The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-06-16
For The Cecil Wing.
RROADBRIM'S NEW YORK LETTER.

RR0ADBRIM'S NEW YORK LETTER.
4 Foreign Trareler's T0apressions- Fletcher
Harper's Death.-The White Whale.-
| IHGGters, Minister'S Bring q Child ND in
tie Way he Should Go.-Ring There's
Settlement. Fashionable Hegird, ETC., etc.
| An intelligent traveller from the Feeiee Is
land, or Nova Zembla, visiting the city of
New York at the present time, if he were to
take the handbills and posters which orna-
ment our dead walls and fences as his
/ guide he would never suspect that he was
in the great metropolis of America. He
might probably fall into the error of many
very experienced travellers, and imagine
that he was in some capital of Italy or
! France, the names have such decided
Continental flavor. l have a list of three
| hundred and sixty seven posters which |
| have collected within the last five months,
and it is my intention if my life is spared
after | get them properly collated and
| classified to present them to the New DIRK
| Historical Association to be Incorporated
in a grand work, which it is my intention
to finish in time for our next Centennial.
entitled "Curiosities of American Litera-
ture." l look at handful No. 1, and it
calls for an early meeting of the Michael
! Donovan Guards" No. 2, requests the
early attention of the "Dennis Mccarthy
| Association" No. 3, informs us that the
Patrick O'Flaherty Pick Nick" takes
| place on the 9th of June, and No. that
Darby Kelly Rangers will take their
annual excursion to Coney Island on June
10th. Nine other excursions follow in
quick succession, and the names are equally
interesting and suggestive. The "Terry
Shea Association the "Felix Driscoll
Association, the "Alderman Hennisy
Association, the Mike Murphy Coterie,"
the " William Finngan Social Club"
"O'Neil Light Guard" ETC., ETC., etc.
Till looked carefully over this list was
not aware that our foreign population was
composed SO largely of Italians and French
men,-this however is an inexcusable over
sight in the intelligent special correspond
ent.
The past week will be memorable for the
death of Fletcher Harpher, the last of the
four brothers who founded the great pub
fishing firm of Harper Broters. | sup,
pose it is safe to say that there is no house
in the United States which contains a half
dozen books, but enc OF them bears
the imprint of the Harpers. 1t is impos-
sible to estimate the influence which this
firm has had upon our character as a nation;
| do not refer to their political views, but
simply in their character of honest Chris
tian publishers of 4 style of literature of
which any nation might feel proud. There
are several great publishing firms in the
United States-in Boston, Philadelphia,
St. Louis, Chicago, and others-but no one
of them ever stood so prominently before
the public as the great firm, the last brother
of which has passed away this week
Thoroughly honest, upright, and just, he
leaves no representative IN the tirm behind
him better or worthier than himself, and it
will be fortunate for the junior members,
who now represent the house, if, after the
lapse of half a century, they shall be worthy
of as good an epitaph as that which pos
terity will inscribe on the tombstone of
this dead Christian gentleman.
New York is ,jubilant just now, for we
have white whale, None of your por-
poises or skip jacks, but a genuine old
blower just such a fellow as might have
carried Jonah about in his back parlor,
and then have had lodgings to let in the
two upper stories. | remember, about a
quarter of century ago, when l was
young and foolish Il don't know that |
have got over the last half Of it yeti, was
wandering down Broadway. Barnum's
American Museum was then where the
Herald Office is now. | looked up, and was
Immediately attracted by the magnificent
portrait Of lovely lady about twenty
feet high, the only drawback about her
general put-up being that she sported
fish's tail-in short. she was a mermaid,
or sea damsel. Yes, that is what she
was, and | think one of the worst sells
ever saw in my life. have no particular
prejudice against fish-tom Gods or Holsters,
cat fish or suckers, it's all the same to me
but | always did object to fish-women.
| stepped up to the box office, disbursed an
honest quarter--that quarter was the con-
slant accumulation of several previous
weeks, and was originally intended for
patriotic investment on the coming Fourth
of July. | passed in to see mighty woman
fish or tishwoman disporting herself in the
briny waves. On arriving at the second
floor, saw a little glass case about two
feet long, and in it a wretched little mummy
with monkeys head and a stickleback's
tail, which looked as though it had ceased
to exist before Noah went into the ark. !
never forgave Barnum for robbing me Of
that quarter. 1t represented my sole availa-
BILE funds; it exhausted my bank account; it
balanced my financial ledger; and mourn
ed for it like Rachel for her children, re-
fusing to be comforted because it was not.
But our white whale is not of that family
of ichthyosaurians, but a real, live, genu-
inc blubberer. He has just been secured
by the Aquarium-which is now one of
the established institutions of the town
and an old lady from Maine, who was
viewing the monster as he rolled about in
his tank, said "she'd just like to git ON
the inside of him for few minutes, to see
how Jonas felt" The propretors of the
whale have the matter under consideration.
1t is only two weeks since | chronicled
the capture of a band of young robbers,
whose ages varied from eight to fourteen
years. Last week the prison doors closed
on them for many years to come, and this
week we have even a more terrible revela-
ton of juvenile depravity than that which
shocked the community scarcely two weeks
ago. In the former case the thieves acted
independently, and spent on themselves the
meager proceeds of their stealings; in the
latest discovery the recognized captain of
the gang was a full hedged ruffian, thief
and burglar only twelve years old. The
gang was nine in number with a regular
meeting place; the oldest member being
only thirteen and the two youngest five
and seven; more shocking and incredible
than all, their parents knew their evil
practices and shared the proceeds of their
plumber The two little ones were put
forward as stool-pigeons and knocked at
the doors of houses asking for piece of
bread, their squalid misery and rags
strongly appealing to all the finer sympa-
thes OF tender-hearted servant girls, who
are proverbially liberal with that which
does not belong to them. If the servant
turned her back, one of the young rascas
darted in and concealed himself till he
could open the front door to his pals who
looted the establishment while Bridget was
sweeping the kitchen. The only mystery
is how their secrets have been kept so
long, for Immediately on the capture of
the captain of the gang he gave the whole
of his pals away, and furnished such infor-
nation to the police that large amount of
plumber will be recovered. Much of the
juvenile crime of the present age may be
traced to the yellow covered literature now
flooding the COUNTY, The Black Pirate
of the Indian Ocean," Bold Bill, the Boy
Highwayman," and such heightened liter
airy gems, which are wholesome reading
for all nice little boys who expect to gradu-
ate upon the gallows.
The suicide mania still continues; this