sjTp-'tT: 'ifMjW ' f ft? ft''
K -
THE. BLESSINGS OF GOVERNMENT, T.ntR THE DEWS OF HEAVEN, SHOULD BE DISTRIBUTED ALIKE UPON THE HIGH AND THE LOW, THE RICH AND THE POOR. '
;i ' ' ' .:
EBENSBTIIiG, 'JUNE. 20,' 1855.
VOL. 2. NO. 36.
EW: SERIES.-
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THE BATTLE OF BUMiCER HILL. :
The sound of drum and trumpet, the clat
ter of hoofs, the rattle of gun-carriages and
all the other military din and bustle in the
streets of Boston soon apprised the Ameri
cans, on their, rudely fortified height, of an
impending attack. They were ill-fitted to
withstand it,- being jaded by the night's labor
and want of sleep ; hungry and' thirsty, hav-'
ing brought but scanty supplies, and oppres
sed by the heat of the" weather. Prescott
fcent repeated messages to Gen. Ward, asking
reinforcements and provisions. Putnam, sec
luded the . request in person, urging the ex
igencies of the case. T
v AVaru hesitated. lie feared to weaken his
inain body at Cambridge, as his military stores
were deposited there aud it might have to
sustain the principal attack. At length, hav
ing taken advice of the Council of Safety he
issued orders to Colonels Stark and Head,
then at Medford, to march to the relief of
Prescott with their New Hampshire regiments.
The order reached Medford about 11 o'clock.
Ammunition was distributed in all haste
two flints, a gill of powder, and fifteen balls
to each man. The balls had to be suited to
the different calibres of the guns ; the powder
to be carried in powder-horns, or loose in the
pockets for there were no catridges prepared.
It was tho rude turn-out of yeomen soldiery
destitute of regular accoutrements.
In the meanwhile the Americans on Breed's
Hill were sustaining the tire from the ships
and from the battery on Copp's 11 ill, which
epencd upon them about ten o'clock. -They
returned an occasional shot from one corner
-of the redjuht, without much harm to the en--einy,
and continued strengthening their posi
tion until about 11 o'clock, when they ceased
to work, piled np their entrenching tools in
the rear, and looked cut anxiously and impa
tiently for the anticipated reinforcements aud
supplies. - . -
About this time. Gen. Putnam, who had
been to headquarters, arrived at the redoubt j
' on horseback. Some words passed between
biin and Prescott with regard to the entrench
ing tools, which have been variously reported.
The most probable version is that he urged
to have them taken from their present place,
where they might fall into the hands of the
enemy, . and carried to Hunker's Ji 111, to be
employed in throwing up a redoubt, which
Avaa part of the original plan, and which would
e very important should the troops be obliged
i o retreat from 15 reod's Hill. To this Pres
cott demurred that those employed to convey
them, and who were already iadcsl with toil,
might not return to his redoubt. A large
5art of the tools were ultimately carried to
Junker's Hill and a breastwork commenced
by order of Gen. Pateam The importance
of such a work was afterwards made appa
rent. About noon the Americans descried twenty-eight
barges crossing from Boston jn paral
lel lines. They contained a large detachment
of grenadiers, rangers aud light infantry, ad
mirably equipped, and commanded by Major
General Howe. They made a splendid and
formidable appearance with their soa4ft -uniforms,
and the euu flashing upon muskets
and bayonets and brass field-pieces. A heavy
fire from the ships and batteries covered their
tidrauce, but no attempt was made to oppose
them, and they lauded about 1 o'clock at 3Ioul
ton's Poiat, a little to the north of Breed's Hill.
Here General Howe made a pause On
reconnoitering the works from this point the
Americans appeared to be much more strong
ly, posted than he had imagined. He descried
troops hastening to their assistance. These
were the Kew HaiapsWre troops led on by
Stark. - Howe immediately sent over to Gen.
