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BY JAS. CLARK.
The Fiddler and the Waivell.
• WESTERN SKETCH:
The pine woods of Mississippi abound
in wolves, and many strange adventures
are told by travellers who have pene
trated the wuste and desolate region df
Leaf River. Col. Claiborne ,in a re
cent letter from that neighborhood, re
lates the following :
A year or two since, a wedding being
about to come off there, it was necessa
ry to send some twelve miles for an old
negro fiddler, who was indispensable at
every frolic. quilting, or house raising,
forty miles round. In the meantime the
company gathered, the squire perform
ed the ceremony, the groom had to ,
ken half a dozen " horns" with his
particular friends, and the jests at
his expense had all been perpetrated
and laughed at. The bride and the
young ladies sat ranged round the room
like so many statues pinned to the wall.
The bashful gallants stood outside,
about the doors and windows, anxious
to be in, but reluctant to approach, and
urging each other to 'break the ice.'
The Squire and a knot of old tins were
talking politics, and, as the evening was
warm, guzzling every ten minutes from
a huge hump-shouldered, short-necked,
four sided bottle, several of which might
be seen on a stump before the door ;
,while a score of matrons in white caps
god aprons, by the blaze of lightwood
torches, were bustling about the supper
table in nn adjoining house.
At length the girls began to yawn.—
The pretty bride herself grew drowsy.
A scraping of feet was heard in the gal
lery, and one or two impat.ent young
bucks commenced shuffling, cracking
. their heels together, and cutting the
'pigeon wing.' Still no fiddler came.
Hour after hour rolled by, slipper Was
deferred, the drinks came foster and
stronger, the yawning more frequent
among the ladies, the talking louder
among the gentlemen around the stump,
and yet Old John, ns the fiddler was
tailed, was . not forthcoming. Neter
had he been a delinquent before.
As the night wore on, and the seven
stars were high in the heavens the im
patience of the company became un
bounded, and it was suggested that he
should be sent for. A wedding Without
the fiddle was not considered lawful,
And the Squire swore there should be no
'greasy doings' or 'chicken fixens' till
Old John came. The idea flashed across
them that, perhaps, he had been beset
by wolves. No efdtiner was this thought
of, than half a dozen young fellows
. mounted and kallopped down the path
that led to the forrest.
About four miles distant stood a waste I
house, and as they approached it, an in
fernal howling was heard, and now and
then amidst the din, the squeaking of a
fiddle. The place had long been repo
fed to be haunted. One moment the
boys !ist'ned in surprise. The howl of
a single Wolf had no terrors for them ;
but the diabolical serenade from a dozen,
and the twang of the cat-gut in that
dark old house ! Dnvid Crockett him.
self couldn't have stood it, so they turn. ,
ed tail and 'cut dirt' for the place they
came from, and reported that the devil
had nabbed Old John ; and Was then at
the haunted house, dancing a break-down
with a gang of she.ti'olves for his part.
hers. So wonderful a story, supported
by sundry emphatic oaths, threw every
thing into confusion. The young ladies
didn't quite go into duck-fits 4 bitt they
exchanged mysterious looks, and gath
ered round a withered old woman, whose
voice sank into a whisper as she related
strange tales of that deserted dwelling.
The Squire, the oracle of the settle
ment, discredited the story. the tools a
big drink, and insinuated that the boys
had tipped the bottle once too often be
fore they set out, and roundly swore that
be would face all the wolves on Leaf
River, and all the devils in h—ll, if the
company would back him
A hornall rotund was taken on the
strength of this speech, and in n few
Minutes the men were all en route for
the scene of action. They rode on in
great glee for a mile or two, but gradu
ally lapsed into silence, and at length
the wolf chorus came floating on the
breeze, and then the sharp notes of a
fiddle were distinctly heard. The horse
nun dismounted, and crept on cautious
yteoncealed by the bushes, towards the
..annted cabin. At that moment the
moon burst forth, and within the build
ing might be seen the old fiddler, pois
ed in air, playing a Virginia reel, while
a crowd of wolves, or demons, were leap
jng, bounding and howling to the music.
A council was called. The company,
satisfied that it really was the devil, vo
ted an immediate retreat, but the Squire
jerked out his prayer book, end swore
he would run his nose through the
chinks if every man stringed from him.
