The star of the north. (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, January 21, 1857, Image 1
THE STAR OF THE NORTE I, w. Weaver, Preprleter.] VOLUME 9. THE STAR OF THE NORTH lareiLisuED EVERT WEDNESDAY MORNING BY . W. WEAVER, OFFICE— Upstairs, in thenew brick build ing, on Ike south side oj Main Street, third eyuare below Market. TERMS :—Two Dollars per annum, if paid within six months from the time of sub •cribng ; two dollars and fifty cents if not paid within the year. No subscription re ceived for e less period than six months; no discontinuance permitted until all arrearages ere paid, unless at the option of the editor. ADVERTISEMENTS not exceeding one square x Will be inserted three times for One Dollar, end twenty-five cents for eaoh additional in- teujpo. A liberal discount will be made to those who advertise by the year. STAR OF THE NORTH. Uloomsburir, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 1857. THE MYSTERIES OF BANKING. In erder that some of the honeet people of Columbia may see iu what manner th inka are managed, whose psper you handle every day, we propose to treat them to the state ment of the management of the Lancaster Bank, which waa supposed by most people to be a very sound institution. It is the re port of.lheXotnmittee appointed rcoently to inquire inlojthe causes of the Bank's failure: Report to tke Stockholder* ol the Lances tor Bank. The undersigned committee of Stockhold ers of said Bank appointed to investigate it* condition and make report— 1. Whether eatd Bank it solvent ot insol vent: 2. If found 'insolvent, to report the cause or causes of such insolvency, and the man ner in which it waa produced: 3. The time or timet when the losses were Incurred that have rendered it insolvent: 4. The name! of the Director* end officers under whose administration the insolvency of the Bank occurred— respectfully beg leave to submit to this meet ing, That having mada the investigation di-1 reeled by the resolution under which they ware appointed, and after a careful examina tion of the assets and liabilities of the Bank, have come lo the conclusion that the state ment submitted to tho Stockholders at a for mer meeting was a fair and impartial exhi bition of the Bank—thus leaving no doubt of its insolvency to an amount sufficient to ab sorb the entire capital alock and a rotlton of the deposits. The insolvency of the Bank can be readily traced to a combination of causes, each con tributing to waste its resources and encroach upon its assets. Instead of accommodating Ihe business community in the locality of the Bank, where the Directors had be means of knowing the responsibly of the drawers and endorsers or the paper offered for discount, it loaned an amount exceeding three-fourths of its capital to a few individuals (its President ,nd. Cashier among the number,) for the pur pose of building the Sunbury and Philadel phia Railroad—erecting extensive iron es tablishments, and developing the Sharaokin Coal fields—projects, which, every man of eveu ordinary discretion must have foreseen, would lock up the funds of Ihe Bank, thus loaned to those parlies, for a long space of time; and, if those speculations ehould prove disastrous, must inevitably lose to the Bank the money loaned for such purposes. In consequence of the entire capital of the Bank being locked up: either on the protest lilt, invested in fqgtory stock, and in loans to ita President, David Longenecker, and his co-operators in the Shamokin Coal specula tions, resort was had to various illegitimate methods of banking, in order to carry its cir flotation, but which in rapid succession only tended still more to cripple its condition.— Among the expedients resorted to by the Bank to carry its circulation, without the ba sis ot its capital, was the furnishing of its bills to wildcat Savings Institutions, private banking afffb'.ishments, and even private in dividuals, in large amounts, charging inter est at the rate of three per cent, per annum, with the understanding, on the part of this kclase of borrowers, that they should keep those billa afloat, so aa not to incommode lite Bank. By this means one single indi vidual has become indebted to the Bank in A very large amount, whioh indebtedness is put down among the doubtful and uad as sets. But independent of the insolvency of the parties to whom the bills of the bank were thus furnished in large amounts for circulation, this method of keeping up a cir culation was the cause of additional losses. These bills of the bank found their way to Philadelphia, the commercial mart of Penn laylvania, where it was required they should be redeemed in gold or silver; and in order to do this the notes and bills of exchange which had been discounted at the counters of the Bank, at legal rales, were sent lo Philadelphia, and there aold at a discount, rating from 1$ to 3 per cent, per month.