Illinois News Index

McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL), 2 May 1877, p. 2

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YA.N SLTJUL rtJBUDBHKR. MCHEJSRY, ILLINOIS. WIE NEWS COJSDENSm LOUISIANA. b*m finally determined. *ta Meet­ ing of Freaidont Haves' Cabinet, on the 30th of April to withdraw the Federal troops from the vfcinity of the building used as a 8tato House in New Orleans, the President on that day sent tbo following letter to Secretary MeCrarv : ~~R- EXECUTIVE MANSION,\ WASHINGTON, April 10,1877. ) Jpa.1 Prior to my entering upon the duties of '•I Presidency, there had been stationed, by order lr my pretltweBsor, in tno immediate vicinity of Utt building used as the State House in New Or­ leans, J a., and known m Mechanics' Institute, m, detachment of United States infantry. Find­ ing thrm in that place, I have thought proper to delay a decision of the question of their removal until I could determine whether the condition of affairs is now such m to either require or justify the continued military interven­ tion of the National Government in the affairs of the Mate. In iny opinion there does not now exist in r/Mitatunn such domeetic violence aa is contemplated bt the constitution as a ground upon which the mill- tary power of the National Government may be in­ voked for the defenne of the State. The difipntes Which -exist at- to the right of certain claimants to the chief executive office of that State are to be set- tied and determined, not by the Executive of the Utoiied States, but by such orderly unu pesceable methods as may be provided by the conwtitution and laws of the State, Having assurance thai no resort to vMence in contemplated, but, on the contrary, Out tbe disputes in question are to be settled by peaceable methods under and in accordance with law, I deem it proper to take action lb accordance with the principles announced when I entered upon the duties of the Presidency. You are therefore directed to pee that the proper orders are issued lor the removal of said troops at an early date from their present position to such regular bar- $Hcks in tbe vicinity as may be selected for their oc- ««pation. R. B. HATES. JTo Hon. Oeorge W. MoCrary, Secretary of War. *'"Sin pursuance of the above, Secretary Mo­ Crary addressed a communication to Gen. Sherman charging him with the execution of the order, and naming Tuesday, April 24, at noon, an the time at which it should DO earned Mto effect A NEW OSLUKS dispatch of the 23d says: ^Saturday witnessed the complete disintegra­ tion of the Packard Legislature. A cancns was held in the morning, and, after discussing the matter, a resolution was adopted setting forth that it was impossible to further keep up the semblance of a Legislature. Shortly after, the members, in groups of three and four, took their way up to Odd-Fellows' Hall, and were sworn in, Warmoth being among the members. All but three Senators and about half a dozen Representatives who, under the resolution of the Nicholls Legislature, are entitled to take their seats, did so. Gov. Nicholls has offered to turn over the Governor's contingent fund, amounting to some 840,000, for the purpose of compensating the policemen and employes who have remained faithful to Packard. The President's Commission departed for home on Saturday. They expressed themselves highly •pleased at the favorable termination of (heir ifcors. IN pursuance of the President's order, the United States troops that had for several months been stationed in and around the Louisiana State House, at New Orleans, were withdrawn on Tnesdav. April 24, precisely at 12 o'clock, noon. In the afternoon 100 guns were fired, and there was a liberal display of Hags throughout the «ity in honor of the event The Louisiana Legislature has elected Judge H. M. Soofford to the United States Senate. ; Spofford la a Northern man by birth, but has lived in New Orleans thirty years The Lousi­ er ana Commission arrived at Washington, April 34. They at once proceeded to the White House and made their report to the President, in the presence of the Cabinet, of the result of their mission to New Orleans. . THE last acts in the final establishment of ff|e Nicholls Government in Louisiana took pace at New Orleans on die 25th of April, and insisted in the occupation of the capital by Gov. Nicholls and his officials, Packard having «i'&euated the building at midnight of the Eevious day. The members of tlie Legisla­te. headed by Gov. Nicholls and his state i fflfticers, marched in procession to the State House. There was no noise or demonstration Whatever, and when the procession reached the Capitol the two branches of the Legislature iietin their respective chambers, and the State icials quietly took possession of their offices. >v. Nicholls received many telegrams from points in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas, offering congratulations over the with­ drawal of the troops, indicating great rejoic­ ing among the people, the firing of salutes, the tinging of bells, displays of flags, etc. Pack­ ard, in retiring, issued a long farewell address #o his adherents. He says he " waives none of llis legal rights, but yields only to superior f lorce." He counsels peace, patience, fortitude, And a firm trust that eventually right and jus­ tice will prevail. THE EAST. THE office of the New York Journal of Com­ merce, together with the files of the paper ex- . tending back to 1828, were destroyed by fire a iBwdaysago. < . THE New York Senate has (Hissed a hill to f̂ revent bettingen elections and pool-selling at ^IfcceB Tbe Costa Rican Minister administered, • caning to an extortionate hackraan the othee day. from the crops of the two last years is being -held for higher prices."