VOU.IIB 53. NEW SERIES. THE BEDFORD GAZETTE is PUBLISHED LVI.RV FRIDAY MORNING BY MEYERS & BENFORD, At the following tertr.s, to wit: Si.so per annum, CASH, in advance. $2.00 " < if paid within the year. $ >.50 tt if no t paid within the year. B3*~Na subscription taken for less than six months. 0I7"No paper discontinued until all arrearages are paid, unle-s at the optiotfof the publishers. It has Oeen decided by the United States Courts, that the stoppage ol" a newspaper without the payment of ar rearages, is prima facie, evidence of fraud and is a criminal offence. CG?" I he coutts have decided that persons are ac countable for the subscription price of newspapers, ii They take them from the post office, whether they subscribe for them, or not. illi ste i! ac on s. HOW BEN PIBTLE GOT HIS WIFE. The very climax of ugliness was Ben Turtle. He was reil haired, and each hair stood as if it cherished the supremest contempt ior its next neighbor. His face was as freckled as the most bespotted turkey egg. His nose supported at the bridges large lump, while the end turned viciously to one side. His mouth had everv shape but a pretty shape. His form was as un couth as his face was ugly. The very climax of ugliness was Ben Pnrtle—what was more still, Ben had a handsome, bouncing, blooming wit —such as can only be grown upon a coun try lawn. '•How t!. deuce," >aid Jto Ben one day, "did you ever get such a wife, you uncouth, missha pen, quintessence ot monstrosity ?" Ben was not at nil offended by the imperti nence of my question, and forthwith began to solve the mystery thus: "Well, t w, gals that's sensible ain't cot cit ed by none of your purty, and hifalutin airs.— I've seed that tried trru e'n once. You know Kate was ..Hers considered the pnrtiest girl in these parts, and uii the young felieis in the naborhood used to try to colch her. Weil, J used to go over to old Sammy's too, just to kin der look on, yon know, and cast sheep's eyes at Kate. But maisy salces! I had no more thought that I could get Kate than a Jerusalem cricket could hide in the hair that wasn't on old tint's bald head —no sirce. But still [couldn't, help going, an' my heart would kinder flutter, 1 and my eyes would burn all over, whenever I'd goto talk with Katy. Ami one day when Kate sorter made fun of me like, it almost killed j me sure: I went home with something like a ; rock jostling about in my breast, and declared j I'd hang irvsrlf with the 6rsJ nlw i: -• A found. "Did vou hang yourself?" "Mo: daddy blazed out at me lor not taking j old Ball to the pasture in the morning and scar ed me so that 1 forgot it." "Go on," said J, seeing Ben pause witH ap parent regret that he had not executed his j vow. "Well, so one Monday morning—(l reckon it was a year after that hanging-scrape)—] got j up and scraped my face with dad's old razor: ; and put on my new c pprus britches and a new 1 litis, y coat mammy had dyed with sassafras hark, and went over to Uncle Sammy's. Now I'd got to loving Kate like all creation, hut I never cheeped to any body about my feelings. But I knowed I was on the right side of the old folks." "Well, now, ain't it queer," continued Ben, "how a feller will feel sometimes? Some thing seemed to say as 1 went along, 'lJen Turtle this is a great day for you,' and then my heart jumped and fluttered like a jay-bird in a trap. And when I got there and seed Kate with her new checked homespun frock on, I railv thought 1 should take the blind staggers, anyhow." Ben paused again to brush tlie fog from his eyes, and then continued : "\Yell, ] ihiiud the order of the day, was to go muscadine hunting. Joe Sharp and his two sisters, and Jim Bowles was thar. I'd knowed a long time that Sharp was right after Kate, and 1 hated him worse than a hog hates to find his way out of a later patch: but I didn't let on. Sharp had on white britches and fine shoes, and broad cloth overcoat, but everybody knowed he wasn't worth a red cent. He walk ed v. Ith Rat-, and you ought to hav seen the airs he put on. It was Miss Kate' this, and ♦Miss Kate'that, and all such nonsense. After a while we come near a slough whar we had to cross on a log, and I'd a notion to pitch the sassv " ;od-foj"nothing into the water." "Why didn't vou ?" "Stop never mind," said Ben, giving me a j nudge, "Providence done that all up brown, j Nothing must do but Joe Sharp must lead 'Miss , Kate'across fust. He jumped on the