— More than $90,000 of ihe insolvency of the Bank cau be (raced to the payment of extra interest to meet the demands of its circula tion. * Among other censes of lis insolvency may bo mentioned the transfer to Ihe Bank of <20,000 worth of the factory stock at par by David Longenecker, tho President, on the 29th of January, 1852. when in fact the stock was not sslhng at more than 914 to sl6 per share, the par value being SSO por share. Aleo, in th# exchange by the Bank of $13,- 600, Jama*' Loan, at par, being a loan secu red by first mortgage ou Coneetoga Steam Mill, No. 9, lor 226 shares Lancaster Bank Stock at S6O per share. This exchange was direoted by ihe Board of Directors in May, 1865, the stock to be transferred to the Bank M before the first of November, 1966; bet th* BLOOMSBURG, COLUMBIA COUNTY, PA., WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1857. 'ook WII not transferred until after the May dividend in 1856, Mr. Longenecker, how ever, took immediate possession of the se cutties for the Junes' Loan, after the Board agreed to the exchange, thus defrauding the Bank out of either the year's interest on the James' Loan or the two dividends on the 225 sharit of Lancaster Bank Stock. Another direct, palpable and gross fraud was committed upon the Bank in May, 1856, by whieh it lost $4,000 of good seenrities in the following manner: In February, 1856, a resolution passed the Board of Directors for the appointment of a Committee to investi gate its condition, and on the 3d of March, 1856, the following Committee was announ ced, viz: Hathorn Freeland, Benj. Eahleman, Augustus.;Boydj A. Herr Smith, and Benj. C. Bachman, Esqrs. This committee pro ceeded in the discbarge of their duties, and made considerable progress, before the divi dends were declared in May, 1856. On the Bth oi May, after the dividend was declared, Mr. Boyd, a member of that committee, moved the Boatd of Directors *.o allow Mr. Gleim to exchange with the Bank its stock at $55 per share for a bond of 84,000, which the Bank held against Mr. Gleim as princi pal, and five other responsible names as au nties, which was allowed by the Board to be done. Mr. Gleim not having at that time the the stock to transfer, Mr. Boyd procured for him a power-of-attorney from his brother, J. Taylor Boyd, and his brother-in-law, T. W. Henderson, for the transfer to the Bank of the slock held by them respectively, and also gave a power-of-attorney to transfer the Etock held by Mr. Boyd himself, thus palm ing upon the Bonk its stock.at $55 per share, when he and the members of the Board of Directors must have known the stock of the Bank to be worse than worthless. Among other causes, also, of the insol vency of ths Bank, was the payment of the notes of other parties without there being funds standing to their credit in the institu (ution to meet them. The most barefaced in criminal transactions of that kind may be summed up as follows: In March, 1855, Wm. L. Ilelfenstein had notes maturing in the Lancaster Savtngs Institution for over 950,000. These notes were endorsed by either the President or Cashier of the Lancaster Bank, in their individual capacity, and also by Jno. F. Long and Thomas Baumgardner, then also Directors of (he Bank. At the maturity ol these notes they were, presented to the Lancaster Bank for payment, and were di i rected by the although at the Bank lo hi* credit to meet them—ihus ap propriating the funds of the Bank to their own private.indebtedness to an amount ex ceeding 850,000. Another cause of the insolvency of the Bank, was taking away from it, by David Longenecker, ol 914,000 of first mortgage Sunbury Railroad bonds, which had been ta ken by the Bank as collateral and returning to it in lieu thereof an equal amount of the second mortgage bonds. So early as 1849, when Christian Bachman was its Cashier, several transactions look place which were the means of losing to the Bank, more than 950,000; one of which was the loaning to Mr. Shoenberger, $25,000 of the money of the Bank, without the approba tion of the Board of Directors; the other was the loaning to F- A. Vandyke, a broker in Philadelphia, $25,000 for which a specie cer tificate was taken, and which is still in Bank, having been counted ts specie from 1849 to this time, in the assets of the Bank. Among the losses to the Bank, may be enumerated subscriptions of Stock to Rail roads. On the27ih of December, 1852, the Board of Directors subscribed $5,000 in (be Stock of the Philadelphia and West Chester Railroad Company; and on the 13th day of September, 1852, the Board subscribed SSOOO in the Stock of the Sunbury Railroad Compa ny—investments of the funds of the Bank foreign to the objects of the Legislature in conferring banking privileges; and no Bank can