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tittt Vottrp'.
sc TO-DAY AND T0.1410.RR0W."
A rosebud blossomed in my. bower,
A bird sang in my garden;
The rosebud was its fairest flower,
The bird its gentlest warden.
And a child beside the linden-tree
Sang, •"Think no more of sorrow;
But let us smile and sing today,
For we must weep to-morrow."
I asked the bird, "Oh didst thou hear
The song that she would sing thee?
And can it be that thou shouldst fear
What the next morn may bring thee?"
He answered with triumphant strain,
Saying, " I know not sorrow ;
But I must sing my best to-day,
For I may die to-morrow!"
I asked the rose, "Oh, tell me, sweet,
In thy first beauty's dawning,
Thou must not fear, from this retreat,
The coming of the morning ?"
.s.he flung her fragrant leaves apart,
The lovelier for her sorrow,
Saying, "Yet I must bloom to-day,
For I may droop to-morrow."
I said, "The bloom upon my cheek
Is fleeting as the roses;
My voice no more shall sing or speak,
When dust iu dust reposes;
And from these soulloss monitors
One lesson I may borrow—
That we should smile and sing to-day,
For we may weep to-morrow,"
niizffitantous
Capture of a Slaver---The Cruise of the
Mohawk.
[Correspondence of the Journal of Commerce.]
KEY WEST, May 6th, 1860.—The U. S.
steamship Mohawk, L. Craven, commander,•
arrived at this place the 30th inst., having in
tow the prize -bark Wild Fire, seized on the
26th ult., 50 miles northeast of Nuevitas,
loaded with a cargo of slaves from the Congo
River, Africa. The Mohav-k had been cruis
ing for a week among the 1.; hama Banks,
occasionally landing upon the Keys. On the
26th, off Neuvitas, in a dead calm, a strange
sail was discovered, which proved to be a
bark, evidently American built, and in res
ponse to our sign, hoisted also the Stars and
Stripes. As the steamer ranged - alongside,
men were observed in the rigging tarring it,
others at work about the deck, only a few in
number, while the captain and one or two of
ficers coolly climbed upon the rail and watch
ed her movements. A boat was lowered, not
because any suspicion was excited, but from
force of habit. As the boat approached the
bark it was observed that no one threw aline
to receive them, a piece of courtesy common
to every ship master, no matter how rough.
- As the boarding officer passed over the side,
a man stepped forward and offered his hand.
No sooner had Lieut. Carpenter touched the
rail than he drew his sword and waved it, at
the same moment a shout of applause was
raised by the boat's crew, and it was then
known on the Mohawk that the vessel was a
prize. The prize proved to he the slave bark
Wildfire, which left New York the 16th De
- eember, 1854, with an American crew for the
West Indies. She had a good run to the
West Indies, ariving at St. Thomas the eighth
day. Here she remained eight days, and
then sailed direct for the Congo river, where
she took in a cargo of over 600 slaves. She
succeeded in getting clear of the coast with
out seeing a single vessel, and then went un-
der the command a of Spanish captain and crew,
who came on board as passengers. An ob
scure story was told about their coming from
a brig or schooner which was captured or
wrecked. Previous to this time the crew had
received $l6 a month. They were now to re
ceive $BOO for their portion of the proceeds of
the sale of negroes. They were out 36 days,
and would have landed their cargo before had
they not been becalmed 4 days where ,they
were at the time of capture. As soon as the
Mohawk's crew went on board, the wretches,
to the number of 519, the rest having died on
the passage, were drove on deck for fresh air.
They cattle up with wonder depicted on
their faces, many of them at first began to
cry, but the majority soon found out that
something for their interest had occurred and
a prolonged cry of joy came from each throat.
A majority are children of from 8 to 16 years
old. The females amount to about seventy.
They were separated from the rest by being
placed in the cabin. Still further aft was a
little hatch out of which crawled some eight
or ten skeletons in the last stages of disease.
