The daily phoenix. (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, August 17, 1865, Image 4
THC ?lr lug Child.
A brook weat dancing on its way,
From bank to valley leaning,
And by its sonny margin ??y
A lovely infant dooping; -
The mnnnurpf the pouring stream
?roko not tno spell which bound bim, *4?
Like music breathing in his dream, *
A lullaby around him.
It is a lovely spot to view,- .
Within this v.O ld of sorrow,
One spot which ut ill retains the hue
That earth from heaven may borrow;
And such was' this-a scene so fair,
Arrayed in summer brightness,
And one poor being rested there,
One seal Of radiant -whitenest*.
What happy dreams, fair child, are given,
To cast their sunshine o'er thee?
What chord unites thy soul to heaven,
Where visions pall before thee?
. For wa ottering souls of cloudless mirth,
O'er thy fair features beaming,
Say not a thought-a form of earth,
Alloys thine hour of dreaming!
Sleep, lovely babe! for time's cold touch
Shall make these visions wither;
Youth and dreams which Charm so much,
Shall fade and dy together; ,
Then sleep, wh?o sleep is pure and mild,'
Bro earthly ties grow stronger;
When thou shalt bo no more a child,
And dream of heaven no longer.
THE PATRIOTIC LEAP.
Before leaving the Vorarlberg, and
while now on its very frontier, I would
?wish to keep some record of two very
different but yet very characteristic
actione, of which this place was the
' scene. As you begin the ascent of the
Arlberg from the westward, the ro:id
makes two very abrupt; zigzags, being
carried along the e<%e bf-a deep pred?
ice. On looking down over the low
attlements that guard the side of the
"Woy, you discover, immediately under
you, the spire and roofs of a small vil?
lage several -hundred feet below. The
churchyard, the little gardens, the
narrow streets, and the open "Platz,"
where stands a fountain, are all
mapped out distinctly. This is the
village of Steuben. ? strange spot
you would deem it for any to hive
chosen as a dwelling-place, hemmed in
between lofty mountains, on whose
black sides the snow is seen in the very
mid-summer, surrounded by wild crags
ana yawning clefts, without even pas?
turage for anything save a goat; but
your surprise will increase on learning
that twice within the last century lias
this village been swept away by falling
avalanches. The first time, the snow,
meeting in its descent from the motin
tains on either side, actually.formed a |
bridge over the village; and the houses
thus saved wero long regarded as
under the special favor of the Virgin,
with whose image they were most
bounteously decorated. The next ca?
lamity, .however, destroyed the pres?
tige, for they were mingled in the
common destruction.
It would be difficult for "gentlemen
who live at holne in ease," lo fancy
any reason for this unaccountable se?
lection of residence, which adds the
highest amount of peril to all the woes
of poverty. But every traveller has
seen many such instances. In every
mountain land they are to be met with,
and in each of the Alpine passes little
groupa of houses-they can scarcely
ba called villages-can be detected in
spots where access is most difficult,
where no feature around indicates any
means of supporting Ufe, and where
the precautions-simple and effectual
enough-against avalanches, show that
danger to be among their calculations.
How explain this? By what associa?
tions have these dreary spots become
hallowed into homes? Possibly the
isolated lives of these little families of
men give them tho same distaste to
mixing with their brethren of the great
world, ihat is felt by a" solitary recluse
to entering into society. Mayhap,
too, the sense of peril itself has its
?hare in the attraction. There is no
saying how far this feeling may go, so
strange and wayward are the caprices
of human nature.
If you enter any of these' villages,
the narratives of snow storms, of fall?
ing precipices, and "lavines," as ava?
lanches are called, meet you at every
step. They are the great topics of
these communities, as the movements
of polities or tho vascillations of the
Bourse are elsewhere. Scarcely one
who has reached the middle term of
life has not been, at least once, in the
most imminent peril; and these things
are talked of as the common accidents
of existence, thc natural risks of hu?
manity! Very strange does it sound
to us who discuss so eagerly the perils
of the Buss pavement in our thorough
lares!
It is curious, too, to hear? as one
may, most authentically, the length of
time life can be preserved beneath the
snow. Individuals have been buried
so long as three entire days, and yet
taken out alive. The cold, of which
,it would be supposed they had suffered
dreadfully, seems scarcely very groat;
and thc porous nature of the snow,
and possibly the chinks and crevices
left botween falling l?aseos, have usu
! ally lett air sufficient for perspiration.