He started forward with book in hand
while two others, half afraid end half
eshanied, dropped intd line. The near
er he got the louder and more devoutly
he spoke. The howling became terrific,
the fiddling grew sharper, until sudden.
ly the din and yell rose to such a tre
mendous key, that human nature couldnt
stand it. The line paused, then broke
iu every direction, and the Squire shout
ing 'devil take the hindmost,' mounted
his singecat, and *as the first to carry
the word to the ladies. There was no
sleeping that night. The rose-leaf on
the bride's cheek paled away ; the jessa
mine drooped on her rliVen locks, tho'
liourished by the sigh that came ever
and anon from her gentle bosom. The
groom sat be, clasping her velvet hand,
and gazing with long fond looks into
her lustrous eyes,
At length day came, and a more hag•
gard, disappointed set never was seen.
It was determined once more to repair
to the fatal spot, There was a clear
sky and spanking breeze. They rode
boldly forward. There stood the house.
The tumult was as loud as ever. A
dozen wolves leaped up and down, pant.
ing for breath, their eyes red and fiery,
their tails switching furiously, and there
on the joist was perched, not the devil—
but old John himself. He had set out
rather late on the preceding evening for
the wedding. Night overtook him among
the hills, and he soon heard the raven.
oils creatures on his track. Nearer and
nearer they came ; faster and faster he
fled, but still they gained upon him.—
He dropped his hat, that detained them
an instant. He threw down his coat,
they stopped to scent it, but the next
moment on they came in full view. Al
; most desperate, he tore off his shirt, but
they merely paused to toss it in the air.
Their prey was just before them, and
lon they rushed. The fugitive dashed
into the cabin, bounded convulsively to
the joist, and at the instant that he
swung himself from the floor, the whole
troop plunged madly in, gnashing their
!teeth, and frantic for blood. Finding
himself secure, and recovering his com
posure, he elided along the beam, and
I closed the door, thus imprisoning the
whole gang. He then braced himself
up, unslung his fiddle, and began to
play, in hopes of being heard and to keep
himself awake. John, like most of his
drowsy race, was too apt to sleep, and
to avoid it rattled of his jigs till day
light. The effect of the music on the
wolves was singular. They leaped up
incessantly, foaming at the mouth, seep=
ping at each other, howling hideously,
and to all appeerance, raving mad, John
was soon relieved E the monsters tvere
shot and scalped: The company re
paired back to the ladies, converted the
supper into a breakfast, had a roaring
carouse, and the ruins of the 'haunted
house' are still to be seen on the waters
of Leaf river.
The Faithful Dog.
A STORY OF A DARING BURGLARY.
BY UNCLE TOBT
The Messrs. Hubert kept a very ex
tensive jewelry establishment in one of
our large cities, and for the better se
curity of their store against fire and
other casualties, they employed one of
their clerks to sleep in it at night. The
idea of the store's being attacked by
robbers was not for a moment entertiim
ed; but it was for other objects, such as
security against fire; and the like; that
young Loring; the clerk, slept there; for
he was not supplied Stith any weapons
to repel an attack of thieves: But one
dark, dreary night he was awakened by
a singular noise which resembled that
which a party of burglars might pro
duce in an attempt to enter the building,
and looking toward the back windows,
he soon satisfied himself that one or more
persons were endeavoring as quietly as
possible, to effect an entrance at that
quarter. They had .already removed
part of the sash and shutters with their
cunningly debised instruments, and
must hate been at work sometime be•
fore he was awakened.
Now young Loring regretted that he
had no weapon, but thro' not fear, that
was not a characteristic of the young gen
tleman, but that he might pepper the
rogues a little. At first he determ;ned
to cry out and arouse the watch, but as
they had advanced so far before he was
awake he thought he would drive them
off by stratagem ! He slipped on his
clothes quietly, and approaching the
spot where the thieves were busy, he
saw the hand of one of them passed in
side of the shutter into the store, in it's
owner's endeavors to guide a small hand
saw with which he was cutting a small
aperture for his body to pass through.
Young Loring attempted to chop ofl
the hand with a small hatchet that lay
hard by, but he refrained, and bethought
himself of a powerful preparation of a
caus tic vitriol and other penetrating
HUNTINGDON, PA., TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1849.
stuffs that *ere used in the testing of
the purity of silver and other metals.
