THE ERA.
T5EE ERA.
A itliPUBLUJAN WEEKLY NEWS
PAPER THE CENTRAL ORGAN
OF THE PARTY.
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY.
(SEE RATES OF SUBSCRIPTION
ON THIS PAGE.) ,
XV. 31. HROWX, Manager.
p& Job Work executed at short no
tice and in a style' unsurpassed by any
similar establlshaieni in the State.
RATES OF. ADViSRTISING :
Ono square, one time, f - . - $ 1 00
44 twotinjes,, -j - , l 50
44 three times, - . . ,,2 00
Contract advertisements taken at
proportionately low rates,
OFFitKovr the North Carolina Rook
:n ponuT of Fayetteville ami Mor
streets, tirt door south of the State
1 .-kiie.
one year, - - - - 52 10
Six month-, - - - 1
Tlirre montlis, ... 55
z-jy Invariably in Advance. -Bt.
VOL. IV.
RALEIGH, N. C, THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 1875
NO. 30.
' ; - - ' ----- - ' j- ' -
. I
s
POETItY
Seventy-Five.
A NEW YEAR srSO.
Nw the New Year ome apace,
With the linht of loving grace.
With a smile upon hi face .
Heart alivo!
:.ine to me anil comes to you.
With his I'rei'Iit of treasure new,
Axkintf-for a welcome true
S'-venty-five.
t ; ri-f ami j"V o hand in hand:
Thrift or waste hold all the land ;
. .mi m'i"t fall and sortie must stand,
Want or thrive.
.In .t a years have come before.
With nothing less and nothing more,
i mmi"s he, knocking at our door
Seventy-live.
V. t our human heart ill sny,
-Is'tl the O: I Vear g his way ;
hk'.1 the New, the joyful daj !"
We
Hen t alive !
art- ghul and strong and free
What in come to you or me ?
! i- '-. So, welcome we
Seventy live.
MisrniLANEors.
Peter Cooper's Locomotive.
ft,, ,,' Sftam-Engine .'rer run on i
t citing, uraues were passed over
j with ease, curves were turned with
l out slowing up, and with every mo-
ment.the rate of speed increased.
Ten miles an hour at first, then
twelve, thirteen, fifteen, and even
eighteen miles an hour were made.
! It is recorded that the enthusiastic
1 paset grs with one accord pro
duced their note-iooks, aim demon
strated the possibility of writing1
even at this speed.
We are not told how long it took
to reach Ellieotti Mills, but the re
turn trip was made in fifty-seven
minutes.
44 Was the locomotive usrd upon
the road afterwards?" the visitor
asked when he had read the descrip
tion referred to.
" I sold it to a man named Ward,"
said Mr. Cooper, "and he ran it du
ring the summer, carrying1 pleasure
parties to and fro. The next year
three or four locomotives, each one
an improvement on the other, were
procured, and every year afterwards
locomotives were built and used in
j different parts of the country."
44 W hat was the nature of your ap
paratus for turning a short curve ?"
t 44 On the ends of the caraxie, out
side the wheels, there was a ring in
which the axle rested and moved
sufficiently in rounding a curve to
turn at a good rate of speed. Now
the wheels are beneath a car on
which the engine rests, ihe car
turns on a central belt or pivot, you
know
American Truck.
lVtt r Cooer, the venerable mil
lionaire, was found nvoritly sitting
.la little de-k in his private office
..? his residence. '"I built and ran
the first railroad." said be. He was
,n excellent spirits, and conversed
;,s vivaciously as :i nan of half bis
;.o. "I was in Baltimore at the
nine. I owned ;j,imm) ju-res of lan
in that city 1 be same property now'
owned by the Canton Company. I
-old it to them. It cost me $105,-
o.st, but I don't tloubt it is valued at
!.'.,ikhi.(Kn to-day. Well, as I was
-ivinir. the Baltimore ami Ohio
nil mad was :i hor.-c railroad at that
:;;(.llii w:s in 1 s and ran to
KiUooU's Mills, a distance of tbir
uva miles from Btltimore. The
road didn't pay, and the stockhold
ers were beginning; to get frighten-
d. They refused to invest any more
money in the road. I was afraid it
would Mop running. I went to the
dinrtors and asked them to hold
mi awhile until I tried a steam loco
motive tbd I bad an idea would do
for the road. You see in that short
road there were a good many curves
hort etirvts for it ran through a
r urh, ,rooky valley. The opinion
i, d coiue-fn.ni England that no en
gine c;uld be built to turn a curve
Wlejis than Don feet, and some of
:;iese curves were only feet.
