The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1841-10-05


air, and chung to the boat very much as we
may suppose an aronaut finds himself cling
ing when in his sublimest flights. The air
above you is scarcely more transparent than
the water below: the thin shadows of the
clouds are thrown hundred feet below you,
and spread out at the bottom of the spring !;
and the image of your boat is carried down
with perfect fidelity, and with rudder looks like
some huge animal crawling with outstretched
legs along the ground. Tie modest fishes
have no sort of privacy and what is worse for
them, though better for the fishermen, they
have no safety. You can watch the hook as
it sinks, and can accurately place the tempting
bait within an inch of the distracted and in
nocent nose. The smallest silver coin is per-
ceptlble at the very bottom, and some say that
the date of the coin is discernabe-but that
that did not see
The aperture through which the river rises
is about fifty feet in diameter,th sides being
formed ofrough and jagged edges of limestone.
1t is supposed that the water comes in under
these rocks from the north, and some think
that it is the outlet of Lake Jackson, large
body of water that lies about twenty miles to
the north. Nothing was certainly to be de-
termiDed by an examination as superficial as
was ours. The shadows cast by the rocks
were too be deep to pierced by the eye, and all
that we could make of it was well about fifty
feet in diameter and hundred and twenty in
debth, pouring forth flood of the purest water
that ever blessed my eyes.
CONFLICT WITH WHALE.-A small
whale of the fnner species that frequent
the Atlantic, and usually follow the her.
ring in their migrations, was caught at
the stake nets, near the conf1ux of the Pow
Burn, on the afternoon of Thursday week.
The person in charge of the nets (Graham)
about two o'clock, then high tide, observed
an object of considerable size rolling about
and blowing up steams of water as if from
IA jet dean. Without any one to assist him,
the courageous fisherman fastened to the
spot, and with no other implements than a
pocket gully, and rope which he brought
with him, rushed in, middle-deep, to the at
tack. The dorsal fin of the huge animal
alone was seen as he approached. the wa
ter being more than sufficient to cover its
entire body, though somewhat shallower
farther out. The fish, in no way entang-
led with the nets, must have been sick, 9TH
erwise it might have easily escaped. Ora
ham, however, ran great risk in attempting
to capture it. With the utmost caution
and activity, he succeeded in making an
incision in its taI with his knife, and in at |
taching rope to it by a running hitch; but
he had no sooner accomplished this than
the ponderous animal gave symptoms of
vigor Throwing itself up in |!
a perpendicular position, il continued for
some time 10 lash the water about with It's |
tail in fearful manner, and made several
efforts to regain the deep; but the "gallant
Graham" holding on by the rope, contrived
to coun;eract its motions After despcr-
ate contest, during which he had the ad-
dress TO infllct numerous wounds about the
neck and Jaws of his formidable opponent,
dyeing the water around with IFS blood. the
conflict was observed by two persons in a
boat, who happened TO be out shooting at
short distance. Rowing TO the aid of Ora
ham, the fish, by their united prowess. was
at length, and with much difficulty, drawn
high and dry upon the sands. The strug-
gle however, was not yet concluded, for il |
continued to exert itself with such fury. that
the rope by which the captors had moorcd
it TO stake, driven into the sand, was
snapt in two like piece of whip cord. The ,
party then fired bullet into its head, and !
after The nflictien of sundry blows, the pro.
tracted conflict was brought to a close in
the death of the fish about eight o'clock. Ii !!
in length upwards Of ID feet, in
girth between and s, and might weigh
about a ton and half.-Ayr Jour.
OUTRAGEOUS PROCEEDINGS AT KAsKAsKIA !,
ILLINoIs.-The Western papers bring an &C.
count of an outrage recently committed at
Illinois, the county seat of Ran.
dolph. On the night of the 18th ult., the house !
of Mr.. Whitehead, lawyer from st. Louis,
was attacked by disguised party, who as.
saulted the place with stones which broke the !
and some struck Mrs. W. and came I
near killing an infant on the bed. They burst !
in and were on the point of Selling Mr. w.,
when some neighbors came to his assistance, /
and the party fled. Some of the lawless band |
were recognised and six bills of Indictment
found for burglary, with intent to kill. The |
party. however, were not intimidated, but went !
to court, and when it adjourned, as Mr.. W. !
was coming out with Judge Breese, they seized /
upon him,and under the eyes of the Judge him.
self they beat, knocked down, kicked and
trampled upon their victim, until some citizens
and rescued him. The cause of
this violence and outrage proceeded from the
fact that Mr.. w. was attending court in the
character of attorney, in suit brought for
colored man who claims to have legal right
to be free; and some persons of Kaskaskia ap-
nrehended that if the s11f rroaressed some Of