As they came out of the hold they made a
rush for two half hogsheads of water which
they appropriated and fought for with all the
fury of a famished dog over a bone. The night
was an extraordinary one certainly, the deck
crowded with these naked beings, their gro
tesque action, the constant hum, of Volees,,tlie
strange and disagreeable odor,_alj-_far_mid•
scene which is not easily forgotten. •."Tfue - c , 43-
tain laughed and talked unconcernedly, but
the men appeared morose and disappointed,
having got within a few miles of their home
and fortune, to have the prize wrested so sud
denly from them. A crew was sent on board,
the officers, Barber and Carpenter, to take
charge of her; and-her crew, with the excep
tion of two who were drivers and overseers,
who were retained to keep the negroes in or
der, were transferred to the Mohawk. They
were in all 27, of whom five were low with
the African fever. One was too ill to be
moved, and was left to die on the bark. The
sick were soon placed under medical treat
ment.
From tTheir own account, the crew have suf
fered everything. Their countenances showed
a great deal of suffering and disease. They
say that since the cowardly Spanish Captain
has commanded them they have been shame
fully treated, and the sick had no attention
paid them. One of the latter had died before
.the capture, and another was sr ill as to be
delirious. The captain was at first particu
larly cool. Eft laughed at the capture and
$1 50
WILLIAM LEWIS,
VOL. XV.
at his own misfortune ; but when he saw prep
arations on the steamer for their confinement
he became somewhat alarmed, and offered
one of the officers $lOO,OOO if he would
cause him to be set safely ashore. When
told that it was impossible, he went to Capt.
Craven and begged that he might be landed
on one of the Keys. Of course this was de
nied him, when his frenzy knew no bounds,
, and he declared he would jump overboard be
before he would be taken to Key West. As
the Mohawk's crew was small in number, and
having so many on the prize, (she had as
many prisoners as men,) the prisoners were
placed in irons and in charge of a sentry. Eve
ry man and officer was armed with pistol and
cutlass. The watch was carefully arranged
so as to secure the utmost safety. No one
but the captain was allowed his liberty, and
he was closely watched.
The Spanish Captain, finding he could no
longer deceive himself that he was in danger
of punishment, tried every means to avert it;
he offered one of the officers $200,000, to be
allowed to go free with his cargo. The crew
were rather relieved than otherwise in get
ting clear of the bark.
On the 30th the steamer arrived safely in
this harbor with the prize. The U. S. Mar
shall was at once notified of the seizure and
solicited to prepare quarter for them. The
President had but a few weeks before, in a
communication with Marshal Moreno, de
clared that should any such seizure be made,
" They could not be landed within the walls
of Fort Taylor," but that the Marshal should
take good and proper care of them. It only
remained for him to construct temporary quar
ters for them on shore, and a building 25 feet
wide and 275 feet long, was put up in two
days' time, when the entire body of negroes
was transferred to it. The sick had been in
the meantime taken to the old carpenter's
shop, at the foot of the fort bridge, and here
they will remain until the Marshal can build
a hospital.within the barracoon at Whitehead
Point. Five of the sick had died, and a large
number must follow. Doctors Whiteburst
and Brine are attending the sick. They are
being nursed and cared for as well as could
be done under the circumstances.
Capt. Brannan, of the U. S. Army, having
been called upon to furnish a guard, has 'de
tailed .3G of his men, and they encamped upon
the point. Besides their side-arms they have
two brass field-pieces to prevent any culling
out by disaffected Sp Iniards making forages
from Cuba. The condition of this cargo of
slaves is said to be above the average. The
women are, some of them, really handsome,
sleek, modest, affectionate—caring for their
children, they might be models for some of
their more civilized sisterhood.
