The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, May 23, 1882, Image 1

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

^..^ -!--v-v- se TRE SUMTEDR WATCHMAN, Establish^ April, 1850. "Be Just and Fear not-Let ail the Ends thon Aims't at, be thy Country's, thy God's, and Truth's. .- >* us. % -1881.1 _ SUMTES. S. 0.. TUESDAY, MAY 23, 1882. THE TRUE SOUTHRON, Established June, 1866. New Series?Yol. I. TSo. 43. *sr_: _3 "d1 ^v .: SsiUi&tiL every Tuesday, ?f?BT 'EHE? ? IFatc^jna? anc? Southron Publishing ... ' Qompany, : &? .T ? * .^GOKTERr S.- C. . terms : 35o?&>s per armum?ia advance. _j ADTSBTISMEXTS. ~ Square, firstinsertion!.............$1 00 ^adEf.c^iamiin?ca^^ private interests wiH be charged for as advertisements. r^S^bitnariea and tributes of respect will be char^.fb?^:^' y \ ?Jarriage notices and notices of deaths pub-" ^Tor job work or contracts "for advertising ^^^Waichviasi^nd Southron, or anoiv at the Office; to " N. G. ?STEEN, Business Manager. ?^ ^rom the Oriental Casket.} ...^ *-?-*s ? *i--BTTCABBI?JV.*SHAW. ?f the wreck of worlds descending, Strewed tbjrearth and air and .sea,- ? If ttj8jwdadj?oos world were ending, - ^LoT^-and ybo were^close to me, T??^rNi^T??n?f "be ?rraadT^ear/~ ; And f^ould-aot w^p^l-KnowvT ^ That tbf?oal: scene was played, dear, -r % j f~And the actors called to go. ? 3r: If your arms were close.arpand me, And y oar hafr just brushing mine, *r; ' Thea should burning worlds surround me, . . ^f^>tt?IbTB ia every breath, And the rapture oifyoarJris3?dear,"< " Making -ecstasy of death. > v ^IC?i--rr- v > A BEVOLTFTIONARY RE MINISCENCE. ^ I 2Z CLARENCE MOWBRAY. ?ie following story was told, a nnrn* " ary ;. soldier, to hip children anA-grand cns^^'^1^6j'|atar??nd ira jgjesti ve : board pi* a TBanksgiving dinner.} vThe rwrjter;-then quite a youth, was^present ^^o^h^not as a relative?and heard rt^anebtreasured-it up in^is,. memory, . &?'if?w'giv?s it to the publi?es' near ?y^asr-'btt eau r^ewbey,Tw^c*language f veteran; sop pressing only the ujes^pf-the parties introduced, which various reasons- be does not wish estate: . . 19th of April, 1775, (began the narrator*) was ? day long to be ot only by myself, but tj -pXiivho. take a pride in our glorious ?ssfeutions. The ever-to-be-rerbember cd TOornliig tJawned bright and beauti . ful, the^sj^riging iu calm .glory, as if; ' itiw?r.?T^^^witt??ss the bloody open ing^f^a^^feat drama, upon which tbe eyes df> the whole civilized world weco^ instinctively turned, and whose ^3?rn^scenes have left us a. free and ip^er^deni^tsont ' -* ?^as^afcthat time about two-and tweatyvyears ofage.and was in the em ploj^tc^Mr. i S^-j-^.^of .liiocoln; as a farju^bairdf ? bad gone down to the field alone, about the usual hour ; but ha^^ot i been , there long, when Mr. ^jcg^came hurrying <?own, and, iu an excited tone, said : *Dav?d7 there are great things going on ; and the time has now arrived when we must either take a bold stand and . defend oar rights with bur lives, or tamely submit like cowards to British oppression^ I asked him what he meant, and he.] replieidii . ? . messenger has just passed by It?re, oa'liisiw?y to alarm the country, wbo says that a large- body of British troops, on their march from Boston to Concord,, passed through Lexington early this Eor?iDff? a.ad, without- provo cation^ -^ni-^paim^S^SJ^' a?rh-citi- ? . 2ensr- tii?og and wounding qui te. a | namBer.' He furthur said that great alarm pre- j vailed throughout the country round ; about?that the bells had been roog and the drums beat to arms?that men were everywhere leaving their work and har rying to. the field of action?and asked raeif I %?s willing to take a part in the coming struggle. ? *Yes,' I replied; *if matters have H come to such a pass, I would- rather be on the field of battle than here." e ,.*^en^ quit your work at once/ho said; 'take your gun, and go-and do yout^uty : for if yon Jeel as I do, you would- mack rather d? a freeman than live a slave/ Accordingly lieft the field, and hur Bied jo . tne- house, where I equipped myself ?Vwe?l as I could, only being delayed some half an hour in running a few^xtra bullets, my powder horn hov ?ng fortunately been filled a few days before. - Then putting up some provis ions, for I did notinow when I should | return, I'bade Mr. and his fami- i ?y -goodrbye, and told them, if they j Sever, saw nie again, I hoped at least j tneylwontd bear a good account of me. ] - I had not " gone far, when I met a ; horseman, riding at full speed. I ask ed bi?n the news, and he sung out with- j wont stopping his horse: j -'A. large body of British troops, after | shooting down several men in Lexing- j ton^ -iave marched upon Concord, to j ?iestr?y the town. Hurry on, for every man is wanted !' j He -said something more but this was all. I caught?for his horse, being on tie'run, "had carried him-beyond my hearing. ' ^ X ?en struck across the fields to the - Concord road running most of the way ; I and when I came in sight of the road, I saw .many .persons harrying up from i every direction, each man bringing with i Bim^his' gun and whatever else he f . thought needful?sometimes alone, like my^lf~bu^- mostly in parties of two, tbree> andfour?seldom more, j Soon after I got into the Concord k road, I met ai couple of men partially L ^^iforined, hurrying towards Lexing ton. I stopped and asked them the news; and one replied, very excitedly : I^eadfd times, friend ! dreadful times ! A &xge body of British infantry and grenadiers have marched on to Con- j cordrto destroy the place, which they are doingr^t this minnte.' - 'Th?a^by are you not there to de fend it ^-inquired I. *Becauae the citizens and militia are - at present too few to cope with the British ; and ' we, with many others, have been dispatched by ColoDel B*^, to act as scouts, alarm the country and get fall reports of the doings below/ I then asked them if they thought I could be of any service at Concord; and they answered that ? had better go and see for mys?lfy *bat that everybody was greatly alarmed, and so far there was no unity of action. After this I did not berry as before, bat walked on qaickly, keeping a sharp look-out, and wondering to myself- how J the'-affatr was going to terminate. I :, Not thinking it exactly prudent to approach the village by the road, and ! not caring to be mixed up with other parties%JI once more turned off -into the ! fields, and, taking a kind of roundabout course, ascended some high ground, I whence I could get a partial view of the i place, and form some idea of what was going on. ^ *"~It"*was little I could se?, however, j save a dense smoke, rising from the center of the place, and here and there a glimpse of British soldiers, and some of our own volunteers, as they marched in companies to take different positions. Tn an open lot, just back of the vil lage, stood quite a collection of women and children ;' and on what is now call ed Burying-ground Hill, were a number of British officers, apparently surveying the place through their glasses ; while, fron>every direction. I could see citi zens hurrying up; but more in bodies than before; to join their countrymen, and,, if necessary, assist in repelling the inyad?rs. ~ thus stood looking, I heard the .report of guns, but apparently only ^some-three or four. ? ; Next T heard a single discharge, and then what appeared to be a volley, i This was followed by loud cries; and' Another y<>Heyy:and?for-..a few minutes by rapid and continual-discharges, by which I knew that an action bad fairly commenced on both sides. While"! stood hesitating, not know ing in what manner it was best for me tp act, the firing ceased; and soon after,, ?o my gr?at'joy, ? saw the bead of tbe> column bf^Britisfi infantry filing down the road. fT " I now hurried round to the rear of the evacuating forces,?and, on entering the village, found some hundreds'of our men collected on the common, almost w/i^oqj order, companies apparently being disbanded, and the greatest ex cUemeofcand indignation prevailing. Some half a dozen or more had been killed ^and wounded on both sides, and a considerable amount of property had been destroyed by the enemy ; but the latter, having suddenly become alarmed at the .determined action and the rapid ly increasing numbers *of the citizens, had beat a full 'retreat, leaving two of their dead, where they bad fallen, and were now -filing down the road in 6ne military order, with strong fianktng parties thrown, out on cither - side*, their -splendid uniforms and burnished arms glittering in the bright sunshine and mrikfng an imposing show." But thinking only of their dastardly and wanton acts, and that they were only vulnerable men like themselves, the excited crowd speedily resolved to follow and barrais them. *Let us have revenge V cried one: 'revenge for our comrades, shot down in cold blood " ""'Aye, let us follow and shoot them down "in the same way 1' exclaimed an other. Wbo.is to lead us?' asked.a third.. *We' .want no l?ad?r IV. shouted'./ a fourth. 'Let every man do his duty by himself, and shoot the scoundrels wher ever he can reach them ' - - With this the people set up a wild shout of approval ; and immediately the. crowd began to scatter, most of them taking the direction of the retreating army, I following with the majority. ? On .coming up within bullet range, o? the. rear guard, we opened upou them a general fire, and saw some five or six of them drop from*the ranks. Tbey immediately replied with a vol ley, hitting four of oar party and kill ing two, one of whom fell dead beside me. . - : Upon this we immediately scattered, leaping1 the fences and taking to the fields, each man acting for himself. Loading my gun, I ran forward; and, getting uuder cover of some bush es, I selected my man. and fired again ?the others generally acting ia^the same manner. Thus, without concert, and without any regular leader, we began a mode of warfare best suited to our circumstances and condition ; and which, during that long, hot day?and it was uncommonly j hot for \be season?cost many, a soldier, the-very flower of the British army, his life. - I shall not make an attempt to give .you a detailed account of that day's--fight; -In fact, I do not be lieve that,I .could- if I would; for I am getting well advanced to years now, and my memory is beginning to fail me. " Indeed, so far as I was concern ed', it would- only be a repetition of load ing, getting a new position, firing, and keepi?g out of the way of the flanking I parties?which did all in their power to protect the main body?shooting and ! bayonetting the provincials^- wherever j they could. Our men completely lined ; the way of the retreating army?fired j from every bush, house, fence, or cov i ert, and even the open fields?and j sometimes maintaining a running fight, I where the harrassed enemy bad a good j opportunity for pursuit. From being in the rear, I gradually made way beyond the head of the ad vanced column ; and having secreted myself behind a large rock, 1 was wait ing for them to come up to a certain } aim, when suddenly two soldiers, who j had been thrown forward as sconts, ap proached me un perceived. The first intimation I had of their presence was by two shots, fired at a distance of less I than twenty yards?one ball passing through my hat, and the other through the fleshy part of my left arm, the scar of which I still retain. By the time I had got upon my feet, they