New York dispatch. [volume], February 23, 1879, Page 4, Image 4

About New York dispatch. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1863-1899

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(Notion.—For want oi space, many questions received
remain unanswered for some time. Each query, if legiti
mate, will, in its turn, receive proper attention. We must
request our correspondents to write plainly and state their
wishes concisely, ir they would receive concise answers.
Many notes that are received are so nearly illegible that
they find their wav at once to the waste-basket. ]
H. C. 8., Jb.—lst. The origin of the
paddle wheel tor propelling vessels antedates the
Christian era. The earliest application of steam to
turn the paddle wneel was anticipated by Roger
Bacon. The attempt of Blasco de Garay, in 1543, if
it was made as asserted, is the earliest on record.
Papin is said to have experimented with hia engine
in a model boat in 1707, on the Fulda, at Cassel.
Jonathan Hulls patented a marine steam engine
December 21st, 1736, proposing to employ his ves
sel in towing. William Henry, of Chester county,
Pennsylvania, tried a model steamboat on the Con
estoga river in 1763. The Count d’A.uxiron, a
French nobleman, assisted by M. Perier, made a
similar attempt in 1774, and Perier repeated the ex
periment in 1775. Tne Marquis de Jouffroy was
engaged in the same work from 1776 to 1783, using
a larger vessel, and meeting with encouraging suc
cess. James Rumsey was engaged in experiments
in the United Sates as early as 1784, and in 1786
drove a boat on the Potomac at the rate of four
miles an hour by means of a water jet forced out at
the stern. John Fitch worked at this problem at
the same time with Rumsey, and had an experi
mental steamer on the Delaware in 1786. Another
vessel, in 1790, made many trips on the Delaware,
reaching an average speed of seven and a half
miles an hour. It was laid up in 1792. In 1796
Fitch resumed his experiments at this city, using
& screw. Various other experiments had been
made in Scotland and England. Fulton, who had
been studying the subject abroad, returned to the
United States in 1806, and with Livingston had a
boat built in which he placed machinery made by
Boulton and Watt, in England. It was 130 feet
long, of 18 feet beam, 7 feet depth and 160 tons
burden. The hull was built by Charles Brown, of
this city. The engine had a steam cylinder 24
Inches in diameter and a stroke of 4 leet. The
boiler was 20 feet long, 7 feet deep and 8 feet wide.
The wheels were 15 feet in diameter, with floats of
four feet length and two feet dip. This steamboat,
the Clermont, made a successful trip to Albany in
1807, leaving New York at one o’clock P. M., on
Monday, August 7tb, stopping at Livingston Manor
{Clermont) from one o’clock Tuesday until 9A. M.
Wednesday, and reaching Albany at 5 P. M. on that
■day. The average speed was nearly five miles an
hour. The Clermont was lengthened ten feet, and
with machinery slightly altered, made regular
trips to Albany in 1808, a.id was the first steamboat
ever made commercially successful. Stevens then
brought out the Phoenix, which was taken by sea
around to the Delaware river, the first sea voyage
ever made by a steam vessel. 21. The “Empire,”
of Troy, question has now been fully discussed,
and everything possible learned of it and ventilated
in this column.
Carpenter.—“lst. Is there any dif
ference between Georgia pine, except that one
grows in the State of Georgia, and the other does
not?” Yes. Georgia pine belongs to the class of
pine with three leaves in a sheath, the most valua
ble of which is the long leaved or southern yellow
pine, which for usefulness pranks next to the white
pine; it is readily distinguished from all other pines
by the great length of its leaves, which measure
from ten to fifteen inches, are bright green, from a
long, light colored sheath, and are crowded at the
ends of the branches; the cones, oiten ten inches
long, are of a fine brown color, and have thick
Bcaies, each of which bears a small re-curved
prickle. This species, which extends from North
Carolina southward, often forms the entire growth
on large tracks known as pine barrens, which are j
especially abundant in Georgia and Florida; it is ,
rarely found over 120 miles from the coast; its
average bight is about seventy-five feet; the naked ,
trunk shoots up fifty or sixty feet, dividing at the
• top into a few spreading branches; the trunks for
two-thirds of their bight have an average diameter t
of fifteen to eighteen inches; the scales of the bark j
are very thin. The trunk has a remarkably small j
proportion of sap or new wood, the greater pro- i
portion being heart, with the concentric circles oi <
very equal width, and the wood very evenly charged 1
with resin; the quantity and color of the wood is i
much modified by the character of the soil; It is <
very strong, compact, and durable, and being close- c
grained takes a fine polish; under the name of c
Georgia pine, it is in great demand for shipbuild- s
ing, flooring, and other uses, and is sometimes used \
for interior works, simply varnished, and in time c
it takes on a warm reddish brown color. Georgia
pine does not necessarily grow in Georgia. 2d. The
yellow pine, or to distinguish it from the south- 1
■ern yellow pine, the short-leaved yellow pine, grows (
' from New Jersey to the Gulf of Mexico, and is 1
Usually from fifty to sixty feet high, though specs- -
mens have reached ninety feet, with a straight trunk, •=
and where it can deve op, a handsome conical head, £
which has caused it to be called in some localities 1
Spruce pine; the slender leaves from long sheaths, J
three to five inches long, sometimes occur in 1
tbrees, connecting this section with the preceding; <
the ovate cones are barely two inches long, the ]
scales with a minute prickle; the wood is fine '
grained, and, when deprived of the readily perish- <
able sap wood, remarkably durable; it is used for
ship’s masts and {spars, and for flooring, and is in
. demand for various purposes at home and abroad;
that grown upon poor soil is more durable than that ‘
grown on a more fertile one.
Bab.—No, the gold fifty-dollar piece 1
Was not issued by the U. S. Government. The 1
largest gold coiq it ever issued from tbe U. S. Mint (
was the double eagle, or twenty-doilar gold piece, 5
still in circulation; yet the fifty-dollar gold coin is- s
sued by private parties in California was in a (
measure adopted by the government, although not
included in tbe regular issue of U. S. coins. This
was issued in 1851, and is described by Snowden as •
follows: “This coin, of which there are two va- !
rieties, is of an octagon shape, and is popularly ’
known as the ‘California slug.’ The first variety a
has an eagle, with raised wings, grasping the ±
United States shield, and then arrows in tbe right :
and an olive branch in the left talon. From its 7
beak floats a scroll inscribed with tne word ‘Lib- z
erty.’ Above the eagle is another scroll, inscribed r
•880 thous.’ Legend, United States of America. 1
Beneath is ‘SO D. C.’ (California). These are in
closed in a beaded circ.e, and (though in relief) are t
sunk into the piece in such a manner as to leave a c
raised rim around the outside. Upon the edge is t
inscribed ‘Augustus Humbert, United Assayer c
California of Gold, 1851 ’ —the transposition of tbe c
three last words being evidently in error. The t
second variety is similar in type, but is much more g
finished. Up6n the scroll above tbe eagle is in
soribed ‘BB7 thous.,’ and the leaend stands United t
States of America.’ ‘ Fifty Dollars.’ The raised
rim doesnot appear upon this piece; but outside
of the circular line, inclosing the field, is inscribed c
‘Augustus Humbert, U. 8. Assayer of Gold, Cali- t
fornia,’and the date ‘1851.’ The edge is grained, i
Both of these pieces have a peculiar lining upon i
tbe reverse, but no device or letters. They come i
up to their professional standards, i. e. 880 and 887
thous., in fineness, and if not much worn, will yield ]
their full value-” This Coin is moderately circulated 1
at the present time in California, and is in tbe i
hands of coin collectors here.
