The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-01-24
News and Other Items.

States Sergeant at Sackett's Harbor har.
racks, who has been instructing military
company at Utica, seduced the daughter of
Methodist clergyman of that city under
promise OF marriage, obtained $3.50 from
widow lady under false pretenses, and then
departed for regions unknown. The young
lady attempted to commit suicide by taxi
ing poison, but was unsuccessful. No
names are given except that of the deceiver.
Major Cameron, Paymaster in the
United States army, and son of Sc cretary
Cameron, has arrived at Washington, from
Toronto, Canada, where he has been on q
visit to his wife for several weeks. During
his stay he was entertained by the British
officers of the Thirteenth Regiment, and
also serenaded. BE represents the feeling
in Upper Canada as averse to war with the
United States. Out of regiment contain.
ing 800, only twelve signi6ed their willing
ness to fight against US.
"A letter in the Memphis appeal, dated
Camp Beauregard," near Feliciana, Ken
lucky, has the following:
On Friday all the troops at this station were
assembled together, and formed into square,
for the purpose of witnessing the punishment
of three men belonging to the First Missouri
regiment, convicted of desertion. 1t Is not
necessary to give their names. or the facts
drawn out by the court martial concerni ing
their crime. They were branded on the left
hip with the letter D, which was done with
hot iron made in the shape of that letter then
their heads were closely shaved, and finally,
they were each hit fifty lashes upon the bare
back, in the presence of all their comrades, and
drummed out of the service to the tune of the
Rogue's March," Volunteers who often
speak of quitting the service upon the slight
est provocation, without the proper discharg-
es, and who seem to regard the act lightly,
should take warning from the fate OF these
poor unfortunate fellows.
-" Rutledge" and the Sutherlands," it
has transpired, are from the pen OF Miss
Miriam Cowles, cousin, by his marriage,
of Church, the artist. "Louis' Last Term
at st. Mary's" was by the same author-a
first efort-and, though for some reason
unaccredited, the most purely natural, the
most resls:less in pathos, the truest and
loftiest in religious fervor, of the three.
The writer shows her versatility in the en-
dissimilarity of these works. Her first eff
'ort stands quite apart from the others, while
'Rutledge" and the "Sutherlands" discover
ed the faintest if any traces OF kiDship.
The Government censorship over dis.
patches forwarded by telegraph still con-
tinues in force. 1t has been extended to
cover all political matters that would reflect
in the least on the Administration or any
one in government service, be it on the
negro question or any other political issue
bearing on the war. Reports correcting
public rumor, and favoring the government,
are suppressed by the same mysterious judg.
ment. The following is one of the dispatch-
es for the New York Tribune, that was not
allowed to 60 over the wires, but appears
in that paper of Friday last:
On Monday night council was held at the
Capitol between all the members of the Cabi.
net and the War Investigating Committee.
The session lasted three hours. The propriety
of silence as to the debate, and the conclusion
it was brought to, are obvious. 1t may not be
improper, however, to state that the Cabinet
officer whose life has been spent in courts of
law, led a demand for immediate battle, and
that the counsel for delay came from the here
fore belligerent member of the administration.
Southern papers say that nobody will
come forward to take the Office of Collector
OF the War tax in the Norfolk District, and
FL. 7. Garrett, Chief Collector of the Con-
federate war tax in Virginia, in formal
advertisement threatens to appoint some one
from outside to perform that duty, which
in his proclamation he admits to be odious
to the people there.
Since the arrival of the Vanderbilt at
New York with her cargo of ungnned cot
ton, there has been a perfect rush among
the dealers in that staple to get job of
giDning-and so great has been the compe-
tition that one individual has actually un-
dertaken to do portion of the labor (prob-
ably with an eye to future contracts,) for
nothing. A number of ginning mills are
now In progress of construction, in expecta.
ton of having plenty of the "material" to
operate on. The cotton will be sold at
public auction, on Friday, at Nos. IS and
67 Watts street.
During the last eight months the
American Bible Society has issued $4,000
Bibles and Testaments, being 32l, 900
more than the issues of the like period in
the previous year. The average is about
1000 volumes each working day, or seven
volumes per minute. This increase is ow.
ing to the great demand for the Scriptures
for the use of volunteers--ov half mil.
lion having gone for this object since the
commencement of the war. Their receipts
SO far are ovar $50 900 behind those of last
year.
The first sale of Port Royal cotton
confscated aud gathered by our troops, was
made at New York city, the other day,