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THE DONALDSONVILL CHIEF. O.FFICIAL JOURNAL OF T.HE PARISH OF ASCENSION AND TOWN OF DO.NALD.SONVILL.E. VOLUME IX. DONALDSONVILLE, LOUISIANA, SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 1880. NUMBER 18. .. .. . .. ... .. .. . -. .. - .. .I..1 I . . ._. ,,k ..- ---_ -~ _ .H i __H... ] n b l d l b i[ Amicus Humani Generis. ,A Wide-Awake Home Newspaper Published Every Saturday, at D onaldsonville, Aaceusion Parish,La., -BY 1 I N l DEN E. AlJlAN rAJr.:1, EDITOR AND PROPRmITQR. TERMS OPF tB,9CRIPTION: One copy, one year ............ .......$2 00 4 One copy,,six imonths,................ I 25 ,Six ..qiee, one year,. .................0 00 ; 1wi'ee copies, one year,............18 00 Payable invariably in advance. AD VERZ2'ISING BATES: 'One Inch of space constitutes a "square." sQuAR>s. I mio. 2mos. 3mos.16mos.Ilyear Sseqare.. $ 3 00 $5 00 . 6 50 $110 $1500 I squa:res. 5 03 8 00 9 50 15 00 20 00 3 squares. 7 OJ 11 00 12 50 19 00 25 00 4squares. 8 50 14 00 15 00 23 00 30 00 5 squares. 10 00 16 00 17 00 27 00 35 00 6 qul:res. 11 50 18 00 19 00 30 00 40 00 7 s'lnares. 13 50 20 O0 21 00 33 00 44 00 8 squaros. 15 00 22 00 24 00 36 00 48 00 Scolunmn. 20 00 30 00 35 00 45 00 60 00 column. 30 00 40 00 45 00 55 00 75 00 I column. 40 00 50 00 55 00 65 00 100 00 Transient advertisements $1 per square first insertion; each subsequent insertion, 75 cents per square. Official advertisements $1 per square first insertion; cach subsequent publication 50 cents per square. Editorial notices, first insertion, 20 cents per line; subsequently, 10 cents per line. Cards of six lines or less in Business Di rectory, five dollars per annum. Brief communications upon subjects of public interest solicited. No attention paid to anonymous letters. The editor is notresponsible for the views of correspondents. Address: CHiE,. Donaldsonville. La. DONALDSONVILLE BUSINESS DIRECTORY. DRY GOODS, GROCERIES, Etc. A D. VEGA, Agent, dealer in Dry Goods, " Notions, Clothing, Boots and Shoes, HIIts, Groceries, Liquors. Furniture, Hard ware, Tobacco, Paints, Oils, Glass, Lumber, Bricks, Carts and Wagons; Loeb's corner, Railroad Avenue and Mississippi street. ERNARD LEMANN, dealer in Western Produce, fancy and staple Groceries, Liquors, Hardware, Iron, Paints, Oils. Carts, Plows, Saddlery, Stoves and Tinware, Fur niture. Crockery, Wall Paper and House Furnishing Goods, Mississippi street, corner Crescent Place. 1OSEPH GONDRAN, dealer in Clothing, J Dry Goods, Notions, Hats, Groceries, Wines, Liquors, Boots, Shoes, Hardware, Paints, Oils, Saldlery, Crockery, Furniture and alll kinds of House Furnishing Goods, No. 14 Mississippi street. M TOBIAS, dealer in Groceries, Dry M Goods, Clothing, Notions, Boots and Shoes, Hats, Furniture, Hardware, Crock ery, Trunks, etc., corner Mississippi and St. Patrick streets and No. 24 Railroad Avenue. Everything at lowest figures. C KLINE, corner Crescent Place and C Honmas street. dealer in Dry Goods, Notions, Boots and Shoes, Groceries, Pro visions, Corn, Oats and Bran. M ISRAEL & CO., deales in Dry Goods. * Clothing, Boots, Shoes, Saddlery, Buggies, etc., corner Mississippi street and Railroad Avenue. G FEITEL, dealer in Dry Goods, Cloth G ing, Boots, Shoes, Hats, Groceries, Furniture, Hardware and Plantation Sup plies, at the old Post-office stand, Mississippi street. S WEINSCHENCK, dealer in Dry Goods, " Notions. Clothing, Groceries, Hard ware, Hats, Boots and Shoes, and general Plantation Supplies. Railroad Avenue, be tween Iberville and Attakapas streets. p T. BABIN, dealer in Choice Family P Groceries,Wines and Liquors, Lamps, Oils, etc. Darrowville, near ferry landing, and opposite Donaldsonville. LIQUOR AND BILLIARD SALOONS. THE PLACE, Gus. Israel, manager, Corner Lessard and Mississippi streets. Billiards, Lager Beer, Best Wines and Liquors, Fine Cigars, etc. B UTCHERS' EXCHANGE, P. Mollere, proprietor, Crescent Place, opposite the Market-House. Best of Wines, Liquors and Cigars always kept at the bar. HOTELS AND BOARDING-HOUSES. R ORT. E. LEE HOTEL, at Marx Israel's old stand, corner Mississippi and Les sard streets. Jos. Lafargue, proprietor. Bar and billiard