Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, August 14, 1906, Image 1
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y ;ville enquirer.
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ESTABLISHED 1855. YORKVILLE, S. O., TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 1906. ISTO. 65.
THE R
A Story of the Times
Alexander
BY JERE I
CHAPTER XVII.
"I had borne it?It hurt mte?but I bore
it.
Till this lest running over of the cup
Of bitterness."
The treaty between England,
Erance. and the United States, by
which the Independence of the latter
was acknowledged, withered the
daring hopes of Alexander Hamilton,
and utterly blasted the wily
schemes of his unscrupulous confederate,
Billings. That shrewd and
dangerous man at once understood
that all hope was at an end; yet he
neither cowered nor complained. To
all outward appearance his bearing
was the same; but notwithstanding
the seeming calmness of the surface,
a serpent had wreathed Itself about
his heart, *whose sting drove him on,
and on, In quest of new excitements,
new plots, new conspiracies. In two
years afterward he set sail for
France, and It was long before he
was again heard of In America.
Alexander Hamilton was perhaps
as deeply wounded and disappointed
as Billings, but for him a theater was
still open In the new world, of which
he resolved to make the most. When
the army was disbanded, he turned
his attention, like Aaron Burr, to the
profession of the law. Like him he
studied hard, and like him he rose
rapidly. It was at the bar. afcer
years of separation, that the rivals
met once more. Here the struggle
between them was resumed, but their
rivalry was divested of the bitterness
of former years. It was a war of
two giant Intellects, in which neither
could stoop to envy, because envy
would have been an acknowledgment
of Inferiority. Things continued in
this state until politics came in to
imbltter their relations. In this division
of parties Aaron Burr took
the popular, or Democratic side?
Alexander Hamilton the Federal; still
their intercourse was personally kind
and respectful, until the year 1790.
when Alexander Hamilton was secretary
of the treasury, and his father-in-law.
General Schuyler, was a
candidate for re-election to the United
States senate from the state of
New York. Aaron Burr became a
candidate in opposition to him. and
in January, 1791, was elected over
the combined influence of Hamilton
and Schuyler. Prom that day the
old enmity in the bosom of Alexander
Hamilton sprung into a new and
more venomous life. Whatever Burr
advocated Hamilton opposed; whereever
Burr sought to climb, he found
Hamilton in his way. It was impossible
that Colonel Burr could misunderstand
the extent and bitterness of
this opposition; but then, as in the
past and throughout his after life,
he locked his secrets in his own
bosom, and made no complaint.
The career of Colonel Burr in the
senate is too well known to require
repetition here. In the third year of
his service a great calamity overtook
him. The wife who had been the
best of friends and counselors was
called away, and he was left with
none bu^ little Theodosia to enliven
his home and soothe him amid the
perplexing cares which were gathert
lng thick around him. This blow he
bore with his accustomed fortitude;
and the only indication the public
had of the intensity of his sufferings,
was the restless eagerness with
which he plunged into politics.
Before the expiration of his term,
the state of New York had become
thoroughly Federal, and General
Philip Schuyler was elected to succeed
him. To reverse this state of
things, and bring New York into the
Democratic fold, was now the cherished
object of his life. To this end
he devoted all his vast talents and
tireless energy. He succeeded, after
, a contest unparalleled in the annals
of the Republic, and In the year 1800
he was nominated as the Democratic
candidate for vice-president, on the
same ticket with Thomas Jefferson.
This nomination, so gratifying at the
time, was the fruitrui source or an
the woes that afflicted his after years.
The result of the election was: Jefferson
73, Burr 73, Adams 6?. Pinckney
64, Jay 1. Under the constitution
as it then stood, an election by
the house of representatives became
Indispensable to decide which
of the two highest on the list (Jefferson
or Burr) should hold the
office of president, and which the
office of vice-president of the United
States. Here was a field of operations
exactly suited to the genius of
Alexander Hamilton, and his conduct
during that period was such as
to justify old John Adams in the
declaration that he was the most
unprincipled intriguer in America.
He writes to leading Federalists to
hold out the bait of their support to
Burr, but warns them at the same
time that that support must not be
given to him in reality. He tells
them that Jefferson is a libertine in
morals, a radical in politics, and an
infidel in religion; but adds that Burr
is the more dangerous man, and, if
elected to the presidency, he would
conduct the government a la Bonaparte.
By such low and despicable
arts as these ne sougnt tne ruin 01
the rival whose power he had felt,
and whose future influence upon the
politics of the nation he most dreaded.
Colonel Burr did not fall into
the trap, and yet he suffered all the
consequences that could have followed
if he had yielded fully to the
temptation. The mind of Jefferson
was by some means poisoned against
him, and no amount of evidence was
sufficient to remove the prejudices
then imbibed. In looking back upon
the history of that memorable contest,
it is difficult to conceive how
the belief ever could have obtained
that Colonel Burr was willingly the
rival of Mr. Jefferson. Yet it did
prevail very widely, and none were
more fixed in that opinion than Mr.
IVALS.
\ of Aaron Burr and
Hamilton.
CLEMENS.
Jefferson himself. It was this belief
which in after years led him
to the gravest error of his life, and
left upon his character the deepest
stain it bears.
When the result was almost ceraithnnch
the returns
were not fully received. Colonel Burr
addressed a letter to Samuel Smith,
a member of the house of representatives
from Maryland, and a devoted
friend of Mr. Jefferson. To
have sought an election by the house,
after the publication of that letter,
would have been an act of folly,
from which an Idiot would have
shrunk. He says to General Smith:?
