7"
If
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n-i
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W. U. JACOBY, Proprietor.
Truth and Right God and oar Country
Two Dollars per Annan.
VOLUME 12.
BLOOMSBURG, COLUMBIA COUNTY, PA., WEDNESDAY AUGUST 15, I860.
NUMBER 32,
WJL 0 1 Jiiio
v
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STAR OF THE NORTH
PUBLISHED 1TZRT WKONESPAT BT
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CHiee on Main St., 3rd Square below Market,
TERMS : Two Dollars per annum if paid
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within the year. No subscription taken for
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TODER WHAT'S THE REASON ?
IT J- S. BBHFHART.
There's a little lovely valley,
A romantic "Sprucy Dell'
Where my spirit olten wanders
What's the cause I cannot tell !
There I long to sit and listen,
To the cheerful morning lay.
Of a joyons little feathered tribe,
"A singing all the day.
There are gentle summer sunbeams,
Where the fragment flowers grow,
And they set my heart a throbbing
Wuat's the cause 1 do noi know 1
Over yonder in the valley
Down along the "Sprucy Dell,''.
Lives a lair and gentle Maiden
Wonder whether she could tell!
Wonder whether she is thinking, .
Of these singing liule birds
Whether sweeter strains of music,
Could not dell lit little words.
Yes, I wonder whether Cupid, -With
his funny little dart,
tiver writes his sweetest music,
Oa the tablet of her heart.
Shouldn't wonder when I know it
1 hare seen her bosom heave '
And a lovely smile upon her face,
That taught me to believe.
But I wonder what's the reason,
Why 1 love ihe ' Sprucy Dell," '
Why 1 love the "mousy valley"
Could the gentle Maiden tell 1
) am happy when a thinking
Tis a wonder why 1 should,
But I couldn't tell ihe reasou,
No, I wouldn't if I could.
JOSEPH LANE,
OF OREGON.
A RAPID SUMMARY OF HIS LIFE.
- Joseph Lake, the second eon of John Lane
and Elizabeth Street, was born in North
Carolina, on the 14th of December, 1301
la 1804 the lather emigrated to Kentucky,
and fettled in Henderson county. He had
ths benefit of having sprang from Revolu
tionary stock, and, if he learned liule else,
imbibed many stirring lessons ol patriotism
and its glorious results from the elders who
surrounded the hearthstone of his boyhood.
At an early age he shitted lor himself, and
entered the employ of Nathaniel Hart,
Clerk of the County Court. In 1816 he went
into Warwick county, Indiar.a, became a
clerk in a mercantile house, married, in
1820, a young girl of French and Irish ex
traction, and settled on the banks of the
Ohio, ia Vanderburg county.
Yonng Lane soon became the man of the
people among whom he had cast his lot
In 1822, then barely eligible, he was elect
ed to the Indiana legislature, and took his
seat, to the astonishment of many older
worthies. Hon. Oliver H. Smith, a new
member likewise, and siuce a United States
Senator from 1837 to 1843, describes, in a
work recently pnblished, the appearance
of Lane on the occasion. "The roll-calling
progressed as 1 stood by the side of the
clerk. 'The county of Vanderburg and
Warwick !' said the clerk. I saw advancing
a slender, freckled -laced boy.in appearance
eighteen or twenty years of age. ' I marked
his step as he came up to my side, and
have often noticed his air since : it was
General Joseph Lane, of Mexican and Or
egon fame in after years."
Oo the Ohio, Lane became extremely
popular as a good neighbor and a man of
enlarged hospitality. Near his dwelling,
the river has a bar, which never fails at low
water to deain a small fleet ot boats. Lane's
farm-house had ever its doors open ; an in
vitation was extended to all to come and
help themselves, the host never consenting
10 receive remuneration, though hundreds
have partaken of his store. Any boatman
on the river, says a reliable informant, ieit
himself at liberty to take any of his beats
or temporary use without asking. Such
was Joseph Lane on hi homestead. Ac
quaintance with rirer life made him a good
pilot of the Ohio aud Mississippi rivers,
which gained him an additional meed of
. respect from the "river men.'
As farmer, prod uce-ceaier, and legislator,
, many years rolled over his bead, every year
adding to his popularity as a man, both in
his private and public capacity. . : He was
-frequently re-elected - by the people, and
-corilinoed to serve them at short intervals,
in either branch ot the legislature, for a
.period of twenty-four years.
