The Manning times. (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, October 06, 1886, Image 1
VOL. II. MANNING, CLARENDON COUNTY, S. C., WEDNESDAY. OCTOBER 6. 1886. NO.43.
THE FAMOUS DEATH VALLEY.
THREE ADVENTUROUS MEN FIND THE
LONG LOSr IlMNES.
Their WagonA Shriveled ani Their Water Bar
rels Burnt-Almost Pert-hing Before the
Mountalns Were Reached.
Los ANGELS, Cal., September 2.
There are now in this city three men who
have recently crossed and recrossed the
famous Death Valley of Southern Cali
fornia, and who have succeeded in solv
ing a mine of mystery which has baffled
the most daring and skillfal prospectors
for many years. The Gunsight placers
were located in '49, but afterward lost,
and though repeated attenpts have becn
made to find them, most of the men en
gaged in the effort have perished.
About six weeks ago when A. F. Jud
son, A. D. Spring and Barney Carter an
noanced that they were going after the
Gunsight trail, their friends tried to
disuade them. and chance acquaintances
laughingly bade them good-by forever.
No one ever expected to see them agane
and when they set out confidently on
their mission they were given up as dead
men might have been. So many such
expeditions had left this and other towns
only to meet death in its most horrible
form that this one was regarded as es
pecially fool-hardy.
About a week ago the three men re
turned. They came in by rail, ragged,
emaciate and feeble, and one of tem,
Carter, sick abed. But all were enthu- I
siastic over their achievements, and each t
had in his pockets nuggets to prove his1
assertion that the Gunsight mine had]
been found. The story of their trip E
would be incredible were they not here I
as living witnesses to its truth, their 0
bodies bearing all too plainly the proofs I
of the sufferings which they have under- t
gone. t
Knowing that the discoverers of the "
Gunsight mines crossed the Death Val- c
ley, these adventurers sought, if possi- i
ble, to make the same trail. Once
through the Mojave desert, they soon I
came to the dazzling white sandy plain I
where no life can exist. Almost at the I
first step they were prostrated by the
fierce heat from above and below. Their E
feet swelled so that they were compelled N
to rip open their shoes, and the goggles
'which they had prepared were but feeble s
protection for their eyes.
The men had two wagons, each drawn t
by two horses, and in these vehicles they t
carried water in barrels and other sup- s
pies. After an hour or two of the most
painful locomotion, the heat hcoming
more intolerable at every step, the party
paused a few minutes for rest and re
freshment. The poor beasts fairly c
groaned in their agony, and the men
themselves did not dare look at each s
other lest they would read in each other's
eyes the d ' which all knew was set- a
Zn upontem. On every hand they f
beheld the whitened skeletons of men, of I
horsed and of burros. In some places r
they found the remains of what appered
to have been an expedition-ruined E
vehicles, with the skeletons of horses
and men lying about. Vultures swooped
down upon them with angry cries, and
other birds of prey circled high above a
their heads, following them as they
C
Pr enght came they followed the
north star, one man trying to sleep while t
the others drove. At daybreak there'
was nothing to relieve the eye. All I
around them was the gleaming sand;
overhead the brassy sky, and far away
the rocky sides of mountains on which 3
no vegetable life was ever found.C
Wearily they pressed on, confident that I
the worst was over, but when almost ina
sight of the east range of the Amargosas, 1
to which they were bound, the blasting
heat played them amerciless prank.
The scorching which the men and
beasts were enduring with reasonable1
fortitude were too much for the water t
barrels and their wagons. The wood of
which they were made shrank and
shrivelled until they fell to pieces, first
the wagons and then the barrels. All 1
attempts to keep them together were 2
useless. With the water gone the party
was well nigh in despair, but when the.
wagons, too, fell to pieces there was a
mnute when all recognized the proba
bility that another expedtion was to be
added to the long listof those which had
gone into that abode of death never to
be heard of again. When things ap
peared at their worst, Carter spied some
thn in the white sand a few rods away,
and, hurrying toward it, found the
pieces of a wagon which had belonged
to a '49er whose skeleton lay close at
hand. Wood never decays in that at
mosphere, and of the three wrecked
waesons the men were able to gear up
one vehicl that would convey their re
maining supplies and their tools.
This delay came very near being fatal
to allconcerned. One horse died in the
harness, and Carter was prostrated so
completely that for a time his life was*
* despaired of. Toiling painfully along,
now without water and with no hope of
ayuntil they could clear the desolate
vleJudson and Spring were at
leghcompelled in their agony to dig
deep into the sand in the hope of find
ing- moisture with which to quench their
intolerable thirst. At a depth of a few
feet they came upon water, but it was
seThey drank of it, but it only
served a increase their sufiering, and
when they gave some of it to their horses
the beasts refused to swallow it. With
a firm determination to press on to the
utmost limit of their strength, the m-en
continued their journey, and, at leubh,
more dead than alive, they emerged from
the valley and began the ascent of the
mountains.
