1
iflft
HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher.
NIL DESPERANDUM.
Two Dollars per Annum.
VOL. II.
MDGWAY, ELK COUNTY, PA., THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 1873.
XO. 14.
"Our Baby."
In a modest, quiet dwelling,
Where nil in plainnot fine,
Xlves a rosebud little darling,
A little friend of mine.
Earth Becms to her a play-house,
No doubt she dons believe,
The houio and all within it
Were made for Ocnicvieve.
Her j,ve are full of mischief,
Nho's a protty month to kiss,
8he is something of a tyrant,
This pretty little miss.
Khe ordci-B here two sorvants
To attend her night and day,
To feed her when nho'a hungry.
And to join with her in play.
Or, if perchance, the twilight
Into the room may peep,
She calls aloud for somo one
To rock her fast to Bleep ;
And if she wakes at midnight,
While the ethers are at rest,
They are roused from out their slumbers,
While b',10 scolds her very best.
Yet, tyrant as slio may be,
night as well as day,
T'ncro ie no one knows but loves her,
There are anxious hearts that pray
Thnt her life may be protected
For days and years to come,
For the brown-eyed little darling
Is the suidight of that home.
Wbat matter that her birthright
"Cost an agony of pain ?
Her winning smile and soft white arms
Have paid it back again.
What matter tho' tho parents'
Honrs of unrest endure ?
Christ worketh through our littlo ones
To make us all mote pure.
There it not U the breadth and ecopo
Of any huuan life,
An ill wit'aout a recompense.
A joy -without a strife ;
Ano. Wero all anguish blotted out,
A'.id naught but joy remain,
We'd know no God we'd know no C'niist.
F or Heaven was gained through pain.
Rn let her littlo majesty
Her countless changes ring,
Our heaMs mound tho rosebud
Will ever fondly cling.
We'll btar her mnd-cap humors
Wo'll laugh away her fears,
We'll soothe her angry Hjiidts
"IVhile we kiBs away her tears.
And, in the distant future,
When tho hair is silvered o'er,
She will turn unto lxr parents
As they turned to her boforo,
And with her loving spirit,
Which our rosebud will unfold,
I'ay back their toil and trouble,
Over an hm Jred fold.
DIVORCED.
"He'll go to tha dogs now."
"Of course he will."
" By nil means. Only see how Le
acted when his wife lived with him!
Now thnt she has left him, and all re
fitrnint is removed, he'll go the rest of
the downward wav in no timp "
"I'll give him just one yen
just one year to be
buried."
" Pshaw! Half that time will finish
him."
"Well,
her more
both."
I pity him, too, but I pity
lie brought the misery oil
Such -was the talk of half a dozen
villagers, who stood in front of one of
the principal stores one summer even
ing, while the subject of their remarks
went daggering along on the opposite
sido.
It was evident that he was trying to
"walk straight, but such endeavors al
ways seem to make a drunken man walk
more crooked. However, it proved he
was not lost to all sense of shame, and
still retained an aversion to being ridi
culed and despised.
But Harry Rogers had carried on at a
fearful rate for a year or two past. He
had just one vice drink ; but that was
enough. He had married a worthy
farmer's daughter, Nettie Ray, only a
few years previous, but such had been
jus conuuet during more man a year
past that she had been obliged to cut
him loose to pursue his profligate course
alone, and a legal' separation had just
been effected.
Harry's home was on a little farm, a
mile from town. He owned it, but then
it was heavily mortgaged, and in an
other year foreclosure was certain. It
was not likely his creditors would spare
him when he made no effort to meet
his obligations.
A week passed after that summer
evening on which all had agreed in pre
dicting his early ruin two weeks a
month or two. What mystery is here ?
To the utter bewilderment of the proph
esying sages, Harry discontinued
visiting the taverns, and was rarely seen
in the villnge. When he did come to
the store he speedily transacted his
business and then went home sober.
Wonders never cease when they get a
start. He was next reported as actually
at work on his farm. Had but one man
told this iu the village, he would have
been marked as lacking veracity ; bnt
as several ladies vouched for the fact,
it was worthy of credence.
The little farm began to look healthier
as the summer wore on. The fences
straightened up, the weeds disappeared;
the animols looked fatter and happier,
and the little cottage looked neater.
Time wore on, and the great change
was more remarkable every day. Harry's
charitable creditors called end told him
he might have his own time to pay off
the mortgage.
The fall came ; and the farm yielded
an abundance of crops, and Harry found
himself beginning to drift along with
the tide of prosperity.
