The Belton Independent. (Belton, Tex.), Vol. 3, No. 24, Ed. 1 Saturday, October 16, 1858 Page: 1 of 4

íü
THE
■■ BELTON
¡INDEPENDENT FAMILY PAPE 11 ^-DE VOTED TOTWE ADVANCEMENT of the AGRICULTURAL, MECHANICAL AND OTHER INTERESTS OF THE DISTRICT GENERALLY, BELL COUNT*?
VOL, .8.
BELTON, BELL COUNTY, TEXAS, OCTOBER 16,1858*
¿UWiHftJH
IMICIILTCItXt DIMBTMm
From the H<iU t«o Te!egragh.
'Exlruot from 11 lellur fruni
Mr. Tlioa- Affleck.
The following extract is refer-
Ved to in Mr, Affleck's advertise-
'meat t« the inside of our paper of
last week?
My correspondent's chicf topic,
however, is Hedging, and with the
KJherokec Rose. He understands
'that I propose to "accept of con-
tracts on libera! terms" to hedge for
'others. On this head let mc refer
Ihim to your advertising columns.
And farther permit me to say, I am
by.no means wedded to this partic-
ular plant, the Cherokee Rose, so cal-
led; but would be glad indeed to
find unother better adopted to the
purpose. In the double while mycro-
fhylla Rose, I think we have one
equally as well, perhaps ifotter sui-
ted to the stiff black prairie lands,
because equally hardy, well armed
and impervious, yet not so rampant.
For rich bottom lands I prefer the
so-called Chiclcasaw Rose, which re-
sembles thu Cherokee, but with
smaller, closer, squatty, evergreen
foliage and less rampant habit. Up-
on the whole, however, the Cherokee
may prove the safest, if the experi-
ence of hundreds running through :t
period of fifty years or more in
South Carolina, Georgia, Mississip-
pi Ac., goes for anything, and espe-
cially considering the thousands of
miles of thorough fence of this plant
which exist. That it will Biiit equal-
ly well all soils and localities may
well be doubted. For the low sea-
coast prairie the G-uisachee or Wet-
jut chit will, no doubt, prove to be the
better hedging plant. For the thin-
ner and poor upland prairies it is
more than probable that the 0.sage
Orange will be the best adapted.
.1 had great confidence in tt««> restive
Cock's tp%r Hawthorn until this sea-
son, wl.ett it has been almost entire-
lly destroyed by a small insect of
ithe Aphis fiiiniiy, which operates
•underneath the leaf; and which same
insect has been very destructive to
iQilince trees. And from dread of
(this same insect, I say nothing of
ithe Pyracantha thorn, though as vet
ino damage has been done. In Wes-
item Texas, the^ Yvr.cn a Spanish bay-
■onet, and the Opuntia or Prickly
Pear, either separated or mixed to-
gether, in the end could I feel confi-
dent, be made to - form an impassa-
ble bariier. There is a small tree
here, of the Rhanuus or Buchthoni
family, called the India-rubber tree,
of which, too, good hedges could be
made. t
In this, however, it is not a ques-
tion of what skill and industry could
•or might do, but of what may be
•done economically and profitably.
The plant which when made into a
hedge must receive a certain and
verv considerable expenditure of la-
bor annually to keep it in the form
and serve the purpose of a fence, is
of doubtful value here for that ob-
ject. That some labor ought, to be
bestowed on a hedge of any kind, at
least once a year, is ?ure. But that
plant will best serve our purposes,
which will hold its own through a
year of neglect, should circumstan-
ces compel its b. ing neglected, and
will still continue to form a good
fence, and may again be brought in-
to its proper form as a perfect hedge,
so soon as circumstances will per-
mit the bestowal of the labor need-
ful. In the (three roses named, I
think we these plants—Chero-
kee, jQbickasawand whiteMicrophyl-
la. ,
It is true, I* could undertake con-
tracts to hedge, at so much per
¡mile. But it is doubtful if any have
:their hedge-rows ready for the plants,
Hence it would be better to h ive
ithat dono thoroughly during the
coming winter, and the planting
-could then bo done to some good
purpose the following fall. Still
where the intended lines of hedge
rhave been already in cultivation,
.-and not less than from ten to twenty
. miles in a neighborhood could bo
contracted for it, could be done now.