Here they found some bunch grass on
which their horses feasted, and a spring
of water, copious draughts of which soon
revived the entire party. Tarrying at
this spring for a day or two for the pur
pose of recuperating, the men finally
pushed on, prospecting the country
closely as they went. For a week no
trace of gold or the previous presence of
man was found, but on the eighth
day, as they were digging for water, they
came upon gravel abounding mn coarse
gold in nuggets worth from $1 to So a
piece. This, then, was in the vicinty
of the far-famed Gunsight placers, and
another day's investigation brought them
upon the very ground where nearly
years ago the mines had been staked
out. Procuring many fine specimens,
na~ men retuned by a roundabout way,
and on arriving here made known their
discovery. The dilapidated appearance
of the adventurers and the magnificent
specimens which they had with them
brought plenty of friends to their side,
and already preparations are in progress
for an expedition which is to have for its
object the opening of the mines.
This caravan will be supplied with
wagons with steel wheels, and it will
earry water in barrels made of sheet
iron. The experience of the party has
eonvinced them that wooden vehicles
and reservoirs are useless in the parching
atrosphere of Death Valley, and they
will run no further risks with them. It is
expected that a start will be made in
about two weeks, the company this time
being larger and going prepared for a
inter campaign.
WHAT THE KUiKLEX DID.
. - . t
Wxaor SPRINGs, N. C., September 22.- t
itting on the broad piazza of the hotel <
iere, away from the promenaders, I lis- E
;enea last night to a passionate, earnest 1
ustification of kukluxism in Louisiana I
md other Southern States. The story f
)f wrong and outrages, the violation, t
:uthless and rough, of all that men hold I
nost dear and sacred, as it came pouring '
n burning words from the lips of one of t
New Orleans' most eloquent divines, was
n striking contrast to the perfect peace t
hat wrapped the valley in deep silence. s
['he moon was shining with a brilliancy c
;een only in Southern climes, and the v
learly defined mountains were patched r
with alternate light and shadow as the t
louds drifted by. The conversation had a
Lrifted on Southern topics, and as the e
)reacher, whose faith is a firm belief in i
he fatherhood of God and the brother- t
iood of man, warmed with his subject i1
is physical ills for the time were for- r
otten, and the mentality that has stirred 0
nany a congregation with its fire burned Y
nd glowed like molten iron. "Was c
:ukluxism justifiable?" he said, in answer o
o a question. "Yes, sir, and if the doc- v
rine that "the end justifies the means' d
ras ever correct, it w -s during the reign t
f terrorism in the Southern States when t4
:ukluxism was rampant. Remember, g
ir, that at the close of the war and dur- c
ng the Reconstruction period the white m
non in the South were disarmed, and it tl
mas penal offense for them to have fire- t
rms in their homes. The negroes, how- 'I
ver, were armed; our streets and high- t]
rays were patrolled by negr , soldiery, 0
rho were but a set of barbarians and p
avages, worse than are the savages to- f
lay in the interior of Africa. It got so a
at a white woman dare not cross the e;
hreshold of her house lest she be as- c
aulted by one of these brutes, while h
white meu had to abandon the roads to g
e negroes and make their across the N
eld as best they might. To appeal to t]
he law was useless, for the judges were g
arpet-baggers and sustained the negroes. e
"It was this state of affairs, when we d
w our civilization, and all the rights e:
nd privileges of society being swept N
way, and our dear ones exposed to a 61
ate worse than death, that gave birth to g
:ukluxism. Self-preservation is a fun- n
aental law, and recognizing that naught o
>ut heroic measures would quell the h
,ro'ing evil, the white men quietly or- p
,anized, and in armed bodies began the
edress of the wrongs from which they a
rere suffering. Do not imagine that the n
:uklux were recuited from the criminal o
lasses. Such I know is the prevalent a
iorthern idea, but it is absolutely false.
['he members of the K. K. K. were gen- v
lemen of fine education, struggling %
aanfully to retain and sustain their man- t1
tood, and give to their children as a n
teritage of the war a higher civilization tJ
han perhaps they themselves had en- h
oyed. In many instances that was the' c
ity legacy they had to give, for all else lb
ad been swept away in the storm of: r,
hot and shell that lhad for four years'a
een sweeping over the land."
"How did the bands work?" ii
"Negroes, like sheep, require a lead- o
ar, and the bands quietly noted the a
eaders and where they lived. At nights t]
hey visited their cabins, and called thek
nen out. The most brutal were either'a
ot or hung; others thoroughly whipped p
and ordered to leave the country. In Iv
his way a reign of terror was created tl
hmong the negroes, and the white men t
ained control. Why, sir, even the I
?ederal troops that were sent down tob
;upress kukluxism refused in many in-If
;tances to interfere, and in some cases a
ctually aided. They knew that it was v
iot a condition of crime and anarchy,
)ut a necessity born of negro insolence I
mnd intolerance."
