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A Vliglm ay man’s Career.■William 11:11, a patient in a private asylum near Glasgow, Scotland, died a few weeks ago. Many years ago there lived in Iredell county, Norik Carolina, a respected Presbyterian minister named Cur-mry, the pride of whose life was an only son, Nixon by name, in whose training the good man took peculiar delight. The young man won the affections of a young girl attending the same school, and so ardent was their attachment that no rival was suffered to come between them. When the girl reached the age of fifteen her devotion to young Curry became so manifest that her parents, wishing to secure for her what they viewed as a better alliance, forbade further intercourse between the two. As a natural consequence, clandestine meetingswere resorted to, and continued lor three years. At the expiration ol that period, the hand of the vouog lady was sought by the son of one of our Southern statesmen, and her parents tried to compel her acceptance, whereat she eloped with young Curry. The couple were overtaken. Then the young man turned and shot his rival, who led the pursuit, killing him instantly.— The young couple then renewed their flight. After a long and heated chase Cany took refuge withhis betrothed in the Alleghany Mountains, near the headwaters of the Catawba, and there, outlawed from society, he became a highwayman, and speedily achieved a dreaded notoriety by the number and character of his daring exploits. The Governor of North Carolina offered $5,000 for his arrest, and many, lured by the tempting offer* tried to hunt him down. Suddenlyhe was missed from North Carolina. It was supposed that ho had died, or that he had changed hisbase of operations. —----One day, at the time of the firstsettlement of the fertile delta of theSt. Francis river, in what is now Arkansas, an immigrant appeared in the district calling himself John Hill. He was a handsome, amiable man, and though having only moderate means, extended a generous hospitality to all who visited his beautiful little home, rendered doubly attractive by the presence of a lovely wife. In a short time he became the most popular man iu the settlement. lie was repeatedly elected to the Legislature, aud there he was distinguished for powerful and impassioned eloquence. He became a leader in the ranks of his party, was u member of the convention that framed the State Constitution, and represented his district inthe Senate of Arkansas.Hill’s most intimate acquaintances were the Strongs, four brothers, men of wealth aud ambition. A close intimacy sprang up between them, and Hill, in an unguarded moment, made the eldest Strong conversant with .his previous history, telling him that Ue was the notorious Nixou Curry, of North Carolina. Strong then requested Hill to resign his seat in the Senate, but Hill refused, and the brothers conspired to ruin him. Sending to North Carolina they procured a requisition for his arrest and a copy of the reward offered for his capture. The four brothers, powerful and determined as they wore, well knowing the character of the man with whomthey were to deal, procured the assistance of a dozen men, and, surrounding his house, attempted to effect bis capture. On approaching the main entranco and demanding his surrender, one of them was shot dead and three others were dangerously wounded, aud the attack was abandoned.The Governor of Arkansas published an additional reward for Hill's arrest, and hastily packing a few articles he set out with his wife and children for Upper Arkansas, where he knew of the existence of a band of desperadoes whose members he had reason to believe would protect him. He was overtaken at Conway Court House, and halting his wago n aud admonishing his wife and children to keep their places, he stepped forth in tfie face of his pursuers and in a few eloquent words told them why he quit North Carolina, at the same time assuring his pursuers that he would not be taken alive. The gallantry of the action operated in his favor, and the pursuit was abandoned. Constant pur suit had already made him morose and quarrelsome, and he began to drink heavily and resort to the gam bling table as a means of support.— One day in September, 18f5, while seated at breakfast he told his wife that he had a premonition of death, felt that he should be killed thatday before sunset. Calling his sonWilliam, a bright boy of fourteen, he made him swear to kill the man who should kill hia father.The Circuit Court of Pope county being in session he attended it with a young man named Howard, who was engaged to his eldest daughter. As soon as they reached the village Hill began to drink and exhibited an unusual disposition to quarrel. He insulted every one he met, and finally threatened to clean the court house; he dashed into the court room, to the consternation of judge,jury and lawyers. Young Howard tried to restrain him, but glaring like a tiger, be turned upon the youth and felled him to the tl jor, at the same time drawrfig a pistol he exclaimed : “ Kill me, or I’ll kill you !” The man, in a moment of extreme anguish, drew a knife and buried it iu the bowels of Ilill. He died soon after.Howard quit Arkansas, and several years later was heard of in San Antonio, Texas, where he joined the Confederate forces under the command of Colonel Long. At the close of the war he was met by William Hill, who, remembering the oath he had taken at his father’s instance, shot the former and fied to Europe. lie joined the French army and saved through the Franco-Prussiuu war, but was subject to fits of temporary insanity. Finally his case became hopeless, aud he was placed by his friends in an asylum near Glasgow, Scotland, where he recently died.The email Ocean..The German ocean or North sea, like the English channel, is supposed to have been once an inland plain or valley raised far above the level. The sea has but recently in vaded this pressing plain, submerged its forests, and superseded its river courses. The buried trees of its sunken forests are still standing, roo'ted in their own vegetable soil, although beneath the waves. Cromer forest, which dips into the waters fiom the coast of Norfolk, is the most famous of the submerged forests of the German ocean. At certain seasons, and especially after great storms, the stumps of oak, alder, yew, and Scotch fir are seen standing upright in the water.—The condition of the wood and ofthe fir cones (some of the latter obviously bitten by animals) tell us that the sinking of the land here occurred at no distant period in the physical history of our country.The remains of land animals, too, as well as of the forests they inhabited, are discovered in the bed of the German ocean. In his “Physical Geography of Norfolk” Mr. Woodward tells us that in less than fifteen years the fisherman of the village of Happisburg dredged up from their oyster bed as many as two thousand teeth of mammoths.— Bones and tusks of mammoths have also been fished up from these watery depths.It takes ns back to the time when the European mainland, instead of terminating, as it does tosday with the coast of Norway and France, stretched far westward in tbe unbroken area beyond the present coast of Ireland. These were the flourishing days of the forests of oak, oheatnut, alder and yew, which are now submerged iu the German ocean and the English channel.--• W-r-Shelter your stock. Too little attention is paid to sheltering stock iu this country. Our coid winter rains and biting winds are morepu-jurious to cattle thau the dry snowsof tbe North.
Newspaper Details
Cuthbert Appeal
Cuthbert, Georgia, US
Fri, Dec 03, 1875
Page 1
Full Page
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USA 22 Sep 2022
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