The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-03-19
a Plea for Poor BerDh-Dc0 and Cat Sfo-
ries-Stfeet TRICKS s-Anthsemens Notes,
Etc. -
Special Correspondence Of the Star.

Special Correspondence of the Star.
New YORK, March IT, 1875.
Fer some weeks past, our exchanges
have been passing around the silly story
originated, l believe, by the New York
reporters, to the effect that New York
ljury-which never conyicts but for az.
gravated violations of unchallenged stat.
utes, and hardly for those-had brought
in u verdict against an innocent, desti.
tute, unemployed young man, with q
wife and two small children starving
while he goes three months to the Peni.
tentiary for killing cat that had made
ferocious attack on him in the street.
and all this at the instigation of the
wicked meddler with other peoples busi-
ness, Henry Bergh.
III a Savannah paper it is ethe mawkish
sentimentalism of New York jury"
torsoothl and gravely quoted is ''the sug-
gestlon that mass-meeting of working
men be held to demand the repeal OF
laws giving Bergh the power TO imprison
d citizen for defending himself when as
sailed by an ANIMAL"
Could the force of nature farther go in
the direction of editorial stupidity? And
now the illustrated papers have gone
into it pictorially. OF course there was
a verdict against somebody about a cat,
at the complaint of the much abused
"S. z. 9. A." or else there could have
been no motive for the atrocious report
er's fabrication referred to.
But it was the story of poor young
scamp, loating and tippling at his faith
ers expense while waiting for employ
ment, and while his wife supported her
self and only child very comfortably as a
hotel-housekeeper in Boston; who sal
lied forth in fuddled condition in quest
oil the mischief which Satan finds for
idle hands to do, and coming upon a cat
in the street, cornered and captured her,
and proposed to his admiring crowd to
show them how to kill a helpless and in
offensive animal in more cruel style
than they, perchance, had ever attained.
Knotting handkerchief tightly around
the poor creatures neck, he whirIed her
around his head few times for momen-
tum, and brought her down on the stone
pavement again and again, till skull,
bones and flesh were crushed and MIN
Aed together. On trial, pretense of
self-defense was set up, but perfeet1nFe-
futed, and for this act OF Wanton and
fend-like cruelty the criminal received
the light penalty OF three months much
needed employment, with the lying SYM
pathy of his brutal kindred OF the
.spress."
speaking of cats, brings dogs to mind,
ana one OF the more humorous instances
OF Mr. Bergh's sympathy for dumb suf-
ferers, the prosecution of the dog cider
mill proprietor, on Broadway. Ofcourse,
for cider-mM read gin-mill; the dog in
the mill being merely an emblem, OF an
advertising nature, and being quite un-
obstructed in his travels by every fric-
ton from crumbling OF apples. But the
nnnr doc waa COmnnlIau to olvartica
vicious drinks all day long, not only to
the detriment of his moral nature, but to
the sore exertion of his legs. A fine of
$25 admonished the enterprising drink
ist to provide a relay of dogs, and now
poor Tray earns his bone like other city
laborers, at eight hours day. But what
Ii he had had nobody TO ''strfke" for him.
Street drinks reminds me of an item
picked up on Broadway the other day. l
took it for an excise item, but the liquor
was "all in my eye." A vender had a
the legend ran thusiy: "Sparkling
Champagnel Dissolve in water and try
one. Only three cents.p Craving not
champagne, but little sensation tor nv
emperance readers, tried three-cent
"glass." That was cheating the devil.
Shampagne indeed! Nothing there tor
the "sucker" but half cents worth of
rose-fiavored candy. For some time
these Shampagne venders were all over
town doing q rushing business; but the
suckers have mostly sound them out
now, and those who want candy prefer
paying forty cents apound rather than
dollar and a quarter.
Another tlourishing street trick is sell
ing white Malaga grapes at ten cents a
pound. 1 remember when they regu-
larry brought seyenty-tive eents-the
price is thirty. l dellghtto COM
bine the pleasure OF q virtuous action
with that of eating the most delicious OF
grapes at less than half price. SO l
rarely pass one of these handcarts with
out quietly lifting the pound weight that
lies i'll wait for customers, letting the
well-loaded opposite scale drop mildly,
requesting to see the instrument bal
anced. The fellow dares not curse,
though he longs to; but sullenly adds d
half pound weight, which nearly bal
ances the scale, and weighs me out a
good pound tor less. than it cost him, and
60 on my way rejoicing and eating.
When all men shall do thus virJuously,
there will be no more profit in loaded
scales and under cost prices, in the
street. In your own store you can give
what weight you please for a pound, al
though the law says nay. i
The Water Color Exhibition has gone
over to Brooklyn, and struggles with the
Beecher trial for admirers,ta sat the esnomi-
nal fee OF ten cents.- BroDkiyn,hss Aer-
self fine water color artist in the love-
ly Miss Williamson; daughter OF that
true artist in photography, Charles III.
w illiamson, who died toward the close
Of last year. His widawyand daughters
continue the business, if Ismust not.say
last week topened their
gallery to quite a notable company of
by gas-light, as an evening re-
ception. The finest portraits of any Kind,
l care not by what, artist, that / have
ever seen, were among the lite-size pho
oil paintings there exhibited.
COlored photographs of scenery in
Prospect Park, from nature, were also
fine pictures, and one of
dog, taken from life, struck me as novel
and unique in photography, tor the per.
lection and spirit OF doghood, which the
operator had succeeded in catching in a
lucky moment. The picture fairly Wags
its tail. The young lady artists, water
colors were displayed in separate bou-
doir and attracted great admiration.
But perhaps the most important thing
for photography is the imperishable
print, to which Mr.. Williamson devoted
years of labor, and finally succeeded in
securing; the first and only Photographic
print yet made chemically impermeable