Mr. Lane was a fearless legislator, always
' acting from a conscientious belief in truth
of his views, and following them op with
spirit and cndeviating vigilance.' Those
who Ere best acq Tainted -with this portion
of his career, delight to dwell upon uie zeal
' ail J" tenacity with' whlch'he: upheld the
trusts confided to hid, and denounced the
.nrosgi which threatened to thwart his des
igns or good. : lie is, however, a man of
deeds raihcr than 'words though ' he does
not lack the power to express his flews
Never in - favor ol expediency, he was
always for what seemed right to him.
When it was thought that Indiana, overbur
dened with debt, would be compelled to
repudiate, Ihe prospect of the disgrace
which would thereby result to the State
aroused all his indignant energies. He
would not hear of such a thing. He felt it
would be a disgrace to him, as a Torking
man, with the will and the strength to labor,
to repudiate a debt. What was it, thee, to
a State of which he was a representative ?
He toiled untiringly to avert it, and had the
satisfaction of seeing his efforts successful.
In politics, General Lane has always been
of the Jefferson and Jackson school. Pos
sessing a strong intellect, and a memory
retentive of facts, and quick to use them,
be has become thoroughly acquainted with
the history and politics of the country. Mr.
Yules observes, "He his written with bis
plough and sword, and spoken by his deeds;
and though unused to the ornaments of
rhetoric and literature, he is, nevertheless,
powerful kin debate, and especially well
qualified in political and Presidential con
flicts on the stump to overwhelm ihe oppo
nents of Democracy." He supported Jack
son in 1824, '28, and '32, gave his voice and
energies for Van Buren in 1836 aud '40, "as
long as the latter followed 'in the footsteps
of his illustrious predecessor,' " and went
for Polk in 1844. His activity and earnest
ness were contagious, aud could not but in
fuse into those about him, and into the
public men of the State generally, the spirit
which had led him to so honorable a prom
inence. In the spring of 1846, the war commen
ced between the United States and Mexico,
and a call was made upon Indiana for vol
unteers Lane, then a member of the State
Senate, immediately resigned, and entered
Captain Walker's company a3 a private.
He cho.e Walker as bis commander, having
a high opinion of his bravery -an opinion
which that gallant officers conduct and
death at Bnena Vista completely justified.
When the regiment met at the rendezvous
New Albany Joseph Lane was taken
from the ranks by the unanimous voice ot
the men, and placed at the head as Colonel;
and in a very lew days afterward he re
ceived unsought and unexpected by him
a commission from President Polk as brigadier-general.
On the 9th of July he wrote
a letter of acceptance, and entered on the
command of the three regiments forming
h;t brigade. Two weeks alter (24th of July)
he was at the Brazos, with all his men, and
concluded the report announcing his arrival
to General Taylor in these words: "The
brigade I have the honor to command is
generally in good health and fine spirits,
anxious to engage in active service." On
the 20th of August, he wrote to Major Gen
eral Butler, claiming active service. His
brigade did not relish being left in the renr
to garrison towns or to guard provisions
and military stores, while the regular army,
and the volunteers ordered on to Camargo,
would have the honor ot having been ac
tivly engaged.
Lane had ac idea that the Indiana men
were raised to do some fighting, and be
was impatient of delay. The second day
after his letter to Butler, he wrote again to
General Taylor, complaining of the advance
of troops out of their order of precedence.
Without being disrespectful, he demanded
for his command a share in the dangers
and honors of the active service. Despite
his anxiety to go on, he had to remain sev
eral months,in a most irksome mood, on the
swampy banks of the Rio Grande, where
his troops, suffering under the sweltering
sun, were decimated by the pestilential
diseases of the climate.
At length he was ordered to Saltillo, and
made civil and military commandant ol that
post by Major-General Butler. After the
battle of Monterej, Lane was ordered to
join General Taylor.
The famous bat'le of Baena Vita was
fought on the 22d and 23d of February,
1847. General Lane was third in command,
and served on the left wing. From the
beginning to the end he was in the hottest
of the fight. On the morning of the 23d;
Land had the honor of opening the contin
uation of the battle, on the plain, where he
was attacked by a force of from four to five
thousand, infantry, artillery, and lancers,
under Gen. Am podia. At this crisis, Lane's
force was reduced to four hundred men ;
and with this phalanx he received the Mex
ican onset.
