Locomotive, Volume 7, Number 11, Indianapolis, Marion County, 10 February 1849 — Page 1

Sipil lis

' ' B R E V I T Y V I S '. T H E SOU L 0 F W. I T . VOL VIS. CITY Or INDIA N A I O L I S , S A T II BDAY, FE B IS UABlf 10, 1840. No. 11.

THE LOCOMOTIVE is printed and published every saturday, at the book and job office of Douglass & Elder, opposite browmng's, by ' DAVID R. ELDER & CO. , , Terms For 3 months, 25 cents, JK5"in advance-CC V One Dollar a year. No paper will be continued to mail subscribers after the time for which they have paid expires, unless the subscription is renewed. .- ' Advertising For the first insertion 5 cents per line; each subsequent insertion 4 cents per line. Religious and benevolent notices, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, gratis. ' : Communications and subscriptions must be addressed, Tost Paid, to " The Locomotive, Indianapolis, or handed in to the Publication office, opposite Browning's. . ' :

Selling a Nose. But let us introduce you into another scene of commercial life to describe which dramatically, we should first show the chief actors. This place is the commercial room timej ten minutes after dinner. A supposed novice is be

ing drawn out in the usual style by the anticipating

chairman. .; '

'Let me see, Mr. Spriggings, I think we have met before on the road ; I know I have seen you some

where.' , ' r ' Very likely I often go there.' 'You travel, I think for .' ' . ', 'Moses.' . . .'Noses?' '.' . , . ;"' ' . " , 'No, Noses V . . ." Ah! in the toy trade, I see V ',

. 'You are wrong, sir, 1 deal in noses belonging to humanity the ordinary sneezing noses of every

day physiognomy. ' - t ' 'Very odd traffic certainly ; but I should like to see vour wav of doincr business. I never met with

aeentleman in the nasal line before.' " ,'

. 'Then I shall be most happy to deal with you, 'I

cannot say that your nose is of the first quality-

turns up rather too much, and belongs to a variety not greatly in demand; but I will buy it of you.'

.' ' My nose?'

. 'Yes, sir. I am serious in my proposal your

nose.' ... .-' To be delivered .' . 4 "When you have no farther use for it.' . 4 That's not very troublesome. ; And to be paid for- ' '. ..' .. . : ' ,This very moment, I will give its full value ay 10.' 'I accept your offer.' - ' - - There is only, this condition, that we both agree to forfeit 20 if either of us should go from, the bargain.' 'Agreed ! that is, if you allow me all my life to enjoy your property, and do not attempt to interfere with it in the performance of its function.' 'You import or export the merchandize in question as you please. I will not even make a condition that it shall be insured.' "' 'Then I will consent to the clause in the agreement.' 'And I will pay you directly.' The agreement was drawn up, the money paid, nnd the bargain concluded, the purchaser only whispered to the waiter, who soon after returns with a pair of kitchen tongs, having the extreme ends heated red hot. ' Give me the tongs, William,' says the dealer in noses.' The waiter hands them, and the purchaser leans forward with the tongs, which he holds towards the seller. . . " " ' Why, what's all this V exclaims the man who nad sold his nose, looking aghast at the ominous Preparations. Only a pair of red hot tongs, sir ; every time I make a purchase, I mark my merchandise, in order I

to insure its not being changed. Having bought your nose, I must put our usual , brand upon it. 4 But, zounds ? I cannot allow this,' ' 'Then I must' remind you of the clause in the agreement, and that you are the first to break the contract.' . ; . : 4 But put yourself in my position!' , Impossible ! I am the buyer, and not the seller. Pay the forfeit. Twenty pounds I claim. These gentleman will, I am sure, see the justice of my demand.' " 'Ultimately the purchase money was returned, and two dozen champagne accebted as a compromise. The intended victim was hailed among his brother commercials as one of the 4 right sort,' and the confused chairman the vender of the turn up noseconfessed that, in having disposed of his nose, he had been for the fi rat time in his life, altogether sold:

Tale of the gold mania. The inimitable comic actor, Dan Marble, gives the editor of. the Albany Atlas the benefit of the following capital story relative to the California gold mania, over, which the reader can shake his sides at his leisure. The Atlas says . . ., - v .-. Marble was in Boston the, other day, and strolling along the wharves, when he met a tall, gaunt looking figure, whose sun-burnt countenance and tattered ' parti-colored garments, originally of the most outlandish fashion, had that picturesqueness about them, derived only, from long-continued exposure to the atmosphere, which fancy sketchers delight to present on canvas. Dan, who never permits the lack of an introduction to interfere with his desires to form an acquaintance, hailed the stranger ,. - ; ; Halloo, my friend, where are you from V , . ; Jes from Calerforny, stranger.' . " . ,

