THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

Evening Star, Issue 3854, 1 July 1875, Page 3

THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

The Beecher scandal has had a fearfully demoralising influence on public morals in the United States. It crops up in every form. The manufacturer of a truss publishes Beecher’s picture and a fac similie letter of endorsement. The patentee of a collar calls it the “Tilton Favorite;” another fellow sells “ Elizabeth Buffi as; another “Bessie’s Necktie.” A prominent restaurateur on Park Row hangs out his prize, cod and salmon with the label, “Theo. Tilton and Kenry Ward Beecher another small place in Ann street placards its front with “Tilton Stews,” “Beecher Pot-pies,” and “Morse Dumplings” Then we have “Moulton Hats,” “Bowen Bitters,” and Haliday Cough Drops.” The bar-rooms and restaurants are posted with cartoons "nd street corners crowded with urchins selling ballads on the scandal. In the poss ssion of men about town are seen obscene pictmv s descriptive of some incident brought out in evidence. “Indeed,” says a writer, “the scandal has utterly demoralised the community, and if it continues much longer tho filth will be apt to corrupt every family circle into which the daily papers find an entrance. The divorce courts also feel the effects of it, and a prominent clerk in one of the courts assures me that si co the publication of it, applications for divorce have increased fifty-fold. For the sake of society, and for decency, it is to be hoped that something will soon occur to shut off the flow of scandal in Brooklyn.” A woxan living near the Richard mine, in Morris County, New Jersey, lost by the burning of the emigrant ship Cospatrick, eight brothers, two sisters, and her mother, besides other near relatives.

A twelve-year-old girl is on trial in the United States for the motiveless killing o( three children. She fed them on rat poison “just to see them die ” as she explained. In the New York Bay cemetery is a tomb, and within rests a metallic coffin and an easy chair. Twice a week there comes to this chair a middle-aged lady, who quietly unbolts the iron door, seats herself in the eas 1 . chair at the head of the coffin, and mentally converses, as she thinks, with the dead husband who' lies by her side. The constancy has been persisted in during the jast eight years. So accustomed are the Teepers and workmen at the cemetery to her coming that they now think no more of it than of any other regular occurrence ot every-day life. The husband died while on a visit to California, and was sent back to his wife in the metallic coffin in which the body now lies. The features are said to be as natural as on the day of hia death. A French writer says not an American in ten has a handsome chin. But in nine cases out of ton, what be lacks in chin is more than made up in cheek. During the last session of Congress a law was passed directing that prisoners of the United States, who have been sentenced to imprisonment for a period exceeding six months, on being discharged from the penitentiary shall bo supplied by the wardens of the prison, at the expense of the Government, with a good suit of clothes and five dollars in cash.

The people of the United Kingdon bought in 1874, 20,205,306 gallons of alcohol in distilled spirits, 2,592,660 in foreign wines, 54,699, .320 in malt liquors, and 650,000 in cider, perry, and British wines, the amounts given being in alcohol, not in liquor. For this quantity, all of which, except perhaps the alcohol in malt liquor, may be taken to be either mere waste or luxury, they paid in 1874, for ardent spirits L 41,574,134 ; for foreign wines L 12,963,288; for malt liquor L 72,932,426 ; for cider, perry, and British wine L 1,000,000 ; total L 128,469,000. If the accounts received from English residents in Persia are to be credited, the Shah’s visit to Europe is beginning to bear fruit. Since his return .home he has given many proofs of an anxious desire to improve the condition of his subjects. Instead of abstracting himself from affairs of State, and devoting the chief part of his time to sport, as in former time?, the Shah now prosecutes earnest inquiry into abusfs, and does not hesitate to dismiss even the hghest officials incases where they are proved guilty of oppression. So anxious is the Persian monarch to discover malpractices of this fort that he recently caused what are called “ boxes cf justice ” to be sent to every town in his dominions. Placed under a military guard, this novelty serves as a receptacle for .petitions, everyone, however humble, po:-sess-iug the right of placing in it written memorials and statements of grievances. At stated intervals the box of justice is forwarded to ' Teheran under escort, w.hen its contents are laid before the Shah, who, it is said, reads every petition himself. A japanned hat-box, which had been left at the Ripon station, was forwarded to the lost luggage department at York. There the box was opened, and found-to contain the body of a newly-born child.

