Raftsman's journal. (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, May 11, 1859, Image 1

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    BY S. B. EOW.
VOL. MO. 37.
CLEARFIELD, PA., WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 1859.
i
GOB BLESS YOU.
How sweetly fall those simple word3
Upon the human heart;
When friends long bound by strongest ties
Are doomed by fate to part !
You sadly press "the bands of those
Who thus in lore caress you.
And sonl responsive beats to soul
In breathing out, 'God bloss you V
'God bless you !" ah ! long months ago
I heard the mourning phrase,
When one whom I in childhood loved,
Went from my dreamy gaze.
Now blinding tears fall thick and fast ;
And mournful thoughts impress me;
W hile echoes of the heart bring back
That farewell prayer, "God bless you?"
The mother sending forth her boy,
To scenes untried and new,
Li-ps not a studied stately speech,
Nor murmurs out 'adieu."
fhe ?dly says between her sobs.
-Wheiic'tr misfortunes press you.
Cc'me to thy mother boy. come back I'1
Then sadly Sighs, -God bless you!'
God bless you!" more of love express,
Than volumes ithont number;
Itevral we thus our trnst in Him,
Whose eyelids never slumber.
I a.-:k in parting no long speech.
In tones that must distress you ;
I only a.k the dear old words.
So swevt so sad 'God bless vou
cmiuix il.
CLEARFIELD COUNTY: '
OR, REMINISCENCES OF THE PAST.
The first settler wittiin the limits of Clear
field county was Daniel Ogden, who, in 1797,
emigrated hither from Cherry Valley, in the
State of New York, where, during Hie time of
the Revolutionary war, when Matthew, the
youngest son, was a babe, and whilst the fath
er was away from home, Lis house and barn
were-fired and destroyed by the Indians. Mrs.
Ogden bad to flee, with her little family, to
the woods, and remain there during the entire
night, exposed to the merciless pollings of a
l;ail-storm; and in order to stifle the cries of the
babe Matthew, which otherwise might lead the
savages tD the place of her concealment, she
was compelled to stufT a corner of the blanket
into the child's mouth. Ogden was the father
- of eight children Abncr, Jonathan, David,
Daniel, Juab, Jehu, Matthew and Margaret
none of whom were born in ClearfkTd.
On his first visit to this county, he was accom
panied by three of the children. They reached
her by ascenrTing tho West Branch of the Sus
quehanna in a large canoe. The river at that
time was fall of rocks, trunks of trees, sand
bars and other obstructions, and its ascent was
performed with the greatest difficulty. They
were often compelled to unload all their arti
cles, drag their canoo over piles of drilt, and
then carry their goods on their backs and re
load the canoo. Struggling thus, they reach
ed a small stream, abont half a mile above the
mouth of Chinchaclanioose, on the opposite
side of the river. Here Ogden made his first
improvement and home. He selected this lo
cation, believing it possessed advantages for
the erection of a mill which he then contem
plated, but he found afterwards that the stream
was too small for the purpose.
The country Was a vast wilderness, never
having been trod by the foot ot a white ma:,
save for the purpose of exploration and sur
vey. The majestic pines and oaks of centu
ries' growth stood in their pristine beauty.
The axe of tho woodsman had not echoed, nor
the dath-dealiiig bullet of the hunter whistled
through this wild and rugged region. But
one break occurred in tho illimitable foiest.
It was convenient to Ogden's future home, was
the site of the old Indian town of Chinchacla
moose, and the place upon which the county
saat of Clearfield now stands. This opening
had been recently used as a corn-field by a
small remnant of the Cornplar.ter tribe of In
dians, that was still lingering in the neighbor
hood Tho "Red men" were peaceable and
friendly disposedand'Tfo difficulties occurred
between the settlers and them, during their so
jonrn here, which lasted until the winter of
1802, when the last of them departed. Pan
thers, wolves, wild-c.ats and bears were nu
merous. Deer, elk and other beasts of chase
roamed through the woods, furnishing abun
dance of meat, and the streams were full of
salmon, shad, pike, and other fisb.