An Indian Captive—Hia Sufferings---
A report was publisheed last summer, and
generally circulated by the press, of the mur
der of an American party of emigrants by
Indians, among the number Captain Henry
Florence, from Carlisle, Pennsylvania. His
friends, until they received the following let
ter, were fully impressed with the truthful
ness of the report. The letter will be read
with interest, as it not only contradicts the
report of the murder, but gives an interesting
description of the Captain's hardships and
sufferings
S. FRANCISCO, Cal., March 17, 1860.
DEAR SIR:-With feelings of the most pro
found gratitude to my Maker, I once more
address you. I arrived in this city ten days
ago. In the spring of 1859, myself with
three companions, left Sacramento to go to
our homes, which we expected to reach by
the first of July, but a dreadful misfortune
befel us. Our rapid traveling was very fa
tiguing; however we gained the Sweet Water
Valley, where one of our party became very
ill, and we encamped in a ravine 'Half a mile
from the main trail. We saw Indians every
day ; on the fourth day they came into our
camp and showed every sign of friendship in
their power, which threw us entirely off our
guard. We all lay down to sleep that night,
anticipating no danger; but the treacherous
savages entered our tent, stole our guns, and
fired upon us, killing my companions.
Finding myself unhurt, I sprang to my
feet, seized an Indian, who was in the act
of dashing out my brains with a war club,
but a dozen dusky savages sprang upon me,
bore me down, and after severely beating me,
they bound me hand and foot, then .xifleithe
tent of everything, took our horses,illbound
my feet, and placed me upon one 91' them,
and then left the scene of massacrl. leaving
my dead companions to be devoured by the
wolves. 'We traveled at a very fast rate until
the next day, when we came to their camp.
They then gave me some dried berries to eat,
but one mouthful sufficed, I could not eat, my
thirst was intense, for I had a burning fever;
my hands being bound behind me, were great
ly swollen.
Early the next morning they again took
the line of march to cross the Rocky 4settn
tains. Oh, what suffering I , then ..passed
tl - ..rough I It seemed to me like a frightful
dream, for my mind forsook me. Ido not
know how or when we crossed the mountains,
but one day, when my senses returned again
I found myself in a large encampment of In
dians, who were in the enjoyment of a war
dance. The orgies of that day and night
were frightful in the extreme ; hideously
painted savages would come and stare me in
the face, then, with a wild yell of triumph,
- would again mingle in the war-dance.
The next day at sun-rise they lay down to
sleep, except those who watched over me.—
In the afternoon all the savages assembled in
council. The chief, who was a large and
stalwart man, rose and addressed the assem
blage; he spoke of my capture, which I
knew by his gestures and signs. As the sun
sank behind the distant horizon he sat down,
solemn and grave. A young brave then arose
and talked a couple of hours ; his language
was violent in the extreme ; he seemed to
blame the savages for capturing me. It ap
peared that the party that captured me.wan
ted to kill me, but this young brave wanted
to sell me. At the close of his speech my
own money and that of my companions was
given to the chief, who divided it among the
-+PFI , 7
His Release
',1: L .::. : :: :."..?,,,.. . -4 , .,
.s. :. '''.: ';:''':::,.: '(i.....,
)
--•,- :-." :r- ,
.....- .--....: .'::'-!:
, , , y!,..i":;
HUNTINGDON, PA., MAY 23, 1860.
tribe. They did not abuso me while I was
with them, but they kept an unceasing watch
over rue day and night.
Their mode of living is entirely savage. I
had t6reat raw meat with the gall sprinkled
over it. This I could not do at first, but hun
ger drove me to it, and for some days I had
no food. I have been four days without tast
ing a morsel, While they bad anything to
eat they would not go to get more, but re
main in their lodges, or basking in the sun ;
then a party would start and be gone three
or four days and bring a fresh supply. They
would not trust me with a gun or bow and ar
row, so that I was entirely dependent upon
themL I have even been obliged to devour
worms and bugs. It would fill a volume to
tell you all my sufferings.
For three long and dreary months I was
obliged to endure this; when one day I no
ticed quite a stir in the camp, but could not
divinti the meaning. Then I saw a train of
seven mules and fifteen Indians. The mas
ter of the train was half Indian and half
French, but could not speak English very
When he spoke to me I told him of
my,*pture and sufferings, and requested
liiir?t; . b buy me. I told him I would give him
all the money the Indians had among them ;
but he shook his htl,d, and said that it could
not be recovered ; that the Indians had made
rings and spurs of it. But he was a villian,
for he could trade off his whiskey and pow
der and get the money,„and not be troubled
with me.
I had a check for $3,000 payable in St.