... .One of the Govern­ ment mail ooatracton from the Black Hills oountry, now in Washington, represents to the department that the Indications ture that the Dead wood oountry will rapidly settle. He says the mines throughout Deadwood valley are taking from $15 to $25 a man in placer mining. TRAINS on the Union Pacific railroad were de­ layed several hoars by a heavy snow-storm on the 25th of April.,..A San Francisoodispatch savs four of the Chico incendiaries havo been sentenced to the penitentiary, as follows : it. T. Jones, twenty years ; James Far, ten years; Pleasant Slaughter, ten years; A. Holderbaum, five years. A motion for m new trial ?n the oases of Jonee and Fay was made and denied. ... .The last crop reports from the Pacific coast are not as promising as previous reports. ARRANGEMENTS for the removal of the old agency Sioux- as well as their lately-surrendered brethren to new quarters on the Missouri river fn Kn fnncjird rapidly. The bands to be removed number about ten thousand per­ sons, and the Nebraska people are not very cheerful over the prospect of the establishment of such a colony of half-reformed hair-raisera on their borders. It is expected that the agency will be established somewhere near the south- eastern earner of Dakota. THB SOUTH. THE Legislature of South Carolina has met in extra session and reorganised itself. The Democrats have a majority in the Honse, while the Sena te is equally divided. Ar t, the State offioes in Louisiana are now in undisputed possession of the Nicholls ad­ herents. The Legislature has adjourned sine die, and everything is reported unusually quiet in New Orleans. . . " WASHINGTON. THE President has appointed George A. Schneider, of Chicago, Minister to Switzer­ land. Mr. Schneider is a wealthy German, and President of the National Bank of Illi- AKOTHSB mail route by stage to the Black Hills has been let by the Postoffice Depart­ ment The route is from Bismarck to Dead- wood. the distance being 250 miles. AKOTHEB of those horrible gallows scenes which have become a disgrace to the machinery of jnstise in this oountry was presented at the hanging of a murderer named Sterling, at Youngrtown, Ohio, last tteek. Tho noose slipped under the culprit's chin, and failed to break his neck. After a few moments of silence, he began to clap Ms hands, kick his feet, and moan most E'tifully. The sight was a horrid one, sicken-g in the extreme. For at least two minutes these motions and groans were kept up, and it was thirteen minutes before he was pronounced dead. While this scene of horror was trans­ piring on the scaffold his attorney was being carried into the jail, where he fell upon a bed and wept in a most piteous maimer. It took three men to control him. Every few sec­ onds he exclaimed : " He dead! he dead !".... Omaha, Neb., was visited last week by the most destructive conflagration that has oc­ curred in the citv for ten years. A number of stores were burned. The loss is esti­ mated at a quarter of a million dollars.... Two wood-choppers' cabins in the mnnnt«n« aiear White Haven, Pa., were washed away a few nights ago by a sudden flood, and six la­ borers drowned. THE Cincinnati Commercial prints advices as to the crop prospects from 86 points in Ohio, as follows: Wheat, 8 report a fair crop; 49, good ; 29, unusually good. As to peaches, 15 report a fair crop; 35, good; 5, unusually good, 31, a failure. From 71 points in Indiana, as to wheat, 6 report the prospect tor a fair crop ; 37, good; 28 unusually good. As to peaches, 11, fair crop; 19, good crop; 5, unusually good; 36, failure or partial failure. From HI points in Illinois, mostly the middle and southern por­ tions of the State, 7 report wheat a fair pros­ pect: 55. good; 21, unusually good; 1, failure; 7, no wheat sown. Peaches, 10, fair; 27, good; 39, failure; 15, none raised. SECRETARY THOMPSON, of the Michigan Agri­ cultural Society, has received letters from forty different counties, all of w'jich, with the ex­ ception of Kalamazoo, report the growing crop of wheat in splendid condition... .From the Mas. STTSAN DAVIS, who has shaken hands with every President, from Washington down, •ailed at the White Honse last week Dr. W. W. Patton, of Chicago, has been elected Presi­ dent of Howard TJniversitv, the colored college located at Washington Thc^Hon. Charles H. Adams, late member of Congress from tho Al­ bany (N. Y.) district, was married at Washing­ ton, last week, to Miss Judith Crittenden Cole­ man, of Louisville, Ky., grand-daughter of John J. Crittenden... .Ex-President Grant called upon President, Hayes on Wednesday last, being his first visit since the inauguration. HON. EDWARD MCPHERSON, for many years Clerk of the House of Representatives, has been appointed Chief of the Bureau of Print­ ing and Engraving.... A delegation of whites and blacks