"It is highly probable that I shall
have an equal number of votes with
Mr. Jefferson; but, if such should be
the result, every man who knows me
ought to know that I would utterly
disclaim all competition. Be assured
that the Federal party can entertain
no wish for such an exchange. As to
my friends, they would dishonor my
views and Insult my feelings by a suspicion
that I would submit to be Instrumental
in counteracting the wishes
and expectations of the United States.
And I now constitute you my proxy to
declare these sentiments if the occasion
should require."
Notwithstanding the emphatic and
earnest disclaimer contained in this
letter of all Intention to engage in a
contest with Mr. Jefferson, the Federal
party, for their own purposes,
determined to run him. Nothing
could have been further from the
mind of Alexander Hamilton than
a desire to promote the election of
his rival, yet nothing could have
been more gratifying to him than to
see him engaged in a contest which,
terminate as it mlghi, was sure to
blacken his character and destroy his
popularity with the nation. To this
end all his powers of intrigue were
directed, and he succeeded but too
well In the object he had in view.
Colonel Burr was no candidate,
sought no support, and emphatically
disclaimed all desire to receive it.
That support was forced upon him,
and then *e was held responsible for
what he had done all in his power to
prevent. The world's history does
not present an instance of more glaring
injustice, nor is there one, in the
long list of statesmen who fill
! its pages, in whose person the blindness
pf partisan zeal and the merciless
nature of partisan persecution is
more completely illustrated.
Mr. Jefferson was finally elected.
His mind was then just in that state
when the fires of rancorous hate are
most easily kindled, and there were
those about him who did not fail to
apply the match. Aaron Burr soon
became a marked man, and when it
was known that his political destruction
had been resolved upon by the
president, ten thousand tongues and
pens were found ready to assail him.
The storm he could not avert; but
he neither bent before it, or cowered
at its fury. Calm, and seemingly
unconscious of the active malignity
of his enemies, he went on to discharge
the duties of his high office,
with a grace, a dignity, and an ability
which has never since been
equaled. But Colonel Burr was not
idle, nor had he the least idea of
falling an unresisting victim. The
vice-presidency for a second term.
he knew was beyond his grasp,
Mr. Jefferson was all powerful at the
time, and in that quarter Colonel
Burr had no hope. That he would
be left off the ticket he never for a
moment doubted. Under these circumstances,
he resolved to pursue
the course he had pursued with so
much success on a former occasion,
and appeal directly to the people of
Xew York. A gubernatorial election
was coming on, and in February,
1804, he announced himself an independent
candidate for the office.
The whole weight of the administration
was at once thrown againsc him,
and all of Hamilton's talents of intrigue
were actively and incessantly
employed to insure his defeat. It
was a strange union?Jefferson and
Hamilton?but hate accepts the services
of any ally, and both of them
hated and dreaded Burr too much to
stand on scruples. By their Joint ef
forts he was dereatea; ana ne mus
saw go out his last hope of political
advancement.
A few weeks after the election, on
a balmy night in June, when Colonel
Burr was in his own house, surrounded
by a select company of
friends, as gay and apparently as
happy as if nothing had occurred to
annoy him, the following note was
put into his hands:?
"One who has much to communicate
to you in reference to the past,
which it concerns you to know, is
now stretched upon a bed of death,
and earnestly requests that you will
come to see him as soon as may be."
There was no signature, and, making
a polite excuse to his friends,
Burr followed his servant from the
room to inquire who had brought
the note. He was told that the messenger
was at the door.
"Then show him Into the library."
When the man entered, he asked,?
"Who gave you this note?"
"A man who is dying at my house.
I don't know his name."
"Who are you?"
"The keeper of a boarding-house
on street, and a friend of
yours."
After satisfying himself upon some
other points. Colonel Burr said.?
"Tell the gentleman I will call tonight."
"He told me to bring you with me."
"That is impossible. I have company,
but say to him I will be there
before midnight."
The messenger departed, and Colonel
Burr returned to his parlor without
a trace of anxiety on his brow.
His friends soon dispersed; and about
eleven o'clock he knocked at the
door of the house to which he had
been directed. It was opened with a ;
promptness which proved he had
been waited for, and he was ushered
at once into the sick man's room, i
He found him stretched upon a low ]
bedstead, with a table drawn near, I
on which a tallow candle was burn- I
ing dimly, and some phials of medl- <
cine were so placed as to be in reach i
of his hand. The Invalid beckoned 1
his visitor to approach, and said, in
a feeble voice,? l
'Take away the table and draw a I
chair close to my side, for my voice |
is very feeble, and I have much to,i
| say." ' '
Burr did as he was directed. <
"Do you know me?" i
"No. I do not remember that we
ever met. If we did, It must have 1
been casually." <
"Far from it. I am James Bill- 1
ings." '
A sudden flush passed over the I
face of Burr, and he felt something l
like a pang shoot through his heart; l
but his voice was steady and unal- I
tered. <
"I remember such a man in the I
camp at Valley Forge?a friend of i
Alexander Hamilton; but you are i
greatly altered since then?" i
"His confederate, not his friend, i
In such bosoms as his and mine, i
friendship never dwells." i
He pressed his hand to his brow >
for a moment, and continued,? <
"Listen, and do not Interrupt me. '
The shadows of death are gathering 1
fast around me, and I have no time I
to waste. When I am through, if I i
have the strength, I will answer any <
questions you may desire to ask." <
Then, In a low but distinct voice, <
he commenced his narrative. He !