And Nettie had begun to live her
young girlhood over again, as it were,
under her father's roof ; but somehow
it was not like the happy, joyous girl
hood of memory. It Was sober and
quiet now, and she fefl into the train of
musing; and every now and then there
passed through her mind a certain
thought she was neither maid nor
wife.
She avoided the vicinity of her late
home, nor had she once seen Harry
since the separation ; but she had heard
of him occasionally knew that he was
a changed man. Still this knowledge
brought but a melancholy satisfaction.
The reform had como too late. There
was a wido gulf between them now.
But, one evening in the golden Octo
ber, Nettie felt hoi-self obliged to pass
Harry's farm. It lay between her
father's house and the villnge. On tho
evening in question, however, she had
been detained in the villnge until it was
nearly dark, and sho determined to
hazard theneirest road home. It would
bo fully dark when she would pass his
house, and the chances were that ho
would not Bee her. She wouldn't have
him seo her for tho world.
When she arrived opposite the house
she perceived a li;hl in tho sitting
loom. Her first impulse was to hurry
by ; but pome powerful impulse prompt
ed her to stop. She did so, and stood
timidly at the further side of tho road,
gazing longingly at the house that hnd
once been the home to her first of hap
piness, then of misery. By-nud-by she
felt an irresistible; yearning to look at
the interior once more, lie was evi
dently within, and there was no danger
that he would see her. So she Walked
hurriedly acrosB tho road, opened the
gate, and softly stepped into the lawn.
Another minute and sho was at tho win
dow, looking in. What singular beha
vior. She could not help it.
The little room was as neat as when
she herself had watched over it. A
cheerful lire was burning iu the grate,
although the night was not cold, and a
lighted lamp stood on the table. It was
there that Harry was sitting. How her
heart bounded as she caught sight of
bim. He held in his hand a book from
his scanty library.
She recognized it at once ; but he was
not reading now. Was he asleep or
was he buried in a sad reverie ? Nettie
thought the latter was the case, and her
heart was touched.
" I wish I had borne with him," she
said. But a moment later her heart was
touched, when she saw a tear roll down
his cheek and drop upon the book. The
lonely man was not asleep he was cry
ing. She could not help it. All the woman
in her heart was aroused, and she was
at tho door in a moment. No ceremony
she burst into the sitting-room, anil
was at his side.
"Oh, Harry!"
Her voice quivered with emotion.
"Why, Nettie!" he exclaimed, trying
to hide his tears men are ashamed of
them "is it you ?"
"Yes, Harry, I was passing Hooked
in I saw you sitting here so lonely,
and couldn't help coming in. I thongiit
of the time we were happy here, nud "
Then her womanly tears could bo re
pressed no longer. ' There was no use
of trying to hide them. Beside, her
voice broke down, and she could say no
more just then.
He rose and took both her hands from
her lace, ana held them iu his own. "l
thought you had blotted me out from
your memory. "
"No, no, Harry," she sobbed, "I
could not do that.'l could not help leav
ing yon ; but I left ycu loving you more
than ever. Oil, I have been unhappy."
"Nettie, you have heard that I "
"Yes, I have heard that vou have
changed that you do not cfrink nny
more that ngaiu you are manly anil
industrious as you used to be ; but how
lonely you must be here!" and the tears
gushed forth anew as her heart felt
what her lips spoke.
"Yes, I am lonely, Nettie more than
you may think ; but I have deserved
this punishment for the way I acted. I
had no discouragements I had nothing
to make me do so. It was only a pas
t.ion for drink that seemed impossible
for mo to overcome. You were nil n
wife could be. When you left me I
thought I should becomo worse than
ever. Only a day or two after you left
me I was in town drunk, and 1 heard
somo village people they thought I
could not hear them across the street
passing all sorts of remarks about me,
saying I was a doomed man, and that
destruction was near. Although in
toxicated, it startled me, and lor the
first time I felt the full force of our
separation, and realized that destruction
stared me in the face. I had a bottle of
whisky in my pocket at the time ; when
out of town I smashed it, and washed
my face in a stream by the roadside,
and resolved never to touch liquor
again. It was hard to keep my resolve
for the first week or two, but I Btood it,
and soon my taste for drink disappeared.
I caro nothing for it now, and would
not touch it'if it ran in streams. Now,
Nettie, if you love me as ever, and God
knows I love you the same let us get
married over again, and the bitter ex
perience of the last few years will only
enhance our happiness. Nettie, dear,
what do you say ?"
She could not answer ; she was crying
as if her heart would break, and her
head was pillowed upon his breast. It
was a more eloquent " yes " than the
tongue could speak.
The moon was rising as he walked
home with Nettie to'her fatht r's.
So Harry Rogers and Nettie Ray
were married again, and there is no
divorce that can part them now.
