Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-02-19
woRCEsTER
MONDAY. FEBRUARY 10, 1s4e.

OF inns Supefl0fltNs Out me iatesl appears ~ "e
the most impressive. Not long since, an IN
offending community Of Chinese, at Los Ange-
les, was set upon by a very specially and pecu-
liarly civilized crowd of Caifornans, who mur-
defed them. robbed them, SIT 1re TO their dwell
lines, and, in various ways, demonstrated the
superiority of "high strung" Americans OF the
California breed. A coroncl's jury had the az
dacity to brand this conduct as brutal ba'SDarism
and declare it murder and robbery: but, now.
some of the rineleaderS~fiave been brought to
trial and Ss3aiiied, the prosecuting attorney de-
el2siii1S that he bad none but Chinese testimony,
- which was not trustworthy. Thus it is declared
judicialy that Cinnamon may be murdered in
California with impunity, provided the murder
is witnessed by none but A.iatcs. How long
this remarkable style of civilization will be able
to maintain itself on the Pacific coast, does not
appear; but we suspect that it will decline.
Hon. SALEM TowNE, of Charltor, died last
Saturday Of pneumonia. He was bornin March,
1873, and had nearly completed his nmey-third
year. During his long life, he was one of the
more prominent men of the state, having served
in both houses of the legislature, held the posi-.
tion Of major general of the state militia, and
was brought before the public by his active in
terest in various public matters. In the last
war with Great Britain, he served as a colonel.
In early life he was much occupied as a teacher
and surveyor. While engaged as teacher, IN
Southblidge, he had among his pupils William
L. Marcy, then regarded as "bad boy and dull
scholar" Gen. Townes influence changed his
habits and iOSrirpl will
qune an education. From this time, the boy,
Marcy, was no longer dull; )" and he afterwards
attributed to Gen. Towne's kindness and good
counsel all his subsequent successes in life. In
later years, Mr.. Marcy never came TO Massachu.
sets without visiting his old teacher and friend
Gen. Towne was born on the farm where be
died. His wife, who died about twenty years
ago, was a daughter of Gen. John Spur of
Charlton. He had eight children, we believe,
five OF whom are living. His father, whose
name was Salem, settled in Charlton previous to
the revolution. Being man of unusual ability,
energy and thrift, he acquired a handsome for
tune, although poor when he began life.
Management of the Chicago Charity.
The great calamity of Chicago touched all
lNtASS
tian nation; or, we may rather say, of Chris,
tian world. 1t was one of the grandest mani.
fcstahons of practical philanthropy ever seen
The contributors, who gave of their abundance
or of their poverty, were numbered by tens OIL
thousands, and the millionaire who sent his
check and the widow who gave her mile, are
equally interested in knowing whether the great
SUN gathered for the purposes of this magnli.
cent charity was honestly and discreetly eX-
pended. 1t is well known that the administra-
ton of this great charity was entrusted to the
Chicago relief and and society, an association
already organized permanent Institution for
the relief Of the want and suffering always OK
isting in every great city. 1t was fitted for this
work by It's familiarity with similar operations
on a smaller scale, by the knowledge its officers
had gained of the people and localities, by the
promptness with which its organization enabled
it to systematic and enlarge its work to the re-
quirements of the terrible emergency, and by
the general confidence in the uprightness, wis
dom and efficiency of its management
The Cincinnati contributions which were
large, were not, however, entrusted to this
society for disbursement, but were left in the
NHhus vi q oSi'slldtS WHO SSI1OlSleu
one or more sou1 houses, from which they have
disbursed soup, and probably other relief, to
needy applicants. OF the amount of funds at
their command and the degree of judgment and
good faith with which they have used them we
have no special information. The relief and aid
society, through its officers, has attacked the
management Of the Cincinnati charity, repre-
senIng that the soup furnished by it was I'M
cleanly and unwbolesome, often containing
maggots and other denominations, and has urged
upon the Cincinnati people, by published letters
and other means, the importance of transferring
the funds in the control of their committee to
the general treasury Of the Chicago society to be
disbursed by its agents. The Cincinnati agency
has contradicted these injurious statements, and
has apparently disproved them From the
evidence we have seen in the journals of that
city, we are disposed to believe that the soup
houses have been honestly and dscreety man
aged and have done much good.
But the charges against them have provoked
retaliation, and some of the counter charges are
made with such circ1mstantial minutcness as
to have The appearance Of truth. A portion OF
them tend 10 show a lack of vigilance and eff
cheney in management. 1t is asserted, for ex-
ample, that one woman, by an outrageous
course Of deception, succeeded in getting more
than fifteen thousand dollars worth of stores.
lumber, furniture, and such other articles as the
society furnishes TO its homeless beneficiaries
ana that, at one OF its agencies, some thousands
OF pounds OF -four and several hundred yards of
cotton cloth had disappeared, of which no ac-
count could be given. But more serious &C.
cusaion is made, involving breach of faith
especially odi0us. as it brings into the admins.
tration of great charity fraud which poll
ticians, not usually prescriptions, agree in re
tusing to tolerate in public officer. This
charge is that the purchasing agents of the so.
ciety receive for their own advantage commits
sion on the amounts expended by them. A
writer in the Cincinnati Gazette declares that be
has been informed by Chicago merchants that
they have paid such commissions, and has rea-
son to believe that they have generally been
pad on the purchases made on behalf of the So
ciety. The disbursements have been SO enor-
nous, amounting to millions, that commits.
sion OF ten per cent, which the writer referred to
thinks the usual rate, would come 10 a ycry
large sum, all of which, il this story is true
these trusted almoners of the worlds bounty
have fraudulently obtained by trading on their
confidential position and the misery of their fe.
low citizens.
We are unwilling to believe that men hitherto
so highly esteemed and so implicitly trusted
would be guilty of such baseness. If so, how.
ever, it would not be the first time that men
greatly trusted have proved unworthy, not the
first instance in Chicago Of making dishonest