"What about the Ford-Murphy mur- a
ler in New Orleans?" '
"New Orleans is and has been since v
lie days of Warmouth cursed by ringf2
ule. The spectacle of a jug adjourn
ng his court and deliberteygoing out v~
cad shooting a man to at as one
would a wild beast was simply disgrace- I
ul, and is ablot onthefair fame of the;r
2ueen City that will not soon be effaced.
he ring did all in its power to save thell
nurderers, and perhaps would have sue
eeded had it not been for the efforts of s
~he Rev. R. A. Holland, of Trinity g
Dhurch. He not only published letter e
dter letter in the Picayune, demanding a
heir punishment, but also publicly and 3
[rom his pulpit demanded their execu
ion. His life was frequently threatened i
by members of the ring, but he perse-s
rered and won. Had those men been t
pardoned they would have been lynched 'j
within twenty-four hours. So determined c
were the members of Trinity parish, the ,
wealthiest in New Orleans, to rid the t
sity of the scourge, that 100 of themc
>rganzed secretly for the purpose of a,
ynching the murderers. Among the a
aembers of this band were numbered c
some of the most respected citizens of t
New Orleans, and their counsel was their i
pastor. In many respects the R~ev. R- s
A. Holland is a remarkable man. He is ]
a entuckian by birth, and although of t
small physique, is all pluck, and does
not hesitate to raise his voice in denun
ciation of wrong-doing and in favor of a
higher civilization. From his pulpit he
fught the fraud in the exposition man
agement, and alonie was the means of
stopping the bull fighting on the exposi
tion grounds- You may know how de
voted he is to principle when I tell you
the men he fought in the exposition
were among the wealthiest members of2
his church. He is strongly intellectual,
nd has most pronounced views, which1
he never hesitates to express.
-A cooper in Exeter, Canada, built a1
lrge tank in the shop and then had to
tear down the whole front of the shop1
efore he could get it out.
MR. CLEVELAND*S NEW HOUSE.
rheVilla on Tenvallvtown Road Is Nwt Vet
Ready for Occupancy-What May be Seen
There Now.
(Wrshirgton L-tter to Pittsburg Disp~t. h.)
I went out to the President's cottage
>n the Teinallytown road this afternoon
o learn the exact condition of the novel
esidence of the chief executive of the
nited States and his bride. It is novel
>ecause no President has yet purchased
house and taken up a residence at his
own individual expense outside of the
,xecutive Mansion, where expenses are
>aid out of the public purse. President
,rant and President Hav(s lived for
reeks and months in summer at the
oldier's Home, but they lived at the
xpense of the soldiers of the regular
amy, out of whose pay is deducted
welve cents a month each for the main
enance of the house. The meat they
onsumed was furnished by the private
oldiers, the milk they drank, the new
%id eggs they ate, the garden truck that
rhett the royal appetites, the very
owers that were placed at the plates of
Le distinguished guests were produced
,y the aged and decrepit soldiers, or
-ere paid for from the slender purses of
[le enlisted men of the army.
It was left for a Democratic President
D purchase a private residence in the
aburbs of the national capital out of his
wn purse, where he might live with his
ife as any other American gentleman,
iight, at his own expense and pay for
ae roof that shelters his private guests
ad for the food and diink wherewith he
atertains them. The residence and its
nprovements will cost Mr. Cleveland in
ie neghborhood of $50,000, and to keep
i up with the expenses incidental to the
osition of its owner not less than $10,
00 and probably $15,000 to $20,000 a
ear. President Hayes went out of
flee with $100,000 or more, or a saving
i half his salary. President Cleveland
ill not save any money out of his Presi
ential salary. He evidently believes
iat salary was given by the government
enable the President to live like a
entleman and pay his bills, and the
>st of entertaining such guests as are
,orthy of the honor. His purchase on
ie heights above Georgetown includes
renty-two and one-half acres of land.
here was an old square stone house of
ie cold, old-fashioned type on this plot
f ground. It lies or lay back from the
ike about five hundred yards, a strip of
rest trees along the road hiding all but
glimpse of the manion from the vulgar
Fe. To the southeast lies the capital
t, the great white dome of the legis
tEve halls arising above the horizon of
reen, and the sharp outlines of the
ashingtonMonumentappearingagainst
iv blue sky. Only a slight dip of the
reat city is exposed between a bird's
Fe view down the wooded gorge. To
kv, under the fierce heat of the sun of
cpiring summer, the white dome is
hiter, the monument outlines are
arper, and the green is a greener
reen. The old stone house has been
tetamorphosed into an artistic residence
the colonial style, the very grounds
ve changed, the roads and drives ap
ear where none were before; nothing
6e the prospect remains, and that no
t can beautify and no money can make
bore lovely and picturesque. A myriad
E workmen are busily engaged on house
id grounds.
