HUNTINGDON JOURNAL.
W BOLE No. 178..]
TERMS
OF TIER
ZVITTINCEDON "70411,1\TAL.
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but, and charge accordingly.
COMMON SCHOOLS,
.11E ARRISBURG, FEBRUARY 11,1839
'•The Commissioners of Huntingdon CO:
.. GENTLEMEN;—By the fifth paragraph
of the tenth section ot the act to consolidate
and amend the several acts relative to a
general system of education by common
ve...`teds, passed the 13th June, 1836, the
Superintendent of Common Schools is direc
ted annually, in the month of February, to
transmit to the commissioners of each coun
ty, a statement of the amount every district
therein that has, and every district that has
not adopted the Common School system,
may be entitled to receive out of the annual
appropriation of two hundred thousand dol
lars, and the commissioners shall immedi
ately cause such statement to be published
three times, in one or more newspapers prin
bed in said county,
''By the third section to the supplement
to the above recited act, passed on the 12th
day of April, 1838, it is thus provided:
"SECTION 3. It shall be the duty of the
commissioners of each county in the State,
triennially, to ascertain with the assistance
of the respective assessors, the exact num
ber of the resident taxible c tizens of each
Common School district in their several
counties, and to certify the same under their
hands and seal of office, to the Superinten
dent of Common Schools, who is hereby di
rected to adopt the number of taxables, thus
certified to him, as the basis of distribution
of the State appropriation; the said certifi
cates to he prepared and transmitted on or
before the first day ot April in every third
year, commencing with the first day of April
eighteen hundred and thirty—nine: Provi
ded, That if the commissioners of any coon
ty shall neglect to forward such certificates,
on or before said day, the Superintendent
may, in that c .se, adopt the number of tax
ables set forth in the next preceding certifi
cate or return.
"You perceive that there will be some dif
ict:lty this year, in carrying into effect these
provisions, as the enumeration to be retur
ned on the first of April, is to be the basis of !
distribution, while the Superintendent is to ,
furnish the statement of the amount to
which each district is entitled in the month
of February.
'ft is impossible, at this time, to conjec
titre the proportion of the two hundred thous,
and dollars, to which each district will be
entitled. When the number of taxables is
ascertained by the enumeration to he return
ed on the first of April next, the proportion
will be reduced according to the increase of
the taxables. As the main'object of furnish
ing this statement in the month of February,
is to give notice to the districts of the amount
of tax they arc required to assess in order to
entitle them to the State appropriation; and
as the reduction in this sum, arising from the
additional number of taxables, will not be
veat, it is considered that a publication of
the statement furnished to you by the Su
perintendent, in February, 1838, will sub
stantially comply with the law, You will,
therefore, re-publigh that statement during
the present month, fur the information of the
districts, and inform them that it contain
the amount, to which they are entitled, n
the two thousand dollaes for the presens
year.
"I am constrained to urge upon you the
necessity of furnishing the exact nnixber of
taxables in each of the districts in your coup
ty, agreeable to the above recited section,
as soon as practicable, and not to delay the
matter longer than the Ist April. You per-
teive, by the concluding part of the section,
that if this !return is not made in time, the
taxables in the preceeding return are to be
adopted, by which your county will be de
prived, for the year, of the State appropria
tion to the additional taxables in the respec
tive districts, granted by the eleventh sec
lion of the act of 12th April, 1138, which
makes the amount of the State approprin•
$i . equal to one dollar for each taxable cit
iieu."-
FR. R. SRUNK.
Superinlovient of Schools."
In compliance with the foregoing instruc
tions, the following statement of the amount
due the several Sc hool - Districts of Hunting
don county, for the COMMON scuom. year
1139, is again published as the basis ordis
trikution of State appropriation to the said
districts for the school year 1840, and which
will form the data, upon which the Districts
must assess their respective school tax, for
tke ensuing Dear.
VIZ
Allegheny -_ - 8 140,49
Antes -- 191,63
Tiarree -- .1..)81,32
•
Cromwell -.- 136,60
Dublin-
• 99,70
Franklin- - 165,7)
Frankstown- 250,45
-
Henderson -- 168,32
-
Huntingdon- - 161,85
Hopewell -_ - 121,71
Morris -- - 216,88
Porter -•- 162.50.