Ogden at once commenced clearing out the
farm now occupied by his grandson, Matthew
S. Ogde'i, adjoining to the south Clearfield
Borough, and .erected a cabin, with a shingle
roof and double doors. It is probable that be
used the Indian field at first for the raising of
crops. Having finished his house, and secured
bis property, he went for the rest of his fami
ly, all of whom, except David, who had been
killed by the Indians in Cherry Valley, acconi
panied him on his return.
It is a matter of regret that so little is known
fA the manner in which Ogden and his family
got alosg daring the first year or two after be-
was settled in this country. The data we
have, and the circumstances which we have
been able to pick tip here and there, are too
meagre for portraying a life, filled undoubted
ly with incidents , and adventures of a highly
interesting character, such as must always bo
fonnd in the lives of the first settlers of a wild
and uninhabited region, and which, if detailed
with all their surroundings, would thrill apjfl
one possessed of humanity. One circumstance
might be here related, which shows the difti-.
cnlties they had to contend with, and their in
genuity in overcoming them. There was no
mill nearer than the "Big Island," at Lock
Haven- To reach Ibis was a work of time
j return, laborious and difficult The tirr-a, of
the hardy pioneer was required to clear the
land and till the soil. Ogden had with him a
plane, known as a jointer, which, rather than
undertake the hazardous trip to the "Big Is
land," he managed to make supply the place
of a grist-mill, copping his corn fine by
shoving the ears "along its face, from which
meal the good housewife made corn "dodgers"
and bread to appease the hunger of tho family.
Assisted by his sons, the timber disappeared
before Ogden, and h's means of living were
improved. A few settlera soon located in the
county, between one of whom, Elizabeth, a
daughterof William Bloom, and Matthew, the
youngest son of Ogden, an attachment sprung
up, which resulted in their marriage in 1802,
Arthur Bell, Esq., performing the ceremony.
This was the first marriage solemnized :a tho
county, and tho parties became the happy pa
rents of seventeen children, most of whom now
reside in the county, and from whom have de
scended a numerous offspring, marked by some
of the traits peculiar to their grandfather.
Daniel Ogden was a man possessed of dis
tinctive traits of character. lie was impul
sive, yet firm and resolute. Courageous, ho
sought rather than avoided danger. Nor did
old age seem to impair bis vigor in this re
spect, for it is related of him that after he had
attained his 70th year, he determined to go in
search of a bear, which was prowling about,
committing depredations on their property,
and otherwise annoying tlie inhabitants. His
daughter-in-law tried to dissnade hini from his
purpose, and whilst placing the g'nn in his
hands, remarked that such a feeble, old man
might get injured or killed by tho bear; but
the old gentleman, straightening himself up
as much as possible, spiritedly replied, "why,
haven't I the gun !" and started off on a brisk
walk. In the course fa couple hours he re
turned, having, to the astonishment of all,
killed the bear, which turned out to be an un
usually largo one, on old offender, and having
the marks of several rifle shots on his body.
At another time, when they were out of meat,
Matthew went to watch tho Lick, where the
old pnmpstock below the Academy stood un
til recently. The night was very dark noth
ing at ail could bo seen. Matthew, however,
waited pakc.iij a loigtifui- for the approach
of a deer, but none came, and he was about
giving way to despair and leaving the Lick,
when he heard a stick crack ahead of him, in
the direction of the river, and he concluded
to fire at the noise. As soon as his gun was
discharged, he heard something plunge into
the water and splurge about at a terrible rate,
and on approaching it, found he had mortally
wounded a very large elk. As he was in the
act of cutting its threat, ha saw a light ap
proaching, and upon observing it more closely
found it was in the hands of his aped father,
who had becomo ' so much interested in the
success of his son, that when he heard the re
port of the gun, he at once hurried down to
sec what Matthew had shot j nor would he
leave until he had assisted iii dressing the elk
and carrying it home, where it made many a
savory meal for the family.
Full of hope, verging on the visionary, Og
den saw wealth and fortune far off in the dim
distance whore civilization had not yet made
its mark. He was a firm believer in the mar
vellous ; and, although averse to association
with his kind, was naturajly of a jolly, rollick
ing disposition, knowing how to take, as well
as to crack a juke. It is supposed that some
disappointment at an early diy had had its ef
fect in changing the feelings of the man. He
had led a secluded life in Chorry Valley.
