111
portrq.
The Flowers Have Come!
BY CORN F. 1.1 A .r. M. JORDAN
Th o Flowers have con - to—from its mossy bed
The Vddot lilts up its titodoq head; "
The Daisy too, poor, shy, little thing—
Has opened Its bright eyes to welcome Spring,
The Flowers have come, for the soft perfume
Of the Witldflower street, and the Rose's bloom
Is borne on the wing of the will South breeze,
As it lovingly plays through the , waving trees.
The Flowers have come—near the garden walk
Thn proud Lily raises its queenly stalk;
The Buttercup opens its golden bell
To kiss the glati zephyr it loves so well.
The Flowers have come, for the red Woodbine
With the Jasmbte white and Clematis twine,
And the fluMming bird lured by Its sweet perfume
Nips jOy, all day, from Its buoyed bloOm.
The Flowers have enme—l have seen the 800
Now kiss the proud ..lover that blooms in the lea—
Then buz.ing, away like a heartless coquette,
lie wooed the next innocent blossom he met.
The Flowers hay'e conic—on the river's brink
Tito PAVAN eunniugly,nod and wink
TO,tlin ripples that sportively play all day,
With the hiessor 'lilt grow in their pebbly way
,The,FloUershave come, fa. the Crocus too,
With its Itstyes of purple and white" end
Looks up from Its home with the Cowslips sweet"
The smile of its mother the Spring t..) greet.
Tito Flowers Imo cone—oven now i Feel
Their fragrant breath o'er my senses
Lifting my heart in its happiest Imui
To Ilim who h tth briAinettud Li fa's path with Hower.
:1;11vi).
From th Cermao
CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.
In ft small town in .Saxony there lived three
young men whom we shall call George, Ernest
and Lewis, and who, from their close intimacy
were strongly attached to one another George
and Ernest were merchants ; Lewis studied
law and practised in his native place.
One summer's day Ernest and George set
out together on horseback for a town about
thirty miles distant, where they had business
to transact. Ernest was . weak - enough to he
fond of discoursing with his friend on religious
subjects, on WhiCh they were of different opin
ions, and had often had warm disputes, though
George was as irritable. and passionate as Le
himself was Obstinate in maintaining his no
tions. Daring the journey Ernest lathe con
versation on this unlucky top,. They fell as
usual into altercation, which was kept up un
til they came to an inn, where they agreed to
flinch The dispute was continued over a bot
tle of wine, but with temper on both sides, and
the travelers pursued their journey. Erne:t
renewed the subject of the former conversa•
tion, and both being rather elevated with the
wine they had taken, the dispute became more
and more violent, as they proceeded; so that
by the time they had entered a wood through
which their road lay, it had degenerated into
downright personality and abuse.
George's pasSion knew no bounds. Uncon
scious of what he did, he pulled out a pistol,
and presented itat his companion.—The pistol
wont offend Ernest fell from his horse, which,
frightened by the report and relieved of his ri
der, scampered away into the woods.
George, pale as death, immediately alighted
to assist his friend, who was weltering in his
blood. The paroxysm of passion was over,
and had given place to the bitterest repent
ance. He stooped trembling to Ernest, who
just then breathed his last sigh.
Overwhelmed with despair and anguish he
tore his hair and afterwards galloped back to
the village, to surrender himself into the hands
of justice as the murderer of his friend, that
he might put a speedy end to his life, which
was now the most oppressive burden to him.
The officer to whom he delivered himself up
sent him under a guard to the town where the
friends resided.
The body of Ernest, whose pockets were
found rifled was also convoyed thither and iu-
toned,
Tho legal 'proceeding againt George com
monoed. He repeated his confession before
the judges.and implored a speedy death. His
exturdnation was closed, and ho was informed
that he was at liberty to choose an advocate
to defend him, as the law requires ; but ho de
clined to avail .himself of the privilege, and
with tears besought the Court to hasten the
execution.
Being, however, again urged to appoint an
advocate to conduct his 'defence, ho named
his friend Lewis. 'At the same time,' said
ho, 'I need n o defence, I wish only for death ;
but I submit to .the required formality. My
f r iend may undertake the bootless task, and
thus show his attachment to me for the last
time.'
With profound emotion, Lewis entered upon
the most painful duty that had ever fallen to
his lot in his whole professional career. Tho'
he despaired of being able to savo his friend,
he determined of course to make every possi
ble effort to accomplish this end.
