Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-02-26
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
Sc. Johns Gund-The Railroad war
Telegraph COmPanIes--Beeche
TLtOn-Art-Weath and Business.
ST. JOHNS GUILD.

Is neither penurIOus nor mean. St. Johns
Guild is q charity celebrated for the thor
oughness and system with which it dnes
its work. Supported entirely by volun-
tary contributions, it accomplishes more
for the relief of the poor than any dozen
other charities in the city. II will be re-
membered that last summer 1t organized
a series of excursions for the sick chill
dren of the very poor, taking them up the
river in barges, six or seven hundred at
time, and giving the little invalids the
fresh air and nourishing food necessary
tO keep them alive. All this terrible win
ter the Guild has furnished food, fuel
and clothing for four thousand families,
twenty thousand persons, all deserving
cases, sought out by its officers. But the
long continued cold weather was too
much for the Guild and its resources
were insufficient. Last Thursday morn
ing it was announced that the supplies
were exhausted, and that unless aid was
rendered at once the charity must close
its operations. Many poor widow and
many a poor man out of work, heard the
announcement with a sinking heart, for
during the long tedious winter the Guild
has been their ouly reliance.
They were unnecessarily alarmed. The
announcement was made in the morning,
and by night two hundred thousand dol
lars in money and three enormous truck
loads of provisions were sent in, enabling
the royai charity to continue in its good
work of feeding the hungry and clothing
the naked. And money is still pouring
into a degree that will enable the Guild 10
not only feed its present pensioners, but
10 extend its benefactiOns. New York
supports It's charities nObly.
THE RAILROAD WAR.
The railroads have got by the ears,
and the people are getting benefit. The
Baltimore and Ohio and the Pennsylva
MIA Central have drawn the sword an d
q hope) thrown away the scabbard, and
the result is cheap fare. These roads have
reduced their fares TO the West, and of
course all others are going TO do like
wise. To-day tickets to Chicago which
were S22 so, can be had over any of the
roads for S16 so, which makes travelling
as cheap as can be reasonably asked. II
When the fit of passion is over comprom-
Use will be effected, and up the rates will
90 as high or higher than ever. The
railroads have us. And speaking oi
qua rrels between corporations, the
TELEGRAPH COMPANIES
are having a turn at 1t. The Pacific and
Atlantic got the control of certain pat
ents that facilitate the transmission of
messages, and Immediately II attacked
that monstrous monopoly. the Western
Union. The first shot fred by the p
and A. was the reduction of ten word
messages TO Washington, Philadelphia
Albany or Boston, and to places between
those points, to % cents, less than half
the old rate, and the Western Union was
counelIed TO follow suit Now the p
and A managers are arranging for re-
duction to all points, and the Western
Union is Quaking 10 its shoes. The TACT
is, telegraphing has been the most unmit-
igated swindle the people have had to
bear. The rates haYe been three times
what they should have been, for the rea-
son that one company virtually control
ed the business, and the people had to
pay whatever was put upon them. And
this struggle, as in the case of railroads,
will result in no permanent good. After
a brief fight combination will be made,
and the old rates will be restored.
The postal package system IS keeping
the express companies within bounds,
and why should not the same department
do our telegraphing That's question
to be considered.
BEECHER-TILTON.
Theodore Is off the stand, and now
comes other witnesses. The most i'm
portant of the new batch was Miss Kate
Carey, formerly a nurse in Tilton's fam
iIy, who swore directly that she saw
Elizabeth Tilton sitting IN Henry Wards
lap. with his arms about her, and that he
came frequently TO see her in her cham
Der. This testimony created sensation,
as might be supposed. Beecher's law
yers were ignorant of the existence of
such a woman, and so were Tilton's for
that matter She was found by accident,
which gives her testimony more weight
than otherwise. She was in Belle
vue Hospital, and only the day before
she testified, remarked to lady that she
had been a nurse in TIltou's family, and
told what she had seen. Immediately
the information was given TO Tilton's
attorneys and Mrs. Carey was brought
forthwith. The most cruel thing that
has transpired is the putting on the stand
of Joseph II. Richards, Mrs. Tilton's only
brother. He very reluctantly swore to
having seen the parties IN a position that
led to the graVest fears as to the purity
of their relation to each other. He was
distressed at the position he was placed
in, and SAID as little as possible.
But the great interest in this famous
trial is vet to come. Beecher will take
the stand in a short time to tell what he
knows of it, or at least as much of what
he knows as he chooses to tell. Then the
fur will fly in earnest His friends insist
that he can disprove every statement
that has been made, and that he can clear
himself of all the charges made against /
him, and come out speckless aud stain
less. Till he appears, the trial will be
dull enough.
Friday morning Mrs. Frank Moulton
was put upon the stand. If her husband
was a terrible witness, the wife was
doubly so. She swore directly to the
fact that Beecher had confessed the crime
to her specifically and she swore In
such a way as to carry conviction. The
opinion is that Mrs. Moulton's testimony
is the most terrible blow Beecher has re-
ceiYed. But who knows what he has to
counteract it ?
ART.
The city is not quite given up to gossip
and scandal, though the scandal makes
the most noise. At the sale of pictures
at the water color exhibition, the prices
paid were $500 to over a thousand.
which shows there Is money in some
hands. Schaus, the picture dealer, shows
an exquisite Marguerlte-the only one
that ever approached the ideal purity
and grace of Fausts village maiden
which is valued.at 5000, while carni-
val scene of Roman girls in balcony
throwing onfectiOnery--girls whose
arms and necks on the canvass looked
as if touch would dimple them-was
for sale at $1,000. The taste for art
steadily increases, though perhaps not in
the regular channels of paintings and
sculpture rs in the most familiar direc-
ton of decorative art. The best houses
in New York have genuine artists In
their employ for the finer portions of
their work. Tiffany & Co.'s artist made
the design for the vase to be presented to
William Cullen Bryant, which bore away
the palm from numerous competitors
and more than one furnishing company
keeps score Of artists IN their employ
who design the interior of rich houses,
so that wall hangings, curtains and car
pets belong to each other, and are made
for each other. The fitting for the Phil
adelphia parlor of wealthy banker were
all in Egyptian style. The pale tapestry
and upholstery of the ANTIQUE
couches woven for the suite, and the
hangings, which represented desert