room attached. First-class en tertainnment and accommodations. SHAMROCK HOUSE, L. Wiese, proprie tor, Mississippi street, opposite Lem ann's old store. Board and Lodging at the lowest rates. Best Wines, Liquor and Beer. ST. LOUIS HOTEL, Lucy Butler, pro S prictor, Crescent Place. near the wharf. First-class Board ant Lodging at reasonable rates. S1'I Y HOTEL. P. Lefevre, Proprietor, . Railroad Avenue, cor. Iberville street. liar supplied with best Liquors. CONFECTIONERIES. PHILIP GEIGER'S Confectionery and Sruit Store, Mississippi street, adjoining Lemann's old stand. Cakes, Soda Water, 'Nuts, Toys and Fancy Articles. D ONALDSONV'LE CONFECTIONERY, by A. Grilhe, Mississippi street, near St. Patrick. Branch on Railroad Avenue, near Opelousas street. Cakes. Fruits, Nuts, :Soda Water, Icee Cream. Cakes. Ice Cream and Syrups for weddings and parties fur nished on short notice. CIGAR DEAI.ER. JOSE REBERT, Dealer in Havana & Domestic Cigars, Tobacco, Snuff, Pipes, etc., cor. Mississippi and St. Patrick streets. JOS. THOMPSON, Railroad Avenne, next door to corner of Conway street, near the depot, dealer in Havana and Domestic Cigars, Tobacco, Snulf, Pipes, etc. MIILLINERY. M RS. M. BLUM. Milliner, Mississippi street, between Leasard and St. Pat rick. Latest styles of Bolnets, Hats, French Flowers, etc.; also, all kinde of Ladies' Un derwear. M RS. J. FEVRIER, Milliner; all kinds of I Hats, Bonnets. Trimmings, Artificial Flowers and Fancy Articles;, corer Missis sippi and Lessard streets. BOOT AND SHOE MAKING. S GOETTE, Boot and Sboemaker, Mis Ssisslppi street, opposite Maurin's store. All work in best style a4t bottom prices. SEWING MACHINES. Singer Sewing Macbine DEPOT, ir corner Mississippi and Lessard streets. A. Combe .......... ...... Manager, ,Mrs. Octavia Ilsley,. ...........Saleslady COP.SITHW .SEWING MACHINE DE. O POT, No. 155Railroad Avenue. Agents for the " White," " Wilson," "New Home," "-Wheeler and Wilson," "Victor," "New Davis," and "8igwalt." Also manufae turers' agents for all kinds of Sewing Ma chine Needles, Attachments, Silks, Flax, Patterns, Oil, etc. Repairing of all kinds done and warranted. 10 Z LIVERY STABLES & UNDERTAKING. SQCHONBERG'8 Livery; Feed and Sale 0 Stable and Undertaker's Establishment, Railroad Avenue, between Iberville and At takapas streets. Competition defied. DRUGS AND MEDICINES. r B RYBISKI, Apothecary and Druggist, - e Mississippi street, between St. Patrick 0 and St. Vineent streets, adjoining Gondman's 0 store. 0 CENTRAL DRUG STORE, corner Rail 0 road Avenue and Iberville street, L. 0 Blanchard, proprietor. Fresh Drugs and 0 Medicines. 0 0 SADDLERY---HARNESS-MAKING. 0 TOSEPH HISS, Saddler and Harness 9e Maker, 159 Railroad Avenue. Saddles and harness of all styles and prices made to order. All orders for repairing and paint ing of Carriages and Buggies promptly ex t ecuted. HOUSE AND SIGN PAINTING. R J. GREEN, House, Sign and Ornamen - tal Painter, Railroad Avenue, near Claiborne street. Paper-hanging and Calci mining in superior style. BARBER SHOP. L L. FERNANDEZ. Barber Shop, Mis e sissippi Street, near corner Lessard. Shaving, hair-cutting, shampooing, etc., in most artistic style. TINSMITH. LOUIS J. RACKE, Tinsmith, Mississippi street, at Lemannu's old stand. Orders attended to with dispatch and satisfaction insured. ATTORNEYS AT LAW. Frederick Duffel, R. Prosper Landry. UFFEL A. LANDRY, Attorneyvs at J Law. Office on Chetimaches street, just back of the Court-House. EDWARD N. PUGH, Attorney at Law, Attakapas street, opposite Louisiana Square. Visits Nanoleonville on Mondays. SODA WATER MANUFACTORY. ODA WATER MANUFACTORY, II. Hether, proprietor, No. 11 Mississippi street. Soda, Mineral, Seltzer end all kinds of aerated waters manufactured, and sold at lowest prices. Dr. P. J. Friedrichs, of New Orleans Is now permanently located on Railroad Avenue between Mississisippi and Iberville streets DR. A. C, LOVE, Darrowrillc, La. Left bank Mississippi river, opposite Don aldsonville. Office and residence at Gibson's IHotel. DR. J. B. VANDEORIFF OFFICE : Attakapas street, near the Court-House, I)onaldsonville. La. DR. W. M. McGALLIARD Office in Crescent Place, Donaldsonville, La. L