Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1871-08-10
PHILADELPHIA.
OUR RDAy LETTER.

philadelphia.
OUR SATURDAY LETTER,
The Romance Of "Cherry Hilp' Independence
Hau-Shall 1t be Reconstructed Tho New
Steamship Line-That Fearful and Wonderful
Month Of July-The Atlantic City Poisoning
PoLitics-How the Democrats give the Republi.
cans the Victory.
specid! Correspondence Of 0e Commercial
PHILADELrnIA, August 4.h.
That escape frem Cherry Hill Prison, Of which
your readers have already learned tho particulars.
was very singular affair, and the capture Of the
self-liberated convicts was no less curious. The
love OF liberty has in an humble way scarcely
ever been better illustrated than in the desperate
resolve taken by thcse mon to attain their free
dom. The chances were hundred to one against
them, but they took the overwhelming odds,
preferring the almost certainty Of being stran-
gled to death in noisome sewer, to living seven
years in jail. This was notwithstanding tho fact
that they were favored prisoners, having
more Of the freedom Of the place than is often
allowed. Regarded thus, this incident becomes
very interesting one transcending considerably
the ordinary police item.
Think for An instant what . sewer is Nor
was 1t main sewer that these mon trayersed
such one would at least have given them
ample room and verge enough" even il tight
and ventilation were deficient. But IL outlet
through which they crawled was simply the
prison connection with the main sower barely
Two feet In diameter, and with good portion Of
that space filled with matter not pleasant to de-
IN tnyA AIo.,A A.. ~
and knees those freedom-lovers crawled through
this villainous pipe, in darkness like night
itself oveli un by rats and choked by eve, ytling
that is foul. and without, in the least knowing
where they were going to II it IL treason 1
cannot help it, but think that men who would
do that, deserve to be free.
What q melancholy sequel, however. BY a
miracle they escape, and then what do these
impel ,ectly balanced freedom-seekers do They
50 to the very place OF all others, where they
are certain to be caught. 1t il always tho way
the old story Of the ostrich over again. Har-
risburg claims the honor of being the home Of
these men when they have any,-so poor brave
fools, they must needs 80 to Harrisburg, instead
W,.,! Vt s!rkSg In an exactly opposite direction.
they were all recaptured, and are now again
under lock and key.
proposition made by the New York Tribune
to reconstruct the appointments and decorations
Of Independence Hall, has made, followed up as
it has been by the comments of our own papers
quite little hubbub here. The Tribune's sug-
gestion, very sensible one II strikes mo. was
simply to remove from the Hall all articles that
DID not properly represent the Revolutionary
period, and to restore the old room to acondiiion
as nearly as possibly like that at the time of the
slb. ng OF the Declaration. The Post and But
Rtht at once flew on at q tangent, declaring the
renovation would be an insult to the heroes OF
tie late war, mementoes Of whom have been
placed in the Hall, and displaying considerable
spread eagleism, veiy good in itself perhaps, but
not particularly to tho purpose The Tribune
sad Justly, that there was place for all things,
that Rebellion Relics should, by all means, be
preserved in some proper way, but that Inde-
pc ,dence Hall was sui gene'is, like itself only,
and should be kept 3d.
1t is we'll that this matter has been at last
brought to the public attention, for it is fact
that old Independence Hall has for years past
been made the receptacle for vast amount of
trash which has no possible place there. Many
COMMERCIAL readers who have strolled into Il |
latterly have doubtless felt this. Anybody who |
chooses to present some palty tritle to the city
with the request 10 have it placed in Indepen- |
sell given a free standing advertisement. This |
has been done over and over, and the walls OF |
the room are covered with these business-like |
decorations. In short the Hall is more like |
cheap museum, or a rare show, than anything |
lively needed Tie walls should DO swept clean |
of every thing except the portraits of the sgners
and few others, painted by Rembrandt and |
Peale and other artists. These are yillianously |
bad, ~ rule, but they belong there, and should |
stay. All else, however, is leather and pruuella,
and i is to be hoped they 'cM be pruned-close. |
point might be stretched in favor OF the old |
BELL although it was not in the Hall when it rang
out Liberty to all the world, and all the inhab-
tants thereof" When the house cleaning is
lone, fac similes Of the furniture Of l776 should
% made and placed in the positions they ocou-
'ied on the famous 4th OF July Of that year :
md thus the Hall should stand. At least good |
many people here think 30. What do you think
Ihe profoundest silence seems to be observed |
" PARTIES having charge Of the contracts for
'uilding the Philadelphia steamships. For once,
'flicials are found who know how to keep
ecret. The reporters (haying precious little to
worry about, this time of Year, are nearly frantic
bout i. Here, even in the dog days, is a first
lass item, hanging by the very eyelds az it were,
md yet they cannot get at it. Each paper wants
o get early and exclusive intelligence, and there
las been no Q ID Of maneuvr'1g to that effect,
'ut all without result. In default Of news the
eporters go back and rake up the specifications
hat were long ago published, and give the pub
lc that instead OF better things.
Did you eper know such July as the one just
thank goodness , finished ? It rained here IL
lays out Of the 81. The rain fall was Gsl iclles
While the average fall in July for the past 81
ears was only 3.S7 inches. That is = pretty tall |
howins. And then in the matter Of tempera-
1t varied from 81 degrees to 60 degrees,-
N astonishing range OF 81 degrees. In fact one
e0ear,k ever knew ,,S how to dress in order to be
orth shivering, and if you did make yourself
omfortable at breakfast, by tea time you were
bsolutely melted Go thy ways, miserble old
70 wonder that foreigners curse our "blsrstedn
Innate. 1t is growing more and more of puz-
le every year.
Tho Atlantic City poisoning case made great
IT. ly he in the early part of the week. The
ost ola. hing sto..e were originally reported,
ne Of them affirming that 50 people, most OF
hem ihiladeiphians, were poisoned, and that
lalf OF them were dead. The public was COM
'letey unnerved by the New York Hoiror aud
vas perhaps too ready to accept any awful story
nut the Atlantic poisoning but many people will
G nember Tor long while the turn it gave them
-Inuch like the taking OF poison itself.
Politics, like every thins else, is taking rest,
'ut the straight out Republicans are jubiant. Ii
loes seem a. if Providence was taking a direct
interest is this CT n.,aign ard was making the
democrats defeat themselves. First came the
tho'c iaot THAT Of itset decided the cou-
est III tins state, and especially in Philadelphia;
md now that Boss Tweed and lis genteel gang
u muricipal cut-pui ses have come to grief, we
onld give the Democrats 5000 more votes in
his city, and still beat them. | fear the
come out Republican papers are beginning to
eel weak in the knees. They might have woa
-ehcAo 40 ho TON lHe raioS nAu not Doen |
eainst them. 1t was certainly determined
move nent, aud believe it to have been in tie
main an honest one, e,-srowing out OF a sincere
lesire to put better men 1 Office than have lat
erly filled our most important civic positions.
But il was none the less mistake, for bad
lefeat in Philadelphia would have lost us the
state, and that would have meant disaster How
'ver, the game is up. Tho Riots killed the
4ocofoco goose and Tammsuy has cooked it,
INDEX.
The Reading Railroad sIunbble.
HE DISPUTED GROUND CONVEYED To THE W. &R |