smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1867

TROY, June 1.-THE quiet village Of North
Adams, Mass, was thrown into the widest
excitement on Sunday last by The discovery
that the Rev. s. A. Merrill, the late pastor OF
the Methodist Church at that place, had eIoped
with beautiful ana interesting young lady,
named Houghton, leaving a wife and nine
children. 1t seems that both parties had been
absent from the village since Wednesday last,
but as the young lady had told her parents
that she was going to visit q friend in the
appointed TO another charge, rendering his alb.
sence from home necessary q considerable por-
tion of the time, no suspicious were aroused
until Sunday, when the failure of either party
to appear, taken in connection with the re.
membrance that there had been some former
scandal in relation to them, suggested that
there m ust be comeLhing wrong According CIV
on Monday morning, the friends of the youne
lady came to this city, and found that on
Wednesday night last Mr.. Merrill had put up
at the Troy House, registering his name as
Thursday night he had stopped at the Ameri.
can. From this it appears that the young lady
did not reach Troy until Friday, tarrying here
only for q short time, and lea wing for the West
on the same day. During Thursday Mr.. Mer-
rIll made one or two attempts to borrow
money, and was refused, thirty dollars being
the sum that he desired. Whether he finally
succee ded in ''raising the wind" we did not
learn. but a report received from Utica yester-
day states that he had stopped in that city, and
was again trying to borrow money. He pro.
cured ticket on the Central railroad from
conductor on the Troy and Boston read, with
whom he was acquainted, telling him that he
did not know whether he would 60 to Utica or
further west, and would pay for it when he
returned The brother and brother in law of
Miss Houghton were in the city this morning,
and Intend to give the rsverend villain pur.
suit and a warm greeting when they overtake
him. The young lady fs but sixteen years Of
age, and, in addition to being one Of the most
beautiful and accomplished young ladies of
North A dams, is most respectfully connected
Mr.. Merrill is we'll known throughout the
Troy Conference as preacher Of remarkable
eloouence and power, and has occupied some
of the most important stations within Its
limits
Year: 1867

U.
Nature is spaIing of her precious gifts, and
| it is given but to few men tO excel in more
than one department of human action. IGnO-
rance Of this rule has often cntailed the most
lamentablc, sometimes the most ridiculous, fail
ures but in spite of these admOntory exam
pies, it is impossible to convince certain san
guine natures that they are not equal to every
thing, because they have been fortunate enough
to achieve q marked success in something


Monsieur Du Chaillu is evidently no exception
to the rule This gentleman has achieved some
reputation as traveller He has explored Equa-
torial Africa, penetrating into regions previous
" untrodden by the foot of the white man.


In his journeys he made large collections of
animals. lie stuffed and brought away with
him. as he tells us "mOre than two thousand
birds, of which sixty were new to science"
He "killed one thousand quadrupeds,"
of which more than two hundred were
stuffed" by him and sent to Europe, with


/" more than eighty Skeletons" and "abOut
thirty of these quadrupeds were new to
science" And, above all, he discovered the
famous gorilla, the nearest approach to the
human species Of that quadruminous race from


which some people think man has descended,


or of which man is more properly speaking,


an improved variety. When Monsieur Du


Chailu returned to New-Yorl in 1859, he had
so he informs us-no fewer than twenty
one gorilla skins and skeletons, beside Chin


"panzees and collections of insects reptiles,


and shells" All this, we admit, is very fair


amount of work to get through in about half
an ordinary lifetime, and we have no desire
to detract in the slightest measure from the


merit of this intrepid African traveller We are


not aware that his explorations have
| as yet resulted in any good or any promise of


good, to the race but we are not of those who


would measure the value of such enterprises as


that which has given fame to Monsieur Du Chaillu
| by their immediate usefulness; and We do not


doubt that his pioneer labors will in future


time yield some substantial benefit TO the


human family. But with all our admiration of


his intrepidity and endurance as a>traveler, We


cannot be insensible to the fact that he is in


imminent danger of making himself ridiculous.
| Not content with the renOwn he has achieved
| as an explorer, he must needs set himself up


