The Montrose Democrat. (Montrose, Pa.) 1849-1876, June 17, 1858, Image 2

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    ... . . .
Our Qua.rrel .with Gen. Lane.
•We lave frequatitly beet asked what the
difficulty ialetween Lane and ourselves. We
have generally - evaded 'any ekplibit answer,
for the reason that we did not wish to become I
his itemiser.- All that we desired to effect,
publicly-and , privately, was a distinct under
standing that we could never,'-'• by any possis
hility, : co:*rate in future. 'Ve told him so
yt Leivertwoyth before we left for •the East,
told him that we did not ,want to Continue
our hostilities; but he rejected -our peace-off
eriniby declaringtlint he "would not give a
G--d d—ty for-any man's neutraley,"
that .I must either
_he - his' open enemy, or
active friend: •We remembered what be once
said,'When t can't use a friend as a friend by
G—d be must go under: or . I must." As
we knew that by friend he meant tool,-whtte
stave.:--after rejecting with contempt his vari
ous bribes of money; political - promises and
,- returned promises to pay, we left him to con
sider whether it Would not be better cb leave
ns shine or try still further to- ceenplicate our
_
He • had chosen to employ his untiring
energy and resplendent pOwers of unveracity
'to compel us to abandon our oppet - sition to
him; or--but perhaps be did'imt expect this
alternative-estate the true causes of sem aiffi=
culties with him. We will do so as briefly
as we can—stating a few oply .of our reasons
for de'siting to be free from him.
'Re has-given various reasons-for our de
' craration &independence—all of them or
nearly all, having a "money basis." To one
gentlernmle-said that he had _advanced tea
54000 in cash' and were apgry. becauie he
_ would notl give us more. To inother that
we were owing, hire $5OOO and we_ were ring.
rybecaus - gle dunned us.- (lie must. surely.
have confaunded our business transactions
with the - Boston comedy called "an Editor
- oath $5000.1 To another that every number
oftour paper had cost him s3oo—a total, by
the way;which glees less than $3OOO. To an
other that re were angry because he - did not,
loan us, slo6;although he had t ried, zealous
ly and everywhere, to borrow the money for
- Small;by degrees and beautifully—leis
both in each and truth. •
He showed to one friend our note for $l5OO
—pretending that it was given- for cash re
ceived_ ana.that, in.addition to it ho pur
chased Or press. ,Liberal La.tio=but why ?
then, deny, ne you have often done, that , you
bad guy pecuniary interest in our_paper,
:Business was; not the only or principal
- cede bf our quarrel, but with mercantile res
dularity we will attend to business - first..
First, as to buying the press:- The Donis
phan Town Extension Company offered a
Certain interest, to any one who would estab:
• lish a paper here.. It was offered' tai r.
- Cone, of Sumner, Oho
- refused g So di I.
-It was increased, I accepted it. - 1 I furchesed
the material& With part of it and other lands
giving, in addition, tnynotes for one and
-three - months. Lane endorsed them: A press
is like an elephant—a 'very,fiae thing to have,
'but it trill soon ruin t i ny one who litts it, un
less belies the means to support it. "I Well
_ knew this fact and refused to give my totes
-or tlke the interest, unless I_ was guaranteed
a paying subscription list. Lane solemnly
guaranteed on his honor as a "gentleman"'
•
-one thousand 'subscribers -=pledging, ) to use,
his osirsiords, - "my whole persomii fortitne'i
to induce' me to ilVerie the offer: lie
that hedid not care.about the political course
of the piper particularly—all that be wanted
was to have a journal started here in'order to
b:ing emigrants to Doniphan and thereby
pu MOritlV in hie purse. Besides, it was not
he t
who 'bye the -interests, but the Town,
Company ; and it is equally divided between
the pro-slavery and Flee State parties. All
• that be did for me was to endorse my notes
• —under the promise to 'Meet - the first—for
slso—as I would be absent fromthe Terri
tory, when it fell clue. •
- I did not know, then, what I have since
learned to my Cost, that be is as dishonest in
• business as in politics—dratlis word of honor
is as worthless as his characier-ethat
his
solemn_ promises, in bine cases out of ten, are
infalible indications of ,chat he mill not
, do.
• • He-did not pay the note; he did not even
try to get me one subscriber • he has never
yet fulfilled one out of hundreds of pissmises
he has made me. If, he "crushes-roe out"—
,
he said he would 'do it—it will be,the
first promise that be has kept; and I will Wil
lirigly.acCord him the credit - of it.
I was foolish enough to be enticed idto
-.buying from him certain parcels of land,
and thus be obtained my notes for $l5OO.
,He made every shrewd sale—l:agreed to
pay him the highest nominal--pries. The
property would not. sell for one qtiarterhe
amount now. As I have the notes to - py,'
-I have absolutely nothing to thank him for. -
. Not receiving the subscription list was
obliged-to borrow money at an exorbitant
• interest and to incur several :debts, to dis
charge which I have been .obliged to sell
everything that I possessed in Kansas. (I am
down - just at present but it is easier to get
some men down than to keep them down.)
_ I could have got over all this, 'however,
ifq had , not. found that I was no longer
ftee-
Lknew comparatively little of Lane's pri
vate character . before I came to Doniphan,
but my frequent intercourse_ with him since
have fully unfolded it. I have found him to
- be a man utterly devoid of principle—with
faintestssbadov of a bhaile , of con
, science.--unscrupulous and daring, but cow
ardly and snake like in his policy. He would
ruin_a friend or a woman with aslittle cern.
