knew good liquor when he smelt it, and in view of the fact that he hailed from Old Chautauque, whose inhabitants he remembered with pride, having once been a resident there, he voted that the article was not contraband, but that the writer must not do so again.'

Mr. Welles said, 'He did not know enough about the subject under consideration to give an opinion. He had been much interested in the perusal of the article, and had found some useful hints in it in regard to the danger to be apprehended from the Merrimac, which he thought he should act upon by next year-on the whole, he thought the good balanced the evil, and he was for calling it square.'

Prayer-Books and Scalping-Knives.

The following letter, picked up by an officer of General Cox's staff, on the ground from which Governor Wise's troops fled, shows the affecting tone of true piety that sometimes accompanies transactions of a very nefarious character:

“WAY UP ON THE HILL, Below Charleston four miles. "MAT.:—I want you to put every thing in the sergeant's room-every thing that belongs to us. And if there is any engagement, break my little trunk open, and take out my Bible and prayer-book, and those Boone County bonds, and save them for me. I have not read my Bible for sixteen years, but I want them saved. It was the President's turn, now, to de- Cook all the provender up there, and put cide the matter. He always gets the all our cooking utensils together in the opinion of his 'constitutional advisers' all sergeant's room. The news is that the round, and then does as he has a mind to. enemy is coming up on both sides of the Abe turned to me with a merry twinkle in river in a strong force. I am the his eye, and his lovely and expressive second company to have a shot. The countenance seemed more seraphic than orders are to scalp all we get near to. ever, and says he to me, says he, 'Your letter on reminds me of a story that I heard in the days of John Tyler's Administration. There was an editor in Rhode Island, noted for his love of fun— A remarkable instance of retribution it came to him irresistibly-and he couldn't was disclosed to the members of the Sevhelp saying just what came into his mind. enty-ninth Highlanders, on their arrival at He was appointed postmaster by Tyler. Port Royal, in the case of an earnest Sometime after Tyler vetoed the Bank and most unprincipled traitor. In the Bill and came into disrepute with the early part of the summer of 1861, a Whigs, a conundrum went the rounds of man employed in the Washington navy the papers. It was as follows: Why is yard was discovered in the practice of John Tyler like an ass?' This editor filling shells with sand instead of the copied the conundrum, and could not resist proper material. This man had received the temptation to answer it, which he did as follows: Because he is an ass.' This piece of fun cost him his head, but it was a fact!

6

'On the whole,' said Abe, 'here's a dollar; send me your valuable paper for a year, and be careful in future how you disclose Government secrets that have been published in the Norfolk Day Book only two weeks.'

J. W. M. SHERRY, Captain of Boone Rangers."

Overtaken at Last.

a medical education, and on his escape within the Confederate lines resumed his regular profession as a physician. Singular to relate, when the Seventy-ninth landed at Port Royal, the first object which greeted them on entering the hospital was this man seated at a table, with a splendid case of surgical instruments before him, his left arm resting naturally upon the table and the position of his body indica

ting perfect ease,-but upon a closer ex- get a letter to one's mother and sweet amination it was discovered that the entire heart," the tender missive was doubtless upper portion of his head had been cut put on its due course of destination by the away, from the crown to the back of his good-hearted Union boys. neck, by a cannon ball. His career had been one of ingenious wickedness against his country and its defenders, but, in such an hour as he knew not, he was overtaken at last.

Dead Lock of Two Bullets in the Air.

The story of two bullets, as related by the Vicksburg correspondent of a St. Louis journal, is most peculiar. He says: I lately saw at the head-quarters of Colo

No Letter from his Sweetheart for nearly a nel Slack's brigade, two Minie bullets,

Year.

The following memorandum note was found in one of the camps at Island No. Ten, and is a decidedly good one of its kind:

which had once told a history. One was a rebel bullet of English manufacture, smuggled over by our dear brethren in Britain to shoot their dear brethren in America. The other was a national ball,

"To any Federal Officer of Comre Foote's of the Springfield rifle type. The former Fleet on the Mississippi:

was fired from a rifle pit at Jackson, at our skirmishers. The latter was fired from our line of skirmishers at the rifle

The finder of this will please hand it to one of the officers and ask him if he PLEASE forward it to its destination in pit. They met midway in the air, were Md. I would enclose a dime or such a welded by the compact, and fell harmmatter to pay the postage, but upon my lessly to the ground. They are now firm honor I have not got a cent in the world friends, sticking each to the other closer and you will not mind 3 cts to get a letter than a brother or a lover.

to one's mother and sweet heart Who has not heard from either for nearly a year. Yours in every respect except politics, L. T. H."