The terms as named in your adver-
tising columns, are $100 per mile;
payable when ope half the hedge is
planted, one-fourth after the dres-
sing and replanting is done the next
fall, and the remaining fourth the
fall following. The parties for
whom I hedge must prepare the
hedge-rüw thus—It should bo tlior-
■ougnly plowed, (having been broken
up at lenst one year before) to the
width of ten feet, and ns deep ns
possible. If done this winter to bo
planted next fall," a crop of cotton,
peas, sweet-nola oes might be taken
from it. As curly as practicable
in the fall it is to be planted, it
Ohcrold «gain be well broken up and
harrowed, ridging to the centre. I
then furnish the cnittings or young
plants, and plant. Whe young hedge
must then be tended by the owner,
as if it was ho much cotton. The
following full I prune and dress it,
replanting when need d. And again
thle owner tends as before, with
some little additional work as I
direct. The next full, I agaia pruno,
dress and arrange it, leaving it an
entire unbroken line of young hedgp,
which if properly treated, will form
a perfect fence the ourth year. I
will plant two rows of cuttings
giving a close and solid bottom to
the hedge.
I think our Ewtaw friend will
here find all of his enquiries an-
swered.
HSCELIAKEOIIS EXTRACTS.
Frum tha Loulnvlll* Journal.
Ternfflc Adveulure In the
namiuolh Cuvc.
The Wltent Crop of IMS.
The wheat crop of this year is
harvested, and there are many who
are interested in the quantity that
the whole country has pioduced.
Some have sold, and others have yet
to sell; some have bought, and oth-
ers have yet to buy. The quantity
produced and gathered will influence
the price of flour not only iu this
country, but ir foreign markets.
In this county, fifteen of the
States may be regarded as whi'at
growers. Very little is raised in
otlieiv.—not enough, for homo con-
sumption. New Yoivk, Pennsylva-
nia, Maryland, Virginia, North Car-
olina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missou-
ri, Ohio, Iówa, Illinois, . Indiana,
Minnessota, Michigan and Wisconsin r
are the wheat growing countries. Proctor, the enterprising
They raise the surplus which is car-
ried into the other Slates of the
Union, and supply the export-—de-
mand to foreign countries.
From the best information we can
gather from our exchanges, the fol-
lowing suggestions as to the crop of
1853, in the fifteen states named
above, may be relied on:
New York.— The crop is under
last year's about fifteen per cent,
but the quality is much better.
Pmtylvau'u.-—The crop is fully an
average one, but ten per cent less
than last year per acre.
Maryland.—llie crop is an aver-
age one, but less per ncre and better
in quality than last year.
Virginia.—"J'lie wheat crop in this
State is twenty per font less than
last year f«r the amount of ground
in cultivation, and the quality not
much superior.
Nurlk Carolina.—The crop in this
State is probably nearer a total fail-
ure than in any other, the yield be
ing fully fifty per cent less than last
year, and poor in quality.
• Kentucky.—The crop is above the
average, but less them last year.
The quality is, however, linsn.pas-
sed. •
Tennessee—The crop is a pjood one,
but under the average, the yield
per acre is good. The quality is
good.
Missouri.—The amount of the
wheat crop in this State is :uut fully
known, but it will generally com-
pare well per acre with the other
Western States.
Ohio,—The yield of wheat per
acie is fully twenty pet cent, less
than last year, but from the increase
of laud iu cultivation, the decrease
from an average crop will not much
exceed ten per cent. ,
Iowa.—The accounts from the cen-
tre of the Statu ill regard to the
wheal crop are very gloomy. Tho
crop will l.ardly average ten bushels
to thu acre.
Hlitwi*.—In Southern Illinois the
yield of wheat is ill out a fair aver-
age. rather under than over. The
winter wheat has been generally
successful, and spring wheat tin
reverse. In other parts of the State
the yield will not be over half the
usual crop.
