Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1877-04-26
Our New York Letter.


Jim Fisk's Dwarf.
To the Editor of the Observer :
NEw YORK, April l3. 1877.
That the three partners of
one of the heaviest manufacture
ing firms in the country should
be suddenly blown into the aig
by hand grenade while quiet
ly conversing in their private
office in one of the busiest
streets of New York, is of it
self a sufficiently strange oc-
currence; but when to the fact
itself are added the circumstan-
ces which surround the Jewett
tragedy Of last week, the case
becomes one Of the most mys-
terious which ever perplexed q
million of people. Just pre-
vious to this strange cataetro-
phe papers were being passed
arranging for the withdrawal
from business of the junior
member Of John Jewett & Sons,
white lead and oil manufacture
ers. While this business was
being amicably transacted be-
hind the broad partition of the
private room, the outer office
was filled with clerks going
through the routine work Of
the morning. Suddenly a deaf
ening explosion took place in
tie inner office, followed by four
or five rapid pistol shots. Be-
fore the paralyzed employees
could move hand or foot the
door opened and one of the prin-
cipals staggered forth, mangled
and speechless. Then they
rushed in to find one of the re-
partners dead auI the
other dying. The survivor eth
er can or will give no explana-
ton Of the tragedy, the clerks
persist in the most profound ig-
norance of any cause which
might have led to the event,
and to-day the whole affair re-
mains almost as mysterious as
on the afternoon of its occur
renee. Where the deadly mis-
sile came from, whether its ex-
plosion was by design or acci-
dent, and who fired the pistol
shots that killed Oryille Jewett
are questions which may
sometime be satisfactorily an
swered, but for the present they
remain among the ghastliest
conundrums ever propounded
in this eventful city.
Ex-Governor Tilden is ex-
tremely fond of horses, carriage
and horseback riding being his
chief if not his orly recreation.
Nor does he care for the ord;na-
ry equine of steady and equa-
bic habits, but rather prefers
something in the way of a fiery,
steed. This prefer
ence may some day cost the il
Iustrious gentleman his life.
after his nomination for
he Presidency last year he met
with an accident while driving
near Albany which barely es-
capped being serious if not fa-
tai, and two or three days ago
ne had another warning in this
city. His team became unman-
lgeable while coming down from
Central Park, and running a.
yainst a heavy coach threw the
venerable occupant of the car
'iage out upon the pavement,
where he was severely but not
dangerously bruised.
A dwarf employed in one OF
he railroad offices in the Grand
Central depot came to his death
n peculiar manner this week.
On last new years evening be
vas bitten by a cat, and although
expressing no immediate i'll eff
ect from the slight wound, ex-
pressed the belief that he should
lie of hydrophobIa. "A week
lgO he began to get nervous o.
yer the matter, took to his bed
md in few days died, the vic
i'm of a disease of which he had
lot the least symptom. This
title man, whose name was