Port Royal Commercial and Beaufort County Republican, 1873-12-11

ell, even 10 meir iuat muu, m u?riess, victims of the plague. On the L5th of October a dense fog overspread :he coast of Labrador. Thongh intense frost had been experienced on the 13th ind 14th ultimo, this fog brought with t an unaccountable warmth and dampness. There was no kain, yet the rigging of the brigantine Ann (the vessel which brought the intelligence to St. P'^rel was dripping, and the decks were slippery. It was impossible to see the bowsprit from the poop, and the huts and people on shore were lost to light in the impenetrable fog. On the morning of the 16th ultimo, the morning which succeeded that phenomenon, more than sixty men, women, and children, principally Esquimaux, were prostrated with a disease, the nature of which the most skillful of the missionmes could not define. A vomiting of yellowish fluid, accompanied by acute pains in the stomach and contraction of the muscles, were the first symptoms. The patient was suddenly prostrated, and the groaning and writhing of many persons struck down by the disease in the same part of the harbor were heartrending, principally so in view of the mystcriousne8s of their disorder. On the afternoon of the 18th of October the Ann put into Invaloke Inlet again. To use the exact words written by one on board that vessel, " the aspect of that plague-stricken settlement will never grow less terrible in the memories of all thos? who beheld it and still live." Women were fleeing with their children and little bundles containing provisions and clothes. In every hat there were several dead, and others dying. Home yelled for help* and others moaned piteoasly, unable to move a limb. The captain sent in a cask of brandy to the house of the missionaries, and, in grateful recognition of the offering, they raised a flag on the pole in front of their house. Later they sent word to the captain not to come ashore, or permit any of his men, as already many of their people had fallen victims to the plagae. The messenger stated that a schooner from the United States lay inside the harbor, and the captain, chief mate, and nearly all her crew had been prostrated by the disease. Before night on the 18th ult. tho news reached the Aun that Bix of the missionaries lay dead ; that on the instant after death all the corpses of those carried off became of a bluish-black hue, and that decomposition had set in. The captain of the American vessel (the Henry F. BoltoD, of Gloucester, Mass.) and four of his crew died at night. The next morning the captain of the Ann ordered a signal to be raised for a messenger to boaid them. There was no one to answer the signal. The men of the Ann who volunteered to go on shore were given plenty of ram. At

U Ul DO llJuouamug ???W ..... these people who tell them and laugh 1 at them by the wide open fire-places of 1 their log cabins. Will yon hear some < of them: 1 There were once two young men who ' had never been away from home, who 1 went to town on an errand of some sort. I They conspired together and bought 1 | two and a half cents' worth of ginger- < bread. As they walked along the streets i .stuffing it into their mouths, ono of > them nudged the other and said: I " Laws, Sam! if marm knowed we wuz 1 a takin' seen a splurge would'n she gin J us goss ?" There's not much humor in 1 this truly, as I tell it; but told bv a I boy, who, poor as he is, never takes ' change below a " fip"?five cents?and 1 who laughs all over when he tells it, I | have found it quite amusing. Here is one like unto it: Two young ' men from "iDjeanny,"strolling through ' Cincinnati, come to the sign "City 1 Hotel." One of them spells it thus: ' "C-i-t, Kit, y, Kitty, H-n-t, Hot, Kitty < Hot, e-1, Kitty Hottel. Thunder, Bill! ] that air mus' be the same Kitty Hottel ' is used to keep tavern in Injinop'Jis. ' This story never fails to bring a laugh. I Sometimes the hero of the story is an 1 Irishman, sometimes a negro. Gencr- 1 illy, the Irishman figures as snpreme 1 fool, while the negro often shows a : good deal of wit. " More rain more 1 rest," cried a negro one day as it began to rain. " I said more rain, more chuck- ' in' corn in debarn, sah." Then this of < an Irishman: He had just arrived in 1 this country, and was crossing a stream 1 on a foot-log. Seeing a bear come the ' other way he took him to be a negro, i and bade him good morning. The bear ' raised up, and, after the manner of 1 bears, clasped the Irishman to his 1 bosom. The Irishman, supposing this < to be a sign of affection, hugs the bear ' in turn. But finding that the " nager " > squeezed unconscionably hard, he affec- > cionately remonstrated with him. When 1 it got to be u matter of life and death, 1 he pulled out his knife and said: "An' ( if yo don't let go I'll hev to kill yon1 which he proceeded to do. The bcai 1 rolled into the water, and the Irishman, 1 meeting a man soon after, informed < him thut he had killed a "nager," upon which they returned and found the car- j uass of the bear.

