VOL. XI.
THE TIMES.
An Independent Family Newspaper,
IB rCBLISHKD EVERT TCEStUT ST
F. MORTIMER & CO.
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cation. THOU HAST LEFT ME ALONE.
Glad facesare smiling around me,
And many that Ioto me are near ;
The beautiful flowers I have cherished,
Are budding and blossoming here
The voice of the silver-tongued streamlet
I love and the exquisite tone
Of the singing-bird's blithesome as ever;
But I'm sad for thou'et left me alone.
There's Joy In the rosy-lipped morning,
And Joy on the brow of the night j
There's Joy In the eye of the floweret,
And Joy in each quiver of light ;
Joy I Joy I Is the language of Nature
I list to its exquUlte tone,
And then answer back, " I'm aweary ;
Oh, I'm sad t thou hast loft me alone."
(From the "lroof Sheet.")
A REPORTING INCIDENT.
MANY COLUMNS could doubtless
be filled with Accounts of the vari
ous devices which have been resorted to
by enterprising members of the press in
obtaining special items for their respect
ive journals. May I be pardoned the
vanity of thinking that the following
incident in my career is not without in
terest: It was near the eve of a contest for
Parliamentary honors in an old-established
borough, in which I held the po
sition of senior reporter on the leading
county paper. Of course, the usually
easy-going town and neighborhood were
in a state of abnormal activity and ex
citement, and the respective candidates
had been hard at work for the past fort
night currying favor amongst the classes
whose support they were anxious to ob
tain. The journal which I represented
advocated the interests of the Conserva
tives, while a contemporary, whose edi
tor was a fiery little native of the Emer
ald Isle, contained article after article
in support of the Liberal cause, and deT
nouncing, in no measured terms, all who
had the misfortune to stand in the oppo
sition. There was but small quarter
shown on either side, and the editor and
I found ourselves fully employed in
looking after the interests of our party,
and in replying to tlw peppery leaders
of our rival contemporary. During the
time of electioneering, everything said
concerning the Conservative candidate
was reported in extenso, and so I prided
myself upon the accuracy of my work.
The other party also received justice at
our hands, although only the more im
portant speeches, such as those of the
pandidate himself, and his principal
supporters, were noticed in their entire
ty. Such was the state of affairs with
in a few day9 of the election, when, "one
morning, the editor came into the office
looking in anything but an amiable
mood. The cause was soon explained.
The chief movers In the Liberal camp
were to give a grand banquet that eve
ning, at which several celebrities were
to speak, and it had been determined to
exclude any representative from our
journal. This would not have mattered
much, but an announcement, w'as sent
forth stating that an 'exolumvc report
would appear in ,the next issue of our
rival, and this caused our ' editor to en
teitaln an uncontrollable desire to steal
a march upon ' the enemy more espec
ially as the dinner was on, the eve of our
publication,', while pur rival, would not
appear until two dayslater. '
Rashly, perhaps, I undertook to pro
ure a full rejtort of every speech, with
out considering tow It was to' be done,
But (parenthetically) a ta time I was
secretly engaged j o be married to the
editor's daughter, and before startlngon,
my exploit I laid the whole 'matter be
fore him , and stipulated ' that, as' a re
ward of my success,' his 'consent should
be given to our union. This was very
NEW BLOOMFIELD, T?Ji.., TUESDAY, MAY 35, 1877.
readily agreed to, and, with the determi
nation of thus winning it wife by strate
gy, I sat down to reflect on how I should
commence operations. I had heard and
read of many plans which had been suc
cessfully adopted under similar circum
stances, but none of them seemed suited
to my case. With feelings near akin to
despair, I started off towards the spa
clous hotel where the dinner was to be
given. As fortune planned it, I hap
pened to fall in with the chef-de-cuMne,
and as this person was indebted to ' me
for many a flattering reference to his
culinary skill on previous similar occa
sions, I ventured to hope he might
prove useful to me. He was a good-natured
Welshman, of no decided political
opinions, and, therefore, not prejudiced;
bo,I resolved to make him my confidant.
He listened patiently to my representa
tions of how important it was to my fu
ture prospects and happiness that I
should be at the dinner, but could not
oiler any suggestion whereby I might
attain my wishes. " If you had been a
waiter," he said, with aconsolingsmile,
" instead of a reporter, I should have
been most happy to have engaged you."