'pnnetion as he, would, eat an egg, and would
take pleasure in .- doing - kW it would advance
• his ambition bi a single hair's breadth. I
. , solemnly declare that I never knewelim to
• perform a disinterested action, excepting in
two instances only : once, in -Nebraska in
. asaisting. a fugitive to escape ; once, in Lea
venworth, in giving a dollar to a citizen for
a widow in destitute circumstances. He
, even blurred both of these acts by ear:sing-me
among his own men for refusing to take the
' negroes.back.as prisoners to Kansas;
with my
companiese armed emigrants, although he
privately made 'arrangements' With me to
• send a man from_Ohio- immediately to take
. them over the- Missouti rivet. insisted I
also-, that the widow should know who gave
the dollar.' If he has seen her since, and did I
not try to seduce her, the fact -should be
mentioned as a remarkable incident 'by his
" future biographer. • _ '
- As soon as I ascertained his true chaser:tee,
itoek great care to refrain from praising
him and avOided his - company as - _moat as
peesih
te without inuring his suspicion.. For,
entill obtained an Offset to my prornisory
notes my duty to my family required me to
be cautious in offending hint: ;.
• Our first 'quarrel, Istbink, was about poll
' tics. I- 'wished to raise tbe Republican ban:
_ners, This was 'before the last election. He
, said that to do it would defeat-his election,
. he wenthls proceed to extremities at once, tf
I-dien4Tpostpone this action. As I could
not then meet the note first due telini, I was
obliged; I confess, to back -- down—he paying
the expenses I had insured , in setting up. the
articles. Bit nry eyes were Opened when be
told me that if: "I did not like his policy, -1
, • I had bitter leave the - juiper"—my own
property-for witiehe had riot contributed
single - dollar wore than any other. member
lof the Doniphan - Town Company , wbethei Olyyo r;
4,
ro-slavery or free state. ' .
41 , 11. t
His policy was to 'make me. his td6l by '''
means of the notes be held against me—to
force the collection of them and sell the thus A. J. Gr,
. =------
office if I ever refused • to obey hii-ordera. I
determined to get flee ipeedily--bUt - until
then to be quiet. ., , 1 :
-.Ht wished me to advocate his claims to
the Presidency. I told•bim that if a new
Man was to be ctiosen by the Republican
party I would vote for Frank R i lair, of Mis
souri; and refused to mention him in eon.
nection with any ofrwe whatevq: Ile-look
ed Hell' at nie—to adopt- his own choice
language, but said nothing - about it.
, On another occasion he told , me n= the re- -
quest sounded like a command—to praise
him for his magnanimity.
As, a few Weeks before, he bad ' tried to
make me the agent for assassinating Robert
S. Kelly—as be was then pursuing MiAShep
hard-Twith whom' he 'quarreled when be
could not make him a tool—with a ;malig
nity which it would be euphony to: charater
ise as infernal; I peretnptorialy refused to do
so.
Lane organized a Club of Danites in Doni
pban bounty. I became a thember of it
Although he could hive attended it, and
was expected to attend it, he attempted, on
the second , night of its meeting,, to make me
the agent - to induce the Club to kill Bob
Kelly. He, saw that my unlucky indebted
ness to him did' net give him a sufficient fuild
over - me—that some day, if be again dared
to rule my 'editorial course, I would throw
.my property his face an defy him. -He
-wished therefore s to engage me in a criminal
enterprise—tied then I would be - his slave
forever !—I neVer hated Lane till he asked
me to do this deed. I did indeed despise
him froth the bottom of my soul, brit I did
not believe him to be capable of a scheme so
diabolical-,--to involve a young man, without
any cause,in a criminal act of private revenge.
It was-so cowardly, contemptible, and hellish
that I left him without a word. need hard
ly add - that I did not pm, my neck- in his
halter, that- I did not choose to become his
assassin, that Bob Kelly. was not killed, or
that Lane, after creating the disturbances in
Doniphan, on his next visit to the town, ent
ertained) us with s `magnanimous and conser
vative"- speeches.' It was to be expected that
-3,4 secret rioter-should appear in public as a
conservalcre ()rain:pc...4k; it was in keeping
with the character of the man who once in
: Indiana, as an eminent citizen of that Siate,
a friend a his, who knew the fact declared—
went
from the bed of a common brothel where
'he- had pasied the night, to a' Christian
Church'in the morning and sacreligiously
partook of the holy sacrament of the Lord's
Supper.
I determined'now after-I had thus seen
how he had intended: to ruin me, to watch
flim with 'ceaseless untiring vigilanco until I
could obtain legal proof against shim, not to
use in. a Court of
: Justice, bat privately to
compel him . to a,bandon his hopes of high
office in the party be disgraces and degrades,
and to leave, this Territory to which his pre
sence, excepting" on two occasions only,
has been egreat and almost an unmitigated
curse.
But I found that there is danger, while
watching an anaconda CO be crushed in. its I
loathesome folds.
I. am - . not the 'enly young man whom he
has tried to use for his cowardly schemes of
secret and criminal revenge, and he may find,
too, i that he has reckonel without his host in
more cases than in mine.
That -8100 icain,"whicli was never borrow- ,
ed I Lane, 1 will spare you that history for
the lady's sake. • I do not wish to drive ° from
,you any puiifying influence, for God knows
that you need it, arutHe may have sent her,
whom you wronged so foullym an Angel of
Mercy, to save-you from becoming yet more
•derlish than you. now are, and to rekindle
the lamp of conscience' in your dark and
murky soul.
But beware, Lane, beware s ?. for I have not
' told all that Lknow yet.—Crusader of Free
dom,. .31 . 0 Y -17. , -
Military Encampment.
STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA..
- Executive Chamber,
, 1 - - Ilarrisburg,June 3, 1858.