As Lane commenced the fight on the
23d, so was he in "at the death " The Id
itiois and Kentucky regiments, suffering
sorely, were tailing back under a terrible
charge by the collected ibfanlry of Santa
Anna, when Lane, though wounded, came
up with the Indiana men, and with the
Mississippi men, under Colonel Jefferson
Davis, opened a destructive fire upon the
Mexicans, checked their advance, and en
abled the retreating regiments to form aud
return to lhe contest. -Failing to pierce the
American ceutre, Santa Anna retired Irom
the field. ' V"' . "
In this battle, where all were heroes, it is
the more honorable to find Lace, with four
or five others, particularly noticed. Here
is a picture of him r "When the grape and
musket-shot flew as thick as hail over and
through the .lines of our volunteers,: who
began to waver before the fiery storm, their
brave general coulJ be seen fifty yards in
advance of the line, waving his sword with
an arm already shattered by a musket-ball,
streaming with blood, ' and mounted on a
nob!e charger, which was gradually sinking
under the loss of blood from five distinct
Major-General Wool, writing to Lane, the event. A band serenaded the 1'resi
May 23d, regrets that he is about to lose dent, Vice President, Mr. Stephens, of
his valuable services, and testifies to his . Georgia, General Lane and others. In re
readiness to do honor to his command, h'u spouse to a call, Governor Stevens intro-
country, and himself. Again, July 7th, ,
Wool writes, "I have seen you in all sit-,
uations-at the head of your brigade, in j
mo uriu, aiiu m uie grcui uauio ui wio
and 23d of February ; and, in the course of
my experience, I have seen few, very few,
who behaved with more zeal, ability, and
gallantry, in the hour of danger." And
General Taylor, in his report, says, "Briga
dier General Lane (slightly wounded), was
active and zealous throughout the day, and
displayed great coolness and gallantry be
fore the enemy."
Remaining encamped near the battle-field
until June, he was ordered, with his brigade,
to New Orleans, where ihe latter was dis
banded, its term of service having expired.
On his return home, public festivals at New
Albany and Evansville greeted him, while
his appearance everywhere commanded
and elicited the most enthusiastic admira
tion. An order to join Taylor's line, how
ever, allowed him but a short season ol re
pose in the bosom of his family.
Having been transferred to General Scott's
line of operations, he reached Vera Croz,
with his command, on the 16th of Septem
ber, 1847. On the 20th, he set out for the
city of Mexico, at the head of two thousand
five hundred men. At Jalapa this force was
increased by Major Lally's column of one
thousand men, and at Perote by a company
of mounted riflemen, two of volunteer in
fautry, and two pieces of artillery.
Leaving his train at San Antonio Ta a ma
ris with a suitable defence, Lane marched
against Huaraantla with over two thousand
men. On the morning ot the 9th of Octo
ber, the people were startled by the ap
proach of the soldiers. White flags were
immediately displayed ; but no sooner had
the advanced guard, under Captain Waller,
entered the town, than volley after volley
assailed it. A deadly combat ensued
Walker gallantly charged on a body of five
hundred lancers and two pieces of artillery
on the plaza. General Lane, advancing at
the head of his column, encountered the
heavy reinforcement of Santa Anna, who
had arrived with his full force. Soon the
roar of battle resounded from street to street.
For a short time the Mexicans confronted
their assailants wi'h the energy of despair;
but the terrible decision of the Americans
prevailed, and tt.eir flag soon waved over
the treacherous town. A large quantity of
ammunition was captured, and some pris
oners one of whom was Major Iturbide,
ton of the former emperor of Mexico. This
was the last field on which Santa Anna ap
peared in arms against the United States.
For this victory Lane was brevetted major
general. Having rejoined his train, General Lane
arrived at Puebla on the 12th of October.
Lane's campaign, from the departure
! from Vera Cruz up to this point, was a
series of brilliant movements and victories
A surgeon attached to his command wrote
home, about this period, that no write
on y the soldiers could tell with what in-
1 . . . . , . ..
tronmlv ami hravrv Lin trit npl an hia
J . j -
handful of men. "1 never' he adds "be
fore could understand how cowards were
. . . ,
transformed into brave men as by miracle."
ru u . i (t u u i t.
