Evening Star Newspaper, March 25, 1882, Page 2

ieee THE EVENING STAR: WASHINGTON, SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 1882-DOUBLE SHEET. aN ADVANCE IN FLOUR, PARTLY DUE TO THE FLOODS IN THE SOUTHWEST—A GENERAL SCARC- ITY OF BUTTER —THE END OF THE GAME SEASON— OTHER FEATURES OF THE WEEK. The state of our markets the past week has been fair, with prices generally firm. No mate- fial change has taken place, except, perhaps, in flour, which has a decided upward tendency, es- pecially in the patents. The Minnesota and other patent processes have advanced 25250 cts. per barrel, and the same can be said of all the better grades. The trade has been active, and some anxiety on the part of buyers. This activ- ity in flour has been brought about by the in- creased strength of the foreign markets. The floods in the southwest is thought to have cre- ated alarzer home demand. Southern flour is sought after, with prices firmer. Wheat is said to have an upward look. and this is trae of all kinds of grain, including oats and corn. Min- Resota patent’ process stands at $9239.25, and other fine processes $8a#8.50; fancy brands of family $7a%7.25; trade brands of family, 6.750 $7; extra, #625. There seems to be a general straightening ip of everything in the line of ce- feals. The above prices are by cat lots. POTATOES. In the article of potatoes there is not much change in prices, the best foreign kinds standing at about S0c.a$1, while the natives are firm at @1.350$1.50 per bushel in bulk. No more ship- ments are looked for, thouzh more are in transit. Since the last report 40,500 sacks have arrived in New York and about 20,000 bushels in Balti- more. The west is still calling for more, and Jarge lots are shipped there daily. The Early Rose command the highest price: the Burbanks Fanging from $1.25 to $1.30, and the Peerless @1.25; new Bermudas $7.50a¢8 per barrel. Some detwand has been made for the foreign Champions for seed, but the foreign are largely of lower grade. EARLY VEGETABLES have not arrived very freely the past week, and the prices rule high. Florida tomatoes are sell- ing for #3.50a5 per bushel box; eymblings, $2 €2.40 per box; string beans $3a$4 per box; as- paragus, #4a37 per dozen bunches. It is said the late cold weather has damaged the early southern vegetables to a considerable extent, and has had the tendency to retard free ship- ments. Cucumbers have not yet appeared, but Some are reported on the way. Onions are stilt plentitul, and are of dull sale. They range from $2)33.50 per barrel; radishes, $2a%3 per hundred bunches. Some few apples are still to be found, the price ranging from $3a¢6 barrel, according to size and condition. The trade in foreign fruits has not been very brisk, nor is the demand very great. Many have arrived in bad condition, and few seem to keep sound. Floridas are quoted at $5 and $7 per half-barrel boxes; Messinas, $3a€3.50; lemons, $34 per box. Cocoanuts are $4.50a$5 per hun- dred, and some few cranberries are offered for $10a$12 per barrel. POULTRY AND GAME are scarce and high. Live turkeys sell for 16a1T cents per pound, and chickens for 14 cents. Very H little dressed poultry is coming to market, and | isin demand. Eggs are somewhat higher, and | Prices firm. The supplies are not large, and the demand is steady. Domestic dried fruits are in demand, and the prices are well sustained. Sun-dried and evap- | orated apples maintain strong priees. Peaches | are quiet, as also stall fruits generally. Ap-| ples, best evaporated, 15a16 cents; fair, 13al4 | cents. Peaches, best peeled evaporated, 25a35 cents; southern sun-dried, in quarters and halves, 18020 cents. The game season is about over, and but few birds of any kind have arrived the past week from the Potomac river. Some western ducks — the lakes have arrived in small lots and sell zh. Hay is steady and in fair demand, with no ad- vance. Straw has been somewhat in demand. Dressed hogs bring $8 per ewt.. and there, fair demand. Smoked firmer, and sales brisk. BUTTER. There is a general scarcity of butter, and an advance all along the line. The best of creamery i @rrives sparingly, and a firm range of prices is | easily maintained with an advance of 1a2 cents | per pound. The New York state dairy lots are rather more plenty, and are readily taken up. In the western the dairy and factory lots of fine quality find aready market at full prices. There seems, however, to be a general scarcity and a light stock of good grades for the future. The prices of beans remain firm and un- changed from last week's quotations. The Ger- | man beans are plentiful, and are regarded as of low grade. The demand is on the increase. — — g a Meats are somewhat ‘The Decrease in the Potomac Fish Sup= ply—How to Remedy the Evil. ‘Ze the Editor of Tux Evesine Stan. As the fishing season has opened, a few re- marks may not come amiss. In regard to the | Gsheries of the Potomac river, much has been eaid, but a thoroughly intelligent opinion upon the subject can only be obtained through prac- tical observations. It is unnecessary, therefore, to inquire into the causes of the decrease of this valuable product, as there are many, and all lead to the fact that a scarcity exists, where previ- ously there was creat abundance. The main point to be determined now is, in what manner fish may become more abundant in the Potomac | Fiver, since the efforts to effect that by artificial Propaation have proved afuilure. The most nat- remedy, it will be readily seen, is less fishing. in order that the fish may have a better opportunity to The great number, as weil as the great variety, of nets now used conduce to the capture and | destruction of fish of all kinds to a degree that will eventuate in their almost entire extinction, ‘at least their being debarred from entering our waters. As introductory to a solution of the question let it first be asked why fish (shad and herring particularly) are regular in their return to our river, and so persistent in their endeavors | to reach the limit of tide water? Unquestion- to deposit their spawn where the condl- tions for the natching the young, as for eusur- ing their early crowth, are most complete. In the artificial hatching of fish it has been determined that it is best done where the tem- ture of the water is uniform, and where is sufficient agitation of the water to keep eggs from conglomerating. These requirements are best obtained at the bead of water, which should be the there great spawning ground. Although are laws in both Virginia and Maryland restricting the use of seines and pre- seriving heavy penaities against fishing with ¢ill nets, stake or pound and purse neta, yet they are not enforced, and it only remains that the Jaw should be strictly enforced for the District of Columbia, which will prohibit all illegal fah- , and enable all fish that run the gauntlet w to tind a safe barbor here. Many assert | that spawn is found in large quantities | ashore by the larze seines below. Granted; bat this is dead yawn. that never would have hatched; and why? Fish in their passage up the river: are often driven back by storms. then harrassed | and wounded by encountering the great | multituce and variety of nets, so that the} period of ripening their spawn, as it ts called, arrives, when it is involuntarily emitted where the conditions for hatching sre