It is hereby ordered, that a "Camp of In•
struction" be held at Williamsport, Lycoming
county, Pennsylvania, the present year, and
the Adjutant General of the Commonwealth
is directed to fix the time thereof—to take
charge of the arrangements—to attend in
person, and to issue the nelessary orders to
the General Staff, and other Military officers
of the Commonwealih in relation to the same.
,wit. P. PACKER,
Commander-in Chief.
AD J . CTAYT GE'NEKAL'S OFFICE,
Barrisburg, June 3, 1858.
In obedience to the above order from
Bead-Quarters, - "a Camp of Instruction" will
be held. at Williamsport, Lycoming county,
Pennsylvania, %commencing at 12 si., • on.
Tuisday, the ith day of Ssptember, A. D:
858, to continue untirSaturdaY, the 11th
day of said month, at 12 M. of said day,to be
called Camp "Sisquebanna."
L This Encampment is irit.end.eci to include
the uniformed companies throughout the
State, who are earnestly requeited to be in
proiopt attendance.
' 2. The Major Generals, Brigadier Generals,
add Brigade Inspectors of the several divi- '
sions and brigades, aro reqiired to report, to
my office as soon as possible, what Companies
and field officers will be in attendance from
their respective commands—with thenlimber
of, men in each company,. the names of the
Captains, and their Post Office address.
3: The lid s-de-Camp and all other officers
of the Grand Stkff of the Commander-in-Chief
are ordered to be in attendance, armed and
equipped in full parade dress.
4. All companies in 'attendance are re
quired to bring with them their tents and
camp equipage they inay,have:
5. The 'Brigadelnspectors of every brigade
will - report at once to my of f ice 'What camp
equipage belonging to the State is in the lid
its of their command.
6.. The Major General' of the Eleventh divi
sion, Gen. D. K. Jackman, shall be the senior
officer on duty, and is hereby - charged with
the immediate arrangement for said Encamp
ment, and is ordered -to report to - this office
for further instructions.
- By order of the Commander-in-Chief:
- EDWIN O. WILSON, -
Adjutant Generatof Pennaytaania.
Asir:pm:ED.—President Buchanan had in
tended makings Western to during' the
summer,-but the Presume - of business wilt pre-
vent it.
. Wen's Tarra..---The trial of. General
Viralkei.at New Orleans has been concluded.
The jury disagreed:ten for acquital and two
for - The District A-ttofney. has
entereot. pros.
. .
hulgors Pourzcs:—Mr. Rayne, late llni
ted States District Attorney. for Illinois, and
a strong supporter of Judge Douglas, has
written a batter urging the necessitrof a Un
ion of the Democratic party, and takiiig
the pound that, as the Kanias question has
been settled, there can be - no longerany.res
son for maintaining . a position Of hatatility to
the Administration_ - "
se gitmotrat.
RRITSON, Editor;
1101117.013 E,
Thurs(l47. Juno 17. 1838.
DEMOCRATIC NOMINATIOIV:S.
• SUPREME JUDGE:
WILLIAM AL PORTER,
IPHILAPIMPUTAI
CANAL COMMISSIONER:
WESTLEY FROST,
11123:21:11
Special Notice: . .
ALL personi indebted to the late firm of
McCollum! & Gerrition for subicription
to the Montrone Democrat are hereby' forbid
deg settling with .1. B. McCollum, or any
person in who hands be may place the ac
counts. Said °counts lave not yet been as.
signed to him in conseqUenci of his baying
refused to re ijder value for them as agreed
upon before the firm was diiiiolved; any col
lections whiCh; be may mel4
. will be fraudu:
lent, and his receipts void, until further notice
be given. 1 A... 1. GERRITSON.
. Montrose, April Ist, 1858.
Tun Fourriii.—As yet we bear of no prep
arations for celebrating. the Fourth of July
in this place.
_ _
jam' The favor of our Philadelphia corres
pondent was duly received, but as our paper
was mostly in type, we were obliged to defer
its publication until next week.
--- T ------..5...0.-s.----- ' -
.1M - Atnortif :the patents issued for .the
week enditgr June Ist, we notice one to
Theodore Krausch, of Susquehanna Depot,
for an "imprcivement in railroad car chairs."
rif The p 1
resident bas nominated to the
Senate, JRs.ei l li A. Wright, of Indiana, RS Min
ister to BrUssia, and Charles R. Buckalew,
of Pennsylvailia,_ ' Min ister to Ecuador.
M. Si
is*
Si
Egir - /psou - s opened a window
forks vet ch shop, just trader this o ffi ce.. He
comes well Tommended, and refers to some
of the most reliable citizens of Montrose and
T0...m(1:i. . /lis card may be found in our
advertising Columns . .
' P
---•NP-.w-e.- ,
tgr The IWaahington Star eays'Shat "Itt
a week after the next Pennsylvania State
1 - clection, 114. Forney will be as thoroughly
1 1
and avowedly identified with the Republicans
as David WOroot is at tiffs moment." Is be
not so noir, p i racticallyl,,qf not, where is he 1
,C.O - The elle Plaine Lit/purer publishes a
list of the c unties in Minnesota,siying the
number of hi habitants, square miles, and
dwellings in] each. The total population of
the State is 153,332, -square miles 75,464,
number-of dwellings• 34730. In 1849 the
'whole population was but 4,940.
VrA bill has passed both branches of
Congress g4iug the advertising of the list of
letters remaining uncalled for in Post Offices,
to the lowest bidder, instead of to the paper
having thet largest circulation within the
range of 'the delivery , of the Post bake as
heretofore. This will doubtless amount, prac
tically, to p l rocuring•theie publication gratis
in many cases.
jar The Normal School will be re-opened
at this 'plaCe on the 30th of August. ltfr.