Indiana.—In Indiana the yield of
wheat lias been from one half to
two-thirds of the average crop.
Minnesota.—The yield of wheat in
(his State is of better quality than
usual, and in quantity nearly two-
thirds the usual crop.
Michigan.—The yield of wheat in
Michigan is over two-thirds an aver-
age crop, and generally of good qual-
ity.
Wiianuin.—The crop of wheat Is
tip to the avorage, the greater ex-
tent in cultivation compensating
for any deficiency in the yield per
acre.— True Delta.
The Courier says that the Indian-
ola Railroad is to be twelve miles
long and c-.rwiect with the S. A. &
M. (>. Riarl, %ll bo built for $1«0,-
000, (if which $100,000 in already
subscribed.
At the supposed end of what has
always been cansidered the longest
aveuue of the Mammoth Cave, nine
miles from its entrance, there is a
pit, dark, deep and tervible, known
as the Marlestrom. Tens * f thou-
sands have gazed into it with
awe while bengal lights wero thrown
down into it to make its fearful
depths visible, but noue ever had the
daring to explore it. The celebra-
ted guide Stephen, who was deemed
insensible to feir, was offered six
hundred dollars liy the proprietor of
the cave if ho would descend to the
bottom of it, but he shrank from tho
peril. A few years ago a professor
a learned and bold man, resolved to
do what no ono before him dared to
do, and making his arrangements
with great care and precaution, he
had hnnself lowered down by
strong rope a hundred feot, but, at
that point his courage failed him,
and lie called out aloud to be drawn
out. No human power could ever
have induced him to repeat the ap-
palling experiment.
A couple of weeks ago, however,
a young gentloman ot Louisville,
whose nerves never trembled at
mortal peril, being at the Mammoth
Cave with professor Wright, of our
city, determined, no matter what
the difficulties might be, to explore
the depths of tho Marlestrom. Mr.
Qrietor
o and
procured a long ropo of great
strength, expressly for the purpose.
The rope and some necessary tim-
bers were borne by the guides and
others to the point of proposed ex-
ploration. The arrangements being
s 'on completed, the rope with hea-
vy frugment of rock affixed to it,
was lit down and swung to and fro
to dislodge any loose rocks that
would be likely to fall at the touch.
Several were thus dislodged, and the
long continued reverberations, ri-
sing up like distant thunder from
below, proclaimed the depth of tho
horrid chasm. The young heioof
tho occasion, with several hats
drawn over his head to protect it as
far as possible against any masses
falling from above, and with a light
in his hand and the ropo fastened
around his bod}*, took his place over
the awful pit and directed the
half dozen who held the rope, to
let him down into the Crimine nun
gloom. «
Wo have heard from his own lips
an account of descent. Occasion-
ally musses of earth and ro':k went
whizzing past but noue struck him.
Thirty or iforty feet from the top, he
saw a lodge, from which, as he
judged by appearance, two or three,
avenues led off in different direc-
tions. About a hundred feet from
the top, a cataract from tho side of
tiie pit went rushing down the abyss,
and, as Ire descended by the side of
the falling water and iu the midst of
the spray, he felt some appiehsiision
that the light would be extinguish-
ed, but his care prevented this. He
was landed at the bottom of the pit.
a hundred and ninety feet from ths
top. He found it almost perfectly
circular, about eighteen feet iu diam-
eter, with a small opening at one
point, leading to a fine chamber of
no great extent. He found on the
floor beautiful specimens of black
silex of immense size, vastly larger
than wero over discovered in any
other part of the Mammoth Cave,
and also a multitude of exquisite
formations as puro and white as
virgin snow. Making himself heard,
with great effort, by his friends, he
at length asked them to pull him
partly up, intending to stop on the
way.and explore a cave that bo had
observed opening about forty feet
above the bottom of the pit. Rea-
ching the month of thai cave, he
swung himnelf with mifcli exertion
into it, and, holding the end of the
rope in his hand he incautiously let
it go, and it swung out apparently
out of his reach.
