St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-05-02
GLADSTONE ON WASHINGTON.


Mr.. Gladstone has addressed a let
ter to resident of Buffalo, in re-
Spouse to a memorial received, ex-
pressing sympathy with the cause OF
Ireland The memorial was signed
by President Harrison, Vice-Presl-
dent NJ orion and many members OF
Congress. In the letter Mr.. Glad
stone says =
LONDON, Apr. II.
Dear Sir have the honor to aC-
knowledge your letter of March %
and the remarkable list appended to
it of those distinguished citizens of
the United States who have testified,
through the memorial you mention,
their interest in the condition of Ire
land and their desire for just and
reasonable acknowledgment of her
national claims and aspirations. l
rejoice not only to think, but to
know that throughout the wide con-
fines of the race to which we all be-
long, there is an overwhelming pre-
pOnderance of sentiment in favor of
that acknowledgment. AT home
this judgment has been constitution
ally recorded by Ireland herself, by
Scotland and by Wales, the represen-
tatives of all three being in favor of
home rule by majority of three or
four to one. And, founding ourselves
on the evidence of the elections in
England which have taken place since
the general election of 1886, we firm
ly believe that England herself, were
the opportunity now afforded to her
by a dissolution, would record YER
dict decisively in accord with those
of the other portions of the United
Kingdom and of the AnglOSaXOn
race at large.
Finally, rejoice to be put in pos
session of such declarations, at a mo-
ment when your great country is
about to celebrate, on the 3Oth in
slant, the centennial anniversary of
the inauguration of George Washing
ton as the first President Of the
American commonwealth. l have
been requested from Chicago and
elsewhere to intimate an assurance
of my participation in your national
joy.
1t is real and grateful partici-
patton. For the statesmen of the
American revolution have taken their
place once for all among the greatest
political instructors of the world.
George Washington was their ac-
knowledged and illustrious head, and
to him and them havelong felt that
l owed no trivial part of my own
public education.
BOYS TAUGHT TO BEG AND STEAL.
The New York police have discov-
cred a gang of boy thieves and beg
CARS, who have been held as practical
slaves by a depraved character who
can well be compared to the Fagin of
Dickens's Oliver Twist. Daniel
Smith, a cunning rogue, lacking in
mental development, and certainly
devoid of moral qualities, has been
before the police court on complaint
of q Jersey City workman whose son
was led into evil ways. Itseems that
this 14-ycars-old boy lost his way
while attending a horse-race a year
ago, and fell into Smith hands. He
was promised q chance to enter the
circus as a performer, and that was
inducement enough for the romantic
young chap to run away from home.
Smith then induced him to steal from
his parents, and with the $50 he
succeeded in purloining they began a
career at Philadelphia. The circus"
program began with bandaging the
boys arm and forcing him to beg
from people on the street, whose
sympathies were touched by the dis
abled member. Other boys were
added to the party, and the most
cunning ones were set to work as
professional thieves, while the Jersey
City boy begged. The party moved
to New York recently, where quar-
tiers were secured in the Bowery, and
the force of boys was increased to
seven. Smith had complete control
failed to bring in good returns at
night from their stealings or beg
cling. New stories were devised to
excite sympathy on the street, and
Smith finally resorted to what he
called the flash process, which con-
sists of burning the arm raw with
nitric acid. The sight of the tester
ing sore, with the pitiful story that
it resulted from an explosion, proved
a profitable investment. Smith en-
couraged the beggars to fortitude in
their suffering until they took pride
in it. The father of the Jersey City
boy found him, and followed him
home, thus revealing to the police
Smiths haunts. According to the
story of the sufferers there are other
boss beggars" like Smith, who train
children in crime and appropriate
their stealings. The case seems al
most incredible in this age of organ
lied philanthropy, and one wonders
how it could happen even in city
like New York.
MORMON STA TISTICS.