Gage for more forces and a supply of cannon
balls, those brought by him being found
through some egregious oversight too large
for the ordnance. While awaiting -their ar
rival, refreshments were served out to the
troops,, with grog" by the bucket full ; and
tantalising it was to the hungry and thirsty
provincials to look down from their ramparts
of earth and Bee their invaders seated in groups
upon the grass eating and drinking, and pre
paring themselves by a hearty meal for the
coming encounter , . , , ,
The only consolation was to take advantage
of the delay while the enemy were carousing,
to strengthen their position. The breastwork
on the eft of the position extended to what
was,called the Slough but beyond this the
ridge of the hill and tke slope towards Mystic
river were undefended, leaving paJ by
which the enemy might turn thl leftflank
the position, and seize upon Bunker's Hill
Putnam ordered his chosen offiecr Cant
Knowlton, to cover this paan with the Qoa
necticut troops under his eommand. A novel
"kind of rampart, savoring of rural device, was
suggested the rustic general. . , .
About six hundred feet in the rear of the
redoubt and about one hundred feet to the left
of the breastwork was post-and-rail fence
set in a low foot-wall of
the
" f UVUVUUC
JUVStia river. 1 ha nncf.
and
taihi of another fence were hastily pulled up
!H.a. few feet o behind this, and the in.
haTf7otBpacf WM fiIIed UPM new mown
protection t!ri proved an important
seven bunjd S d "'ij0!'
; While Knowlton and his men were putting
un this fence. Putnam proceeded with other
of his troops to throw up the works on Bunk
er s Hill dispatching his son, Capt. JPutnam,
on horseback to hurry up tho , remainder of
his men from Cambridge. . By this time his
compeer in French and Indian warfare, the
veteran Stark, made his appearance with the
New Hampshire troops, five hundred strong.
He had grown cool and wary with age, and
his march from Medford, a distance of five or
six miles, had been in character. He led his
men at a moderate pace, to bring them iuto
action fresh and vigorous. In crossing the
Neck, which was enfiladed by the , enemy's
ships and batteries, Capt. Dearborn, who was
by his side, suggested a quickstep. The vet
eran shook his head. V One fresh man in
action is worth ten tired ones" replied , he, and
marched steadily on. .
Putnam detained some of Stark's men to
aid in throwing up the works on Bunker's
Hill,' and directed him to reinforce Knowlton
with the rest. Stark made a short speech to
his men, now that they were likely to have
warm work. He then pushed on, and did
good service that day at the rustic bulwark. .
About two o'cloek Warren arrived on the
heights, ready to engage in their perilous de
fence, although he had opposed the scheme of
their occupation. He had recently been elec
ted" a major-general, but. had not received his
commission ; like Pomeroy, he came to serve
in the ranks with a musket on his shoulder. ..
' Putnam offered him the command at the
fence ; be declined it, and merely asked where
he could be of the most service as a volunteer.
Putnam pointed to the redoubt observing that
he would be under cover. .. , -
" Don't think I seek a p!ac$ of safety," re
plied Warren, quickly : " where will the attack
be hottest?" Putnam still pointed to the re
doubt. " That is the enemy's object ; if that
can be maintained the day is ours." . Warren
was cheered by the troops as be entered the
redoubt. Col. Presscott tendered him the
! command. He again declined... ' I have
I come to serve only as a volunteer, and shall
j be hnppy to learn from a soldier of your expe
i rience." Such were the noble spirits assom-
. bled on these perilous heifrhts
I The British now prepared for a general as
sault. - An easy victory was anticipated, the
main thought was how to make it most eifec
; tual. The left wing, commanded by Gen.
i Pigot, was to mount the hill and force the
redoubt, while Gen. Howe, with the rijrht
wing, was to push on between the fort and
Mystic river, turn the left flank of the Amer- .
icans. and cut off their retreat. " . S!
Gen. Pigot accordingly advanced up the
hill under cover ( a fire from field-pieces and :
howitzers pluuted on a small height near the
lauding place on Moulton's Point. His troops
commenced a discharge of musketry while yet
at a long distance from the redoubts.
The Americans within the works, obedient 1
to strict command, retained their fire until the
enemy were within thirty or forty paces, when
they epencd upon them with a tremendous -volley.
