Newspaper of Bedford Gazette, July 13, 1855, Page 1

8! V (.I O. u. isownvv. jiEW SERIES. Select Poetry. <im* ?>y Wise. U.SE by one tbe ami. are flowing, One'by one the moments fall ; Some are rominsr. some are oin?, Do not strive to grasp them all. One by one thy duties wait thee; Let'tliy~whole strength so to each : Let no future ilreatns elate thee ; Learn thou first what these can teuch. One by one (bright gifts fiom Heaven) Joys are sent thee here below ; Take them reailily when given— Ready, too, to let them go. One by one thv griefs shall meet thee, Do not fear an armed band ; One will fade as others greet thee— Shadows passing through the land. Do not look at Life's long sorrow ; See how small earh moment's pain. God will help thee for to-morrow ; Flverv da" begin again. Every hour that fleets so slowly Has its ta-k to do or bear ; Luminous the crown and holy, It thou set each gem with care. l)o not linger with regretting, Or lor passing hours despond ; Nor, the daily toil forgetting, Look too eagerly beyond. Hours are golden links—God"s token, Reaching Heaven ; but one by one Take them, lest the chain be broken Ere the pilgrimage be done. iiiiiioiimmTir | Itctllbi'd, .Stily !:?, 1 From the Hartford Times. HORRIBLE EXPOSITION Ofthe Principles and Power oj the K.YOII XOTIILYC ORDER 0/ Connecticut, foun ded on the actual Experience of Council ; Xo. 117, located in Lyme. Unanimous action in Council. Whereas the Slate council of know-nothings at its recent session in Norw it It, in the grossest violation of its constitution and laws, by which it professes to he governed, and contrary toj every decision founded tijron evidence and jus tice, did revoke the charter of this council on the representation of the presidents of two other councils in this town Nos. 10f> and 108 : that a majeritv of its members voted at the spring : election in accordance with the dictatesol tluir own consciences, without fear or favor ol any man : Therefore, Resolve,l, That we cart regard the action oil the State council, in thus revoking our charter without even notifying us of such intention, in no other light than that of a base and lyiantn ml usurpation of power, oppressive alike to us am! every subordinate council in (he State. Resolved, That this action has fully opened our eyes to (Re manifest determination ol the! onler to cru.ti out both freedom of speech and ; action on the part of its members; to utterly disregard its assurances and obligations, profess edly made in good faith, whenever it shall best stnt its secret, dark, and unhallowed purjioses: ; and henceforth to regard no other law than that j • I passionate impulse and arbitrary proscription, ! which has ever been the last resort of those i powers only that have attempted to shield the tic st gigantic wrongs under the dangerous ph-a j of necessity and absolute authority. Resolved, That, in our opinion, the time has arrived for the alarm to be sounded in the ears 'I die people of Connecticut, and to inform E-m of the existence of a secret order in their midst which is striking a blow in the dark against oc.r institutions of civil and religious liberty, and which, if suffered to go on, will s >n destroy all we prize most dear in religion, Jiolitics, and morals. Resolved, That we feci that we should prove Else to our obligations to Cod and our country it we were to keep silent at such a time as this, j and that we hereby set forth to the people the < following ex|Kfflition of the order, and the oh-j J'Clions which arise in our minds to the priu- i tifb's of its organization and action. •'a our admission to this order we had given 1 '" s 'he solemn pledge and assurance that no j ''ligations would be imposed upon us which j would conflict with those we had already taken, ! and owed to God. our country, and our families. I Aor the sole reason that we acted as we were 1 " ,t: tid to do under the constitution of the State, j a "d that we honestly complied with our sacred j ■igations as electors, we were ejected from • order, anathematized as unworthy of respect, ! serving 0 t any confidence or trust in any j "ine.-s transaction, and as deserving only the worn and reproach of all good men. We were I •"f.ijected to the most fearful denunciations be- Q l>e We w 'ould not surrender up to this most j 1 ' l,r!