The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-09-10

gan. ne II ~ years OF age, has large family
and is in extreme poverty. He lately rehearsed
to a correspondent of the Chicago Post the
oncs familiar story of the branding of the let
| ters S. S.-for save-steaer-in the palm of his
| right hand. He had lived at Pensacola, and
| going there in 1874 with his own vessel he un-
certook to assist some discontented slaves to
escape to the Bahamas. He was captured in
the Gulf stream and taken back, and after
trial and conviction was condemned to stand in
the plllory for one hour, to be branded in the
hand, to be imprisoned for 10 days, then to be-
fiued $3.50 and kept in Jail till it was paid The
sentence was vigorously carried out, and he
owed his final release to friends from Masss.
chuSetts, who paid bis fine. His story did
much to arouse the people to a keen sense of
| the barbarities fostered by slavery. Capt.
Walker numbered among his friends such men
as Gerrit Smith, John Brown, Garrison, Phil
lips and Whittier, aud such women as lydia
Maria Child and Lucretia Mott and he SAYS if
ne could see those of them who survive he
would be ready to depart in peace
M Ernest Reyner, the music critic of Les
DeodtS' says: II am always pleased when see
young lady devote herself to the study Of the
harp or the viooncello. 1t is one less to play
the piano.
Mr.. Frederick May, whose little coffee and
pistols affair with James Gordon Bennett is
still fresh in the minds of the public, 10 one of
the celebrities of Long Branch this year. A
correspondent says: ''May IS very handsome
young man in evening dress, but when he
emerges from the bathing-houses clad IN the
acrobatic costume in which he enters the
water, he creates universal havoc 10 the breasts
OF the fair lookers-on. He is tall, and finely
proportioned, with limbs as clean cut as those
of some crack racer, and an Apollo-like head
set on broad shoulders. He is, altogether. a
magnificent specimen Of manly beauty. This
classc-featured youth, who might take his
place as model for a sculptor, is decidedly ad-
verse to the notoriety to which he is subjected,
and said recently, half joking, half petulant
that he might as well hire himself iout for ex-
hibition at once"
George Bancroft is near his 77th year. and
appears as vigorous as most men of fifty He
has oeen at Newport and has given elegant en-
tertainments He is childless. He has had
two wives. both rich. The first volume of tha
History of the United States was published n
1884, over forty years ago, and the last will
appear nobody knows when. Bancroft is still
employed on it. Aged as he is, he is reputed
sentimental, especially about young women,
with whom he flirts mildly Some years since
Mrs. Ronalds (nee Fannie Carter, of Boston)
then brilliant young woman of socie, v, now
one of the American colony in Paris, was
dancing at ball in Newport, the historian her
partner She dropped her handkerchief, and
called ont in loud voise, "Pick it up, George
that's good boy" Aud George picked it up
with an effort at gallantry that would have done
honor to Sir Harcourt Courtly.
An intimate friend of Whittier saws that
Muzzey of Cornhill, (Bostou) bought the poets
copyrights years ago for $500 and percentage
on the sales of his books, and by putting them
IN neat covers made them quite profitable, to
the poets amazement. Ticknor & Fields
made an arrangement with Whittier after Muz-
zey's death, and put him in blue and gold, out
he had little benefit from these because of the
$1,000 he had spent in buying back the copy
right from Muzzey's estate. 'Snow .bound",
which the author thinks rather Indifferent
piece of verse, surprised him by its sudden pop.
ularity. SO that one winter morning he conld
remark to visitor: ''Thee will have to excuse
me, flor L must go down to the Office of the
collector" Then, with a humorous gleam in
his eye, he added: "Since 'Snow-bound' was
published have risen to the dignity of an in
come.tax.''
Mr.. Labouchere publishes the folio wing story.
"a lady was governess in the family of Sir
Bache Cunard. Her pupils havingsgrowp up
she advertised for situation and among sew
eral answers, received one from Mrs. TAYLOR of
Ekor IL
which everything seemed satisfactory, she was
to call again in two days. Mrs. Taylor then
told her that she could not engage her as she
had lived in family who had been in trade
A:few days later the young lady's services were
retained by duchess who did not3.consider the
objection urged by Mrs. Taylor reason for not
accepting them. give theinames in full, be-
cause this sort sof 'genteel' nonsense deserves
exposure"
John Burroughs keeps parrot which, when
anybody calls upon him, intmates by gurg-
ling sound tnat there ought to be refreshments.
Explains Mr.. Brougham THAT suggests that
have not offered you some claret I never
drink anything stronger myself, and the bird
knows the sound" When the claret was
brought, with the drawing of the cork, the
poll again initiated with fidelity the sounds
that are familiar to ordinary society men in
connection with corkscrews.
Thefact that genius and misfortune are gen.
orally linked together has often been noticed,
and Edwin Booth is no exception The assas-
sination of Lincoln by his brother caused the
suspension of his profession for an entire year,
Then his grand theatre proved:a failure, and its
collapse so affected his mind that symptoms of
insanity appeared. After these had been re.
moved by careful treatment he was Injured by
runaway team, at his residence
(Cos COBB; but greater blow than all others
was the death of lovely daughter on whom
his affections were concentrated. Such have
beeh the adversites of one of the finest players
in the world before he has reached 43. Booth
never visits the theatre that bears hi name He
is seldom seen in public, bat occasionally one
may see pale-faced and thoughtful.looking
man pacing Broadway as in reverie, with
something indescribably striking in his coun-
tenance and demeanor, and then some bystand-
er will touch his friend and whisper There
goes Edwin Booth
Gen. Grant thus appears to Mr.. Lucy of the
London Mayfair: 81 do not know any man
who can be silent with equal effect He has
stern, steadtast way of regarding an Interlocu-
tor, which suggests that il his tongue were
loosed he could rather astonish him with his
eloquencs. To man who generally
has an intsrminabe queue of people waiting to
be introduced, this is an invaluable gift
each man goes away with the impression that
but for the crush the General would have
opened his heart and confded to him his views
on current topics, particularly his estimate of
the character of the late President johnson.
At worst, there broods above the round head
and shortly-cut hair of Ulysses, the lull that
fell over Shiloh when the battle was over aud
the appalling silence of Appomattox court
house as Lee advanced with head erect and
sword held hilt outward.
Bret Harte is about forty, but looks older
from his premature grayness. His complexion
is dark, his nose large and squiline, his hair
black, where it is not silvered; his features
rather prominent, though we'll shaped, He ia
above medium height, slender, easy and grace
fnl in nnovamanfa and t,anro..