The Shasta courier., 1867-10-19
An Interesting "Reminiscences of John
Brown.

DFOHns
A correspondent of the New York Com
mercial Advertiser, writing from the Cats
kill Mountain House, gives the following
reminiscence of old John Brown:
. During the visit on Monday, Rev. New
man Hall was more inquisitiye in regard to
John Brown than concerning any body in this
country. He holds to the notion that John
Brown had more to do than any other man
with Bringing the irrepressble conflict to a
decisive crisis. He seemed t. think it stran nge
that he was executed-strange that he was
not rescued before execution. There hap
pened to be at the Mountain House gentle
man who had known John Brown many
years ago, and who told this anecdOte {:
When | was young man, the gentleman
in substance, said, | was brought into GER
tain business relations with John Brown
The first meeting with him | shall never
forget. We came together at dinner at the
same farm house. | had been taking les
sons in scientific boxing, and prided myself
on my skill in the noble art Of puglllsm.'
John Brown came tn the table, a plain,
rough man, quiet of speech, wi hout a coat,
and with shirt sleeves rolled up, showing Il
brawny arm. 1t occurred to me that here
was an excellent opportunity for me to show
my superiority of science over brute force,
or, perhaps | ought to say, of art over mus
| Gle, and | began to try to pick a quarrel with
the fellow. | alluded to the vulgarity Of
coming to table in ones shirt sleeves. |
made some sharp hits at some awkwardness /;
but, failing to provoke my quiet victim into
any excitement, | finally challenged him for
an outright fight, with our fists. Promptly he
accepted my challenge, and added, Young
man, there is no better time for anything
than now, let us go into the back yard and
have it out
So We went and had just posted myself
in the best pugilistic attitude for either de-
fense or uifense, and was thinking, What
an admirable attitude have, and it won't be
long before get in blow which will settle
this man. when something struck me be-
tween the eyes, which | had Just the merest
point of time to think was the blunt end of an
iron pump. handle. The next | was conscious
Of was an effort to open my eyes, and found
myself supported on the arm of brown
faced man, with sleeves rolled up, who said,
My friend, the best thing to be done for this
is to lay piece of raw beef on it "
GIVING AN ARTIST A STARTLING LESSON
Photographs Of the Sultan are now plentiful
as blackberries, in Paris, and this apparent
ly trivial fact is suggestive of somewhat
strange reflections. The Sultan's carte de
UtSte could not have been put into circula-
tion without visit, in the first instance,
to the studio of photograper. He must
have been - focused to begin with All
our preconceived notions of the Arabian
Nights, Al COran, and the Sublime Porte,
are scattered to the winds by the idea of the
Disderi or the Claudet of the period leveling
his lens at the Grand Turk, placing his inn
perial limbs in constrained attitude, bid,
ding him repose his august head III an iron
,ocket attached to an upright, sarranging the
folds Of his pantaloons and the skirts of his
surtout, and enjoining him to assume an en-
gaging smile and fix his eyes upon polyan-
thus pinned to a curtain as a point de mire
. Now, quite steady, if You please The
operator takes ont his watch and coolly counts
off the seconds on the dial and the Successor
of SO many Deeapitators has his own head
taken off before he can say 1" Bismillah. -
1t was not thus the old Soldans understood
the art of taxing off heads. Is there not a
story of one Of the Amuraths, who maintain
ed an Ita'ian painter in his service? He
allowed the artist to paint, in his leisure
moments, for private patrons; and he visit
ed his studio one day when the Giaour was
ST. John the Baptist, for some Catholic
church at Constantinople. " Muscles of the
neck all wrong" murmered the Caliph
lie bade the Bostandji Bashi, a slave, and
the executioner, who, in acknowledgement of
his services, was always retained on the
establishment, approach. Kneel," said
the Sutton to the slave The slave knelt.-
1" Strike - continued His Highness to the
headsman A scimitar flashed land n head
rolled on the carpet of the studio. I" Hold
the dogs head up" pursued the ilustrious
amateur; and as the Bostandji- i-Bashi held
up by the ears the CORY sphere. There, ;"
concluded the Sultan Almurath, !" that's the
way in which the muscles of the neck would
appear" The painter speedily requested
permission to return to his own country, but
be died-we believe of bronchitis before his
passport could De made out Court Journal
A -bo tho -