A happy thought instantly flashed across
my mind. Could he not introduce me
in the guise of a waiter V A moment's
planning, and it was all settled, and sat
isfactorily arranged that, as soon as din
ner was ready, I should go In and take
my chance as one of the liveried attend
ants. A partial disguise was necessary,
and this was effected by a barber friend,
whose ruthless scissors and razor soon
removed from my face the hirsute
adornments, and he also supplied me
with a wig, under which I was unrecog
nizable. A few hours later found me in
the character of a Bprightly waiter, the
sudden metamorphosis nearly sending
the good-hearted Welshman into con
vulsions of laughter. To make sure
that my identity was completely destroy
ed, I put myself in the way, once or
twice, of the afore mentioned fiery little
Irishman, and as ho would speak to
me in a tone of conscious superiority, it
at once assured me that he only saw be
fore him a household menial. So far,
then, so good. I had provided myself
with a small pocket book, which could
be held, unobserved, in the palm of the
hand, but with sufficient leaves to hold
many columns of notes when phono
graphed with a finely-pointed pencil;
and a bribe of half-a-guinea was suffi
cient to induce a broad-backed fellow
waitcr to keep as much in front of me
as possible during the time any one
should be speaking. The post-prandiul
part of the proceedings at length com
menced, and, by some skillful manaeu-'
vering on my part,! succeeded in taking
down, word for word, the principal
speeches, including that of the gallant
candidate, who made a laudatory allu
sion to the dignity of the press (could ho
but have seen or recognized me in the
position I then was!) He concluded a
long address by remarking . that he was
pleased to bear testimony to the great
support lie had received from the ably
conducted paper whose accomplished
editor he was delighted to see amongst
them that evening ; and he was certain
ly of opinion that they had acted very
wisely in taking precautions that their
proceedings that evening should not be
bandied about in the columns of the
rival journal, whose, readers, he feared,
were sadly misled by misrepresentations
of facts. I felt honored. , r ;,.
As the speaker resumed his seat, I
narrowly escaped detection. ' One of the
company, requiring something to be
fetched, suddenly rose up from his chair
and came near me,' and,' observing that
I was mysteriously operating on the
palm of my hand, he called out, in such
a manner as to' attract every one's atten
tion, " Now, then, young man, whatare
you about there V" I hastily thrust the
reporting implements into' my pocket,'
and, with the assistance of the broad
backed waiter,' at once procured the gen
tleman what he required,' and averted
suspicion by 'stating' that I had run' a
piece of glass into ' my hand, whichT
was endeavoring to extract.-' ' , ;
I was not sorry , when , the speeches
were finished. Then I slunk out.oif the
room as'qulckly and quietly as possible.
( and, concealing my livery , under a Jong
ooai.was soon on my way to the printing
oilicew Hurrying into the editoriuj-room,,
my chief arrested my progress, and in.
quired my business. The old gentle
man did not recognize me for some mo
ments, and when he did,I could scarcely
make him believe tliat I had been to the
dinner in the way I have here narrated.
However, there was no time for useless
talk, for the notes had to be transcribed,
and we both worked with a will for
hour after hour, keeping up a steady
supply of copy to a dozen smart compos
itors during tbe night, till the paper was
ready for press.
The surprise of all parties was very
great in the morning, when our journal
came forward with a six-column report
of the speeches at the political banquet
on the preceding evening. Our oppo
nents were completely taken aback, for
they could not Imagine how the report
had been obtained, for nothing appeared
more certain than that no reporter from
any other journal had been present.
The speakers were no better pleased, for
their utterances had been reported much
too literally to afford them any satisfac
tion in the perusal of them, while the
entire Liberal committee lapsed into a
Btate of hopeless astonishment. We, of
course, laughed and said nothing; but,
for some weeks afterwards, I had to give
evasive answers to the many inquiries
from friends as to my reason for having
denuded my face of my moustache and
whiskers.
The affair proved a good thing for our
paper, for it not only increased the cir
culation, but gave us a name for enter
prise, which we succeeded in keeping.
As for myself, I gained a wife by what
I venture to call a clever trick, and our
Conservative member, who was success
ful In getting returned, when the joke
was unfolded to him, came to our wed
ding, and evinced his appreciation of my
exertions on his behalf by bestowing a
few appropriate presents on the bride on
the occasion, which I have ever since
valued highly;
A BOY'S DISAPPOINTMENT.
FOURTEEN YEARS ago a mute
came onto the Long Island railroad,
but where he came from or who were
his parents could never be learned.
Recently It was thought a clue had been
obtained to his parents, and the follow
ing from a recent N. Y. paper, shows
what were the grounds for the belief,
and how sad was the disappointment:
" Dummy, the deaf mute who sells
papers on the Long Island trains,lsback
at his work. One week ago, Dummy's
friends thought they had found his home
and parents, and, having provided him
with a letter that explained his case, and
.asked free pussuge for him, they sent
'him by boat and rail to Fitchburg,Mass.
They were all grieved at parting with
him, for he had been for many years on
the railroad, and had become a favorite
by reason of his kindly disposition and
reliability.
Three weeks ago, a man from the East
applied to the Long Island Railroad
Company for employment as a fireman.
He mingled with the railroad employees
and thus full in with Dummy. He asked
about the young man, and said that he
knew of a family in Fitchburg, Mass.,
who lost a deaf mute son fourteen years
ago,and had never since heard from him.
Dummy had been on the Long Island
Railroad nearly fourteen years, and this
was deemed enough of a coincidence by
Conductor Tolhurst to cause him to write
to Postmaster George E. Goodrich of
Fitchburg, Mass., about the missing boy
of that city. '
Postmaster Goodrich found that a fam
ily named Hurley iu Fitchburg had lost
a boy fourteen years ago. The boy, they
said, could be idon tilled by a large cross
pricked in his left arm in India ink and
by his memory of having worked in a
mill. He was about twenty-six years of
age, and of light complexion, and he had
a scar on his face and another on his
right hand. ' Postmaster Goodrich wrote
that he hoped Dummy would prove to
be the missing son, for he had given the
bereaved parents cause to hope, and even
the townsfolk of Fitchburg had become
interested io their behalf.
This; letter was read to Dummy by
translation into the sign language. He
was elated with what he believed to be
an account of himself. In the most exJ
presslve pantomime die j rehearsed . his
recollections of his ohildhood. il .
: M I lived to place where there was a
mill," he motioned, "and when. I grew
up to be a good sized boy I went to work
there. I was a bobbin-boy, and in the
mill they made" (here Dummy pointed
to his shirt, and was understood to mean
either cotton or linen).
Then Dummy stripped his left arm
and showed a cross In India ink, and he
exhibited scars like those of the lost boy.
Conductor Tolhurst wrote to Postmaster
Goodrich that he would like to know
what kind of a mill it is that is close to
the Hurley's. He added that he feared
there might be no need of asking any
further questions, as, instead of being
light complexioned, Dummy was very
dark skinned ,and had almost black hair.
To this the Postmaster at Fitchburg re
plied satisfactorily that the mill where
the Hurley boy had worked is a cotton
mill,and that as both Mr. and Mrs. Hur
ley are dark complexioned, it might easi
ly be that the lost boy's hair had altered
in color, as the hair of children docs as
they grow up.
By this time, the railroad employees
and the Fitchburg people were deeply
interested. They considered the identi
fication almost complete. Dummy him
self was delighted with the prospect of
finding his home, and was anxious to
start at once for Fitchburg. As a last
precaution, Conductor Tolhurst had
Dummy's picture taken by a Babylon
photograper, and it was sent to Post
master Goodrich.. In a few days word
came that Dummy's people, father,
mother, brother, and Mr. Oliver Ellis,
the proprietor of the cotton mill, identi
fied the picture as beyond question a
likenesB of the lost child.
So, on Tuesday a week ago, Dummy
was sent to Fitchburg with his letter to
the conductors of the roads he would
travel on, asking them to pass him, and
telling them his story. He arrived at
Fitchburg sooner than the Postmaster
expected, and no one met him. But, ac
customed to act for himself, he made his
way from place to place until he ran
across some of the many persons who
were Interested in him, and they took
him at once to the home of the Hur
leys. He looked sharply at Mrs. Hurley and
shook his head. " No," she was lfot his
mother. She made the same motion of
non-recognition, and then both cried
like children.
Mr. Goodrich, the Postmnster, then
took Dummy In his carriage to all the
points of Interest in Fitchburg, especial
ly such places as the missing boy would
have been likely to remember. But Dum
my shook his head nt the mill, the creek
by its side, the railway, and the pond
that the missing boy was wont to briihe
In when a child. Dummy knew none
of these places, but grew sick at heart,
and desirous of returning to his old post
as speedily as possible. The Postmaster
telegraphed, therefore :
" Keep Dummy's place opeu for him ;
he Is not the right boy."
Then having put Dummy on a re
turning train, lie snt down and wrote
the facts that have been narrated.
Dummy took his papers and basket
on Friday last, and resumed his old oc
cupation, though with a very heavy
heart. On Wednesduy last lie 'ld only
ten cents' worth of candy and Irnit, and
with tear-dimmed eyes, he told Con
ductor Tolhurst that he believed none of
his old friends knew him ; they ull sup
posed he had gone to Fitclilmrg. To a
Sun reporter, with the help of Conduc
tor Tolhurst, as ititerpretcr.Duiiimj told
all he could remember of his wander
ings. " I used1 to work in a mill as a bobbin...
boy," said he, " but it was ni t such a
mill as the one at Fitchburg. There was
no railroad near' it. 1 remember that
we had to drive five miles to the rail-'
road depot. The Fitchburg I toy didn't
have five sisters. My fumily had turn
up noses ; the Fitchburg people hail long
noses" (explained by a gesture indica
tive of absurdly long and pointed noses).