Once, ou a hunting expedition, meeting an
other man who was also in pursuit of the chase,
an acquaintanceship was ttruck up, and he and
his new companion s it down upon a log to
compare notes. Having discovered from his
conversation that his new acquaintance had
settled within twelve miles of him, Ogden ab
ruptly left him, hurried home, and informed
his family. that they "must get out of that
immediately, because the neighbors wore get
ting too thick, and they would soon be crowd
ed too much for comfort." Without delay,
preparations were made, "stakes pulled up,"
and Ogden emigrated to Pennsylvania. He
manifested the same spirit later in life, when
population increased in Clearfield ; but meet
ing with decided opposition from his son, who
refused to change his residence, he continued
to occupy the same spot until his death, which
.occurred in 1819, at the age of 81 years. His
remains wore deposited in the family burial
ground, in a suall grove of locusts, near the
confluence of'tho run and the river, where al
so re6ts, Ijy Iris side, the partner of his life,
the sharer ofhis toils and adventures, an ami
able and worthy matron, who having reached
thc-agejtttia years, died in the year 1835.
Jn 18y5, Matthew determined to carry into
efaect the project which had prompted his fath-
Ler in-tho selection of a, site for a home, and
cotpWnced the erection of a grist-mill on the
Chinchaclanioose, which stream afforded more
advantages than the ran on tho homestead.
It was situated about half a mile higher up the
stream than the present mill of Judgo Shaw.
That it was the first mm erecicu m iue coun
ty, is not the jonly circumstance rendering it
worthy of Hoto. It was a mill built after its
own plan. Had one fallen down to worship it,
he would not have committed idolatry, "for
its likeness was not in the heavens above, nor
in the earth beneath, neither in tte waters
which are upon the face of the earth." It
was sui generis. In size it was about as large
as the pantry of a modern house. There was
no iron about it, save a spike, which for years
had done service in an old wagon, replacing a
bolt lost therefrom in a time, back to which
the memory of man runneth not. This spike
served as a spindle. The bolting cloth was a
norelty. A frame, covered with "cap-stuff,"
was so arranged that it could be operated bylen,ltai,ling a population of 120,000 persons
a strap which ran to the water-wheel, but morej
frequently by being shaken hither and thither
by the mill-boy, who had packed his grain
through some blazed path, or along the shore
of the stream'. The flour was caught in a
trough, similar to those now seen near water
ing places, dug ont of a huge stick of timber.
Small and rude as this mill was, its erection
was an era in the history of this county it
served its purpose well, lightened tho bur
thens of the settlers, and added greatly to
their,convenience.
Matthew, like his father in many particu
lars, was also fond of bunting, and of his ma
ny adventures of the chase, took delight in
narrating tho following. On one occasion, he
and Jim Heatley went in search of deer, and
finally succeeded in shooting a largo buck on
the top of a hill, at no great distance from
home. The snow, in consequence of a fall of
sleet, had a crust on it sufficiently strong to
bear the; weight of a man, which made not only
the walking difficult, "but rendered the carry
ing of the deer down the hill impossible. It
did not, however, take tho hunteis long to de
termine what to do, and it was agreed that Jim
should carry the guns, whilst Matthew was to
take charge of the deer, which he tnrned on
its back, the head down-hill, seated him
self astraddle of it, and after pulling up the
head by the horns, commenced the descent.
He had not proceeded many yards before he
found himself under such rupid headway that
he had little time to attend to anything else
than keeping his rare craft clear of trees and
logs. His strength' and activity were frequent
ly taxed to the utmost to prevent his brains
being dashed out against a tree, or his limbs
being broken ; yet down, down, he went with
increasing velocity, until at last, half dead
with affright, he reached the base of the lull,
with a tew brnises and scratches, and tho doer,
wherever any part of it came in contact w ith
the icy surface of the course, literally skinned.
Matthew would relate this "jolly ride" with
much gusto, but would involuntarily shrug his
shoulders as, in the recital, he approached
some dangerous obstruction.