"Boss YYyr.ans, an engineer on
the railroad Ross is the man that
made so many millions out of the
iCtissiaiiS, building locomotives for
them. Well, be gave me an inven
tion of hi, and I built the locomo
tive. I, wis litile thing, and
weighed only si ton. Why," and
Mr. Cooper lauied at th recollec
tion, "Hie boii. r wasn't as big as a
oirrel. Butler.', I'll let you read
what Mr. I,atn!e says alxuit it. He
was ( oun-oior or the railroad, and I
l'ih s.s he is .f. lie rode on the on
Line uiib ine. Here, read what he
-ays."
While Mr. Cooper was speaking
bad ri n from bis ea-y chair,
i:.d was examining several papers
. i j.-h he tooK- from a desk in the
corner, talking all the while. "Ah,
here it is!" said he, unfolding a
large printed chart and returning to
hi" -eat. His aged hand trembled
- he held out the sheet for the vis
itor in?.p ctinn. A rough wood-cut
of a primitive engiueand car adorn
ed the top of the rdieet ; lHnealh,
the page was filled with extracts
iroiM a lecture delivered by Coun
selor LatroU'. The cut represented
a Vehicle as large as a hand car, rest
ing on four siight wheels, and con
Uiiningan upright boiler and smokc
"lack, and six persons. Nothing
ei-e was visible except two upright
oars meeting like the strokes of an
inverted V in the front of the en
gine. Mr. Cooper explained that
this was the machinery, and the
nan standing by it was himself. All
die people wore low hats ex
cept Mr.' Cooper, (according to the
nit,) and be was distinguished
' a high, broad-brimmed beav-
r. 1 le Was thirty-nine years of age
then, and Mr. Eatrobe was a few
years younger. "I had been a Com
mon Councilman at that time,"
aid Mr. Cooper, in parenthesis. "I
represented the twelfth ward, when
o. extended trom the Biule liouss
to Kings-bridge.
At Mr. Cooper's suggestion the
writer glanced over the printed
matter which explained the engine
and related its exploits. Mr. Coop
er, it seems, invited the directors of
the road, with a few others, to ac
company him on his trial trip when
the engine was completed. The
party that accepted the invitation
numbered about forty-one. Thirty
six were conveyed in one car a
great carryall wagon on four car
wheels and the other five rode
with Mr. Cooper on the engine. The
'nachinery of the locomotive did not
uatrer from that of the time in which
it was built. It was simply a com
bination of belts and cog-wheels,
f he draught necessary to keep up
steam in the little boiler was sup
plied by a blower, driven by a drum
and cord attached to one of the car
wheels. On the day of the trial
lrM. ill the atimniPr nf lftft). Mr
Jjper i lighted the fire under the
.ft , - vva illl) UV U UXJVt
ler, and when sufficient steam
n their places in the train he
mi. 1 lhu Iever and the flr-t loco
motive; engine began Its firsLtrip.
Ae ride is described as, most ex-
i
The Stranger Witness.
A gejitleman, followed by a ser
vant in livery, rode into an inn in
the west of Kngland one evening, a
little after dusk. He told the land
lord that he should bedetained in
that part of the country for a few
days, and wished to know if there
wen any amusements going ou in
the town to occupy the time, a he
was not busy. He was informed by
the landlord that it was their race
and assize week, and that he there
fore would have plenty to occupy
his leisure moments. On the gen
tleman making answer that this
was fortunate, as he was fond of
hearing trials, the host informed
him that a very interesting robbery
trial was to come off, on the next
day. That the evidence was very
strong against the prisoner, and the
people's opinion was greatly divid
ed, as the man insisted that he was
in another part of the kingdom when
the robbery was committed.
The gentleman expressed consid
erable anxiety to witness the trial.
Accordingly the next morning the
host procured him a good location
through his influence with the court
officers.
While the evidence proceeded
against him, the prisoner's eye re
mained fixed on the ground ; but
upon being called upon for his de
fense he looked up, and seeing the
stranger, ho fainted away. At first
this wassupposed to bea trick togain
time, but beincr questioned on his
recovery, he asserted that that gen
tleman could save his life if he
might nut a few questions to him.
