Mower County transcript. [volume], October 13, 1886, Image 7

About Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915

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tain (who were the men on whose advice
the governor acted) were ready to meet
me in the governor's office on the word­
ing of the amendments. I went at once
to the governor's office and found there
the attorneys (General Cole and Hon.
John M. Oilman) the governor and Mr.
Chamberlain and according to my best
recollection, Gen. Sibley. I then and
there wrote out the amendents which
were assented to by .the other parties
present and at once sent up to the house
to be offered by Col. Hicks. I was in
formedby Mr. Fletcher (and I agreed to
it) that it would not do for me to intro­
duce the amendments that the governor
and his friends must have the honor of
reducing the interest. It is but justice
to Mr. Fletcher and the other gentlemen
named, but especially to Mr. Fletcher, to
say that but for his and their interven­
tion and emphatic action, these amend­
ments could net have been carried
through the house. They did pass the
house and were adopted by the senate and
in pursuance of the agreement the state
officers who issued the bonds fixed the
rate of interest at four and one-half per
cent.
SAVED BY JUDGE WILSON'S AMENDMENTS.
Let us see how much these amend­
ments saved the state and cost the bond­
holders. The bonds to be issued under
the bill as above stated were about $4,
300,000. By the bill before the amend­
ments it was absolutely provided and re­
quired that the bonds should draw five
per cent interest. Therefore one-half of
one per cent was saved on the bonds is­
sued, viz: $21,500
annually
posed them one and all.
and (if the
bonds run as long as it is provided they
may,) there will be saved by this amend­
ment to the state $645,000, and by the
other, reducing the interest from seven to
Ave per cent for a little over two years as
before explained, over $200,000. Indeed
this does not state nearly the full amount
of the gain to the state for by the amend­
ments thus made the state saved interest
from January 1882 to January 1884. Af­
ter this, even if this were all, it could not
be expected and 1 well knew that the
railroad companies wouid not look on me
with favor.
Farther, during the former session of
the legislature, when I was a member of
the house and senate,the attempts—(gen­
erally successful) to sccure swamp land
grants in aid of railroads were very nu­
merous, and many other bills partial Jto
corporations and granting them special
privileges were introduced and urged, as
the records will show and as any honest
member of the legislature, to whatever
party he may belong, will testify.
TAXING ltAlLltOAD LANDS.
At the session of the legislature in Jan
uary, 1881, it being suspected that exten
sive tracts of land, in reality owned by
private parties, were being held illegally
untaxed, in the name of different railroad
companies, a resolution was offered by
me in the House, for the appointment of
a committee to investigate and report
"whether any lands granted by the state
in aid of the building of any lines of rail­
road have been or arc held exempt from
taxation, after the same have been sold or
contracted to be sold, or after tucy have
become the private property of any per­
son or persons, natural or artificial or
whether by any device or subterfuge any
of said lands are held exempt from taxa­
tion, in violation of law."
The resolution having been adopted,
and the committee appointed, of which I
was chairman, upon investigation a.ma­
jority of the committee becatnc satisfied
that on a large scale certain persons were
holding their property in the name of
some railroad company, and thus illegally
shielding it from taxation. They there­
fore reported, and recommended that—
"The State Auditor be Instructed, by the
House, to cause to be placed on the tax list the
lands granted to the St. Paul & Chicago Rail­
road Co., the St. Paul fc Sioux City ltailroad
Co., Sioux City & St. Paul Railroad Co., the
Stillwater A Fergus Fails Railroad Co., and
(part of those granted to) tlio Southern Minne­
sota Railroad Co."
To this report was added, as a conces­
sion to those who opposed the report, a
proviso that the "majority report of the
committee be submitted to the Attorney
General, and that he may in his discretion
stipulate with the different companies
mentioned, for the bringing of test suits
to determine the taxability of the lands in
said report mentioned and in case said
course is agreed upon that the other lands
of such companies, not embraced in such
test suits, may, in }tlie discretion, and on
the direction of the Attorney General,not
be placed on the tax roll until such test
suits are determined." This report and
resolutions were adopted by the House.
Subsequently suits were brought in Hen­
nepin county to enjoin the taxation of the
lands of the St. Paul & Chicago Railroad
Company and a block of the lands of the
St. Paul & Sioux City Railroad Company
but these suits were not decided in the
district court until itbe winter of 1S85,
when that court held in both cases, the
lands exempt from taxation.
At the extra session of the legislature
in the Autumn of 1881, it was understood
that the taxation of these lands would be
resisted on the following among other
gronnds, viz:
1. That the resolution of the house afore­
said, not having the force of law, the State
Auditor would not be justified in placing the
lands on the tax list In pursuance to it.
2. That the persons beneficially interested in
the lands not owning the fee, it would be ille­
gal to tax the fee.
That there was no law requiring, or justi­
fying the taxation of their interest in the lands.
I therefore though best to introduce a
bill to obviate these and other possible
objections. It was also deemed necessary
under the sverest penalties, to require
the railroad companies to report to the
State Land Commissioner such transac­
tions as gave to their stockholders, or
other persons, the fee or any fees interest
in such lands.
While to those who were most earnest
in urging the taxation of the lands it did
not then nor docs it now, seem that any
further legislation was absolutely neces­
sary, yet to avoid any embarrassment and
to remove any chance for defeat on al­
lege! technicality or quibble, a bill was
introduced providing that:
"Whenever any railroad company, to which
lands have been granted to aid in the build­
ing of its lines or road in the Territory and
State of Minnesota, (and which lands have
been by law exempted from taxation, until
leased, contracted or sold by said company)
has sold, assigned, transferred or disposed or,
or shall sell, assign or transfer or dispose of,
any estate, right, title, or interest therein, or
thereto, the right, title, estate or interest of
such purchaser, assignee, or holder, by what­
ever mode or in whatever form, such sale
transfer or assignment is, or may have been
made, shall become and be taxable and shall
be assessed and taxed as other real property
In this State and the taxes on such right,
title, Interest, or estate shall be collected and
enforced as taxes on other real property.
"That whenever any special stock or land
stock, or any other writing, or instrument
whatever. Is or has been issued by any rail­
road company, to any person or persons, with
a vletr or Intention to thereby grant, transfer,
or secure, to the person to whom such stock,
or instrument, is issued or delivered, any In­
terest, right, title or estate, In or to any lands
held by such railroad company, the right, title
interest, oa estate of such person holding such
slock, writing or Instrument
lands to which stock or writing Is appllcal
or refers, shall be held and considered within
to the
rble
the purview of this act, as subject to taxation
and taxed as aforesaid. "If any railroad com­
pany shall issue any land stock or special
stock or any certificate, contract or writing
conveying, granting or giving to the holder
thereof any interest, estate, right or title. In
or to any lands, held by said company and
exempted 'from taxation as aforesaid, and
shall rail within sixty days after the issuance
of such certificate, stock contract, or writing,
to report the same to the laud commissioner,
or auditor of this state: or if having heretofore
Issued such contract, stock certificate, or writ­
ing, shall fall to report the same within sixty
days after the passage of this act, the failure
so to report, shall be held to be, and to operate
as, a forfeiture by said company, of its corpo­
rate franchises and privileges and the Attor­
ney General of the state shall at once proceed
against said company to have Its charter and
franchises declared forfeited.''
