davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-04-14
STATE ITEMS.

The Tennessee Baptist Convention
met at Nashville ON Friday. A large
number Of prominent ministers are
present..
The County Court of Davidson cOun-
ty has levied a tax of six mills on the
dollar on ali railroad property in the
county.
Two thousand colOred citizens of
Williamson county will emigrate from
Williamson county in body. They
are going to Kansas.
Rev. II. II. Eaton, pastor of the Bap-
fist Church in Chattanooga, has wrlt-
ten new book entitled 1.-The Angels
which is attracting considerable atten-
ton.
John Il. Bell, our Nashville corre-
spondent during the sitting of the
Legislature, has left that place and ac-
cepted the position of official steno-
grapher for the Second Judicial District
of Nebraska.
The Franklin Review and Journal
says Hon. Edmond Cooper is gaining
great glory in Bedford county, by
lending his money out to his poor
neighbors, in order to save their fami-
lies from starvation, and to enable
them To make crop. He has already
loaned out ten thousand dollars at six
per cent, aud on their honor.
Horse thieves are on the rampage in
| Middle Tennessee. Wednesday night
valuable mare was stolen from w.
| II. Warner, of Greenbrier Robertson
county. On the night of the 9th inst,
several horses were stolen in the neigh
| borhood of Smithville. Tuesday night
a couple of mules were stolen from a
! farm eight miles from the city on the
| HillsborU' pike. a short time since a
! fine mare was also stolen in the same
neighborhood.
The Union and american says
1.-THE Quarterly Court of Wilson
county, during its session this week
made an order refusing to levy tax to
meet the interest on her Tennessee
and Pacific Railroad bonds, unless a
change shall be made in the manage
ment OF the road at the approaching
| election for directors and officers. The
books OF the April term were left open
for further action, dependent upon the
| result Of the election.
Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-04-14

TIE Supreme Court of the United
States has just announced q decision
on the subject of life insurance of in.
terest to all who hold policies of in.
surance upon their lives, or all who
contemplate such timely provision
for their families. The case came
from the West, where an administers
tor sued for the amount claimed I'M
der policy upon the life of the in
testate. The defense was that in an
swering the questions which formed
the basis Of the contract upon which
the policy was issued, the deceased
had misrepresented several facts. To
this the administrator replied that the
Misrepresentation were immaterial
and unintentional. The proof devel.
oped that the deceased had repre-
sented that he was unmarried when
he was married, and that he had
not previously applied for another
policy, when in fact he was, at the
time he gave the answer, insured.
The proof showed that these answers
dld not affect the risk upon the life
and were claimed as immaterial. The
telegraphic abstract of the decision
of the Supreme Court is, that it held
that even in immaterial answers, the
Company would be released if they
proved to be false. The decision at
tracts general attention, but before
prejudicing insurance Companies, the
full text should be consulted. Both
answers, though claimed immaterial,
are in fact materials Both answers,
though claimed Internationally false,
were evidently deliberately false, for
every man must know whether he is
single or married and whether insured
or not. Upon the facts the decision
was just, though it would not seem to
be justified by the telegraphic abstract
sent out from Washington. 1t is moi
a decision that need excite alarm
among the insured, as to immateriaI
and unintentional possible discrepan
cies in their answers.
Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-04-14
OUR PROSPERITY.

In calling attention to our pros.
perity we do not mean our individual
prosperity, but the prosperous condi.
ton of the WING AND Chronicle.
The real people have just learned the
cheering news of the reorganization
of our newspaper office, and they are
pouring in upon us new and paying
subscribers. Not day passes over
our heads but new subscribers come
in. From the East and West, North
and South they are ordering the WING
AND CHRoNICLE to be sent to them.
and from our own beloved East Ten
nessee the cry is "still they come"
We intend to exhibit in few months
subscription list equal in numbers
to all the subscription lists in East
Tennessee. Already does our list
outnumber that of any paper in this
end of the State. But our purpose is
to outnumber all others thrown to-
gether.
Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-04-14
DEPENDING ON UNCERTAIN.
TIES.

