, 1861-01-07

: Aola lnls cause Inc TACT Is OF vast nnpof
tance in Its effect upon the value Of rai1roa'
property, and also as regards the conye
nience Of thqppblic, to whom certain an
rapid mcans,ef tfanait haTs become ne
COSTLY: ..::2: III; s.: /
sHAL1aa gn&3::nR1p1aiE n1n. pEI
~. ETROYKW1 =, i,
In former articles we havs shown the nc
cessity Of the Rock Island bridge to III
commerce Of Chicago and Of the countr,
west Of the Mississippi; We hnve taIe7rc,
to the decisions Of tbs Supreme Court @
tho: United States, establishing and con
drnning the right Of the bridge to rcn1an
where it is; the existence of q ptoiwert,,
combination, headed by ST. Louis, and en-
bracins mos. of the cities On the nIississ:p
2i Between St. Paul and New Orleans, sint
the fact that tens Of thousands Of dollar
have been spent. by that combination Il
destroy the bridge work about as gene
rous and Is just as It would be for them Il
, shut up the Straits Of Mackinaw, has beer
clearly establishedj md another fact a.
+: llumiliating to us as citizens Of Chicago, e.
the action of st. Louis and her associates
tssclfsh and malignant, that our Board o.
Trade, and our citizens generally have done
literally nothing to resist md to thEart tile
efforts Of this ever crllve combination:tc
cripple "nf commerce, has had appropriate
difference. =.
The dignided and intensely honorable
St Louis Gisathber: Of Commerce claim
s:'a: their efforts to remove this hated
structure are confined within the limits o,
the law: They would scotn the imputa.
tion that they would procure tie burnin:,
Of the bridge: But their efforts and their
money arc directed to create unreasonable
prejudice against it; 10 cover up the real
animus Of their. warfare they pretend
:hat it makes the navigation Of the A1issis-
slppi dangerous-ai1 assumption which tho
best science of the country and the exne-
f1ence Of four years have proved to be false:
and though hfr. January and the Chamber
OF Commerce would not countenance tLc
burning Of the bridge, their warfare tends
to cultivate and TO foster lawless spirit in
the reckless md the vile, andfts destruction:
would long since have been accomplished
had not the utmost vigilance been exercised
to guard it against the torch Of the incen-
diary. Certain il is that more than one
plot has been discovered to burn it. Pass
ing By the Eaie Alton case as susceptible
Of doubt whether lhe burning of the boat,
and as consequence span Of the bridge,
was purely accidental. .or not, we quote the
testimony Of Mr, j. c. Flint gircn in tic
Bissell trial:
On the morning of the 5th Of June, 1853 on
my resntar beat across the bridge, 1. found NJ,
INC Sidewalk Of the bridge, large auantit; NJ
nnwaeIed sulphur, also oakum ssnd Hoi1Ie ia.},
aoma puea htt.,e n the arches IF tAelSlidge, nd
esl,n.tn s no.ues Rfa3,pea Il cotton batting, aut:
~. ,alses these were placed In the 1ath and the
iatn and the bottles broken. Then On tLc
ttaGa' vas box within box, containing two
Packages or powder, alEo q tHu Eallop iue.
containing cont what we Thought camphene. Til:
hsinstotsc St ~: Scattered oycr the sidewalk,
ss. aaat a1 heh thick IN some places there WERE
several bundles of lath, and q two bushel BAG
u oakum: This oakum was mixed with IatI
ana t1ese lay upon it.; on one side the bottles
were broken and the contents run out over The
Mth On the other side these were not broken:
mere Waa basket containing Ia Of these bot
tlea tnat morning between two and three
leasd, as WIS coming over, boat RAISING
under the bridge7 supposed it to be d fishcFI
man there Was also on the bridge with the
lest, three ropes, graphing iron, and some
nrlmsfone unopened, also bucket of tar, bold
1ne, perhaps, ten or eleven quarts some Of
1hls was scattered on the bridge; this WAS ali
IN the lower side near the first pier from the
draw. One Of the ropes was tied to The ont
SIDE cord and hung down, the other was short
eF and tied to the arch and the third had the
graphing hook tied to'it..
:: 1fue, there is no proof here TINT Mr.. Bis
sell had anything to do with this diabolical
attempt to bum the bridge, but it some
hoW happened while he was in the :vicini.
ty, for the witness adds:
!! know Mr. Bissel1 by sight; he was on the
bridge about eight or nine that morning: he
was stopping ut the Burds House in Daycu-
port -. -
as before stated I'VE do not feel at liberty
to try h1r. Bissell in advance On tho indict-
lnent now pending against him. But some
Of the facts developed in his late trial here
were SO clearly proved that our citizens
should fix their attention upon them in or
ler that they may appreciate the danger to
which one nf their great commercial thor
Is exposed. 1t was claimed by
Nr. Bissell's counsel that he was the victim
conspiracy managed BY C. P. Bradley Of |
lis city and the Rock Island Railroad Co.,
md that the attempt made to burn the
'ridge on the night the 4tl Of June, 1859,
laving failed, whatever connection Mr. B. |
lad with the effort to burn it last summer
vas induced By Bradley as the principal. |
Granting for the moment all that lis coun-
el claimed, Bradley's testimony ;s suffl |
iently confirmed by tho most undoubtcd |
acts. md it shows that .Bisscn WIS ready,
Indirectly il not directly, to: procure the
'urning IF the bridge. The authenticity
+ his letters distinctly referring to the plan,
vas not denied. The fact that d boz |
marked " drugs = containing twcnty-ejght |
hampagne bottles filled with most in
lamnnblc naterial, was received here from |
It. Louis, with which the bridge was to be
ct on fire, cannot be controvcrted. We
ball not argue the connection Of Bisscl1
fifth this transaction, nor attempt to show |
hat this conspiracy was the direct out
rowth. of tue selfish warfare of St. Louis
gainst the bridge. Though her Chamber Of
commerce would not for moment counte-
ance such action on the part Of their agents,
would be well for these gentlemen to in
nire whether the lawless spirit they llaYe ]
may be without any design
n their part-may not. at no distant day
e turned against their Uwn interests. Ii !
as been decided that the bridge .4as right
be where it is. Hence their continued
forts to remove it excites to incendiarism
mong the lawless, and no man would dare
predict when successful against the
ridge, where it would stop
We're it not that Mr.. Bissel1 is to stand |
1othcr trial We should canvass this SUBJ
ct much more closely. Thus much was
ne to our citizens in order to show them
le true relations OF this controversy,
Then it IS remembered that it has been
'undant1y prored that the bridge is not
aterialobstruction; Il: indeed It be any at
!, to the navigation Of the Mississippi, and
~ ri 4 ~ f1r,1, a ,, n.-nv4sc - a?,.t- /