Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1855-02-16

won't Whlp me
''No. John, no; but that is impossible" !"
Young Franklin Immediately named tn
text, and taking up the discourse. wen
through every head Of it with surprisin,
accuracy.
Upon my word" said the delighted
parent, 81 should not have though: it."
"And now, father" said John, 81 can tel
you exactly how many rsfters there are il
the Westinghouse : Miners Wyoming.
Figure Head of 1he Constitution,
Those Of our readers whose memory run
meth back TO the time of Andrew Jackson'i
reign, cannot have forgotten the exci,emenI
created by the figure head affair" A
full length statue, in wood, Of the venerable
President had been put upon the noble
old Constitution, and in the dead of the
night it was removed. An investigation
was had. reward was offered for the dis
covery of the perpetrator of the outrage,
but, so far as the public knew, nothing was
ever elected, Of a nature to throw light up
on the mystery. Jack Downing wrote
about it; the papers on one side abused
the Wings for the insult to the hero, and
those on the other pronounced the putting
the 6gure-head there in the first place, an
insult to the people. Even the story wri-
ters wove the incident into the web of fc-
tion, and the figure of TIE Constitu-
tion," was the title Of a tale BY one of our
best authors. Now, after the lapse Of some
twenty years, We have the true narrative,
given TO the public in letter to the New
York Times. which, as matter of interest,
we copy. The writer, whose initials are
given as &c. f. j." dates from Springfield.
He SAYS:
"a few years since, in company with q
friend, | called upon the venerable Mahlon
Dickerson, al his residence near Dover,
Morris county, N. j., and after politely
showing US over his grounds and i:on mines,
he took US through his extensive library,
and while giving US detail of his books,
anA the history of many of them, he also
laughingly told us the story Of the figure
head, which was looking down on us from
the upper bookshelf He said: You
know that at the time this occurred I was
Secretary of the Navy. and that Govern
meni had offered a reward for the appre-
hension Of the perpetrator Of the outrage
Well, one day 1 was sitting in the Office
when sailor walked in, with bundle in
his band. and asked if was the Secretary
Of the Navy. He went on to say: You Of
fered reward for the one that cut off the
Figure head Of General Jackson?' 'Yes.'
I am the man. and untying his budget,
placed before me the head. l was amazed
and puzzled to divine what it could mean.
| asked him who helped him to doit. 'No-
body How did you do it?' 1 rowed
,ut alone, climbed up in the chains, and
sawed it off l attempted to saw it off
through the neck at FIRST, but the saw struck
! bolt and had to saw it through the
mouth 'How did you manage to escape
being seen by the watch?' .HumphI /
swear there wasn't light nor man on deck
Who got you to do this?' Nobody, and
,obcdy knows of it. why did you do it;
1on'l you like General jackson 2 Yes, /
am jackson man, and have no objection
% his bust being on Old Iron sides, but 1
ion't believe in whoIs length 6gure-head,
md if you put it back again, d-n me if l
lon't saw it off again
an consultation with the President, the
question came up, what shall We do with
his man? The old General said, as there
lidn't appear to be any political motive in
be act, and the man had voluntarily sur
and as bis story implicated the
'fficers of the Constitution, who had sworn
,efore the investigating committee that the
ights were burning and the watch set, why
ve had better let the man 60 and hush it
lp. So said Gov d. when / left Wash
ngton, l threw the head into my trunk,
md brought it home, and that's the history
4 the affair Of the Figure-head.'