. That individuajsin such circumstances
of peril are not, ?Iways at. least, devoid
of their exercise of the faculties, I ro
meeaber one insiaape- -which is suiE
cientiy conviasing. It "was ia the Vin
Mala, about five miles from the village
I of Splugen, where, in .the year 1S29,
the mtio cabriolet'that conveyed tho
. mail was swept away by an avalanche.
The calamity was* not known for full
seven or eight hours afterwards, when
some travelers from Andeers, reaching
the spot, found the road blocked np
by snow, and perceived a portion of
the wooden rail of the road, and a
fragment of a horse harness adhering
to it, half-way down tho precipice.
The guides of the party, well accus?
tomed to reason from such sad premi?
ses, at once saw what had happened.
Conceiving, however, that the driver
had boen carried down over the cliff,
and consequently to certain death,
they directed their sole care to clear?
ing a passage for travelers. lu so
doing, they proceeded with long polos
to sound the snow, and ascertain to
what depth it lay unhardened. It was
in one of these "explorations," and
when the polo had sunk above ten feet
deep iato a mass of soft unfrozen
snow, that the man who held it found
himself unable to withdraw the staff,
and called his comrades to aid him. .
They soon perceived, however, that
the resistanco gradually yielded, and
from the instinct peculiar to the
"hand" they recognized that it must
be the grip of Luman fingers which
held the other end of the pole. They
immediately bogan to excavate on the
, spot, and tn half an hour liberated
the poor postilion of the mail cur,
who, although hearing the'shouts and
cries of the party for nearly an hour
over his head, could not succeed in
'making his own voice heard, aud but
for the fortunate accident of the pole
must have perished.
Many curious escapes were told to
me, but this appeared most singular
of all; and now I come back to Steu?
ben, or rather to the wild mountain
above it, over which, bv a succession
of windings, the roda leads which
joins the Vorarlberg to the Tyrol.
About one-third of the ascent accom?
plished, you come upon an abrupt
turning of the way, in rounding which
a wide carriage can scarcely escape
grating on the rock on oiie side, while
from tue window on the opposite, -the
traveler Jooks down upon a gorge ac?
tually yawning at his feet. Tho low
barrier of wtol, which "does not rise
i above tho nave of tli^ wheel, is a very
I frail and insignificant protection on
I such a spot, but when hid from view,
as it is to those seated in a carnage,
the effect of the gulf is really enough
to shake common nerves. A little in?
scription upon a stone in this wal]
records the name of the engineer-*
Donegani, if 1 remember aright-who,
deeming this spot the triumph of hi*
skill, has selected it whereon to in?
scribe his achievement. There ?
another meaning connected with th?
place, but unrecorded. It could not,
indeed, have been transmitted lil?
that of the engineer, for when th?
event pf which it treats occurred,
j there was neither wall nor railing, and
the road passed some twelve fed
higher up, over a ledge of rock, and
actually seemed to jut out above th?
precipice. There is, indeed, a memo
rial of the transaction to which I al
lude, but it stands about twelve hun
dred feet down in the gorge below-i
small wooden cross of rudest work
manship, with the equally rudely in
scribed words, "Der Vorspann'i
Grab."
Now for the story, which happily ii
short.
It was late on a seVere evening o
winter, as a cal?che, drawn by tw<
horses, drew up to the door of th?
post-house at Steuben; for then, a
now, Steuben was the last post statioi
before commencing the ascent of th
Arlberg. ' The travelers, two in num
ber, wore military cloaks and foragin?
caps; but what the precise rank, or t
what arm of the service tney belonged
not even the prying observations c
the host could fathom. Their order
were for fresh horses immediately t
cross the mountain, and although th
snow-drift was Ming fast, and th
hight dark as pitch, they peremp toril
insisted on proceeding. The . po^
regulations of those days were nc
very stringent and arbitrary. As
postmaster may seem now-a-days, h
was nothing to the autocrat that ont
ruled the comings and goings of lu
happy travelers.
When he averred that his horses ha
done enough-that it was a saint
day-that the weather wa? too bad <
his postilions too weary, the case w.
hopeless, and the traveler was coi
signed, without appeal, to the cons?
lations of his own philosophy.