This was addressed to "Miss H- -b, Hyattsville, Md.," and enclosed in an en

"Shameful Tyranny" of Butler in New

Orleans.

The little Count Mejan, formerly French consul at New Orleans, once frantically appealed to the Emperor Napoleon to send an armed force to protect the grogshop keepers of that city from an 66 unconstitutional" tax General Butler had levied upon them. The Emperor was so puzzled to know what his consul had to do with the American constitution, and on what principles he made himself the champion of whiskey venders in an American city, that he called the Count home to explain.

It will be seen, however, from what follows, that General Butler's suppositious tyranny did not stop at the mere taxing of grog shops. Thus, after the expulsion of the confederates and their allies, the Thugs, from New Orleans, the dead walls of that city were suddenly covered with velope, addressed as above. Of course, as conspicuous bills containing the following every one knows what it is to want "to mandatory sentence:

Writing Home.

Street.

A planter, a secessionist, went to town some months after Butler had taken the reins in his hands, and marvelled much at the cleanliness and good order he found prevailing; also, he was surprised at this notice which stared him everywhere in the face.

"Get your shirts at Moody's, 207 Canal girls of the house, who desired to know Why in thunder you'uns can't let we'uns be?" and hoped the devil would get the Yanks. The Lieutenant was not very well pleased with the reception, and seeing some tempting looking hives of honey in the yard, he ordered one of his men to hoist one up to him. The hive was handed up in a jiffy, and the Lieutenant, "Get your shirts at Moody's "-said he bidding the gals good-bye, started off with to an acquaintance he met in the street; the hive on his shoulder. But this time, "what does this mean? I see it every- alas! the bees came out the wrong way, where posted up. What does it mean?" and swarmed upon the Lieutenant and his "Oh," was the reply, "that is another horse, compelling the former to drop the of the outrageous acts of that fellow But- hive, sans ceremony, while the taunting ler. This is one of the orders,' of which Georgian girls on the porch clapped their you hear so much. Don't you see he dainty, tiny hands, stamped their little feet, has ordered us to get our shirts at Moody's, and screamed "goody! goody!! goody!!!" and we have to do so ? It is, of course, until they cried for joy. suspected that he is the silent partner in that concern, and pockets the profits."

The poor planter listened to this explanation with eyes and mouth open, and, casting one more thoughtful glance at a bill of the kind which stared from the wall near which he then stood, replied impatiently:

"I don't need any shirts just now, and it's a great piece of tyranny; but this Butler enforces his orders so savagely, that it is better for me to give in at once.'

He accordingly went to "Moody's," and purchased half a dozen shirts--on compulsion!

Unconsciously a Hero. The statement made in the newspapers, that General Hooker desired to appoint George W. Smalley, of the New York Tribune, on his staff, as an acknowledg ment of the great merit of his report of the battle of Antietam, led to the publication of the following interesting interview between General Hooker and the editor of Wilkes' Spirit of the Times. "Wilkes says :—

Mr.

The General was laid up with his wound, but, on the occasion referred to, he was well enough to be bolstered up in a chair, and was engaged in writing a letter. Georgia Girls and Federal Lieutenants. Our conversation soon turned to the batWhile Sherman's army was marching tle of Antietam, when he referred, with through Georgia, the soldiers learned how considerable enthusiasm, to what he charto rob beehives without the penalty of acterized as the wonderful account of the being stung. The plan was to rapidly battle given by the reporter of the Triapproach a hive, take it up suddenly, and, bune. "It was," said he, "a perfect rehoisting it upon the shoulder, with the production of the scene and all its inciopen end behind, run like lightning. The dents; and it is a marvel to me how you bees hustled out, and flew back to the writers can perform such tasks." I asked place where the hive stood. The honey the General if he knew who the reporter belonged to the soldier who thus won it. of the Tribune was. He replied: One day a cavalry Lieutenant, with his squad, rode up to a plantation house, and were pretty crabbedly received by the

"I saw him first upon the battle field. I first noticed him when we were in the hottest portion of the fight, early in the

no one got off or on.

