Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1871-08-03
EDITORIAL NOTES.

The Dayton Journal, which recently
spoke of 'sbuttered thunder" and was
asked by cotemporary If that had any
affinity to stgreased lightning" explains
that s'muttered thunder" was what was
intended.
Queen Victoria has finally Cancelled the
royal warrant for the purchase of COM
missions in the British army. This step
will have an important bearing upon the
composition of that army hereafter, and
cannot be regarded in this country as a
movement in the right direction, as merit
will henceforward be the gauge of pre-
ferment, and the poor though competent
veteran will no longer be the football
of the monied upstart. e
CoNsTANcY.-A young British officer
in India, who was shockingly mutilated
and disfigured in battle, after mature
reflection requested comrade to write
to his betrothed in England, and release
her from the bridal engagement. Her
noble reply was worthy of true WomaIl: !:
''Tell him if there is enough of his body
left to contain his soul shall hold him
to his engagement #kE -
The above yarn is going the rounds, as
an instance of female faithfulness hard
to beat. We see nothing very remarka-
BILE in it. An acquaintance of ours in
the s'dark and bloody ground" was pre-
vailed upon byhi jewlarkey to go into
the rebellion, and we judge she must at
some time have heard of the English he
roine, for she promised in very much the
same language-viz: that 'if his hide
would hold shucks when he returned"
she would marry him. He VENT He
returned. He left again. His .tfaithful
Nell'', was married to a strapping Yer
monter, and had ared-headed Hessian on
each knee. ...-.- l--
Too SHARP BY HALF.--We find in
an exchange the following account of an
exposure of perjury that recently occur
red in Washington county, N. Y:
The defendant was charged with forg-
ing deed, bearing date 1927, by which
he claimed property in the village of
Whitehall. valued at 100000. There
were various grounds for believing the
deed forgery, but the principal ground
of the mans conviction lay IN the fact
that the pretended deed was written on
ultra marine blue paper. 1t was shown
in the trial that artificial ultra marine
was not discovered until 1928, year af-
ter the alleged execution of the deed,
and not used in paper making until
1912.
Here ignorance and thoughtlessness
combined to unmask rascality. The
shrewdest villainy often betrays itself,
and more often it is revealed through
circumstances which men attribute to
Providence ordnance, as they are devout-
ly disposed or the reverse. AT all events,
long successful rascality is very rare, and
no transgressor can calculate on even
earthly impunity unless he has almost
supernatural wisdom and wonderfui
ssluck.'
A cotemporary is inquiring into the
real life of Washington, and divesting it
of many of the romantic fancies with
which it has heretofore been invested.
Here is specimen:
In the battle of Monmouth, where Ma
jor General Charles Lee, an officer who
had resigned his commission in the Brit
ish army and rendered his services to
the Americans] had very nearly lost the
day by ordering retreat, it is related by
Irving, that Washington "galloped for
ward to stop the retreat, his indignation
kindIing as he rode.'' The commander
in-chief soon encountered Lee approach
ing with the body of his command in full
retreat. tFBy this time" says Irving,
| she was thoroughly exasperated. What
is the meaning of all this, sir ! demanded
he, in the sternest and even fiercest tone,
as Lee rode up to- him. Lee, stung by
the manner, more than the words of the
demand, made an angry reply, and pro-
voked still sharper expressions, which
have been variously reported" ''The va
riously reported'' expressions are the
swearing, concerning the quality of
which all the great historians, including
Irving, are silent. But the Marquis de
Lafayette, when relating the circum-
| stance to Governor Tompkins in 1912.
declared that 'sthis was the only time
ever heard General Washington swear.
He called Lee damned poltroon, and
was in towering rage" Another wit
ness said Washington cried out to Lee,
t'In the DEVILS name, sir, go back to the
| front, or 90 to hell" And the late Cen
eral Charles Scott, of Virginia, who had
himself most inveterate habit of swear
| war, whether it was possible that the be-
loved and admired Washington ever
swore? replied in his inimitable way.
s.Yes, sir, he did swear once. 1t was at
Monmouth, and on a day that would
have made any man swear. Yes, sir, he
swore that day till the leaUeS shook on
| the trees, charming, delightful. Never
have I enjoyed such swearing before OF
since. Sir, on that memorable day he
swore like an angel from heaven!"
Tea Trade of San Francisco.