Stoddard has been among us long enough
for
,the public to judge of his merits as a
teacher, and so far as we have learned he has
given general satisfaction. We believe him
to be eminently worthy of the confidence re
posed An him, as an educator, author and
gentleman.l We bespeak for the coming ses
sion of the school a liberal patronage and
brilliant success. For terms, &-c., seeTadver-
tisewfiiiL
Mr. Jenkins, recently murdered so
brutally by Jim Lane, in Kansas, *as a free
state man land si former resident of Wayne
county, this State. As Lane has been talked
of by the Slack Republican press as a candi
date for T.T. S. Senator, President, (be., we
^thought proper to copy from a Republican
paper in fiansas,a sketch of this blaod•stain
ed murderer, drawn, however, before the com
mission of this last act of infamy, which
removes ail doubt of his being a worthy_ and
successful andiate for the gallows.
PerEnsoN's 11.,towthig.—The July number
of this popular periodical is received. Mrs.
Ann S. Serphens, we see, beg,ins a thrilling
original novelet, , entitled, "King Philip's
Daughter : l i " hereafter, Mrs. S. will write
exclusively for" Peterson's Magazine," her own
having been merged into it, and her fine
corps of dontributori transferred to it also.
This •ma es "Peterson" unapproachable in
literary n erit. - A new volume begins with
the July number. Now is the time to subscribe.
Terms, ti.oo - per annum ; or, eight copies for
E A
*lO.OO. 1 ddress Chas. J. Peterson, 306
Chestnut' Street, Philadelphia. A specimen
may be seen at this office. For (42.75, cash
in advanc l e, we will forward Peterson and the
Democra4 for one year.
,- -as • ; sis. so .
- "(far representatives sustained the Crittenden
amendment, although its principle is nog in ac- ,
cordanee *IA the eatfoim of 1856; * * * *
* * * IThey yielded not one foot of ground,
gnd gave up not one priztezple, so that the party
can endorse that action without compromising
their position in the least"
-- INT e tae , the above from the Republican
of last week, and call attention to the Strange
l
position assumed.: First we we informed that.
the Black Republican members of Congress
voted for a bill which is in principle directly
opposed .o their '56 platform. Had
-the wri
ter stopped hero, it would have been well, but
in the next sentence he tells tin that they did
not give lup the principle of '56 .,
! This re
minds us of au incident of our school-boy days.
A little 1 1 11 ow more noted for sharp practice
l e
than fair dealing, ptoposed to one of his mates
to trade knives.. Of course -the other, who
was posse
user{ of a true Ya'nkee spirit of trade,
was quite ready to lister! 'to an offer. The
little felh:ow's proposition Was to "trade even,"
but added, that he wanted to keep boa 6 So
with ' the , modern: "Republican" politicians ;
They wish to trade, hoping to be the gainers,.
but desire to "keep both," thinking, to whittle
with the one that proves to be the sharpest,
or with )6tir, if necessary. They filwget that
there i.dapger,of spoiling both knives, as
well as Cutting tbeir - fingenkin the operation.
The New atty.':
isle o!d farce. of f -ipg the discordant
elements of the oppositi .; is, to be re•enacted
at Rarrisburg so the tai 'of July.. From
the impudentliciasting f thsself•styled - "Re
publican" party in tfeg4d to their Strength
and 'prospects ';of slic s, Lone 'Sonia hai,e
supposed ;that ' , they lorfideatly relied upon
their late platfOrm and uuUnt strength,aided
by such ac9essi -- uns as tigiand chance might .
give them, to Carry the sk !;forward to certain
and triumphant victory: qi.pparently in ac-,
cord s ance - with this idea;,aolllal . l.put forth
by the chairman of theirStee ion:mitten, the
renowned Lemuel,Todd;s the assembling of
a convention ,si%ilariparg on the 9th of
July, to nominate a St tr ticket to be sup
ported at the ilisuing Islection. •This call,
as we learned froth soma) of our exchangei,
was repudiated by thi Vhiladelphia Daily
News, the organ of the 4 B‘traigtt" faction of
"America,i.", 'This fac on has been treated
as being very insignifi. u. by-the "Reptibli
can"organizatiO, but f. reasons best known
Ito themselves, titter co fltation, it was-de
cided to withdro the el M for a "Republican"
Convention, and adopt plan'of union up
on such a basis is to inc .o the "pro-slavery"
Know i fothingl, and tb "straight Republi
cans" & Abolitibnists, of rich party one W.
B. Thomas is chairman, together with any
and- an such stray a. k as are hinting
owners, or may be in tmarket.
What the real basis f the "union" will
11
finally be, remains to further developed,
but from the publOed all and the general
character of such rillairNit will doubtless be
i
opposition to the'Demosatic party, witLut
reference to principles ft policy. The doc
trine of the sovereign pater of Congress over
slavery in the territories will doubtless be
entirely abandohed, subtituting thereforei*
endorsement of the Crttenden-Montgomery
amendment. This, toiether with the ad
vocacy of a protective t#iff, and the revival
of a few defunct K. N. teurrilities, and some
high sounding resolves about reform generally,
will grobahly constitutt the platform of the
"new part?
When we look baekto th passage of the
Kansas-Nebraska act 4 1854, and remember
how our opponents ridhuled the idea of per
mitting the settlers of a territory to decide the
question of a free or slave State, independent
of, a,nd, if need be, in defiance of the wishes
of Congress, or the Executive, it would seem
to be incredible that they should now be
found willing to endorse, to a certain extent,
at least, so odious a doctrine. In 1856 the
two parties met upon. this question ; the one
holding that it was neither just nor expedient
that Congie‘s should decide the character of
the domestic .institutions of an incoming
State; the other claiming the power and duty
of Congress to determine the question, even
at the hazard of setting aside the unanimous
wish of the people.
