Indiana American, Volume 9, Number 8, Brookville, Franklin County, 25 February 1870 — Page 2

American. it C. H. BINGHAM, Editor. - imo6itviL.i-.K-Friday Horn'njr, February T5, 1870. State Convention. The Indiana Republican State Conven tion met at Indianapolis on Tuesday. General Thomas Mi Brown, of Randotpb i county, was made permanent Chairman,! Vl 1 rwisf. .run. vv greSSlOuai asisincit aim .. MaWe', colored, of New Albany, as Vice . . r .1.. c... -. L.o Tli . ... i . o. Colored Vice President was conducted to! .1 the platform amid cheers of deletes. rl delegates from three (rom Floyd. the most deafening . , There were two col- . Wayne county and 1 ho convention wast largely attended, every county in the State being fully represented. , The present State officers wet rene.ro- j inated, with the exception of the Treasur- j r of State, one of the Supreme J udir- -. .-- Ai.r r.-noral General "it. II. I Milroy, of Carroll county, was nominated for Treasurer of State; Nelson Truster, of Fayette county, for Attorney General; and Judge A. L. Osborn, of Laporte county, for Supreme Judge, iu place of Judge Fra. ter, who declined to be a candidate for reelection. Funding the Debt. .Reports are being circulated th t H I impossible to fund the national debt at a ; lower rate of interest. Tha project has fcein given up for this year. The Western Ports of Entry. The House Commerce Committee lave agreed to report Representative Juals .r . . ,. . , . , i DH, allowing merchandie to be tranship-! ped in bond, without payment of duties, to the East and West, and making ports j of entry aud delivery of Chicago, Cincin-j nati, and St. Louis. They added Kvans-J Ville.lnd , Milwaukee, Wis., and Buffalo, N. Y. j Terrible Steamboat Disaster. ue r.mmaoo.o,,rou. ,,e uud. Cincinnati, struck a snag in the chute at Island 35; in the Mississippi Kiver, on Saturday ruoruing, and immeditrly coin a ii iv . . I a rr mi t. . . r V r . raencod sinking, an encrts to oack tier on from the snag proving unavailing. Captain Maratta placed the ladie, and a number of passengers, in the yawl, which was put in charge of his brother, Walter Maratta, but before they could push off the boat careened, upsettiug the stoves iu the . ? -. . i . caom, ana me vessel .s soon enveiopeo

nimm

in names, ine uigiuenea passengers ana rref,en, rCliuctiou of the Internal Revenue crew, despite the efforts of the officers,!, ilvah he thiuk8 6Uch a mcasure rushed to the yawl, which was swamped, J wou,j w advisable as soon as 500,000.. and all who were in it perished. Through j Ooo 0f 000,000,000 of the debt shall have the exertions of the Captain and his officers J jecn funje(j

many of the remaining passengers and crew were enabled to reach the shore, on hastily constructed floats, tbe Captain and tiumber of others remaining on the burn-1 ing boat till taken off by skiff fiom the ; bore. About twenty-five persons perished. The survivors came up to Cairo on ! the Columbian. j . . Tbe following States comprises the thirty j Which have ratified the Fifteenth Amend- ; . . . s went. The list is valuable for reference: ! Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts. Rhode Island, I'en nsy lvania, Ohio, WeM Virginia, Indiana, I llinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, Nevada, Nebraska SO. Connecticut, Vermont, New York, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Missouri, Georgia, Mississippi, Florida, Texas, V.ilior It..ntl.- ha. M..Un In ; public since his return to France. Nebraska has Amendment. ratified the Fifteenth German newspapers say emigration to , this country wtil be larger this year than ever. Gold was llbjf ou Saturday. This is the lowest poiut it has reached mucc Sfptember, 1SG2. - . - ii I i tm - - The Fresideut docs not think wc cn fund the public dwht this year at par for four and a half per cent. Letters received in London from Rome, Say an early adjourn uicut of the council is probable. The Lower Iloue ol the Missouri Legislature has amt tided the public school law SO as to allow tfoa.cn to vote in mutter pertaining to m-Lou!. - . The contested eu-eiion vac iif FK-ston against Stradcr i cxt .c o t to L etuirted in about three wek. Julian's ca i not expected to come ui U-loif May. Foster Bludgett, rcccuiiy elected Senator from Georgis, reij;et( the Governor o withhold his certifioatc of e li-c'ioti uniil an investigation is hud into tl.c charges uuJc against him. - The Fresidcut has senl to the Senate a letter of Secretary Cox, deciding adversely to the claims wf the central branch of the Facific Railroad to lands Slung tho Republican Frk route iu Katies. The colored people of ;St. Louis have completed arrangements for a gland celebration of the ratification of the loth Amendment, when ii is otiicially piou.ul. gated.

