The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, May 26, 1883, Image 1
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TRI-WEEKIY EDITION. WINNSBORO. S. C.. MAY 26, 1883. ESTABLISHED 1848
NIORT.
ot what the Daf may bring,
TlNlgl;t.is all my own; .
A thousan-. lanicies round me fling
Their oharn I aalono!
- Alone with Night and bttid,o
The world's great wheel is still;
No vagrant sounds nor voices rude
'ile happy silence fill.
Oh, charned hours! that, all too fleet,
Specd on to bring the Day,
When shall the Night come, tender, sweet,
W hen faney hath its way?
Love loves the Night for Night brings Love
To Love that counts the hours.
And tonderost tonga betwixt. thon move
In love-Illumined bowers.
Nor care I what the bay may bring,
So Night but bring to me
The charms its fancies round me fling,
Sweet Solitude, with Thee!
FOUND AND LOST. -
In a corner of Madame Froissart's
brilliantly - lighted drawing - room,
watching the gay scene being therein
enacted, sat Gertrude Meyer.
For the moment she was alone-with
her, indeed, a rare occurrence, since
he was a belle an{l beauty; but a slight
sprain to her ankle a few days previ
ous, had prevented her joining in the
dance, and the little throng of men who
all the evening had gathered around
her had for the instant disappeated,
mntuty of them at her express command.
The last had lingered, reluctant still
to go, when-"I am tired," she said.
"I want to be alone."
He bent then, from hissplendid height
and, with a glance from his dark eyes
few women could have resisted, whisp
ered a few words in her ear; but neither
glance nor whisper brought even a mo
mentary flush to the lovely cheek.
"Elsa is without a partner," she re
joined. "I like to see you dance to
gether. Ask her for this waltz. "
An angry light kindled in Frederic
IIoughton's eyes, aiAd he turned abruptly
away.
The next moment, Elsa, with a
pleased flush, was leaning on his arm,
and withi a half- igh, though she knew
not wherefore. Miss Meyer sank back
in her cushioned corner.
Was she always to receive love, never
to'return it? .
Gertrude asked herself.
- True, Frederic ioughton had never,
in words, declared his passion; but
every glance every accent, had been
replete with its intensity.
She felt sure that he loved her.
How poor and meagre was the cold
friendship she might offer in return!
But if she determined to smile at
least nore kindly, lie gave her no oppor
tunity.
Other men ilo.^ked back to her side.
She had sent hliui to Elsa; by Elsa he
renained.
One dance followed another, but he
would resign her to no other partner;
and only on amused glean crept into
Gertrude's eyes as, she watched him,
and fancied she read the pique which
prompted his action-a pique which in
part reflected upon herself, as the next
day and the next passed, until the week
had gone, and still she neither saw nor
heard from him.
At the end of that period she again
shrugged her shoulders and told herself
that she had forgotten him.
It was froit Elsa, a fortnight later,
that she learned his regiment had been
ordered upon active service, and was to
depart in three days for the seat of war.
What should she say to him when he
came to bid her farewell?
She need not have questioned.
She waited, but Ie cane not.
lie left with his good-bye to her un
spoken.
It caused her no real grief, nio heart
pang but a sort of restless surprise,
which stirred some depths whose ex
istence hitherto had beeni unknown.
TIhree or four (days later Elsa camne to
her with a shy blush.
She had always beeni the child's friend
andI conlidanite.
TIhough in reality but twelve months
her senior, she felt herself thle elder by
long years.
" I have a favor to ask you, Gertrude,"
she began.
"Frederick asked me to 'write him.
T1his morning I received his first letter.
1 am ashanmed to send him my poor
little scribbling, and at school 1 re
membered how beauti fuli always were
your exercises, and1( 1 said to myself, '11
will go to Gertrude-she will tell me
what to say.'
"'1 love hmim so much-so very much
Gertrude!
"I think that he, too, loves me. I
w~anit to breathe into .my words . just
enough of ipiy heart's perfume that lhe
maay knowv where to seek to Ilid the
Iih wer itself."
G ertrude looked up. amazed.
*"Is it this love whitch .makes you'so
poetical, lsa?" she asked. "1 niever
iheardl you talk like this before."
"It is one of your own thoughts 1
borrowed,'' Ellsat answered. "But tell
meB, will you do for me what I ask?"
"You think it will lie honorable?"
"Yes, yesi Why not? You can tell
-l imn nothing L do niot feel-only you
will paihit the picture so that lie may
love to loo0k at it.'
A little longer Gertrude (demurred
and then, (rawing to her pen, ink and
p)aper, sihu wrote.
As she did so, her reluctance van
Ishied.
She fanicied herself in Elsa's p)lace.
She liaginied how some rosebud,
wooed by the sun, woul oiie by one
openi its shurinking petals, quivering
'twvixt ecstasy and1( pain, to meet the
p)assionlate )(iss of the (lay god ; and so
hecr imaigination found vent in words5.
