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HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr , Editor and PrjoLisiiEtt i. ELK COUN?TTIlE REPUBLICAN PARTY. Two Dollars ran Antrim.
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VOL. I. ' RIDGWAY, PA., THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 1871. NO. 25
HOSNH OF THE HTKAftI KNC1NK.
A lordly wight was the ouclent knight,
When ho mounted his bmvo bold Btced,
And spurred amain o'er hill and plain,
At wind-outBtrliplng speed,
Till he met the fbemnn front to front,
And fought him where he stood
With mace, and bnttle-nx, nnd sword,
And split his best life's blood. .
i ns gallant n knight, good sootli, Is ho
engine-driver, bold ;
i Bteed s of higher mettle, l weeu,
i uny knight's of old.
i nor spur reqnlrcth he,
, and oil she mes,
an Jove's bright meteor flash,
the silent skies i
the mliriitv river's breast,
rts from vnlo to hill j
nd night he speeds his flight.
to his master's will.
i gallant kulght, good sooth, is lie -
enelnc-drivcr, bold ;
Tid his steed's of higher mettle, I ween.
Than any knight's of old.
Where'er tho Iron courser's reined,
Fair commerce lilts iicr Ucaa,
And Crime and Ignorance retreat
Before his thunder-tread.
Then clap your bands, and shout huzzuli,
Cheer f cheer them on their way t
For braver man or better steed
Hath never seen the day.
Yes, a gallant knight, good Booth, is be,
Our engine-driver, bold ;
Anil his steed's of higher mettle I ween,
Tbuu any kulght's of old.
WHY HUNEBOLRG WAS NOT SLR.
RENDERED.
The fortress of Hunebourg, cut in the
rock, at the summit or. a steep bluff,
commands the whole of that spur of the
Vosges which separates the Meurthe,
the Moselle, and Rhenish Bavaria from
the basin of AlBaon.
Iu 1815 the command of Hunebourg
was intrusted to Jean Pierre Noel, for
merly sergeant-major of the Fusiliers of
the uuard, who lost Lis lett leg at Baut
'zen and waB decorated on the field of
battle.
This worthy commander was a man
of five feet two, very broad in the shoul
ders, and very short in the legs. lie
had a hno paunch, big sensual hps.large
grey eyes, full of energy, thick bushy
eyebrows, and the most magnificently
blossoming nose in the whole region of
the Vosges. An opera hat, a regulation
coat with long skirts, blue trousers, a
scarlet waistcoat, and shoes with silver
buckles, formed his invariable dress.
Noel loved to laugh. He loved also
good Burgundy, venison, black grouse,
Mayence bam, carps from the Rhine.and
all good things which tho Lord has pro
vided for his children.
He had under his command a company
of veterans, most of them thin and dried
up as mummies, and wore long capes
and smoked smuggled tobacco. They
wandered about the ramparts, looked
dowu the precipice, and basked in the
sun. The everlasting prospect of the
blue sky, the bluo horizon, and even the
clear blue water in the well, had im
printed on their countenances the marks
of incurable melancholy.
There were also two under-officers sent
to Hunebourg for a rest, one man named
Cousin, the other Farges, two young
men of good families. Au irresistible
impulse had driven them to the career
of arms, and glory was to them a plea
sure which was also to cover them with
laurels. Unfortunately it bad just now
covered them with wounds, and it wag
to this circumstance that they had the
honor of serving under tho orders of
Jean Pierre.
To say the truth, these two heroes
bore bravely the fickleness of fortune.
They played cards, smoked their pipes,
and recounted their campaigns over their
cups.
Such was the varied life of the guar
dians of Hunebourg, when, on the 10th
of June, 1815, about four o'clock in the
afternoon, Commandant Noel all at
once gave orders to beat the rappel, and
that the company should take arms. He
at once descended into the court of the
barracks, his big opera hat on one side,
his long moustache turned up at the
ends, and his right thumb in the arm
hole of his waistcoat.
" My children," he cried, stopping iu
front of the line, " you are on the path
of honor and glory. Forward always,
and you will reach both, I promise you.
I have this moment received from Gen.
Rapp, commanding the fifth corps, a des
patch which informs me that sixty thou
sand Russians, Austrians, Bavarians and
Wurtembergers, under command of Gen
eral the Prince of Schwartzenburg, have
just crossed the Rhine at Oppenheim.
The upper Palatinate is invaded. The
enemy is but three days' march from us.
It seems even that the Cossacks have
pushed their reconnoissances into our
mountain passes. We are going to ex
amine the whites of their eyes I
" My children, I count upon you as
you count upon me. We shall blow up
the shop before surrendering, I need not
ay. But while we arp expecting them
we jmust reprovision. No rations, no
soldiers ; the means of existence before
everything else that's my principle.
