Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Eugene City guard. (Eugene City, Or.) 1870-1899 | View Entire Issue (May 15, 1880)
VHJ5 VALl'E of as oath. . an unpopular case to defend. was of ne oi "rrr ,P,, lar verdict 1 had cuiw - l il was the Arthur Berkley, the prisoner, had mar A Edith Granger, wealthy heiress, Wher had died leaving her a ,1,096 . pjtcinsion of bs0Tjr-; whom he had dit 8i n bi F.0"'," r.r' frm home. Berkley died within a year after i, leaving an infant, a feeble creature, renu ring constant and ' ilnous care..fiideed, Dr. Ualdwm TrTnat took up bis quarters in tue uouse, often pa83'"! e ,vht be on hand in case of need, ""jr . . wa niffhta. the doctor, as ..u ...j, oiofc.il in his evidence, after iring to bod, feeling solicitous about Surge, got up and stole softly to the 1116 m t .. ,.,,4l. ,',,. was all nursery to see vuu "lie found the door ajar and a dim light tinctlv saw Arthur Berkley standing by X." ..Vi holding to the child's mouth winch it was accustomed to Leive its food. At the sound of the ibetor's footsteps he steathily left the i)artmeni oy wu cuwum-o. r.i Utile mirnrised at these mov ments, the doctor approached and laid Ms hand on the child's faoe, which he found in violent convulsions, which ' were followed in a few seconds by the iiulden stillness oi aeaui. A flost-portem examination and snalysi of the contents of the stomach placed it beyond doubt that prussio acid UJ been administered. And an ex the bottle, fonnd where JUlliUw - Berkley had left it, proved that the milk in it contained a iurge quuuwiy ui u wmo deadly poison. On this evidence Berkley was arrested and indicted for murder; and there was i .lUsnnfinir voice as to his cult. An incentive to the crime found in the fact that, as heir to ins cnua, lie wouiu m-v.-t tha fortune which had descended to the latter through the death of his mother. lo womier tne aeea s monstrous, should excite the deepest in Berkley's previous character had been good. He always appeareu genue nnu 1,0,1 hppn a devoted husband, and during the brief period of its life had showed the tendorest attachment for his Tn mv nnnfprpnnn with him he seemed overwhelmed with grief, but strenuously denied all imputations oi gum, asserting that he had not gone to the nursery after retiring that night till called by the alarm of bis child s ueatn. Of course bis statements, in tne face of proof so damning, weighed but little. J L.l nn nnndilnnnn in them nivsfilf. Still MV " ' it was my professional duty to see that a 1 mnn nn trial fnr his life, who had en trusted me with his cause, had every ncrht oi tne law accoruea mm. xuis duty perfonned, my conscience would lm olonr whatever the result. Ti VI 1. - i..lin..n A 1.a11 til rt X&WUUIU UU bCUluun w uno4 vu steps preceding the trial. I interposed tin nhmntinn to its ir mini? on Boeedilv. My aim was not to thwart the ends of justice, but to see it rainy meteu out. Dr. Baldwin was the first and chief witness! Ha tnlil his stnrv clearlv and methodically, and it was very easy to soe it carried conviction to tne jury, iuy rigid cross-examination only served to bring out his evidonco with more dis tinctness of dotail. I elicited the Tact, for instance, that the child's nurse lay in tlm uma rnnm flint, film was asleep when the doctor entered, and it was to her he first announced the child s death, l also examined fully as to the prisoner's acts at tlm time tlm alarm wns iriven. en deavoring to show that he came from the direction of his own chamber, appearing fn nnffd Itnnn inat ArmiOAil frnm RlnPfV But I made nothing of this, the witness stating that his agitation iiau aisraocieu his attention from these points. ' The rWtnr lin.fi nnlv renentlv settled among us, but his conduct had been so exemplary that he hod mule many friends. He had especially won the con- him as to his past career, but brought out nothing to his discredit. The evidence of the chemist who made the analysis was 'next put in, and the State's attorney "rested." "I have brought the nurse here," he aid, "but as she was asleep when the prisoner entered, her evidence is nnim- her here, however, to afford the other side the opportunity to call her if they desire." Nothing could render the prisoner's case more hopeless than it was al ready, while something might come out ro ma advantage. "I will call the witness." I said, She was a middle-aged woman, of not unprepossessing appearance. Her agita- uuu was visiDie; and l nouceu uiui iu taking the oath she laid her hand beside the book and not upon it. "I asked that the witness be sworn with her hand en the book," I said, call