She coverced the sheets, with closely
filled lines', and as she read them Elsa
pressed them to her lhips.
"Aht, they will make him love me!"
she cried, as she ran with them to her
own honme to. COPY them in her own
handwriting.
M1y the next post camne his answer.
Elisa had beena right.
-iThe letter had strangely stirred his
heart.
.Pulses lie had tjmought dlormenit, lie
wrote had leaped into mad, exultant
aP eh iilo t rjl hd, wikI (hie
ai netrude ficrt ,adytaa
until she looked for his replies almost
as Elsa.
She who had never loved in her life,
found a strange gnd satisfying delight
in pou:g -lpon tffe 8hiti
J, ngry soul, while her own soul knew
no hunger, the passion she had never
felt the ecstasy of a love at which she
scoffed.
"So might I feel," she whispered to
herself, "when, like the sleeping prin
cesg in fairy lore, the magic prince would
bend and kiss my lips."
And so to this unknown king she
wrote.
The replies became more frequent,
more ardent, until at last there came
a letter when Frederic Houghton asked
Elsa to become his wife.
With tes,rs of joy in her bright blue
eyes she brought this, like the others,
to Gertrude.
"Answer him," she said, "and tell
him yes! yes! yes!"
Slowly Miss Meyer read the letter
through.
From hence came this dull pain at
her heart;
A mist swam before her eyes.
The written charadters were blurred
from her sight.
By a powerful effort she controlled
herself, and spoke with some degree of
calmness.
"Not this, Elsa," she said.
"This you must answer yourself."
''Oh, n1o, no I cannot!
"Make it yet more beautif ul than the
others, Gertrude.
"The regiment is ordered home again
he writes; so. there will be no more
letters atleast, until after we are mar
red and then there will be no more
need of poetry. IIe will not miss its
absence."
"No need of poetry?"
"Ah," thought Gertrude, "thon was
love's perfect fulness but prose?"
"Let me be alone," she said aloud.
"This evening I will send you your
letter.
Giving orders not to be disturbed, she
seated herself at her desk, but one by
one two scalding tears fell from the
beautiful, proud eyes upon the blank
page spread before her.
They were the unconscious baptism
of her awakened womanhood.
Then she wrote, but it was her heart's
blood, rather than the ink, which spread
itself upon the sheet whereon she im
pressed her soul.
"I give you all," she wrote, "my
past my pre.;ent, my future.
"'o me I see but two words-hus
band and wife!"
"They are emblazoned in letters of
gold within the shrine where my soul
kneels and worships.
"Frederic, I love you!"
Her pen dropped from her hand.
Had she lIdeed written the words, or
was it her heart which had cried then
aloud in the stillness?
A hundred mocking demons took up
the cry and echoed it.
She heard it everywhere around about
her.
She saw it blazoned in the air.
She sank trembling on her knees,
and buried her face in her shaking
hands.
She and her secret were face to face
at last.
She had sold her birthright for a mess
of pottage.
In the evening, true to her promise,
Elsa received the letter, but unfinished.
"Add to it what you will," wrote
Gertrude, "I could not close it fitting
ly.''
But Elsa sent the copy with no added
words.
Another fortnight and the regiment
had arrived.
'A month passedl but Gertrude aiid
Frederic Iloughton had not met.
Once lhe had called with Elsa, but she
had1( not been at home.
By a singular coincidence It was at
another of Madame Froissart's recep)
tions that fate threw them again to
gethier.
For a monu....ta he hand had rested
in his and his keen eyes searched her
face. -
Then Elsa camne to claim him for a
dance, and they sep)arated.
Midnight had sounded, wheni some
one asked Gertrude for a song..
Many joint in the plea.
Giving a somewhaut reluctant consent,
she took her seat at thme p'iano in the
-little music room, thme curtains divid
ing that from the drawing-room drawnm
aside.
She hesitated a moment, then struck
thme. chiolds, anmd soon the rich, sweet
voice filled thme space.
"It was a dream," was the song she
hmad chosen, and( the pathos of voice
and words-brought quick tears to many
eyes.
As the last choe (lied away, amid a
murmur of applauslie andl admiirationi, a
man btm1 close boside her.
"Comc Iito thme conservatory a mo
mnent," lie said(.
"I wish to speak to you."
She let hhn place her hand within his
own anmd lead here where lie would.
Among the plants anid iowers ho
turned to her,
"I miust speJak," lie said(.
"You shall know how I have loved
"In aniother month to tell you would
be sin."
"Is not your betrothal, then, as sac
redl as your marriage?" she questioned.
"No." lie answered; "for sometimes,
Gertrude, I feel it would be greater sin
to redeem thanm break my pledge.
"Listen to me."
"You knew the 01(1 love I bore you,
though I never spQke in words.
"Oh, heart of ice! haid you not one
throb for the anguish I endured?
:"Coldly you sent me from you to an
other.
"She welcomed me with a smile-you
had dismissed me with a frowin.