went over the whole story of Ade- <
laide Clifton's insanity and death, i
He revealed the source of the vile 1
slanders which had blackened the I
fame of Margaret MoncrlefTe. He I
told of the unscrupulous and too 1
successful efforts that had been made '
to prejudice the mind of the cam- '
mander-in-chlef against his listener; I
of the jealous vigilance with which
everv step of his military progress
had been watched; of Hamilton's
daring hopes, and his final frustration
by the treaty of peace. The
whole dark story was revealed with
a distinctness and clearness which
lefc no doubt upon the mind of Burr
that every word he uttered was true
to the letter. At first he tried to call
up facts and circumstances within
his recollection which would confirm
or shake the statements of the dying
man; but this soon ceased, and his
whole attention was given to the
narrative as It progressed. Imperturbable
as he generally was?accustomed
as he had been to suppress
every sign of emotion, this was too
much for his iron will. It recalled
all the memories of the long gone
past?whatever was dark and bitter
in his early career rose up before
him, and stung him into madness.
Leaning both elbows upon the bed,
he buried his face in his hands,
while his whole frame shook with
the mingled emotions which were
struggling in his bosom. That passed
away, and raising his head slowly,
he inquired,?
"May I ask, Mr. Billings, what has
induced you to make these revelations
now? Is it in remorse, or in
the hope of making some atonement
to me?"
"Neither, Colonel Burr?neither.
I am not one of those weak things
who shrink and tremble In presence
of the shadows their own actions
have called about them; and to you
I know atonement is Impossible. If
it be in my nature to feel contrition,
* <? ?
me mirsi ui vengeance nao unvcn u ?
away. I would have Alexander
Hamilton disgraced and degraded.
In that table drawer you will And
a packet containing evidence enough
to damn him forever in the minds of
his fellow-men. To you I confide it,
as the man he has most injured, and
now most cordially hates."
The hard breathing of the sick
man told that he was terribly agitated,
and Colonel Burr paused some minutes
before he said,?
"Vengeance! Why, what has he
done to you?"
"Stung my pride. Refused to rec
ognize me In public as an acquaint- <
ance, and Insulted me by the offer of '
pecuniary assistance in private. But
ask me no questions. Let me tell the
story without interruption. After
that fatal peace, I saw that America
was no theater for me, and
I embarked for France. It is unnecessary
to dwell upon the part I
played in the bloody drama which
was soon after enacted in the land
of olives and of vines. It suited me,
or rather it suited the fierce devil
who reigned supreme within me, and
few hands were redder than mine,
in a country where all were red. At
length my broken health and shattered
constitution, together with the
loss of nearly all my fortune, compelled
me to seek repose. I returned
to America, not doubting the friendship
of Hamilton, who, I was aware,
had risen high in the state, and the
service I had rendered the American
army, or at least was believed to
have rendered it during the Revolution,
would insure me respect, and a i
certain amount of consideration during
the few years that would intervene
before I was consigned to the
grave that was open before me. I
sought him out and told him the i
story of my expectations. Ha
promptly declared that he could not ;
receive me as an associate, or even
recognize me as an acquaintance in
public; that I was a stranger; my
services during the Revolution forgotten;
and, if he was seen with me,
it would lead to inquiry, and subject
him to questions painful to him and
difficult to answer; but, he added, if
I had need of pecuniary relief, he
was willing to relieve my necessities.
I turned away and left him. I uttered
no threat?gave no warning. It is
my habit to strike first and let the
blow prove its own warning. I intended
to reveal everything to you at once,
but you were so much engaged in the
election then pending, I could find no
fitting opportunity. In the meantime
I was stricken down by the disease
that in a few minutes more will terminate
my existence. As long as there
was a possibility of recovery, I waited,
and I did not send for you until I knew
the sands in my glass were nearly exhausted.
I have more to say, but no
time to say it. I have not ten minutes
to live?let me see you secure the papers
before I go."
Col Burr opened the drawer, and,
taking out a carefully sealed package
addressed to himself, placed It In his
pocket. A light, almost a smile of satisfaction,
played for an Instant over
the features of James Billings; then
came a long-drawn sigh, a gasp, a
shudder, and his spirit winged its
flight to the judgment bar of God.
Thus, with no one near him but the
man he had so deeply wronged, that
bold, gifted, and hardened villain
passed away. True to the bloody instincts
of his nature, his last thought
was vengeance?his last feeling that
of satisfaction at the prospect of Its
accomplishment.
Calling some of the inmates of the
house Into the dead man's chamber,
Colonel Burr took his departure and
walked rapidly to his own residence.
There he opened, with eager hand, the
packet which had been placed In his
possession, and read over, one by one,
the papers It contained. Morning found
him still engaged In his absorbing occupation.
At breakfast, he contented
himself with a single cup of coffee;
and, directing the servant to deny admittance
to any visitor who might call,
again sought his library. With hurried
steps he paced the floor, his hand
sometimes pressed upon his forehead
and sometimes thrust Into his bosom,
is If he sought to still the throbbings
jf his beating heart. "Great God!" he
muttered, "has this cold-blooded devil
been for so many years blasting my
prospects, blackening my character,
and murdering my hopes, while I, fool,
jolt, idiot, that I have been, have gone
cn In blind Ignorance of his machinations?