exist in a healthy condition, with its funds locked up in securities, from which gold or silver cannot be realized to meet the demands of its circulation, and which ate so liable to depreciation. The whole management of thia Bank, from 18-18, to the day its door* closed, has been characterized by wicked criminality 6n the part of the President and former Cashier, and gross negligence on the part of the Directors, in whom was confided that trust of the Stock holders. It has been used as a famil) affair, without any regard to the rights of the Stock, holders and Depositors, as if its capital had been placed there for the especial benefit of those, who, by mtsplaoed publio confidence, succeeded in the control of its management. From the sworn statements of B. C. Bach man, its Cashier, annually furnished to the Auditor General, as required Jaw, the public were credulously led to believe the Institu tion was in a sound condition; but from an examination of the books, these sworn state ments are found to have been false, and were known to be so by the Cashier at the time he made them. As an example of the manner in which the Bank was used for the benefit of some of the Directors, the minutes of the board show that on March 13th, 1854, a private banker, then in the Board, was authorized to overdraw his account, >10,060, paying interest Mt the rate of three per cent, per annum. This money, was, of course, used in shaving paper, and was liable to be returned to tbe counters of the Bank the next day, and gold or silver de manded for it. It may be that some of the paper held by the Bank, whieh is now worthless, was dis counted by D. Longeneoker and B. C. Baoh man, the President and Cashier, without the knowledge of the Board of Direotors ; but the notes thus discounted were not drawn at one time, but ran through a course of years; and it was the duty of the Directors to have known what was dona behind the board—which tbey could easily have known by looking at the books. No investigotion of the oondition of the Bank was had from the year 1848 until the year 1856—evidencing a degree of care lessr.evs and negligence, "0 file part of the Dtriwui^/entirely inexcusable. The losses which rendered the Bank insol vent occurred gradually from 1849 up to the time the Bank oloeed its doors. The com mute had not time to place the several losses to each year when they occurred. W. W. BROWN, CHAIRMAR. Bribery in Congress. . In Ihe House of Representatives at Wash ington on Friday last a member from New York called attention to an article that had appeared in the New York Times, in which it was charged that attempts had been made to secore the passage of the Minnesota Land Bill through the agency of bribery. A reso lution was also submitted that a committee be appointed with authority to send for per sons and papers to investigate the charge.— Mr. Paine, a member from North Carolina, intimated that the allegation was true, and distinctly slated that he had been offered fifteen hundred dollars lo vote for the Min nesota Bill. Quite an animated debate took place, and the resolution authorizing the ap pointment of a committee was passed by acclamation. The investigation will conse quently take place. Some sad doings will no doubt be developed. We fear that the condition of affairs at Washington is capable of much salutary reformation—and the soon er it is commenced the better. How 1 Became a Gambler. Although IJbelong to the despiEed frater nity of Gamblers,'! have always made it a rule to advise young men to shun the gam bling table, that they mav avoid the rock upon which I split; and I will now offer, through your paper some suggestions to the heads of on the subject of social card-playing. I was at least some twenty years of age, and had lived sume months in New York, before I ever knew the names of (he ordi nary playing cards—but the importance of a thorough education in the science of games was soon made apparent to me, and a quar ter whence I least expected it. Boarding in Broadway, 1 gradually formed an acquaint, ance with a number of highly respectable families. By one of these I was invited to attend a social party. The heads of this family I knew to be members of an evangelical church, nnd you may judge of my surprise, when I made my entry into the parlor to be hold most of the company, together with my pious friends,J deeply engaged a' play—not the plays of innocence, but of depraved gum biers! The father of, ihe"family was enga ged at chess, whilst the wife presided at a card-table; their children were among the whist players, and others of Ihe company were engaged at backgammon, dominoes, and chekers! The wine circulated freely and all seemed happy but myself, who in euch a parly was a barbarian. I could do nothing but look on and confess my ignorance, or occasion ally engage