The appeal to the records for evidence
of the fact rs to what amount of the
Torbett Issues were put in circulation
by the Secession Democratic leaders,
is not likely to weigh much with those
familiar with matters in Tennessee in
1861 and subsequent years of the war.
Records kept then were not always
perfect. Does any one suppose that,
at the time when it took twenty-five
dollars in Confederate money to buy
a breakfast, the itinerant officials
Of the Bank of Tennessee kept a re.
cord Of all the notes they
put in circulation. They may have
done so but no one believes they did. 1t
is no doubt fact that the supply was
only limited by the number of print.
ed bills they had on hand ready for
signing. They might have issued
one million or ten millions of the
stuff at that time and its value would
have remained the same. About the
time the bottom was dropping out OF
the Southern Confederacy," the bot.
tom dropped out of the consciences
of non-combatant Democratic leaders.
They had no idea of ever being held
responsible for anything they did, and
hence were totally reckless. 1t will
take something more than news.
paper assertions or the assertions
of interested officials, to satisfy
the people as to the extent OF
this swindle. Every one agrees as tc
the outrage of compelling the tax.
payers to pay these issues, but the ex
tent of the outrage will never be cor
rectly aseertained.
Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-04-14
THE CHICAGO CONTEMPT CASE

A good deal of comment has fol-
lowed the action of Judge in Chi
cago, who sentenced the editor of the
Times to ten days Imprisonment for
contempt of Court. The Grand Jury
of the Court had found several in
dictments against editor Story for
publishing obscene articles. In re-
turn for that mark of judicial courte.
sy, the Times published a series of ar
ticles assailing the Grand Jurymen
by name, as blackguards, pimps,
bummers, &C, &c. The attention of
the Court having been called to these
attacks, and their injustice having
been established, the Judge, after ar.
guments, held Mr.. Story guilty of
contempt and punished him as above
stated. AS a matter of fact, his i'm.
prisonment was a fiction, and after q
few hours he was released on a super.
sedens from a Supreme Court Justice
The action of the Court has been
severely criticised as arbitrary and
dangerous. True, in the case cited
the action Of the editor was unjlstifi
able and brutal, and he richly merited
punishment. But they have a law 0.
libel in Illinois which doubtless could
have reached the case summarily
enough to protect the Court and jury
in the proper discharge of their duty
We have no liberation for the sick
| ly sentimentalism that courts are
above criticism. The press is the
medium through which public senti
ment is expressed. Courts need t
be reminded occasionally that they
too, are amenable to just criticism il
this country, where the source o
power is in the people. Whenever
through political or corrupt influences
or even through a mistaken judg
ment, they use their power to the in
jury Of the public, their action i.
legitimately the subject of respectful
and fair criticism. If every time an
editor assails the action of Judge
he can be dragged before him and ar
bitrarily sent to Jail, for a contempt
of which he is the sole Judge, the
day for the freedom Of the press has
passed. The case Of the Chicago
Times is dangerous, in that it fur,
Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-04-14

A DISCUSSION is going on in some
of the New York papers over the
comparative merits of good spelling
and good grammar. Both are unques-
tionably good requirements. Teach
ing spelling as a mere eXertion of the
memory is not Of as great value as
teaching some other rudiments of an
English education, but, when with
spelling the teacher accompanies a
study of the derication of the word,
it in our Judgment becomes a most
indispensable requisite to a good Eng
lish scholar. The teacher who spells
day after day from McGuhey's spell
ing book, becomes of course pro.
ficient speller, so long as confined to
that book, because it is mere machine
work with him. But carry him into
the dictionary and he is soon at sea.
A good linguist is necessarily O
good speller, because he is thorough.
ly familiar with the derivation OF
words. The teacher who teaches
spelling correctly. e., by the deri.
walton Of the word, thereby impart.
ing to it, its full meaning, leads his
pupil into a profitable and most in.
teresting field of study. Taught in
this way, We fail to sec, how in our
common schools, the hours devoted to
spelling could be more proftably en-
ployed. A few years experience in
a newspaper Office will disclose the
fact that many so-called Professors
and teachers spell poorly, and
nine times out Of ten their bad spell.
ing grows out Of a want Of knowledge
Of the derivation Of the words mis-
spelled.
Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-04-14
THAT BROWNSVILLE TRAGEDY.
Further Particulars of the Murder Of
Mr. MedIiD.