of the Labor League of the United States, headed by John Pope Hodnett, called upon the President one day last week, and read an address requesting him to embody in his Message to Congress a recommenda­ tion for the appropriation of money for internal improvements, to give employment to idle labor; also to recom­ mend * the restoration of suffrage in the Dis­ trict of Columbia, and the payment of 10.000 workingmen defrauded by contractors under the Board of Public Works. They were courteously received, and went away with the impression that the President would do the right thing.. .It is proposed to roward the distinguished Indian chief, Spotted Tail, for his valuable services to tne Government, by making him a Major or Colonel in the regular army. Sherman and Sheridan both favor the suggestion. POLITICAL. THE President has decided hereafter not to permit the names of persons designated to be Postmasters to be made public until the day of issuing their commissions. According to the practice hitherto several days have intervened between the time the appointment was deter­ mined upon and the issuance of the commis­ sion. These days have t been used by the op­ ponents of the person appointed to defeat him, and havo resulted in bringing unpleasant political pressure to bear. This is to be de­ feated by the new regulation. BEN WADE has written a letter bitterly de­ nouncing the President's policy toward the South Gen. Terrell has been appointed Pen­ sion Agent at Indianapolis Judge Talbot, of Maine, who has been Solicitor of tne Treasury for about a year, was removed last week? and G. Wiley Wells, of Mississippi, appointed in his Clace Gen. T. H. C. Smith, of Ohio, has cen appointed Appointment Clerk in the Treasury Department. SENATOR BLAINE denies the story, started by a San Francisoo paper, that he had prepared and intended to introduce resolutions in the next Congress expressing doubts of the election of Mr. Hayes, and proposing a new consider­ ation of the subject. MB. RANDALL is represented by a Washing­ ton correspondent as "very confident that he will be elected Speaker. His friends say that he has New England, New Jersey and Pennsyl­ vania solid for him, besides leading men of the New York delegation, such as Clarkson Potter, Hewitt, and Fernando Wood. Tne Randall people also count upon enough support from the South to make him sura of nomination in caucus upon first ballot." Louisiana Commission returned to Wasnington last week, and made a written re­ import to the President of the result of their mis­ sion to New Orleans. It opens with a descrip­ tion of the attitude of each party toward the commission. Upon its arrival at New Orleans both sides were inclined to resist all attempts at compromise. The citizens were soured and shared by the whole Wu--IMl nsttan, which now shows itself ready to lMsr 1Mb sacrifices to alleviate the position of ths fHirlsftsiis In the Balkan peninsula. The Mood «d property of our faithful subjects have alwavs be«a fat to aft, and ear whole reign attests our eoostant aolfattnds to preserve to Russia the fceneftts of peace. Xftds sottcfibte never failed to aofente xm doitag ttw dsplorable events which ooonned in Heraegonna, Bosnia and Bulgaria. Our bj*ct, More all, was to effect aa amelioration in tha position of Christiana in tbe East by means of jpaciflo negotiations, and in concert with the great European powers, our allies and Mead*. Vor two years we have mate laoenant efforts to induce tike Porte to effect such reforms as would protect Christiana in Sowbia, He- and Bulgaria from any arbitrary BMM<U» of :<«• local authorities. The aooomultahment of these re­ forms waa absolutely stipulated by anterior en­ gagements contracted by the Porte toward the whole of Earape. Our efforts, supported by the diplomatic representations made in com­ mon with other government*, have not, how­ ever, attained their object. The Porte has re­ mained unshaken in ite formal refusal of any effective guarantee for the security of ite Christian subjects, and has rejected the concisions of the Constantinople conference. Wishing to essay every possible meant* of conciliation in order to persuade row, we proposed to the other Cabinets to draw up a special protocol comprising the most es­ sential conditions of the Constantinople conference, and to invite the Turkish Government to adhere to this international act, which stated the extreme' limitM of our peaceful demands, but our expectation was not fulfilled. The Porto did not defer to this unanimous wish at Christian Europe, did not adhere to the conclusions of the pro­ tocol. Having exhausted pacific efforts, we are compelled, by the haughty obstinacy of the Porte, to proceed to more decisive acts, feeling that our equity and our own dignity enjoin it. By her refusal, Turkey places us under necessity of Iwving MWWM to arras. Profoundly convinced of the justice of our cause, and humbly committing ourselves to the grace and help of the Most High, we make known to our faithful subjects that the moment, foreseen when we pronounced the words to which all Russia responded with complete unanim­ ity, bea now arrived. We expressed the intention to act independently when wo deemed it necessary, and when Russia's honor should demand it. In now invoking the blessings