unfavorable. | Hence the large amount that is lost from these | causes. But being providently provided with a | superabundance of exes, to allow for great | losses, a sufficiency would remain after so many | to furnish an abundant supply if the fish were unobstructed after reaching our waters. Theretorg the District Jaw should be | strietly enforced. which will allow the fish to! Feach the river above the aqueduct, where they naturally strive to co, and where the conditions | are all most favorable. { This will be the great spawning ground, and will in a few years afford in a mneh cheaper and | more natura! Way 2 superabundarce of fish. It may be here stated that what fishing may be done by drag-nets, being a riparian right of the owners of the Virginia shore of the river, will be very trifling. as there are but one or two points that can be utilized for that purpose. ma Poromac. A Move in the Right Direction. To the KAttor of Tre Evexrxo Stan: I see by your paper of the 22d that some clerks | were dismissed from the department for non-payc:ent of debts. I consider this a move in the right direction, as perhaps it may teach a few more of the gentlemonly beats that ! if they wish to remain !n bonorable emptoyment, | they will be obliged to pay their honorable debts, and not have the bytcher, grocer and tailor ran- | them twice a month to get even a after = lastallment on bills that are three, six and twelve months over due. Hi euci: dishonora! ble persons, J remain, ReoveaR Sceycuiner. stated —<——- Tus War acawwsr Swrecurrs.—it ts ‘that the Domin:on authorities | they For Tre Evenixc Stan. A Sonnet in Season, fitly spoken is like apples of gola in pictures A word of eilver.—Prorerbs. Let every man, and woman, and little chitd, Wherever be their heme in this wide world, If by tll fortun they should thence be hurled, Staggering beneath the burdens on them piled, Find usa people liberal and mild, Dove-like, and not like rattlesnakes upeuried To sting, while Freedom's banner floats unfurled, = And show how much false Fame had them be- guiled. Our sires of yore proclaimed, “This land fs free!” And the giad tidings won mankind's applause, And “There,” Hope whispered, “shall ye weary rest” Even as they willed it, let it ever be, And all be equal under equal laws— Native, adopted, or mere transient guest! W. L. SHOEMAKER. Under the dome of the Capitol. aes. assis HOMICIDES IN THE DISTRICT. Murders From 1800 to 1550. MANT CASES OF KILLING, BUT ONLY THREE EX- ECUTIONS iN HALF A CENTURY. Although the early criminal records of the District of Columbia show that “before the war” there were comparatively few executions here for the crime of murder, it does not follow that the violations of the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” were ramch less frequent in Washing- ton than in other citles having about the same Populetion. The records of the courts here show quite a large number of cases where the verdict was ‘‘manslaughter,” in which cases various de- grees of punishment, from a “‘fine of $1 and one day's imprisonment,” to “ten years imprison- ment in the penitentiary,” have been imposed, with now and then a sentence (in the case of slaves) of ‘branding on the hand aad whipping on the back.” . ig THE FIRST CASE OF murder in our annals is that of Patrick McGurk, who was hung on the 28th day of October, 1802, McGurk was a native of Ireland, and was em- ployed as a laborer on some of the government works here. Going home intoxicated he beat his wife, cruelly stamping her, and causing the premature birth of twin children. She died a few hoursafterwards. There were no witnesses to the act, and the principal evidence against the murderer was the dying statement of bis wife. Itisrelated that he rode from the jail (then in the rear of what is now known as Sproh's restaurant, on C street, between 414 and 6th streets) in'a cart to the gallows, and that he in- sisted on jumping off the scatloid before the marshal was ready to spring the trap. NO REST FOR THE MURDERER'S BODY. MeGurk’s body was buried in what wasthen known as the Western Burial Ground, after- wards Holmead’s. The remains were laid ina grave adjoining one in which a young lady had been buried the week before. This becoming known to her brothers, who were told by their mother that she would not regard them as men if they allowed the murderer to rest ther removed the remains of MeGur! from the grave where they were deposited to another part of the burial ground. ‘This eaused some excitement among McGurk’s feilow coun- trymen, and a large band of them, on a Sunday, disinterred his body aud carried it back to the grave where it was first buried and fur some time kept a guard over it at night. Fin the guard was withdrawn, and one morning it was discovered that the grave had been robbed of its corpse. Some forty years afterward the owner of some land south of Holmead’s bury- ing ground remarked thut he had, in digging a co ai hole. struck a skull and e fraginents of wood, and then it was that one of the resurrecting party told how they had moved afcGurk’s body. CASES OF MANSLAUGHTER. On February 25th, 1803, Alexander Veitch struck Richard Walker with a carpenter's square, and the latter died March 5th following. For this Veitch was indicted for manslaughter and tried, but neither Cranch’s reports nor the Trough minutes of the court show the final dispo- sition of the case. The next case was that of Isanc Norris, charged with manslaughter in 1807, (noticed in Ist Cranch, 411,) in which a fine of $20 and 12 months’ imprisonment was imposed. On February 4th, 1809, the records show that “Negro Nathan,” convicted of burglary, wag sentenced to be hanged, but subsequently par- doned. Burkett Riggs, convicted of murder, was, on the same day, sentenced to be hanged on March 15th; but there is nothing to show that the sentence of the law was carried out. 4 LIGHT SENTENCE FOR KILLING A CHILD. In 1810 Nathan Turner, alias Collier, was charged with murder in killing “Susan,” a ne- gro infant four months old; the indictment re- citing “that while intoxicated he laid on the body of the child, squeezing the bowels and lungs, and suffocating her.” The verdict was not guilty of murder, but guilty of causing the death of the child, and he was sentenced to pay a fine of 31 and 6 months in jail. The next case was that of Polly Bevens, con- yicted in 1811 of mansisughter. Judging from the sentence—$1 fine and 1 day in jail—it must have been a light case. HANGED FOR AN OUTRAGE. On January 30th, 1813, a slave, “Patrick,” was convicted here of an assault with intent to ravish a white woman, and on March 11th was hung—the gallows being erected on D street, between 3d and 4th. In 1815, iam Fitzgerald, on an indictment for murder, was convicted of manslaughter aud fined $20 and 90 days in Jail. On June 17th, 1816, isaac Butler was found guilty of manslaughter, in killing Betsy Butler, | and was sentenced to 18 months in Jail, but was subsequently pardoned. OTHELLO’S ESCAPE FROM THE GALLOWS. Michael Clarke, a mulatto, who killed his wife in a fit of jealousy, on 14th street, south of Pennsylvania avenue, was convicted in 1818 of murder and sentenced to be hung, but escaped from jall February 17th following and was not recaptured. James Flynn was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to six months in jail and to pay a fine