ini? attention to the omission. The Judge so ordered, and the witness' hand shook violently as she reluctantly obeyed tho direction, and the oath was re-administered. After a few preliminary questions as to the hour of her retiring, her falling aslepp, etc. "What is the next thing vou remem ber?" I asked. The witness hesitated. "Answer the question," replied His Honor. "I heard a noise as if some one was coming into the room." "Did you see any one enter?" Another pause. I repeated the inquiry. "I did," was the answer. "What did the person do?" The woman's face grew paler, and it was with difficulty she found utterance. "He came to the side of the cradle," fhe said, "with the bottle of milk in his Jand, and put it to the baby's month." The Judge and State's attorney both bent forward in eager attention. The wter, it was evident, had not expected this testimony. I felt that my question thus far had only served o draw the halter closer about my client's neck. But I had gone too far to retreat. ilj voice trembled almost as much as did that of the witness as I proceeded. "Did you recognize that person?" "I did," was the answer scarcely au dible. My client's life hung on the answer of the question! The silence of the court room was deathlike. I dreaded to break it. The sound of my voice startled m wnen i spots. "Who was it?" Her lips moved, but no sound came. Her agitation was fearful to witness. bbe shook from head to foot. A death' ly pallor overspread her face. Slowly raising her trembling hand and pointing to ur. iaiawin: "That is the man!" she almost shriek' ed Then in quick, wild accents, she went on to tell that on nndmir himself dis covered by reason of her waking, the culprit, who was no other than George Uranger, Mrs. .Berkley sproflisrate broth er, had disclosod to her that his purpose was to regain his lost inheritance by putting out oi the way those who rtood between him and it, promisinsr the wit ness to provide for her handsomely if sue Kept his secret, but when, put to the test, she had found herself unable to violate lior solemn oath. George Granger, alias Dr. Baldwin would have left the courtroom, but an oflioer was ordered to detain him; and when his disguise was removed, though he had been absent for years, there were many present who could testify to ins identity. . Mv client was nonnittpil on tho snot and his cell in prison was, that night, occupied by his false accuser. A Race for a Mine. The Humboldt Times speaks of a lively race between two mining parties or companies, both parties chartered a tug and started for Crescent City, not wishing to wait for the sailing of tho Humboldt. The object of each party was to get upon the supposed rich ground, post their notices, and returned to Eureka, and make the proper filing in the Humboldt land office. The rivals were the Big Flat Company, a Boston firm, and a California company. The former have erected extensive works and spent a great deal of money at Big Flat in Del Norte county, and the disputed ground is within threo miles of their irround. .Both tugs left this place to gether, but the Boston man was first to land. Horses were at onoe procured, and the journey to the mine, a distance of thirty miles, was commenced. The Californian started a short timo after, The trail was muddy and the streams high. At the crossing of the Smith river there is a ferry which was built and owned by the Big Flat Company. The Boston man arrived at the river first, and crossed the ferry, and as the water was very high, the ferryman was instructed not to cross any one, as it was dangerous, but the Californian, like Sheridan, was five miles avtay. The Boston man went to the ground and posted his notice some little time in advance of his rival, and roturned to Crescent City, and the Californian followed in turn. They both had disposed of the tugs, so they were were fellow passengers on the steamer which arrived next morning from Crescent City. When the Humboldt was coming up the bay, and when near Flannacran's mill, a small boat came alongside, and into it the Boston man sprang, and was pulled to the mill wharf, where a buggy was waiting for him. He jumped into the buggy, was driven rapidly to the land office, and made his application for the filing of the Big Flat Mining Company beiore tne iiumnoiai touched her dock. The Californian left the steamer at the earliest moment, and came up F street at a pace that would have made (J Leary look to his xaurcis, but he arrived just in time to be too late. The Boston man was there nrst, and had done the business. The piece of land in question is reported to be very