Sergeant Farges, you are to go with
thirty men, into all the villages within
three leagues ot the fort to Hazebruck,
Wechenbach, Rosenheim and the rest.
You will lay hands upon the cattle, the
provisions, upon every kind of substance,
solid and liquid, capable of sustaining
the morale of the garrison. You will put
iu requisition all carts drawn by ani
mals, as well as the horses, asses aud ox
en. If we cannot feed them they wiil
feed us. As soon as the convoy Bhall be
formed, you will return, keeping to the
heights as far as possible. You will
drive the cattle before you in a decent
and orderly manner, always taking care
that no animal strays away that would
be so much lost. If by any chance a
company of Cossacks tries to surround
you, you will not let the convoy be cap
tured. On the contrary you are to make
a stand against them with a part of
your escort, while the other part will
drive the herd under the guns of. the
fort. In this way those of you who are
killed will have the consolation of know
ing that the rest are living well, and
that thare are survivors to sustain the
siege. Their conduct will be admired
through all as, eg, and posterity will say
of them, ' Jacquvn, Andiv, Joseph, were
brave men I' "
Frnntio cries of " Vive 1'Einperenr,"
"Vivo le Commandant," applauded this
harangue. The drum beat ; Farges
pompously drew his sabre, ranged his
little troop in line, nnd gavo the ordor
to march.
The veterans, full of ardor, obeyed,
while Jean Pierre Noel, his arms crossed
upon his breast, and his wooden leg in
advance, followed them with his eyes
until they had disappeared behind the
esplanade.
II.
The little company under Farges ad
vanced across the immense forests of the
Homberg, with muskets at the shoulder,
eyes on the watch, and ears turned to
the wind, as became brave soldiers who
did not care to give their bodies to the
vultureB. All were animated by the
liveliest enthusiasm ; first, because it is
always agreeable to obtain your provis
ions at the expense of others, to open
stores, confiscate hams, twist chickens'
necks, tap hogsheads, explore the cellar,
the grain bins, and the kitchen. What
ever your temperament may be, san
guine, nervous or even lymphatic, these
things always give pleasure. And then
the French love war ; nothing fires their
blood like the hope of a battle ; they
sing, they whistle, they cannot contain
their joy. Our jolly fellows march for
ward like foxes. It was glorious to see
them passing along under the long ave
nues of oaks and beeches, losing them
selves in the shade, appearing and reap
pearing at the bottom of the ravines,
scratching themselves in tho underbrush
and climbing the rocks with marvellous
agility.
Farges marched in the rear of his col
umn by the side of Corporal Lombard.
Fancy a fellow of fifty years, wearing a
cocked hat and a big grey overcoat. His
large, square form promised extraordi
nary vigor. His strongly marked fea
tures, his red beard, the perpetual con
traction of his brow, gave him a hard
fierce air. A long scar furrowed his left
cheek and split open his upper lip, leav
ing exposod two fine eye teeth, which
appeared through his thick moustache
and bore not a little resemblance to the
defenses of an old wild boar. To com
plete the charm of his presence, this per
son smoked a stump of a pipe, and puffs
of smoke escaped from the crevices and
openings in his cheek, from his ear to his
lips. Beriot Lombard had been twenty
nine years in the service, had gone
through thirty-two campaigns, and re
ceived eighteen wounds. So, thanks to
his bravery and the happy concurrence
of circumstances, he had obtained tho
grade of corporal.
" Well, Lombard," said Farges, length
ening the step a little, " what do you
think of our expedition ? Do you think
it will succeed "
" I think," replied the corporal, with a
smile that laid completely bare one side
of his jaw-bone, "I think that if these
beggars of peasants had suspected our
coming visit, they would have got rid of
their cattle. Then good-byo to the com
pany. I know this, sergeant. In Spain
there was but one way to entrap them."
' What way was that, Lombard '"
" We watched for them in their vil
lages. They came sometimes at night to
bake bread for don't you see, sergeant,
out) must have an oven to bake bread i
And then we laid our hands on the nape
of their necks and confessed them to
gently you understand."
" O, yes, corporal, but we are not in an
enemy's country."
That's just why it is necessary to fall
upon thorn like a bombshell. We must
surprise them agreeably, and lay hold of
everything without doing them any in
jury. But it's a hard thing to do, ser
geant, a hard thing to do."
" How so, Lombard '("
" In tho first place the peasant is sly.
He is determined to keep what he has
got without troubling himself about the
honor of his country. Then, too, since
1814 he hates us ,r
" Do you think so V" asked Farges, in
a doubting tone.