of $250, in June, 1821, his offence being the killing of a man in a dranken brawi in a house near Decatur’s marsh, on the Eastern branch. He was subsequently pardoned. A CROWD ASSEMBLED TO SEK A HANGING DIS APPOINTED. In October, 1821, a soldier named John Lan- ham was condemned to be executed for the murder of Sergeant Kelly. Both men were attached to the command of Major Hook, in charge of the mounted messengers detailed to the departments. Lanham had formerly been @ sergeant, but for some dereliction of duty was reduced to the ranks, and Kelly was promoted, and it was alleged that Lanham in a spirit of revenge shot and killed Kelly. For this he was tried and convicted, and the day was fixed and all the preparations made for his exe- cution. An immense concourse of people gat!i- | ered in the rear of the court house to witness the hanging, but a respite was granted for six months. When this unnouncement was made from the seaffold by Col. Robert Brent, an off- cer of the court, and the chief clerk of the State department, the people became so much excited that it was feared violence would be perpe- trated. Lanham was finally sentenced to the penitentiary. Nancy Swann was convicted of murder in May, 1822, but the records do not give the par- ticulars or the name of the victim. They show, however, that judgment was arrested. John , June Ith, 1823, on a conviction for laughter. was sentenced to pay a fine of $100 and to be imprisoned three months, but was subsequently joned. In the same James Jones was found guilty of mansiaughter on bea a <3 pe, was sentenced to pay a like fine undergo one year’s impris- onment. In the following year, 1824, George Allen was charged with murder and convicted of manslaughter, but was pardoned. AN OLD-TIME OVERSEER EXECUTED. The next murder case and execution in the District was that of Jonathan Devaughn. The crime was committed near what is known as Moore's lane, not far from Glenwood cemetery, December 21, 1896. The son of Mr. Martin, a whitesmith, having been on Moore’s land, De- yanghn, then the overseer, took bis hat. A few days thereafter Mr. Martin and his wite loping the other} went out to obtain the bat, when Devaughn set | poison, will follow suit, acd weed out all | the dogs upon them, and Mr. Martin was fired | effect ‘of throwing off some of the al- upou by Der: mn and killed. When an at- tempt was te arrest Devanghn he fired pon the officers. but without effect. Devangi | intellectual TWO ACQUITTALS. Wm. Berry was charged with killing Wm. Sotheron in September, 1830, but was acquitted. In 1835 Joseph Woods, of Georgetown, was tried for the murder of his wife, and acquitted under the instructions of the court. He was charged with having beat her on November 5th, 1834. trom the effects of which she died in De- cember. CASES OF MANSLAUGHTER. Wathan Cole, Allen Cole, and George Davis were tried for murder separately in 1835, and were convicted of manslaughter. The first was sentenced to the penitentiary for four years, and the others for five yearseach. Richard Eagan was convicted the same year of manslaughter, and was sentenced to three years imprisonment, and Ower McMahon, on a similar charge, (in killing Henry Howard,) was given six years in prison. Henry Frye, a slave, was convicted, also, in this year of manslaughter in killing Richard Jackson, and was sentenced “to be burned on the left hand, and to receive twenty- five stripes.” A CURIOUS LAW BY WHICH A SLAVE ESCAPED THE DEATH PENALTY. The next person convicted here, for whom the gallows was erected, was John Arthur Bowen, a bright mulatto, and said to be a perfect model of aman physically, He was convicted of a burglary and felonous assault on his mistress (Mrs. Thornton) and sentenced to be hung in January, 1836. At that time the law allowed the selling of a criminal slave out of the juris- diction, and Bowen was respited and toa Mississippi planter. KILLING, BUT NOT MURDER. May 27th, 1837, Robert Scott was convicted of manslaughter and recommended to mercy, He was subsequently pardoned. In 1840 a man named Watts kilied one Anderson by stabbing him. This happened at the house of one Sauter, on Pennsylvania avenue, between 19th and 20th streets. Watts was tried and acquitted. Charles Williams was charged with the murder of his wife, near the Chain bridge, in June, 1842, and after being confined five years and having three trials was discharged. On June 27th, 1842, Wm. Gilliam was tried for the murder of Jacob Payne by means of a spring gun set to protect a chicken house, and was acquitted. Thos. Jones was convicted of manslaughter the same year and wassentenced to 4 years inthe penitentiary. John Carroll was convicted of manslaughter in ‘killing Benjamin Adams with an axe helve this year, and was sentenced te six years in the pen- itentiary. Thomas Cook, for the murder of Thomas Naylor, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to seven years, but was joned soon after his conviction. Edward L. Hamilton was acquitted on a charge of murder in June, 1846. Bryan Frail, on June 27th, 1848, killed a boy named Maurice Conners at Coltman's brick yard, and was convicted of manslaughter, and .Bentenced to 8 years in the pene but was pardoned in a few years. In 1819 John Da- vis was convicted of manslaughter, and was sen- tenced to six years and ‘doned a short time thereafter. In July, 1850, Lewis Carley, a sailor, on the U. 8. steamer Alleghany, was tried for the murder of a marinenamed Brown on the high seas, and convicted of manslaughter. Sub- sequently the case was taken to the district court, and it was there decided that the lower | court had no*jurisdiction, and that having once been put in jeopardy he could not be tried again, and so he escaped. This brings the | ghastly list down to July, 1850. It will thus be seen that but three judicial executions took place in this city, the first half century of its ex- istence asthe capitol of the nation, viz:—Mc- Gurk, in 1802, the slave Patrick, in 1813, and Devaughn, in 1827. CON NENG TOXICATION. Effects of the Alcoholic Poison Upon the Human System. To the Editor of Tue Eventne Sar. The word intoxication is used to designate that condition of the human body which is the result of the effect of drinking alcoholic com- pounds. It is derived from the Latin language, in and foxicum; literally meaning ina condition of being poisoned, Therefore drunkenness is ample of a variety of poisoning, and when individual is drunk he fs simply poisoned by ol and his recovery from the effects of such ning depends, in the first place, upon the tity of alcohol which he has imbibed, and secondly, upon his personal constitution. Nature is not always adequate to resist or out- live the poison consequent upon the state of being drunk; for often drunkards fall insensible to the eartn and die in a few hours, or sink into a stupor from which they never awake, SIGNS OF INTOXICATION. When alcohol is swallowed, its absorption by the stomach commences at once; and its imme- diate effect is to increase the force and rapidity of the heart's action, producing an unnatural, full, frequent and strong pulse, With this exci- tation, is a temporary increase of the appetite, which frequently induces not only over-eating, but the act of gluttony, and this fact, no doubt, lains the reason why gluttony and drunken- ness are so often associated in the Bible. The skin becomes warm and perspiring, and the kid- neys increase their functions. Soon the brain gives evidence gf excited action. The spirits be- come exhilerated, and the individual becomes talkative, and while in Pagan Retell insists upon doing all the talking. His features are lively, and his thoughts rapid and varied. His gestures are animated, and he frequently shows his disposition in a manner that excites the mer- .