> ed of all despotisms our freedom of citizen- j ■■p. and degrade ourselves down to the ig- ; " uunioMs servitude of wearing a mastiffs col-I far. * 1" view of such things, what honest man | imp wed by the order are in the least binding j itled to a moment's respect ? Who would ii"t go rather one step further, and say thai ; ••a is gudty of perjury in. the highest degree • ' > would act with the order against his own : Hottest convictions ' 1 '"lieve if the parent fir such a cause I " ' !:i " uil>J>iin<:, tlif obligation to keep the secrets o { such a pnrent is forever absolved, and the light of dav should be permitted to penetrate into tlie dark recesses of this institution, so worthless, and at the same time so dangerous and destructive to the genius of American in stitutions. It is arrayeit in warfare against the whole machinery of a republican govern-; merit. . It has enticed the people from their homes in the still hours of darkness, and at its nume rous places of meeting bound them to its foul and fearful purposes by administering the most horrid oaths, with one hand resting on the Bible, and the other raised toward Heaven, to yield themselves unreservedly to the control of this j secret power, and even to deny to their families and the world that they hold connexion with the order. .\o person is permitted to hold an opinion which has. nut the sanction of the self-! constituted mouth-pieces of the party. Within ; this temple of superstition Sir Oracle reigns supreme. Tlie devotee who worships at its j shrine is completely unmanned. He no longer 1 feels nor acts his former self. Jn secret lie! steals away like a conspirator to the place where j the most inveterate hatred is engendered against the descendants and countrymen of those bravo men whose heroic valor assisted in at hi- vmg the liberties which we now enjoy. 111 the same manner, and often at the hour of midnight, lie gropes his way hack to his family again to re peat the hundred limes-told lie of no connexion ; with this order. So much falsehood in the family circle, where the utmost confidence, truthfulness, and harmony should exist, has a direct tendency to produce suspicion ami mis- . Irust on the part of wives and mothers towards their husbands and sous : hence we find in every town where a council exists the female portion of the community are speaking out boldly their moral indignation against an order whose in fluence is so manifestly baneful upon all who; are connected with if, whether nearly or re motely. He who does not here behold the sure wor kings of demoralization and ruin must indeed be a poor moralist. But all these are evils of small magnitude and I consideration when compared with some other gigantic wrongs with which it labors to curse j our land. The scattering of a b-w pieces of! red paper of a peculiar shape obliges every i "brother" to arm himself with bowie knife and revolver or other deadly weapons, and follow tin- beck of their leader even to the shedding of j blood. The Cincinnati, Louisville, St. Louis,; and other fearful and bloody know-nothing riots, i are but the legitimate workings ofthe order, and but the beginning of such scenes as were i enacted on tlie coif ui France under red repute- j lican rule. Those who control and manage the affairs of '■ this corrupt concern are in it for the spoils ol j office ! and no means, however desperate, are left untried to compass this end. The order is engaged in a crusade against j religion, it revives the old spirit of persecution i for opinion's sake, am! of course rallies around j ifs standard thousands who are always found ! more willing to tight against Catholicism than i to practice their own profession. Odious reli- | gious te>ts which have been successfully reason- ! Ed down and removed from the statute of our | State are speedily dragged from their loathsome tomb and quickened into life. No Catholic is to be tob'iated, no matter how sincerely he may revere Ins Maker ; lie is to hold 110 office in the gift of the people, have no part in the government nor int r- st in any of its concerns, i while the atheist, deist, debauchee, infidel, Mor- ! moii, or btiddhisf, is recognised as a good and j worthy brother. They have fearful apprehensions that the Catholic church will soon overrun and possess the country, to the ruin alike of republicanism and religion—and all this, too, when that church is in the most rapid decline in the old country, and while it is only continuing in ifs fold a moiety of those who reach our shores strong in their attachment to ifs cause! These appro- ; hensions, then, are entirely unfounded in fact j and opposed to common sense. It is only a ! trick of cn/fh/ political managers to bring to j their aid the religious element of their country,; while it is generating dissensions, sectarian an- j imosities, and the rankest intolerance. History and experience alike teach that no people were ever persecuted for opinion's sake without coming out in the end vastly increased in numerical strength and public favor. It is] a saving, both old and true in all ages, "the blood of the martyr is the seed of tlie church." .No form of religion has been put down by per secution ol its professors. This order swears its members never to vote for a foreign born citizen to fill any office in the gift of tlie people. Thus, birth-place, rather j than virtue and intelligence, is made