The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1855-04-28
THURSDAY MORNING, APRIL 2s, 1855



The Secret Spy.
The Democratic Administration of General
Frank. Pierce, that illustrious Presidentissimo.
notscontent with the fllibuster warfare upon
Cuba, nor with destroying the republican fran
chises Of the People Of Kanzas, would seem al.
so, in its warlike fury. to be intending hosrili-
ties against the popular sovereignty of Mime
sofa.
Upon no other suppostion can we adequately
account for its sending amongst US last winter,
a secret spy to spy out the nakedness of the
iand and the fatness thereof: to go about peer
ing into the private business concerns of the
people OF Minnesota. as if seeking pretense of
treason to justify an onslaught on our prosper
i'y; smelling around the highways and bye
ways for some carrion sfraud," 1--WE kitten
fraud" in Minnesota as garbage for the bug
yards at Washington to gloat over; peeping in
70 our parlors under the guise Of social courte-
sles' and there stealing mems condolences for
MS penny-a-lining stock in trade; worming him.
SELF up to the hospitable boards Of our citizens,
ana while partaking Of their sacred bread and
sat- meditating how best to rob them of their
properlty-hesitating not for this end to garble
private conversations, to snap up unconsidered
words, to lay traps to catch the unwary and
untnlnking, to cog and cozzen around, to fiat
ter and ''smile, and SMILE and be a villain
STILL"
oh If there is one avocation of life more de
spicabie than another, it is the secret political
spy who gets trusted on the bosom of society
only the better to strike his asp-like poison in
to Its vitals, who is conidingly taken into it,
inner temple only that in the end he may slay
its priests at the altar. to whose malign gaze
the holy Of holies Of the heart is uncensciousl1
exposed, only to enable him to fly his poisoned
arrows the more unerringly into its core!
In thus speaking Of the calling of social
spy, we are aware that whole volumes of pre-
cedent are extant to vindicate his respectable
ty by the emiuence of those who have employ
ed them.
But eminence does not dignity every vessel
it may have occasion to use.
Though Metternicht, the "Prince of Night. .
enveloped Austria in the spider web of his &C.
cret police. invading even the sanctity of the
family circle-though Napoleon the Little has
padlocked the mouths of Freuchmen by his
eaves-dropping scoundrels-the exalted sta.
ton Of such employers in no degree elevates
the calling Of the employees.
1t is business in Europe, that ranks the low
est while the most feared, is the meanest while
| the most dreaded
And what should be its rank in this free Re
public?
We have scavengers in our streets but Epam
inondas was at one time a scavenger, and labo,
is dignifed by its usefulness.
We have our "minions of the moon," high
priests OF Cloacina. who keep clean her altar
but they manure the hungry soil with its offal
and are redeemed from utter degradation be
cause they contribute something to the averag,
Of human happiness.
But the spy-the secret political spy--th'
eaves-dropper at our doors-the treacherou
viper at our fresdes-should occupy slower
Deep" ten thousand fold, than these in publ,
estimation-and he does!
Than the assassin of reputation who creep
up to his victims in the dark, and strikes his sti
letto into the life of society for mere filthy lu
ere, there is nothing "in the heavens above o.
the earth beneath or the waters under tn,
EARTH more loathsome to all honorable men
more abhorrent to all just-minded people, NOR,
deserving the hiss of public Indignation, NOR,
strongly justifying to have pointed at him thu
''slow, unmoving finger of public scorn," when
ever known, wherever recognized.
Brown. Ross Browne, as he calls him
self-was the secret spy and pimp Of Frank
Pierce's Democratic Administration amids,
the social circle OF Minnesota last winter, and
should any Of our citizens ever be thrown in
contact with him. they should not forget the
proper style in which such creature should be
treated.
j. Ross Browne! And ,cho is ]. Ross Browne!
What are his antecedents!-where did he come
| from?
And first, as to who he is. Did any Of our
readers ever see one of those egotistieal, self
important. small potato Hterateurs, who write
yellow-covered novels, besmeAred with large
| ill-executed wood cuts on the title pages
printed on whtey-browne paper, in large type.
and chock full of murder, piracy or robbery !
"a fellow who turns his shirt collar back over
his coat. la Byron, sinks his first name all
but the initial, writes his middle cognomen in
full if he has one, and il not supplies the def
cheney himself without the formality of bap-
tism-who, if he is so unfortunate as to have
the questionable, unromantic, honest, home
spun name of Brown, or Smith, or Calf. takes
care TO write it Browne or Smithe, or Calfe,-
and who goes about with an air as il he thought
the whole world had its eyes upon his move
ments, when really the world don't care con-
tinental mill-dam about him.
Do you take in the picture, reader! Well,
that is J. Ross Browne, but very slightly larger
than life.
He has written book Of travels, too and
it is upon this his literary reputation principal
ly hangs. 1t is work called "Yusef, or
Crusade in the East" being an account of bis
travels from the Mediterranean to the Holy
Land. 70 pass over this ground, copsecratcd
by history, sacred and profane, replete with
the ruins Of extinct nations, with the misery
Of yet barely living ones classic ground ev.
cry mile of it, afforded fine opportunity for
writer's powers to interest, to instruct, to add
something at least to the sum total of human
knowledge. Browle, however, seems to have
been mo oe thoso vvho conld literalJv a~o s.o,,,