| riment of those around him. His face is flushed, and his eyes reddened, and, if not too drunk, will make himself very ridiculous. IN VINO VERITAS. This characteristic of the effect of alcohol to cause an individual to indicate his real disposi- tion, gave rise to the Latin maxim, in vino ver- itas, which means, ‘‘there is truth in wine,” for it has long ago been observed that the influence of wine develops the true character of an indi- vidual. Thus the irritable and captious become contentious, disagreeable and annoying, often get into broils with their associates, produce quarrels in drinking places, and are aften thrown headlong from the bar-rooms, to be carried home, bruised and bleeding, to their dis- tressed families. The weak minded become most disgusting and insufferable fools, and are boisterous with laughter and mirth. They are indiseriminate and profuse in their generosity. Every one must take a drink with them, and they are so full of love that they want to hug everbody. They will offer to do any act of kindness, and are most lavish In their promises of what they are ready to bestow. They imagine that they possess the world, and under this delusion are very desirous of making most ac- commodating business transactions. The low spirited weep bitterly and talk ina sad manner on melancholy subjects. All the sorrows of their lives come crowding back upon their recollections, to break their hearts, they say, and they tell how wicked they have been, and appear the very personification of humility; and deploring their condition, de- | clare, if their friends will forgive them, and they live to get over “this,” they will not only take the pledge to drink no more, but will join the church; for all theworld is sad to them, and everywhere they go they cannot find anyone kind enough to pray for them, but are met by the rebnff “‘Oh, go off, you are drank.” If no more drink is taken than is sufficient to produce moderate intoxication it gradually passes off, and as the effect subsides, is followed y opposite signs or symptoms. Relaxation takes the place of exhileration, and the skin is hot and dry. The Co is furred, and the appetite is gone. The kidneys act slowly, and the spirits are depressed. A cspacity for busi- nesa is completely impaired, and many days elapse before the mind and body regain their accustomed vigor. REPEATED INTOXICATION. Such are the physical effects of a moderate intoxication which has been allowed to subside without an immediate repetition; but if intoxi. cation be repeated after the first effects have seey been manitested severe symptoms are | excited which plainly show that not merely the wers are disturbed, but that the | faculties of the brain are much disordered; its functions become seriously impaired, and ideas are confounded and confused; the thoughts are uncontrolled, and Imaginary objects and impres- sions are supposed to be seen, telt and heard. ‘The head aches and swims. The vistun is dou- ble, and the ears buzz, roar and ring. Muscular movements of the body become tremulous and | unsteady, the eyes are vacant, and the voice | thick. The face is commonly pale, and the | brain is so much excited that It shows delirium, | and the mind is without reason to control it. Sensation, feeling and perception are almost en- tirely suspended, and the stomach becomes sick and vomiting occurs. This vomiting is poisoned. nature's desperate effort to rid itself of the and when it doed occur has the cohol, thereby lessening its poisonous power, which may not be more serious, and the intoxi- cated into a deep p. During this i out thronzh the pores of his { and breathes out throuzh his lungs, the whieh. is 4 him with Z| | be American ministers and British flunkies at | buy five votes for 2.¢¢ and, like one in forgetfulness, asks where he has been or where he is? and remembers nothing after the beginning of his repeated or successive intoxications. The - physical penalty which unerriagly follows again isa severe headache and feveri 8 furred tongue, a dry mouth, with an inclination to spit tough white spittle, complete loss of appetite, depression of spirits and an inability for mental or Dedily exertion, and it is only after days of abstemiousness and rest that he regovers his usual health. DEAD DRUNK. If & greater quantity of alcohol has been taken than is requisite to produce the two stages of intoxication just described, a third stage en- sues, which is far more serious in Its appear- ance, duration and results. It is that con- dition known in common language as dead drunk, and is theavorst stage of poisoning from the imbibition of aleoholic drinks, The indi- vidual can neither sfeel, smell, hear, see nor aste; and there ts almost an entire suspension of the fonctions ofalcthe organs of the body. except depressed'breathing and feeble action of the heart. He ts almost dead, and is in a stupor from whidh he cannot be aroused to give the slightest mantfestation of either sensibility or life, and he usually lies, disgustingly wallow- ing in his own vomit. His head is hot, while ‘is hands, feet and body are cold with a clammy sweat. His pulse isemall, feeble and slow, and imextreme cases cannot be felt at the wrist. His breathing is‘ slow and imperfec®, and re- sembles that of [neh who die from strangula- tion. His eyes become crossed and fixed, con- vulsions set in, and when intéxication is thus extreme very few-reenyer, but die within ‘from four to hes fate COHOL I8 A POISON. , Alcohol Is the Basis of all intoxicating drinks, ‘and from brandy,fo beer the list is nothing more than various compounds of It. Its habitual use, more than the habitual » > of all other poisons, is most surely destructive of life. The human system cannot long tolerate the pressure of its poisonous properties without ylelding to its dis- ease-producing influence; and the internal structure of the body can no more become ac- customed to a habitual use of alcoholic drinks than can the external skin become inured to the application of red-hot iron. J. B. Jounsox, M. D., 923 New York avenue. ogee The»District in Congress. To the Editor of Tae Evxwina 8ran. It is with a sense of extreme humiliation that as a citizen (so called) of this District, I take up my pen to remonstrate against the proceedings of the general government, with regard to the inhabitants of this District, who own so large an amount of property and pay so large an amount into the government treasury. Having been a resident here for the past eighteen years, and being a property owner, I have regarded with interest the various attitudes in whieh the District has stood to the general government, and how tho people have been affected thereby, and I must confess that it appears to me that, at no time in its history have citizens (so called) of this District occupied a more humiliating po- sition. With no voice in the government, and no delegate in Congress, we see the committee