The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1876-10-05
Wonders of an Alabama Lake.

At the Dickinson Place, on Bullard
creek, near Six-mile Station, is Il ten acre
field, which is nothing more nor less than
a subterranean lake, covered with soil about
eight inches deep. On the soil is cultiva-
ted field of corn, which will produce thir-
ty or forty bushels to the acre Ifany one
will take the trouble to dig hole the depth
of spade handle he will find it to fill with
water, and by using hook and line fish
four or five inches long can be caught
These fish are different from others in not
having either scales or eyes and are perch
like in shape. The ground is black mari,
alluvial in its nature, and in all probability
at one time it was an open body of water,
on which was accumulated vegetable matter
which has been increased from time to
time, until now it has a crust sufficiently
strong and rich to produce fine corn, though
it has to be cultivated by hand, as it is not
strong enough to bear the weight Of a
horse. While incoming the field hands
catch great strings of fish by merely punch
ing hole through the earth. \ person
Iaising on his heel and coming down sud
denly can see the growing corn shake all
around him. Any one having the strength
on releasing it. that it will disappear en-
| tirely. The whole section of country sur
rounding the field gives evidence of its
marshiness, and the least shower Of rain
produces an abundance of mud. But the
question comes up, has not this body an
outlet? Although brackish, the water
tastes as if fresh, and we have 10 doubt but
that it is anything else but stagnant. Yet
these fish are eyeless-and scaleess similar
to thosefound in caves. 1t is a subject for
study, and, and we would like to have some
Of our profound citizens to investigate it.
When the Delaware, Lackawanna and
Western railroad was made, such places
were crossed on the mountain east Of Scran-
ton The track sunk day after day at one
point, and at last plies forty feet long had
to be driven down to reach solid ground
and foundation. 1t was lake covered with
vegetation.
The Lchigh Valley railroad met with
the same difficulty on the mountain east Of
Wilkes Barre We do not remember that
| fish were found in either case, but such de-
prcssions are over the mountain region on
either side of Wyoming Valley.
The following facts in relation to Gov
Tilden's reform movements, as Governor
of New York, will be of interst to social
reformers. The statement is taken from
Harper's Weekly:
Mr.. Tilden has pardoned in 1875 eighty
eight criminals, and in 1876 already nine
| ty-eight. Within the past nine months
| he has restored to the rights of citizenship
seventy convicts. Burglary, arson, assault,
murder, are some of the offences to which
he has shown this excessive tenderness.
The example of this proceeding is taken,
no doubt, from the period Of the Ring,
when the control of the prisons was made
use Of by the ruling party to shut up those
who offended them and to let loose dan
gerous offenders, on political grounds. Mr..
Tilden is not unpopular with the criminal
| classes. A vote was recently taken in
Vermont Jail on the Presidency. OF sewn
| ty-eight prisoners, it is stated seventy seven
gave their suffrages for Mr.. Tilden.
Pardons and communications by Tilden in
| 1S75-SS.
| L dIuOuS anu COliiulutdllOuS ny Illltn
from January I to July p, 1S76-9S.
Aggregate of years of pardon ard COM
mutation in 1S75-22O years and days.
Aggregate of years of pardon and com
mutation from January l to July q, 1876
-207 years, B months, and days.
Total number of pardons and commu-
tations by Tilden in one year and half
| 1876.
Total aggregate of years-427 years, 3
months and IA days.
The above summary does not include
nine convicts who were sentenced to be
hanged, but whose sentences We're COM
muted to Imprisonment for life; nor four
others who were sentenced for life, but
whose sentences were eommuted to ita-
prisonment-one for twenty-five years, one
for eighteen years, one for fourteen years,
and one for eight years.
Since the 1st of January, 1876, Tilden
has restored seventy convicts to citizenship,
the larger T. ton of them during the last
three months In each case it is marked
on the record, "Not to be published.
"Long John" Wentworth 'hired a hal"