AV AND NOTARIAL OFFICE. R. N. Sines, ATTORNEY AT LAW. Donaldsonville, La. Practice in Ascension, Assumption and St. James. mch22-ly EDMUND MAURIN, ATTORNUT AT LAW, Ofice : Opposite the Court-House, Donaldsonville, La. Practices in the Fourth Judicial District, -comprising the parishes of Ascension, St. James, St. Charles and St. John Baptist and the parish of Assumption. aprl9 PAUL LECHE, ATTOR3NE AT LAW, Donaldsonville, La., Office: One block below the Court House, on Attakapas street. my24-ly John H. Ilsley, Jr., F. B. Earhart. ILSLEY & EARHART, ATORINETS AT LAW, Office: Opposite the Court House, Donaldsonville, La. Practice in the Fourth Judicial District (comprising St. Charles, St. John, St. James and Ascension parishes), and in the Supreme and United States Courts. my31-79 CHAS. OBERKAMP, Jr., Barber and Hairdresser, Crescent Place, adjoining St. Louis Hotel, Donaldsonville, La. Shaving, Hair Cutting, Dyeing, Shampoo ing, etc., in elegant style at moderate charges augi H. C. GRUBE'S Auction and Commission House, Donaldsonville, La. The undersigned is pleased to inform the public that, having filed the bond required by law and received his commission from the Governor as an AUCTIONEER, he is now prepared to execute with promptness and satisfaction all business in the auction line with which he may be entrusted. Fur niture and articles of every description stored and!sold on commission. Apply to or address, U. C. GRUBE; d13 Licensed and Bonded Auctioneer. 1N BEL, DRUGGIST, Corner Chetimaches and Mississippi Streets Donaldsonville, La. A complete stock of Pure Chemicals al ways on'haud. Prescriptions carefully com piled at all hours, day or night. febl61 T .VItWED AND LOST. "Tke.elvel and lost I" why do we call them -Biecause we miss them from our onward road I God's unseen angel o'er our pathway crost, Looked on us all, and loving them the most, Straightway relieved them from life's weary load. They are not lost, they are within the door That shuts out loss and every hurtful thing With angels bright, and loved ones gone before, In their Redeemer's presence evermore, And God himself, their Lord, and Judge and King I And this we call a "loss." Oh, selfish sorrow Of selfish hearts ! Oh, we of little faith ! Let us look around, an argument to borrow, Why we in patience should await the morrow That surely must succeed this night of death I Aye, look upon this dreary desert path, The thorns and thistles wheresoe'er we turn ; What trials and what tears, what wrongs and wrath, What struggles and what strife the journey hath ! They have escaped from these, and lo ! we mourn. Ask the poor sailor, when the wreck is done, Who with his treasures strovie the shore to reach, While with the raging wave he battled on, Was it not joy, whee every sorrow seemed gone, To see his loved one landed on the beach ? A poor wayfarer, leading by the hand A little child, had halted by the well To wash from off her feet the clinging sand, And tell the tired boy of that bright laud Where, this long journey past, they longed to dwell; When lo I the Lord, who many mansions had, Drew near and looked upon the suffering twain, Then pitying spake, " Give Me the little Ilad; In strength renewed, andt glorious beauty clad, I'll bring him with Me when I come again." Did she make answer selfish and wrong 1 "Nay, but the woes I feel he too must share !" Or rather, bursting into grateful song. She went her way rejoicing and made strong To struggle on since he was freed fromu care. We will do likewise; death has made no breach In love and sympathy, in hope and trust. No outward sign or sound our ears can reach, But there's an inward, spiritual speech That greets us still, though mortal tongues be dust. It bids us do the work that they laid donw, Take up the song where they broke off the strain : So journeying till we reach the heavenly town, Where are laid up our treasures and our crown, And our lost loved ones will be found again. .. . ql -44-q . .. Our Broadbrim Letters. Holiday Weather-Swindling StockFirms Exposed-Mysterious Disappearances -Misplaced Charity-A Biblical Quar rel, etc. NEW YORK, co. 31, 1880. EDITOR CHIEF: It really