"'She warmed me in the sunlight
you chilled me in thme shiadow.
"For a little time I sought diversion
and forgetfulness.
"Inm thme latter I failed sadly.
"Withi gladness I hailed the outbreak
which brought my regiment into servie
again.
M'Ehsa's regret-at my leaving her soft
ened and touched me.
"1 begged her to write to me.
"Through har I thonuht I shoul
hear news of you; but, instead, her let
ters gave me a-wondering glimpse into
a nature whose depths I had noter sus
pected,
"ftA( ]owtill, how true they
were 11 iia1d to you.
"I iead, and re-read them.
"My heart cried Qut for more and
more, until I know that its longing and
its nqd were satisfied at last.
"H ow rich and exhaustless must be
the mind which stored such jewelsl
"With man's avaricious greed, I
longed for its possession.
"Is it sonly the fulfilment of the wish
which lmakes me fancy its treasure al
ready is exhausted?
"It was Elsa's letters, not Elsa, that
I loved.
"She gives' me food, but my heart still
is hungry.
"Gertrude help me!
"Tell me the right!"
They were alone.
The sweet scent of the flowers filled
the air.
A murmur from a little mimic stream
rushed past them.
Through the dim light she saw the
white impassioned pleading of his face.
She heard his quick, agitated breath
ing.
her own heart beat so loudly that
unconsciously she pressed her hand up
oi it.
11er secret seemed to enwrap her in a
tangled cloud.
She loved, and here before her stood
her king-'I lhe magic prince had come
at last.
For this only she had given up the
birthright of hoe soul.
One word, one little word, and she
might reclaim it.
One word, one little word, and her
heart and his would know hunger never
more.
Ile temptation stifled her.
She gasped for breath.
"Then the mist cleared-she saw
clearly.
"Let us return to Elsa, Mr. Iough
ton," she said calmly.
"She will wonder at our absence; and
as for what we have been speaking of,
remember the words of my song, 'It is
a dream.' You have your letters-they
are realities. One cannot always live
in dreamland."
"For the second time," he answered,
"you send me from you."
"For the second time, and the last."
"Oh, IIeaven ! that a soul so beautiful
in outward form should wear a case of
ice 1"
Thus, man-like, and in a man's blind
ness he judged her.
IIe went forth, in his weakness, to
redeem his pledge.
She, in her strength, took up her
double burden, bet, that she bore it,
gave the world no sign.
Painting Houno Wals.
If a plastered wall be new and has
not been whitewashed, it will do to size
it with glue water; but if it has been
calcimined or whitewashed, which is
often the case, no glue sizing should ever
touch it. Any preparation of that kind
is liable, sooner or later, to peel off and
spoil the surface for any future finish.
A safer way is to take oil and coat the
whole surface before painting which
makes a fast union of any wash to the
wall. On such a base oil paints will ad
here perfectly.
. But the principle trouble in painting
walls is found in the defective character
of the plastering. If one is building a
house, he can place the studding twelve
inches from center to center, so that
strong laths will not sW~ing and break
upi time mortar at every p)ressure. The
laths, too, should be sp)read one-fourth
of an inch apart, and the mortar have
twelve pounds of hair to the barrel of
lime. This -will make a wall that will
stand like thne walls of the houses p)las
tered a hunidred years ago. The reason
why the plastering falls off from our
modern houses is because the laths are
laidl so close that the imnmediate swell
ing cuita off the t'nh, and the mot
is usually too sandy, annd has but six
pounds of hair. On such a surface are
laid three coats, wvhenx the clinch will
fail to hold one. Professional lathers
or masons themxiselves ought to lay thie
laths and be sure of a large spread; then
if the mortar is strong or rich, with
plenity of hair, there can be no falling
off. I have seen many houses so p)oorly
lahsteredl that thme entire surface had to
be cleaned off and rephtstered after a
fewv years. A person coming into pos
session of such a dwelling, no sooner gets
the walls wvell p)aintedl to his taste than
they begin to break ump and disfigure the
whole wvork. If you are sure the work
is well donie, the ceiling as well as thme
side walls nmay be painted to advantage.
When any portion becomes soiled or
smuoked, it wvill thena be an easy matter
to wash it off. Rooms once thoroughly
p)rep)ared ini that way last for a life-time
and always look sub)st4tmtial and neat.
In case of cracks, make some p)utty of
time samne color as the paint and hill up).
An Accurate Timeo-pacco.
*** While on the subject of Wal
tham wa chos, we may mention that we
have seeni a letter tromt the Commander of
the Gordon Castle (Castle line of Steam
Packets) who wase fortunate enough to
save life at sea, and who .for his gallant
conduct was pre seted in September last
with a Gold Keyless Waltham Watch by
the President of tihe Unmited: States, on be-.
half of the London Local Marinas Board.