The eves of the whole court were
now turned upon the stranger, wno
seemed somewhat embarrassed, but
stated that although he could not
remember the prisoner, he was will
ing to answer any question tha
might be proposed. The court grant
ed ihe prisoner's request, and he
a-ked the stranger if he remember
ed being in Dover on a certain date.
Tn which the irentleman answered
that he landed at Dover shortly be
fore, but could not positively atfirm
thur vvm4 there that exact (lav.
"Don't you remember that a man
in a blue jacket and trowsers carried
your trunk to the inn?" asked the
prisoner.
'I remember that a man did carry
mv trunk, but I do not remember
his dress."
"But," said the prisoner, anxiou's-
lv. 'don't vou remember that the
man who carried your trunk told
you a story about his being in the
service, that he thought himself an
ill-used man, and that he showed
vou a scar he had on one side of his
forehead?"
During the last part of the speech
the stranger's face changed, and he
said that he did remember the scar.
The prisoner pushed aside his hair,
displaying a scar on his ioreneau,
and the witness affirmed positively
that ho was the very man.
A buzz of satisfaction ran through
the court, for the day on which the
witness had met the prisoner at
Dover was the very day of the rob
bery.
The stranger, however, could not
be certain of the time, but stated
that he sometimes made a memo-;
randum of dates in his pocket book,
and turning to that found that the
date of his landing corresponded
with the prisoner's assertion. This
being the only circumstance neces
sary to prove an alibi, the prisoner
was immediately acquitted amid
great applause and congratulations.
The above trial occurred in 1832,
and within less than a month the
gentlemanly witness who came to
the inn attended by a servant in
livery, the servant who followed
him, and the prisoner, were all three
brought back to the same jail for
robbing the mail. It turned out
that the clever defense at the last
trial-was a skillfully arranged plot
of the confederates to release their
accomplice, v , f . , M
calls attention to the fact that the
mineral combustible annually con
sumed largely exceeds that of the
ores miued. In England, in 1871,
the total coal yield was valued (in
round numbers, which for conveni
ence' sake we shall use.throughout
this article) at $92,000,000, while
that of all the other mineral pro
ducts, including refractory clays,
marine salt, phosphorites, etc., did
not exceed 2,000,000. In Germany
and France the same excess in favor
of coal also appears. Throughout
the entire world, during 1872, the
author places the value of all the
minerals (but fuel) mined, at $320,
000,000 ; of the fuel, at $020,000,000,
or nearly double.
Referring to the English coal pro
duction, the author states that, for
the forty years from 1831 to 1871, the
ratio of increase has been from 1 to
G. The present rate of production
per workman is about 299 tons per
annum in England, 220 in Prussia,
159 in France, and 157 in Belgium.
Jt is believed that these figures will
never exceed 300 tons in England,
and 1G0 in France and Belgium; so i
sen ted. Every one thronged to get
a look at the King, and that with
an utter disregard ,of costume.
Young men dressed as old women
and old women as young men
crowded the passages through which
His Majesty passed, and in many
cases a partial divestment of scenic
costume gave rise to many ludicrous
ellecLs. The King was extremely
plea-ed with his visit to the Hippodrome."
Abandoned Women.
Yes, kick her down as low as pos
sible. Don't give her a chance to
rise and invade respectable society
again.
8he has been tried and tempted,
and she has fallen from the holy
state of innocence, and it behooves
every virtuous woman to see to it
that she is not allowed to breathe
the foul malaria of her presence
among the pure of her sex.
There is contamination in her
touch. There is moral darkness
and degradation in her presence.
Beware of her as you would one
were violently shaken, in some
places breaking china and glass
ware. Westchester, Long Island ,
Connecticut and Maine had another
shake, with a northward current,
July 11, 1872. So late as November
25. Essex county, Massachusetts,
had its shake, perhaps the response j
of mother earth to the late political j
convulsion.
The late earthquake shock on the
Hudson calls to the mind of a New
j York paper the above incident?.
that, estimating by the present En- : smitten with the plague.
Coal andiron in the World.