on rules ignoring the committee on the District, and cutting them off from any allotted time to pre- sent to the House pressing matters of District interest. Having some business with the chair- man of the committee, I called at the commit- tee-room at the Capitol. and found him perfectly disgusted with his position, representing a large population who had been cut off from all rights and privileges under the government, and left, as the poet says “Like dumb, driven cattle.” T have been waiting in hopes that some more able voice would be lifted up in remonstrance against these outrages; till I have come to the conclusion that there needs to be another eman- cipation prociamation issued, on the same ground which led us a3 agpeople to break offour allegiance to the British government, viz.: “Taxation without representation.” How true what is said in the Declaration of Independence that “experience has shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are suffer- able, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.” I trust that the press of this city will, neither from fear nor favor, longer keep silence on this eubject peeiley SEN ee American Ministers and British Flun- Kkiese ‘To the Editor of THE EVENING STAR: Being the possessor of papers of American naturalization, I am, since the publication of Minister Lowell’s insulting dictum, rather puz- zied to understand the exact advantages derived from what I heretofore regarded as the glorious prerogative of American citizenship. My cer- tificate sets forth that I enlisted in the armies of the United States, and was honorably discharged therefrom; that, declaring under oath in open court I would support the Constitution of the United States, and abjure forever all allegiance to every foreign’ power, prince, state or sover- elgnty, and particularly the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, I was admitted a citizen of the United States. Mr. Lowell says a person cannot be an Irishman and an American at the same time, ‘‘and the sooner all such persons were made to tnderstand it distinctly the bet- ter.” i 5 If, as the pro-British American minister im- plies, an Irishman, when tal 2 Aele above oath, also ‘abjured every aspiration for the liberty of his native land, and sank under foot the tradi- tions of his race and country, he would be more eligible for the last round and circleof that hell which Dante in his Inrerno sets .apart for renegades and traitors than the citizenship of a people whose ancestors proclaimed the doctrine, “resistance to tyrants is obedience to God.” _ Is the allegiance of the Irish exile less acceptable to Columbia because it brings with it “love from the heart that loves liberty too?” The men whose dead bodies were piled up nearest the rebel at Fredericksburg were “Trishmen and Americans.” No one then thought the double title incompatible, aud those faithful foster children of America died not lees nobly for her flag because during life they had cherished a hope of one day striking a blow for the land that bore them. Mr. Lowell’s letterin reference to Michael Hart’s arrest denies, with an emphasis one might ex- pect from Granville or Foster, that his American citizenship entitled him to immediate release; and yet in 1853 an American captain took from the deck of an Austrian man-of-war a man who had only declared his intentions of becoming a citizen—the Hungarian Koszts. An American press and people upheld Capt. Ingraham’s act, ‘and an American Congress voted him a valuable sword ; traly “‘tempora mutantur et nos mutantur idem.” fan American citizen deliberately com- mits an overt act in violation of British laws, he becomes most undeniably amenable to the sald laws, and the most he can expect from the rep- resentatives of this government is that he will receive a fair trial within a reasonable time ; but this does not apply to the cases brought under Minister Lowell's notice. England suspends her habeas corpus and under the “so-called coercion act.” inaugurates a system that is only equalled in history by the lettres de cachet ot Louis the Fifteenth of France, or the despotic edicts of the star-chamber under Charles the Second of England. American citizens visiting Ireland, as they have an undoubted right to do, are arrested as “suspects” and indefinitely confined without trial, the British authorities refusing to say they have any charges against them, while an Aimer can minister emphatically indorses this despotic action, saying “serve ‘em right.” President Arthur has it in his power to repudiate the Lowell doctrine of American citizenship, and, (to paraphrase Mr. L.’s ultimatum,) make all such persons understand distinctly they cannot the same time. . Loud Grow] from vernment Clerk. ‘To the Editor of the Eventne Stan. Is it not time a halt was called in this matter of parties, male gnd female, white and black, GAME LAWS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. Full Text of the Act of Congress. It was briefly mentioned in Thursday’s Star that Major Brock, superintendent of the metro- politan police, had furnished a copy ofthe act of Congress (approved June 15, 1878) -‘for the pre- sérvation of game and pretéction of birds in the District of Columbia” to the members of the po- lice force for their information and guidance. The following is the full text ofthat act: “Be it enacted, ete, That no person ju, or expose for sale, or have his or her possession, either dead or alive, any partridge, otherwise quail, between the first day of February and the first day of No- vember, under a penalty of five dollars for each bird so killed or in passession. Sec. 3. That no person shall kill or ex) for sale, or have in his or her possession, eitherdead or alive, any pheasant, otherwise ruffed grouse, between the first day of February and the first day of August, under a penalty of five dollars for each bird so killed or in possession. Sec. 3. That no person shall kill or expose for sale, or have in his or her possession, either dead or alive, any woodcock, vetween the first day of February and the first day of July, under . penalty of five dollars for each bird so killed or in ion. 4. That no person shall kill or expose for sale, or have in his or her possession, either dead or alive, any prairie chicken, otherwise pinnated grouse, m the first day of Feb- Tuary and the first day of September, under a Density of $5 for each so killed or in pos- session. Sec. 5. That no person shall kill or expose for sale, or have in his or her possession, either dead or alive, any aries or plover, between the e first day of May and the first day of September, eno a penalty of $5 for each bird so killed or ion. Sec. 6. That no person ghall kill or expose for sale, or have in his or her possession, either dead or alive, any wild duck, wild goose.or wild brandt, between the first day of April and the first day of September, under a penaity of $5 for each bird so killed or in possession. Sec. 7. That no person shall kill or expose for sale, or haye in his or her possession, either dead or alive,any water-rail,or ortolan, or reed- bird, or rice-bird, between the first day of Feb- Tuary and the first day of September, under a penalty of $2 for each bird so kilied or in pos- session. Sec. 8. That no persow shall expose for sale or. have In his or her possession any deer-meat, or