were in the act of rushing upon me with their bayonets, one a couple of feet or so in advance of the other. There was no time to be lost ; and tak ing a rapid sight at the foremost, I pulled the trigger ; but for some cause, my gun for the first time that day miss ed fire. I was now so situated, with the rock behind me, that 'it was impossible for me to escape ; and as my foes came bounding forward, with loud yells and bitter curses, I thought my last hour had come. As quick as lightning I cocked my gun again and again pulled the trigger, with the muzzle almost touching the breast of the nearest. This time, thank heaven I the piece did its duty, and lodged the contents in the very heart of my foe, who fell back dead, without even a groan The next moment the bayonet of his companion passed through my side, with so much force as to drive me back against the rock, inflicting a severe and dangerous wound, and holding me com pletely in his power. For a few moments f struggled to extricate myself, but rapidly grew weak and faint ; when^finding me sinking to the earth, the soldier withdrew .his weapon and made another quick thrust. In his haste he missed me nearly altogether, ..but passed "his bayonet through, my clothes, where it became momentarily entangled. Throwing down my gun and seizing his, I now feebly ^attempted to foil his fell intent-;. ' but being the stronger of the two, and himself no wounded, he fairly tore the weapon from nay grasp. As, fairly foaming with' wrath, he drew back For the-fatal lunge; a bullet passed through bis bead, and he fell dead at my very side I had only time to see a friendly form hurrying up to me, when I fainted and knew no more. When I recovered consciousness. I found myself lying upon a bed, in the house of a Samaritan, and learned that the British-had been met at Lexington by a large reinforcement, and had ef fect their retreat to Cbarlestown, being followed to the very Neck by some of our men, and suffering continual losses all the way. I also learned that my good host was the friend who bad-so providentially come to my rescue. Being a little dis tance behind me, he had heard' the firing,' and had hurried up just in time to save me. Taking up my apparently lifeless form, he had borne me back and secreted me in some bushes, stand ing gourd by me till the enemy had passed; and then, with the aid of some friends, had carried me Jo his own house, about half a mile distant. Here under the best of ear?, I re mained for several weeks ; and just as Irj had once more begun to get abroad in the fresh air news came of the glorious battle of Bunker's Hill, and. filled me with new vigor and life. A few days after, though still far from complete recovery, I joined the j army at Cambridge, and once more took an active part in that great' and right eous contest, whose glorious results, my children, we all now enjoy A Too, Too Young Man. ?? -v- ?? His face is narrow, his heAd is thick, His tongue keeps up a clacketj click, He attends to all business bat bis own, Is a n uisaDce abroad and a pest at home. Curiosities of. Animal Life. Sharks usually turn on their side to eat. - - In animals the arms and legs are of the same length. Fishes have been taught to come when called by their n-ames. A female spider will suffer death be fore she will forsake her eggs. The raz^"^sb-,-4iK>.ugh it lives in salt water, seems to abhor salt! - ?d The ancients believed that the lynx I could see through stone walls. The tusks'of a full-grown elephant sometimes .are ten feet long! The white shark sometimes attains the enormous .weight of ten thousand pounds. Snails have been put in boiling water and have survived the terrible ordeal. Kaemper says he once saw a byena which had put to flight two lions. An elephant does nottttain his full growth until he is sixteen or eighteen years old. Elephants have been known to live four hundred years, and it is supposed whales may live one thousand years. A snail's head may be cut off and in a certain time another head will be formed. At least so says Spallanzi. The elephant has been known to die for grief when, in a sudden fit of mad ness, he has killed his keeper. Why 1900 is Not a Leap Year. The year 1900, although it is divisi ble by four without a remainder, is not a leap year, and it conies about in this way: Under the *Ju?iau period' the solar year was considered to consist of 3G5 days and a quarter of a day ; but as the actual or civil year could not be made to include a quarter of a day, an additional day was inserted in the cal ender every fourth year to make up for four lost quarters, and this ?s the 29th of February. But the Julian method of intercalation made the year too long by eleven minutes and ten and one-third seconds. This put the calender ahead of solar time one day in 129 years: so to balance this, in the adjustment of 'he calender known as the 'Gregorian,' af ter Pope Gregory XIII. now universally adopted in Christian countries except Russia, one of the leap years is dropped at the close of every century, except when the figures of the centarial year, leaving out the two ciphers at the end, can be divided by four with a remain der. Thus, 16C0 was a leap year, and 2000 will be, but 1800 and 1900 are not. Raw bone-dust lasts about seven years before it is exhausted. The second year ils effects on the crop will be as good as the first. Two hundred pounds of it to an acre, mixed with an equal quautity of unleached ashes, will in crease the yield of wheat from one to twenty bushels. Ensilage in the South Mr. J. C. Stribling, of Anderson county. S. C, gives the Southern Culti vator his experience in preserving green fodder. He says his silo, which proba bly ft the first ever made