as philosopher. Clearly, nature has endowed


him in liberal measure with the faculty of OBJ


servation; and in exercising this gift freely he


is on safe ground. But when he mounts into
! the regions Of generalizatiol-wlel from tho
Year: 1867

a correspondent recently urged through Our
columns, what he softly termed the " remis-
" sion " Of the National Debt, but which was
really its reputation. We have no sort OF
objection to a remission of what the Gov
ernment or Union owes him by any public
creditor who chooses TO forgive the debt; but
that, all know, will not amount to much. To
rcpudiate the Debt-that il, to prescribe by
law that it shall not be paid-is quito another
matter and TO this we are decidedly opposed.
SO, when our correspondent urged that. if the
Debt were wiped out, we might have beef
steaks for 10 cents per pound that now cost
35, we could not help reminding him that some
of the Public Debt is held by men who make
beef for a living, and that you would hardly
induce an Illinois farmer to burn his boarded
$4,000 of Fiye-Twenties by telling him that,
as a consequence of so doing, he would have
to sell his beef cattle henceforth ut one-thrd
of their present price. What is your opinion
on that point


The World garbles our structures, so as to
be able to say:


"TnE TRIBUNE thus takes part against thirty mlons
of beefcOnsumcrs u behalf OF few hundred thousand
for MS who have TO buy but says THE Tribune let the
price he high for the sake OF our people who sell The
falacy Of THR TRBrSEs principle is apparent tho mo-
ment its application Is extended


Now THE TRIBUNE has said nothing like
this-has propounded no principle fallacious
or otherwise. but that a grower of beef cattle
would not be likely to forgive the United
States an honest debt of $4,000 merely or
mainly because this would reduce the market
price of his cattle so that he would henceforth
have to sell three steers for the sum he now
receives for one. Is that disputedG If not,
there is nothing in controversy. The Worlds
assumption that sellers are few and buyers
many is unfounded-all are sellers and all buy
ers-and what is made by high prices on one
side is lost on the other We have no desire
that they shall be high, nor that they shall be
low: we would have them fair and just. And,
while we presume that their average would be
lower if there were no Public Debt we do not
deem that reason for favoring Reputation.
Year: 1867

version of the United States Indian agent.
could 'be Effected at the same time, without
much additional expense so much the better.
Missionary efforts among the Jews have never
been very successful for the simple reason that
they are already an eminently religious people,
holding to mOnOtheism, which is also one at
least of the fundamental doctrines of Christian
ity; while they are not, as the heather are.
ignorant Of the main doctrines and historical
pretensiOns of the Christian faith. They
secure, without abandoning the Mosaic ritual.
many Of the advantages of the new dispensa-
ton, ard as they are constitutiOnallv ayerse
to change we find that changes are infre-
quent among them. There is large Society
in London expressly for their conversion, which
spends a great deal of money, and hardly
records ten converts per annum. We hope
the Memphis Baptists will convert all the Jews
they can but if they will also turn their at
tention to the religious enlightenment of their
neighbors of either complexion, we fancy they
need not rust out for want of work. This
South is, at present, about the best missionary
field we know of in the world, and VIC want Ia
see it sedulOusly cultivated.
Year: 1867

Gen. Longstreets presence among the Vice
Presidents of meeting in New-Orleans adj
dressed by the Hon. Henry Wilson was highly
remarkable. OF course he is not a
Radical but he knows the wisdom of
liberality, aud can be hospitable to free
and sincere speech. There is in the manly act
Of Gen. Longstreet an encouraging overture
toward the recognition of Northern men and
Northern ideas. He may not believe as we
do; but the act itself is practical neconcilia-
ton, and we applaud it,
Year: 1867

Bishop Quintard in his address to the Con.
vention Of the Protestant Episcopal Church Of
Tennessee the other day, said two things 70,
which we heartily thank him. He impressed
upon his clerical brethren their duties to the
freedmen, and he condemned the practice OF
raising money for religious purposes by lot
teries. Nothing has done more to spread the
unholy mania for gambling than the church
fair as it is commonly managed We don't see
wherein the charitable rattle is any better in
its influence than the popular gift enterprise, |,
or why it should be any more respectable to
gamble by shaking up numbers in wheel
than by shuffling cards in pack 1t is 50
much easier to sell chances than to sell goods;
it is so pleasant to clear 1000 profit off $50
worth of stock, that the misdemeanOr is ex-
ceedingly popular and needs a sharp word to
correct it. "The swinde is small" says
Mr.. No Davis, in The Flying Scud, "but
Lord! it is so sure.F
Year: 1867

