Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-01-14

grace to his administration and disaster to the
best interests of the whole people.
IF the men in power will but act faithfully
in this regard, the reform we have talked so
much of will be an accomplished fact instead
of promise, and this, too, without reglstra'
ton act, or additional padlocks on the treasu'
Union-Herald.
HOW NICK BOWERS WAS CAUGHT.
Nick Bowers was member of the original
Christy Minstrels, and in his day, was the
greatest middle man interrogator" known IN
the profession. Nick used to tell, with great
merrment, an incident of his boyhood. 10
preserve the flavor of the relation, we will re-
cord it in Nicks own language and only re-
gret that we cannot accompany it With his
nimitabe gesticulations.
"My old man." said Nick, "as a general
thing, was pretty steady old gent, but once
in while he would get oblivious, and water
was not the cause of it. recollect a certain
holiday was approaching, and had been SKIN
ming around to get little money to have
time with on that day but the fates and
purses were against me. It was but two days
prior to the anticipated holiday, and l hadn't
nary red. Remember this, boys, when 1
add that on the same afternoon l came into
the house, when 10 there on the floor, totally
overcome by his libations, lay my respected
daddy, and beside him lay six shining half
dollars which had rolled from his pocket
Bows, I've been an honest man all my lite
but once when boy I committed theft. l
hooked one of those half dollars. Thinks to
myself, the old mans been on a jamboree, and
won't know how much he spent, and will new
er miss it. But mark you, the next morning
I and nv two brothers were summoned into
my fathers presence. The old mans face
lowered, I thought Of the half dollar and
knew that storm was brewing.
"Boys," said he, "last night when l came
home had six half dollars. One Of ems
gone. Your mother didn't take it. There's
been no one else in the house. Which one OF
you took it?"
We all protested our innocence.
"Boys," said the old man, "that half dollar
never walked of, and I'm going to find out
which one of you took it?'
Turning around, he took down from the
wall an old flint-lock blunderbuss. This ne
deliberately loaded with powder and buck
shot in our presence then, fastening it on the
table, cooked it, took seat behind, holding
the string in his hand, and in solemn tones
addressed US thusly:
"Boys, I'm going to discover the thief and
punish him at the same time. You must
each of you blow into the muzzle OF that gun.
When the guilty one blows, off goes his head.
Now then, you have chance; will you own
up, or blow up?" =,
"Ben," said the old man to my oldest broth
er, shave you got that half dollar"
"No, sir"
"Take blow"
"Nick," (eh, boys tell you the chils be.
gan to roll down my back,) "got that half
dollar?"
"No, sir" said I, with defiant swagger.
"Blow that gun"
walked up bravely, gave a blow, and
"Nick," said the old man in voice of
thunder, "where is that half dollar?"
He had me. The truth lodged out of me.
Said I, "out in the barn, pap"
HARD ON THE CARPET-BAGGERs.-The
Chicago Tribune thinks the government
"has been already too lenient" with the
carpetbag element of Southern republi.
CanlSm, auu tellS Iue CoutHeIu Ano'hoe'o Va
Congress that it does not become them to
criticise, much less to threaten, the Republican
party or the administration, because the
Northern Republicans, as class, are disposed
to hold the carpet-baggers responsible for the
disordered condition Of things at the South.
Concluding its review of carpet-bag rule IN
the South, the Tribune says:
"The government has borne with their off,
cial misconduct and corruption until it is I'M
possible to bear them longer. It's warnings
have been unheeded, and its leniency has
been made the occasion for fresh outrage.
The republican party owes no favor or ad-
vantage to the speculative carpet.baggers.
AS it is, they have weakened it, in one large
fraction of the country have placed it in
false position, and have loaded it down with
burden of reproach and calumny for which
it is not fairly responsible, but which it has
had to carry. They have repelled from the
republican party thousands of votes, have
hampered it in its work Of reconstruction,
and have brought odium upon honest Southern
republicans. 'Carpet-bag republicans might
as we'll understand at the outset of their eau
cusing, and before they proceed any further,
that Northern republicans have no consider
alton to extend to the frauds, corruptions,
trickery, thievery, and perversion of law
which have characterized Southern carpet
baggcrs, and that if they wish equal rights
they must rid themselves of this pestilential
curse"