a qualifi- j cation for places of trust and responsibility ! ! What an absurdity is here! The know-noth- j ing principles and practice would elevate a Benedict Arnold to the presidency, and at the same time proscribe such men as Lafayette, Hamilton, Montgomery, Gates, Steuben, De-; kalb, Moultrie, St. Clair, Morris, and a host of j noble and gallant men who freely spent their treasure and shed their blood in our glorious struggle for liberty. And are the people of Connecticut prepared to adopt such principles as these—principles which are at war with the machinery of the American government I \\ e have too much confidence in their intelligence j and honor to believe they will long submit to j this great wrong. We feel confident that there are at this time thousands in the order w ho are j similarly situated to ourselves, and who already | see that its influence is for evil, and only evil,' upon every intercut of our country. We know j of many in other parts of the State who feel with us in this matter, and who are resolved to come out and wash their hands of this loul anil > disgraceful business. The foregoing is a brief statement of facts ; no argument is needed to add to its force or develop s more clear!v the diameter of an organization which, while it ostracizes all those born in a ; foreign land, draws into its coils thousands of honest and unsuspecting Americans, and then attempts to reduce tliein to a condition of servi tude, strip them of their individuality, degrade them to the position of mere machines, and compel them at the bidding of their masters to j disobey the dictates of their consciences, surren ! der their own thoughts into the keeping of others, and violate their oaths of allegiance to the Slate of which they are citizens. Others may choose to submit to such atro cious despotism, but as for ourselves we de nounce it as contrary to the genius of our institutions, at war with freedom of thought, I and deserving the open denunciation of eveiy true American. Resolved, That the officers and members of this council affix their names to the above, j Resolved , That the papers in this Slate op posed to this organization are hereby requested to publish the foregoing. B. P. BILL, Piesidcnt. DANIEG S. SWAN, Marshal. . ] CMAIU.CS A. TIFFANY, Instructor. John Sterling, John W. Bill, Lodowick Bill, Gideon Rogers, Charles Stark, 11. 8.-Daniels, He\v|et K. Anderson, A. S. l.ee, Stephen Sleiling, Joel Clark, David Qoinlv, Jos-pll \V. Rogers. . Henrv C. I'iersons, Win. W*. ,f. Warren, C.A.Howard, P. B. Sampson, Alfred Lester, John G. Hughes, Samuel Daniels, JR. M. Cuulkins, C. M. Beckwith, C.O. Cone, Charles E. Tifiany, J. J. Champlin, James A. Bill, L. H. Maynard, E. N. Lester, ' Aimer S. Ely, Frederic Fosdick, E. J. Warner, ! (,'. I). Slumaii, E. S. Lay, John A. Peck, John Chapel, ' 1 Reuben Lord, Ira Chapel, B. B. Huntly, H. L. Huntly, j L. Spencer, R. N. Dennison, S. B. Ely, E. Strong, j Daniel Daniels, Wm. B. Fosdick, i E. B. Warner, David Warner, Charles E. Smith, F. F. Huntly, jH.B. L. Reynolds, Elisha Miller, ! Oliver Chapel, Ira '/. Congdon, j S. B. Wood, E. J. Beckwith, I). A. Martin, Chas. E. Peek, F. ('. Smith, Elisha'Smith Peck, T. J. Warner, David B. Date, Geo. Daniels, J. Congdon, Noah Harding, H. B. Sission, , ; * E. E. Bump, Clement Fosdick. ; Gep. A. Tifiany, * • ■ j Tlie Siampede in Teiiuessce. I . . Tlie trick of know-nothmgisiri is now thor- , oughtv understood and properly appreciated by 1 the democracy of Tennessee—'There are now: few persons belonging to the lodges in that State who were originally members of tlie dern ! ociatic party, and as for the old-Jine whigs, they ; repudiate the know-nothing organization with I scorn arid contempt. The reader will perceive from the subjoined letter that tlie "order" is in about as flourishing a condition in Tennessee as it is in the Old Dominion : TO THE PUBLIC. Litwisnuno, MAKHIAM. COI # \TY, Tennessee, June 24. ISJ>S. The undersigned, citizens of Lewishurg and I its vicinity, take occasion to state to the public ! that we were induced, by invidious persuasion, jto join the "konw-nothing organization." A mong other devices, we were informed that j there was nothing in the order that interfered with our principles, and that its object and ten dency was- to advance sound ami conservative principles,and to put down demagogueiiin. A j lair trial has satisfied us that no man who claims 1 to he a freeman can be a know-nothing without 1 a surrender of his rights and privileges; that | j it is at war with the spirit of republicanism, ! and virtually destroys the "power of the ballot- I box." ' I # We have, therefore, withdrawn from the association, and earnestly wain our friends a gninst being caught in a snare so dangerous to civil and religions liberty. Many of us have been denounced for our withdrawal, but we care