Under the trees near the entrance is a
tcant chair, and, in the absence of the
atchmen, your correspondent drives up
ie winding roadway unchecked. A
tan in brass buttons rushes hastily down
le hill from the house, waving his
ands frantically, but it is too late, the
>rrespondents are up on the other side
fore they can be intercepted. The man
sches us and says we must go out, we
e not permitted there. We tell him
e are there anyhow, and hope we don't
trude. He says it is against strict
eders from t'ie White House to come
ithin the grounds. We innocently say
iat we are. only two newspaper men;
>oking for an item. This sets the mans
ild. Newspaper men are especially
rohibited. We ask to be allowed to
alk around and look at the outside of
ie house. The guardian of the place
irns fairly white at the idea. Couldn't
e look at the cityr-surely we couldn't
urt the city, what we would see of it
~om this hill, by looking at it without
pass. But the man is inexorable. Then
-e ask him how he is getting along.
What you see in the newspapers is
onsense," says he. "The house isn't
ear completion. See the workmen out
Lde?" We saw the workman outside.
hey were swarming on the nfn?.med
erandas, and spread out among the half
nished drives about the grounds.
"There are as many' as can be ad
antageously employed, continued the
aperinteudent. "inside they have just
egun to lath. The house will not be
sady for occupancy before the 1st of
Eovember, though the President has
een pushing us all summer."
And things in sight bore out this
~atement. A dozen laborers were
rading the new drive up to the porte
ochere; out in the rolling field another
riveway was being built, leading to
oodley lane, a lovely road that leads
t right angles from the turnpike down
to the Rock Creek gorge, while the
ound of the hammer inside and out of
de mansion woke the echoes of the hills.
here was another gang of men with
rts pecking away at a gravelly knoll
rhich lies by nature a little higher than
Lie foundation of the house, and in
iret line of vision between the veranda
nd the dome of the Capitol, four miles
way. Part of this hill has already been
arted away, the gravel being deposited
a build the roadways. Along Woodley
me on the south another gang of men
re at work on a high barbed wire fence.
t is six feet high at least, and appears
r>be especially designed to keep news
aper men out. No pair of journalistic
.antaloons can ever stand that climb.
We took a hasty glimpse of all these
igns of preparation and turned our dog
art toward the road again. From Wood
ey lane a finer view of the mansion is
btained. The irregular high pitched
urving roof of red tiles is the main
.rtistic feature of the new house, though
t is the broad verandas over which this
oof extends which give the air of comn
ort to the place. The workmen look at
is suspiciously as we pass, but go on
-ith the hammering and digging and
-ading and leveling, at which we leave
hem to dip into the gorge. On every
ide are great yellow and white signs in
>ig black letters announcing "Villa
a+es." rThe names of real state men
crown every elevation and line every
picturesque vale, and the seductive title.
are enough to make the mouth water.
Every bare knoll covered with weed.
and bowlders, every clump of scrub oalh
lined with golden rod and every rock
ribbed run has been gobbled up and i
on sale by speculators.
TilE LABOR PLATFORM.
Platform Adoptod by the Worktingmen of Newy
York-Mr. Ieuy Geor;e the Nom!nee for
Mayor.
(From th atIme Sur.)
It has already been announced in the
Sun that the labor campaign in New
York city was opened Thursday evening
by the adoption of a platform and the
nomination of Mr. Henry George for
mayor. Over 400 delegates were present,
representing, it is claimed, 6,000 organ
ized men. The following is the platform,
which was adopted with great unanimi
ty.
THE PtATFORM.
The delegates of the trade and labor
organizations of the city of New York,
in conference assembled, make this
declaration:
Holding that the corruptions of this
government and the impoverishment of
labor result irom neglect of the self
evident truths proclaimed by the found
ers of this republic, that aU men are
created equal and are endowed by their
Creator with inalienable rights, we aim
at the abolition of the system which
compels men to pay their fellow crea
tures for the use of God's gifts to all,
and permits monopolizers to deprive
labor of natural opportunities for em
ployment, thus filling the land with
tramps and paupers and bringing about
an unnatural competition, which tends
to reduce wages to starvation rates and
to make the wealth producer the indus
trial slave of those who, grow rich by his
toil.
Holding, moreover, that the advan
tages arising from social growth and im
provement belong to society at large, we
aim at the abolition of the system which
makes such beneficent inventions as rail
road and telegraph a means for the op
pression of the people and the aggran
iz'ement of an aristocracy of wealth and
power. We declare the true purposes of
government to be the maintenance of
tlat sacred right of property which gives
to every one opportunity to employ his
Labor and security that he shall enjoy its
ruits; to prevent the strong from op
pressing the weak and the unscrupulous
rom robbing the honest, and to do, for
the equal benefit of all, such things as
an be better done by organized society
han by individuals; and we aim at the
bolitiIn of all laws which give to any
:lass of citizens advantages, either judi
:ial, financial, industrial or political, that
ire not equally shared by all other citi
rens.