M. Gruner. a- member of the In
ternational Jury at the Vienna Ex
iosition, has compared the condi
tions of these two great industries
as existing In 1873 with their state
at the time of the French Exhibi
tion in 18J7. M. Grutier estimates
the . entire fuel production of the
world at 25o,o00,000 tons, and he
glish yearly increase in fuel mined,
in the year 1910 fully 2,000,000 men
will be actively engaged in thein
dustry. This is hardly possible,
since" the above number of work
men support a population five times
greater ; and for this aggregate to be
maintained by a single industry,
there must be a corresponding in
crease in all other branches of Eng
lish labor. Hence, from the nature
of things, a maximum of coal pro
duction must be eventually reached.
Regarding the fuel exhaustion of
the English mines, the author places
their duration at 750 years.
The aggregate production of 250,
000,000 tons in 1872 is made up by
the various countries in the world
contributing as follows : Great Brit
ain, 123,000.000 ; United States,
40,000,000 ; Germany, 40,000,000 ;
France, 15,000,000 ; Austria and
Hungary, 20,000.000; Spain, 3,500,-
000; Russia, 3,500,000; and English
colonies, China, Chili, and Japan
5,000,000. It is believed that within
thirty years the American coal pro
duction will exceed that of Eng
land ; but the indefinite increase of
the yield, it is thought, will be pre
vented by the absence of a corres
ponding increase in the demand, in
the same manner as in Great Britain.
After thus dealing with coal, the
subject of iron is discussed, and the
value of its ores stated to exceed
that of all those of other minerals
save gold. At a minimum, tne an
nual value is placed at $70,000,000,
or $2 per ton on the aggregate ex
traction of 18 2. From the 3-,000,-
000 tons then mined 11,000.000 were
made into cast-iron, 8,500,000 into
homogeneous iron and steel. On
a . A-
comparing tnese ngures wiin tnose
given for 1805, the iron production
is shown to have become still more
rapidly developed than that of coal.
In seven years the coal yield in
creased from 9 to 12.5, while that of
iron increased from 9 to 14. The
steel manufacture has tripled in the
same period.
King Kalakaua.
The people of New York and
Boston paid very flattering atten
tions to 'the King of Hawaii, during
his recent sojourn in those cities.
Among other places which he vis
ited in New York was Barnum's
Hippodrome, and his visit is thus
described by the Herald:
"The manager received his dis
tinguished visitors and conducted
them to the royal btx, which was
tastefully decorated with the United
States and Hawaiian colors. There
was a full house, and the King was
received with much applause. In
addition to the usual decorations,
there was a display of fireworks soon
after the party entered, forming the
word
'KALAKAUA,'
in letters of blue and red fire. This
incident pleased His Majesty. Ad
miral Dot, a quaint little dwarf,
was introduced to the occupants of
the royal box, and presented his
portrait to the members of the royal
party. The first part of the per
formance, after the King entered,
consisted of a horseback race be
tween a number of lady jockeys.
This amused and interested His
Majesty so much that he handed to
the fair victor a white rose, which
sne Dore arounu uie wjuiw in iu-
umph. During a temporary inte
rim in the programme a cry went
up from the assembled audience,
King Kalakaua ! King Kalakaua!'
His Majesty, with his usual polite
ness and good nature, was very wil
ling to recognize this call, and at
Mr. Barnum's invitation accompa
nied him around the course in an
AM. 1
open carriage in iun view oi me
thousands assembled, wno, witn tne
most enthusiastic cheers and ap
plause, showed their appreciation of
the royal visitor's courtesy. During
this incident the band played Hail
to the Chief.' The Indian scene at
tracted the King's particular atten
tion, and at its close 4 Indian Char-
.......
lie ' was brought into the box and
introduced to His Majesty- As the
King is himself an accomplished
horseman the races and feats of
horsemanship particularly interest
ed him, and he was frequent in his
applause and smiles during that
part of the penormance. ir. uar-
num was very assiauous in ms at
tentions to his royal guest. At the
close of the entertainment the party
threaded its way among numbers of
gauzy b illet girls to the property '
room. There tne young lauies wno
bad specially interested His Mijesty
were introduced, ine scene was
verv amusing, ine royai uan
made such a speedy entry into the
mvbterious regions of the properties
that many comical sights were pre-
When she passes by, or when her
disgraced name is mentioned, wrap
your pious garments around you,
and let the blush of shame tinge
your maiden cheek, and the pocket
handkerchief of insulted modesty
cover your face.
Men will deem you modest, and
do not men adore modesty in a wo
man, and do they by any act of
theirs destroy that quality in female
character? Oh, no. Certainly not.
We all know that the world of men
at largn are equally as careful of the
young girls with whom they asso
ciate as they would be if these same
girls were their own grandmothers.
To be sure !
Always think of the abandoned
woman at her worst. Never for a
moment indulge the idea that there
may be good life in hers. The days
when it was possible " for good to
come out of Nazareth" are passed
away.
She has fallen let her be where
she has chosen her place. In the
mud of the gutter, under the flar
ing gaslight, in the wintry streets,
in the waters of the river do not
trouble your fair hands about her.
" She has made her bed, so let her
lie ; so let her lie."
You can pity the poor heathen in
foreign lands, and knit stockings
for the godless inhabitants of the
tropics, and send Bibles and tracts
to the South Sea Islanders, and put
pennies in the mission box to en
lighten the Hindoo as he goes out to
cast himself beneath the wheels of
Juggernaut, but with these wretch
ed heathen at your very gates you
have nothing to do. Your eyes
must be blind to the sad fact of their
existence, and if perchance they
cry out for help you must not for
get that you are a virtuous woman,
and as such your ears must be deaf.
Smile your sweetest on the men
that have made them what they
are, and ignore the certainty that
there is temptation in the world to
which you have never been expos
ed. Your gilt edged, gold clasped
Bible holds for you no lesson of
mercy and forgiveness, for you read
it in a heart set in judgment, and
your idle eyes have never paused to
rest with grave consideration upon ;
the sentence, For the greatest of
all these is charity." Kate Thorn.
Sandwich Island Kings.
A reporter had an interview with
Mr. Alexander McClure, a former
trapeze performer, but now engaged
in a dry goods establishment iu Al
legheny, la. Mr. M. has passed
several years in the Hawaiian Isl
ands, was for a long time in the
Custom House there, and was well
acquainted with King Kalakaua
long before it was supposed that he
would ever reach the throne. Du
ring the time that Mr. McClure was
in Honolulu, " King Bill," thepre
decessor of the present monarch,
was in power, and the description
given of him was in some respects
more interesting than his account of
King David. In 1870, Mr. McClure
went to Honolulu and performed
about a month, when he was taken
ill with the rheumatism, and when
the troupe left for Australia he re
mained behind, liking the place so
well that he concluded to go no
further. The climate, he says, is
delightful, not varying ten degrees
in the entire year. The thermom
eter stands seventy or eighty de
grees Fahrenheit, and the climate
is one of the best in the world for
people suffering from lung disease.
Speaking of King David, Mr. Mc
Clure said : 44 There was a coffee sa
loon in Honolulu, and it is custom
ary for business men to go in during
the day and play chess and billiards.
T got acquainted with Kalakaua
there long before he had any idea of
being a king. He was a regular na
tive and would not have much to
do with the white people, although
I have played billiards with him
verv frequently. He was a thor
ough Hawaiian in all his Ways and
customs, and people generally, did
not seem to take much interest in
him. David always contended that
he ought to have been king instead
of his successor 44 Bill." He is a
very good billiard player, well edu
cated, and conversant with both
French and English literature, and
withal something of a poet, having
composed several songs which have
been set to music. Just before I
left Bill lived about three miles
from the city, and was an irrecov
erable drunkard. He took a great
deal of interest in theatrical mat
ters, and would come in nearly every
day to the rehearsal,, and 44 Wood
man, Spare that Tree," was the first
thing he would order. One day,
when he got ready for the perform
ance, the first thing we discovered
was King Bill in stage costume, un
der the influence and ready to take
part. It was difficult to persuade
him that he was out of place. The
present king, when I left Honolulu,
was very regular in his habits, and
I never saw him under the influ
ence of liquor but once, and that
was at the firemen's celebration.
wards became. She knew her
power, and used it unsparingly. In
addition to her other qualities, she
was inquisitive as ever was a worn m
on this earth.
One evening King Solomon at
tended lodge on some grand occas
ion, and stayed out somewhat late.
When he returned home he found
thejfair Ammonitess in the dumps,
and pouting just like the dear
wives of Masons do sometimes now
when their lords stay out too late at
thelLiodge. She upbraided him with
neglecting her, insinuated that he
hadn't been to the Lodge as he pre
tended, and insisted that in future
he should give proof that he went
there by having herself initiated, so
that she might go there and watch
him.
"Daughter of Ammon," replied
the King, "thou hast behaved thy
self as one of the foolish women, in
presuming to question thy lord and
master. Thou art not so angry with
me sas thou pretendest to be ; for
the true reason of this behavior is
thy! insatiable curiosity, in which
thou excellest Eve herself. Know
then that I here ordain that neither
thou, nor any of thy inquisitive sex
after thee, shall ever enter the port
als of a Masonic Lodge ; but I shall
enjoin the Tyler to pierce through
with his drawn sword any woman
that shall attempt to enter a lodge ;
aye,; even thee, Queen of Israel
though thou be!" And that ordi
nance of this wisest of monarchs has
continued in force till this day.
v e hope, now, that we have sat
isfied the curiosity of our fair read
ers as fully as did King Solomon that
of his Queen.
Worthy Words.
14 Be just because equity sustain
the human race."
44 Be good because goodness en
chains all hearts."
44 Be indulgent because, feeble
thyself, thbushouldst bear with the
feebleness of others."
44 Be kind because kindness se
cures affection." ;,
44 Bo- grateful becauso gratitude
is the food, that nourishes liberality."
44 Be modest
because oride is of
fensive to thy fellow beings."
44 Pardon injuries because ven
geance perpetuates hate."
44 Render good for evil becauso
in this way you will rise superior to
the evil doer, and make him your
friend."
44 Be forbearing, temperate and
chaste because voluptuousness, in-'
temperance, and sensuality aro de
structive of your existence, and will
render it miserable."
44 Be a citizen becauso thy coun
try is necessary for thy security,
and happiness, and well-being."
"Defend thy country with thy
life because it is sho who secures
thee in thy property, and in, tho
possession of those being near to
thy heart; but never forget that
humanity has rights; if thy coun
try wrong thee, it' she refuse thee
happiness, and suffer thee to be op
pressed, leave her in silence, but
never trouble her. Support adver
sity with resignation." s
Something about Earthquakes.
Though far away from volcanoes,
and in the sober temperate zone,
New York and her neighborhood is
not wholly deprived ot the peculiar
sensation by which an earthquake
demonstrates the lck of absolute
stability even in real estate. That
locality can boast of no houses
thrown down or cities destroyed by
terrestrial tremor, but her history
has yet its positive record of several
shakes witnin the period since the
acquisition of California. It might
be suggested that we had taken her
tendency to upheaval when we con
quered our entire Republic of Mex
ico, and that we did not entirely
surrender that when the forces of
General Scott left her scorching
plains. More likely, however, earth
quakes have happened here before
the era of the Shaw press and the
lightning telegraph. A shock was
felt in New York city on the 8th ot
September, 1848, which, though dis
tinct, did no further damage than
to crack a few walls and nauseate
some sic&iy siomacns. jioriner
New York felt a little quake oh the
18th of March, 1853. At Buffalo
and some 'other 'places a shock was
felt October 23, 1857. New England
wasshaken in qui tea lively manner
October 22, 1860. t On Saturday eve
ning, June 25, 1870, after a mild
day, the thermometer rose sudden
ly. Presently a low rumbling noise
was heard, like a heavy distant
blast; houses trembled and win
dows rattled in the eastern part of
New York city, below Fourteenth
street.. People thought a gas house
had blown up or some such accident
had occurred. It was a genuine
earthquake, though in very confined
space. Next morning, about seven
o'clock; a similar; shock was felt in
Brooklyn. . ThSrWhoIe region from
Clea-veiand to JeWYork. Montreal
arid Bangor wasVquite thoroughly
shaken October), 1870. The. trem
or sesined.to. progress from south to
north, according to ithe., majority of
the reports,- though! some observers
thought? it had its motion5 in the op
posite direction, j In New York fur
niture 'was upset by the shock and
solid brick buildings 'tottered as
though they might tall. . Long and
Staten Islands and New Jersey had
a similar experience."
Oa the 19th of June; 1871, the far
mers heard the sound as of heavy
trai ns of wagons driven rapidly.o vrer
cobble pavement, and their,, houses
Scurrilous Postal Cards Dan
gerous.
The First Conviction under the New
Law.
