Cllir mac rat, HARVEY BICKL.ER, Editor. TJJITKBAirrrOCK, PA Wednesday, July 19. 1865. DEMOCRATIC STATE CONVENTION. At the last formal meeting of the Democratic State Central Committee, it was resolved that the State Convention should be called to meet at Har lisbarg on Wednesday, the 21st day of June inst.— But, having since learned from a majority of the Committee, and been advised by many other lead ing Democrats of the State, that a postponement to a later day would,on many accounts, be acceptable, and is generally desired, I hereby give notice that the next Democratic State Convention of Pennsyl vania will convene at the Hall of the House of Rep resentatives, in the city of Harrisburg. on THURS DAY, THE 24T11 DAY OF AUGUST NEXT, at one o'clock P.M. C. L WARD, Chairman, TOWANDA, June Ist, 1865. k&T The Democratic papers of the State re respectfully requested to copy. THE BEST MUSICAL INSTRUMENT FOR THE FAMILY, — "The piano-forte," says tho Amer ican Baptist 1 "extensively as it is used, is not so well adapted to all the purposes of sa cred and secular music as another instru ment which is now justly claiming a large share of public attention, and which has al ready been extensively introduced into schools churches, and families, and received the en dorsement of the chief organists, musicians, and artists of America—we mean the Mason and Ilamlin Cabinet Organ." Ford's Theatre. The Young Men's Christian Associat ion failed to raise fund s sufficient to warrant them in making the first payment on the contract for the purchase of Ford's Theatre.— Heoee it was given up, and Ford was abou l to re-open it on last Monday night, the play selected being the "Octoroon." On Monday afternoon a military order was issued closing the Theatre by order of the War Department Notwithstanding the war is over the War Department seem to lule supreme. PROBABLE ACQUITTAL OF MARY HARRIS.— The trial of Mary Harris for the killing of A. J. Burroughs, a clerk in the Treasury De partment, is drawing to a close. To-day five physicians were respectively on the staud to give their opinions in hypothetical cases, in order to prove the insanity of the accused.— All the doctors, however, did not agreo, one of tbem saying that, as physician at the jail, he saw the prisoner, generally, every day.— He bad never obse r ved any indications of in sanity in her, but his attention had never been called to her mind. The general irapres •ion among those who have been attending ' the trial is that the accused will be acquitted seme predicting that the jury will not even leave tho box to render this verdict. Mrs. Swisshelm 011 Mrs. Suratt. Hrs* Jane Swisshelm, in a letter to the Pittsburg Commercial, defends the late Mrs Suratt, in tones liKe these: I know those who have known hor as the belle and beauty of her country, the petted spoiled favorite of friends, the idol of parents, husband and children. Iler face, and indead her whole figure, while on trial, was soft rounded, tender, and motherly. Her large gray ejes alone gave indications of reserved , strength. Her behavior, during that long aud terrible ordeal, was full of delicacy and 1 dignity. She made no scenes, as a weak and j vain woman would have done. When her daughter came into court, and with quivering Bp aud streaming eye, appeared on the point •f breading down, with a gesture of com mand and entreaty she restrained her- All the long, hot days she sat with her heavy mourning veil down, and a large palm-leaf fan held between her face and the crowds who gathered and struggled and crushed to gaze at her, as if 6he had been an alligator, : hundreds of persons in these crowds making I the most insulting remarks in her hearing. Daring all that time she leaned her bead Wearily against the wall, and by changing ] hands kept her fan steadily before her face, and every few minutes a low, stifled moan •leaped her. Man and woman stood a tip toe and itretched and strained, or, having gained entrance, stood coolly and made 6uch re marks as "Where's Mrs. Surratt ?" "I want to see her !" "Oh, goodness, just look if the isn't pretending to be modest!" "I wish I could see her face better !" "Isn't she a dev il ?" "Bbe looks lixe a devil!" "Hasn't 6he S horrid face ?" "I hope they'll hang her— tee-bee, bee P' All these remarks and more such, some of them again and again, and of'en accompanied bv coarse laughter, I heard iu ring the two hours and a half I sat near her j and she must have heard them as distinctly u I did. They were evidently meant for her It appeared to me so cruel and cowardly j thus to insult a