Year: 1873

went up yesterday, at the wheel of the
Houston, and will, perhaps, make one
trip down on the Mary Z. Forsyth, now
loading naval stores at Mound City,.
Not many years ago, thirty more


or less, when velOcipedes were the rage


here, a certain telegrapher, now the cap


tain OF O famous wrecking steamer, OBJ


tanned a tWO-Weeks' leave to visit his


friends in an adjacent town in Missis-
sippi, and did go there, but not to visit.


He wanted to learn to ride that
two-wheeled hoss," and couldn't
do it here, so he bought a


" tWo-fOrtyn u wheeled trotter, and
started with it to B---r-we will call
the place by that name-and after ten
days hard work in the broiling sun, and
ten nights hard work by the beautiful
moon, he became master of the art, and
would have come off with fine laurels
but for an accident that occurred day
or two before he intended leaving for
Memphis, where, as he bOasted, he
would "teach the natives how to ride"-
chow to ride" q Ia Jinks. The accident,
however, rather cooled his ardOT, and
when he got back never a word was said
about his new accomplishment. Nor
would there ever have been
ANYTHING at all known of il
had not the little captain let
drop upon the pavement while here,
the other day, q letter addressed to an
intimate friend, and which, by little
persuasion, we were permitted TO see the
portion wherein the writer tells OF the
accident in about the following words:
al had just got the cussed thing so l
could ride it well, and, one evening,
started to call on handsome young Ia
dy. The call ended, / mounted old
'Bucephalus' and started to Georges,
but hadn't got ten steps before huge
Newfoundland dog started after me and
having small hill to pull up, and
knowing that if [ lost ground going
down hill the dog would catch me on the
home stretch, i put my best foot forward
with will, and had gained the top of
the hill. and to my horror and dismay,
on looking back | saw the dog within
thirty yards of me- More steam was
required, and l let her wide Open,'
and made for the sidewalk, thinking l
could easily jump off and dodge into a
store door, but in this l counted without
my host, for just as l reached a millinery
shop, in the door of which stood dOz-
en- young ladies watching the race, l
lost my presence of mind for a moment,
and ran smash into the showcases
standing on the curbstone, and broke
four of them to splinters; then the
cOnfounded canine caught me, and
spoiled the best suit of clothes Re
Vance ever gave me credit for, and
would have killed me but for the young
lady to whom the beast belonged COM
ing to my rescue and taking the pup
home. My feelings can better be imag-
med than written, and as live, At, l
will never go back there again until
every one of those ladies have selected
partners for life. 1 couldn't stand the
modification, and as for velOcipedes-
well, Fue never had any desire to try
one since. Yours, ETC., In D-n."
The above is a UerbdtiDl copy of the let
ter, and true to his word our esteemed
friend has never seen B-r since.
Our dispatches announce the departure
last night from New Orleans of the r.
e. Lee.A telegram from st. Louis
last night says: 1.-THE lnDOvatOr and
Grafton collided at Carondolet last
night, the former losing a wheel and
having her cabin crushed in. The Nell
lie Peck is reported sunk below Fort
Rice, but there are no particulars of the
disaster"