2
A Reasonable Price.
i?i take the following amusing story
from an interesting article on the
" Crackers," or poor whites of the South,
in the November number of Jjippincott' t
Monthly. The writer was engaged on a
survey for the United States Government
through tho State of Elorida. The' clear
ings' that were rendered necessary brought
the surveying party in collision with the
' Cracker' natives. The writer says :
Sometimes the avenue would shave a
man's house, and shade trees would have
to bo sacrificed. Sometimes, but rarely,
an orchard would bo ravaged. It is need
less to say that lor all damage thus
done to tho property the government un
hesitatingly paid ; and paid as it does not
often do in cash. This fact did not,
however, seem to be known to our Crack
er friends who sojourned in the county of
Starke. One day it happened that the
line struck a " deadenin" belonging to an
agriculturist of that fertile tract, and
went first through his corn field (the corn
being about threo feet high), and then
through a largo and thrifty patch of
sweet potatoes. The avenue was fifty
feet wide the trees fell on all sides.
"What with the trampling of the negroes
and the falling of the trees, it may be
readily surmised that there were not ma
ny corn or potato plants left uninjured
through the length and breadth of that
avenue.
In the midst of the devastation tho of
ficer in charge a stalwort Kentuckian,
now an able and eloquent clergyman
was sitting on the fence smoking and
calmly surveying tho havoc, when to him
rode up a youth, bare as to the feet and
legs, sunburnt as to the hair, but irate
and determined as to the countenance.
" See hyar, stranger," said he, " this
hyar won't do."
" Won't it !" said' Y., imperturbly.
""Well, if it isn't straight, it's B.'s fault,
for he lined it."
" I don't know nothin'. 'bout lines
'cept mam allers sez she hez hern but
this hyar cuttin' through folks' deadenin'
an' Bmashin' thar co'n and eaters hit
won't do, an' we're a goin' tu stop hit !"
" Who are 7"
" Why, dad and' the neighbors, an'
an' me." Here he swelled and looked
important. "Dad's gone to rise the
neighbors now, and sent me over hyar tu
tell you to make tracks 'fore wuss comes
of hit."
While the boy was speaking quite a
commotion was observed at the house,
which stood about a quarter of a mile off,
and several long, lean, sunburnt fellows,
each with his rifle or double-barreled gun
across his horse rode up to the porch.
Soon one of them detached himself from
the crowd and rode slowly and with dig
nity toward the scene of destruction.
As he came near, the youngster said :
: " That's dad. Now, you'll see, stran
ger!" As soon as the horseman arrived with
in speaking distance he reined up his
horse, and in a cool but earnest manner
began his parley.
' " Say, cap'n "
" Well," from Y.
" This mus' stop hit really inus',
stranger. Me an' the neighbors has de
termined tu stop hit, an' we mean tu do
hit."
J Why," said Y., " you don't mean tu
resist the United States Government, do
you?"
" D the j,United States Govern
ment, stranpr ' said the indignant
Cracker. " What do I keer for the Uni
ted States Government when my co'n an'
tater patch is consarned 7 Hit hain't no
right it hain't fur government to cum
thru deadenin', a killin' of the crops, an'
a loadin' of the field wif light'ud, an' a
given of us fur a month to cum, an' not
payin' us a darn cent. I'm a peaceable
man, cap'n, but right is right, a it 1"
A light suddenly illumined the hither
to blank countenance of Y. In a sur
prised and indignant tone of voice he in
quired who bad said that the United
States dtd not pay for damages done to
crops.
" Who ? Why Jim Carton" a pot
house politition of that neighborhood
" an' -an' why, cap'n I you don't mean
to say you do pay 7" queried the Cracker,
quite confused in his elocution.
" Do ? Of course we do. And Jim
Darton's a liar ; and you may tell him so
with my compliments." .
