Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-02-11
presumed that should hear nothing more


"When 1 left your office 1 went to that of
Mr.. White. He referred to his books and
found that he had changed the note for the
manager of one Of the agencies of the New
York Central railroad company. I then call
ed upon that gentleman. He had no recol-
lection of the individual from whom he
had received the money, and, disappointed,
l was leaving the establishment, when
clerk interposed, and, addressing his en-
ployer, he said: Mr.. Suydam, we had the
note in question from man who bought
a through ticket for Chicago. He came in
to inquire what was the fare to that city.
1 told him. He said that he would 20 by
our line, but that he must first change some
English money at brokers'. I informed
him that this was quite unnecessary, as /
would take it in payment of his ticket at
the current rate of exchange. To this he
agreed, and thus the note came into our
hands. Why l remember so clearly the
transaction is that the mans name was a
rather unusual one-Blenkiron, and had
to ask him how he spelled it. Mr.. Blenki-
ron mentioned incidentally that he was
going west to fill situation in large man.
featuring establishment, but he did not say
the nature of the business nor the name of
the firm which had engaged him.
Furnished with these particulars" con-
tinued the consul, 81 met the difficulty Of
putting myself in communication with the
man in this way. 1 wrote to him, stating
the information sought, and addressed
my letter to him at the Poste Restante,
Chicago. At the same time caused adver-
tisements to be inserted in two of the lead
ing daily newspapers in that city, notify
ing Mr.. Blenkiron that there was letter
for him at the head postofice. Well, some
days afrerward l had a reply to my COM
munication, informing me that the writer
had received the bank-nOte from an uncle
in Bombay, whose address he gave me.
This information I forwarded to the postal
authorities in England, on whom, of course,
devolved the duty of pursuing all further
inquiries with respect to the matter and
for some time thereafter l heard nothing
more about the business. However, subse-
quenty 1 learned the sequel of it. Mr..
Blenkiron resident in Bombay, when COM
municated with, stated that the note had
been sent to him by a merchant in Glas-
gov. That merchant had received it from
tradesman in the same place; that indi-
vidual in his turn, had taken it from a
clerk in one of the branch postoffices in that
city. in payment of his account. Thus,
finding, the theft of the money having been
brought home to the clerk in question, he
was duly tried and convicted of the Of
fenSe.
This was the consul's story, which struck
me as rather curious one. 1t is said, with
justice that the strength of a chain is simply
the strength Of its weakest link. In this
case some of the links of the chain of cir
cumstances which has rendered it possible
to Grace the people throughout whose hands
the stolen bank-note had passed had been
of the slightest, and had threatened on
more than one occasion to part. Yet, by a
concurrence of purely fortuitous events,
thew had not done so but on the contrary,
the chain had held together so strongly as
to bring an offender to justice after so long
a period had elapsed since the commission
of the crime that the criminal doubtless
supposed himself quite safe from detection.
No LONGER A MYSTERIOUS ART.-Such
a thing would once have been looked on as
absurd. In ancient times the doctor pur-
posely invested his art with mystery. More
or less of the same spirit and policy has
come down to our own day. Still, both the
tendencies and the actualities Of things have
greatly changed. Not only have other sci.
ences laid richest gifts at the feet of medi-
cine, but the latter has fully entered into
their enlarged spirit, and accepted their
more accurate methods of investigation.
LII SIOIU, ulCulClHC lIoo lloSilS IVA ehS hAoe
time in its long history, become science.
We now understand as never before the
nature and origin of epidemical diseases
their relation to bad surroundings in place
and person the prominence of drinking
infected water as q source OF contagion the
value of dianfectants, as distinguished
from mere deodoriZers, and which of them
alone is absolutely reliable the still great
er disinfecting power Of pure air and sum
shine.
We have learned to fight with success
threatening epidemic by concentrating our
force on the first solitary case, hedging it
around by removal of the we'll from the
sick, or the sick from the well. We under
stand, too, the Importance of good house
drainage, and the danger Of poor plumbing.
We also know that the air of the chamber
is never better than the air of the cellar.
We have come to comprehend the posi-
bility of stamping out the whole class of
infectious diseases. The profession, to their
honor, for it takes away their patients, is
recognizing the truth of the old maxim,
can ounce of prevention is worth pound
of cure"
Now all this has rendered it practicable
to avail ourselves of our public schools in
promoting the public health. This is al
ready being done. For the last year med
ica instruction has been given in the
schools at Bangor, Me-, with the result OF
preventing the spread of disease among the
pupils.
of the instruction given is such that the
teachers are made watchful and careful in
regard to their pupils, and often a so-called
'spunky' fit is seen to be really the precurs-
or of an actual sickness. The practical in
auguration Of such plan of instruction is
not difficult matter. Let the board OF ed
ucatiOn organize the teachers of each gram
mar school into class to meet in their
own building. Plenty of able men in the
profession will volunteer their services as
lecturers. Preventative medicine is the
coming glory of the profession Youths
Companion.
LETTERING UP AND DOwN-A speculator
in four years has paid one firm in Wall steet
the sum of S250,000 in commissions. He
was wealthy man when he went into the
street with a laudable but unwarrantable
desire to increase his patrimony by specula-
ting in stocks. Now, so heavy have been
his losses that he would be satisfied if he
possessed the sum he has paid out in COM
missions. AS it is, he will cheerfuly accept
clerkship in the said firm, who wish to
avail themselves of his numerous acquaint-
ances to increase their custom, If he had
been contented with handsome sufficiency
for the day, amounting really to superabun-
dance, he would now be in atfluence instead
of in the position of comparative destitution
he is. On the other hand, young clerk
few years ago commenced to speculate in
the street with 5000, the savings of years
abstinence from smoking, and now is worth
in real estate over 81 100000 and several
more in securities. In Wall street specula-
tion more than in ANYTHING else what is