The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1858-03-12
HARD MONEY.

One OF our citizens who has a good dea
Of custom over in Arkansas, on reading tn,
Appeals glowing articles upon the blessing,
of metallic currency, bethought him of I
way to escape the heavy rate of exehang,
entaied BY the shank rag" system of Tenn
essee. Our neighbors had taught him tC
believe that where there had been an "ertir.
patton Of our whole system of banking" hard
times, and fluctuations, and reyuIsions, could
not dare 10 show their faces. And so having
extended credit there, he set his face to.
wards Arkansas, as towards another very
Canaan of deliveraIce. Arrived at his first
point of destination, his debtor counted him
out eight hundred dollars in silper. Shovel
ing |; into his saddle-bags, he proceeded Joy.
fully on to the next one. The weight, added
to his own ponderous eorporosity, was
somewhat oppressive to his horse, seeing
that just previously the Arkansas roads had
become somewhat soft and tenacious from
the rains; but he consolad himself with the
fanacful idea--imbibed by infection from
our friends of the Appeal--that, being in the
promised land Of a constitutional currency
the next payment would be 10 gold.
Hitching his jaded horse at the gate of his
next debtor, he salked in, and with the kind
ly suavity of his nature, delicateIy but dis
tincty made known that the pressure Of the
times created BY the bankocracy on the
"hither side Of Jordan" would render lqui-
datlon of that "small balance" in an especial
manner agreeable. The debtor was too hap
py to afford relief, both to his merchant and
to hmself-to the first in putting him in
funds, and to the last is getting rid Of the
debt, and the load of con-and forthwith
counted out fifteen hundred dollars, all sol.
i'd silver!
Our collecting friend was "bothered."-
The weight, added to what his poor horse
was already struggling under through the
swamps, rendered it next to certain that his
chance of sticking in the mud would be first
rate. Besides, a kind of an all-overishness
sensation began 10 arise with the idea that
to travel on horse back with that much hard
cash concealed was next to impossible, and
that by bare possibility the clink of his sad
die. bags might engender queerly confused
notions Of meum aud tunm in those who
should happen to hear it. What was TO be
done? "Could'ntit be exchanged for gold'"
Mott wasn't in the neighborhood. -
"Could'nt Bank notes be bought with it
Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana, Carolina,
anything,in Short that would pass for mon
eyY" No--they did'nthave Banks in Arkan-
sas-they had been "extirpated."
To cut long story short, our friend re-
turned home without the additional $l,5OO,
rather than lug it along with him in silver
coin. 1t is collected-it is all "good"-but
is in Arkansas, yet, insted of Memphis
The occurrence is one of the beauties in the
practical operation Of purely "metalic cur
rency."-Memphis Bulletin
HITTNG THE NAIL ON THE HEAD.-Refer-
ing to the everlasting 'nigger' question in
Congress, the Tuscumbia North Aabamian
hits the nail on the head in the following
laconic and common sense manner:
But, seriously, it is full time that Southern
men were looking about them, and coming
to some determination as TO the best method
| of putting n stop to this everlasting, never
ending nigger agitation in Congress. 1t al
ways requires two parties to quarrel, and If
Southern members would ignor the sub
ject entirely in that body, as matter with
| which Congress has no concern, il would be
very difficult for the other side to keep up
the agitation. But so long as the subject
| of slavery is a legitimate matter of debate in
Congress, there will be plenty of demagogues
South as well as North, in that body, always
ready to mount the hobby, and ride, with a
whip and spur, without regard to conse.
| quences.
To this the New Orleans Bulletin says:
"Let the Southern people hereafter send
such men to Congress as will devote their
time to matters Of practical interest, and lei
the demagogues stay at home. 1t is time all
this buffoonery, trickery, bumcombe, rant
and fuslian were put stop to. The public
stomache has become nauseated with it,"
A Rich LETTER.--A resident of Syracuse,
New York, whose wife had left him, and
gone West for the purpose of obtaining a
divorce. was desirous Of ascertaining when
the divorce was obtained, and wrote to sew
eral county clerks to inquire whether the d.
vorce was granted in .heir counties. The
following is copy of one cf the replies;
"Aiurcie, Indiana, Jan. lS, '5S.
Dear Sir: There has not been an appIica.
,ion for divorce in the name Of -- in our
court, but think we have divorced one half
of the citizens of your State, and if we have
good luck, we will, guess, finish your State
and Massachusetts in few more years.
A MorHER MURDERED BY HER Son.
John Mccullough has been arrested nt Phil
adelphia for the murder o: his own mother,
short time ago. The mother while ntoxi-
Gated, got into quarrel with her son. She
called him robber, and ordered him out of
the house. He replied that if he was a rob
her. she made him so. II is said that she
then spit in his face, and he jumped up and
beat her about the head, blackening both her
ewes. She fell, and was carried TO bed,
where she soon died.