St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-11-23

was a fat, old negress, and black as
the ace of spades. The story got about
and the journal to which l refer was
pretty literally chaffed over its i'm
aginary "blOnde."
The hard, keen spell we have been
having this last few days reminds me
that the winter is upon us. The work
ing population, l am afraid, will have
an unusually hard time of it. OnIy
two nights ago family of two adults
and seven children were discovered
huddled up in the back room, or, more
correctly speaking, the back cupboard
of a crowded tenement, with no lire,
and scarcely rag to cover them.
What a sad commentary this is upon
our boosted civilization And yet one
scarcely knows how to discriminate in
the giving of aims. A "blind beggar"
who drives thriving trade was arrest
ed the next day in a saloon, where he
was found drinking whiskey and read
ing a newspaper before a stove. These
are simply two of the many queer
features of New York life.
The daring escape of Harrison and
Wilson, two noted thieves, from Sing
Sing prison, on Wednesday morning,
and for whose arrest 5000 reward is
offered, has developed a curious illus
tratiOn of the ways and habits of
criminals. They made their escape by
filing away a couple of bars from the
mess room window at $50 a. IN. In
reply to a question by reporter as to
the probability of the prisoners getting
away from the neighbOrhood in their
prison clothes, Warden Brush said {:
~ suppose the hill and the ground
around here is planted thick with
clothing. Their friends plant suits of
clothes for them, and when they visit
the prison they tell them where the
clothes are"
The residences of DR.. Morgan Dix,
NJ. C. Marvin and a number of other
prominent citizens, have been operated
upon this week by an organized band
of negro sneak thieves who have reap
a harvest, valued at $4,000, consisting
of sealskin sacques, clOaks, dresses,
hats and umbrellas. Six of these
cOlored gentry are now in the hands
of the police. Among the captured
articles were three envelopes crammed
with pawn tickets, and a silk dress
worth $500. 1t is not surprising that
New Workers find it necessary to secure
their door-mats with chains and pad
locks, in view of these raids upon hat
racks and bedrooms.
| much regret to say that the annual
observance of the evacuation of the
British from New York will be sadly
married this year in consequence of the
death, on Wednesday, of old David
Van Ardsdale, who has for many years
hOisted the stars and stripes at the
battery on former occasions. He died
at the age of eighty The old
soldier was a veteran of the war OF
1872, and was, through his father, con-
nected with the history of the Revolu-
ton. The family belong to good old
Dutch stock, and trace their history
from Jon Van Arsdale, of Holland
who lived in 1911.
A rival to the once celebrated DR.
Tanner of fasting notority, has beer
discovered in Elizabeth, N. J. His
name is Joseph H. Dresser, Belgian
by nationality. He says he has tasted
no food since the 5th inst, and will
continue to abstain from any nOurish-
ment for forty days. The reason for
this prOtracted act of self-denial is, he
SAYS "fOr the benefit of science, and tC
show my faith in God" Faith without
works being dead, l think that Mr.
Van Dresser may be able to survive
his forty days fast, by which time
probably, he will arrive at the cOnclu.
sion that he has made a great ass o.
himself, without having placed science
under any obligation to him. RADIX.