A Boy's Idea of Heads.
neads are of different shapes and
sizes. They are full of notions. Large
heads do not always hold tho most.
Some persous can tell just what a man
is by the shape of his head. High
heads are the best kind, Very know
ing people are called long headed. A
fellow that won't stop for anything or
anybody is called hot headed. If he is
not quite so bright they call him 6oft
headed. If he won't be coaxed or turn
ed they call hira pig headed. Animals
have very small heads. The heads of
fools slant back. When your head is
cut off you are beheaded. Our heads
are covered with hair, except bald heads.
There are barrel heads, heads of ser
mons and Home ministers used to have
fifteen heads to one sermon pin heads;
heads of cattle, as the farmer calls his
cows and oxen; head winds; drum heads;
cabbage heads; at loggerheads; come to
a head; heads of chapters; head him
off; head of the family; and go ahead
but first be sure you are right; kut the
worst of all heads are dead heads, who
hang around an editor for free tickets
to shows.
It is saiu tuere are twenty persons in
Georgia under sentence of death, all to
be executed within the next sixty days.
The Hidden Benefactor.
A Good Word for Locomotive Engineers.
A ride on the engine may help to
break up the tedium of a journey. But
I confess thnt I enjoy the occasional
privilege for other reasons. I have sel
dom found a locomotive engineer who
was not a good fellow.
Pilots on the New York ferry-boats,
and engineers upon railroad trains, are
intrusted with more lives than any other
men in the community; and when we
consider the immense number of people
who are transported every day, and the
small number of accidents wliich befall
the millions of people dependent on
their vigilance for safety, it will be seen
how worthy they are of the trust re
posed in them.
One may point to tho numerous rail
wny accidents, and at the great slaughter
of men and women which so often shock
tho public, and carry sorrow to hun
dreds of households, as inconsistent
with such a judgment. But, on exami
nation, how very few of all these terrible
accidents are from tho fault of the en
gineer. He is not to blame for a broken
rail. It is not his fault, if cheap or
cheating wheels or axles have been put
upon tho cars, tho breakage of which
sends the cars and their precious loads a
whirling down the bank. It is not for
him to run the trains which come rush
ing like the wind into him, while he has
the right of way !
An engineer may be set down, as a
rule, as n cautions, painstaking, intelli
gent man, who brings to the care of
human life as much conscientious fi
delity as is found in any other profes
sion in society which deals directly with
men and their interests.
Every little while wo road instances
of real heroism in which engineers
stand to their posts in face of death,
and many a poor fellow who has been
crushed under his own machine, might
have saved his life if he had not bravely
stuck to his place, and did his duty to
the very uttermost.
Besides, how many unreported acts of
heroism have taken place, when, by
facing coolly the utmost risk, the en
gineer has carried off his train safely.
No reporter was there to note the dan
ger, nor how it was avoided. We have
heard from these bravo men of the me
chine, instances of pluck and coolness
and fidelity which, if seen on a field of
battle, would have brought him univer
sa1 applause.
There are thousands and tens of thou
sands of peoi le who ride from twenty
to fifty miles a day, year in and out,
without a scratch, flying through the
air at a rate which, if any accident
should happen through the engineer's
iucaution or neglect, would dash them
to pieces. But how seldom do they
ever think of their faithful servant, or
Teak a kind word of him or to him !
Who ever hears of possengers making
a complimentary testimonial to en
gineers? Who ever sees newspaper
commendations of their steadfast ser
vices 1
Hie fact is, I never came off from a
journey that I do not feel like going up
to the grand old machine and shaking
hands with the oily fingers of the master
of it, and thanking him for his services.
llcccher in JSr. V. Ledger.
A Teacher's Meals.
A teacher writes to Dio Lewis :
''Can't you give me some advice
about my meals, supper particularly,
taking into consideration the fact that I
must be ready for school as soon as 8:30
a. m. , out at 12, return at 1 P. M. , home
at 4:30 or 5 P. m.?"
She writes : " I have tried tho omis
sion of supper for sme time, but this
seems to necessitate too much dinner
for immediate school-work."
I advise, says Dr. Dio, that you make
your breakfast a very hearty meal, con
sisting of beefsteak or mutton chops,
potatoes, and, if it agrees with you, a
cup of coffee without milk. Let this
meal be not only hearty, but eaten with
great deliberation, and treated as people
treat a set dinner. When that meal is
done, you have taken more than half of
the food that you need in twenty-four
hours. I advise that you make your
dinner a lighter meal, especially if your
digestion be weak or in any way nt
fault. The mutton or beef may be
boiled instead of roasted.