Bvdng all marksmen, accustomed to ,
take deliberate aim, the slaughter was im
mense, and especially fatal to officers. The
assailants fell bnck in some confusion ; but,
rallied on by their officers, advanced within
pistol shot. Another volley, more effective '
than the first, made them again recoil. To,
add to their confusion, they were galled by a
flanking fire from the handful of Provincials .
posted in Charlestown. Shocked at the car- 4
nage, and seeing the confusion of his troops, ;
Gen. Pigot was urged to give the word for a i
retreat.
In the meanwhile Gen. .Howe
'it I
wing, ?dvuncea along Jlystio river, towards i
the
ffcuce were Stark, Head and Knowlton r
were
stationea tnmking to carry tins slight r
breast work with ease, and so set in the rear
of the fortress. His artillery proved of little j
avail, being stopped by a swampy piece of j
ground, while his colums suffered from two or
three field pieces with which Putnam had'
fortified the fence. . Howe's men kept up a i
fire of musketry , as they advanced but, not
taking aim, their, shot passed over the heads
of the Americans. - The latter had received
the same orders with those In the redoubt,
not to fire until the euemy should be within
thirty paces. Some few transgressed : the
command Putnam rode up and swore he
would cut down the next man that fired con
trary to orders. .
1 Whea the British arrived within the stated
distance, a sheeted fire opened upon them
from rifles, muskets and fowling-pieces, all
levelled with , deadly aim. . The carnage, as.
in the other instance, was horrible. The
British were thrown into confusion and fell
back ; some even retreated to the boats. , '
There waa a general pause on the part of
the British r The, v American officers avalied
themselves of it to prepare for another attack,
which must soon b made. ; Prescott mingled
among his men in the redoubt, who were all
in high spirits at the severe check they had
given " the regulars." , He praised them for
their steadfastness in maintaining - their post
and their good conduct in reserving their fire
until- the word of command, and exhorted
them to do the same in the next attack.
Putnam rode about Bunker's Hill and its
skirts to rally -and bring on re-inforcements
which had been checked or scattered in cros
sing Charlestown Neck by the raking fire
from the ships and batteries. Before many
could be bought to the scene of action the
British had commenced their second attack.
Ihev again ascended the hill to Btorm the re
doubt ; their advance waa covered as before
Jrge8 of artilfery. Charlestown,
which had annoyed them or their first attack
by a flanking fire, was in flames by sheets
thrown from Copp's Hill and by marines from
the ships. Being built of wood, the placo waa
soon wrapped in a general conflagration. :
The thunder of artillery from batteries and
ships, the bursting of bomb-shells : thn cfim
discharges of musketry; the shouts and yells
t of the coiubatanta; the crash' of burniu buil-
I dings, and the dense volumes of smoke which
-j. obscured the summer sun, nil formed a
rc-
mendous spectacle Sure I aui.'' said, Bur-
govne in one of his letters "Sure I am, noth
ing ever has or ever can be taorej dreadfully
terrible than what was to be seen or heard at
this time. The most incessant lischarge of
guns that ever was heard by morfel ears." ?
The 'American troops, though f unused to
war' stood undismayed amidst a sene wbere
it was bursting udoq them with all Its horrors.
Reserving their fire, as before, unfel the ene-
my was close at hand, they again poured forth t
repeated volleys wnn me larai aim oi snarp- j
shooters. The British stood the " fikt shock, I
and continued to advance; but the mceB?-jnt j
stream of fire staggered them. 'Their officers j
remonstrated, threatened, and even attempted j
to goad them on with-their swords, butjthe j
havoc was too deadly : whole ranks were mof ed
down ; many of the officers were either snn
or wounded and among them several of he j
staff of Gen. Howe." ' The troops again give j
wav ad retreated down the hill. . r;;
All this passed under the eyes of thousands
of spectators of both sexes and all ases, wash
ing from afar every turn of the battle in wljch j
the lives or tnose most aear to mem wereat
hazard. The British soldiery in Boston gied
with astonishment and almost incredulity at
the resolute and protracted stand of raw inli
tia, whom they bad been taught to desjise,
and at the havoc made among their own Vet
eran 1 troops. Every convoy k of wouqded
brought over to the town increased their con
sternation 'and General Clinton, whohad
watched the action from Copp's Hill embirk
injr in a boat, hurried over as a volunteer,
taking with him reinforcements. j
" A third attack was now determined on,
though some of Howe's officers remonstrated,
declaring it would be downright butchery.
