Newspapers / The Blue Ridge Blade … / Oct. 18, 1879, edition 1 / Page 1
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THE FLOWfcto C09CnQJI BLAB VOL. IV.-NO. 35.v; MQRGANTON, N. C, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1879. WHOLE NUMBER 191. RfME TO WORKMAH TO HIS WITS. Come, Mary, throw your work aside, ;,f And let your troubles be; ! ' : ' ; ' Leave cue and toil and smoke awhile. ' " And apend an honr with me. - '. WeM aeek the cowslip on the bank, , i, The primrose in the lane, - And happy eights and sounds afar j ;" 'j -r Shall make ns jenng again. . ' .,' ' It's long, my lore, sinoe yon and X Have heard thi blaokbird sing. ' Or eanght, by ronning brooks and woods, . - The glory of the Spring, i' y. " : It's long since yon and I have trod -' f "amji p&'ha where hawthorn blow, ,- Jlien BUry, ninjj juiui And let your trouble go. - The tree shall bend to welcome as; ' 4 , The Sowers shall olaep oar feet; r. ' rTbe yurv T eeaiysfttpreiee,Xfc X In murmurs soft tad sweet, -1 - The windj) e all swell, with ready voice, ; The chore high and loud, y : - .- And well' forget the world, my wife, :. - And all its busy crowd. . j ''. , A thousand things await oa, love V Blue skies and balm air, ';'tH'J; Green fields, whose very sight shall make The heart forget its care,, ' ; Then never aigh, be glad to-day,1' ' Throw sorrow to the wihdj ' Nor pause till we have left our ills A Summer's heor behind. , sanctity Of an oath "1 2 .-i- i '"Abolish all legal DunishmJhl for ner. jury," said L dogmatically, at the end of a . desultory argument with some f : the other . Clerics in tne Han itanciaco Mint, "and not one witness in a dozen would; speak the truth. As for their oaths bah 1 Thev don't care that for them" snapping my fingers like the cluck of a hen. "I don't know, boys," said JohnFlem u ing, who had taken no part ' in the discus sion, aying down his pen, and squaring 4 about upon his stool; "I don't know that ' I can say anything on this question worth r. listening to, but if you will stop your con- iounaed ngunng a moment I'll relate a lit tle experience of mine that mav be of ser vice to this young gent'enaa whp,k5bws bq very much about the nature of an oath and i - most other things.".- . -. ... f :-. I U There was a general snapping together ledgers ana au manner oi Dooks ; uov i ernment clerks do not require much -of i ; pretext to. stop work. We 'all gathered about John, like bees about Hymettus, and lie Degan : ,y. -, Vx'--; ' I was a witness, once,' iif a murder case ai rumenon a diuh, on we jxorut ana, lust above the falls. Bob! of mine knew irim ia the StaSes was " inetrm tinner nt. .iiic muiiieui ue JS&rd any one make an assertion, express, a belief, or hint a rumor frequently before posessinghis mind of the speaker's full meaning he'd bet him . . five doUars it wasn't sol When nobodv TX70 a talb-inn Vn . 1 J t. ..... v " wuuiu ity man indirect ways to entrap some one into indicating an r.. u,u duuic uuojeci, ana then he ;was downupon him with that everlasting WO (rot Tin nX.l,l .-X . l B xuuiu pui up me money, too, and what s more he would commnnW . unless there was a dead sure thing against him; and this was so frequently the case that it kept him pcxhv If, in Dave's pres , ence, a man dared affirm" that his dog was ; yellow, quick as lightning came an offer to bet him five dollars he wasn't ; and it came with such positive energy that if the man hadn t seen his dog since morning it was ten chances to One thai he would Jback down, or haggle for time to go and take uuuuwsr loon. i-never saw Dave myself, it was, after his time that I came tothe Bluff ; but the fame of his extraordirary . wagers, and the no less extraordinary way in which he sometimes won them was in . everybody's mouth - " , T On the fifteenth day of July 'in '58, Dave and my friend Bob D passed the whole evening together in the bar-room of the bpread Eagle Hotel, and during, the time Bob lost three straight bets with him. ' About nine o'clock they departed together, quarreling about the manner in which Bob had been silenced but not convinced. Dave was never afterward seen alive but the next spring a dead body, almost past recognition, was discovered hidden away in chapparal. near the road oyer which the two must have pwsed ' to reach their houses, about two miles from town. Nearly everybody said the body una thct TV, .... 1 , ... J u, ivvc, uI4u as h nau a bullet in it not some old bullet, such as one might have somewhere in his system, hut m. aratively fresh one, which had nnaonrt Iirough the heart Bob , eustody, charged with the deed. In the mean time I had moveM up from below the falls, and as the Whole town had taken the Other-side I determined to stano -oy-tne friend whom I had known in the States, At the trial the court room was packed ' with people, and the tide of public opinion set so strongly against the prisoner that the Judge had to draw his six-shooter a dosen times to keep order. After a score of wit nesses had been examined for the proseou tion, every one of whom made things look very black for Robert, the State rested its case. Then the attorney for the defence arose, and simply said: "Your Honor, I shall make no prelimi nary statement, and I shall call but one witness. By