This is a good expedient, as it is often
extremely difficult to procure tender
beef.
Eat nothing more, and go to bed early,
not later than nine o'clock. If for a
while you suffer a feeling of faintness
in the evening, you may drink a pint of
very weak tea with very little milk, or
half the quantity of hot, thin oatmeal
porridge.
A Knowing Dog. An extraordinary
waste of canine sagacity is shown in a
story told by a newspaper in Canaan,
N. H. The dog in question is owned
by a butcher. A shoat was being driven
to the slaughter-house the other day,
but took to a pond, and could not be
persuaded to come out. The dilemma
was pointed out to the dog, which swam
round piggy and drove him out on the
other side, after pulling him once from
under some logs, where the current had
drawn him. But discovering that he
had him on the wrong side, the dog
took the porker by the ear and dragged
him to the water, and ferried him safely
to the spot where he was wanted.
A Valuable Discovery. A papyrus
which was discovered a few months ago
iu a small tomb in Egypt has recently
been fully translated by a profound
scholar of Heidelberg. He finds it to
be an allocution of Barneses III., "to
his people and all men on earth," re
counting the great deeds done in the
days of his father and grandfather. The
discovery is a valuable one for Biblical
students, as the royal writer gives with
particular details all the causes which
led to the downfall of the Mosaic reform
and the exodus of the Jews. There is
apparently no doubt at all about the
authenticity of the MS., which is large,
well written and well preserved.
Sixty Indian fighters in Colorado have
offered their services to Gen. Sherman,
and guarantee to finish np any tribe
against whom they may be sent in a
short time, providing the Government
f Ornish horses, arms, and rations.
Dcnth In tho Coal Mine.
Incident! of the unci Dtntrln the Druin
nioml Mine.
To give some idea of the extent of
the explosion from the several air
shafts at the Drnmmond mine disaster,
it may be stated of an old one clofe to
the miners' residencesi and distant from
tho mines some six hundred or seven
hundred yards, that huge pieces of tim
ber were driven through it up into the
air, some falling on the roofs of tho
houses and crushing through them.
It was truly heartrending to pass
through the square of buildings where
the families of tho lost miners reside.
The window blinds are drawn, and the
stillness of death is over the place. No
merry tune is to bo heard, tho prattle
of little ones iB liUBhed and there is
nothing but weeping and wailing. Foor
widows of men, whose chared remains
are far down in the burning sepulchre,
mourn incessantly and piteously the
loss of those who have been so suddenly
snatched from them. As you pass close
to the saddened homes of these families
you can hear the sobbing and crying.
Mr. Coxon, the mining engineer of
the Albion mines, gave as his opinion
on oath, after having heard nil the
testimony of other witnesses, that Mc
Leod, the miner who fired the shot that
set fire to the mine, had tapped a
" blower " (the term used in tho North
of England), and, not having ready ap
pliances at hand, was unable to put out
the fire caused thereby. He also stated
that, in tho North of England, miners
are not permitted indiscriminately to
tire off shots; there are properly author
ized persons for this duty.
The roar of the burning mine was
terrible to listen to, and to think that
far down that slope the bodies of more
than seventy men were l.ving, probably
burned to a crisp, was sickening; and I
hurried from the scene with sad reflec
tions. The loss of property by the
burning of tho mine will be enormous,
all the wood work in it having been
turned. Doubtless it is a mass of ruins
below.
The grief of the women who lost their
husbands would move the stoutest
heart. Those who remain in their
houses near the mine sob and cry in
cessantly, wringing their hnnds in wild
despair ns they turn their eyes towards
the burning pit, expecting to see those
whom they loved in. life, but whose
bodies are now burning in tho fiery fur
nace below. Save the sobbing of the
mourning ones all is as still as death in
the village.
Eurylug of tho Law.
A great ceremony, called "The Bury
ing of the Law," lately took place in
the Spanish synagogue of Jerusalem.
It happens once every eight or ten
VHuru. nml ncorilP:jii k.V tho fol
lowing circumstances: Thero is in the
" Talmad Torah " synagogue a subter
ranean cave, wherein every old leaf torn
out from any holy book, every worn-out
Bible, Gemara and phylactery is de
deposited by all the Jewish inhabitants
of every Minhag. After eight or ten
years, when the cave is full, these old
papers and books are brought out and
made up into bales. This done, the
people begin to assemble at a given
time in the afternoon. A cosher (or
faultless) Sepher Torah, richly orna
mented and jewelled, is brought by the
Chacham Bashi, and carried by him
and the other rabbis in turn, at the
head of the procession. He is followed
by other rabbis; next come the bales,
about seventy or eighty in number,
each carried by a Jew; and then the
rest of the people. The procession
slowly winds its way out of the Zion
gate for some distance along the city
wall, and then decends into the valley
of Jehosaphat, where the burial ground
is situated. Here is a very deep well,
wherein the bales are finally thrown,
amidst the singing of the joyous crowd.