You, too, Margaret?young,
?ifted, beautiful, and pure then?you,
too, he dared to approach, and cover
all over with the slime of calumny. And
poor Adelaide, his first victim, whom
le consigned to a mad-house, in the
freshness of her youth, and beauty, and
ivho now fills a lunatic's grave. Oh,
3od! it is an account of crime and
porrors for which one life will be poor
payment indeed!"
Again he paced the room in silence.
Then he paused in the middle of the
floor, with his eyes fixed upon the carpet.
The furrows of agony had disappeared
from his countenance, and he
tvore the air of a man who was intensely
sttidying some difficult probem.
Soon his thoughts took the
form of words.
"Yet how, how am I to reach him?
How hold him to account, without repealing
things it would madden me for
the world to know?"
He raised his head as he spoke, and
lis eyes rested upon a paper which
vas lying on the table. Eagerly he advanced,
and picked it up. He had acfidentally
seen the name of Hamilton,
tnd now he read: "General Hamilton
md Judge Kent have decided, in substance,
that they looked upon Mr. Burr
to be a dangerous man, and one who
>ught not to be trusted with the reins
>f government. I could detail to you a
still more despicable opinion which.
General Hamilton has expressed of Mr.
3urr."
With a sigh or satisraction ana reuei
le folded the paper carefullly, locked
t In a drawer with the packet he had
ecelved from Billings; and, repeating:
'That will do, that will do!" retired
:o his own chamber to sleep. To sleep!
ifes, he did sleep soundly for hours.
When he awoke, he partook of a hearty
neal, for one of his abstemious habits,
ind, immediately afterwards, sent for
lis friend, Mr. Van Ness, to call the
lext morning and bear to the general
i hostile message. According, the
lext day, Mr. Van Ness placed in the
lands of General Hamilton a note from
2ol. Burr, reciting the offensive pas{ages,
and concluding with a demand
'or "a prompt and unqualified acknowledgment
or denial" of that which was
mputed to him. Hamilton was taken
:ompletely by surprise. He had used,
in many occasions, harsher phrases,
>nH thpv had heen nermitted to pass
mnoticed. He hesitated, pleaded Important
business, and it was not until
two days afterwards that he addressed
i long communication to Colonel Bun,
ivhose obvious purport was to evade
the responsibility of either denial or
icknowledgment of the language Imputed
to him.
Colonel Burr promptly responded
that the letter was unsatisfactory; that
tie could find in It "nothing of that
dncerity and delicacy" which Hamilton
professed to value, and concluded:
.it I." 1 t ma with
I our iciier lids luimaucu mv ? ?
new reasons for requiring a definite
reply."
To this General Hamilton returned
no written reply, but submitted to Mr.
tran Ness certain propositions as a basis
of adjustment. Colonel Burr prepared
a letter of instructions to govern
Mr. Van Ness in the negotiations;
but, wearied by the delays which had
ilready occurred, and fearful that other
Jelays might be interposed, he resolved
upon a step that he knew must make
a meeting Inevitable. About 9 o'clock
at night, after muffling his face so as
to prevent recognition, he walked to
Seneral Hamilton's house.
To a question as to whether General
Hamilton was in, the servant who
opened the door answered in the affirmative.
"Tell him," said Burr, "that a gentleman
wishes to see him for one moment
upon urgent business, and as I have
no time to spare, he will greatly oblige
me by walking to the door."
General Hamilton immediately came
out, and Colonel Burr, pulling the door
after him so as to exclude the light,
and prevent any one within from overhearing
their conversation, said In his
natural voice,?
"General Hamilton, do you know
me?"
"Colonel Burr!" replied Hamilton, In
surprise.
"Yes, sir; and I have called to tell
you that I did not seek satisfaction
from you on account of the petty slanders
contained in the pamphlet of Dr.
Cooper, however fully you may have
authorized their publication. But a few
nights ago I sat by the death-couch of
James Billings, and heard him go over
the whole secret history of the past.
He told how Adelaide Clifton was maddened
and murdered; how the reputation
of Margaret Moncrleffe had
withered under the baleful Influence
of your poisonous breath; how you had
pursued me with causeless, bitter, and
1 I? -> V.? nlonoil In m V
rcmuraeicos nair, auu iic ?
hand documents to prove the truth of
his story. I did not choose to make
these the ground of a message to you,
because I did not wish to furnish the
gossiping world with all the revoltlm
particulars of that tale of horrors,
sought, and found another pretext
And now, sir, you will understand hoi
useless It Is to submit propositions o
adjustment, and what consequence
will be likely to flow to yourself fromi
refusal to accede to my demand. Goo
night, sir. I hope to meet you one
more, and but once."
i- He turned and walked away. Ham
tton stood as if petrified. It was lonj
before he shook off the numbing torpo
that seized upon every limb; and whei
he re-entered his own door, the pres
age of coming doom weighed heavll;
Upon him.
After this some correspondence wa
carried on between the ftartles, bu
If aaiiM ho VA Hilt (in
termination. It was ended by a per
epmtory challenge, from Colonel Buri
and Its acceptance by Hamilton. Th
day of the final meeting wtis, howevei
postponed, at the request of Genera
Hamilton, to enable him to settle u]
his business and make such prepare,
tlons as he deemed needful In the even
of his fall. The consciousness of th
deep wrongs he had Inflicted upon Col
onel Burr through a long series o
years had Its effect even upon his dar
tng nature, and he seems from the firs
to have had a presentiment that hi
litst hour was approaching. Weehawk
en was the place selected for the fata
Encounter; and, according to prevlou
arrangement, Colonel Burr and hi
second were first on the ground.
