, 1872-12-14
NEW YORK.
Failure of Mrs. Harriet
Reecher Stowe as a
Reader"
Poisoning as a Substitute for
Hanging---The Arrest of
jay Gould.
NEW YoRK, Dec. 10, 1879.

WAS advertised to give readings from her OWL
works, q few nights ago; 80 I invested hall
dollar, and went to hear her. But the invest
ment was poor one. didn't get the worth OF
my money, and went home sadly disappointed.
In her books, 1frs. Stowe's delneation OF Yankee
and negro character ara admirable; but her rem
dering Of them On tho platform is ezec1ablo.
She has no voice for reading, no talent for Mill
icry, no facial expression. In word, she does
not Possess single qualification Of good read
OF, actor, or lecturer. Her characters all talk IN
the same tone, and that a much Worse one than
the traditional stage tone. Her attempts at
tho Yankee draw1 and the tho negro dialect
we're miserable failures; and 7 can Sc
lect dozen women from among my acquaint-
ances, who have mover thought Of reading in
public. that can, without a moments prepara-
ton, step upon the platform and distance her
immeasurably in every respect. Mrs. Stowe has
mistaken her vocation in coming before the
public as reader, and the sooner she dcscends
from the rostrum the better it will be for her
reputation. As matter Of course, her name
drow crowd, and packed the hall to its utmost
capacity but it required no acutenegs Of vision
to see that her audience was terribly bored.
The laughter WAS very feeble, and WAS by those
who can laugh at tho stalest Of jokes. while the
applause WAS rapturous only when the Young
Christians, IN whose employ Rhe read, clapped
and stamped Justify.
hlrs~ Stowe has written some fnettinga in her
time,-some that the world will not soon forget;
deluaion that she is a capable, or even an aver
age reader, and so travelling about the country
reading selections from her own works, before
tho large audiences that her Well-earned reputa-
ton as the author OF Uncle TOMS Cabin +"
would draw, the great majority Of those who
hear her would be apt to be detained from ever
attempting pr9yate perusal Of any OF her pro-
ductions. I Judge she will not have many iQyi-
tations to read after this winter; but the sooner
she retires the better it will be for her reputa-
ton both as reader aud writer.
THE REV. o. B. FRoTHNGHAN
preached sermon, on Sunday, On Crime and
Punishment" in which he denounced our pres-
ent mode Of executing criminals by hanging, US
not only q disgrace to the community, but as
brutal and brutalizing in it's effects, and recon-
r1ended killing them BY some subtle poison: I
have long entertained this view, and think that,
if it is necessary to put criminals to death for
the protection Of society, it would bo for less
ssS dEs fnd E ha more e5 sn ~ to o B1 5fH st to
be disgusting display, for the benefit Of ruf-
fian1y crowd, every time murderer is to DO
choked to desth7 Why should we cling to the
barbarous scaffold and rope, and 60 to such
wretch INTO eternity, when It can be
done so easily and so quietly7 Why
should not q poisonous draught be administered
to the doomed victim without his knowledge, SO
that he would go unconBclouRly to his death and
be carried silently to the grave Would there
be anything unchristian about such . mode OF
execution ( or would society suffer for not being
regaled occasionally with such 3 horrible spec
tacle IS VIC had exhibited at the hanging Of
Rodgers, in Brooklyn, last week.?
THE EXCITEMENT
caused by the arrest Of Jay Gould, at the in
stance OF the Erie Railway Company, has subsi-
ded i; but the suit is progressing, and some rich
Developments viii be eEcited, If allowed to pro-
coed to trial. The preliminary proceedings .1e
producing good deal Of hard swearing, and
some cursing too and the probabilities are that
the affair Will be compromised. Tom Shear
man and the other couse1 for Gould, who have
already received over s1o, 600 in fees. us mat
It It out. But HorsSesa Ss F. CLARK and Augustus w fus
Schen, who went On Gou1d's bond at the time Of
his arrest, are anxious it should be settled in
the way that will cause the least scandal. The
former is Preidcut, and the latter Vice Presi-
dent, Of the Lake Shore l. Michigan Southern
Railway, and they feel they have compromised
themselves by their connection with the ex-
President Of Erie. They are very sore at hav-
ing been caught IN company with @ such financial
when he was caught in bad company, have been
made to suffer. Tho morals Of wall street
With Gould, and share the pro
c9ed9 OF his 8t0ck-bh1n0unG; put, Wnen tao
coup Tetdt OF President Watson forced them to
come to the front, and so on Gould's bond or
lose their plumber, which, it is said, amounts to
to 81 ,500, ,doo,-they realize that they have low
cred themselves in the estimation Of right-think-
ing men, and are anxious to slip off as quietly as
possible with their ill-gotten booty. Hence they
are anxious to have Jay fork over to the Erie
Company what he has plundered it OF, and have
done with the dirty job. They have had more
*.interviewing" than is agreeable, and want to
keep out OF the papors in future. Whether
Gould will take their advice and propose COM
promise, or take that of his lawyers and show
fight few dayB more will determine T.