A Tunnel through tho Alleghanies.
Senators Casserly and Bayard, of the
U. S. Senate Sub-Committee on Tans
portation, have returned to Washing
ton from an extended trip along the ex
isting and projected line of the Virginia
and Kanawha Canal from the James
river to the Ohio. They examined the
feasibility of a tunnel of a mile through
the Alleghanies, and were assnred by a
competent engineer that it could be com
pleted in four years from the time tle
requisite assistance was rendered by
Congress. Objection was made by
Senator Casserly to the mountain reser
voir system, but the engineer believed
that it could be maintained for keeping
the canal supplied with water. The
rapid overflow of the Greenbrier river,
on the west side of the Alleghanies, it
was urged, could be overcome and made
navigable by dams and locks. The
Committee were impressed with the
vast mineral deposits along the banks
of the Kanawha and other streams run
ning into the Ohio, but have yet agreed
on no report to the full Committee on
this proposed interwater line route.
The cost of the completion of the James
river and Kanawha Canal has been esti
mated already to Congress to be many
millions of dollars.
More War.
Uncle Sam is in trouble with the Mo
docs ; the Dutch are embroiled with the
Atcheenese ; the French are fighting
the Algerines ; the Russians are warring
with the Khivans ; and now comes the
Ashantees, 35,000 strong, marching
upon Elmina, a British fort on the gold
coast of Africa. These facts induce the
Boston Journal to quote the ancient
poem which asserts that
" Great fleas have lesser fleas.
And these have less, to bite 'em ;
These lesser fleas have smaller fleas,
So on, a'l infinitum."
Ashantee is a powerful native king
dom on the gold coast, 310 miles square,
and with a population of over three mil
lions. The people are very ferocious,
and wear human teeth and jawbones for
jewelry. The country is rich in gold,
and the people are proficient in certain
manufactures.
Betting on one s ability to tweak a
Western deacon's nose does not seem to
be a good way to make money. A man
tried it in Kenosha. He won a bet of
only two dollars, and had to pay a doc
tor's bill of SU.
A California Frison.
The jail in Sacramento, Cal., where
Flynn, the murderer lately executed,
was cenfined, consists of tho basement
of the building formerly used ns the
State capital. It is a gloomy, unhealthy
nnd cramped apartment, and is a sorry
looking place for a human being to be
cooped np in, without ventilation and
unclenn. Two rows of boiler iron cells
are to be seen, one reaching nearly the
entire length of the prison and the other
stopping about half way. An open door
upon one hand leads into the yard where
Flynn's brother was shot; upon the
other nn uninviting avenue of brick
wall, dotted with a few dismal looking
windows, out of which tho architect
seemed to have exerted nil his ingenuity
to keep God's blessed sunlight. The
condemned cell looked like a big ocean
steamship boiler knocked suddenly into
a hollow square, with tho grate on top
no under drainnpe, no possible venti
lation, nothing in the world but as much
room as a man with some vitality left in
him could exist in. The wicket iu the
door is wbout eight by six inhes. A
reporter, who visited tho prisoner some
time ago, gives t!ia following account of
his interview !
" Peering in I saw nn emaciated man,
haggard in visage nnd careworn in gen
eral aspect, who lay, as near as I could
judge, either upon the floor (the place
was fearfully dark) or upon a slightly
raised cot. My eyes became accus
tomed to the darkness and I was able to
seo inside the dungeon, nnd a sorry
sight it was a simple mattress or two,
somo blankets, a pail, and a quiet,
simple-seeming piece of what humanity
calls a man. He lay on his back, his
eyes closed, his hands clasped across
his breast, and with a little aesthetic dis-
Eosition of his hair and whiskers would
ave answered for a lay figure as either
an angel or a demon. As quick as trans
ition from foam to wave there sprang up
a bright-eyed, restless man, quick in
every nerve, and so totally different
from the dull inanity that laid there
only nu instant before, thnt I confess I
felt staggered, and wished that I was
interviewed instead of being the inter
viewer." Oakcs Ames' Failure.
Tho New York Tribune, writing of
the life and death of the late Oakes
Ames, relates the following in regard to
his financial failure in 1870:
Another episode remains to bs told.
