The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-06-18

butes TO the Cincinnati Gazette the following in
teresting "reminiscences of Professor o. NJ
Mitchell
PUTTING DOWN MOB.
The date of an incident connected with Pro-
fessor Mitchell cannot state for want of a news
paper file, but suppose it to have been In the
winter of 1928, when the city of Cincinnati
was almost bankrupted by the hard times. AS q
specimen of the season, recolect the fact that
two members of q wholesale firm on Pearl street
travelled over Indiana and Illinois several
weeks in the endeavor to cole ct some
portion of notes, amounting to one hundred
and fifty thousand dollars. In six weeks the
two men collected only nine hundred dollars
This was In the spring of 1843. About that time
as l supposed, occurred the great bank mob of
Cincinnati. 1t was a fearful sight to see mad
dened men, women, and even children, engaged
in the work of destruction. Several banks that
had been run on and failed were gutted. The
German people were said TO be great losers by
these failures and were furious in their work.
As now remember, several banks ON Main, be-
tween Third and Fourth, were thus broken open
and robbed. The Franklin and Lafayette Banks
expected to be attacked and were said to be
thoroughly prepared to resist. The whole scene
was most disgraceful to financiers that there
should be any occasion for the mob, and to the
authorities of the city, that it should be possible
for few hundred men, in open daylight, to do
what was there done that day.
1t was while the mob was engaged in the
work of destruction that my attention was
directed TO n noise up the street, and which was
suddenly explained by the appearance of n COM
pany of soldiers under the lead of Professor
Mitchell. With fixed bayonets and at a rapid
pace the soldiers cleared track through the
mob which at first scattered, and then closed
up as quickly as ever. Mitchell wheeled his
company and walked back again. My impress
sion is that this time he ordered his men to fire,
which they did with blank cartridges. BY this
time the mob, finding the place and business too
warm, fed. The professor that day looked as
brave as a lion, but, as l thought, little
pompous. Certainly he did his work as
thoroughly and rapidly as he afterwards did in
his celebrated raid into the very heart of re-
bellion.
MITCHEL's OBSERVATORY.
When Professor Mitchell developed his plan of
building an observatory and buying telescope
the expenses were to be met by securing sub
scriptions of stock at twenty-five dollars SHARE
and the wonderful man actually taught his full
time each day and. then personally solicited sub
scriptions from the citizens. This was in the
spring, and before the close of the summer term
in June he had secured three hundred shares,
and at once the society was organized, and he
sent to Europe to purchase the instrument,
Some time during the fall it was my good for
tune to hear the Professor in the same hall
relate to great audience the story of his adj
ventures during that journey 1t was egotstic
of necessity for he was relating what he had
himself done and experienced and he did it most
eloquently. He was away from Cincinnati four
months, and in Europe hundred days. In June
he examined his classes, and in September he
resumed the instruction of them the first day.
In that short period he had visited England,
France, and Germany and then returned to Eng
land where he spent at least two weeks in the
observatory ut Greenwich.
Having satisfied himself by conf erence with
Professor Airy of Greenwich Observatory that
there was no such object glass as he needed to
be had in England, he passed over to Paris, and
soon came to the same result there. He then
started for Germany, entirely ignoring all sight
seeng if it took him an inch out of the straight
line he was following. His course excited the
| wonder OF some, and the anger of others. Here
| at Munich, he found what he was after, and,
| having closed the bargain, started back post
| haste, for England. Again he called on Pro-
fessor Airy at the Observatory to report pro-
| gress and consult him as to the best methods of
mounting the telescope. The Englishman
| was evidently disgusted at the rapid motions of
| his American brother who had ''done up"
Paris and Munich, France and Germany, with
such unbecoming haste. To get clear of the
| superficial fellow, as he regarded Mitchell he
| very grutfiy told him if he would go down TO
| Cambridge Observatory he would there see
| telescope mounted by himself and embodying
| every improvement he could mention.
The suggestion of the Englishman was very
unpleasant to the American, and at first he re-
solved not to follow it, but this was to risk his
only and greatly coveted chance of a few weeks
in the Greenwich Observatory. With character
istic promptness, as he left Professor Airy, he
called for cab and drove rapidly to the railway
station, reaching there just in time for the train
to Cambridge. At this place he sprang into
can ana drove 10 the observatory, Dut lound tnaC
its director already locked in it for the night
Professor Mitchell at once sought an interview
with the Professors wife, and SO well pleaded
his case that she herself succeeded in getting
| her husband to allow the stranger to spend
| the night with him in the Observatory. Here
| the mountings of the telescope were explained
and studied minutely, and multitude of obser-
! vations made and recorded. Professor Mitchell
| showed his audience the notes of that nights
work at Cambridge. At daylight he was in the
| train for London, and about the time Professor
| Airy was leaving his breakfast table Mitchell was
ringing at his door. The Englishman' 8 first
salute was $50 you concluded not to take my
advice about going to CambridgeT "Oh, no,
| it, and been down there already !" you do
| not mean to impose that story on me- do you z"
asked the incredulous Airy. 81 tell you the
| simple fact" was the reply, "and If you VIII
| allow me, will convince you that have done
| just what you advised"