One drop of this would eat instant
ly into the flesh and produce a poi
sonous sore in ten minute's time. He
cum iously dropped a little upon the bur
giar's hand, and awaited the result.
"Bill," at length exolaimed the bur
glar to his cOnirade, "I've got a cursed
burtiing on the back of my hand. It's
so sore I can hardly , work this saw.
Phew ! how it smarts! I guess I've cut it
with the raw. Hold thedark lantern here.'
" Fudge !" replied his Companion;
"change hands then, but don't stop."
"Take the saw yourself then ! 'can't
stand this pain !"
And while the discomfitted burglar
withdrew to groan over the supposed
cut, the other took his place with the
saw, and in a moment after received a
few drops of the fiery liquid upon tl , e
back of his hand, and was soon groan
ing with agony.
" Curse this saw! it has cut me too!"
groaned the second thief.
And after sundry oaths mutually
exchanged, until the first and worse at
tack of pain was over, they renewed the
attempt to make an entrance.
The clerk permitted them to go on a
while uninterruptedly, knowing that at
any moment he could stop their efforts
by crying out, but he hoped to hear some
watchman passing the front of the store
upon whom he could call to secure the
rogues, and he resolved to wait for this
until it would do to wait no longer. But
soon the burglars had so much enlarged
the hole they would shortly be able to
enter by it themselves.
Seeing that lie must do something to
stop them, the clerk crept in the dark,
close at one side of the window, and ut
tered a low but fierce growl in imitation
of a dog. Both of the rogues stepped
back at this unexpected interruption.
" Hang it Bill there's a cursed dog in
there. 1 did'nt know that the Hubert's
kept one," said one to the other.
"A dog that's bad. Curse 'em, if it
was a man, why a shot or a d,rk stroke
would fix him ; but a dog's quite anoth
er thing, for if we shot him he'd be sure
to half kill one of us 1"
Bow, wow, wow," cried the clerk,
with all his power as he saw therri pre=
pare to resume their work.
" Confouhd the dog !" exclaimed both.
•' Never mind; gO ahead, Bill, and
get it open now. I'll fix hint when we
get in."
The burglar addressed as Bill, thrust
his hand in once inure to wrench off the
last piece of wood that obstructed their
entrance, when the clerk, having alrea
dy armed himself with a large pair of
pincers, seized the robber's hand as
though in a vice, and sat up such OH
outrageous barking that the whole neigh ,
borhood was alarmed.
~ For heaven's sake, Jack, lend us a
hand here ; this cursed animal is biting
my hand half off !" said the burglar to
his confederate.
"Pull it away—pull it away quick."
can't:"
" Give it a jerk !" said the other.
" 0•o-o! I can't murder, murder!"
This cry, added to the bellowings of
the supposed dog, soon brought the
watch in good earnest and the thie , who
was at liberty to do so, ran for his life.
The watchmen's lights showed Bill
Sikes that he had been bitten by a pair
of pincers.
This is a faCti and occurred in New
Tork city during the winter of 1811 ;
and 11 , 1 l Sikes served out his imprison.
ment at Blackwell's Island:—Flag of
our Union.
DOCTORS IN THE W AY.-A corres
pondent tells us of a distinguished phy
sician and temperance man, who has
been employing brandy pretty exten
sively in his practice, and our informant
thinks that if this is the way this doc
tor treats reformed men, he will kill
more of them with drunkenness than he
will save from cholera: We say so too.
A reformed man over in Hudson coun
ty, N. J., after abstaining some years;
was told by the doctor that he must put
a little brandy in his waters So he ob
tained a bottle of "real good brandy,"
and took a little—next day took a little
—next day a little more, when it sud
denly struck him that the old hankering
was getting pretty strong and clamor:
ous. ' , Here," said he, addressing the
bottle, "Look here, you are an old ac
quaintance, you are the same that once
mastered me, and made me a slate and
a sot, a fool and a pauper. Now you
don't come it over me again. I'm de•
cent now, I'm respected now, I've got a
nice little property and a happy family,
and you don't get them away from me
again. You've got to go, doctor or no
doctor, cholera or no cholera ; there, be
off," and away iyent the bottle out of
the window, and was dashed to pieces.
