St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-02-22
Our New York Letter.

DUCTIoN OF A BANKER-THE ETNA
LIFE-TROUBLEs OF THE RICH-4,-
100000 WILMINGTON AT
SEA.
NEW YORK, Feb. Is, 1873.
To the Editor of the Caledonian
The death of the Pope continues to
receive the most interested attention.
The memorial services, which in all the
Catholic churches are still being held
with great pomp and circumstance, are
crowded with the faithful, while net a
few of the more liberal Professionals have
referred to the dead Pontiff from their
pulpits kindly and respectfully. Quite a
number of Catholic merchants through
out the city have draped the fronts of
their stores, and Barclay street, which
is the centre of Catholic publishing and
church ornament selling, has quite a
depressing and funereal aspect. The
one American Cardinal, McCloskey, is
now en- route for Rome, where he will
cast his vote for the next occupant of
st. Peters chair. In the early part of
1870 1 spent some time in Rome, and
saw the Pope quite often. He had not
then succumbed to the infirmities which
in his latest years kept him almost con-
stantly prisoner in his palace, nor had
the shadow of temporal power, in
which he gloried, been entirely taken
from him; and the progress of his
sumptuous coach through the streets of
Rome was always amid the cheers or
kneeliBg salutations of a populace which
come the entrance and the sway Of
Victor Emmanuel. To add to the Papal
glories at that time, the Ecumenical
Council, the result of whose delibera-
tiOns was that frebrand dogma of in
fallibility, was sitting in one of the
aisles of st. Peters, and was daily the
admiration of the vast thrOngs that col
lected to witness the imposing process
sion of red-gowned cardinals passing to
or from their solemn and secret session.
was much impressed with the serene
and smiling face of the venerable man
whose hand was always raised in bene
diction as he passed, and cannot wonder
at the atfectiOnate respect with which
the Catholic Church regards his mem
DRY.
One of the oldest incidents of the
week was the abduction of Henry Clews,
the well known banker of this city, who
went through bankruptcy couple of
years ago, and presumably made some
enemies thereby. The perpetrators of
this bold outrage are not positively
known, for, strangely enough, Mr..
Clews is very Ieticent, and will not
throw any light on the mysterious oc-
currence. From all that can be learned
it appears that it was the intention of
Mr.. Clews' captOrs to get him away
from the city and conceal him for the
purpose of extorting money from him
self OF his friends. They were so far
successful as to get him to the Grand
Central Depot, where detectives, who
had beeh hastily put upon their track,
found and rescued the distinguished
victim.
The new statement of the Etna Life
Insurance Company of Hartford, is out,
and goes far toward .iustifying the opin-
ion that it is the strongest life company
in America. The fact that two or three
Others have larger gross assets is quite
immaterial for, other things being
equal, that company is the best for pol
icy holders whose surplus bears the
largest ratio to its assets. The Etna,
| believe, occupies this enviable, posi-
ton, having, by the severest standard,
over four and third millions of surplus
in a little over twenty-four millions of
assets. But other things are not equal,
by any manner of means. While some
other Connecticut companies have de-
velOped weakness sufficiently alarm
ing to cause the Legislature to appoint
a commission to make, at the expense
of the state, thorough inquisition into
life insurance throughout Connecticut,
the Etna has passed through this Or
deal in Il manner to elicit a long COM
mandatory report from the commission,
the gist of which is contained in one
sentence, which says: that sit is not
only solvent, but financially sound, and
is under the management of officers and
directors of large experience, sound
judgment, and unblemished character.
We believe without doubt that it is en-
titled to the entire confidence of policy |
holders and the public"
1t may interest any policy holders of
the late Security Insurance Company,
under whose eyes this letter may come,
to learn that its ex-president, Case, who
was lately sentenced to States Prison,
has obtained a new trial and is at large
on bail. AS such things go it is very
doubtful whether he ever sees the in
side of a prison cell again.
What is a man to do with his money ?
| don't ask this on my own account-in
fact it is extremely seldom that news
paper man has any difficulty in answer
ing the question so far as his own per-
sOnal income is cOncerned-but only on
general principles. If he puts it in a.
bank the bank bursts. If he buys real
estate the chances are that he will soon
be glad to give the property away for
the taxes. If he invests in railroad
bonds he is apt to have the pleasure of
watching them sink gracefully down toI
one or two degrees below zero. If in
despair he finally puts his wealth into
currency, and then, like Mr.. j. Ray
m ne of s1a TT d,iand hides it away to
yond the reach and suspicion of burg
lars, chuckling the while over having
got the best of the rascally banks and
the tax collector-even then he must
not feel too happy, for he may yet
wake up some early morning, as did
the Mr., Raymond aforesaid on Sunday
last, just in time to escape with whole
skin land very little else) from a con-
flagration which at once wipes out his
home and his treasure. My question is
thus seen to be knotty one, and one