of Goa upon our valiant armies, we give them the order to cross the Turkish frontier, (Signed) ALEXANDER. A COLUMN of 17,000 BuBsian troops crossed the Roumanian frontier at Bestinck on the 24th of April. Roumania, having received no pre­ liminary notification, declared it yielded to force, and directed its troops to fall back to EUROPE A TAST CAMP. THE Montenegrin forces are advancing to­ ward the frontier of Albania Austria will shortly occupy Bosnia with two army divisions. .... The Turks crossed the Danube on the 25th of April, at several points, and Bent out flying corps to destroy railways before the advance of the Russians A column of Rus­ sians has invaded Asiatic Turkey. Turkey has sent to the European powers a long circular, in reply to the Czar's manifesto. It protests against the declaration of war, pointing out the efforts of Turkey to improve the position of the Christians and satisfy the demand of the powers. In the absence, therefore, of any Jadvocation on the part of Turkey, the circu-ar declares the Porte is at a loss to understand Russia's attack, and consequently appeals to the treaty of Paris and mediation of the guar­ anteeing powers. ROUMANIA has decided to cast her lot with Russia, and has issued a declaration of war against Turkey Throughout the Russian empire the declaration of war was received witli wild demonstrations of enthusiasm... .The first engagement between the Russians and Turks took place at Batoum, in Asiatic Turkey. Turkish reports claim that the enemy. was de­ feated with the loss of 800. GENERAL FOREIGN NEWS. THE London Times' correspondent with the Turkish army states that, notwithstanding the reported accord of Russia and Austria in East­ ern affairs, the latter power reserves to itself absolute liberty of action Finances are bad, very bad, in Russia, and a leading Panslavist journal advises tho Government to raise a heavy foreign loan, even, if necessary, at a dis­ count of 40 per cent., rather than to indefi­ nitely multiply the paper currency, which is rapidly depreciating in valde Italy is putting some of her reserves in the field Cholera has reappeared in India The Russian Czar lately reviewed two ai-my corps near Kischeneff. Addressing the officers, the Emperor said : "If you should encounter the enemy, show yourselves brave, and uphold the ancient glory of your regiments. I hope the young men among you who have not been under fire will not show themselves inferior; to their veteran comrades. I trust you may soon return covered with glory." A CALCUTTA dispatch says it is apparent that the famine in India is approaching its worst point, but there is good reason to hope that the maximum distress may be less severe than anticipated... .The great German General, Von Moltke, in a speech delivered in the Prus­ sian Parliament the other day, expressed his firm conviction that every European nation would be involved in war within a year Mr. Sandford's American stable in England has scored two notable victories in the Newmarket races. RUSSIA'S war manifesto is severely criticised by the London press on account of what the English journals are quite unanimous in char­ acterizing as the spirit of arrogance and selfish­ ness which marks the course of Russia toward Turkey. Great stress is also laid upon the fact that the manifesto is significantly silent on the subject of territorial aggrandizement ...The dreadful plague has reappeared at Bagdad. A CABLE dispatch significantly mentions that there is unusual activity in the British navy- yards .... A Constantinople dispatch says war with Persia is expected iu Turkey. Muspicious and in the main the press was quite unfriendly. The report then details the vari­ ous interviews had with the representative men of both Governments, and of every class in society. The most important portios of the report is a carefully-prepared statement of the legal position taken by each side in regard to the question whether the determination of the electoral vote by the Returning Board must be accepted under the constitution and laws of the State an also a determination of the result of the vote for the State officers. Tho Nicholls presentation of this question is one that im­ pressed the members of the commission as worthy of dose attention. No opinion was ex­ pressed by the commission in regard to this or other points of controversy. The only aim was to present the facts of the situation, and to give an unprejudiced account of the various obsta­ cles wnich were encountered, and- the methods pursued to remove them. A WASHINGTON correspondent says Mr. Ran­ dall is not so confident of his election to the Speakership as he was two or three weeks ago. Two tilings have discouraged him--the knowl­ edge that Mr. Morrison's candidacy is an earn­ est one, and the conviction that the Southern Democratic members are generally opposed to him CoL Keves has been reappointed Post­ master at Madison, Wis. GENERAL. A TERRIBLE accident lately happened to a boating-party near Sherbrooke, Quebcc. A young girl fell into the water in attempting to land, and, while trying to save her, the boat upset and two sisters named Farquehar and a young lady named McDonald were drowned. * ...A large delegation of Canadian Roman Catholic pilgrims sailed from New York for Rome last