The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1855-04-28
THURSDAY MORNING, APRIL 26, 1855



The Secret Spy.
The Democratic Administration of General
Frank. Pierce, that illustrious Presidentissimo
not.content with the fillibuster 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 hostili-
ties against the popular sovereignty of Mime
sofa.
Upon no other superstition can we adequately
account for its sending amongst US last winter,
a secret spy to spy out the nakedness of the
land and the fatness thereof: to 20 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
ity; smelling around the highways and bye
ways for some carrion ''fraud," 1--WE kitten
fraud" in Minnesota,) as garbage for the bug
yards at Washington to gloat over; peeping iu-
to our parlors under the guise Of social courte-
sizes, and there stealing mems condolences for
his penny-a-lining stock in trade; wormng him.
self up to the hospitable boards Of our citizens,
and while partaking Of their sacred bread and
salt, meditating how best to rob them of their
properity-hesitating not for this end to garble
private conversations, to snap up unconsidered
words, to lay traps to catch the unwary and
unthinking, to cog and cozzen around, to fat
ter and 'smile, and smile. and be a villain
still.n
Oh! II there is one avocation of life more de.
spicable than another, it is the secret political
spy, who gets trusted on the bosom of society
only the better to strike his asplike poison in
to its vitals, who is confdingly taken into its
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 uncensciously
exposed, only to enable him to fly his poisoned
arrows the more unerringly into its core!
In thus speaking Of the calling of a social
spy, we are aware that whole volumes of pre-
cedent are extant to vindicate his respectable
ty by the eminence 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 Sc
cret police. invading even the sauctity of the
family circle-though Napoleon the Little has
padlocked the mouths of Frenchmen by bis
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 scavenger, and labor
is dignified by its usefulness.
We have our "minions of the moon,n 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 average
Of human happiness.
But the spy-the secret political spy-the
eaves-dropper at our doors-the treacherous
viper at our firesides-shOuld occupy slower
Deep" ten thousand fold, than these in public
estimation-and he does,
Than the assassin of reputation who creeps
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 or
the earth beneath or the waters under the
earth,' more loathsome to all honorable men,
more abhorrcnt to all just-mnded people, more
deserving the hiss of public indignation, more
strongly justifying to have pointed at him the
''slow, unmovng finger of public scorn," when
ever known. wherever recognized.
Brown-J. Ross Browne, as he calls him
self-was the secret spy and pimp Of Frank.
Pierce's Democratic Administration amidst
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 J. Ross Browne?
What are his Observation-Disclosures did be come
from?
And first, as to who he is. Did any of our
readers ever see one of those egotistieal, self
important, small potato iterateurs, who write
yellow-covered novels, besmelred with large
ill-executed wood cuts on the title pages
printed on whitey-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 be 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 Cali. 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 a con-
tnental 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 a work called "Yusef, or a
Crusade in the East" being an account of bis
travels from the Mediterranean to the Holy
Land. 70 pass over this ground, cousecratcd
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 a
writer's powers to interest, to instruct, to add
something at least to the sum total of human
knowledge. Browae, however, seems to have
been one of those whe could literally Ego from
Dan to Beersheba and say all was barren D.