Those members of Coutess who were elect
ed upon the latter principle, hare, without a
single exception, repudiated their party,
butchering it, as it were, before it'had time
to attain even to the age of a "two year old
party." But their support of the Crittenden-
Montcomery bill need not be regarded as
an indication of a settled policy with them.
It was merely an expedient, adopted for the
purpose of winning a few - untrue men from
the support of the Adrninistraticin i contenting
theMselves with the useless triumph of the
passage of a bill through the House, which
they well knew could never become a law.
Had they thought it Would not- have been
killed in the Senate, the Black Republicans in
the House would never have touched it, for in
addition to the danger 'that it might have
resulted in the settlement of the Kansas
quarrel, it embodied a doctrine - se, much at
variance with the theory of the Oovertiment,
that no party would dare take the responsi
bility of making it a- precedent.
Should this bill be made a plank in the
new platform to be framed on the 14th, it
must not be supposed that any principle has
been endorsed, in good faith, as the motives
for such action are far from being pure, and
those who resolve certain things next month,
will be ready to• contradict their record an
ther year, or whenever circumstances render
At necessary. They are willing and anxious
to do anything that may give them the least
strength next fall, "hoping to carry an unim
portant election,.or, at least, keep up an or
ganization of some kind, looking to the con
test of 1860. What action the Forney-ites
will take in relation to the new party, re
mains to be Seen. The proposed course of
the opposition we' regard as.a bare hook for
them and others to bite at, yet We shall not be
surprised to see the valiant John W., figuring
as chairman on that occasion. With David
Wilmot as vice president the picture would
be .complete.
Correspondence of the Montrose Democrat. I
0.
WILKESDARRE, Juni,ll, 1858.
FRIEND GERRITSON :- HOW would my old
pen look again in the familiar fate of TUE
I DEMOCRAT 1 • I wonder if any of its readers
would recognize those long ' and constant
_strokes which foryearr, as the weeks rolled
by,sthey were wont to read and discuss, praise
and censure, applaud and condemn. 'Un
doubtedly some will, for though time has
been busy with changes and chances, still, in
old Susquehanna there must be thousands of
those old friends left, whose eyes will scan
this page, and •wbose thoughts will instinc
tively run. back over the lapse of years and
call up many pleasing as well as unpleasant.
memories. What an eradicator old father
Time is! How soon ho obliterates enmities
in the heart, and fills nVell-its vacancy - with
earnest, warm and..ftiendly feeltngs! Well,
it is best that it were so, else how would the
cup of life's ills and misfortunes soon overflow!
How would• the waters of Mara, "which
shall be called bitter," poison and 'wither the
best and purest impulses of oar nature !
!:notice you have had a P pioneer festival"
at Montrose ; whielr I judge, by. the report, to
have been a most interesting day for your
quiet town. I read the Oration and Poem
with great interest. The one was aurptissing
la eloquenti the other bealztifil is, parte, and
peculiarly appropriati as.* whole. Of course'
it snug of our beautiful Wyoniing,for what
Pioneer "story " i n Pennsylvania would be
complete Without it l One pleasant afternoon
.last week, my friend Major' Puterbaugh,
!hitched up his nags and invited me to take a
ride. Here let 113 f) stop long enough to say,
that theMajoi• is the Proprietor-of the Ex
change Hotel 4 and if any of your readers ever
come"within the precincts of:Wilkesbarre, let
them atop at the Exchange, if they want good
living and the right kind of a landlord.—
Passing up the valley we stopped at Sweat
land's store near the monument and took a
look at the bones of some who wereslain in
-the battle and massacre of Wyoming. When
the pit, containing the bones of those'who fell
on that eventful day, was opened, some years
since, for the purpose of burying them in the
base of -the monument, a few were-left in a
boa at this place. Nearly every skull now
shows the mink of the tomahawk and scalp
ing knife what is more singular is the
fact that a large number have. the thigh bone
broken by a bullet. It is said 'the British and
Indians shot all they could in that way soas
reserve them for the torture or the knife. One
thigh bone has a bullet bole through the cen
tre without breaking the bone..-This, however,
is an exceptional case, the bone being very
large and the bullet striking it exactly in.the
centre. I never before knew the difference
between the skull of a white man and-ti ne
gro. It is remembered by those 'who were
actors in those terrible scones, that in the
ranks of the Americans there was a negro
drummer who was shot. There is a skull
among those before mentioned, that 'has no
, seam lengthwise of the bead. It has all the
peculiar formiations of the negro's head in
shape, and it is therefore supposed
_that it is
the skull of tbenegro drummer of Wyoming.
The fact of the skull being solid longitudi
nally gives it strength, and therefore it, is that
you car. break a hickory axe-helve ovei a
nigger's bead without hurting him, when a
light kick on the shin will " knock his brains
out." _ _
Leaving the bones we next visited the mon
ument. This is not properly in the battle
field, thouirh many were killed in its imme
diate vicinity. It is a plain granite shaft;
some 70 feet high, with marbla slabs in the
base in which are engraved 'the names of
those who were killed in the battle, with suit
able inscriptions. It stands on the 1111 Qt where
the dead were buried, about a milefrom — Oere
the main battle was (might, and *as selected'
for a burial place because the soil was noth
ing but fine sand and therefore easy of Exca
vation. On the front of the monument in a
marble slab is chiseled the following insciip
tion:
" Near this spot was fought,
on the agternoon ofFriday,the 3d day ofJuly,l77B,
THE BATTLE OF WYOMING,
In which a small band of patriot Americans,
chit:447,am ,undisciplined, the youthful and. the
aged,
spared by inefficiency from the distant ranks of
the Republic
•
led by Col. Zobulon•Butler,and , -Col. Nathan Den.
ison,
L n ‘ ,..„ with a courage tl}at - deserved success,
boldly met mrot bravo'sromcbt,
a combined British, Thlfand Indian fore
of thrice their number
Numerical superiority alone gave success to the
invader.
and wide-spread havoc, desolation and rein
marked his savage and bloody footsteps through
•
the Valley.