A big Baptist Convention was held the other
day in Memphis, which solemnly resolved dur
ing the coming year "to labor more faithfully
for the conversion of the Jews" At the
same time, a report was made that "the In
dian Missions showed very little progress
during the past year, Now, it is, we know,
none of our business; but at the risk of being
regarded as impertinent, we cannot help
suggesting that it would be just as well to
leave the Jews alone for a while and give an
undivided attention to the Indians II the con-
Year: 1867

A SUMMARY OF RELIGIoN.-There il
no salvation but by the free mercy Of
God; no mercy but by through the med
iation Of Christ; no interest in Christ
except by faith in Him; no justifying
faith but that which works by love and
purifies the heart; no love to Christ
which does not include love to His
people, His example, His precepts; no
genuine love to His people which does
not influence a man to do good to them
as he has ability and opportunity.
Year: 1867

Some ton or twelve years ago police ring
was formed with the intention Of blackmailing
every ons who had the misfortune to be
arrested, whether justly pr unjustly, and the
reporters Of several Of the city papers wers
drawn into Il As soon a. the fact came to
our knowiedgs We determined to break il
down, and By continually changing our re-
porter at tho police headquarters we suc-
ceeded in doing II


Precisely just such ring has been got up in
connection with our theatres, and the dramatic
writer who refuses to be blackmailed by it has
got to pay the penalty either in the rejection
Of his piece BY the manager or by having .
number Of newspapers leagued against him.
The combination Is effected in this way: A
certain dramatist, or, more, properly speaking,
an adapter Of pieces, discharges the functions
OF critic 10 some Eve or six evening and Sum-
day papers. The moment new piece is in
the market this person offers his services for q
consideration 70 the author, and If they
are refused he threatens him with his hostility.
So far as his influence goes this is un-
sparingiy exhibited; but as he cannot
control the HERALD the poison finds its
antidote. We should not, perhaps, notice
the thing If this person, in obtaining
the management of concerts and other enter
tainmcnts, did not assure the unfortunate artists
whom he deludes that he has means of getting
favorable notices in our columns. So far is
this from being the fact that the tickets which
he sends us ara invariably returned to him,
and we refuse to recognize him in any way.
We should, moreover, Immediately dismiss
from our employment any one who was known
to have any connection with him. In the same
ring with this individual are to be found the
critics Of some Of the daily papers-like him,
playwrights and leeches on the managers. The
effect of all this is, we need not say, to lower
the standard of criticism, as well as to degrade
the theatres themselves. We shall break down
this ring, just as we have broken down the
various other similar combinations that have
been set up for the purpose Of plunder. We
have no notion of allowing three or four needy
literary adventurers thus to assume the control
of cur city amnsements, to the great injury
Of the public and shame of the profession to
which they chance to belong. ts
Year: 1867

FAMILY PAPER, INDEEDi A New York pa
per, claiming exceeding literary merit, and to
be fast eclipsing the Ledger in enterprise
and circulation, comes to us postpaid and pen
marked that we may tell our readers that
Charles Dickens and Victor Hugo are to write
original stories for its columns. Possibly we
should have done so had not the cloven foot
been SO conspicuouly displayed. In one of its
leading editorials, headed "The last Shrek of
Sumner" is the following deleotable passage:


Senator Sumner-whose shrill shriekings
have made him notorious at home and abroad
from the hour when he first wandered wall
ing through Europe with cracked Uranium, up
to the last hours of the last session, when,
with "a gush of impertinent and irrelevant
twaddle," he exhausted the patience OF his coli
leagues-has lifted up his voice again. %
| Charles Dickens and the great French phi
lanthropie writer will scarcely add to their
laurels by becoming contributors to journal
that points course and fiippant joke with
the brutality inflicted upon q. S. Senator,
writing at his desk, by a southern bully, nor
will they be likely to carry their productions
to such market when they shall know more
of its reputation. r..ur dIia ...r.u-.-
Year: 1867

