LATEST AMERICAN GOSSIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6003, 12 February 1881, Page 6

LATEST AMERICAN GOSSIP.

[from our special correspondent.] Sa>- Fkaxcisco, January IS. HAPPY NEW YEAR. Fit: M the bottom of my lieart and the tip of my pen I once more wish my indulgent readers all the compliments of the season. I have had an uncommonly "good time" myself, and feel hilarious over it. Can you guess "what doing? No. ell, then, "workin" hard. Since hard work means hard work cash in our country, I am, of course jubilant over a good rake-iu of golden dollars. One grows very mercenary in San Francisco. Where every woman, more or less, dresses in sealskin and diamonds, you naturally feel like working hard to attain the desired end, viz., that of becoming licli. All, well, I shall never be rich, but I rejoice in hard work, perhaps for its own sake—that is, when it is pen labour. With a pen in the hand it is so easy to defy one's enemies. An unusual amount of " receiving was done this year. Four columns in the°morning papers announced who would be "at home," with whom they would "receive,'' and tlic "whereabouts. All New Year's Day carriages full of men dressed to kill, flow "about the city. Some ladies entertain as many as two hundred visitors (male), and by nightfall a good deal of reeling to and fro, with thick enunciation of speech, is observable among the dandies, who sally forth at early morning so beautifully gotten up. The day was unusually propitious, being warm and cloudless; ill fact, we have had a most remarkable winter, being really as beautiful as 3'our own corresponding months, as you may judge when X tell you we have had open windows and scarcely ever a fire in the last four months. Ml!. FAIR, I beg his pardon, Colonel Jame3 Fair, 011 c of the ° world-renowned firm of Flood and O'Brien has been nominated United States Senator for the State of Nevada by the Democratic caucus as their representative. This is equivalent to an election, the Democrats holding the majority in the Legislature. I told you how Colonel Fair had bought up the electoral votes in his own State of Nevada to serve the purpose now on the eve of completion; so lie goes in as a Democrat, lie who up to the present lias been a highflying Republican. Fair's majority over the Republican nominee was 41 to 7. lien Fair was nominated there was dead silence in the House, and the man who seconded him (Mr. Bell) is accused of having committed an "oratorical crime.'' He eulogised Fair as a man of infinite knowledge and intellectual resource, and congratulated the world upon unearthing such a shining light from the gloom of the Nevada silver mines. The nomination fell like a pall _ upon the people, who know "Jim" Fair is nothing more than an illiterate, good-looking, common man, with hardly an idea to hang a hat upon. Such are the men who, by virtue of their gold, are set up over the people as the rulers of the land. The colonel (Heaven save the mark) is a very handsome man, though so underbred, and an Irishman; but then, the Irish rule here, and those of the lowest order, too. All the Nevada Bank people are Irish : so are nearly every one of the millionaires—men who came here years ago as day-labourers, who, by sheer smartness, have raised themselves up to the highest pinnacle of wealth, although their minds are as mueli in the dark as they ever were, and their sign manual is a thing prolific of amusement to the satirical eye. The wives are little better, so, ill the face of all this slioddyism, what does it matter that another United. States Senator, with no taste for anything good, is added to the list of yi-eat lights in the House from whence "emanate the laws of this great State? Colonel Fair tried to make a speech 011 his nomination, which had been written for him —not more than forty lines—but he failed to memorise more than two or three sentences, and then wound up with, "I ain't much of a speaker," and bowed himself off. Bui. the nominee and his nominators ended the day well, and the new senator literally drowned them in champagne, ending up with a supper fit for the gods. By way of foil to the Nevada senator, has been elected to the same position for the State of California, by the Legislature now in session, GENERAL JOHN F. MILLER, a man who has reaped his laurels both at the bar and in the foremost ranks of iiis country's forces. An educated and intelligent man, whose career may be written out on a white page with a "silver pen," and 011 whose scutcheon lies 110 blot. It is a good thing when such men are called up to so high a position as ruler. What should we do without them ? OUR MURDERERS. In this wonderful city law is at best a perverted measure. There are now lying in the prisons no less than thirty assassins, awaiting their trial, which in most of the cages will, no doubt, end in acquittal, 011 the fashionable ground of " transitorial" insanity, that being now the fashionable and allowable plea—always provided a man has 11101103' enough and friends in sufficient numbers to work his release. The daily papers actually teem with killing matches (if I may use so general a term), and now-a-days, when a man is slaughtered or a woman choked, the public merely gives its shoulders a significant shrug, and says, "Oh, that's nothing; there will be 110 liangin.'." Nor will there. Heaven only knows how twelve intelligent men can sit for days listening to the most pointed and convincing details, and afterwards pass days and nights together in solemn conclave only to render verdict after verdict of "not guilty." But, then, are they intelligent ? Ah ! there's the rub. From my own standpoint I should doubt the fact, certainly after being myself victimised by them, by which hangs a story. Three years ago my youngest boy, then eight year 3 old, happened to whisper to another little fellow in his class, for which he alone was reprimanded. The principal, a vicious old hag, with a copper-coloured face, seamed by lines of ill-temper unsuppressed for j'ears, took the little fellow it. hand. With a raw hide, she boat him till he could not stand. When he returned home limping to lunch, I found his whole body mutilated. 11l twelve hours after he was black and blue ; a pitious sight to see, with the marks of many lashes on his poor little back. There was on the light thigh a lump which a man's hand would not cover, caused by repeated blows on that one spot, presenting a purple mass of flesh with the crimson blood almost spurting from the top. Two medical men testified to the fact that the injury was sufficient to cause hip joint complaint. I arrested the fiend, by name Mrs. Anne Dubois, at the suggestion of my friends, but although I had a crowd of witnesses, she brought twenty teachers (who all told the same story verbatim) to swear that she had never beaten a child in her life, even though she had been for years the terror of all children put under her charge. Tiien one of the School Board (a lawyer) defended her, and, in fact, arranged the matter with my counsel, and between them they lied me out of Court, and the jury gave as usual for verdict, 1"not guilty." Oh, how I ever since regretted that I had not followed my mother's instinct, and flogged her in return. Some time. . after the Superintendent of Schools told .me they had either to "side" with her or dismiss her, and they "sided." About six months after, this woman had the audacity to send me word that she had beaten the boy, but as lie was the brightest scholar in her school, and a "little darling," she hoped I would send him back. I need not say I did no such thing. This is a fair sample of law in 'Frisco. Another poor woman has been