prisoner in chains that 1 could not refrain from answering, and severa 1 times said : "She has not a bad face. She has a good face ; and if she had not, it is cow-1 ardly to insult her !" She dropped her fan and looked at me with such an expression cf' gratitude as I shall never forget. I looked full into her eyes ; mine were not dry, while j here fltled with heavy tears. Several asked | ma if "I was a friend to Mrs. Surait," sol •**aage d'd any Pty for her appear. GREAT FIRE IN NEW YORK. Barnum'H Museum and Eleven Other Buildings Baiued. Loss ONE MILLION DOLLARS. [From the Few York Evening Pott, second edition,] Shortly after noon to day a terriele fire occurred iD the American Museum, ez/endi ng rapidly to the adjacent buildings on Broad way, Ann street and Fulton atreet, The aggregate loss is probably one million of dol lars, on wnich there is insurance to the amount of about half a million dollars. At the moment of patting this edition to press the fire is still unsubdued, but a strong force of firemen is at work, and there is a prospect of checking the progress of the flames without further serious damage. At thirty five minutes past twelve afire caught beneath Groot'a restaurant in Ann street, at the corner of the Museum building. In about two minutes, the tiatnes burst out in Jones' shoe store, N<>s. 10 and 12 Anr. St. with every indicatiou of an ezieo6ive confla gration. The fire companies were immediately on the ground and promptlp set to work, wiih appa rent successs ; but the smoke was blinding, and for some minutes the whole Museum building was completely out of sight At o'clock the flames burst out in the second story of the Museum, just over the restaurant, and spread with amazing rapidity, fed by the light and combustible material. In a moment the fire mounted to the third story, and at forty minutes pa6t twelve burst out of every window on the Ann street side of the Museum. It gave way apparently on the two lower floors, but raged furioualy in the two upper 6lorie9. Part of the roof fell in five minutes later, and the neijfhboritg buildings on Aun street were atacked. The firemen rallied in great force, but the flames were fanned bp a strong breeze which swept them over the roofs of the adjoining buildings on Broadway, and in a few min utes the Ore had gained a hold in tne three upper stories of No. 214 Broadway. The building was occupied by Rogers & Raymond, clothiers, and bv the biilnro sa loon of Wallace k Reaves. It was entirely destroyed, except the wails, which were still standing at two o'clock. The scene at this moment was fearfully g a and. Vast volumes of smoke povred out of the windows on the Broadway and Ann st. fronts of the Museum , huge tongues of flawo ruso from the middle of the boilding, and smaller darts of Are caught the transparencies and signs; three floors of the building No. 214 Broadway were a mass of light flame ; fireman and property owners were springing up aud down ladders to remove such porta ble articles as could be passed out ; a tre mendous crowd filled the Park, the west side cf Broadway, Ve6ey street, Barclay si net, and every other place which commanded a view of the scene; while twenty steam and hand tire engines poured incessan' steams of water upon the Aiming mass. As ttie flirae* gained strength aud volume, the heat became intem-e, forcing back the crowd, but subject ing the firemen to severe su Bering. So far as can now be ascertained, none of the visitors in the Museum, nor persons em ployed by Mr. Barnum were injured. The alarm caused by the discovery of the fire in she restaurant on Ann street, was the signal for a general flight, and it is believed thai everybody escaped sifely before the Museum caught. It was very fortunate that the fire occni* red at mid day. Ilad it takeo placa in the evening, when the Museum is crowded with visitors, and the theatre crammed with spec tators, the limited means of ecress would have proved lamentably insufficient. The sudden leap of the flames from floor to floor made it impossible to remove many of the curiossities contained in the Museum,an i the living animals on exhibition were speedi ly destroyed. The "happy family" of cats, rats, pigeons, monkeys and parrots, caged in the centre of the fifth floor, soon became very unhappy, and departed . this life. It was impossible to save any of the poor creatures, The whales, also, came to au untimely end. At fifteen minutes before two o'clock the front of the Museum fell in three different sections, one after the other. The first to fall was the part parallel with Bioadway, which