' Ah, indeed ! then you can tell us wnetner it s all true about that gold !' somewhat anxiously interrogated Dan. ' " . . . ' ' Trew as you live, and a darned sight more ! for no man out of Calerforny raly does live.' Then why did you come back V ' ' 4 Back ! why to get my family. Fact is, stranger, a man there gets so powerful rich that he becomes covetous of. himself and ef he aint very keerful, will cut his own throat to rob himself. The root of all evil, you kuow there's a lettle too much of it, and I left for a while partly on that account.' Oh, you did, eh?' -; . f . YesJland, between you and me, that's the only way a man can die in that blessed land.' Healthy climate, 1 suppose V ' TTpnlthv !it nint anvthinir else. Why, stran

ger, you can choose there any climate you like P ' J -. . . . . 11V , C.C

hot or cold and . that witnoui travel un more a w-

teen. minutes. Jes, think o' mat tne next coia

mornin when you get out o' bed. There s a moun-

tian there the Sawyer JNavayday, iney-caiiu

with a valley each side of it the one hot and the tnthpr rnld. Wp.1L nit on the top of that mountain

with a double-barrelled gun, and you can, without

movin', kill either summer or. winter game, jesi as

you will.

What ! have you ever tried it? 'Tried it! often and should have done pretty

well, but for one thing.' - - ;

Well, what was that?' T wanted a dnor that would stand both climates.

The last dog I had froze off his tail while pintin' on

the summer side. Ue didn't gu entirely oui o iu winter side, you sec. Trew as you live!'

Marble sloped.

Editors of the Locomotive. . In looking over your paper of the 3d, we were pleased with a piece headed 44 Benevolent Institutions," as containing a true and plain statement of the causes which gave rise to the excitement which prevailed a few weeks since among the mechanics of this city, relative to the cou rse pu rsued by the Trustees of the Deaf and Dumb Asylum, and especially by one of their members, Alfred Harrison, in the manner of letting the, contracts for materials and, work in the erection of the Asylum buildings. . - 1 The causes referred to by you are briefly these : 1st. That the contracts for materials and work were let by the trustees, through Alfred Harrison, to favorites, at prices from 5 to 15 per cent, higher than they might have been let to other responsible persons.' 2d, That Harrison was appointed by. the Trustees to let the work, and . that the plans and specifications were in his possession ; that he refused to let persons see them, and refused to receive bids for building and furnishing materials, prefering to select persons to do the' work, and pay them a good price. . ... . ...'. . v. Since your pulication, we see by the Journal of the 6th, that Mr. Harrison is out in a card, and publishes the report made by the committee of, the Legislature that investigated the cause of compliant as published by you. .This report Harrison thinks and says, by his card accompanying it, is of itself a sufficient refutation to the articlo published a few days since- in the " little, pitiful, penny paper

called the Locomotive." : Now you'll see that Mr. Harrison's equilibrium is out of sorts; whether it is so from the fact that your article was not published by a paper bearing a larger name, but less matter, we cannot say, but if . so, and notoriety be his object, we think he would obtain it as soon in your , as any paper in reference to the charges, in this community he has obtained notorious notoriety without the aid of. any paper. . , .. . But as Mr. Harrison shelters himself under the published report of the committee as a refutation of your article, there are other things in connexion with the charges on record,"beside the report of the committee, which should, or ought to have formed the basis of this report.- ( We refer to the evdience taken before the committee.) It may not be uninteresting to the enquirers after truth -to see how far the evidence given before the committee went to sustain the causes of complaint made by you. "; Then as to the first cause of complaint, that the contracts were given to favorites at higher prices than they could have been let to other responsible persons for, see Senate's Journal, session 1848 9, paes 485 to 493. Turner sworn says he offeredbto deliver the brick, 1200,000, at $4,00 per M. Greer sworn says he, Greer, got the contract of Harrison to deliver 13 or 1400,000 for the Asylum at $4 50 per M. That Harrison furnished him with a blank contract to fill up. That Harrison told him, Greer, that Turner had offered to furnish the brick lower, but that he, Harrison, prefered him,