To this it was supposed there could be
no reasonable objection, for it only pro­
vided that
such purchasers should be taxed on
thsir property as ordinary indimduals
The consternation manifested on the
introduction of this bill showed that the
rties interested thought it would effect
the purpose for which it was drawn—the
taxation of their property. It was resist­
ed at every step, and beaten at that ses­
sion. I again introduced it at the session
of 1883, and it was again beaten. It was
again introduced at the session of 1885,
on the first day of the session, I believe.
It was senate file No. 2. It was fought
in the committee, and in the senate at ev­
ery step. Such a lobby was called, and
kept in attendance as I have never seen
except that which hovered around the
capitol in aid of the old railroad bond bill.
It passed the senate at the last session,
but the house was not even permitted to eonsidsr
it.
A few tricksters, influenced, I know
not how, having some knowledge of par­
liamentary rules, succeeded in keeping it
smothered in one
lands
their tax.
op­
Such bills were too
numerous to be referred to particularly,
but I think that I may be pardoned for
referring to one or two other transactions
that will explain the feeling towards mc
of the railroad companies and the capi
talistswho control them and of corpora
tions generally.
committee after another
until the legislature adjourned.
All the bills and resolutions looking
toward the taxation of these lands were
drawn by me, and all the facts exposing
the iniquity gathered by me at an expen­
diture of very much labor and time. But
few appreciate the magnitude of this
iniquity. After a careful examination of
the question I believe that there have
been thus held untaxed not less than two,
perhaps three million acres of land, that
are, legally and equitably, just as much
suDject to taxation as any other property
in this state. It is perhaps safe to say
that these lands are worth, on an average,
four dollars per acre, and that the tax on
them annually would not have been less
than fifty to one hundred thousand dol­
lars. This the state has lost. But this
is not the worst of it. These lands lie
largely on the frontier, among the farms
of settlers who have to bear not only the
hardships of frontier life, but often the
pinchings of poverty. In each township
and county the amount of tax to be raised
to build highways, bridges and school
houses, and make such other improve­
ments as are necessary in new country,
is not less because these lands are not
taxed. The fact is that the settlers are
compelled to
pay the tax of the owners of the
as well as their own.
AN OUTRAGE SYSTEM.
Russell Sage, Selah Chamberlin and a
number of their associates residing in
eastern states, and a large number of the
most wealthy men of our own state, who
are the owners of these lands, have thus,
by a kind of legal legerdemain, com­
pelled and are compelling the most
hardly pressed class of our settlers
to pay
This has been going on for a
period varying from 10 to 15 years and
over. The duty to expose and remedy
this evil 1 therefore felt to be imperative,
and the opposition was such as only rich
and powerful men to command. The
bill having been defeated by the means
stated, and the district court of Minne­
apolis having decided against the State
in the suits which were brought in pur­
suance to the resolution that I offered in
1881, they supposed us vanquished. But
the cases being pending on appeal in the
supreme court in 1885, 1 informed the
Attorney General that 1 would, if he
were willing, assist him in the argument.
He gladly assented and enclosed mc a
retainer'of one hundred dollars, with a
promise of a farther fee. This money 1
returned and declined to accept any fee
for ray services—not wishing to leave it
in the power of any one to intimate that
my action in the legislature was with a
view to personal gain. I argued the case
in the supreme court and that court re­
versed both cases, holding absolutely
that the lands of the St. Paul and Chicago
Company, about four hundred thousand
acres, are taxable, and reversed the judg­
ment in favor of the St. Paul and Sioux
City Company on grounds that in my
judgment settle the question that its
lands are taxable. I am advised too that
on the line of the Southern Minnesota
nearly 50,000 acres have been added to
the tax roll on account of the proceedings
which I may be permitted to say I in­
stituted. 1 do not wish to claim for my­
self all the credit of this contest or vic­
tory. To very many others the greatest
credit should be given but I do not over­
state the part which 1 took when I say
that 1 inaugurated the investigation and
took the leading part in every subsequent
step. I also uncovered the facts that as­
sured Qur final triumph and on me above
and beyond all others the vials of wrath
of the men who thus sought to evade
taxation have been, and doubtless
will continue to be, poured for ex­
posing their disreputable and dishonest
schemes. Every member will bear tes­
timony to this. Any one who will take
pains to examine the figures will see that
in the transaction to which I have re­
ferred, there have been subtracted from
the coffers of these men and added to our
people and the State not less than one
million of dollars.
TWO MILLIONS SAVED.
I venture to assert that when this
question of taxation is fully summed up,
the net profit to the people and loss to
these parties, will not fall much, if at all,
9hort of two million dollars. It is not
strange therefore that they think me an
unfit man to send to Congress. And
their opposition is doubtless not lessened
by the fact that during the time that I
was so dusily engaged in frustrating
their schemes I was often counselled and
employed as attorney by their compa­
nies. But it is but justice to them to say
that 1 do not oelieve they ever intended
or expected their retainer to affect my
conduct as a citizen or a legislator. The
labors which thus performed gratis and
which have taken from monopolists and
added to our people so much, were great­
er than any one can be made to believe
who did not witness the efforts against
which we had to contend. Not only
have I uniformly while a member of the
Legislature opposed all land grants,
bonuses, subsidies or other special privi­
leges to railroad companies or other cor­
porations, but I have sought to make
such compulsory bonuses or subsidies
impossible. I therefore at the session in
1883 proposed a substitutional amend­
ment providing that "No county, city,
town, township or other subdivision of
the State, shall ever subscribe to the cap­
ital stock of any railroad company or of
any private corporation or make any do­
nation or loan its credit in favor of any
such corporation."
SUITS AGAINST CORPORATIONS.
This I succeeded at that session in get­
ting through the Senate with a slight
amendment but it was beaten in the
House. I again introduced it at the last
session and it passed the Senate without
amendment, but was again killed in the
House, largely through the influence of
bonus and subsidy brokers who wished to
make gain at the expense of the people
and State. Nor is this the length and
breadth of my offending against such
corporations. What they seek aoove all
things is to be freed from the jurisdiction
of our State courts and juries and to get
their litigation into the federal courts.
That their pecuniary interests would be
advanced by this, may be admitted that
it is inconsistent with the interest of the
people, is too clear to admit of question.