Iu 1870 tho Ames' failed, with liabili
ties amounting to 88,498.000 the
largest any other American firm ever
hud who suspended payment, bingu
lar to say, it was their good luck which
led to the result. During the past
twenty years they accumulated wealth
rapidly. They supplied the Uovern
ment with vast quantities of shovels
and swords, realissinc; therefrom large
profits ; they engaged in making plows,
and became proprietors of a machine
company. All these transactions ab
sorbed large capital, but still the firm
met their obligations promptly until
Oakes Ames was induced to invest in
Southern Railroads.
Encouraged by the easy terms on
which he acquired these highways, as
well as impelled by the persistency
with which they were forced upon him,
ho purchased largely, and suddenly the
Ames', for his transactions were en
tangled by those of the firm, found
themselves unable to meet their en
gagements. They met their creditors
frankly; and a committee of tho first
merchants of Boston appointed to ex
amine their aff.iirs, who (Jan. 2, 1871)
duly reported that the liabilities of all
the concern Oakes Ames, Oakes Ames
& Sons, Ames Plow Co., and the Kins
ley Iron and Machine Company, were
8,498,075, whereof Oakes' personal
share was the immense sum of $7,380,
178. The committee announced at the
same time the gratifying fact that the
assets of all were 15,237,104, leaving a
balance of $6,739,089 in favor of the es
tate. Oakes' share of these assets was
$10,781, 9J0, showing that tho old specu
lator was worth $3,396,807 more than he
owed. Yielding to tho advice of tin
committee, the creditors granted an ex
tension of 6, 12, 18 and 24 months, and
the business of the Ames' went on as
usual. The confidence thus evinced
was not misplaced. In a brief period
of time less than that granted more
than half of the liabilities were settled,
and the remainder rendered absolutely
secure.
A Costly Driuk.
In the will of the late Hon. Thad
deus Stevens, admitted to probate Aug.
17, 1868, is the following eccentric
clause :
"If at the end of five years Thad
deus. my nephew, shall show that he
has totally abstained from all intoxi
cating drinks through that time, the
trustees may convey to him one-fourth
of the whole property. If at the end of
the next successive five years he shall
show that he has totally abstained from
all intoxicating drinks, they may convey
to him one-fourth, being one-half the
property. If at the end of another
consecutive five years he shall show that
he has abstained from all intoxicating
drinks, tney may convey the whole to
him in fee simple. In case my nephew,
or rather the auuuity of said Capt. Thad
deus Stevens, of Vermont, should ex
pire before he has enabled himself to
become entitled to the corpus or fee
simple of my estate, then I dispose of
whatever may remain as follows: If the
aggregate sum nhall amount to $50,000,
without which no further disposition
can be made, I give it all to my trustees
to erect, establish, andendow a house of
refuge for the relief of the homeless and
indigent orphans."
From the following paragraph, copied
from a Pennsylvania paper, it appears
that the Orphan Home will be founded:
"The nephew of the late Thaddeus
Stevens having failed to comply with
the conditions of his will relative to
abstaining from the use of intoxicating
drinks, the executors are about to apply
the residue of his estate, estimated
variously from $50,000 to $100,000, to
the founding of the Orphan Home in
Lancaster, Penn., designed by him in
case of such failure. The will provides
that no preference shall be shown in
respect to race, religion, or color in ad
mission or treatment, and that all the
inmates shall wear the same style of
dress and eat at tke same table."
The Burial of Mxon.
Bad Scenes at a Funeral.
The funeral of Michael Nixn. execu
ted in New York, is thus described :
Michael Nixon was borne to his grave
yesterday. All night long the friends
and relatives of the body sat round the
casket " waking " the corpse. At two
o'clock in the afternoon the funeral took
place from his late home, 44 Baxter
street. It is a dingy, crazy, wooden
house, with begrimed windows, tlmtaro
broken and patched, doors that are rot
ting on tho hinges, a staircaso that
threatens to tumble down as you ascend,
an atmosphere of filth and wretched
mincry. There was a taint in the very
air of the place, anil the presence of the
corpse nud the sad faces and stifled sobs
of the friends of the departed ndded to
its gloomy nnd wretched appearance.
Many of the people who crowded into
tho room where the corpse lay had
known Nixon. Some must have held
friendly relations with him and remem
bered "him with kindly feelings, for
many of the girls and wofnen robbed ns
they passed by the casket and looked
for the last timo at his features. Tho
casket lay near tho window, and the
bright, warm sunshine streamed into
the room. The rays of the sun fell upon
a beautiful cross of whito flowers that
exhaled a delicious perfume as it lay
upon his heart. They played upon his
face, that looked almost as white as the
flowers. Tho expression was resigned
and sod ; the eyes were slightly opened
and met tho beholder's gaze with a stare
that was ghastly from its very calmness;
the hair was matted ; the forehead was
whiter than it had been at the execu
tion, and the lips were parted in a faint
smile of sadness.