When Hamilton arrived he foun
his antagonist, with his coat off, care
lessly breaking branches from the un
j derwood. The two principals exchang
J ed salutations; but Burr observed tha
the eye of Hamilton fell when It me
his own, which was glowing with al
the deadly hatred that years of out
rage, calumny, and wrong had engen
dered. Hamilton won both the cholc
of positions and the word. The pistol
were loaded, the two mer. stepped t
their places, announced themselve
ready, and the word was given. Botl
pistols were discharged nearly togeth
er?Burr's a little before his adver
sary's. Hamilton sprang convulslvel:
up, and uhen fell heavily forward 01
his face. His second raised him, am
the surgeon was Immediately by hi
side. To him he said: "Thft Is a mor
tal wound;" and sank Into lnsenslbll
Ity.
Colonel Burr, who was unhurt, wa
led away to the boat by Mr. Van Ness
a?:d the two rowed at once to Rich
mond Hill.
Thus, under the heights of Wee
hawken, the long rivalry of Aaroi
Burr and Alexander Hamilton had It
bloody ending.
Justice Is seldom weighed by humai
judgment in equal scales. The vlctoi
on that fatal day, labored under pecu
liar disadvantages. The foul wrong
which Hamilton had committed, th
deep duplicity of his character, am
the bitter malignity of his nature wer
known only to his slayer, and tha
slayer was one from whose lips no se
ever passed. The'^n&nral feeling
excited In a great party by the losso
its leader, was enhanced by syropath
for the family of the dead, and foster
ed by reckless misrepresentations o
the living. Calm and self possessed
Aaron Burr breasted the storm. H
might have forgiven his own griev
ances, he might have hesitated to dy
his hand in human blood for any injur
done to himself; but the murderer c
Adelaide Clifton and the slanderer o
Margaret Moncrieffe was entitled t
no mercy, and his fate called forth n
regrets. Long years afterwards h
stood upon the spot where Hamilto;
fell. Time had bowed his form an
dimmed his eye; but when the recol
lections of the 10th of July, 1904, cam
over him, his body swelled beyond th
proportions of age. and his eye burner
with all the fire of his early days.
"He wronged me," he said, "and
forgave him! He wronged her, am
I slew him! If twenty lives had cen
tered In his single body, it would hav
been a poor atonement. When I sa\
him fail headlong to the ground, i
weight seemed lifted from by breast
and a peaceful tranquility settled her
I never could have known while th
same earth sustained us both. He ha
gone long ago to render his account a
the Judgment bar before which I to
must soon appear. Face to face, li
presence of the God who must pro
nounee our several dooms, I shall sa;
that he deserved the death he recelv
ed at my hands; and never, for on
moment, has a thought of repentanc
obtruded itself upon my soul!"
THE END.
"THE CRADLE OF NORWAY."
Trondhjem Has One Thousand Year
of History.
Trondhjem the ancient capital c
iU- mov Ka Pflllo,
Hie Klll?? Ul iium aj , moj
the cradle of the Norse nation. It 1
first mentioned in history before ther
was a united Norway, in connectioi
with Harold the Fair Haired, wh
conquered all the petty kings of th
Norse counties and united them lnt
a single state under his own crow;
In the latter part of the ninth centurj
But it did not attain first importanc
in the kingdom until Haakon th
Good was crowned there in 935 ami
the joyful acclamations of the peop<
who had successfully rebelled agalns
the cruel tyranny of Erik Blood-Ax
and his despotic wife, Queen Gunhilc
Since then all the kings of Norwaj
of whatever nationality they mlgh
be, have haci a travel to una mn ?.n
for the ceremony of Investiture.
The King Haakon of today owe
his name to the first good king of
united and independent Norway an
the little crown prince becomes th
namesake of his first legitimate sue
cessor, the great Olaf Tryggvessor
who was crowned in 995. Up to tha
time Trondhjem was less a natlona
capital than the mere stronghold of a
important province, but in 996 Ola
Tryggvesson laid the foundation o
the present city, which he then calle
Nidaros. It is the northernmost towi
of any Importance in Europe, bein
situated in the same latitude as th
south coast of Iceland, but it has
strangely temperate climate. Whll
Christiania Fjord and all the rivers 1
the southern part of Norway becom
solidly frozen during the winter, th
River Nld rarely freezes over and th
beautiful Trondhjem Fjord nevei
The climate is like that of middl
Germany in winter and much like tha
of the coast of Oregon in summei
Hence the luxuriant vegetation and th
resultant prosperity of the people.Boston
Transcript.
& "
' HODGES CALLS A HALT.
L ,
J Dig Marlboro Follower Flies the
3 Tillman Track.
a
e HOT STUFF FROM THE SHOULDER.
Man Who Once Considered the Senior
r Senator the 3aviour of His Country,
n Is Now Able to See In Him Only a
Selfish Demagogue, Who Stands For
y Nothing That Is Good and True.