The expense of litigation in the latter
court and the delay—especially when the
amount is so great as to give the right of
review to the Supreme Court of the
United. States—are so great that the re­
moval amounts practically in many cases
to a denial of justice and places poor
litigants at the mercy of the rich and
especially at the mercy of foreign cor­
porations. Fully impressed with this
view I publicly called uttentien to the
great wrong in a paper which I read
before the bar association some years
since which was widely circulated. And
I have
at all times
who ac­
quire such an interest in railroad lands or
state lands or school lands are taxed. Nor
was it considered either a hardship or in­
justice to require railroad companies, un­
der severe sanctions, to report such trans­
actions. This bill was drawn with great
cart, and in my opinion would have made
impossible, without the connivance of the
taxing officers, the success of such fraud­
ulent schemes in the future.
in the Legislature
voted and acted in such a manner as to,
so far as we could, remedy the evil.
The full and perfect remedy in such
cases can only be reached by the action
of Congress. Furthei, the same men to
whom 1 have above referred, includtng
Alexander Mitchell, Russell Sage, Selah
Chamberlain, John M. Burk, M. L.
Sykes and a number of eastern capital­
ists associated with a number of the most
wealthy men of our own State, consti­
tuted the Minnesota Railroad Construc­
tion Company. They were the wealthy
and controlling men of the Milwaukee
and St. Paul and the Chicago and North­
western Railroad Companies. The com­
pany obtained possession legaHy of one
thousand bonds of the city of Winona of
the par value of one hundred thousand
dollars and accrued interest. I was con­
sulted by the city and gave my opinion
that we had aright of action against it.
I was therefore ordered to proceed
against the company in such a manner
as to me seemed proper. I conducted
the litigation to a successful conclusion
and the suits growing out of it having
in one form or another been carried
through the State, courts, district and
supreme, and United States Circuit
Court and Supreme Court, and I obtain­
ed and collected from the company for
our city over $180,000 for damages, costs
and accrued interest. And: the same
company, having obtained the bonds of
the city of Lake Citv to the amount of
$75,000, brought suit against that city to
recover, and I was employed to
defend and
did so
successfully-recovering a judgment
for the city. The sum which they could
have recovered in that suit would have
been almost $125,000—had they recover­
ed at all.
HEAW VERDICT8 WON.
I have also recovered verdicts against
the Northern Pacific Railroad Company
for personal injuries, one for the sum of
$25,000 and one for $20,000. The first
was cut down by the court to $10,000 and
after being carried through the circuit
court and supreme court of Dakota and
the United States supreme court was af­
firmed for the above sum and interest
and costs, amounting to between 413,000
and $14,000. The other, for $20,000, was
affirmed by the supreme court of the ter­
ritory for the full amount and is now
pending in the supreme court of the
United States, by which I have not the
least doubt it will be affirmed. I have
also recovered many verdicts and judg­
ments against other companies of $8,000,
$5,000 and under.
I believe that I can truthfully assert
and prove by the record, that I have col­
lected very much more from the railroad
companies of the state than any other at­
torney in the state. And the record
shows, too, that in the most important
matters my acts have been unselfish and
without fee or reward except such reward
as I got as a member of the community
and by feeling that I have done my duty
fearlessly.
I do not refer to the several verdicts
judgments to show, nor do I claim, that
the railroad companies are always wrong,
but merely to show the reason for their
opposition. While I believe I was right
in each case, I also believe that the coun­
sel opposed to me in each was equally
honest and conscientious. Such corpor­
ations have an equal right to justice with
any and every other person. And he is
an unmitigated and shameless dema
gogue who would assert that it was al­
ways wrong to defend such companies
or bring suits for them. When the rail­
road company is right, it ought to be
defended. When wrong, it ought to be
compelled to respond in damages. The
only test in all such cases should be,
and with honest, honorable and intelli­
gent men always will be, did the attor­
ney deport himself honestly and honora
bly. And any man who will ask support
because he has successfully sued a rail
road company or any other corporation
or one who will try to prejudice an ad
vcrsary simply because he has counselled
or defended a railroad company, insults
the people by assuming that they are be
nightedly ignorant and prejudiced
Railroad companies area necessary part
of modern civilization. It is not wrong
to either build or operate them. But
inasmuch as concentrated capital has a
power that if improperly used would be
most dangerous to the State and to the
individual members of society, it is prop­
er that that
POWER SHOULD BE MOST CAREFULLY AND
VIGILANTLY GUARDED.
In all countries and under all forms of
government the most important duty of
the government is to protect and defend
the rights of the masses against the ag
gressions of the wealthy and powerful
and especially of corporations and mo­
nopolies generally and perhaps this duty
has never been so imperative as now.
Not only does my record show that I
have sympathized with the people as
against the improper influences and exer­
tions of corporate power and centralized
capital, hut I may be permitted to say
that it clearly shows that 1 have, accord­
ing to my best judgment and ability, dil­
igently and always stood up for the rights
of the people against all forms of attack
by sharpers and those who wish to make
money by their acts at the expense of the
people in disregard of justice.
A few years ago we were overrun by a
swarm of patent right sharks, who, by
all sorts of trickery and fraud, swindled
honest and unsuspecting people. They
attacked the people to-day by one spe­
cies of fraud, to-morrow by another.
Soon after I left the bench I found that
nearly $30,000 of patent right notes of
citizens of Houston, Filmore, Winona
and Omsted were held by a resident of
Winona. They all had been purchased
before they grew due and suit was brought
on a number of. them. They had all
been obtained by some fraudulent prac­
tice. The defendants applied to me for
counsel. I tried and won the cases and
not one dollar of the notes was collected.
In all this 1 deserve no credit for it is
just what any intelligent, conscientious
lawyer would have done. But I may be
permitted to say that in one of the suits
carried to the supreme court of our
State (Cummons vs Thompson, 18 Min­
nesota Reports, p. 246) certain principles
were settled that greatly crippled that
class of swindlers. But I did not stop
there. 1 drew and carried through the
Legislature, a bill which gave to the de­
fendants in such suits the right to prove
that such notes were obtained by fraud
and thus defeat the action whether the
notes were in the hands of the original
payee or not.
I not only drew this bill and got it
through the senate of which I was a
member, but I followed it into the house
where it was earnestly opposed by cer­
tain bankers and dealers in such paper
and aided in its passage through that
body. Since that bill became a law, pa­
tent right swindlers have rarely been
heaad of in this state, I believe—and it
would be fruitless for them to come here.
I thus practically did away with litiga­
tion on that class of cases, to the great
detriment of those of my professional
brethren and especially of those who are
accustomed to take them "on the halves."
SUITS FOR THE FARMERS.
A few years ago our farmers storing
grain in warehouses had only the pe­
cuniary responsibility of the warehouse­
men, where the grain was not stored in
a special bin. If the gram was shipped
out by the warehouseman in such case,
he was irresponsible the farmer suffered
the loss. This was a crying evil. I drew
the first bill^offered in the legislature to
make it penal for a warehouseman to
ship out grain stored with him without
the written consent of the owner. This
bill I gave to a member of the legislature
from Winona county to be introduced
and it was by him introduced. It did
not pass that year but the next year it
did in a slightly modified form. Soon
after the bill became a law, in order to
make the danger to warehousemen viola­
ting it apparent and notorious, at the in­
stance of a few of my farmer friends
without fee or reward I prosecuted and
convicted the only man I believe who
has ever been convicted under the law.