Of ths- children of Daniel Ogden, several re
turned to the State of New York, and we have
no trace of them. Daniel, junior, removed to
the Allegheny liivcr with his family, and his
relatives have had no tidings of. him since.
Joab also went westward. He soon returned,
with two of his children, and settled in Brady
township, where he died. It is said that there
was an adverse claimant to the land upon
which Joab squatted, who, at a later period,
commenced proceedings for the recovery of
the land. Joab engaged the late Judge Burn
side as his counsel. When the cause came up
for trial, Joab's counsel informed him that tho
title was against him, advised him to compro
mise with bis adversary, and buy out bis claim.
Joab said he w5uld do so, but he had no mon
ey, and more than that, he never expected to
get any. However, through the intervention
of Judge Burnside, on arrangement was effect
ed, the claimant agreeing to take cattle in lieu
of money, if delivered at his residence in
Chester county. Joab, delighted with tho ar
rangement, started from home with his drove,
and on passing through Eellefuritc, failed not
to leave with his worthy counsel a fine beef,
which the Judge had agreed to accept as a fee
for his services. There is quite a tinge of ro
mance about the history of Joab. Ho is de
scribed as a man full of eccentricities true as
steel, and having habits which in many re
spects were similar to thoso of the aborigines.
His life was one of adventure, and ho forms
tho hero of some of the marvellous tales with
which is whiled away many a winter evening.
(TO BE COSTIXfED.)
Curiositiks or Hchan Foon. Mankind has
been worderfully ingenious from its infancy,
in the connection of edible varieties. Apart
from baked human thighs in Fejec, and boil
ed fingers in Sumatra, there arc sundry culi
nary fashions still extant which must be mar
velously unintelligible to a conventionalized
appetite. Not that it appears strange to eat
duck's tongues in China, kangaroos in Aus
tralia, or the loose covering of tho great elk's
nose in. New Brunswick. Not even that it is
startling to see an Esquimaux eating his'daily
rations, twenty pounds in weight of flesh and
oil, or the Yakut competing iu voracity- with
a boa constrictor. But who would relish a
stew of red ants in Burmah, a half-hatched
egg in China, monkey cutlets and parrot pies
at Kio Janeiro, and bats in Malabar, or pole
cats and prairie wolves in North America ?
Yet there can be little doubt that there are
unwarrantable prejudices. Dr. Shaw enjoyed
lion; Mr. Darwin had a passion for puma;
Dr. Brooke makes affidavit that melted bears'
grease is the most refreshing portion. And
how can we disbelieve, after the testimony of
Hippocrates, as to the flavor of boiled dog?
If squirrels are edible in the East, nd rats
in the West Indies if a siom ue goou on me
Amazon, and elephants' paws in South Africa, I
why should we compassionate such races as
have little beef or mutton ? for we may bo
quits sure that if, as Jlontesquicu affirms,
;fcerc are valid reasons for not ca'ing pork,
there are reasons quite as unimpeachable lor
eating firaffs, alpach3, mermaid's tails, bus
tard and anaconda.
THEIHNEYEHMAEBLES.
It is related by historians tftat in "the days
of old" there lived a famous warrior in As
syria named Ninus, who after conquering
cities and provinces without number, at last
founded his capital on the banks of the river
Tigris, and called it Nineveh after himself.
Whether this account of the origin of this
city is true, or not, one thing is certain, the
Bible informs ns that m the days or Jonah, the
prophet of Israel, Nineveh was a great city,
who could not distinguish their right hand
from tht ir left young chilnren which would
make the entire number of its inhabitants be
about 600,000, the infants being about onc
fifth of the whole. Strabo states that it was
larger than Babylon, that its cirenmference
was 47 miles, and that it was surrounded with
walls 100 feet high, and so broad that three
chariots could drive upon them abreast. It
was distinguished for its riches, the gran
donr of its temples and palaces, and was alto
gether for a period tho most lamous city in
the whole world. It stood several sieges and
was taken a number-of times before the chris
tian era ; still it was a place of much impor
tance down to the seventh century (A. D.)
when it was completely destroyed by the
Saracens, and left a huge heap of ruins. In
the course of centuries the soil grew over
these ruins, and N ineveh became outwardly
but an extended grassy mound on which the
Arab shepherd fed his flock, and pitched
bis tent in perfect ignorance of what was be
neath his feet. But the finger of God was
upon it, for with only the record of the Scrip
tures for his guide, a young Englishman
Layard sought for and discovered Nineveh
again, a few years ago, and exhumed from its
snbterranean courts some of the most re
markable works of ancient art yet discovered.