iu conversation with some old lady, whilst "The yonng and gay Were are all engaged in play." It is needless to say that I spent a very un happy evening—and that 1 resolved at once to acquire an education so necessary to the maintenance of a respectable standing in so ciety ! I was not long therefore; in master ing the mysteries of High, Low, Jack and the Game, and Whist; and a slight knowl edge of these led me to desire for further information; until at last I was an adept at a vatiety of games, able to leacb others, and I waa a favorite partner wherever I went. I became exceedingly fond of cards, and as they were introduced in every social circle where I waa admitted, my fondness gradu ally ripened into a passion, which clings to me even to this hour. bt'or illustration of the datVCIS Of card-playing can be given, than my own his tory. In (he parlors of respectable families I acquired a taste for play, which finally be came an all-sorbing passion, knowing no bounds, and rapidly hurrying me down the road to ruin, where aIJ is misery, desolation and death 1 But my case is not • solitary one—thousands of gamblers have been made iu the same way—and tens of thousands have fallen before this terrible vice, in oon sequence of a teste for play being formed in the family circle.— National Guard. AMERICAN PEERESSES.—The death of Lady Stafford, in England, one t f the three grand daughters of Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, who married an English nobleman, has again given ris to a remark on the tfiigdlar circumstance of three sisters marrying no blemen of the highest rank; but the coinci dence is still greater in this case, as neither of the sisters had offspring, so that no Amer ican blood was ir.fuaed into the peerage by them. Their niece, Miss MoTavisb of Bal timore, married a brother of Lord Carlisle, but parted from her husband after living with him but a short time. There have been but two other American women who have married English noblemen, Miss Bingham, wife of the first Lord Ashbnrton, and Misa Cadwslader, the wife of the first Lord Ete kine; both of these Isdiee were natives of Philadelphia. Troth and Right God and our Country. AN ELEMENT OF REVOLUTION. 1 The Working Classes or Parts. It is stated that on the recent arrival of Louis Napoleon at Paris, the greatest possible care was taken to prevent his being assassi nated. The military and the police were stationed along the entire route, and the Em peror manifested no little satisfaction when he had passed through the firey ordeal, and found himself still alive. Such at least is the statement given by some of the Paris correspondents of the London press. The nephew of his uncle is by means as popu lar as he was a year or two ago. The work ing classes are sadly dissatisfied, and with reason. 'Their condition it said to ba truly deplorable. On the 9th of last month was quarter day, for all rent* in Prfris under one hundred dollars a year. The eceoe present ed, was one of wide-spread anxiety and dis tress. It appears that in consequence of the many diminutions of old buildings, and Ihe improved character of thenew, the poorer classes, who had up to the that time, con trived to live in two rooms, namely, a cham ber and a kitchen, could not fir.d shelter, ex cept at rates equal to, or more than their an nual earnings. Thus was lo be seen a long line ol hand carts, loaded with the scam furniture of these humble households, bound either to the remotest quarters of the oily, or outside the walls. The Government, antici pating the evil, had built fifteen field known as the dos de St. Inzare. But the applica tions were so numerous, that this supply amounted merely to a drop in the bucket.— Murmurs and menaces, therefore, were heard on all sides; and if a bold leader had appeared, an attempt at revolution would have been inevitable. A Paris correspon dent, describing this condition of affairs, says:— "The hard handed workman who quits his garret where he has lived and 'loved' this many a year, curses Louis Napoleon, as he trundles his bed, looking glass and clock to the remote faubourg; the wife, as she di minishes the meat in the pot aufe u, to make up for ihe high price of bread, curses Louis Napoleon. Government is (he root of all evil. So great has the popular discontent become, that it has become evident, what was predicted from the beginning, that the famous Caisse de Boulangarie cannot keep up the price of bread beyond market rales until it has received the advances it made [ during the last two years to keep down the prices of bread. The sailors have a phrase: ! 