riot for it. We intend to be freemen, and to do our duty as such. James F. Yowell, John M. Laws, James J. Murray, W. A. Jackson, George Collins, W. J. Blackmore, J. E. Ynwell, 8. G. Alston, i R. A. Fraley, J. If. Hill, ! Elisha Collins, W. M. S. Jackson, R. M. Harvill, W. C. Squires, j James M. Payne, Tims. N. Bowden, W. R. Phillips, John G. Coggin, Sam. Armstrong, S. 1). Cunningham, A. J. Call, Titos. F. Brooks, i Buck Collins, Willis Kerr, Hardin Kerr, N. Ren/row. - .. THE PROSPECT IN LOUISIANA. —The death-! knell of know-nothingism in Louisiana has al ready been sounded, and all our private accounts 1 agree in stating that there will lie a speedy and ; general disbanding of the order throughout the! State. A correspondent at New Orleans, un der date of June *2l, writes : "Tim probability is strong that the know-no things'will disband in this State. Their doc trines on the question of Catholicism are bitter ly denounced. The speech of Judge Rost, so long and favorably known as a leading whig, has had a wonderful effect. In this city below j ; Canal street there will not be a corporal's guard j iof know-nothings in one month from to-day.— J The democratic State ticket is powerful, and i we intend to start our best men for city otiicers [-Set us down all right." I Freedom of Thought and Opinion. BEDFORD, PA. FRIDAY MORNING, JULY 13, 1855. From the Knickerbocker for June. SLEEPING WITH A RATTLESNAKE* "You have a number of times spoken to me," 1 writes a friend from whom we have received ' i the following, "to tell you about the incident of : my sleeping with a rattlesnake. But until now, 1 have not found time to give it to you ; and even now, I am not in the condition or humor ] for writing. But you have the facts. Take them in hand yourself, and dress them up ; but don't publish them as they are ; for they are not in a condition to see the light." We'll see about that :at any rate, "we take tlie responsi bility "It was, I think, for I have not my memo ' random book ofthe day before me, in tlie month of August, 1836, that i found myself wandering through the great inland seas that begirt our Western country—(il not Westirn now, it used j to be some time or other, and that too, since the great rain storm in Noah's time) until i brought up at Fort Crawford, Green Bay. "At this point, Captain E. B. Birds-all, ofThe Third United States Infantry, (poor fellow, he has "fought his last battle," and now slumbers with the dead of a thousand years ago,) procur ed Mackinaw boats, a sufficient number to acco modate the whole detachment, which consisted of about one hundred and fifty United States Dragoons, on their way to Fort l)es Moines, on tlie Mississippi river—each boat accominoda ] ting some twelve or fifteen soldiers, with Hie • necessary camp equipage, provisions, cct. j "Thus provided and fully provisioned for the jrKirnev, the oars were let fall, and we threaded our way way up the Fox river, a portion ofthe I way quite a rapid stream, and with many for— -1 rnidubJe rapids, with grand and lesser chutes to pass over, until we arrived at Fort Winnebago, a jiost at that time considered beyond the reach of civilization. A portage of halt a mile from the Fox to the Onisconsin river, ar.d our boats were again launched, and we pursued our way down the last named river until we struck tlie Mississippi, some few miles below Prairie t!u i Chien. "1 should, perhaps, have stated ere this, that ! it was our invariable custom t" sleep beneath ] our tent on shore every night. Soon alter strik j ing the Mississippi, our tents were pitched one | night, as usual. It was not long before the j camp fires gave token that the evening meal ; was in preparation. In due time, the guards j were set, silence reigned in the little army,and I naught was to be heard save the regular tread ]of the night-watch, as he paced his silent ! round. | "1 had 110 idea when T "turned in" that that f was to be uneeieu.cMiionsly turned i out before morning. But Iw as mistaken. Du ring tlie night, our cam)) was visited by a furi ] ous rain-storm. The water-descended in tor ; rents, and disturbed in his lurking place an j enormous Rattlesnake, u ho, il would seem, took tip his line of march with. I presume, no very correct idea of his destination, hut with a com ! mendable desire, I doubt not, to provide himself with shelter from the pittilcss storm, that was raging about, and invading bis dominions, the broad f'i<st, of which be had probably been an undLimbed occupant for many years. "I cannot lor one moment imagine that his snakeslup had any {.enchant for my quarters, but i it so happened, that about one o'clock at night, or rather morning, he brought up at inv tent, ; and acting upon the old prow rb, only a saying j —oi'"any port in a storm," he pitched in, with out as much as saying, "Bv your leave, Sir," and tlie first