SCRAPS OF NEWSPAPER. To our patrons, who looked for the prompt appearance of our paper this week, with its usual quantity of reading matter, we have to plead, as an excuse, the absence of our printer, the severe affliction of the publisher, and the norther. Our office is a very cold one, and it was almost impossible to work in it on Friday last. all about town. Plows were perched to roost on the tops of houses. Signe changed their locations, and effigies of good and pious men were posted along the streets. This year all was peaceable, orderly, and quiet. The reason of this difference is obvious. This year the thoughts have been directed in a civil channel by parties and balls. The Citizens' Ball, given Private parties are getting to be at the Nicholson House, on the 29th, quite common in Bastrop, we under- convened an array of beauty and lovestand. Several very creditable candy-liness seldom surpassed. The rough pullings are said to have come off dur- sex, when enjoying such society, foring the Christinas week, at which we get the moods which would lead to had not the good fortune to be present. shameful excesses. But speaking_of We notice these parties, for they are the ball-the supper prepared by Mrs. important to a good state of society in Beachboard gave perfect satisfaction, any place. Bastrop has for two years the music was excellent, and everything past enjoyed no enviable reputation in went off harmoniously. But alas, how this respect, and yet Bastrop has more time flies when shuffled off by nimble material than any town of its size in feet. The clock struck two, and all Texas. The substantial and wealthy were obliged to take note of time "from its loss." citizens of a place the merchants-the church members, whose interest as well as duty it is to improve society, should wake up on this matter. Let them give such magnificent entertainments as was given by Mr. and Mrs. C. K. Hall, on the 3rd inst. Liberality is not lost upon the young; and the liberal, social, and generous merchant will always succeed best, other things being equal. It is true that young people will have amusements, and to this end they will seek some kind of society. If the advantages of good association are denied them they often turn aside to evil practices and bad examples. Christmas week last year was one continual scene of mischief and drunken uproariousness THE party at Col. C- -'s, on the 28th ultimo, passed off to the delight of every one present, we believe. The supper-table surpassed all things except the beauty and charms of the ladies around it. Arrangements had been made for dancing, but no fiddler appeared, as was expected. But the Col. informed the boys that dancing had to be done, and no mistake. So a chunk of a fiddler was raked up from the suburbs, who went to work, and kept up that "same old tune" until a late hour DURING the past week a Mormon missionary has been holding forth in Gonzales. At his last meeting there, he "pulled off his coat and rolled up his sleeves-which, alas! caused stampede of the lady part of his audi ence. Soon after, he was escorted around the town to the music of tin | horns, cow-bells, etc., and told to leave ere the dews of night were kissed by early dawn, and he did nothin' shorter. -San Antonio Texan. and a gentleman who visited the stable. The hustler, who was considerably injured, but who, we are glad to learn, is recovering, hailed the gentleman, and, receiving no answer, made an attack on him, wounding him with a knife. The assailed returned to the hotel, followed by the assailant, where he seized a stick and knocked his adversary down, breaking his ribs, and otherwise AMICABLY ADJUSTED.-We are grati-injuring him. fied to learn from the Jefferson Herald of the 5th inst., that the pending diffi culty between Judge Grinstead, former editor of the Herald, and W. H. Parsous, of the Tyler Telegraph, has at last bceu amicably adjusted. The matter was submitted to a Board of Honor, by whose decision both parties agreed to abide. Grinstead selected Hon. W. B Ochiltree, Parsons selected Col. M. D. Ector, and the referees selected Col. J. C. Robertson. The board agreed upon the following terms of settlement: That all remarks and reflections emanating from either gentleman, tending in any manner to impugn the character for courage, honesty, or integrity of the other, and every remark of a personal character, which has fallen from either of the parties with regard to the other, be withdrawn. This being agreed to by the parties, it was determined by the board that no further cause of differ ence existed between them, and that they should meet and shake hands as friends. And thus ended a difficulty which at one time threatened to end in mortal combat. We are truly glad that this precedent for the settling of dit culties between editors has been estab. lished. We are decidedly opposed to the shooting mode of settling such disputes. It is very apt to derange the nervous system and destroy the appe tile. THE great train for El Paso left San Antonio on the 7th inst. The Western Texan states that the train is composed of one hundred and seventy wagons, and two hundred and ten men, besides the escort. Capt. Arthur, Ist infantry, commands the escort. A SERIOUS AFFAIR.-A fight oc curred on last Monday night, at or near the Thomas House, between a hostler SUDDEN DEATH.