We further declare that the people of
New York city should have full control
>f their own local affairs; that the prac
ice of drawing grand jurors from one
31ass should cease, and the requirement
)f a property qualification for trial jurors
hould be abolished; that the procedure
A our courts should be so simplified and
eformed that the rich shall have no ad
antage over the poor; that the officious
ntermeddling of the police with peace
'ul assemblages should be stopped; that
he law for the safety and sanitary in
pection of buildings should be enfJrced;
hat in public work the direct employ
nent of labor should be preferred to the
iystem which gives contractors an op
?ortunty to defraud the city while
rinding their workmen, and that in
aublic employment equal pay should be
iccorded for equal work without dis
inction of sex.
We declare the crowding of so many
>f our people into narrow tenements at
mnormous rents, while half the area of
:he city is yet unbuilt upon, to be a.
scandalous evil, and that to remedy this
state of things all taxes on buildings and
iaprovements should be abolished, so
that no fine shall be put upon the em
ployment of labor in increasing living
iccomnmodations, and that taxes should
oe levied on hands irrespective of im
provements, so those who are now hold
ng land vacant shall be compelled either
to build on it themselves or to give up
the land to those who will.
We declare furthermore that the enor
mous value which the presence of a mil
tion and a half of people gives to the
and of this city belongs properly to the
whole community; that it should not go
to the enrichment of individuals and
:orporations, but should be taken in
taxation and applied to the improvement
and beautifying of the city; to the pro
motion of the health, comfort, education
and recreation of its people, and to the
providing of means of transit commnen
mrate with the needs of a great metropo
lis. We also declare that existing means
of transit should not be left in the hands
of corporations which, while gaining
enormous profits from the growth of
population, oppress their employees and
provoke strikes and interrupt travel and
imperil the public peace, but should, by
awful process, be assumed by the city
and operated for public benefit.
To clear the way for such reforms as
are impossible without it, we favor a
constitutional convention; and since the
ballot is the only method by which in
our republic the redress of political and
social grievances is to be sought, we es
pecially call for such changes in our
elective methods as shall lessen the need
of money in elections, discourage bribery
and prevent intimidations.
And since in the coming most import
ant municipal election, independent po
litical action afiords the only hope of
exposing and breaking up the extortion
and speculation by which a standing
army of professional politicians corrupt
the people whom they plunder, we call
upon all citizens who desire honest gov
ernment to join us in an effort to secure
it, and to show for once that the will of
the people may prevail even against the
money and organization of banded
spoilsmen.
-A cucumber has been raised in Iowa
which measures four feet in length.
-A young man at Neche, 1). T., near
the Manitoba line, wauted to marry a~
girl at Gretna, on the other side. Her
parents forbade her leaving town, so she
stood on the Manitoba side and he inl
the United States, and the minister
stood with one foot in the Queen's realm
and the other in Uncle Sam's, and the
two were married. The legality of the
performane now troubls them.
OLD TIME DUEL.
A Believer In the Code lia sonetlin to Sa
on the Duello am It Wan.
(From the Ne; York Star.)
"Is dueling still popular among gen
tlemen?" was asked by a Star reporte
the other day of a military man who ha
been prominent in several "affairs."
"No, times have changed marvelously
During Jackson's second term the Dem
ocrats, flushed with victory at the Presi
dential election, were rather arrogant
Many dashing and gallant young me
had been elected from the Western an
Southern States, and conscious of thei:
great numerical superiority were some
what disposed to carry matters with i
high hand. Dueling in those days w
much in vogue. and personal discussion
in the House were frequently brought t<
an abrupt termination by an intimatioi
that injurious imputations would be re
sented elsewhere. John 31. Patton oni
Henry M. Wise, of Virginia, Bailie Pay
ton, of Tennessee, Gallatin Hawes, o:
Kentucky, Jesse Bynum, of North Caro
lina, and many other Southerners were
known to be prompt with the pistol, ani
it was understood that a call to the fiel
would follow any damaging personal at
tack upon distinguished members of th
ruling party. The rude demeanor an(
offensive vituperation by which Congres
has been disgraced for some years pas
would have been promptly punishec
forty years ago. Now it excites com
paratively little public attention and if
only met in Congress by a retort ii
kind."1
"How do you account for the decline
of the dueling mania?"
"The decline dates from thel time it
was made ancillary to gambling and
swindling, or to the settlement of dis
putes between vugar scoundrels. Since
then it has gone out of fashion rapidly.
The gross abuse of dueling has done
more to remedy its own mischief than
moral appeals and legal enactments."
"What do the Irish think of dueling?'
"Gratton's dying advice to his sons
was: 'Always be ready with your pistols.
The Irish are often much too ready.
There is a trait in the Irish charactex
which is considered by many to be
nationally chivalrous, and that is a gen
eral dislike to seek in courts of law a
monetary compensation for honor out
raged through woman's folly. In this
country reparation for loss of service is
considered a thing as correctly reclaima
ble as loss of profit on a broken contract
for a cargo of wheat or cotton, while
among Irishmen, in nine cases out of
ten, the man who works upon the weak
ness of a wife, or trifles with the affec
tions of a sister, is not subjected to an
assessment for damages by a jury, but
summoned to give personal satisfaction.'