He was by Judge Mitchell sentenced to
states prison. This proved a sufficient
warning and I have not since heard of
such a crime. I also in the legislature
favored and aided in the passage of the
oleomargarine bill. And to the best of
my ability 1 aided to pass a, law requir­
ing notice to the owners of land before
the right of a tax title holder should be­
come absolute—so as to make impossible
the acquiring of a tax title without the
knowledge of the owner of the property,
and I refused to consent to accept a re­
tainer to argue in the supreme court in
favor of a construction of the statute to
the effect that a man could get a valid
tax title in the land of another after the
latter had paid his tax to the proper
officer. ^The records will show that I
have alwij$ refused to be retained as an
attorney to Msist any person to deprive
another of ht%|and on a tax title. Until
recent years ftwas more frequently en­
gaged as an attorney in Wabasha county
than any other attorney outside of the
county. Tfie "half bread tract," so
irgely in that county and the.
titles on that tract have been rery ques­
tionable. I without exception refused
to take a suit to question or unsettle the
title of any person who had honestly
purchased and paid for the land—even
though the title was not legally valid
and although many such cases were of­
fered to me.
THE FINAL SUMMING UP.
But I have too ldng trespassed on your
patience. I shall therefore not longer
refer to or dwell upon particulars. While
1 have served four sesssions in the legis­
lature your county has had as senators
and members many witnesses of my acts
—all of them opposed to me politically,
or at least nominally. I now challenge
any one of those men, for
1 respect them
all, torise up and say that I ever let at­
tachment to party blind me to my duty
as a citizen or legislator or that I have
ever cowered before wealth and power or
hesitated to take the part of the people
against any and every form of attack by
wealth or power or chicanery or that I
have ever let my own personal interest
interfere with the fearless performance
of my duty as 1 understood it.
Again 1 go farther, and I challenge any
one Of those men to say whether there
was another man in the legislature
whom the monopolists, tax title sharks,
patent right swindlers, and all that class',
more hated or feared, lam told my ad­
versaries have their men investigating
and critically examining my reco
rd. Let
the work proceedv I do not claim to be
perfect or to have been always right. On
the contrary I know I have often erred.
But this 1 do know, that I have neyer by
word or act permitted power or wealth to
deter me or turn me from the right.
I wish to be elected to Congress, but
only as the representative of the people
—my old friends and neighbors. Those
powers and classes against which I have
always stood opposed will beyond a doubt
continue to oppose me—they seem to pre­
fer my opponent over me as they prefer­
red him over Mr. White. And you will
find them resorting to the same means to
defeat me by which they defeated Mr.
White's nomination. I believe they will
not jsucceed. The transparent and dis­
honest ory of "stop thief" which they
have set up by which it is attempted to
divert attention from their methods,them­
selves and their candidate will not avail
them. I appeal to you—the electors of
the district. See to it that you are not
circumvented, for the canvass made in
the district for the nomination is merely
a foretaste of that which will be made for
the election.
I have no doubt you will candidly look
at the record, the principles and previous
practices of both candidates and judge
them on that. And by that we should
both stand or fall. No man should seek
or secure an office unles his
shown him worthy of it.
acts
have
THE DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.
We, the Democrats of the First congression­
al district of Minnesota, through their dele­
gates in convention assembled, send greeting
to the people of the district, state ana nation,
and congratulate them upon the fact that a
new epoch has at last dawned upon us In the
accession of a Democratlcjadmlnistration, af­
fording promise of release from the thralldom,
which for so many years has hung over the
nation through Republican misrule.
Resolved, That we fully indorse the admln
tratlon of President Cleveland. He professes
that which is right and acts upon his own pro­
fessions, and we again tender our congratula­
tions, that, though antagonized by all the
baleful influences and power which bo man
years of Republican misrule has engendered,
yet he has accomplished much good that
many useless offices have been abolished and
large sums of treasure saved.
Resolved, That the Republican party, al­
though professing a deep interest in the agri­
culturists, has so fashioned legislation that
the farmer is unable to bear theburdenaof the
support of the government, and grievously
taxed him to support a burdensome protective
tariff and Republican monopolies.
Resolved. That the Republican party, al­
though professing to be the peculiar paternal
guardian of the wage earner, has aided and
abetted by its legislation and sympathy the
fastening upon the country of a system of con­
vict labor, thereby robbing our own laboring
classes of chances lor labor and the right to ob­
tain a living.
Resolved, That industrial and ihoral worth,
not wealth, should be the true standard of in­
dustrial and natural greatness that in order
to secure to the laboring class the full enjoy­
ment of the wealth they create, sufficient leis­
ure should be allowed him in which to de
velop his intellectual, moral and social facul­
ties, and to derive all of the benefits, recrea­
tion, and pleasures of association in a word,
lid be enabled
[f advancing
they shou'
and honors of advancin
gi
be enabled to share In the gains
civilization
Resolved, That the public lands, the heritage
of the people, be reserved for actual settlers—
not another acre for railroads or speculators—
and that all lands now held for speculative
purposes be taxed at thefnli value that laws
should be enacted providing for arbitration
between employer and employes and to en
force the decision of arbitrators that we ab­
hor the hiring of convict labor where it comes
into competition with free labor, and we be­
lieve that the importation of foreign labor un­
der contract should be prohibited.
Resolved, That we are in favor of such legis­
lation as will make the general laws applica­
ble to pensions so broad that all honorably dis­
charged Union soldiers shall be entitled to a
nsion from the general government, tliere
doing away with all favoritism fay special
legislation that as the rank and file stand
E
upon common ground In battle, so should they
have an equal chance before the law.
(Adopted at theCongressional convention at
Winona, AUK. 24.)
A TTsefal Sfohicey.
"oj£-
Dennis Reagan is now living Ins
flat which overlooks the Lackawanna
tracks, says the Buffalo Itepresa. Across
the street lives an Italian nobleman in
reduced circumstances who ekes out his
poor existence with the aid of a poor
monkey and a worse hand organ. To
Garribaldi comes Dennis one evening,
and, after passing the time of day,
warms up to the subject in hand.
"Av ye plaze, Misther Garibaldi,n
says Dennis his most unctuous and
wheedling tone, "wud ye have any ob­
jections to loanin' me yer munkey fer
an honr or two ivry mornin'
"What-a for you want-a monk?" in­
quired the count
"Niver ye mind," replied Dennis.
"What wud ye charge a mornin1 for the
use av him?"
The count suggested that 10 cents an
hour would be the proper figure, after
vainly attempting to find out what Den­
nis was going to do with the monkey.
Dennis haggled and tried to beat the
Italian down, hut Garibaldi wouldn't
have that way, and the deal was closed
at his figure. y~*
Everything went beautifully for a few
days. The money was paid promptly
and the monkey was returned regularly
in time not to interfere with the re-
S'o
uirementsof the count's profession,
be sure the animal looked a-little
hollow-eyed and care-worn, but in the
main was in good condition.