The following: open letter to Senator
t Tillman has been handed to the press
e by Its author, Chas. P. Hodges oi
Brownsville, Marlboro county. Mr,
. Hodges Is a large planter and mernUnUa
? ?*? o /\# thn mon tirHn illrl
g tuaiu. iic ?ao uue vi vi*o iiiou *v*?v % %
. most to give Senator Tillman Marl|
boro county In the beginning and he
' has been a consistent follower ever
since. With It all he has refrained
t from asking political recognition ol
e any kind. Here Is the way he now
views the situation:
f Bbnn-ettsville, Aug. 11, 1906.
Senator B. R. Tillman.
t My Dear Sir: I will preface my res
marks to you by stating that I have
been one of the most ardent Tlllmanj
Ites in the state. I have followed you
through thick and thin. In fact I am
8 one of the "old blue hen's chickens."
I am a TUlmanlte "in whom there Is
^ no guile." I have asked for no office
and haven't cared for any. I have
followed you because I thought you
were largely right; from a square out
. honest motive and principle, and not
t for any of the political emolument!
,, that might accrue from such support
as I have rendered.
But, senator, I think I voice the sentlment
of thousands of your most ars
dent supporters when I say that we
can follow you so far and no further
s You have left your moorings, and have
h gone headlong In the persistent advocacy
of measures that If carried oul
will undermine eventually our moral,
y social, religious and governmental
structures. Your absolute disregard
a for the moral and religious opinions
of others should make your position
8 , .. . Da . . _
aonorreni 10 every uuu-ieaniiB r?i<tlst,
Methodist, Presbyterian and, In
fact to every religious denomination o<
s the state. You have flagrantly Insulted
( every minister of every denomination
of the state. When you uttered the
statement that the preachers of South
Carolina had allied themselves with
n the blind tigers and liquor men. you
know, Senator Tillman, you gave utterance
to a slander and falsehood that
n was as dark as midnight in hell. And
. you have never had the manhood 01
common decency to apologize for It
9 You knew, senator, that our churches
e and our ministers of the gospel are
g all that we have that make life worth
e living. You cripple the ministry, ae
t you have tried to do, you hush theli
voices and push aside their godly Ina
fluences in South Carolina for ever
t sixty days and we would have riot, any
archy, rapine and mu'der that would
appall the world. No, senator, I, with
t thousands of other citizens of South
I Carolina, place our morality, religion,
g self-government and common decency
? Tlllmonlom
auuve )J!tIii3iUi puiiiiv;^ aim t iuuh>u?>?>
e I am a prohibitionist. I favor neithei
y the dispensary nor bar-rooms. I say
f nothing of the rottenness of either
j. One is as rotten as the other, as to
Q that matter.
0 Now, senator, I want to see, if in the
e last twelve or fourteen years you have
n dealt fairly with your people that have
^ implicitly trusted you in this vital question
that means so much to the wele
fare of South Carolina, You know
e you have always claimed to be a great
j people's man, a servant of the people;
that your aim is to carry out their lnr
structlons. Have you done it? Have
I
? you tried to do It to any extent at al!
on this great liquor question? Let ue
e see. In 1892 the question* of liquoi
v or no liquor was brought squarely and
fairly before the voters of the state,
t and they voted for prohibition by ovet
g 10,000 majority. Senator Tillman was
e then governor of the state and vlrtuals
ly was the legislature of the state also
t What did he do? He said, you people
0 by your vote have demanded prohlbin
tion and it is in my power to give it to
you, but I will not do it, but I will
y give you something and throw sue!
restrictions around it, and will call ii
e dispensary. And with the restrictions
e and safeguards that I will put upon it,
we will lead up to prohibition. The
restrictions, Senator Tillman says, first
the people must decide as to whether
they want a dispensary or not in any
community. Second, he says that li
quor is to be sold in no other way.
s Third, he says no minor or habitual liquor
drinkers can buy it at all. Fourth,
>t that every purchaser of liquor had tc
d sign his name, place of residence and
s <o on with numerous other restrictions,
e ill of which were good,
n Now, senator, I, along with thouo
sands of your supporters, said while
e we voted for prohibition we trust this
o man Tillman and wholly believe he
n will be good to his promise to the
r. people of the state. Now, senator,
e to the contrary, if you will show me
e one utterance spoken, one line writd
ten, advocating or urging the curtaile
ment of the sale of liquor in these
it fourteen years of your liquor lire, 01
e the advocacy of one single measure
I. that would lead up to prohibition, ]
r, will withdraw everything uttered ir
t this letter. But to the contrary, seny
ator, you have advocated every means
possible to fasten liquor upon the
s state indefinitely. You saw after the
a first year of the dispensary under
d your rigid restrictions, that the peoe
pie were not taking to it. Numbers
- of communities of the state that you
i. thought ought to have It wouldn't
t have it; the result was that you had
J the law made very lax, so those comn
munltles could get it by a mere petlf
tion, and not by a vote of the people,
f And the result was that they were
d crammed down the throats of the
n people in dozens of communities thai
g didn't want them. And finally all of
e the restrictions were removed, and
a the boys were told to go out and sell
e liquor, fill the minors, drunkards,
n "niggers" and all with liquor, mean
e liquor, cheap liquor, when they were
e promised pure liquor. Thieving cone
stables have been retained, default*.
Ing dispensers have been white-washe
ed, and a high-handed stealing has
t been carried on by the management.
r* And, senator, all this to your knowl_
edge has been going on for years.
Why did you wait until the institution
was reeking in filth and rolling In mud
before you came to Its rescue? And
the half of Its filth has never been told.