venison, between the Ist day of January and the 15th day of August, under a penalty of twenty cents for each and every pound of deer-meat so exposed for sale or had in possession. Sec. 9. That no person shall kill or expose for sale, or have in his or her possession, dead, at any time, any turkey-buzzard, wren, sparrow, blue- bird, humming-bird, blue jay, robin or migratory throsh, wood or song robin. martin, mocking- bird, swallow, oriole, red of cardinal bird, cat- bird, pewit, ‘whip-poor-will, gold-finch, ' sap- sucker, hanging bird, wood-pecker, crow black- bird or any other insectivorous bird. save as herein provided, under a penalty of $2 for each bird killed or in possession dead. Sec. 10. That no person shall rob the nest of any wild bird of eggs or young, or destroy such nest, unless in ,the necessary prosecution of farming business, under a penalty of $2 for each egg or bird so taken, and under a penalty of €5 for each nest destroyed. Sec. 11. That no person shall trap, net, or ensnare any wild bird or water-fowl, or have in possession any trap, net, or ‘snare, with the intent to capture or kill any wild bird or water- fowl, under a penalty of 35 for every bird or water-fowl so trapped, netted, or ensnared, and under a further penalty of $20 for having in pos- session any such net, trap, orssnare; and such net, trap, or snare shall be forfeited and de- stroyed. 2 Sec. 12. That no person shall at any time Kill or shoot at any wild duck, wild goose, or wild brandt with any other gun than such as are habitually raised at arm’s length and fired from the shoulder, under a penalty of $5 for each and every wild fowl so killed, and under the further penalty of $25 for firing such gun at any wild fowl as aforesaid, or having said gun in possession. Sec. 13. That no person shall kill or shoot at any bird or wild fowl In the night time, under a penalty of $25 for every bird or wild fowl so killed, and under the further penalty of $10 for shooting at any bird or wild fowl in the night time as aforesaid. Sec. 14. That persons in killing birds for scien- tifle purposes, or in possession of them for breed- ing, shall be exempt from the operations of this act by proving affirmatively such purposes; and the possession shall in all cases be presumptive evidence of unlawful purpose. “Sec. 15. That any person who shall knowingly trespass on the lands of another for the purpose of shooting or hunting thereon, after due notice or notice as provided for in the following section by the owner or occupant of lands, shall be lia- ble to such owner or occupant in exemplary damages to an amount not exceeding $100. and shall also be liable to a fine of $10 for each and every trespass so committed. The possession of implements of shooting on such lands shall be presumptive evidence of the trespass. Sec. 16. That the notice referred to in the pre- ceding section shall be given by erecting and maintaining sign-boards at least eight bytwelve inches in dimensions on the borders of the prem- ises, and at least two such signs for every fifty acres; and any person who shall maliciously tear down 6rin any manner deface or injure any of such sign-boards shall be liable to a penalty of net less than $5 nor more than $25 for each and aay sign-board so torn down, defaced or in- jured. Sec. 17. That there shall be no shooting, or having in possession, in the open air the imple- ments for shooting, on the tirst day of the week, called Sunday; and any person violating the provisions of this section shall be liable to a penalty of not more than $25. nor less than #10 for each offence. Sec. 18. That all acts or parts of acts now in force in the District of Columbia inconsistent with the provisions of this act be, and the same are hereby, repealed.” ie Hot Air in Dwellings. Grom the Report of Health Officer Townshend. The annual report of Health Officer Town- shend just about being issued from the Govern- ment Printing Office, contains many important and Interesting discussions of sanitary subjects, but none more deserving of the careful atten- tion of our people than that under the above heading. Hesays: ‘Asa subject closely asso- clated with that of house drainage, and # mat- ter which has not hitherto been treated with that care which its importance demands, I de- sire to call attention to the ordinary means used in Supplying alr in the heating of dwellings by means of furnaces and ‘Latrobe’ stoves. So many of our houses have stoves and furnaces defectively constructed in this respect, that I trust the few words which follow may receive careful attention. How many of us who have Latrobe stoves in dining aad sitting rooms, have become familiar, in our sleeping-rooms above, with the odor from one or the other of the rooms below. How manv occupants of rooms in bearding-houses have come to readily diagnose the complexion of the coming break- fast by turning on the register in their bed- rooms. How often have many of us learned in the room abéve, supplied from Latrobe in office or sitting-room ‘below, that a r cigar was be- ing burned by some smoker in the apartment last mentioned. These I give as common illus- trations of the channels through which impure air may be brought to our living and sleeping- rooms. Probably you will say that the odors arising from BEEFSTEAK, COFFEE AND CIGARS would not be liable to prove detrimental to health, and I grant you the point is weil taken. This, however, is not the question. There is any quantity of free pure air all around us, and there isno necessity for breathing that which going through the yarious departments solicit- ing votes of the) employés for sundry things from a diamond fing down to a cradle? Inthe department I a ice to be confined at hard labor, nee = a pe fect Farag tee ties, fect strangers iv you, come an fon a tern it votes)’ with which to pur- chase a monkey Jackét for some child in man's attire to play" on a broomstick with, whom you never"! or heard of, and of whom youearnestly pi i you never may agail orhear of. I e-been lately importuned to lle to be made a present. nine I do not even know. 1 know literally nothing that she had the misfor- ¢to become a mother. It getting married myselfan ul then be at the ex four or five cradles is my own use. =e io pee aoe @ conseque: very ly my firstborn of toa lady wh Of whom, in beyond the bard’, tune a few days was in vain that floor, or worse still, sleep in the same with its father, while the offspring of a stranger is reared in comparative . This is one of the many central- ‘voting nuisance, has been once breathed wo Aenwhnsg which hes over the viands or stale, or traveled through the interstices of tobacco, and come ont with the smoke of AX that is re- jauired to accomplish the avoidance of such co! itions, and the securement of an adequate sp a ply of freah to furnaces and is that proper from some int-out of doors, and all means for the taking in of In-door air excladed. ice of this should not ‘The im} and many other citi: cated in unventll cold-air duct from the o the entire building are forced to breathe the air taken up from the cellars. The cellar ts proba- made a receptacle for all refuse fromthe rooms above, there is an accumulation of ashes and filth in the corner, an imperfectly drained surface and a d gin the itions fhe ducks of the fares and for use as lung food by the unfortunate and