Finally, however, the Italian's curios­
ity gotthe better of his avarice, and he
tola Dennis that the monkey would not
be loaned any more. This announce­
ment had a most depressing effect on
Dennis. His megathenan intellect rose
to the emergency, though, and he pro­
ceeded to effect one of those masterly
financial coups which dazzle people
who axe not familiar with the workings
of the capitalistic mind.
"Garrybaldy," said Dennis "av ye'll
promise to act square and not give the
racket away Til he after takin' ye into
pardnership and gin ye half the profits
lor the use of the munkey."
"AU-a-rieht-a," said the Italian.
At this the new partners shook hands,
and each took another poll out of the
can of beer which Dennis had warily
provided to lubricate the negotiations.
Then Dennis in his customary lordly
manner pot his arm through the Ita­
lian's, and together they sauntered over
to the back yard of the house where
Dennis lived.
"D'ye see thet ther pole, Garry?" in*
quired Dennis, pointing to a pole some
fifteen feet high, surmounted by a cross
pieee.
The Italian couldn't very well help
seeing it and remarked that it was
within the range of his vision.
"D'ye know phwat ther is beyant the
fencer1 said Dennis. •Thim's the
railroad thracka. Now thin, Garry,
this is the snap: Early in the mornm'
whin the coal trains begins to come in
I put the monkey on the pole. The
brakeamin ia all out on the eara riddr
to go up the thriatlea. Ivery mothers
son of them flings two or three pisses el
coal at the munkey. Tve laid tin Urns
away in the cellar ang divil a wan o'
thim's hit the nuptkav vet"
What ia the Use?
What is the useof this impetuous haste?
The end is certain. Let us take Our time
And hoard the vital forces that we waste
Before our day has reached its golden
prime.
What is the use of rushing with spent breath
After old age, its furrows, its white hair?
Why need we hurry so to we come Death,
1
Or go half way, with hands stretched out to
Care?
There is no use. Dear hearts, if we hut wait
AU things will find us. Let us pause, I say,
We cannot go beyond the 6ilent gate*
That lies a short day's journey down the
way.
So let us take our time
in youth's fair bowers
The summer season is so brief at best.
Let us look on the stars, and pluck the
flowers,
And when our feet grow weary let us rest.
—Ella Wheeler.
The "Grand Old Man."
Shall the tie that is binding us be but a tether-*
Naught hut a fetter between our lands?
All the world waits for your answer, whether
We govern by handcuffs or clasping of
hands.
Be not misled by promoters of panic
Be not beguiled by the Brummagem plan
Show that your metal's not falsely Britannia,
But true in its ring for the "Grand 014
Man."
Well may they dub him the "one manpower,"
Standing alone when there's room but for
one.
In his pride of place like a mountain tower
That catches the rays of arising sun!
We In the valley, of final decision
Gather around'him as close as we can,
To see what he iees on his summit of vision.
The triumph that beckons the "Grand Old
Man."
—Gerald Massey in Pall Mall Budget.
STOPPED THE STAGE. I'
A Polite SkutC Agent and the Rude Ad
natag* That Was Taken ot Him. .)
Capt Long, an army officer, was
staging it. between, Julesburg and Chey­
enne before the railroad connected tne'
two, says the New York Sun. The
through passengers numbered seven,'
being five men and two ladies, the latter,
being the wives of two of the passengers.'
He was the only military man aboard.
The two married men were easterners,
who were going to Cheyenne to set up'
in mercantile business. One of the
others was an arlist and correspondent
for a New York illustrated paper, and
the fifth was a stockman. It was but
natural that they should soon strike iip
a speaking acquaintance, and the
natural result of this was a general con­
versation about stage robbers. Those,1
chaps were pretty numerous at that
time, and the chances were at least even
on the coach being held up before thej
end of the journey. People who regard
themselves in peril often become com-j
municative. These had not been travel-,
ing half a day before it was known that
the two mercantile men had about $16,-)
000 in greenbacks, and all but $200 wasj
concealed in the bosoms of their wives.!
The artist had $150 in the lining of his]
cap and $30 in his wallet. The stock-:
man had $100 in his wallet and his
bootlegs jammed full of greenbacks.!
Long had $80 in his pocket and not a
dollar elsewhere. The fact of his being
an army officer will satisfy all inquiries
as to why he didn't have more. The
next thing was to expect the stage to be
stopped, and to plan what they would
do. They had all read and heard of
such affairs, but no one had been run
through the mill. The five men each
had a trusty revolver, and it was hardly
to be expected that they should permit
themselves to be robbed by one or twoi
men. It was arranged that in case the
stage was stopped the ladies should sink
down out of harm's way and give the
men a chance to show their mettle. As
a matter of course, they depended on the
driver to help them out as he could.
It was about half an hour before sun­
down, and they were skirting the cot
tonwoods along the north fork of tho
upper Platte, when the driver suddenly
ufled up. They looked out to see what
ad happened, and a man opened the
right-hand door of the coach and look­
ed in on them. He was about 30 years
of age, light hair, blue eyes, sanely
board, and regular features. Indeed,
he was a good-looking man. His dres3
Was half hunter, half gentleman, and
he looked clean and tasty. He had a
cocked revolver in his right hand and
his left held the door open.
E
7
"One—three—five—seven," he count­
ed. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am ex­
tremely sorry to put you to any trouble,
but I shall have to request you to alight.
That is, the gentlemen will please step
out, while the ladies can remain in the
coach."
The artist was the first one down, and
his revolver was taken as he reached
the ground, and he was rdered to
/'stand over there." Each one was dis­
armed the same way, and the pistols of
all were flung under the coach. While
no one could say the driver stood in
with the agent, he certainly acted a
contemptible part. He had stopped the
'coach at a gesture, and now sat on his
seat with face entirely free from anxiety.
He was armed with two revolvers, and
he could have easily shot the agent
through the head, as tho latter gave
him no attention whatever. Well, there
Stood the five men in line, and the agent
surveyed them, and said:
1 "I must have $5,000 out of this crowd.
.Captain, place your money on the
'ground. Watches and rings I don't
jcare for, and none of you seem to have
'any diamonds."
One threw his wallet down in con­
tempt and the others followed suit
The agent picked them up, selected out
$he greenbacks, and upon counting up
the sum total, he laughed merrily, ana
Observed:
"This crowd must be looking for a
poor-house. Now, gents, no more fool­
ing. There's money here, and I'm go­
ing to have it. if it isn't in your
pockets it's in the coach. If it isn't in
the coach the ladies have got it Shell
out, or I'll search every one of you."
Then he backed up to the open door of
the stage, leaving them about ten feet
away, and still covered with his re­
volver.
"Ladies," he said, in a voice as soft
as a girl's, "I didn't mean to trouble
you, but I've had such poor luck out­
side that I must request a contribution.
Please had out the money you are carry­
ing for these gentlemen."
