Weekly Trinity journal., 1871-01-14
SAN FRANCISCO LETTER.
FROM OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENT.
SAN FRAxc,sco. January O, 1871.

far as San Francisco is concerned. 1t COM
menced with epidemic of crime. On the first
two days there were no less than three suicides,
one murder, three attempts at murder, one may
hem and one beating Of conductor while
brother rulIian held passengers and driver at
bay with drawn revolver, not to mention such
minor offences as assaults, larcenies and bur
glares. Then we have had great scandal in
the mercantile world. Alyinza Hayward, the
well-known millionaire, suddenly discovered
that his partner in the firm of Coleman Hay
ward had been gambling in stocks and that in
order to cover his losses he. had unknown to
Mr. Hayward) disposed of goods to arrive val
ued at SlG5 900, and had in addition endorsed
notes to the amount of $27 900. Coleman had
also used his position as. President Of the New
Merchants Exchange Bank to draw out $27, 800,
and as that is almost nearly all the capital en-
barked in the concern, we may have the specta-
Gle Of another bankrupt bank. Besides all these
little unpleasantnesses, we had interesting
cowhiding scrape on Montgomery street. in
which an Oakland parson, who had been CON-
pairing the wife of one of bis Pensioners to Mrs.
Potiphar (for biography see Exodus), got sound
ly belabored by an indignant husband; 50 tax
ing it altogether, the seventy-frst child of the
century has already got some pretty black stains
on its youthful garments.
LOTTERIES.
There is no sign of an abatement in the lottery
fever. The recent adverse decision Of the Su-
preme Count has merely altered the manner in
which they are presented to the public, without
having any effect upon their suppression. In
stead Of Gift Concerts they inno-
Gently titled " Homestead Associations and it
is found that they minister to the gambling spir-
it of the period under this designation quite as
well as if they were sanctioned by Special Act
of the Legislature" The last one introduced to
the public is an Oakland venture having 10000
shares at So each The property to be dstribu
ted comprises hotels in Philadelphia, villa cot
tages and city lots in San Francisco, and l9, 1856
eligible building sites in the town of Progress.
The last maps have unaccountably neglected to
locate this no doubt thriving business centre so
| am unable to say in what quarter Of the world
Progress is to he found and ! am under the i'm
preston that my own ignorance is shared by the
projectors of the scheme. Various other devices
of impccunious philauthropists somewhat similar
in their scope and objects to the one just men
toned are in course Of organization with more
or less prospects OF success. How long it will be
before public opinion becomes strong enough to
make these associations unprofitable cannot yet
be determined, because the interior is not to be
depended with any degree of certainty. In
| fact, Marysvle Grass Valley, Nevada City and
some other places of equal pretensions hold such
peculiar ideas on the subject-ideas that may
! be expressed by reading the old pruyerb . What
is sauce for the Mercantile Library goose is
! sauce for our small gauders that San Fran
cisco waXed rghteously indignant some time
| ago at their wicked coutumucy, and if she had
! the power would mlict them one and all for pre-
suming to break the laws without moral mo-
tive. Seriously, the evil is becoming very great
and when We have ceaused our own augean
stables by punishing the promoters of these
d" Homestead - projects as it is intended, it is
to be hoped that the lottery mania will subside
never to be revived.
TIE GUTTER sNIPE.
Nearly every one On the Pacific coast has heard
of the poor demcuted creature called the - Gutter
Snipe." In summers sun and Winters rain
he has walked our streets for many years that
he has become one OF the city most familiar
objects. Clad in ragged garments over which
he wore n patched oi-skn coat which he
chspcd tightly to his form, he would move along
with his eyes ntenty fixed upon the gutter and
utterly obliyous to all things passing around
him. Speak to him and he would not reply
! offer him food or money and with look Of fix
! ed Rstonishment he would reject them. Where
he slept no one knew until lately, for if any at
tempt was made to follow him he would lead
! his pursucrs wild goose chase over the
| sand hills and eventually eudc their notice.
Within few weeks ago, however it was found
| that he had hut on North Point which he
shared with halfstarycd black cat on which
! be lHyished all the affection remaining in his ma
ture. His food consisted of the scraps he picked
up in the streets, crusts of bread decayed fruits
and vegetables, while stump of cigar afforded
him the only pleasure be seemed to take. Well
this poor harmless object who had become part
| and parcel of our daily associations, n familiar
! figure that never ceased to excite plying won
der incurred the dspleasure of a policeman
last Saturday because he didnt :" move on -
| quite fast enough when ordered to do so. This
so enraged the gallant officer that he forthwith
arrested the man aud took him to prison, where
he was examined by the Commissioners of Luna
cy and sent to Stockton. But public opinion so
strongly deprecated the arrest arbitrary and
unnecessary, that the officer has been dismissed
the force in consequence. So disappears an
other character leaving Emperor Norton the sole
survivor of the line
NRGAL NAVIGATION.
The interest which was awakened two or
three years ago in the subject of erial navga-
tion by the partial success of the ayit0r is likely
to be revived by the completion of flying
chine which gives full promise of answering its
inventors expectations Mr.. Morrow, a practical
mechanic Of this city, has been engaged for ten
years in studying the science of aerOstatOn, and
the result of his labors is balloon vessel which
can be made to move in any given direction by
its own power, without any aid from the friendly
currents of wind. The first public experiment
was made to-day in the presence of three hun.
people. Steam was got up in a few minutes,
and as the valve opened, the pro-
peers began to revolye, the machine was cut
loose and amidst the cheers of the spectators
it rose gracefully in the air to a hight of two