Washington telegraph., 1851-01-08

| THE CASE OF JOE SrANSBURY.-One O
the best stories we have read lately is the
following which appeared among the
police news in the Philadelphia Pennsyl
yapian. Al few days ago:
As Mrs. Esther Stansbury; (residing IL
a cou.u running from Race below Sixth,
was about to bring bucket of water
from the hydrant las: night, she found an
old basket suspended from the knob oi
her front door. Putting her hand iuto
the basket. she felt something live and
kicking, but SO enveloped in rags that no
further discovery could be made without
uuwrapping the object A piece of paper
folded like a letter, lay by the side of the
animated bundle. Mrs. Stansbury i'm
metfiately returned into the house, and by
the light Of the lamp, examined the billet.
1t was addressed 20 her husband. She
tremuousk broke the seal and read as
follows:
To Joe Stansbury-Sir: I send you
the baby, which you will please to take
good care of and bring up right, so that
it may :urn olt to be better man than
its daddy. On Joseph.-what sly old
rake you are.-Who would think that
such s'aid. sober old spindle shanks
could be such a tarring down sinner!
The child is yoarS. You may swear to
that. Look at tit is Joe Stansbury all
over. You deceived me shamefuIly,
Jose ph-letling on 20 be widower-but
do a fathers part by the young one, aud
I'll forgive yon. Your heart broken
aa.f.-e Nancy.
P. S. Don't lie. that sharp-nosed wife
of yours see this letter. Cannon her
with some kind of story about the
baby. n.
MIR. Stansbury was in the basement
kitchen quietly eating his supper. and
little imagining what a storm was brew
kitchen was violently thrown open, and
Mrs. S S voice yelled out "Stansbury
come up here, you vil.ain-here's mess
tor you?' The astonished Stansbury
hastily wiped hs mouth and obeyed the
summons Don you want to see
Nancy? the beart. broken Nancy cried
Mrs. Stansbury when her guilty husband
hobbled into the room. Nancy what
Nancy's that" said the SLY old rogue in
well feigned perplexity. "Why Nancy,
the mother of this baby that's been hung
up a, your door. Nj SALISBURY. Oh you
look mighty innocent: but Just read that
letter, and then look in that basket Don [
be afraid it won't bite, it's got no teeth,
poor thing!-you'll know it-for as your
hussy says, it is just like you all over.
Please goodness. I'll expose yon before
every body
And in less than five minutes, Mrs
Stansbury had collected room full of
spectators, (half the inhabitants of the
court,) 10 witness the process of unwrap-
ping the baby. Anxious expectation sat
Oh every countenamce, as the jealous lady
tore away rag after rag from the body OF
the founding the vigorous movements Of
which astonished every body. ''It is full
of the devil already said Mrs. S.-"that
shows that.lt Is hls-yoa'll soon see that
1t is like him in everything" At last,
all the swaddling clothes being removed,
out jumped the baby and made its escape
through the open door. tat
1t was big tom cat. The Stanbnr,es
had been victlmlZed by practical Joke
the contrlvance of which was Traced TO
a female neighbor. Mrs. s. who had
no taste for fun Of that kind, made her
complaints against the suspected party,
bat, The trick appeared to be without
malice, no binding over took place. a
The Message of President Fillmore
a document in more respects than one
creditabe % him as statesman and q
nan-cOntaIns more in 1t that we can
approve ;han any Wing document that