intimation oHorded me that 1 was to be honored with Lis distinguished presence, was the fact that he was insinuating h.s cold, wet and horrid carcass direct I v across my legs, ' just abovp rnv knee joints. Having obtruded himself thus tar into good society, lie seemed to lie entirely satisfied with himself, with me,and, lor ought I know, with the rest ot mankind, and the comfortable quarters into which he had thrust himsi Ifunbidden : for i am veiy certain, had I been permitted to make choice of a com panion tor the night, my tendencies would not ! have been in that direction. But here be was; warm, quiet, and free from the storm, and . seemed mightily inclined, so far as T could dis cover, to tnrrv for a while. But by this time 1 began fully to realize my own position. 1 bad assumed, in the first place, as all the indica tions were that way, that it was a snake, and my .imagination in the second place led me to sup pose it was a rattlesnake. Of course I had 110 po sitive know ledge on the subject, for his entrance . had been unannounced ; but 1 thought I had a ! right to make that assumption, and to govern j myself accordingly. "But the thought of such a companion was ! horrible ! A sleeping partner, too—a snake, jso forbidding in every possible aspect, that, I even at this time, although nearly nineteen ' years have rolled over the incident, it makes jme shudder in ever limb to think ot it! But that was not the question uppermost in my ; mind at that time. The question was; "How j can I get rid of him ?" And it was a nice ques ! linn, too—one more easily conceived than exe cuted. I knew the fix j was in: I was fully I aware of my position : fur my presence of mind i had not for one moment desei ted ni". "Although an intruder—although he had presumed to poach upon inv manor without a 1 license—still I was aware that this king of Lis species was to he treated with great respect and I consideration, until 1 had gut, at b ast, beyond tlie reach of bis murderous langs. 1 commen j ced, therefore, the process of sliding my legs on! : from under him—not, to be sun*, at a pace of two-forty—but imitating more tie* speed of the snail, and almost holding m\ r breath during the operation. I was fully aware that my only safety lay in this. Perhaps I might have got rid of him in a more summary way, but in doing it perhaps I might have placed him in a posi j tion ununited to his dignity, and contrary to his I ideas of propriety, and most probably retaliation would have followed on his part, and I should ! have come out second best. But I found my j plan working well, and persevered in its cxe- I cution. Bv dint of great patience, I finally, after a labor often minutes or more succeeded in finding myself free from my disgusting com panion. lat once threw off my mosquito bar that surrounded iny ground bed, stepped over my blankets, drew 011 my boots, as a matter of precaution, not knowing the precise locality of my pleasing and amiable companion at this time. 1 now seized a shillalah that 1 knew was standing in a corner of my tent, for it was as dark as Egyptian darkness itself, and commenc ed flailing my scanty bed with an earnestness that would have been highly amusing to a dis interested looker-on. I continued this health ful exercise for some fif teen minutes, in the fond hope that some of my random blows, and al though given in the dark, and without any knowledge of the locality of his snakeship, might lie so fortunately directed as to finish the career of my enemy. But I was in total igno rance of tlie result, and had no means at hand by which I could throw light on the-subject.— True, 1 had candles, but w hat were they to me without matches?—and of them I had none. J finally put on part of my clothes, threw my cloak around ine, took my umbrella, lor it was still raining in torrents, and sallied forth in to the camp. But here I was no better off.— The rain had extinguished the carnp fires, and darkness reigned supreme. The sentinel was at his {lost, but it was useless to trouble him with niv storv. My umbrella soon became use less as a protection against the drenching storm, and I was forced back to my tent for shelter.— But here all was doubt and uncertainty. \\ hat had become ofthe snake? There was a possi bility that I might have killed him, but there was an uncertainly about it. But I ventured back, and drawing out my rifle case, which had serv*d me lor a pillow, i sat down on it, near the entrance to the tent, lesoiutely determined to watch the waning hours until day-light should reveal to me the result of my labors.