seemed as if 1879 was try ing to see how badly it could behave, when it bade us good-bye on the last day of the year. The countryman was right who said "city folks have no business with snow, they don't know how to use it." We have no use for it here in New York, where it only serves to make the detestable streets more execrable still. Just be fore noon of the 31st, the snow began to fall; late in the afternoon it changed to a sort of driving sleet, and by night the streets were one vast glare of ice, rendering locomotion dangerous if not impossible. Falling horses and som ersaulting pedestrians crowded all the great avenues, adding to the ge neral confusion ; and, I regret to say, that notwithstanding the sacred asso ciations of this holiday time, profani ty, with a big D and a huge G, was by no means uncommon; but as the traveler's legs flew from under him on the unstable and treacherous pave. ment, the command to " swear not at all" was forgotten for the nonce, and the most powerful forms of obhjrga tion, though sandwiched with forcible and profane adjectives, afforded only temporary relief for sore heads and bruised limbs. In spite of the dread ful character of the travel, the streets were crowded with people making purchases of presents for the new year. Our old friend Santa Clans had not quite found the bottom of their purses, but a little still remained to make the hearts of their frie, ds and relations glad. New Year's was a general holiday ; open house was kept by the majority of house-holders, while all the great officials, as well as those who expect to be great, in pros pective, dispensed a most generous and lavish hospitality. FI iday brought with it the usual number of aching heads and repentant drunks, aitd it is to be hoped that before 1880 ex pires, that some of the victims may seek safety in a blue ribbon, under the generalship of Francis Murphy, and that the New Year ofl88t may find them uttering the prayer-" Lead us not into temptation." I told you so, I told you so ! Six of the swindling stock firms have come to grief that have been flooding the country with thieving advertise ments, and there is a rod in pickle for more of them. For months I have sounded the alarm through your col umns, but it was only this week that the great New York dailies awoke to the fact that a band of organized pi rates in Wall street were robbing the people all over the United States of millions and millions of dollars. All of you have seen the advertisements I of Lawrence & Co., where $5 or $10, put up on stock margin,in thirty days would realize $100. Did it ever occur to the fiats that if the.chances of gain were so tempting and sure, Lawrence & Co. would be more than mortal if they did not keep it :themselves, but the owners of over $1,000,000, in sums varying from $5 to $100, seemed to think that Lawrence & Co. were a sort of good genii, who gave new lamps for old.ones, and whose special mission it was to give $5 gold coins to poor people at 25 cents apiece. When will people learn common sense? Whenever you see an advertisement in the paper a here a man proposes to give you five or ten times the worth of your motey, you may be sure that that man is a liar and a thief. Thanks to Aunthony Comstock, it Jooks as if these vagabonds would have their swindling business broken up for the present; but you may be sure that it will only be for a little while, for the profits are so large and gulls are so plentiful, that it will not be long be fore they turn up with some new scheme, of which I will try and give you timely warning. A pleasant piece of intelligence comes from the report of the morgue of 320 men and women missing dur ing the past year; how many dropped out of sight for whom no one inquired, and of whom no record remains, will oaver be known-perhaps fully as many as were reported ; and now the question comes, what became of themf I alluded to this matter nearly a year ago ; then there were less than 200 reported, now there are 320. Many of the cases have an air of horrible romance about them, at once startling and terrible. An eminent artist in Brooklyn was engaged one evening on a drawing; he had on at the