AMERICA.

Colonist, Issue 15, 11 December 1857, Page 2

AMERICA.

The Mormons appear to be in great trouble pending the invasion of the United States forces, with which they are threatened ; the neighbouring Indians are committing great depredations upon their property, stealing snd destroying their cattle and horses. Their is a serious apostacy taking placed from the community. Brigham Young, however, is preparing to resist General Harney, and continues to hold up the United States Government to. the contempt of his dupes. ' The recent commercial advices from New York are more disastrous than any received for* | several years. A succession of frauds and insolvencies for some time past has created a general want of confidence; and the last mail brings the direful intelligence of the'stoppage of a large institution, the insolvency of which was never suspected. The concern in question is the Ohio Life and Trust Company, established in 1833, with a capital of .£400,000, and a constitutiou iv some degree analogous to that of the more modern banks of Credit Mobilier. They received depos'.ts, which they employed, together with" their capital, in loans on real estate and railway bonds, discounts, and advances of all kiuds. Only a few days before the event they declared and paid their'usual half-yearly dividend. The amout due to the depositors and others is supposed to be at least £1,200,000, and the prospect of liquidation seeiris to be very uncertain. Possibly the creditors may get paid, although even on that point nothing is known; but it would be against all experience to suppose that the shareholders will recover a single doliar. The company were the financial agents of the State of Ohio for the payment of the interest on the State debt, and the reliance of the public upon their position was greatly increased by this circumstance. The announcement coming on the stock market just after the alarm created by the discovery of the disorganisation in the accounts of the Michigan Southern Railway had caused a flood of sales of almost every other kind of stock. In most of these securities English capitalists are largely interested.

The first number of Mr. Thackeray's new story ■; ' The Virginians,' was to appear on the Ist of November. : : Sickening Scene on the Gallows.—The convict George Jackson, who,- with Charles Brown', since respited, was sentenced to death for the murder of Mr. Charlesworth, at Abbotts Bromley, suffered death on themorningof the Bth of August in front of the county gaol, at Stafford. When the unhappy man was made acquainted with the fact that his fellow prisoner was to be spared and himself hung, he gave way to one of these fearful paroxysms of grief to which, he has been subject more or less, since his conviction, and. .when, on Thursday, he was visited by his aged parents, three sisters, and a brother-in-law, the scene was one of a most distressing character, and exceeded anything of the kind ever- previously witnessed within the prison walls. Shortly after eight o'clock on Satin-day morning the various authorities of the gaol proceeded to the condemned cell, where they found the unhappy man in a most pitiable condition. When informed that the fatal moment had arrived he sank to the ground overwhelmed with grief, and while the process of pinioning was proceeding the spectacle was heartrending. In almost an insensible state he was carried from the condemned cell towards the scaffold, but on reaching that spot he began to struggle most violently, and cried, sobbed, and shrieked in a manner that struck awe into the breasts of all. When the cap was placed over his face, he again struggled, and succeed in pulling it off. At length, however, the Srehminaries were concluded, and the bolt was rawn. The unhappy man struggled most violently, and death did not appear to take place fo_ several minutes. During the whole of the morning, and at the time of the execution, the rain was descending in torrents, still there was a large concourse of persons present.— English paper.