Louis, which the Indians did not know the
value of. This I was obliged to sign over to
him before he would consent to buy me. We
finally concluded our bargain. fie was to
conduct me as far as Humboldt River, where
I hoped to fall in with some emigrants going
to California. He remained three days, and
we left them amid yells and all sorts of hide
ous• noises. In seven days we arrived at the
emigrant road leading from the South Pass
to Fort Hall, where we met a small emigrant
train, which we immediately joined. We
came as far as the upper end of Carson Val
ley, in Utah Territory, -but winter had al
ready set in, and I became so worn out that
they were obliged to leave me behind with an
Indian, who promised to take good care of me.
All this long dreary winter I had to remain
there. The snow was from fifteen to thirty
feet deep on the mountains,- so that no one
could pass. As soon as the snow bad some
what disappeared, I took my leave of the In
dian, and came to Carson City. I then crossed
the Sierra Nevada mountains, and came di
rectly to this place. On arriving I learned
that, my father bad been here, and signified
his intention of going in search of me. I
have published an account of my release in
hope of hearing of him. Give my respects to
all friends in Carlisle.
Turkey Buzzards at Charleston.
[From the Cleveland Plaindealer.]
In the air, sailing around in "lazy leisure,"
with an eye fixed upon the filth spots of the
earth, could be seen at Charleston flocks of
turkey buzzards ; and when they had finish
ed airing themselves they would descend to
the gutters, fish booths, and sink spouts to
feed, acting as the scavengers of the town.—
They were remarkably tame, being protected
by law from harm and allowed the freedom
of the city. But these turkey buzzards were
not the only birds of like feather seen in that
city during the session of the Convention.—
There were, by actual count, over five hun
dred Government officials acting the part of
political scavengers for this Administration,
dealing in the filth of their own making to
the disgust of all honest people.
The most of them, it is true, were outside
the Convention, but some of them were in
side, as might be seen by the divided vote in
Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jer
sey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, Custom
house collectors, naval officers, and postmas
ters, with bribes in their pockets, unblush
ingly took leading parts in their delegations
and attempted for definite and well-under
stood considerations to cheat, control, and de
feat the well known will of their constituents
and that of the people. The most barefaced
and shamelPgs. case of this kind was that of
Gen. Whitney, now collector at Boston. He
was elected by Douglas men as an open and
avowed Douglas man. Soon after his elec
tion, Mr. Buchanan appointed him to the col
lectorship of Boston, a berth controlling some
one hundred and fifty appointments and some
one hundred and fifty thousand dollars of
patronage.
This apptiiniment smlttlied of corruption
at the time, but it seemed incredible that any
man outside of a penitentiary.could be so lost
to all common decency and self-respect, as to
thus publicly make sale of himself before the
eyes of the world. But so it was. With
Ben Butler and Cale Cushing, colleagues
elected by the Douglas Democracy of Massa
chusetts, he entered into conspiracy at Charles
ton, and did all in his power to defeat the ex
pressed will of his own people and that of the
country generally..
There wasan old man, a feeble, gray-head
ed old gentleman in that delegation, of the
Jackson and Douglas school. He had left
his quiet home in New England, and gone all
the way down to Charleston, a distance of
1200 miles, to vale for Douglas. But the long
journey, and the loss of sleep so necessary to
old age, proved too much for him, and during
a portion of the balloting he was confined to
his bed by severe indisposition. A friend in
the delegation proposed to cast his ballot for
him, but the colleCtor and his clique refused
to receive it without written orders from the
old man. *An order was written and put
into the hands of an alternate delegate, who,
against the expressed wish and written re
quest of the old gentleman, voted against
Douglas on every ballot. The Douglas men
of the delegation expostulated with him for
such an outrageous breach of trust, but to no
purpose. Finally, Mr. Stephens, of tbe del
egation, brought the matter before the Con
vention, under a question of privilege, and,
during the discussion of it, the old man was
brought in from his sick bed bundled up in
-PEitSETERE.-
Yours fraternally,
IrEsaY FLORENCE
sick clothes, and looking more like a ghost
than a living man. Feeble as he was, he
braced himself for a vote, and, Old Hickory
like, sat out the session, making the Douglas
vote one more, and the Butler and Cushing
vote one less. We bad the curiosity to go
over to the Massachusetts delegation for the
purpose of looking the rascally alternate in
the face, and we found his name to be A. W.