time a common working bloase, and his supper was almost ready on the table; lie heard a boy in the street crying the evening papers, and stepped to his door to get one--that man was never seen again, dead or alive. There seemed to be ito case for self-destrue tion, his family relations were all that couldl be desired, and his income from his profession ample, but if he had been dropped in mid ocean he could not have been more completely ex- t tinguislhed. Aunother man, an emi nent merchant, bids his friend good bye in front of the Astor House at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and starts for his home in Brooklyn ; lie, like the I artist, was never seen or heard of after. What seems particularly. strange is, that only a small percent age of these lost people are from the country; out of the 320, New York furnishes over 200. It is a terrible thing to think of, this sudden wiping out, but it only illustrates the preca rious chaoces of life in a large city, and it may be that the escape of the old fool Blair, whose would-be assas sins are now doing the State some J service, may furnish a partial key to the disappearance of this grim army, which the hoard of vital statistics dis- a misses under the brief heading of r " missing."7 About eighteen months ago a man walked deliberately up toashow win dow and broke it, and then quietly waited for arrest; he made not the slightest attempt at escape, but bold ly proclaimed his guilt. When taken before the Judge, he was asked why he had done it, and be replied that he was starving and took that means of getting into jail rather than perish in the street. Public sympathy was at once aroused, and there was a general rush to his rescue; one sent him a new coat and pants; a kind hearted woman baked him a mince pie, anoth er sent him a roast chicken, while many sent him money and other pres ents from different parts of the city. Everything went on swimmingly for three or four days, when one of the sharp detectives happened to see him by chance, and it turned out that he was an old State's prison bird, who had done the same thing a numter of times before, and who was just out of jail. A person would naturally think that one such lesson would be suffi cient, but last week a" fellow by the name of Howard startled the town by smashing a window and stealing some things to save his wife and child from perishing. Again the people got a craze; merchants rushed forward -to bail the man, who represented him self as a poor, sick carpenter, out of work. The Judge on the bench had the wool pulled over his eyes, and in 24 hours collections were taken up in his behalf which amoumited to over $700. Enough of furniture and pro visions were sent him to stock a re spectable charitable asylum ; he, too, was smoaked by a sharp detective, who recognized the? unfortunate car=, pen ter as na.old and experienced thief,' wihlo had passed several ,termas in the State's prison, and at that very time he was wanted for another offence which may send him up again. It is a dreadful damper on .many people who are charitably inclined,and many a poor sufferer will go unrelieved on account of the trick played by this villainous fraud. Mr. Beecher and the Bible Society are at loggerheads about. the Scrip tures. It is now pretty generally con ceded that King James' Bible con tains many flaws-which the lovers of that good book wish were not there. A band of learned men in England have been at work many years hunt ing up the errols, typographical or constructive, which have crept in during the many centuries which it has been the guiding star of the Chris tian Church. Some thousands of these errors had been expunged by a body of scholars selected by the Bible So ciety, and the revised edition went forth to the world with its sanction and approval for seven years. It was then attacked by Dr. Spring and Bishop Breckenridge, and the Bible Society was induced to undo all its work and return to the old and im perfect form. Mr. Beecher ventilated this subject in a sermon a week ago, and a very polite exchange of compli ments have been passing between him and Dr. Porter, of Yale College, which, if reduced