We nay to all in like circumstances, go
and do likewise.--.V. Y. Organ.
ifirhd Knows:
Who knows 1" Such is the transla•
tion of a sign over a dram shop, not one
hundred miles from the Queen City. Ah!
who knows what w ill be the fate of a
young man who has reeled out of that
place for the first time, drunk 1 Who
knows how much misery and wretched=
ness he will bring on himself, his fatni
ly and friends'? and when his life shall
be brought to an ignominious 6ldse; who
knows what will he the character of that
scene when he shall be called to yield
up his spirit into the hands of him who
gave it—tfilio knows 't
Last Sabbath,nmoiiiing *as as lovely
a morning as ever dawned---‘a morning
rich in joy and beauty. All nature
seemed vocal in the Creator's praise.
Happy groups of smiling children were
hastening, hand in hand, to Sabbath
School ; whilst persons in matures years
were wending their way to the several
places of worship, in cheerful obedi
ence to the summons of the church-go
ing bell. And there seemed nothing to
disturb the calm and holy serenity of
the mind. But such is the change sin
has wrought in the world, that its tra
ces may be seen and the effects witness
ed in the lovliest spots the earth con
tains; and so universal its dominion,
that in the circumference of a few yards
may be seen the noblest instances of
virtue, and the commission of the most
notorious crimes—the opposite extremes
of wealth and poverty, joy and sorrow,
life and death.—ln the building before
me lies the drunkard breathing his last
—his miserable career about to termi
nate, and his immortal spirit about to
try the realities of another and untried
being ; and in the one adjoining are
Christians, singing the praises of God.
Who can contemplate the contrast
without praying that that time may soon
come when all shall know the Lord 1
As 1 entered the place, 1 beheld the
almost lifeless body of this habitual
drunkard, seeming past all hopes of hu
man skill. It was evident that ere many
minutes had flown, his soul would be
ushered into the presence of his final
Judge. His reason had left him, which
rendered any attempt to call him to a
sense of his awful situation useless.
For a long time past he had been con
tinually in a state of intoxication, and it
seemed that God, who in his forbearance
had spared his worthless life, through
the prevailing scourge, could forbear no
longer, and had cut him down that ho
might not cumber the ground. Ohl hm
that liagga..3 eye, starting from its in
flamed socket—that furrowed Cheek;
and prematurely wrinkled countenance
—speak of long years of dissipation and
crime. Hell already seemed in his soul,
and looked from his wild and glaring
eyes. When his last breath had fled,
who could gaze on that silent corpse and
not follow in imigination the track of the
departed spirit to the judgment bar of
Him, who has said that drunkards shall
not enter the kingdom of heaven, and
who has said that as the tree falls so
shall it lie.
Had this man been a "Son of Temper
ance," how different would have been
his life, how different his death ! Had
he made his peace with his Maker, min
istering angels would have hovered over
his dying couch, and perhaps a loving
wife and affectionate children would
have smoothed his dying moments with
their sympathy and attentions; and the
society ih which he had lived Would
haiie followed him to his grave and paid
iY tribute of respect to his memory.—
Sons of TeMperanee ! what a stimulus
to you to go on in your heaven-born work
your crusade against intemperance, the
crying evil in all our cities, and the fear
ful source of much of the crime and
misery which we see around us. Rest
not your oars, but go manfully on, and
you shall meet a sure reward. Heaven
smiles on your efforts, and will crown
them with success: Persetere for re
member that every soul you rescue from
the destroyer, drink, is a citizen recov
ered—is a husband and father reform
ed ; and Many a wife and many a child
shall bless your institution, and fervent
ly wish you God speed !
In conclusion, who knows what will
be the closing scene in the lives of those
who still use intoxicati.ig liquors, though
perhaps it may be at present moderate
ly 1 Who knows but that the habit of
taking it Moderately may increase and
increase until the bounds are passed,
and you are hurried irresistibly forward
till you are unable to return—and then
what will be your end 1 Who knows 1
—Cincinnati Com.
ija'The tone of good company is mark
ed by the absence of personalities.
Among well informed persons there are
plenty of topics to discuss, without giv
ing pain to any one present—without
submitting to act the part of a butt, or
of that still poorer creature, the wag
that plays upon him.