With this view he objected that Ernest's
body had been committed to the earth without
any previous judicial examination and dissec
tion. The judges replied• that this ceremony
seemed unnecessary and superfluous, as the
murderer had voluntarily confessed the deed ;
but if he (the advolate) insisted on the exam
ination of the body it should be taken up. By
the desire of Lewis this was accordingly done.
The "tOwn surgeons attended, and declared
that as the ball passed through the dieart,
death must naturally ensue. Lewis wi.4.hed to
know if the ball was still in the body ; the
surgeons sought for and found it ; upon which
the advocate sent for the pistol with which the
deed had been perpetrated, and tried to drop
the ball into the barrel. it seemed too large
—he accordingly tried it in all possible ways
—still it woU'd not go in. Thlit'this 'ball
could not be fired by that pistol wile evident.
to every observer ; the judges looked 'at • one
another and shook their heads. There was
not a person but had completely made up his
mind respecting the guilt of the prisoner; but
this circumstance quite confounded them all.
The confession of the prisoner, made without
the employment of the slightest fear or force,
was corroborated by ,every circumstance that
has previously come to light; the hall alone
seemed to proclaim his innocence.
Lewis began to concieve the strongest hopes,
and his judgment vvini nearly ~o verpoifired
with the excess of his joy. He proposed that
the proceedings, together with the ball and
pistol, should be sent to the supreme tribunal.
that it might decide in this extraordinary af;
fair. This proposal was the more readily ac
cepted ns the local court was puzzled how to
act, and absolutely unable to pronounce any
judgerrt whatever.
Mile the papers were in the hands of the
supreme tilbunal, in the metropolis, a high
wnymati who had shot and robbed a traveler
on the road not far from the birth place of the
riends, was brought to that, town. Convicted
by sufficient evidence, ho acknowledged his
crime ; but that was not all ; be confessed, on
further examination, that two months before
he had murdered another man on the same
road. The circumstance had excited suspic
ion, and being still further questioned, he re
lated the following particulars :
'About that time I happened to be in a vil
lage public house. Two men on horseback
came in after me; I remarked that ono of
them had u heavy girdle filled with money,
fastened round„hili bddy underneath his waist
coat. thegan to Consider .whether it was not
poiSiblifte'POssees:myselfof this rich booty ;
but then low was this to be done, ns he had a
companion? -
However, thought I to myself, I Dave a
brace of good pistols. If I shoot one, the oth
er will probably run away in a fright, and be
fore he can give the alarm and fetch witness
es to the spot, my best horse will have carried
me far enough out of their reach ; if contrary
to expectation, the survivor should stan I by
his companion, what hinders me from giving
him the other ball ?
'Such was my determination, which I resole
ved immediately to execute. I had overheard
t'tom talking of the way they should take, rode
•otr before, and having tied my horse to a tree,
concealed myself in a thicket by the roadside.
No sooner had I taken my station -than the
travelers approached. They wore quarrelling
violently. I had already taken aim at the
man with the girdle when the other took out
a pistol and discharged it at his companion.
I fired at the same moment. My man fell
just as the other ball whizzed past my car.
Ile then sprang from his horse—was , engagel
for a short time with his dying fellow traveler,
and the instant I was going to the at him Ito
mointed again and gallopped away. I had
now time to rifle the pockets of the deceased ,
and having done this, rode off as fast as I
He desoribeci the time, the place and the
two travelers so minutely, that there remained
not the slightest doubt of his actually having
committed the murder of which George had
accused himself. The latter trembling with
rage had,fired at random, and was innocent of
the death of his friend.
`Tho local tribunal transmitted all those par
ticulars to the supreme court; the proceedings
with accompaniments, were returned and the
ball exactly fitted the pistol which was found
upon the murderer at the time of his appro•
hension.
"'Let the sympathizing reader now endeavor
to form some conception of the transport 'of
Lewis on having saved his friend! Let him
figure to himself the joy of George, when the
painful consciousness of an atrocious crime
was thus removed from his bosom ! HO was
unanimously declared Innocent of the Murder;
his passion cost him two months' imprison
ment; and it wasiong before his tears ceased
to flow for his departed friend. LOWis - beg
ged the. ball, the instrument of George's de
liverance, as a memorial of the extraordinary
event.
The forms of4u3aljproceeclings may often
Hem troublesome or useless, but let them not
be omitted on that aocouut. Now and then,
(. (i)itmlWv
indeed, a criminal may through their means
escape the punishment duo to his guilt; but if,
in the course of a century they save the life of
only one innocent person, the wisdom of the
legislator ought to command our gratitued.