i Fourth District Delegation. The Delegates of the-fourth Congres

sional Distiict of Indiana met on Mouday , '.evening at the office of the Secretary of State. The following appointments were made: , UtKnivl Beeson, of Wayne, Committee ! on Credential. i Loonidas Sexton, of Hush, on Perms- ! neut Otganization. Austin li Clajpool, of Fayette, on Resolutions. 11. A. Riley, of Hancock, Vice Fresip j.. of iof the State Central Committee. On motion, the Delegates of this DisI trict were instructed to vote for tnct were instructed to vote for A. u. r .... i i l.vnrh fiir T rensnrpr rf Mate, and ISjrn.1- . . , . r has Ilobbs for Superintendent of Publio Instruction. Ttie following resolutions were unani mously adopted, as offered by Judge Cul- ! ii WlE The counties of Wayne, VXX9 ld Union ll0,d their rruuary ,.cct,0n on the first Monday of April, therefore HtfAvtd, That we advise that the other ! counties select their delegates on the same !dav. and that the Congressional Central I Committee of the Fourth Cougressioua District bo requested to call the nouiina-j ting convention to meet on Tuesday, the 12 th day of April, liTO, at the city of Connersx ille, to uomiuate a candidate for Congress. By R. A. Riley That this meeting ; earnestly recommend that the voting in I the Congressional Convention be uniform. either by counties or by townships, as it may determine, J.C. Bltuox, 11. B. HilL, Brest. The Supreme Couit in Brooklyn, in a ease to foreclose a mortgage dated July 1, I l..,l fK.it tliA hrinnintil ttllil 111. ... . , amount iu greenbacks. xjje sotlate Indian Committee have detcnilined to recommed the purchase by tjte Government of the Osage and other InJi,,, lands. The Osage lands aro to be tou-ht for 2,000,000. - : Justice .ilillcr says tuere is a case on tne dockets that will enable the Supreme Court, wlien ,he new Judges take their seats on jihe (on he constitul;ODaUty of the ljCgai Tcu. ; i " The Ways and Means Committee have agreed to recommend to the Houe to suspend the rule about taking whisky out of bond, and will report a bill extending the time tor withdrawal from bond to three years. Sccrctary Boutwcll is opposed to any The assault of the New York World upon the Tammany ring causes much discussion among politicians of all parties. The opponents of Tammany are steadily gaining strength. There have been several important defections recently. . ; -?r In the Senate, ok lhursday, Ihe JIis"'ppi bi was taken up. Willey's amendmnt repealing tho conditions in the Yir1:11 5 o Pini ol" was ueieaiea; yeas, t., nays, ou. The amendment striking out tho conditions was lost; yeas, 17; nays, 32. The bill then passed; yeas, 50; nays, 11. Correspondence from Silt Lake City re veals the fact that the passage of tho act to j , give woman suffrage in Utah was the work , both of Mormons and Gentiles, tho Legisj laturc whith passed it being Mormon and j the Goveuor who signed it being Gentile, j The two parties entertain different views ) of the way in which it will work. It stated that Rrigham Young, with scvel fl he high dignitaries of the Mormon i Church, is soon to make a pilgrimage to , the Southern border of Arizona, with a view to selecting a future site for a Mor- ! mon settlement, in order to escape from ; the ioterfcr-encc of Cullom's bill with the institution of polygamy. The Ways and Means Committee have , determined to reduce the Internal Revenue hill thirty millions. The bill was ou a basis of the collection of one hundred and sixty millions. The income tax is to be reduced, but not abolished. The adiitiiiistiation favors a reduction of the tariff lit ItciMil v titilliiirtv j .1 tlio itita-irrial rdvo , , . . ,.' n ue by thirty millions. A Political Item. I see by a late issue of your paper, a coricspondt-nt, who is wise beyond that which is written, makes the assertion that Hon. George W. Julian had nothing to do with the thiowing aside of ihe box containing fraudulent votes in one of the pieruicts in litehmond. It is a notorious ltd, and we can prove it, that George W. l it 1 1 a u paid Judge .Mm rod donnscn ior his services in throwing aside that box. Catiibridj Gazette. correspondence Cincinnati The Secretary of State will not probably issue his rroelamation announcin the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment until the States of Georgia and Mississippi ! are admitted to representation in Congress s pi.3I Uiay not ije tkuch before the middle of March, or the first of April. Journal. Our political sky is being variegated with some novel phenomena. As Mr. Julian seems to have lost with the Eepub - licans of the District, the Democrats have urged him on. The feeling intensifies, and tne sttuggio win oe a severe one.

doutitiss, lor .Mr. Junan win uie naru. : mat mey aid not appoint one or tneir Judge Wilson will surely be our standard j own number to oversee the same; and seebearer in the Fourth Congressional Dis- j ondly, that they awarded the contract to

t- m. m a I Ml t tnct a l etter mau than whom is not to Is found. Conncrsviilc cor. Journal.

Indiana Items.

