The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1868-05-14
LETTER FROM ALTOONA.
ALTOONA. May II, 1868.


FRIEND MAC-Last night about ten
O'Clock our citizens were again startled by
the terrifying cry Of 'Fire !" Its where
abouts were soon ascertained, for the very
heavens appeared TO be lighted up with
the reflection The stable of James
Lowther, ESQ in the Fifth Ward, was
first discovered to be on fire. and the hay
loft being we'll stored with straw, the
flames were as a consequence more terri
fic and harder to subdue. Al one time
il was feared there would be a general
confaeration, bot luckily the wind was
calm. and the fire was finally overcome !;
not, however, until it had destroyed the
building and its contents and communica-
ted 10 the stable of Mr.. John Negley, ad-
Joining, which, with a large lot of hay
contained in it, was also in great mea-
sure consumed. In Nir. Lowther's stable
there were four horses domIcllled, but by
the almost qnperhuman exertions of a
number of our citizens three of them were
rescued without injury-the fourth one
perishing in the flames There is no rea-
son TO donbt that these confagratiOns
were the work of incendiaries.
Dnring the FIRE some nimble-fingered
thief of the female PERSUASION busted her
self in replenishing her scanty wardrobe
at the expense of Mrs. Samuel Woodkok,
the family being absent at the time. She
found several valuable silk dresses and
some twenty or thirty dollars in green
backs, which she appropriated to her own
behalf end behoof. No doubt she has
been reading the life of the Massachusetts
saint-the bag~jawed, cock-eyed spoon
thief, Buter-and profiing by tie shin
ing examples Of that ''loil'' worthy.
The Catholic Fair is still in progress,
and our Baptist friends design opening
one at Shannous Hall this evening with
view to raising ''spondulics'' for their
new church.
'-Logan," the Altoona correspondent of
the Philadelphia Mercury. is an entertain
inc. graceful and ready writer, and his
descriptions of scenes and occurrences
here are for the most part graphic and
truthful, but l am apprehensive that he
some times depends more on his own viv-
ii Imagination than on actual occurrences.
For instance, in his last communication
he saws that the City Council came near
impeaching our worthy Mayor. Now
this in certn inly a mistake, and it doe,
not look well On paper for Democratic
correspondent of Democratic jonrnal2to
accuse Democratic Council with even
approximaiing to an thing savoring of the
impeachment of Democratic Mayor. Al
least these are the views, Mr. stLogan, -
Of your humble friend ''T l. NJ
Want of space seems to have compelled
you to curta;l my last letter, thereby pre-
venting me from ''saying my say" about
our new paper, the Altoona Vindicafor.
1t is truly vindicstor of the fundamental
principles of that Democracy whose histo-
ry is the history of this once glorious
country, from the adoption of its coustitu-
ton until the dark days OF Lincoln mis-
rule and diabolism. I hope those good,
sound and able editors, Campbell and
EasIy, will .sal!vafe the black and tan
factionist-'until. politically speaking, their
teeth shall fall from their sockets, then
ears from their heads, ard their tongues
from their mouths, and that they will
blister their spinal co!nmns from the base
of the craninm clear dow2 to where the
caudai appeadages ought TO grow, and then
polish the denUded surfaces with a red
hot brick. Yours &c. 7. l. NJ.