'lt is hard working for a dead horse,' to ex press the irksuiuetiess of toiling for enjoyed benefits, whose sweetness is forgotten. It is too hard for Frenchmen to practice; they know no tense of lime but that of lime present. Judge what an addition to the debt, for it was only last week (He Caisse begun lo recover its advances! The budget of 1854 presented a deficit of 73,000,000, that of 1855 shows 60,000,000. "It is difficult to realize the obstacles which lie in the way of the poor here in this question of house rent. Few and far between ate the houses wnere a family with children are allowed to rent rooms. Two, three and even four hundred francs are now paid for garrets, which four years ago were abundant at one hundred, and one hundred and fifty francs. The workman, ortheseam who are retained by their toil until late hours, can find no rooms unless the anrlv porter be well feed, for he hates his equals with that ferocity of hatred negro bears to negro.— (Tell a negro he is to have a negro overseer!) The solitary seamstress, dependent on her needle for her support, is deemed too pre rarious a tenant. I have never, since 1848, seen such wretchedness as I saw yesterday in the streets. What rags concealed men and women! What miserable furniture was borne along to the new garret! "Paris once more looked revolutionary in the popular quarters, and innumerable were the arrests made. Among them was M. Dore, jr., well known professor of chemistry. Everybody was talking of the emeutcexpect ed on that day. A large review of all the Imperial Guard was passed by the Emperor, it is probable with a view of intimating the people, and of affording His Majesty a pre text for being in Paris; and I expect the other troops were consignee, for tho people kopt Ottl of tha Champ* .to Mavo ky the seagens dt villi, (a thing I never saw be fore, the troops usually being employed for this office,) who were thus skillfully with drawn from the streets, where the murder of one of them would have been the signal for disorders." Another eetious drawback is the existence of so many secret societies. Some of these are of the most formidable character. On a recent occasion, no less than sixty persons were arrested, near the canton of Tbousrs.— The sign of recognition was by touching each other's hand three limes, pressing the lower point of the middle finger, and pro nouncing the word "lion," with the lips half closed. When the arrests were made, the wives of the prisoners ran crying through the villages, and a number ol peasants, armed with pitchforks, threatened destruc tion if the gendarmes did not instantly let them go. It ie said that the gendarmes were forced to yisld them up, and with some dif ficulty kept themselves from being disarmed. The agitation increased, and a large band gathered together tumuituously at Briou.— The perfect pnt himself in movement with the gendarmes of Bressidres, Chiehe, and Geais, and was aocompamed by the pro curer general. On arriving at Brion, the re volters at first showed signs of resistance, but in a short lime were dispersed and they took refuge in the field and woods. The prisoners were subsequently tried, and sentenced to various penalties. These demonstrations, in conneoiion with ihe troub led oondiiion of monetary affairs, naturally created the greatest uneasiness, and thus pri vate letters stale that the revolutionists, and the opponents of Napoleon generally, were on the rip-toe of expectation, and ready to rally together and strike, the moment that the tocsin should be sounded. HARKING BAGGAGE. "Mace Sloper," a correspondent of the Knickeibocker Magazine, tell* the following good story:—l remember a another queer dialogue which came in my experience at s hotel iii Boston. 1 wao going to bed rather late, when all si once I heard one of the sweetest voices in th* world, with s sort of an English ring in it, say in the next room : "Clara, dear r' "Well, dear!" answered another, just in the same English chime. "Is it tile lobster you want T" "Yes, love, answered Clara. "And I want the ham too ; and you may open the oys ters, and the sardine box. "Well, thought I, if those angels sint go ing in for pretty substantial supper, I am mistaken. But I had more before me to as tonish me. "While you are about it, Clara dear, you may as well open the Yarmontb bloater.