In the -United States Circuit Court
yesterday the trial of Moses Cham
berlain, tor sending scurrilous postal
cards through the mail, resulted in
his conviction on all of the counts
in the iudictment, and he was re
manded for sentence. The indict
ment charged Mr. Chamberlain
with sending-through the mail 14
cards of that kind, and, under the
amended law, the greatest punish
ment that can be inflicted upon him
is 10 years' imprisonment and a fine
of $5,000 for each card, making in
all 140 years' imprisonment and a
fine of $70,000. Mr. Chamberlain
can, in the discretion of the court,
be fined, or imprisoned, or both ;
but if sentence be moved on each
count in the indictment, the lowest
punishment, if a fine,must be 1,400,
or if imprisonment, 14 years, because
the law says that the fine for each
offense shall not be less than $100,
nor the imprisonment for each of
fense less than one year. This is
the first case tried under the law
makintr it a crime to send scurril
ous postal cards through the mail,
and for that reason, as well as on
account of the standing in the com
munity of those most interested, it
has attracted considerable public
interest. - A motion
will be made next Tuesday, and
there are two more indictments
against Mr. Chamberlain for like
offenses. ;
u As appeared from the evidence,
the scurrilous cards were sent to
Mr. Van Valkenburg in hopes xi
extortiug money from him, but
rather ' than be victimized, he in
voked the aid of the law, and pro
cured theindictmeut of the one who
was annoying him. Assistant Uni
ted States District Attorney Purdy
for the prosecution, and ex-Judge
Fullerton and Mr. Waring for the
defense. N. Y. Tribune, 25th tdt.
Kcligion and Education.
A! peculiar phase of the discussion
now raging in England between the
Catholics and the Protestants is
shown in a recent correspondence
published in the London Times.
Thq son of an English gentleman
was, a student at Oxford. Just be
fore; examination he left the Eng
lish Church and entered the com
munion of Rome. Upon doing this
he sought counsel from Archbishop
Manning as to his future course, and
was; instructed by the Archbishop
that it was his duty to leave the
university, "the Holy See having
expressly condemned the English
Universities as dangerous to faith
and! morals." The father of the
young man, surprised at this advice,
and naturally anxious that his son
should complete his course at Ox
ford, wrote to the Archbishop to
know whether his sou really under
stood the episcopal meaning. The
Archbishop's secretary sent the
father a copy of the pastoral letter
of the bishops, containing the direc
tions of the Holy See as to the Eng
lish universities showing that the
youngman had rightly comprehend
ed the meaning of His Grace. The
secretary added a lew words of com
miseration from the Archbishop on
"the! trial" which the father had to
beah "The cause of it cannot be re
garded by the Archbishop except as
a benediction for the sou : neverthe
less Ihe cannot but feel sympathy
for j those who feel otherwise."
This direct avowal on the nart of
the head of the Catholic Church in
England that it will not iWrmit
young men to study in the Euglish
universities has produced a deep
impression and illustrates the earn
estness with which the religious
controversy is now being waged.
A Printers Tournament.
A printers' tournament, being a
contest in type-setting, took place
in Washington, with the following
result. There were eight entries in
the first class, the type nonpareil.
Time, three hours:
The first prize, a solid gold com
posing stick, won by S. N. Benner
man, who set 5,070 ems; second
prize, a solid silver composing stick,
full newspaper size, won by R. A.
McLean, who set 4,908 eras ; third
prize, Menamin's Encyclopaedia of
Printing, won by W. V. McCoIIum,
who set 4,720 ems.
Second class -Time one hour and
thirty minutes V. V. Malloncy
was awarded a silver composing
stick, newspaper size, having set 2,
278 ems. Frank A. McGill, a Ger
man silver composing-stick, full
size; 2,250 ems. H. V. Hartman,
HarpeP s Tjpograph; 2,187 ems.
Long Primer Class Time one
hour and thirty minutes J. R. Mc
Bride was awarded the first prize, a
solid gold composing-stick, breast
pin size, having set 2.128 ems. G.
J. S. Hunnicutt, American Encyclo
paedia of Printing ; 2,037 cms. H.
C. lurleton, a thermometer; 1,988
ems. ' , '
The tournament took place in the
National Republican office. The de
cisions were made in accordance
with rules previously established,
and none were present except the
judges, referee, and proof-readers.
How the Sun moved a Bridge.
During the recent buildlntr of a
, Not Guilty.