Prayer.
"Teachers have too much suborbina
ted the feeling, to the reasoning Being,
in their theory of the relation of God to
man : in a word, they have overlooked
the heart in man—the heart, which is
the Organ of loVe, as intelligence is the
organ of thought. The imaginings of
man in respeet 6f God may be puerile
and mistaken, but his instincts which are
his unwritten law, must be sometimes
right ; if not, Nature would have lied in
creating him. Now, whatever may
have been the intentions of God id giv
ing thole tti , o instincts, mystery and
prayer, whether He meant thereby to
show that He was the incomprehensible
God, and that his name was Mystery ;
or, that lie desired that all creatures
should give him honor and praise, and
that prayer should be the universal in
cense of nature—it is most certain that
man, when he thinks on God, feels with
in him two instincts—mystery and
duration. Reason's province, is to en
lighten and disperse mystery, more and
more every day, but never to dispel it
entirely. Prayer is the natural desire
of the heart to pour forth unceasingly
its supplications, efficacious or not,
heard or unheard, as a precious perfume
on the feet of God. What !natters it if
the perfume fall to the ground, or wheth
er it anoint the feet of God *1 It is al
ways ntribute of weakness, hannlity and
adoration."
But who can say that it is ever lost 1
Who can say that prayer, the mysteri
ous communication with invisible Om
nipotence, is not in reality the greatest
of all the natural dr supernatural powers
of man 1 Who can say that the supreme
and immortal Will, has not ordained,
from all eternity, that prayer thnuld be
continually inspired and heard, and that
man should thus, by his invocations,
participate in the ordering of his own
destiny'? Who knows whether God, in
his love, and perpetual blessing on the
beings which em mate from him, has not
established this bond with them, as the
invisible chain which I . .iks the thoughts
of all worlds to his 1 Who knows but
that, in his majestic solitude, which he
! peoples alone, he has willed that this
living murmur, this continual commun•
mg with Nature, should ascend and de
scend continually in all spade front him
'to all the beings that he tivifies and
loves; and front these beings to him 1
At all events, prayer is the highest priv
ilege' of man, since it allows him to
speak to God. If God were deaf to our
prayers, we should still pray, for if in his
majesty lie would not hear us, still pray
er would dignify man."—Lamartine.
A Best eightt.
Capt. Rochfort, of the British and Irish
Company's screw vessel Rose, arrived
yesterday morning from London, and
reported having on his passage fallen in
with a whale of huge dimensions, on
Sunday morning, at 2 o'clock, seven
miles S. W. of the Lizzard. 'lbis mon
ster was suffering severely at the time
in an encounter with two well known
enemies of his tribe—a sword-fish and
a thresher. These formidable ceatures
generally go together through the wat
ers, and are reputed to be joined in a
league of unrelenting enmity against the
cetaccotie animals: Capt. Rochfort and
his crew saw the cotribat for about three
quarters of an hour; but being obliged
to continue their voyage homewards,
they had to forego the pleasure of wit:
nessing the struggle to its close ; and
of taking in tow to Dublin the body of
the vanquished whale, for of his being
eventually worsted in the affray there
was no doubt. The sword-fish was seen
once driving its tremendous weapon in
to the belly of his victim, as he turned
on his side in agony. The thresher fas
tened On his back, And gave him some
terrific blows which were heard at a
distance with gtedt distinctness. The
latter not having any power to strike in
the water,it was the instinctive policy of
the sword-fish to ntakO tht attack below;
this causing the whale to rise above the
surface, which he did at times to a re
markable height; the other assailant,
which was about twenty feet long, then
dealt out his blows unsparingly, with
all the force of his lengthy trine—be
tween them their victim must have suf
fered extremely ; he spouted blood to
an immense height, and crimsoned the
sea all around to a considernble distance.
Being within tWo hundred yards of the
ship, towards which the whale seemed
to make for protection ; the conflict was
distinctly visible to all on bonrd. It is
considered unusual for marine animals,
such as were engaged in the struggle
now narrated, to be seen in such lati
tude. But this point must be settled by
naturalists.—Dublin Packet.