— I'm going to take all there is in it. And the cheese. O don't forget the cheese!" All at once Clara as nigh as I could judge I from the 6ound, was poking shout very iu- I dustriousfy, cried out with joy : O, I've found Ihe Sirasburg pie—the dear little putty foi graw. 0, I must go to the bottom of the Strasbnrg pie ! That'll do, thought I, as I looked back. I've heard of the English appetites, but don't want to hear any more. I've heard John say that Byron didn't like to see a woman eat, and T don't blame him if they eat like this. Whew. There was a ra'tling sort of noise going on for a while, and then Clara cried: "I declare, there.is my white satin dress in the lobster!" "And heie is my diamong ring in the cheese. O how odd! Why, I expected to find it in the pie as much as could be." A dim suspicion began to come into my head that the evening meal of the young la dies wasn't limited to eatables, and that one of the effects of their refreshments was to make things lie around iu a very promiecu- I ous manner. But what was my utter amaze ment when the soft, silvery voice of Clara I again cried: | 'O dear, I'm so hungry ! Lucy, we've cot nothing here of any consequence;—let's ring and make them send us something to eat!" You'll do, thought I, I wonder if you're rich. There'll be a famine in Boston if you stay long—that's so! Ham, lobsters, her ring, pies! Jet-— WAIXIKSNS!" Here I fell asleep, and the next day found me bright and early at the Fitchburg depot, and rattling off to the ancient shapes of Chip pely Whonk, where the bones of the revolu tionary soldiers lie buried. And it came to pass that efler a while I forgot all about Clara and Lucy, especially as it was a story I didn't care to tell. About a year after, I was at the celebrated "Bed-Bug and Bible" Temperance Hotel, in a well known.cily on the North river. While staying there, I got acquainted with two as nice English girls as I ever knew, travelling with "pa," a plump old fellow who had been in the fancy victualling business in London. The girls were the names, too of Clara and Lucy,but somehow I never thought of the couple in Boston. Leastways, this pair didn't eat much to speak of, and noboby who ever saw their clear, cream and rose leaf faces and beautiful eyes, which sparkled spry with common sense, or else swam about it in wonder at the scenery as we went down the river, would have accused ihem of eating too much, let alone drink ing. 1 offered, being as I was a single man, to attend to their baggage. They went forward with me to point it out. As we got near the city there was considerable of a time and flurry, and the girls were rather in a flurry too. I "Well, Miss Lucy," said I, "only point I me out your traps, and I'll send them up to the hotel, and fix you oil all square as a box. Which is it!" "O, Mr. Slope', pa, has got such a queer way of marking his baggage. He was ter ribly afraid of losing it, and so he put on marks he was sure there could be no mis take about. There—those trunks with such queer little pictures in white paint, under the handles are ours." There was an awful hurry and flurry go ing on arounJ; porters, firemen, passengers, and everything, ruehing and crushing about like mad ; but as Lucy spoke, and as I look ed at her baggage, something came into my mind—a light broke over roe like a sky rocket into midnight, and I burst into the loudest laugh that ever stirred me up since I was born—cone of your little town gar Jen grins, but a regular hundred thousand acre guffaw—a laugh by the square mile—a whole western prairie laugh. The old gen tleman wanting to distinguish his baggage, had pencilled little store marks under the handles—such marks as you can tee at the groceriers on boxes of imported preserves and polled meats. On one trunk was a lob ster, on another a herring, on one a cheese, on another a pie. Yet, it was in that iden tical "lobster," that Clara kept her white satin dress, and iu that very "cheete" that Lucy had discovered her diamond ring. MORAL. —AII is not gold that glitters, and all lobsters and pies were not made to be eaten. Neither \r it elweye possible to judge of e young lady without seeing her, though old folks tell us th at wivee ehonld be ckoeen by the ear* end not by the eyet. THE FAT GIRL** JUMi'J OK, HOW TO IJO UP SO9IN AIHBULINBI. I was just twelve years of age, and the most unequalled rogue fot mischief that "old Ken tucky'' could produce. It was at this time that 1 was sent to a country boarding school, some thirty miles from my birth place, Lou isville—and an agreeable school it was, for it had but two departments, and they simply consisted of male and female. Our tutor and tutoress were the kindest souls iu Christen dom, and never indicated a heavier punish ment than that of sending the guilty one to bed supperiess, or depriving him or her the privilege of recess. Then there could be no wonder in our imposing upon such good na ture—but for my adventure. There was only a door (that of course lock ed) that separated the dormitory of the boys and girls; but the kind builder had not omit ted to place a ventilator over the door, and, as luok would have it, lite good mistress had covered it with a small baize green curtain upon our side. After enjoying a fine dance upon the green, and, that too, under the pret liest moonlight that ever shone, we were as sembled in the chapel at prayer, and then sent to our separate dormitories—the girls, some fifteen in number, taking one flight of stairs, while we, eighteen or twenty of the greatest scamps alive, took the opposite flight —our master and mistress relurniug.to their own rooms. A few moments found all in bed, and, strange to say, perfectly quiet. We had lain so but a short time, when wo heard a sudden creak, like a bedstead put in violent agitation, and Ibis was followed by a suppres sed but general litter. " By golly, boys, there's fun among tho gals," I exclaimed, "and beta's one's going lo have a peep at 'em." In a moment every bed showed a sitting figure. 