St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-11-30

ly now beginning to leak out. What
ever may be the rage of the young girls
relations the venerable and perfidiOus
floor walker seems to be in for a good
thing, his bride being the fortunate pos
SCISSOR of a million dollars in her own
right and whether she cleaves to him
or leaves him, he will doubtless get a
good portion of this sum.
1t has very likely been matter of as
much wonder among your own readers
as among New Workers, that up to this
time, over year since the close of the
Centennial, the official reports of the
judges of awards have not as yet been
published and that meanwhile COM
peting exhibitors have gone on with
their advertising in which each claims
to have received the highest hOnors.
So far has this gone among the piano
manufacturers that the judges of "Group
Twenty five" have been forced in self
defence to make definite statement OF
the facts in this case. Such written
statement unanimously signed, has been
given and published in which it is I'M
qualifedly set forth that the Steinway
instruments were decided to be the best
in the exhibition and furthermore that
the verdict persistently advertised by
another New York maker has been ma
terially changed since it was written
and that it was never signed by the
judges even in its original form. Ac-
cording to the system pursued in rating
pianos, perfection in every point and
in every style would have been indi-
Gated by the number 90. have myself
seen the official figures in this case and
they give Steinway 95 l-2 out of this
possible 90, while the next highest re-
ceived total of 80 "a. This statement
the authenticity of which cannot be
denied even by the most reckless COM
petitor, has fallen like a bombshell
and its explosion has silenced, for q
time at least the many mouthed claims
to the first position so far as the Gen.
tennial is concerned.
The taking of the testimony of Ring
thieves is still progressing, though fol
what purpose, unless it is to hear the
rascals talk, nobody can seem to ex-
plain. A couple of days ago they got
IngersOll, the chairmaker, on the stand
He is sleek stout flOrid little man, who
looks as placid and unconcerned as
though his conscience was always al
peace. In the course OF his testimony
Ingersoll was asked how much he had
been instrumental in defrauding the city
out of; to which he replied several
millions of dollars. On being asked
then how much property he now had
he supposed somewhere about hun
bred thousand or so." His questiOnel
next asked whether he wished to make
such restitution as he could to the city
to which Ingersoll answered in "A sur
prised way "By no MEANS" The ques-
ton was repeated in various forms, but
was always met with the same reply
namely, that be had stolen what he
could, and proposed to keep it if posi-
BILE. Another interesting piece of in
that Connolly's elegant mansion, which
cost $4,000, was not only entirely paid
for with the city's money, but that
| Tweed, Sweeney and even Connolly him.
self actually paid themselves the same
commissions on this outlay as on all
others. This little "Reminiscences was sc
exquisitely amusing to the parties con-
cerned that the witness together with
Tweed and Woodward who were pres
ent laughed long and heartily over it.
The brazen effrontery of these self
| fessed thieves is something truly mag
nificent.
1t is long while since we have had
in any of our harbors the sort of sensa-
ton they now have at Bristol, Rhode
Island, where very fast vessel lies I'M
der the guns of government ship in
strueted to prevent her departure at all
hazards. In the present case it is al
legged that the Estelle, built ostensibly
as yacht, and said to have great speed
is equipped for voyage to Cuba to
carry arms to the insurgents. AS the
charge is made by the Spanish Minis
ter, whose duty it is to watch cases Of
this nature, there is probably good
ground for it. Some Cubans have beer
in this city, for some time quietly get
ting recruits and munitions of war fol
the purpose indicated and but for the
accidental discovery of the plan, would
have been off in safety by this time.
At the New York Aquarium is a mis-
chieviOus monkey called "Sullivan.'
The other day, when the visitors were
all gone, he was allowed the freedom o
the building. He nimbly ran up one o
the pillars, and amused himself by
hanging head downwards from tn,
trestle work. This pleased him for ;
short time only; for, with a spring, h
lighted upon statue of Venus which
stood upon shelf Immediately above
the seal tank. His weight and tn,
velocity tOppled it over, and Sullivan
and Venus arrived in the seal-tank to
getner. The statue unfortunately fel
upon "Neil," one of the trained seals
causing fracture of his skull and kill
ing him almost instantly. Sullivan wa
arrested and locked up. 1t is doubtful
whether he will be released on bail til
after the cOroner's inquest. RADIx.