C. O. A.—Would you kindly de- ‘
cide the following points, whica have caused con
siderable discussion in the association of which you 1
will find a copy of the constitution and by-laws ac- (
companying? On November Ist, 1878, a member 1
was taken sick and reported to the president of the !
association. Tbe member in question was at that 3
time three months in arrears. On November 16tb, (
1878, he paid the amount of his indebtedness to the 1
association, but after November 16th he was sick
two weeks, for which two weeks he claims benefit. Ist.
Is he entitled to the two week’s benefit or not?”
According to the constitution and by-laws of that j
body he is not. According to the -reading of By- i
Laws, Art. VI., Sec. 1., it is stipulated that he re- ,
ceive the usual sum on certain conditions, one of >
which is, “and provided he has been a member in j
good standing for three months.” This condition <
he does not satisfy, as he has only been in good
standing since his payment of arrears on November
16th, and is therefore not entitled to the two week’s
claim made. This decision becomes all the more ]
conclusive by Art. IX., Sec. 1., wherein we find that (
•‘Any member of this association who is in arrears <
for three months, or more, shall not be entitled to 1
receive any benefits ” though Art. VI. already (
f'uoted clearly and distinctly settles the matter. 2d. j
h benevolent organizations, lodges, etc., rhe sums t
payable are generally handed in when due. (
M. G. H.—“ When and where was the
card game of whist invented and where first intro
duced into England? This is for the berefit of a 1
small body of devoted whist players.’’ The origin 3
and date of the first playing of whist have of late ]
been much discussed, particularly in England, ]
where tbe game receives a degree of attention and c
study well nigh religious. Edmond Hoyle, the ’
earliest writer of any note on whist, commonly <
called the father of tbe game, published tne first I
Short Treatise about 1742, in his seventieth year.
Though educated lor the ?aw he loved cards pas
sionately, and was so skillful a player that he used J
,to receive a guinea a lesson for teaching different j
games. He spent his days and-nights at the card :
table, which so agreed with him that he lived to be ?
97. Whist is thought to be a development of the J
game of trump or triumph, played in England at
least as early as the rei ,n of Henry VIII. Trump is J
mentioned in a sermon by Latimer the Sunday be
fore Christmas (1529.) Whist, however, is not named
by any writer of the Elizabethan era. The earliest i
reference is in 1621, in the poems of John Taylor, ,
the water poet. In the first edition of Cotton’s j
Complete jGamester (1774) no allusion is made to ]
whist, but in the second edition, issued six years j
later, it is mentioned as a game “ commonly known <
iu England.” .
Waltzeb.—“ Who first brought into
popularity the dance called the ‘polka?’” About i
1830 a peasant girl being iu the service of a trades- ]
man’s family at Elbesteinitz, in Bohemia, beguiled (
herself one Sunday afternoon in her kitchen by en- ■<
deavoring to invent a new step, which she tried to i
adapt to a village song. While thus disporting her- 3
self, she was surprised by her employer, who, quite {
interested, made her repeat the experiment the
same evening in the parlor, where Joseph Neruda,
an eminent musician, happened to be present, who <
noted the air and step. Not long afterward the new I
dance was danced ac a citizens’ ball in the town, i
and in 1835 came into fashion at Prague, where, in 1
consequence of the half step wmeh occurs in it, it i
was called the “Polka,” which means, in Tcheque,
half. Four years later a baud of Prague musicians ;
brought the dance to Vienna, where it had a great
success, and in 1810 a dancing master of Prague,
named Raab, danced it tor the first time in Pari’.
G. C.— “ What was the relationship ■
between Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, and Eli- s
zabetb, Queen of England?” They were cousins '
far removed. Mary’s claims to the throne ot En- 3
gland were based upon her being a great grand
daughter of Henry VIE, her grandmother being
tne eldest daughter of that monarch. Elizabeth '
was made heiress-presumptive to the English
throne, immediately alter her birth, by act of Par
liament, to tue exclusion of her sister Mary, daugh
ter of Catherine of Arragon, who was more than '
seventeen years her senior. After the execution of
her mother, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth was declared
illegitimate. In 1544 her right of succession was
restored, but the act declaring her illegitimacy was
never repealed. Ou the death of her sister she as
cended tee English throne without opposition.
Mary Stuart’s claim to tbe English throne was
therefore entirely based on Elizabeth’s illegitimacy.
Sport.— Your disputant is quite right.
What is now called the Ascot Cup, in England, was
known from 1815 to 1853 as the Emperor’s Plate.
Its winners from its first start have been as follows:
1846, tne Alarm; 18£7, the Hero; 1848, the Hero;
1849, Von Tiomp ; 1850, Flying Dutchman ; ’sl,
Woolwich: ’52, doe Miller; ’53, Teddington; ’54,
West Australian; ’55, Fandango; ’56, Winkfield; ’57,
' Skirmisher; *SB aud *59, Fisherman; ’6O, Rupee; ’6l,
Thormanby; ’62, Asteroid; '63, Buckstone; ’64,
Scottish Chief; ’65, Ely; ’66, Gladiateur; ’67, Lec
turer; *6B, Blue Gown; '69, Brigantine; '7O, Sabi
nos; ’U., Mortezner; ’72, i-eury; ’73, Cremorne; ’74,
Boii-rd; *7d, Doncaster; ’76, Apology; ’77, Petrach.
and ’7P, Vermcdl. This is not a class of questions
we card aucU space to.
E. Booth.—lst. The clipper ship Great
Republic, built by Donald McKay, of East Boston,
was the largest, if not the fastest, merchantman
ever constructed. Her capacity was about 4,000
tons, and her original dimensions were: 325 feet in
length, 53 in width, and 37 in depth. She had four
masts, all provided with lightning rods. The after
one, called the spanker mast, was fore and aft rig
ged, of a single spar; the others were built of hard
pine, the parts dovetailed together, bolted, and
hooped over all with iron. The main yard, was 120
feet long. A single suit of her sails consisted of
15,653 yards of canvas. A peculiar feature in her
model was the rising of her keel for sixty feet for
ward, gradually curving into tbe arc of a circle as
it blended with the stem. She was burned at her
wharf, toot of Dover street, E. B-, on December 27,
1853, being heavily laden at tne time. They after
ward reduced her by one deck. 2nd. Yes, she made
several trips across the Atlantic.
I>. H.—The riot in opposition to the
draft broke out on Monday, July 13th, 1863. The
mob, composed of the poorer class of tbe people,
held practical possession of the city for several days,
and it was not until the 17th that tbe Mayor issued
a proclamation declaring the riot suppressed. The
offices of the Provost Marshals, where tbe draft was
going on, were demolished; stores and dwellings
were rifled; many buildings were burned, including
the colored Orphan asylum, then in Filth avenue;
and several negroes, against whom the fury of the
mob was particularly directed,' were murdered.
Collisions took place between the rioters and the
troops, who were several times compelled to fire.
The number of persons killed during the riot was
estimated at more than 1,000; the city subsequently
paid $1,500,000 byway of indemnity for losses sus
tained at the hands of the mob.
E. K.—“E insists that it is perfectly
right and according to etiquette that a gentleman
calling at a lady’s house can enter and shako hands
with her with his gloves on, while K insists that it
Is the bight of impoliteness for a gentleman to
shake hands with a lady at any time, even if he ex
cuses himself, with his gloves on. Which Is cor
rect?” We hold Kto be. In shaking hands it is
more respectful to offer an ungloved hand; but if
two gentlemen are both gloved, it is very foolish to
keep ezch other waiting to take them off. You
should not, however, offer a gloved hand to a lady
or a superior who is ungloved. Foreigners are
sometimes very sensitive in this matter, and might
deem the glove an insult. It is well for a gentle
man to carry his right band glove in his band It be
is likely to have occasion to shake hands. At a ball
or a party the gloves need not be taken off.