in this State, is located on a hillside convenient to his barn ; it was first dug out about 7? feet long, 11J feet deep and 11? feet wide. At the lower end a doorway was dug out to a level with five feet of the bottom, for convenience in entering the pit through the door ; a temporary box-work or wall was then built of two inch piank and stout studding all round the four sides, with the studs and braces in <de the pit, so as to leave the outside j of the temporary wall sixteen feet long and ten feet wide. The outside of the temporary wooden wall was smooth and stood out from the banks of the pit about nine inches all around perpen die ular, and there was a stout door fram ing put in at the doorway to bold the concrete mortar back and leavean open ing for the door. After this was done all was ready to fill io the space be tween the temporary wooden wall and the earthen wall of the pit with loose concrete mortar and cobble stone. The proportions for a good concrete mortar that will suit this work is as follows Waterslaked lime, three parts; hydraui I ic cement, two parts; sharp sand or finely broken stone, five parts; the ! mortar was made very thin and poured in to the depth of six inches, and .'then cobble stones of any shape or size, from six inches in diameter down, was rained or dropped io the mortar as long as it would take them ; and then more rnor tar and more stone was continued, unti the concrete wall was as tall as we wish ed it ; and after the new wall was com plete and stood a few days, the wooden wall was removed and a - concrete floor about six inches deep was laid in the bottom of the pit, making the silo com plete, except a covering to keep the rain from falling in it. cost of silo. Excavation - - - $ 8 00 Labor - -- -- -- 18 75 Ten barrels lime ----- 18 50 Cement ----- - - 18 75 Carting stone for wall and weights. ------ 9 00 Three hundred and fifty feet of lumber for laying on ensilage 3 50 Carting sand 2 50 Total.$79 00 Capacity of silo 40 to 50 tons. , The above silo is what I consider first class one, and cost more than some that I have seen in use at the North. A good silo can be dug in a clay knoll on top of some elevated spot where there is good clay soil and no danger "of water springing.in at the sides. My silo is on a hillside, and it was necessary to make the wall water tight. In the clay silo there is no need of putting anything in the pit except somexough boards to keep the feed off the clay. My silo was built by my farm hands, with the help of one expert, and the price for labor was given at the regular price for day labor and hauling, etc. planting the crop. I planted my corn for ensilage on 12th July, on land where I had harvested small grain the same year, (this gave me two crops on the same land ) The rows were about 2J feet wide, and about three or four grains to the foot in drill ; the crop was plowed twice with sweeps, no hoeing was done?the yield of green fodder per acre, grown as above, is estimated at from 20 to 40 tons. The corn should be cut immedi ately after the tassel is out, while the whole stock is green and in a succulent condition. It does not make any mater rial difference whether the weather be wet or dry while the work is going on, though that which is put down with dew on it, or light rain, seems to keep better than where it is allowed to wilt I in the sun after cutting. pitting the fodder. I My fodder corn was cut and put away i in sy silo on the 13th and 14th of LEfr?temberl 6ei?g_a little over two months from the time"oT^tffliil?gjo^at of putting away the ensilage. The corn was cutiwith common knives or hand sickles and hauled to the silo, where it was run through a cutting machine run by steam power, and cut in pieces from one-half to three-fourth inches long, the ensilage falliug directly from the ma chine into the silo. The harvest, cut ting and storing away of the green food should all go on continually until the work be completed. The cut food or ensilage should not be allowed to stand 24 hours without having more fresh cut forage put down on top of it, though it matters not if the work goes on for sev eral days or a week, if it is continually going on and tramped well. In my pit I kept one hand spreading and tramping ali the while of filling, ! and when we were through cutting all j hands joined in leveling and tramping j until the cut food was compact and lev* j el ; then we put on our two inch plank [ sawed 2x14 and \\ inches shorter than j the pit was wide, so as to allow the j whole mass and cover to sink without j catching against the wall. These planks I were placed together, except they did 1 not rub nearer the wall all around than ; i-J- inches. After the whole was cover j ed with piank we put about 1,500 j pounds of stone to each square yard of j surface of cover ; these stones were such j as we picked, off the fields that were in I our way. When this pit is opened for i the purpose of feeding, it will be neces j sary to remove the stone off of one or j two planks at the time and then cut (it ! will be very tight and weighing from ! 40 to 70 pounds to the cubic foot, the j difference in weight is owing to the sol I idity?that cut shortest and weighted heaviest weighs more per cubic foot,) and feed it all to the bottom of the pit, keepiug the edges cut down perpendicu lar and even with the edge ^f the plank yet having the weights on it. I make no attempt at arguing the question about the value of the new dis covery, or the advantages and profit of preserving the green food over that of drying or curing of forage, as it seems to me there are butfew intelligent farm ers who are not willing to concede there is immense saving in the value of the food, besides there is no uncertainty about the weather and getting part, at least, of the ';rop lost from bad weather. I have not heard of one failure of a' silo whore the attempt has been made on the proper principles; and I have seen cowb, horses, hogs, sheep, and even poultry eatiug ensilage, or green corn, and snow on the ground. OBSERVATIONS IN FEEDING ENSILAGE. When we first commenced to feed, some of the stock ate the eusilagc with a relish at first, and others did not eat it well UDtil they had acquired the appe tite by mixing bran or weal with a .