" Stranger," said the Cracker, riding
close up to Y., and speaking in a slow
and impressive manner, " do you fell
me you intend-i to payme for
my damaged corn an' tater bj
this hyar lineT ' 'r "
"Certainly I do." ! ' , ; ,
" " An' fur the labor hH'Jl le for me , an'
tho brats to cut an' roll them trees outen
the deadenin' 7"
For answer, Y. coolly pointed to where
the negroes, having finished felling in
the two fields, were now cutting the logs
into cordwood lengths, and piling them
outside of the fences our invariable cus
tom. "W-a-1," muttered the cracker "a
piling them up for me I An' you'll pay
for tho damage 7"
" Certainly, I'll pay you now, if you'll
set a price on it," said Y., " of course, if
the price is reasonable."
" Cap'n," said the Cracker, dismount
ing, " you're a man arter my own heart.
Give mo your han', hoss ! Cash down,
eh 7"
" Well, now," said Y., after the hand
shaking had been duly performed, "what
Bhould you think the damage to your
crop is worth 7"
" Dad" stroked his chin gravely. Ap
parently an idea found it difficult to come
through the top-dressing of dirt, bristles,
and tobacco juice on his unshaven checks,
for he transferred his attentions to his
head.
" Wa'al, now, cap'n," said he reflect
ively, " you see thar's a pow'ful heap o'
damage done ! Thar's hill's o' corn and
rows o' taters no, I mean hills o' tators
and rows o' corn completely mommoxed
an' not worth a durn. Thar's the trou
ble o' splitten all that thar wood. Wa'al
it's hard to say."
" Name your price," said Y.
" Wa'al, now," hesitatingly, " don't be
close-fisted about it, cap'n. Say now,
should you think fifty cents was loo much?"
Had it been any one of the party ex
cept Y. to whom this exorbitant charge
was made, a roar of laughter that would
have ended in a fight with the irate
Cracker would unqucssionably have fol
lowed this estimate of damages. Even
the imperturbable Y. confessed to me in
confidence that he had never before been
so tried. He kept his coutcnance, how
ever, and calmly replied :
" Well, no I shouldn't think that a dol
lar was too much. But, as we are anx
ious that the people should be satisfied,
I'll give you a couple of dollars and call
it square.
So saying, he handed four half dollars
to the astonished man.
" By the lord, stranger," said that wor
thy, when he had satisfied himself that
this munificence was real, "you're aright
bower full of aces, by gum ! Cum down
to the pen its no use, I won't take no
denial cum right down and take a drink
of old wum-juice wif me an the neigh
bors. An' you, Jake, ride your critter
down thar, and take mine wif you. Me
an' the stranger'll foot it."
So down Y. had to go, and then and
there imbibe villainous new whisky with
some ten or a dozen of thin, sunburnt,
tobacco-stained, reckless-looking fellows,
who welcomed him most heartily alter
hearing ' dad's' story, and who would
have so coolly shot him in two minutes if
they had been satisfied in their minds
that he intended to trample on their
rights.
As they parted ' dad' addressed Y. :
" Stran er," Baid he, " every man in
Starke countys yer friend j an' if yer
want help enny time, let Ben Padgett
know. An' if any man ever sez in my
hearin' that tho United States ain't the
best of rulin's, that man's a goin' to git
his head broke, or my sinner" stretch
ing out an arm where the muscles looked
like ropes, and I have no doubt felt like
iron " or my sinners has lost thar cun-ninl"
Some facts in Natural Science.
According to the French chemist,
Lavoisier, tho human body exhales about
three and one-half pounds of aqueouB
matter daily. A large cabbage has been
forced to exhalo twenty ounces' of water
from its surface.
If the surface of a frog be covered with
oil it will speedily die, so important to
its existence is the cutaneous respiration.
The lungs of a frog can only be filled
with air by an action resembling swal
lowing. Sea-weeds absorb their food
by their whole surface, the so-called roots
appearing only to serve the purpose of
attachment. , . . .
The poison of the most venomous ser
pents may be taken into a healthy stom
ach without injury, but the smallest por
tion introduced into the circulating sys
tem may produce speedy death.
