St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-10-26
Our New York Letter.

OUR EXCLUSIVE RESPONSIVENESS
TwEED's MONEY wENT-AN IMPoR-
TANT sTRIKE-CLEOPATRA NEEDLE
ANOTHER DYNAMITE FIEND-MoRE
MoRMoNs.
NEW York, Oct. 10, 1877.
To the Editor of the Caledonian
was engaged last week in writing a
paragraph about VIM. C. Gilman, the
forger in which expressed some won
der whether he would get off, as several
of his illustriOus predecessors in crime
have done, without any unpleasant ex-
periences with the law, when the sur
prising intelligence was announced on
the street, that he had given himself up,
and been sentenced to prison. This an
nouncement was speedily confirmed by
the appearance in the paper of full ac-
counts of the proceedings. 1t is gen
uine novelty to see one of the numerous
'.Christian Criminals summarily dealt
with, but certainly the steInest justice
could demand nothing more than was
done in the case. Finding that no COM
promise could be affected, Gilman walk
ed into court, plead guilty to the charge
of forgery and was Immediately sem
fenced to five years at hard labor. The
next day he was taken to Sing Sing,
with seven other cOnvicts, three of
whom were negroes, and after going
through the same formalities as they,
was consigned to common cell.
When the Credit Mobilier frauds were
first uncovered in Congress, General
Ben. Butler, who may safely be pre-
sumed to have been somewhat behind
the scenes in such matters, ventured
the prediction that "that would be a
bad year for the righteous = predic-
ton that was pretty we'll fulfilled. The
Generals prophecy would not have
been a bad one for last New Years.
Already enough lofty regulations have
tumbled to the ground to remove all
reasonable doubts on the question of
total depravity, and still they come.
The past week, beside witnessing the
conviction and sentence of Methodist
minister for robbery has also seen the
fall of another Wall street man hardly
less prominent than Gilman. This time
it is Mr.. Plume who has taken liber-
ties with his her-in-law's estate to
the amount of several hundred thou
sands. RumOrs are yet conflicting as
to the amount involved, but whatever
it may be, it cannot compare in unfor-
tunate Importance with the occurrence
itvalt n1noh
tidence can sustain this succession of
stunning blows is grave question.
Were Mr.. F. BarbOsa an American
we should probably have an interesting
opportunity of seeing the workings of
the Civil Rights bill. AS he is not l
suppose there is nothing for him but
to return to his native Porto Rico. The
young man is an applicant for admission
to the New York College of Physicians,
but being unfortunate enough to have
dark skin and therefore, although able
and well educated he is refused en-
trance among the dainty doctors of a
lighter shade, who are so much more
delicate and refiued than their brethren
Of the profession in Europe, that they
would probably be soiled by the asso-
citation. The aristOcratic educational
institutions of England, France and
Germany do not seem to realize how
much their tone is lowered by admitting
colOred students and such are there re-
ceived on an easy and perfect equality
They ought to take lessons in exclusive
ness from their brethren of free Amer
lea, the fundamental principle of whose
constitution is the equality of all men.
This uper-sensitiveDess of our local
wbOnes, reminds me of that of the
disguised princess in fairy lore, who be-
trayed her royal bringing up by her in
ability to sleep comfortably on account
of small pebble which had been placed
beneath the lOwestUf fifty feather beds
which formed her couch.
In the course of Tweed's continued
examination this week, several inter-
esting items about his private affairs
have come out. One is that his house
hold expenses were 5000 a year, aud
that the frescOing in one of his houses
cost nearly $4,000. Another, that he
lost $6OO,OOO in two years running the
Metropolitan Hotel, and that his other
real estate losses amounted in five years
to nearly million and a quarter. He
testities that his escape to Cuba and
Spain cost him 500, 900, and .justifies the
general suspicion that his lawyers have
been eating him up, by stating that he
has paid various members of the pro-
tessiOn since his troubles began, fully
100000. How much these legal gen
tlemen have done to earn this modest
sum may be gathered from his present
position as helpless prisoner. Poor
Tweed
Of tho pav;oue ,rao1 I'LL H.
panied to learn that they are likely soon
to have to pay more than present prices
for their Imported Havanas"-from
Connecticut. The biggest kind of a
strike is now in progress among the
cigar makers, and it threatens to be
obstinate. Many thousands have al
ready quit work and the number is
rapidly increasing. This movement
originated among what are known as
the tenement house workers. Under
the tenement" system, the large man.
ufacturers rent one or two little stived-
up rooms to family, all of whose mem
bers, from five years upward, in many
cases, are employed at cigar making.
By charging exhOrbitant rents and pay
ing starvation wages these manufactur-
ers have made great deal of money,
and have also precipitated the present
movement which, l will say, for the
comfort of the shrieking sisterhood, is
headed by young Bohemian woman.
The New York World, with praise
worthy determination to do something
worthy of fame, has undertaken the
desperate task of punching up the aver
age American to accept the rumored
offer of the Khedive of Egypt, to give
us the mate to "Cleopatra's Needle"
which is now ON the WAY To ENGLAND