The weekly echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1868-1876, 1876-04-13

NORTHUMBERLAND fIfiHy, aDouB z r.
M, lightning struck the topmast Of tie
schooner Fanny while the vessel was on
Hansen's ways. The bolt shivered the
topmast, ran down the wire jib stay to
the end of the bow. where it followed
an iron chain backwards towards the
stern for few feet, and descending the
chain, which hung about q foot above
the ground, it jumped to the ground,
tearing an immense hole in the earth.
Tell SCHNEIDER, Capt. johnson, and
two sailors, who were under the school
ner, at some distance from the point
where the thunder bolt entered the
ground, were knocked senseless, and
Capt. johnson was confined to his bed
for several hours. Fortunately the four
men escaped without serious injury.
MERarENTAU, LA, March %, 1876.
Editor Weekly Echo:
SIR-On the 9Th inst, I dropped the
pillow, mounted my ROsinante, and set
out on an excursion to the northeastern
part of our parish. Had / been in search
of pleasure, my feelings would now he
somewhat akin to those imagine de-
feated office seeker experiences after
election day. The weather signs. to
the night of the 18th, were such as to
Obliterute all hope, (if I had enter
tanned any,) of pleasure. That night
came and went and what were marshes,
branches and creeks, the day before,
were on the 18th, bays, creeks and
rivers doubtless to the infinite delight
of frogs and water nymphs, (if there
were any of the lFtteF about until
some time during the night of the 10Th,
when old Boreas swoOped down with
his icy mantle, silenced the crOaking of
the former, and hurried the latter to
their deep retreats with the rlpidity
that radical official thrusts his hand
into the gathered treasures of the tax
payers The boar old nOrtherner de-
ln0nstrated fully his right to exercise
the veto power without let or hindrnnce, |
and regardless of the needs or wishes !
of the people, by blasting the hopes |
for early rOuSting ears, entertained by |
the - take time by the fUrelOck" class |
of farmers, who do not realize that |
under some circumstances a rear hol |
is more desirable than front, or fore |
lock hold, and that weather sigus may |
be as false and deceptive as the preten-
tons of many hitter day politicians, |
to honesty. I viii not express an opin-
ion as to the propriety of Boreas' con
duct in permitting summer to usurp the |
time usually allotted to winter, and |
then curtailing that allotted TO spring, |
neither will attempt to account for
the cause, but leave it to those who
prOphesy so correctly after events have
occurred, and who, like the old lady |
when told by her husband that the /
"cow had swallowed the grind-stone,"
cried out, II knew il, and told you it |
would happen, will doubtless tell us
we knew it. We knew that Mr., Bris-
tows' and those democratic Congress.
sional committees dOings would bring |
the temperature far below zero st the
Capitol, and that being the point of
radiation from which political and Off
cial corruption would rtdiate even to
the far South, old Boreas would put in
an appearance TO aid in purifying the
pools of corruptions aud brace Bristow
aud the committees up that they might
be able to dispose Of the putrid car
casses of all defunct officials, etc, be-
fore Centennial day, So our cousins
and neighbors from the other side of
the waters may realize how good it is
to be pure, and to dwell together in
hrotherly love. The people in the
northeastern corner of the parish are
not unlike the majority Of that class
who dig their tax money and living
from the ground. The wives and
daughters in most cases, spin and
weave the clothing for themselves, their
husbands, sons and brothers, and
doubtless derive no little satisfaction
from the knowledge that they are
clothing honest people. They are gem
orally poor, which fortunately is no
hanging crime; land the writer trusts IL
win not be soon, aa he is decidedly
averse to being thesubjeot for any such
experimenting, though poor. they are
hOspitable, plain, sOciable and kind to
strangers suspeCting no evil in q fell
low-creature, but quick to discover and
depgecate it when It is brought TO view.
Politics does not seem to attract
thought from them, evidently being
content 20 toll on, make corn, potatoes,
cotton and sugar, and leave politics 20
the Peter Funk politicians and such
Office holders as ara Of that class. It is
possible they fully realize the fact that
one Of the evils Of the present day, ID
the great number Of the above class,
whose proper place is at the plow