Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1861-01-30
SUMMARY OF NEWS.


larned at the prospect OF being made liable for
| the value of all the missing Indian trust fund
| bonds. He was the legal custodian of this
| property, gave a receipt to his predecessor in
| office, Mr.. McClelland, for them, and they are
charged up against him on the books of the
| Government. When public officer is charged
| with the keeping of public property he must
account for it, and no person has been more
| stern and firm in enforcing this accountability
| than Mr. Thompson. Many a poor devil ia
the Indian service, the wagon road expeditions,
| and other branches under the Interior Depart
| ment, has felt the severity of this ssin1eAibe
Administration officer'' Of ssJ. B" The loss
| of money by public officer. be it accidental
! or otherwise, even if stolen from.him, or from
the eSub-Treasury in his charge, will not relieve
him, and no power but Congress, in such event,
can balance his account. Let Mr.. Thompson's
account be settled, and if the Government can
make out case of gross negligence on his
part, he will be clearly liable for the loss OF
the bonds; and ifreport speak truly of his large
| fortune, it will not be much Inconvenience for
him to pay the amount.
| SECESSION AND PoLTIcAL ECoNoMY.-The
Louisville, (Ky.,) Journal says ga dis
| tinguished gentleman, just from Charleston,
informs us that fearful reign of terror pre-
/ walls there. The secession authorities, know
| ing exactly what all the rich men, merchants
and persons engaged in business of every kind,
l
| other kinds they are supposed to have at their
| command, continually levy upon them accord
| ingiy. no mar daring to resist the levy, mas
much as a wild and lnfuriated mob is ready to
| execute vengeance upon every man deemed
refractory. Our informant says that the deep
/ est alarm 60 hand in hand, and that all the
| railroads and other roads leading from South
| Carolina are thronged with persons escaping
| from the States, as if they felt that rain of
! fire and birthstone was already falling upon
i it. If South Carolina be but left to herself a
/ little longer, the spirit of rebellion and revolu-
/ tion will perish within her borders like a rat
| in an exhausted receiver"
/ WHAT 1T WOULD DO IA prominent NcwEng-
| land member of Congress went round among
/ his Republican associates In the House on the
| I'D, to ascertain how far they were willing to
concede to the South and make concessions to
| appease the secessionists. Eighty-four of those
/ present declared against the Crittenden- Powell
/ slave code, or any proposition establishing
1 slavery in the constitution that will make it
| more pro- slavery than it is now. Many of them
/ gave it as their opinion that concessions and
/ guarantees to slavery, extorted from the North
under the menace of secession, would utterly
| demoralize the government and work its speedy
/ ruin, as it would intoduce the Mexican system
| of politics into this country, and establish a
precedent for party fairly beaten at the polls
to revolt and secede, unless the victorious ma
\
constitution the platform of the beaten faction,
/ which would yield to the minority the right
| to rule.
A LADY FALLS DEAD IN HER RLoR.-About
| three O'Clock, on Sabbath afternoon, January
10th, Mrs. Melinda King wife of J ohm NJ. King,
| of Johnstown, while in her usual health and
| spirits, fell and expired in an instant. While
| seated in her parlor, surrounded by her chill
| dren, who had just returned from Sabbath
! School, and were exhibiting to her their books,
tickets, &c. she suddenly arose from her chair,
| and falling forward, expired instantly, without
| word, moan, or struggle. Assistance was
| Immediately called in, and the aid of three
| physicians speedily obtained, who applied res
| toratives and employed such means as were
| within their power; but their efforts were un
availing--she was dead Up to this moment
| she had been in good health, and had attended
| church in the forenoon OF that day. She was
| about thirtyfve years old, and leaves to the
| care of her bereaved husband four small chill
dren, the oldest of whom is only about ten years.
SEIZURE OF ARMS FOR THE SOUTH, IN New
YoRK.-The New York Tri5une says that on
the 22d, Mr.. Police Superintendent Kennedy
seized thirty eight cases of muskets OF board
the steamship Monticello, bound for Montgom-
cry, Alabama, via Savannah. Each case con-
tanned two dozen muskets. The contraband
weapons we're sent off at once to the arsenal in
Seventh avenue. The people on tt e wharf said
| ped to Richmond the other day on the steam
| ship Roanoke. 1t is very clear that, in spite
of the explicit charge of Judge Smaley, there
are commercial houses in the city SO lost to
all regard for law and patriotic feeling, as to
continue the nefarious business of supplying
the traitors with arms and munitions of war
regardless OF consequences.
BLoCKADING THE MISSISSIPPI RIVERA bat
| terry OF guns was recently planted near Vicks-
nj a Sfa h.,af "a
haling from the Free States. 1t was at first
stated that this had been done by order OF the
Governor, but this is now denied. Quite a
number of boats have been stopped. The
Louisville Journal is informed by respecta-
bic Kentuckian, direct from Vicksburg, that
the object OF the batteries is to obtain posses
ion Of the steamer Silver Wave, from Pitts
burgh, upon which it was said that United
States ordnance was to be transported to the
South. 1t was very probably the purpose OF
MIR. Floyd, in ordering the shipment of the
guns from Pittsburgh, to permit them thus to
fall into the hands of the Missssippians.
JOHN B. FLOYD INDIoTED-SrARTLrNe DIsCLo-
sUREs.-On Friday last, Jan. 25th, the Grand
Jury of the District of Columbia presented e1-
Secretary J. B. Floyd for malfeasanee in Office,
and conspiracy to defraud the Government.
Thompson, late Secretary of the Interior,
Drinkard, chief clerk of the War Department,
and other high Government officials, were ex-
amined before the jury, and upon their testi-
mony, aud facts derived from the House Com
mittee in regard to the stolen bonds, that pre-
sentiment was made. Startling disclosures of
the most villainous fiauds are spoken of, and
the fact is very evident that the Secession
movement was nothing but an attempt to scut-
tie the ship after robbng it.
KANSAS ADMISSION BILL.-The bill to ad-
init Kansas passed the U. s. Senate on the
2lSt inst. bv a vote of &c, yeas to 16 nayS but