Several of these are now in New York, and
have been presented by James Lenox, Esq.,
to the Historical Society of that city. They
consist of thirteen slabs of marble, on which
are sculptured winged figures of men, with
long hair and beards, clad in robes and sandals
and some of hem have armlets, bracelets and
swords. The figures are more symmetrical
and better drawn than those in the Egyptian
temples. One of them has the head of an
eagle instead of that of a man, and carries
something that resembles a basket containing
mystic offerings. Another has a shallow bowl
in one hand and a bow in the other. The fig
ures are surrounded with broad ornamental
borders in which the honeysuckle is frequent
ly sculptured, and across the center of each
slab runs an inscription in small characters of
about twenty-five lines. Most of the stones
have been broken into two or morcpieces but
have been skillfully put together again- In
ther respects they are weil preserved.' None
of onr learned men, we understand can yet
decipher the hieroglyphics on these tablets,
nor do they know the meaning of the figures
sculptured upon them. That they have a
meaning, no one can doubt, and it is to be
hoped they will be studied by some plodding
student until a key is found to unlock the
whole mystery. The works of Rawlinson and
Layard will help them out of the difficulty.
Fhaskus Abetting ax Elopeuext. The
celebrated painter, Benjamin West, before he
became known to fame, fell in love with Miss
Elizabeth Shewell. West was poor, the She
wellsi were rich. Stephen Shewell, the proud
brother of Elizabeth, desired her to marry
another suitor,which she refused to do. "West
was forbidden the house, but Elizabeth con
tinued to meet him, and they were engaged to
ho married. The obstinate brother kept his
sister under lock and key, till West sailed for
Europe to prosecute his studies. Miss She
well, however, had promised to meet hitn in
any p.ut of Europe, and marry him as soon as
Mr. V . informed her of h:s ability to main
tain her. The patronage which West met in
London soon justified him in sending for Miss
bhewell to fulfill her promise, lie made ar
rangements for her to come in the same vessel
that conveyed his request to her, and also ar
ranged that his father should accompany her
on the voyage. Miss Shewell prepared for
her departure ; but her brother again confined
her to her chamber. During this state of
things, the late Bishop White, then about 18
years of age, Dr. Franklin, 50 years of age,
and Francis Hopkins, 29 years of age, Mien
the vessel was ready to sail, procured a rope
ladder, went to the Captain and engaged him
to sail as soon as they brought a lady on board.
They then took old Mr. West to the ship, and
went at midnight to Stephen Shewell's house,
attached the ladder to a window in Miss Sho
welFs chamber, and got her out to the vessel,
which sailed a few minutes after she entered it.
Mr. W. was in waiting for Miss Shewell when
she arrivied in England, and they were mar
ried Septembc2, 17C5.
The Iiev. Dr. Ilaskill, who was formerly a
wandering juggler known as the Fakir of Si
va, had been engaged at a salary of $1,000, as
a clergyman, at Mount Fleasant, Iowa. His
preaching there is said to have consisted of
harrangues, stories and anecdotes, and his
manner of conducting meetings to have been
so disgusting that the most aged and experi
enced of the church were grieved, and ven
tured to state their grievances, whereupon he
came down upon them in the most vitupera
tive manner in the pulpit. Such has been his
course and conduct that tho church is quite
broken up. It is rumored that the preacher
and conjuror had eloped with a young lady of
Lafayette, Indiana, and the western folks seem
inclined to brand him as an impostcr.
Mrs. Fartington says, that just before the
last war with England, "circumstances were
seen around the moon nightly, shooting stars
perambulated the earth, the desk of the sun
was covered with black spots of ink, and com
ments swept the horizon with their operic
tails. Every body said it profligated war, and
sure enough it did come. Its costiveness was
felt throughout the land, but the bravery of
General Jackson expiated the American citi
zens, and -foreign dominoes soon became a
by-word."