Further Particulars of the Murder Of
MIR. MedIID.
A Memphis dispatch, dated April
18th, says:
AT Brownsville last evening Robert
Medlin, County Court Clerk, was shot
aud killed in his Office by two brothers
named Henry and Ely Bond. The
former was u lawyer and administra-
tor of AN estate, during the settlement
of which, some days ago, he had an
alteration in regard to the Clerks
fees, which resulted in the two broth
ers going to Medlin's office for satisfac-
ton, ana 1t is reported that on enter
ing the office Henry produced pistol,
when Medlin arose and said, d" l am
unarmed." Without replying, Bond
fired. MedIin closed with him aud at
tempted to seize the pistol, when Ely
fired several shots, and he fell dead,
having been shot eight times. The
Bonds surrendered themselves, and
were To have an examination to-day.
l he affair caused great excitement, as
the parties are prominent citizens.
Medlin leaves wife and child.
Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-04-14

If those who profess to know the
precise amount of the Torbett Is
Sues" will tell us just what amount
of unsigned notes the Bank of Ten
nessee had on hand in 1861, and what
became of those that were not signed,
we will begin to believe they know
what they are talking about. The
fact is, they can't do it. Their object
in saying what these issues amount
to, is to lull the fears of the people,
and keep them quiet, while they
plumber them. 1t is the old story of
the vampire, lulling its victims into
a sense of security, and then drawing
from them their life's blood in the
shape of burdensome taxation. Hon
est farmers, mechanics, laboring men,
business men, mark what we say
Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-04-14

Mr.. BEECHER has been on the wit
ness stand long enough to enable him
TO state fully and emphatically in de-
tail his connection with the Tltons
and Moultons, and to distinctly deny
all guilt. There are several facts
connected with the trial which are
not generally understood, but which
appear conclusively from the evidence.
The first is, that for the first two years
after the scandal came to be common
talk in Brooklyn, the charge against
Mr.. Beecher was only that Of "im-
proper solicitations" from Mrs. Til
ton. Tilton's "True Story" his de-
clarations to his friends, and Mr..
Beecher's evidence, all concur in this.
After the plaintiff and Moulton had
worried about $500 out of Bcecher
by picturing Tilton's misfortwes as
the result of Bowen's misrepresenta-
tions of him, and after they saw they
could get no more they suddenly
change front and charge Beecher with
a "crime"-but never to his face, or
never until after he broke away from
them and defied them to prove every.
thing they could.
1t is a common remark that Beech.
err must "prove himself Innocent
When q plaintiff goes into Court to
maintain an action, he is bound in
law to make out his right of recovery
Tilton charges Beecher with q crime,
and straightway a cry goes out that
the accused must prove himself limo
cent. 1t is true that Mr.. Beecher is
doing this, but he is doing it before
he has been proved guilty. Til
ton and Moulton have both un
der oath confessed that they
lied for years, in order, as they claim
to protect Beecher. They were com
PEELED to admit this, in order to re
concile their last charges of crime
with their former charges of" improper
solicitation" maintained for years
AS they have confessed to falsehooC
and been proved perjurers by respon
sible witnesses, it is a little cool, il
the face of the sworn denial of a maj
whose word has never before beer
questioned, to ask him in addition tt
that denial to prove by others wha
in the nature of things no one bu
him and Mrs. Tilton can know to bt
false. These are points worth re
membering.
Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-04-14