Shirley -. 138,54
Springfield- - 127,54
'tell - - 117,18
Ty -
.
rone _
- 142,43
Union - 231,12
Walker -- - 100,35
W. Mark- - 211,05
West -- 244,07
Woodbury- - 374,85
,bi
Hollidaysi
Burg -
The several assessors within the county of
Huntingdon, are required to make out their
assessments with a correct return of the
whole number of taxables in each COMMON
SCHOOL district, and return the same to the
Commissioners office in the borongh of Hun
tingdon, on Friday the 29th day of March
next, that the commissioners may be ena
bled to carry into effect the act of the Gen
eral Assembly recited in the foregoing cir
cular. The personal attendance of each of
the Assessors at that time will be necessary
Attest,
J. ARMITAGE Clk.
Comm's. office, Huntingdon
February 18th, 1859.
THE GA RITA.IIi ll•
-.With sweetest flowers enrich'd
From various gardens cull'd with care."
Here is something to stir the heart and
moisten the eyes. We have culled it from
one of the magazines of the day. Many,
many times have we read it over, and wept
with the "joy of grief," as it brought to our
remembrance the sweet babes, who could
just lisp the name of •sister,' that passed a
way long ago. As we read it again and a
gain, we think how many a parent's heart
has throbbed, how many a parent's eves
have grown dim, while pausingrn these very
lines, and lingering in memory over the
dear ones, and n otine, each well-known face,
who have long since been hid in the grave!
Balt. Mon.
WEE WILLIE.
Fare thee well, our last and fairest!
Dear wee Willie, fair the well;
He, who lent thee, hath recalled thee
Back with Him and His to dwell.
Fifteen moons their silver lustre
Only o'er thy brow had shed,
When thy spirit joined the seraphs,
And thy dust the dead,:
Like a sunbeam through our dwelling
Shone thy presence bright and calm;
Thou didst add a zest to pleasure—
To our sorrows thou wert balm;
Brighter beamed thine eyes than summer ;
And thy first attempt at speech
Thrilled our heart strings with a rapture,
Music ne'er could reach.
As we gazed upon thee sleeping,
With thy fine fair locks out-spread,
Thou didst seem a little angel,
Who from heaven to earth had strayed;
And, entranced we watched the vision,
Half in hope and half affright,
Lest what we deemed ours, and earthly,
Should dissolve in light.
Snows oe'r-mantled hill and valley;
Sullen clouds begrim'd the sky,
When the first, drear doubt oppressed us,
That our child was doomed to die!
'I hrough each long night-watch, the taper
Showed the hectic of thy cheek:
And each anxious dawn beheld thee
More worn out and weak.
'Tomas even then Destruction's angel
Shook his pinions our path,
Seized the rosiest of our household,
And struck Charlie down in Death!
Fearful—awful! Desolation
On our lintel set his sign;
And we turned from his sad death bed
Willie, round to thine.
As thebeams of spring's first morning
Through the silent chamber played.
Lifeless, in mine arms I raised thee,
And in thy small coffin laid;
Ere the day star with the darkness
Nine times had triumphant striven,
In one grave had met your ashes,
And your sculs in heaven!.
Five w ere ye, the beauteous blossoms
Of our hopes, and hearts, and hearth;
Two asleep lie buried under—
Three for us yet gladden earth.
Thee, our hyacinth gay Charlie—
Willie, thee our snow drop pure,
Back to us shall second spring time
Never more allure!
"ONE COUNTRY, ONE CONSTITUTION, ONE DESTINY•"
HUNTINGDON, PENNSYLVANIA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 1839.
Yet, while thinking, oh our lost cncs!
Of how dear ye was to us,
Why should dreams of doubt and darkneas
Haunt our troubled spirits thus?
Why across the cold dim church yard,
Flit our visions of despair?
'Seated on the tomb, Faith's angel
Saith—'ye are not there.'
