Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-08-29
FIRST EDITION.
philadelphia.
OUR sATuRD DAY LETTER

| CASE AND THE DETECT1vEB--HowA A BLACK MAIL
Err WAS "AvALANcHED"-TH BALLOON RAGE
BARNuM sBId sHow-ArRs. sANDER's REVIVAL OF
ANTHONY u CLEOPATRA" ETC.
Special Correspondence Of he Commercial.
PHILADELPHIA, August 2S.
The Democratic State Convention ut Pitts
burg, held this week, excited, for variety Of
reasons, much interest here. These reasons
were, mainly, the fact that this Convention
supplemented the action OF the Republican
Convention which had nominated Philadel-
phian for Supreme Judge, that Judge Ludlow, a
| prominent Democratic candidate for the twin
| post under the new Constitution is also q Phil
adelphlan, and that nearly all our leading poll
tcians OF the locofoco persuasion were present at
the conference in the Iron City Men make
city, and when, from whatever cause, princi-
pal element OF IA community goes visiting, local
bounds seem enlarged to take in the wanderers
The thoughts Of many citizens have therefore
been at pittsburg tins week. The doings there
demonstrated the uncertainties of politics to Il
nicely. Neither of the principal candidates for
the Judgeship, Ludlow of Philadelphia, and Ross,
of Montgomery reached the coveted prize By
| the terms OF the new code one Judge of each
| party, supposing them to be no more than two,
must be elected, consequently nomination
| meant election, and the Democrats were particu-
lary earnest about it. Ludlow would have made
an admirable Supreme Judge. but 80 also will
| Warren j. Woodward, the nominee. Genl. Nc
Candless, a Phadelphian, secured the nomina-
| ton for Secretary OF Internal Affairs, despite
| the fact that early in the Convention procee-
dings he had affiliated with the Ross wing, which
| seems to have been in such bad repute with a
majority of the delegates. But the Convention
| felt that 1t could not throw ' the soldier
over " entirely, and as McCandles
| is personally very popular
| in the party, the Convention forgave his indis-
cretion in the Ross fight. The cry against Ross
seems by-the-way to be very senseless one. 1t
ntl ton f1.l.s dali
| his interest went to Pittsburg with - slate =
ready made out, which they intended to put
through in short order. But has that thing never
been done in political conventions Does it ever
happen, indeed, that it is not attempted to be
done Aleck McClures testimony on the point
| might be interesting. Ross was slaughtered not
30 much because he was the slave Of the ring,
| but because the ring was too selfish, and would
not give the other fellows chance. Manners
is mannersn as Joe Gdrgery said, "but your
| elths your elth."
| As regards the Supreme Judgeships it may be
noted that Judge Paxon is the gamer by just S42
| 900, by the refusal of the Republicans to put
| him in nomination last year, when Judge Cor
don secured the Office. At that time the term
was fifteen years. The new constitution makes
| the term twenty-one years, and six times $1,000
per annum represents the amount which Judge
Paxon, II he lives through his term, will be the
better off for having waited for his election a
| single year. What moral il here for over anx-
| ous Office seekers
While We sent body of distinguished cit
| zens out OF town, we received, OH the
other hand, large delegation of the "Fath-
ers' of Sister City, The guests were from
| Cincinnati and the occasion was u "jamboree"
| of the good old fashioned sort. Aldermen and
| Councimen were here by the score, together
with tile Mayor of tCincinnati and other western
mag nates They took the grand tour, visiting
| as the Leiger put it Independence Hall, the
| Ledger office, and other places of interest"
And about the bills? Ii may be supposed that
\ the dining and winning, and carriage riding, and
railroading TO Atlantic City, &c of these eighty
odd guests will amount to something consider
| able. Councils were not in session, and no ap-
preparation had been made for expenses. After
| awhile we shall find them tackled on to some ap-
| preparation bill, and after an unavaing protest
| from some member more vrtuous than his time
| they will go the road of all similar left-handed
legislation. But is the bnsiness fair and hon
/ est?
| The Ross case has been placed in the hands
| of the Pinkerton Detective agency, all other eff
| forts for recovering the lost child beng con-
| Tossed failures. Few people are to be fonnd
now who believe that little Charley will ever be
found. The surrender Of the case in the man
ner now determined is thought to be desperate
resource Naturally every means is worth try
| ing but experience has made the public very
| suspicious of these "agencies" which have for
| the most part little more reputation than the
fraternity of thieves with which they have often
been proved to act in concert Many
man who has been robbed has suffered
equally from the detectives engaged
| by him to ''work-up" tho case, and the
business has in fact grown to be notoriously cor
rupt. II they can get the boy at whatever cost
people will be reasonably content but the fear
is,-and one-well founded, Judging from expo
| rience-that all hope OF convlcting the kdnap-
pers will be gone On general principles the
| arrest of the thieves would be more important
than the restoration of the child. Since "the
Beneficial Saving Fund" affair very little stock
is taken in detectives who are no more than 60
betweens for the law breakers.
And yet, am bound to say that Detective
did clever thing here this week. MIR. j.. ID.
Cortwright a well-known Insurance Manager,
had been threatened by an II. B. Calverly. pro-
prietor of an Insurance journal called The
| AUdLdnche, with divers punishments
in print &C., unless he (Cortwrght) made it
worth the Audldache's while to say nothing. In
other words it was case of blaclmail of most
offensive sort. Bnt officer Taggert, to whom the
case WAS referred, was too much for Cavery,
and directed the avalanche in manner little
anticipated. A meeting between Cortwlight and
Calverly was arranged ut the Continental Hotel,
at which the former appeared to accede to the
latter's demand. After the money had been paid
over Cortwrght gave signal and Mr.. Taggert
| appeared from behind partition, whence he
had seen and heard the whole transaction. The
Audldncie fell fiat, and its high prncipled pro-
prietor under it.
What may be almost termed a Balloon-Rage
has set in. The Euening Herald has it's ascensions
by Prof. WISE Smiths Island has it's series by
| Prof. Pedanto, and now Barnum comes along
with Prof. Donaldson. Why is it that as soon as
man goes up in balloon he becomes " Pro-
fessor p That term is so abused that it will
shortly mean nothing at all. Lecture-manager
Pugh was asked what certain individual on his
course who had this title given him, but who did
not appear to be associated with any University
| or Institute of learning-what this person was
Professor of Pugh replied, with twinkle,
=" well l don't know unlesss he is
professor of religion" These balloonists,
it Is to be feared do not make even that kind of
profession. The Smiths Island aeronaut had
a narrow escape from death in his last ascen-
sion, and is especially to be blamed for risking
} tho life of a companion who was ignorant of the
business and trusted to Pedanto' skill The bal
/ loon was insufficiently inflated and came down
in pool of water where the canvass got wet
and very heavy. Notwithstanding this, another
, attempt TO ascend was made. The balloon got
+ across the river and struck the Pennsylvania
, Railroad Building on Fourth street, bringing
both the occupants of the basket seriously
injured to the ground. Ballooning has been
: held 30 exceptional an occupation as
as to be outside OF legislation, but it may yet be
, necessary for the law to say how far Aeronauts
Q shall put themselves and others in peril. Dom
v aldson is to make his first ascension this after
/ noon from Barnums Show in his new mammoth
balloon, the largest built with the exception
! of the Graphic fizze. 1t has carrying capacity
of eight persons and interest is felt in the result.
n Barnum' Il Show NAV be fairly called big thing.