Men disinclined to make targets of
themselves in obedience to a convention
al code of honor have often got out of
the difficulty by availing themselves of
the right accorded to the challenged to
choose the weapons. An old whaling
captain not long since declared he would
fight with harpoons or not at all, an al
ternative declined by his adversary. A
Missourian daunted his antagonist by
insisting upon a combat with rawhides,
limited to half an hour's duration.
General Putnam was once challenged by
a young officer and proposed that each
should sit upon a powder-keg, with a
lighted fuse in the bung. As he would
hear of no other terms, the General had
his way. At the appointed time the
belligerents took their seats, tha fuses
were ignited, and. the veteran watched
the progress of the flame with unmoved
countenance. Not so his opponent. He
took intense interest in the fast-lessening
match, and when the flame got sugges
tively near the bung hole showed his
possession of the better part of valor by
jumping off the keg and making for the
open field till arrested by Putnam roar
ing out: "Hold on, my boy; it's only
onion seed."
Two Western editors of opposing
newspapers once made fools of them
selves. It came about though the editor
of one of the papers declaring in a leader
that the editor of the other paper was a
bigamist, and that gentleman resenting
the calumny by pulling the libeler's
nose in the public street. The Mayor of
the town kindly undertook to arrange
for the difficulty being settled in a prop
er way, and the two editors were soon
ensconced, rifle in hand, behind the
trees in a wood. For two mortal hours
they dodged and peeped, neither caring
to fire, lest by missing lie should leave
himself at his enemy's mercy. Then
the rain came down, and one of the
combatants discovered that it had satu
rated his powder.
"Is your powder wet?" shouted he to
his rival.
"No," answered the other.
"Minie's beautifully dry," continued
the first.
But his adversary, guessing how mat
ters were, came boldly out of cover, with
his weapon ready to come to the "pre
sent."
"Stop!" cried the appalled man,
"stop! Let's have a parley. You're a
darned good fellow. Suppose instead of
shooting we go into partnership.''
"All right," replied the other, and
they returned home together.
Of course both editors had to set
themselves right with their subscribers,
which they did by telling thema that their
guns were wet, and wouldn't go off.
Born With~ Three Eyes.
A wonderful freak of nature was seen
ina child born in this city a few days
since of respectable parents which doubt
less has no parallel. When the child
was born it was discovered that it had
three eyes, one of which was set directly
in the top of its head. The eye was p~er
fectly formed, with lids, and was similar
to the two eyes in its forehead, with the
exception that the eye was veryv larg~
and perfectly blue, w'hile the others weie2
black. The child was hideously de
formed otherwise, both of its feet being
grown together, but were well formed.
There was also about two incihes of the
spine missing in the small of fits back.
The monstrosity weighed fourteen
pounds, but only lived about two hours~
after birth.- Chattanooga limes.
-A convict in the jail at Athens, Ga.,
stripped the iron hoo~ps from his ce-ll
tub, made them into saw-blades, sawed
through an iron bar an inch square mak
ing a hole in the window fourteen inches
square, soaped his naked body, and thus
slipped through it, and was then detect
ed by the sheriff. He said he had to get
out of his dark cell.
THE PLI31OUTH ROCK SOLD.
Merry Lie on the Old Bvat During Jim FIsi
Time.
The famous old steamboat Plymoui
Rock, redolent with memories of Colon
r Jim Fisk in his palmiest hours, of tl
s great reign of shoddy at Long Branc
in 1871, of the famous coaching rivah
of Fisk and Heimbold, of Jay Gould at
- Blek Friday, champagne and oyster
. Jarrett and Palmer, and mysterioi
petits soupers in gilt-edged state room
i has been sentenced to death. She wi
1 sold at auction on September 22 to Bu
r ler, Clancy and Co., of Boston, for ti
. sum of $5,100. They sent Captain Rile;
a crack steamboat skipper, and the:
junior partner, Mr. H. Fitzgerald, hei
with a crew to take charge of her. Th:
morning at 8 o'clock, in tow of the bi
i tug Cyclops, she will move out to ti
- eastward through Hell Gate, and bi
i farewcli to the Bay of New York foreve
- for when she reaches Boston she will I
breken up and sold for old junk.
She ran fifteen years on the Sound b
fore Colonel James Fisk, Jr., saw h(
and fell in love with her. It was at th
ttime when Fisk was in his glory as
railroad and steamboat manager and th
proprietor of the Grand Opera Hous<
He was also Colonel of the Ninth Beg
ment at the time he formed the idea c
becoming a commodore, and he engage
the regimental band to play on boar
the steamer. He himself used to ai
pear in her saloon wearing a yachtin
cap heavily trimmed with gold bullior
a blue reefing jacket with black button.
and white trousers. Just before reaci
ing the city or Sandy Hook he woul
disappear into his stateroom and prei
ently emerge clad in his street costume
On the same boat traveled Dr. Heln
bold, then full of wealth and ambitio:
for display.