The women were terribly frightened,
and both at once started to comply with
the order. The husbands saw ruin
staring them in the face, and the one
next to the captain, whose name was
leavers, breathed so hard that all could
hear him. Suddenly, as if shot from a
cannon, and with the agent still cover­
ing them, Travers sprang forward. He
made just two jumps to cover the dis­
tance. The revolver cracked and the
bullet cut a lock of hair from his head,
but the next instant he had seized the
barrel with his right hand, the man's
throat with his left, and was crying for
help. All gave it fast enough, and in­
side of two minutes had the fellpw dis­
armed and bound.
Three rather able girls are the daugh-,
ters of F. A. DrcxeT, the Philadelphia^
banker, each worth $4,000,000, who,
have been brought up to look after,
their own affairs, and to make good
use of their wealth. They maintain a,
great educational charity at Torres-,
Sale, Pa., and are said to have a list(
of 350 pensioners upon their private
bounty. They live and dress plainly
and horses are about their only dissi­
pation. They have just sailed forj
Europe to visit the educational institii
tim of the old world and gatner points
for th«" own guidance in the manage­
ment of their schooL
In South Carolina a landlord may
everything
a tenant^ has for
otw
doe rent, without preliminary writ ot
]M«j[ proceeding, and hold iifas security
for
pa
vine ut until replevined.
A CUCKOO CliOCK. j. IF
It Causes Considerable Trouble in the
Major's Household and Is Roughly
Handled.
The major has always made a spe­
cialty of timepieces. He says there is
nothing,more cheerful than to wake up
at night and hear the dainty machinery
of a pet dock working away in the dark,
and that if if wasn't for his clock he be­
lieves he'd sometimes be desperate
enough to wish he were married. His
clock was originally of the alarm species,
and for several years used to go on with
a whizz, rattle, and bang every morn­
ing at 7 sharp, and get tne major up for
business, but all of a sudden it got me­
chanical dyspepsia. or had congestion
of the mainspring or something, and
contracted the habit of going off at odd
hours, sometimes in the middle of the
night, and sometimes not until noon
next day, and so the major either lost
his deep or missed engagements, and
had no end of tronble. He took it to
the jeweler's, and the expert inserted a
pill box in his eye and held an autopsy,
and said he thought he might be able
to remedy the trouble temporarily for
about $7, but if the major wanted steady
comfort he had better spend $3 and get
anew clock. The major, however, con­
cluded to keep it and not wind up the
alarm side in future, but use his pet
merely as a timekeeper, and resorted to
the artifice of leaving his shutters open
so that the sunlight would pour in and
awakon him two hours before break­
fast
Saturday afternoon a mysterious pack­
age came for the major, and after din­
ner he opened it and showed us a clock
built like a Swiss cottage, made to hang
high up on the wall and run by two big
weights and a lot of brass chain. The
major said it was a cuckoo clock, and
said the man who sold it guaranteed
that every half hour a cuckoo would ap­
pear at the cottage window, sing sweet­
ly, and vanish, and he thought it-would
be just the thing to hang in the hall.
So he got the stepladder and drove a
nail near the ceiling, got the cottage in
position, set the hands, and started the
pendulum. The pendulum wigwagged
several times solemnly and stopped.
The major started it again, but to no
purpose, and finally, after two hours'
tinkering, gave it up, and we all went
to bed to be up bright and early for
Luray. About 11:30 Dick, who had
been at the club, came in, and in grop­
ing along the hall accidentally moved
the weights, and in some mysterious
way started the machinerv. In twenty
minutes, just in the middle of a pro­
found silence, we were aroused by this:
"Br-r-r-r-r-r-click! Whoopoo-o-o-o!
—br-r-r-r-click!"
Dick thought the baby next door had
colic again, and Bunny was afraid it
was burglars. The major came into
my room with a revolver and wanted to
know if I had heard any one yeljl mur­
der, and we could both hear muffled
conversation proceeding from the serv­
ants*' room in the basement Then we
leaned over the banisters and listened,
and concluded it was a false alarm and
went to bed again, but just as con­
sciousness poised to take her flight the
thing broke loose again, thu§:
"Ber-r-zit! AVhoop-oo! buzz ooploo!
ging! uku! xxz-z-z hoo! zz-z whewplew!
clang! tootoo! xx kim! Kookloo! sizzz!
bloobloo!—whist!" and then the thing
shut up with a vicious snap which seem­
ed to be intended to convey the impres­
sion that there was more coming by
and by. There was commotion in the
household. Bunny screamed and Dick
came out with a. Trantor, the major
turned a handspring out of beid and
went down stairs nine at a time, and
distant sounds of slamming shutters
gave hints of a general uprising amoeg
the neighbors. Of course this time the
major had his suspicions, and after
finding all the doors and windows se­
curely fastened, and ascertaining that
there was no maniacal cat concerned in
the cellar, concluded that something
was wrong with the chronological cot­
tage, aiid after sitting up for half an
hour caught the clock in the act. It
was too high on the wall to reaqh, and
the*stepladder was out in the backyard,
so Dick reached up and whacked the
pendulum with his cane and succeeded,
in unshipping it, with the satisfactory'
result that the machinery ran si:n times
as fast as before, and the cuckoo got
devilish and whooped every fivet min­
utes, and it was 2 o'clock before the
weight ran down to where the major
could grab it, and put us out of misery.
Bunny called down and begged the
major not to be too harsh with tho clock,:
but the major had his dander ujp, and
jerked out about three yards
off
chain'
and six wheels, and said that when a
piece of mechanism got to be as iinmoral
as that clock it wasn't entitled tojmercy.
Then the night watchman, whi gen­
erally sleeps on our front steps in fine
weather, rang the bell and waiited to
know if the house was afire, and the
doctor came in from next door toj see if
any one had been taken suddenly ill, so
it was nearly daylight before we |got to
sleep.—N. Times.
The Opal an Unlucky Stofie.
The opal is represented to be $n un­
lucky gem. Perhaps it is. Ile|re is a
little evidence to prove it A young
lady of this city received for on4 of her
wedding gifts a very handsomp opal
pin. On the wedding trip it wfis dis­
covered that the opal was left ati home.
It was telegraphed for, to be birought
down to New York by a friend The
friend Carried it as was supposed, but
on his arrival it was not to be found. It
had been mislaid somewhere. jAfter a
season it was found, and next made its
appearance at a "tea," where it was an
adornment of the young lady. Ai-riving
home, the opal was found to be mussing.