valuable, the prospects showing that tho "color exists in large quantities. A Secret fob Thirty Years. Light has at last been thrown on a mystery that has boon inexplicable for over thirty years. Tho developments ore of a startling nature and concerns a man named Griffith, sexton or the irst ljres' bvterian Church. Allegheny, who disap peared about that time. He was addicted to habits of intemperance, and it was supposed that he had run away from his family and gone to part unknown. After tuese many years ii uus ueeu jeoiuuu that he was murdered. The strange story, which comes from what is consid ered a reliable source, is as follows: Two butchers, when going to Pittsburg with their meat in the dead hour of the night, in passing an old grave-yard on Point of Hill, in Allegheny, saw a dim light in it. They opproached quietly and saw Griffith in the act of lifting a body out of a grave which he had opened. One of them took in his hand a piece of board .. - !i i... l l.l and struck him a blow, the edge hitting him on the head, splitting the skull. He foil dead on the body he was stealing. Boing alarmed at what they had done, they concluded to fill up the grave on. the two, holding that the murder wouia neyer be known. In the course of time one of tho butchers left for some other parts and there died. The other became dissipated, and once while under the in fluence of liquor stated these- facts to some friends, who concluded to keep the matter secret, as the occurrence took place many years ago, and nothing but trouble could be made out of it at this late date. This man died a few years ago, the friends keeping the secret until the present timo. Pittsburg Press. An Auusmo Incident. A rather amusing incident is told as having oc curred recently at a church in Connec ticut, not many miles from Fairfield. The clergyman, it would appear, desired to coll the attention of his congregation to the fact that it being the last Sunday in the month he would administer the rite of baptism to children. Previous to his having entered the pulpit he had re ceived from one of his elders, who by the way, was quite deaf, a notice to the effect that as the children would be present that afternoon, and he had the new Sun day school books ready for distribution, he would have them there to sell to who desired them. After the sermon the clergyman began the notice of the bap tismal service thus: "All oi tuose Hav ing children and desiring to have them baptized will bring them this afternoon." At this point the deaf elder, hearing the mention of children, supposed it was something in reference to his books, and rising, said: "And all of those having none sua aetunng uiem, wui m uyi" , by me for the sum of twentr-flve cents!" MAJOR BOOTS, Once upon a time a certain gentleman who lived splendidly and did not pay his debts, owed his shoemaker a large bill, nd the shoemaker having been told to call again many times, and having writ' tea notes without end asking for a set' tlement, resolved to disgrace h's cus tomer by exposing him to his friends the very noxt time he gave one of those large dinnor parties which so excited the cred itor'sire. Accordingly, having seen the wagons oi the caterer stop before tho door, and watched the waiters enter one by one, Mr. Shoemaker, attiring himself in his Buit, and with his little bill elegantly written out, awaited the appcarauco of the carriages, and when at last buy had arrived, set down their burdens and de parted, stalked up the doorstep like a vengeful ghost, and ringing the bell most furiously, found it opened for bun with startling celerity, and stood loco to lace with a toll, black waiter, white-gloved and stately. "Whore's Mr. Cheatem?" whispered the shoemakor. "Gentlemen's dressing room, second floor back) responded the waiter. Some one else had arrived, and was treading on his heels. A vision of splen dor, in the most wonderful soft, white wraps, floated past him. "Ladies, front room, second floor, gontlomen, back," repeated the waiter. Mr. Shoemaker was hustled forward, hat in hand, and saw his delinquent debtor in all the elegance of dress-coat, Vintrnn.linlA Aaipa a nil 1i J A sttpairnt UUttVU'UVlO AW Vt CI HUU n Al W Vlltl WV bowing to, shaking hands with, and smiling upon aristocratic personages in numerable. The sight fanned anew the flame of the tradesman s just wrath. He marched lor ward, planted himsolf directly before the elegant Mr. Cheatem, and stared him in the face. But Cheatem did not wait. He know his guest well enough, and ho under stood his purpose; but what he did say, was: "Beg pardon; for the moment I've