Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-04-07
Letter from Chicago.
CHICAGO, ILL.,, March 30th, 1874

Editor Rutland Herald The Indian
outrage, or Piegan massacre sent chill
through the public heart of the West. Re-
publicans who have undated confidence
in Gen. Sheridan, deeply regret that such
a measure should be necessary. On the
other hand Democrats, who, on account
of past answering loyalty of these men
do not hold the names of Gems. Sherman,
or Sheridan specially sacred, sieze every
semblance of remissness as proof of i'm
becility, and every ghost of blunder as
evidence of beastliness. I am sorry to
know of any good republican papers
which rather unwarrantably denounced
the whole affair as a relic of barbarism,
even before the reception of Col. Bakers
official report. The country should hest
tate rather than hasten to attack man to
whom it owes more than statistics can hold
But, notwithstanding this, I suppose that
thousands of eager pens will tomorrow
defame the name of Grant, should the
most meagre hint of an expected blunder
plorable as it is inevitable.
The roofs of both the wings, which the
city have attached to its gloomily appear
ing court house, have lately fallen in,
creating great excitement throughout the
entire county. These roofs had just been
finished, the contractors having hardly
had time to quit the city before down
they came, the one on the heads of a few
workmen, the other without injuring any
one physically. OF course committee after
committee was appointed to investigate
and reinvestigate, to report and re-report
to summon architects, and to extract from
them profound opinions concerning
cracks &c. The conclusion is, | believe
that the roofs were sheerest shams, and
utterly insufficient in strength for the
requirements of the building. Judge
McAllister has charged the grand jury to
indict the contractors for the erection OF
public nuisance. The inner walls of
the entire building are said to be very
defective, and the popular sentiment
seems to be that the whole shell should
be RACED to the ground, and a substantial
structure erected in its place. If [ re-
member rightly the cost of the roofs alone
would spoil 100000 dollar bill. and that
of the rest of the building was proportion
ately large. Such extemporaneous tum-
bling of the roofs of building, seemingly
one of our most substantial, forms quite 6
commentary ON the architectural enter
prise of Chicago of whose quickly reared
structures Tobiah the Ammonite Nigh
say, "Lf .tos go ZIP he shall eUe'a breal
dorm their stone aooN"
One of Vermont's degenerate sons ha
lately received a street horsewhipins
from the hands of troupe of actresses
I refer to w. f. Story, editor of the Chi
cago Times, who published in his papel
some statements supposedly derogatory tt
the character of these actresses, and wh'
was promptly punished therefor, by being
confronted, challenged and whipped OIL
the streets, by agsrieved parties. o
course, the whole troupe was arrested
tried and fined, but this only gave it suol
notoriety that it drew to its performance
crowded houses, in place of the meagr
few which had been attracted before
Mr. Story is, think, a native of Middle
bury, Vt. His paper, the Times is thu
most scurrilous sheet of the West, ant
not over delicate of the reputation of any
body. There was, therefore, genera
rejoicing at this odd bit of editorial expe
rience, though no justification of the par
ties engaged in the castigation.
1t is now settled that the National Con
vention of Congregational churches, i,
commemoration of the landing of the Pill
grims, and the planting of Puritan prin
oiples on New EnglandIsoil ,swill be hell
in Chicago, two hundred and fifty year
having elapsed since that event. Tn
Triennial Convention of Congregations
churches of the Northwestiis be held a
the Same. time, April 9th, and also tn
anniversary exercises of Chicago Theo
logical Seminary, which aggregation o
conventions and anniversaries is expected
to draw a great Congregational crowd, t.
raise considerable Congregational enthu
siasm, and, principally, to extract vas
sums of money from Congregational peck
cts. All churches are to struggle to fire.
themselves from debt, all the theological
seminaries are to be placed on stroni
and liberal foundation, and ga sum no
less than $3,OOO,OOO" is to be raised TO
the purpose of erecting, in Boston, Con
gregational house, as monument OF tn
Pilgrims. The Methodists would accom-
plish all this; whether Congregationalist
, will or not remains to be demonstrated
The West watches, with intense inter
est, the action of Vermont on the question
OF Woman's Suffrage. 1t shocks one t
hear OF the low attempts, which are sal
to be made, to cast suspicion and obloqu,
. on the promoters of this movement
7 Those who seek to stop the progress of an,
measure by the use of slanderous person
alities, must be profoundly ignorant q
: the history Of reformation. cannot thin
l that this is the general spirit in which tn
contest is carried on.
, Why not submit the whole question
, the women themselves If Vernon
] could get an opinion from those who al
3 to bear the consequences of either th
. success or failure of this reform, tbs