log in; high glee and took Kate's baud, and the) - put ; off. Jest as they got half way across, a tarna- j tion big bull frog jumped off" into the water— j you know how they holler—'Snakes!'screamed j the fool, and knocked Kate off'up to her waist iuthe nasty, black, muddy water. And what ' dy'e think he done? Why run backwads and foreds, a hollering for a pole to help Kate out of the water. Kate looked at me, and I couldn't j stand it no longer. Curchuck I lit ten feet from the bank at the first jump, and had Kate out of j there in no time. And dy'e think the scamp ! didn't come up after we'd got out, and said : 'Areyou hurt, Miss Kate?' "My dander was up. ] couldn't stand it; I cotched him by the seat o( his white britches and his coat collar, and gin him a toss. Maybe he didn't go dear under when he hit the water. I didn't see him out. Me and Kate put for the house. When we started off, Kate said 'Ben, just let me hold on to your arm, I kinder feel sorter weak.' "Great Jimiiiy ! 1 felt so quar when she took hold, I tried to say something nice, but my drot ted mouth would not go off",- no how. But 1 felt as strong as an elephant, and helped Kale along, Bimeby Kate said : 'Ben, that Joe Sharp's a good for nothing, sneaking, cowardly nobody ; ef he ever puts his head inside of house again, I'll souse htm ! filer in the world. I tell voti, sir, it's no use talking : highfalutin airs, and quality dressing, and cologne, and such things, 1 ain't gwine to go down with sensible gals,' sure." THE PYRAMID OF BAYONETS- The oflicers, as > '! as sub-officers of theßus- ; dan horse guards, aie subjected to a rigorous • discipline, ere required to execute, cn horse-j hack, all the mancjuvers ofa theatrical rquestii-i an. One day an officer of the Lancer guard was ' Oi'tJe.' Yfe barf performed all Ids ev I,J the most satisfactory way, until, n[ . g ■ f gallop, he was suddenly ordered to t i horse proved testive, am! refused to obey either j bridle, or sj.ur. The command was repealed in a thunder voice, j and Hie officer renewed his efforts to make the : horse obey it, but without effect, for the fiery animal continued to prance about in defiance of i his rider, who was nevertheless an excellent j horseman. The rage ol the Grand Duke had vented it- i self in furious imprecations, and all trembled for the consequences. "Halt!" he exclaimed, and ordered a pyramid of twelve muskets with fixed bayonets to be erected. The order was instantly obeyed. The officer, who had by this time subdued the rest!veness of his horse was oidered to leap the pyramid—and the spirited animal bore bis rider sah-iy over it. Without an interval of delay, the officer was commanded to repeat the fearful leap, and to the amazement of all present, Hie noble horse and rider stood m safety on the other side of the pyramid. The Grand Duke, exasperated at finding him self thus thwart A! in his barbarous purpose, re peated the ord. r a third time. A general who happened to be present, now stepped forward and interceded fir the pardon of ihe officer, obs ving that the horse was exhausted, and that the enforcement ol the order would be to doom both the horse and rider to a horrible death. This humane remonstrance was not only disregarded, but was punished with the immedi ate arrest of the general who had thus presumed to rein I. The word of command was given, and the rider for the third lime cleared the glittering bayonets. Rendered furious by these repeated disappoint ments, the Grand Duke exclaimed for the f., urin time, "To H;: l r u about! Forward !"' The I command was obeyed, and for the fourth time the horse leapt the pyramid, and then, with his rider, dropped down exhausted. The officer j extricated himself from the saddle, and rose un hurt, but the horse had both his fore legs broken. The countenance of the officer was deadly pale, his eyes started widely, and his knees shook under him. A deadly silence prevailed as he advanced to the Grand Duke, and laying his sword at his highness's feet, thanked him in a faltering voice for the honor he had enjoyed in the Emperor's serv ice. "T take your sword," said the Grand Duke, gloomily, 'and are you not aware of what may be the consequence of this undufiful conduct toward me ?" The officer was sent to the guard house. He subsequently, disappeared and no trace of him could be discovered. The scene took place at St Petersburg, and the facts are proved by