A LIBERAL MAN.—Ono who wants to
rent your stable and offers the eggs laid
on the hay-mow by other people's chick
ens, 'as rent:
VOL, XIV, NO, 88
The 11454 Joke of the Season.
The New York correspondent of the
Philadelphia Inquirer, relates an amu
sing incident which happened near that
city recently :
One of the crack military companies
of New York went on an excursion to a
neighboring Village, and after partaking
of an excellent dinner, the members of
the company seperated, each going his
own way for a short distance. One of
them ; eyeing a beautiful arbor close by,
entered it, and rested himself On an in
viting bench, which, unfortunately fur
his white pautaluons, had received a
fresh coat of gren paint about an hour
previously. 'Phis he did not observe, so
lie planted himself on it, St puffed his fra ,
grant cigar, with great comfort.
Suddenly the reveille was beaten, up
our hero jumped, his rear having a very
verdant appearance. On account of the
shortness Of the coat tails of the cone
,' pany, the calamity which had occurred
I to him was immediately observed, but
in a wrong light entirely. It was this-
pered that he was attacked with cholera;
and away the company scampered for
' medical assistance. hi ten minuter, no
less than five medical men were in at ,
' tendance, each stocked with camphor,
opium; capsicum, and a variety of oth
er drugs, and each of whom insisted
upon the patient swallowing his pre
scription immediately.
It was in vain the poor fellow pro
tested; down the drugs should go, and
it wits some time before lie could con
vince 1114 fellow soldiers and the doctors
that lie was as well as any of them. Af ,
ter the truth was elicited, the company
indulged a hearty laugh, and the victim
who by this time was choleric enough;
remained over night, to get his unmen
tionables washed.
Anecdote/
Among the good people down east,
the pious Puritanic custom is not yet
obsolete of naming children after the
cardinal virtues of Patience and Experi
ence, Faith, Hope, and Charity, Right
eousness arid Justice, Truth, Love and
Mercy. Not long since a clergyman in
Conneticut was reading to his congre
gation the beautiful and poetical psalm
of David, wherein he says: 'Mercy
and Truth are met together ; Righteous
ness and Peace have kissed each other.'
At this passage, a little girl in the as
sembly manifested great interes!, and
I whispered to her mother, 'That's just as
true as you live. I seen Righteousness
Hill a-kissing Peace Peabody behind the
smoke house—but how did the minister
know it.
This reminds us of an anecdote we
have heard of a gentleman of yore who
was paying his addresses to the Baugh ,
ter of a worthy old farmer, who rejoiced
in the Christian name of Charity; An
elder sister enjoyed the sweet and quiet
name of Patience. On one occasion C
shortly after the gallant beau arrived at
the house of his 'lady love,' a groom
from the stable announced that Massa
D.'s horse was very bad with the chol
ic.' He was a noble steed, the pride of
his oWber, and adjudged the best piece
of horse flesh in the country. At once
all was alarm, the beau forgot his dul
einea, and turned to bestow all his atten
tion to the long switch-tail-roan. He
became very much alarmed, and exhibi ,
ted so much restlessness and anxiety
in his endeavors and resorts to relieve
the animal, that the old gentleman cal
led upon him to 'Have Patience, Mr.—,
have Patience.' This was so often re
peatedi that the young Lothario thought
It, perhaps, an attempt to foist the eldest
daughter upon him, and exclaimed, ../Vo,
if I can't get Charity, I'll be—rf I
leave either !'
We often hear people complain
of very light grietances. Generally
speaking, they are the most fortunate of
mankind, and because of their very ex
emption of trouble, trials and vicissi
tudes of a serious character, they fret
and become peevish at trifitng ills. To
all such we recommend the following
description of an afflicted son of Adam,
named iVlosher, who is a resident of the
town of Sandford, N. Y. He has been
confined to his bed for twenty-six or
seven years; for the first eleven years
of his disability he helped to maintain
himself by making shoes while confined
to his bed—the first attack having dis
located the joints in his lower limbs
rendering them powerless. His arms
next became dislocated, and his jaws
were set a few years since, making it
necessary to break off lour of his front
teeth that nourishment might be given
him. The only joints that he can move
at all now are one or two of his toes.—
For thirteen years he has not helped
himself in the least."•
Life is brief ; let all, therefore, en
deavor to sweeten, not to poison the
enp.