Suffebeb.—A good remedy for catarrh ’
ig crushed cubeb berries smoked in a pipe, emit
ting the smoke through the nose. After a few
trials this will be easy to do. If the nose is stopped ]
up so that it is almost impossible to breathe, one
pipeful will make the head as clear as a bell. For
sore throat, asthma and bronchitis, swallowing the '
smoke effects immediate relief. It is the best rem- 1
edy in the world for offensive breath, and will make -
the most foul breath pure and sweet. Sufferers i
from that horrid disease, ulcerated catarrh, will '
find this remedy unequaled, and a month’s use will (
cure the moat obstinate case. Eating the uncrushed <
berries is also good for sore throat and all bronchial ’
complaints. After smoking do not expose yourself i
to cold air for at least fifteen miputes.
C. C.—Yes, the bell of Moscow is, or
was, the largest bell in the world. It is called the
“Monarch,” and was cast in 1730, by command of
the Empress Anne, and bears her figure in robed
estate on its surface. The tower In which it for
merly hung was burned in 1737, and in falling a
large fragment was broken out. It lay where it had
fallen till 1837, when the Czar Nicholas had it re
moved to the neighborhood of the tower of Ivan
Veliki, where it rests upon a pedestal of granite.
Its bight is 21 feet 3 inches; its diameter 22 feet 5 1
inches. The metal used in it exceeds 300,000 lbs.
in weight, and is worth, on account of the valuable
metals used in it, over $1,000,000. It has been 1
consecrated as a chapel.
Job.—“ Please state whether there are ]
any lightning-rods used upon any vessels foreign or
American.” Yes; some vessels have a sharp-pointed
rod fixed on the top of tbeir masts, with a wire
from the foot of tbe rod reaching down around one
of the shrouds to the water, and suoli will not be
hurt by lightning. In very large vessels the light
ning-rod application may be made as perfect as that 1
on a building, copper being substituted for iron, ac
cording to Sir W. Snow Harris’s plan, in the ships r
of tbe navy. A case is known of the foremast of a I
snip being struck, causing serious damage to the
vessel, when the mainmast was provided with a con- c
ductor. , v e
“The Minstrel Boy” Stage.—We 1
have yet another communication concerning this L
old stage. Isaac 8. Smith, M. D., Detroit, obliging- t
iy writes us as follows: “February, 15th, 1879. 1
Your correspondent, C. D., Jr., wishes to know if a a
sleigh called ‘The Minstrel Boy,’ of tbe old Fourth a
avenue stage line, had twenty gray horsts hitched
to it at any time. I say it had. It was about the t
year 1840, or thereabout. It was a great sight at 1
the time; the driver having reins in his bauds lor
each horse. It ran, I think, for about a week. I
lived then on Broadway, near Canal street, and saw r
it a number of times, it carrying from fifty to sev
enty-five passengers.” v
Bequest.—lst. A party making a will G
may stipulate that if one of his executors should 4
die or become otherwise incapacitated, the other be o
empowered to appoint one in his place. 2d. Yes,
the testator can make a will arranging that the real
estate be kept intact and the proceeds divided as he t
may instruct, but in making the will the intention
of the testator must be fully and plainly stated.
3d. He can so devise, and in putting it into the will t
should be particular in its wording,- so that there ♦
can be no misunderstanding or dispute about it.
Reader.—A State has not the right to
secede from the Union and form a government of P
its own. The war of the rebellion pretty much set- O
tied that question. Having once entered the Union f
and pledged itself to good faith with the Federal
government, it cannot then leave. Each State has li
the right to order and control its own domestic in- i;
stitutions according to Its own judgment exclusive
ly, in so far as they do not affect the United States 8
Constitution, but it must remain faithful to the a
Union.
Citizen.—“ What is the meaning of t
the expression, “The Executive,” and to whom L
does it refer in this country ?” The Executive is I
the officer who, whether king, president or other
chief magistrate, superintends the execution
of the laws; the person or persons who administer
the Government, executive power, or authority in b
governmeot. By the Constitution of the United
States, the Executive is vested in the President, and u
this term is commonly applied, to him. q
Englishman.—“To settle a very serf- I
ous dispute, will you pleas j decide whether the in- C
troduction of tbe baJot is a permanent arrange
ment or not in England?” It is not a perma- a
nent arrangement. We find in “Whittaker’s Al- o
manao,” that excellent authority, the following:
“ The Ballot Act is only a temporary measure, ex- 8
piring in 1880,” and it will be interesting to see how 0
Parliament approaches the discussion of discontin
uing the system qf perpetuating it r
W. W. P.—“ Which is the best cattle d
and sheep-raising State in the West?” Texas is 11
the greatest cattle-raising State in the Union, and ii
next to Australia, California is regarded as the best +
country for sheep-raising in the world. No shel- X
ter is needed there for the flock, while the fleeces €
there are remarkably heavy and of superior quality.
For either oi these States one going into farming *
or cattle or sheep breeding need not be particular a
what season of the year he goes. D
Bummer. —Ist. Monongahela is a river d
of Pennsylvania which gives its name to the rye
whiskey, of which large quantities were produced V
in its neighborhood, and indeed to American whis- t
ky in general, as distinguished from Usquebaugh h
and Inishoweo,jScotch and Irish sorts. 24. Bour
bon whisky is so called from Bourbon county, Ky. c
It.is a term generally used to distinguish the’ bet- c
ter kinds of whisky, which are mostly made from
corn instead of rye. h
St. Long.—“A bets that Sweenev’s h
Hotel is on the northwest corner of Chambers and C
Chatham streets. B bets it is on the northwest v
corner of Chatham and Duane streets, and C bets
that it is on the northwest corner of Reade and
Chatham streets. Wao wins?” Neither. Ah three T
are wrong. It is on the corner of Duane
and Chatham streets. Chatham street runs nearly
east and west at this point, and Duane nearly north
and south.
G. B.—The battle of Borodino was <.
fought at the Russian village of that name, on the 1
River Moskwa, on September 7th, 1812, between the t
French, under Napoleon, and tbe Russians, under t
Kutusoff, 240,000 men being engage!. Each party
claimed the victory, buj it was rather in lavor of F
Napoleon, for the Russians retreated, leaving Mos- a
cow, which the French entered September* 14th. .
Moscow was then fired by the Russians. J'
W. S. H. — “ Who does Hamlet refer to 0
when be says in the play, Act n. r Scene 2: -What’s 0
Hecuba to him or he to Hecuba that he should weep t
for her ?’ ” The speech spoken by the First Player
to Hamlet is 2Eneas’ tale to Dido, and that part ‘of c
it especially where he speaks of Priam’s slau ?hter. c
Hecuba was the daughter of Dymas, King of Thrace r
and the wife of Priam, who tore her eyes out for’ L
the loss of her children at Troy. i
C. Mo.—Your questions are of a kind, a
to answer which, would occupy far more time than r
we would be justified in (living to it. We will state it c
here with a view io some reader replying to it. “How k
much did Commodore Garner pay for his box at li
the Academy of Music, on the occasion of the last
Charity Ball he was at? and what was the highest €
any one ever paid for a box at the Charity Ball?” t
Doubtful.—“ How many bridges cross d
the river Thames at London?” The following: e
Free bridges; London, Southwark, Blackfriars, Wat
erloo, and Westminster. Toll bridges; Lambeth, 2
Vauxhall, Chelsea, Albert, Battersea, Hammersmith v
suspension, etc. There is a footway over the iron /
railing bridge at Charing Cross, and of course there C
are many railway bridges not open to the public. I
Widow. —“ What is the meaning and c
origin ot the old Baylug, - The gray mare is the bet- I
ternorse?”* It means that the woman is para- n
mount. It is said that a man wished to buy a J
horse, but his wife took a fancy to a gray mare 5
and so pertinaciously insisted that the gray mare c
was the better horse, that the man was obliged to j
yield the point. c
Zero.—“ What was the name of the e
English officer in charge of the weather department V
at Greenwich, who committed suicide?” it was
Admiral Robert Fitzroy. Ho committed suicide in C
a fit of mental aberration, April 30th, 1865, brought 8
on by overtaxing his brain in the performance of a
his duties. He was then sixty years of age.
