Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-08-25
ABOUT DeEALpsoy.

AAU otulg kJiuk th0 luAANs VI NAr
press about finding Donaldson, repub.
lished by a morning cotemporary, is. as
any one can see by a little reflection,
simply an ingenious hoax. 1t is plausi-
bic, however, and well-ealculated to de-
ceives The location is about as remote
from the haunts Of man as could well
have been selected for such a tragedy,
and the details are skillfully conceived.
Yet we regard it as an ingenious and
heartless specimen Of the Bohemian's
at. 1t bears the ear marks of sensation
and deception. ANY professional jour
nalist could draw such a picture under
favorable circumstances, but it is only
the unprincipled and reckless scrib-
bier who hampers with public sym
patty and could possibly lend his
art and his confidential position for
the sake Of an ignominious notoriety.
Read that article, so minute and closely
calculated in all its details, could it not
have been located in the wilds of Arkan-
sas as well, or in Western New York,
or at the foot of the Rocky Noun
tains2 The theory Of counter u r
rents in upper air would easily ae-
count for any direction the balloon
might have taken after Donaldson took
Grimwood by the heel, Achilles fashion,
and let him slip into the lake. But pass
ing this, it is not highly probable. that
Grimwood had a derringer, or that he
would have thought Of shooting Donald.
son under such circumstances, and still
less likely that Donaldson could tell
whether it was a derringer or FIVE
shooter. Nothing Of the kind, we be-
lieve, was found on Grimwood's body.
Nor is it probable that Donaldson would
pause to justify himselffrom Blackstone,
however rapidly the mind acts in
moments OF supreme peril. The instinct
of selfpreservation is paramount to all
other considerations. When a vessel is
wrecked and men are struggling in the
water for the possession Of planks and
spars and floating barrels, they never
stop to quote Blackstone, but save them
selves, if they have the physical power.
1t is nothing uncommon for the weak to
be thrust aside by the strong. We see
that in all the struggles Of life, in BUSH
ness, in politics and in all the competi.
tons Of our varied existence. The
thought was horrible, yet no one doubted
that a man of Donaldson's nature would,
If necessary, ave himself at the expense
Of his companions life. We read that
IN times o ffamihe people eat each other;
the last survivors OF Sir John Franklin
party, little as has been said about il.
had evidently been reduced to this ex-
tremity. We read and believe that tray-
elers in Siberia and other cold and des-
ert countries, when closely beset in a
sleigh by wolves, will toss over one of
their number to save the rest, and it is
recorded that Jonah's fellow.passengers,
or the crew, threw him overheard TO
save the ship. Columbus might have
been doomed to q similar fate but for the
timely discovery Of land. So we think
the worlds history is full Of precedents
for what Donaldson is accredited with
doing, without going into the tones Of
legal lore. The last feature of the
story we shall notice is that nothing has
been said about it by telegraph. II the
body was coming on behind the party
that found him, it has had ample time Ia
reach q railroad and telegraph station.
The press agents, although voraeious
for news, never touched this yarn, which
IS enough to stamp it as a transparent
hoax. There is little doubt that both
the aeronauts went down together, and
finally there is no such a paper as the
News at Pembroke, Ontario, unless re.
Gently started. 1t is a small place Of
1900 inhabitants, in Renfrew county,
and has two weekly papers-the OBJ
sesver and the Standard. 1t is not likely
that another has been started there.