BRUTALLY STRANGLED, and a man arrested on suspicion. She was a

maiden lady, aged 75, who earned a livinj* by taking lodgers. One of them named Bays, a pretty hard character, is suspected. She Was found lying on ttie sofa with a towel tied tightly round her neck ; upon removing which the marks of a large hand were traced. It is supposed that the towel, which, was torn in two, the other half being found in the kitchen, was simply tied on as a blind, but the short-sighted assassin by so doing gave the only clue they have got up to this point, the towel being recognised by another lodger as one out of his room. As he is nobody, and has no money, here is a chance for justice taking her full swing—and swinging him. Our two lady lawyers, Clara Faltz and Laura de Force Gordon, arc respectively retained to prosecutcTand defend the strangler, Wheeler, who embraced his sister-in-law to death. It will I n s*veland strange to see these two women nglit each other in the Courts, and since M.rs. Gordon (the one for the defence) is pronouncedly the champion of her own sex, it seems not a little unaccountable that she t bh a man %v!lose sex she professes

MOODY AND SANKEY \ Are still exhorting our civil heathens with more or le3s success. The churches are crowded, and scores of converts are nocking beneath the banner of God. These earnest men are constant and unceasing in their endeavours for the souls of then- weaker brethren. Whether the seed sown will take root and flourish when Moody and Sail kej shall have departed, is doubtful. I fear not. The Pan Francisco public are very impressionable, but at the same tune very forgettul of good impressions in a short space of time. Beim' on the subject of churches, et me tell you how they rake in the "nut on a charity occasion. After the sermon is over, the clergyman descends from hi 3 pulpit, bavin f first' admonished his flock not to co " "Every one knows that this means, ''I am "oin" to beg." The disgusted crowd sit perfectly o still. Then the pastor gets up and says, "We are in want of funds. Now, I want ten men to give me 100 dollars. Mr. So-aud-so, will you head the list V" Mr. So-and-so looks unutterable things, but he puts down his name 011 the card handed to him by a vestryman. Another is called out bv name, and so on till the list is full. Then Mr. Grabup steps to the front, and, thanking the fil-st bateli of pigeons, _he say_s, "Now, I want twenty men to give me 50 dollars," and the same proceeding is gone through. Meanwhile, unparliamentary liui"ua"e is rolled off the tongues of the victims', who, I am afraid, even swear at being dragged in for enforced charity, but 1 the pastor smiles and thanks his flock, sings a hymn, says the blessing, and the curtain falls. I have seen nine thousand dollars ] gathered in twenty minutes ill this way. I'ake a lesson, my friends. A CHINESE DIVORCE. The names of All oiio and Ho Sheong "'ill ill future ages be memorable 111 thu legal annals of the State as being the very first case associated with a divorce case. I lie couple were married by one of our judges, but Mr. Sheong having departed to the Floweiy .Land without any intimation to his bride, she presently sued for a divorce, " Alio same Melican woman," which she got on the ground of desertion. A BRUTAL HUSBAND. A lady from Auckland now figures in the Police Court, where she seeks protection from a "brutal husband." The list of her grievances are knocking her down, throwing a lighted lamp at her which exploded, stabbing her through the hand, beating her with a rooking-ehair, throwing knives, forks, and a tureenful of soup at her because his dinner did not suit him, and several other atrocious acts. She desires her name to be kept from the public, but perhaps someone mav recognise her. The brutal husband is ■22 "years older than herself, and she came here last year from Auckland, and since has ; been living 011 Golden Gate Avenue. She now sues for a divorce. Is anyone over the sea interested or not ? Sim ek Pen".