All food for plants must be bo divided
as to be able to pass through a cellular
membrane. ' The roots of plants are never
provided with open mouths. There is
no plant that does not furnish support to
some auimuL - ' '
,!..; . , .; ' ;.- ')' ;
California Criminals.
BT A DETECEIVB.
SINCE the recent pardon of Mme.
Lacari, convicted of being accessory
to tho murder of her husband in Visit
acion Valley, Cal., some points in the
case heretofore unknown have been
brought out. One of Chief Crowley's de
tectives tells the following story of the
murder and arrest of the criminals :
" Mme. Lacari was a woman you would
suspect. at a look. On tho day of the
murder she inveigled her husband into a
ride to Visitacion Valley. On ariving
there, a nian stepped from behind a large
rock, and after a few moments parley,
shot poor Lacari dead, and literally rid
dled his body with buckshot. Tho first
intimation of" the murder by any one, but
the actors was tho appearance of the wife
at an Italian garden, some distance off,
where she related the circumstances of
her husband's attack and murder by some
unknown assassin, and, in proof, led them
to the body of tho murdcrod man. When
the information was brought to the city,
the detective force was immediately Bet
to work to ferret out the case. From
several small circumstances, wo became
convinced that the wifo had been instru
mental in the murder of her husband,
and we held her to await the result of
an investigation.
It then transpired that she had been
on very intimate terms with one Pizano,
and that a boon companion of Pizano's
was a villainous looking Italian named
Bruzzo. Since the murder neither of
them had been seen in their favorite
haunts, strengthened the suspicion of
their guilt, and a sharp lookout was kept
for them.
One night Capt. Lees and myself took
a walk down to the Italian portion of
San Francisco, and not finding any clue
to our men, we were returning to tho
Hall, when our attention was attracted to
the Italian coffee saloon still standing on
the corner of Merchant and Sansome
streets. Entering, we cast a glance
around the room, and fixed on one man
who answered the descriptions of Bruzzo.
We watched him for awhile, and be
coming fully satisfied that we had our
man, went to him as he stood at the
counter, aud in a familiar tone addressed
him with, " Hallo Bruzzo 1"
He turned and stared at us with a
wonderment that we then thought feigned,
and jabbered some words in French that
were unintcligible to us.
Suddenly he made a grimace, by which
wo knew that he recognized the name,
and in an abstracted manner he kept
muttering " Bruzzo, Bruzzo 7" and then
drawing a letter from his pocket, he an
swered in broken English :
" Yes, zair, I understand. Bruzzo, he
send me dis letter from Sacramento to
day." Possessed of this clew we started to
Sacramento, and there learned that
Bruzzo had left that day by railroad to
Placerville. At Placervillo we lost all
trace of him and were at a halt. While
roaming cround the place, we ran across
Jack Davis, who had robbed Senator
Reddington of a lot of valuable jewelry,
and arrested him.
While we were in Davis's room we
heard a conversation about a man who,
from the general way in which he was
described, we knew must be Bruzzo.
Giving Davis into the custody of the
Sheriff of Sacramento, Lees and myself
began the tour of examining the gro
ceries and groggerics of tho place. To
ward evening we entered one of the
worst in the town, and calling the land
lord aside, informed him of the purpose
of our visit, and also intimated that the
best thing he could do would be to come
out square. He did not attempt any
equivocation, but said that Bruzzo had
stopped at his houso and had left three
days before, with a mulo train' for Vir
ginia City. He also told us that our fu
gitive had left a trunk behind him, and
of this we took possession. In it we found
letters which led to the arrest of Pizano,
who was hid away in San Francisco.
His trail was taken up again, and after
several days we arrived at Strawberry
Valley, and there learned that Bruzzo
had gone ahead, and was by that time
near Virginia City.
On the day of our arrival at tho latter
place, as I was strolling along one of the
streets, I turned a corner rather abruptly
and went plump against Bruzzo. He did
not know me and did not express any
surprise, but, as far as I was concerned, I
hardly can tell how I felt. In less ' time
than I tell this, I recovered and said :
now are you,' Bruzzo?"' "; 1
lie looked quickly and earnestly at 1 me,
: ; j is ' 'Mil j-i'd
and replied, with the interrogatory of,
" Who are you ?"