The religious revival meetings are still ; progressing at Evansville. Connereville is working to secure the location of the Junction Railroad shops at that place. Jacob Sites attempted suicide at Taylorsville, Thursday night, by cutting his throat with a raior. lie made a bad job J of it, and was sewed up and saved. Wheeler, the Plymouth banker, has another abortion case on hand. A girl named Anna Korp is the victim. Wheeler and Vinall are fugitives. Wm. Harper has sued the Northern Central Railroad, of Indiana, for $25,000, for injuries received by accident in crossing the road in a carriage in 1SGS. His wilo will commence a similar proceeding. Daniel Shook, a hard working and respectable farmer, near Haytorsville, Bartholomew county, committed suicide, on Wednesday, by hanging himself, lie was about 55 years old, and leaves a widow and six children. No motive is ascribed. Governor Raker, about six months since, had a horse-stealing scoundrel transferred from the Michigan City penitentiary to the 'Insane Asylum, on certificates of doctors, rr : . i petitions, etc. Ihe beast was a raving p I r ... aril.- it. i l . . uianiao until he got into the Asylum, out of which he broke the first night, and eloped. He has not been seen since, but the tenure of horseflesh in his old neighborhood is quite precarious. Tho account of the finding of John Buckhost's murdered body in Dearborn ! county was a canard. I Ilr M'urc T f'lurlr rf Warrpn innnt ..... j . -1 - j i has secured a divorce and 82,000 alimony from her husband. She had previously obtained from him 21,000. Mr. Schitinger was recently murdered near Peunsylvaniaburg, Ripley county, by a man named Steiuietx. The victim was drunk at the time, but did nothing to justify killing. William F. Simonton, on trial at Rising Sun for tho murder of Colonel Cheek in Dearborn county, is being prosecuted by j Mior Gordon of Indianapolis. It will be remembered that Cheek cowhided Simonton for paying attention to his daughter,: aud Simontou shot him. . Bridge on the Fairfiald Road. To the th(or ' the Democrat: The falling of the pier of the above bridge seems to cause a great deal of confusion among the people of this county. Mr. Z. R. Reed, the contractor of the stone work wf said bridge, comes out in a long article in your paper of last week, and tries hard to make tbe people believe that no biame can attach to hiiu for said pier falling down. I talked to Mr. Reed on several occasions before said pier was built, he at all tunes said it was a stone hot . ... t . . 1 1 I - . .1. . I- 1 - I 1. - I- i iv u. i ioiu nun ine wcck oeiore ne suns , , , ; lh. fiiit nil. tin ii nn n ri . 1 t? t Ii u t I l&'iitilnil vi J' 1 wanted the engineer to make an to make an examination ot ! the bottom of tho river before tho timbers were let down, lie said that he had dug or scraped down to a rock bottom;' that there was some large stone at the south or lower end of the pier, and when he got them out he would put down the timber. This, I think, was on Friday. On the next day, (Saturday,) I started up there, got to biookviile, and met George Grimme, one of Reed's masons, who told, me I need not go, for Reed would not put down the timbers until Monday. 1 went up on Monday, "and found the foundation down, and the stoue work up to the top of the water; I think the engineer was with me. The hands said they worked all day Sunday. The foundation was not level, the lower end being a little the highest. The engineer said they could make a good job of it l3- leveling as they went up. Mr. Reed says: "We have examined the pier since it fell, and find that on the north east side the water has washed a hole ten feet deeper than ever known before at that place, aud that the pier leans in that direction." The falling of the pier, he says, was evidently caused by washing and underming it. 1 will now say to Mr. Reed that on last Friday, together with James Logau, John Skinner, and Thomas Morgan, l went and made an examination of said j pier. We started in a canoe at the north VIIU VI tiiu vn-1 auuuiRtu, illfU lucasuitu i

the water every few feet from there to tho ! further say that the time l told Mr. Robnorth end of said t.ier, and at no place is j cson that tho foundation of the pier would

the water more than six feet deep; thus' you will see that Mr. Reed has made a mistake of ten feet. We then measured along the cast side of the pier to the lower or south cud; there wc found the water not more than six feet deep. We then examined the pier on both sides. On the cast side the lace stone have fallen off tO near the soutneast corner; tne oactung or filiini; stone remains for several feet in length, there being but one header on that ide. The face stone on the west side is about ten feet in lenirth. and but oue i header from the water up to the top on jlha, iJc. in lai.t tlic pier jariinS from what is standing, was built up ot FACR stone, from sixteeu to twenty inches wide,

from bottom to top, and fiiicd luside with! ment to the North end of the pier, thus j (he statements to me, and all the censure j treely Ujw, ana 1 believe the bad genersu.'all stone, with not enough headers to ! coming in the line of the fill that had been,' I could receive would be for taking evi- ! overbalances the good.