GEeorge.—We never heard of Mlle. 1
Jenny Lind and Miss Catharine Hayes singing on e
the same evening at the old hall in Castle Garden,
for the benefit of the longshoremen’s ball, nor can
we see what a ball wanted with a benefit. We are
of opinion that the two ladies never sung in the
same place on the same night. a
Pensioner.— If you have drawn your I
pension regularly as stated, since April 1865, you
nave no arrears coming to you. Tbe late bill af- 1
fected only soldiers or the relatives of soldiers t
whose pensions were never granted or paid.
<T. M. A.—Gus Phillips, known as <
“Oofty Gooft,” was born in the Seventeenth Ward,
and his early life was passed almost entirely among 1
German citizens, though he was not of German de- i
scent. |
Ered. F.—You must get and read a <
work on distillation. We have not the space In this ,
column to describe the process or give you “full
details ” of hew to make Bourbon whisky. <
E. M. J.—We are making careful in- 1
quiry for you, but at present fiad much differouca
of opinion and great difficulty in investigation. We
never give such matters up, however.
Subscriber, Ward’s Island.—Thera is
only one house of the name mentioned In tho City
Directory, and that is the agency No. 279 Broadway, i
NEW YORK DISPATCH, FEBRUARY 23, 1879.
C. B. L.—Such programmes are never
made for sale, and the only place at which you
would have any chance of obtaining one would be
at the theatre where issued.
Q-Rye-Us.—Mrs. Surratt was the only
woman ever hanged in this country for a political
crime, but there have been woman hanged for other
crimes in all the old States.
An Old Soldier.—We cannot under
stand how you failed to obtain the balance of your
bounty, nor do we see anyway of your now obtain
ing it.
Harlem.—W 7 e are now hunting up the
Assembly documents of 1841, and when wa find the
information you desire will give it you.
American X.—We know of no one pro
fessing alone that which you inquire of, but any
chiropodist would attend to the matter.
K. C. B.—We find mention of none
other.
CONTENTS OF INSIDE PAGES.
SECOND PAGE;
CONTINUATION OF “ MY LOVE KITTY.”
GATHERING THE HARVEST.
THE FUEL SUPPLY.
A BATTLE WITH TRAMPS.
THE DETROIT SOLOMON.
A CARSON CLERGYMAN.
TIIIIXD PAGE:
MASONIC INTELLIGENCE : About Dim its; Special
Notice; Martynias; Massachusetts; Moss Roses; Jer
sey City Lodge of Perfection; In Georgia; Social;
Congratulations; A A. Rite; The Uses and tho Abuses
of the Secret Ballot; New York Lodge; Ridgewood
Chapter; Missouri; Manitoba; Commandery News;
Standard Chapter; Cyrus Lodge; Zeredatha Lodge;
Huarhan; The Temple Employees;’Atlas Lodge; Per
severance Lodge; Questions and Answers; Masonic
Iconoclasts; A Masonic Incident; Are You Insured;
Constellation Chapter; Annual Reception; Arcturus
Lodge; Eastern Star Notes.
SIXTH X»A.GJEi
THE END.
A LEAP FOR LIFE.
THE OLD STORY.
THE CONVICT’S TALE.
HUMOR OF THE HOUR.
HYPOCRISY REBUKED.
INTERESTING MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.
SEV.ItZIN'TTI JPA-OExi
TOO POOR TO PAY.
VIOLET DENTON’S ORDEAJi.
THE SUMMER ISLES.
MINNIE’S RUSE.
QUEEN SEMIRAMJS.
OUR WEEKLY GOSSIP.
THE POWER OF THE PRESS.
NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 23, 1879.
The -EMspatcli in Boston.
The New York Dispatch can be found at White’s
news stand, International Hotel.
The NEW YORK DISPATCH
has a larger circulation than any
other Sunday Newspaper pub
lished in the United States.
mrasffimEsmssrasKszsaa
THE STRONGEST MAN.
The hullaballoo which the frienda of the
Third Term are now making, does not convince
us in the least that Gen. Grant will secure the
Republican nomination in 1880, nor doea it
convince ua that Gen. Grant ia ths strongest
man in the party. Before getting tho nomina
tion there are several .men with powerful fol
lowing who must be got out of the way, and
there is no surety that even when they are put
aside that their followers will units on Grant.
As to being the strongest candidate that could
bo nominated, as we are told so often, we
have seen no convincing argument.- Were
Grant the candidate the enemy would
not neglect to »tell the country that it
was during his Presidency that a member
of the Cabinet sold post-traderships, and that
the navy was allowed to rot while the Secretary
of that Department and his confederates were
growing rich. It would also be remembered
that bis private secretary was very clearly
proved to have had disreputable dealings with
tho whisky ring, and that before Grant ceased
to be President the whisky swindlers, who had
been convicted, were, with very few exceptions,
pardoned. It would be brought to the notice
of the country quite liberally that this would be
tbe first attempt to break through an estab
lished custom of the country—a custom estab
lished by Washington, and sustained by his
successors. Though there are some who scout
at this as being trivial, it will be found that
tho voters of the country do not think it a
trivial objection, and that it will loss him many
Republican votes.
To our thinking the strongest man whom the
Republicans could nominate is Elihu B. Wash
bums. The charge cannot ba made that he is
unknown to the country, or that he is unac
quainted with tbe conduct of public affairs.
Few men in the country have served longer in
Congress, and no one has made a more honor
able record. For years he was tbe watch dog
of the treasury, ready at all times to fight the
schemes of the lobbyists, and watching with
sleepless vigilance the wiles of the crafty
rascals whoso craft was all used to plun
der the United States. He was our Min.
ister in Franco during a most interest
ing period in that country’s history—the
time of tbe Franco-German war and of the
Commune rule in Paris. During that trying
period no man could have shown a higher cour.
age than he did. He alone of all the foreign
ministers remained in Paris during the terrible
days oi the Commune, and many French, as
well S 3 men and women of other nations, owe
to him thew lives. His.conduct from the time
he went abroad until his return home reflected
credit on the name of American. His Republi
canism is as undoubted as that of any man who
has ever belonged to the Republican party, and
his public record is without stain. In looking
carefully over the entire field we see no man
who possesses all the elements of strength as a
Presidential candidate so perfectly as Elihu B,
Washburne,
SHOULD NOT BE REPEALED.
The test oath for jurors has been repealed by
the House of Representatives, and no doubt the
bill tor its repeal will pass the Senateand receive
tho signature of the President. This is but
proper. The oath has outlived its usefulness,
and has been found detrimental to the ends of
justice. But the Democrats in the House are
on the wrong tack in trying to repeal the Fed
eral election laws. These laws have done much
to purify the ballot-box in several parts of the
country, but more especially in the great
cities. By the arguments of tho Democrats in
Congress we are led to believe that they think
it no wrong to vote illegally, stuff ballot-boxes,
and count false, but a very gross outrage to ar
rest a man for attempting to vote illegally.
Since the passage of the Federal election
laws, we of New York know that our
elections have been fairer than for years
before. No honest voter has been intimi
dated, but revolvers and repeaters have almost
entirely lost their vocation. Do any of our citi
zens want to see a return to the days of 1868,
when, no matter what amount of votes a can
didate received, if he were objectionable to the
Ring, he was counted out ? Do any of our
citizens wish to see, as we once saw, twenty
men march from the Sixth Ward into the
Tenth, and inside of an hour cast five hundred
votes ? In those days voting was a farce.