for gotten your name. "Have vou ? Then perhaps you'll ro member me when I tell you that I made you boots. "Now, if you'll troublo yourself to re peat these last four words rapidly, you wul nnd that you do not say, as you oe lieve you do: 'I made yonr boots,' but, 'I niftiur boots.' " The lucky Cheatem dotocted this fact on the instant. "Major Boots!" he criod, demonstra tively shaking hands. "Dear, dear; how could I forgot you for a moment! De lighted to soe you delighted. Mrs. Chiffins, let me introduce you to my old friend, Major Boots." "So glad to know you," responded tho old lady thus introduced. "I'm sure I've heard Cousin Cheatem speak of you a thousand times. Sit down, do, and tell me who all these people are. I'm qaite a stronger : I ve isolated myself in Europe so long. Sit down, Major Boots; here is a chair. The newly-christened shoemaker hesi tated a moment, but it was not possible for him to cry out: "I am not Major Boots; I'm Clamp, the shoemaker, come for my bill." He found ho had not the courage. He crammed his hat under the velvet chair to which he was motioned, and subsided into angry silence while the old lady went on: Oh. Maior. I always feol so privileged when I have the opportunity to taiK to a military man. I adore courage. And were you ever wounded? Do toll me all about it." The bootmaker, finding it necessary to fsply, said "that he never had been wounded. i And the old lady went on: "Never! How charming! Bore a charm ed lifo, and all that sort of thing. Do tell me all about it." The shoemaker replied "that there was nothing to tell." On which the most gushing of old ladies queried: "Now. Major. I won't believe that. It's like the modesty of you celebrated mili tary men. 1 know you stormed redoubts and led forlorn hopes, and were the only one loft of your regiment, and all that. I'm sure I read all about it at the time. Oh, here Colonel Hobbs, a celebrated English officer, did something awfully brave in India. Colonel, let me make you acquainted with Major Boots, ono of our bravest military men. He's been telling me all about the wonderful things he did in the army. I mean ho wouldn't tell me about them just like all yoa great men won't trouble himself to fight his battles over for an old woman." 'Ah awfully charmed. I'm sure, re sponded the gallant colonel. "Awfully, ah! Must introduce you to my brother, Captain Hobbs, in the same regiment with myself." The shoemaker had arisen and was looking down on his business suit. "I didn't intend to that is, I didn't expect to be at such a swell affair as this," he stammered, "or I I should have worn my dress-suit." Oh. my dear fellow, we always ex fxxt you Amewican officers to be wough and weady. We'd be disappointed if you were not. The ladies, you know, adore wough and weady men. It's the particular charm of Amewicans." Away he led the bootmaker, wno really began to feel that he must have been, at some period of his life, a military man. And after being introduced to Captain Hobbs as Major de Boots, who was "de lighted," found himself tete-a-tete with a very lovely young French lady, who ad dressed him as "General de Buta," and whom, at the request of his hostess, whom he had never seen before, and who hod no idea who he was he took down to supper. Somehow this stranger, with bis sulky air. had been set down as a most eccen tric and distinguished military man by everybody. He was regarded with at tention, listened to with reverence when he condescended to say a few words. The French lady introduced him volum inously as General de Buta; and thus was he addressed thereafter. The wait ers offered him champagne frequently, and the bootmaker gradually grew ex hiliarated. Never had he been preeent at snch elegant festivities. Never had he partaken of such viands been so overwhelmed with festivities. Never had so lovely a creature leaned upon his arm Never had he tasted sucli wine. At first it exhilarated him, then it mounted to his head, and suddenly it appeared to him that his host was a glorious fellow, and I that he was under infinite obligations to mm. Doubling his fist, he bronirht it upon the table with a crash that made the giussos ring again. "Better man than Cheatem don't live!" cnea ne. i "I agree with you," replied his noigh' UOr, UllllMJlT. "Ah! I adore such enthiiBiastia friend ship, such lof like Damond and Pythias in xe play," ejaculated the French lady. "How original! How delightfully eo- cemnci a penoct military man," wins pered others. Meanwhile the bootmaker, staggering to his feet, made his way as best he niigui, lowara ins host. "Cheatem." ho cried look hore! I