-A negro_woman, the property of Mrs. Lydia J. Cushney, fell dead on Wednesday morning last, it is supposed froin a disease of the heart. Western Texas. MR. EDITOR:--Perhaps you have come to the conclusion that I have forgotten both you and the Advocate, from my protracted silence; but, I can still are the objects of my most tender assure you, that both have been and ther caused me to be late getting to solicitude. Afflictions and bad wea my work, and have no regular plan of large, and a great portion of the work my circuit. The work being very quite new, it required much time to form such an acquaintance with the country as would enable one to write braces a portion of five counties, viz.: understandingly. My circuit now emVictoria, De Witt, Gonzales, Karnes, and Goliad, and three towns, Clinton, and Yorktown, in De Witt, the former being the county-seat, and Helena in I have Karnes, is the county-seat. twenty-three appointments, at some of which I preach two and sometimes my engagements, I must preach thirty three times per month, and if I meet sermons this (April) month. I have been much afflicted by bad colds, and on one occasion received an injury in the right side by any horse, yet my strength remains as firm as usual. I have a most beautiful country through which to travel, people remarkably kind, and generally anxious to hear preaching. I find in this country many who were once members of some branch of the Christian church, who emigrated without church letters, and failed to make themselves known is professing Christians, until an accumu lation of circumstances drove them into a condition which made them ashamed to acknowledge they had ever been church members. This, Mr. Editor, is a great evil under the sunand I know of no better agent through which to correct that evil than the printing press. Let all Christian editors sound the alarm, and warn all who wish to emigrate. ARTESIAN WELL.-Captain P. W. Humphreys has a subscription list containing a number of names of those wishing to take shares in a joint-stock company, for sinking an artesian well in Austin. Those favorable to the project should take shares. "We never played at Poker, nor permitted our negroes to do so.State Gazetle. But, Major! will you have the face to deny that you are not perfectly familiar with all the mysteries of the gaines of Bluff and Brag? R. D. CARR & Co.--The advertisement of these gentlemen will be found in to-day's paper. They have on hand a lot of children's clothing. Notwith standing Mr. Carr may not have found any need for using these aforesaid gar ments for small folk, yet we can vouch he shows them to fond maminas with as much gusto and sells them as cheap as 66 ary a man" in Austin. The Election in Bexar. The partial returns received from San Antonio, by Wednesday evening's mail, presents to the mind of the true American, and to every lover of his country, reflections of fearful importance. We care not to what party a man may be attached, he cannot be a true patriot who fails to discover in the result of the contest in Bexar and Comal consequences of direful import. He who argues that the unaniinity with which the German and Mexican vote was cast against the American candidates is an evidence of the purity of the principles of the anti-American party, inust also be prepared to reason that the thousands and tens of thou sands of European paupers who swarm the land, are more capable of self-gov. ernment, more deeply imbued with the spirit of republicanism, inore compe tent to perform the duties which the Constitution and laws of the laud require at the hands of every citizen, than those to the manner born; either these ignorant, vicious, besotted greasers, who have swelled to such an unprecedented extent the majority of the anti-American party in Bexar county, are wrong, or the seventy thousand intellectual, educated, and refined Virginians, who supported the Americau ticket at the late election in that State, are in error. Both cannot be right. The worst passions and the silliest fears of the deluded horde of Mexican peous, who populate to such a danger ous extent the county of Bexar, have been appealed to by a squad of blackrobed villains, who exercise over the minds of their miserable followers a despotisin inore absolute than that of any Turkish nobleman over those who people his seraglio. Into the hands of these priests, fellow-citizens, the ballot-box has been placed in San Antonio. Serpent-like have they entered into the jacals of their countrymen, and there hissed into the cars of the inmates the inandates from which a Mexican has no appeal, and the consequence has been, that on election day a horde of political lepers have crawled to the ballot-box, and there nullified the votes of thou sands of your countrymen, who had weighed well the principles in controversy. Great God! shall these things always exist? Shall a race of men, many of whom, in knowledge of Ame rican institutions, are inferior to the African-men who have proved themselves incapable of self government under the most favorable auspicesmust these men be permitted to wrest from the intelligent American the most sacred and dearest rights which he possesses, at the bidding of a priesthood, and the scarcely less corrupt deinagogues who can be always found ready to betray their country, and surrender their birthright for less than a mess of pottage. rotten We do not, so help us God, envy our enemies the unholy alliance by which they have acquired victory in Bexar. We record the result more in sorrow INDIANS.