week. GBN. SHERMAN thinks the present European war will be destructive and prolonged Caleb Cashing, late Minister to Spain, has returned to this country A man, in digging a well near Gravenliurst, Canada, a few days ago, discovered liberal deposits of coarse gold. The owner has been offered $15,000 for two acres of the land. Before the discovery it was not worth §100. THE TURCO-RtSSIAN WAR. THE Emperor's address to the army and peo- capital of Nebraska conies a cheering crop re- j pie of Russia, promulgated on the 24thof April, port: " Grasshopper trouble is at au end. The ! ig M follows : ^ »p™grtim»h>ive begun,and are destroying the , 0or ̂ ilMul ̂ b€aoved eubject8 ̂ u>e .troag product of nni&ll portions of toe f interest we hate constantly felt in the destinies of hatched. The future prospects of the State j the oppieaaed Christian population of Turkey. Our were never so good. The large surplus corn < dealre to ameliorate aad aacuage their lot has been British Newspaper Statistics. From the Newspaper Press Directory for 1877 we extract the following on the present position of the newspaper press: " There are now published in the United Kingdom 1,692 newspapers, distributed as follows: England--London, 320; prov­ inces, 991; total, 1,311. Wales, 56; Soot- land, 164; Ireland, 141; isles, 20. Of these there are 103 daily papers published in England; 2 daily papers published in Wales; 18 daily papers published in Scotland; 20 daily papers published in Ireland; 2 daily papers published in the British isles." On reference to the edi­ tion of this useful directory fer 1847 we find the following interesting facts, viz.: that in that year there were published in the United Kingdom 557 journals; of these, 16 were issued daily, viz.: 13 in England, 1 in Scotland, and 2 in Ire­ land; but in 1877 there are now estab­ lished and circulated 1,692 papers, of which no less than 145 are issued daily, showing that the press of the country has very greatly extended during tlie last thirty years, and especially so in the form of daily papers; the daily issues standing 145 against 16 in 1847. The magazines now in course of publication, including the quarterly reviews, number 808, of which 275 are of a decidedly re­ ligious character, representing the Church of England, Wesleyans, Methodists, Bap­ tists, Independents, Roman Catholics, and other Christian communities.--Lon- <lon Times. CIIARS JAXSEN and his wife and child were poisoned at Dixon, Cal., under the following circumstances : Mrs. Jansen was engaged in milking, and Mr. Jansen thought he would make himself useful, and Bet to work. to prepare breakfast. He used strychnine instead of saleratus in making the bread, and the result was that the family narrowly escaped a hor­ rible death. Mr. Jansen was seized with a fit of vomiting, which relieved him sufficiently to enable him to come to Dixon for assistance. When Dr. Pratt reached the scene, Mrs. Jansen's condi tion was very critical. Proper antidotes and emetics were administered, iW the family speedily i :aovered. The Military KxpemMtwres off fete Gr«Wt tlon*~ WhAt tt Coats to Keep Each Soldier. A short essay, entitled " The Question of Money," has been prepared by M. de Girardm, in niiich it is made to appear that all existing governments, except those of America and England, are fast hastening in the direction of bankruptcy. Referring to one of the less great politi­ cal systems which in recent years have alternately found favor with mankind, M. de Girardin says the result is, "Europe is one vast camp," the six powers alone spending close upon $500,- 000,000 annually upon soldiers. On this subject he makes a minute calculation, which is well worth reproducing. A sol­ dier costs England, according to this calculation, $500.40, which, for an army of 106,000 men, makes her military ex­ penditure $53,256,160 per aunum. A soldier costs tlie French republic only slightly over $254, but then her army amounts to 480,000 men, and thus raises her military expenses to $112,923,298. The Czar pays a little over $238 a head for his soldiers, but he has 575,000 in the regular army to pay, and the total cost of the Bussian army for a single year is es­ timated at the enormous sum "of $137,- 034,925. The German Government pays a little over $225.14 for each of its sol­ diers, of whom it has not less than 412,- 000, costing the empire $92,764,603. Italy pays less than $181.58 a head for her soldiers, who number in all 205,600, and cost the kingdom $37,176,086. The Austrian army seems to be instrinsicaliy the cheapest of those kept up by the great powers. Each man in it is sup­ posed to cost the public $174.30, which, for an army of 273,800, gives a total of $47,705,914. To these sums might have been added the annual amount expended by the great powers upon naval armaments, which may be roughly stated at $60,000,- 000 for England, $35,000,000 for France, $24,000,000 for Russia, $7,500,000 apiece for Germany and Italy, and $5,000,000 for Austria, making a total of $135,000,- 000. The danger of universal insolvency will never be removed till, in the words of Victor Hugo, rulers shall have ceased their search for the philosopher's stone of a definite and invincible armament; and leave off first spending millions on ships which no projectile can pierce, and