Rensselaer Union, Volume 10, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 December 1877 — A Fatal Drop. [ARTICLE]

A Fatal Drop.

A passenger from Kingstree, on the line of the Northeastern Railroad, gives the details of a frightful accident which occurred at that place on Wednesday last. A traveling show company had stopped at the town for the purpose of relieving the natives of all their .spare change, and in order more successfully to carry out this praiseworthy object had with them a balloon, by means of which one of the company ascended into the air and went through certain gymnastic performances. This exhibition was free, of course, and drew an immense crowd. When the hour for the balloon ascension arrived, the town and surrounding country were alive with the natives, mostly negroes, who, never having seen a balloon before, -footed- upon the whole proceO’dittg'WWaniixrarif’oi awe ami curiosity. By dint of persuasion two negroes consented to hold the ropes of the balloon while it was being inflated with hot air. When everything was in readiness a man in a pair of red drawers and a red shirt came out and whs cheered lustily. The balloon swayed violently to and fro, and the aeronaut took his seat upon a small bar which dangled from the air ship, and gave the order to cast loose. The negroes loosed their holds upon the ropes, and the balloon shot upward, like an arrow from a bow. To the consternation of the crowd, however, it was seen that one of the negroes had become entangled in the ropes, and was being borne aloft with frightful rapidity. With a wonderful presence of mind, the unfortunate the rope with his hands, and, after "’disengaging his feet from the ropes, climbed up to the bar on, which sat the nun in red. Instead, however, of remaining upon this comparatively secure perch, he let go his bold and began sliding down the rope again, and upon reaching the end he let go entirely, and was dashed to the earth, having fallen through a space of sixty feet. The crowd were so completely awe-stricken that not one would dare approach the prostrate man. After some little time, however, several gentlemen who were near by went up to the negro and found him bleeding profusely from the mouth and apparently unconscious. At the last accounts the man was still alive, but it is hardly possible for him to recover. The aeronaut succeeded in making a safe landing.—Charlatan (8. C.) Courier. —The Des Moines (la.) Register contradicts the report that Ex-Sec'y Belknap is a commercial traveler, and says that he is following his profession of the law, building up a good practice, making money and minding his own business. An English poacher was seen to take aim at a bird, bis gun was seen to go off, and the bird was picked up dead, yet the poacher was cleared because it was not proved th*t his gun was loaded.— Detroit free Press;

The United States Senate Reject* Certain Nomination* Made by the Preeldeat. A Washington Associated Press telegram of the 12th gives the following account of the final action of the United States Senate, in Executive session, upon the President's nominations for the Custom-House officers at New York: The Senate was in Executive session to-day nearly alx hours, adjourning only at eight o’clock thia evening. The entire ae.iuikiu waa devoted to the New York Custom-House nominations, two of which, namely, those ot Theodore Roosevelt, to be Collector, in place of Arthur, to be removed, and 8. Bradford Prince aa Naval Officer, vice Cornell, to be removed, were reported from the Committee on Commerce unfavorably. 'The tlil/d, namely, that of E. A. Merritt, to be Surveyor of Custom* in place of Sharp, whose commission has expired, was reported with a favorable recommendation. No opposition was manifested to the latter, but the conteat'ln regard to the two proposed removals wa% extremely animated, ana took a very wide range, causing a discussion of the rights, powers and duties of the President in regard to removal* from office, and the subject of the Civil-Service policy In general. Mr. Conkling, Chairman of the Committee on Commerce, opened the debate with a brief statement of the reason* why. In the opinion of the majority of that committee, the two first nominations should not be confirmed. These were in brief that no charge* of either corruption or inefficiency had been made against the present incumbents, but, on the contrary, they were conceded to be faithful, honest, experienced and able officer*. Mr. Bayard followed in an extended argument maintaining the right of the Executive to make change* which, in his opinion, would be for the benefit of the public sen-ice, he being responsible for the execution of the laws, and entitled to select his agents, subject to the confirmation of the Senate, but without being obliged to furnish the Senate a statement of his reasons. Mr. Kernan then delivered a speech, of considerable length, on the same side of the question, defending the action of the President. His remarks were mostly read from manuscript Gen. Gordon was the next speaker. He warmly commended the Civil-Service policy of President Hayes, and, in regard to the pending nominations, asserted emphatically that the removals which they contemplated were demanded by a proper regard for the purity of the service. He charged that Cornell and Arthur had disgracefully made use of the power and patronage of their offices for merely partisan and selfish purposes, and he intimated that it was time lor the one-man power in New York State to be broken. The debate then became ouite general. Messrs. Hoar and Matthews spoke in favor of sustaining the action of the President in the exercise of his Constitutional power, and of what they agreed was his sound public policy In removing the Civil Service from the domain of partisan control. Mr. Teller and others spoke briefly in reply, arguing that in the present instance, at feast, the President had departed, from the principles of Civil-Service reform which he himself had antwunced, namely, that faithful and efficient service* shouldprotect the officer from removal, etc. Mr. Conkling closed the debate in a speech of considerable length and great vigor and earnestness. He replied In detail to the various arguments advanced by the supporters of the nominations, and repelled with the utmost emphasis the charges that had been made aqainst the official character and conduct of the officers whom the President proposed to remove. He insisted that they had been faithful, honest and efficient in every particular, and challenged proof that a single charge had ever been made against them, either by the mercantile community, or by the Secretary of the Treasury, or the President himself. He also defied anyone to show or to assert that his (Conkling’s) action in this whole matter had been otherwise than fair, open, courteous and above-board. In conclusion, he claimed that the Senate would lie alike unjust to faithful officers, careless of it s ow n pre rogatlves and duties, and unmindful of the dictates of a true Civil-Service policy, if it failed to vote that these nominations should Im> rejected. A vote hy yea* and nayS-JKOR then taken upon the normhation of Horisevelt, and it was rejected by a majority of 7, the yea* being 25 and the nay* 32. The nomination of Prince was rejected upon another roll-call by the same vote. In each case Senators Eaton, Dennis, Whyte and Maxey (Democrats) united with the great body of the Republicans against confirmation, and Senators Burnside, Christiancy, Conover, Dawes, Hoar and Matthews (Republicans) sided with the mas* of the Democrats in favor of confirmation. The nomination of Merritt was confirmed without a division.