1 bounded out, and ran softly to the keyhole—but the fallen angels had stuffed it with a rag, and that was no go. "Nevermind, boys; easy now, and I'll give you all a sight." I softiy drew a table and placed it against the door, and with the greatest difficulty stood a chair upon it—for the table being small, the chair made almost ton great a stride for it. However I mounted, and rising one cor nerof the curtain, the whole scene was visible to me. I The girls had placed two beds some BIX or eight feet apart, and laid a feather bed on the floor between them, and they were then ex ercising themselves by jumping from one bed to another. There was one little girl, about as broad as she was long, and in no way cal culated for physical exertion, who had got upon the bed, and stood swinging her arms lo and fro, making every indication for a desperate jump. By this lime, I was out on the floor, and my place at the curtain sup plied by another sprig of mischief. He lean ed down and whispered—the falgirf is going to jump. ! "Oh golly," said he, "if Fan only falls, won't 6he roll over nice!" I was determined to see this; and climbed np again, we both occupying tho "tottering pile." With on# hand over our mouths, and pinching our noses to prevent aburst of laugh ter, we stood, breathless, awaiting the awful calamity. "There she goes, by Jingo!" I exclaimed. She didn't do it, though—for her feet just rested on the round of the bed, she balanced, but for a moment, and fell backwards, head down and feet in the air, rolling and puffing like a porpoise, but displaying no meauagil-j ity for so embarrassing a situation. We could hold no longer, but shook with laughter. The chair tilted, and down ail came together, with a crash lute a young peal of thunder. "To bed—to bed, boys," said J, and leave the rest to me." In an instant all was quiet; everybody in bed and sound asleep, with the exceptions of myself. Oli! such attempts to snore as might have been heard—but we were all used to playing the possum, and now I concluded to give the approaching tutor and wife a sample of somnambulism. "Now don't laugh for Ihe world, boys, and see me do the thing." I raised Ihe table on its legs, and gelling on it, was concluding my speech that I had written and committed to memory for the day —and here the trainer of young idex entered, but still 1 continued—' "Friends and fellow students—overwhelm- | ed, as I am, with gratitude for your kind at- I tention, I cannot refrain from expressing • thanks, yes, warm and heartfelt thanks; and I to you, dear sir, (this of course, meant the tutor, and et this point my vacant staring i eyes were upon him,) will my heart ever yearn. I lock upon this moment of my life with a pride that swells my young bosom al most to bursting; and when manhood shall close my youthful career, and my country shall call me to her halls ol legislation, there will I exercise everv truth and virtue instilled into my heart by your kind and fatherly tu toring. These boyish tears of joy will yet swell to a gushing stream of ambitious glory ; —and then will 1 look back to these days, and with you uppermost in ray thoughts, ex claim, 'Twas you, yes, you sir—that made me what I am 1" "Bravo! bravo! my boy," they both ex claimed. I got off the table now, seeing I bad the game in my own bands, and walking slowly up to the window, gave mytelf up to deep sobbings, and really appear' much affect ed. The tutor approached me t id called me ] softly by name, but I answered him not; and ] laming slowly from him, I walked to the other eide of the room, avoiding the ray# of [Two Dollars per Aniuu NUMBER 1. the lamp which lbs mistress wu directing upon me. "Ho is asleep, my dear," exclaimed ibe tutor, "and it must have been the dragging of the table over the floor that made such • rumbling noise. Give roe the lamp, and go bring me a basin of water—l will effect a lasting cure upon our young somnambulist." I heard many suppressed titters, and could see sundry corners of sheets going into sun dry inouths. This nearly destroyed my equi* libriurr; but I mastered myself, and again wect to the window, though the mention of the basin of water caused a momentary shud der to shoot through tny whole fiame. The good dame returned with what 1 mag nified into an uncommonly large vessel of water; but it was no delusion—for iu her haste she brought