THERE are a great many young la
dies who will be interested in the
following decision of the Supreme
Court of New York. Perhaps some
rich bachelors or widowers may feel
an interest in it also. The New York
Times reports it as follows:
"The suit was brought in equity by a
young married woman to have her inchoate
right of dover in property valued at $780,
600 protected by the court. The property
had been conveyed by her husband to his
two grOwn-up daughters, children of a
former wife, four days before plaintiff
marriage with him, and without her knowl
edge or consent the consideration being
natural affection of the grantor for the
grantees. This act of the husband wa.
claimed TO have been in fraud Of his wife.
inchoate right Of dover, and the court was
asked for decree declaring the convey.
ance void so far as it affected such right
This was granted, the court holding that {
man can not WOO a woman with his wealth
aud then defraud her of the enjoyment of i
by deciding away his property on the ev,
of their marriage. The decision is of spe
| cial interest to women"
Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-04-14

Gov. Porter has determined to put
liberal construction upon the law provid-
ing for the inspection of oils, inasmuch as
it has clause inflicting a penalty upon
all persons selling unstamped oils, and
will appoint an Inspector for every coun-
ty in the State. As the law has only di-
rcctly provided for an Inspector in towns
having 1000 inhabitants and upward,
only thirty-siX i'm the State are entitled to
them, thus, i'm Il great measure, making
the enactment partial in It's workings not
only in that respect, but in the inhiction
OF penalty upon merchants doing bust
ness in places where 70 Inspector has
been provided.
We believe Coy. Porter has taken the
right view of the matter, and his ruling
will be sustained by common sense
NaShcHie Banner.
Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-04-14

The Prussian bill for withdrawing the
state subsidies from the Roman Catholic
Church will, if passed, take from it the
annual sum Of 1904, GS3 marks, or ESQ.,
900. In the financial estimate for this
year the amount was divided i'm the fol-
lowing manner; To the dioceses and the
diocesan institutions, l,2l2,77i marks !;
salaries Of clergy, l,3jl,9 marks in
crease Of grant to clergy, 1000 marks /;
support of churches and schools, 1901 900
marks. The direct State subsidy averages
for each Of the II Prussian doceses over
$4,000, or, including the State salaries Of
the clergy, over $4,000 annually.
Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-04-14

SENATOR GoRDoN is no doubt what
the world calls a good, clever fel.
low" but he has an itching for notori-
ETY., which leads him to do and say
ridiculous things. He imagined for
sometime, and may be does yet, not.
withstanding A. Johnson's presence
there, that he is the central figure of
the United States Senate, and that the
eyes Of every man, woman and little
boyin the country are turned upon him.
He did say some pretty things some
time ago, that attracted some atten-
ton, but that spoiled him, and if he
don't mind, in trying to soar too high
again, he may fall fiat. His latest is
an interview with a reporter Of the
Atlanta Herald, in which he makes
sundry political representations, all
preliminary to declining to be a cam
didate for Vice President. Well, who
charged him with being a candidate?
If his party thinks him in earnest in
this matter, let them try him by
thrusting the empty honor upon him
and see if he isn't jesting now. We
advise the Senator never TO climb a
mountain until he reaches it. When
the Vice Presidency is rendered him,
il will be time for him to refuse.
Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-04-14
THE CATHOLIC WARFARE.

Sometime since it was rumored that
the English Catholics were going to
build q great college. They were
alarmed at the rush of young men,
bers of their parishes to Oxford and
Cambridge, and to the various other
institutions of mont Catholic theology,
and in common council it was agreed
that at Kenslngton they would estab-
fish a college in which should be
taught those subjects which their
young men felt q necessity to learn.
Especially was it to be school where
science was to be taught; for the de-
mands Of the times made it imperative
that some science must enter into the
education of the coming Catholic, and
it would be disastrous to let them
learn it at the Royal Institution, for
Tyndalls held high position there,
and at Owens College in Manchester,
there were other equally Objectionable
personages. The world had said that
Catholicism was a foe to science, but
they were going to show the world
that it was friend to it and had moth.
ING to fear from any of its doctrines.
1t was to be very liberal institution
too, more liberal than anything yet
engineered by their church, and was
to mark new era in the history Of
the church.
The then Archbishop, Manning, and
Monsigneur Capel we're placed at the
head of it, and the work was begun.
When, however, after time, inquiry
was made into the extent to which
the teaching Of science was to be adj
mitted, it was discovered that only so
much was to be allowed as did not in
terfere with any dogma of the church.
Only that part of science which was
recognized by the Pope as not preju-
dicial to the interests of the church,
was the young Catholic allowed to
learn. OF course this amounts to no
science at all, and we have the same
old story repeated, of the subjugation
of everything else to the tradition Of
the church. Their boosted liberality
in other particulars has turned out in
the same manner.
From our dispatches it will be seen
that Cardinal Manning in opening
this college, which was projected with
so much pretended catholicity, has
sounded the tocsin of war, and pre-
diets a fiery crisis.
Those who are "hugging the delu-
sive phantom Of hope for peace in
opposing the encroachments of Ro-
manism, must forever be disappoint.
ed. There is no peace there can be
no peace so long as such opposing
elements exist. Itmay be smothered
for time, but, when a Gladstone
pamphlet or Tyndall address makes
its appearance, the connection always
begins. The Cardinal is right. We
are approaching fiery crisis. Shall
we be prepared to meet it when il
comes
Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-04-14