Hydrophobia. A writer in the Providence
Journal furnishes the following prescription
for Hydrophobia: Eat tho green shoots of
asparagus rawt; sleep and perspiration will be
'induced, and the disease can thus be cured
in any stage of canine madness. A man in
Athens, Greece, was cured by this remedy
after the paroxysms had commenced.
Little minds are lamed and subdued by mis
fortune ; but great minds rise above it.
A EUSSIAIT WOLF HUITT.
Wo translate the following story from a late
number of M. Alex. Dumas' newspaper. It
is an extract from one of his letters from St.
Petersburg :
"Wolf hunting and bear hunting are the
favorite pleasures of tho Russians. Wolves
are hunted in this way in the winter, when the
wolves being hungry are ferocious. Three or
four huntsmen, each armed with a double-barrelled
gun, get into a troika, which is any
sort of a carriage drawn by three horses its
name being derived from its team, and not
from its form . The m iddle horse trots always;
the left hand and right hand horses must al
ways gallop. The middle horse trots with his
head hanging down, and he is called the Snow
Eater. The two othets have only one rein,
and they are fastened to the poles by the mid
dle of the body, and gallop their heads free
they are called the Furious. The troika is
driven by a sure coachman, if there is such a
thing as a sure coachman. A pig is tied to
tho rear of the vehicle by a rope, or a chain
(for greater security) some twelve yards long.
The pig is kept in the vehicle until the hunts
men reach the forest where the hunt is to take
place, when he is taken ont and the horses
started. The pig, not being accustomed to
this gait, squeals, and his squeals soon degen
erate into lamentations. His cries bring out
onn wolf who gives the pig chase ; then two
wolves,then three,then ten, then fifty wolves r
all posting as hard as they can go after the
poor pig, fighting among themselves for the
best places, snapping and striking zt the
poor pig at every opiortunity, who squeals
with despair. These uqneals of ogony arouse
alt the wolves in the forest, within a circuit
of three miles, and the troika is followed by
an immense flock of wolves. It is now a
good driver is indispensable.' The horses
have an instinctive horror of wolves, and go
almost crazy; they run as fast as they can go.
The huntsmen fire as fast as they can load;
there is no necessity to take any aim. The
pig squeals tho horses neigh the wolves
howl the guns rattle; it is a concert to make
Mephistopheles jealous. As long as the dri
ver commands his horses, fast as they may be
running away, there is no danger. But, if be
ceases to be master of them; if they balk, if
the troika is npset, there is no hope. The
next day.orthe day after, or a week afterwards,
nothing will remain of tho party but the
wreck of tho troika, the barrels of the guns;
and the larger bones of the horses, huntsmen
and driver.
Last winter Prince Eepnine went on one of
these hunts, and it came very near being bis
last hunt. He was ou a visit with two of his
friends to one of his estates near the steppe,
and they determined to go on a wolf bunt.
They prepared a largo sleigh in which three
persons could move at ease, three vigorous
horses were put into it, and they selected for
a driver a man born in the country and thor
oughly experienced in the sport. Every
huntsman bad a pair of doable-barrel guns
and one hundred and fifty ball cartriges. It
was night when they reached the steppe; that
is, an immense prairie covered with snow.
The moon was full, and shown brilliantly; its
beams refracted by the snow gave a light
scarcely inferior ttf day-light.
The pig was put out of the sleigh, and the
horses whipped up. As soon as the pig felt
that he was dragged he began to squeal. A
wolf or two appeared, but they were timid
and kept a long ways on". Their numbers
gradually increased, and as their numbers aug
mented they becama bolder. There were
about twenty wolves when they camo within
gun range of the troika. One of the party
tiled ; a wolf fell. The flock became alarm
ed and half fled away. Seven or eight hungry
wolves remained behind to devour their dead
companion. The gaps were soon filled. On
every side howls answered howls; on every
side sharp noses and brilliant eyes were seen
peering. The guns rattled volley after volley;
but the flock of wolves increased instead of
diminishing, and soon it was not a flock, but
a vast herd of wolves in thick serried columns,
which gave chase to the sleigh.