up the fllterer, and I knew certainly it was a cold duelring I was to have. Could 1 escape it ? I would try. 1 walked first to one bed, then to another—the tutor following with tho filterer, his wife playing torchbearer, while the heavy breathing of the possuming sleepers added to the solem nity of the scene. I still walked on, turning away every time he proposed to douse me. They had completely cut off my retreat to my own bed,and I saw st once I should have to take it. I walked boldlv out, and placing mysolf before him, he upset the conteots of tie jug upon mo. I gasped,caught my breath, tottered, and played the frightened boy so well, that the deception was complete. I heard a merry lough in the next room—my schoolmates on their beds wete rubbing their eyes and inquiring the matter. TUB U A It mill's GHOST. The following story is old, but a preoious good one. We laughed heariily over it ''lortg lime ago," and persuming many of our read ers never heard it, we give it up for their ed ification.' A gentleman traveling some years since in the upper part of this Slate, called at a taveru and requested entertainment for the night The landlord informed him that it was out of his power to accommodate him, as his house was already full. He persisted in stopping, as he, and his horse, were almost exhausted with traveling. After much solicitation the landlord con sented to his stopping, provided he would sleep in a certaio room that had not been oc cupied for a long time, in consequence of a | belief that it had been haunted by the ghost I of a barber, who was reported to have beeu murdered in that room some years before. "Very well" says the man, "I'm not afraid of ghosts." j After having refreshed himself,he enquired I of the landlord how and in what tnannnerthe room in which lie was to lodge was haunted, j The landlord replied that shortly afier they had retired to rest, an unknown voice wat heard in a trembling and protracted accent, saying, "Do you waul to be s-h-a-v-e-d?" "Well," replied tho man, "If he comes hs may shavo me." He then requested to bo shown to the apart ment; in going to which he was conducted through a large room, where were seated a great number of persons at a gaming table. Feeling a curiosity which almost every one possesses after having heard ghoßt stories, he carefully searched every corner of his room but could discover nolhing but the usual fur niture of the apartment. He laid down but did not close his eyes to sleep immediately, and in a few moments he imagined he beard j a voice saying "Do you w a n-t to be shaoedf" He arose from his bed, but could discover nothidg. He again went to bed, but no soon er had he began to compose nimself to sleep, than the question was again repeated. He again arose and went to the window, the sound appeared to proceed from that quarter, and stood awhile silent—aftera few moments of anxious suspense, he again heard thesound distinctly, and convinced that it was from ; without, he opened the window when it fell I full into his ear, which startled him not • little. Upon a minute examination,however, he observed that the limb of a large oak tree which stood under the window, projected so near the house, that every breath of wind, to a lively imagination, made a noise resemb ling the interrogation, '.'Do you w-a-u-t to bo sh-a-ved ?" Having satisfied himself that the ghost was nothing more or less ihao the limb of a tree coming in contact with the house, again went to bed and attempted to sleep; but he was now interrupted by peals cf laughter and an occasional volley of oaths and curses from the room where the gamblers were assem bled. Thinking that he could turn the late discovery to his own advantage, he took a sheet from his bed, and wrapped it around him, and taking the wash-basin in bia hand, and throwing the towel over his arm, pro ceeded to the room of the gamblers, and aud denly opening the door, stalked in, exclaim ing in a tremulous voice, "Coyou w-a-n-t to be s'.i-a-ved!" Terrified at the sudden ap pearance ol the ghost, the gamblers were thrown into the utmost confusion, in attempt ing to escape it, some jumped through the windows, and others tumbled head overheela down stain. Our ghost taking advantage of a clear room deliberately awept a large amount of money from the table imo the ba sin, and retired unseen to hia own room. The next morning be fonnd the boose io the utmost confusioo. He was immediately asked if he rested well, to which be replied in the atilrmative. "Well, no wonder," said liie landlord,* "for the ghost instead of going to bia own room, made a mistake, sad cans* to oars, frightened us all out of the room, and took every dollar of our money." Tne guest without being the least ins pected, quietly ale bia break fat*, and do parted many hundred dollars rtcfaiai by the adventure.