make it stand up any considerable length of time, if there had been no rise in the; river. Mr. Reed says be told iheComniis. sioners that the pier and abutments ; i 1,,,i, i, ..r.itni.i- tiiiu 1 ,ioi-.i- c..i.i : c hearing. He did sav that the east 0 ! ;.lrt tf l,i i-.nr t mi n t minht tt Iia 11 . ' - .... nil mv whiidi f :i 11 1 li iri t ill him tn ilii , whiull ,.e diJ and WM id foT U- tIllW unnecessary it would be to protect the pier I wi'h stone and brush if it had that solid ! stone foundation that Mr. Reed said it I had. But Reed says the work on the pier , J was done in a workmanlike manner he leaves the word oood out; he dare not say it was done in a good, workmanlike man ner. He knows it was a bad job, and act tne pari oi an nonest man, ne would put up the pier at his own expense, and i not say that he did the work according ; to directions; this he knows is false. There are two things the Commission - ers regret concerning the letting and su - perintenaing oi tue aoove worn, r irst' It. . .1 - - n.S i a tflack. iiepubucan, and that they appointed one of t!ic ssme kind to watch

over Kim. This party, wiih very few ex

ceptioos, we find, favor oacb other. 1 f M . AWIXWi.V. Reply to Mr. Robeson. To the ditor of the American: In order that the public may know where the blame rests for the loss of the pier of the i Fairfield bridge, I propose to review Mr iobeson'8 1mj statement, and give some additional facts not given in my former communication. In the first place, Mr. Robeson says that "Mr. Z. R. Reed, the contractor, tries hard to make the people believe that no blame can attach to him for said pier falling down." In this, Mr. Robeson is mistaken, for I only gave to the public a plain statement of facts simply remarking that I was not to blame; and leaving every one to form their' own conclusions as to where the blame rested. The second statement of Mr. Robeson is that "I talked with Mr. Reed on several occasions before said pier was built; he at all times said it was a stone bottom." This statement of Mr. Ilobuon is incorrect, for I have no recollection of ever saying anything to him on that subject, except on the day of the letting, at which liuo 1 informed him that my son Samuel had tried the bottom that morning in mv presence and found just under the gn hard bottom, aud 1 supposed it w i, , - , . . ; , . , ledge of rock, which proved to be the 1 . - 7 . gravel was a fact; but when tlx gravel was removed, 1 found this rock thin and easily removed, and unfit to rest the timber upon, except at the lower end of the excavation, where it was thick and resisted our efforts to remove it. Where it was removed, I found a hard bed of gravel. Not being able to remove the stoue at the lower end, left the excavation with a declination up stream of about one foot. The Engineer said after examining it that it would be ull the better for that, and directed me to put in the timber, which I did under his direction. The request of Mr. Robeson that I should not put down the foundation until the Engineer had on opportunity to examine the liver bed, was strictly complied with, which shows that if any fault attaches to any one, it is not to me. Again: Mr. Robeson's request shows that he did not rely on the statements he says I made of the condition of the river bed, but required me to wait until the Engineer in spected it for him. This shows that if i i..t j: i ..... i... .I.yf ,',ie rir beJ u wag Qwn ,au,t The third statement of Mr. Robeson is that "On the next day (Saturday) I started j up there, got to liroukvillo. and met iwr. i George Grimme, one of Reed's masons, ; who told me I need not go, for Reed would not put down t lie timbers until Monday. I went up on Monday and found the ioundation down and the stone work up to the top of the water. I think the Engineer was wiih me. The hands said they had worked all day on-Sunday." This statement is incorrect, both ns to time and fact. This conversation with Mr. Gritniiio whs after the excavation was completed, and one week before the sink"'fi 1 " fuundat ion . The foundation . . ., . , .. 1 .,i. was put in on the next I'riday, and sunk . 1 flip itnsr rlav I his iirlav wiih nrcasKi lie i ., ., ... , uv wuiuiiL i iiu j i ii m ii r iu t Aaiiiiuu the excavation before sinking the timber. He was detained at home by sickness iu his famiiy until Thursday, on which day he made the examination and pronounced it all right. The day on which Mr. Robeson came wiih the Engineer was the next Wednesday after the timber was sunk on Saturday. No work was done on the pier or its foundation on Sunday. 1 know nothing personally as to what the hands said to Mr. Robeson at that time, hut 1 have the following statement of all but one of the hands who worked on the pier, which latter I have not been able to see to get his statement: "We, tho undersigned, siy to the public that we worked lor Mr. Z. 15. Reed on the pier of the Rridgo across the East Fork of White Water, on the Fairfield road, and know that no part of the foundation of sail pier was put down on Sunday; that no work was done on it on Sunday. The foundation of the pier was put in ou Friday, and sunk and fastened down on Saturday, and we did not tell Mr. Robeson that it was put in on Sunday, or that we woiked at it on that day. V. SCUWEC.LER, Geokue W. iliaas, Andkew Weminuer, R. W. Reed, S. G. Reed." , "I concur In the" above statement, and not be put down until the next Monday, was the Saturday before it was put in, and owing to the absence of the Engineer it was not put in until the next Friday. Feb. ID, 1870. G. W. Ouimme." This shows that Mr. Robeson's recollection is very imperfect and unreliable. The fourth statement of Mr. Robeson is as to nis measurement ot the water on tne V a .i .ii i East side of the nier, (not on the North I East.) The deep hole of which I spoke I is North East of the riiir. and not E:ist. Had Mr. Robeson measured in that dircction he would have found the deep water , of which I spoke. Mr. Robeson's state- ; ment shows that he measured in a direct! line from the North end of the East abut -