him I shall prove an alibi, or give up the case." "Eh! What's that?" shouted the Dis trict Attorney, hopping upon his feet as fussy a little rascal as ever snorted law be fore a deaf Justice of the Peace. "Will you prove Jhat the prisoner was net on Spanish Town road the night of the alleged uiurueri "No ! I'll prove that the deceased was not. ' . There was a marked sensation in court as my name was called, and I was solemn ly sworn to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. V "At ten o'clock on the night of July, 15, 1878,' I began, circumstantially, lI was walking along the river bank, on the side f town opposite the Spanish Town roacL and just above the falls. I wouldn't trou ble myself, if I were you" turning to the District Attorney "to ask what I was walking there for, because it isn't anybody's business." ' 'I appeal tothe Omit!" screeched the - He wi 'nevei little rascal, springing to Ms feet, 5f I'm w utj uuiuiteu m una way : . , "Jieep still, will you," 'said Ms Honor. "and let the witness proceed".". I had made a favorable impression at the start, and it gave me confidence. I resumed: , ."It was a warm moonlight evening and the mist rising above the. cataract was less dense than usual ; so I could see tolerably welL Just at the brink on an overhanging rock, I saw a , tall bent figure in erav clothes, wearing r slouch hat a very bad nai i aon t see more tnan a hundred worse ones ;in. the room,'! There was - a smile all around, and then the District At torney' asked me if I had known the de ceased, Mr. Thatcher, in Ms life-time. I -dMriad nerir seen hinwv4-;,v... ";L. ' "Remember thagenuenien Of tJw jryi said he. with: a conceited smile i "remem" Tjet.the witness had,nevieen nor heard of the, deceased.' We &n t mean to contro vert tne witness's statement on that point, Sir,"! he added, addressing the counsel for the defence and smirking as if he had got hold of a good thing which'he would hold in reserve as a final crushed" . ;, 4K?uss youIw roared the Judge, "keep yoiir mouth shut, will you! The witness will proceed.; ;"; 'f u; "I approachied lMs persop on the rock," I Continued, 'and .saidi Good evening."? " 'Bet you Ave dollars it ain't !" said he, turning sharply about' . " "Af this there was A general sfiTgger irom tKe spectatbtx, and Dav4 Thatcher's widow who sat near, looked up w ith a 'sudden hope in um m uuu was cneeniu to see1 i re- sumeamy testimony - :j . , "Do you see that oak on ihe other banirj continued the man on the rock, pointing to a conspicuous pine, f S ..." i "I thought the fellow aiust be a mani c, and I did not know Just what to answer ; but presently replied that I was not certain whether I saw; it or not it depended on circumstances.' s , 1 ; "He was silent for some moments ; then he shivered and chattered his teeth. - '"Snow before morning,' said he. 'Per haps mif said V non-committally ; ,'seems tMckening up but that may be an optical iUusion.' . . -v - .-. Then he wanted to know if I remem bered what year General Jackson was elec ted President 'wasn't it in '52 f ' " I told him I did not refcollect. - After a while he said carelessly: ; ; T:,rr: ."They're talking, here at. the Bluff about running Ben. Franklin for next Presi- ''.."I made no reply. : Then he came up to me and laid a hand on my shoulder. . " 'See here, stranger, ' said he, "is there anTfubiect you feel at home on Have vnn rtotany hobby any opinions f " . u am not sure,' J replied ; 'some peo ple .have -opinions, and some, don't have Miy., some that do have them don't have "TfB! time : those Who have them an ni oneZ&tting tothebotton? fefeUWr'rT ..imj,. jjxhyuk a nine more than that maybe a little less maybe just that, i don t remember tumni cades myself. ' j . "He gave me one look, laid off Ms hat, dropped himself down, hanging ohtdlhe edge with his hands. Then he let go, fall ing three hundred feet into the. boiling whirlpool below!" " VMaI.U please the urt." shrieked the little District Attorney, lunging forward upon his feet, "I want to put one question to this witness . now ! You say, sir, you had never seen the deceased IWr. Thtw up"te the moment you met him on th ,vJ auu never neard Of him and nv Kno. a of any of Ms relations. Now. sir. on vn,,r oath, on your Bible oath sir I how do you know that this man vnn mv m swa falls was Dave Thatcher? How An know jt sir?" 1 f '1 don't know it. Tt or just before he let go the rock he looked up at me, with his nose ahtma tha and said: " v"sc' "You tMnk Tm Dave Thatcher, don't. you?' 'Itold him he might be.or 'ha mirrht not . 