" Sergeant, mind what I say. The
peasants are not fools. They remember
that last year we made a tour of their
villages to provision the forts, and I am
sure that the first thing they will do on
learning of this invasion, will be to con
ceal their cattle in the forests."
Thus chatting by the way, they climb
ed the woody slopes of the Homberg. It
was about eight o'clock, the light was
faBt fading away, and the thrushes,
perched upon the tops of the firs, called
to one another before plunging into the
darkness of the wood.
When the head of the column de
bouched upon the plateau of Rothielt,
entirely covered with bushes and impen
etrable undergrowth, the night was so
dark that it was nearly impossible to see
the pathway. Farges gave the order to
halt.
" I Bee nothing out of the way," said
he, " in every one's smoking his pipe and
speaking his individual opinions; but
being under other oraers mum we
shall resume our march when the moon
ses."
After this speech he placed two senti
nels, one at the mouth of the gorge, the
other on the side of the mountain, com
manding a view of a long line of peaked
rocks. .
The veterans, worn out with fatigue,
threw themselves on the ground in the
midst of the thickot, while Farges and
Lombard, seated gravely at the foot of
the tree, their (runs between their legs,
discussed the plan of attack.
lit. ,
The moon was beginning to mount
above the firs of Oxeuleier, and Farges
was thinking ot giving the signal tor
departure, when a confused clamor was
suddenly borne up from the depths ot
the valley. The sergeant sprang up in
surprise, and looked at Lombard, while
the latter, quick as thought, put bis knee
on the ground, and laid bid ear against
the foot of a tree. As he knelt, motion,
less in the darkness, holding his breath
to catsh the least murmur, he seemed
like an old wolf on the watch.
However, as no other sound than the
motion of the foliage could be heard, he
was about to rise, when a gist of wind
bore anew from the bottom of the gorge
the noise which they had heard at first,
but this time much more distinct. It
was the confused sound of a company on
the march, to the muBic of a rustic bark
horn. Tho corporal arose slowly, a broad
grin split his face from car to ear, and
his eyes sparkled in the darkness. ,
We've got them I" said ho. " He, he,
he I We've got them "
" Who do you mean ?"
" The peasants, of course I They are
coming I"
Then, without another word, he crept
among the bushes on all fours. The men
arose one by one, took their guns, and
disappeared behind the trees. The sen
tinels did the same, and there was not a
motion or a sound in the thicket.
The company kept concealed for about
a quarter of an hour, when three moun
taineers made their appearance in the
pale moonlight. They climbed the ra
vine with slow steps. When they had
reached the level ground they stopped to
take breath, and to resume an interrupt
ed conversation.
Lombard could then examine them at
his leisure. The first was tall aud thin ;
he had a long black cloak, spindle-shaped
legs, an immense umbrella under his
left arm, brass-buckled shoes, and a
jaunty three-cornered hat on his head,
and he presented the profile of a young
calf. The corporal supposed it must be
some rural mayor of the neighborhood.
The second, wearing a similar hat,
stood front to Lombard, and the moon
lighted up his clear-cut and crafty face.
His sharp nose, his quick little eyes, his
sneering lips, and the whole expression
of bis features, announced some village
diplomat, whom untoward circumstan
ces had hindered in his strivings to reach
the highest summit of glory. He wore
a great coat of green plush, the sleeves
turned up to the elbows and cut in the
style of the last century. His hair, a
bright red tint, fell over his shoulders,
and formed a large cushion for the nape
of his neck. He assumed a lofty air, but
his rapid gestures gave tho lie to his
pretence of gravity every minute.
The third was simply a mountain
herdsman, with a wagoner's frock of
blue, grey pantaloons, and a knit cap.
He held in one hand his bark-horn, and
in the other an immense, iron-pointed
stick.
" Monsieur the Mayor," said the little
red-headed man to the tall, thin one,
" you needn't be disturbed about that.
It is better to hold on than to run. Our
cattle is ours, I think. We have bought
them and paid for them."
" Yes, that is very true, Daniel ; that
is very true in good hard cash. But
what would you have, my boy ' It is so
agreeable to be called 'Monsieur the
Mayor,' and to see people lower their
hats down to their feet before you.
Don't you know that Petrus Schmitt
has had his eyo on my place for six
years "
" Well well. Your place is yours.
He can't have it your place."
" That depends, Daniel. He might say
that I have driven the cattle from the
village to prevent the garrison from ob
taining provisions, and so making them
dio of hunger."