The * World’ asserts that the question of precedence, which formed such anapJe of discord last year, was again revived in a distinguished circle at the last drawingroom, and gave rise to further heart burning and discontent. A shocking murder was perpetrated at the Cape of Hood Hope on March 22. A widow named Thornton, who kept a had a few weeks before been married to a man named ffivey. The mairiage was an unhappy one ■ and altercationa were of daily occurrence. Tivey took to drinking and remonstrances being of no avail, the wife threatened to leave him. One word led t) another, and Tivey became enraged, then fetched his gun, threatening to shoot his wife. Mrs Tivey became alarmed and rushed out. A (short distance from the kitchen door stood a man named Bell, the groom, and Mrs Tivey ran to him, and appealed to him to prevent her husband carryng out his diabolical threat. Tivey shouttd ■ to the groom that if ho attempted’{o do anything be would ehoob him also. He th-n took ft deliberate aim. at his victim, and tired at a distance of about seven yards! The gun was loaded with buckshot, and the whole shot lodged in the back of tho unfortunate woman, below the right shoulder, in a space (hut could be covered with the band. Tivey then went into the house with the gun ; he loaded it, and declared he would shoot Bell and Hopkins. On coining out, Tivey looted everywhere for fresh victims, but the parties threatened had made their csc<pe. He then took the body of the murdered woman, lifted it into Ihe house, acd stripped it, stuffed some rags into the wound at the dead woman’s back, and placed the body naked under the clothes in the bed. He then got his own best-clothes out, made ! them up, and evidently intended to dress iu clean clothes—those he had on were saturated

with gore - and then try to escape. When he had stripped to bis undershirt, he must have thought that escape would be impossible, and by some contrivance discharged, the gun at his side, causing wounds that brought on death. He must have crept all about the room, as the floor was smeared thick with blood in every direction. At the last the wretched man crawled under the bed, where he was found dead. The shattered 'and ghastly remains of tho murderer were huddled into an old blanket, a hole was dug in the veldt, and into this the holy was flung and covered up, amidst the execrations of a number of persons who were about in the neighborhood. The murdered woman was buried in the Independent Cemetery. The furnace wherein the French guns of which the Kaiser-Glocke, or great bell of Cologne, was made, consumed *2oocwt. of coal, and burned furiously for twelve hours, melting down and artistically stewing no less than twenty-two captured cannon, some of which were field-pieces of the Louis XIV. period, and were taken from the French Royal forces during their campaign in the Palatinate. When the fluid metal resulting from this grand brew of artillery was “turned on” into the mouth of the casting, it flowed freely and incessantly for twenty-nino minutes ere the “ form ” was full to the brim, and teok three weeks to cool! Disembarassed of its “mantle,” the dimensions of the bell are as follows :—l2ft in height, lift iu diameter, 3 3ft in circumference; its weight is twenty-five tons, and its clapper weighs IGcwt. Fourteen full-grown men can stand comfortably under the bell. AU the other b' 11a of Cologne Cathedral ppt together do nat. weigh as much as this monster, to ring which thirty men will be required The inscription is enclosed in a handsome arabesque, above which stands St. Peter, whilst beneath it is depicted the escutcheon of the German Realm, A German inscription runs, translated, as follows :—“ My name is the Emperor Bell ; 1 celebrate the Emperor’s honor ; I stand on a holy watch-tower, and pray for the German Empire- that God may grant it peace and security.” This monster, with five bells completing the peal, will be suspended at an elevation of 200 ft above Cathedral square. The good town of Perth is agitated on the question of brandy and sherry, discussed at a meeting of the Town Council. Brandy and sherry had been supplied to “ Kirk Seasons ” from a remote date. It was moved that nothing save sacrament wine should in future he provided. An amendment was suggested by one jocose member that the brandy and sherry be still supplied, only of a better quality than heretofore. Bacchus himself could not have improved on this amendment. It seems the brandy and sherry was devoted “to the ladies.” Bless us and save us, do the fair ones of Bonny Scotland go to the Kirk meetings to take a “wee dra>p:c ?” The member who advocated brandy and sherry for the ladies—and quite right if they like it—quoted the Apostle Paul, to the effect that a little wine was good for the stomach. Brandy was not distilled, so far as we know, in the Apostle’s time. The Council divided on this difficult question, and brandy and sherry will in future be disregarded. Therefore, if ladies require “fortifying” during the discussion in Kirk Sessions, they must provide themselves beforehand with an elegant first or pocket pistol. A few days ago at Eiverhvacl, a woman with a child in her arms was crossing the line, near the wharf, as an engine with a goods train was proceeding from the wharf up the lino. The driver of the engine, seeing the woman iu front of the train, which was only going at a very slow rate—called out as well as blew his whistle, and the attention of the woman being directed to her dangerous position, she had barely time to make a spring off the line; but so narrowly did she escape the engine, that it caught the rear portion of her dress, and actually tore off a piece of it. The woman, who had been, without doubt, saved by the enginedriver from instant destruction, expressed her gratitude by coolly turning round, as the engine passed on, and exclaimed to the driver, “ Why the d didn’t you stop the train ?”