Shall it become so again ? There is but little
doubt it shall if Congress repeals the Federal
election laws, which are the greatest protection
.which honest elections have over had in this
city. To repeal them is to open wide the door
again for frauds upon the elective franchise,
and to rehabilitate the very worst portion of
the community with the power of controlling
elections, as they did under Tweed.
“ IMMENSELYJJNPOPULAR.”
Several papers of this city—notably the Times
and Tribune— have been crying out that the
bill against Chinese Immigration is immensely
unpopular in all parts of the country save on
the Pacific Coast. We beg to differ from this
view of the case, and assert that it the people
of the United States had an opportunity to
vote on the question they would give an over
whelming majority in its favor. We have
talked with men in different grades of life, and
of all shades of politics, and have found very
few opposed to the bill, and those few generally
of the kind who are in favor of all countries
prospering but their own. We can assure those
who are babbling about raising a Chinese wall
around the country, that the people are
thoroughly in earnest Injtheir determination,
that no portion of this country shall be given
over to the eemi-barbariana of Asia, tijat they
1 will not permit tbe civilization of the United
• States to be lowered by a too large admixture
ot an inferior race. Our workmen cannot be
, brought to labor for the pay on which a
Chinaman can 'exist, and no lover of bis
' country, of its liberties, its progress and its
future greatness would desire to see them
. brought thus low. Poor pay carries in its train
■ ignorance, squalor, misery, and crime. Where
tho head of the family is paid starvation wages,
all the members of tho family, from the young
est to the oldest, must work, and there is no
time to acquire knowledge, no means to pay for
books, and tbe very young are thrown prema
turely into the company of those who are older
: and as ignorant, and who are vile. Among
Chinese there is hardly such a thing as the
family. To bring these people in hordes to this
country to make them competitors with our
American workmen, would not be a kindness to
them in the end, but would be destructive to
the best interests of our workmen, and conse
quently to the best interests of the country.
Let our workers but once become as poor
as tho Chinese—and they would soon become
as degraded—and what becomes of the repub
lic? A republic can exist only where the citi
zens are intelligent. When our workers cease
to be intelligent the end of tho republic is not
far off. Thinking men would avoid a great
peril to the institutions of our country ere it is
too late. Theorists do not care for tho well
being of their country if but their theories are
oarried out.
A BUREAU OF DETECTIVES.
A bill has been introduced iu the State Sen
ate for the reorganization of tho detective force
of this city, and also making some other changes
in the law of 1873, “to reorganize the local gov
ernment of the city of New York.” The bill
provides that the Board of Police may appoint
twenty-two police Burgeons, one of whom to
be designated chief surgeon. It also provides
that the Board shall detail not more than Bix
mon to be under the control of the Mayor, and
that a bureau of detectives shall be opened, the
chief officer of which shall be selected from the
police captains of tbe city, and ho shall be
called the chief detective, and have a salary of
$2,500 a year. The Board may then select from
the police force as many men for service as de
tectives as it shall from time to time determine i
to be necessary. The persons selected under
this act to so serve shall, if they have hereto- ’
fore served five years as detectives, be called 1
detective sergeants, and shall receive the same i
pay now given to sergeants on the police force, <
and shall be vested with all the legal powers of i
the latter when assigned to detective duty, i
Those detailed for detective duty who have not 1
previously served five years at it, shall receive 1
$1,300 a year and all expenses incurred in i
searching for and arresting criminals or sus- i
pected persons. They are to keep metnoran- t
dum books in which all expenditures shall be f
entered, and these accounts are to bo sworn to j
by the officer, certified by his superior, and t
transmitted monthly to the Board for audit and e
payment. . e
We think this bill should pass, and that its t
enactment would certainly do much toward s
making our detective force much more effective i
than it can possibly be under tbe present law. 1
If a detective knew that a fugitive from justice e
was in Washington or Boston, ho could not go t
after him, as he would have to pay all the ex- t
pense out of his own pocket, and a man cannot c
afford to do much railroad traveling on a bun- f
dred dollars a month. As the law is now it'
hampers officers who are anxious to do good
detective work, and gives an excuse to lazy and *
incompetent men. 8
— <
ENDANGERING A THBONE. j
Tho German Reichstag is at last showing '
that it will not follow Bismarck in his arrogant 1
attempt to crush out all free speech in Gor- I
many. The first move In opposition was the ’
denial of the right to arrest members of the I
Reichstag for language used in debate. Had 1
the Reichstag taken any other position it would ( -
have earned the contempt of the world, as it *
would have acknowledged that it had ceased to t
be a representative body had it permitted its
members to be arrested without protest. <3
This is but the beginning of what, should 1
Bismarck continue his arrogant disregard of 1
the rights of his fellow-countrymen, cannot but i
prove a great conflict of argument, and which e
may end in a civil war of immense proportions. v
The German people are one of the most law- a
abiding in Europe, and it will take much wrong e
to arouse them to such a pitch that they will
take up arms to defend their liberties and 6
rights. But when they see themselves liable to I
be arrested and severely punished for a jest or s
an incautious word, when they see one after a
another tbe privileges which have descended to
them from the past centuries entirely disre
garded and the will of one man becoming the c
law of the nation they will rebel. As they are 1
slow to arouse to wrath so will they prove slow ’
to cool, and if the Government conquers it will 8
be after a tremendous struggle, which will leave *
Germany crippled for years.' 1
In the struggle with the people, Bismarck 1
will not find Prussia enthusiastically supported *
by the rest oi Germany, for some ot the other e
States are already growing restless under the t
domineering insolence of the German Chancel- a
lor. Beside all this, the people of Germany I
see their neighbor, France, flourishing under a £
republic, her people free and happy, and they $
may begin to ask themselves why the sons of s
Germany are less capable of self-government, c
why one man’s word should be able to deprive a
them of liberty of speech and freedom of ac- t
tion ? When the nation begins to think thus it 1
will not be long until the thought shall be fol- t
lowed by action. 1
Bismarck, through his arrogance and des- i
potic sway, is endangering the existence of the s
empire which he did more than any other man c
to create. If ho is not stopped in his career by t
the death of the Emperor William and the ac- i
cession to the throne ofj his more liberal-mind
ed eon, that son may not have the throne of an
empire to succeed to. Earl Strafford, by his
disregard of the laws of England, lost his head, *
and finally his master, by following in the path ‘
the minister had taken, lost both head and £
throne. Prince Bismarck should remember '
that history often repeats itself. 1
—— —-. . - <
THE RIVALS. i
Judging by what tbe Cincinnati Enquirer 1
says, there is trouble in the Democratic camp,
and the.trouble is between the friends of Til- 1
den and those of Thurman. The Enquirer *
says: “The National Committee, with Barnum *
at its head, wants to run the campaign in tbe c
interest of Mr. Tilden. The Congressional J
Committee, with Wallace at its head, wants to 1
run it in the interest of Thurman. The fight J
between these two committees! on this point was 1
hot and unrelenting. After a number of meet
ing and hours of debating and discussing and '
conferring, both committees have agreed that '
they cannot agree, and have compromised the 1
matter by deciding to form a new committee 1
of ten, to consist of five members from each of
the old committees. This new committee is
to have headquarters at Washington, and to
have general supervision of the campaign, but
it must fight it out between itself as to whether
it will support Tilden or Thurman, or some 1
other man.” The contest between these two
factions will be a severe one. Tilden will direct J
the campaign of his side, and he will leave c
nothing undone to kill off Thurman as a oandi- J
date, while Senator Wallace will conduct that
of Thurman with a skill as great as that of Til- .
den. Wallace is the equal of Tilden in all cun- 1
ning wiles and tricks of politics, and he is not 1
one particle more scrupulous or honest. It is c
a fair fight between the uncle of his nephew !
and Wallace of “coffee-pot” notoriety.