"Ah, bahl that's not so. Listen to
me, Monsieur the Mayor. If the king "
here the little man raised his hat with
an air of respect " if our good king re
turns, you will say, I have saved the
cattle of the village, so that the garri
son could not have them, and so the
place surrendered to the armies of our
good King Louis.' Then the prefect
will say, O, what a brave man, what a
brave man ! who loves the honor of his
true sovereign.' And then you would
get the cross of the legion of honor,
sure!"
" The cross, Daniel ? Tho cross with
a pension r"'
" I think so the cross with a pen
sion." "Yes but" stammered the mayor,
" if if the other one defeats our good
king our true king our "
"Stop there 1 Btop! Monsieur the
Mayor. He will be king in truth if he
IB the stronger. But if our great empe
ror defeats the enemies of the country,
you will say, 'I have saved the cattle of
the village so that the Cossacks should
not get them.' Then the prefect of the
great emperor " another salute " will
say, O, what a good mayor ! what an
honest citizen I we must send him the
cross.' And bo you will get the cross
any way, and we shall keep our cattle."
Lombard bit his moustache. He had
great difficulty to refrain from showing
the diplomat a little bayonet practice.
But the certainty that he should lose
nothing by waiting enabled him to mas
ter his anger.
" You are right, Daniel, I see that you
are right," replied the tall, thin man,
with a convinced air. " Why shouldn't
I have the cross as well as any one else ?
Especially if I save the village cattle 1"
"But, Monsieur the Mayor, there is
more than one who hasn't gained as
much as you, and there is Schmitt, who
will be vexed.
" He, he, he 1 ha will have a mouth as
long as that," laughed the mayor, put
ting the handle of his umbrella to the
end of bis nose.
"That's so, that'll so, Monsieur the
Mayor. But now we must find some
place where we can drive the cattle. We
need a very concealed place, with pas
turage for the poor brutes, a place where
the devil himself couldn't go without
knowing the way. Hold ! for example,
the precipice of the Saliere. It is dark.
It is distant. Big trees hang all around
it. Forty oxen can roam there without
inconvenience. There is only a little
footpath that reaches it. Water is abun
dant." " Well thought of, Daniel, well thought
of ! Hurrah for the Saliere !"
"Then forward, forward 1" cried the
little man, turning towards the herds
men, 41 Gottlieb, call the cattle I no time
to lose ! These scamps of Hunebourg
nave already taken the keys oi the fields,
but they will find the birds have flown."
The herd-driver, advanoing to the
edge of the rock, blew bis bark bora,
Those sweet, plaintive notes broke the
stillness of th valley for a moment and
descended in successive echoes. Another
horn replied from the ravine, below.
The troop resumed its march and you.
could hear fbe hoarse lowing in the
depths of the defiles.
Then two superb oxen came forth un
der the dome of great oaks. They moved
with that grave and solemn step which
seems to indicate the consciousness of
force, beating the air with their tails,
and sometimes turning their white heads
just touched with red, to look at their
cortege. Then followed slowly a long
line of heifers, cows, goats, lowing,
bleating, andTanulUing in a way to make
the brave corporol weak for tenderness.
Finally half the village of Eohbourg,
women, old men, and children, the for
mer bestriding their old working horses,
the latter at the breast or slung in the
dresses of their mothers. The poor peo
ple advanced witu a clatter. They ap
peared tired, and very melancholy, but
iu war one can't always be at ease.
The company spread out upon the
plateau. There were but a few laggards
scattered over the Bide of the ravine. It
was the time to strike. Farges and
Lombard exchanged glances in thejmade
and departed to give the signal, when a
cry of distress, a piercing cry, flew from
mouth to mouth up to the top of the
hill, and froze the whole caravan with
horror.
" The Cossacks 1 The Cossacks I"
Then followed a strange scene. Far
ges hastened behind the curtain of foli
age to give new orders. The quick, dry
noise of loading was heard then on that
Bide all was Bilence.
As for the peasants they had not
budged ; motionless, staring at each oth
er with open mouth, having neither the
strength to flee nor the courage to form
a resolution, they appeared the very pic
ture of terror. The diplomat alone did
not lose his presence of mind, and ran to
crouch down under a rock, in such a
way that one could only see his feet and
the lower part of his legs.
Almost at the some moment, Lombard
recognized, near by, the hoarse cry of
the Cossacks. They were running in
every direction through the copses and
thickets. To Bee them flying about in
the moonlight upon their little Bessara
bian horses, whoso eyes were on fire,
their nostrils streaming, their manes
erect, one would have taken them for a
band of famished wolves surrounding
their prey. The cattle bellowed, the
women sobbed, the poor mothers pressed
their babes to their breasts, and the Bas
kirs.were all the time contracting the
circle of their movements so as to pounce
down on this group.. At last they were
concentrated and moved oil' in line with
wild hurrahs. All at once the dark foli
age was lighted up as with a flash of
lightning, quick firing was heard upon
the plateau, and even the mountain ap
peared to tremble with surprise. When
the smoke of this discharge had blown
away slightly, the Cossacks were seen in
confusion, seeking to escape in the di
rection of Graufthaul, but a barrier of
impassable rocks was in the way.
