to the water, from the Falls down
to Lake Ontario, is narrow and deep, averaging,
I should say, at least one hundred and fifty
feet, and has been cut through solid slate
rock and as straight as would fall a plumb
line.
We now move to the foot of the main island
and descend a stairway to the water's edge,
where a foot-bridge leads over to Luna Island.
From this island, situated at the verge and in
front of the Falls, is had the nearest and grandest
view of the mighty, descending flood of
waters, as it comes leaping down with a roaring
sound like oft-repeated peals of distant
thunder, yet passes on, harmless and in silence
at my feet. It is an awfully grand sight, and
one which once seen will never be forgotten.
From this point may be seen to advantage, the
river for a great distance below, as also the
beautiful rainbow bedded in the gray clouds
of light mist formed from the ever ascending
and descending spray that falls so thick ai>d
fast tlmt nature seems ever weeping over the
troubled scene copious tears like falling showers
of rain.
Here, too, all have to come who wish to
visit the Cave of Winds, or go behind the
Falls. Behind the descending flood will l>e
found a mammoth cave one hundred and sixty
feet long and one hundred wide, and one hundred
high. Near by is the burning spring,
which I was warned not to visit.
The sun was now fast sinking beneath the
western horizon, and entering our carriage
the driver soon returned us to the hotel.
After tea, in company of a friend, 1 returned
to the park to enjoy the cool and invigorating
breezes ever breathing health and musicthrough
the many groves that there abound.
On entering, we found the entire park beautifully
illuminated with electricity generated
Iiv a machine located near the centre of the
J ? ?
park and propelled by a turbine water wlieel
driven by water conveyed from above, the
Falls, by means of subterraneous canals
through the entire length of the park. This
canal opens into an oblong square, well
walled with hewn stone, and situated not far
from the centre of the grounds. In tliis pool
may be seen red, black and purple fish, of all
sizes and various kinds. And immediately in
front of this never failing pool of water stands
* large glass house in which is beautifully
arranged several large fountains constantly
throwing large jets of water to a considerable
ieight. These large jets are tastefully surrounded
by numerous smaller ones which
fairly cause the spray to dance above and
iround them, creating a thin cloud of humid
nist, in which I noticed a number of gosamer
wheels so arranged that they were kept conjtantly
rapidly revolving by the spray from
;he jets. The park was thronged with visitors
if all ages and sexes, not a few being bridal
couples enjoying their honeymoon," while there
was a goodly number of belles and beaux, chaffing
as glibly as if their hearts were overtlowng
with pure delight.
As twilight deepened into night the electric
ights were turned directly on the fountains
ind both the great Falls, which, viewed through
jlassos provided for the purpose, transmitted
ill the rays of color in the bright and gorgeous
;ints of the loveliest rainbow. All that was
acking to render everything lovely in the
lighest degree was a band of good music,
which, were this park and its fine accessories
n the South, would be speedily furnished to
gratify the demands of our music loving people.
The place was fanned by such delightful
freezes, and the stars shone so brightly overlead,
that many of the large crowd lingered
;here until the wee sma' hours, in social,
riendly and earnest conversation. When I
eft the grounds, many parties were still occu>ying
rustic seats, taking their rest after a
ong promenade in the early part of the evenng.
But here I mi st take my leave of the
>ark and its gay and henpy visitors.
Guilford.
THE GIRL WHO SAVED THE GENERAL.
Far down the Carolina coast lies the lovely
sland of St John, where stood, one hundred
'ears ago, a noble brick-built mansion, with,
ofty portico and broad piazza.
It was the home of Mr. Robert Gibbes and
lis beautiful young wife, and the great house
vas full at all seasons. Eight children had
ilready come to this couple, and seven little
idopted cousins were their playmates?the
irphan children of Mrs. Fenwick, sister to
dr. Gibbes. He himself was a cripple and
iould not walk. In a chair which ran on
vheels he was drawn daily over the pleasant
>aths, sometimes by the faithful black servants,
sometimes by the still more devoted
ihildren who tugged at the rope like so many
risky colts. The loveliness of the spot suited
veil its name, "Peaceful Retreat," by which
t- wnc L-nnwn t.hrniicrh Jill the COUIltlW.
V *' ?*" ""v T' " ?o *
But in those troublous times it could not
ihvays remain "peaceful." In the spring of
770 the British took possession of all the sea)ord.
General Prevost marched up from
savannah and laid siege to Charleston. But
learing that General Lincoln was approachng,
he struck his tents in the night, and
etreated rapidly towards Savannah. He
irossed the Stone Ferry, and fortified himself
m John's island, as the island of St. John's
vas often called.