THIB MONUMENT,
commemorative of these events,
and the actors in them,
• 'has been erected ,
over the bones of the slain,
by their' descendants and others, who gratefully
appreciated
the services and sacrifices of their pattioi ancen-
On the opposite side are the'name.4 of the
survivors, and on the other sides the naives of
those who fell,
Leaving the monument we next visited
Queen Estber's Rock about three-fonttbs of a
mile above. At this rock Queen Either, the
commander of the Indians under Brandt,-as
sembled sixteen prisoners the night' of the
massacre for her own special gratification.—
They were placed in a circle with their heads
on the rock, and a circle of Indians around
theta. The war dance was set up, and at'tbe
close of each round,tbe old fury would plunge
the tomahawk into the brains of owe of the
captives. This went on till -fourteen were
slain, when thetwo remaining, LebbeusHam
mond and Joseph Elliot, seeing that death
was inevitable, resolved to make one desperate
effort-for life. They sprang through the cir
cle, Hammond running for the river, and El.'
hot in a nearly opposite direction. The.lndi
ans pursued, throwing their tomahawks and
firing their muskets. But the prisoners es
caped. Hammond swam the river to Mon
acsky Island and thence to the Wilkesbarre
shikre,' while Elliott took his way by the foot .
of the mountain and got into Forty Fort four
miles below. When the dead Were gathered
up, these fourteen were found around the rock_
most horribly mangled. The rock is a con
glomerate of sand and flint, and, from the
tincture of iron in it, has a red or bloody
appearance, from which it is now called the
bloody rook ; .and it is impossible to make
many of the old settlers believe- to this day
that the_coler is not owing to the awful trag
edy that was enacted upon it.'
Arined with a cold-ohiset and hammer, I
took some pieces of the rock as specimens,
and then proceeded to Wintermoot's Fort
about 80 rods above, which was_ the head
quarters of the British, Indians and Tories;
during those bloody days. At this point the
line of battle was kirmed, the British left rest.:
ing on tbe Fort and the Indian' right on the
swamp beyond, and here it was that the •Wy
oming Pioneers, fighting for 'their lotaiss,
their wives and their 'children, refused to yield
till they were literally mowed down in their
tricks, ".by reapers prepared for the harvest
of Death."
The Fort was situated about 80 rods'from
the river on a blnff, or tableland, from the,
base of which gurgles , out one ..of the most
beautifai springs of pure cold water in the
world. A covered archway 'led from the
Fort down to this spring, in which now:are
innumerable trout, pickerel and chubs; about
as large as your little finger. A ha . * stands
on the site of the Fort, from whlah colf
twined a glass end refreshed panels , * sethor
spring. 4:ln the dtty of the bottle the enemy.
set this fort off fire and- burned 'it to the
groan& NO moon could - ever be given for
this.act, save it was done by the cotpmanding
oirteer for. the par - pose of showing his men
that all hope of shelter was cot off and they
must therefore fight for.life or death, with- no
alternative. Tradition says that when : the
enemy left the valley they buried a.vast a
mount.of treasure, which they had plundered,
and could not carry ,along,near this Fort, and
several eoterprising gentlemen, have
_recently
been engaged in trying to find it. A large
spice of ground has been dug over, but' to
far, nothing has been found stile the bones - Of
an Indian brave, with a metal breast plate,
part of a born bead and a pipe. These are
kept there as relics of a by-gone age. .
Leaving the Fort we pasied over the bat
tle ground, noted the -locality of the " con
tending hosts," took in the inspirations of the
past and indulged the sentimentality of the
present,then journeyed on to Pittston, crossed
to the east side of the river, stopped : at the
Butler kouse, (another capital place,—Harry
Stark keepi it) and thence over the level
plank road were soon at home. -I can:anew
forgetting to say that we 'stopped about thtee.
miles above Wilkesbarre at the Hancock
Hones, kept by dr.laggard and took a look
at hitt snakes. He has eight -large rattle
snakes, which he bandies with perfect itepu•
sty, though they occasionally bite him. He
showed me two scars, not quite healed, on
his hand where they had planteA their fangs.
He extracts'the poison, h owever, with a very
simple. remedy, and thus bids defiance: to
these venomous reptiles.
I have spun this letter out too long already.
If it can be of interest to your readers you
are welcome to it, if snot throw it under the
table. I may give you more anon. _
, Yours, truly, E. B. C.
News Itesis.
BOSTON. June 12.—The French packet
from St. Pierre to Sydney,i•eports a- heavy
gale previous to the Ist inst., on the banks of
Newfoundland, attended with immense loss
of life and property to the French fisherniem
Besides the lots and damage of vessels, it
is said that no less than 300 men pbrisbed
during the storm. Orders had been sent, to
Halifax for 3,000 fathoms of chain cable.
TIIE U. S. Mail steamship Star of the West,
A. G. Gray, EN., commander, from Aspinwall,
arrived at New York on • Saturday morning.
She left Aspinwall, N. G., dune at 9 p,m.,
with mails, passengers, and 91,440,175 10 in
. .
manure.' •
The P. M. S. S. Co.'s steamship John L.
Stephens, arrived at Panama from San Frati
cis.co, June 3d. Found 'the port of Man
zanilla blOckaded by Mexican ships-of-war:
AN explosion occurreta few days since in
the mines of Geo. H. Potts Jr Co., near Miners
vile, Pa., by - whigh four men were injured
severely, two of whom have since died.