" Forward, now I no quarter !" shout
ed the corporal.
The veterans, animated by his voice,
rushed in pursuit of the flying enemy.
The fight was short. Brought to a stand
and the verge of the rock, the soldiers
of Platoff whirled around and charged
with the frenzy of despair. Quick
thrusts with the lance and the bayonet
were exchanged, but in their narrow
quarters the Cossacks could not manoeu
vre their horses, and were soon defeated.
Only one resisted to the end. Large
and spare, with a face of dull, coppery
hue, a true Mephistopheles in appear
ance, he was covered with several thick
nesses of sheepskins, of which Lombard
relieved him of one at every thrust of
nis bayonet.
"Coward," he muttered, "I'll finish
you after getting off the leather."
He was mistaken. The Cossack
jumped upon his head and dealt him a
terrible blow with the handle of his pis
tol on the jaw. The corporal spit out
two teeth, put his gun to his shoulder,
covered tho Baskir, and pulled the trig
ger. But considering that the piece was
not loaded, the other disappeared safe
and sound, shouting a mocking hurrah
as he fled.
Thus the intrepid Lombard, after
twenty-eight years of service and thirty
two campaigns, had his jaw broken by a
savage of Ekaterinaslof who did not
know the first principles of the art of
war.
" You heathen dog !" he yelled with
rage, " if I had you here "
Farges, fixing his bayonet, sticky with
blood, looked with astonished eyes
around the plateau. The people of Ech
bourg had disappeared. Their cattle
were wandering at random in the thick
ets. Some of the goats were climbing
the sides of the hill, and save about
twenty carcasses lying on the ground,
all were enjoying the peaceful calmness
of rural life. The veterans themselves
were surprised at their easy victory, for,
excepting Nicholas Rabeau, the old
drum-major of the 14th of the Line, pro
vost of arms, dances and French graces,
who had the glory of being thrust
tnrougn by a Uossack and ot yielding up
his life on the field of honor, all had es
caped with no more injury than a few
light wounds.
" There, now. comrades," said Farges.
" there's no need to abandon ourselves
to any reflections whatever. The ras
cals of Cossacks might have interfered
with our plans. Our provisions are all
found for us. Nothing is easier than to
collect the herd and regain the fort be
fore the enemy bas bad time to block
our way."
All set themselves immediately at
work, and ten minutej afterward the lit
tle company, driving the cattle before
them, took the road for iiunebeurg.
About six o'clock they were under the
guns of the fort
One may imagine the satisfaction of
jean 1'ierre JNoel wnen, Having beard
the creaking of the chains of the draw
bridge, and having rushed to the win
dow in the simple costume of the night.
be saw approaching, first the oxen, then
the milch cows, followed by their calves,
then the heifers, the goats, the pigs, the
horses, marching " in a decent aud or
derly manner," as he had been at pains
to recommend to Farges.
Corporal Lombard, seated gravely up
on an old Rosinante, almost gray with
ago, his hat on one side, and his gun
slung over his shoulder, formed tho only
rear guard of the column.
The brave commander was never more
joyful in his life. So, when three days
later, the Archduke John ot Austria, at
the head of a force of six thousand men,
summoned tho place to surrender, with
the threat of bombarding and destroy
ing the fort, utterly in case of refusal.
Jean Pierre only smiled. He caused a
recapitulation of the stores on hand to
be drawn up, aud sent it as a reply to
the Austrian general, adding :
" That he regrets that he cannot ac
commodate bis Highness, but that he
likes good living too well to leave a
place so well provisioned. He conse
quently begs his Highness to be so good
as to excuse him, etc.
"As for your threat of bombarding
the fortress and destroying it utterly, I
care about that as much as about King
Dagobert."
Archduke John of Austria understood
French very well. He had moreover a
weakness for good living himself, and
comprehended the scruples of Jean
Pierre. So, the next morning, he quiet
ly reascended the valley of the Zorne,
after having made a half turn to the
lett.
And that is why Hunebourg was not
surrendered.
The Gloss on Silk.