7 ' j um so r ne said, riporwrataiv , t,;. fingers began to slip. Bet, you five dollars I tun t There was a good deal of loose talk in court after this, but the spectators would not listen to it, and D-i was trinmnh. antly acquitted, being: borne through the town on the shoulders sof the jury, to the music oi a brass band and the cheers of the whole population. But Dave Thatcher's window persisted in putting up a handsome headstone over the remains of the unknown dead, and was going to have it inscribed with her late husband's name, and what she still regard ed as the manner of his death, when Bob stopped the proceedings by marrying her. "I don't see what all this has to do with finished his yarn. "Don't, eh t It's got this to do with it. There wasn't a prison in the State which I had -not broken out of a thousand times. If I hadn't been put upon my Bible oath what was to prevent my telling a lie ?" The Queen The Wife. Long years ago but this is a bit of ex clusive reminiscence known only to a few Queen Victoria in the early wedded life, had one of those squabbles wit h her hus band, of the sort which will come about sometimes, even between the most loving married couples. Chagrined and vexed, the Prince retired to his room and locked the door. The Queen took the' matter quietly for a while, but after the lapse of an hour she went to Ms door and rapped. "Albert," said she "come out" "No, I will not," answered the Prince within. "Come, go away; leave me alone." The royal temper waxed hot at this. "Sir," she cried, "come put at once. The Queen whose subject you are, com mands youl" He obeyed munediately. Entering the room she designated, she Bat down in si lence, for a long time nothing was said. The Queen was the first to break the si lence. j "Albert, she said, speak to me."" : i 5 "Does the Queen i command it P . ie "No, " she answered, throwing her arms wui nut necK, "your wye Degs it. i uoei to m'Tiu. , After standing at the gate and indomg for the fire, and betting it's on Fourth street, or the flour mill, or somewhere "so now," she suddenly starts up as. if an idea had struck' her, and sLe says to herseif, 'Tm going to that fire, and it's no ase of talk ing." Then she begins to get ready She stands before the mirror and twists and turns her own hair in all manner of ways- to see in what manner it will make the most -show ; then she spikes- on one dozen of puffs, and bangs on the frizzes so they will look "like sea-weed around a clam," and vowing that her arms are just ready to drop off, she casta, one more ao proving glance at her hair, and votes eight toseven that it wiu dovWhat dress to wear jsjhe next question before the meeting house. To decide this jnomentae question, she goes to he' wanlribe; -buUkedaiae Hubbard, "when slie cne there; "tW ward4 robe was bare,; as it wcfe,for.all her dresses had been worn somewhere before. Final ly, she selects one, which; when buttoned . :n . . : i a . . . i . . . uj wud vs permu ner tue a long Dream aiinougn sne atnrms, and is ready to swear. that is "just as loose as can be," but at the same time admits that when she g.ts that ureas on sne can never out ton ner snoc ; as snpes can net button tnemselves, they Nare the buttoneV is not inthe place where "I alM . " . . buttoned by proxy, and with a hair-pin, las ways put it"- She if also of the opinion uau, iusi iee nave swouen oy reason oi Hav ing worn around the house those big slippers,- and."you had better . leave two or three of the last buttons unbuttoned." She then proceeds to put on her outer garments and flatters herself that she will be ready in Vhalf a jiffy. ' ; At last the climax is reach ed when she goes for her new bonnet. She skewers it on the back of her head,' and then looks fourteen ways to see "how" the thing sets; turns sideways to fake the bearings then a little to the nor'-nor'-east and takes the latitude and longitude ; then she pokes it a little here, bends it there, and mashes it indiscriminately, so that it will not look stiff and set ; then she seizes a hand-glass and takes a retrospective of her head and all appertainmg thereto. Now she adjusts her veil so that the lower edge will come exactly to the tip end of. her nose ; then she powders a little,, so' that her face will not '-sMne like a bottle;" smooths down the corners of her mouth, puts on her best smile, and sails put to find the fire'. Lo 1- she starts, she moves toward the door, but returns for her gloves, and glances at the mirror to see if her rigging is all Tight Again she heads for the front door, but comes back for her handkerchief, and as she passes the dressing-case, she casts one lingering and podtively last f appearance look at her reflection, settles her collars, pulls down her cuffs, and making one final and successful scoop for "her train, . leaves the house. She is out, and so is the fire. : Koad Agent. fomia ana rtev gang managed by strategy to save a large mim of money. He was traveling on horse back and carried some of the money in a tmu, oiiu a uufuua in nig noolr-t Ho ouwuiuaiueu oy a inenu whose route with his 1 a portion of the way, but to Mm he did not confide the fact that he was car rying any considerable sum of money, as Y1B . 11 ..... J ' "io "icuu wan iiaiurany a timia man and he did npt care to add to the fears wMch al ready possessed Mm. About ttra miles from their destination their roads divided, the menu going to me place where the work men were quartered and my father to the house of a friend where he intended tr .me uigm. xie jogged along leisurely for a mile or more, and as it was now about ai -.! 1-. T r . 