BRUTAL EXECUTIONS. (
Is it not about time the United States dis- *
covered some more humane and certain mode '
of putting her murderers to death than by the
uncertain halter ? There is scarcely a week (
passes that we do not read of revolting scenes f
at hangings. It is not the purpose of the law 1
to be cruel, to keep the miserable wretches in 1
torture for minutes. The purpose of the law <
is to deprive society of a danger, and to present <
an example to other bloody-minded persons of 1
the fate which awaits them if they shed human <
blood. There are numerous more certain and i
less cruel ways of killing a man than by hang- i
ing him. The guillotine is more positive, and ,
certainly more immediate. The garrote, which i
tho Spaniwda use. is alwoet iustaataQwua. ’ 1
and there can be no bungling. But tho
quickest and surest of all would be to
have the killing done by electricity. The
condemned could be placed in a chair to which
an electric battery would be attached, the elec
tricity could be turned on, and ere the victim
knew that he was touched ho would be dead.
Would not any of these ways be preferrable to
the gallows ? By using any one of them, such,
a horrible scene would be impossible as was
witnessed at the hanging of the negro George
Washing, at Louisville, Ky., last Friday, when
ten thousand people saw a man struggling for
some fifteen minutes in the throes of death,
and that, too, after the first halter had. broken.
Such a scene is hardly in consonance with the
humanitarian spirit of the present age.
A Common Babbatob.—An unusual
sentence was given last Friday in tbe Hudson
(N.J.) County Sessions. John C. O’Sullivan
was convicted of being a common barrator—
that is, an encourager of lawsuits and quarrels.
It is said that O’Sullivan is tbe second person
over convicted in this country of this offense.
Judge Garretson, in sentencing O’Sullivan,
said: “The court has considered the applica
tion for a new trial in this case. There is no
reason for an interference with the verdict of
the jury. It was a question for the jury to de
cide, and they found you guilty. An applica
tion has been made to the court to suspend
sentence. You are not the sort of man who
would be bettered by such a display of lenien
cy. Even while this case was going on you
were making yourself conspicuous by saying
that you did not care for the court or the law.
Neither would a fine be any punishment for
you. The court proposes to teach you that
there is a law which can reach you. The sen
tence of the court is that you be confined in the
county jail for a period of sixty days, and pay a
fine of SIOO and the costs of your conviction.”
If some of the persons who have been bringing
suits in our courts about wills in which they
had no interest whatever, were tried as common
barrators, they would bo properly served.
A Sevebb Tbamp Law.—The proposed
law against tramps, now under consideration
by the Legislature of Connecticut, is very se
vere in its provisions for their punishment. It
provides that every person roaming about beg
ging, and every vagrant without visible means
of support, is to be considered a tramp, and
may be sent to State Prison for one year; any
act of begging by a person not a resident of the
State shall be evidence that ho is a tramp; any
tramp who enters a dwelling-house to beg, or
who shah kindle a fire on any highway or land,
may be sent to State Prison for two years; and
a tramp that willfully injures any person, or Is
found carrying a deadly weapon, may be im
prisoned for five years. This is very severe on
the tramps, and may possibly work great hard
ship to worthy but unfortunate people. How
ever, the tramp nuisance has become so great
that such a law as this has been found neces
sary to protect tho people, especially those liv
ing on the outskirts of villages and small towns.
The Legislature of this State should take some
steps to protect our people from the influx of
tramps which will follow tho passage of the
tramp law in Connecticut.. If our Legislature
does nothing, this State will become the refuge
for all the tramps of the New England States.
Not Wise Counsellobs.—The Execu
tive Committee of the American Missionary As
sociation asks the President to veto tho Anti-
Chinese bill, because they consider it an “ in
jury to this country, a wrong to China, and a
violation of treaty stipulations, of the funda
mental principles of tbe Declaration of Inde
pendence. and of tho law of God.” In what
way the bill is a violation of the fundamental
principles of the Declaration of Independence is
not clear to us any more than it is of the law of
God. Won’t these learned gentlemen point out
the violations ? But it was to be expected that
the Missionary Society would oppose the bill.
The society has spent millions upon millions of
dollars for ths conversion of the heathen, and
they haven’t converted a heathen for every mil
lion dollars spent. Tho same money expended
in our own country would have led, clothed and
educated thousands of our own little street
waifs, who are growing up in as dense ignorance
almost as tho heathen, and who are being
educated for lives of crime. The Missionary
Society is composed of persons who have great
sympathy for the misery far off, but none at all
for that at their own doors. They are not the
sort of men to be wise counsellors for the gov
ernence of America.
A Great Triumph.— It is muoh to the
credit of tho Prohibitionists of Vermont that
they succeeded in having an aged and infirm
woman cast into prison for the great crime of
selling two glasses of cider. The disgrace of
tbe imprisonment and confinement within
prison walls so added to her infirmities that she
has died. The facts of the case appear to be
that on tbe day previous to the September
election a man went to her house and purchased
two glasses of cider. This came to the ears of
an informer of the prohibitionists, and he had
her arraigned before a Justice of the Peace, who
fined her S2O and costs, the latter amounting to
SB. She promised to pay the fine as soon as
she could get the money together, but, through
continued illness, she was unable to get it,
and in January she was arrested and convoyed
to the county jail, although at the time in bad
health. Through the efforts of a stop-daugh
ter she was released, but too late to save her
life. This is a tragedy, gentlemen prohibition
ists. But what in your eyes is the life of a poor
and infirm old woman when it stands in the way
of great principles of reform ? It was but right
that the woman should die. Had she not com
mitted the unpardonable sin of Bolling two
glasses of cider?
' Unnecessary Litigation.—The at
tempt to prove Mr. Wells, of Brooklyn, insane
did not succeed, and the relatives who tried to
get control of his property are baffled. It is
possible that Mr. Wells is a little eccentric and
it is always a sign. of eccentricity in the eyes
of relatives when a man wants to spend bis
money as he chooses instead of as they think
right. But there was not the slightest proof
that bis brain was not perfectly sound. In the
matter of such suits something should be done
for the protection of a .man against being put
to expense of paying lawyers fees, etc. We
doubt not that Mr. Wells has had to expend a
couple of thousand dollars in protecting his
liberty and property. He should certainly
have some way of being reimbursed this out
lay. Suppose it became the law for those
bringing such suits to give bonds not only for
the costs of Court but for the expense of em
ploying lawyers to defend. Would not such a
provision of law put an end to a great deal of
unnecessary litigation ?
A Wrong to Society.—John O. Tracey
was tried for mismanagement of the affairs of
the Farmers’ and Mechanics’ Bank of Hart
ford, Conn., of which he was President, and
was convicted and sentenced to six years’im
prisonment. After he has served a few months
President Hayes comes to his relief and par
dons him. This is altogether wrong, as no
new evidence was presented to exonerate him
from blame. What is the use of trying men
for crimes, going to great expense, and keep
ing a number of citizens from their employ
ment, if Presidents and Governors are to par
don them almost as soon as they are convict
ed? We suppose that more men are pardoned
in the United States by the Governors and the
President in one year than are pardoned by
Great Britain in fifty years. The way in which
the pardoning power is abused is a grievous
wrong to society,
Do Something.—Hurry up, gentlemen
of the Legislature, and give us a sensible and
fair Excise Law. We do not want one dictated
by Murray Hill. The gentlemen who reside
there belong to high-toned clubs, where they
can procure wines and liquors at all hours and
on any day. The workman has as much right
to drink as they have, and if he likes to take his
drink in a well-ordered bar-room, it is a right
which inheres in him as a freeman. But, gen
tlemen, do something to get New York and the
other cities of the State out of the muddle of
the present law, with its nonsensical “hotel”
clause,
o ; A Monument to Pocahontas.. —In
o England they are talking ot erecting a monu
o ment to Pocahontas. A correspondent writing
1 to ono of the papers says: “Effective meas
- ures are being taken for the purpose of raising
1 a monument to the memory of this illustrious
• and heroic lady. She died at Gravesend, as
3 certified by the following entry in the register :
1 ‘ IGIG, May 21, Eebecca Wrolfe, wyffo of Thomas
3 Wrolfe, gent., a Virginia lady borne, was buried
3 in the chancel.’- Up to the present time there
1 is not even a tablet by the grave.” If this cor
r respondent is right, and there is no reason to
■ doubt his correctness, most American books
• which refer to Pocahontas place the time of
3 her death in March, 1617. Even “Appleton’s
Cyclopedia” falls into the error.
