The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1856-09-03

The shores and the channel were now equally
unrecognisable, for everything seemed changed
About noon that day they reached the smal
town of New Madrid, on the right bank of the
Mississippi Here they found the inhabitants
in great distress and CONSERVATION Part of the
population had fled in terror to the highe,
grounds, others prayed to be taken on board
as the earth was opening in assures on every
side, and their houses hourly falling around
them.
Proceeding from thence, they found the Mis-
sissippi, at all times a fearful stream, now I'M
usually swollen, turbd and full Of trees, and af-
ter many days Of great danger, though they
felt and perceived nothing more of the earth
quake, they reached their destination at Nat
chez, at the close Of the first week in January,
1919, to the great astonishment of all-the es-
cape of the boat having been considered an i'm
possibility. 't"
At that time you floated for three or four
hundred miles on the river without seeing a hu-
man habitation. -is
Such was the voyage Of the first steamer
The natural convulsion, which commenced at
the time of her descent, has been but slightly
alluded to, but will never be forgotten in the his
tory of the west; and the changes wrought by
it throughout the whole alluvial region through
which the Ohio and Mississippi pour their wa
ters, were perhaps as remarkable as any on re-
cord. We hear less Of its effects because the
region in which it occurred, was of such vast
extent and SO thlnly peoped that part of the
alluvial country which is contiguous to the point
of junction of the two rivers and especially the
vicinity of New Madrid, seems to have been the
centre of the convulsion. There, during the
year 1911 and 1919, the earth broke into in
Vulnerable assures, the clurchyard, with its
dead, was torn from the bank and engulfed in
the turbid stream. othe present day it would
appear that frequent slight shocks of earth
quakes are there felt, and ii is asserted that in
the vast swamp at the back Of the town strange
sounds may at times be heard, as of some
mighty caaIdron bubbling in the bowels of the
earth. Along the banks Of the river, thousands
of acres, with their gigantic growth of forest
and cane, were swallowed up, and lakes and
ponds innumerable were formed.
The earth in many paris was observed to
burst suddenly open, and jets of sand, mud and
these giant streams seemed totally overturned,
islands disappeared, and IN many parts the
course of the river was completely changed -
Great foundations were the consequence. The
clear waters of the St. Francis were obstruct-
ed, the ancient channel DESTROYED, and the riv-
Ell spread over a vast tract ofswamp. In many
places the gaping earth unfolded its secrets, and
the bones of gigantic mastodons and ichtyosau
rus, hidden within its bosom for ages, were
brought to the surface. Boats and arks with
out number were swallowed up, some buried
by the falling of the banks, and others dragged
down with the islands to which they were an
chored. You may still meet and converse with
those who were on the mighty river of the west,
when the whole stream ran toward its sources
for an entire hour, and then resuming its ordi
nary course, hurried them helpless on its whirl
ing surface with accelerated motion towards the
gulf
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ELOPEMENT, &c
ghe community of Madison county, (Ala. was
suddenly startlG by the e'opement of John E.
Townsend with the step-daughter of his over
seer, on Friday night, the e5th of July, and the
discovery of the extensive frauds he has com
with him, it is supposed, cash
funds to the amount of over one hundred thou
sand dollars belonging to the assets of the
estate of his uncle, the late Edmund Townsend,
of which he was the co-administrator; as also
funds obtained from two commission houses in
in drafts to the amount of 1856 600
Or $40 OOO-besides contracting sundry debts
about Huntsville, leavinghis wife and children,
and all his property, growing crop, &c, except
two negroes. Attachments up to Monday, the
28th July, to the amount Of $4,000, had
been placed in the hands Of the sheriff, and had
been levied on his property.
1t has been matter of much speculation as
to the motive which Influenced Townsend to
thus abscond. He was not in debt-his prop
arty that he has left is worth, it is said, very
near the amount for which it has been attach
ed, and he was the heir, in prospectu, of all of
Samuel Townsend's property, ESTIMATED at
S20O, ,O00) besides other legacies in prospect.
So that the only advantage he has apparently
gained in his situation by the operation is the
sgal'-a boon rather costly to him any how,
as it is said he bought $500 worth of jewelry
% deck her off with, in Huntsville, day or
,wo before he started. Apparently to the pub
ic there is no motive for his elopement, nor is
t known which way he has gone If he had
Intended to pursue planting, the only business
he knows any thing about he would have ia
Ken his negroes and gone southwest. Butwe
ncline to think his object is some secluded
spot, where the chances for discovery will be
'ery few, and where he can live on his money
Il seeluslon. Athens Herald
MARRYING 4 CoRPsE-We find the follow
NC strange story in the New Y ork Courier and
Enquirer:
1.-The son of believer in spiritualism, resi-
ling at Bordentown, N. j., died last week, and
lis death was made the occasion of exhibiting
!! launentablc picture of human hallucination.
The deceased had been engaged to be married
o young lady who was also firm believer
n spirtualism. On Sunday morning last, with
he consent of the young mans father, this
.oung lady was married to the corpse by the
spiritual ceremony" which was performed
Trough a boy, who acted as medium. The
'oung lady was attired in all the usual bridal
'araphernalia at the ceremony, and after it was
'ver the funeral of the deceased took place.
t was attended by upwards of two thousand
'ersons, from Bordentown and vicinity, who
lad been attracted to the spot by a morbid Gu