UTAH AFFAIRS.—The President on Thurs
day sent a message to Congress% regard to
the affairs of Utah. From despatches re•
ceived at the State Department on Thursday,
the President says that he has every reason
to believe that the difh:culties with Utah have
terminated; and that there is no occasion for
volunteers.
New Oruxisa:A.*v_azas..-.;7,The
lentil logien!' of\ the 4th instaiicririll — Mieri- .
tempered on the coup d'etat of the Vigilance
Committee.. A despatch received from that
city ye'sterday informs us that the trouble is
all over. Tile Vigilance Committee broke
up their camp three or four s days ato. The
official returns of the election bad not been
made public.
Tug Herald of FreedowiestimAtes-the pres s:
eat - population of Kansas at /00,000, and
thinks it will be 120,000 before the year
closes.
A dispatch from St. Joseph=, Mo., says, that
section of country has been visited. by one of
the heaviest etorms"ever known. The Platte,
Grand, tmd• several other rivers have over
flowed their banks doing immense damage 'to
the crorw i rind carrying away bridges &c.--
The worst consequences are feared.
" Wvossno."—The history of this beauti
ful Valley has been written by four able pens
--first, by Isaac A. Chapman, Esq.yabout the
year 1820 ; then Col. W. L. Stone; of N. Y.,
abbot, 1835 ; then Hon. Charles Miner, of
Wilkesbarre, about 1846 ; and now' Rev.
Geo. Peck, of Scranton, has issued another
itistai of-Wyoming Valley.
A WOMAN CAN ICERP 'A SECRET: It has
been demonstrated in Schuyler county, Illi
nois, where an elderly couple in the vicinity
of Kosbville had a beautiful daughter—an
only child—ujion whom they lavished all
their affections. Two years agora young man
applied to them for work,ltml they employed
him. His amiable qualities nod industry
soon *on their confidence. 'He had, been in
their employ six months, when the farmer
having business at Beardstown,sent the-young
man to attend to it, and as the daughter had
some purchases to make, she-was allowed to
go with him. At night they returned. Af
fairs went' on for eighteen months, the only
Change being 'the emote with Which the
old people , discovered .that the young folks
were•dally becoming attaChed to each other,
and th+looked forward to their marriage as
a result most gratifying. Being - considered
a s "lovers," the young -people were' allowed
to 'sit up' together after the old folks bad re
tired; but one night, two weeks ago,stbe old
gentleman feeling unwell, rose up, and not
finding his daughter, in bar own bed. where.
she ought - to bare been, looked elsewhere and
found her where-he thought she ought not to
have been. Much noise,and confusion ensued.
Next day the . farmer posted full speed to
Beardstown, • had - an interview with . the
keeper - of the county records ( and discovered
that the afOresaid yonng man and , woman
had 'been joined in marriage for eighteen
months, and be had never told any petrm of
.the fact 1 • _
_ -
Or,The Leavenworth tiournat,a rabid Anti-
Lrompton sheet, says -Keep jafibre the
people,. that there is nothing offered us in the
&rowan bill, but What, isguarantefd to us by
the 'Organic-Act, under which tee were adMit
ted as a Territory,and what other new elates
Atvoe received at the hands of Congress.", _
Will our Anti-Lecompton , cotempotaries
of this city make a note of this fact? They
published to the world that the Land 'Ordi
nance' accompanying the ENGLISH hill con
tains a _larger amount of land thanusnal,
and stigmatized this as a bribe. The . Leav
enworth Aurae/ says, this" is not So : , Will
these journals, publish: the three ordinances,
as we have asked - , therd_to dat Are they
afraid to do this, and yet have the courage
to face the feet that ,tie have;convicted them.
of'a
UAUTl4,s2f.Uousghsi Colds and affections of
the Drops prevail amongst,' our people to an
extent almost wholly unknown. yt .Europe,
and, if 'neglected 'oftew 'ammo dangerous_
form. Wistar'e Balsam or Wild ‘CherrY
the remedy in such cases. None genuine
unless signed .T Putts.:
. `a •
lion. Wm. Bigler, of Peunsylirandine _
Thc - DemOcratie Seniett from Penn Sylvania,
Mr. William Bigler,. was born 'in ' Sherman.
burg, Cuniberland County,-Pennsyliania
.iti •
December; 1814: , 'His parents' were; of - Ger..
man- dwcent, and were educated, like most
of that class known as "Pennsylvania-Ger
m:tits," in the German language. While the
subject., of this memoir was very young his
parents
,removed to Mercer County, in what
proved t o be a disastrous attempto build
up their fortunes; for th e elder B gler had
ti
been induced to purchase a largW tract of
wild land, the title to which was ilefective,
1 and in a short time he found himself bereft
of everything but a small cam, .
The sustenance of his large family depended
upon the :products of a new farm in irt wilder
ness country, the father, aided as b was by
the Cabo% of bis children, was obli O d to ex
ert himself too severely; and -before he bad
succeeded in' placing his family utoon a fair
footing in the world his frame succumbed to
disease, and be 'passed away, .leaving his
widow and children to wrestle with the diffi
cultien of backwoods • life. If his{lying vis
ion could have looked forwaid a very few
rears, he would have beheld two of the c h&
aren about whom be must have itad great
concern, filling the gubernatorial chairs of
two of the most important States i the Un
inn—John Bigler, the eldest brother ' Gov
ernor' of California, and William Bigler
Governor of Pennsylvania; and, very shortly
afterward, one representing his cortintry in a
very important foreign mission; an the other.
occupying the highly honorabl , position
of the confidential friend and adv ser of the
President of the United . States Sen. te. '
Busily occupied withthe -labors neeesiary
for the support of the family, William Bigler
received but a moderate schoolucation,
but he graduated - in what -we be ieve to be. -
the best college for practical deve opmetit of
/1
the talents of a bright boy—the tinting of
From 181 . 9 to 181 W he was, employed
by his brother John (since Governor of Cali-'
iforuia) in the printing-office of 'the Centre
Democrat, published at Bellefonte.