The situation was a fearful one,
and his friends above could do noth-
ing for him. Soon, however, he
made a hook of the end of his lamp,
and, by extending himself, as far
over the verge as possible without
falling, he succeeded in securing
the rope. Fastening it to a rock,
lie followed the avenue 150 or 200
yards to a point where he found it
blocked by an impassable avalanche
of rock and earth.—Returning to
tho month ot this avenue, lie beheld
an almost exactly similar mouth of
another on tlio opposite side of the
nit, but, not being, able to swing
himself into it, lie refastened this rope
•round hie body, suspended himself1
mid-air, ho heard rapid and
words of horror and all
again over the abyss, and shouted
to his friends to raise him up. Tho
pull was an exceedingly severe one,
and tho rope, being ill adjusted
around his body, gave him tho most
excruciating pain. But soon his
pain was forgotten in a new and
dreadful peril.
When he was 90 feot from tho
mouth of the fait, and 100 from the
bottom, swaying and swingiug in
learu rapid and excited
arm above, and
soon learned that the rope by which
he was upheld had taken uro from
from the friction of the timber over
which it passed. Several moments
of awful suspense to those above,
and still more awful to him below,
ensnbd. To them and him a fatal
and instant catastrophe seemed in-
evitable. But the fire was extin-
guished with a bottle of water
belonging to h>mself, and tlieu the
party above, though almost exhaus-
ted by their labors, succeed in draw-
ing linn to the top. He was us calm
and self possessed ad upon his en-
trance into the pit, but all of his
companions, overcome by fatigue,
sank down upon the ground, and his
friend Professor Wright, from over-
exertion and excitement, fainted,
and remained for a time insensible.
The young adventurer left his
name catted in the depths of the
Malestrom—the name of the first
and only person that cvor gazed up-
on its mysteries.
« « t— .
Attack of the Indians ox a Pem-
bina Tbain—Tho St Paul Pioneer
gives tho following extract from a
letter received from James M'Fel-
ridge, collector of customs at Pem-
bina: It is with regrot that I have
to announce the mnrdor of (breo of
our people by tho Sioux of the
Plains. They wero on their way
from St. Paul, and within one days
maroh of Pembina, when the Party
was attacked, being only four in
number, by a party of nine Sioux.
Three of our men were killed and
scalped; the remaining one of the
party luckily made his escupc. I
think it is high time that tho gov-
ernment should do something for
our part of Minnesota. As for the
fort that is now being built on tho
Red River, near Point Graham, it is
no more protection to our traders
than Fort Ripley. The Sioux of the
Plains have hung around Pembina
and St. Joseph ull the summer, and
as the most of our people were eith-
er in St. Panl on the Plains, lying
in provisions for the winter, the few
that were left at home to make hay
and take care of the cattle, were
afraid to go out. The Sioux killed
and scalped a man within twenty
feet of his own door at St. Joseph,
in the month of July. Thece arc
facts, and should be attended to, as
there are a great many of our peo-
ple leaving here and moving down
the river to. the Selkirk settlement
owing to the lawlessness of the In-
dians and the failure of the govern-
ment to protect thu settlers.
■■ • 0 •
The Cooi.ie Traoedy at Manilla.
—Under dato of the 21st, lhe Wash-
ington correspondent of the New
York Herald Bays:
Tho State Department will do
what is proper in the case of Weeks,
American mate of the bark Wavor-
ly,-now prisoner at Sclville, Spain.
Both the late and present Consuls,
a5 well as the British Consul at Ma-
nilla, exerted themselves in procu-
ring able counsel and otherwise. to
save the prisoners, arid by these
means to obtain the liberation of
most of them, and commutation of
the puuishment of the mate and sec-
ond mate. Killing threo hundred
human beingB by smothering them,
pouring hot water down the hatches,
etc., seems a horrible crime; but
whethor Weeks and the first mate
were responsible, is a question. It
is understood at the State Depart-
ment that tho mate, Mr. French, is
dead. If thore be extenuating cir-
cumstances. and our Government
can Bave Weeks, it will.