made by the falling of the stone f rom the ; deuce from tho persons that I have. i In all of the articles written against me, pier. But he says ho found the water six The principal point thut I am called ' and especially the two last ones, terms have feet deep along the East side of the pier. upon to prove, as i understand, is ihat it been used against me which are too perThis shows that before the failing of the j was disgraceful merely to prove-an opin- sunal. They say I am a "hypocrite," one pier there must have been a very deep I ion that has been publieiy expressed as a ' who steals the livery of Heaven to serve hole along and under the pier, for there j positive statement. 1 made tho asseriiou 'the devii under;' that 1 am "given to lies," must be on that side of the pier at least ' positive from the evidence I was abie to ", throwing out the idea that my life and one hundred and fifty perch of stone. If ' collect and my own ideas of what is dis ' standing heretofore have been such that I the water is six feet, as Mr. Robeson says j gracef ul. Now perhaps- after 1 have ' could not be- believed. Now I brand all

it is, it then shows that this enormous pile . of stone has been buried below the foun- ; dation of the pier, for it was not put down six feet deep. . This settles the question, on Mr. Robeson s own showing, that the I falling of the pier was occasioned by un - dermining. Let those who failed to protojtect it, hear the blame. j r tun. iir. liooeson says mere was not a sufficient number of headers in said pier ' to keep it from falling down of its own j accord. In this he is very much inista1 ken, for the pier from bottom to top would ! average at least six headers to each course ot lace stone, ana mese worn irus-uuveu and the creviees filled in with stone and hydraulic cement. Sixth. Mr. Robeson seems to take special pains to criticise my statement of the quality of the work because tbe word

good" did not happen to precede the

fttatemon t that is. nn.i sin k . . done in a "workmanlike manner." I can not conceive- how the work could have been done in a workmanlike manner and not be done in a good manner. Noah Webster says "workmanlike, skillful, well performed." Perhaps Mr. Robeson can tell the difference. I now say to him that the job was not only well done, both in material and workmanship, but it was a superior job, and would have stood antM the "crack of doom" if it had been placed on such a foundation as I proposed to pat it on, and then preperiy protected. Ferenth. T r Rnhptinn mr that tho statement that I did this work according to directions, is false. 1 challenge him to show any departure from directions, except thoso mentioned in my former communication; and to show tlij importance ol these exceptions, I will sive an iilustration: The bottom of the masonry 0f the pier was to be ten feet by thirty. Messrs. Robeson and Rath, in 'their letter heretofore published, required the cross timbers fur tlifi foundation of the pier to bo nine feet long, thus leaving themasonry to project six inches over each end. In the same letter they Kve me the same lencths for foundations of abutments.

which would have left the wings of the j works of God s hands to become inebri .abutments without any foundation under ; ated and become a drunken clown, to be them. I took the responsibility of disre- j laughed at by a number of his own felgarding this instruction so far as to make j lows; if it is not disgraceful for man to be the timbers long enough to extend out I brought below the level of the brute by even with the stoue work. This was as j the demon whisky, what, in the name of faj as I dared go, notwithstanding 1 was j God, is dis-grrceful? ' And then Mr. Rusatisficd that the foundation timbers ought ; bottom, Master -Mason of the Lodge, to to extend from, three to six feet in every j say it was one of the nicest features of the direction beyond the walls, so as to receive j entertainment, from which he derived more the protection and prevent undermining. ! enjoyment than anything else a man

There was not a single departure from directions that did not strengthen the work and add . to its durability. No to its uurabilitv. io uouut that the .MAN who would give such directions would be supremely competent to act as superintendent if a JOB. As to Lis statement about my honesty in connection with this job, I can afford to treat his statement with ptrfect rn (cmpt, lor he admits to "watch over him' that ho had his. man fine.") As to Mr. Robesen's regrets, I will say

that if he had been present all the time of the conversation. ! contracts, or from positions held by the while the work was being done, it w ould J W m. Hay, a boy of about fourteen years j grace of Congress. These, families crowd not have made any difference in the qual-! of age, says that he carried one pint of j iheir parlors as often as possible wuii uiewity of the work, nor would it have pie- whisky to a Mason, taking it to the ante- ! hers of Congress and other influential prvented tbe pier undermining and falling room leading to the bail-room. 1 his i lies, and cat and drink ibem as a busiuess down. Protection alone could have se-1 whisky was brought from a saloon lately ; affair. There is money in it. And iu cured it from that fate. I neither asked ! started in ;iur midst, and the little fellow s.iinL: that, I beg to disclaim any inteo. nor received any favors from the man sp- says it is positively true. I have also the tion of even insinuating that tliere is any poiuted to ''watch over" me. name of the person receiving the liijuor, lone member of Congress whose vote would As to the 2olUical branch of the accu- I but I do not wish to cause any more feel- j be directly influenced by a season of feast, sation, I have to say that I am proud of ing on the subject that I am compelled to. though they were all as grai.d as liulbeing a "Republican," but never permit i F.dwaid Gross states that be held a bottle schazsur's last. Yet Solomon enunciated