Search in every possible place aiad ad­
vertising in the newspapers failed to re­
veal its whereabouts for weeks. It was
at last accidentally discovered jcaught
in the fringe of a Christmas card which
depended from a gas bracket vrbere it
had accidentally caught and swung
around face to the wall in hiding, not
five feet from where it was passed a
hundred times a day, and not three
inches from the button on the g^s-fixt
ure that was turned daily. The vaca­
tion of the opal was also unique. The
couple went into the mountains with
two trunks. Arriving at the hotel, one
of the trunks was a wrong trunk, al­
though the right check was present
Some blundering baggage-master en
route had made a wrong transfer, and
the trunk, which was the lady's, had
gone off on its own hook, or its own
check. "Here's a state of things," as
Ko-Ko would remark. The lost trunk
furnished the topic of conversation for
the mountain village, the hotel guests
condoled with the unfortunate losers,
shook their heads lugubriously, and
substantiated their shakes by cheer­
ful^) stories of lost trunks that they
had known about. The telegraph was
put into requisition, and, after many
days, the trunk made its appearance,
and then congratulations, "fireworks in
the evening,'" etc. The opal was in
that trunk.—Hartford Post.
Some one with a mathematical mind
has figured it out that all the gold on
earth to-day, in whatever shape—that
is, mined gold, or, to put it plainer, the
Sact
old in use in all nations and the pro
of all ages—if welded in one mass,
would be contained in a cube of less
than 30 feet
Out of 100 heroines of elopements,
escapades, and more serious offenses, a
statistical authority says that seventy
nine are described" as young and beau­
tiful. thirteen as beautiful, and eight as
occupying high social stations.
English Gnests
Yes, I agree with you that English
eople are capable, somehow, of the
rankest bad* manners in the world.
Have you heard any of the funny
stories flying about that English couplo
touring among us awhile ago—Mr." and
Mrs.——? Tney are both, you know,
public characters, both
literary,
their gooves, madame {esthetic, mon­
sieur reverend, philanthropic, and a
musical enthusiast
A musical friend of mine met them
and was sufficiently fascinated by their
converse to meditate inviting them to
spend some days at her house. She
mentioned this project to the lady who
was entertaining them. "I h.tve no
doubt vou would make a visit charming,
to them," the lady replied, "but before
you ask them, I think I ought, inhos­
pitable as it may seem, to give ou some
account of our experience as hosts."
This visit to us was to begin at lunch
time. It was almost the hour for that
meal when Mr. •, from whom they
were coming to us, drove hastily to
our door. "Have Mr. and Mrs.
reached here yet?" were almost his first
words.
"No, though I'm looking for them
any moment
"Well, we're at an utter loss what to
do. They left us this morning with no
word as to their luggage, their trunks
are standing open in their rooms, noth­
ing packed up, even their toilet appara­
tus scattered about. Are we to havo
them packed, do you suppose?"
Just then our guests came. Saluta­
tions over. "Are our boxes come?11
demanded madam. Mr. inter­
posed. "I have just driven here to ask
about them. As they were open, and
nothing packed, we did not understand
your intentions about them."
"Why," returned his lady guest, "I
expected your valet would pack my hus­
band's things, and your wife's maid at­
tend to mine."
"Very good," returned Mr.
"The luggage shall come at oncc." lie
had no valet, and his wife no maid,
but somebody packed the boxes and
speeded them here.
At breakfast next morning we had
unbolted wheat gems. Both our quests
declined them, but Mr. looked very
curiously to see what we should do
with them. When one was broken
open—"Why, they're not meat," he ex­
claimed.
"Oh, no, they're a hot bread made of
unbolted flour," we said.
"Aw! then I'll try one," lie remarked
"Ithink it is very stupid to travel in a
foreign country and shun all the oddi­
ties one encounters! Take o^o. my
dear," ho added presently to his wife
"they're not so bau as they look."
For dinner we had a turkey—a very
large one. Some of it was grilled for
supper, and next day we had some in a
salad at lunch. Mr. did not under­
stand what the dish was, and I said it
was turkey salad. "Aw!" he answered
me "turkey for dinner, turkey for sup­
per, turkey for lunch no wonder .they
call the turkey the American bird.—
Providence Journal.
A Fair Exchange.
Away down in Maine, in a region
where the usages remain as primitive as
they are anywhere in the United States,
there is an aged parson who performs
not only the ordinary clerical duties,
preaching to the people of the district,
marrying and burying them, but also
turns an honest penny by cutting their
hair on occasions. The old parson isn't
exactly an artist in this line, and is dis­
tressingly absent-minded but there is no
barber anywhere in the neighborhood,
and nobody there cares for a Parker
House cut any way.
One day 'Ligc Jones, an old codger
and jack at all trades of the neighbor­
hood, came to the parson to get his hair
cut and the parson, who was evidently
meditating too deeply his next Sunday's
sermon to note what he was doing, cut
the hair in the most phenomenally rag-
fe
ed and irregular style. In some places
had shorn the hair down to the scalp
and in others left it almost untouched
so that when he had finished his absent
minded task his subject's head had a
weird and unkempt look that was won­
derful to behold.
"What shall I pay ye, parson?" he
asked.
"O, come and mow the hazel brush
out back of the house to-morrow," said
the parson.
When 'Ligc got home his wife ex­
claimed:
"Mercy on mc! What you been a
doin'?"
"Gittin' my
hail*
cut,"
The parson did the best work that he
could tnis time, considering the havoc
he had made the day before, and when
he had finished 'Lige Jones looic up his
bash scythe again and—went home.—
Boston Record.
Miss Maude Banks, the only daughter
of Gen. N. P. Banks, of Massachusetts,
will' make her appearance upon the
stage the coming season. She will ap­
pear in all the smaller cities, but not in
the larger cities until the second year.
Miss Banks is young, a perfect brunette,
with a great deal of expression, flash­
ing eyes and strong emotional power.
Gen. Banks was at one time in his life
an actor, and a good one, so that Miss
Banks is doing nothing strange
adopting the dramatic profession, but
only following in the footsteps of her
father, from whom her talent is inher­
ited. She will play leading roles, in­
cluding Parthenia in "Jngomar," Pau­
line in "Lady of Lyons," and Camille,
and a brilliant future is predicted for
her.
Saved by a Wooden Leg.
A good story of the early days of the
Fiji settlements is told by a British
official A white man who was taken
Ieg.
)risoner by an inland tribe had a cork
Noticing that his captors were
fixing up an oven, he became nervous,
and to conceal his fear called for some­
thing to eat Food being given him,
he used a large jack-knife to cut it up.
Every mouthful or two he stuck his
jack-knife into bis leg with such forco
that it stood erect The natives looked
on in great astonishment* and evident
alarm. After the meal was over he be­
gan to unscrew his leg. That was too
much for the poor savages. They
hadn't the slightest curiosity to see
what he would do next but opened a
passage for him and let him walk away
unmolested. When he reached his
horse the natives began to gather
around, but after mounting he made a
motion as if to unscrew his head, and
"^spectators fled in dismay.—2?
tnal.
ST' H"
learned
BIRD'S-NESTING.
my
said 'Ligc.
"Laws a me, if the parson didn't do
apurty job this time," said she, "then
there ain't no truth in the Revela­
tion!"