Chapin, Esq., postmaster at Springfield, Mas
sachusetts.
These are specimen birds of the Charles
ton Turkey Buzzards. The next National
Convention will be pruned of all Federal op
fice-holders by a rule of the present Conven
tion. Mark that.
[From the Cleveland Plaindealer.]
ITOAIR AGAIN.—A DOUGLAS EDITOR's EXPE
RIENCE.—One month ago to-day we took tem
porary leave of our readers for a pleasure
trip South in conjunction with a little busi
ness errand we had at Charleston. We did
•go to Charleston, saw the elephant, and are
now at home without a scar or a scare. We
have seen a live Fire-eater and heard him
howl. We first had a front view of the ani
mal and then a rear view; the latter being
the most interesting aspect to us. We ac
complished the pleasure portion of our trip,
having travelled in thirty days twenty-four
hundred miles in steamboats and railroad
cars; but the errand at Charleston was not
fully accomplished, owing to the fact that
some of the parties were away when we got
ready to transact the business. But the main
object of our mission was accomplished, and
judging from the " noise and confusion" in
this city last night by our Douglas constitu
ents, it was very satisfactorily accomplished.
We planted a, Popular Sove'eignty platform
so deep into the maws of the Fire-eaters as to
make them vomit themselves out of the Con
vention, and out of the party, to the great re
lief of the whole country. We then brought
the enemy to close action, gave them fifty
seven broadsides from our Douglas battery,
without losing a man. We then adjourned
from Ephesus to Philippi, where we shall
complete our labors in due form and in due
time.
We could have nominated Douglas at
Charleston by giving him " two-thirds of all
the votes given" according to the old rule;
but when Cushing & Co. construed that rule
so as to include votes out of the Convention,
as well as those that were in, it made a nom
ination impossible, and an adjournment
a necessity.. The adjourned Convention at
Baltimore, with full delegations from the se
ceding States, will repudiate said construc
tion, and will nominate Douglas or nobody.
Mark that I
Closed on Account of a Death In the
Family." .
BY VIRGINIA F. TOIVNSEND.
We paused a moment to read these words,
as we passed by. They were written on a
slip of paper and affixed to the window of a
grocery store, somewhere in the great heart
of the city which we have called home for a
year.
And these words on that narrow slip of
paper were like keys opening into new doors
and passages of our thoughts, and they were
like a chime of bells swinging to and fro in
the air above us, as we went on our way.
Of whom was it written, that brief, solemn,
final sentence which must alone close the
chapters of all lives—the highest and the
lowliest ! and where was the home whose
windows were darkened and the voice of
whose music was hushed under that fearful
mystery. "A death in the family!" And
who was dead ? Was it - a little child, a 'well
spring of gladness,' suddenly ceased in the
household ?
Was it all gone—the patter, patter of its
little feet as it went about its little play—the
small head with its golden rings of hair, flut
tering now here, now there, as a sunbeam
flutters around a room, chased and driven by
the restless shadows—the sweet laugh, which
gurgled out suddenly for joy, and was caught
up and hidden in other voices, which only
laughed for joy of the child's, and the little,
teasing, cunning, frolicksome, sweet ways—
were these all gone, and was that what it
meant, this "death in the family ?"
Was it lying still and white in some dark
ened parlor, the little, half-worn shoes at the
head of the cradle, and the scarlet dress with
the white apron flung across the foot; were
the little, dainty, fluttering hands folded cold
and waxen on its breast — the little hands that
used to flutter up every night for joy when
the father came home, while the small lips
would be lifted up and crow out for joy at his
kiss—was the baby lying there, the sweet
lips, the laughing eyes, the dimpled cheeks,
so still and frozen that the mother could not
catch it up and hide it in her bosom, and
wigit with her kisses back into life ?
d to-day must they lay it down to its
last sleep, not on soft pillows, with dainty
coverlets drawn over its dimpled shoulders,
knowing that in an hour or two there would
be a new resurrection from the cradle of glad
ness and beauty ; but laid down on another
pillow that would never yield to the pressure
of the soft head, while the tender hands of
April should fold its green coverlet over the
fair limbs and aching hearts and tearful eyes
should go away from the little heap of earth
to the desolate home of which it was written,
death, in the family?