then spending additional millions on the construction of projectiles to pierce the same ships. Curiously enough, as M. de Girardin points out, the present situation of Eu­ rope can scarcely be better described than in the words of Montesquieu, who wrote in 1748: "A new distemper has spread over Europe; it has seized our princes, and has made them keep up an inordinate number of troops. The disease has its paroxysms, and necessarily becomes con­ tagious; for as soon as one state has in­ creased the numbers of what it calls its troops, tlie others immediately do tlie same, so that none of them gain any­ thing, except a share in the common ruin. Every monarch keeps on foot armies of such a size as might be raised if his people were in danger of actual ex­ termination; and they call this state of struggle of all against all peace. True, it is this state of struggle which chiefly keeps up the European equilibrium, be­ cause it wears out equally all the great powers. And, as a matter of fact, Eu­ rope is so exhausted that private individ­ uals who should find themselves in the condition in which are now placed the two wealthiest powers of this part of the world would not know how to subsist. We are poor with the riches and commerce of the whole world. The necessary consequence of such a situa­ tion is the perpetual augmentation of taxes, and--what cuts us off from all remedies in the future--stateB no longer count on their revenues, but make war with their capital. It is by no means an unheard-of tiling for states to mortgage their property in time of peace; employ, to ruin themselves, means which they call extraordinary, and which, indeed, are so extraordinary that the most ex­ travagant son ana heir in the world would scarce imagine them." The Great Guns of Turkey. An English paper says: "TheCastle of Asia, on the Dardanelles, it seems, still boasts the biggest guns in the uni­ verse. Of greater caliber than our vaunted 80-ton cannon or 100-ton weapons of the Italians, the old bronze ordnance of the Turks still enjoys the reputation of being able to fire the largest cannon balls in the world. These guns have now guarded the portals to the Turkish empire for two or three centu­ ries, and have on several occasions proved that they are useful as well as orna­ mental. Indeed, it would be difficult to point out weapons which have done more service in their time than these colossal monuments of bygone ages. The old bronze cannon, we are told, date as far back as the fifteenth and sixteenth cent­ uries, many of them having been em­ ployed at the siege of Scutari, in Albania, by Mohammed II., in 1478. There was hard lighting in those days, if wo may trust Von Hammer's history, for during two months that the siege continued no less than 2,534 shots were fired, some of them of a diameter of thirty-two inches. Estimating the weight of gunpowder at a.fourth that of the ball, it must have taken a charge of well-nigh 400 pounds of powder to hurl some of these massive thunderbolts against the walls of Scu­ tari. How the Turks in those days could produce sufficient gunpowder to supply their wants, or, what is more wonderful still, obtain so many stone cannon balls, which had to be cut from quarries, care­ fully fashioned into shape and conveyed to their batteries, are matters which must forever remain a mystery; but this much is very certain, that the work could never have been performed without un­ flagging energy and perseverance on the part of the Sultan and his officers. Von Moltke, the great Prussian strategist, in­ spected these guns on the Dardanelles in 1829, then a youthful artillery officer, and in his account of his travels he says: ' These gigantic guns are some of them twenty-eight inches in diameter, and a man may creep into them up to the breech.' But it is not only in bygone times that these weapons have been em­ ployed with effect, for in the present century one of our Admirals, Sir John Duckworth, who forced the passage of the Dardanelles in March, 1807, had six vessels struck, and 100 men killed, and wounded by tlie unwieldy giants under whose muzzles he had to pass. In con- , sequence of a 26-inch ball striking the Standard on that occasion BO less than eight men were killed and forty wounded; while another cannon ball of stone twenty-f ight indies in diameter made such a hole in the Active that the Cap­ tain, looking over to see what was the mailer, saw two of his men thrusting their heads through it at the same mo­ ment. These cannon, however, cannot vie with our modem heavy guns. Being placed in a commanding position above the straits, they are necessarily formida­ ble weapons, but they bowl out, rather than fire, the big stone cannon balls from their muzzles, the gunpowder employed for the purpose being of a slow-burning character to avoid all strain upon the guns." ̂ Anna Dickinson and the Critics. The unanimity with which the the­ atrical critics of the New York dailies attacked Miss Dickinson raises the pre­ sumption of concert of action. Their motive was, or seems to have been, to crush her out, because, possibly, they enjoyed the crushing process, especially since the attitude of the lady toward them had been one of defiance. After the performance of " The Crown of Thorns," on Monday night, she turned upon