For weeks now the noise of musketry and
leavy guns destroyed the joy at "Peaceful
itetreat." The children in the midst of play
ivould hear the dreadful booming, and sudlenly
grow still and pale. The eldest dauglier,
Mary Anna, was a sprightly, courageous
jirl of thirteen. She had the care of the litle
ones, for her mother's hands were full
n managing the great estate and caring for
It5l IlliauaiHl.
After a time the enemy determined to take
ossession of this beautiful place. A body of
British and Ilessians quietly captured the
anding one midnight, and creeping stealthily
inward, tilled the park and surrounded the
louse. At daybreak the inmates found themselves
prisoners.
Then came trying days for the family. The
illicers took up their quarters in the mansion,
illowing the family to occupy the upper story.
John's Island was less than thirty miles
from Charleston, and when the American
ifficers in the city heard that "Peaceful Hetreat"
had been captured by the British, they
letermined to rescue it from the enemy. Two
large galleys were immediately manned and
3quipped and sent to the plantation, with
-i...: 4-^v HKA tinrkn nvincian
Strict OHIIU3 liwt UU llio lif'iru nn, UIUHU1U...
Sailing noiselessly up the Stono liver, at
lead of night, the vessel anchored abreast the
plantation. Suddenly out of the thick darkness
burst a tlame and roar, and the shot
came crashing through the British encampment.
The whole place was instantly in an
uproai. The officers in the house sprang from
bed, and hastily dressed and armed. The
family, rudely awakened, rushed to the windows.
A cold rain was falling, and the soldiers
half-clad, were running hither and thither,
while the officers were frantically calling
them to arms. Mary woke at the first terrible
roar and tied to her mother's room. The
excited negro servants uttered most piercing
shrieks. The poor little children were too
frightened to scream, but clung, trembling to
Mary.
Mrs. Gibbes was in great distress. She knew
not at first, whether it was an attack by
friends on the camp, or an assault on the
house by the enemy. She ordered the servants
to cease their wailing and dress themselves.
Then her husband and the children were prepared
; and while the cannon bellowed in quick
succession and the noise around the house grew
louder, the father and mother consulted what
was best to do. It was now evident that the
attack was by their own friends, and its object
was to dislodge the enemy. But Mr. Gibbes !
did not know but that the house would be fired !
on, and he advised instant flight. lie was carri- 1
edto his chair, and the whole household sallied
forth from the back door.
The scene was terrific. The night was
pitchy dark, and when, just as they stepped
out, a sheet of flame belched forth from the
vessels, it seemed to be almost against their
faces. The roar shook the ground. The
troops were too busy saving themselves to notice
the fugitives ; and they pushed 011 as rapidly
as possible.
No one was sufficiently protected from the |
rain. Little Mary had the hardest part, for j
nearly all the children were in her care. The !
mud was deep. Some of the little ones could
walk but a short distance at a time, and had
to be carried?Mary having always one, sometimes
two in her aims. Several of the servants
were near her, but none of them seemed
to notice her or her burdens. The last horse
had been carried off that very day ; there was
no escape but on foot.
Suddenly a ball came crashing through the
trees. Then a charge of grape shot cut the
boughs overhead. They were exactly in the
range of the guns. It was evident they had
taken the worst direction, but there was no
help for it now?it was too late to turn back.
In her agony the mother cried aloud on God to
protect her family. Mary hugged closer the
child in her arms, and trembled so she could
hardly keep up. Another crash ! The shot
shrieked past them, striking the trees in every
direction. The assault was fierce ; the roar
;n/>aoonnt TUo fpinrlitonpH family rushed
n iJ lOLooan u. -?. ^ .
011 as swiftly as possible toward a friend's j
plantation, far back from the shore ; but it
was soon seen that they would not have
strength to reach it even if they were not
struck down by the dying shot. The Americans
were pouring their fire into these woods,
thinking the enemy would seek refuge there.
The wretched fugitives expected every moment
to be their last. On they pushed through mud
and rain and screaming shot.
Soon they found they were getting more out
of the range of the guns. They began to hope;
now and then a ball tore up the trees around
them, or rolled fearfully across their path.
They reached one of the houses where their
field hands lived, with no one hurt; they were
over a mile from the mansion, and out of
range. The-negroes said no shot had come
that way. Unable to flee further, the family
determined to stop here. As soon as they entered,
Mrs. Gibbes felt her strength leaving
her, and sank down upon a low bed. Chilled
to the bone, drenched ; trembling with terror
and exhaustion, the family gathered around
her. She opened her eyes and looked about.
She sprang up wildly.
"Oh, Mary !" she cried, "where is John ?"
The little girl turned pale, and moaned :
"Oh mother ! mother ! /ie's left /" She broke
into crying. The negroes, quickly sympathetic,
began to wring their hands and wail.
