AMERICAN NOTES.

Grey River Argus, Volume VI, Issue 441, 10 November 1868, Page 3

AMERICAN NOTES.

They have a new trouble in Chicago from the appearance of an extraordinary association of men and women, who deem their great mission the formation of a new empire, to be governed by females, the headquarters of the association to be, of course, in Chicago. The grand female head of the movement who has her headquarters in a mysterious sanctum, says ihe new government is based upon the " interior power" of woman. " Women," says she, "are perfect; they are the purest of God's creatures ; they have an interior power that is calculated to set all things right." She says that the government already numbers " many thousands, and before long shall have the ascendancy" ; and the Chicago Tribune says there is scarcely a prominent Spiritualist in the city or the State who has not given his allegiance to this government, and the woman have gone over almost in a body. One of the- Chinese- Ambassadors lately remarked thit he was struck with the superiority of the women to the men in this country ; and we should think, on the whole, the best thing for the male animal to do is to subside. He is a failure. On 6th August news arrived from Durango, of the assassination of General and ex-Governor Patroni, in his own home in that city, by some officers of the First Brigade, Fourth division. This gentleman had just arrived home from a long imprisonment, having been released, in company with General G. Ortego, a few days previous, by order of the President, and was receiving the visits of welcome, from his many friends when assassinated. This terrible homicide has caused much excitement all over the country, for, although murders are of daily occurrence, yet a General and prominent citizen is not often put out of the way so unceremoniously. General Canto, the commander of the First Brigade, and in the absence of General Corona (who is here) the commander of the Division, has been suspended by order of Corona, and General Guerra placed in command until the matter of the assassination be examined. It is to be hoped that General Canto had no connection whatever with this business. I do not know that he is suspected even, and his suspension may be merely because he commanded the brigade whose officers committed the deed. General Guerra has been instructed to act promptly in the matter, and see justice done to the murderers. General Patroni leaves a wife and large family, part of whom are here in the city, who are much esteemed for their respectability and many accomplishments. A disgraceful and exciting scene (which almost resolved itself into a tragedy) took place at the Broadway Theatre upon the production there of Boucicault's and Beade's drama of "Foul Play." The drama was first produced at the New York Theatre. It is considered an inferior piece, and was wretchedly played. The lessee of the theatre had agreed to pay fifty dollars per night for the privilege of playing it. For the first few nights the contract was observed, but then six nights were allowed to elapse without any payment being made. The actor who enacted the principal part was a kind of agent for the proprietor of the drama, and on the sixth night of the non-fulfil-ment of the contract, he called his brother and sister actors together in the green room, and represented that their honor was compromised by the non-payment of the stipulated sum. Some of them thereupon refused to go on with the play, but Harking, the principal actor, being allowed to seize what money there was in the treasury, amounting to about three hundred dollars, the play was concluded without the audience being made aware that anything unpleasant had occurred. But the next day further complications took place, and the result was that Har* kins and some other members of the company seceded, and there was no performance of "Foul Play" that evening upon the stage of the New York Theatre. The lessee at once set about making arrangements for the production of the drama with another company, while the secessionists engaged another theatre — the Broadway— for the production of the drama on the same night as the reproduction at the New York Theatre. A little excitement was caused by these proceedings, and it was rumored that what