The casket in which the body repased
was of rosewood and very beautiful, and
the silver plate bore tho following in
scription :
Michael Nixon,
Aged 34,
Died May 16, 1873.
The outside gathering was immense,
but the scene within was peculiarly im
pressive The dead face, white and
ghastly ; the beautiful flowers, tilling
the room with their odor ; the brilliant
sunshine, playing upon tho features of
the dead; tho beautiful casket; the
stifled moans of the women, who were
dressed in black ; the cries of the child
ren all these rendered the scene a very
sad one. Mrs. Nixon, dressed in deep
mourning, with her youngest child, a
mere lintint, in her arms, stood at the
head of the casket, looking down upon
the face, of her dead husband, and the
child, in its happy ignorance, looked
down too. The little girl, Katie Nixon,
who stood by her side, understood her
mother's grief and clutched the casket
wildly when they wanted to carry it
away. She begged them, iu uu aony
of tears, not to carry her dear father
away, and wept bitterly. But nt last
the moment came, and mother and
daughter kissed his li2s and he was
borne away to the grave.
To the friends were distributed white
satin badges, with a black border. On
each was printed tho figure of a woman
weeping over a tomb, while in tho back
stood u drooping willow, whose branch
es protected a grave. Under this, in
large letters, were the words :
We mourn our loss.
He was buried in Calvaiy Cemetery,
where the usual services of the Catholic
Church were held by Father Joyce.
The grave is in one of the most beauti
ful spots in the cemetery. Ho bought
it himself two years ago. His child,
which ho had loved better than any
other human being, was buried there,
and they laid him by its side.
Married by Proxy.
The Rev. David Mackenzie elates an
instance of a man getting married unin
tentionally. Some thirty years ago n
decent couple appeared iu church to be
married, after due procl imation of the
banns. They asked the clergyman to
wait a bit ; he waited for an hour, and
then, at their request, proceeded with
the ceremony. He had thought the de
lay arose from tho nbsence of some un
expected friend, but the truth was, it
was the bridegroom who had failed to
put in an appearance ; and his brother,
who brought the bride to the church,
unwilling, as he afterward said, " to go
home, after coming so far, without doing
some business, so as to make sure of the
young woman," hud, in all innocence,
wedded her himself, as proxy for his
brother.
How the lady and the brother ar
ranged matters, the reverend gentleman
forgets to tell us.
Another odd match is noticed by
Pepys, in one of his letters, a match
that, for a time served to give the folks
of Loudon something to talk about more
enlivening than the unwelcome war
news of the day. Two rich citizens had
died, one leaving his wealth to a Blue
coat boy, the other making a Blue coat
girl his heiress. What could be more
proper than that the lucky Blues should
unite their fortunes ? Neither of them
was out of their nonage, but this was
not allowed to interfere with the plan.
Accordingly, one September day in
1695, the boy, dressed in blue satin, led
by two girls, and the girl, arrayed in a
blue sarsenet gown, green apron and
yellow petticoat, led by two Blue coat
boys, marched from Christ's Hospital.
through Cheapside, to Guildhall, where
they found the Dean of St. Paul's wait
ing tor them in the chapel, llie .Lord
Mayor gave away the bride ; Bowbells
pealed their best : and everybody con
cerned adjourned to the school hall to
taka part in an entertainment there in
honor of the happy event.
Plain Features. Plainness of fea
tures is not at all incompatible with
beauty. There is a great difference be
tween a person's being plain and being
ugly. A person may be very plain, and
yet attractive and interesting in coun
tenance and manner, and surely no one
can coll such a person ugly. There are
no rules to be depended on for the set
tlement of beauty, and still less can
ugliness be defined otherwise than by
itself. If we were asked to say what
constitutes an ugly woman, we could
not reply
A cocoanut exploded on a fruit-stand
in Richmond, Va., a day or two ago.
Facts and Fniicles
A rural editor said: "Early garden
stuff is coming up finely, owing ( to a
warm sun and the hens next door."
It is rumored that the legitimists ond
Orlennists have combined in a move
ment for the overthrow of President
Thiers.
Captain Hall went more than two hun
dred miles further north with the Po
laris than any other Arctic explorer
ever sailed.
Chicago invites all the Western Gov
ernors to come to her jubilee in June,
promising them a week of music, excur
sions, and balls.
The Khan of Khiva is greatly alarmed
at the approach of the Russians, and
has ordered a levy en masse to resist
their approach.