The next day the parson had a funer­
alto attend to, and when lie got home
he found the man whoso hair he had
cut the day before just leaving the
place. lie had mowed the hazel brush
so that in one spot the lops had just
been mowed oil', in another it was cut
half way down, in another mowed to
the ground, and in another torn up by
the roots. It was the sorriest looking
field that anybody ever saw.
"Why, I" declare!" said the parson.
"What have you been doing?"
"Mowin' the hazel," said 'Lige.
"Mowin' it? You've been mangiin'
it," said the parson.
'Lige simply took off his hat and pre­
sented his chaotic crown to the parson's
gaze.
"Well, well," said he, "did I do
that? Well, come into the house and
I'll cut it for you,'"
fx-
After all, it is the ground birds
puzzle the human oologist Crossing
brook, I saw what I regarded as aim'
infallible signs that a pair of Marylas
yellow-throats had begun to build besid^
it Unless I was entirely at fault
nest must bo within a certain two
three square yards, and I devoted hal.
an hour, more or less, to ransacking
grass and bushes, till I thought eve
inch of the ground had been gone oi
but all to no purpose. Continuing:
walk, I noticed after awhile that
male warbler was accompanying met
the hillside, apparently determined
see me safely out of the way. Comit
to the same brook again the next mom*
ing, I halted for another search and lo,
alfin a moment my eye fell upon ft
coveted nest, not on the ground,
perhaps eight inches from it^in a lit
clump of young
golden-rods,
which worn
soon overgrow it completely. The
male proprietor was present and man!
fested so much concern that I would n"
tarry, but made rather as if I had see
nothing, and passed on. It was
time before 1 observed that she
keeping along beside me, precisely
her male had done the day before.
innocent creatures, sorely pestered
they were, could hardly be blamed
such precautions yet it is not pleasar
to be "shadowed" as a suspicious ch
acter, even by Maryland yellow-thvoa
This was my first nest of a very oo
mon warbler, and.I felt particular^
solicitous for its safety but alasl
sooner was the first egg laid than some
thing or somebody carried it off, andl
afflicted" couple deserted the house
which they had expended so much la
bor and anxiety.
Not far beyond the yellow-thro
brook, and almost directly under one
the pewc-es' oaks, was a nest which p"
ly certainly hail belonged to a pair
chcwinks,'but which was already
saken when I found it though I ha
then no inkling of the fact. It cop
taincd four eggt, and everything was ii
perfect order: The mother had con
away, and had never come back na
ing fallen a victim, probably, to so
collector, human or inhuman.
tragedy was peculiar and the tragic
effect of it was heightened as day aft
day, for nearly a fortnight at least
caiinot sny for how much longer), tb
beautiful eggs lay there entirely
covered, ami yet no skunk, squirrel,
other devourer of such dainties hap_
cd to spy them. It seemed doubly'"sa
that so many precious nests should
robbed, while this set of worthless
was left to spoil.
I have already mentioned the lio
keeping of a couple of chickadees in
low birch stump. Theirs was one
three titmouse nests just then claimln
my attention. I visited it frequently
from the time when the pair were
at work making the cavity up to
time when the brood was nearly rea
to shift for themselves. Both birds
their share o£ the digging, and on
S6
eral occasions I saw one feeding
other. After the eggs were deposi'
the mother (or the sitter) displayed
mirabie courage, refusing again an
again to quit her post when 1 peered
upon her, and even when with my
1 rapped smartly upon tho stump. If
put my lingers into the hole, howeve
she followed them out in hot has
Even when most seriously disturbed
attentions the pair made useof
other notes than the common chicka
lcc, but these they sometimes delive"
in nn unnaturally sharp, fault-find'
tone.
My two other titmouse nests we
both in apple-trees, and one of th
was in mv own door-yard, though
yond convenient reach without tne he
of a ladder. The owners of this 1
were interesting for a very decid
change in their behavior after the yon
were hatched, and especially as thet"
for the little ones' exodus drew n~
At lirst, notwithstanding their d:
opened right upon the street, as it wei
within a rod or two of passing hoi
cars, the father and mother went in a^
out wilhout the least apparent conce*
us to who might be watching them
when they came lobe feeding their hu
gry offspring, it was almost laughal
to witness the little craftiness to whi
they resorted. They would perch oil
of tho outer branches, call chickad
dee, ilv a little nearer, then lik:
enough go further off. till finally, a*
a variety of such "false motions,"
tho hole they would duck, as if no*
for tho world must be allowed to kn
where they had gone. It was rea
wonderful how expert they grew at
tcring quickly. I pondered a good de]
over their continual calling on such
casions. It seemed foolish and inc
sistcnt half tho time I should have fa
cd to notice their approach, had th^il
only kept still. Toward the end, hoi
ever, when the chicks inside the tr
could bo heard articulating chickadt
dee, with perfect distinctness, it oeci
red to me that possibly all this peraii fH
ent repetition of the phrase by the
birds had been only or mainly in
way of tuition. At all events, the yonn
stcrs had this part of the chickadc
vocabulary right at their tongues' en
ing their debut
-Bradford Torrey,
as we say, before making
the great world.
September Atlantic.
money into the Bowery treasury tha
any other American jcrformer duru
the same period of time. After a
successful career in New York, Bosto
Philadelphia and other cities, he visit
•England in 18,50 and performed wi
great applause at the Surrey (London
as also in Dublin and Cork, creating
furor unprecedented even in tho anni
of the British stage, and almost literal
driving for a time from the boards so
favorites as Maeready, the Woods',
other distinguished performers. Whl
in England he married a Miss Uls
stone, the eldest daughter of a form
manager of the Surrey theater.
soon after returned to his native con
try, appearing at Wallack's Nation
theater, corncr of Church and Leona
streets. New York, Oct 17, 1837, itt I
specialty, the "Virginia Mummy."
many years subsequently Mr. Bice
eagerly sought after by the manage!
and played as a "star" in nearly ere
theater in the union. His popular!!
however, waned in his later
though lie appeared, eliciting much
plause, as late as 1854. Stricken fin
with paralysis, his death occurred,
a season of prolonged suffering, in
city of his birth. Sept 19, 1860, at
age of 52.
Mr. Alfred Bunn, in his "Stage,
Before and Behind the Curtain,"
lished in 1840, referring to Mr.
says: "His success has been obtai.
by his prudent adhesion to the person
tion of one class of character—a pa!
be it remembered, altogether untroadi
He has chosen for his motto: 'It is b(
ter to be great in a little thing than 1
tie in a great thing,' and he hastriump
antly acted up the axiom."
The first regularly organized band
negro minstrels made their appearai
at the Chatham theater. New York dl
Feb. 17, 1843.—Charles T. White, in
Nevj York World.
1
Gilbert Stuart, the great painter,
once met by a iady on the street
ik
Waterspouts occur almost
Key West
Be
ton, who said to him that she had jp
Seen his likeness and had kissed it,
cause it was so much like him. "A|
did it kiss you in return?" he askei
"Why. no,' was the somewhat starts
answer. "Then it was not like
was Mr. Stuart's answer, but the lu
didn't venture to try again.
daily