— The reader may imagine my thoughts, but it will be ditiicult to describe them. At length it seemed almost like an eternity—the dawn broke upon another day. It was like anew life, a new being, a new existence. Again the life blood began to course freely through my veins, mv heart had gone hack to its usual rest ing place, and was again performing its accus tomed functions. The first rose tints of morning satisfied me that my enemy was not in sight. — Where was lie? Was lie lurking in some sly corner, ready 1o strike whenever I should ap proach him? Certain it was lie had not coiled himself about my legs, nor had he wreathed himself about my body or neck! Where was he, then? Perhaps I had killed him. Lucky thought. Why had it not occurred to me be fore? Again J seized my stick, the same identi tical one with which I had performed such wonderful deeds in the dark, the night befire, and with this I raised the blanket up, and there lay ryv sleeping companion, toy bed-fellow, now sleeping the sleep of death. After this oc currence, I slept in my boat, and '.here was an additional tent for the use ol the soldiers. But the reason for this was to them a mystery. Flood—Loss of Life. The painful intelligence and destructive dis asters which it talis to our lot as a public jour nalist this day to record are without any prece ding parallel in the history of this place. Last evening, soon alter midnight, the rain began to descend in torrents, and continued for three hours without cessation, which caused a sudden rise of the Canecadea and Crosby Creeks. At sunrise this morning, most of tin* streets were like so munv aqueducts and torrents of water and large quantities of lumber, flood wood, and other lubbish were passing rapidly down them. We understand the wife and one child of Mr. James Hallowav were drowned, about ~ ? miles west of this village, in their efforts to escape from the house when surrounded by water.— The other members of the family narrowly es caped with their lives. We also hear reports of other deaths by drowning, of narrow escapes, &c., but the reports are too indefinite lor us to attempt to publish them. The disasters resulting from the flood are painful in the extreme, and beside the loss of life, which is a mournful calamity indeed, the losses sustained by the destruction of property and crops within the village and vicinity, it is impos.Mble to make any tiling like a definite es timate of. The damage in the village alone ex ceeds tens of thousands of dollars. Earthquake at Baltimore. Baltimore, June 28.—A great shock, suppos ed to have been an earthquake, roused half the city this morning, causing many of the inhabi tants to fly to the streets. Iu the Eastern sec tion ofthe city some windows were broken by the shock. It was followed by a rumbling noise. The shock was felt in the country at a distance of seven miles fiom the city. In som* portions of the cit v, the people u ere so much alarmed that tliev ran into the streets 111 their night clothes and were fearful of returning to their houses. Tin* shock continued about ten seconds, causing the houses and furniture to vibrate sen sibly. Many of the persons who had been turn ed out of their beds by the shock w*re afraid to go to bed n<rnin, and they remained up until daylight. Tlu* hour at which the shock was fell, was eighteen minutes alter 12 o'clock. The jiowder mills in the vicinity of the cilv have all been heard lioiu and no explosion oc curred there. The shocks were not felt in the newspaper offices, ow ing to the noise and jarring of the presses. A report prevailed tlint Realty's powder mills eight miles below the city,exploded short ly after midnight, and that the shock was by manv attributed to this. The passengers bv tin* tiain from that direction say that no explosion occurred at Beatty's though the concussion was sensibly felt there. The shocks, it is now set tled, were the effects of an earthquake. The Bav steanwrs report that the shock was very sensibly felt on the Ray. The waters were greatly agitated while the weather wa- calm. TERMS, S2 PER YEAR. VOL XXIII, NO. 48. , > The weather is very hot to-day. The ther- f i mometcr is at t)5 in the shade. DESI'ATCH.] • Baltimore, June 28,9 P. M.—The shock of • 'nie earthquake itfst night was felt lor many f miles around the city. It is represented as re f" semblinga heavy crash, followed by a rumbffhg noise, jarring and rattling houses for twenty st~ i couds. : -.At York/Pa., the shock was very severe, ■ rousing the whole city, and causing great con- J > sternation. IMPORTANT SUPREME COKRT DECISION. —The I Supreme Court in Banc, at Harrisbnrg, recently • gave a decision which may or may not, as the ' case may be, be of vast importance to men mar i rying wives encumbered with real estate or ' personal property. In the case iri question, ■ "by an antenuptial agreement the husband cov -1 enanted that the wife should have her property to her own use as long as she lived, and disjiose ' of it by her will to whom she pleased; and farther covenanted with the wife, her execu tors and administrators, lirat he would not sell or otherwise convert