It chanced that on this occasion tl
whole disposable cavalry of the po
consisted of two blind marep, whic
- were both too old and weak to temj
the cravings of the commissary, who,
a few days before had seized on all thc
draught cattle to convey stores to
Foldfciroh, dfc that time menaced by a
French force unhor Massena.
The officers, however^ were" urgent
in their demand; it was of the last
importance that they shotdd reach In
spruck by the following evening. At
last, half by menace, half by enirt'aty,
it was arranged that the two old marci
sitould be harnessed to the carriage,
the host remonstrating all the while
on the inability of tho expedient, and
avering that, without a Vorspann, e
relay of horses, to l?od at the steepest
parts* of the mountain, the attempt
would be fruitless. ' 'Nay, " added he,
"if you doubt me,.ask the boy who it
sleeping yonder, and has been driving
the Vorspann for years over the Arl
berg." The travelers turned and be
held on a heap of straw, in the cornel
of the kitchen, a poor little boy.
?whose rayged uniform of postilioi
had evidently reached him at third OJ
fourth hand, so large and loosely du
it hang around his slender figure. H<
was sleeping soundly, as well he might
for he had twice crossed the moontah
to St. Christoph on that same day.
"And this book," said one of th?
travelers, taking a very tattered ant
well-thumbed vol tune which had drop
ped from the sleeper's fingers, "ha
thia poor little fellow time to read?"
"He contrives to do it somehow,'
said the host, laughing; "hay, more
as you see there, he had beg ctn t<
teach himself Frenclu Since he hean
that the French army was about t<
invade us, he has never ceased hi
studies, sitting up half the night work
ing at that old grammar there, fo
?which he gave all his month's earn
inga."
' 'And what may be his reason fo
thia?" said the elder traveler, evident
ly interested in the recital.
' 'He has got the notion that if th
French succeed in forcing the pass c
Feldkirch and enter the Tyrol, that
ns he will be constantly engaged n
Vorspann on the mountain, his know
ledge of French would enable him t.
discover many secrets of the enemy
as no one would ever suspect a pou
creature like him of having learned
foreign language."
"And his motive was then purely
patriotic one?"
"Purely. He is poor, ns you sci
and an orphan; but Iiis Tyrol Moo
runs wann and thick in his veins."
"And what, progress baa he made:
"That I cannot answer* you, mei
Herr; for no ojpe hereabouts knov
anything of French-nor, I supposi
had he ever the opportunity of testin
the acquirement himself. They ai
driv.c?H3aejt^I am told."
"For the present. * said the eldi
stranger, gravely, "hut wo shall ncc
all the reserves ut Insprnck to ho!
our ground whenever . they renew tl
attack. "
The sleeper was now aroused to tal
the saddle; for, in thc absence of tl
regular postilion, the Vorsponn w?
obliged to take his place.,
Still but half awake, tho little felic
stood up, and mechanically buttonii
his worn jacket, ha took down li
.whip and prepared ft? the road. Tl
travelers were soon ready, and e
many minutes elapsed, the calache hi
left the village, and, with the best pa
the old mares could accomplish, w
breasting the snow-drift and tho fii
rise of the mountain. After about i
hour's driving", during which Jose]
had exhibited'his utmost skill in ta
ing advantage of every available bit
trotting ground, they came at len g
to the commencement of the ste
ascent; and there, hanging 'his wh
on the isaddle-peak, tho little fell<
got down, to relieve his cattle as th
toiled up the precipitous ascent. 1
had not gone far, when, happening
drop behind beside 4^he cal?che,- wi
did he hear but the sounds of. tl
very language upon which all his d
and night dreams were set! All tl
he had remarked of the two travel
?was, that they wore cloak? of milite
cut and' foraging caps, and now
heard them conversing in Fren<
The whole train of events on wh:
his mind so long had been dwelli
came now forcibly before him. ' 'Fe
kireh has been forced; the Frer
were already masters of the pass; i
few days, they would be over the A
berg and in possession of all Tyre
Such was the terrible series of eve
a few words of French revealed to
excited imagination. With this c
viction, he drew nearer and nearer
door, till he could hear tho very wo
they spoke. Now, the truth was, t
the travelers, by way of amusing th
selves with the poor boy's cocen
devotion, had no sooner seen 1
within ear-shot of the ftarri
than tliey began speaking French
gether. And when they percei
that they had gained lus attention,
younger ono, in a tone, of assm
warmth, exclaimed, "If we do
reach Inspruck in time, tho wfcol?
country is our own."