( And now, senator, you are going all
' over the state using your powerful
political influence to further fasten
this damnable vampire, liquor, upon
your trusting and unsuspecting foli
lowers. Tou are advocating measures
that you know are eating the
very vitals out of the young men and
boys of our state, and that is reach'
ing into our homes, and is making a
I damnable thrust at the cnastity ana
virtue of our women.
My Qod, Senator Tillman, what
more do you want? We have heaped
honor upon honor upon you. We
1 have done all for you that a worshipping
people could do. Now, Is It possible
that we have for these years
nursed a viper In our bocom that la
1 to turn upon us and sting our moral,
social and religious conditions to
' death?
Senator, I know you are a hard,
unrelenting master. Tou don't mind
telling other people of their meanness,
but you don't like being told of yours.
Now, senator, you strip this infernal
Uquor-dlspensary of its political garb
and possibilities, and throw it before
the people, not in an office-getting ca1
pacity, and they will vote it out tomorrom.
And you know it is the
1 reason why you have kept it from
1 the people.
And today you are trying to move
> heaven and earth to try and get a law
fastened on the people in the Raysor)
Manning bill, that, if it should bei
come a law, the entire state will be
placed under the old dispensary law,
' with all these communities that have
> voted out the dispensaries, and the
t communities that have never had
them, to have dispensaries fastened
upon them without the people (I
mean, the whole people) having any
voice or vote whatever in the matter.
And to show you more clearly,
senator, of the Insincerity and rottenness
of this liquor affair, you have
men in about every county of the
i state running for the legislature and
I senate, hurrahing for Tillman and the
I dispensary, that have always been
i your avowed opponents, and enemies
1 to the dispensary; and I fear hate
both Tillman and the dispensary now
1 worse than the devil hates holy water.
But now It Is?Hurrah for Richard I.
I Manning for governor, the Raysor>
t Manning bill and dispensary. Why!
' oh! why Is this the case? Because, I
i fear, it opens up a chance by which
i some fellow that has been wanting
i office for a long while, hopes to ride
in on Tillman liquor. Strip it, sena
tor, (this dispensary, I mean) of its
I political affiliations and office getting
' possibilities and many a fellow that
is now hurrahing for Tillman and the
i dispensary would curse you to your
face, as they have formerly done.
i Now, senator, it Is patent to the
i most commonplace mind that you and
' Richard I. Manning have gone Into a
' compact. Mr. Manning evidently
i says, senator, help me to be governor
and I will do what you want me to do.
I You have put the yardstick on the
l legislators when you s&id that the
i legislators that voted against the
. Raysor-Manning bill must be left at
r home.
So, senator, if the surmises and con'
elusions are correct, it seems that you
r are making a desperate effort to bo
United States senator, governor of the
1 state, as well as the legislature. That
is giving one man too much power?
' that is depriving us of self-govern1
ment. And I don't believe the peo1
pie are prepared to accept such, and
' will by their ballots repudiate the
' whole scheme.
Now senator, In conclusion, let me
: say that this liquor question is no
longer a Tillman or antl-Tillman ques'
tion. You should have all you want,
' We are willing for you to go back to
1 the United States senate and "cuss'
1 Roosevelt and those Yankees to your
' heart's content; but for humanity's
' and God's sake, if you can't throw
> your influence on the right side of
this great moral question, pull youri
ooiHo nn<i let the neoDle decide
as to whether they want the dispen
sary or prohibition. That is the ques!
tion before us, and you have promised
to let us decide it. Will you be
1 good to your word?
I Very truly yours,
k C. P. Hodom.
' ,
1 MODEL SHOVEL 8ALE3MAN.
1 Story Told of the Duke of Wellington
and a Big Contract.
A millionaire shovel maker, as he sat
in the smoking room of an Atlantic liner,
said:
"I have been over to England trying
to sell shovels to the British govern,
ment. I failed. I didn't sell a shovel.
I A dead man named Jones was the
cause of my failure.
"Jones was alive, very much alive,
during the battle of Waterloo. He sat
, on horseback near Wellington's tent.
, Wellington, seeing him there in civil,
ian's dress, said angrily:
"'Who are you?'
" " oaloomntl ' Mid
1 cl III CI OIIU TCI
, Jones, 'and I came here from Brussels
to see the battle.'
" 'Now that you are here,' said Wel?
lington, 'are you willing to carry a
. message for me to one of my generals?
It will be a dangerous errand, but I
r have no one else to send.'
" 'I'll carry your message,' said Jones,
'and as for danger, one part of this
, battlefield is no more dangerous than
, another today.'
"So Wellington gave him the mes,
sage, and Jones delivered It, but failed
to return. The duke thought him
, slain, but one day eight or nine years
later a man accosted the duke in London.
" 'Do you remember me?' he said.
" 'I do,' said Wellington, shaking the
man's hand warmly, 'you saved two
regiments of mine by the delivery of
that message. Why didn't you returd
to me ?'
" 'Jones said his horse had been kllled
by a cannon ball as he was returning,
and he himself had been shot in
the side, but not badly?a few days
abed had brought him round.
" 'Well, said the duke, 'what can I
do for you?'
'"I am a partner in that shovel
house of ours now,' said Jones, 'the Arm
name is Smith, Jenkins & Jones, and
, I'd like to get a government contract.'
"He got it," the millionaire ended
sadly. "From that day to this all the
shovels used in the British army and
navy have been supplied by the house
of Smith, Jenkins & Jones. I wasted
my time trying to compete with that
> Arm."?St. Louis Globe-Democrat
WHEN A TRAIN 18 WRECKED.