"Silence 1" said Mr. Gibbes, with stern but
trembling voice. The tears were in his own
eyes. The little child now missing was very
dear to them all, and moreover, was deemed a
sacred charge, as he was one of the orphan
children of Mr. Gibbes' sister, intrusted to
him on her deathbed.
The wailing ceased; there was a silence,
broken only by sobs and the master asked :
"Who is willing to go back for the child ?"
No one spoke. Mr. Gibbes turned to his
wife for counsel. As the two talked in low
tones, Mrs. Gibbes called her husband's attention
to Mary, who was kneeling with clas|>ed
hands, in prayer at the foot of the bed. In a
moment, the little maid rose and came to
them, saying calmly :
"Mother, I must go back for baby."
"Oh, my child." cried the mother, in agony,
"I cannot let you !"
"But mother, I must," pleaded Mary, "God
will care for me."
It was a fearful responsibility. The guns
yet roared constantly through the darkness;
the house might now be in flames; it might
be filled with carnage and blood. Mrs. Gibbes
turned to her husband. His face was buried
in his hands. Plainly she must decide it herself.
With streaming eyes, she looked at
Mary.
"Come, here, my child," she called through
her sobs. Mary fell upon her mother's neck.
Dnft inner nassionate embrace, in which all a
O I
mother's love and devotion were poured out
and the clinging arms were opened without a
word. Mary sprang up, kissed her father's
forehead, and sped forth on her dangerous
mission of love.
The rain had now ceased, but the night was
still dark and full of terror, for through the
trees she -saw frequent flashes of the great
guns. The woods were filled with the booming
echoes, so that cannon seemed to be on
every hand. She flew 011 with all speed. Soon
she heard the crashing trees ahead, and knew
that in a moment she would be once more face
to face witli death. She did not falter. Now
she was again in the fierce whirlwind ! All
around her th'e shot howled and shrieked. On
every side the branches fell crashing to the
earth. A cannon ball plunged into the ground
close beside her, cast over her a heap of mud,
and threw her down. She sprang up and
pressed on with redoubled vigor. Not even
that ball could make her turn back.
She readied the house. She ran to the room
where the little child usually slept. The lied
was empty ! Distracted, she flew from chamber
to chamber. Suddenly she rememliered
that this night, he had been given to another
nurse. Up into the third story she hurried,
and, as she pushed open the door, the little
fellow, sitting up in bed, cooed to her and put
out his hands.
With tears running down her cheeks, Mary
wrapped the balie warmly and started down
the stairs. Out into the darkness once more ;
onward with her precious burden, through
the cannon-roar, through shot and shell.
Three times she passed this iron storm. The
balls still swept the forest; the terrific boom
lllg 11UCU LI1C (111,
With the child pressed tightly to her brave,
young heart, she lied on. She neither stumbled
nor fell. The shot threw the dirt in her
face and showered the twigs down upon her
head. But she was not struck. In safety she
reached the hut, and fell exhausted across
the threshold.
And the little boy, thus saved by a girl's
brave devotion, afterward became General
Fenwick, famous in the war of 181*2.
New Five Dollar Bills.?It will be
necessary to issue new notes now at all banks
whose charters expire. The "fives" are to
have the vignette of the late President Garfield,
executed in the engraver's best style.
The scene on the backs of these notes representing
the landing of Columbus or in fact
any of the pictures on the back of any of the
national bank notes, will not appear 011 new
notes, but instead, some finely shaded lathe
work, and in the center, the charter number
of each bank. On the border of the face of
the note, instead of numbers and letters to
designate the denomination of the note, there
will be the charter number of the bank, so
that if any part of the note is torn the small
pieces can be identified by the number.
MUSIC AND MEDICINE.
The employment of music in the healing art
is certainly as old as the days of the patriarchs,
and the singing of David before Saul was only
a practical illustration of a theory which had
long obtained recognition in Egypt. It is
strange, however, that spite of the general acknowledgment
of its eflicacy, music has been
so seldom employed as au assistant to materia
mcdka. Up to the present time the chief use
made of medical music (if we may coin the expression)
has been among the medicine and
mystery men of savage nations, and in this
case the instruments employed have been rather
of a noisy than a musical nature. In certain
species of St. Vitus' dance and tetanus,
music has been employed with much success
by European physicians. The most celebrated
instance of this kind is the employment of
lively dance rythms for the cure of the bite of
a tarantula. A rather full account of such a
cure was sent to an Italian medical review in
1841, in which the symptoms are vividly described.
Although the patient was previously
unable to stand on his feet, a lively dance tune g
caused him to jump from his bed and dance &
for two hours, after which he fell down |j
in a profuse perspiration, and slept quietly.