The wolves bounded forward so rapidly
they seemed to fly over the snow, and so l'ght
ly not a sound was heard; their nunbers con
tinued to increase and increase, and increase ;
they seemed to be a silent tide drawing near
er and nearer, and which the guns ol the
party, rapidly as they were discharged, had
no ellect ou. The wolves formed a vast cres
cent, whose horns began to encompass the
horses. The numbers increased so rapidly
they seemed to spring out of the ground.
There was something weird in their appear
ance, for where could three thousand wolves
come from in such a desert of snow. The
party had taken the pig into the sleigh; his
squeals increased the wolves' boldness. The
party continued to fire but they had now used
about half their ammunition and but two hun
dred cartridges left, while they were surroun
ded by three thousand wolves. The two horns
of the crescent became nearer and nearer, and
threatened to envelope the party.
If one of the horses should have given out
the fate of the whole party was sealed. " What
do yon think of this Ivan 7" said Prince Rep
nine, speaking to tho driver. "I had rather
be at home, Prince." "Are you afraid of any
evil consequences ?" 'The devil's have tas
ted blood, and the more you fire the more
wolves you'll have." "What do yon think Is
the best thing to be done." "Make the horses
go faster." "Are ycu sure of the horses 7"
" Yes, Prince." "Are you sure of our safe
ty." The driver made no reply. He quick
ened the horses, and turned their heads to
wards home. The horsed flew faster than ev
er. The driver excited them to increased
speed by a sharp whistle, and made them de
scribe a curve which intersected one of the
horns of the cressent. The wolves opened
their ranks and let the horses pass.
The Prince raised bis eun to his shoulder.
"For God's sake ! don't fire!" excteimed tbe
driver, we are -dead men if you do f" He
obeyed Ivan. The wolves astonished by this
nnexpected act, remained motionless for a
minuto. : During this miuate the troika was a
verst from ihem. When the wolves started
again after, it was too late, uiey couia noi o-
vertake it. A quarter oi uour
ttiPv wro in siebt of home. I'rJnce Kennme
thinks his horses ran at least six miles in these
fifteen minutes. He rode over the steppe tbe I
next day, and found . tho bones of more than
two hundred wolves.
A Norwegian shoemaker living in Minneso- :
ta, has obtained $17,000 for a piece of land
near Chicago, which be tiought eleven VCAia
ajo for the sum of twenty dollars.
GOIlTff THE EUTIEE P0KXEK.
Old Levi Allcu used to go tin peddling in"
bis younger days, at which business he accu
mulated quite a fortune, beforo ho was seven-and-twenty.
Tbe neighbor of the borough
here he finally settled, as tho proprietor of a
pretty farm, would often insinuate that Allea
had not been any too honest in gathering to
gether his riches, and such was the fact. A
fellow sinner has since revealed some of tbe
old man's youthful short comings and over
goings, and there was one "dodg" of .hu ,0
original that it is worth a mention. It was
this: -' ';
Wherever onr dealer in tin ware chanced to
put up for tbe night, he was pretty sure to
make his way to the best bed in the honse.
From this bed ho would take a bag full f
feather, fetching in a bag from the cart fcr
that purpose, and contrive to smuggle out tha
same and get it stowed in bis "kit" befor
any one was stirring. This proceeding,giving
him several pounds of good geese feathers
every day, did not a little towards swelling
the profits of his business, and we are assured
that it was only one of many similar practices
in which he indulged.
On oce occasion Allen slept in a bed whic
was very scanty a diminutive bed, a bed of
few feathers, but all it contained wore "live
geese," and unusually good at that. Tha
speculative tin ware merchant thought it would
le rather small business to take away feathers
from a case containing so few in short, that
his only sensible mode of procedure was to
take the entire bed. He accordingly rose be
fore the sun, and commenced shoving ifTout
of the rear window, with the intention to go
down on account of "that 'ere colic," and
stow it away before any one was "up." But
as ill luck would have it, the host bad arisen,
and was ont under the window gathering some
light chips and fuel for the morning fire, and
when he saw the bed "looming up" in such
an unnatural position, and just ready to fall to
tho ground, he cried out to the pedlar,
"Halloa there, stranger! what aro yon do
ing?" The astonished "operator" saw that he was
caught in the act, but his ready w it helped
him out.