Where then, are ye? With the saviour
Blest--forever blest are ye,
'Mid the sinless little children,
Who have heard his 'Come to me
'Yond the shades of death's dark valley,
Now ye lean upon his breast,
Where the wicked dare not enter,
And the weary rest.
192,93
We are wicked—we are weary:
For us pray and for us plead;,
God, who ever hears the sinless,
May through you the sinful heed,
Pray that through Christ's meditation,
All our faults may be forgiven;
Plead that ye be sent to greet us
At the gates of heaven!
SELECT TALE
Win. M. Price the Defaulter .
To the Editor of the Daily 11 big.
Sin: At this time, when all the world
are engaged in just condemnation of the
conduct of WILLIADI M. PRICE, the De—
faulter, the following incident in his his
tory may not be uninteresting. It is a
true story, and will stand in beautiful
relief upon the sombre mantle of disgrace
in which his character has more recently
become enshrouded.
Should you deem it et sufficient inter
est for publication, and worthy of a place
in your miscellaneous columns, I should
be pleased to obtain its insertion.
With much respect, I am, &c.,
A Tale of the Sessions.
During the snmmer of 1824, while on
a country Jaunt in the State of Connecti
cut, it was my lot to become acquainted
with Harry B , and my good for
'tune at the same time, to fall in love with
his beautiful sister Elizabeth. But as I
am riot about to enter at pi esent upon a
tale of romance, or weave a garland at the
shrine of love, I shall pass over the list
of her perfections, and sum up the whole
of that portion of my story, with the sim
ple declaration, that my affections were
returned, and atter an acquaintance of
three years, we were married.
My new brother, who, like myself, was
just emerging from boyhood, was of a
thoughtful, sedate disposition, yet posses
sed of an amiable sweetness of temper,
that endeared him to all who knew him.
Noble, humane and generous in his fee
lings, he was one whose anger it was dif
ficul to arouse, and who would step aside
rather than inflict a wilful injury upon the
meanest worm that crossed his path. He
had'been bred to a respectable mechani
cal profession, but was possessed of a
mind which prompted, and an education
and talent which enabled him to apply
himself to a profession of a very different
nature, and he had been but a short time
released from his indentures, when he
commenced the study of medicine, and
removed to the city of New York, for the
purpose of availing himself of the advan
tages which ai e here offered to students in
his favorite science, Here he entered as
a student, the office of what we deemed
a respectable physician, and commenced
his studies with a degree of energy and
perseverance, which gave decided prom
ise of his future excellence in the medici
net art. His gravity of demeanor became
now an appropriate auxiliary to his new
profession; and so admirably (lid they be
come each other, that he was already in
vested by his more familiar associates,
with the dignified cognomen of Doctor.
henry soon discovered, however, that
Isis new situation was any thing but plea
ant; for the doctor nut only furnished oc
casionally a subject for dissection in his
own room, but was sometimes called upon
to supply a brother in the profession, who
resided at a distance, with the same in
despensable means of illustrating the sci
eece of phisiology. The subjects obtain
ed for this purpose, were carefully boxed
up and placed in the dissecting room, un
til a favorable opportunity should offer
for forwarding them to their place of des
tination, Harry's:sleeping apartment was
immediately adjoining the dissecting room;
and as there was but a loose partition be
tween then, the effluvia arising from those
pent up portions of decaying mortality,
was by no means agreeable. He remon
strated with the doctor, but without effect,
and at length incautiously mentioned the
cause of Isis dissatisfaction to others. This
intOrmation was too interesting to be con
cealed; the facts soon because notorious
throughout the neighborhood, until at last
the whisperings became so loud, as to
reach the ear of the doctor himself. Mor
tification and shame at the exposure, were
followed in quick succession, with a de.
termination to be revenged upon the luck
less student.
Harry had already taken new quarters,
and was busily employed in seeking a
more agreeable situation wherein to pur—
sue his studies, when a letter was one
day placed in my hands, stating that he
was imprisoned lion a charge of larceny.