come" here he reeled and cought at a table "I came to givo you this bofors every ic; everybody. And he held out his folded bill, which Mr. Cheatem instantly took. "Now I-I wouldn't (hie) do it-for lor - "Mr. Cheatem beckoned two waiters. "My dear old friend," he said, you're not well. Let theso men put you in a carnage, and go home. I'll call on yon to-morrow, so glad to have seen you. As for tliis pooh! pooh!" Tho waiters led the bootmaker from the room, after their host had whispered a direction to be given the driver. And Mr. Cheatem thus addressed his friends: "You must not think ill of my old friend for this little lapse of his. After tho trials of military life it is only to be expected that his habits should not be those of quiet civilians, and tis his only weakness. "One forgives everything in a soldier," remarked a lady. "A very ordinary failing for a military man," responded a gontleman. And to think the honest creature should have remembered so slight an in debtedness as this, and been so anxious about it," sighod Mr. Cheatem, and he put the shoemaker's receipted bill into his pocket.' Uoiigh and the Students. An amusing story is told of John B. Gough, when he went to address the stu dents on temperance. A few evenings before an eminent man was to have de1 livered a lecture at Oxford on "The Evils of Tobaooo." Tho boys got into the hall an hour beforehand, each with what Dr. Carroll drolly emphasizod as a collego pipe in his mouth, lhe time for the locture arrived, but ii the lectur er did, it was never discovered ho was not visible through the fog. The stu dents sent word to Mr. Gough when ho came that they wouldn t have any torn perance, and advised him not to persist .i !.. 1.- L i. 41. I.. 11 ill louiuriug. uii no nun i, iu ma uui, For twenty minutes he spoke in panto miue amid the deafening catcalls of the boys. Finally he stepped forward, domandod British fair play and offered to whip every one of the 500 singly. This offer was loudly cheered and promptly ao cepted, and a big six foot athlete was sent up on the stage. Gough, who is a little man, backed off as tho big fellow approached him and explained, "My friends, you evidently misundorstand me. This is to be an intellectual con test, not a prize fight." The students cheered again at this evidence of the American's shrewdness and ordered the debate to proceod. The college lad was, therefore, obliged to tackle the temperance champion. He was at a tlinAilvantAire. but he emoted Scripture, and reminded the plucky lecturer that it was one of the apostles who wrote to Timothy a young man, too, hko them selves -to take a little wine for his stom ach's sake and for his other intimities. The lads shouted vociferously at this, and wanted to know how Gough could get around this. "Gough slowly examined the six footer from top to toe, and then said, "My friends, look at this athlete, this follow with muscles like steel, who can wield the club of Hercules, who can bend an English yeoman's bow, who could knock down an ox with the blow of a hammer. He is the personification of health and strength, but he thinks he needs a little wine for his stomach's sake !" Gouch's inimitablo manner of saying this hod a tremendous jeffect. The stu dents actually yelled with delight, and their defeated champion retreated. Another was sent up. He was the intel lectual giant of his class, in contradis tinction to the six-footer. He. with much solf-coulidence, mado a finished ar gument for liquor drinking, basod on Christ's changing the water into wine, at the wedding feast. His comrades cheered him to tho echo, and thought his argu ment unanswerable, , and Gough was chaffed for his defeat. Young men." said ho. solemnly, "I admit that your champion has forestalled me. He has said for me just what I came here charge yeu to do. Drink, all the wine vou can find that is made entirely out ol water !" , 'Growth of Boys and Girls. Tlm results of a systematic measure ment of the pupils of the public schools of Boston show, among othor things, that the growth of children takes place in such a way that, until the age of eleven or twelve years, boys are both taller and heavier than girls" of the same age; at this period of life girls begia to grow very rapidly, and for the next two or three years surpass boys of the same ago, both in height and weight. Boys then acquire and retain a size superior to that of girls, who have now completed their growth. Again, tho children of Ameri can born parents were found to be taller and heavier than those of foreign born a superiority seemingly dependent partly on the greater