-MAY-BE-SO. We have been informed that on Monday night last, a party of Indians (so supposed) visited the farm houses of several of our citizens living on the San Antonio river, some ten or fifteen miles above this place, and drove off from eighty to one hundred head of horses. Thomas Lott, Esq., Capt. Barton Peck, and Colonel John A. Hodges were the sufferers. This report may be true, but we don't believe the Indian story. We feel satisfied that this stampede was made by the whites-or, as Jim Burk, an old ranger, would say, if they were not white then, they could be made so by taking them to a water-hole, and use a little soap on them. Several persons started immediately in pursuit of these rascals, and we hope will soon overtake them. Goliad True American, July 21, 1855. Excitement in Navarro County, Texas. A Man Hung and Barbarously Mutilated. In the Leon Pioneer of the 8th November, 1850, we find a long and shocking account of the progress of the excitement in Navarro county, growing out of the supposed theft of a couple of mulatto boys, belonging to Col. Elliot, of that county. Two men in Col. Elliot's employment were suspected, on the statement of a negro. One, named Elliot, was arrested, and a confession of guilt, impli cating himself and a man named Wells, forced froin him by tying a rope around his neck and threatening to hang him. The man afterward said the statement was untrue, and made to save his life. In his stateinent, the plan, he said, included the murder of Elliot. After get ting this confession, search was iminediately made by various parties for Wells, but without, it is said, succeed. ing in arresting him. On Friday, the 27th ult., his body was found in Chamber's creek, by some persons who were engaged in building a bridge, and who were hunting oxen at the time, and were attracted to the spot by a gang of Duzzards. When found, he was float ing near the surface of the water, between a forked limb, which had, to all appearance, been placed over him for the purpose of holding the body to the bottom. Around his neck was the print of a repe. His abdomen had been ripped open, and his bowels torn out, thus leaving but little doubt that he was hanged, and afterward his body thrown into the creek for concealment. The body, from appearances, had been in the creek but a short time, probably fourteen or twenty hours. The parties, or some of them, engaged in the search for Wells, are suspected of the murder, and their lives are threatened. One or two of them have gone to Corsicana and demanded a trial, alleging their innocence. Among the nine persons accused of this foul deed are some of the most respectable and prominent men in the county of Navarro; and, as our informant stated that they all stood their trial before an examining court, and were honorably acquitted, we shall omit their names-considering that, if innocent, it will be doing them injus tico, and if guilty, it will not forward the ends of justice. The barbarous and shocking mutilation described in the report of the jury, savors more of the fiend than of man; and, unless upon proof the most clear and convincing, we cannot believe that men of the high standing and honorable feeling that we know some of the accused to be, could have consented to such fiendish work, much less, aided and abetted it. A NEGRO KILLED.-We understand that a negro, the property of Mr. Geo. Smith, of this county, was killed by Capt. Callaghan, at his place on the Blanco, a few days ago. We learn that Capt. Callaghan had been molested several times, for two or three nights, by persons attempting to break into his house. The noise he made in arising scared them away, and each time he found the negro man in question near a woodpile. This probably excited his suspicion. In the mean time he learned that the negro was armed. He there fore ordered him to give up his arins4 six-shooter, and an unearthly, long, sharp steel blade. The negro refused to do so. The Captain then drew his six-shooter, and told him he must give up his arms or be shot. The boy diew his pistol, and told him to shoot, and seemed careless of his life. The Cap. tain then sent his little son to the house for his shot gun, and as the little fellow approached with the gun, the negro broke and ran towards a horse which he had staked out, with a view to mounting him and escaping. The Cap tain discharged his fowling piece at him without serious effect, and, the boy still running, he plumped him in the back with his six-shooter, and that was the last of "Poor Old Edward." The Cap. tain's experience with the "Injins" doubtless assisted him in this affair.Seguin Mercury. A Free State out of Texas. From various sources we have coine in possession of facts, which go to show that the Germans, French, Swiss, Hungarians, and other foreigners, will, ere long, make a strong demonstration to form a free State out of Western Texas. We have lately conversed with men from that part of the State, and they unhesitatingly aver that the foreigners there to a man are opposed to slavery. There are also men from the North who are insidious leaders in the movement, and are urging the foreigners to |