A hn hafMA nt 1 phna Ian an was lh tail
, ,
i i
ed; but Gen. Lane-who, not inappropri-
91a v cava iPtilrina wna uti-lnH hv Vim hmth-
, j
er officers and soldiers "the Marion of the
army" remained some months directing !
the movements consequent upon the return
ot our troops. On evacuating the conquer-
ered land, Lane remarked to a friend. "I
left m v nlour?h to lake lhe sword with a
'r
of Oregon. On the 28th his commission
reached him, and on the next day he set
out for his post.
On the 2d of March, 1849, about six
months after his departure from home, he
arrived safely in Oregon City. This jour
ney cos-t the Governmeat nothing General
Lane not making any charge for his expen
ses, besides which, he aided largely ia sub
sisting the troops the greater part of the
time with the product of his riflle, as he
was both the pilot and the hunter of the
party.
The Indians of Oregon of whom there
were between 50 aud 60 tribes kept the
whites in a constant state ot jeopardy. The
progress and settlement of the territory
were greatly impeded by their depredations.
In 185, a formidable outbreak took place
on Rogue River, in the southern part of
Oregon. Governor Lane took the field in
person, collected a force of settler., miners,
a few officers and men of the regular army,
attacked the Indians at Table Rock, and,
after a desperate conflict, in which he was
severely wounded, drove them from their
position Following this success tip with
his acctoraed vigor, he so severely chas
tised them that they, j were glad . to accept
any terras of peace-
As Delegate from Oregon, General Lane
was unremitting in his" advocacy of the in
terests of the Territory, and uniiriug in his
efforts for her admission into the Union.
. i The evening of the day Oregon was ad
mitted la the sisterhood of States, the feder-
thrill of pleasure ; for my country called ! A UIUUHin;L -w.m- mere is a cnar- seen in neari) every ari ot itie world, aud
me. I now go home to resume the plough ! mi"s tradi,ion connected with the site upon was a great favorite with the crew. I tried
with as sincere joy." j which ihe Temple of Solomon was erected, to reason with them, although I must con
About the 1st of August, 1548, General ! 's sa'J to nave Deen occupied in common te.s that things did begin 10 look a liule
Laue reached Indiaua. His fellow-citizens j by two brothers, one of whom had a family; rnysierbus. I could not prevail on them to
were rejoiced to see him; but he had not ' o her bad no;.e. On the spot was sown go below for the remainder of the uatch.
time to respond to the favors extended to ; a neld f wheat Ou the evening succeed- They all stayed upon deck and told ghost
him, for on I8th he without any solicita- j lnS he harvest, the wheat having been stories till the least flapping of a sailor
tion ou his part were appointed Governor j gathered in separate shocks, the elder broth- creaking of a block would cause lliem to
duced General Lane new Senator elect
from the Slate ol Oregon-to the people
He made a brief speech, in which he said j
mat a uuiwurk iiau i-eeu raieu uiai uajr uu ,
the chores of the Pac.fic .gainst forego in-
vaders, and a fresh assurance given of the
perpetuity of the Union.
White Governor Lane was in Oregon, he
was nuineu lor lue l reeiuency ujjuo
veniion assembled at Indianapolis to revise
the State Constitution of Indiana. The
Democratic Slate Convention, which met
February 24lh 1852, formally presented his ;
i c . t . rt- r n tt . f .4 . .
cairns ,or me n.e. ji.g.icy,
the vote of the State to him. On his arri-
.vjiw j . . , . I
val in Indiana from Oregon, he had a pub- i
s ' I
lie recption, at which, i-. the course of an
address of welcome, Governor Wright thus
u..cjr - fa
the day :
"He has been the artificer of his own
fortunes; and, in his progress from the far
mer on the banks of the Ohio and the com
mandment of a fiat boat, to posts of honora
ble distinction to a seat in the House of
Representatives and in the Senate of Indi
anato the command of a brigade upon
the fields of Buena Vista, Hoamactla, and
Atlixco to the Governorship of Oregon,and
thence to a seat in Congress he has dis
played the same high characteristics, per
severance, and energy. The annals of our
country present no parallel for these facts.
He entered the army a volunteer in the
ranks, looking forward only to the career of
a common soldier. He left a major gener
al, closing his ardent and brilliant services
in that memoriable campagn by fighting its
last battle and capturing its last enemy."