to his own use any part ■ of her property; there was also another provis ion, that he should be indemnified out ol her estate tor anv debts he might |iave to pay for ; her." Upon her death the next of kin brought 1 suit to recover the property, and the Delaware County Court decided in their favor ; the hos i band, however, carried the case up to the Su preme Court, when' Judge Black, on behalf of his associates, held "that upon the death of the wife, intestate and possessed of personal proper ty, the husband was entitled to take it under the intestate act, there being nothing in the ante nuptial agreement to prevent its operation. IB* there lore reversed the decision ot the Dela ware Court, and gave judgment for deiendant. CA CTJON — PROVIDENTIAL ESCA PE. —Last Friday evening, Mr. Lewis, of this village, soon after retiring lurthe night—heard agroan orex clamation, as from one in distress. He at first thought it was made by some one in the street. Not being fully satisfied, he thought he would search for the cause. He went directly to the door of the chamber occupied by Miss , liv ing in his family. He knocked, it was fasten ed; but on calling her, she unlocked the door, and rushed out, followed by such a volume of smoke, as to nearly stifle one. Mr. L., by prompt exertions succeeded in extinguishing the- fire, which in a few moments would have been beyond control. He examined, and found . the feather bed, straw bed and bedding, about one-half consumed, the candlestick on the bed, vnson'tlereif, and a book there ! It seems that the girl had indulged herself in the too common 1 practice of reading after retiring, and bad fallen > asleep, with a burnieg candle on the. bed ! But 1 a moment more, and her life would have paid the forfeit for this dangerous practice. As it was, she escaped with only a slight burn on the arm, from the wrist to the elbow, but she felt as though she would fall before she could unlock the door. We publish this as a caution.—.'lsh inbuhi Telegraph. As AFFECTING SCENE. —We learn from the Palladium, that when the southern delegates in the Philadelphia Hindoo convention saw that they were to lose their northern free-soil breth ren. thev "besought thein to stay, with tears in their eyes''—but the abolitionists "shook off the dust from their feet" and departed. We should like to have seen that lachrymose parting ! that rending of soul and body, which must have characterized the parting scene among such dear friends! That of "Ruth and Naomi," though remarkable for its disinterestedness, did not approach this in sublimity. e think we see Rayner and Crane hanging upon the necks of Wilson and Sperrv, and sobbing in that agony of grief which knows no consolation ! begging them not to desert, and "offering to give vp everything possible While the latter, erect as two pi liars ol granite, are impervious to their briny effusions and agonizing protestations of endearment. "If was too late!" the "Rubicon was passedand with a stoicism worthy of patriarchal davs, abolitionism tiled out ol the ha!!, leaving its dejected southern friends "like Niobe," al! tears. We trust the sweeper of the hall respected the sacredness of that grief— allowing the weepers to dry their tears, before he turned them into the street. There is one aspect of the case, however, which strikes us as peculiar—viz : that when "the south offered to give up everything," the Yankee political peddlers to whom the offers were made (and who are proverbial for having "an eye to the main chance,") did not propose to accept R slave or two apiece, and thus settle the diffi culty. Those who know them best would not have dared to risk such an ofler.— .Yew llavcn llegister. NEW AND SINGULAR DISEASE. — A very ex tram di nary disease has lately made its appear ance in a few families in this city—some of tliein eminent in wealth and position—which has confounded our physicians, because of its novelty. At first thev classed it under the lu ad of Erysipelas, but it would not hear that classification. Some of them have given it the name of "the plague." It appears at first in some discolored s|*its, say on the lace—and extending, without suppuration it soon destroys life as if hv a general mortification. II suppu ration lakes place, it passes off, but if not, death is sure to follow. There is no contagion a!>out it, and it is not epidemic in any form. One or two physicians have resorted to the knifo, and cut out the plague spot on its first appearance, and so have saved life. Fever and delirium attend the progress of the disease, it "the spot" is left to spread. It is not the plague, for it is not contagious or epidemic—but what is it? The plague may he imported—nav has been imported into the south of France, from Turkey hut it may be some new disease, which like the cholera, is to destroy the human race— .Yew York Express.