RATTLESNAKE 'FIGHT
Under this head the Mareh.number of Her
per has a very readable article. but, as was to
be'exPected from the subject., there are several
erroneous Statements. When the serpent he
guiled our poor mother Eve, "the Lcird God
said unto theserpent, 'because thou best
done this, thoutirsecl above all cattle,"
and Booth to say, he 'ad more lies told on him
too, than any 'beast of the field.' Indeed it
would seem to 'be a moral impossibility to
speak of snakes without fibbing, 'and, there
fore, even good men, and otherwise truthful
men, are not apt to give any other than fancy
sketches whilst discoursing of serpents.—
There are two untrue statements in the article
of Marper which I will particularly refer to.
The first needs only to be stated•to be laughed
of in this' latitude. The writer asserts that
the Southern negroes aro not afraid of snakes,
but rather intimates they have a fancy for such
pets.
The second , partially untrue statement,
which I propef44 , o - correct, is the description
of the manner p.m. battle between the black
and rattlesnakes. As the writer in Harper
'gives his account of this light very plensnntly,
you will oblige me, and, it; may be, some of
your renders who have not previously perused
it, by inserting the following extract:,
'Combats between the rattle and black
snakes are certain if they meet, and the black
snake is, with rare exceptions, the conqueror.
Upon seeing each other, these animals in
stantly assumo their respective attitudes of
'defiance, and display the great. difference in
their organization. The rattlesnake coils it
self up,-ready for attack or defence; the black
snake, being a constrictor, moves about from'
side to side, and is in constant activity—
mutually exciting each other's passions. The
rattlesnake finally settles down into a glowing
exhibition of animosity, its bead thrown back,
its fangs exposed, its rattlesin constant agita
tion. Tho black snake, seemingly conscious
that the moment Of strife has come, now com
mences circling round its enemy, absolutely
moving so swiftly that it seems but a gleam of
dull light; the rattlesnake attempts to follow
the movement, but soon becomes confused,
and'drops its head in despair; then it is that
the black snake darts upon the book of its
deadly foe, seizes it between its teeth, and
springing upwards; envelopes the rattlesnake
In itst'olds. The struggle, though not long,
is painful; the combatants roll over in the
dust, get entangled in the bushes; but every
moment the blacksnake is tightening its hold,
until the rattlesnake gasps for breath, becomes
helpless, and dies. For a while the blacksnake
still retains its hold, its museletlworking with
constant energy; but cautiously uncoils itself,
and quietly betakes to the water, where, re
covering its energy; it dashes about a moment,
as if in exultation, and disappears from the
none.'
Now, sir, I happen to know that the above
account of a snake fight, coming too from a
Yankee, has a marvelous amount of truth in
it; but to show you exactly how they do fight,
and give you and your renders 'the truth the
whole truth, and nothing but the truth,' con
cerning this matter, I transcribe from a journal
which I kept when travelling, some years
since, in Florida, the following facts communi
cated to me by an old pine woods pioneer
hunter, and shooter of Seminoles, 'of the
highest respectability'—in his way.
I.—l saw today, Mr. Harrel, a number of
large black snakes as I road up from Tamga
to your house, some of them more than ten or
more feet long and as big as my arm. This is
January, and, I suppose, about as cold as you
ever experience in this part of Florida?
ll—Oh yes, Lord bless your_ heart, we have
them snakes, and all sorts of §:nukes in these
parts from year end tolear end.
I.—lndeed! I have been told that the
black snakes can whip the rattlesnake in a
fair fight. Do you know anything about their
battles? -
IL—I never aced but one fight between 'cm.
I.—Lot us bear it.
11.—Well you see, I was out hunting one
drizzly day and riding along slow, sorter, a
thinking about nothing, for-I hadn't seed no
game, cept wolves, and I wouldn't shoot them,
for I was arter deer, and I comes on a uncom
mon-big rattlesnake laying full length. 'lle
was oh a monstorous big fellow I thought
I'd kill him. So I gits down and hitches my
critter, and walks to a large fallen pine tree
intending to break off a limb to kill the rattle
snake, yt.u. sec?
I.—Yes.
IL—Well then, jist as I gets to the log I
spied tv—the allfiredest; - whoppingest - blue
snake [black are called blue snakes in Florida]
a laying along side the log, I never had seed ;
you understand.
IL• r -Well, I'd hearn so much about these
snakei a fighting, I eoncluded I worthl see how
they did 4. Bo I bceaks . My stick and begins'
a shooting, like, the blue .Snake around tother
side the log, where the rattlesnake was. Well,
the bhie snake crawled along up to the eend
of the log, and I sidled around you see, and
druv him short round, when he and the rattle
snake see one another the same time.
what did they then?
