MISCELLANEA.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IV, Issue 204, 9 December 1864, Page 2 (Supplement)

MISCELLANEA.

Street Fight in San Francisco. —There was a serious shooting affray in our principal street (Montgomery), which resulted in the death of four persons. The facts, such as are ascertained, are as follows, viz.: —lt seems one Bill Davis, a noted gambler, who resides at Yreka, was interested in and drove a horse race which came off at Placenville on the 15th inst., and “ throwed” the race, making 4200 dollars by it. Hank Stevens, Ball, Dutch Abe, and Spanish Bob, four" spores,” backed Davis’s horse and got broke ; swore vengeance, killing on sight, &c. On the 18th they all came to this city (except Davis), and publicly said they were going to shoot Davis on sight, &c. On the 21st Davis came in town, and at 2 o’clock p.m. was sitting having his boots polished in a black’s adjoining the Fashion, when Ball and Dutch Abe came to the door, and, looking in, exclaimed, 11 Here’s the dirty thief now,” and, drawing their revolvers, commenced shooting. Davis jumped out of the chair, with one boot polished, and, drawing his revolver, fired, and Ball fell dead across an iron grating. Davis then jumped out on the sidewalk, laughingly saying, “ You’ve made a mistake,” and fired at Dutch Abe, the ball taking effect in his right breast. Ho fell, when Davis ran and caught the revolver from Bali’s hands, saying, as he walked towards the door of the Fashion, “ Where’s the rest of your murderers ?” Blood was running down Davis’s left band from the arm, and also down the right cheek. As he was on the point of entering the door he was met by Stevens and Spanish Bob, when Davis raised the revolver in his right hand and fired twice. Stevens fell, and Spanish Bob jumped over him on the sidewalk and fired. Davis staggered, but, recovering, they (Davis and Spanish Cob) commenced in good earnest, each striving to fire a deadly shot. Davis was laughing all the time. They then commenced firing at each other, about 20 feet apart. After Davis had fired two allots he threw the revolver at Bob, and, changing the revolver ho took from Ball into his right hand, he raised it, and it snapped three times ; the fourth time it went off, and Bob fell. (Davis had fallen before this, and was lying on his breast on the banquette). Davis threw the revolver into the street, saying, “Hell and furies damn the thing.” Ho then pulled a deringer, and both (only having one shot each) began crawling towards each other on their stomachs. When about five feet apart they both raised partly up and fired simultaneously, when Bob’s head fell, and he remained perfectly still. Davis then said, crawling towards Bob, “He's gone, 1 cooked him, and then partly turned on his side and tried to Mse. On examination, Ball and Spanish Bob wore dead, Dutch Abe and Stevens mortally wounded, the first having been shot through the right lung, causing internal haemorrhage, &c. ; the latter was shot through the left breast. Spanish Bob had four wounds on him—two in the right breast, one in the right arm, and one between the eyes. Ball had a ball in his heart. Davis had six wounds—two in the right leg, one in the right breast, one in the left shoulder, one in the left wrist (through), and one on the right cheek, where a bullet bad struck the cheek bone and glanced off, cutting out a piece of flesh of the size of a tencent piece. Stevens died on the 21th, at 10 minutes past 10 a.in.; Dutch Abe died yesterday morning. Doctors say Davis will certainly recover. —San Francisco Paper, June 26.

