The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-05-25
BARNUM.

and liluStriouS Hhlneae Barnum, whose Iecea'
autobiography has presented to young Ameri'
cans such charming illustration OF the an
cisnt maxim that Honesty is the bestpolicy,"
has been lately the victim of a conspiracy in
n York charging him with monstrous crime,
for the purpose, as is alleged, OF extorting
money. After the complaint against barnum
was dismissed by Justice Osborne, the great
Snowman made q curious speech to the re-
porters, the whole burthen of which was the
supreme folly of attempting to swindle him
out Of money. Barnum need scarcely have
made speech upon that point, for it is a re-
Election which would instantly occur to any
man who knows any thing of his history
The conspirators must be the greenest PEG.
pie in the State of New York. Surely they
GIN never have read Bsrnum's autobiogra-
ply, il they can suppose that money is to be
obtained from him upon any pretence The
facility and unscrupulousness with which he
can get it out of others, marks him for the
hero rather than the victim of a conspiracy.
According to Barnums own statement, he
has been the subject of constant temptation
and persecution from the wicked ever since
he left the innocent scenes of his childhood
for the profigate empire city The holy
man declares that during the twenty years
that he has resided in the city of New York,
he has at various times received letters at
tempting to inveigle him into the resorts of
the vicious, but with pride and confidence
hs declares that be never swallowed the bait.
1t would be doing him grievous wrong,
however, to suppose that the indignant en-
phasis with which he asserts his perfect
spotlessness in this respect arises from any
horror of the offence To do him justice, he
doesn't pretend such thing; but his Ella
ton is founded simply upon the fact that he
couldn't be taken in in q financial point of
view. He says he would cut his right arm
off before he would pay cOnspirators the
pitiful sum of S25 although, in true Bar.
mum taste, he declares that few thousands
ara no object to him. The Justice did right
in dismissing the complaint. We could never
suspect Barnum of such an offence. The
propensities of the great humbugger are of a
different kind. His book shows the rulingpas-
sion of the man. If it be true, there is many
more scrupulous person in money matters
within the four walls of prison.
HINT FOR NAPOLEON Ill
The N. Y. Herald suggests to the Emperor
of France mode of punishment for assassins.
which would be more likely than any other,
to prevent repetition of the crime. In Eng
land, it was formerly a common thing to shoot
at the King George III, George ", and
William ", had been popped at whilst Vic
toria, young and inoffensivs creature was
made target no less than three times. The
severe punishments of former days, execution
and Imprisonment for life, did not succeed in
preventing the crime Or even diminishing
the frequency of these attempts Sir Robert
Peel, however, remarks the Herald, tracing
the evil to its real source, a love of noteriety
introduced bill into Parliament, which was
passed by that body, providing that offenders
In such cases should be whipped, and from
that day to this, the fear of the rod has been
SO wholesome in the British isles, that no one
has ever attacked the Queen.
Napoleon III, the Herald suggests, ".bou,d
take hint from his ally and neighbor. The
fear OF ridioale and humiliation-wbicb wss
the basis of Peel's statute-are still esner in
France than in England. The material for
murderers is more plentiful; nowhere doas
there exist larger brood of dark visaped
oisek hearted men than in the parrets and
cellars on the banks OF the Seine and the
saaoourgs 81. Antoine and st. Marceau. and
hese, who are brave as lions at a barricade
are. almost without exception, as sensi,;vatn
ridicule, and as much afraid of a;sor.aa w
any high bred lady" n wv 80
suppose the Emperor had hi. Co,.;.
beuied upon scsf3id in the Place DE- IL Gu niena
% day 70 be announced q fortrisht S1eoioe,
anasuppsse be gave orders to two stout 800 enand
eoi4ien to sdminister TO him then and ihss sas OF
thrashins. % calculated a. to eud,nesr nas,n
nor limb; suppose afterwards the aeptlemsn ne
e hotsted on native CoIsicsn donkey with nj. 80
70 the ts xnd ridden the Boulevsrds with oo
~ tso jocose plsosrds over his hsaf: suppose II
ses, that the Emperor. Inviting the editors of ths
CAdyir0yia to dine y it'll him were to point ont ~
sxesilsst fsn they night make OF this poor devil
and offer thsm every facility in ORDER to Obtain
ekstehss Of him ir vesious somc and novel posiious
oss doubt thai hs would be the last Of hi,
mo Issnehman Of 8 csrtsiasy wouA run the risk
- - 6roa1fnt pupishmsnt-mors dfsodful to h.rn
e1As. ehan tbs sniliotias and the Mort Aichsln
csptsin Whkiag. Of the WisoDa lMiun Argus