A different plan was adopted. T Instead of ad
vancing in front of the redoubt, it was to be j
taken ia flank on the left, r where the open
space between the breastwork and the fortified i
fence, presented a weak point. It having
been accidentally discovered that the ammu- ,
nition of the Americans was nearly expended, !
preparations were made to carry the works at ,
iha mint of the bavonet: and the ' soldierv
j i' ' j
;- threw off their knapsacks, and some even tbcir-
coats, to be more light for action. ri
Geu. Howe, with the main body, low made
a feint of attacking the fortified Mice; but
while a part of bis force was thus engaged,
ithe rest brought'eome field-pieces t enfilade
the breastwork on the left of the redaubt. A
rakiug fire soon drove the Americans out of
this exposed place into the enclosure. Much
damage, too. was done in the latter by balls ;
which entered the sallyport '-'A- j
The troops were now led on to aail tho
works , those who flinched were as before goa
ded on by the ; swords of the officers. The
Americans again reserved their fireuntil th ir j
assailants were close at hand, and tcn made j
a murderous volley, by which several officers
were laid low, and General Howe hiiiself was '
wounded intbe foot. j
The British soldiery this time likewise re- j
served their fire, and rushed on vith fixed j
bayonets. Clinton and Pigot had reached !
the southern and eastern sides of the redoubt, -:
and it was now assailed on three sides at ouce.
Prescott ordered those who had no Jmyonets
to retire to the back part of the redoubt, and '
five on the enemy as they showed. themselves
on the parapet. The first who mounted ex- !
claimed in the triumph, ".The day is burs !" !
Fie was instantly shot down and so werosev- j
eral others who mounted about the sama time. ;
Thfl Americans, however, had fired thpir last
round, their ammunition wa exhausted ; aad
A i,nnd tn bnd with Knnota 'm.I
ffi- r -
At lenth. as the British continued io vonr
in, Prescott gave the order to retreat. His
w - -
men had to cut their way through two divi
sions of the enemy who were getting in rear
of the redoubt, and they received a destruc- !
tive volley from those who had formed on the 1
captured works By that volley fell the pat-
riot Warren who had distinguished himself i
throughout the action. He was . among the ,
last to leave the redoubt and had scarce done
so when he was shot through the head with a
musket ball and fell dad on the spot.
While the Americans vfero thus slowly
dislodged from the redoubt, Stark, Reed and
Knowlton maintained their ground at the for
tified fence, which indeed had been nobly de-.
fended throughout the action Pomeroy dis
tinguished himself here by bis sharp-shooting
until bis musket was shattered by a ball.
The resistance at this hastily constructed work
was kept up after the troops in the redoubt
had given way and until Colonel Prescott had
left the hill, thus defeating Gen, Howe's de
sign of cutting off the retreat of the main body,
which would have produced a scene of direful
confusion' and slaughter. Having effected
their purpose, the brave associates of the fence
abandoned their weak outpost, retiring slowly, :
and disputing the ground inch by inch with a !
rcg'ilarity remarkable in troops many of whom j
had never before been in action.
.: The main retreat was across Bunker's Ilill,
where Putnam had endeavored to throw up a
breastwork. The veteran, sword in hand,
rode to the rear of the retreating troops, re
gardless of the balls whistling about him.
His only thought was to rally them at the un
finished work. ;'.r' Halt! make a stand here !"
cried he, " we ean check them yet. In God's
name, form, and give them one shot more."
