Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-12-16

latter Immediately called Madison, and
on his recounting the affair as we have
stated it, King demanded pay for it,
valuing It at $500. Mr.. Lewis, thinking
there might be some collision between
Madison and the mulatto, to whom he had
given the valise, went to Squire Foley
and had him arrested, search being made
meanwhile for the muIatto boy, who, of
course, was not found. Yesterday morn
ing the case came up before Squire Foley,
and Madison reiterated his statements,
which were corrObOrated in every respect,
with he exception that Mr.. Mares bar
keeper swore that he finally offered to
take the yalise latter first refusing TO do
SOY. With the evidence before him,
Squire Foley thought it his duty to send
Madison to the Criminal Court under $1,000
bail. From knowledge of the boy, and
from h straightforward mannerin which
he tells his story, we cannot help think
ing, however, that some lob" has been
put up" on him-perhaps by some
steamboat or hotel waiter, who CHANGED
10 oyerhear his conversation with the bar
keeper. If the case is thoroughly sifted,
we are confident of his innocence.
The NOW made us think of Christmas
yesterday-in spite of the plentiful lack
Of Christmas advertising with which the
Mempis press is just now blessed. 1t is
the strangest thing in the world to us to
see how utterly unmindful our merchants
and shopkeepers are of the mighty lever
Ofsuccess which is welded so powerfully
by their brethren OF other cities. For
weeks past, glancing through our ex-
changes, North, East and West, we have
found them filed with advertisements of
their holiday wares; yet here in Memphis
the holidays have scarcely been spoken of.
Indeed, were it not for the traditional
weather, and the fact that we look forward
TO a holiday on that occasion, we could
hardly believe that we were withina week
of Christmas. Why is II this? Are our peO-
pie less mindful of that great Feast OF the
Christian year, the season of mirth and
and good feeling, of renewal of Old friend
ships and cementing Of new ones, OF for
giveness of enemies, and giving tokens of
frieudship-the Christmas holidays-than
their Northern ~neighbOrs, to whom 1t has
only of late years become the season of
gladness. Once-and not very long ago
Christmas was the Southern holiday in
contradistinction to the Northern thanks
Qiving-a day which the Puritans inc
their descendants by especial legislation
put in the place of the anniversary of the
Nativity of Our Lord. How is it now?
Where are they ~gone-those good old
Christmas days? Swept away by the
spirit OF innovation, OF greed Of gain, and
infdelity, which came over US during the
war and since it'll Will that spirit possess
us forever? Are all the time-hOnored Gus
toms of our fathers dead, never 10 be res
urrected? We hope not. We hope that,
since during this year Of 1869. which VIII
soon be gathered to its predecessors and
numbered with the past, we OF Tennessee,
and of Memphis especially, as Il people,
have been relieved to a great extent of the
CALLING chains which a year ago were
thrown around our limbs, and whose
clank was forever ringing in our ears, and
since have been otherwise blessed with
health and prosperity, our people will
shake off the lethargy, return to the good
old customs, and make Christmas what it
merriment, good-fellowship and thanks
giving.