We must acknowledge our indebtedness
to the book entitled "Our Living Represen
tative Men," by John Savage, Esq., for
several extracts embodied in these sketches.
A Panther Story.
The last Record i-flhe Times gives the fol
lowing story of lhe presence of one of these
animals in our vicinity ;
About three weeks ago two little boys
aged eight and six years, sons of Jesse S.
Dodson, who lives in Fairmount township,
in this county, some three cr four miles
from lhe Long Pond aud on its outlet, went
to a spring about eighty rods from the house
tor water. vnen mey came witnm a roil
or two of lhe spring a panther stood by it.
They at fir.-t supposed it to be a deer, and
thinking it strange that ii did not run, went
on to the spring, ihe oldest passing within
fife or six feet of the animal, which he by
this time discovered was noi a deer. It
made a spring passing close by him, he board.
said, "he 'nought it was going to jump right ! The next night kept a sharp lookout for
on him." lie then dipped up his water ward . not ona of my men went nigh lhe
and they started for:he house. The panther j BCUttie) but a little past four bells, however,
followed them alternately before and be- j lne 6larboard watch made their appearance
hind them, but always within a short dis- J on jecij. i was completely taken aback,
tance, the dog (a middle sized one) keeping fur i naj beeu i0oki6T forward contin-Jaily,
between him aud the boys and maintain-
1 in" n threatenin? rjostnre for about stxtv
, , , , . .,,, ,,,..
rods, when coming within about twenty
...........
. rrv and in Ki-rhf of !h hnnf th whittpr.
- - -- - - , -
ed gentleman left them to make the remain
dr nf lh ionrrit? with the i)ol' onlr for nn
J J j
i , r . . . ,v, 1 i:i
escort. On arriving at lhe honse the little
!... ...... ....
j tellows told then lather what they had seen,
; who went on the ground and found their
corroborated by the track of a full
: . ...
. nanther. It is said that a larse nan- I
, lher,g Uack ha(! been seen about the Lon;
Pond. It has ben several vears since one
0f ,heSo relic of the wild woods has been
seen in that vicmity.
.fk T Tl
j er 8a,-un, hls w,fe- 4 My younger broth -
er is unable to bear the burden and heat of
the day ; I will arise, take off my shocks,
ar.d place with his, without his knowledge."
Tbe younger brother, being actuated by the
same benevolent motives, said within him
self, "My elder brother has a family, and 1
have none ; I will attribute this to their sup
port; ! will arise, take off my shocks, and
place with his, without his knowledge."
Jude of their mutual astonishment, when
on tbe following morning, they found their
respective shocks undiminished. This course
of events transpired for several nights,
when each resolved in his own mind to
stand guard and solve the mys ery. They
did so, when on the following night, they
met each other half way between their re
spective shock, with their arms full. Upon
ground hallowed with such associations as
this was lhe Temple of Solomon erected
so spacious and magnificent the wonder
and admiration of the world. Alas! in
these days, bow many . would sooner steal
their brothers whole shock, than add to it a
single eheaf !
"Gentlemen of the Jury," said a West
ern lawyer, ''I don't mean to insinuate that
this man is a covetous person, but I'll bet
fire to one, that if you should bait a steel
trap with a new three cent piece, place it
within three inches of his mouth, you would
catch his soul. I would not the Court and
gentlemen of tbe jury I would not trust
A GHOST ON SHIPBOARD.
7 EDGAR S. FARNSWORTH.
Several years ago, I occupied the station
ftM .
We wefe homeward 5ound from Cant0Il
ighl after we cl eared the Straits of Sun-
, ,0,u tha j-.i. rr, -:i1. nn,:i
h a heM.m night
the watch wUh the exception of my.
self and the man at the wheel, were for-
on he t forecafct, islening
to the yarns of an old gra7-headed son of
Neptune. I was lazily pacing the quarter
deck, when, on looking forward, I saw ihe
whole of the starboard watch come tumb-
iu hastfl
r
lhis couJ meaa Wfl, bJ d my
, . ,
comprenenionrfor it was but Utile past
... . . . . , .. .
two bells, anJ the ship was heading her
wUh , went forward tQ
a8cerlai,. lhe caUle of ,heir coming on deck
before ei-ht belU; pausing a moment at
the gangway I heard lhe following remarks:
"Fine doin's this, to call all hands such a
pleasant night as this !"
