Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-01-11
,PHlL-ADELPHIA.
ouR SATURDAY LETTER.

1 "a ~ l - a. Ns'' y >
| The Lister Smith Pardon-The Oskins Case
The Gamblers and their Respectable Friends
/ The Constitutional -Charlemagne
Towers Downfall-An Art and Literary Club
Deaths Of Prominent CitizeHs--The Episcopal
inns and the Indians=Ths Sensational Drama.
Special Correspondence Of he Commercial.
l PHuADELPHIA,. Jan. 10.
In one way or another the week has been
| lively one, although the news itself is not alto
| gether lively, being in a large part record Of
| loss or civic Encouragement. But what news
would be left if scandals or disappointnents
| were taken from the account2 1t seems as II
| the world thrives on what is really worst in it,
| The pardon Of Lister Smith, the ingenious ter
| mination of the 0skins case, and the sorry at
tempt to punish gang of gamblers who safely
committed themselves to the protection Of the
Hon. VIM. NJ Bum and other reputable citizens,
are prominent among these events, matters which
/ are ali universally condemned, but 10 which no
i one seems to see the way clear to q remedy.
The outgoing governor has gained, II possible,
i added reputation for weakness and corruption
in the pardon OF the npterions Lister, but he
/ has cultivated q supreme indifference to public
Il opinion and can doubtless stand the present
Il hnimadversions as well as he has withstood any
4 others of lste years. May it be long before this
State secs another Geary in the Governors
/ chair The pardon of Lister was as contempt
uous and unprincipled an act as was ever perpe-
/ trated hyra man in power The prisoner was
/ perhaps the very woTkt OF the entlre Fourth
| Ward Gang Numerous charges are hanging
over him, any one of which ought to suffice to
| imprison him for 3 long term, and when. after
great difficulty he was convicted for one OF his
| offences his sentence was condoned and he ID
L set atlberty to- prey afresh upon the Commui'
nifty. The people, confidently look to Gen. Hart
| ranft to change all this. ..,. e, -i.,.s
The farce Of the gamblers arrests is
scarcely less hnmtiistffig; A few nights ago a
raid wss made upon q esKenop house and II bhe
persons found therein oaptuEsd- They were
speedily bailed however proprietors included, and
| that Is presumably the last of the matter.
| 1t has trAnspired that Register of Wills Bum is
| the owner Of the premises where the Tiger was
being fought, and he gave the principal bail re-
quired in the cases. Is this not terrible state
| OF things7 A short time since reported to you
the Mayors vigorous language on the subject
1 how the most glazing miqnitiee practisedin the
city were 30 h6dged about by erespectAbilty" o.
| 10 render conviction practically impossible, and
the Developments Of this week, to go no further
back, show bis Honor to- have been very much
/ in the fight. ~ "'
After,ths, 1 amafraid have no adjectives OK
pressive enough for the Oskins case Here was
4 a man WHO eopnnaitted an exceptionally foul and
: dastardly murder in killing bis long-sutferine
l wife; patient, good, woman, thousand times
too good for such man. Defence, Insanity -
We rdict acquittal. And now after few month
| he is declared sane enough TO be discharged Ont
1 OF the Witnesses, indeed declares that he nevel
, | considered Oekins insane an opinion in which
very many people agree He might have beer
| crazy enough through drink to conmlf mao
Aot, but il this is 70 be termed insanity which d
/ us is ever safe? The Oskins case furnishes
terrible precedent, and il is calculated to teacl
= any rash Vindctive or Inurderohs nature that h.
d may indulge the dercest pEssions, so be do it
scientifically without seriots fear Of punish.
| mont ,sS- ,rlt-'"' 'iil'"t
week and has now got fairly down TO work. Yol
are aware that it originally met in Harrisburg
., and upon effecting permanent organization b.
.. the election of Hon. VIM Al. Meredith President
and after the recommendation of a number O
= Standing Committees, that it adjourned to NEE
" in this oty. Il was never intended to locat
Q | permanently otherwise than here. where tn
best facilities Of every kind are to be had. Tn
q object of the body is to perfect revision of tn
s entire organic code of the State and it's debera
70 tons directly affect every citizen of high or lo'
v degree. The business, 80 far, has taken tn
- form of familiar discussion Of tho ends propose
N and the offering Of suggestions which in goo
= | time will be formally amplhed then referre
a to the appropriate Committees then digested
~ and finally acted upon by the entire Convention
The operations OF this important Oonventio
may extend over many months.
And about Tower, now-ChArlemagne Towel
That Tower has sunk as rapidly as 1t arose.
l. is like Aaddin's famous palace, which in nigl
: was placed before the aetonished vision of mel
y y and In another night miraoulouHly disappear
II II ed for caucus of Republican members
~ y, the Legislature has agreed to return Mr.. Cam
N N eron to the SenAte-and the caucus choiC
~ y is of course equivalent to an election, = al
o. Oharlemagnes name wasn't as much as mel
OK toned There ID q seeming mystery about tn
No which, as in many another matter, becomes nor
al when the facts are known. These facts, as a
eS credibly informed, are as follows MIR. Tower
a man of considerable means, butof more vanit
who was induced by small but knowing ring
adventurers, to allow his name to be used in IL
astonishing manner lately shown. But thei
M was not the least Intention on the pa
'st Of these politicians to do anything praotic
RS with = that name, big it wa
ie Those wonderous syllRbles were meant mere
lat to serve the purpose Of stalking horse in
,m' old Smon's Fears and his pocket book.
he brief, it IL said the Ring bled WigYag aud Cha
h. lemagne with charming impertialitYi1 and kno'
ing from the beginning that there was no cart
T, lychanoe of defeating Cameron made, when Il
time came, not the slightest attempt to do 8
sw and dropped the Tower without rendering him
of single vote. CharlemAgne was badly gone ba'
OF on, and that's the fact. A man can't start in
he politics ct 60 in this country. He must give
be life to it, and even then, snAn he suoceedsi q
ch question recurs- docs it paya
ss- Those Of your readers who take an interest
.ti- art natters3andI al hope there may be many
it them1may be pleased to learn that there is
be prospect on feot here to establish an organic
ite | ton for the furtherance of knowledge and o
ed portunities In that field. There has heen
at some years a small body Of artists associated
iat Philadelphia under the title ,of the skes
Of Club," the members of which at their regui
Jre meetings, submit to each other specimens
work done in the interim, inviting criticism al
debate. These occasions have been
ors | ENJOYABLE and fruitful, that it is nc
lel, | proposed to enlarge the bounds OF the osgs
ization 70 assume the full proportions Of AAclE