un- estas are non where the furnace has taken from adamp and entirely unventilatet cellar. Inthe winter season with all possible means of ingress for cold air to rooms stopped and the hot air being supplied from such « souree as described, can we wonder that case= of typhoid and scarlet fever, diphtheria and other diseases dependent upon impure air are developed? Itis said. and very truly, too, that ventilation is wasted when directed against any avoidable pollution of the air. It is the wisest policy to see that nothing is taken into your dwelling by one channel which it may be neces- sary to construct another to remove. By al! means acquaint yourself thoroughly as to from whence comes the air you heat to breathe.” “see The Additional Pension Office Force. HOW TO APPOINT, AND WHOM TO APPOINT—RE- COMMENDATIONS OF COMMISSIONER DUDLEY. The following recommendations in regard to appointments in the Pension office have been made by Commissioner Dudley: DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, PENSION OFFICE, Wasarnorton, D.C., March 2ist, 1882. To the Select Committee on Reform in the Civil GENTLEMEN: “In considering how to appoint to, and whom to appoint upon, the contem- plated additional force of my office, I would sug- gest that a board of threé persons be constituted; at least one of whom should be an officer of this bureau, and one an officer of the Department of the Interior proper, to whom all applications of persons eligible to appointment (eligible as here- inafter set forth) shall be submitted, who shall designate time and place for the examination of all applicants; that these examinations be oral and written, and such as shall demonstrate the fitness of the applicant for the peculiar work of this office—the oral to be reduced to writing by a short-hand writer, to be detailed for that pur- Ee as clerk to the board, and that their report made direct to the Secretary of the Inferior. The Secretary of the Interior, having a due re- toa fair and equitable apportionment of e whole force among the several states and Territories, shall appoint those persons to the vacant places, who, in the judgment of the board, or two of its members, shall be deemed best fitted for the work of this office, who shall be commissioned for six months, the commission to expire at that time absolutely, and a re-appointmeat to, be made only upon the recommendation of the Commissioner. If re-appointed the tenure should be fixed at three years, subject, however, to removal for cause by the Secretary of the In- terior, upon the recommendation of the Com- missioner. The various grades provided and appropriated for by Congress shall be filled, and az vacancies therein occur promotion shall be made from the next lower grade, and so on until the lowest of each class is reached, to which all original appointments shall be made: provided that promotion for extraordinary.merit may be made from the clerical to the eKamining force. The salaries of the first or mechanical class shall be as follows: First-class clerks. . 1,200 per annum Clerks... + 1,000 do. Copyists..... 2 "900 do. Messengers. - S86 do. Watchmen . > 7) do. Laborers. - 660, do. The examining force be paid as follows: Principal examiners... -€2,000 per annum Examiners of fourth - 1,800 do. Examiners of third class...... 1,600 do. Examiners of second class.... 1,400 do. ~* Examiners detailed as special examiners jn the field. - 1,400 do. Examiners of first class. - 1,200 do. The persons needed for the work of this office may be divided into two classes, viz: Ist. The clerical or mechanical force. For merely mechanical clerical work, requiring, | primarily, good moral character, good penman- ship, and a reasonable degree of accuracy in orthography and syntax, young men and ladies may be considered in the selection of persons to be appointed; but the proportion of this class to the whole number to be employed should not exceed one-third, for the reason that mere me- chanical clerical work can be pressed and accel- erated by good management. This class in- cludes laborers, watchmen, messengers, copyists | soldiers, their sons, widows or daughters should be given the preference, other things being nearly equal. 2. The examining force, those who are to do the real work of the office, viz., settle claims for Pensions, must exercise a sound discretion and form ripe and well-considered judgments. An unripe youth, who has seen little of the world, knows little or nothing of the habits of the peo- ple or methods of public business, save that which he has learned in the books, and which he has knowlede of only as abstract theories, al- though he may pass a brilliant examination in orthography, syntax and prosody, mathematics, Classical literature, science, art, zeography and other branches of learning, is’ totally unfit for this class of work. For this, the real work before us, two-thirds of all the force you provide should be men of character and good habits, who have settled down to the real work of life—if possible those who have fought for the nation’s life—who are ae in years and experience, of capacity and lucation sufficient to enable them to discover the legal pe Involved, properly weigh and apply the imony as well as determine the kind and amount required to sustain a declara- tion and to reach an intelligent and just nas. ment. Let this class be men who are fully im- pressed with the peculiar character of this par- ticular work, and who will care more to speedily get ante-mortem pensions to the veterans who for years have been languishing with diseases or wounds, and have been kept waiting so long for their rights, rather than calculate how long they can make their own employment to last. Who so fit in this respect, for this work, as ex- Union soldiers? Let this class be composed, too,solely of those who have a vote somewhere, and who have interest enough in the welfare of their nation and state to vote at every election; and other — being equal, or nearly so, republicans should be preferred. But they should be divided amongst the states and territories in proportion to the vote each casts to the whole vote of the country, taking into consideration the distribution of those now em- ployed, and in my Judgment the republican vote should be the basis, inasmuch as this is a repub- lican administration, allowing the democratic vote as the basis whenever the pendulum shall swing the other way, and the administration pass into democratic hands. IT have made a calculation which shows, 1st the fall quota of the whole force to each state and territory; 2d, the number now in the office charged to each state; 8d, the number each will be entitled to, and have attached a copy thereof to this letter. Very respectfully, Wa. W. Depisy, Commissioner. No. entitled No. due Slate. onbastsof Nowin each Rep. vole, office. Biale, Lu Re VREmatakSSELaotikSkouwoaur | Seanscus. 