The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1869-12-02
WHOLE NO. 1l76.

was aHea0y uark, ne was unable 10 0le-
tinguish any object not Immediately be-
fore him, and as he was but imperfectly
acquaini ed with the English tongue, he
was also unable to understand what the
voice was saying. He was, however
strongly under the impression that the
voice Was that of person addressing q
large audience in animated tones, that
he fully believed himself to be in the
immediate vicinity Of 3 camp-meeting,
or other similar asSemblage,' and was
somewhat surprised to- perceive no
lights along that part of the bank from
which the voice apparently proceeded.
Whilst he was yet listening to it, the
voice suddenly ceased, and was sue
ceeded by the sound of load splash, 40
of some heavy body falling into the
water. On fastening to the spot from
which be supposed these sounds to have
arisen, he was still more surprised to
find it deserted. On examining the
ground, however, as well as he could
by the light of few matches which be
happened to have with him, he discoy-
cred two pieces of property, a hat and
a book, but nothing which. indicated the
owner of them, and no trace of any
struggle which could lead him to sup
pose that their unknown owner had
beer deprived of them by violence. Az
ter shouting in every direction, with
out obtaining any answer, this gentle
man then took possession Of the hat
and book, and, on returning to Charles
ton, deposited them, with the foregoing
explanation of the manner in which be
had discovered them, at the F. Street
police-station. From the examination
of these objects by the police, it ap-
pears that both the book and the hat
are inscribed with the name John X.
Ackland' The book, as we are inform
ed, is the second volume of a small
pocket edition of the Nouvelle Heloise,
and the page is turned down and mark
ed at the following passage: 'Chercher
son bien, ct fur son NAL, en- Sc qui
n'offense point autrui, e'est lie droit de
la nature. Qand notre vie est un NAL
pour nous, ct nest un bien pour per-
sonDee, il est done permis de sen de-
livrer. Sill va dams lie monde une max
ime evidente ct certaine, je pense que
c'est celle-la; ct ri pon venait bout de
la renverser, il ny point d'aetion hu,
maine don't Ton ne put faire un Crime.'
On the margin opposite this passage
something is written, bat in characters
which are quite illegible. Inspector
jerks, of the Fifth Ward Police Diyf.
sion, has lost no time in investigating
this mysterious occurrence. We un-
derstand that the river has been drag
ged, but without the discovery of q
human body. 1t is to be observed that
if body, falling nto the river at the
spot indicated by the gentleman by
whom the aforementioned property
was deposited at the f. Street station,
had foated within an hour after its inn
mersion, it is quite within po sSibility
that it might have been carried out to
sea before the following morning, that
is TO say, supposing it to have fallen in
to the riverat that point, where the
current is ext remedy strong, not latef
than l0.30P. NJ 1t is, however, ex-
tremely improbable that human body
could have been Roated out to sea in
this manner without being observed.
1t is equally improbable that any one
could have perished within the neigh
borhood of Charleston, ,sswhether by &C.
cident or violence, on the night of the
18th without the disappearance of that
person having excited attention in some
quarter mp to the present moment.
Our own impression is that the whole
affair has been an ingenious hoax. This
impression is, at least borne out by the
fact that the name of Ackland (Which
certainly is not q Charleston narnel is
not known at, nor does it. appear on
the books Of,Hany hotel in this city;
that the advertisements Of the police
have up to the present moment, elicit
ed no claimant for the hat and book
now on view in F. street, and that,
from the inquiries hitherto made, il ap.
pears that no person in or about Charles
ton has been missing since the night of
the 10th instant With view, howey-
er, to the possibility of this mysterious
Mr. J. K. Ackland ever having existed,
except in the Imagination of some mis-
chievous wag, Union journals are re-
quested to copy, in order that the
friends and relations Of the missing
gentleman Gf there be any) may Be
made acquainted with the foregoing
information"
"Welli" said Tom Ackland, when
Cartwright had finished his perusal Of
this statement.
"Well," answered Cartwright, II
also incline to think it hoax"
81 wish could think SO too" said
Mr. Tom; ''but I have many sad reas-
sons to think more seriously oft" ~
"When do you go on to Charles
ton 2" asked Mr.. Cartwright. j s-iaf
"Beiore daybreak tomorrow. "'I.el
"Ever been there before7n FIN
"Never." .i.1
"Then you must let me come with
you. | know sOmsth ing of that city,
have friends there, and may be of use"
Really, my dear sir, l could not
possibly think of allowing you to sac
rifice--"