The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-05-31

Harpers Magazine.
The June number opens the 4'th volume
of this standard Magazine with 81 engrav-
irgs Among the illustrated articles, IL. ID,
James, under the head OF "Cheap achtlng,"
giving pen and pencil pictures of the interest
ing localities about Buzzard's Bay. Mr. Los
sing contributes deeply interesting paper
on "The Marquis of Hastings in America"
with fac SMILES OF sketches drawn during
the revolutionary struggle. Miss Constance
+. Woolson, IN an entertaining paper on the
= Wine Islands of Lake Erie tells us about
the wonderful grape and wine product of
those islands, and interweaves thrilling
narrative of the privatcering expedition OF
Lieut. Beal among those islands during the
rebellion and the fortunate Illustration of his
plan to capture the Michigan" the only
war vessel we had on the lakes at that time.
John Yates Beal was a native of Jefferson
county, Virginia. He graduated at the Uni
versity of Virginia, Charlottesville, and at
the breaking out of the rebellion owned a
large plantation in his native county; his
addition he was said tn be the heir of an es-
tate in England. In the earliest days OF the
war Beall organized Company G., Second
Virginia Infantry, and his regiment after
ward formed part of the original Stonewall
Brigade" under Stonewall Jackson. He
took part in many battles, but it is his pratt
cal expedition among the islands OF Lake
Erie which brings him within the range of
our subject-an expedition which ended in
disaster and death 1t is well remembered
along the lake shore; Buffalo, Detroit and
Cleveland were filled with excitement; the
citizens patrolled the streets by night, and
visions of piratical craft sailing boldly in
and firing upon the dcfcnseless houses fllled
all eyes.
The plot on shore was headed by Confed-
crate officer named Cole Beall performed
his part with entire success; and had the 9th
er head possessed equal capacity, no doubt
the plan would have been successful, and the
whole north taken by surprise at this daring
RAID and rescue upon hitherto peaceful and
unnoticed border The two thousand young
officers riding for their lives through the
heart of OHIO where there was no organized
force to oppose them, would have seemed
like phantom band to the astonished inhab-
itants Even the famous raid of John Nor
gan, well remembered in the great red-brick
farm.houscs of the central counties, would
have been cclipsed by this flying troupe, the
flower of the Southern army. On the lake
Beall would have held the whole coast at his
mercy, and the familiar old Mchigon, turn.
ed into piratical craft, would have carried
terror into every harbor.
But the plot failed. Cole whose part was
to spend his money freely on shore, and at Il
dinner pfyy to be given to the officers of the
Michigdn to drug them, and thus render the
boat an easy prey to Beall, managed so i'm
prudcntly that he was arrested as n spy, and
Beal had to escape for his life. He was aft
erwards captured near the suspension bridge,
taken to Governors Island, tried by court
marshal and hung
Henry Blackburn tells us all about the
IIarz mountains in Germany, the country
where the toys come from. Chas. Nordholf
advocates the conversion of Alaska into a
penal colony. The "Old Stager" gives some
of his Recolections" of congressional
notabilities; among others, the following of
Thad. Stevens as poker player.
Some men played for excitement chiefly
not caring much whether they won or lost
Thaddeus Stevens was one OF this discrip-
ton He was like Fox, who described win
ming at hazard as the greatest pleasure in life,
and losing at the same game AS the next
greatest Stevens lost and won with the same
apparent Indifference. He played with con.
summate GOODNESS never lost his temper, and
never increased the amount of his bet either
to retrieve his losses or more rapidly to in
crease his winnings His sarcastic remarks
upon the discomposure of his icllow-players
who sometimes exclaimed with rage and pro
family at their i'll luck, were always witty as
well as cutting. While they were eating ana
drinking with the voracity of cormorants, he
never INDUCED in anything more stimulating
than cracker and Il sip of water. The con
traSt between his GOODNESS and apparent apa
thy and the eager, fierce excitement of Others
sitting at the same table and engaged in the
same pursuit was amazing | have rarely
seen n more ptiablc and painful exhibition
than was often presented by the ungoverned
passions of Il gameStcr after a run of i'll luck,
To Mr. Stevens such displays of weakness
seemed To afford amusement rather than to
excite sympathy or compassion. He was u
hard, cynical man, capable of acts of benev-
olencc under strong emotion Int gcntlcncss
or tenderness was not his ordinary mood
He threw off more good things in convcrsa-
ton without effort than any man | ever saw,
and his sayings were pointed with degree
of cpigrammatic force that | never witnessed
i'll any other man.
"Old Kensington and the New Magda
len" are concluded in this number; there
are some pleasant stories, some fine poems,
the Editors Chair" Literary Record" &c.
The Aldine.
THE ALDTNE for June shows whatthe land
scape painters of America can do, when they
have mind 10 work, in black and white
They paint pictures which are seen for a
short time in their studios, and then are seen
no more, except by their purchasers: being
in fact, rs much removed from the natural
world of art as if they did not exist 1t is
otherwise with them when drawn on wood
and seen by the thousands of readers of THE