The one whose business it was to "develop" any contraband articles or persons, commenced his labors by entering the forward passenger car. He then asked each person to open

their traps,' and passed his hand as carefully as practicable through the bundles of varieties with which human beings fill their traveling apparatus.

morning. My attention was then attract- Soon as the train stopped, a soldier stepped ed to a civilian, who sat upon his horse, on each platform of every car, to see that in advance of my whole staff; and though he was in the hottest of the fire, and the shot and shell were striking and spattering around us like so much hail, he sat gazing on the strife as steady and as undisturbed as if he were in a quiet theatre, looking at a scene upon the stage. In all the experience which I have had of war, I never saw the most experienced and veteran soldier exhibit more tranquil for- On one of these rounds, the searcher titude and unshaken valor than were ex- came across a common-looking, red, woodhibited by that young man, I was con- en trunk. It was marked: Mary Birkitt, cerned at the needless risk which he in- Wheeling, Virginia. There was nothing vited, and told one of my aids to order him in our rear. Presently, all my aids had left me, on one service and another; whereupon turning to give an order, I found no one but this young stranger by my side. I then asked him if he would oblige me by bearing a dispatch to General McClellan, and by acting as my aid, until some of my staff should come up. He rode off with alacrity, through a most exposed position, returned with the answer, and served me as an aid through the remainder of the fight, till I was carried from the ground."

suspicious about it. It looked in keeping with some village aunt, who had foresworn the company of the coarser sex, and had just returned from a visit to some relatives who had lately thrown themselves away by swearing, in presence of a parson, to keep house, neatly and economically, for some one of those worthless creatures called men.

Well, the searcher called out for Mary to come and display her dry goods, but no Mary was to be found. He called again, but with the same result. The conductor was questioned, but he knew nothing about the matter. The thing looked all right enough, but it wouldn't do to let even Mary Birkitt's trunk go out without knowing what was in it. So, having sounded another call for the presumed spinster to make her appearance, the searcher called for a hammer and chisel, and opened the thing. Nothing alarming presented itself. On the top was a very white, and nicely done-up pair of sleeves. Then came a chemisette, and then a dress, and thentwo millions of percussion caps! Ah, Mary, that was a sorry dodge. No wonder she didn't answer when her name was called by that officious Paul Pry. The trunk was confiscated.

Silk Petticoats.-Southern Fashion.

There was a petticoat exhibited at Washington, taken from a feminine seces

s'onist, the weight of the garment being place, and announced himself at the door.

The summons was answered by a lady,
when the following colloquy ensued:—
"Is Mr. Overton at home, madam?”
"No, sir; he is with the Confederate
army," was the answer of the lady.
"I presume he is a rebel, then.”
"Yes sir; he is a rebel all over.”

some fifty pounds avoirdupois. The garment was apparently a quilted one, but instead of the usual filling, it was thickly wadded with the finest quality of sewing silk of assorted colors, the skeins being carefully arranged in layers. It was also provided with straps by which the weight might be supported by the shoulders. Sewing silk was one of the articles most needed, next to quinine, in the South; and this was not the only attempt at smuggling the article by women-ingenious and apparently secure, though it appearedwhich the shrewd Government detectives find anything contraband of war. I wish, brought to light. however, you would keep the soldiers away from the house."

Pay Day in the Future.

"Well, madam, I wish to see some person who is in charge of the place. I am ordered to search for articles contraband of war.”

"I am Mrs. Overton. You can search the place if you wish; but you will not

The Captain assured her that no depre

"I will commence by searching under the floor of the meat-house."

The lady opened her eyes with astonishment. Recovering herself she replied, "There is no use of having any words about it. You will find some horse-shoes there."

At the breaking out of the rebellion, dations would be committed by the solJohn Overton was one of the wealthiest diers, who were still standing at their men in Tennessee. His plantation, seven arms, and added,— miles south of Nashville, embraced several thousand acres of land, with buildings and improvements exhibiting the finest taste. Although the whole family were known to be violent secessionists, the first blast of war swept by without injury to them. Their crops were untouched, their groves and lawns were unscathed, and, while others felt the iron hand of war, theirs was still the abode of luxury and plenty. The plantation was left nominally in the hands of Mrs. Overton, her husband and sons being in the rebel army. This, however, did not prevent her asking and obtaining unlimited protection from the Federal authorities.

And they were found. About two tons of valuable iron was unearthed and turned over to the government.

In the fall of 1862, Rosecrans' victorious army relieved Nashville, and remained a few days in the city. Early in December a general advance was made, and the left wing of the army encamped on the Overton place, and it was then known as Soon after General Negley assumed Camp Hamilton. The camp fires of the command of Nashville, information was Union army were lighted on every part received that a large amount of rebel of the farm, and the rights of private stores, consisting of horse shoe iron and property, in disloyal hands, gave way to nails, was concealed at this place; and a the stern necessities of war. Grove and detachment of the Eleventh Michigan woodland resounded with the sturdy infantry, under command of Captain Hood, strokes of the axeman, and disappeared. was sent to seize the goods. Arriving at Fences were destroyed, and the crops and the house, situated in a beautiful grove at stock were taken for the necessary use of some distance from the road, the Captain the army, and receipts given, to be paid halted his men outside of the door-yard, when the owner should "establish his loycaused them to order arms and remain in alty,"-a long time ahead, certainly.