. . Pomeroy, wielding his shattered nmsketas
a truncheon, seconded - him in his efforts to
stay the torrent ' It was impossible, howev
er, to bring the ; troops to a stand. They
continued on down the hill to the Neck, and
across to Cambridge, exposed to a raking fire
from the ships and batteries, and only protec
ted by a single, piece of ordinance The
British were too exhausted to pursue them ;
they contented themselves with taking posses-
from
)kton. atii threw np aidUIonftl worl
s durinff
tno nigni.
... ; .; ; The Great Telegraph.
. .For a considerable period nothing has been
heard of the progress of the great enterprise
of constructing a line of electro-magnetic tel
egraph across the Atlantic ocean from Europo
to America by the way of Newfoundland and
Ireland, and no doubt many have supposed
the whole thing a mere project,;without body
of any tind, existing only in' the newspapers,
and the stock market. To be sure, we have
had at intervals-vague giving out of what the
company was going to da, but nothing actual
ly accomplished , having been ; chronicled, the
enterprise has been regarded as a castle in the
air . At length, however, we have something
more substantial, "flic company hiys been
all this" time busily at work, and there Is a
visible prospect of the construction of the tel
egraph. From the government of Newfound
land an exclusive charter has been obtained
for fifty years, to build a telegraph to or upon
the island," or in the waters adjacent thereto,
or any of its dependencies; and to encourage
the undertaking, the government has agreed
to pay JC5000 towards constructing a bridle
path across the island for the use of tie telc
grarh, and to guarantee the interest on XoO,
000 for twenty years, besides giving fifty
square miles of land to be selected anywhere
on tho island,, on the completion of the liue
to St. John's, and fifty more if the line be suc
cessfully carried across the , Atlantic to Eu
rope. From the government of Prince Ed
wards Island the Company has ahsO obtained
an exclusive charter for fifty years, and a gift
of one thousand acres of land. The Company
has also purchased a charter previously ob
tained iu New Brunswick, and have since ob
tained one from Canada, with full liberty to
cross those territories, should it be necessary.
An agreement has been made with- Professor
Morse for the use of. his patents, and all re
newals. "' The Company has done something more
substantial than merely to obtain charters. :
It has proceeded to act vigorously thereon,
hiving purchased the steamer Victoria, and
sent her to Newfoundland with an engineer
and assistants. : The whole of last season six
hundred men were engaged in cutting the road
across Newfoundland, a distance of four hun
dred miles. - In doing so, three mineralogists
employed by . the Company to explore the
country, discovered two mines of coal, one of
copper, one of lead, aud quarries of slate and
alabaster, besides very valuable tracts of ship
timber. ; These discoveries wiU, of course,
tend' to populate the line of the road, and
make the telegraph valuable. The most im
portant achievement of the Company's agent
U thus narrated - by the New York Ecange
lUt: , - . . .-;. i
" Iu London ho formed a contract with the
Transatlantic Telegraph Company composed
of English aud l'rcucb capitalists, whereby
the latter engaged to construct alid lay down
at their own expense and risk a submarine
cable, extending from Ireland to St. John's,
Newfoundland, and to have it cempleted for
operatian on or before the 22d day of Janua
ry, 1858. The two companies, European
and American, each will own the line which
it construct, but their contract obliges them
to operate in connection with each other, to
the exclusion of all other lines, for the period
of fifty years, which is the limit of the Amer
can company's charter. At the same time a
favorable contract was made for the submarine
cable to connect Newfoundland with Cape
Breton. This will be scventy-fottr miles long,"
and is to be ready on the last day of this
memth, when it will be shipped direct to New
foundland 'The steamer V ictoria " sailed a
few days since for St. John's, with Mr. Kllis,
the Chief Engineer, and his assistants. ' The
company confidently expect to have telegraph
ic communication established between New
York and St. John's in the course of this
summer. All the necessary harbor and wharf
accommodations have been secured at that
port for the steamers which are expected to
call there on their trips between America aud
Europe. St. John's is about two days nearer
to England than Halifax. We have there
fore every reason to believe that in three
months the old world and the new will be
within a week's of each other and that with
in three years the two hemispheres cill he in
instantaneous cimmtmicatin.n, -
This news will be as unexpected as grati
fying to; everybody. The thing is actually
under contract, with a prospect that it will be
completed in three years. The last day of
this month tho first link of submarine cable
is to be delivered for shipment. Of course,
the great difficulty exists in laying the main
cable from Newfoundland to Ireland. How
that is to be effected is, as yet, a mystery, as
in so long a journey any vessel containing the
cable would run serious risk from storms.
