NEWS: The Alleghanian; 25 Aug 1864; Ebensburg, Cambria Cnty., PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Patty Millich Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cambria/ _________________________________________ The Alleghanian Ebensburg, Pa. Thursday, 25 Aug 1864 Volume 5, Number 48 NEWS Local Correspondence Johnstown, August 22, 1864 Exertions are being made here by the citizens to raise a bounty to fill our quota under the late call of the President. About $8,000 have already been subscribed for that purpose and it is thought if a sufficient sum can be raised, there will be no difficulty in securing the requisite number of men. Powell Stackhouse, a Lieutenant in the nine months service, is engaged in recruiting a company for one year. I understand he has now about 40 men on his roll. Capt. Butland also of the nine months service is also recruiting a company with flattering prospects of speedy and entire success. A meeting is called for Wednesday to talk over the matter of raising men and money and see what can be done. Three young boys undertook to run a train of coal cars down the steep grade leading from the Cambria Iron Company's coal mines to the Mill a few days since. Not being able to control the brakes, the cars ran with lightning-like rapidity about half way down the grade, where they collided with another train standing on the track. The result was one of the boys was fatally injured and died shortly afterwards and another was hurt so badly that he is not expected to live. The third boy did not sustain serious injury. Capt. James Quinn, agent for Cambria county to recruit in the insurrectionary districts, returned here from Tennessee last week, his mission having proved a failure. A letter of instructions written by Gen. Sherman, to those agents practically places a veto upon this system of recruiting inside his department. Capt. S. B. Bathurst of the 115th colored regiment spent a few days in town last week. He has lately been promoted from a Sergeantcy in the 54th P. V. to the position he now holds and is assigned to duty at Lexington, Ky. Capt. M'Donald is now at home here and slowly recovering from the effects of his severe wounds. A new machine, patented by a man in New York, for making brick, went into operation at the Company's brick yard last week. It turns out an incredible number of brick per day of a quality superior, it is said, to the best pressed specimens of the article. A picnic for the benefit of the new Catholic church of this place is to come off in Morrell's Grove on Saturday next. It is contemplated making it a grand affair and from a knowledge of the young ladies interested in getting it up, I am confident it will be all that can or ought to be desired. The Court House The renovation of the Court House to which the time and ingenuity of a corps of skilled artisans and the especial attention of our County Commissioners have been directed for the past two or three months is now complete. The building has been thoroughly mastic-cemented outside, the wood work without and within painted, a new roof placed over it, and the modern style of architecture popularly known as "moulding" successfully introduced at and along the point where the roof forms a conjunction with the main building. Brackets of the usual quant device support the moulding and give style and finish to the structure. With this vivid architectural description, we drop details. The improvements add greatly to the general appearance of the Court House and speaks volumes in praise of the good taste of the Commissioners. With the new lease of life thus afforded it, the "pile" may continue standing for a quarter of a century yet and be an ornament to the town during all the time. The expense incurred was considerable but we feel satisfied that the money of the people could not have been more advantageously invested. Persons at a distance who have been wont in times past to sneer at our temple of justice and to call it a tumble down affair and a nuisance are confidently expected to be both surprised and gratified on the occasion of their next beholding its fair proportions. War News It turns out that Gen. Burnside has not been relieved of his command as reported. A dispatch from Providence, Rhode Island, dated on Tuesday, says that the General is in that town on leave of absence, and adds positively that he has not been relieved. The Court of Inquiry into the cause of the late failure at Petersburg in which General Burnside is implicated, adjourned on account of the necessary absence of some of its members. The investigation has therefore not been concluded. Last week a portion of Grant's army advanced and took position on the line of the Weldon railroad. Subsequently the rebels attacked this force and a fierce battle was fought. At last reports we still held our position. Among the Mormons [All spelling as it appears in the article] Artemus Ward has been on a tour to Salt Lake City where he saw and became intimate with Brigham Young. He relates a portion of his experience: In private conversation with Brigham, I learnt the following fax: Hit takes him six weeks to kiss his wives. He don't do it only onct a year and says its wuss nor cleanin house. He don't pretend to know his children, there is so many of um, tho' they all know him. He says about every child he meets calls him Par, and he takes it for granted it is so. His wives are very expensive. They always want something and if he don't agree, they set the house in an uproar. He says he don't have minits peace. His wives fite among themselves so much that he has bilt a fitin room for thare speshul benefit and when too of em git into a row, he has um turned loose inty that place where the dispoot is settled according to the London prize ring. Sumtimes they abooz himself individually. They have pulled the most of his hair out at the roots & he wares many a horrible scar upon his body, inflicted with mob handles, broom sticks, & sich. Occashunally they git mad and scald him with bilin hot water. When he got any wase cranky, the'd shut him up in a dark closit, previsely wippin him arter the style of muthers when their offspring gits unruly. Sumtimes when he went in swimmin', they'd go to the banks of the lake & steal his close, thereby compellin him to sneek home by a sircootious rowt, dresst in the Scanderlus stile of the Greek Slaiv. "I find that the keers of married life way hevy on me," sed the Profit, "and sometimes I wish Ide remained single." I left the Profit & started for the tavurn where I put up to. On my way I was overtook by a large crowd of Mormons, which surrounded me and stated that they was going into the show free. "Well," sez I, "et I find a individual who is goin round letting folks into his show free, Ile let you know." "We've had a revelashun bidden us to go into A. Ward's show without payin nothing?" They showted. "Yes," hollered a lot of femail Mormonesses, seizing me by the cot tales & swingin me round very rapid, "We're all goin in free, so says the Revalashun!" "What's Old Revalashun got to do with my show!" sez I gettin putty riled – "Tell Mister Revalashun," sez I drawin myself up to my full hite and lookin round upon the ornery crowed with a proud and defiant mean – "Tell Mister Revalashun to mind his own business, subject only to the Konstitution of the United States." "Oh, let us in, that's a sweet man," sed several femails, puttin their arms round me in luvin stile. "Becum 1 of us; becum a Priest and heve wives sealed to you." "Not a seal," sez I, startin back in horror at the idea. "Oh stay, sir, stay!" said a tall, gawnt femail, one whose hed 37 Summers must have parsed; "stay & ile be your Gentle gazelle." "Not ef I know it you wont," sez I. "Awa, yu scanderlus femails, awa! Go & be a Nunnery." That's what I sed, and jest so. "&," sed a fat, chunkey femail who must have wade more than too hundred lbs., "I will be thy sweet gidin Star." "Sez I, "ile bet two dollars and a half you wont! Where ere I Rome ile still be troo 2 thee, O Betsy Jane." (N. B.: Betsy Jane is my wife's name) "Wilst thou not tary with us into the Promised Land?" sed several of the miserable critters. "Ile see you all espechally cussed b4 I wilst," roared I, as mad as cood be at thair infernal noncents. I girded my Loins & fled the Seen. I packt up my duds & left Salt Lake, which is a grand Soddum and Germorrer, inhabited by as vane and unprincipled a set or retches as ever drew breth in any spot on the Globe.