• Not Well Aixvised. —The proposed
reduction in the tax on tobacco is not, in our
j opinion, well advised. The reduction will
amount to very little to the consumer, but
j will greatly reduce the income of the Govern
ment. In the interest of trade there should be
as few changes as possible in taxation, and
those changes should be permanent. Since
the introduction in Congress of the measure to
which we refer, the manufacture of cigars and
’ the sale of tobacco have practically ceased,
and workmen and tobacco dealers are both suf
fering. Such measures as this can benefit only
a few speculators.
J and
Our the door, in the door,
Pinafore;
; Where we go, fast or slow,
Pinafore;
What a bore o’er and o’er,
r Pinafore;
; Breezes blow soft and low,
•• Pinafore.”
Shutters creak, babies shriek,
> “Pinafore.”
, Tempests howl, sptnters scow),
, “Piuaiore.”
What a freak 1 Misses meek,
• Pinafore I
’ Bassos growl o’er the bowl,
“Pinafore.”
On the cars, at the bars.
Pinafore,
No decrease, big increase,
Pinafore.
1 Ob, my stars ! how it jars !
Pinafore.
1 What release ? Will It cease ?
. Pinafore.
How we wish that the darned old ship
' Would take a start on its final trip
• To a hidden reef on a foreign shore.
Wreck the whole concern, and lorevermore
consign to ob.ivionthe officers and crew, and the
sisters and the cousins, and the aunts oi the Pina-
• fore. Police I
, DETERMINED TO STOP IT.
Mr. Bain and Mr. Gonnett arrived at a con
clusion a few days ago. They determined to
swear off. They evidently thought that if they
didn’t stop there wouldn’t be any whisky left
for next Winter, so they made up their minds
to stop it tor three days. This was at half-past
four on Wednesday.
“Now,” said Mr. Bain, “we hereby promise
that wo wont drink a drop of intoxicating li
quor until Saturday.”
“Wedo,” responded Mr. Gonnett, and they
shook,hands.
At five o’clock Mr. Bain excused himsolf. He
would bo back in a few minutes. Three min
utes later he was seen tripping into a neighbor
ing saloon, and what he hoisted had a dark co
lor. He had scarcely left the place when Mr.
Gonnett whispered to the bar-tender, and a
ten-pin shaped decanter and a glass were
placed on the bar and Mr. Gonnett fired in
one.
Mr. Bain returned in a short time, and the
conversation was resumed. Thep both knew
that they would feel better if they kept their
promise,-and when Saturday arrived they would
swear off for a year.
At half-past five a friend stepped in and of
course asked them to drink. Mr. Bain looked
at Mr. Gonnett, and Mr. Gonnett looked at Mr.
Bain. Then they both shook their heads and
said:
“ No, we’ve sworn off.”
“Oh, come on,” urged the friend; “’just one.
One wont hurt you.”
The glances that passed between the two
friends were pitiful.
“I’ll let you off if you say so,” said Gonnett.
Take a drink if you want it. I’ll let you off just
for one drink, and then you can stop again. I
don’t want anything myself. Go ahead, old
boy, take it.”
“No,” said Mr. Bain, “I don’t care for any
thing myself, but you’d better have one drink.
Perhaps you hadn’t ought to break off so soon.
Have one. Go ahead.”
“I wonder what that noise is out in the
street. I’ll bet somebody’s run over," said
Gonnett, and he rushed out to see.. He stayed
away just two minutes and when he camo back
Bain was wiping his mouth.
“’Twasn’t anything,” said Gonnett.
“I want to write a letter,” said Bain, “ and I
guess I’ll go to the clerk’s desk.” Ho went out
into the back room. He wrote the letter in
two minutes, and when he got back Gonnett
was just putting his handkerchief Into his
pocket.
"You’d better have a drink,” urged the friend
and be looked at both With a wicked leer.
“No,” said both, “goin’to keep my word if
hell freezes over.”
At seven o’clock that night Mr. Bain was ob
served standing in front of Franklin’s statue.
Hie lower jaw was hanging down, and beside
him stood Mr. Gonnett trying to tie it to the
top of his head with a blue silk handkerchief.
We met them again on Friday last and when
we asked them to take a drink they said :
“One day more. We can’t drink until to
morrow at half-past four. We swore off on
Wednesday for three days.”
A CONSIDERATE YOUNG MAN.
The other night, shortly after old Kroeger
and his wife had retired and were calmly dis
cussing the prospects of getting a new parlor
carpet before May, they were somewhat sur
prised to hear some one knocking on the door.
“Is that you, Maria?” asked the old man,
rising in his bed, thinking his daughter wanted
something.
“No, it ain’t Maria, it’s me, John Ellery, and
I want to see you.”
“ Wait till to-morrow,” said old Kroeger tartly
as he drew the quilt up around his neck, and
prepared to go to sleep.
“I want to speak to you now,” persisted
young Ellery, “it won’t take more than two
seconds.”
Then Kroeger got up and drew on his trousers
and walked to the door, which he opened on a
crack and huskily whispered:
. “Go ahead 1”
“Well, you see,” he commenced, “I was just
sitting down in the parlor with Maria ”
“ I see,” broke in Kroeger.
“And after a while I leaned over, and I said,
sez I ”
He paused for a moment, and old Kroeger
told him to cut it short, when he went on:.
“I asked her if I might kiss her and she said
yes. Now, there’s nothing mean or underhanded
about me, so when I bent over until I almost
touched her lips my conscience smote me, and
I thought I would just come up and ask your
permission to osculate.”
Then Kroeger got mad and told him to go
and Kiss her to death if he pleased, and he went
down stairs and there was a scene which it
wouldn’t bo right to reveal to a cold, unchari
table world,
AMENITY.
A long, sloping valley, dotted with blossom
ing trees and musical with happy birds, and
brooklets rippling over glossy pebbles. The
whole canopied by soft blue skies, with here
and there a dainty cloud-ship moving slowly
along.
The brooks are fringed with blush-roses, and
the aromatic breeze is freighted with asolean
melody. It is a sad, pensive, purple afternoon;
the wheat is tossed into little billows which
chase each other in playful revelry.
It is a place which might have been made for
love itself. Replete with Tempean allurements,
it is one grand scenic panorama as far as the
eye can reach. Hero and there a fawn dis
ports among the ferns and clover, while the
sylvan solitudes are made heavenly by the
merry-hearted nightingale. It is a spot where
, Pan himself might skip to the light melody of
his flute. It seems like Paradise.
, Everything that is beautiful is scattered
’ around in luxurious profusion. What a place
1 to lie in a hammock and smoke cigarettes and
read poetry to a black-eyed damsel, just as
1 | day is closing, and everything is serene and
_ i soul-thrilling as the first kiss of love.
, Dreamland, with all its gauzy and dazzling
_ charms, must melt into insignificance. This is
, the one sweet oasis in the desert sf Life.
5 Wo don’t know exactly where it is situated,
3 but this is the kind of a place Mr. Kroegei
. imagined he was in last Sunday morning when
3 his wife informed him that he needn’t got up
j and build the fire, as she had banked it the
3 night before, and it was all right.