Had a bolt front the regions of thunder
stricken me to rite earth, 1 could not have
been more stupefied. Larceny! 1 exclai
med mentally—my friend Harry B
guilty of lareenyl—impossible! 1 has
tened to the office of the pc lice magistrate,
gave the requisite bonds for his appear
ance at the Sessions, and obtained an or
der fur his release. At the prison door lie
met me with a smile—tiuctured, it is true,
with a shade of nieluneholly, but wheth
er from the natoral gravity of his disposi
tion, or the peceliar situation in which lie
was placed, I did not attempt to deter
mine. For Clod's sake, Harry, 1 exclai
med, how came you here? .You shall
know directly," he replied, with more
than usual pleasantry—and as we left the
orison yi.rd he continued--" The whole
!natter," said hr, "can be summed up in
very few words. My old friend, Dr. S.,
has commenced paying one oil fur expo
sing him in his di;gracefol traffic.
But how haS he been able to establish
this charge so far as to warrant your coin
initial? 1 enquired. "Very easily, indeed"
he replied, "the doctor charged one with
stealing a medical book front his library,
obtained a search warrant, and found the
book in my wssession, whereupon I was
arrested an.placed where you this mo•
ment found me, within the walls of you
gloomy prison."
Found the book in your possession!
"Exactly so."
But how carve you by it?
"That," said he, “is a question which I
shall probably be able to answer more to
your satisfaction than to that of a jury;
especially as the court will not permit me
to say a word upon the subject in their
presence, but you shall know the facts as ,
they are." When I was in the office of
Dr. S., lie continued, I kept in my room
a small trunk containing books, notes of
lectures and other papers belonging to
myself, and when using a book from the
doctor's library, I usually, for the saki: of
convenience, placed it in the trunk when
not actually needed for study; the book.
in question was in my trunk when I re
mored it from his office, and I was heed- •
less enough to forget it and take it with
me."
Tim 'IIITER,
Could I possibly have entertained a
doubt of his innocence, this simple state
ment would have driven it from my mind;
it was manifestly a case of the vilest per
secution, but as Harry justly remarked, it
would be a difficult matter to convince a
jury of his innocence, without the power
to place in their possession the proofs
thereof; the matter at first appeared al
most too trilling for consideration, but the
more I thought about it the more I ;vas
perplexed, and, turn which way I would,
these facts were constantly before me: He
has been accused of larceny, and the sto
len property wasfound in his possession--
the brand jury have indicted him as a fel
on, and he muse be tried at the Seseions.
Harry accompanied me home, and, as
concealment was impossible, we related
to his sister with an air of levity, an ac
count of the whole affair. The subject,
however, did not appear to be one of a
very amusing character— on the contrary
I soon perceived that it was to her a source
of growing and intense anxiety.
A ray of hope at length flashed over my
mind—a feeble one indeed, yet, like the
expiring wretch whose ship all tempest
torn, is cast in fragments over the raging
b flows of the ocean, grasping a floating
portion of the wreck in love of life, so
did I seize on this. I will seek this
heartless persecutor, I exclaimed; he may
perchance relent; he may withdraw this
paltry cruel charge, and all will yet be
well, Vain hope! Malice had steeled
his heart, and with the exultation of a
fiend, he said %would teach my brother
honesty!
No alternative now presented itself,
and we were compelled to make up our
minds to endure a public trial in a crimi
nal court with all the attendant evils and
mortitications which must necessarily fol
low in its train, independent of the grand
result of conviction or acquital. Of his
ultimate acquital I did n ot entertain a
doubt, for although we could not hope to
disprove the charge, yet there could be no
difficulty in establishing the excellent ►no
ral character of my friend, and the con
temptible meanness of the accusation I
considered sufficient in itself to present
the affair in its true light to the minds of
the jury. We had been desirous to avoid
if possible, the formality and annoyance
of a public trial; but now, when that hope
mu denied us, it became necessary to ob
tain counsel, and make the necessary pre
parations. We accordingly applied to
Mr. Price, who was at that time one of the
most prominent and able lawyers in the
criminal courts of our city; we related to
him a hasty outline of our difficulty, and
expressed a wish that he would conduct
our cause. The amount of fee, however,
which he required, was beyond the reach
of our slender means, and we were oblig
ed to content ourselves with the assis
tance of a lawyer of less pretensions.
