New-York tribune., 1879-04-29


was received as victor he was presented with
colors rockets were fired there was a tintinnabu-
laton of the bells bells bells, while sharply blew
the whistles of the steamboats,. Snch a crowd gath
cred that it was with difficulty the gallant Captain
gained the shore. He was in such dIlapidated
condition that he needed all these little consola-
tons. There was consultation of doctors and tine
great swimmer was ordered at once to bed. lie was
reduced to skeleton, but then he has received
letters Of cOngratulation from all parts OF the
world. which may reconcile him to his bOny cOndl-
ton until he has taken on flesh again. Some
captous people may ask whether this Won
derful thing which the Captain has done
was worth doing but that seems to be ms business
and nobody else's. Pluck and power OF endurance
are always good things, even when they seem 10 DC
mlsapplied; and, moreover, Captain Boytohs
methods it is evident, may easily be adapted to
life-sayng purposes in cases OF marine emergency
We seem to be lust finding out of what the human
frame is capable. The eccentric John Neal, long
ago, in public address, took the ground that man
in his natural estate quite the equal in power OF
endurance of any animal-as swift as the swittest
and as strong as the strongest Mr.. Neal lived long
enough to see several combinations OF his theory,
and this last feat of Boyton would have delighted
HIM. The most sedentary, the least inclined to
muscular exertion, cannot help admlring tho won
drousy athletic though reverence for the bouy
may sometimes be carried to fanaticlsm.
He is in Jail, John Brown Smith, of Belchertown,
Mass, is, because he will not pay his poH-tax'
amounting to the enormous sum of 81 John Brown
Smith may not be very poetical name ior
martyr, but martyr he is determined to be. Stlll
he is of very stiff stuff for he has announced his in
tention of spending the remainder of his days in
prison rather than pay up. Some OF the pangs OF
incarceration which he describes in letter to me
SDripafeM Republican. are odd enough. They give
him too much meat, for need hardly say that
John Brown Smith Is vegetarian. They give nm
white bread, to which he is conscentiOusly op-
posed, he considers Graham bread to be the only
fit staff of life for reasonable creature. He fears
that this diet may end in " an injury to his
health and subsequent usefulness" and he denies
the right Of the Commonwealth to compel
him to be a cannbal. He pretends thathe is highly
dissatisfied with his quarters, whereas he is un-
questionably delighted with them; and if the
authorities of BelchertOwn, Mass, wish to fill the
soul of John Brown Smith with disappointment
and anguish they will set HIM at large instantly
At present he is probably the happiest man within
stone walls, and the best abused man in Massachu-
setts; but then he likes to be abused. If the Bel
chertOwn citizens want the bee IN bis bonnet sud-
denly silenced let them raise the 81 tax by penny
subscriptions and settle with the Collector. Our
word for it, Dr. John Brown Smith viii then move
to some other town, where he can be prosecuted to
his hearts content.
Whatever may be the result of the inquiry con-
cerning the death of Colonel Dwight at Bingham
ton, the circumstances can hardly be regarded as
fortunate for the life insurance companies. Their
hold upon the public confidence must in a great
measure depend upon a general conviction that
what they have fairly lost they will fairly pay. We
do not know that the of the death of Colonel
Dwight were obscure; but though it should be
well enough proved that he did commit suicide, a
majority, a large minority, Of people Will believe
that he died naturally, and that theories TO the
contrary originate in scheme to swindle his heirs.
No man in his senses will pinch himself to keep a
life policy running unless be has reasonable, if not
an absolute assurance also that the money
will be paid upon his death. There would.
we suspect, have been controversy about
the causes of death in this case if the amount of the
risk had not been unusually large. This gave rea-
sonable ground for suspicion and all the rest has
naturally followed. 1t is warning to everyone |
not to carry large a sum upon his lfe-nOt to be
so eager to insure as to give rise To suspicion. The
themselves, if they should be compelled
to pay, while really believing as they may, that
they ought not to pay. will profit by their expert
ence and learn to stick rigidly to their rules.
There are companies which pay even IN cases of |
suicide This may he going little too far in the |
for public patronage, but it shows an
appreciation Of the delicate nature Of the business.
Hereafter let nothing be said dlsrespectfullY Of |
the mule The poor men imprisoned In the mine at
PENN who We're rescued in a fair con-
dition yesterday morning, owe their lives
TO a member of this much-abused species,
for they killed him and for four days
lived upon him. Had tie mule been
as positive in his character as mules are reputed
to be- he might have refused to die, in which case
carving him might have proved dangerous opera
tion. All's well that ends well, and that must have
been an exciting moment when the seven men who
had been in such imminent danger of death were
liberated in the presence of eli yb thousand persons
having been shut out from the blessed sunlight
since Tuesday morning. The mule should surely |
have monument.
During the past four days while Russia has been
convulsed by the Nihilist assassns and Garbaldi |
has begun the agitation for Italian republic this
city has been shaken from centre to circumference
by the strange discovery that negro sailor mis-
laid a bill and that his washerwoman found 1t
and sent it back to him. Perhaps the effect
is somewhat disproportioned to the cause; but
news is news, and the public is entitled to its
whimseys. The strange part of it is that a respect
able citizen is to be held under arrest until Friday
for stealing bill which it is proved by dTect
was not paid to him, and which has al
ready been returned from another quarter
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POLITICAL NOTES.
That veto will be the Presidents most popular act.
The only thing more solid than the Republican
,artt - no tip Gtu