went over in one rn&sss, falling flat 011 the pa vement of the street, and then—and not till then—breaking up into innumerable fragments. Another section was left in the shape of an elongated triangle, and not unlike the steeple of a church. In a few mom Mils this sunk slowly down, tho point still remaining up right and 10 position until the whole section disappeared, 't did not appeas to fall, but apparently sunk into the earth. This wan exactly analagous to to the fall or sinking of the spire of the Chichester Cathedral in England a few years ago. The section of the front wall facing on Park Row, and at a slight deviation from the parallel of Broadway, still remained, and all eyes were turned in its direction. It was a very large, high portion, reaching to the uppermost atory. About five minutes later this great facade careened gracefully over and slowly fell—not tn among the burning rulrs—but out on Broadway. It fe[l as a trap door on a hinge and remained intact until it was smashed upon the pave ment, sending up a frightful spray of bricks and mortar, and a vast cloud of smoke.— This finished the old Museum. At about a quarter to one o'cloek the beat became so intense that it set the easterly front of St. Paul's Church on fire. Several fire companies turned their streams upon the building, and continued to play upon the edifices until the Museum and the otker , buildings fronting on Broadway had been ' consumed. j The pillars of the church are slightly flaked by the intense heat, but no further damage has been dune to this venerable sod historical church edifice. THE SCENE FROM ANN STREET. It is now definitely ascertained that the fire proceeded from the boiler-room, in the northeastern corner of the Museum building, immediately under Groot's restaurant, on Ann street. At 12.35 P. M. the alarm was given. # The smoke at this moment was issning from the shoe store of Jones A Kenwood, Nos. 10 and 12 Ann sireet. It appeared but trivial, and for a few momenta every body predicted that it would be subdued with trifling loss. The fire companies now came tumbling along the street and took position around the Museum. The fat woman was seen hur rying out, and was conducted to a place of safety by a policeman. The other persons in the Museum escaped. It was imp* 'sible to rescue the animals or save anything valu able The less than five minutes had mounted to jhe second story, leaving the shoe store and rnstaurant as though they were too small game for its operations. Quiting the second story the fiame darted upward and burst out at every window on the northern side of the Museum on the third and fourth stories. The whole upper part of the edifice was speedily enveloped In fire and smoke. The crowd that thronged Ann street were driven half way to Nassau. The buildings on Park Row gave signs of yielding to the heat when the jfirtmen began to play on them, and for a long time were successful in preventing them from taking fire. The steam from the heated buildings aud the dense smoke darkened the air. The roof of the Museum had now fallen, and the interior of the building was like the crater of a volcano. A stream of heated a r issued frotn the top and was borne eastward by the breeze di rectly over the block, carrying with it light articles, pieces of burning wood, shirgles, &c. One man ou Ann street, not far from Nassau, was stauck on the head by a shingle and knocked down. Oihers were in much danger by the pieces of burning material falling on their heads and clothing. This served to clear the street, so that the firemen were left masters t f the situation. At half-past one a crash resounding like the explosion of a powder magazine. The whole wall on the Ann street side had fallen. A cloud of dust and smoke filled the air, making it dark as twilight, and rendering it impossible to descry objects at short, distan ces. The fire next communicated to the roof of Swift's book-bindery, No. 14, and alsoN.. 16, the publishing house oi Dick and Fitzgerald, and gutted them completely. At fifteen minutes before two another crash was heard. The Broadway front had fallen ; and it was now a clear view over the burning mass into Broadway. INCIDENTS. There were several minor panics during the fire. The sound of an explosion was heard about half past one o'clock, and imme diately at least a thousand peop'e scampered out of the way. A great number ol men fell down and at least a hundred hats were lost Boys were even going around with half a d.