The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-05-17
A CENTURY AGO.

A well preserved copy of the first issue
of the Rutland Herald, or Vermont Mer-
curry, dated December s. 1874, has come
into the possession of r. H. Kelvin. who
has an office in the San Francisco Chron-
icle building. D. H. Gallagher. d stone
cutter, had occasion recently to send ke-
win a box of granite blocks cut into orna-
mental shapes. Many newspapers were
used to protect the carved figures OF the
stone, and among various modern Jour-
nails thus used Kelvin found the queer
old paper dated 1913 years ago.
There are some things in the Rutland
Herald of that day which, in the light of
later national achievements and inven-
tions make the reader smile at what
were then matters of vital importance to
the readers of that cherries New En-
gland colony. For example, among items
of late news there is a report of the con-
vention at Paris. held ION the twenty
eighth Thermidor'' (Which being translat-
ed into the vernacular of the modern cal
endar. means August 49, when Embassa-
dor Monroe delivered an address In writ
ing which was communicated to the au-
gust body through an interpreter There
is a notice from the publisher that back
accounts may be paid in wheat, beef,
pork, butter or cheese at any time before
the first Of the ensuing year after f,It1
have management of them"
In prominent column is a record of
the American congress, held at Phila-
ators were present except the Earned
gentleman from Maryland. but the rea-
son for his absence is not given.
James Round advertises as follows:
Strayed from the subscriber, a black
two-year-old mare colt and Lucy, my
wife. who eloped from my bed and board.
She has a small white spot in her face,
is natural trotter and has her hair
sheared. but not locked. These are to
forbid all persons from harboring or
trusting her on my account. as 1 will
tI,s~1
after this date. Whoever will give in
formation where the said colt may be
found shall be handsomely rewarded
II those days the letter So had little
independence. At the beginning of a
word. in fact at any place except as
terminal. the letter was always repre-
sented by a character much resembling
the present small a. This fact makes
would be funny enough with modern
typography, seem exceedingly ludicrous.
The item describes the arrest and ex-
animation of a shoemaker upon a charge
of treason. and the offer of the commit
ting magistrate to lay a wager with the
prisoner. 1t reads thus;
MORE SEDITION.
A few days ago a poor cohler was taken
into custody upon fuspicion of seditious
and treafonable practices. A warrant was
previoufly obtained to fearch his ftall.
in which were found an old red cap.
pennyworth of cheefe, wrapped UP in a
leaf of one of the pamphlets publifhed BY
order of Mr.. Reeves committee. and two
avis. All thefe. together with the cobieT.
were carried before very fapient magif-
trate. who attentively examined the red
cap. and was clearly of opinion il was one
of thofe intended to be worn by the Eng
lish Jacobins as foon as the French had
planted the Tree of Liberty in ST. James
park. The cheefe-paper, his worfhiD de-
clared, had ftrong relifh OF sedition. and
as TO the avis ne had no doubt but they
might be ufed as fubftitutes for pixies. All
thefe circumstances taken together
amounted, in the opinion of the learned
juftice 10 an ouvert act af treafOn.
The knight OF the stall solemnly pro-
tefted his Innocence, but the Magiftrate
offered 10 bet him half "a crown that he
was = Jacobin.
The nrifoner was remanded for farther
examination. and in the meantime the red
cap and the cheefe-paper We're ordered by
the Juftice to be sent to the Privy Coun-
ell.
"The only way in which l can account
for my possession of the paper" said
Gallagher is upon the theory that when
! worked in Stockton some years ago
for an aged New Highlander, l must have
come across it among other reading mat
ter with which the loft was filled When
I LEFT l wrapped = number of things up
in newspapers, and this evidently one OF
them