The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-11-01
Letter rrom Orph.us c. Kerr.

going on here, despite the excitement ii
the time, deep sense Of satisfaction steals
over me, and the American eagle of patri.
otic pride flaps his breezy pinions on the
oak tree of my heart. Though have
| "s~s teNghiNg myself almost sick nt the
I fGfdfcr0nS manner in which my friend the
Confederacy, has walked rig ght straight
into the cunning trap prepared for his de.
struc;ion by our noble and profound Gen
erals, actually fastening his own unnihi-
lation by rushing blindly through our
lines, and capturing the twenty or thirty
artful villages, towns and garriSonS lett
there ior the express purpose OF tempting
him to this drraEa C..:tt. I,ave
just been splitting my sides over tI.i> ronr.
ing case Of ridiculoUN sUicide, Inv Rtpy, the
city Of Washington still maintains its
calnneSS. Ever conscious that cOuuner
we must, for our cause it is just, this rity
remains as placid as S0IniDrr dream
YEARLY ali the liquor shops doing a good
business through the day, and the even.
ing finding majority Of our army officers
at their posts.
Lamp posts, my boy.
There is something touchingly grand
in the calmness of Washington under such
circumstances. and it reminds me Of
pleasing little incident in the Sixth Ward.
There was a female millinery establish
nent on the third floor of "A building com.
posed principally Of stairs, fed with fire.
quent small rooms. and the expatriated
| French COmteSSe, who realized GShiOna.
! ble bonnetS there, used one of her win.
dowS to display her wares. At this win
dow, my boy, she always kept young
woman Of much bloom and symmetry,
with the Latest STYLE on her head, and
/ an expression Of unuttrrable smile on her
face. A young chap carrying trumpet
in the Fire DepaI tnent happened to no.
tice that this angel Of iaSh"n was always
at the window when he went by; and as
the thought that she particularly admired
has personal charnIS crept over hin, he
adopted the plan Of passing by every d.v,
attlred in the garments best calculated tn
render fire going mnnhond most beautiful
to the eye. lie dOnned vest rrlrcSrnt.
ing IN detail the SvdcHEIam flower show
on yellow ground wore inexpreSSbleS
REPRESENTING innumeraLle black serpents
ascending white columns, assumed neck
tie concentrating all the highest glories of
the Aurora Boreals, mounted two breast.
pins and three studs torn from some glass
| house, and wore a hat that slanted on his
head in an engaging and Intelligent man.
ntr. Day after day he passed before the
millinery establishment, my boy, still be.
holding the beloved object at the window,
and occasionally placing his hand upon
ms heart, in such way as to show u
large ana gorgeous seal ring, containing
the hair of fellow fireman who had caught
such n cold at n fire that he died some
years after "Ilow cam she is" SAYS he
to himself, "and she's as pretty MS Nine.
tvs new hose carriage" "It seems To
me" says the young chap tn himself,
stopping down to roll up the other leg Of
his pants" IL seems to me new r see
anything so cam. She observes INV daily
agong and yet she don't rs much as s,r,d
somebody down to see if there any over
coats in the front entry"
One day, my boy. venerable IiSh
gentleman, Keeping boarding house aud
| lce-c' cam saloon III the has, meut of the
establishment, happened to go to S'e.p on
the stairs with lighted camphcne lamp
in his hand, and pretty soon the bcl>
were ringing for conhagrati,n N in that
district. Immediately our gallant lircmcn
were on their way to the spot aud hav-
iIg gone through forty streets ON the
other side of the city to wake the people
up there and appriSe them Of their great
danger, reached the dreadful scene. and
instantly began To cXtingui>h the flames
by bringing all the furniture ont of n
house not more than three blocks below.
In the midst Of these Self-Sacriticino ef
iorts, form was seen to dart into the
burning building like spccter. 1t was
the cnamorcd young chap who carried the
trumpet in the department. lie had seen
the beloved object sitting at the window.
as usual, and was bent upon saving her,
even though he missed the exciting fight
around the corner. R, aching the mili.
merry room door, he could see the object
there standing in the midst OF SEA of fire
"llow cami>he is, " says he. Miss Milf
ner. says he, don't you see yon are NIL
IN blaze" But still she stood n; the
WINDOW IN all her calmneSS. The dcv0
ted young chap turned to fellow fireman
who was just then selecting two Spring
bonnctS aud some ribbon for his wife in
order to save them GOm the flames. and
says he: "Jakey, what shall de-? z" But
Jakey was at that time picking out some
artificial flowers for his youngest dangh
ter, my boy, and made no answer. Una
ble to reach the devoted maid, and rem.
dered desperate by the thnnght that she
must be asleep in the midst of her dan
ger, the frar tic young chap mallv hurlrd
his trumpet at her. 1t struck her ard
actually knocked her head off lIorrificd
at wnat he had done, the excited chap
called himself miserable wretch, and was
led out by the collar. 1t was .Takey who
did this deed of Kindness, and saws he ::
"N hats the matter with vuu. mvcnvcy ;"
Inc poor Young chap wrung his hands,
saws he "i've killed her. Jakcv; I've
Killed her-and she so cam Jakrv tonk
some tobacco, and then says he: "Whv,
That was only pa>te.boarl al, Won pnnr
devil" And so it was. my boy, 81 it was :;
but the affair had such an effect upon tie
young chnp that he at once took to drink
ing, and when drii'ium trcmrnS n,nrke..
Elm Tor It's own, his last words were -
I've killed her. Jakey I've killed her
aud she so cam"
Washington, my hoy, is "cam" in the
midst of confagration. That is to say,
the Government is cam" they say; mud
it may be doubted whether It would he
otherwise, even with its head knocked of.
The other day paid another visit to
the Mackcrel camp across the river, and
was present at a meeting Of officers called
to debate upon the propriety of present.
ing sword to the beloved General for his
heroiSm in the late great battle. Captain
Samyule Sa-mith was in favor Of the pre-
sentation, and says he: "Onr inimitable
lender, which is the admiration Of every.
body, richly deserves the blade in oues.
t'on. In the thickeSt of that drnd, frny,
his coat tails were torn e"tirely off by n
parrot shell"