>z en hats on their heads, and more hapless men were hat less. A report was started at one time that an escajied linn from the Museum was rushing •low Broadway ; and the result was the sud den fligtt of a few nervous people, who, im parting their terror to others, brought about quite a stampede. At ten minutes to three o'clock the rear walls on Fulton street fell, making a loud noise. The crowd, believing an explosicai had occurred, fled in the utmost terror. No damage, however, was done. The only curiosities reported to have been saved beside the fat woman ( who was taken in charge by a policeman,) were the hve seal and a case of rare coins. Mr. Barnum is in Hartford to -day. A tcl eeram was sent to him this afternoon, and he w 11 probably arrive here to night. A Trial by 1 ury. Extract from the speech of Hon. Charles J. Biddla delivered at Ilarrisburg, at the Democratic Celebration on the 4.h inst. We regret that our space will not poraii t us to publish the whole of this able, eloquent and patriotic Address. We can only, however, give our readers the following brief extracts, and we call their attention to the sound prin ciples so boldly and forcibly set forth by the honorable speaker. , "One of the great charges which the Dec laration of Independence brought against George 111, was, "hr has effected to render the military independent oi and superior to the civil power" This pretension revised in our days, and reaching even to the total sup pression of the cipil power, in all it relations to civil liberty, is the great political he res ay that has prevailed at the North, as seoession at the South. Both deserve the si.-'nal con demnation of the people. The absolute sway, exercised by officials iu tbe Northern States was, in nearly every instance, their useless, wanton, irritating usurpation hf functions that the Constitution and the laws have wise ly vested in the civil tribunals of our coun try. Do not charge it upon Congress; no act of Congress ever authorized a military court to try a citizen not connected with the military service. Every act passed during this war; carefully sent all such cases to the civil courts. Even the conscript act provid ed that those accu-ed of resisting it, if arrest ed by the military, should be "firthwith de" livered over to the civil authorities, n for trial Yet here, in Pennsylvania, citizens accused of this very act, were, in open contempt of the law, imprisoned in the guard house at Camp Cnritn, tried and sentenoed by "milita ry commission." Do not charge on the mili tary power the base acta done in Itaname.— The military power of oar eouotry has ita spheres, and it has filled it grandly ; it needs no triumph over the civil institutions of our country. The gallant soldiers of the wa are soiled with no complicity in the acts of petty dcspqttsm done by Secretaries of Wta politi cians' in- civil -office. You men of Harrisburg have seen the guard bouse of the neighboring camp tenanted, not by disorderly soldiers or rebel prisoners, but qy editors, and farmers and mqn in every walk of Tife/robbed of their civil rights, and subjected to the "lynch law" that is administered by mHiiary.commissions For all thia tbero coulcf no plea of "military necessity," such as may leave a commander in the field of war no limit but his own will in the exertion of his own pow er. The plea of "military necessity" could not, with truth or decency, be urged in Penn sylvania, where no evil court was dosed by armed rebellion, nor the due course of law ' t obstructed, save by those who made that plea (he pretext for their acts. These acts were done from no "necessity," civil or military.— They were prompted by that bad principle in human nature which the laws and cons'itu tions of free governments are meant to curb Shakespeare describes it when he says : ' Man proud man Droit in a lttle priof authority Play* mch fantastic tricks bofore high heaven As Make the angels weep." Your highest interests and the interests of your cbildrcu demand that these acts 6hall not pass uncondemned, to be treated hereaf ter as precedents. The highest duty, now, of the people of this commonwealth is to vindi cate the majesty ol the law. To vindicate it at the ballot-box and in the courts of justice so that never again upon the soil of Pennsyl vania, her citizens shall be wanfbnly stripped of the rights that are their birth right by ti tles older than the Constitution, older thsn the Declaration of Independence. The Irrepressible Conflict—Great Riot lh Charleston by Whites and Blacks— The Blacks Driven ofl by the Military [Charleston Mercury, July 10J On Saturday evening, a very serious dis turbance took place in the