Iteferring to this Presentation Watch, he
s ays: "When I left L'ndon the watch
was sir seconds fast, and on my arrival at
Singapore it was only three seconds slow,
a most extraordinary perfo'rmance for a
watch, as I ' arred it on my person the
whole %t:me. I compared it every day with
my chronometers on the passage out, and
it seldom or ever differed one second from
them; in fact, I found it almost, if not as
good as m.y chronometers, which is a good
deal to say for a watch carried about and
subjet to all kinds of jolts."-Londfon,
.Rngland The Watchmaker, Jeweter
and ,Slverarmith, Feb 6, 1888.
Ortblei61 stool is made by molting in
a pot, blister steel arLd wrough$ iron
,or unwitoight iron and charcoal and
loran
Birds on the Marm.
The crow regulates its food from
necessity, and not from choice. To him
strictly a grain-feeding,and not an isect. ,i
eating bird, corn is his favorite diet. It a
is not true, as some haVe claimed, that st
it picks out weevil-oaten or imperfect i
kernels from the hills. He eats all he st
can get, good or bad, and though lie is p
also a great. scourger, the balance is t<
rather against his being beneficial to the t
farmer. The robin is an insect-eating t
bird. It prefers insectij in the larval, i
pupal, and adult stage to:any other food. w
Few persons have any idea of the enor
mous, the incalculable mth-ber of insects til
that robins eat every y,Mr. A young al
robin in the nest requireo a daily supply I
of food equivalent to coi iderable more q
than its own weight. To supply the -
millions of young birds hatched each 9
year, this requires an enormous number n
of Insects. The service of these birds, f
during the time they are engaged in
rearing their young alone, would entitle
them to protection, were the parents li1
themselves to feed exclusively upon gar- tlI
den fruits dtjring the whole period. But lh
at this time the diet of the old birds is at
very largely of an animal nature; nor is of
this the only season during which the i1
destruction of insects goes on. It does h
not harm to put scarecrows in your trees a
and gardens to drive off the robins, but ti
it hardly pays to kill them. Yet when PI
killed they make very delicate eating. 43
Swallows may geneilly be found di
where there are grain-fields. The Sum- w
mer range of these birds includes nearly o?
all the central portion and the great tl
grain-growing sections of the West. h.
They are more or less migratory, and St
spend their Winters in the South. As 01
pestiferousas the eave and barn swallows tl
are with their chatterings, and the an- ir
noyance they give the farmer in various T
other ways, they are natural enemies of T
the midges and similar small insects that (M
prey on grain, and pursue them with un- A
remitting vigilance. It has been esti- 1
mated that the nesting of a single pair st
of swallows will in twenty-one days con- $
sumne 500,000 insects. Their benefit is lii
simply incalculable. in
Blue-birds have largely superseded fr
swallows near houses, and protect fruit
trees from insects much better than the C(
swallows do. The martin is too lazy to r1
do much good, and has been largely ft
driven away from New England. The of
King bird, or bee-martin, has been voted Pc
a terror to bee-keepers; but it has been te
found thdt the immense number of in- tl
sects it destroyed more than balanced pi
this evil. Again, the king-bird drives si
away the other birds from fruit trees, m
and is useful for this reason. If suitably w
baited with scraps of cotton, string s, t
and loose material to complete a nest o1
the king-bird will soon accustom itself tl
to building in and abk4 the orchards, di
gardens, anti even the houses of our far- ai
mers, and thus protect thousands of dol
lars worth of vegetables and fruits. It p1
is strictly an insectivorous bird, and
will not destroy, on the whole, that pl
which condupes to the interests of the it'
farmers. Altogether the king-bird is p,
one of the most valuable species for agri- a
culturists. The legislation in regard to ni
this bird should be of the stnetest kind. "i
Another species doing an immense st
amount (of good in its own quiet way
is the yellow-billed, as also its ally, the n1
black-billed cuckoo. These birds build
in apple and fruit trees. They are 1f
strictly insect-eating, while they make l
terrible raids upon the caterpillar. They se
should be encouraged in every possible ti
way. i
The blue Jay does much benefit, but se
so much direct damage that it is almost of
absurd -to class him as a friend to the 13
farmers. The Baltimore oriole is very
destructive to pea-vines early in the tl:
season, but he eats a class of insects not (e(
touched by other birds---the leaf beetles 'm
and the larvie of many species of insects jp]
inhabiting the tops of olm,. oak, and fr
apple trees. At the end of thme season a 13
balance will be found in the oriole's 11
favor. The nut-hatch is eminently an f
insect-eating bird, living largely upo si
grubs which hide under the bark of oak 1E
chestnut, elm, maple, and other rough- pli
barkeel trees The black titmouse, or
chickadee, is of direct benefit to forests ol
by the great number of Insect larvie conl- B
siuned during the year. It eats insects gi
too small for the nut-hatch. Tihe wood- gi
pocker hooks out larger insects than be
either of the two preceding kinds, but A
can hiardlly be saidl to be an cocially
valuable aid to the farmer.