Doing ?" he rejoined, with a look full of
wrath, as be thrust his bead ont and took a
survey of the field, "I guess some of theso
infernal bed bugs will soon find out what I am
abont Lavn't slept a wink all night!"
With this, he "let" the bed out of tho win
dow, and went down to the wood-pile, from
whence bo took a club, and gave tbe bed such
a beating therewith as would have been fatal
to any sort of "creeping things" ensconsccd
therein. He then took it back to bis room,
and looked so "darned honest" at breakfast
that the host didn't charge him but bait price
for lodgings, and took it all in "tin."
Gettivo out or Close Quarters. Gov. D.
of Florida, was as celebrated for his wagger
as for bis executive qualifications. Giving a
crowd of gaping listeners an account of the
strange things he had seen during his pere
grinations through the Far West, he said t
"Fact, gentlemen, tho trees are so close to
gether in Arkansas that yon may travel for .
days without finding them more than three
feet apart ; and then the game ! such vast
numbers of buffalo, and bears, and wild cats,
but in all the world I never saw such deer !"
"What of the deer. Gov.?" asked a squint
eyed descendant of Ninirod, who, to nse bis
own expression, " 'd rather hunt nor eat, any
time, and so he had."
"Oh, the biggest bounding bucks you erer
saw! Why, my dear sir, the woods are per
fectly alive with them, charging about with
great blanching horns, four fttl apart."
"Well, but, Governor D., if the trees are
only three feet apart, and the deer's borna
four, I want you to tell me how they are to
get through 1"
"Oh, well, that's their Icok-eut I have
nothing to do with that !"
Prof. N. C. Morse, of Louisville, recently
took fifty acres of land in West Tennessee on
debt, at $40 per acre. On examination he
found that it contained vast quantities of lead,
the rocks beneath the soil being lead ore. . A
thorough test shows pure lead ore to the value
of 88 per cent., and associated with sulphate
of baryta, equally valuable as tbe lad ore.
Since the discovery, Prof. M. has refused
S1.000 per acre for tha land, and he has raised
$2-5,000 in Cincinnati, where he formerly resi
ded, to build furnaces and commence mining
operations immediately.
The Rev, T. F. White and lady of Mendharn,
New York, were "surpiised" on the 20th A
pril by a party who poured into their house in
their absence, took entire possession, filled the
larder and cellar with good things, and, on tbe
return of the owners, presented them with
purse containing over $G00 in gold ; tfter
which they all sst down to supper We
wouldn't mind being "surprised" t& about a
similar amount, almost any day.'
Miss Delia Webster, the Yankee" school
rua'an who has boen driven oat of Kentucky
two or three times, put in prison once and
robbed of her property there, because suspect
ed of abolition sentiments, has lately arrived
In Madison, Indiana, with thirty families from
Massachusetts, and intends to start a shoe fac
tory on her farm in Milton, Ky.- , Whether she
will be allowed to sta remains to be seen.
When Erskioe was iu tbe fall tide of success
as a barrister, some of his fellow lawyers,
wishing to annoy him, hired, a boy to ask him
as he was going into Court with his preen bag
stufldd with briefs, if he had acy old clothes
for sale. "No, you young rascal," said Er
skine; "these are all new mils." ... ' T
"An India Rubber Ship 1" exclaimed" ac
old sailor, who bad been listening ta ii.
cription of such a proposed invention; that
. i .
wouia never ao, uccause i would rob ont ah
the lines of latitude and longitude, to say .
nothing of the equator.," - .
The Detroit Fret Prtts says that Mrs. Tay-'
lor, wife of the station- master on the Great
Western 'Railrn(t at KolU I? ir f r
recently killed by faliiBg into cbaidroa I
vuutug on wnicn me rtuiroaa iu,a tjre pre
paring for use, ' ' . .' 1
Mr.-' Joseph- M. Church, of Philadelphia, r! -cently
a msnnber of tbe Pennsylvania Legisla
ture, died very .mddnniy in New York crty,
on hc 3d ;pact-
1