An important change was made by the
last Legislature in the act for the preserva-
ton of game The time for killing wood
cock is between the fourth Of July and the
first of September, and for grouse, prairie
hen, quail, partridge, or ruffled grouse, be-
tween the twentieth of August and the fif-
teenth of December. Section second i'm
poses fine of two dollars on any person
found with birds in his possession except
during the time allowed by law, also on
railroad and express companies who shall
carry or transport them. There is also a
penalty of five dollars for destroying nests
of the above named birds, to which is ad-
ded wild ducks and geese. We understand
that those interested in the preservation
of game propose to punish all violations of
law which come within their notice, and
sportsmen are recommended to give the
birds the legal lease of life.
Year: 1867

"WEANGEANcE Is OUR'N-When the
dark complicated editor hereof meets the
editor Of the Dodgeville Chronicle, him of
the latter sheet will have his head punched
for the COMPOUNDED lie he has caused to be
extensively published about our being car
ricd down the Minnehaha Falls and lodg-
ing on the footbridge We will goad him,
pound him, fail him, pull his hair, lick
him, push him down, kick him, roll him
in the mud, spit on him, kick him again,
set our dog on him, fling stones at him
in short, pull him about by the coat-tail,
and hurt him sadly.


Papers that have published this Mime
haha tale on US will do us justice by pub
fishing our declaration that the burned lie
is not true. We hoe i'm one, and intend
to nav it, We're sensitive on sich. 7"


The above is from the pen Of "Shang-
hai' Chandler, now of the Baraboo Inde-
pendent. We would just say that we don't
propose to allow the. said editor of the
Chronicle to be used in any such way,
and shall protect him to the best of our
ability. But IL Chandler proposes to
Eight it out on that line" we call on him
to choose his weapons. and We will ap-
point Milwaukee as the place, and the l7th
of June 1868, as the time. We was going
to say that there was not one word OF
truth in Chandler's article, but there is
it is the last sentence,
Year: 1867

HARVEST notice that the farmers
have commenced harvesting rye, barley,
and winter wheat. Some fields of spring
wheat are nearly ready, and by another
week harvest will have commenced in ear
nest. The general report from farmers is
that the wheat is short in the straw, but
well filled heads, and nothing to injure il
thus far. The promise is fair for grand


good crop. The ravages of potatoe bugs
have net been as extensive as was feared.
Year: 1867

The secretary of the Iowa county
Agricultural Society informs us that the
meeting Of the directors which was called
for last Saturday was adjourned to Satur-
day afternoon next at two o'clock, at the
Court House. He informs US that busi-
ness of Importance will be brought before
the meeting, and it is highly necessary
that full attendance of the officers and
general committee should be had.
Year: 1867

eHy- The Princeton Republic states that
Christian Plett, German lad of twelve
years of age, but two weeks from Germany
and for the time living with Mr.. John
Topp on the Mechan, some four or five
miles west of that village, accidentally shot
himself on Saturday while out shooting
blackbirds. 1t is supposed that standing
with the butt of the gun resting on the
ground, for some reason he stepped back a
few feet dragging the piece after him,point-
ing at his stomach, when the hammer
caught twig, and when disengaged, dis
charged the gun, the full contents passing
through the upper portion of the stomach
and one lobe of the liver, lodged beneath the
skin on the right side of the back. He
died on Monday morning.
Year: 1867

UNLUCKY-Senator Whitman, who it will
be remembered was thrown from wagon
some weeks ago, and severely hurt,-from
which he has not yet recovered, has again
happened very serious accident. Last
evening he was out at his barn, and climb
ed a ladder to fix something connected with
the building; board which supported the
ladder gave way and precipitated him to
the ground. In falling he struck on pick
ct fence, breaking one of his ribs, and it is
feared, otherwise materially injuring him.
self internally.