In Newcastle, Del., seven men receiv
ed twenty lashes each for larceny, and
one was placed in the pillory for cutting
his wife's throat.
Aqueer Dclawarean, by his will divid
ed his property among his children,
and left his bones to his enemies "to
tnako whistles of."
A Tennessee man wrote his will on a
paper collar, nud it passed through pro
bate as well as any other will, though a
little unhandy about filing.
Tho Episcopal Convention for tho
election of a Bishop for the diocese of
Massachusetts elected Benjamin II.
Paddock, D. D., of Brooklyn, N. Y.
A violent storm in Vienna blew in
the glass in the western front of the ex
hibition building. A number of people
were injured and a large quantity of
goods was damaged.
It in now announced that the reason
why tho prairies are forestless is because
the Indians had pocket-knives, and tVey
killed tho trees by cutting tho names of
their girls on the bark.
Eastern papers report thnt tho wife of
Capt. Hall first learned of his death by
over-hearing a gentleman read the ac
count in the cars, while going from
Boston to Dover, N. II.
Complaints are made in Titusville,
Pemi., that thieves steal nitro-glycerine,
and what is worse, hide tho dnngerou.8
article in houses, and barns, and othi'r
unsuspected places, where it is liable
to go off nt nny time, and blow every
body sky-high in minute pieces.
Gen. John B. Gordon mado a littlo
speech at a reception given him in Sa
vannah, Ga., a lew days since, closing
with the sentiment: The hcroio dead
of both armies, who fought for principlo
nnd backed their convictions with their
lives. Let both bo duly honored.
Mr. Mordecai, one of the principals
t, duel at Richmond, lias
died of the wounds received in that ab
surd affair, nud McCarthy, other
principal, is to be held on ft charge ot
murder in the first degree, nnd ti e
seconds as accceesories before the fact.
Canadian papers continue to lament
the exodus of French Canadians, es
pecially young men, to the United States
fur permanent settlement. One paper
goes so far as to affirm that in one. day,
from the lower River du Loup to Levis,
1,200 persons had departed for tho
Uuited States, and that they were join
ed at the railway station by COO dithers
who camo by the first schooner, and
who took the same direction.
A Workman's City.
The last report of tho Artisans and
Laborers' Dwelling Company, of Lon
don, shows that the progress of tho or
ganization has been rapid and in somo
respects remarkable. Iu 1867 its share
capital was only 502, and the deposits
amounted to 818. .Last year uec ipi
tal had increased to no less than 52,078
and the deposits to 13, Ml), making a
total of 65,767. The number of shares
issued up to the end of last year was
7,237, held by 1,711 persons, embracing
members of till ranks of society, nnd ' ho
depositors nre 280 in number. The div
idend on last year's working was six per
cent, nnd a balance of 670 was carried
forward. Last year an estate oi loiry
acres, situated iu the Wandsworth Road,
was bought for the purpose of forming
" a workman's city, and the foundation
stone was laid in August last. The es
tate has since been called the " Shaftes
bury Park estate," and it is proposed to
erect upon it twelve hundred houses
suited respectively for clerks, artisans
and laborers, iu addition to a lecture
hall, co-operative store, school-rooms,
baths nnd wash-houses. A reservation
of three acres is alloted for recreation
and pleasure grounds.
A Plot of Land Sinking- 300 Feet.
A singular incident occurred in Sew
ard Valley, Schoharie county, N. Y.
On the top of a hill in the woods a piece
of land belonging to the late John Weit
ing, containing about 10,000 square
feet, sank to the depth of about 300 feet.
The report was heard a number of miles.
It is supposed that there must have been
a mammoth cive beneath, as it is in the
vicinity of Howe's Cave, and the arch
work giving away left the earth above
without any support, nnd in consequence
of this it caved in.
A SnoKT Story wrrn Moral. An
Ohio editor was rendered insane while
going home the other night to hear the
following words come from a dark
porch on a shady street: ' Oh! John, I
wonder if that mustache feels as good
on your lips as it did on mine ?" John's
answer he did not wait to hear. Moral
don't make love when a reporter is
around.
Dangerous. One of the dangers of
reading exciting novels appears to be
the emulation it excites in romantic
young girls to go and do likewise. A
girl, fifteen years of age, belonging to a
wealthy family near Memphis, lately
ran away to New Orleans, her only ob
ject being to conceal herself, surround
her life with mystery, and come out a
great authoress like " Ouida."
Don't ! Don't soold. Don't tell lies.
Don't go in debt. Don't eat late din
ners. Don't talk ill of your neighbors.
Don't take on a bigger load than you
can carry. Whenever any question
comes up and you are asked to decide
against your convictions Don't.