market, causinir a great deal of excitement, and resulting in the killing of one man (colored) and wounding of three others, a Zouave and two colored men, The particulars, as ;epoited, are as follows : A small squad ol Zouaves had hen order ed on police duty at the market. One ol them, while patrolling the middle . market came into collision with a party consisting, it is said, of a number of the Twenty first U. S C. T. and the fifty fourth Massachusetts Volunteers (colored), in addition to a num ber of outsiders. The Zouavt-3 sent for as sistance, when the squad came up and after ward the whole company on police du'y ar rived from theit quarters at ihe PafilHon Hotel, when the Riaaket was cleared, In the melee which occured previous to the arrival of the company, the colored soldiers fired a volley among the crowd, killing a well known respectable Colored man named James B;ng, badly wounding in the head Corp -rel Bietrr of the Z "Uavea and severely wounding two other colored nitn. In the fight, stones and bricks, etc., were liberally n->ed. Tne unfortunate deceaeed, at the time he w as shot, was at his stand, engaged in selling eegs. Ihe Z"uave, after the volley, made a charge, dispersing the colored troops. ]t i e reported that the corporal of the Fift)-fourth Massai hnsetts, who marched bis squad to the market without orders, was intoxicated, and has been put under arrest. lie claims that be went there to quell the disturbance. During Saturday night several disturbances occurred in other portion* of the city. On Saturday afternfton one of the-Zouaves, it is slated, was- imprisoned in a store on King street. A party of bis comrades hearing ol it, started to release him, and, on reaching the place : broke open the door. This led to another excitement, and another collision ;; was threatened, It fortunately■ passed off, however, with no other demonstration than one shot, fired by a Zouave at a c lc-red man the ball passing directly over the latier's head. The imprisoned comrade had been released before their arrival. General' Hatch who was riding by at the time of the distur bance, was very active in dispersing the crowds and preventing any large gatherings. On Saturday,about 9 o'clock P. M., a row occurred in the vicinity of Hempsteads . Mill among some white lads and negroes, which ended in the firing of pistols, etc. One man got slightly wounded by a pistol, when the offending parties made their escape. Additional Disturbance by Negreea at Charleston. [Charleston Courier, July tl]. We are again called upon to report a num ber of more rows of a disgraceful and outra geous character- Mr, I\ W. Bliss, one of our most quiet and unoffending citizens, while on his way to the Office, was struck three times Sunday evening by a -slung shot in the hands a colored man wearing the United States uniform. - - It is believed that the ruffian was not really a soldier. Mr. Bliss now lies in a critical con dition. Several other cases are reported to have occurred Sunday night, of which, h >w ever, we have received no definite intelligence About 11 o'cluca Monday morning, a Zouave while proceeding through the market, was assaulted by first a number of colored boys, who were afterward joined oy a number of colored men. Bricks and stones were hurled in rapid succession at tho Zouave, who re treated uito an opposite store and escaped.— A guard of the Forty seventh Pennsylvania were sent to arrest the rioters, and succeed ed in taking between thirty or forty, who •were carried off and lodged in jail. Another row is said to have occurred on Eat Bay yesterday afternoon, but we were unable to get the particulars. We are glad to learn *>brt the military authorities have taken the most efficient steps to put a stop to these proceedings, and inflict summary punishment upon all violators of tba law. Policy of the President, A Washington correspondent of the N. F. News makes the following obsenrstions on the present policy of the President, by which it would seem that a thorough radical change in the form and administration of the affairs the government has been decided upon. WASHINGTON, July 15, 1865. The editorial articles which have appeared in the News during the last three or four days, in relation to the alleged change in the form of the Government, and the substitu tion of military authority for the ordinary forms of judicial procedure, have attracted great attention here, and particularly the at tention of the members o. the Administra tion. The Administration of President Johnson does not expect to avoid criticism, and even censnre, even