A few repetitions of the dose caused a complete
cure. It is a question whether any
strong sudorific might not have attained the
same result without the aid of music, but the
fact still remains that music was the only
agency capable of rousing the patient from his
comatose condition. In the Middle Ages there
were many cures of St. Vitus' dance accomplished
by music. Strange to say, this disease
became epidemic during several years in Western
Europe. The practice of vocal music, under
the most careful conditions, is to be recommended
as a cure for consumption and
bronchial affections in their earliest sfages.
But here it is not the music but the gentle
and regular exercise of the affected parts which
brings the cure. Of the hygienic results of
playing upon certain instruments, Engel speaks
at considerable length in an article on this
subject. Quoting from Sundelin's work on
the subject, he finds that the piano and stringed
instruments are at times hurtfid to the
nervous system, the glass harmonica dangerously
exciting to the nerves, the clarinet, hurtful
to the lungs ; brass instruments similarly
hurtful, but in a less degree ; and the harmonium
or cabinet organ harrassing to the nerves
of the performer.
Much of this is of course fanciful, yet it is
greatly to be desired that medical authorities
should give their attention to studying the effects
of the various instruments upon health
more closely.
It is a notable fact that many excellent musicians
and composers have, become deaf.
How far this is the result of an extremely sensitive
ear has not yet been proved. That it
has some connection with the practice of their
art can scarcely be doubted.
The connection between music and madness a
is also a well established one. This connection H
is two fold : on the one hand, many compos- I
firs have exhibited a nredisnosition toward in- ?
sanity ; and on the other music has proved of
immense benefit to persons suffering with hypochondria
or melancholia. This again is counterbalanced
by the fact that in some instances
music has caused melancholy and madness in
auditors. It is said that when the first church
organ was played in Europe (during the reign
of Charlemagne) a lady who heard it went
raving mad from the unexpected effects of the
tone. During the first performance of Haydn's
Symphony in D in London, a clergyman present
was so touched by the adagio movement
that he became impressed with the
monomania that it portended Iris death. He
left the hall plunged in deepest melancholy,
and as a matter of fact, died a few days after.
The connection of music with morals is a
strong one and would require a volume instead
of an article to do it justice.
We have said that the Egyptians understood
the bond between music and medicine; they
certainly understood the moral side of the
subject as well. They classified music under
two heads. One school of music they held
to be elevating and ennobling, the other degrading
and sensuous. One class they believed
sprang from Ammon Ra, the god of the
sun ; the other from the evil deities." Pythagoras
studied music in Egypt, and with his
sect in latter years it played a most important *
part. The Pythagoreans played upon a kithara
on rising from slumber, in order to fit
them for the tasks of the day. They sang
and played at evening to soothe themselves
after the excitements of labor, and to fit their
minds for tranquil sleep. Confucius is said
to have used music in a similar manner, playing
upon the Kin (an instrument with silken
strings,) whenever agitated. The Greek philosophers
have left many essays upon the art
of music ; but it must not be forgotten that
these refer to the Mowike, which included
poetry and other arts. Yet their comments
upon the characteristics of the different instruments
read very strangely. Plato and
Aristotle attacked the ftute as a sensuous aim
immoral instrument. Plutarch, on the contrary,
defended it, as an instrument which
spread peace and tranquility throughout the
soul.
The union of music and morals was far
stronger in ancient times than it is to-day.
The tirst songs of Scripture seem to have been
devoted to the worship of the Deity, and the
whole music of the Hebrews was devoted to
that purpose. The first songs of China were
simply used as a vehicle to convey the principles
of morality and practical life to the people.
The songs of ancient Rome under the
Republic were devoted to exhorting the young
men to stand true to the pure life and simple
manners of their ancestors. The songs of ancient
Greece were generally laudatory of virtue
and the manly qualities. In our own day, the
lower .element of what the Egyptians classified
as evil music has crept in again ; but this will
probably correct itself, and the art again take
its place as of old, the twin sister of Religion,
Morality and Hygiene.?Louis C. Elson, in
Musical Herald.
Too Troo, Too Tr.oo.?Man that is married
to woman is of many days and full of
trouble. In the morning he draws his salary,
and in the evening behold it is gone. I^s a I
tale that is told, it vanisheth, and 110 one
knoweth whither it goeth. lie riseth up
clothed in the chilly garments of the night
and seeketh the somnolent paregoric wherewith
to heal the-colicky bowels of his offspring.
He imitateth the horse or ox, and draweth
the chariot of his posterity. lie spendeth his
sheekels in the purchase of fine linen and purple,
to cover the bosom of his family, yet ho
himself is seen at the gates of the city with
one suspender. lie cometh forth as a Mower,
and is cut down. There is hope of a tree
when it is cut down that the tender roots
thereof will sprout again, but man goeth to
his home, and what is he then? Yea, he is
altogether wretched.
Keep your promise to the letter, be
prompt and exact, and it will save'much trouble
and care through life, and win for you the
resi>ect and trust of your friends.