average comfort in which such children live and grow up, and partly upon differences of race or stock. Pupils of American parentage at the pub- t i : - ..,.i 1 : 1 i : ..l.nnlu and the Institute of Technology showed pporentlv for the same reasons supe rior weight and height to the generality of boys of American parentage attending the public schools; and pupils of the same selected schools were also taller and heavier than English boys of the non-laboring classes attending pnblic schools and universities. A native baker in India, anxious at the some time to cailttention to his loaves and to demonstrate his acquaintance with the English tongue, describes himself as a "Euroiican Loafer." raid Jones' Flag. Those wore lively days when Taul Jones and his Hying squadron of four ships were hanging off the mouth of the Huniber in the autumn of 1779, and when, after one of the most terrifio duels ever fought between a brace of ships at sea, the Bonhomme Richard, com manded by Captain Jones, forced her much heavier English antagonist, tho Seropis, to haul down her flog. Every thing connected with Paul Jones, has, indoed, suoh a spell of romanoa thrown around it by American enthusiasts that it is hard to explain why among our selves he is little more than a name. That he is still regarded in this country as a pirate may be inferred from the foot Uiat not many years ago a raco-horse called Paul Jones wou the Chester cup, and that he bore this name becauso he was the son of Buocaneor. At the com mencement of sue of his novels Sir Wal ter Scott alludos to the unseemly scare which took possession of Edinburgh and of Loith, its port, when, in 1778, Paul Jones aud his little squadron, carrying altogether Igbs than a thousand men, threatened Leith from tho sea, with the avowed intention of levying from the lit tle town a contribution of 300,000. At the moment there wore not fewer than '20,000 soldiers, some of them regulars and the rest militia and volunteers, in Edinburgh alone; but the terror excited in the breasts of our fathers by Paul Jones proves beyond question that his fame as a man of unusually intrepid courage, of singular coolnoss in dangor, and of ready resources, had spread for and wide, which makes it strange that more should not be known as to tho chief incidents of his history than is or dinarily current in England, even among what are called well-informed mon. John Paul for this was his real name first saw the light at Arbigland, in Kirkcudbrightshire, upon the edge of the Solway Firth, in tho year 1747. His fathor was a respeotablo gardon, who was said in England to have onco been in the employ of the Earl of Selkirk an alle gation which is indignantly denied by the Amoriean biographers of" Paul Jones. Bo this as it may, the boy showed from the first a passionate partiality for a sail or's life. He was therefore bound ap prentice by his father to a merchant en gagod the Amoriean trade, and made his first voyage to Virginia when a lad of twolvo. He was dolighted with tho country, and at once became an Ameri can rathor than an Englishmen iu feel ing. Ho mado many other voyages, but his heart was in Virginia, and thither he returnod in 1773. Great events were on tho evo of happening, and. sympathizing eagerly with the American rebels, John Paul, who had by this time added Jones to his name, placed his services as a sailor of experience at tho disposition of the colonists in 1770. He was 28 years old, full of bodily vigor and mental en ergy, and with the advantage of having before he went to sea receivod a Scotch education which was far better than that picked up by most of tho naval officers who had joined the Amoriean rebellion. On December 22. 1875. he was appointed First Lieutenant of the Alfred, lying off Tliiln1i1..1kia fin1 if. was nil linarl thin 4 UUOMU.'UlH. .. . H TTMM WM K ..... . . ' little vessel that Paul Jones hoisted with his own hand the flag of indopondont America for the first time that it was ever displayed. This flag consisted at first of thirteen alternate red and blue stripes upon a white ground and not until many months later were the stars added to the stripes. The Alfred, in oompany with the Hornet sloop and the Wasp schoon- or, both from Maryland, put to sea in February, 1770, and after many a brush with English vessels, in nono of which was the Alfred worsted. Paul Jonos re turnod to the land of his adoption and was put in command of the Ranger. How it eamo to pass that in the Rangor he swooped down upon Lord Selkirk's beau tiful country seat on the coast of Gal way, and, finding its ownor away from homo, carried off