Some vears ago an Irishman was
knocked down and robbed. He ac
cused a man of having committed
the robbery ; In due time the case
came up for trial. The Irishman
being called upon the stand, was
cross examined, after having sworn
positively to the guilt of the priso
ner, by one of our keenest lawyers,
and something like the following
was the result :
'You say that the prisoner at the
bar was the man who assaulted and
robbed you?'
4Yis.
4 Was it moonlight when the oc
currence took place?'
4Nbt a bit av it '
4 Was it starlight?1
4N6t a whit ; it was so dark that
you could not have seen your hand
before you.'
4 Was there any light shining from
any house near by ?'
4Not a bit av a house was there
anywhere about.'
Well, then, if there was no moon,
no starlight, no light from any
housj), and so dark that you couldn't
see even your hand before you, how
are you able to swear that the pris-
for a new trial I oner is theman ? Did you see him ?'
W.hy, your honor, when thespal
peen struck me the fire flew out in
me eye so bright that you might
have seen to pick up a pin; you
could, be jabbers !'
, The court, jury, counsel and spec
tators exploded at this quaint idea,
and the prisoner was declared not
guilty.
bridge in Holland, one of the tra
verses, four hundred and sixty-five
feet long, was misplaced on the sup
ports. It was an inch out of line,
and the problem was how to replace
it. Experiments proved that the
iron work expanded a jmall frac
tion of an inch for every degree of
heat received. It was noticed that
the night and day temperatures
diffrred by about twenty-five de
grees, and it was thought that this
might be made to move the bridge.
In the morning one end of tho
piece was bolted down securely, and
the other end left free. In the heat
of the sun the iron expanded, ai d
toward night tho free. end was loos
ened. The contraction then drag
ged the whole mass the other way.
For two days this experiment was
repeated, and tho desired place
reached. ' :
We find no record that the heat of
the sun has ever beon employed la
this way before; the contraction
and expansion of ijon bars by flrrj ,
heat has .frequently been used to
move heavy weights over short dis
tances. Broken walls and strained
roofs and arches have been brought
into place by simply heating iron
rods till they expanded, then taking
the slack by screws and : nuts, and
allowing contraction by cold to pulf
the wall or roof Into place.
Wliy Women Cannot Enter Ma
sonic Liodges.
When King Solomon was still a
young man, he had married his sev
enth wife. She , was. a i beautiful
young Ammonitess, with locks as
black ; asj. the. j raven's . rwing and
eyes as bright as the eaglets. Jt was
believed, that she .was, the favored
fair one. . aim all , the sultanas of
the Greav Ki g; ; f r us aflecuous
were no ill i Jed ti en as they a tter-
Galignani states that the French
stamp office has just purchased the
secret of the composition of an ink
absolutely indelible, and which re
sists the strength of all known rea
gents. Owing to that discovery, it
will be able to put an end to the
numerous" frauds which are con
stantly committed to the prejudice
of the treasury, and which consist
in restoring to stamped paper its
Original purity. The annual loss to
the revenue on that head is estima
ted at COp.OOOf in the department of
the Seine alone.
The United States Agricultural
Bureau estimates the average value
of horses in this country at $71;45 a
A Dangerous Experiment
In the steamship Queen, which
left New York recently, there was
one of the passengers the noted Paul
Boynton, pearl diver, life saver and
man fish in general. lie leaves on
a dangerous experiment, which is
none other than to make a sea voy
age in a life-saving suit. . It is his
intention to drop overboard not less
than two hundred miles from land,
either after leaving New York or
before reaching Liverpool, when he
will be left to the mercy of the
waves until he shall meet with a
passing vessel. Mr. Boynton is con
fident that he will' come out all
right In the matter and prove tho
value of the dress. This is a rubber
suit of. armor of .peculiar; pattern,
containing compartments, which,
when inflated, it is claimed, are able
to float a man of any weight in safe
ty. The one taken by Boynton will
weigh fifteen pounds, and ho carried
with him, in a rubber bag t wo doz
en signal lights, two, pounds, of
cheese, six pounds of crackers, - one
piece of Bologna sausage, ono ate
and one bowie knife for sharks, sig
nal flags, rockets, an extra suit of
clothes anil 'a'' 'large double-bladed
paddle with which to propel him
self. Mr. Boynton is- of flqecphyB
ique, and weighed yesterday ifdpout
one hundred aud. eighty, pounds.
On the '.Jersey ;.cst;htr cIhIuU')To