1 iu the evening, was tMnking of hastening mo ai;cps m uruer io reacn nis stopping-place before dark, not expecting ant trouble in daylight, when he was suddenly joined bv a tiOT.vinn rri i . . . J m uuiociuau. jaie civuiues oi me day" were exchanged, and they rode on together, con versing upon topics of current interest, work oh me roaa, mining in the tieighborhood, ete. 1 At length the stranger v'-sd .careless ly where he was going, and a- ed if he was not Mr. , the contractor. - Papa said Jie was not, out mat tney came p together, auu mey nau separated a lew miles back At the next by-oath the stranger left Mm. ano ne learned me next morning' that his menu naa Deen surrounded by road agents, anu ail nis protestations would not make mem Deiieve that the right man had gone the other way. It seems they had a de scription ot the man they wanted and of the road he was expected to go, but the coolness of Ms denial and his going another way coupled with the fact that his friend's description was, in some respects, similar, threw them off the track. As this gang were robbers, and not murderers, probably saved the other man's life, for at that time highwaymen were known to have murdered men simply because they had no money. A poor teamster on the mountains was once stopped by a couple of men and his mnnpu demanded, but when they found he had Ulcking Mm heartily and cursing him for a deceitful beggar for traveling without money. One of my relatives, a brother-in-law, member of a San Francisco commercial house, has often said he would not submit to being robbed without resistance, but would be certain to shoot anv man who at tempted it. He always traveled well-arm ed and fortunately never met with any rob bers until about three years ago. He had some heavy collections to make through the southern part of California, and in one town where he stopped had" several firms to call upon. As he came out of one place where he called he saw a man standing at the door, but did not think of it again until he saw him at a second place he visited. He had been conversing with a member of the firm and said among other tMngs he had ta ken a buggy to go to several small towns in the vicinity and would be back in two or three days, that he was then going to the livery stable for his team. Just as he turn ed to leave the store the same man passed out before him On Ms way to the livery stable he stopped at Wells, Fargo & Co-'g express office, as was Ma custom, and sent hiseoln to San Francisco. A few hours after leaving town he found himself on a pleasant but lonely forest road, and the day"! being warm, he was beginning to enjoy the coolness of the shade, when the horse sud denly stopped and refused to move. The rest I will tell, as nearly as possible, in hja words J:- "Aa I raised my head ta see what . . i : S . 1 was tne mans i wan met square in ine iace Ty the barrel of a pistol. I had looked into many a one before, but this 'was the first one I had seen one wth , a hole in it large How m Worn enough to crawl into. Throw up your hands 1" As the lines were, hanging on the dashboard, I had nothing to hinder my do- ingTat once, which l cid, line a nttle manTRie fellow's pal then went, through me, and whtlej doing so, if faiy arms dropped little,' IdgherV' was the (sharp order, and up they would go asuign as.i could reach. I had only thirty dollatpt; which seemed to surprise-them as thsy,tH ought I had the money they had Bcea me lecting,iso they cursed me and their lu'p, looked at my watch to see the time, o aminea my wea pons, and put them all bifck in their places, said that was a - hic diamond ring for a poor man to wear, but did not take it, saying they only wanted money, as in these times such things always gave a fellow away5. They then told jme to sit down, gave me the lines awl sasd if I looked back before I reached ttfenerthouse they would blow mv baxsrft4hi't if'' back." Whoa Iu; CS2 : khxV yet walked into the house and lud Ms pjtwfc down, saying he would never carry themiagain. When ask ed why, lie said , 'twas of no use to carry weapons," and told the story I have just given. It is reldteu Joaquin Muneta, the famous bandit chief,' that the day after one of his most daring Exploits he rode up to a saloon ia a mining "camp, went in and drank with the crowd find heard his own T. T1 'ZaI exrited t hHrr onI -nrnar thoir aY vi I ri tin it rhov tivpr mSt him. He asked ifj,:ey had ever seen hhn None of them; AW, but they could all detyribe the njiurdering greaser, " and would i be glad to ma t him the sooner the better. : Joaquin then ordered drink, wec to the doo!- and mounted liis horse, rode ito to the bi r, leaned down and took the glassdrank" to the crowd, tossed the glass onthe oor, arid quick as lightning drew his revolver,' dJhi'"J the spurs into his horsS-Sa shouteda k at them: ''Car- rajo Americano ! Here Joaquin Murieta ! " And before the bewildt d miners had col lected their senses he k as out of sight. Wot derfal 6e: na Woman. A lady of the Seven; fVinntw dtuweria hao-1, ill District of Worth ccome insane on the subject of religion. i r dementation was first noticed about a it nth ago, soon after the close of a protract) ji meeting at Union Baptist Church, near. Juer home. She at tended the different se vices very regularly and seemed deeply iir , ..ressed and troubled from their first comr t;ncement. A short while before the meetiliig closed, she joined church. Going back iome,her incoherent, maddened and rambli ticed by. her husbant g conduct was, no- and children, and they became terribly t xcited and wrought p about 4. .She w nt raving about