In August, 1833, just tiventy l five years'
ago, he felt that the time had arrived when ,
he ougbt to commence the edifice f his own
fortune; and his preparations bein made, be
started - for Clearfield (his presen residence)
with an old band-press, a set of sheep-skin
balls, rt-.font of second-hand long primmer and •
brevier type, arid twenty , dollars of borrowed .
money, intending to publish a newspaper in
Clarion. With all deference to the present _
dignity of the addable Senator fom Penn
sylvania,
ni
sylvaa, we cannot help runnin a mental
parallel between his venture a d that of
another distingbished gentleman, whose faith
in the prophecy of Bow-bells was so sicmally
and properly rewarded by the thrice-conferred
- dignity of "Lord Mayor of London."-- Indeed, •
so perilous was theo.erprise that one of his
friends, a prominent 3 - Edge residing at 'Belle
fonte, felt it to be hie . duty -to titter a well
meant warning,•"Yonng man,•dmi't go there; .
you'll starter But Mr. Bigler did not think
so, arid he started with a brave heart, which,
however, lost some of its confience as he
!
'neared the place of his destinati ti; for it is ,
related, as one - of the most painfill of his es-,
periences, that as he approached his journey's '
end, and reflected upon his titter friendliness
r--knowing only two individuals in the whole
county' of Cleatfield—his soul was overcome
by the -blank, cheerless -. prospect, and he
sought to bribe his teamster with his borrow
ed twenty dollars into concealing the object
of his joubey; and to return the goods to their
viiirets...Doab.A.4...,-...1...,...4.11 t.
411....._ _.n..,
- penniless and afoot, to the far he st. Fortu
nately for him, his design - was frbstireed; fir
he was receiv ed
. by the people if Cleat fi eht
with such a- frank and geuerou i hospitality,
that now, a quarter century after
,the event,
when, surrounded by dignity and wealth, any
ieference 'to their kindness to hint in that
trying time kindles iu him the et (-ingest emu.-
titans. His press was soon -- rb up and his
type distributed; and in a few dvs ho issued
the first number of the Clearfie d .Democrat,
which he continued to publish me r
til 1836 3
(i,.
performing the various function ocompcei
tor, pressman, editor, proof s reaer, and pub
lisher; managing his affairs with so - much
sagacity and prudence that heiwas speedily
enabled to pay for his printing material. Ile
was soon immersed in politics, and very rap
idly- gained a reputation for lenerey and
shrewdness,
nor was his edito4l and politi
cal fat lessened by his great skill as ama k,-
man, for his hunting friend. asserted very con -
fidedtly that he "never missed b-bileb, even'
if it were on the rull jump whe:n he fired"—
an accomplishment of eonsidbrable weight
with the earlfiettlert of Pennst Ivania.' - '
In 1836 he disposed of the Clca'rfield
Democrat, and entered into a mercantile part
nership with Mr.. A. B Reed, with whose
daeghtet he had formed' another and more -
sacred .perteership in the prtvions March. -
His editorial' career, however, ,had brought
his abilities so prominently before the ; nonce
of the people, that he was rePeatedly‘toged
mut:est a nomination weandidate.for the
Legislature. About the period of his mar
riage and retirement from editlorial - life, the
question of a reform of the State Constitution
was agitated with great excitechent. Otrose
side it was asserted that, unde l r the old Con
stitution, the prerogatives . Of the Governor
was almost regal; while, on the opposite side,
oppoSed to every change, wereiirge numbers
of office-holderi, and many of he wealthiest,
citizens. Into this contest 14 Bigler threw
hie; whole energies, and - did much toward
gaining the victory by which the Convention .
,was obtained for changing thb Constitution.
As an acknbwledgment of" his services, he
was tirqd by' his friends to serve in this im
portant Convention, but again refused an
election. -
In 1841,however, his adirers, availing ,
themselves of his absence fdm the State,
nominated him as a-eandidat rot the State
Convention; and thetbest evidace ef his per
t
sonal popularity is afforded ,by the fact the:,
with an opposition Candidate in the field, on
-Ily one vote-was cast against hit' in the coun
ty of Clearfield, in which be resided. He was
twice elected Speaker of thel State Senate,
and was confirmed in the Senate up to -1847.
Daring his term of service seine of the most
ithportant events in the histoty of Pennsyl
vania transpired, and the activity and ability
-manifeated-in the leading part which be took
'id _meant:es which most vitally affected the
interests of that . great commonwealth laid the
foundation of his subsequent; honors. It was
during his first term of Service that the ere&
of Pennsylvania was injured by her - failure
to - pay the interest on, her debt. While the
United States Bankfailing, compere() was
paralyzed, and conaternaticirs•, tom: -dismay
were_ prompting dishonest measures of utile&
an".attempt ' was • made to'isduceihe State
Lgisteture to repudiate the pitfall° debt. To
thialldr;•Bigler, as Chairman itf the Commit
tee' bf,Fitlarma, opposed a- most determined
resistance-,insisting upon the maintaining in
violate the honor Of Pennsylvania, and labor
ing.•-day and night for the passege of a law
for trization to meet the pub lid indebtedness.
A' friend who was present says: . "1 well re-.
member the - first time be addressed the Sen
ate npon these importaiii:finineial questions.
Without' the•artificiak grace of oratory, kis
speech, itasthe embodiment of ; plain common
Benin and - conclusive reisoniig. If. seised
the strong pointer:it argument, and discussed
them In a masterly
,and • Convincing , manner