-mall quantity at first, and gradually increas ing the ensilage until all my stock; cows, mules and horses eat it as well as one could wish. Sometimes they- leave the dry feed and eat up the ensilage clean.. About- one cubic foot of average ensilage makes an average feed for an average cow or bcrse one day, or would say that on a moderate good acre of land there could be grown from 500 to 800 daily rations of excellent forage for a grown cow or mule. Why can't all cotton planters raise all the forage they need if the above figuaes are true ? I have given the figures below rather than above the average yield, and my figures do not come over half way the average of some of the 'ensilagists' at the North. The objection to ensilage at the North is that it comes in when they are the busiest with their other crops. This we can control?we have four months to choose from?we can plant our corn and peas so they will come in when we can best attend to this work, and then we can put away our forage wet or dry, with a certaioty, regardless of the weather'. With ensilage and cotton seed meal we can raise beef, mutton and pork enough for all our uses. TEE FADElTjACKET OF GRAY.. Dedicated to the Ladies Memorial A s so c'a,"on of Atlanta* BY SMITH CLAYTON. The neigh of the iron horse and the song of the spindle mingle merily, and, on eagle wing, the new South sweeps to a great and glorious future ; while, in her weeds with sad face and bowed heart, the old South bends lovingly over the sacred ruins of a brave bitter past. But the South is still the South, and the grief of the old shall never be forgotten in the grandeur of the new, for between the two there hang:? a sweet memorial which binds our hearts to the past, e'en while our^ bauds build the future. ?The_Faded Jacket of Gray! The violets' breath is not swect~r .than the memories by which it is hallowed?the shivering stars are not more splendid than the glory amid which it was fold ed ! Bring it forth to-day*. With gentle hearts in gentle bands smooth out the precious folds ! A thing inanimate, it yet speaks with most eloquent tongue; Its soiled front tells of the dust of righ teous battle, and its ragged edges voice the cruel scars of vanquished veterans. It tells the solemn but grand story of thousands of bright swords which sprang from their scabbards at the call of doty. It tells ef the fiery charge?the stub born 6ght?the bleeding h^ro?the dead patriot?the adroit retreat?the muffled drum?the sable plume nodding above these Godlike men who gave, and gladly gave, all that is best in life (save honor,) and life itself, for liberty ! Every button has its memory, both dark and bright;a every seam images some patriot's darrag deed ; its very silence is the pathos of the honored dead ! In this land of the South, the Faded Jacket of Gray is a common heritage freighted with a common woe It hangs alike in the but on the hillside and in the mansion of the city. In many, alas 1 how many homes is it hung upon the vacant chair, never more to grace the form which long ago filled a Southern soldier's grave ! Its rustle is the orphans' plaintive cry, aod o'er its blessing and its blight is breath ed the widow's prayer ! Faded and worn ! Yes, but the gaudiest hue which tints the arch of Heaven is not more bright than this same dim shade which dims our eyes to-day, and the tooth of Time but makes nearer and dearer the good and true which its newness proudly decked. ?-QH and tbreadbear! What matter? Hooor wof? it, -L?f'?kJelded it away, Grief stands sentinel ! Sa^rswe^-i-gyjn-^ bol?old but still young, worn and yet new, you live in the glory of a grand principle immortal as the wb&e-wiogcd seraphs which circle the Great White Throne! Look at it, and the majestic form of Jackson rises to view ; Look at it and the calm noble face of Lee peers kindly upon you from amongst the buttons and the braid ; Mother, look at it, and the pale face of your dear son comes back from a soldier's grave ; Son gaze upon it, and the honored form of your dead father seems to rise from the earth ; Wife, look upon it, and the fond bus band who exchanged it for a shroud is once more before you ; Sister, look at it, and once again you seem to see the gentle face of your loved and long lost brother ! Ob, murdered Hope ! oh, blessed Memory ! Be th?y liv?ag or dead, all honor to the men who wore the Faded Jacket of Gray. Palsied be the hand that would strike a single star from the crown of their ever brighten ing fame ! "Nor braver for a brighter hand, Nor brighter land had a case more grand, Nor'cause a chief Like Lee !" Transit of Venus. Venus is now receiving a good deal of attention from Jupiter, so they say, and they have an appointment to meet some time this month. Venus will be, in the summer, a beautiful telescopic object, exhibiting the phase of a cresent moon and shining with extraordinary spleu dor. She is now swinging around on this side of the sun, preparatory to her transit across his disc in December, which is one of the most important of all astronomical events, and for the ob servation of which various governments bave already begun to prepare expedi tions. The astronomers have been pre paring, for it for twenty years, as it will be the last transit of Venus before the year 2004. Mr. S M. Shoemaker, of Baltimore, at a New Jersey cattle sale paid ?3,550 for one cow, three years old. Dr. Lawrence Washington, the grand nephew and nearest relative of George Washington, is a farmer and a fruit -grower near Denison, Texas. I Northern and Sonthern Troops in the Late War, The following clippings, which were handed us .a few days ago by Mr. Jos. Nettles, who is now on a visit to his relatives iu this County, will no doubt prove interesting to most of our readers. He says that he has found them quite useful for reference in settling argu ments arising with persons disposed to duscuss the late war from sectional stand-points We do not know, but presume the figures are correct : {From the Missouri Republican.