nishes n precedent by which some
day, an editor, laundering away at
such corrupt Judges as Tweed owned
in the Democratic city of New York,
may be punished for laudable efforts
in behalf Of the liberties and rights
of the people.
Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-04-14

Gov. Porter has declined to EN-.
ploy additional counsel to prosecute
the Gibson county kuklux AS the Uni
ted States has taken jurisdiction over
the accused.
The Georgia crop reports from
Washington agree very well with the
report in the special correspondence
of the CHRONICLE from Georgia, which
will be found interesting reading.
Outside of Connecticut, recent
elections have all been favorable to
Republicans. The Republican candi-
dates for Supreme Judge in Michigan
were elected by an increased majority.
Where Tammany could not operate ali
went right.
When the Press and Herald was
criticising the acts of the recent Demo-
cratic Legislature, they showed svmp-
toms of Independence, but its failure
to speak out on the Torbett Issue ques-
ton shows that it is still firmly fetter-
ed by the party shambles. II can not
afford to vex Isham G.. Harris.
The Press and Herald, after re-
manning silent for weeks on the Tor
bett Issues, now attempts to answer
for its significant silence by asking US
about Third Term. What a miser-
able subterfuge to avoid answering a
plain question! The question il, are
you in favor of the payment of these
issues?
Democratic papers claim that
the Torbett Issue question is not po-
litical one. We ask them to give their
views as to the S., 900, 900 war bonds pur-
chased by the Bank of Tennessee and
made part of its assets about the time
these Torbett notes were being issued.
Will they say'there was nothing polit-
cal in jl.t? Speak out.
IS Il. p. Wins, jr., OF the Athens
Post, y no was in Knoxville last week,
write MS paragraph about the East
- bG OulNtI-
sity is in wholesome condition,
numbering nearly three hundred stu
dents at this time, and must continue
to grow in popularity and prosperity
while it remains under the manage
ment of its present worthy President
and the efficient Faculty associated
with him. This is the opinion of
every one who has given the institu.
ton fair and impartial investigation.
The Nashville Banner, after
some Investigation, thinks the wheat
crop this year will be about twenty per
cent. larger than that of 1874, which is
certainly a considerable gain. If it
turns out as well as expected, at least
two million dollars will be put in cir
culation in Middle Tennessee. But
little wheat has been bought on specu-
lation in that market lately, for the
above reason. The price given for the
new wheat will very likely remain at
nearly the same figure all the year, as
it will not be in such demand AS that
of last year was some time ago.
The Union and american now
tries to divert attention from the TOR
bett Issue " outrage by saying that the
members of a Republican Legislature
took their per diem in gold. II we are
not misinformed, when Gov. Harris
and his associates were sending on,
these "Torbett Issues" by the thou
sands, they drew their pay regularly in
gold. "Torbett Issues" and Confed-
crate treasury trash We're good enough
for the soldiers and common people
but these Democratic nabohs who were
in comfortable quarters, out of tn,
reach Of Yankee lead, must be paid il
gold-gold that belonged to the peopl,
of Tennessee.