On arriving at the Branch the Docto
was always met by his coach, drawn b
six bay horses, and whirled to his spler
did mansion in Chelsea avenue. Fis
had three cottages on Ocean avenue
near Bath avenue. He occupied on
himself, while the other two were ten
anted by several beautiful young wome
who appeared to be very well acquainte
with Fisk. These enchanting creature
used to meet the gallant Colonel at th
train, whither they went in a handsom
landau with gold trimmings, drawn b;
bay horses with gold mounted harnese
Fisk himself used to ride in an enormou
dray drawn by a crossed team of si
blacks and grays. He had a coachmam
and a tiger on the box and two footmei
on the rumble behind.
All the wealth and fashion of th
Branch, from John Hoey and Charles J
Osborn to old Jeremiah Curtis, the fath
er of Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup
and Russell Sage, the grandfather o
puts, calls and straddles, used to trave
on the Plymouth Rock in those days
and with the music and the champagne
and the gilt-edged staterooms with sprin
locks, every trip was a picnic, a menage
rie and a sideshow thrown in.
After a checkered career stories go
afloat that the vessel was unseaworthy
and Scofield, who then owned her, los
money on her as an excursion boat
Then he built a great platform on to]
of her, put an awning over it, called he
a floating skating rink, and ran her u]
the Hudson. But she failed to draw
and on November 12, last year, she wa
put up at auction. Scofield bought he:
in for $7,875, and owned her until shi
was sold last week. Her career ha,
ended, but no boat ever had a merrie:
life of it.-N. Y. Star, Sept. 29.
DORMAN B. TALKS OF CLEVELAND.
He Thinks the President Will be Renominatei
and Rie-elected.
(From the New York World.)
Dorman B. Eaton, being in town fo:
a few days, consented yesterday to teli
World reporter something about his
views on the possibility and probabilit'
of Cleveland's renomination in1 1888.
"There exists no doubt," he said, "tha
ICleveland's worst appointments hav<
been brought about by the willful decei
of the politicians of his party. This has
of course, hurt him, but in his positioz
towards Civil Service Reform the bes
elements of both parties are certainly ii
his favor. By the time his present tern
of ofdece has expired two-thirds of the
fifteen thousand people who hold offic4
under the Civil Service rules will b<
Democrats, whose interest it will o:
course be to support him. XIn additioz
to this, if the Democrats nominated an:
other man except Cleveland, he wouli
probably be defeated by the Republicar
vote; whereas if Cleveland is nominatei~
by the Democrats he would not on13
carry with him the Democratic vote as
matter of policy, but also that of thi
Independents and many Republicans."
"The motto of the Democrats," saii
Mir. Eaton, "is 'Better Cleveland fo:
President with such spoils as we can ge:
than a Republican administration and n<
spoils.' Tfhe consular service shoui
come under the Civil Service law. Tha
was a sliendid chance, too, but it wai
lost. Succed? Of course it would suc
ceedi. Why, Blaine was in favor of thi
'civil service in the consular service
though I haven't much confidence II
Blaine. Yes, sir, whichever way I lool
at it Cleveland's renomination seems t<
be a thing of some certainty, but not be
cause his party wants him, for if con
sidered through a private ballot the'
would doubtless throw him over, bu
because it is policy to appear favorabl
to him.
A Wa?rning Against Bad Writing.
Henry~ Clay, who was a neat penman
w as quite an enthusiast on the subject o
lai n handwriting and was in the habi
of telling a story in point about a Cin
einnaim grocerymaan who wanted a lot o:
cr.anberries and thiought lie could ge1
th'em cheap in a little Kentucky town
To this end he wrote to a customer al
ih pla-ce requesting him to send hin
one- hundred bushels of cranberries pe:
i -mmon-.-the name of his teamster
The writing was so bad that the party t<
whom the note was addressed could no
make out the word '-cranberries" at all
Ibut did conclude that his corresponden
Idid want one hundred bushels of per
immons. wich were at once gatheret
and forwarded, much to the disgust o
the Cincinnati man. -Ben. Perley's Nem
Book.
Tihe new Attorney General of Tennesse
is George W. l'iekle. lIe is generally re
-ar ded as a well preserved man.-E.r. Nov
let some fellow ghierkin a joke about hi:
bene mixed up in family jars.
WOMEN'S NAMES.