Philadelphia Nbrt h American. ;
A Cubical Anecdote. ' It is said" that
an eccentric minister of the Congregational
church, who, in refusing to join the order of
Know-Nothings, had resisted the force of the
example of so many of his clerical brcthern,
was preaching from the story that Saul, while
in search of the lost asses of his father, found
a kingdom, closed his sermon with the intro
duction of the following epigram:
'When Saul, the handsome son of Kish,
Was seeking for his cattle.
He found a kingdom, which he won
Without a single battle,
In Boston now the thing's reversed, '
(This age the old surpasses,)
We, seeking for a government,
Fiud Legislative Bases." Prov. Journal.
Vaixablb Bequest. A Scotchmam na
med William Maclure, says the Toronto Pat
riot, recently deceased, left the bulk of his
property, valued ar $300,000, . to be appro
priated expressly for the purpose of the diffu
sion of useful knowledge and instruction
amongst the institutions, libraries, clubs or
meetings for useful instruction of the working
classes or manual -laborers in the. United
Stats of America."
: A Case for the Know-Nothicga.
To the Editor of tub New .York Trib
ute Sir:. Will you be kind enough to pre
sent Tny. case for the consideration of your
Know-Nothing readers. I was born in Eng
land by accident, not choice; I was not con
sulted in the matter ; I came on the faith of
your flag your Constitution and your laws ;
these told me I might become a citizen of the
Republic and stand on an equal footing with
my neighbors. ' native to the manor born" by
giving ralue received." The consideration
waa renunciation of my birth-right, my natal
citizenship. ' I paid the - consideration - and
became, as I supposed, a citizen of the Uni
ted States ; hardly-establibbed in my new
home, I hear the war blast -and find myself
doing a soldier's duty in Mexico, under my
newly-adopted flag ; after that I bind myself
by other relations to this country ; I marry an
Ameriran woman and bave sons born nnto me,
Americans all; I come out into this wilderness
to carve out of this forest aud these prairies
freemen's homes for my sons. I am startled
by another sound, the scream of bigotry and
intolerance, I am told the contract maun be
tween the United States and me is to be repu
diated, that I am to be deprived of my citizen
ship, or at least that it is to be robbed of its
virtue and its grace, that its attribute Equal
ity, for which I prize it, must be stricken out;
I must not hold an office ; I want none, but I
like not this ban. I gave away my citiien
ship for another ; this was the contract, and
" I must have my "bond." Bnt you sny I
shall not have it To this I reply ; You are
strong and can withhold it ; I submit.
If it is dangerous to your institutions that
foreigners should come among you I will
leave. - It will be a loss and inconvenience to
me, yet leave I must. I cannot stay where I
am not welcome, nor live where I am not as
good as another. I will seek again the red
cross banner, and on the cold soil of Canada
repent like the Prodigal. T will take my
American wife and my American sous, and on
the threshold of their native country they
i shall shake the American oust off their feet.
I My bovs tre sons of the sires of '76(Puritan
I Ktetck. not Hessian like some Know -Notbinirs.')
but they will never know it. Of the suffcr
j ings of their ancestors, in the cold days at
i Valley Forge and in the hot days at Mon
mouth they shall nothing know. One. thing
1 I regret ; I cannot take them all, for one of
) my boys has become American dust. He lies
' on the'shores of the Old Dominion, and the
waters of the Chesapeake dash upoa his grave.