Tho method of giving an artificial
gloss to the woven pieces of silk was in
vented in 1GG3. The discovery of the
metnod was purely accidental. Octavio
Mey, a merchant of Lyons, being one
day deep in meditation, mechanically
Eut a small bunch of silk threads into
is mouth and began to chew them. On
taking them out again in his hand, he
was struck by the peculiar lustre they
had acquired, and was a little astonished
to find that the luBtre continued to ad
here to the threads, even after they had
become dry. lie at once saw that in
this fact there was a secret worth un
raveling ; and, being a man of ingenui
ty, he applied himself to the study of the
question. The result of his experiments
was the vrocede de lustragc, or " glossing
method."
The manner of imparting the artificial
gloss, has, like all other details of the
weaving art, undergone certain changes
in the course of years. At present it is
done in this wise : Two rollers revolving
on their axis are set up a few feet from
the ground, and at about ten yards in a
straight lino from each other. Round
the first of these rollers is wound the
piece of silk of twenty, forty, or one
I A -1 J J 1 ' 1 .
iiuiiureu varus iu leugia, as me case
may be. Ten yards of the silk ere then
unwound, and fixed by means of a brass
rod in a groove in the second roller, care
being taken to stretch the silk between
the two cylinders as tightly as possible.
A workman, with a thin blade of matal
in his hand, daiutily covers the upper
most Bioe ot the suit that which will
form the inside of the piece with a
coating of gum.
On the floor, under the outstretched
silk, is a small tramway, upon which
runs a sort of tender, filled with glowing
coals. As fast as one- man covers the
silk with gum, another works the tender
up and down, bo as to dry the mucilage
before it has time to permeate the text
ure. This is a very delicate operation :
for if, on one hand, the gum is allowed
to run through tho silk, or if, on the
other, the coals are kept too long under
one place, the piece is spoiled. In the
first instance it would be stained be
yond all power of cleaning ; and, in the
second, it would be burned. None but
ttusty workmen are confided with the
task ; and even with the most approved
hands there is sometimes damage.
When ten yards of the piece has been
gummed and dried, they are rolled
around the second cylinder, and ten
more are unwound. This is repeated
till the end. But the silk, with its coat
ing of dry gum, is then stiff to the touch
and crackles like cream-laid note paper
when folded. To make it soft and pli
ant again, it is rolled anew, some six or
seven times, under two different cylin
ders, one of which has been warmed by
the introduction ot hot coals inside;
and this is sufficient to give it that
bright, new look, which we all so much
admire in fresh silk.
Preponderance of Young Men Iu a State
Prison.
Writing of the Iowa Penitentiary, a
correspondent says :
Men of fine ability, of manly charac
ter, are easily discerned here as else'
where. The visitor is amazed at the pre
ponderance of young men, not unfre
quently of good parentage, but more
commonly of that class who have given
free scope to their passions for strong
umuk. ami us associations. lis asspuia'
tions are necessarily and inevitably dan
gerous. Men of professional skill in burg
lary, gambling, and ill-fame, congregate
at the dens of strong drink, and by their
artful graces win young men (boys to
join in their hilarities, and then adroitly
invite them into their little games. By
this identical means forty-five young
men out of sixty in the Penitentiary of
T - .1 , .. .U 1 1 1 l 1 i
xuwa noouivu uio mey uau ueen 10u lllto
the crimes for which they were incarce-
rated. In the Reform School are several
children from nine to twelve years of
age, wno were instruments in the bands
of expert criminals for the commission
of high crimes. Their first lessons are
usually learned in the schools of vice
open to tree access in almost every com
munity. Their parents, if living, are
either drunkards, or regardless of the
consequences or drinking associations.
4 took an impartial record of 200 con
victs in relation to their habits of drink
ing liquors. ' Of them, 210 had been
drinking men ; 109 attributed their in
carceration to the . use of liquors ; 21 only
naa oeen ioiai ausimence men. These
were wholly of that class who are im
prisoned for lighter crimes and short
terms.
Advantages of Printing Telegraph In
struments.
Printers have the advantage of other
systems in the reduced liability .to er
rors, in transmitting and receiving
despatches with lines of tho conductivity
indicated, there can be but one chance
for mistakes, and there is less liability
to error than in transcribing from one
paper to another. The message must bo
received and printed exactly as it is sent.
If an error occurs, it is ot course the
fault of the transmitter and not of the
receiver. Another decided advantage is
that they can be worked much more
rapidly than any other system, and as
soon as the message is complete, it is
ready to go to the delivery clerk, to be
enveloped and sent to its destination.
Working printers is not as exhausting to
the operators as other systems, as, when
the line and instruments are in proper
order, the receiving operator has only to
Bee that the messages agree with the
checks. On main circuits, where a large
amount of business is to be done, these
advantages are of great importance.