to simple King's English, would seem to indicate that one was a soft head and the other a fool; probably this is not the exact form, baut it looks very much like it. Col. Mapleson, of Her Majesty's Hopera, has Ieft us, and one-half of ouar young bucks and fair damsels are in mourning. The girls fell in love with Campanini and Del Puenti, and the fellows went wild on Mile. Valle ria. The opera season, though not as successful as the season of 78, was still far from a failure. The fact is that the gallant Colonel of Her Majes ty's contilngent has contrived to keep in hot water with everybody ever ainee the openi ngf tb.seaso, Eiz lie quareled with the musicians, the) with the singers, then with the direc tors, and lastly with the press. He would make a first-class director for the Royal Hoperas of Timbuctoo, where lie could slash off a prima don na's head, or cut a leader's wizen if lie grew contrary, but he finds that his lines have not fallen in pleasant places in this Great Republic, where even a Colonel of Her Majesty's con aingent ranks about tile same as a green-grocer, and a Major-General is of no more account than a respectable haber-dasher or carpenter. We are consoled, however, for the loss of Mapleson by the presence of those genial authors and gentlemen, Gilbert and Sullivan. Their new opera of the Pirates of Penzance is already a pronounced success, which the ma jority of the critics think even more deserving than Pinafore. One thing is certain, that they have walked right into public favor, and every one rejoices in their success. The markets are steady and stocks are firm, and it now looks as though thle boom might last through the first mouth of tihe new year. Truly yours, BTO-DBRIM. Opelousas Courier: The store house of Mr. S. R. Walker, in Wash iugton, was destroyed by fire on Wednesday night last. Most of the goods were saved, but we have not heard whether the building was in sured or not....A few days ago, on Plaquemine Ridge, in this parish, a young man by the name of Miller, who was subject to epileptic fits, was drowned in a pond of water not more than six inches deep, while watering his horse. He was seized with one of these attacks at the time, dropped from the saddle into the water, face downwards, and must have perished immediately... .The committee of eleven, appointed by the chairman of our late railroad meeting, to raise a subscription of $20,000 and secure the right of way from Vermilionville to Opelousas, are making very en couraging progress in their work. Up to this date, $8000 have been sub scribed in Opelousas alone. The " right of way," we understand, has been secured without difficulty, from Opelousas to Vermilionville. Next year New Jersey will present the anomaly of a State with a govern ment that is no longer supported by taxation. The comiug report of the controller will show that the taxes on railroads and the funds now invested, the income of which is available, will afford sufficient income to pay all ex penses for the coming year and leave a surplus without a State tax. Gov. McClellan will, it is said, incorporate in his annual message a recommenda tion that no State tax be levied here after.- Ex. Our Washington Letter. The New Year-Postmaster..enera] Key's War on Swindlers--A Gigantic Broker's Fraul--Maine Matters-The Electric Light, etc. WAsrnsotox, D. C., Jan. ., 1880. Earron CsEFP: One by one the fleeting sands of the old year were numbered with the bu ried past, and the great hand on the dial plate of time signaled the birth of the new horn year. Out upon the still air of midnight millions of silvery tongued bells rang joyously, telling the sleeping world that 1880 with all its hidden wealth of love, or its crush ing load of sorrow., had come as a new experience in 1ife'W great mystery, a new legacy to every living being. It is well to step joyously over the t hres hold into this new lease of life. The old year was better than we knew and blessings always brighten as they take their flight. " Strange we never prize the music Till the sweet-voiced bird has flown, Strange we always slight the violets Till the Summer flowers are gone." With all the gathered