Or, may be, it was of the mother that this
wap..written. The patient, loving face, the
gentle voice, the soft footfalls—all gone! and
oh ! what a blank and darkness was there in
the family now ?
There was her low chair in its old place by
the table, with the work-basket close by it,
but no little children could climb up with
tears into her lap and be hugged to her heart
a few minutes, and find such comfort and
healing there that they came down full of
smiles and gladness—no soft feet stealing up
the stairs to see that the little limbs were
snugly " tucked in "—no mother to tell some
pleasant story before bed-time, and say, in
her soft, coaxing way, " just ten minutes
longer, father," when the clock struck eight,
and the eager voices pleaded for " only one
more little story."
No mother to unfasten the knots and draw
1:.-.1,,,,
.. . ..':-.:1:-.:...,- .7,... N..... : =...p.,. ..
. .;.:!.......... . ~...:;..
.i i ...t,t:!1111,
off the mitten, and remove the tippets when
the children came in from school tired and
cold. No mother to run to with every grief
or gladness, always loving, always ready to
hear, and patient, and sympathetic, and for
giving; no mother to make all troubles smooth,
to soothe•all sorrows, to explain, and comfort
and heal all diffi.culties.
There she was lying, with her frozen face
and silent lips, and her little children cluster
ing with wondering, frightened faces about
her, but the ear that always thrilled to their
lightest call, would never wake again, the
lips that were always brimming over with
sweet caresses, would never drop into smiles
again—the little children would never find
" mother" any more !
Death in the family! May be it was a
brother, the pride and hope of the household,
just in the glow and strength of his free, care
less boyhood, while the boughs of his life
were full of sweet singing birds and the joy
of blossoms, and lo! the storm came sudden
ly, and the laughing voice and the ringing
step were brought low.
Or perhaps it was a sister, just blossoming
into the grace and beauty of womanhood, a
sweet" hearth flower," whose fragrance filled
the household, and whose future was full of
promise as a summer morning when it rises
out from the east and walks upon the moun
tains, and the winds swing their great cen
sors of perfume before it, and the birds com
mence their sweet service; for just as was
her dawn, just so fair did its sunshine, and
sweet songs prophecy her day, but death
made ready his bow, and for her too is the
hard pillow and the green quilting which the
spring shall draw over it.
Or perhaps this " death in the family,"
came to one whose years were ripe as the
fruit the wind shakes from its boughs in Oc
tober; one who sat bowed and wrinkled,
" waiting patiently " by the fireside, with the
snows of life bleaching the kray hairs thickly
as the snows of winter bleach the hills out
side.
And so these thoughts rung to and fro, like
a solemn dirge rung by bells in the air around
us ; and suddenly, in the midst of this, there
floated, like a silver chime, the promise, " in
my Father's house are many mansions."
And we remembered, too, that the windows
of those " homes" were never closed, that
the voice of their music was never hushed
because of the shadow of death dropping
over the threshold. Oh, " many mansions,"
.whose fair gardens border - the banks of the
River of Life, whose Windows look off to the -
Eternal hills, and under whose shining roofs
are gathered the families of the Redeemer—
it is never written on thy portals, it is never
whispered under thine arches of eternal beau
ty, " Closed on account of a death in the fam
ily."
Some ten years or more ago, there was
upon the New York and Washington tele
graph line, at the Philadelphia station, an
operator named Thayer, who, besides being
an adept at the business, was a gentleman
of culture and wit, and exceedingly fond of
a joke, nu matter at whose expense. At the
New York torminus of the line there was,
upon the contrary, a steady, matter-of-fact
sort of man, who was no appreciator of jokes
and never practiced them. The President of
the line was the Hon. B. B. French, for many
years Clerk of the House of Representatives
at Washington, a wit, poet and humorist,
and of course appreciated humor wherever he
came across it.