AT—Why, they jilt looks at one another a
bit, with all their,might. 'Then the blue snake
raised his head two or three foot, and the rat
tlesnake he jumps right into a quite, and be
gins rattelling his tail so yo'd a thought all
the jailer pine straw about him had tails and
rattles in 'em. Well, I seed it was gwine to
be a fight sure enough, and so I sot astraddle!
the log to See it out.
I.—(A little impatient)—Well, well, my
friend, how did it terminate?
ll.—Arter . awhile, when they was done look
ing at one another, till they were satisfied, I
reckon, the blue snake he begins circling
round and round the rattlesnake, taking a
swarth at first, but gradelly come nigher and
nigher to the rattlesnake, till he gits mighty
nigh, but not quite iu striking distance of the
rattlesnake. There he stops and raises his
head several feet you know?
I.—Certainly. What next!
ll,—(Very much excited)—Why, by gafers,
he drawed the rattlesnake's fire! •
—lT—Drew- Ms fire? --What do you mean ? 1
don't exactly understand you.
you see the blue snake jist made
pretence that he was gwinc to strike the rat
tlesnake, and then the blue snake, sooner than
no time, and before the rattesnake could quil
himself again, seized the rattlesnake by the
throat, and beginned to (pile himself around
and around the rattlesnake until he almost
kivered him with his guile ; but I tell you,
stranger, afore_ho did it they had the orfulest
slashing and tumbling about I ,that you ever
seed. But he did, and arter he done it, he
jist begins to stretch himself, when the rattle
snakes seemed mighty uneasy. But the blue
snake kept on at it 'till I seed the rattlesnake
had anuff of the blue snake, and I told him to
quit and ris up to hit him a tap, to make him
let go, but I didn't, cause 1 thought what a
rascal the rattlesnake was, and I wanted to
see how the blue snake would manage to get
himself off.
I.—Well, how did het
ll.—Well, he kept on a stretching and a
1 1 stretching, when I seed the rattlesnake's
mouth keep wide open, and all of him at last
got so limber T knowed he was dead, and arter
while I seed the blue snake knou•cd it too.
Then he begins to enwrap himself gradualy,
beginning at .the tale end first. IIe• took a
long time to unlink himself. Ire would un
quile a link or two and then take a pull on the
rattlesnake, jist to see if he was dead, and
kept a doing this till he got to the last link
round the head, - and then, quicker than
ho onquiles himself, end throwing the
rattlesnake away from him, jumps back him
self, and that• he lived and looked at the rat
tlesnake. Arter a while he begins a crawling
around the rattlesnake again, till ho gits close
to him and sees he's dead, and then he looked
'lntl, sorter, and moved away.•
In the above extract, I endeavored to pre•
serve the language and give some idea . of the
manner and character of the narrator. I sub
sequently interrogated some of my most relia
ble and well Wormed Florida friends in regard
to the truthfulness of old Ilarrell's account of
the fight, and they assured me it was strictly
and graphically true.
OLD BUT GOOD.
A follow who came on the Railroad on
Wednesday, being a ,stranger, strolled about
for some time on the " outskirts" ca the town
r in search of a barber, lie finally discovered
one, and requested the operator to take off a
shilling's worth of hair. The barber trimmed
his locks very neatly, soaped up the remainder
very handsomely, and then combed and brush
ed him up till his head looked as if it belong
ed to some other person than himself.
"Are you done?'' asked the stranger, as the
barber removed the nakpin front his ueok
"Yes, sir," said the barlier,Oitb a polito
bow. •
"Aro you certain that you took off a shil
ling's worth?
"Yes, sir, there's a glass, you can look for
yourself."
"Well," said the stranger, "if you think you
have a shilling's worth off, I don,t know as
I've got any use for it, and I hav'nt got
no change, so :you may just take the hair for
your trouble."
On hearing this, the barber made a jump for
the man, thereupon ho made a jump for •the
door, which not being bolted, he bolted him
self. Tho barber vowing if that man ever
came down hero again, he'd have him nibbled
to death by ducks.
rze,„4 , Patrick," said a lady, to a ship green
Erin who was officiating in the Kitchen,
" whore is Bridget V'
Indado, she's fast asleep,. lookin'
at the broad bakln'."
