The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1869-01-20
THE GATE e


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Don Plaa tells, Tor the int tune in print,
a good story about President J ckson ana the
removal Of his wooden bust from Ms place a
figure. head f,r the old ship Constitution. The
story was communicated to ID. p. by Mr..
/ nickenson. the first A. Us. Secretary Of the
Navy, who SAYS: -.
I remembef the towering rage he exhibited
when the news reached US that the 6gure-
i head carved in likeness Of the President,
| had been sawed off by some misereant in the
night He directed me to offer . large re-
ward, and swore he wonld hang the scoundrel
sooner or later
81 offered the reward, and one night, some
months after, a man sent into my rooms
word that he wished to see me. | ordered
him in, and rough fellow made his appear
ance with q sack thrown over his shoulder.
Without saying word, he snug the sack
round and empted huge wooden head on
the floor
"There it is, sir. Now bring out your
bears said the man It WAS frotesque
looking thing, sawed off directly under the
nose.
"'There it is, | say he went on, 4 had
nothiH' agsin old Hickory, bat thst head
hadn't any business on the old Constitution.
I'd saw it of again. Now do your damdest
II ordered. the fellow under arrest, and
taking my carriage, drove to tha White
House, with the mutifated head in the sack
Giving it to servant, appeared before the
President, and without saying word, sat the
head on its nose, before him, on the table
He started at it, and then at me, and when
explained, he burst into e, of uncomfortable
laughter.
's'Why, that he cried at length--swhy,
that is the most internal craven image lever
saw. The fellow did perfectly right. You've
got him, you say; we'll give him kick and
my compliments and tell him to saw il off
again
The FrtEhsfui Punishmeat Of silesce.
London ffi&htfnl account of the silent syG-
tenn, which is in Separation at the Holloway
Model Prison in London:
II is an offense for prisonert TO speak one
word, and he 10 never addressed except ia
whispers, so that he may be ip the prison for
two yeaIs Without hearing tl1e nataral sound |
Of . hamau voice. The effect Of this 10 go |
terrible on the mind that prisoners viii |
speak out in desperation, at the risk Of any |
rather than endure the horrible |
silence
The prisoners never see che another, but |
remain ia perpetual solitude. One poor
wretch, driven to desperation by nine months |
solitude and silenca, recklessly broke ont, in
Mr.. Greenwood presence, in these words
" For God g sake, Governor, put me in an
other CELL Put me somewhere else /
lave counted the bricks in the cell am in
i'll my eyes achep
The request of the tortured wretch was
'efusedis ass
There is fine hole in each cell, and asthe
saders wear shoes of India rubber, the
prisoner can never be sure he is alone.
Those condemned to etreadmill havet to
lseend twelve hundred steps every alternate
wenty minutes for six hours. And this in
'lace so h0a and close that prisoners often
ose in perspiration thrse stone in as many
months. Every day the prisoners are taken
D chapel so arranged that they can see no
ne save the chaplain, and him only through
n iron grating. And this is the rule Of deyo-
ion bsefved. aWafders are constantly On
he watch. lest for single instant they,
trough the whole Of the service. depart
rom the rigid rule Of eyes right. They
lust look steadtastly at the preacher; must
aise and lower their prayer book with the
blows squared, and all at once, like soldiers '
drill. They may not scrape their feet :
ithout having afterward to explain the
Movement. They may scarcely wink an eye. 1,
: sigh withupt danger of rebuke or punish
ent. God help them poor wretches