SMALL CHANGE.
3 Mr. Percy was sitting with a number
s of friends in a newspaper office down street,
f and was relating a dream. Ho dreamed that
3 he saw a splendidly-furnished room. Every
thing in it was of the best quality. The room
was in perfect darkness. “Suddenly,” said
1 Mr. Percy, “I saw a lightning flash. It lasted
r but a minute, but in that minute I saw two per
-1 sons lying in the bed, a man and a woman,
t Then I saw a figure creep up beside the bed.
. It was the figure of a man. In his right hand
3 he held a knife. He leaned over the sleeping
1 man, and struck once, twice, thrice.” Then all
3 the listeners grabbed chairs and backed out of
3 the room. They thought ho had ’em. Mr.
1 Percy continued his tale, and was so much in*
, terested that he noticed not the departure of
his friends. When last heard from he was
7 talking to a coat that hung on the gas-pipe.
Stop it, Mr. Percy, stop it.
Our friend Bunks was troubled with a
sore throat, and all efforts to cure it proved
futile. Finally an old friend of the family
one of those kind old creatures who are always
about in the time of sickness—suggested that
Croton paint bo applied. She advised that
plenty be put on, and relief would surely fol*
low. It must be known that a drop of this
paint will burn a hole through an iron pot, and
when Mr. Bunks slathered it over his body as
if he was whitewashing himself, ho began to
think of damnation and blazes, and all the
other Greek heroes, from Alpha to Communi
paw. One side of Mr. Bunks now looks as if it
was plastered with circus bills, and the mero
mention of “Croton paint” is sure death.
“ San Francisco go helle,” said an en
raged Celestial on Chatham street, yesterday.
He had just heard the latest “ Chinaman
goodee man as Melican. Hoodlum too dam
flesh. Makes steal all Johna money. Sit
down, no walkoo. John go gittee blind dlunk
full as bed tickee. Go San Flancisco makeo
a Hoodlum’s jaw blokee. That’s kind tootn
plickee John is. Have a dlink?” We walked
in and had one with John. Before paying for
it he excused himself and wont out in tho yard.
The back fence was low and wo paid for the
' drinks.
t He arose in the morning and immedi
s ately rushed for his vest. He discovered a
■ lone quarter. Visions of a cocktail floated
through his swelled head. He donned hi 9
, clothes, and was going down-stairs when his
wife yelled to him that if he didn’t hurry up
and buy that beefsteak with the quarter sha
. bad given him on the previous night, she’d
break him in two. He was not broken in two,
, and the slate on the corner has another ditto
on it.
Talmage says that some men are such,
confirmed grumblers that if they ever get toi
heaven they’ll grumble at the singing, grumble
because the service is too long, and when they 1
can’t find anything else to growl about theylj.
swear that the walls are not plumb. Here’s 1
another chance for an investigation, and w«
haven’t the least idea but that the Presbyterj
■ will go for the old man, and snatch him bald*,
■ headed because of his irreverence.
“A Western editor two years ago
, marked a twenty-dollar gold piece and started,
' it out. Last week it returned to him.” Wa
L like that, but must bo excused if we breatho
that we consider it an infernal lie. In tho
first place we don’t think that a gold pieco
would bo apt to come back after such a long
absence, and in the next place we don’t believe
that an editor ever had Well, never mind J
this is the age of wonders.
The female walkers are becoming more
numerous day by day, and if this thing contin*
■ ues, the phenomenon of seeing a man nursing
the baby and cooking the victuals while the old
[ woman is doing her three thousand quarters will
not boa common one, that is if phenomena can
be common.
The Thomas cat upon the fence
Sat yellin' jeat like thunder;
A brickbat took him 'tween the eyes
And caused him to knock unler.
No more he’ll make us curse and swear,
And brickbats at him fire;
Ha’s sashayed Irom this world of tears—
He’s gone to meet Mariar.
A lady friend recently found a small
eel in her milk-pail, and when sho spoke to tho
milkman about it ha said that he had noticed,
that ono of his cows acted strangely. He’d sift
the water before he allowed the cows to drink it,
hereafter. .
The best play that has been produced
in this city for a long time was enacted by a
fire engine at a fire on Friday night. It playoff,
to a crowded house. Everything went off
nicely. There wag nothing dry about it.
The [only difference between a little
boy’s pants and a popular play is that tho one
is a pin behind and the other is a Pinafore.
See pin-be-hind, Pin-a-fore. Haw, haw, haw t
Good, isn’t it 1
“If I was in your place,” remarked a„
judge to a bum, “I’d shoot myself.” “You’a
■ in my—hie—place,, you couldn’t hit a barn*
. door,” remarked the bum to tho judge.
The latest is: “ Coffee is good. It’s no*,
tea, but it’s nice.” We’ll grounds some day
with a shot-gun and interview the fiend that
sent us the above.
Spring is approaching. The first robin
has not put in an appearance, but nine-tenths
of our citizens are scratching. Pancakes.
Mrs. Secretary Fish gave a grand re
ception on Wednesday last, and now Fishs
bawls at tho expense.
A bar-boom lay—Spit-tune.
MUSICAL.
Fifth Avenue Theatre.—The per
formances of Sullivan and Gilbert’s now famous'
comic opera, “H. M. S, Pinafore,” at Mr. D. H. ;
Harkin’s theatre, are among the very best, that pe*.
1 culiar work has yet had in this city. Mr.
G. Peakes gives an illustration of Captain Corcoran
which, while full of humor, and partaking of the
true satirical disposition intended, is also a very;
neat piece of natural acting, and has the advantage,
of befng also vocally pleasing. Nearly all of his
airs have to be repeated, and in the concerted mu
sic he aids with a precision and earnestness worthy
of grand opera. Mr. Henri Laurent continues to
represent Ralph Rackstraw, and has brought his
1 impersonation to a degree of decided excellence.
• Mr. James Harten has somewhat subdued his Dick
’ Deadeye, and thereby greatly improved it; Mr. Van
Houten makes an excellent BUI Bobstay, and Mr.
> Peter Chrvstal satisfactorily does duty as Ton
Tucker. Mr. J. H. Burnett as Sir Joseph Porter, K.
■ C. 8., acts quietly and effectively, and sings with
ease and commendable distinctness. Mlle. Blanche
Corelli as Josephine, charms alike by her singing and
acting, and makes her a daughter well worthy ol
even so self-sacrificing a captain as Corcoran, and
‘ Miss Ida Foy maxes Hebe a cousin whose kinship is
a credit to the admiralty. The chorus is a well.
> trained and comparatively powerful one, and the
> orchestra satisfactory in every way, Mr. Max Ma«
■ retzek being entitled to great credit for the fine
condition of each. The scenery by Mr. Seavey is
very pretty and appropriate, and Mr. Schroenko
has costumed the various people with rare good
taste. The opera was preceded each evening by
the popular farce called *‘A Kiss in the Dark,” in
1 which Mr. Owen Fawcett, Mr. L. F. Massen, Miss Ag
nes Elliott, Miss Boyd, and Miss Whitman do much
good comic acting in their respective parts of Selim
> Pettibone, Frank Fathon, Mrs. Pettibone, Mary, and
> the Unknown Woman. This farce being played is a
• great advantage, inasmuch as it admits of every
5 one being seated ere the curtain rises.
j Mr. Harkins is proving himself a liberal and
; energetic manager, and this week “H.M. S. Pina
» fore” will be preceded at every performance by the
farce of “A Kiss ia the Dark,” and followed by
Arthur Sullivan’s pretty petite opera, “Trial by
1 Jury.” In “H. M. S. Pinafore” Mme. Julie de
J Byther will take the place of Miss Gurney as “ Litt e
I Buttercup.” Afternoon performances on
J day and Saturday.