Thayer took it into his head one day to
send a dispatch to some fictitious name in New
York for the purpose of enjoying• a laugh at
the expense of the operator at New York.—
Accordingly he composed and forwarded the
following:
To Mr. Jones, New York : Send me ten
dollars at once, so that I can get my clothes.
(Signed)
13 words, collect 34 cents.
The operator at New York, not suspecting
any joke, asked the Philadelphia operator
for the address.
The Philadelphia operator replied that the
young lady didn't leave any ; and asked him
to look in the directory for it.
The New York operator replied that he
had already done so, but that as there wore
over fifty Joneses in the directory, he was at
a loss to know which one to send it to.
"If that is the case," says Thayer, " you
had better send a copy to each of them, and
charge 34 cents apiece."
The New York operator did so, and I will
give the result of the arrangement in the
words of the President, Mr. French, from
whom, a few days after this affair, Mr. Thay
er received the following letter
NEIY YORK, April 6, 1846.
TIIIYER-SIR : A few days since you
sent adespatch, purporting to come from one
Julia, addressed to Mr. Jones, New York.—
The New York operator informed you that
he desired an address, as there were upwards
of fifty Jones in the directory, and he was at
a loss to know which one of them it was de
signed for. You replied that in that case he
must send a copy to every one of them, and
charge upon each ; and -the operator at New
York in the innocence of his heart did so.—
Some twenty of the Joneses paid for their
despatches, but there was one sent to the res
idence of
. an elderly merchant by that name,
who being away from home -when it arrived,
it was opened by his wife, and was the occa
sion of a very unpleasant domestic scene.—
Mr. Josnes has been to see me in relation to
the matter, and threatens to sue the company
for damages—taking the thing very much to
heart.
Now . all this is very funny, and a good
joke, and I have laughed at it as heartily as
anybody ; but you had not better try it again
or any of the rest of the operators upon the
line, if you value your situations.
Some ten years since there was a very lu
dicrous, and at the same time natural blun
der perpetrated upon the line between this
city, and New York. A. gentleman sent a
despatch requesting parties in New York to
"forward sample forks by express." When
the message was delivered it road thus :
" Forward sample for K. S."
Editor and Proprietor.
Telegraphic Anecdote.
PHILADELPHIA, April 1, 1846.
.The parties who received it replied by ask
ing " what sample K. S. wanted ?"
Of course the gentleman came to the office
and complained that the despatch had been
transmitted wrong, and the operator prom ,
ised to repeat it. Accordingly he telegraphed
the New York operator that the despatch .
should have read—" forward sample forks."
The New York operator having read it wrong
in the first instance, could not decipher it
differently n6w ; he replied "that he did
read it, sample for K. 5.," and so delivered
it. "But," returned the Boston operator, "I
did not say for K. S. but f-o-r-k.s."
" What a numbskull that fellow is in Bos
ton," exclaimed the New York operator in a
rage. " lie says he didn't say for K. S., but ,
for K. S."
The Boston operator tried for an hour to
make the New . York operator read it "forks,"
but not succeeding, he wrote the despatch off
upon a slip of paper and forwarded it by mail,.
and it remained a standing joke upon the'
line for many months afterwards.
Since the paper has been abolished upon
the Morse lines, errors like the above rarely
occur. The ear is found to be a much more
reliable organ for the telegrapher than the
eye. Ido not think I should overshoot the
mark if I said there is not one error made'
in reading by sound where there were ten
formerly, in reading from the long strips of
paper. One reason is, as I remarked in a
previous article, the operator in reading by
sound has his eyes at liberty, and can write
down his despatch as he reads it by the tick,.
with all the facility with which an expert re
porter can follow, and note down accurately,
all the words spoken in a debate. The feat
seems an extraordinary one, but practice
will accomplish wonders.— Commercial Bulle
tin.
NO. 48,
In _Nashville, many years ago, there resi- -
ded a gentleman of great hospitality, large
fortune, and, though uneducated, possessed
of hard-knot-sense. Col. W. had been elec
ted to the Legislature, and had also been
judge of the county court.