through the back kitchen aoor by prying oft' the hasp, about 11:30 o'clock, * soon after the occupants of the house j had retired. The burglar, after getting c into the kitchen, commenced walking J around the room. Mr. Smith, who fi had not yet gone to sleep, heard the t fellow, but kept quiet. In a few mo- c ments more the burglar entered the 1 hall which leads directly to the sleep- I ing apartment. About this time Smith 1 had gotten out of bed, and, arming * himself with a bootjack and one of his heavy boots, awaited the approach of the other. It was as dark as tar, and as soon as the man came within striking r distance he let fly at him with his boot- . jack, hitting him over the head. The fellow beat' a hosty ratreat, but not fast I enough to escape the heavy boot, which I wus thrown after him. When he got 1 iuto the kitchen he didn't know which way to tnru, as he had closed the door when he camu in. Before he knew f where he was he had fallen over the 1 stove, knocking half a dozen tea kettles t and pots off with him. This created ^ such a terrible din that Smith thought four or five burglars were in his kitch- 1 en, and was afraid to follow. Lucky I for the other that he did, for he had ] become so demoralized by the fall that r he wasn't worth a cent for fighting. 1 Getting on his feet again, he 6truck f for the door wildly, and this time came r in contact with a rocking chair, and he i fell head over heels into a tub of water. \ His splashing and floundering around c in the tub of water terrified Smith more e thun ever, and he began to think his i house was possessed of devils. The f man at last found the door, and jumped < down the steps ; lie ran across the yard t like lightning, and thfetimerushed into a j small hen coop, which he knocked 1

" A lawyer's oath, I answered, " for- ti bids him to betray his client. Yon may speak with freedom and safety." . n " My words may place my brother's tl life in your hands," he said; "yet it li may 6till be possible to clear np a hor- r< rible suspicion which, for years, has haunted me. I have read of so many ti cases in which it came out that men were innocent whose guilt seemed prov- f< ed to demonstration that I blame myself for not sooner seeking aid in the a] solution of a dreadful mystery, instead of helplessly brooding over it." cl He paused, as if 6till hesitating to ni disclose his secret. The indecision, w however, was but momentary. "My brother Charles and myself," he resumed, " were brought up in a 6j distant city by a wealthy uncle, of d whom I was the favorite. el " Charles was younger than I, by h some years. He was a light-hearted, affectionate boy, a little wild and ex- h travagant, but not vicious?just the per- a| son, on the whole, not to meet the ap- o] probation of our strict old uncle. 44 When the latter made his will, he y< left the bulk of his fortune to me, appointing me also trustee of the very p; moderate provision made for my y< brother. 44 Charles expressed no displeasure at t; this. Be placed too little value on p; money, I thought, or had too much con- a fidence in my generosity to care which of us our uncle 1< ft his wealth to. it 44 Not long after the will was made, r< retnrning home *ne night, I found the front door unlocked. I paid but little ai attention to tho circumstance, at- gj tributiug it to the carelessness of the tc servant.

yed little girl of thirteen years filling ler basket with coals from the cars of he Missonri Pacific Itailroad. When he child was brought before the auhorities, Mrs. Caroline Whittlesey, nore familiarly known as "Brighton Pearl," of the Drnry Lane Theatre, ap>eared in her behalf, and her calm and ady-like manner, and pale, careworn ace, were all the eloquence required to elease the little girl from the watchnan's grasp. This man, to test the Foman's words as to her poverty and lestitution, visited her rude, unplaster:d hovel in the bottoms near the raiload track. A clean but humble bed, a ew chairs, a table, a number of relics >f the stage, such as play-bills, permits, &c., uud a sewing machine, comjrised all her earthly possessions. Mrs. iVhittlesey, it appears, went to Kansas Uity about five years ago, and has lived here since the death of her hnsband >y her own exertions as a seamstress. Yhen she left the stage Bhe did so exacting to become the wife of Lord Denbigh, with whom she went, as his rife, to Geneva and thence to Florence, rhere they lived in retirement several nonths. On his death her claims as lis wife were set aside, and having leither money nor frieadB she came to his country to seek a livelihood. Since he death of her husband, whem she narried in Kansas, she had gradually lecome reduced in circumstances, and low found herself compelled to send ler child to gather coals to assist in king out the scanty support won by her leedle. The Hoosac Tunnel. The work of the Hoosac Tunnel was ommenccd as far back as 1850. After hat it was abandoned and recommenced

