Year: 1860

ONE OF The TRAGIC MURDERS OF EARLY
TINEs.-A correspondent of the Columbia
Courier, writing about Slate Creek, in Sierra
county, says:


Whilst am speaking of this place, I will
refer TO bloody murder which occurred at
the Slate Creek House, in 1851. The story
Is that Mcdonald, who then owned the house
one night got into game of poker with his
cook and three other men, miners in the
neighborhood Mcdonald quarreled with
the men, and cook struck him with bar of
iron, and the Others finished him. They tnen
buried him in hole about three feet square
divided his money-some four hundred dol
lars only among themselves, and departed
The cook gave out that Mcdonald had gone
below, to San Francisco, and he remained
two weeks, keeping the house as usual. He,
however, did two things from which he was
suspected. The first was, he hired man for
three dollars to fell tree in a particular di-
rection, which would have covered up the
grave of Mcdonald, but the axe was dull,
and the man desisted after a little remark
ing he would be dalUNed if he would cut
tree with such an axe. Whilst talking with
him, the man saw some blood on tile helve
and remarked it was singular to have blood
on the choppiug axe. The cook colored up
and stammered out something about chop
ping some meat with it. This incident led
to inquiry aboui Mcdonald, and some of his
friends wrote to the San Francisco papers to
advertise for him. About this time, the cook
sent some money down to a lawyer, to send
home for him. The lawyer having seen the
advertisement, instead of sending home the
money for him, came up to Pine Grove and
made statement This reused the miners.
and they determined to arrest the cook. and
the others who had been loafnr around
there. Accordingly crowd came over and
arrested the cook, but found the others had
gone home to their cabin on Canon Creek
They succeeded in arresting two others, but
the fourth resisting, and refusing to be taken
alive, was shot in his tracks. A miners
court was then held on the principles of
Judge Lynch, when it being proved, bv the
confession of two of them, that all were
guilty, and having pointed out McDonald's
grave, they we're all sentenced and hung
inside of half an hour The bodies were left
hanging in ravine, about hundred wards
rom the house, and next mornieg came near
frightening to death party of emgrants.
Who had arrived that night. and who were
out hunting their mules.


The Raleigh, North Carolina) Standard
says:


Northern Democrats felt aeutely the con-
dition Of things, [at Charleston. but they
bore themselves like patriots and gentlemen
They complained, but not bitterly, of the
outside pressure brought to bear upon them
1t had no effect on them but to confirm them
IN their devotion to their candidate. Mr..
Douglas. They had voted for the fugitive
slave law-they had voted TO repeal the Mis-
souri, rcstrlction-they had voted to annex
Texas, and add thereby three hundred thous
and square miles of saveholding territory to
the nion-they had voted against protective
tariff laws, of which South Carolina once
complained so bitterly, and on account Of
which she was about to leave the Union
they had struggled in their respective States
to prevent the enactment of laws to shield
and protect fugitive slaves, and they had re-
Gently honored one Of South Caronas pro-
minent sons with the Speakership Of the
House of Representatives Under these cir
cumstances not to mention others. these gal
lent men deserved better treatment than they
received at the hands of South Carolnians
For our part. we have no hesitation in saying
that we will not go with South Carolina or
with William Yancey and his followers, in
their attempts to dissolve the Union. The
star spangled banner is not yet odous to our
sight, nor do we 10y any means despair of tie
Republic. We still have confidence in the
National Democratic party. We look to
Baltimore for confirmation of that confidence,
and for a ticket which will triumph in No
vember next. Meanwhile, ace are for tie
Constitution" and tie Union, and against all
who would trarple on the one or dissolve
the other As for Mr.. Yancey we leave him
to the tender mercies of the Alabama De-
mocracy-they will dispose of him.