— , i
Sixty-five "young men of color"
applied iu Boston tho other day to
the Governor's Council for authority
to form a military company under
tho laws of Massachusetts. They
were tefnsed on the ground that the
whole number of tho militia author-
ised by the State was now enrolled.
The committee to whom the matter
was referred refused to go into the
merits of the case. A good way to
dodge an issue.
° — • >■>■" ■ ---
Cairo, Illinois, is a hard place.
An old farmer, who had been badly
swindled, suiil of it: "If the Angel
Gabriel happens to light nt Cairo,
tliereM! bo no resurrection, for they'll
swindle him out of his tripnpct be-
fore tub can ttako It 11 Ogle WxJt*
An hnmblo invento? ot
in an exhibition of works
cd art, costly machinery
geous furniture, 'a few buddies Of
friction matches. They were Unno-
ticed. Visitors went there looking
for nome great thing, not realising
that tbe,deapised oackago of splits,
tipped with chemical fire, was the
greatest thing in the ¡.rond collec-
tion, destined to work a revolution
iu the means of procuring artificial
light, and to become a universality,
to be deprived of which would no
one of the greatest inconveniences
that could happen.
It is no more than twenty years
since tho tinder-tax was in universal
uso. It is abolished now. The in-
vention of tho friction match sprfctid
slowly; bu]t who nt this day would'
venture to say they could do wfltbont
it? Insignificant as they appear to
be, Bingie factories, with expensive
machinery, cut up large rafté óftim-
bor annually for matches.
Under tht< head of píos, wo find
that the manufacture of this indis-
pensable little instrument was com-
menced in tho United State between
1818 und 1820, since which time the
business has extended greatly, and
several patonts for the manufacture
of pins have been taken out. Tho
manufacturo in England and other
parts af Europe is conducted upon
improvements made in the United
StatOH. Notwithstanding the extent
of nur productions, in 1850 the Uni-
ted States imported pius to the value
of $40,255.
¿ i i 'i <'■■■■"
Tub New Post or Font Quitman.
•Tlio new post
(named in honor
of Fort Quitman
of the lato lamen
ted Gen. John A. Quitman) has been
located on tho San Diego Mail rpute,
HO mileá beyond Fort Davis, and ht
tho point whero the road first touches
the llio Grande. The following are
tho posts now on that route between
this and El Paso: Fort, Inge, Fort
Hudson, Fort Lancaster, Fort Davis,
Fort Quitman and Fort Bliss.
Capt 6, E. McLean, Quarteamas-
ter hero, yesterday dispatched soy-
euteen wagons loaded with supplies
for the new post at which two com-
panies of ínfarttry are to IMA station-
ed.—
"" ®7
A que *, of ^Wsfortanoe
to newspaper publishers wanreoont*
decided fc* *
munced aw
lyd
announced aworl
most HVely set)
Europe," Ac., whi
newspaper
advertisement.
that its rejection
tale of the book, tw
«suit, but the court
of the defendants.
Sd
Irishwoman appeared
y court at Louisville r
intcd guardian
the following
An
county
to bo appointed
child, when
ensued:
Judge—-What
child?
Plaze yer honor,
Stand you.
Judge—I say, what hoa
> Chills arid favor, piase j*r
i 'ie' S"S«j"i'ii i'1 Mi'
estate
I
don't UQder-
: .(
a paragraph concerning
loaves for yeast, as.a
of a lad
"Why, bfcs* yi
Ml
as anew discover?
in Rome. Ga., adds:—
ou, we have been us-
I was étoppiag last summer at
Capo May, and, of course my wife
was with me. About 8 o'clock one
morning I was awakened by a rev-
eille tap by my better halí. ''For
gracious sake!" shé whispered, "if
you want'to laugh, just listen to
that gentleman and llis wife hun-
ting a mouse iu the next room."
"üe ee-hw!" t murmured, half
awake.
"Now do just Wake up. To-mor-
row, when I tell the story, yon'll bo
sorry yoti wero not awake to the re-
ality." ,
Thus adjured, I awoke in right
earnest, too late to hear any of the
mouse hunt, but just iu time to hear
tho next room door open, and a lit-
tle quivering dandy voice, which 1
ut once recognized as that of Prink*
cy, cull out to óoihd distant night-
walker:
"Waitaw, waitaw, Waitawl"
No answer.