politics to interfere with the faithful aud honest discharge of every duly that 1 owe to my country, my fellow-man or my God, I have uo favors to ask of Mr. Roboson iu this matter, nor would 1 have n-pose-l his negligence in this matter if he had not made a wanton and malicious attack on me. As to the man who was set to "watch over" me being a "Black Republican," I never heard this accusation made against him before, but had .always heard Mr. J. Geiber spoken of as a Democrat. Wln.t object Mr. Robeson has in making this attack on him, 1 know not; but it is a fact that Mr. Geiber acted in the capacity, not of an Engineer, but of a ' watch'' during the performance of a large portion of the work, and it is the "watch" (not the Enginver) against whom Mr. . Robeson makes the charge. Mr. Jacob Geiber, who was appointed to oversee after the pier was above water, is an honest man and conducted himself as a gentleman. In conclusion, 1 say to the people of the County that you have never lost anything by my negligence or want of skill in any work performed by me, but there are others who try hard to cover up and hide their criminal negliger.ee, by whom you have lost thousands of dollars. If Mr. Robeson desires it, lie can have the proof, for I am prepared to prove the facts ihat 1 have stated. Z. L. Reed. Vindicatory. Correspondence of the Indiana American. Metamora, Feu. l'J, 1870. Ma. Bingham, Dvar Sir: 1 am called upon to prove my assertions in regird to the Masonic Festival held in this place on the 2Dth of December, 1SG9, which I wish to do now in as gentlemanly a manner as possible. There has been a great deal said in the correspondence on both sides that should not have been said, especially on the Masonic side. It was uncalled for either of us to use some epithets that were pKced in tho papers. In presenting my proofs, I want it to bo understood that 1 will place my own constructions upon my own language that is found in my previous articles, and when I made an assertion what L want to prove is what that assertion implied as made by me. It is said that my charges are too general, that ibev aie hurled ut the whole fraternitv. and at the iieoole of Mctamora. and at i of the ladies aud gentlemen who were present. My first statement that it was disgraceful to ihe Masonic Fraternity and to the people of.' Metamura, was-, with was uisgraceiui to tne .Masonic i rateruity i-l. i 1 I l land to the people of. Metatnora, was, with j all that can he made of it, only my opinion i all that can he made of it, only my opinion j publicly expressed; and when I said it was ; iubiiclv expressed: and w hen i s.aid it w:js ! a Ball made up p irtly of as drunken a set us ever uisgiaced a hail in Mviamora, 1 said it upon the authority of others; and if all of this proof winch 1 now nruscnt is j a lie, it must rest upon the persons making ' brought forth the proof that was conciu- , sive evidence to my mind that the latter j part of the affair was disgraceful, it would j be insufficient to cause a great many oth- ! ers to think so. bo, alter all that has been ' said, I must only prove mv own opinion, ; or, rather, a positive asseriiou based upon j evidence that 1 thought was sufficient to ; mike sucn au assertion sate. x n a i uiu not mean io say mai an oi tue uiumoera of Metatnora Lodge were coucerned, or . 1. .1 . , 4" . mat ii was iuu uiue-u unjuro ivr yuuug ladies or young gentlemen to engage ir the festivities of the occasion. But I do mean to say that it was a disgrace to the teachings of Masonry, and it was a disgrace to the good people of Metamora. Now I will not say that this is a positive assertion, yet in my opiuion it ii true, and now I expect all good, moral and relig-

ious people to bear me out in it. Any

'iiiin.r further than tbis I will not asK., Well, now for the proof that it was dis graceful; and I hope all will pardon me for wsing names publicly. If what they a id was not trte, they ought not to have said it. - On Monday, February 7th, I met Mr. John J. Rubottom at Mr. Uabn's store in this place, and we had some conversation in regard to the Festival and what has been said about it. He said that the whole affair was one of the nicest that thej . . . .i j 1 ever had, ana mat mere was uruucuucs there, but everything went off harmonious j ly, not a harsh word being ottered, but ev - I erybody seemed to be in a good humor; and ; e lurtber saiu mai one oi me dicoi ouu funniest parts of the entertainment, from which he derived more enjoyment than from anything else, was to see Mr. Mahlon C. Gordon and Mr. I'eter Mctjuanty; mat they were both drunk, but in a good hu mor, and JJr. uoruon was goig on in ma usual manner, laughing., and leading Mr. McQuality around to the tables, treating him, and cutting up generally. Yet Mr. Rubottom ay that not a harsh word wa9 spoken, and that there was nothing dis graceful about it. It it is not disgraceiui ! for a man of intellect one ol tbe noblest j who is expected to set a good example before his brothers, and to uphold the teach tngs of Masonry in their purity, to say that he derived great enjoyment from one of his fellow-men being drunk and acting the loo); it tins is not a disgrace to the Order, 1 do not know what is. I told Mr. Rubottom at the time that we merely differed in opinians: what I considered i disgraceful, he did not. Dr. P. H. Con-i ner, Wm. lilaeklidge. J. P. Alley, Van vncy, an j Cohon aud scveralothers were witnesses

