St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-05-10
Our New York Letter.

NEW YORK, May 3, 1873.
To the Editor of the CaledOnian:
The death of John Morrissey, on
Wednesday, seemed to occasion a good
deal of genuine sorrow, both public and
private. The newspapers all had words
of regret in chronicling it, the city flags
were placed at halt-mast, and the tenor
of individual comment was everywhere
favorable to the deceased. The event
itself was scarcely surprise, the won
der being that human vitality could
have borne up so long under compli-
cation of incurable diseases. Ever since
the election last year, in which he
squandered the remnant of his already
reduced strength in his successful strug
gle to beat Augustus Schell, Mr.. Nor
rissey has been practically doomed.
That last struggle was in one respect
like SIMPSONS in the temple. 1t pulled
down the local pillars of Tammany and
crushed his opponents, but it involved
Morrissey's own life.
1t is curious and interesting to see
the various grades of moralizing over
MOrrissey in which the pIess have in
dulged, ranging from the .'gOOdy -goody"
style, in which horror of the prize
fighter predominates, up to Il sort of
apOtheOsis of the hard hitting Senator's
rugged virtues,n as many delight to
call them. The truth, as usual, lies
somewhere between these extremes.
The career of the dead man was quite
out of the usual order, and still he was
by no means Il remarkable character
He had great deal of energy, and
enough ability to rise above the OBJ
security in which he was born. am
afraid, however, that his muscle was
practically the largest element in this
ability. Had that not given him the
sharp and general nOtOriety which at
taches to the pugilist, it is questionable
whether his later course would have
attracted very much attention. His re-
nunciation of the prize ring glorified
him to the sentimentalists, so that his
assumption of responsibility was en-
couraged, and his political advance
ment FASTENED with utter disregard of
the fact that this apparent reform
sprung so little from quickened morali-
ty, that he Immediately became gam
bier and BOOKSELLER, and remained such
to the end of his days. In politics
his merits can be briefly summed up.
He would not steal, and he stuck by
his friends like General Grant himself.
On the other hand, he was IA thorough
partisan he never originated any val
liable legislation, and he never rose in
method or manner above the ward
politician. He seemed to me a sort of
human mastitf, full of force, courage,
and fidelity, but with hardly more deli
cacy or true moral sense than the latter.
1t is an edifying spectacle to see the
eager haste of a large class of small
merchants, brokers, ETC., to get into the
friendly embrace of the bankrupt law
before that convenient piece of legisla-
ton shall be wiped from the national
statute book. The District Court here
is kept busy from morning till night
filing the papers of IL hurrying tbrOng
intent upon embracing what may be
their last chance to get a coat of tinan-
cial whitewash and be able hereafter
to smile sweetly in the face of an army
of swindled and wrathful but utterly
helpless creditors. An absence of all
insolvent laws would doubtless work
occasional hardship on honestly unfor-
tunate men who, failing with no sus-
piciOn of trickery, would be unable to
get formal discharge, but it would
put stop to an enormous amount of
rascality in the way of fraudulent bank
ruptcies. The action of Congress in the
matter is awaited with much anxiety.
The Gilbert Elevated railroad, about
which there has been, perhaps, more
bitter fighting than about any previous
enterprise in New York, is at last a
fixed fact-a dOuble-track road being
completed to 59th street. A trial trip
was made over it on Tuesday last, by
its officers and invited guests, who rolled
smoothly over its whole length amid a
general waving of hats and handker-
chiefs along the route. The road has
become quite popular as it approach
ed completion, and l believe the pro-
portion of its original obstructionists is
small who would now be glad to see it
taken away. 1t will not be open to
the public for some weeks to come.
General John c. Fremont, the almost
presidential campaign of 1856, is gen
orally supposed to be a very rich man.
A dozen years ago he aUas rich, his
property being currently estimated at
something like a million. Within the
last few years, however, his resources
have been failing, until now, when he
and his family have been reported to
be In actual want. He is said to have
sought employment in vain, and finally
to have been obliged to accept the as
sistance of friends in getting some minor
appointment by which he could earn a
living. Such rumOrs are generally ex-
aggerated, and this one probably forms
no exception to the rule but the un-
doubted fact of the poverty anu diff
culties of man who, twenty years ago,
came near to ruling the nation, and who
short time since was the possessor of
wealth and high social position, is a
prominent eXemplification of the vicis-
STUDIES possible in the lives of humani-
ty in general, and of Americans in par
ticular.
Mr.. James Gordon Bennett having
vicariously explored Africa, is now
going to penetrate-alsO by proxy to
the North Pole. As your readers may
have heard, he has purchased a steam
yacht especially for the purpose, and is
now fitting it up for the rigorous jour
ney. Old "Jack" Cole, Mr.. Benefits
old and well-tried yachtsman, has just
received orders by cable to go over to
Europe Immediately, to take charge of
the new craft.
AprOpOs of the North Pole. An en-
terprising rural scientist has applied
for permission to accompany govern
ment expedition in that direction, for
the purpose of demonstrating by per-
sonal experience pet theory of his that
the world is hollow and that the in
terror, which is entirely habitable, can
he reached thrnnnh nnaninnu n4 Ahn