the house and yard with a bucket of water, baptizing every tiling baptized her husband in her pathway. She and each one of her children, and "while I most beautiful sohgsf doing tMs sang the -songs that she had heard nut once or twi e. Although an un lettered woman-(heri husband will swear :hapter in the Bible Miarohr lntormant orrectly and distinct lift. words and disDlavsl knowledge :n the hanJUmg of different sub W jects. Although pot! a Mason, she knows au me mysteries of , i "at mysterious craft by heart. Dozens ovjrtesons have gone to see ner, and thev a; I cc-me awav dnmh. tounded. Her husl no nas come to the conclusion that she is a witch. She has at tempted acts of violeii1. but as yet done no harm. "He, with outs' ue assistance, tried at one time to incarcetsll; ner m one of the rooms oi me nouse, b it tne doors became unmanaeible and i She hasn't slept in eii?' uuldn't stay locked. , j , . . cu uays and nignts, and during that time morsels of food. Thi est cases we have ev uas taken but few is one of the Strang 3" heard of. Hun oreos are nocking u see the frenzied wo man. V iM There has leen a f aiendous excitement in the army in Paris. raused by a silly and disastrous duel at two office . It app& uermaiu Between rs that one of these young gentlemen inai' ted the other at the table, whereupon a. d with sabres was iougnt m the preset f. ,the usual wit- nesses and, the master J arms. Both of counter ad the. witXH declared honor rnp nmrara -mam . in at ti,,, t; en- satisfied but the uir1!riio had given the insult desired to coittit06 the flght. The duel now became seruf18 an(i the master- at-arms felt it his dui10 interfere, but he was too late. The feFJre of the insulted pierced the neck of tl insulter. cuttiner several arteries, and l;f unionunate rellow T ... X - . . .. - died a tew hours afte.J"- he Colonel of the regiment at oact iSd the survi- viug oineerar.d witness "fienueavored to punish tlie Jattdr b clvingjthem each fif teen days of prison ; JWhe superior auth- ority that mysterio rky which does so many providential thii it) France inter- fered and the sarvivi principal and the witnesses were set fr ason alleged being that it was not compromise their f uture .jni.Ut lire- reit it ins duty uowev inform the oth- er uider officen of tl tregiment that the should provoke a ;orsely reduced to first among them th new duel would be ri the ranks. I knew in le Russian army, a most amiable and acoi plished gentleman who had been three t es, reduced to the ranks for duelliing, an whs.-, at the age of forty, was only a J might have been a div itenant when he on-General, had it not been for bail temre' winch was spor- adic and came across is usual excellent disposition like thund in a clear sky. A his in the French few such examples as army would settle the uelling question. Slipper Trowtng. The ancient custom lof throwing an old . ' .t .ll t. . 1 1 1 slipper after the brii as she leaves her home is still in mary places believed to bring luck to the hippy couple. But it may be questioned tether the old shoe was thrown for luck enly. It is stated in the Holy Writ that "ihe receiving of a shoe was an evidence and symbol of rejecting or resigning it" The latter is evinced in Deu- teronomy,25th chapter, wnere me ceremony of a widow rejecting her husband's brother in marriage is by loosing his shoe from off Ms foot And in Rath we are told that "t was the custom in Israel concerning changing, that a man plucked off his shoe auu ueuvereu u U Lis irciguuur. iicuix the throwing of a shoe after a bride was a symbol of renunciation of dominion and J J-," J 1. . Jt XT authority over her by father or guardian, auu uie receipt oi uk uj uk unuc- groom, even if accidental, was an omen j that the authority wis -transferred to him. A Straggle with Ghoul. In 1860 1 was a student at the old "Farm ers' academy," at Goshen, N. Y., near New York city at least it is about sixty -five miles from it One night in November, Mart raines and myself were coming home from dancing party at Snake hilL The night was dark and cloudy, but the clouds were occasionally broken a little, and thus gave the moon a chance to peep out and show us our route. We were walking home alone, having left a group of girls behind in charge of Ned North and Bobby WMte, two of the boys who liked to be with the girls better than we did. In those days I was not very timid, and I was quite as strong as I am now, but a real, earnest, rough-and-tumble test of my strength had never been called for. We were trudging along ahead of the rest of our little party, when suddenly Paines startled me with a proposition to cut across lots and go through the cemetery, which would shorten our journey a little, and give us a chance to get into town far ahead of our companions. When Mart and I got to the corner where the stile crossed the fence leading into the silent dwelling place of the dead, I felt for my match box to get a "lucifer" with which to light a fresh cigar (smoking is no new habit with me, you see), and somehow managed to drop the box, and as it struck the wooden stile with a sharp, metallic ring, we heard a well-defined "whist," that was half a word and half a low whistle ef warning. We two lads instantly sunk to the ground, wiggled