The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-07-21
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
THIS COLUMN is OPEN TO ALL.
For The Cecil Whis
LETTER FROM PHILADELPHIA.
PHILADELPHIA, July 18th, 1877.

LETTER FROM PHILADELPHIA.
PHILADELPHIA, July 18th, 1877.
DEAR WHIG:-The Murphy movement is
still much talked Of by the denizens of the
Quaker City, and the universal testimony
is that the reformer owed his marvellous
success to his great earnestness more than
to his intellectual or evolutionary powers
A friend of ours who was in Pittsburgh
while the great reformer was holding meet
ings in that city, told us some interesting
incidents in connection with his personal
history, which may be of interest to the
majority of your readers.
1t appears that Francis Murphy is an
Irish widower, with three children, and
although he told the ladies of Pittsburgh
in almost every speech he made how cruelty
he had treated the first Mrs Murphy, often
kicking her down stairs and turning her
out in the cold, at nights when he came
home little booty, and how she finally
died, partly of starvation, partly of a
broken heart, the sympathetic maidens and
widows of the "Smoky City" persisted in
writing letters of an ambiguous character
to Mr.. Murphy, giving writer's name and
residence, and requesting Mr. Murphy to
call at his earliest convenience to discuss
the t0tpOrtdnt questi0nS Of tile dug, &c. But
the cunning lrishman was not thus to be
caught by the matrimonial moose and led
tamely to the altar. He was wicked and
ungallant enough to appear upon the plat
form, one night, and face large audience
with seventeen of these temperance love
letters in his hand. To his audience he
stated how he had been annoyed by these
epistles, and as a means of stopping this
unsought correspondence, he proposed to
read the letters aloud. The audience cheer
ed its approval, and Murphy commenced to
read. There was decided commotion
among the fair part of his hearers, but it
suddenly subsidized when he finished read
ing the first letter and did not announce
the name of the writer. The gentleman
who told me this story was an ear and eye
witness to the scene, and cannot relate it
without laughing heartily. But after all,
rumor has it that Francis is to marry an
accomplished lady resident of the Smoky
City" aoho did not acrite him any letters. 1t
is sincerely to be hoped that the great
reformer will move on Westward until he
has moved old King Alcohol into the Pacific
Ocean.
This afternoon your correspondent &C
cepted an invitation to ride in the Park
Precisely at four o'clock we stepped into
an elegant carriage, and leaning back
among the luxurious cushions looked out
with plying contempt upon all pedestrians
and horse car passenges, while pair of
cream colored trotters bore us swiftly out
Girard Avenue, over one of the handsomest
bridges in the world, through the arched
gateway, aud here we are ON the famous
Landsdowne Drive. This is the fortune
of Bohemian, yesterday a wandering
pedestrian through country solitudes, but
one remove from a professional tramp,
to day the honored guest of wealth and
culture; and the change is wrought by a
few lucky strokes of that wonderful little
magician, the steel PEN.
A lonesome, home sick feeling crept over
the soul of your correspondent as the car
rage rolled over the wide avenue, on the
right of which stands the Main R,,,,iinr
Machinery Hall, and tbe.~-ArfG GALLERY. and
on>SII@ lett the foundations upon which
stood, few short months ago, New Eng
land Cottage, the Dairy, Government Build
ing, Women's Pavilion, and the various
State Buildings, Judges Hall, Department
of Public Comfort; all these familiar ed.
fees have disappeared and freshly plowed
ground and piles Of debris alone mark the
spots where they stood.
At the foot of Georges hill stands the
Catholic Fountain, dedicated by the Catho-
lie Temperance Societies, July 4th, 1876
and formally presented by them to the city
of Philadelphia, July 4th, 1877. Moses
only arrived a week before the fourth and
in removing him from the ship, the poor
old fellow had his back broken, but they
got him mended and mounted on his pedes-
Il {, l. IL. ~.
in company with Commodore Barry, Father
Mathew, Rev. John Carroll, and the "last
of the sgnerS." We don't believe they
had very jolly time, however. for all the
latter named gentlemen stand with their
backs to Moses; probably they are little
piqued at the great law giver, because he
sprinkles them so necessarily and copi-
ously with cold water Poor Moses al
ways had hard time of it, and was ever
the victim of ingratitude.
The figures are all truthfully and beauti-
fully executed in pure white marble. They
were chiseled in Italy by a young Ameri
can artist, now resident in the "sunny
cline" Philadelphia can boast of no
prouder monument Of human taste and
skill. 1t must be seen to be fully appre-
ciated and admired.
As we were driving down the 5oulecard.
on or return to the city, we met an unusu-
ally stylish tcam-a colored driver, in coat
of blue and shiny brass buttons, held the
ribbons, and iveried footman was perched
up behind Within sat the owner of all
this magniticenCe-a handsome, dstin-
guished- looking gentleman, in the prime
of life.
81 knew that man. says my friend
when he was ragged, bare-footed rag-a-
muffin, driving mules on the tow path of
the Erie Canal. Subsequently he owned
boat of his own, and traded on the canal.
He ate, drank, and slept on his boat He
wore coarse clothes, and did his own wash
ing and mending. Now behold him-a mil
sIonare Oh, spendthrift youth of the
eSenvsss day, driving team which is the
w and a6ss-;ni ration of Fairmount Park"
10 thou, young nn-u, ana do 80 'llve>,
re-foot mules on an Erie Canal boat, "a "a
tch thy own hoe cakes, and bake thy own "a
,eches and verify, verify, thou shalt have Ill
7 reward-even Il daShing turnout, a liv-
ed footman, and the languishing glances
the fair bellies of the city of Penn.
To- morrow morning we purpose to visit
, Permanent Exhibition. Tomorrow
,ning we are off to Cape May to spend
, Sabbath, and in our next shall tell you
at the wild waves are saying, and what h;
the prospect for huckleberry crop in al
w Jersey.
With malice toward all and charity for =,
ne, as ever, COUSIN SUE. p