His elevation, however, had made him
somewhat pompous, and he became very fond
of using big words. On his farm he had a
large mischievous ox, called "Big Brindle,"
which frequently broke down his neighbor's
fences, and committed other depredations,
much to the Colonel's annoyance.
One morning, after breakfast, in presence
of some gentlemen who had staid with him
over night and who were on their way to
town, he called his overseer and said to
him:
"Mr. Allen, I desire you to impound Big
Brindle, in order that 1 ✓ may hear no more:
animadversions on his eternal depredations."
Allen bowed and walked off, sorely puz
zled to know what the Cul. meant.
So after Col. W. left for town, he went to
his wife and asked her what Col. W. meant
by telling him to "impound" the ox.
" Why," said she, " the Col. meant to tell
you to put hitn in a pen."
Allen left to perform the feat, for it was.
no inconsiderable one as the animal was very
wild and vicious, and, after a great deal of
trouble and vexation, he succeeded:
" Well," said he, wiping the perspiration
from his brow and soliloquizing, " this is im
pounding, is it? Now lam dead sure the
old Colonel will ask me if I impounded Big
Brindle, and I'll bet I puzzle him as bad as
he did me."
The next day the Colonel gave a dinner
party, and, as he was not aristocratic, Allen,
the overseer, sat down with the company.—
After the second or third glass was discussed,
the Colonel turned to the overseer and said—
" Eh, Mr. Allen, did you impound Big
Brindle, sir 2"
" Yes, I did, but old Brindle transcended
the in - Talmo' of the impound and scatterlo
phisticated all over the equinimity of the for
est."
The company burst into an immoderate fit
of laughter, while the Colonel's face reddened
with discomfiture.
" What do you mean by that sir Vi said he.
" Why, I mean, Colonel," said Allen, that
old Brindle, being prognosticated with the
idea of the cholery, ripped and tared, snorted
and pawed dirt, jumped the fence, tuck to the
woods, and would not be impounded no how !"
This was too much; the company roared
again ; in which the Colonel was forced to
join, and, in the midst of the laughter, Allen
left the table, saying to himself as he went,
"I reckon the Col. won't ask me to impound
any more ON en . "
The Presidency and the House of Con-
In view of the possibility that the choice
of the next President of the United States
may devolve upon the present House of Rep
resentatives, we subjoin a statement of its
political cast by States. It will be borne in
mind that in choosing a President, each State
casts one vote. The present house is divided
politically as follows:
Democratic—Alabama, Arkansas, Califor
nia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois ;
Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oregon,
South Carolina, Texas, Virginia—l 4.
Republican—Connecticut, Indiana, lowa,
Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont,
Wisconsin-15.
Equally Divided—Kentucky, Maryland,
and North Carolina-3.
American—Tennessee-1.
It requires 17 votes to effect a choice, and
as neither the Democrats nor the Republicans
have a sufficient number, the four last named
States will, of course, hold " the balance of
power." Should the House fail to elect a
President before the 4th of March, that duty
will then in effect devolve upon the Senate,
which has the election of a Vice President,
who, under the provisions of the Constitution;
becomes President of the United States. The
Senate is composed of a majority of Demo
crats.—Balt. Sun.
TIIE GRAIN TRADE.—The late advices from
Europe have given a much firmer tone to the
American breadstuffs market, and we may
now rely upon a better demand in England
for our surplus product of grain. The West
ern States will derive a material benefitfrom
this enlarged market, and be enabled to dis
charge in part their accumulated debt. The
railroads will reap material advantages in
the large receipts from freights, and ship
owners will share in the beneficial results
from more active trade and better prices.—
This new phase of the trade:in breadstuffs is
highly important to the whole country.
MAN is like a snow ball. Leave him lying
in idleness against the sunny face of prosper
ity, and all that's good in him melts like but
ter, but kick him around and he gathers
strength with each revolution, until he grows
into an avalanche.
THE reflection of the sun's rays in a mir
ror has been distinguished at a distance of
twelve miles.
Big Brindle.
gross.