Then, suddsnly changing to Gor-i
man, he cried out:
"Holloa, Vorspann, wo are pressed
for time. Spring into the saddle, my
lad, and use your spurs well, and ye
shall have a Bnerisch ducat for your
s?ge." .
. As if obedient to the command,
Joseph mounted at once; and steep as
the road was, by dint of spurs, whip
and voice, he struck out into a half
shuffling canter, the very utmost speed
his beasts could accomplish. "With
many a shock and bound, the calache
sprang from side to side of the narrow
road, while the same who last spoke
cried out:
"So much for patriotism! The pro?
mise of a ducat would open the Tyrol
from Bregenz to Trent."
" The words were not well-uttered
when a loud cry rent the air? the
horses sprang abruptly to one side,
and the calac/tc, with a tremendous
jerk, upset; and had not the wheel
become entangled in a stunted oak
tree, must have fallen over the cliff,
where, for a second or two, the horses
hung as if suspended, and then, as the
strained tackle gave way, fell with a
thundering crash into the dark abyss
lUtthe last cry of the boy being the
war-cry of his Vaterland, "Frei isl
H$toU"
,3uch was the. devotion of thiS poor
child-he was scarcely more;-that he
dashed the blind horses Over. the
steeliest precipice of the Arlberg,
ready to meet death in its most terri?
ble form, if he could involve in his
fate his country's enemies. His
mangled body was found the following
day beside the stream in the glen.
The travelers escaped with slight in?
jury, tcbrood over their own phhappy
trifling with a peasant's faith and a
Tyroler's devotion.
SOIREES AND INSTRUCTION.
YOUNG Ladles and Gentlemen in
?Columbia arc respectfully informed
that Mr. P. T. STUAYf IN*JKT wall give
DANCING SOIREES, at thc old College
O?upeL, on evcrv TUESDAY, THURSDAY
and SATURBA? EVENING, with correct
instruction of all the dances.
The first Soiree will commence on the 22d
of August, at 8 o'clock p. m., with a band ot
music, of thia city, ?ml r-? freshmen ts at Mr.
McKenzie'?) price.-,. Admission, mic dollar
?ach. _ _Aug 15 j5
AlBln??? SUPPLIED !
NEWS FROM ALL QUARTERS!
PUBLISHED
At tho Capital of Soy th Carolina,
O O Xi TX M XS X JBL.
V.;:A
1865. ^..il?f iso*.
? e iSSSBT'
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all the roading matter of interest eontainod
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1 JU Ul AX A. SELBY,
Jaly31 Publisher and Propriotor.
E-> tfec Provisional Ooreraor of tu*
SCate of South Carolina.
K PROCLAMATION !
WHEREAS Eis Excellency President
Johnson has issued his pioilama-*
tien, appointing me (Renjoaain E. Perry)
Provisional Governor in amt Tor the 8?ate of
South Carolina, with power to prescribo,
such rula* and regulations as may bc neces?
sary and proper for convening a convention
of the State, composed of delegates to be
chosen by that portion of the people of said
State who are loyal to the Pm ted States,
for the purpose ot ukuring or amending the
Constitution thereof; and with authority to
oxercise within the limits of the State all
the powers necessary and proper to enable
such loyal people to restore ?aid State ta its
constitutional relations to the Federal Gov?
ernment, and to pr?tent snch a Republican
form of State Government as will entitl* the
State te the guarantee of tho Rutted States
therefor, anet its people to protection by tb?*
United State! against, invasion, insurrection
and domestic violence.
Hov.-, thorefore, in obedience to tbfe pro?
clamation of his Excellency Andrew John?
son, .President of the United Ctates, I,
BENJAMIN F. PERRY, Provisional Coter
uor of the State of South Carolina, for Ure
purpose of organizing a Provisional Gov?
vrniat?nt in South Carolina, reforming the
State Constitution sud restoring civil au?
thority iu said State under the Constitution
and laws of the United States, do hereby
proclaim and declare that all civ? officers in
South Carolina, who .were in office when the
Civu Government of the State was suspend?
ed, in May last, (except those arrested or
under prosecution for treason,) shall, on
taking the oath of allegiance prescribed in
tho Prcsidont's Amnesty Proclamation of
the 29th day of May, 1865, resume tho -
duties of their offices Mid continue to dis?
charge them unaer the Provisional Govern-*
ment till further appointments aro tua de.
