Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1877-06-07
Our New York Letter.

OVA SELECTS EerIlS-A Light
ming Stroke of FOrtune-$I2 2 :
| 100000 without an Owner-The
DakOta's Passengers O'Leary
the Walkest-Barnum and Char.
ley Ross.
To the Editor of tile Observer
New YORK, May 25th., 1877.
The magnificent excursion
steamers in which New York is
rich have thrown off tarpaulin
coverings and musty loneliness,
and commenced to blow hot
breaths from their big black nos
trils, as they rush to and from
half a score of suburban resorts.
The parks fill and the Battery
is crowded. The yacht clubs
and racing associations show
signs of active life. Gilmore's
Garden, after passing through
six months ofvicissitude as rink,
race course, circus, dog show
and ball room, has thrown off
all contaminating associations,
disinfected itself from dogs and
carnival, and lifted itself back
into lis normal position as the
promenade concert garden of
the country. The managers have
put in 100000 worth of turf,
gravel, fountain and flowers,
and Gilmore himself, having
drilled his band within an inch
of its life, mounted the stand
for the first time this year on
the evening of the Oath.
The stringent law against
gambling, passed at Albany
just before the opening of the
sporting season, throw the
New York pool sellers and their
numerous patrons into IA sort Of
indignant despair. Elections,
ball matches, races, ETC., with
out betting, seem to them like
the play of Hamlet with the
melancholy prince omitted. AT
ter considerable cogitation the
difficulty was partly got over by
the removal of the popular pool
rooms to the more hospitable
shores of New Jersey, where
sports Of high and low degree
can wager their spare cash on
the success Of their fayopties.
The principal ones are now To-
Gated in hulks and barges fitted
up for use in this emergency,
and moored around abandoned
wharfs in Hoboken. Such is
the strength of the ruling pas
sion.
The steamer Wisconsin ofthe
same line as the ill-fated Dako-
ia, which was wrecked on the
Welsh coast a short time ago,
has just come in, bringing the
latter's 800 passengers, who lost
their baggage and almost their
lives in that accident. Among
them were fvetrained bears who
were being brought over for
show purposes, and who liter
ally danced for joy at being
rescued. Another passenger
was O'Leary, the champion pc
destrian, who has been walking
for some months in England
and Ireland, and comes back
heavily charged with glory and
trophies. He claims to have
been lionized by the nobility to
his hearts content, and in proof
thereof displays diamond ring,
silver tea service, and other
marks of the traditional British
respect for physical power.
The Charley Ross excitement
has been strongly revived by
the recent assuming Of the
search by p. t. Barnum. Bar
mum believes the child to be liv-
ing, and has made an agreement
with the father of the boy to
offer a reward of $4,000 to be
paid by himself, and no ques-
tons asked, for the return Of
the missing youth. Should this
final attempt. prove successful,
Mr. Ross is to have the option
of repaying the $4,000 to Bar
mum or allowing the latter TO
exhibit the boy who would
certainly be one of the most
drawing attractions the great
Snowman ever took out until
he pays himself out of the prof
it's of the strange speculation.
1t is business arrangement on
Barnum's part, but still it is a
piece of kindness, for Mr.. Ross
has spent his entire fortune III
the search, and has no more
means to prosecute 1t.
Here is another Of those quee:
freaks Of fortune which occa-
sionalIy make for themselves
ripple even on this restless sea
of New York life. News came
TO a number Of residents of
Rrooklvn and vicinity a short