the evidence of credita ble eye witnesses. —A few days since, a school-teacher named Cramer, near Berlin, Alabama, attempted to chas- I list* one of his pupils, a lad twelve years of age, ' named Collins, when the latter drew a knife and stabbed him to the" heart. The young murderer ' made his escape. [£F*Says Dick to Joe, "did you attend church yesterday?" "I was confined to mv room," was the reply. "All, you had the Roo/n-ihsw, then, said Dick. f DESPERATE ENCOUNTER WITH 1 I ROBBER ! A Hull paper gives the following account of j a desperate affray with a highwayman in the j East Biding cf Yorkshire : "Mr. George Clarksoh, of Huggale lodge, a farmhouse between Wvtwang and Huggale,' was returning from Driffield market oil horse- ■ back, about eight o'clock at night. After lea- j ving Wetwang the road is very secluded and j lonely. In consequence of the rnaay recent robberies in the neighborhood, and a gale cross- j ing this road having, on a former night, been found !it*if, Mr.Clarkson had armed himself with a six-barrel revolver,'which he held in his hand. When within about eighty yards of his own house, he was met by a man on foot, who knock ed him from his horse with a bludgeon. The man jumped upon Air. Clarkson's body, and they had a fearful sfruggleon the ground. The man seized Mr. Clark-son by the lluoat, and attempted lo strangle him, and b-al his head and face with the rough stones which had been used in repairing the road. Mr. Ciarkson, in his own defense, discharged Kur barrels of Ins revolver at the man, and beat him on the head with it, but the last shot only seemed to take : effect entering the man's chest, or jaw. Soon after receiving the last charge the man's clothes were on fire, when he jumped up and ran awav in a blaze. Mr. Clarkson's assailant did not succeed in robbing him, and he then proceeded home, his horse having gone before. : J'he reports and dashing of the revolver and ; the nan on fire were heard and seen by sever a i inhabitant of Welwang. Next morning in-J formation was given to the oolice at J'riimdd,, and Superintendent Young & Sergeant Thompt son proceeded to the scene of the conflict. Th*j found traces of the man having sat on a bank,** 1 waiting tor Mr. Clarkson's arrival. "Hlnle sitting there lie hail cut tile bottom ' end of his bludgeon smooth with a knife, that he might handle it the bettt r, being the knoltv part of a tree-lop. The bludgeon was found on the ground, and hair from Mr. Clarkson's fact* 2d h'. ring to it. In the arij ining field they i .v.n? the remnants of the rnan'r burnt shirt, which u re deeply saturated with blood. He had nC > !• it .is cap and a neckerchief being also partly burnt, and there was a black place on the ground, mar a pond, where his clothes had been cmsurrn-d. They also traced his foot prints &, bloody hand-marks on gates in z din-e -rection toward TiblHorpe. He had then turned toward Driffield. The next account that vas T-"J> X-J itKrrir?.' .g' P . -?£ ( " ( ■• - %[R| I —ffrtrti.ry L -r.-ft*xjAi v .-'f ! , !: m f iiVuul?.Tds uv v 'WacV",rep —: F.\\CJ|"J SP . p 1 i>•! j in six hours. At the .drove dour, lie w n! to the house where he had lodged, covered with blood, and his head much swollen. He spat quantities of blood, and told the mistress of the house to look into his mouth, from which he cut with a pair of scissors some ragg-d il- sb. He hastily washed off the blood put on a shirt, and left, saying that he had been shot at lk. Cut < ' ;a ~ —short, close to the roots—immedi- I !y ; and here is a newspaper to hold the ambrosial curls." I thought he was mad, of' Course ; and believing that it would be danger- ; ou. to thwart him, I cut offal! his hair to the j I w lock. "Now, Madam," said he, unlocking a -njail portmanteau, "you will further oblige 0 by looking out of the window, as lam about to change my clothes." Of course! looked out of the ■— x ~ v . coaxO' - - wrten he observed, -A : 1 uo lorrger put you to a .roHROU J" "•"' wf ■/ffs' forrnef " ralWr o attired in black, and wore a gray wig and silver spectacles ;he looked like a respectable divine of the Church of Eng land, of about (>4- years of age ; to complete that character, he held a volume of sermons in his h&vi i, which—they appeared so to absorb hirn ! —might have been lvis own. "1 do not wish t . threaten you, young lady," he resumed, "and 1 think, besides, that 1 can trust your kind face. Will you promise me not to reveal this meta n pilosis until your journey's end ? "I will," aid I, "most certainly." At Reading theguard .nil a person in plain clothes looked into our carriage. "Y'ou have the ticket, my love," •aid the young man, blandly, and looking as though he were my father. "Never mind, sir ; we don't want them," said the olficial, as he withdrew his companion. "I shall now leave you, rriadam," observed my fellow traveler, as soon as the coast was clear : •2 tews uwre lying about chewing was going on. uu wTTU., .