I told him and said ho had best come
along with me. To conclude, we brought
him to San Francisco; he was tried, and
with the others was sentenced to the
State Prison for life, and with the excep
tion of the woman, they are now at San
Qucntin.
His confession revealed him to bo one
of the blackest scoundrels on earth. Ho
said that before coming to this country
from Italy ho had followed tho profession
of an assassin, and had put an end to the
existence of more than one person, and
had been forced to leave by the discovery
of one of his crimes. Since ho landed in
San Francisco, he had keptout of scrapes
until Pizano broached tho murder of La
cari. He was only offered $30 at first,but
by dint of hard bargaining had run it up
$8 more, and for $38 ho agreed to mur
der a man who had, as he said, been a
warm friend to him.
The plan of ambush was agreed upon,
as well as the locality, and on the appoint
ed day he repaired to the " Lone Ilock."
When the guilty wife and her husband
appeared, and had reached a convenient
distance, ho stepped from his place of
concealment, and as he did so, the wife
ran from the husband's side. When the
unfortunate man saw jhow ho had been
betrayed, ho began to plead to Bruzzo for
his life. Bruzzo stated that he almost
yielded, and was abont to throw down tho
gun, when the woman called him a
coward, and screamed, " Shoot ! shoot ! you
coward 1" And with that he raised tho
weapon and fired, his victim falling dead
with an agonized groan. He said that
he was then treated treacherously by
Pizano who only paid him twenty-six
dollars, and to the end he contended
that Pizano was only fit to bo hung be
cause he hadn't paid the remaining
twelve dollars.
Oirard's Wonderful Dreams.
STEPHEN GIRARD was one of the
most remarkable men who ever lived.
Philadelphia, the city where he amassed
his great fortune in business, was the re
cipient of his munificent bounty at his
death, and his name and memory are well
preserved in tho Girard College, Girard
row, Girard avenue, Girard Bank, Girard
Insurance Company, Girard House, etc.
At Girard College, where the support and
education of some 500 orphan and half
orphan boys are provided for, there is a
marble statute of Mr. Girard, which rep
resents him with exact fidelity to his ap
pearance in life. He was of short stature
a benevolent smile, and a shrewd face.
He wore a large, peculiar coat, and his
hair was tied in a cue. His whole life
was marked by his eccentricities, which in
no particular were more observable than
in his occasional acts of benevolence.
In his office was a young man as clerk,
who attended to his duties veiy intelli
gently and faithfully. This had attracted
the attention of Mr Girard, for nothing
escaped him. One morning he came into
the office, and calling tho clerk, remark
ed: " Young mau, I dreamed of you last
night."
" Dreamed of me 7" returned tho clerk
in surprise.
" Yes : I saw a form and heard a voice.
The form was your own, and the voice
said ' This young man is your best
clerk, but he should be a cooper. Mer
chants fail, but coopers are always sure of
a living by their trade.' So youmust leave
me, and learn to be a first-rate cooper.
I never go contrary to my dreams. They
often tell me how to proceed. I trust in
them as I do my own judgement, aud I
obey them conscientiously. Go and get a
place to learn the trade of a . cooper, and
when you can make a barrel come and
see me again."
The clerk was of course, greatly as
tonished. But ho had no fear of toil,
and ho knew that he would lose nothing,
in any event, by falling in with tho direc
tions of Mr. Girard. Accordingly he
settled up his affairs in the office, and in a
few days engaged with Mr. Girard's
cooper to learn the trade. During a long
period he kept steadily at work and mado
excellent progress.
Meanwhilo Mr. Girard had notforgot
ten him.