-} Troops Furnished by the Several States. During the Civil War. Independence, Mo , March 2. Fd?or Republican?Will you kindly publish in 'The Old Reliable' the num j ber of troops furnished the federal gov I ernment by each of the several States, I and oblige an old subscriber? Several of us have disputed about the matter, and have ?%reed to leave it to you. Respectfully, A Subscriber. The report of the provost-raarshal generai in 1866 gives the following figures : ' States. Troops Furnished. Negroes. Connecticut. 57,370 1.764 Maine. 72,114 104 Massachusetts.~.152,048 3,966 New Hampshire. 34,629 125 Rhode Island.*.. 23,698 1,837 Vermont. 35,262 120 Total New England.375,131 7,916 New Jersey. 81,010 1,185 New York.467,047 4,125 Pennsylvania...366.107 8,612 Total Middle States.914,164 13,922 Colorado Ten. 4,903 95 Dakota Ter.... 4,837 Illionis.259,-147. 1,811 Indiana..'.197,147 1,537 Iowa. 76,309 440 Kansas. 20,151 . 2,080 Michigan. 89,372 ' 1,387 Minnesota. 25,052 104 Nebraska. 3.157 New Mexico Ter. 6,561 Ohio...:.319,659 5,092 Wisconsin. 96,424 165 Total Wst'n states, ter. 1,098,038 12,711 California. 15,725 Nevada . 1,080 Oregon.'.. 1.810 .... Washington Ter. 964 Total Pacific Stales. 19,579- .. Delaware. 13,670 954 District of Columbia. 16,872 3,262 Kentuckv . 79,025 23,703 Maryland . 50.310 8,713 Missouri.109,111 8.344 West Virginia...... 32,068 196 Total Border State?.301,062 ^43,184 -Alabama. 2,576 4,969 Arkansas. 8,289 5,526 Florida. 1,290 1,044 Louisiana. 5,224 3,48? North Carolina.'. 2,156 5,035 South Carolina..'. 5,462 Tennessee. 31,092 . 20,133 Texas. 1,965 47 Southern States...... 54,137 63,571 Indian natioc. 3,530 ?Colored troops. 93,441 fGrand total...-.2,S59,133 173,0"7? At large. 733 Not accounted for. 5,083 Officers. - 7,122 Total. 186,017 *This gives colored troops enlisted in states in rebellion ; of the grand total of negroes set down in the second column 92,576 are includ ed in the first column reported as troops by the several states. fThis is the aggregate of troops furnished for all periods of service from three months to three years time. Reduced to a uniform three years standard the whole number of troops enlisted amounted to 2,320,272. The largest per cent, in porportio'n to population furnished by any State was 18.8 by Kansas, and the lowest by any thoroughly loyal State, leaving out ofi the calculation the Pacific slope, was 10.6 by New Hampshire. Oregon's contribution amounted to only 3.4 and California's to only 4.1. ITumbor of Confederate Troops. [From the Cfdc?go Inter-Ocean.] It has been impossible to obtain-what could be called exact statistics of the rebel force, except as given in McPher son's 'History of the Rebellion,' as follows : Alabama.40,00.0 Florida.....:. 4,000 Georgia...^.54,006 Louisiana.35,000 ^dtsiPpj^..40,000 North Carolina^r^.-..-.-.25,000 South Carolina._ .25,000 Missouri.^.35,000 Texas.2S,000 i Tennessee.34,0001 Virginia.103,000 ' Arkansas.28'000 Kentucky.:....:20,000 Maryland........ 20,000 Total.:.493,000 It is'stated by the same authority that 'the estimate of Maryland must be excessive.' General Bedeau says in bis 'Military History of Ulysus S. Grant' (volume iii., page 639,) that May 26. the last organized rebel forced dissap peared from the territory of the United States. Every man who had borne arms against the Government was a prisoner. One hundred and seventy-four I thousand two hundred and twenty-three rebel prisoners were paroled.' No Cure for Liars A Michigander who took in the-White Sulphur Spiing of Virginia on a recent trip, one day approached an aged negro who was loitering on the street, j ?od confidentially informed him that he j had come to the springs to be cured of i ly'Dg> ;iud be asked the old man's opin ! ion of the chances for a cure, j - 'How long has you bio in de habit of j lyin, sah V was the honest query, j 'About fifty years.' 'Lyin' all dc time V j 'Right along, day after day. ! 'Rig lies P j 'Yes?the worst old whoppers you j ever heard. Give me your honest opin ! ion now, as to whether a course of ba?hs ! will help me.' i 'Wall, sah,' said the old negro, as j he scratched his head, 'pears to me dat ! if you kin git de water hot 'nuffit might help you some, but de trubble is dat in sweatin' out de lies you may cook de body, an' my 'sperieucc wid white men am dat I kin git 'long better wid a well man who "lies dan wid a parbilcd man who tells dc truf. ' .