"l am unarms wusou, un duiu, and have come to answer to your noce. I looked at him narrowly. There was o great resemblance between him and ie late Mr. Wilsoti; yet the want of keness was not sufficient, of itself, to ?nder their relationship improbable. " What proof have you of your identy ?" I inquired. " I can mention all the family names, >r one thing," he answered. "A little preparation might enable ay one to do that," I replied. " I have a ring given me by my uu!e," he said, a little reluctantly. "His smc is in it. It was a parting present hen I left home." " Let me see it," I requested, ne took from his pocket and undone a nail parcel. It contained an elegant iamond ring. The gem was costly nnd legantly set. The uume was there as e had stated. " By the way," I added, turningupon im quickly, " are you not a little fraid to present yourself as a claimant F your brother s fortune ?" "Why ?" he asked, with evident nerousness. "Did it ever occur to you," I exlained, "that you might be accused of our uncle's murder?" " My uncle's murder!" he exclaimed, irniug pale and trembling. " What roof is there to found such a charge pon ?" " Enough to hang you, I fear, should ever be brought forward," was my ply. And determined to push him home, id find what explanation he had to ive, I went over all my late client had >ld me. The effect on him was singular. He as evidentlv reassured by the state -

over, and killed several of the small hens. What happened to him after this no one knows. Suffice it, he has not shown himself around those parts since.? Valltjo {Cat.) Independence. The Old Woman of Shamokin. Some few miles from Shamokin, Pa. enjs the Episcopal Register, lives a character that those manly people, the " woman's rights women," should certainly know, as she is decidedly the champion. The singular being is some seventy-two years of age, and is altogether the most manly woman I ever met with. A tenant-at-will, she has oc- j; cupii d for many years the farm she cultivates with her own hands and the assistance of hired laborers. She owns about forty-two head of cattle, some of which I saw, and are really fine stock. c She lives alone in her log cnbin, her t only companions being two shepherd H dogs and her chickens, many of the lutter sleeping under the same roof with her, she calling them her children, and * training them up in the way they should fl go, so us to cause the least inconveni- c ence to her in their habit of life. She _ is utterly fearless, and with her dogs and gun, which she can use with un- * erring aim, Lize Schnler is a character c that few would care to trifle with, t Imagine, if you can, a woman of me- t dium size, d.essed in men's clothes, n with a soft hat variously indented upon t her head, no coat, barefooted, and you have this champion of " woman's i rights" before you. Wrinkled though t her face is by the storms and trials of c many years, the strength and activity I

" Oa reaching my room, I discovered w that I had not with me u valuable book m which I had started with from a public library to which I was a subscriber. I w had stopped to visit a friend on the way, Cc and conjectured that I migfht have left the volume at his room. I determined ai to act on the surmise, and return to my sc friend's at once. m " As I passed out of the door, I met pj Charles coming in. I do not know if I spoke to him in my haste. I found the btok where I supposed it was, and hud tc nearly reached my uncle's door agnin, di when I saw it open and mv brother ? rush out excitedly, and walk rupidly away. pi " I met the housekeeper in the hall- p] way. She seemed to be paralyzed with fear. H " 'I'm afraid something terrible has m happened,' she said, recovering her n< voice with an effort. 9 In What is the matter?' I asked. in "'Ob, sir,' she answered, 'Mr. Charles ran out of his nucle's room just in now, looking like a ghost, and having tli a bloody knife in his hnnd. He passed me without speaking, and hurried ni from the house before I could say a m word !' " I went at once to my uncle's apart- al ment. A ghastly spectacle met my ?t sight ! My uncle lav lifeless in his d< blood ! The gas was burning brightly, fr and every detail of the horrid scene was uj appallingly distinct. cc " My uncle had beeu stabbed through the heart. IIis secretary stood open, 01 rti'.l lift woo cfrnnrti wiiVi nonCTQ /ir