Thec wrens are strongly benefIcial to bi
gardlens anid p)lants about the houses ai
because of the number of caterpillars
they eat. Thie fly-catchers are benanialis fe
andl so are the thirushes, warblers, and Il
vireos, ofi
The Figure,, vest. t(J
al4
In 1819 Mr. Rockwell, of Conniecti- em
cut, went as a carpenter on a wnialer. bI
In the course of fifteen years lie sailed te
on many voyages, on an .English man
of-war, in .the American service, tihe st
mnerchan t mnarline, enduring maniy hard
ships and privations, without hearing L
from his wife and "family, lie was E
giveni uip as (lead and lisa wife married ait
again, lost her second husband, and M
and was left with three children. On m
the 4th of July, 1835, lhe camne back to TI
his old home. About a week before mi
Zelinida, the youngest child by the to
second husband told her mnother of her w
strange dream. She dreamed that her cm
"other p)apa" hadl come home, clad in im
sailor costuim, except that he wore a lo
Peculiar vest miade of handsomely figur
ed silk, such as she had never seen
bef "re. She was laughed at, and no
more was thought of it. A thundler
storm was approaching as Rockwell M
reached lisa old home, iIe knocked andl at
asked fbr brief shelter from the Impend- Ui
ing storm. lie was bidden to enter. qT
The widow and children were just sit- -W
ting down,- and lie was asked to shiare t
their meal, lie was unrecognized, but ti
lis sailor costume attracted attention- til
and the vest lie wore! All eyes observ- N
ed and all remembered Zehndas' dream! R
The widow exclaimed: "You remind m
me of the mani who was once my hus- S
barid!" "Dmn't you know mie, Esthier?" $i
the 'long lost husband re lied, as they ic
embraced each other. 'iIxpaiations N
followe4, and fMye .days later the two 1(
were reunited in marriage.. He died O(
about a weelk since, age 836, and lia t1
wife 800nn followed hinm..
Stamp Collecting.
"Where did we get that quantity of
amps in the window? Why, it is only 1
sample of what we have inside," a a
amp dealer said. "Look here,"open- tl
ig a large ease closely packed with
amlllps, "and at these," displaying a
le of albums more or less filled. "I'll ti
11 you where we got them. We buy it
iein from every civilized country in it
o world. Only this morning we got s
a quantity of rare Belgian stamps, .
hich cost us three thousand dollars.
ro have agents and correspondents iln 1
is capitals of every country, who are
ways on the lookout for anything rare n
our l&tne. Besides. we pmhllitaO large 1
tantities from .siall collectors in tll
ilted States, many of whom make at
Or living nosing about iiiporting t
uses and begging the stanps froim l
>reign letters."
"Do you have nany customers?" i.'
"I should1( say we dlo. Besides se
rge number of retail dealers through
e United States to whom we soll, we e
tye valuable customers in the army of 1
amp collectors which hats sprung up ni
late. You would be surprised at the i
tnmb)er of persons absorbed inl the lu
>bby. Stamp collecting is no longer
1school boy pastime. It has become
e. serious occupation of thousands of it
rsons, the most of whom, as I find by ri
perience, are far past their youthful 11
Lys. You have no idea of the avid ity r
ith which they scrape together these
ld-looking stamps, and the large prices
Cy are willing to pay for them. I es
t,e heard of some who keep their li
amp albums lulder double lock, and v
others who even keep them under i
eir pillows at night. Stamp collect
g is the most alluring of holbies.
hero are 0,500 ditfer stamps known. t
lie value of certain single stamps is 1.
tul to many a1 person's yearly income. C;
loading banker, whose residence is in o
adison avenue, hats --anl albul of
amps worth at the lowest estimate
0,000. Another albun, wne(ld by a
dy, is valued at $25,000. 1 could i
11e several more, varying in value 11
om11 $20,000 down to $5,000." 41
"Well, some are enthusiastic, an.1 .hey b)
flect stamps from pure love of the
re andia( curious. Just as m1anv expend
rtunes on rare manuscripts a11ad works fl
art. Others, and I believe they con- l
ise the larger class, have more chatrac- al
ristically American views. They see sl
e almighty dollar behind these tiny sl
etures, and they buy them up for the
.me reason that 41 keen Wall street 0
an buys up stocks which he knows ti
ill bring profitable returns. From T
so to five years will double the value
nearly every one of these stamllps, anl(d
ese collectors know what they are
)ing when they invest largely in the
ticle," fl
"Are corners in the stamp market u
)sible?"
"Certainly; many collectors are at
'esent buying up all the match box
id medicine revenue stamps which dl
iss out of use in J uly. They hope in )
few years to create a corner in the t<
arket and get them off their hands att i
liense prices. We sold 41 match-box
amp yesterday for $15." P
"What collections have been sold at P
)tably large prices?" 1:
"There owas one sold in London in '1
170 for ?8,000. Another sold in Paris tl,
st fall for 40,000 francs. We our
Ives have sold several $5,000 collec
:ns. This mnay surprise you, but re- g
ember that some of these little stamps tI
11 for more than $200. There is one i
the old local stamlps issued by the r
rattleboro, Vt., post ofilce ill 1846.
r would 'not sell it to-day for less l
an $200. We have mnany othIers of of
[ual value. Th'1e stamp11s which arie ii
oat in demalnd and1( bring thle highest cc
- iere the pr1ovliiona4l stamilps issuedl ,
01m 1844 t.o 18463 by the Postmasters of
1ltimor01e, St. Louis and Blrattleboro, 41
ere is the Baltimore staImp--a simplle si
11111 of single lines~ enclosing a fac- o:
nile of the autograph of James10 1
ulchana4n. T1hie St. Lou01is stamp11 dis-:
atys tile armsll of the State of Missouri
ith 'St.. Louis' and1( the large lnmber
vailuie above, and 'P. 0.' below. The ~
rattleboro stamp consists of the auto- b)
-aphic inlitils 'T1. N. P.' inl an1 octagont ir
otund of verticall lines, with ']Brattle- j
>r~o' above anid 'P. 0.' at the sides. .1
nty of these can1 be sold1 for $200."
'.It is sa1id,"' the rep)orter reaarkedI, t'
halt mnly rareI~ stamp11s halve their dl
rthiplatce in stampil factories in ChIicago I
1(d other enlterprisinlg towins.'
'"ThIatI la ot true. Stampll counlter..
iting 114s been entirely broken up in
.0 United States since we overturned
e of the concerns ini Philadelphia ini a
70, and1( had the proprietor seniteneedn
State Prio for twenty yearn. 2e- hi
los, the stampll dcailers are. genlerally A
parts, and( can1 110 more be deceived
couniterfeit, stamps1) than11 the ban11k 0
11er by couniterfeit ban11k nuotes."
"When and where did this Imainia for r
111mp collectinIg begini?" v
'"It may be salid t,o halve originated in b
andon in 1802, wvhen Mount Browni,
sq., pullisheOd the fIrst list of p)ostage
Flmpls. D)r. J. E. Gray, of the British
useum, followed with a1 simiilar and1(
ore complete work in the same year,
bieso works wore widely road excited '
uch curiosity, anld caused diousandlsr
become stamp collectors. The malnia p
Lint on1 increalsing unitil aIt p)resenlt I a1
n safely say~ there ar1e more thanl a
Illion persons seriously devoted to col
001n1 stamps.I
c<
It appears Irom some statements on
exieo in 1882 that some of the gold
id silver mines there have been worked ci
ainterruptedly since the Spanishi eon- s
iest. During the time that Mexico vi
is a Spanish colony, that is from 1587 et
1821. the mines produced silver to 111
e value of $2,086,268,708, and gold to p
e value of $68,768,411. Since the
exican independence was established ~
1821, down to the year 1880, the 1P
nes produced silver to the value of w
'00,658,809, and gold -to the valdie of tI
8,418,788. Tis yields a grand total 01
r the production of silver and gold in I
exico between 1587 and 1880 of $8.-i
5,110,219, or upwards of ?600,000,- a"
0. Another computation, based on ki
.e report of the Mexican Mint, gives a ph
na ewhat higher total than this, w
A Lost Professlon.
The astonishing exploit of the safe.
plunderers who hltrrowed through the
wall of a buildihig into a bank in. New
Orleans, gagged and bound the watch
man and robbed the strong box was the
theme of a conversation recently With a
veteran detective. He said there.was a
pal,tllel to this in the adventure about
four years ago of Charley Adams and
George Mason, who is now under indict
ment In this city for a recent conspiracy
to rob a safe, and that happily Philadel
phia banks had not been exposed for
several years past to the danger pf an
onslaught of the same -kind., 4.damns
and Mason ha4 turmeled through waill
into the Cnlbridge (Mi.ii 7t%int1gs
I mud building when they were attacked
by watchmen and policemen *d were
taken after a desperate tight, in which *
Mason was shot.
"Do you think it would he possible,"
he was asked, "to repeat the Kensing-'
ton Bank adventure, for instance?"
"I don't think so although it is al
ways the unexpected that happens. I
say no for the principal reason that the ,
old generat.ion of desperate men who /
organized and formed the bands are
either dead, in prison or have refor .
The smantrtest man by all odds I the
profession of bank robbing was orge
L lloward, knownit as Sheeny G orge.
Ile had all the science, skill and lowl
edge necessary to make such enies
successful. IIe knew as much bout
hocks as the safe manufacturers hem
selves. 1le was a natural geniu No
sooner would a new combinatio safe
lock come out than lie would bi one
through his agents and at once dis. ct it
and discover the weak points o its
IItelanism. Ile seemied to 1ind m
hy% Instinct. WYhen lie was slain tl
was nobody to take up his sceptre. 0
Jiml y 1lope was pretty skilfulat opera.
ting locks, as the manipulations of the
locks in the Manhattan Savings Bank in
New York showed. Ile and Ned Lyons
worked the safe in the old Navy Yard, In
this city, years ago, and it took Ned
Tryon and Ned Carlin nearly a day to
pick up the tumblers in the lock and
open the door. But Hope is in prison in
California for a few years to come.
" Ike Marsh is another good one; but
he is an old man now being over sixty,
and, besides, lie is in the Eastern Peni
tentiary for a few years yet, for partici
pation in the robbery of the Wollsboro
llank. INe was a daring express train
robber. Old Allan Pinkerton, who is
writing up a book of rogues, wanted
Ike's life from his own petn, but Isaac is
too fly. lie is one of the nurses in the
sick ward and is spoken of as a gentle,
attentive one. Broekie George was
under his care for a time and died in the
P'enitentiary. lie too, was one of the
old gang and had a hand in the Kensing
ton Bank robbery. lied Leary, Billy
Contors, Sitting Draper, yes, and several
more good ones might be counted uip who
have dropped the jimmy, the drill and
the powder can and manage to live now
by som e other means. Jimmy Irving
has just come out of the Eastern Peni
tentiary and his partner, Billy Porter,
is in the Brooklyn Penitentiary." The
veterat chewed his cigar, reflectively,
before he responded to an inquiry as to
the cause for the immunity of Philadel
phia batnks from raids, such as marked
Mayor Fox's adtinistration and the
early part of Mayor Stokicy's term.
"Greater vigilance, I suppose on the
part of the banks. The employment of
imtido and outside night wat chmen, tele
graphic conmunication, thne locks and
stronger vaults. The Kensington Iattnk
robbery was a cotuplete success, but I
dhon't believe It could be repeated. Then
there wias the attempt on the Corn 1Ex
chantge Bank, which came ttear to beinig
a success. Pote Bhirns putt upi thtat job
because the bank had obtainted judgment,L
and1( forced htimn to make good several
thtousand dollars which had been obtin
ed oni forged drafts. The cracksumen
were gointg itn and out of the building
for nights, attd had their tools and a
dummnhty watchman stored In an uppe.
rootm. They were waiting for a millhion.
"' Two experts, who were not ini the
job at all, but wore on their way to Wood
bury, .N. J., to do abit of work for thoma
selves, were arrested on the street. early
itt the mtornintg and wvere run in aned p)ut
away on suspicion of havintg designs on
the Coirn .1xchtange. Then there was
the aittemupt on the Southwark Banik,
which was defeated because the mn
wvho wats on waitch got drunk and wet
asleep1 ott a housetop and failed to signtal
to the workmetn when to begin op)era
tionis on thte departture of the watchiman.
The Consolidation Bank would htavb
heeni plundered, too, butt for the j Inglitng
Of a dloor-boli. 'JThe thieves had rented
anm adjoining building and had Knocked
a home throumgh the bank wall and htad.
all of their Implements in there. They
hteard the boll amid supposed the watch
mtan hatd returned and they fled, leaving
everythitng behind them. I know of a
Chestnut street bank which employed
otnly one watchmtan, an old, decrepit
follow. I've seen him sound asleep itt a
chtair, with the (door wide open, on imyii)
a ntight. How that bank escaped being
robbed I don't know. There was another
thtat had two ancient watchmen. One
of them would let the ether omut early tm
the mnornhiig to go buy policy slips. There
was ani opening here for the muon whio
worked the Kensington Bank. It would
have been the easiest tlhng in the world
for a gatig to rap at the door and get
admittance about the time the old fel
low was to return. It is a fact not
known outside of detective circles that
a job was put up a few years ago to rob.
the United States Mint. The attempi
on thte S3ub-Treasury in The Custom
House butilding, In 1879, failed only be
cause the cracksmeni maede a mnistake
anid got into the vault~ yhieri pennies
were stored, hasteadof that'hioldmg gold
comns. The goverment-htd to getinew
looks and new-safe doorm The kesding
banks-all. haye hngde and ota~ige, w tch
men now'. Thte latter lport every ou .
and have to recoed thei fih6its by iitell
tale clock."
Witty sayIg are as easily.lost a
the pearls slippig off a broktn atting,
but a -word-o kinidnesh lsoeo
spoken in vain. Itt is a *eed wioh
even when dropped by chance, apring
up as a Ilower
Saimon Canning.
Astoria, a little "salmon" town at the
touti of the Columbia, on the ocean,
Iso makes some pretensions to being
to "future great." It is.the oldest
>wn hero, having been established as a
ading post in 1811. It is a wierd-look
ig place, built on the side of a lill slop
ig to the ocean. Its chief Industry Is
ioncm fishing and canning. The fish
ig season begins about the middle of
pril mnd lasts four months. Then these
talmion towns" go to sleep for the re
aindor of the year, like sunmner resorts.
ho bay at1lit..ilhmuthl of the Cohunbi
Aver is very stormy during the fishing
louths, and loss of life is frequent.