And I do farther produira, declare and
make known, that it is tho duty of all loyal
citizens of the - State of S ruth Carolina' to
promptly go forward and toko the outb of
allegiance ko the United States, before nunc
magistrate or military officer of the Federal
Government, who may bi? qualified for ad?
ministering oaths; and such -are hereby
authorized to give certified copies thereof
to the persons respectively by whom they
were mude. And such magistrates Cr
oftiuers aro hereby required to transmit tb*
original* of such oaths, at as early a day UM
may be convenient, to the Department of
State, iu the oity of Washingtou, V. C.
And I do further proclaim, declare and
mako know*, that the-Managers uf Elee
tions't hronghoiu the State of South Caroli?
na wiU hold au election for members of a
State Convention, tit their respective pre?
cincts, on the FIRST MONDAY IX S?P
TEMRER NEXT, according to the laws of
South Carolina in force before the sect-sttien
of the State; and that each Election hin-.
trict in the State shall elect as many mem?
bers of the Convention as the said District
bas members of thc House of Representa
tires-thc basis of represen talion being
population and taxation. This will give
one hundred and twenty-four members to
the Convention-a number sufficiently large
to represent every portion of" the State most
fully.
i Every loyal citizen who ha3 taken the
Amnesty oath and not within the excepted
classes in the President's Proclamation,
willnbe entitled . to vote, provided he wns a
legal veter under the Constitution as :t
stood prior to tho secession of South Caro?
lina. And ah who aro within til? excepted
classes must take the oath und apply tar a
pardon, in order to entitle them to vote or
become meinbers of t ht; Convention.
The members ol' the Convention thus
elected on the first Monday in September
next, are hereby required to" eon vein- in the
city of Columbia, ou WEDNEEDAV, tho lbth
day of September, 1865, ior the purpose of
altering and amending the present Consti?
tution of Soutn Carolina, or remodelling
and making a new one, which will coliform
to tho great changos which have taken
place in the State, aud be more in accord?
ance with Republican principles and equali?
ty of represejitatioji?
. And I do further proclaim and make
known, that the Constitution and all laws of
force in ??outh Carolina prior to tho seces?
sion of the State, are hereby made of force
under the Provisional Government, except
wherein they may conflict with thc provi?
sions of this proclamation. And thc Judges
and Chancellors of tho State aro hereby
required to exercise all the powers and per?
form all the duties which appertain to their
respective offices, and especially in criminal
canes. U wiU be expected ot the Federal
military Authorities now in South Carolina,
to lend"^fieir authority to the civil officers
of th? Provisional Government, for the pur?
pose of enforcing the Jaws and preserving
the peace and good order of the State.
And I do further command and enjoin all
good and lawful citizens of the State to
unite in enforcing the laws and bringing to
justice all disorderly persons, aU plunder
era, robbers and marauders, all vagrants
and idle persone who are wandering about
without employment or any -visible means
of supporting themselves.
It is also expected that all former owners
of freed persons wiU be kind to them, and
not turn off the children or aged to perish;
and the freedmen and women aro earnestly
enjoined to make contracts, just and fair,
for remaining with their former owner.
In order to facilitate as much as possible
thc application for pardons under the ex?
cepted sections of the President's Am net. ty
Proclamation, it is ?tated for information
that aU applications must be by petition,
stating the exception, and accompanied
with the oath prescribed. This petition
must be first approved by the Provisional
.Governor, and then forwarded fo the Presi?
dent. Thc headquarters of the Provisional
Governor will be at GrocnviUe, where all
compmnications to him must be addressed.
The newspapers of this State will pnUlich
this proclamation till the election for mem?
bers of the Convention.
In testimony whereof, I have hereon to set
my hand and seal. Done at the
[L. a] town Greenville, this 20th day of
July, in the year of onr Lord, K65,
and of the independence of tho
United States the ninetieth.
B. F. PERRY.
By the Provisional Governor:
WILLIAM H. PUBS*, Private ?cirttary.
Joly 26