tho plate, which ho sub soouentlv returnod with a very chival rous letter to the Countess of Solkirk, is well known to Scotchmen. But the ac tion by which his fame was indestructi bly established was fought on a x rencb vossol the Bonhomme Richard and it is in connection with this action that at tention has been called anew to a strange nnd eventful history. Walter Stafford Northcoto, son nnd Private Socretary to tho Chancellor of the Exchequer, has just written to a contemporary to sny thut there now exists a flag being nono othor than tho first star-sponglod banner evor sent by the United States which was preserved from capture by Lieuten ant James Bayard Stafford in the action between the Serapis and the Bonhomme Richard off Scarborough in X77'J. wo fear, as wo shall presently show, thut Mr. Northcote will have some difficulty iu establishing the authenticity of the flag in question, but there can be no doubt that if authentic it would be a most val uable and interesting relic. No sharper action was ever fought at sea than that in which tho Serapis, carrying forty-one guns of heavier calibre, triod conclusions with the Bonhommo Richard with forty guns, of which six were only eighteen pounders and the rest little better than field artillery. The action commenced at 7 o'clock in the evening of September 23, 1779, and raged with the greatest intensity by moonlight for three and a hulf hours, the two vessels being locked together for more than half that time, a device to which Paul Jones had recourse in order to negative the suierior mona'vering power of his adversary. Both vessels wore frequently in flames, as might be expected when the muzzles of their guns were actually touching. Mr. Northcote says that Lieutenant Jamos Bayard Staf ford, on board the Bonhomme Richard, preservod her flag from being captared by the English vessel. Now for two reasons this con hardly have happened. In the first place, the Bonhomme Richard was nover boarded by the Serapis, and secondly, there is among the list of the officers who fought on board the American ship, no such name as that of Lieut. James Bayard Stafford. By re ferring to Col. Sherburne's "Lifo of Paul Jones, the second edition of which was published at New York in Mr. Northcote will find the names of the Bonhomme Richard s crew, both officers and men, and in the archives of the Navy Deportment at Washington there is a fnll catalogue of the "Naval Heroes of the Revolution." Search will be mode in vain for the name of Lieut. Stafford in many records which are easily accessible, and there are, moreover, inaccuracies in the story, as related briefly by Mr. North cote, which can hardly be snpportod, in viow of the facts given in the exhaustive reports of the action from the jens of Captain Jonos and of Captain Peorson, who commanded the Serapis. Such was tho sense of the stubborn courage shown by the latter that the British Ad miralty created him $ knight, much to the amusement of Paul Jones, who ex claimed: "Next time I moet him I'll make hira a Lord." But the tradition that an old "star spangled banner," pre served reveentially in the United States, was once carriod by the Bonhomme Richard, is, we fear, shadowy and incap able of being substantiated. "What is truth?" asked jesting Pilate, and who would not stay for au answer; and few who have had any experience in human affairs will be found to deny that, like the reputed affairs of the Bonhomme Richard, facts, as represented by histor ians, are singularly at variance with facts as they colly happened. M. Pros per Aieriuioe used to say that he cared for nothing in history except its anec dotes, which he felt to be truer than the inforonoes drawn from thorn by histor ians. To a similar kind and degree of in credulity, life, with its unmasking reve lations, is apt to reduce all who can en dure what Cowper calls " the insupport able fatigue of thought." Scientific Truths. Professor Macgregor tells us that his attention was attracted to the use of girls for scientific purposes bv overhearing a younut lady remark that her "bant; would iiot keep crimped in damp weuthcr." Upon tins hint ho immediately began a series of experiment, stretching over a period of eleveu months and involving the use of three hundred and soven girls, lie began by taking the rod-haired girl with a luxuriant bang, which he caused to be crimped with great care,' on an evening when the atraosphore was par ticularly dry, The next morning the bang presented a beautifully "frizzed" appearance; but as toward afternoon tho air grew perceptibly foggy, the professor expected that the bang would