" Near where I lived were many high
mountains, and in another direction to
bacco was grown, and much maple sugar
was made." ' .;..',.
Postmaster Goodrich infers from the
mountains and the maple sugar that
Dummy came fioin Vermont. 1 But Con
ductor Tolhurst is equally 'certain that
he came from Connecticut, and he bases
that hypothesis on the tobacco descrip
tion. .1- J :;.;;' ! :.. : - l
.-' I got on the cars one day,'' Dummy
continued In pantomime, ''raid us 1 had
no ticket or money, the conductor put
NO. 20.
me off the train. Then there came a
long period of begging from door to door
and of hopeless wandering, and, finally,
I remembered crossing the Sound to
Long Island, where I fell into tbehands
of Conductor Ryan, who put me where
am now."
Dummy is twenty-six years of age,
and has aflut, plain-featured face, upon
which there perpetually rests an expres
sion of melancholy.
Dummy's sign language is different
from the mute language taught In the
schools. He ha modified and enlarged
It to suit his requirements. A sweep of
the hand, accompanied by a hissing
noise, means' a railroad ; holding one
hand high up indicates a mountain, low
down means water. Touching his cheek
means pretty, or Indicates a reference to
women. A mill or a machine is de
scribed by a turn of the hand, as
though he were grinding a hand or
gan. Some Valuable Adviee.
FOR A FIT OfTdLENESS Count '
the ticking of a clock. Do this one
hour, and you will be glad to pull off
your coat the next, and work like a
negro.
For a Fit of Extravagance and Folly
Go to the workhouse, and speak to the
inmates of a jail, and you will be con
vinced " Who makea hi bed of brim and thorn
Murt be content to lie forlorn."
For a Fit of Ambition Go into a
church-yard and read the gravestones.
They will tell you the end of ambition.
The grave will soon be your bedcham
ber, the earth your pillow, corruption
your father and the worm your mother
and sister.
For a Fit of Despondency Look on
the good things which God has given
you in this world, and to those . which
he has promised to his followers In the
next. He who goes into his garden to
look for cobwebs and spiders, no doubt
will find them ; while he who looks for
a flower may return into his house with
one blooming in his bosom. '
For all Fits of Doubt, Perplexity and
Fear Whether they respect the body
or inind; whether they are a load to '
the shoulders, the head, or the heartj,
the following is a radical cure, which.
may be relied on, for we have it from
the Great Physician : " Cast thy burden
on the Lord, and He will sustain thee."
For Fits of Repining Look about for
tne Halt and the blind, and visit the bed
ridden and the afflicted and deranged,
and they will make you ashamed of
complaining of your lighter afflictions.
, A Rough old Ago.
An old man called on Secretary Mc-:
Gonnige, of the Allgheiiy (Pa.,) Poor
Directors, the other day and solicited a
little help. His story was quite sad. He
said he camo to this country a number
of years ago, and by careful management
succeeded in saving sufficient to ena
ble him to purchase a farm of 1.30 acres
near Ann Arbor, Mich., where he set
tled and remained until about four year
ago, when his sons induced him to give
them his farm. As soon as they got
possession of it they sold it, divided the
proceeds, and turned the old man and
his v ife out into the world. They have
had to wander around the country ever
since. ' He would work at any little jobs
ho could get to keep himself and wife
alive. A few days ago, while in Youns-'
town, -J.j he heard that one of his
duughters resides in Conncllsville, and
he is now on his way there, to ask her
to keep her mother, while he will try'
and make a living for himself.: He is
seventy-seven years of age, and is partly
blind. His wife is seven ty.three years
old, and is subject to fits of insanity.
( A Young Traveler. V
The feat of independent baby travel
ing, by little Maggie Wood, a four-year
old Chicago orphan, is a rarity in juve
nile achievement. The child's only llv-'-ing
relative was an aunt in England, to
whom tbe waif was sent alone and un
protected, save for thetasual care of con
ductors and steamship agents. At New
York she was received by total stranger
who placed her, supplied with 'toyt rul
amusements on the City or Richmond,
in the care of the captain and sUw anJ.
, who finally turned her ovw to lw
aunt at Liverpool after a journey of 4.'X
miles in which the child m vy IV
familiar face,