He often saw the young man in his
overalls on tho wharves at work, aud he
always spoke encouragingly to him. He
had not made up his mind as to what he
would do for him, ,but he was greatly
pleased at the successful carrying out of his
dream. On one occasion as he came from
the wharf he muttered:
, " My young cooper is doing well. He
is a man every inch of him. I must give
him a helping hand." ' "
A few nights subsequently the good
old man was sleeping calmly in his hum
bio looking apartment. His real wealth
did not show itself in anything about him.
Tho furniture was old-fashioned, and the
surroundings were strictly after tho plain
taste of tho owner. As ho slumbered his
countenance was calm, and without the
trace of a single care. At times a slight
smile flitted over his face, and he seemed
to bo in a pleasant dream. He slumbers
continued for a considerable time, when
he suddenly awoke. He rubbed his eyes
and then spoke :
" Ha, ha I" ho said, "I've had a dream
again about my young cooper. I thought
that I'd hear something about him aijain.
There is a good spirit looking after his
welfare, surely. ' When he finishes his
apprenticeship, and is a good cooper, give
him twenty thousand dollars to start in
business,' whispered the voice in my car.
Of course I will. He is worthy of en
couragement.. The money will go into
good hands. Of course I'll give it to him
but in my own way. Ila, ha ! I've a
plan for that."
Soon the old man dropped into slumber
again he had tho same calm countenance
and the same serene smile. His life was
devoid of all evil, and his dreams were of
good deeds in store for the future.
Time passed on. One day the young
man came into Mr. Girards office. He
was in the garb of a mechanic, and he
looked healthful and sinewy from manual
labor.
" Good day, Mr. Girard," he said, as
the old gentleman turned toward him
with a warm greeting ; " I have come to
tell you that 1 am a good cooper now.
I've served my entire time.
" Can you make a good barrel ?"
" As good as any cooper in Philadel
phia." " Make me twenty, and bring them
here yourself."
The young man went off, and in an
hour was hard at work at the barrels. He
was really a superior workman, and when
the twenty barrels were completed they
were the admiration of all in the shop.
When they had been placed in Mr. Gir
ard's he examined every one of them
with the closest scrutiny. He looked at
the staves, the hoops, the heads, the
shape, the cutting and the driving, and
in the end remarked to the young cooper
who was anxiously waiting for his ver
dict :
" They are good barrels. I nover saw
better. You have learned your trade
and done your part faithfully. Come into
the counting-room, and I'll now do mine.
Tho couple went into the office. The
old man's faco was beaming pleasure and
satisfaction, and the young man's was
flushed and pale by turns from the pecu
liar circumstances of the moment. Mr.
Girard took down his check book and
wrote a check. This he cut out, and
then, turning to the young man, said :
" My young friend listen to me. Your
fidelity, promptness and energy early at
tracted my attention. Then I had the
dream about you that I mentioned to
you a long time ago. You acted with
alacrity upon tho suggestion made in con
sequence of that dream, and to-day you
stand before me skilled in a trade. I
have dreamed of you in the meantime.
A good spirit whispered in my car to give
you $20,000 You have made for
m.3 twenty superior barrels for whioh
I will now pay you one thousand eaoh."
Mr. Girard, at this juncturo, placed in
tho hand of the agitated young man the
check he had prepared.
" Now," ho continued, " you have a
capital to commence business as a mer
chant if you see fit. If disaster should
overtake you go to your trade again."
The young man broke forth in a tor
rent of thanks, but Mr. Girard abruptly
stopped him, saying :
" You lose interest on your money
while you talk, I havo fulfilled my
dreams and done justice by you. " Good
morning."
Hero, this strange interview ended. The
young man went away with the deepest
gratitude in his heart, and a resolution
to make a business worthy of tho respect
of his generous benefactor. He subse
quently became one of the first merchant's
of Philadelphia. This incident is one of
the most singular in the history of Mr.
Girard, and no less in the anuals of
dreams.
M& It is a curious coincidence that
Louis XIV of Franco took Strasbourg by
assault from the Germans on the 28th of
September, 1681, and that it surrendered
to the German forces under General Wer
der exactly one hundred and eighty-nine
years after, on the same day of the month,,
the 28th of September, 1870.