Foreman of the Wrecking Crew Telle
What la Done.
"You want a story of how we clear'
away wrecks?
"Well," says the old wrecking foreman.
in an article in The Iron Trail,
"perhaps It Is after a day's hard work
on the 'rip tracks,' repairing broken
cars; for usually the wrecking crew is
made up of ten of the car repair men.
"Every man knows exactly where
the wrecking outfit Is?on by the
roundhouse where the night crew is
doing all It can to hurry along the fire
and the rising steam pressure of the
engine that Is to take the outfit on Its
errand of mercy.
"This 'outfit,' If It Is modern, consists
of a steam derrick car, with steam
always up, weighing in the neighborhood
of 160,000 pounds, with a lifting
capacity of sixty-five tons.
"Behind the derrick comes ths 'truck*
car. It contains extra trucks tj be
used under derailed cars or car bodies
whose trucks have been ruined. Next
comes the blocking car, loaded down
with all necessary blocking and timber.
"Then there is the track supply car,
equipped with all the necessary track
material, such as ties and rails. The
tool car is the next in order. This carries
packs of all descriptions, from a
six-Inch pony Jack to a 40-ton hydraulic.
It is loaded also with bars, chisels,
hammers, wrenches, dope buckets,
packing spoons, lines, tackles and
blocks, night and day signals, tarpaulins
for covering merchandise, and
stretchers, blankets, sheets for the injured
and the dead.
"Next is the cook and bunk car and
finally the caboose. The former has a
range, a refrigerator and a stock of
food that will keep.' It has bunks for
eighteen or twenty men., This train,
or 'outfit,' as it is called, is always
coupled together and stored on a side
track.
'The first thing that a wrecking
foreman does on being called is to get
into communication with the chief
train despatcher and find out all the
particulars possible. If it is a merchandise
wreck, empty freight cars are
taken along into which can be transferred
such freight and grain as can
be saved.
"He also finds out as near as he can
Just where the wreck lies and how
badly it Is piled. If it is a passenger
wreck, why, of course, it is a case of
get there as quickly as possible, wondering
all the time who the dead and
Inturuwl am ond what new scene of aw
fulness will be confronted.
"The wrecking outfit has the right of
way of all trains between the starting
point and the place where the wreck
occurs. Passenger, stock and freight
are all side-tracked.
"A stop is made at the station or siding
nearest the wreck. Here the steam
derrick is switched ahead of the engine,
with the rest of the outfit coupled
behind. On arriving at the wreck a
man is stationed at the front end of
the crane, whose duty It is to glreeignals
to the engineer of the derrick,
whether to raise, lower or to swing
the crane.
The first thing a wrecking foreman
does after finding out where the injured
are and getting them loose Mr
to figure on working a passageway
through the wreck and replacing the
track as the debris is cleared. If the
wreck is a bad one and mere is ue
chance a temporary track is built
around the mess that traffic may be
resumed as soon as possible.
"Cars that are damaged to the extent
of $100 are dragged into the ditch,
all the truck and air brake rigging
taken from them and the body of the
cars set aflre. All of the iron parts are
afterward loaded on to flat cars, often
even the boiler of the locomotive. This
scrap Is taken to the shop to be repaired
and used over again.
"Even freight wrecks can present a
terrible appearance. One of the worst
of these I ever saw was forty-five
loads of wheat, the products of many
a hundred acres, piled forty feet high
and extending from right of way fence
to right of way fence?a regular hill of
gold which took one solid week's work
to clear away. Carload after carload
of wheat had to be loaded by basket
into new cars?while many tons of
bent and twisted iron and heap upon
heap of ashes told a silent story of the
wreck.
"One time we went out to pick up a
stock wreck of eleven cars. These,
next to passenger wrecks, are the
worst to handle. This particular wreck
was one of great confusion. The penned
cattle were bellowing frightfully.
On each side and far over toward the
fence lay dead or Injured stock.
"Now there is nothing that makes
these western steers so angry as the
smell or blood, ana aaa 10 mai injury .
and the terrible excitement of a wreck
and you have a combination that makes
the poor animals fairly craxy. Woe to
the man who gets close to a head or
the heels of a struggling beast. The
cars were piled in such a way that we
were compelled to rip the tops off.
"Then men crawled out along the
wreckage, fastened lines about the
horns, and with the aid of the derrick
the animals were Anally dragged loose.
Those In the car that were badly injured
were killed by a blow on the
head with a sledge, while the others
were rounded up by men on horseback
and herded into the Aeld to be finally
driven to the first stock chute
and there reloaded.
"Yes, passenger wrecks are, without
a doubt, the very worst?and it can be
said of them, as of war, they are anything
but cool.
"The lessons wrecks should teach us?
"Never to take chances. Never make
men work longer than nature intended |
they should. Equip all roads with every
safety device known for safe train
handling. Make the train order as
simple as possible. Stop loading cars
beyond their capacity and until they
break down. Employ only experienced
men, and when they make mistakes
and trouble is the result?keep them;
do not 'can' them, for nine chances out
of ten they will never make the same
mistake again. We all learn by experience,
therefore the man who has
made a mistake is a safer man for all
concerned, than one who has not."
Vf it is said that school boys with
chestnut hair are likely to be more
clever than others and will generally
be found at the head of the class.
In like manner girls with fair hair
are likely to be more studious and
bright than girls with dark hair.