her persecutors, but not with her old vim and confidence. She pleaded, rather than scolded, and was pathetic, not vindictive. She carried with her the sympathy of the audience, for such passages as the following were irresisti­ ble in their pathos: "On Wednesday evening \$ien the curtain went up I had spent twenty-three hours rehearsing--I had spent, I cannot tell you what sleepless hours of agony. I came here in a very little better condi­ tion to play in this house than I was to make my first bow to a Boston audience. My play and acting were found fault with. Good friends, what could this one weak, sick, miserable, crushed, heart-broken woman do in opposition to the combined papers and the bitter prej­ udice they had stirred against me in this place? I did not fight them; God knows I did not want to fight them. I was al­ most crushed. I struggled on as I will struggle on, because, having taken up my work in life to do, I put it not down until I utterly fail. [Great, applause.] I was hoarse from the same cause that I am hoarse to-night--because I have swallowed so many tears that have stran­ gled me. I went heavily through my work because my heart dragged my hands and my feet until I could scarcely move them." Only occasionally did she blaze forth in scorn, as when she spoke of "the brogue and bigotry" of the Herald. Miss Dickinson is probably far from being a great actor, but it is impossible that a woman of her brains and training should make a dead failure, as repre­ sented by the indiscriminating critics of !}he metropolitan papers, and. continue for a year to draw audiences that almost always have been enthusiastic. It has been charged upon the New York critics that they are venal. This, perhaps, is not true; but it is reasonably certain that they are given to outrageous favor­ itism, and that their screeds have no real value.--Chicago Times. Thirty-Three Years in a Dungeon* A woman has lately been found in a secluded cave near Ucuno, in Italy, who had been imprisoned thirty-three years. In 1844 she became attached to an Aus­ trian officer, but her father, a violent hater of the Austrians, who, at that time, were in possession of that part of Italy where he resided, refused his consent to a marriage. The girl stated that she would then marry without his permis­ sion. He dissimulated his anger, and, during a walk in which he accompanied her, he induced her to descend into the cave with him by means of a rope lad er, with a view of examining it. He was the first to ascend to the surface, and, with­ drawing the ladder, left her. She was kept regularly supplied with food and clothing. At her father's death, her sister, whose hatred toward the Aus­ trians was equally great, continued the imprisonment. The unfortunate woman, on her liberation, had a complexion of death-like pallor, caused by the dark­ ness in which she had long lived, and her voice had departed, through con­ stant cries during the early part of her sequestration for help. She could speak only in a hoarse whisper. Equality of tho Sexes. There is an almost complete equality in the world's sexes. In France this balance is most nearly attained, where for every 1,000 men there are 1,007 women. In Sweden, to 1,000 men there are 1,064 women, while in Greece, to the same number of males thei£ are but 993 Greek women. In Paraguay there aVe only 1,000 men to every 2,080 women, a state of things mainly due to the ravages of tiie Brazilian war. asked a "What "What "What The tiender of Stfgar. "What gender is sugar?" teacher of the grammar class. kind of sugar?" asked the boy. kind?" repeated the teacher. has that to do with it?" "Why, if it's maple sugar, it's feminine gender," said the boy. "Why feminine gender?" asked the teacher, with & puzzled face. " Because you can't tell its age," prompt­ ly replied the boyj A GENTLEMAN who recently traveled through Kern county, OaL, reports that the carcasses of cattle were lying in great numbers where they had died of starva­ tion, and that many others were too fee­ ble to get up and eat or drink. Bands of sheep were subsisting on grease- brush, apparently in the last stages of hunger. The owners of some herds have abandoned their flocks to their fate, not being able or willing to have them herded. A Tramp Worth While. A tramp stopped at the house of Philip Harris, in Coleraine, Pa., and was given something to eat. Noticing that John Harris, aged 18, was blind in one eye, he told him to cut a sour apple in two and rub the cut edges on tlie eye. The young man did as he was told, and re­ gained his sight. He had not been able to seejnit of the eye for seven years. THE pr^tice of the doctrine of civil rights does not extend to Sherman, Tex., where all the whites who had bought tickets to a negro-minstrel show demand­ ed that their money be refunded because reserved seats had been, sold to ouiorcd men. Black Hills ItighwajAien. ' The stage-coach entered the grandly picturesque Whitewood gulch, whose flanking mountains, fringed with pines, rise hundreds of feet on either side abov* the road. Upon the box sat the driver Johnny Slaughter, as jolly a fellow B» ever held the reins, and as harmless as a child. By his side sat Walter S. Her of the firm of Iter & McCaffrey, wholesale liquor dealers of Omaha and Deadwood- who WH* returning