3. heterorseseegysts Sas tautoREs oBe! RUE! ZoRSRSanTtatAE! aaBUETBonudull SE aaa ee ee eee and clerks, in the selection of which ex-Union | THE WASTE OF GREAT CITIES, What ls Needed in Washington, In his annual report, about to be published, ilealth Officer Townshend treats of the subject f manure as follows: “Manure and its removal™ is a subject which has been discussed in two former reports. ‘The table gives evidence of 431 cases in which nuts- ances have arisen from this source, and doubt- tess manure has contributed in greater or less ree to many more. ‘The time has arrived whichdeman ‘1s the adop- tion of meaus for the transfer, Gurough one chan- nel, of all offal from our cities. The country around the District of Columbia certainly gives evidence of the want of all the sustenance to her soil that the refuse of our cities can give it. Much more is taken from the farms and market- garden lands surrounding us than is put back. Much more is wasted here than would give ample food to those lands. Vietor Huge, in “Les Miserables,” gives a striking picture of the waste of a great city. The earth, he says, is im- poverished by the sea, Paris {ho say] casts twenty-five milionsof france annual! Brn ie s d this be without meta- [ow mo mare at way? dry and vieht. oh Wath ‘w bat thong tite Nothing. By What are its inte Its sewers. Twenty-five millions are the most mode rate of the approximative amou nts given by retinstes or modern acience, * * Science, after the most fertilizing end Reeth man Manure. ° Chine: let us say it to our knew this before we did. No & Chinese Beseant nes to the city bat Lrings at ie the ig till as y Chinese who: the sowing. of Abraham, tial just one hundred ona bg A iA no guano comparable 1D i ictinat nena ands ay ae important of dunemixons. * * To employ the town in mannring the plain would be certain so = wo.d be dross, on the ““Wiiat is done with this golden dung? Tt is the culf. We rend at grert expenre fects of De the southern po'e the droppings of petrels end leulable eleaent weunder ourhand. * 7 * All the human and apimel enure which the world Joses if to the lam of being thrown into the fea would suffice to nourish the world, * * 7 Do you know what thore pilex of ordurg are collected at the comers of #t nicht from th wrried oft at te, thee carte of 3 oot the night- mi rightful barrels Man, and th treams of mud which the pavement conceals. fr: Ali this is a flowering : itis en gross; it is wimt and thyme and it te emane; it ix cattle; it is the emtinted lowing Of inure oxen ai med hey. itis golden wheat; it in se warm fe. ™ your veins: it ceca ts ree that mysterions eres earth and transfigural ii t - ridiculon would be the masterpiece of Fach eructation of your di our {enorance. ihe conte ua one thonennd francs, and this has two results the ‘arth impove=- And the water polzoned; batager. jeatiing from the e SUrprivine "itis no youthful nonsense. nid you will ruin yourself. Moreover, tates itrelf, particularly in fate squandering. * * * “alsorbed the entire welfare of the Roman peas ." When the Comp BO was ruined by the Komian droing Kome exhausted Italy, aud ‘when it had laced Italy in its cloaca it ponted intoft Sicily, and then, Rerdinia. and then Attica drains of Rome swal- 3 the world. Urbv ef Orbs. "Btornal cay iy ans iu ne a Unfathemable sew This argument applies alike to the waste of the other offal of great cities as well as to that car- ried off by its sewers, and it applies to Washing- ton as well as Paris. The day is coming when our sewage must be preserved, and all that is in it to nourish the land taken out and returned to our fleid. Like the Roman cloaca, which absorbed the richness ofits own land and then gulped down Sicily, Sardinia, and Africa, so have the sewers in the older cities of thisour new world absorbed the sustenance of many fields and farms in the older states without returning anything, and then sent the sons of those who once tilled a Tich, fertile suil, off to the great west to open new veins for their vampire mouths. It is time | that we were learning sometiting from China in the preservation of oursoil. It is nothing new to hear of “played-out” farms in Maryland and rzinia, and there is no reason why all the Ith of manure which now W inthe tal should not be applied to th plaved- farms, and set the to again putting yn our tables and warm blood in our E in inn - Perhaps the day of irrigating farms for the | preservation and utilization of our sewage has not yet arrived, but the day and hour is here which speaks loudly the demand for utilization of all other offal from our cities. We should have one point fur the receipt of all refuse, and the law should require that it be there taken and deposited at regular stated periods from all dwellings and places where it accumuiates. The authorities themselves should take charge of this material, which should include offal and upon the fields and purchasing a farm of our own and enriching t A farm of a few hundred acres at some convenient point could soun be made a source of profit to the District. By all means let us have an offal depot anda city farm. —$—$—__—_<o+____ Charcoal as a Deodorizer, To the Editor of Tux Eventxa Star. Charcoal is used as a purifier and disinfectant with good effect in certain cases, but its proper use is much misunderstood. The soil of a lim- ited enclosure saturated with rape organic matter that gives out offensive odors may made to retain to acertain extent these by covering the soil with pulverized charcoal to aconsiderable depth. Charcoal is very porous and entirely insoluble in water; it also excellent filtering properties, retaining certain classes of impurities held in’ solution In diquids and allowing the liquid to pass through freely, divested of most of these impurities. If it is de- sired to filter an impure water or syrup, there- fore, charcoal is often successfully and employed. Ii, onthe other hand, you have a noxious and offensive fluid which it is your wish to dispose of as ly as possible, retain! none of the odor in your house or apartment is obviously by a to pour this fluid over a quantity of charcoal exposed in an open vessel, at the bottom of which may be a grating and wastepipe to allow the fluid to pass off. this means you simply filter the ep badoon A it BS sae rid of as speedily as 3 caso matter, which is retained charcoalto be given out in the atmosphere of your room or building. Yonsend away the bad fiuid purified of a portion of its bad substance, which remains behind in the char- coal to offend your olfactories and poison your air. This, therefore, is obviously an improper use of charcoal, The surfaces of the drain-hop- per, where fluids of this character ae if smooth porcelain or metal, uire thorough. cleansing with water. ‘The smell which will still proceed from such contrivances, then, must be attributed to the matter that re- mains upon the inner surfaces of the openings, gratings and waste pipe, which cannot be reached by the brush, and the only effectual remedy for this is an occasional application of asolution of muriatic acid, which will loosen the matter and cleanse these inner surfaces; after which @ more frequent application of solution of chloride of sodium oF carbolic acid will deodorize them. A A piece of carbolic soap is —— Tes ia such drain-hoppers above erating, much more reason than the use of a lump of charcoal for the same The soap is dis solved by the water wo upon it and its purifying properties brought into contact with the inner surfaces of the gratings and waste- pipes, which the lump of insoluble charcoal cam never reach. Hea.ra. +0... Abraham Lincoln’s Parents Marriage From the Evansville (Ind. ) Journal, March 21. Capt. J. W. Wartman was able to secure yes- terday what Ward Lamon and other biographers reliable record of the father and