up clese to the fence, and began to look and listen in or der to see where the noise came from. In a moment Mart nudged me and whispered. "Grave robbers, by thunder!' And sure enough as just then the moon came out and we saw two villainous-looking chaps, who, to my distorted unagination, at first looked to be about eight feet Mgh. While the moon was shining they stood perfectly motionless ; but a moment later, when it had withdrawn its light, they stooped down and resumed their disreputable op- pratiohs. By this time we got their bearings pretty well, and I, who had been grasping Mart's hand, suddenly felt him begin to tremble At first I thought it was fear, bui a moment later I knew what was the matter when he fairly hissed in my ear : "Charlie, that Amy s grave, and if you will stand by me I will kill or capture the hellhounds who are trying to tear her out of it. them ! had never imagined, it before, . but in twinkling I grasped the idea of why he had been so sad since beautiful, haughty Amy ii died, and 1 was in a moment as angry as he was. We listened and watched and made out that there was one negro and one wMte man in the graveyard the negro being a certain big, splay-footed moke from "Fiddler's Green," a classic portion of old Goshen, where the niggers have lived ever since their York state aucesters were set free ; for you remember that slave-holding was once the custom in tlu.t state. 1 he - 1 nlifi. nTinn 1 1 -, , r, omolldi, onil c i"iT"I.l.,nll' trpm Ti o - r - , tire grave. Thev simnW Hi- . .- u side the grave, smash in the coffin box and wuu a nooK or rope drag out the poor dead remnant of mortality, double it up and thrust it into a bag, refill the hole re-place the turf and drive off. By the time we got our nln f Qttoi. upon them digested thev hart ana weremakineramnffpmpntarrtamrtDK coffin with a sharp crowbar when we up and at em. The fence near t.hp ntiio waa k-i. j ,. . , . . "uiuB.eu auu we naa each selected one of the square pickets as a weapon. They use oak uuurii mere, i nnr ip i. '". u uiv.li cHjunn. mill rnnv i.-,.. .. 1 lent thinfrq tfi hroab- a ,- lof , . miu, a( -aoi a tvuue man s neart : hut T fnA -i U1CU sKuu a nard nut to crack. We maue a oasu over the graves and were "1ju mem Deiore they trot fairly j im,c u ior me scamps did not run, as mougnt mey would I selected the i,it. i T 88 we closea uPn them I found I had the African to deal with. nH r it ... "a"r " wn.u ail my miffht stnmhlintr .c T struck, and falling upon the ground with guuui on lop, my bead and his hppio h "igm uiose proximity. To change ends Buun ioD, and just as 1 was fastenin S f L 81 he g ?,e. of hls lonS arms free and dealt me a horrible hiw k,: tween the eyes, and at the same moment T saw a flash, heard a sharp report, heard au, jen, and men all became confn strong black devil were locked in eswh nl iuai i ann i.tiar tnrriKK. er s arms that I had his head "in chan i-nj', aim almost bad one hand on his throat. I never shall forget the agony of tlmw few moments when we each fought for life They seemed as hours as we writi.pH anA struggled over the graves. If T o.ia k got Mm by the throat I could soon have fix ed Mm, but we each had to use a hand for protection, and it soon developed into a mere question of endurance. I had no time hideous fiend, and at the same tiZ kSD him from rising to his feet to cnose mB off. I almost prayed for an arm six inches longer in order to get my digits areund his throat, for we were locked in such a queer shape that, although I had his head under my arm, I could not get my hands on his ..." VU. HIM tnoracic duct, and for a tune I almost de spaired, until the big fellow, by an effort that must have Strained his muscles not a little, managed to get to his knees. But I was too quick for Mm, and, breaking all holds, I sprang to my feet and struck him squiire in the face. I could hit hard in those days, Charlie, and, after stagger ing. Mm. I closed with Mm asrain. and tak ing him by the throat I well, I guess I banged his head over against the pretty U 1 4U.a! 1 . . I headstone that is sacred to the memory of Major V inslow s daughter. 1 hey told me afterward that Bob While and the girls heard Mart yell, and heard the pistol shot, and a moment afterward saw a man spring over the fence, leap into a wagon that had been standing in the shadow, then suddenly, with a cry of pain iau out again. A moment later hearing the negro and me panting and struggling in the graveyard, ; Bob had made a break for where I was, and had got there just as I had battered the ugliness out of the black ghoul's head and had fainted away. Just tkan T.U 1 I l 1 . ukujuuiiciiycu lueinaunoi oeen nun badly, but a bullet left an ugly ridge along his right temple), and they tied the negro with his'own ropes, and went to look after jm. ne was were sure i enougn. Juan naa uroken his right tore- arm with that oak picket, and the fellow did not find it out until he struck against the wheel in climbing into the wagon and the pain caused him to fall The tumble knocked his head against a clod, and it made life a blank for him for a few mo-, merits. We recognized Mm as a nice young man who had been loafing about town for some weeks, and we thought he was too badly hurt and scared to need much