A Simple Device by Which Personal Identity
May be Retained.
h (Charles Dudley Warner in "Their Pilgrimage.")
el Now, however good a woman's name
Le may be, she is in danger-except, they
h say, in Vassachusetts-of losing it, and
Y commonly in the change she blots out
d all traces of her former existence and
5, even identity. In royal and noble fami
Ls lies the attempt has been made to pile
3, so many names upon the female infant
Ls that some stick through life, and we have
b to some extent imitated this in our re
.e public by giving girls two and three
r, names, sometimes a string of very pretty
r appellations taken out of novels, and
-e especially if the child is poor will she be
s rich in names. This is all very well so
g long as the girl remains Clarissa Elvira
e Euphemia Hoskins; but when it would
d become Clarissa Elvira Euphemia Hos
-; kins Pond it is too much, and either the
e surname or some of the baptiamal names
have to be thrown overboard. All these
- and many other inconveniences can be
r avoided and the personal identity of a
e woman be secured through all changes
a by a very simple device.
e In the frst place give the girl in
baptism only one name. She will be
perfectly content with it. Her lover
f never requires, never uses, but one of
i her names, if she has half a dozen. In
I the height of his tenderness he never
says: "Amelia Jane, come to my arms!"
K He simply extends his arms and cries:
"Jane!" In the second place, when the
girl marries let her always keep her sur
name. Then, whenever we see a wo
1 man's name we shall know whether she
is married or single; andif sheismarried,
we shall know what her family name is.
If she has earned a reputation as a
writer or a doctor or an L D.- as Mary
Brown, she will carry that with her as
r Mary Brown Johson; and in all cases
there will be spared an indefinite amount
of talk and inquiry as to who she was be
i fore she was married.
This system is essential to the "cause"
e of woman. It may be said that it lacks
- perfection in two respects. We could
1 not tell from the three names whether
I the bearer of them might not be a
s widow, and it makes no provision for a
B second marriage. These are delicate
B questions. In regard to the first, it is
, nobody's business to know whether the
woman is or is not a widow, unless she
3 chooses to make that fact prominent,
c and then she has ways enough to em
1 phasize it. And in the second place it
i does not at all matter what becomes of
the name of the first husband. It is the
woman's identity that is to be preserved.
And she cannot be requiregl to set up
mile-stones all along her life.
WATCHING BIG HEAPS OF MONEY.
Th Syst m Was Loose Before, but Now It Is
Closer and Safer.
(From the Philadelphia Record.)
Assistant United States Treasurer S.
Davis Page has been in actual charge of
the Sub-Treasury in this city about three
weeks, but during that time he has made
many changes in the method of conduct
ing the business of the office. There is
stored in the vaults of the office over
$22,000,000, and great care must neces
sarily be exercised to insure the perfect
safety of this large sum of money. After
the experts sent from Washington had
completed their count of the money in
the office Mr. Page stepped in and as
sumed control. The first day he was
suprised to find the clerks and tellers go
in and out of the big burglar and fire
proof vault and deposit therein trays
contining hundreds of thousands of
dollars. It occurred to Mr. Page that
i this was iather a loose way of doing busi
ness, as a dishonest clerk could steal a
roll of bills or a package of gold from
another tray and get an innocent man in .
trouble. He issued an order that no
clerk or teller should enter the vault
alone under pain of dismisaal If a
clerk has any business in the vault he
must call another clerk, and the two
must enter together, where the first must
transact his business in full sight of the
second. Mr. Page also caused the com
binations of the big safe to be changed.
One combination was given to one teller
and the other to another teller, so that
both must be present to open the safe.
Proper precautions have been taken to
cover any exigency that might arise in
case of the sudden death or sickness of
either of the gentlemen possessing the
secret of the combination. But the most
important reform is a perfect system of
checks upon each of the clerks and tel
lers. At the close of business each day
the redemption clerk and paying, assist
ing and interest tellers make out a state
ment of the amount of money received
from each and the amount paid out.
These are furnished to the book-keeper,
who makes out ageneral statement which
proves the correctness of the individual
statements. These are at once furnished
to Mr. Page, who can tell at a glance if
everything is rumning smoothly and
properly in his office, and, at the same
time, it gives every assurance to that
gentleman of the safety of the many
millionr intrusted to his care.
John end His Fight With the Indians.
A numiber of years ago aDakota set
tler who had recently come from Mis
souri went in a hastily formed company
to repel a Sioux outbreak. After a few
weeks a neighbor who had also gone re
turned and informed the man's wife that
her husband was dead. "Was he killed
during a fight with the Indians?" asked
the woman. "There was a little skir
mish going on, that was all." "Yes?,"
"We had retreated to one side of a
ravine and the Indians were on the oth
er. He ventured down into the open
space and was killed." "Do you mean
to tell me that John crawled out of good
cov~er right down where the Indians
co)uld see him?"" "Yes, ma'm." "I can't
believe it, sir; he knew more about In
dian fighting than that. I don't believe
he would risk his own life that way, even
if he knew he could kill an Indian."
"Oh, he didn't creep out to kill Indians."
"What was it, then?" "Why, when we
retreated somebody dropped a bottle of
whiskey in the bottom of the ravine,
and he went back to get i~t before the
Indians did." "How large was the bot
tIe?" "it was a guart bottle of good old
behisktey ad he got most of it drunk
beoeteIndians succeeded in hitting
him." "Well, I believe you now. John
was an excellent judge of whiskey, and
would make almost any sacrifice to get
it."-Estelline Dakota Bell.