Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-12-26

Special Correspondent PUBLIC LEDGER
CHICAGO, December 22.-By the
time this reaches you, Christmas will
have come, and Santa Claus will have
made countless households happy by
his lavish distribution of choice gifts
to the expectant juveniles Of the land;
while the reunions of the matured
folk will have gladdened and made
young again the hearts of the whole
human family. l say the whole human
family, because l sincerely hope every
inhabitant of this territorial sphere
will have abundance of good things on
that anniversary with which to drive
all clouds away. Here in Chicago,
from present Appearances, sleigh
riding and snow balling will be among
the amusements. The roads are COW
cred with hard frozen snow, and the
sleighing is quite good in consequence;
and the weather is cold enough to
warrant the prognostication that no
change will take place to disappoint
the lovers of skating and sleighing.
The landscape in this region to-day is
quite a contrast to that presented in
the South. Here it is a bleak, dreary,
snow-covered waste. The parks and
promenades are deserted, while the
trees and shrubbery are bereft of their
bright foliage and look gaunt
and weird. In the South it is
quite the reverse. To a northern eye
there it would appear summer-every-
thing being bright and inviting. All
the sunny South is a glorious land, and
its people a noble, generous, whole
souled race. May the land of the
magnolia be forever more free from
the dismal clouds that have hung so
long and threatening over her.
Enpassant Arkansas news informs
me of the recent shooting and killing
at Pine Bluff. Capt. J. Z. Vaughan,
formerly sheriff Of Jefferson county,
by j. NJ. White of that place. This
sad affair calls to your correspondents
mind an incident hat occurred in
Pine Bluff in 1868, in which Captain
Vaughan, the deceased, figured con
spicuously, and came near ending his
career. At that time Colonel John
Geo. Ryan was editing the Pine Bluff
Southern Vindicator, a very outspoken
journal, and extremely radical in its
warfare upon the carpetbag element
then running Arkansas. One day
the radical whites and negroes made
things riotously lively in that city,
and the next issue of the V~indieator
held the actors up to public scorn in
the most positive language. Among
the names mentioned was that Of "one
Vaughan who was reported as hav-
ing led a mob to attack DR.. Lights
store for the purpose Of forcibly taking
firearms. When the article was read
by Captain Vaughan he concluded
hat he was the Vaughan" alluded
to, Notwithstanding that there we're
Vaughans in the neighborhood and
Immediately denounced the editor as a
liar, coward, and scoundrel," And
this was said several times in hearing
of Colonel Ryan, the editor but was
not pointedly addressed to him. Mat
tiers blew over until about four months
elapsed without any more trouble. AT
this juncture Captain Vaughan was to
be indicted into office as Sheriff OF
Jefferson county. About half an hour
previous to the installation Colonel
Ryan, being in a pacific humor, called
Captain Vaughan to one side, and in
troduced the unfinished business
by stating hat the reason no initials
accompanied the nam Vaughan in the
paper was to give him, the captain, an
opportunity to have any mistakes cor
rected. This explanation was Of no
avail, Captain Vaughan still adher-
ing to his sentiments denouncing the
author of the article. Then Colonel
Ryan said that he wrote the Particle,
and asked the captain ifhe would re-
tract the offensive language. This
Vaughan would not do. Then the
colonel slapped him in the face with
one hand, and with the other quick!
discharged the contents Of afinc Der
ringer pistol at his abdomen. 0