wisdom of the past ring, ring the bells in lofty spire and oJwly turret. Let their echoes sweep across the continent to eleer and gladden fifty millions of human hearts. The dead year began with dark shadows, commercial de pression, want and suffering, but in its life a bow of promise streamed athwart the nation's commercial hori zon, which now spans the coming years, and over its great sweeping arch is written in unmistakable char acters unparaleled commercial pros perity. Let us then arise to duty, Blessings lie along our path, Let us save the wheat, the roses, Cast away the worthless chaff. Let us find our richest comfort In our labor day by day, With a patient hand removing All the briers in our way. The good that has been accom plished,and that will be accomplished, by Postmaster- General Key's starving out war on specious swindles can scarcely be estimated. Thousands ot men in this country carry on exten sive business with purchasers and cli ents wh1wJlk. )ye npever seen. east, but it suffers more or less from a comparison with these fraudulent con cerns which are the object of Post master-General Key's attack. The lotteries, and many other confidence schemes, that Judge Key lies throt tled, very truly plead that their busi ness has been the source of an im mense revenue to the Government, through the Postoflice Department. But if this plea was worthy of consi deration, it might be answered that, by debauching the mails, and abusing business confidence, they have di verted a much larger revenue that would have accrued to the Govern ment through the channels of legitim ate business. If men all ovet the country, whether they want to make a purchase, prosecute a claim, secure a patent or a pension, could believe that advertisers do just what they ad vertise to do, business through the mails would be immensely augmented, and the vexed problem of the elimi nation of the superfluous "middle man" would be in a measure solved, co.tfidence would lie restored, and a such better class of advertisers would ind the press an indispensable me dium of communication. JudgeKey's work is not yet complete, but it is >rogressing, and is doubtless already reaching in healthful extirpation far beyond the so-called firms that he has denuded of power to gull green-horns through the mails. A gigantic broker's swindle has re cently been unearthed in New York. Some time ago the attention of the Postofice Department was called to a circular purporting to be issued by "Lawrence & Co., Bankers and Bro kers." It was filled with seductive words and accounts of poor men who had become suddenly- rich through stock speculations. One instance in particular was given of a clerk in the Postoflice Department here, who had intrusted $100 to the firm named, and, by allowing it to be continuously in vested, had realized no less than $2(6, (100. The circular was headed with a wood-cut of a large building, with several smaller houses by its side, and the New York custom-house in the distance. On the wall of the large building the words " Lawrence & Co., Bankers and Brokers," were conspi cuously displayed. Convinced that the firm, if it really existed, was ep gaged in deceiving the public, the Department authorized its special agent in New York to investigate the matter and report. The. result hasi been to unearth one of the largest, if not the most extensive, sainmlling concerns in the country. The list of swindling concerns pub- } lished by the Postoffice Departmeut is already large, and malny additions will be made before the " weeding but " is completed. Meanwhilemany, who have so far escaped the vigilance of Judge Key, are fleeing, of their own accord, from the wrath to come, A too trustful public has been pat.o&o its guar and poor men and women, who have given their earnings in the feverish hope of speedy fortune, have been taught another lesson in the education that the only way for them lies through industry and economy., Honest advertisers, doin.lg--eitmate business, have been grenat'yb RWitted .aud no reform -that hasbeen-attempt ed will be farther reaching in its be neficent influence. All conservative people will be glad to know that the