Another advantage in employing
printing telegraph instruments is the
tact that they are always popular with
the public, who prefer to receive their
dispatches in that shape. Other things
being equal, printing lines have always
had a decided popularity with the pub
lic over other systems. With proper
lines and insulation, good operators, and
such instruments as can now be manu
factured, we believe that in ten hours'
steady work the printers will do from
one-half to two-thirds more work than
any other system now in use in this
country. JeUorapier.
W e fully concur with the Telearapier
in the above estimate of the advantages
ot the telegraph printing instruments,
We wonder that large and flourishing
companies like the Western Union do
not more extensively employ them. We
have Been them worked at the Western
Union establishment in this city, both
in sending and receiving despatches,
when they certainly surpassed the ordi
nary instruments in rapidity and cor
rectness. Bending messages by key and
receiving by sound is a very simple
and convenient method, to be sure ; but
the blunders that are often committed,
especially with names, are fearful to
contemplate. Then the chirography of
many telegraphers is difficult to deci
pher, having more resemblance to fly
tracks or Azteo hieroglyphics than to
civilized writing. The public likes tho
plain printed style of messages much
tho best. It would be a popular move
on the part of the companies to use the
printing instruments exclusively. Sci
entific American.
Tho Festival of Juggernaut.
Before closing my letter I should like
to give you a few notes of a critical visit
which i paid this week to the great god
Juggernaut, on the occasion of the draw
ing of bis car to the temple of his good
friend and annual gossip, Rachabullbub.
Uhudren bad their merry-go-rounds,
grown-up people their " cheap jacks "
Indianized; littlo groups of friends
squatted together alter the manner in
Hyde Park after a review, or at Epsom
before the event of the day, only here
the food was merely parched rice, with
a few sweetmeats, and the drink water.
If I had had to gauge Hindoo morality
by the festival of Juggernaut I would
have rated it very much higher than
many of our missionaries do. Of course,
there is the god, always ugly, an utter
absence of worship, and an abundance
of amusement; only will you believe
it? with readings from the great poem
of Valmiki nearly always forming one of
the cniet features ot the tun. t&ncy
Milton read as a part of the fun of an
English fair! I scarcely ever saw a
Hindoo turn round in the street to look
after a woman, native or fictitious col
oring, that I think I may give you this
little sketch as an illustration of a real
fact in connection with one of the oldest
of Hindoo institutions, and with the
morality of the Hindoos. I went as
critio purely, prepared, if anything, to
be disgusted. I saw almost the exact
counterpart of an English fair, with the
exception of an entire absence of drink-ing-booths
and " people in drink." The
drawing of the car is a mere matter of
halt an hour when the roads are hard
the Mela, or fair, will last all the week
at the end of which the god will return
to. bis habitation, &o. Well, I did not
see a semblance of immorality. The
road was lined with huts for two miles
(I referred to a preliminary proceeding
of a festival a week ago), and it was
crowded with people. The great curse of
the nation is caste ; if that were broken,
and woman placed on a right footing
as the equal of men, I should not be sur
prised if the Hindoos sent over mission
aries to England to convince us that
they are more moral than ourselves.
Calcutta tor. London Tune.
The Value of a Female Equestrian.
Suit has been commenced in Cincin
nati by John Robinson, the well-known
circus and showman, and his wite, to re
cover from Adam Forepaugb, whose cir
cus and menagerie are now in town, the
sum of 43,81)0. It seems that in March
1808, Mr. and Mrs. Robinson entered
into a contract with Mrs. Eliza Willis
and her husband, by which Cordelia
Juldick, daughter of Mrs. Willis bv
former husband, was apprenticed to
them for a period of five years. They
then expended $2,000 in clothing, and
instructing the promising little eririas an
equestrienne until she became valuable
to them as such. On the 20th of last
January she ran away from them, and
on the following 6th of March joined
Notwithstanding a formal warning,
the complainants allege that Forepaueh
has continued to harbor the girl up to
the time of filing their complaint, a
period of twenty-one weeks. They claim
that she is worth to them six hundred
dollars per week, which sum Forepaueh
offered her. Consequently, they ask for
damages in f z.uuu expended upon her,
ana me vaiue oi her services for twenty
one weeks, $14,000. besides the tricli
damages allowed by law, in all $43,800,
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.
In 1810 there were fourteen dailies in
Boston, and now there are only eight.
A Mississippi girl hanged herself, as
reported, " under tho influence of qui
nine." In some portions of tho South attempts
are being made to revive knee breeches
and shoe buckles.
At a late baby show in Liverpool,
Eng., the little ones were all so hand
some that no prize was awarded.
The Paris Cab Company's horses are
dying of a new epidemic Tho company
has lost 200 out of 300 horses purchased
from the Prussians.