from the organs of the Republican party, and does expect both criticism and censure, for some of its sets, and on account of some features of its policy, from the fearless sod independent organs of the Democratic parly. Ido not think, from what 1 have been abie to learn, (bat the Administration is disposed to resent such criticism, provided it be kept within bounds, and bo couched in temperate and respectful language. The suppression of tha Richmond Whig, indeed, is an example of what the Adminis (ration has power to do, either in the South, or in th° North. The minute and systemat ic arrangemegt of the five grand Military Divisions, and the eighteen Military Depart ments. int" which the whole territory of the United Stales is now divided, is simply an indication of the purpose of the Administra tion to make lis power felt, acknowledged, and respected, in all pans of the country alike. lam satisfied that if the objectiona ble article in the Richmon Whig, or an arti cle couched >n similar language, had appear ed in any New York or Philadelphia paper, either the paper it&e'f would have been sup pressed, or the principal editor arrested an., confined in F>w informed, courteously, but firmly, that he will not be permitted to open bis theatre at all, or ever again to use it for dramaiic onrposes. The Government does not pro nose to confiscate the property, nor have they made any ovea'ures to Mr. Ford for ■he purchase of the same One of the de partments of the Government has simply virtually taken possession of the property, and deprive Mr. Ford of the uses and reve nues of it precisely as any other species ol property might be aeized, and the owner thereof deprrd' expenss—and an enormously heavy expense it is, too—without a thought of re emborsing him. Ayer's Cathartic Pills ARE the most perfect purgative which we are able to produce or which we think hag yet been made by any body. Their effects have abun dantly shown to the community how much thev ex cel the ordinary medicines in use. They are safe and pleasant to take, but powerful to cure. Their penetrating properties stimulate vital activities of the body, remove the obstructions ot its organs, puri fy the b!o~d. and expel disease. They purge out the foul humors which breed and grow distemper, stimulate sluggish or disordered organs into their natural action, and impart a healthy tone with strength to the whole system. Not only do they cure the every-day complaints of evorv-bovcl a mam moth freeaer, will altitude of the memory in the Thermometer, war rants it ) furnish, his old and young friqjsd* with Ice Cream in any quantities desired, Frank knew* the value of adv ertiaing—of letting his light Aino— He has therefore procured a large lantern, apea three sides of which are. in finely painted lot ten, the words "ICE CRIC AM" Whan this hang*out, yea may always find a rich and 000 l dish within, Try it. The Surgeon'* reports show* that oar arm Us have suffered greatly from chills and faver which la induced by the miasma and change of .climata to which they are oxposed. They alto find Aysr's Ague Cure is an effectual remedy for this distemper and are urging the government to adopt* it within the regal itions. The Surgeon-General hesitates, because it is put up in a proprietary form, Howe*, er great that convenience to the public, be prefer* the physicians of the army should giv* their awn directions for the doses. Whatever professional pride may dictate, he knows as well as we do, that Dr. Ayer's 'Cure" is an almost per feet antidote fer tin Ague, and that the soldiers should have the benefit of it. as well as the pop[e. fWashiagtoa Correspondent, D. C. . . - The Lady's Friend, —This favorite of the ladies leads off in its August number with a be**- tiful steel engraving called "GRAUDPA'S DABURS" th" face of the old man, with its dqtjs, t bought fill ems, strikes us as particularly fine. Among gurcs of the colored S'eel Fashion Plato, w* notice a Bridal Dress, very aad pretty. The other engravings of this numbea;.are, "The Children and the Rain-drops," "Jacket* Bandeaux (front and back view )" ' "Bonne Shirt, ' "Grecian Waist with and back view,)" "Gimp Ornament, 't'-'Watteaa Skirt ! Supporier," Ac. Ac, The Music fbr this number is the fine piece, "Rest, Nublo Chieftain !"* Thelites try contribution are, "Whvt.l Jooked tor, and What I Saw," by Francis Lee; ' Ghostly Glycines," hy Miss Donnelly; "My Dilemma," b~y'LT*siie Walter Ac. .Ac. . .. "*? Price <2 50 a year , 2 copies <4,00. Te thorn del sirousot making up clubs, sp eimen-htambers will h* sent for 15 cts. Wheeler