The Cecil Whig., 1875-09-11
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Sept. 9th, 1915.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., Sept. 9th, 1875.
DEAR WHIG:-Summsr is past, its vaca-
tion over, and the time for study, and
return to the solid duties of life for another
year at least is before us. To thousands it
will be happy relief from the excitements
and vexations of season Of pleasures and
the exactions inflicted by Dame Fashion;
such as these will find a welcome repose in
the retirement offered by the short space
before the beginning of "Society Season"
To the young lads and misses it will not be
welcomed with the same contentment, but
rather as the commencement of a new sea-
son of dull study and restraints. Unsus-
pccting youth, how little it is capable of
Interpreting the requirements of the pres
ent or of understanding its relations to the
stern realities Of the future Were it 9TH
erwise, life would be without its season of
youth, and of pleasures that are undis-
turbed by cares or responsibilities. Happy
school days! what recollections they revive;
not only of pleasures that youth can alone
afford, but of the marked distinctions be-
tween the advantages of the present sys-
tenn of education and that of the scanty
allowance dealt out some thirty or forty
years ago, when in some respects there was
in reality a royal road to knowledge, and
only the favored few were allowed to tread
its chosen paths. But how different now,
with our magnificent and God-inspired sys-
tenn of free schools, where all are admitted
to partake of its advantages, and the hum
blest in the land can rival the proudest in
the contest for fame and distinction in
whatever road it leads. No wonder the
American people are proud of this great
privilege, and that any attempt to abridge
or restrict it in any way touches the ten
derest sensibility of the public heart.
The opening of the public and private
schools of the District is of the most favor
able auspices. The public schools here, both
for white and colored, are under the best
management, and afford facilities for a first
class education, equal to any school under
the same system, in the country. Our pri-
vate institutions are unexcelled, and are
literally patronized.
OUR NEW UNITED STATES ATTORNEY.
Hon. H. II. Wells entered upon his du-
ties as United States District Attorney of
this District on Saturday, vice Fisher re-
moved. Mr.. Wells is lawyer of large
experience, and as a criminal prosecutor
ranks among the ahlest in the country, and
l know of no better field for the display of
his ability than such as this District af-
| fords, where criminals have had what We
may call, in common parlance, ga glorious
time of it " for the past three or four years.
until our criminal courts have become a
| by-word of reproach. Happily, so far as
the District Attorneys Office is concerned
this will now cease, and much better feel
ing of confidence and security will prevail.
BENTON, THE SAFE BURGLAR.
The District and Federal authorities deny
that Benton has been arrested, or that he
is now in custody in this city. Two theo-
| ries are held concerning this matter. One
is that Benton, thinking that District At
torney Fisher would retire on September
1st, came here voluntarily, expecting to
find Mr.. Wells, intending to make a clean
breast of the Harrington safe burglary job
to the new District Attorney. Fisher be-
ing then in charge, Benton then determ-
ined to keep "under cover" The other
theory is that the publication in the New
York newspapers, stating that Benton had
been arrested in New York and brought to
this city, was a job put up by some of the
Washington ring to give Benton notice to
get out of the way before Wells assumed
charge as public prosecutor. The similar
ity of construction and consecutiveness of
detail presented by the paragraphs printed
in the New York morning newspapers is
pointed to in support of the last theory.
THE FoRTY-sEvEN THOUSAND.
"Peg-leg" Brown was before Judge
Mills, acting judge of the police court, on
Friday of last week to have the prelimin-
ary hearing he asked for. One colored
Billy Cook appeared as Browns attorney
and Judge Fisher and Jeremiah Wilson
represented the Government. Nothing
new was developed, and at the rate they
are progressing it will be some time before
the affair is finished up, and it is presumed
it will not be in Browns favor either.
WHISKY AND FIREARMS.
One of those unfortunate occurrences,
and one perfectly unprovoked, occurred
here on Saturday evening of last week in
one of our various {" gin mills" and serves
as another of those morals so frequently
Sn0kan of rauardinn il,ico J,