"Potaw, potaw, potawl"
"Watchman, Watchman, watch-
maul"
"That's me, sit," growled a deep
voice.
"Watchirtan, court* 1«*e dlwectlyl
We're it: gwate t+rouble! There's
a mouse in this npawtment, and it
nibbles all awottnd in a most dis-
twacted manner. I spoke to Mr.
Ha'wood abwout it, he pWbmised td
have the mouse wemoved, but he
hascn't dono it. Aw think it vewy
unhnnswome condwuct of Mr. Ha'-
wood to allow the mouse to wemain
after pwomising that it should be
wemoved. Watchman, Mrs. Prin-
key is vewy appwoheusive of mice.
Can't you come in and catch the
cweature?"
"Fraid not sir. It's too late, and
I should be sure waken rip some of
the boarders as might'nt like it"
"How widdiculous} Well, (a long
pause) watchman, cwoukln't you
just step down in the baw-woom
and get some cheese and cwackers
and entice the animal out into the
cntwy?"
A brief remkrk from tho watch-
man that the bar wi
Mr. Prinkcty back into b(l
haunted dormitory.
The Washington eortwpondent of
tho New York Times, says thatB.
S. Cottrell, commercial agent at
San .Tuari del Ndrte, is to be remo-
ved. The same authority informs
us that a nephew of ex-Govcinor
Bell, of Texas, is an applicant folr
tho place. i
ing nothing else for over two years,
and peach leaves have beén «tsed iñ
Spartanburg time ent of hdad foe
the same purpose—groen or i
dried- "it
The official report of <<!
Charleston for the week end
day,Sept 18 th, showsa tet
128 of which were from 1
ver an incieuse of over ;Sfl
rovious week.. Of the deaths by
ellow Fever, 99 vei*Mfeito adults,
28 white children,4t colored adults,
and 8 coloted ohildron. ; u.- iW
!« «I I. H,
A Hungarian. M-_ Leo* Av
baa. accoidiug to,
mado a new
of electricity, in ap
tho National Theatre, ,I<q
means, of ejleotr.ic W*
fferent pianos at the
The elcctilc battery
the wires wés íh an
■ i
In an advertisei
tato in WorCci
for sale;' the iucdottebr
in a UnO of
the tempting HtdtMl
chasers, "foitlotl
twelve hundred
Hon. A. «. «
gaged Hi wriil
bama. He} '
traditionáryand IrísMriénlroCordM i
the State—its discevsry, conquest
literary taste andoultlvatv^.,,, lMl
It is announced fa4htf
pera that Queen Vic ter Hi'
ted a frer pajdon to myc
named Craft, wqo w
six years imptisórínn
bor, for assault in kisSi
lady against ber will.
'<*!!«'! " U t!,
B
London corresc
the Canadian Leghilntu
Ottawa as me leat of €
after it had béeii solcoted
Queen is regarded ¡ in Engla<
insult to Her Majesty,
Capt. Townsend, of tlx 'ifliiHM1
Echo, urges in hts tttfflonce.it is said,
that he was not tlio real cWptalerof
the Rcbo, and alleged that ;4be mat
master of ths vessel ia a Spaniavd>
now in the State prison nt¡ CRwfy
ton.
m •«*•-
The propositirni'fer s Convention
to frame a now constitution for Tltn-
nesscc has been decided sgalMt Ink
'■ "the"
moral election for i
All the editots
•¡PP] pape*, M l'
the field as candi
military honors.
all be elected, one way
The Dallas fee
Agricultural
passed off, adm
mitrms brought
of the rich1 spec!
1 inmiiME' *
Miss Madeline Smith, who Wns {
for poisoning Ik
ago, is now making a ]
through this country. ,
in, .i <■ temwsi I mi i, ..
Passenger* V
STvffiSty
half.
The hi
York.
; ixwi ii r flirtM
Chicago Railroad..
\
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