As the day of Harry's trial approached,
it was apparent that the knawings of si
lent anguish' were making fearful inroads
upon the. happiness and health of his be
loved sister. Usually serene in her dis
posaion, she uttered no loud regrets or
vain complaints against his foul accuser,
but her wasted form and hollow eye beto
kened mental suffering—the timid accents
of fear would sometimes tremble on her
lips, whilst the silent tear which dimmed
her listless eye and coursed in glittering
contrast down her faded cheek, told of a
heart o'ercharged with blighting sorrow.
I strove with an affee:ed cheerfulness to
rouse her drooping spirits, but in vain. A
melancholy smile would sometimes cross
her palied features, as if in mockery of
the storm within, and then it would pass
away and leave them gloomier than before.
It was a smile which seemed to say- -you
can't deceive me. Day after day her oleo.
der frame and physical energies were yiel
ding to the more potent infkence of a
mind distressed, until at length our most
anxious fears were exercised on her behalf
—it was apparent that nature could nut
long sustain the conflict between (lie men
tal and physical frame, and that unless
relief was soon obtained, one or the other'
must give way. The day of trial at length
arri'cd, and 1 felt a moral conviction that ,
the result would determine the fate not
only of my poor friend !tarry, but that of
his unhappy sister also—the state of my
own feelings can be better imagined than
described.
Our arrangements were all made, our
witnesses subpceued, and my friend had
been duly summoned to appear fat trial
before his honor the Recorder, &c. at
eleven o'clock, in the forenoon. "Good
morning, my dear," said I in a cheerful
tone as we were about leaving home, "fear
not, 1 will bring him back with me." A
silent tear was her only response— tea
duly embracing her brother she impressed
tie heavenly symbol of a sister's love up
on his brow and left us.
CHAPTER 11.
It was a tedious day to us all. There
were several causes to be tried before ours,
and it was not until nine o'clock at night
that Harry was called to the bar. Hav
ing made his plea of not guilty, he was
permitted by the court to occupy a seat
between his counsel and myself.
I now discovered that, although late in
the evening, Mr. Price was still in his
seat at the opposite side of the table, but
' as I supposed that he remained from cu
riosity, this circumstance did not excite
my further attention: The trial now
commenced by calling the prosecutor to
the witness' stand. Ile, without hesita
tion, swore to the theft, and took occasion
to embellish his testimony with remarks
and inuendoes, not only totally at variance
with the subject of accusation, but as
false as they were astounding, alleging
that which he had not dared to charge in
the indictment, well knowing that it could
all be disproved, and so perverting and
magnifying the true state of the atrair, as
to create a nest unfavorable impression
upon the minds of those who were not
already acquainted with the facts. Our
counsel allowed him to retire without
cross-examination. The officer was next
called, and clearly proved by his testimo
ny the finding of the stolen property in
the possession of the prisoner; he too was
allowed to retire without a question.
In vain did I strive to rally our almost
silent couns2l, and urge him to make ass
effort in behalf of his client. He was stu
pid as an idiot, and appeared as if held to
his seat through the paralysing influence
of some powerful opiate. A third wit
ness was called to the stand by the zeal
ous district attorney, who seemed to con
sider it his duty to convict the prisoner,
guilty or not guilty.
My confidence in my friends acquittal
began to wave--I thought of the promise
I had given to Elizabeth in the morning,
and my heart sank within me. The con
sequences of his conviction rushed upon
my mind with the impetuous fury of the
whirlwind. Cold drops of sweat issued
from every pore, and my bewildered brain
seemed almost bursting. Disgrace! a
prison! the fate of her whom we both lov
ed snore than the cruel anguish of a
(loafing mother—and the scornful laugh
of triumph whirls already rung like the
horrid yell of demons in my ear, were
crowded with such fearful force upon my
imagination as almost to depm e me of
she power of reason. The third witness
was upon the stand, and as I raised my
eyes towards him it seemed as it the evil
one had lent his aid to help the doctor in
[ Vol.. IV, No. 22.
his fiendi-li purpose. Upon the stand
beheld perhap the only enemy, except
his persecutor, that May had on earth
My heated blood grew cold—the long con
tinued and painful throbbing of the pulse
upon my brain subsided, and the lights in
the room were mingled in one confused
and undefinable mass with the faces of
those around toe. A faint, sickening
'sensation took possession of nay whole
frame, &it was with difficulty that I suc
ceeded in retaining my scat.