The stone used in building many of
the great bridges in the country, even as
tar west as Umaha, is brought from
Mosquito-Mountain, Maine.
Major Powell, after doing 300 miles of
Colorado canyons, has returned to Salt
Lake to rejoin his family, having met
thus far with not a single mishap.
It cost the Prussian government 2,000,-
000 francs to get up their military map
of France, which surpassed even that in
the possession ot the general statt ot tho
French army.
The editor of an Indiana paper recent
ly enjoyed the luxury of a bath, and a
leading article in the last issue ot bis
paper describes vividly his strange sen
sations while the operation was in pro
gress. An express train between Plymouth
and London makes the distance, 194
miles, in four and a quarter hours, in
cluding fifteen minutes' stoppage. This
is probably the fastest travelling in the
world.
The State debt of Vermont is now
$412,000. In six years from the rebel
lion it has been reduced to less than half
a million, and there is now a hundred
thousand dollars in the treasury for cur
rent expenses.
Prairie Chicken, an athletic and accom
plished daughter of his Excellency Navy
Plug, the big chief of the South Sioux
nation, can walk off under a bigger back
load of buffalo beef than any other squaw
in the Buckskin Basin.
The Lowell Courier says the most
humiliating domestic use a full grown
man can be put to is to bo sent to the
bakers tor a "cents worth ot yeast.
Evidently the Courier man " knows how
it is himself."
A charcoal man and his wife, who be
longed to the Commune, esoaped the
vigilance of the police by tho happy de
vice ot a thorough washing. The dis
guiso was too perfect unluckily, for they
have been looking for each other ever
since.
At aball at the Whitfi Snlnrinr finrinrra
a Kentucky belle represented "Arctic
Mnrmlicrht." in n dreaa nf full illiiainn
skirts, dotted with Bwansdown and oxi
dized glass, and luminous with silver
bands and crescents, pine cones, pearls,
A Western editor has announced the
death of his uncle in Australia, leaving
mm a gold mine and $400,000. Ills vil
lage contemporary professes to regard
the matter as a plan cunningly devised
to obtain credit for a box of paper collars
and a straw hat.
A Maryland paper improves upon the
usual Btyle of death notices by recording
that an infant was " born into the order
of fallen nature, Dec. 30, 1809 ; into the
supernatural sphere ot redeeming grace,
April 27, 1670; and into the kingdom of
the everlasting, July 5, 1871."
An enterprising chap up in Van Buren
county, Iowa, has discovered something
for young people to do while courting be
sides holding one another's hands. Dur
ing his little term of courtship he helped
tne young laoy to sew together enough
rags to make sixty yards of rag carpet.
Rocky Mountain Jim, a noted charac
ter in the far West, who has had all
sorts of adventures and fights with In
dians, was attacked, a few days since,
near Hot Springs, Middle Park, by a
nerce cinnamon Dear. Jim had nothing
but a navy revolver, and with this he
fought the savage beast for half an hour,
but was so terribly mangled that it is
doubtful if he survives. He has been a
Rocky Mountain ranger for over thirty
years.
Curtis tells a story of a waiter at a
village tavern, who announced, as be
laid the milk-pitcher on tho tea-table,
" Suocus at Dove, to-night." " How do
you know?" "Milk's sour." "How
does that prove it '(" " Cows can't stand
the noise. When the suocus goes by,
and the animals snarl, it curdles the
milk in the bag. 'Least, s'pose so. Can't
'count for it in no other way." This
would seem to be a proper Biibioct for
Our agricultural societies to investigate.
A physician of Lyons bas been making
some experiments with different liquors
upon chickens, with the following re-
suits:. ne chickens who imbibed red
wine continued in perfect health ; those
who took white wine were rather low in
their minds, and showed symptoms of
iiver vuiupiaiui; me aiconoi driukers
sank rapidly, and all died ; and the ones
that had absinthe given them perished
on the spot. Thus it seems prudent for
the chicken population to limit itself to
a diet of claret and water.
One may readily believe that to tele
graph in Chinese is no very easy matter,
seeing that that language has no alpha
bet, and is made up of about fifty thou
sand different characters, and yet the
managers of the Chinese Submarine
Telegraph Company have at last sur
mounted the difficulty, Several thou
sand of the characters most in use are
cut on wooden blocks, resembling types,
at the reverse end of which numbers are
engraved. The Chinese at Hong Kong
who wishes to send a message to his
friend at Shanghai, bands the message
written in Chinese to a native clerk.who
selects the corresponding blocks, and
prints the numbers which are on their
reverse end. ' The slip is then given to
an English clerk, who telegraphs it to
its destination, where the process is re
versed, and the man in Shanghai receives
the message stamped in Chinese charac
ters on paper.