. He sleeps well; let him Elcep. J-
' Here a new difficulty meets me. If, as
American jurists tell me, I cannot renounce
the allegiance I myself have voluntarily un
dertaken, then I am doubly cheated.- But if
this be not so. will England take me back ?
j She may ; but my wife and children England
j does not know. . She may recognize ray- wife
as part of my own individuality; but my son,
they are foreigners, born in America when
' their father was an Ameri-an citizen. They
! cannot stand on an equality with free-born
' English citizens. Here is the dilemma. What
: am I to do ? If I live here I am under polit-
ical and social ban. If I go to my native
j country my children are under the same dis
ability. ho is responsible I l am not.
You told me I might bccoice an American cit
izen by rendering a certain consideration. 1
gave it. Am I to be cheated aud my chil
dren too 1 4
Very respectfully yours, . Lex.
Butler Co., Iowa, April 24, 1S55.
A Great Susie Story Encounter with i
Eattlesnake.
IFrom the Massillou News.
i Having met with a considerable adventure
with a large rattlesnake, I concluded to give
you some description of my encounter with
him.: Having occasion to go from Akron to
the town of Massillon, I started with my team,
consisting of a two-horse buggy, aud after
having proceeded about eight miles, I discov
ed an object in advance of me lying across
the road, which at first Eight I mistook for a
crooked limb of a tree, but upon approaching
the spot where it lay, judge' of my astonish
ment to find it to be a large rattlesnake, slow
ly and stealthily moving toward the side of
tho road, where, upon examination, I found
he was about io make prey of a j oung squirrel
that was unable to move from its position.
Being anxious to see the result of bis move
ments, 1 followed him as close as I thought it
prudent to do; but his majesty not liking the
intrusion, or preferring me for a victim, im
mediately gave a very loud rattle and turned
directly towards me. Being unarmed, and
not thinking myself in a bituation to meet my
assailant, I wes obliged to turn and give as is
commonly called -Meg bail,' which I did to
the best of my ability; but being closely pur
sued, and finding that I . was rapidly losing
ground at that pace, I was somewhat fright
ened, thinking that unless I could succeed in
distancing him I would certainly become his
victim.
; Exerting ruyself to my utmost, I finally in
creased the distance bctwecu ihs reptile and
myself, but s vet I had no great adrantagc;
but in my fig'ut I was fortunate enough to find
something in the shape of a weapon, being ' a
good stout stick about three fctst long and
about four or five inches in circumference.
Hastily seizing this, I turned aud prepared for
battle, te;n but a momcut's wtk, as the
snake was then close in . the rear gathering
himself up to make the fatal spring upon me ;
he made a momentary pauso, during which
time I held my breath through fear and f-x-'citemeot
together, lest I might fail to hit my
mark. During this short pause I took advan
tage of his position aud struck him a severe
blow with my stick immediately on tha back
of the neck, close to the bead, which stroke
to ray joy and surprise entirely severed the
head from the body, causing it to fly some
twenty paces frota the spot where I stood.
After the head was severed the body contin
ued to run in different directions, as it gen
erally tho fn! previous to ita death but in
this case it coutiuued for au unusual length of
time, owing no doubt to the size of the rep
tile and the amouut of muscular strength
which il possessed. After it become suffi
ciently quiet, fro that it could be straightened
out, I measured it i-Ksely and found it to be
six feet and eleven iu'.-hes iu length by nine and '
a half inches in circumference," being the lar
gest one of that Fpecies that had ever been
seen in that region of country. Knowing the
incredulity of some persons respecting snake
stones, I couclued to throw him into the bug
gy and take him to the Louse of Mr. C. A.
Johnson, close to the road, who has taken tho
pains to have it skinned and hide stuffed, and
can testify ta my statement, as the hide as
well as rattles are now in his pot-session . I
have given 3 0U this description as I thought it
might be interesting to some of your readers,
should you iuscrt it in your journal.
Yours, respectfully.
DANIEL TEEltYM AN.
Massillox, June 1, 18o.". .
A Stump Speech.