i-oiiiiiiiiiug rii,i.-i.ji lur a eeiiaui jouufjian enuuiing iruiu wnen ue saiu -iqat a

. . .... . . . i . . i . .. ... . . . wl.i.-ky tor a certain young

man In log in town, white he went in and 'gift pervertcth the judgment." danced, ho being son cwhat intoxicated at j 4th. Svt unlike the last and others who ihe lime. Another man who does not "have not jet attained,'' but who are ia want his nan e brought out iu ihe papers, j pursuit of game. They have an as to snys that he sold Masons liquor that night, l grind, and they go largely on iSoluii.ini. and that he went up into the ante room j There is a man here, formerly fium ludiliiid H ey had whisky there, and wanted ! ana, who has houst-s, large aud valuably, him to drink. This he would swear to, if j obtained 1 know not how, and held not in it 1 nd to be done. . j his own name, lest he iiii-hi he required 1 would not like to go on hero and say ! fo pay his honest debts, who is wouderfulthat certain Masons were drunk, and bring j 1' clcvci to members of Congress, and snames to prove it; for it would cause en- i pteialiy mt u bt rs from Indiana. Ha feeds mity between fersons who ought to be j eU. He is about getting an apprnpriafriends. If it was not for this cousider-j 'ion for his benefit throu-h l oifgrc's for aiitm, 1 would bring ovei whelming proof.; house lent at very extravagant rvtes fur But 1 think I have said enough to prove j ol,e hotiso which he rents to the. Governthat it was disgraceful to the teachings of; ment. If he gets this morsel, it i not ail that time-honoted institution. ,tie favor lie receives from thvGoveruuieot, In Ihe last article of the Masons against ' 'he most of uhich is the not profit of the ,p il.vv tv il.ni ., Mnl.i kmth. I he possesses; and heartily ..may he

er whom I charged with throwing a whisky bottle out of the window, denies it. Well, now, that is nice. As 1 did not mention who that brother was, he must have been verv conscientious or he would not have thought I was meaning him. lint his wife and another tady says that he told them-he did. Now if ha told a lie, whose fault is it? They said there was but one member of both the Orders in the room, and 1 say there were more. There were several sisters of Eastern Star Degree, and who were Guild 1 cm 7.l:i rs nlsii ulin wtr in tlm bull-

room, and one of these sisters said in tbe i "ccessities of the service.' Ihese matters presence of Willis Gross, T. C. Vhite ,' pn,al1 uen eM,r0D"ngne 8" W lock, Mrs. I.ei'h. Mrs. Tharp, Mrs. Lizzie'; t,f ,i,e 'a,,on economy wiil've hare Blacklidge ami others, that she threw two ' Inore ,l' do wl,h P'K out that debMhaD bottles of whisky out of the windows. She! a11 aHeniptsta legislate it out. Great would not like her name to be brought out, j ,hls nr oU accomplished by the union and it shall not W. oxeept in ""case of' small forces, as you may have-heard eu.eraei.cy. Hut suflice it to say, she is alut ,he Sla11 """'drops and what huge a lad'v of high standing here. ,hiuP" ,,,ei' dw when ,,ley aI1 get. together. If I thought it necessary, I could brins 11,e disposition of the national debt i a proof that there were a number of perl uch a way as that tne people may be resons, not members of the Lodge, who were ! lleved of ,he Ws of taxation, is there intoxicated. Rut that is admitted j ove' shadowing question of the time.