watching. But while we were loading the negro into the wagon our "nice young man," who was professional supply agent for a certain college, had given us the alip ; but we stayed by our colored friend until we saw him safe behind the prison bars that night, and if ever you are ; detailed to go down to Sing Sing to interview some great prison bird inquire for No. 2,821, and that is Nick Parmlee, the colored Orange coun ty grave robber, sent up for a long term for that night's work. He killed a keeper afterward and they made him a "lifer." I did not get out of bed after that for two days, and to tMs hour I am not over fond of lonely graveyards. A Seasick Hnmorlst. We lett rortland in the evening and a bit of a storm. There was a heavy sea, with its usual depressing influences. The sea grew rougher, and as the pitching and rolling of the good steamer New York in creased my spirits did not rise. Your spirits are not apt to rise, I find. They are the only things about you that don't rise, however. My subject of reflection having eluded my rather inactive mind, I became sensible of a kind of a sort of a - languor that sug gested repose. I did not feel like standing up and singing. 1 wanted repose. X wasn t particular" what kind of repose that of the grave would have suited me perfectly well. But there was no grave handy. And when I went out and looked out to seaward and gazed at the landless expanse of angry, tossing waters, I didn't see any material to make a grave. And then, when 1 returned to the stateroom, it began to dawn upon me, very dimly, that the repose was about as seldom as the grave. The ocean made me feel as though 1 had swallowed it whole, and I was afraid I would have to spread a little to hold it. I believed I would retire and abandon the strunffle with mv feelings, for I felt was on the verge of quoting poetry. 1 stood on my feet and took o3 some of my things. Then I leaned up against the door and took off a few. Then I stood on my head and got off one or two. Then 1 lay down on my back and kicked off the rest of tnem. Then I looked up at my berth. It was 600 feet from the floor and was still going. I cast an anxious, despairing glance at it reached out and dragged a traveling shawl over me and tried to warble -a merry stave of a rollicking sea song, When I bought my passage of the Interna tinrml Stpumshin fomnanv. I did not con. (1 I . . . .... .1 - Tk x .... . ? " xUC -use OI uuer ioriorness, the feelings of desolation and goneness ; the impression, generally correct that every well person in the ship is laugMng at you ; the saddening thought that there is 110 chance of dying- 1. 7 t 6 uoe ""! mere is neip for it anyhow : the 1 j e . ' "uimviiVA, bllaL nouody is going to do anvthi the philosopMcal resolution red cent if they don t ; the hope that you will be over it by morning; the fear that it will W .i; the forlorn hope, now and then, that the WIU gel irigntened and tie the ship up to a tree at some place only for a little nuue , me despairing sense of disappoint -.v,u u olcalB uveryou as it becomes evi ine puoi nasn't the remotest .uuugui oi ooing anything of the kind : and at last the fervent, earnest, despairing wish that he boiler will blow up, the ship strike - .. cau on are, capsize, be run down uj au iron sieamsnip. get stnirk bv iiM,t mngand sink in 600 fathoms of water, and 11 I, nil If , . . ' iiiuoi uowerru nnipir ti.:,. : me iinai spasm. a i i"" 1 Why, even after I fell asleep, I dreamed that I was a boy again ; a happy, guileless, """'' ""y, ano mat 1 was n Pen a,t ting behind the woodshH in ti. yard on Monroe street, where the postoffice now stancfc, making, in boyish solitude, my maiden efforts on my first and most ser reptitious cigar. And I dreamed that th cigar was just about half smoked out, and was lying on the chopping-block beside me and that the curtain had just rung for the second act. An Irishman- Pride of nirtli. An evening or two since a aim of FVin was telling a crowd about a man who fell into the South Utah shaft last winter break ing both legs and 1 vine at thermit, f v. sliaftsome three davs before he Hi.. covered. He said: "It was only by the mercy o' God that he was at last found. By a wonderful chance diVil know, ih.i iiiupin and groom' hi. rheWff.. toward the call of a sick man or the groan of a ghost. The voice was repeated. The man was bold in spite of his fright and he groped ahead and soon came to the mouth of the winze. He listened and the call of the voice was repaited. It came up from the bottom of the ould shaft. Is it there ye are I" said the man at the top. " It is here I am,' said the fella at the bottom. 