THE BULL DOG
Tho Bull Dog is the most brutal and tit(
least intelligent of its species; its depresser
forehead, its under-hanging jaws and blood
shot eyes, unite in forming the personificatioi
of the savage. Although capable of some at
techment, it cannot be relied `` upon as a friend
So utterly without intellect 14 the courage o
the bull dog, that it will attack Anything the
gives offence. This dog has never been apc
in the United States, but in England among
large class of citizens, it is carefully raise
and employed in bull-baits. In these bur
baits the dog, while fastened to the nose
some unfortunate bull, has one leg after al
other cut off with a knife to test its courage
and this display has been bailed by C
plaudits of the''rural population, and the et
courageMent of the scions of the nobility. Hi:
tory relates that Alexander once witnessed
bull dog attack a famed lion,'and being willin
to save the lion's life, ordered the dog to t
taken off, "but the labor of men and all -the
strength could not loosen the ireful and dev
biting teeth." The dog was then mutilated I
its keeper, and not only its limba, but its bed
were severed from his head, "whereat the kir
was wonderfully moved, and sorrowfully r
pented his rashness in destroying a beast of
..noble tt spirit"---a very natural feeling, or
would suppose to every generous mind.
Many years ago an English ship was at or
of our docks, on board of which was a bull do
The animal was so ferocious that he gained n
extensive reputatioif. Chained at the/gam
way of the ship, he spent all the livelong ds
in the hopeless task of springing at every pr
ima who passed al-mg, either on pleasure
business. The owner, first mate of the vesst
would sit for hours and detail the wooderf
deeds of this mighty dog. Crowds-of idle:
daily collected, and there stood the hero
rather there raved the insane creature at tl
multitude, each individual indulging tl
vague hope that he would presently bre:
loose and pitch into somebody, and thus sho
. his prowess.
Among the idlers was an Indian who occ
sionally visited the city, and made a few pen ,
by shooting an arrow at pennies stuck in ti
end of a stick. Upon the very appearance
the Indian, the bull dog was particularly vi
lent, greatly to the amusement of the fello•
Who took a malicious pleasure in irritating ti
animal. The mate finally interfered, and to
the Indian to go away, lest the dog .mig
break loose and eat him up. The Indian, a
the lest alarmed, in broken English, annou
cad to the crowd that if the deg was brung
down to the ground, and chained to a post, :
would for five dollars, fight the dog with not
ing but his hands and teeth.. The money w
raised, and the mate, after expressing min
reluctance at the idea of having the Indic
killed, brought the dog down and fastened hi
to a post. The Indian put away his bow az
arrow, his knife, laid his neck bare and rol
up his sleeves. A ring was formed, and t!
battle commenced. .
The Indian approached the dog' crawlit
upon all fours, barking and growling as if
was one 'himself. The bull dog meanwhi
jumped and foamed at tho mouth, while b
eyes beamed living fire with irritation. Ti
Indian, however, kept up his pantomime, at
gradually brought his face in fearful proxin
ty to the dog's teeth. The mate now intc
fered for he felt confident the Indian wou
get killed; but the crowd had become so e
cited ; and insisted apon "seeing the this
0ut..." A mutual silence ensued between t
combatants, the dog straining his chain in 1.
anxiety to reach the Indian, until it wee
straight and as solid as a bar of iron. Su
deuly the Indian seized the bull dog's and
lip between his teeth and in an instant whit
ed himself and the dog over on his back.
unexpected was the attack,' and so perfect
helpless was the dog, with hiS feet in the n
and his jaws imprisoned, that he recover.
his astonishments only to give forth yells
pain, whereupon the Indian shook him a m
ment as a cat does a mouse, and then let
his hold. The dog, once so savage, puttit
his tail between his legs, retreated from L
enemy and screamed with terror to get beyot
the roach of the chain.
TENDER HEARTED.
A farmer who formerly resided in New WI
wished to remove Wet, but was so deeply
bebt that his creditors would not let him g
and were keeping a watch on him that tin
might detain him when he attempted to star
Ile accordingly set a day for starting, and c
the day preiie s us he concluded to go on ahea.
and give his creditors the slip. Ile set ou
and after gOing a considerable distance, met
neighbor on his way home.
"Well, how comes this?" said the latte
"why do you 'start otr and leave your famil
behind?"
' to tell-the truth," he-replied, "i Jo
know how it will bo—when my folks start of
tho neighbors and friends will ho there to Bi
them start off and bid them good-bye, at
.
there will be such crying, so I thought I wcuP-i -
go"On ahead, for I am so tender hearted tin
I could not stay to see it!"
=I