<<9-k--? The growing custom of wearing mourning for a deceased sweetheart should be discouraged. When half a dozen different girls suddenly appear in black at a young man's funeral, the situation is cinbarrasing. T?e ?iate juormai institute. At the recent meeting of the State Board of Examiners... Columbia was chosen as the place of holding both the white and colored Normal Institutes ?the former in July and the latter in August. In many respects the selec tion was wise. The objection raised to Columbia has been the heat in mid sommer ; but those who tried both Spartanburg and Greenville, know that when Old Sol begins to put in his" work with vigor, there is no cool place in the State of South Carolina above ground unless it be on the Islands. Otherwise, Columbia is centrally lo cated. It has the advantages of the University buildings and of any num ber of boarding houses; while trans portation to and from the Institute should be cheap and easily obtained. The selection of Greenville and Spar tanburg might have given great advan tages to teachers iu the upper tiers of counties, many of whom are already wide-awake and progressive. Columbia j is acccessible to many in the lower coun ties, who will greatly enjoy the facili ties afforded them. The first, two Institutes have been gratifying successes. The third Insti tute will aim to do still more. By an act of the Legislature regular courses will be prescribed, and all persons suc cessfully passing examinations on this curriculum will secure permanent cer tificates as'teachers. This will be a great convenience, and will doubt less attract many. We are pleased to find that the teach ers and citizens of Columbia are mov ing in the matter, and have no doubt that they will succeed in making all arrangements neccessary to insure a cheap and pleasant stay to all who attend the Institute. maij I t I I i- - Blue Ridge Scrip Valid. A decree has beep filed in the Unit* ed States Circuit Court at Charleston, .affirming the validity of the Blue Ridge "scrip, (which amounts to ?1 800"000,): issued by the State of South Carolina under the Act of March 2d, 1873. in exchange for certain bonds of-the Bine Ridge Railway endorsed bv the Statte In 1873 the scrip Act was declared un constitutional and void by the Stae. Supreme Court, and was subsequent ly repealed by . the Legislature. The present decree orders an -ae scrip in the a pro per^^ the receipt to compel the! for its redemption and also County Treasurer from the collec tion of taxes iu cases where said scrip has been tendered and refused. The plaintiffs are Amos D. Williams and and E. B. Wesley of New York, whose claims amount to about ?500,000 advanced to the State upon theseeurity of Blue R;dge Railway bonds, which were subsequently surrendered by them in exchange for scrip. It is under stood that the officers of the State will appeal from the decision above referred to,- and that the case will be revised by the U. S. Supreme Court. _. His Wife's Signature. A few days since a well-dressed young man entered an express office in this city and said to the obliging money clerk, Mr. John Clark, that he wished to send some money to his wife; that she lived in Boston in aflat, and that her mail being sometimes tampered with he would like to know how to send it so that it would be absolutely safe. Mr. Clark replied by showing him the 'advice card* they use in connection with orders, on which is a clause stating that if the sender of the money has in bis possession a signature of the payee and will paste it on the card the persons calling for the money can identify them selves by duplicating the signature. The gentleman replied that he had lots of them, and putting his hand in bis pocket brought out a bundle of let ters. After examining several iu suc cession, a broad smile spread over his countenance and with a half doubtful ex pression be said . 'Are you a married man.?" Mr. Clark answered that he was. ^.Well, then, said he, 'look at this/ ha^d?ingjover one of the lettters. Mr. Clark look^oT??l?^found the cause of the young man's amuseme-?4>io be that the letter was signed not witb^h?~iH&'?-l name but with the endearing substitute Your Ootsey Tootsey/ and it turned out that they all were so. Mr. Clark, then said : 'Well, cut one of them off, and the agent will cause her to dupli cate if.' The gentleman, after- some hesitation, agreed, remarking: 'I'll do it, but when I get home I will expect some lively hair pulling.'?Cincinnati Gazette. A Nondescript American Town Ysleta, Texas, is one of the most enterpising towns iu the world. The inhabitants consist of Indians, Mex icans, and forty white men and six teen white women. There are half and quarter-breed Tnuians and half and quarter-breed Mexicans, and the women arc from perfect daisies down to real bed cases. There are a few white men here who have married.into both Indian aud Mexi can families, who are rich and walk around at their leisure, drink their El paso wine and cat grapes. Every acre of land is in cultivation or sub ject to cultivation by irrigation. The Rio Grande is one mile wide at this place. There are ail kinds of sum mer, fall and winter peaches, apples and apricots. The houses are built of adobe?, nicely plastered, and are as comfortable as brick houses. The town is as quiet and peaceable as any place anywhere.?El Paso Times. A colored child in Anderson County about six years old was literally roasted to death last week. The children were left alone at the house while the mother was in the field at work, and by some means the child's clothes caught on fire. When the mother reached home the child was dead in the yard, although only a short distance away, so rapid was the work of the flames. xxews ana ?orusbip. -o-? - - Mr. .B. W. Timmerman, who lived ih the Pleasant Lan? section of Edge-: field County, has found on his farm a nugget of gold which he says is worth about $300. . : The Columbia & Greenville Railroad* has changed the running of its trains sd. as to make the line,.from Colombia to; Walhalla the main Hoe, and all trains low run through between these points;^ The people about &inety-Six acft^ struggling to bring Red.Rust-Proof Oats to perfection. They say as soon as fhejr ? i can develop a variety wiin a good tap" , root, then their fortune will be made. ^ At the session of the G?nerait Con-* ference of the Methodist Episcopal r" Church, the Revival Committeerecom- r mended the prohibition of promiscuous* dancing either in private or public tfr visiting the theatre, opera or circus, j. j The wheat fields in many localities' : are red with rust, but as it is only on the blade the hope is generally express ed that little damage will be d?net>y fc* ?Anderson Intelligencer. .0 ? A solitary Confederate soldier's, grtv? s in Abbeville was decorated on Memo rial Day. A lone. cedar on tbe slop? near Dr. Marshall's marks the spot^ ?