The voice of Mr. Price at this moment
recalled me to a sense of my situation,
and on looking up I perceived that he had
left his seat and placed himself by the
side of Harry's counsel. A .ingle ques
tion from that gentleman was sufficient to
drive the witness from the stand. Anoth
er took his place, but to share a similar
fate, and the testimony for the prosecu
tion ended.
Mr. Price, as already stated, had re ,
ceived a hasty statement of the case E a
former time, and being convinced of Ilar
ry's innocence, he had not the heartto wit
ness his destruction—hope was relighted
in my breast, for I already looked upon
him as our deliverer.
The prosecutor was again called to 0 01
stand and placed by .Ir. Price under a
rigid cross-examination. The poor wretch
quail, d and trembled tinder the castiga
tion which he received, until the district
attorney, who saw the effect which this
examination was likely to produce, sprang
from his scat, and in an excited and pre ,
emptury manlier directed him not to ans
wer. The obedient witness refused to
answer further question and was permit
ted to leave the stand. The officer was
now recalled by Mr. Price when the fol
lowini, examination took place.
Mr. Price. You have informed the
court that you found the lost book in the
possession of Mr. B. Please to state now
what kind of a book it was that you found.
Answer. It was a medical book. I
have forgotten the title, but it is named in
the warrant.
Mr. P. Was the name of Dr. S. or any
person written in the book?
Mr. P. Ho v then did you know that
the book which you round was the identi
cal book which this man lost?
A. I know it by the title only. The
prisoner acknowledged, however, that the
book belonged to ler, S.
Mr, P. W here did you find the book?
A. In the prisoner's trunk at his
lod-eingo. _ _
P. was Mr. B. at his lodgings
when you came there with the warrant?
A. lie was.
111 r. P. Did he in any way resist or at,
tempt to prevent the search?
r. P 1 Please to state as near as you
can tie substance of your conversation
with Mr. B.
A. Then I told hint that I was in
search of a book described in my war
rant, he replied that it was possible he
might have brought such a book from the
office of Dr. S., but that it he had done so
he was not aware of it. Ile then •vent
with me to his room.
Mr. P. Did you find the trunk lacked?
A. No; he opened the trunk himself,
found the book and placed it in my hands.
Mr. I'. You may retire.
By the Court.—Have you any witness
es Mr. Price?
Mr. Price replied by stating that sev.
erai gentlemen of the utmost respectabili
ty were in court prepared to attest to the
excellent character of his cliant, but he
deemed it unnecessary to trouble them.
I want, says he, no better witnesses than
those who have been already examined,
fur they have not only proved the good
character of this young man, but they have
in my opinion, established his innocence
also. He then addressed the jury in a
most touching and eloquent manner; he
presented to their minds a clear and flap
review of all the testimony before th
alluded in the most feeling terms (to the
consequent ruin and disgrace which must
follow a verdict of guilty, told of the suf
fering anguish and the blighted hopes of
friends and family, and concluded by ex
prrising his firm belief, that the.accusa
tion had been made entirely from motives
of private malice, and that the whole af
fair was but a vile and wicked persecu
tion,
The district attorney replieJ remarking
to the jury that the counsel for the prison
er hail endeavored to win their sympathies
in his behalf; he reminded them of the
solemn oath which they had sword, and
in a long and eloquent address he char
ged them not to let their feelings get the
better of their judgments. When he had
concluded, the court charged the jury up—
on the testimony, and stated that the
cross•caamination of the witnesses had
tended materially to weaken the charge
of larceny if not to destroy it entirely, ad
ding that in the opinion of the court the
charge had not been sustained by the evi
dence, and that the prisoner ought to be