"I wonder what tkipper's thinking of,"
says another.
"He means to work us up a little for be
in' so long bendin' at that new mainsail this
morning," said a third.
"What does all this wean, boys ?" said 1,
stepping iorward ; "what are you on deck
bclore eight bells for ?"
They all locked at me in utter astonish
ment. "I ax pardon bir," said one, "but wasn't
we called V
"No: a bit of it," said I ; "you must have
been dreaming, for it has only struck two
bells. Go beiow and turn in, and mind how
you dream."
"If all hands warn't called, then my name
aint Bob Wilkins," said another of the rren.
"Shiver my timbers, if we wasn't," Fpoke
a third, stepping forward, "for I was as
wide awake as I am at this blessed minute,
and I'm l egared if somebody didn't come
to the scuttle and sing out 'All hand ahoy."
I now suspected it was a trick played
upon them by some one in the watch; ques
tioning my men they all denied it so earn
estly, that I immediately came to the con
clusion thai some of the off watch had in
dreaming, imagined he heard the watch
caued, and arousing up on the instant had
awakened ihe rest. 1 sent the off witch j
Deiow agqin, and went aft.
Judge of my surprise, when, at seven
bells, the starboard watch a2ain came on
dec i wa9 proVoked, for 1 was now fully j
confident tbey had been called by by some '
one in -ay watch. 1 went forward again, j
and founj lhal lne most PUperstiiious of the j
men believed that there was a chost on !
from the moment I came on deck, and was
nn n., r m m.r. t ,i kon
, . . ,
lne scuttle. I weit forward, and found the
'
men neaiij 1: ii.icuuu uui ui men Briises,
They all declared there was no longer any
j...t . ika,. ,... - ni.....
i i i f .t,
uvv'i tuat i:iciir nas a i n ' r i auuaiu. iiiiu
. , . , , ,
oue cf them, who happened to be awake
'
wnen triey were called, said the voice!
didVl POlind like any 0
klIlJ 0, unearlhly lik;
J
i i laugnen at me iuea oi a gnost caning
lhe watch, but the man snook bis head,and
dedared he had seen uo many ghosts in
i his day to doubt that there was one on
j board the Flavio now. This was conclusive
evidence, tor the man who had spoken had
i . . , .
. start as if they exepected to see a ghost lra-
, mediately.
; In the morning I made the afTYir known
j to the captain, lie promised to solve the
mjtery on tha following night, provided
the watch came on deck before eight bells
again. Not much was talked of during the
day by the men, but the ghost that called
the starboard watch the night before. Tbe
next night, soon after my watch cme ou
deck, the captain came up, and going to
leeward into the thade.of the bulwarks,
crept forward and went down ir.to the fore
castle without being seen by any of the
watch on deck.
His j 'laa was to station himself in the
forecastle o that no one could come mgh
lhe scuttle without being seen by him, for
he thought, as 1 bad done until convinced
to the contrary, that it was one of my men
who had cursed the disturbance I station
ed myse.f in the starboard gangway, where
I could conitu ind a view of everything for
ward without being seen, and a waited pa
tiently the result of the captain's investiga
tion. I had been wailing nearly an hour,
when the captain made a furious rush up
on deck, exclaiming, as his head made its
appearance above the scuttle :
"I've got you now, you salt water ras
cal ! I'll teach yon to"
Here he stopped as suddenly as if he had
been struck by lightning, for cot a soul was
' near the scut'le excepting tbe captain Tim
1 Kenfiel J- The men were all forward, loung-
the forecastle door. On my informing him
that not a soul had been near there, he stop
ped me short.
"I know better," said be, "some one
came to the tcuttle of the forecastle, and
called the watch, or began to, at least, but
I slopped him by springing upon deck.
The rascal was loo quick for me this time,
but he won't escape again."
The captain, thinking it not at all likely
that the attempt to call the watch before
eight bells would be again made that night,
went aft and '-turned in," although he an
nounced to me his determination of watch
ing again on the following night. He also
declared his intention ot immediately ad-
r j . .1
u.ng nan an ounce oi co.u ieaa 10 uie r- ;
. 1 r -i i 11 1-'
lions oi me nrsi man wnom ue snouiu de
tect in alarming the watch before eight
bells.