from a business visit to the East. The other passengers weM- inside the ooacbr As the weather was warm, every curtain was rolled up. Down the gentle incline the four steam­ ing horses went at a good sdund pace the passengers singing and joking. Sud­ denly five men were seen ahead, walling in single file and in silence. Johnny said toTW- "T wonder what gang that ia2T "Oh, I guess it's only a crowd ori » lark," replied Her. Scarcely were the words out of Kfa mouth, when the strangers turned, lev­ eled their guns and pistols, and ordered the driver to stop. Johnny reached for a closer grip upon the reins, but, before he cordd check his team, the outlaws fired. Fourteen buckshot, piercing the coat of Mr. Her at the shoulder, passing across his back and out on the.other side struck the driver's left breast just above the heart Poor Johnny fell from his seat a corpse. Another ball slightly wounded Mr. Iler's finger. That gentle­ man, believing death certain if he staved on the box. leaped to the ground. ' In the meantime the desperadoes, separating to right and left, had fired through the windows of the coach. Henry Lake seized the barrels of two revolvers with a grip that the robbers could not break. They pulled him from his seat, threw him upon the ground, and ordered him to give over his weapons. He' replied that he had none, and tossed his empty pistol-belt toward them. He was ordered to "git," and obeyed with alacrity, jumping up and running down the road in pursuit of the coach. The team, frightened by the fusilade, hiu} started off, driverless. The chase continued for half a mile, when Messrs. Her and Lak» overtook and stopped the coach, and the former, mounting the box, drove into this city, a distance of two and a half miles. The only other passenger hurt was B. P. Smith, of Denver, whose face was badly burned with powder. -r-Dead- wood Cor. New York Sun. 1 Cotton and Its Spindles. An eminent ootton firm, in an a.nrmfl.1 report of the cotton trade during 1875- 76, gives the following as the number of spindles in Europe and America, and the average annual consumption of cotton: Annual e«- Cotton per ' tirnattd So. of spindles. United State* 9,600,000 Great Britain 39,000,000 France 6,000,000 Germany 4,660,000 Runaia and Poland... 2,500,000 Switzerland 1,860,000 Spain 1,760,000 Austria 1,680,000 Belgium SP0,000 Italy 800,000 Sweden and Norway. 300,000 Holland 2)30,000 spindle, consuvip- Ibs. tion, lbs. % 63 600,000,000 33V 1,297,000,000 42 65 60 25 46 67 50 56 65 00 Total epindlOB... 68,060,000 2,906,000,000 or upwards of 6,000,000 bales of the aver­ age weight of an American bale. CURIOUS occurrence in a Newburg, N. Y., church a week ago Sunday night. The deacon explains it in this way : He sat in the corner of his pew, two little boys came next, and beyond them was a sharp-visaged woman. He leaned back, rested his arm on the back of the seat, touched somebody's hand, and, suppos­ ing it to be a child's fist, covered it with his own and pressed it. Suddenly the lady in the pew shrieked : " You had better look out; I'll slap your face;" and the bewildered deacon received a stinging blow across the mouth. The deacon sought refuge in the open air, and the congregation gossiped after the benediction. MME. ANDRE, who was recently buried in Paris, died possessed of the modest sum of 10,000,000 francs. When her husband departed this vale of tears his fortune amounted to 2,000,000, half of which sum fell to his wife, the other half going to his son, M. Edouard Andre, wno built the splendid hotel in tlie Boule- v%rd HauBsmann at a cost of 4,000,000 francs. He was looked upon as4he cer­ tain heir of hia mother, but she has only left him her jewels, valued at the trifling sum of 1,000,000 francs. THE MARKETS. NEW YORK. BEEVES °. 9 00 @11 75 Hoos 5 75 % 6 00 COTTOH 11 <sJ 11 FLOUR--Superfine Wen tern........ 7 60 8 00 WHEAT--No. 2 Chicago 1 89 ($ 1 85 CORN--Western Mixed 62 ® 64 OATS--Western Mixed 45 <$ 55 RTK--Western 95 % 98 POBK--New Meee 16 60 ($17 00 LABD 10X® 10# CHICAGO. BEEVES--Choice Graded Steers 5 30 ® 5 60 Choice Natives 4 75 <£ 5 25 Cows and Heifers... 2 60 <£ 4 00 Good Second-class Steers. 8 90 ($ 4 25 Medium to Fair 4 40 ($ 4 60 Hoos--live 5 46 <£ 5 90 FLOCB--Fancy White Winter. 9 00 <$10 00 Good to Choice Spring Ex. 7 26 <$ 7 75 WHEAT--No. 2 Spring 166 @170 No. 3 Spring 1 56 ,01B COBH--No. 2 55 @ 55* OATS--No. % 40 @ 41 >£ Rye--^o.a 88 @ 91 BARLEY--No.2 74 @ 78 BUTTER--Choice Creamery 31 @ 33 EGOS--Fresh 10 @ 10* POBK--Mesa .16 60 @16 75 LARD 10 @ 10* MILWAUKEE. WHEAT--No. 1 1 95 @ 1 98 No. 2 1 83 @ 1 85 COBK--No. 2 55 @ 56 OATS--No. 2 87 (A 40 RYE M @ BABLET--No. 2 83 ® 84 ST. LOUIS. WAEAT--No. 2 Red Fall 2 12 @ 2 17 CORN--Western Mixed 49 @ 59^ OATS--No. 2 38 @ JW RYE 95 @ 1 00 POBK--Mess 16 76 @17 60 LARD . . i . . hoos «» @ e so CATTLE 4 00 @ 6 00 CINCINNATI. • ^ M WHEAT. 1 ® a 05 COBN » @ OATS @ 8® rye ...'.'. .v 90 @ 100 POBK--Mess ®® @16 25 T.»»n 10*@ 11 TOLEDO. „ „ ^ „ WHEAT--Extra -- 2 12 J| « 12 Amber 2 @ 2 12 COBH ® S* OATS--No. 2 ® DETROIT;- FLOUR--Medium ? m « A W WHEAT-White.. 1 J} Ji iS CORN-NO. 2... ... SS ® 2 poRK-Mei"".::r.:™ * EAST LIBERTY, PA. Hoos--Yorkers * ® ® riuladelphiM « ™ @ 6 00 CATTLE--Best 5 2 2 J F F J X » 50 @ O 00 « *

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