lose its erimpidity to use a scientific term. It did nothing of the kind, and, so far as he could sue, the state or the atmosphere had no effect upon it. Instead of being discouraged by this failure, Professor Mucgregor presevered. It occured to him thut the color of the hair might be an im portant factor, and that red hair might maintain its erimpidity in circumstances where othor hair would lose that quality. He therefore ordered from a charity school three dozen orphaned girls, of from twelvo to sixteen years of nge, and of assorted colors in point of hair. Twelve of these were black-haired, twolvo were brown haired, and twelve were red-haired. All of these girls wore bangs, and were in every way well adopted for scientific in vestigations. By a long series of careful experiments he provod that on tho ap proach of wet weather the bang of the brown-haired girls, without exception, became limp and straight; that a like effect wus produced upon the bangs of ten of the twelve black-haired girls, whllo the red-haired girls were not a particle in fluenced either by the humidity or the dryuess of the atmosphere. Further ex periments upon ladies of ovcry age, from sixteen to ibrty-flve, gave like results, aud the conclusion thut tho bangs of a brown-haired girl is an Infallible indicator oftbo approach of wet or dry weather may be unhesitatingly accepted. The professor also discovered that red-haired girls show a peculiar susceptibility to electricity. Whon a thunder-storm is brewing, their bangs become stiff and f bristling, and tn three instances, when the professor tried to smooth a bristling bang, he received a violent shock In the region of the ear. He is not at vet pre pared to say that the presonce of an un usual amount of electricity in the air can always be detected by the ubo of red-haired girls, but he is strongly inclined to think thatfurther investigation will prove that Buch is the fuct. In view of this lin portant discovery, Professor Mocgregor recommends that brown- haired girls shalr bo substituted on board all vessels, w both er naval or mercantile, for the present untrustworthy burometer. He points out that In the merchant service, where a stewardess is at present carried, she should he required to be a brown-hairod woman, with a bang, and that any neglect on her part to crimp hor bang every night while at sea should be punished asa misdemean or. In the navy, peculiarly sensitive brown-huired girls should bo employed, and the professor suggests that they should be kept in glass cases, open, of course, at the top, so that they would run no risk of being injured. The first cost of a girl is, of course, more than that of a baromoter, and it is expensive to keep her in order, but this is of no consequence compared with her value as a weather indicator. The Old Virginia (ilunt. The allusion in a recent letter of your Louisiana correspondent to the old revo lutionary giant horof Peter Francisco, revives many traditions and reminis cences of tho wonderful performances and daring deeds of that extraordinary man. My father, recently deceased at tho advanced age of ninoty, well remem bered him, having frequently seen him in his native county of Buckingham, and related many anecdotes of his stirring and perilous adventures and hairbreadth escapes as ho heard tho recital full from the lips of the giant himself. He de scribed him as six feet one inch in height, his weight 200 pounds, his complexion dark and swarthy, features bold and manly and his hands and feet uncom monly lorge, his thumbs boing as largo as an ordinary man's wrist. Such was his porsonal strength that he con Id easily shoulder a cannon that weighed 1000 pounds, and he hod seen him take a man in his right hand, pass over the floor and danco his head against the ceiling with as much case as if he had been a doll baby. The man's weight tfil 19 pounds! Partaking of the patriotio enthusiasm of the times, he entered the American revo lutionary army at the age of sixteen. Ha was present at the storming of Stony Point, and was the first soldier after Ma jor Gibbon who entered the fortress, on wound in the thigh. He was at Brandy wine, Monmouth and other battles at tho North, and was transferred to the South under General Green, where he was en gaged in the actions of the Cowpens, Camden, Guiliford Court House, etc. He was so brave and possessed such confi dence in his prowess that he was posi tively fearless.. He used a sword with a blade fire feet long, which he conld wield as a feather, and every swordsman who came in reach of him paid tho forfeit f his life. Pittsburg Appeal. i