I resolved to solve the mystery that very
night, however, if possible, which I did in
the following way. As soon as the captain
had gone below, I wenl forward and de
scended into :he forecastle. I satisfied ray
self that the off watch were all fast asleep,
and then stationed myself as far up on lhe
ladder as I could without having my head
seen from ieck, and there 1 awaited the
coming of the ghost. I did not have id wait
long, however, before a voice directly over
my head cried out, "Starboard watch ahoy!
eight bells, bullies ! arouse up there !"
The voice sounded bo 6trangely, that I
was not a little startled, and if, at any one
period of my life more than another, 1 have
become nigh believing in the existence of
ghosts, I firmly believe'it was that moment;
but I sparrg immediately on deck. As I
did so, 1 heard a sort of whizzing noise, and
lhe next instant I caught a glimpse of some
thing crowdingitself between lhe slats of a
hencoop, that was lashed by the mainmast
I verii immediately to the cabin and pro
cured a lantern, and upon searching lhe
hen coop, I found not a ghost, but a large
parrot sitting quietly on the perch with the
hens. The mystery is now fully explained.
While we were stopping at the "Straits,"
the ship Vancouver put in there for the pur
pose of trading with ths native. Upon ex
amining the parrot, I at once found him to
be a deserter from that hip. I had seen
him on board of her the morning before we
sailed, and one of the Vancouver's men had
given me a full account of his wonderful
powers as an orator. He bad been taught
to call the watch, and I suppose be consid
ered it to be his duty to do so now that he
was in a new ship, although he did not
seem to be paritcular as to the time. As
soon as he had alarmed the watch, he would
immediately secrete bimselt in the coop
with the hens. It was sometime after this
before he ventured to make his appearance
in the day time, and never would allow
himself to be caught, although he was very
tame on board lhe Vancouver.
A Scene in Paris Life.
A young blade, meeting a handsome in
triijuannte at the opera, who seemd to be a
lady of quality, in default, of the appear
ance of her carriage, oflered to see her
down in his own. She consented, and her
valet de pied mounted the box. The ac
quaintance was muiually pleasing, and re
sulted in an appointment to meet the next
noon. The young man, surprised that the
valet did not follow Lis lady, when she en
tered her home, learned that he resided a
long distance off. In the goodness of his
heart, he offered to set him down also at
his home. Before separating, the valet ap
proached the window of the carriage and
made a li'tle Frency speech as follow : He
informed our friend exactly what would
occur if he wenl lo the house at two o'clock
At three precisely, the door bell will ring.
Madam will be thrown into a fright, you
will at-s why, she wilt say, "uotbing.only.i
a constable is come to levy on the furniture."
Lady will faint, and you will pay ihe bill,
Having a carriage of your own you will pay J
l,l74fs. If you had a hired carriage you
would pay 528 fs. For gentleman on foot
the sum is only 211 fs.
If you pay, as il is possible you will, and
as all your predecessors have done, you
wiil place the money in my hands, for it is
I that am the constable, thanks to a red wig,
a black coat aud blue spectacles. You can
scarcelj- imagine, sir, how much a red wig,
a black coat and blut glasses gives one the
air of a constable. I see by your expres
sion that you do not believe what I have
told you. So you had better come to-morrow
at two o'clock, and if tbe programme is
not executed, point for point as I have de
tailed it to you, you may break your cane
over ray back. I wish you a good evening,
sir. The young man kept the appointment
and fouud everything according to the pro
gramme except that instead of 1,1741?, he
gave a Nap, to lhe constable and slipped
out ot lhe door with a hearty laugh.
A r.MARXBLE inundation ocourred in
Scotland in the year 1771, which ever since
that period has been known as the "flood."
A little town called Paradise is situated
within the district which suffered from this
disaster. At a subsequent trial, a Scotch
man of sixty years of age, who was a wit
ness, wm asked if he knew Mr.?
"Noa," he replied, "but aw kend his faith
ur." "When was that?" "Before the flood."
"Now, ray man,' inquired the-learned
counsel (who knew nothing of the flood of
1771, and thought to be "down" upon the
witness,) "where did yon live, then V "In
Paradise, to be sure !" A roar of laughter
Child Charmed by a Snake;
We have heard the particulars of a won
derful case of snake fascination from sn au
thentic source, which we will briefly relate,
however much they may shock the sensi
bilities of the delicate portion of our readers.