-* poor Confederate soldier landed at. this-"/ place, near the close of the war, .crazy^.. with smallpox, and. died in the pest-V; : bouse. He could not tell his name*^ and .did not even know where, he was*. Queen Victoria is about to marry oS? her only unmarried daughter/"Report^ * says that a husband has been found for her in the person of the eldest son of .; the Landgrave of Hesse. It was stated . some time ago that the Princess Beat rice never intended to marry, 'hat ,tt^ seems that she has changed uer"mi?d bjrV her mother has changed it for her. " * "' r Captain Bauebettee. of the. etea_ ?c ~ Mississippi, from LiverpoolV?priT^O^ with 588 passengers, whicfi arrived at" Quebec, May l?, reports'meeting enqr-^,; mous fields and hum-mocks' of ]?c? be-.'' yond anything he btfdjknown Jn years* experience. Theice wasmet in lattitude 44, longitude' 49, just aflter^' getting into collision with th? "Nor#? gian bark Dronningeii. The steamer had two holes stove in her port bowaifd^ " was jammed in the ice the best part of two weeks. B. H. Hill, Jr., telegraphs' frotn " Eureka Springs to the At??nt? Y^sft- -! tution, under date of May 1*3 : (Fatff?r? wound is apparently healthy ?nof heal- J ing slowly. His appetite is g?o^1??l\... an injury to bis left jaw \mnG*ynvent?*' him from chewing any solid food." His Sulaer temj)erature,j^jgestion and geo" are br%U and hcpefuL Dr.. Wn^? wlc has been witb-biro since Ute^ftrst: : operation, expresses himself as "?nc?lnr^ ?| aged.' .y.^rr ^-g A bill reeontly intr?doce^iut?' tbe \ Senate for the purpose "cf permitting" r Confederate soldiers and sympathizers to enter the Union army was defeated? by the vote of Mahone, Think of ta!s.r> A Rebel Brigadier, now- occupying -- front pew in tbe Federal Syimgogu^*^ deliberately casting a stigma tfpon -tbe -;' very men whose valor**gave bini ^roini^ nence and fame 1 Can imagination con-' e ceive of any greater piece of scoundrel*" ? ism ? . : : ri& - x? Tbe excitement caused bv the^sassf-* f* nation of Lord Cavendish is by u6 means subsiding. Throughout all Ir?r^f land, and-from branches of tlie^Land^ League in America, come^jl^est^^^ie^L^ nunciations of this st3ptd7 cowardly act.ss The assassins have sot yet been dis* covered, although large rewards haro' ^ been offered for them. The last official act of Lord Cavendish was an order re* \ leasing almost all the Irish suspects* from jail Jt was an ancestor of Jnr??'* Cavendish who slew the famous Eng-""? lish rebel, Wat Tyler, and thus won f5 his kuightship huudreds of years ago. T A new machine bas been invented^' ' which will manufacture ice from water* in twenty minutes at little expense. :?-n^~ the older processes great pressure was^*; required to liquifftlie gases used.7 Tfie"-*' new method employs a solution of- anr^-; monia in.glycerlue. The latter absorbs?g? several hlftkired times its volume wither out pressure. By passing into a Tacn~~^* um the ammonia is set free- and pr??*??j duces intense cold. Reversing the pro-- ; - cess, the ammonia is easily reabsorbedt ; 5 The day is not distant when every small5; 7 town can manufacture its own jce-a^a^ *^ minimum cost. " - A "~Tbe"se*sToT^^ dist Conference in Nashville," Tcnu?s^""""' see. is the most important thathasueenr held in this^denomination for many years;^ Many importnnt ecclesiastical questibns' are before it. Up to this time tire lead- . ' ing act of the Conference has been the " election of live new Bishops, as follows f ? Dr. Alpheus W. Wilson, of the Balti more, Uonference, and for the past few*1^ years Missionary Secretary of th?" ' Church, witb headquarters at Nashville,"- I was' elected on the first ballot. " and^' afterwards Dr. J. C. Cranberry, Profes? ^ sor in Vandcrbilt"Univcrsity, but'dcle*"3^ gate from the Virginia Conference ; Dr<.35 ?tticus G. Haygood, of Georgia Rev. B. R. HargravOi of Tennessee^ and Dr. Linus Parker, of ,New Orleans:* ? The Conference will sit for some time* yet, and pass upon a number of ques-, tions touching the discipline and order j of the Church, including temperance, ' dancing and other amusements. " The Clyde Syndicate is roakin^jts " power felt where it controls all the roads running through a country. Mr. Hani- _ mett of the Piedmont factory, ten miles below Greenville, and on the G. & O. Road, is hauling his manufactured goods to Greenville on wagons, because it is cheaper than by rail. Mr. Man ning who has been buying cotton at this place for Clifton factory is now sending it by wagon trains, seven or eight miles, to the factory, because he finds it cheap er than" to ship on the Air-Line. The Baptist Convention in Greenville last week in passing the usual complimenta ry resolutions at-the close of their ses sion, excepted the Clyde system of roads, as not showing the same courtesy extended by other roads. Now all this shows that a strong corporate monopoly is not given to granting favors where, there is no return in actual cash. It itv^ elso evident that competition in rail-/ roads is what the people actually need. Carolina Spartan, ,