'Air ye far down V says the fella at the top. Tm Corkonlan. aavs the fella at the bottom, and diva of a bit more do I know of how the poor fella got found. " He Wasted to be Lored. William (the father of Frederick the Great) was two-thirds crazy. This benign monarch, who greatly endeared himself to his subjects by kicking and cuffing them, was walking in the streets one day, when a quiet and timid citizen, seeing him approach, fled in terror. The king followed the fugitive, and at last overtook him and grasped Mm by the collar. "Why do you run away f " he demanded. "Tour Majesty, I was afraid of you," was the reply. - Afraid of me, you scoundrel I replied the king, at the same time making it very uvely lor me citizen, with, the royal cane, "don t you know (whack, whack, whack,) that I want to be loved, not feared f " NEWS IN BRIEF. Win. Quimby.of Hendbam, N. J.. ' has 120,000 peach trees on his farm. There are 447 rtatients In the Mor- ristown (N.J.) llospiul for the Insane, and 434 in the Trenton institution. Orrin Gotham, of Epping, N. H., ate 36 peaches on a wager, and they killed him. The French Mint at Bordeaux has been abolished, and henceforth the coining is all to be done in Paris. Iowa raised 2,950,000 hogs the past year, leading au tne states in tne Union. The official census returns show that the population of Kansas on the 1st of March last was 043,au. The tobacco croD of the world amounts to 1,300,000,000 pounds. The United States-prod uow nearly one-nan. Boston drinks fifteen thousand gal lons of soda and twenty thousand gal Ions of root and tonic beer every day. The expense of President Oambet- ta'8 recent fete in Paris is put at $32,000, which was defrayed by two patriotic lady admirers. Six tanks containing 1,500 barrels of oil were burned at Red Rock; McKean county, Pa., on the 25th oi August. England enjoyed but twenty three hours of sunshine during the week ending August 13th, although the sun was above the horizon 100 hour. Fourteen hundred boxes of clieese were offered for sale at the Meadville (Pa.) Exchange on the 25th of August, but no sales were negotiated. The total of the subscriptions col lected in England for the widows and orphans of those who died in Zululand amounts to $60,000. it is a singular fact that since itui there have been yellow fever cases In New Orleans every year, with the ex ceptions of 1801, 1862, 1863 and 1865. Peter Siple, of North Ferrlsburg, Vermont, has six daughters who aver age 217 pounds each. His whole fami ly of eight persons weighsl,762 pounds. In 1807, when Daniel Webster lived at Portsmouth, be had a red mo rocco pocket-book, which is now in -possession of Col. Iloyt, of Cincinnati. It is reported that the various Mor mon congregations in North Georgia are organizing for the immediate exo dus to Utah. A grea( many native Mormons will go. The United States buys more and more Canada horses yearly. In 1875 we imported only 214, valued at $28,955 ; whUe last year the number was 6,632, valued at $391,235. , Ninety persons exercising trades and professions in Great Britain have incomes exceeding $250,000. About three thousand have Incomes between $25,000 and $250,000. , , , Hitherto theKropVrflrm has made dHJ'a"na"Asla tnore" thu! n oToaa - which have burst. point lay instructors only" ovTrlcZ thJ Un,ted 8ute Py over 7Uv,000,000 a year for snirituona rSft anU N8,000;00O fo'r BaTw118 PrIeoeMor, Archbisho timorY'i 6 Pre8e,nt Archbishop of Bal timore, l8 opposed to the slmble Gre eorlan music. Modern music will in future be sung in the Cathedral of that 'r.JN. j -ig said to be ruined, owing to IIm.d:Puh cald and'g0rTXS 3300 bushels. ' noyieid Mrs. Guinness recently gave a ball n Lonaon at a tumt nr nZJl .n tol pieces of stephano: b.'r' ofTar-' Sowers weV1,00"8 f ice wflch lowers were imtan mi.. decorations. " "uoa Ine Professor Louth, of t na. has published 'hw " I."' ""T a hierog yphica. InscrinUon Z T ument discovered In Ix)wer Egypt by On a recent Sunday nin. i ow persons n St. Jhn. 'uZL.. "If.i r-t . . " o Jkuman I linnlln Roman, Catholic uurcu in Rochester. Minn, iwvi and repeatod.toT'KThr Tur "a Kledg,e ofbnence from 'all Intoxicating drinks fnr ... u Ihe Rev. Ekwin Pf t her rst ,k v , i". a.,, mem- irmfri ei"T Jer8e inference, and formerly Professor and Vlee President of Pennington Sernln-, ti601 lected Professor of the ZaVn Lae and Literature In k.. it, . " ndjann. rini'-Brttlsh rail- number of mneJoplrS,5 the 53 per cent: Krm XllL?6 tne cap- revenue to capital, per cent. ' Excursions to Charleston at large reduced rates are being organized by the South Carolina. Railroads, in order to induce country-storekeepers to buy their fall and winter stocks in that city, instead of gelng north or buy- ing oy sample irom commercial travel lers. According to the report of Fish ' Warden Orr, just issued, there were 100.400 shad caught in the different fisheries of the Jersey shore or the Delaware during the past season. Of this amount 35,0C0 were caught at the Gloucester fisheries ami Pea Shore. Seventy-two gill netawrere employed. R. S. Slaymaker. of Kittannlng, Pa possesses an ancient piece of fur niture. It Is a chair which belonged to his great grandfatherGeneral Peraifer Frazer, of the revolutionary army. It is one of six chairs ifhlcb were pur chased when his great grandfather was married, and is estimated to be about 110 years old. The owners of the' Great Eastern bare at last determined to convert the great ship Into a meat-2arrying trader between London and Texas. The re quisite alterations, which includes new boilers, will involve an outlay of $50, 000; but as the Teasel can-carry 2000 head or cattle or 38,000 sheep, it Is be lieved that the speculation should prove remunerative.
The Blue Ridge Blade (Morganton, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Oct. 18, 1879, edition 1
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