'he fishermon are mainly Greeks,Portu
uese, Russians, Finns and Scandinay
mns. Some have their own boats and
Ats, whi.e others ale supplied by their
uployers. These who have their own
sits and nets are paid 60 cents a sal
.on of eight pounds weight; the hitter
'e paid 45 cents a salmon. A "(war"
is also broken out aiiong the canneries.
ne large establishineit anin uilicos thatt
will give 90 cents a salmon. The
se of 50 per cent, creates eonsteriation
nong the canning establishments, and
sduces their profits to nearly nothing.
he man1 who is so extravagant is inter.
It('d in eailel'ies on the Materaiienlto
iver, where the spring run of fish is
my light. This indtcemeinnt will at
act independmet fishermen from the
teraunento and ',moln competition
lere. As fishermleu a le emplloyed near
ill the year ont the Sacrauento, they
in work ehleaper, amid the reduced price
material and cost, of living enables
to Sacramento Camner to ean for about
) per eit. less; yet lie sells very little
any cheaper than the Columbia can
+r. Some of the leading canning trmns
Astoria have frona seventy-five to 100
It.. It. is designed to nmako Astoria
i hIeah]ta1rters of the Cauinning business
it it is chealper to seino saInon there
I'n to eIt ch them furt her up the stream
lid hring them11 back by boat. Tle
nelt are very fat;, and canning smoked
nelt. is 010 of the growing ilustries
I' that fishy town. ''he spiced trout
le wiso Eastenetrs get, from the far
'est aire only a species of salmon.
There are thirty-six canneries on the
oliubia River. They turn out fr" m
00) to.25,000 cases each. The total
>r the season 1882 was 535,000 cases,
'liich at. an average of $5 20 per case
oul(1 make the total value of the in
ustry $2,782,000. The shipmentt:
irect to forign ports were 3344,328 cases,
ing about double the number shipped
SSaMn Franlcisco, the East and islands
i the Pacifle. Several vessels wore dis
itched from Astoria direct to Liver
>l, with whole or part, cargoes of sal
on, one vessel taking 70,000 cases.
he est,imated capital invosted in can
-ries is $2,000,000, and during the four
onithis' fiKhing season employment Is
ven to about 7,000 menl. In the (is
lit future it is proposed to establish a
itcltery, when instead of turning out
)0,000 cases yearly three or four times
at numiber will 1e caunniec. ''h muni
salmon ini the Columbia River Is re
arkable, and4 seems to be inexhaustible
maiiderinlg the lax ity' of the law in re
irdl to the delstruct.ioni of fish by traps
idi wvheels. T1his systemi of wholesale
auighter and( waniton (destrucetioni brinigs
i another "'war'' between the c'annlers
idl the free-booter's. T1her'e Is a law
'ohibitiing llshinig from Saturdlay until
[onday, in order to allowv the fish to as5
mud to) their nalt,ural spawninlg grounds,
it, the b.uccaneer#4, with their wvhoel of
on sp)ikes, viohle it with impunity.
arg' <Ittantities of tin for' miakiing cansi
'0 impijortedl direc0t, from England to
uls poinite-4hiis industiry hiaviing Iitro
utced a dhirect tirade with England.
'lily oni Lini platte, less 10) per cent, is
'funided to cannercs oni their mnakinig
roper enitry at the Portlanid (Custom
[ouise at the timie of miakinmg foreign
iipmnent,. (Cheimic'als requiiired for canm
in g are4 also 11por j))d0(. Sahnoni canin1g
is given ani impe)0tus to boat-butildlng at
storial. A few years ago nearly all
the fishing boats were built1 at Sani
ri'i Csco. Severa'~l bioat--shops wereO
'cenitly establhishied at Astoria, and last
'inter turn'Ied out an aggregate of 300)
oit s.
F'loweru mur Cumting.
If 3'o1I car'0e oclit manliy flower's for
se ini the house-andl almost everybody
hlo loves them wants flowers In every
>omn (luring the seasoni-it is a goodl
Ian to have aL corneri exp)ressly for "odds
id ends," from which you can cut,
ithout feeling that you are taking from
to beauty of the garden beds. In this
wner you can sow such seeds as may be
ft, after sowlig In the beds IIero you
mi puit out cuttings fromi the beddig
ants, and( "strike" the branches you
it off from your house p)lanits In the
ring when you p)ut them out on the
iranuda for the summer. Nothing wIll
>me amiss. In a short time you will
wve a brilliant bed of miscellaneous
ants, and time more flowers youi cut the
ore there will seem to be. There Is a
culiar charm about those out of the
ay corner gardens that I fall to find In
iO more orderly beds in the garden or
the lawn. P'erhaps It Is because there
a total lack of formalIty and prImness,
d such a general fraternizIng of all
nids of flowers that the .very atmos
ere of the place Is- redolent of good
Ill amnd ealiy.