The following specimens of quaint humor
we find in oue of our exchanges under the
head of ' California Correspondence. They
purport to have been delivered by a stump
candidate at San Francisco :
Fellow-RipulA leans andellow-sitff'erers t I
am a plain and honest man, born at a very
early period of my existence which occurred
at home one night when my mother was out,
I have struggled from the obscurity to which
an unlucky star had doomed me, till I have
risem like a bright exhalation in the evening,
to the very summit of human greatness and
grandeur. Gentlemen , I profess no princi-
pies unfortunately I have none. On the
unhappy occasion of my birth, a dismal and
melancholy man, cltbed in the sombre hues
of mourning, swapped me away for another
baby, and subsequently lost me at a rafSe.
Sad event ! but who can control his fate ? We
are the creatures of destiny. " There'6 a di
vinity that shapes our ends, rough hew them
how weVill."
I was intended by nature for agreat states
man. Had I lived in the days of Hannibal I
should, have lea ten the greatest chieftain iu
crossing the Alps, and it is a dead certain
thing that I should have dintanced Cortes iu
crossing the Isthmus ; he never performed the
feats I did; he never came up the Chagres
river iu a canoe, with a deaf and dumb hom
bre. without a red cent, or a change of sum
mer apparel. . But a light heart and a thin
pair of breeches go rmrrily t hrough the :
world." ...
Sir, every man who has come here is a Co
Innibus. ' He comes to discover new diggius.
I am a Columbus ? I w&s dead broke at home,
as Columbus was, and I have come here to
strike a new vein. But Iam not going to the
mines. Oh, no! You don't catch me up to '
my waist in ice water, with a juvenile pick-. !
axe and an incipient crow-bar, laboring un
der a heat of 100 degrees in the shade to dig -out
the filthy lucre.. No. sir ! I am not on
that lay I hate labor it was au invention
to vex mankind. I prefer an office one that
is lucrative, and not laborious ; what you call
a sinecure. And if I can't get one tuyself, I
will go in for any man who will divide on a
dead level, and no splits.
Sir, where will you find a country like this?
Talk not of the oriental gorgeousncss of eas
tern countries. Tell Us not of the fairy scen
ery which poets who revel in the great warm
path of heavenly imagination paint, with gol
den pens on leaves of satin. The description
of this glorious country should be written with
the golden wing of an angel dipped in the sof
test rays of the sunbeam upon the blushing
surface ofro.se loaf. . Excuse me, gentlemen.
1 I except the rainy Beason, and the time when
tue ausi uics. -
We love our native land we honor her flag,
and we would not rob the custom-house, if we .
had a fair show. But Congress must not put
oa any airs, or we will take charge of the
cu3tom-house and the post office, and make a
muss generally. These are my sentiments,
gentlemen" ; if they don't admit us into the
Union we will burst open the custom house,
and admit all liquor free of duty. And now,
with a parting blessing on the girls wc left be
hind us, aud the boys who are coming after
us.
we will adjourn and take a drink.
' The IxaiAS War. An Iadian trader,
named Picott, who has arrived at Wolf river, '
Kansas, from the Blackfcet country, with 20,
000 buffalo robes, says that, as he passed
through the Sioux country, he found . all tho
tribes of that nation talking about the war,
which they were expecting to have with the
United States, and moving iu large numbers
down towards Fort Laramie. " Picott reports
that the Big Chief Mountains in the Black
feet country abound io buffaloes of a larger,
more shaggy and ferocious kind than those of
the plains ; that more than a hundred thousand
of tbem are aunually slain by the hunters,
while a like cumber perish iu tho snow aud
rivers, and yet there is no apparent diminu
tion in their numbers. Other traders who
have arrived from plains report meeting sev
eral thousand Sioux warriors at Ash Hoiiow,
who, however, treated then kindly, and saLi
that they would make treaty of peace if
they could, or fight, if they must. Oa the
15ta of May Col. Cook left Fort Laramie with
two detachments, one of infantry and one of
cavalry, and will reach Ash Hollow early in
June. .
Scimce and sound mind axe both gifts;
thu former of stuJy, the latter of nature. Stu
dy is the elevator of miud and feelings, and
the interpreter of this ia the ongue. A small
point of a balance is the ioague and yet what
miracles does it perform.
' Jt57Thcught and theory must precede all
action that moves to salutary purposes. Yet
action is nobler in itself than either thought
or theory.