This morning as we go to press, we learn
that he is still in great deal of pain, not
being able to lie down, and not having
slept during the night. He has received
the best of medical treatment, and is doing
as well as could be expected.
Year: 1867

sWT The citizens of Ridgeway don't
think it was the best thing the Board of
Equalization could do to add over one-third
of the valuation of that town. The Nine
raj Pointers are inclined to get their backs
up about twenty per cent. being added to
their personal property valuation.
Year: 1867

fwT The Manitowoc Pilot records a Gu
rious robbery there from Mr.. Henry Will
cox by young man whom he had aided
because son of an old friend living in
New York state. He broke into his store
at night and took number of articles
worth some $25 and left note containing
bill Of the goods, asking pardon for what
he had done, and promising to pay double
in six months.
Year: 1867

CW@ We neglected last week to call at
tention to the advertisement of I. w.
Murphy, harness maker, Of Mineral Point.
Mr.. Murphy is spoken of as the best work
man in this part of the State. We have
not seen any of his work, but it is said to
give very good satisfaction. He keeps a
very good assortment of everything in his
line. Give him call.
Year: 1867

fW Wednesday evening last was ap-
pointed for the meeting of the village board
and although there was considerable busi-
ness of Importance to be brought before
that body, a quorum could not be drummed
up, and those present concluded to meet
on Tuesday evening next, when it is hoped
a full board will be in attendance.
Year: 1867

A Badical Organ ON the Trial OF


.9en. Davis.


The Ne,o York Times has a long article
on the trial of DAVIS, in which the editor
seems to realize the predicament of the
man who drew the elephant in lottery
not knowing what to do with the animal
after he 'got" him. Speaking for the par
ty which it represents, the Times says:


The forthcoming trial is very likely to do
us damage and discredit. We see no way
in which it can possibly do us good. Ii
Davis should be convicted, he will not be
punished; no one believes for moment
that he will be either executed or i'm
prisoned. His conviction would not deepen
the impression of the guilt of the rebellion
on the public mind in the least degree; in
deed, the fact that its guilt is allowed to
be solemnly called in question will infal-
libly weaken the public sense or its enor-
nifty, and cause it to be regarded as a
subject on which opinions may justly
differ. If he should be acquitted, as he
may be, the consequences, especially on
public sentiment in the Southern States,
would be still more injurious. And con-
sidering the character and calibre of the
presiding District Judge, the mode of con-
stituting the jury and the prevailing tenn
per of the parties who have control of the
whole proceeding, there is reason to fear
that steps may be taken to procure con-
viction which will reflect more lasting dis
grace and infiict deeper injury on our
whole political system than even an ac-
quittal would involve.


The matter has become so complicated
by the long delays and irresolute action
already had, that its solution now is mat
ter of no small difficulty. But we believe
the country would feel relieved il the
whole proceeding could be dismissed. The
rebellion has been tried and condemned; !;
and there is neither necessity for a new
trial nor possibility ofany greater punish
ment than it has already received.
Year: 1867

AS weary traveller was vending his
way through the mud in a far-west region
of the country, he discovered young
maiden seated in front of the door of a
small log house. He rode up in front OF
the cabin, and asked the girl for drink of
water. Hedrank it. and She being the first
woman he had seen for several days, offered
her dime for kiss. The young maiden
accepted the offer, and received both the
kiss and the dime. The traveller was about
to resume his journey, but the Girl, never
before having seen a dime, asked: "What
am l to do with the dime?" '.You may
use it any way you wish," he replied, at
is yours" 'If that's the case,n said she.
"rll give you back the dime and take an
other KISS"
Year: 1867

BASE BALL March. Yesterday after
noon the Jefferson Base Ball Club and the Amer.
loan Cricket Club, Of this city, played match
game Of base ball on tho ground Of the National
Club, White Lot A large and fashionable as
ssmbisge Of ladies and gentlemen were present,
and eyinced great interest In the game. The
ground was very slippery, and Il was with din
Guilty tho.contestants could control their pedal
sxtrsmitiss. The game was hard fought one,
and was awarded to the cricket club, together
with the usual trophy hne ball.


The following Is the score: