The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-02-13

Nevada Republican. Now in session.
Oregon Republican. Sept. 10, 1sCo.
Tennessee. Republic n. April =, 1863.
Vermont. Republican. Oct ~, 1868
Wisconsin. Republican. Now in session.
REcAiIiu ATloS.
Total number OF States 80
Necessary 10 raiify amendment phrcc- iourLs q
States which have rat lied. 10
hejected.
We had the severost storm in the city and vicin W
yesterday with which have been visited this winter
The commenced falling carly in the morning. with
the mercury twelve degrees above Zero and continued
till the middle OF the afternoon. 1t accompanied
by strong wind, which blew 1t in binding clouds
through the air, leaving drifts places and the
bare pavemens in others. Walking in the streets was
rendered very uncomfortable and the olur ngrcga-
tions consequently unusually small Much difficulty
experienced by the ely railroad in making their
trips, and they found II necessary TO have double
teams and bring into their lcTys. Daring tho
day the mercury went to eighteen degrees above Zero
but in the evening went down to ten. The ght was
coudioss and moonlight but tho air intensely sharp
and biting. The storm extended to other por-
tions o. the country We have accounts OF its preva
ence far south Baltimore and far cast Boston
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher delivered sermon at Ply
mouth church, Brooklyn last night the subject Of
the enrranchiscment Of the negroes by the present
war, in which he urged that grave responsibilities
| for their education dcvolvcd upon tho whitc
people OF the country and claimed that when they
found to BIO sufficiently inellg mt they should BIO
corded all the rights of American ciizens During his
discourse Mr. Bcocher read report OF interview
which recentytook place between crc,ay Stanton and
General Sherman the coorod preachers OF Savannah
A horrible affair occurred about O'Clock on last
Saturday evening in basement occ pied by a man
named Roger Lamb and his wife, in Fishers alley,
Of "a Oak street Lamb, becoming cnraged at his wife
and another woman in the room, rnmed Mary Riley,
seized stick Of wood, and alleged, dealt blow
the head OF each Immediately AFTER 1t is charged he
stabbed his wife In the side of the neck with small
knife, from tho effects Of which she soon ded. Lamb
escaped the time but arrested fcw hours after
wards and committed the Tombs for trial. IL is said
he has confessed the murder but declines to give his
| reasons for committing tho deed.
Ann Sickles and Ann Brawlcy yesterday locked
up to the complaint Of Thomas II. Taylor, OF
Wisconsin, re 10 California, who charges that while
spending Saturday night with thcm in thcr place Of ro
sdcnce in Mercer street. ho robbed of nearly
hundred dollars in gold.
Coroners nquests yesterday held tho bodies
of Charles Rtbcrg thirteen years Of age whose death
resulted from falling into the coal hole In front OF No 50
Walker street. and Duncan McClarin aged twelve years.
who died injuries received by falling through nth
floor hatchway at ia Cliff street.
On last Saturday night ut grocery store In Green
point nry Jurgcn shot in the head and beaten by
could not recover. The OF the shooting
alleged improper intimacy Jurgen with the wife Of HILL
The News from South Cnrolina-Sher-
mans Advancc-The Weakness OF the
Enemy.
The Richmond papers tell us that portion
| of General Shcrman's troops, probably Kill
patrick's cavalry, have occupied two or three
points along the railroads connecting Charles
ton, Richmond and Augusta, and there were
reports thai Branchvile, South Carolina, was
in our possession; and their silence as TO any
battle at that point is a sufficiently clear int-
nation that he met with no resistance. Indeed,
such was the condition of the rebels, that
Wheeler states he was compelled to burn the
bridge at Holmes or Edisto Post Office, thus
severing the railroad communication between
| Augusta and Richmond, as well as between
| Augusta and Charleston. But Branchville
is the most important point to the enemy
! in the whole State of South Carolina.
It's possession by Sherman controls the rail-
! road communication between Virginia and
Augusta, and entirely separates Georgia and
the Gulf States from the rebel capital, though
the Richmond papers intimate that there are
means of communication which 1t would be un-
wise TO mention. This is believed TO be mere
rebel bravado, since If the means actually
| existed Il would be much wiser to keep it's
existence a secret. The truth is that not
pound Of subsistence, nor muskct, cannon
or q cartridge can, from this period, pass
either one way or the other between Richmond
and Augusta, the grand rebel arsenal; nor yet
between Richmond and the broken down army
lately under Hood. II there is still communi-
cation of instruction IL must be by roundabout
ways. Shermans presence at Branchville will
also necessitate the evacuation Of Charleston
inasmuch as force at Branchville can isolate
one at Charleston, and compel 1t either TO
stand siege or surrender As the force a
Charleston was too small to fight, and too large
to lose, we may, no doubt give full credit tc
the report that IL has already abandoned the
birthplace Of the rebellion to the invinciblt
Yankees
Such is the importance Of Branchville, then
that it is not to be supposed that the enemy
r would have permitted 1t TO fall into our hand
without an effort to save it, II he could by any
Q possibility have made such an effort. Here
' then, we see all the recent assertions as to th
/ strength the rebellion had left in the far Soutl
. tested in very plain way by very hard fact
Southern journals, North and South, have toll
n. what a formidable force would be found 1
. Shcrman's way, organized under Beauregar