< .A 5 ? y-s tree in the large orchard; and while critically j examining some very fine fruit, were suddenly and rather unpleasantly startled from our train of thought by the bellowing of Mr. Taurus, whose majesty had been reclining, and of whose august presence we were unaware. He eleva ted his tail, made the earth fly with his 'awful paws,' and having thus manifested his hostility, and given tone, if not color, to his idea that we i were an interloper made a plunge towards us. A moment's view* of our antagonist was just enough, llis eyes flashed fire; he roared like ; a 'bull of Uashan.' We did not at all fancy the style of his horns; they were* as straight as j needles and about as sharp. He exhibited uu- j mistakable desire to employ them upon us. i "Knowing that it was expected of us to rc poitthe contest trial going on in another field, j we remembered the prior and pressing interests i of our friends, and set up a smart run. So did j Mr. Bull. We scampered ;he scampered :he j made better time than we could bottom out ; he j gained on us rapidly ; we could almost feel his j hot breath on the back of our neck ; it was neck j or nothing; rail fence twenty rods off; bull within five rods give up for 'goner no such ; thing; friendly apple tree with low branches; j clutched two of them, and lifted our precious ' body into the tree : Taurus arrived just as we , cleared the ground ! "Our enemy pawed around the tree: bellow ed after the manner of 'Boanerges, the son of Thunder,' glared at us, and finally walked off about the distance of three trees. Thinking all was right, we slid down vertically, and 'put' for the crazy eld rail fe-cce. Ihe distance from tree to bull, and from tree to fence, was just about an even thing. But our assailant saw the movement, and at once the chase was a hot one agaio ; but this time we distanced the 'horned critter,' and, scaling the fence, landed in a field of rye at about the same moment our pur suer's horns struck the top rails of the fence and set them flying. Separated by the fence, we read the scoundrel a lecture that we hope he will remember to his last moments." CANNON NOT DISABLED BY SPIKING.— The silencing of a battery by spiking the guns is a stroke ol daring frequently performed by dri ving a rat-tail file into the touchhole and then "breaking it short off. In some instances a com mon nail is used. In either case the gun is disabled for the time, as the touch hole can only be cleared by drilling out the spike, and this, when it consists of a file, is generally a difficult matter. Hut an invention has recently been produced which promises to render a cannon s useful without a touchhole as with it, an d which was tried at the New \ork Slate Arsenal about a fortnight ago. It is in reality a safety fuse, one end of which penetrates the cartridge, and extends through the entire chamber of the cannon to the muzzle w here the gunner can discharge the cannon as readily as at the touch hole. The fuse is a chemical compound, envel oped in a flat paper case, which is wrapped with cotton, and afterwards dipped in rosin to prevent its becoming damp. When used for submarine purposes, it is protected by a jacket of gutta percha. The fire passes through it at the rate of a mile in four seconds, thus enabling one man to discharge a broadside of any number of guns at the same moment. For ordinary mining purposes, it is equally useful, and, from its composition, will be less likely to flash ' without explosion, as is very often the case with WHOLE .\l ?2BER 58791. , ordinary gunpowder blasting. It has atao be e Q tried at Washington, in the presence of the Secretary of War and various officers of the Army and Navy, where its success is said to hive been very decided. THE IRISH POTATO. ~ How sweet to the taste is the Irish potato! I memory awakens a thought of the plant, I Its dark, verdant vine-top and beautiful blossom, ■