i yj iiic vi v ine iun?uiia iiivuiscitcti. . u.. f.. .1 i... aSow if such acts as these are not dis graceful to the Fraternity, then I will give it up. They also assert that when 1 say tbe streets on the wext morning presented a drunken spectacle, 1 lie. I assert that when anybody says there was not considerable drunken ness exhibited on the streets at the time when 1 was on them, they lie, and the truth is not in them. And be cause there have been Festivals here before that had as much drunkenness connected with . them as this one had, and 1 a I V -J a. uomiug was saiu uooui u, mat uoea uoi j make the uisgrace of this one less, nor is 11 ny reason why. it should not be spoken ! Of. t I will here say that I am now and will j a oj poscu io any resiivais ior tnurcn, ! 00,1 Templars, or' any Order that works ! for morality, for they only open a channel ; through which vice and immorality can ; concerned in this as liars, until they prove that I am a hypocrite or that I am given to lies, or when, siuce I have been here, j 1 have bceokuown to take the name of God i in vain, or that 1 am .addicted to lm morality. Now, geutlemen, '-show your cards." I have attempted to prove these matters i oniy so iar as l attacneo meaning to my i assertions. in conclusion, 1 would say j that instead of being an enemy to the Or. 1 J r T . . r . uer oi iUasunry, 1 am a TrteiHl to It. 1 booor it for its antiquity, I love it for the great moral lessons it inculcates, and 1 recommend it to all who will try to live up to its teachings; but I think it always a disgrace to the Order for one to take upon himself its sacred obligations and then trample its lessons of morality under foot and discard its laws. I am willing

to submit to the people the proof I have produced, and will say it is sufficient to my mind to satisfy me beyond doubt that I am right. I might have produced more but think proper to let .the matter drop here. Alonzo M. Dawson. Letter from Washington City. Correspondence of tbe Indiana American Washington, D. C., Fbb. 18tii, 1870. Winter is giving us a reminder of itself just now. ,We have had 6ome hard rains

! anil the nlAnrinor ir ! AawAaA I L:if --a r vuijij . icy. Washington is vet cay the nn per crust and the great effort is 0 crowd as much social folly ia - the time between this and Lent as is possible. Then the clan-hammer coati 0f many gentlemen, and the low exceeding, ly low necked dresses of many ladies art laid aside, and the owners, or possessors go into the season of sack-cloth andaahss as it were. How much this penitential season will make atonement; or Cancel the sins of social extravagance indulged io I don't know. And more than that, I m not aware that it is any of my holinessneither yours, my reader. As a rule, it U not your representative servants who commit tbe worst follies in Washington. As a elass, they are poor, and live nnmbir and eat plain fare. That kind is abundant in the boarding houses of tins' metropolitan city. They, Lowever, don'rdecline invitations to eat and driok and be merry with high life when hidden. Sorbe goers to receptions and parties are far note numerous than the givers. The-producers of high life in Washington cau be. nearly included in four classes. V 1st. Custom almost requires. Cabinet ministers to give entertainments. Oolv now and then one is found to whom the- : custom is so distasteful that he disregard it, even at the risk of ridicule. 2d. Famil ies of wealth and of social ambition. This class is made up ofafer Senators and Representatives whoare very rich, and who enjoy such occasions, and. who make them for their enjoyment, for .11 a . a mey nave no ooiect beyond. 3d. Men who derive their money from Ian enduring truth when he said tqat i t,ia"k the man who inveiitfcd eatli.g auJ ; drinking. ; Congress is at work. There is soma ' earnestness that looks like Luiue, in ! canning all bills n,aking appropriation ot money. ihe actum of the tl (use yesterday indicated health. Ihe majority" will stand by Mr. Dawes in his retrenchment purposes. 'They stand agaiimt the pressors to increase salaries, and yesterday declared against all increase.' to far, well. Will they at this session diminish the force of Government employees every ' where to the lowest limit required by the .au parties ana an consmuencies ,au"" - .. . so regard it. In selecting candidates, ter Congress, this question should be regarded as of more importance than the slavery or reconstruction questions. These are accomplished; the other is to be accomplished. '1 he past record of a public mt, however good, should not necessarily p him on over these times, unless he is sound now. So of our own man JulianIt is absurd for his friends to claim far for him because be has been so -true thiough a long public career. It w absurd for him to claim a renominatioq because he has so good a record. The position he holds returns periodically to ib people, and they bestow it on whotn thfj will. On the other hand, it is equally absurd for others to contend that because Julian has held the place so Jong, he therefore should withdraw and let another take it. The people have held the place sin-e it was created, and "they may with mt propriety delegate its duties to one. " as long as he executes their will, and one bhould complain: or at pleasers-impose the duties upon another, and no should complain-. : . But, every thing else being equal ity to former trusts should have ' with the people in determining the q0 tions of a Representative ia Ces'"-'-When with such fidelity ia .c01"0.1 sound principles and correct jw.'tion on. " questions, ou the part of a RepesentHvetbe people should feel, at Wasf, saie'J continuing sueh a one ir. he service- . should be the pride of Mr. Juliaa, .ifci' upon to retire from his lonj service, 1 no charges of eorrwp'.km, or infidelity duty, are brought against hiai, aBd I Jhere at Washington he stands pcrsoaai ; a mighty man, net only in the advocacy human rights, as is shown ia kis '.re0 t.' but also as alive and active on the iupo ant cjuestions of the present, among w is that of retrenchment of exp8. with that the relief of the people -in taxation. J- J" 'T" (SRAItf WANTED AT the Warehouse near the Depot. " , Pure Flar-Seed to loan,, Alio awl gJoS. l'lowa far Mia. fob, 25-1 iu