Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-04-20

As the world is all agog for the iq,cst
news from the seat OF war, and Young Amer
lea stands tp-ton for an onslaught at the
next Old Fogy blundcr, spring the above
question. that the young gentleman may
settle few inches in his boots ana case his
corns a moment by being recalled to u rcmi-
nisccncc Of his boyh0Od.
We, &. e., Young Amcgica.) have not
forgotten the excitement that prevailed
among the Heads of Departments, and in the
White House about twenty years ago, and
the angry throos Of the political journals of
that time, when one morningas the officers Of
the Constitution came rubbing their rdtChfW
eyes on deck, they found the tuH length Fig
ure-hcad of Gen. JACKSON, that sternly bld
defiance ut the bows Of " Old lrOnsidcs,
was minus a head 1t WAS great mystery
that anybody could approach one OF our men
oi-war, where such watchtul disc pliue pre-
vailed, and do an act that required the use
of Il sair for several minutes, and not be
detected and it was equally mysterious,
according to some Of the journals that
any class of men wouldallo their political
rancor to run into such pititul Vandalism.
Now, as this mystery has never been pub
licly solved, SO far as | know, propose,
inasmuch as Col Benton certainly orer-
iooked it in his Thirty Years LookiRg,'
few years since, in company with II
friend, | called on the venerable MAuLoS
DIcKERsoN, at his residence, near Dover,
Morris County. \. j. and after politely
showing us over his grounds and iron mines,
he took us through his extensive library
and while giving usa detail of his books,
and the history of many of them, he also
laughingly told us the story Of the Figure
head, which was looking down on us from
an upper book-she lie said, You know
that at the time this occurred | was Secrc-
tary Of the Navy and that Government had
offered q reward for the apprehension OF the
perpetrators of the outrage. We'll, one day
Twas sitting in the Office, when sailor
walked in with n bundle in his hand, and
asked if was the Secretary of the Navy
He went on to say, You offered d reward
for the arrest of the one that cut of the
Figure head of Gen. jackson = Yes Il
am that man - and untying his budget, plac-
ed before Inc the head. was amazed and
puzzled to divine what it could mean. !
asked him VINO helped him to do it.. Nobody.
How did you do II : rowcd out alone,
| climbed up III the chains and sawed it OH.
| attempted to saw it off through the neck
at first, but the saw struck bolt and had
to sawit through the mouth. How did
| you manage to escape being seen by the
| watch ! liumph swear there WASH
a light nor man on deck Who got you
to do this = Nobody, and nobody knows OF
it Why did you do it ; don't you like
| Gen. JACKSON = Yes, | am Jackson man
and | have no objections to his bust being on
| 'Old lronsides, but | don't believe in a lrhoh
length Ggurc-head and if you put it bacS
again, d me if | don't saw it off again,
In consultation with the President, The
question came up what shall we do viii
this man and the old General said, rs ther,
didn't appear to be any political motive II
the act, and the man had voluntarily surrcn
dcred, and as his story implcatas the oihrar
OF the Constitution, who have sworn beior
the Investigating committee that tho light
were burning and the watch set, why We ha'
better let the man 60, and hush u up.
So, said Gov. D., 'when | lclt Wash
ington threw the head into my trunk an
brought it home, and that's the history o
the af.ir Of the Figure head