Singular Scene in a London Church. —An announcement that “ Brother Ignatius, a young clergyman of the Church of England, whose efforts to establish*!! Benedictine monastery in the east of England have met with some success, and whose proceedings at Claydon and Norwich have recently excited considerable attention, was to preach in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Munster-square, Regent’s Park, naturally drew an overwhelming congregation on Sunday, September 11. When the bell which proclaims morning service had ceased, the first part of a singular scene presented itself. About twenty surpliced choristers entered and took their place in the chancel. They were followed by two priests wearing green stoles, but no university hoods. Then came the Rev. Mr. Stuart, the incumbent, habited in the cope, or full eucharistie vestment. The cope was richly ornamented, the ornamentation at the back forming a splendid rich yellow embroidered cross, extending from his shoulders nearly to his heels. Prior to the entrance of the procession, two huge candles, between which was a gilt cross, on the altar, were lighted. In the first place Mr. Stuart„incented the altar. A boy, surpliced and kneeling, presented what is called a “ boat,” made apparently of silver, containing the incense ; then the thurible, or censer, in which the incense was burned, and in which it was fumed This thurible, which was provided with long chains, Mr. Stuart took from the “ thurifer,” or attendant, and swung it in the air, the result of which operation was that in a few moments the priests and others who were officiating at the altar became enveloped in a dense white cloud, through which the eyes of the congregation could not pierce. Soon, however, it began to clear away, and the lighted candles on the high altar became dimly visible. While these proceedings were going on, the choristers chanted the Te Feum with much solemnity. When the Gospel of the day was announced the Church was again incensed. It would be difficult to say whether the Gospel was read or intoned. During the recital of the Nieone Creed, most of the congregation knelt at the words, “ and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost.” At the close of the ante-Communion Service, Mr Stuart stood with his back to the cross on the altar, with his face to the congregation, and stripped himself of his eucharistie vestment, leaving himself in his

habited in hia “ alb,” a long white linen garment reaching almost to his feet, and a girdle round his waist, representing the girding of the priest’s loins, in memory of our Lord’s admonition to readiness. He wore also an embroidered green stole crossed over his breast. In this dress he went into the pulpit. A look of blank amazement crept over the faces of the congregation, for many of them had come to hear Brother Ignatius, and could for once have foregone the pleasure of listening to the familiar Mr. Stuart, great as their regard is evidently for him. The reverend- gentleman did not leave them long in suspense. After reading a list of people who had sent in their names as candidates for the holy state of matrimony, ho said, “ Brother Ignatius tells me that he has got a sore throat, and cannot preach here to-day. lam sorry for it, because some have come here probably for the purpose of hearing him. Before I gave you notice last Sunday morning that he would preach here to-day I received a distinct assurance from him that nothing should hinder him from coming hero. Perhaps Brother Ignatius thinks a promise is nothing; and that is my opinion about his sore throat. When I asked him to preach hero last summer, and engaged to give him what might be collected for his mission, a sum of £l5O being raised, ho had no sore throat; but as the offertory to-day was to be on behalf of the church of St. Mary Magdalene, Brother Ignatius has got a sore throat. Now as some have probably come to hear Brother Ignatius, I will wait a minute or two, and those who like to leave the church can go. Those who remain I shall of course be glad to see, to listen to a common sermon.” Two or three minutes elapsed, and as no one moved Mr. Stuart proceeded, taking for his text the first chapter of St Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians, verses 22 and 23. He said there were things in the w-orld quite as important as Brother Ignatius, which existed before Brother Ignatius, and would exist after him, whether he had a sore throat or not. He was going to speak that morning of one of those things, which was the Church of Christ. At the close of the sermon Mr. Stuart went back to the altar, where he resumed the eucharistic vestments, and proceeded to the administration of the Holy Communion, the service being chorally rendered. Women and Sewing Machines. — A greater contrast to the scene in the garret, as drawn by Hood, where the wretched sempstress slowly dies rather than lives, could not be presented than by the workmen tending these machines. The motion of the sewing machine itself is a vast improvement upon the monotonous movements used in common sewing. There is a certain diversion for tlie mind in the action of guiding work, which takes off much of the weariness caused by mere hand sewing; and then the exercise caused by using the treddle to drive the well produces an active circulation throughout the system, which tends to abolish the sempstress’ headache, to which all poor hand-sowers are but too subject. We saw these machines working at the rate of 1,200 stitches a minute, stitching on the average twelve gross of collars a day, or twelve dozen dozen—a number which must seem nothing less than marvellous to the poor needlewoman. It will be asked what can become of all the coders produced at this extraordinary rate in ail the manufactories of these articles in the metropolis ? The answer is plain ; the sewing machines have so cheapened the rate or production of all wearing apparel, in which the cost of sewing forms a heavy item, that the increase in the rate of their sale is absolutely prodigous; indeed so great, we are told, as the increase in the sale of shirts and collars that one is lost in wonder at the number of persons who must either have gone without them, or at least have used them in the most sparing manner, before these machines came into use. —Once a tveek.