There is residing on Monroe street, near
the eastern line of the city, a worthy family
by the name of Davis, the head of the fami
ly being employed in a nursery. Mr. and
Mrs. Davis have a daughter t b years of
age, who has become attached to a snake,
which came in the yard from an adjoining
field a lew days since, and has become so
much un ler the influence of the reptile that
it appears to think of but little else. The
8oake anJ fc chijd firgt donbtf
white the latter was at play in the yard
near the house, but just how long since, the
parents do not know. One day Mrs. Davis
found the snake in the arms of the child,
and the little girl was fondling it as she
would a kitten. The mother was naturally
much alarmed by the apparent peril in
which the saw her child, and seized a slick
to destroy the reptile. The snake retreated,
showed its tongue, and hUsed at the mother.
The child cried; and begged 60 hard of its
parent to desist, that she allowed the snake
to retreat to its hiding place.
It soon became apparent that the little
girl ihought of little else but her compan
ion, the snake, and would return to the yard
ic search of it as often as she was allowed
to do so. Under the fascination ot this rep
tile, the child a very pretty liule girl hat
. begun to decline, and now weighs but eigh
teen pounds. Respectable physicians were
consulted, it is said, and advised that no
violence be use toward the snake, as h
might prove fatal to the child. How many
meetings the child and the snake have had
we are not positively informed, but we in
fer lhal they Lave been frequent When
they jneet they rush to each other with all
the apparent emotions of iriendship aud at
tachment that can exist between two liviog
beings. Oily yesterday Mrs. Davis came
to the city with tbe little girl, and when
she returnd the party left in charge of the
Louse informed her that the snake had been
more bold than U5ual, and had actually
been upon tbe steps leading lo the door,
awiting the appearance of the child.
As lo the size and variety of this reptile
we are not advised. We suppose however
it is one of the common brown wood snakes
which are regarded as harmless and which
seldom attain a length of more than three
feet.
This affair has attracted the alteotion of
the neighbors of Mr. Davis and many have
urged that the child be allowed to play
with the snake for their amusement; but
this has been denied we understand. The
parents feel much alarmed and desire to
remove their little girl from the fascinating
influence of the tnake without prejudice to
her health and existence. They have beeu
told that it is dangerous to take any 6udJen
step in lhe matter and have not yet done
an j thing to avert lhe consequences they
far.
Our informants are men who are reliable
and who have conversed with the family
and have seen the child referred to. They
represent the parents to be wonhy people
and the child lo be a pretty one, bright and
intelligent but evidently in declining health.
-Rochester Union.
Simplicity A little unbreeched fellow,
the idol of bis mother, and plague of his
father, went to the post office and inquired
if there was a letter for his "Dranpa V
"For whom ! ' inquired the Postmaster.
"For dranpa," answered the little fellow.
"IVell, what is your grandpa's name V
'Why dranmama calls him Josh"
"Vell,wLat does your grandfather call her?
"He say, "Oh thunder, .Bets, do keep
y0ur clack t-till for once."
The Postmaster barfied by the urchin
simplicity dismissed him, with the request
that he should re urn home and ask hii
"Dranmama her name.
"Sat, madam fair, why dost thou weep ?
Some secret 6orrow, hidden deep within
J thy heait, is bringing into thine eyes those
, nearly tears, sveet memory of by-zone
) years, tius lojutain, like up springing of
unrequited love, a dream walks from some
hidden source, the stream that down thy
cheek is stealing V
"Nay, 'tis not love "
"What then, oh, say !"
"Well, then, we dine on goose tc-lay ;
lhe onions I have been peeling."
The most amusing man in the world is
a Frenchman in a passion. "By gar, yon
call my vife a woman two tree several
times once more, and 1 will call yon to the
vatch-house ; aud blow out your brains like
a candle.
Timothy says the first time ho went a
courting, he felt as if pink angel had hand
ed him down a rainbow with a piece of
chain lighting, 6mack into a pile of feathers.
Turse policeznan and two surgeons ran
a mile, ou the first of April, to see the body
of a man who was reported to have blown
out his brains with "trombone."
There's a roan at Caroberwell sq fat that
they grease the oacibus-wheels with his
shadow.
MT," aked Charles, "What animal
droped , Irom the clouds V "The rain,
dear J" was the whispered reply.
I;