danger of violence in Maine is;passed, and that it now seems likely the Legislature will meet at the time in peace, and-as nearly as Legislatures ever do-in quietness. Without entering into the propriety of any thing Gov. Garcelon has done, the promised supremacy of law and order is gratifying. Two wrongs do not make a right, and even those who think worst of the Governor's act seem to appreciate that fact now. While on warlike subjects it may be well to mention that General Grant was in :this city for a few days last week. He came qnietly,|he sawihis friends, and he left by special train for Florida last night, whence he will go to Cuba. He will return through Mexico, reaching this country late in May next, in good time to watch the proceedings of the Republican"Na tional Convention. A landmark of the somewhat bizarre society of Washington in 1873-'4-'5 was destroyed by fire a few nights since. This was the famous Stuart mansion, built just before the crash of 1872, and furnished throughout from Paris and London. The cost of house, furniture, etc., was about $500,000. It was the property of ex-Senator William II. Stewart. Society has toned down some since the early days of Grant's second administration, The Committee on Commerce are establish a bureau that shall have power to supervise and regulate inter State trade along the great commer cial arteries of the nation. The question of tolls, freight and passenger rates over railroads is year ly growing more important, and the discriminations made against locali ties, the conflicts between rival and connecting corporations, the encroach ment upon cities and States by rail road kings controlling hundreds of millions of capital, all these influences have roused the people to appeal to Congress and ask that these giant cor porations shall be held to regard more effectnally the rights of the people. We have outlived the old time theories with reference to commerce, and unless these corporations are held in check the end of the next decade will see six great trunk lines of rail roads sweeping from ocean to ocean, with all the net-work of intersecting lines obedient to the beck of one or the other, or all, of these mammoth corporations. The bill provides for the appointment by the President of nine railroad commissioners who shall have power to equalize and cheapen the ta:iffon freight and passengers, and it can not too soon become a law. The reports made to the State Do partnment by our consular agents from foreign countries are of the most hopeful character and indicate a rap idly increasing demand for our prod acts and manufactures. Secretary Evarts has enlarged the scope of the duties of our lepresentatives abroad by requiring them wisely and judi ciously to bring to the knowledge of these various countries the cheapness, excellency and superiority of our manufactures, and the abundance of our cereals. Through this wise fore thought on the part of the Secretary the manufacturers of our country are finding an increasing market among every nationality in the world, while our surplus of bread-stuffs are finding their way at good prices into the hun gry maw of the East. The electric light of Edison, a new year gift to the world, has had a most depressing influence upon gas stocks. This city has been a rich harvest to those who were fortunate enough to be holders of such investments. Un cle Sam is immensely lavish in the use of gas, and his bills never go to protest. Every year from one to five bills for the relief of consumers are introduced, referred to committees, and somehow, mysteriously. die, not withstanding responsible parties offer to furnish gas at onue-half less than the present monopoly exact from their cnstomers: Under the influence of gas, which has a wonderful effect upon committere men in Congress, these bills sleep each year a sleep that knows no waking. Edison's nlame will be a lustrous one if he shall in troduce to the world a light that shall break down tile powers of these soul less corporafiions. So come on with your light, Mr. E'disont, nuu among Ihe. wu"t al'; gitt ar h-lnfac:tors % no shall lhavet a plaI,ce in the fore,,r, st ranks. SENTINEL.