Butte record., 1856-12-06
Grand Hoax.

As an example of the avidity with which
the English press grasp at an opportunity
to place the aspect of affairs in the United
States in as unfavorable light as possible,
the London Times publishes lengthy arti-
Gle, purporting to be letter from a CORES
pondent who has been takug tour through
the States, and in his peregrinations trav-
eled by railroad through the State of Geor-
gia, and witnessed the most wonderfully
horrible examples Of the American duello
ever heard Of. The whole story is not
only highly improbable, it is too ridiculous
for any sane man to believe, and yet more
so to publish. The Times processes to have
investigated the reliability of the author.
and confesses itself convinced Of the authen-
ticity of the account. The yarn is to
the effect that he (the narrator) was travel
ing by railroad from Maccn to Augusta, in
Georgia, and that A., B. and C., the repre-
sentative letters Of some of the persons en-
gagged, got into quarrel about a young wo-
man that was travelling with A., when B
and c. together with the companions of
these alphabetical individuals, challenged
and killed six persons, that he knows of.
AMI murdered one child besides fighting
about half dozen duels that he don't exact.
ly know the termination of The Times
publishes all this and more too, with com
ments and a calculation showing that if
things go on this way much longer, there
will be nary" American left at the expi-
ration of comparatively few years
The most charitable conclusion we can ar
rive at, is that some credulous John Bull
who had expressed desire to see the ele-
plant, was made the victim of a most admi-
rably conducted practical joke at the hands
of party of wags, assisted by young la
dy who was alive to such sport. party of
clerks in Louisville, Kentucky, steamboat
ed Capt. Marryatt with a most wonderful
and desperate game of poker, during the
Captains visit to the west. Marryatt had
frequently heard of the reckless games that
the people of the south and west sometimes
played, and to afford him an opportunity of
satisfying his curiosity, certain young gen.
tlemen who happened to be boarding at the
Gait House, and with whom the Captain had
scraped slight acquaintance, made up
funny game for their own amusement
and his especial edifcation. The upshot OF
the whole affair was, that one Of the party
lost every thing he was possessed Of, money,
houses, lands and niggers, (all in a horn }
but Marryatt published it as a solemn fact,
and wound up his narrative by stating that
few days after, he saw the young man. so
lately wealthy, industrially employed in the
capacity of a steamboat clerk. which, it NAV
be well to state was n business that young
gentleman had been engaged in for several
years prior to the hoax that had been so
adroitly played upon the distinguished nov
elist.
In our humble judgment, the Georgia du-
els, if they happened at all, were gotten up
for the same purpose as the poker game; to
foil leather headed Englishman, who was
seeking for nothing else but such phases of
American life as would satisfy his own and
q certain class of his countrvmen's passion
for holding up the " blasted yankees to
the contempt and ridieule of Europe.