Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-01-09
Our New York Letter.

TWO DEATHS WITH THE DYING Wharf.-The IRON
JUDGE AND THE AMERICAN "pEER'-JusT A
WORD ABOUT NEW YEAB's-MABK TwA1Ns
NEW BooK-GILT-EDGED CHAR1TY-THE Sue
CEssoR OF "PINAFoRE."
New YORK, Jan. 9TH, 1850.
The old year slipped out weeping in an icy
sort of way, and in its last week took of with
it two prominent New York citizens. Re
corder Hackctt is dead. SO is George (Jones)
the Count Joanncs. The former was the
terror of burglars and snipe. The son of q
prime actor, his father being herhaps the
very best impersonator of FalstaG who ever
appeared on any stage, lie had the GOODNESS
of the boards about him. As he delicately
pared his nails he would pleasantly remark
to n convicted culprit that he was the biggest
ruhian he had ever met, and then jerk out
the dreadful sentence Twenty years" His
life was threatened almost daily, but he took
his walks abroad with pistol in each pocket
of his velvet sack coat, and it was well known
he was dead shot. To get the drop on him
required more nerve and consciousness of
right than is possessed by the average thief
or murderer Hackett was great sports
man, and while not a popular man, had many
warm friends, and retained his responsible
Office under any and all changes of parties in
the municipal government.
Count Joannes, the one American noble
man who bore a title, who was really noble
man, having received genuine title from
some petty German prince palatine, was at
one time very fair actor. He then became
a fair lawyer, but some bee in Lis bonnet so
influenced him that he became very eccen-
tric, and of late years was "guyed' in the
most outrageous way in everything he under
took His peculiarly shabby geuteel attire,
stilted tragic walk, gloomy brow and porten-
tous wig and dyed mustache, hi, blazing dec
Grafton and lofty mien were familiar to every
one, from the newsbOys up. Sothern carica-
tured him, and the Sun used to publish his
preposterous nonsense with an air Of solemn
awe and exaggerated respect very funny in
itself. He died attended by his adopted
daughter, Avonia Fairbanks, whom he had
befriended with his usual Qui1otc chivalry.
He hadn't a real enemy in the world, and
many who laughed oftenest at the poor,
harmless old man will feel sorry now he is
gone. Even the rowdy persons he occasion
ally assaulted as he asserted his dignity new
or bore him malice.
Whether people should call in swallow-tails
or frock coats or whether there was going TO
be any calling at all in the timc-honored fash
ion first adopted ON these shores by the good
Manhattanese, has been agitating polite cir
cles, but with the first day of 1880 all doubts
OF ENarxtbi,f, oH IN, 10.
most jolly way, just as on many happy New
Years before only possibly little more 30,
for the clouds are rolling further back every
day and getting turned inside out, showing
the silver lining. The earliest call of the day
was paid by burglars to a Canal street dry
goods merchant whom they relieved of $4,000
worth Of silks and other fine goods
spent part of the holidays in Hartford
this year, and while there had the good for
tune to meet the man who has probably Civ
more people the luxury of good laugh
than any other individual on this distracted
globe. This description ought to be enough
to identify Mark Twain, but to avoid all pos
sibility of mistake will mention that he is
the individual referred to. Twain has now
in the press of the American Publishing Com
pany of Hartford, n new book which is going
to add largely to his already enviable fame.
The title of the new volume is "A Tramp
Abroad, and it is a fit companion to the now
world-famous "Innocents Abroad" 1t is in
the authors richest vein which you know is
saying good deal, and shows his marvellous
resource and versatility.
Charity allied with the light fantastic toe,
or the leaders of fashion in any other way,
is apt to rake in more money than when like
a violet blushing unseen. The remark is sug-
gested by the figures in the case of the great
Seventh Regiment Armory fair which wrote
about while it progressed. The natty young
militiamen got $40, 900 toward fitting up
their new club house and drill room. Hos
pital Saturday and Sunday was a new idea
over here at any rate. Boxes, with little yell
low flags were placed at all the ferries, sta
tons of the elevated railroads and the public
places, where people were supposed to drop
in their odd pennies, and collections were
taken up in the churches The results were
under $40, 900, which will be divided among
the hospitals. The grand charity ball comes
of at the Academy of Music ON the 9TH.
This is always the event of the season, and
as this year it is to be a masked ball, will un-
doubtedly bring in an enormous addition to
the treasury of the Widows and Orphans
Fund.
The joint wizards of melody and wit, PIN
aiore' Gilbert and Sullivan, have brought
out their new farrago of pleasant nonsense,
The Pirates of Penzance," aud set every
body laughing. Whether it is as good AS
Pinafore is as yet moot question. Some
say it is a good deal better, both in words
AMI music. Others say tle airs, though very
petty and sometimes enchanting are not
"whistleable, and will lever be as popular
as Little Buttercup" and its sister dtties
The terrible disaster 70 the Tay bridge in
Scotland, where the Edinburgh express was
precipitated by hurricane, together with
half a mile of bridge, into the raging waves
below, has set the engineers here to thinking
about our iron truss bridges Our elevated
railroads are, in fact, nothing more nor less
than enormous bridges aggregating thirty
miles in length with numerous and very alb
rupt curves Hundreds of trains rush over
them at very brief intervals every day, and
while no serious accident to the cars has yet
happened, the results of very little careless
ness would be simply awful
RADIx.