had taken plape had been pre-arranged to force the drama into popularity. The result proves that this was not the case. The play was rehearsed during the week, and public announcements were made that it would be produced on Monday ' evening ao the New York and at the , Broadway Theatres. The lesseo of the New York Theatre, however, fearing that his busiuess would suffer by the production of the play at the Broadway, obtained a warrant for the arrest of Harkins on the charge of unlawfully seizing money belonging to him, and also of playing a peice of which he held the sole right. It is said that this warrant of arrest was improperly obtained, and that the proceedings were taken only to prevent^ Harkins playing at the Broadway. Monday night came, and both theatres were well filled. At the conclusion of the second act at the Broadway, certain sheriff's officers and assistants presented themselves at the stage door of the theatre, and forced their way into the avenue leaning to the stage for the purpose of arresting Harkins. A great scene of excitement ensued. The actors armed themselves with all kind of theatrical weapons, and old woodenpointed spears, soft-hearted bludgeons, broken bayouets, paper truncheons, and wooden swords, were presented in front of the. sheriffs officers and their men, lo prevent them coming on to the stage. This so enraged the officials, that they drew revolvers and fired among the actors. Two of them were wounded, it was feared mortally, and the sheriffs officers were given into custody and marched away to prison on a charge of attempted murder. In the meantime Harkins had made his escape, and another actor finished his part for him, for the play was played out, and the audience were ignorant of what had taken place behind the green curtain between the acts. The next day Harkins surrendered and was at once admitted to bail. But the sheriffs officers were kept ia durance vile for a week, and have only now been released on heavy bail, the wounded parties being pronounced out of immediate danger. The issue of the warrant against Harkins has been declared to be illegal, and the conduct of the sherift's officers has been heartily condemned. Since the attack, Harkins has been playing Reade's version of " Foul Play," while at the New York Theatre they continue to play the joint prodxiction of the two authors. It is a very pretty quarrel, and has given rise to many suits and countersuits at law, which are still pending. — Times. Some fourteen months ago there was established in Vallejo a thriving establishment in the furniture business — of which the owners were Lezarus Cohn, the founder of the business ; and Mr Morrison, who had recently joined. Mr Cohn was a married man with a family of children living in Vallejo, where he was generally respected. About the time spoken of above, Cohn came to San Francisco to make some considerable purchases in the . way of his business. He brought with him about §150 in gold, $400 in currency, and $1,400 in Five-twenty bonds belonging to Morrison, which he was to sell and use the proceeds for the purposes of the firm. He attended NewnalPs auction-room, and also visited Rosenbaum's store and shipped goods from there. On the second day he purchased still more largely of Newhall and others, and amongst other places called at a broker's office regarding the sale of the bonds. He found that he could not quite realize the minimum price fixed by Mr Morrison, and wrote to Vallejo for further instructions. In the evening he visited a private family, but left about 9 o'clock saying that he would go home, for he was very tired. He set off, professedly to go to the private house at which he had been sleeping, but was never heard of again until yesterday afternoon, when a letter was received from him at New York. His statement is that he was shanghaied and carried in a state of insensibility on board a vessel in the harbor. He believes he must have been drugged after he was knocked down, for the first he remembers was the sickness of recovery. It appears that the vessel struck a reef shortly before he had fully come to himself, and one of the first things he remembers is a sailor coming to the bunk in . which he lay, after the vessel had struck, j and giving him water and a biscuit. The sailor, in view of the fate which seemed impending over them, expressed his remorse for what had been done — whether the crime referred to was the shanghaeing or only the subsequent robbery, Mr Cohn does not know. But the man made restitution of his share of the plunder by giving back to the owner the watch and $100 of the greenbacks, which, had been taken, with gold, bonds, and other sums, from him. The crew, he believed, then left the ship in the boat, he never saw them again, and believes they were drowned. During the following night the ! beating of the ship on the rocks threw Cohn out of his bunk on to the deck. In the morning, sick and faint, he crept up the ladder, and looking out saw that the tide had receded and left the ship almost dry on a rocky island. His strength returning he got ashore, and afterwards made several journeys to the ship, getting out stores of provisions, etc. , each time. After a while the ship broke to pieces. He lived the past winter on the food he got from the ship, but in the spring his provisions were exhausted and death by starvation stared him in the face. Fortunately the ship's boat, we suppose the one in which the men had sought to escape, had drifted ashore, and launching this, he put to sea, without food or compass. The third day he thinks he became insensible, and remembers no more until he found himself a sick and broken man on a ship proceeding to New York. From that port he now writes, and his letter states and the writing shows him to be in very bad health. He has sent his wife $75 currency out of the $100 restored to him by the repentant sailor, and expresses his intention of coming back to California as soon as he is strong enough and obtains the means. The surprise created by the letter is very great, and if his story is true, and we are informed that his family and partner believe it, it is one of the most extraordinary adventures ever published. Of course, at the time Cohn disappeared there were not wanting rumors that he had absconded, but his partner and his wife both held stoutly to it that he had been foully dealt with. The investigation was not commenced until he had been missing three days, because his friends here, amongst whom was a lady whom he had invited to go to the opera the following night, thought he had returned to Vallejo, and those in Vallejo thought he was still here. A telegram from his wife asking why he did not

write, first roused the suspicion that he was missing. The other facts, accounting for his time up to 9 o'clock the night he was "shanghaied," were ascertained by the police of this city who were employed in the case. — Auckland paper. One of our residents (Michigan) was married a short time since to a young and remarkably pretty woman. Family troubles aud bickering soon disturbed the peace of the couple, arising from the fact of a want of proficiency in culinary matters on the part of the bride. Matters culminated in an open rupture when sour bread appeared for the second time, and notwithstanding the tears and protestations of the young wife, she was sent home to her father's house, the husband declaring that such a wife would ruin him. A few days subsequent to this, the following transaction showed the character of the man. Residing upon and working the farm was a labourer, a man of family. Two of his children, a boy and girl, the latter ten years of age, were engaged in picking up stones in a field. The wife dispenser came into the field ostensibly to oversee the work, but soon sent off the brother on some errand, and then proceeded to conduct himself in a lewd manner toward the girl. When she returned home, the mother noticed something peculiar in her manner, that aroused her suspicions. She questioned her sharply, and finally drew from her a statement of what had occurred in the field. The transaction, on being noised about, awakened considerable indignation in the neighbourhood, and to meet the demands of justice, the following was devised and carried out. The neighbours having assembled in the school-house of the district, despatched a messenger to decoy the man thither, which was successfully accomplished, aud, to his great surprise and terror, he was made a prisoner. A Court was immediately extemporised, a jury selected on the spot, counsel appointed, witnesses brought in, and in a trice the max was under trial. Everything was conducted with fairness and deliberation, and the man was sentenced to be tarred and feathered and ridden to Grass Lake a distance of nine miles, on a rail. The latter part of the sentence was commuted, under the promise that he would receive back and kindly treat his wife. The tarring and feathering was then fully executed to the letter, and spirit of the law. The wife is now reinstated in her lawful place, which she will doubtless maintain in the future, notwithstanding her bread may occasionally bo sour. — Detwit Post.

No lady should pride herself on being a belle, for bells are used only in creating a disturbance. Alter the term, and say a noisy woman. Would the lady thus (perhaps aptly) styled feel herself complimented ? We should think not. The first time a man sees an advertisement, he takes no notice of it ; the second time he looks at the name ; the third time he looks at the price ; the fourth time he reads it ; the fifth time he speaks of it to his wife ; the sixth time he buys. The penalty of buying cheap clothes, is the same as that for going to law : the certainty of loosing your suit, and having to pay for it. The penalty of marrying, is a mother-in-law. The penalty of remaining single, is having no one who " cares a button" for you, as is abundantly proved by the state of your shirts. The penalty of thin shoes, is a cold.