"Che Conservative , 7 fi &
DEATH OF CAPT. JOHN CODMAN.
A Boston despatch announces the
death in that city last evening of Oapt.
John Codman.
Oapt. John Codman was born in Dor
chester , a part of Boston , Mass. , on
October 16 , 1814. His father was an
orthodox clergyman , who was settled
there and died in 1847 , after a ministry
of nearly forty years. At an early age
he was sent to various boarding-schools
and finally to Amherst College. Ho re
mained there less than two years , when ,
as he himself put it , he "was glad to
accept the polite invitation of the faculty
to leave , especially as it was extended
for the commission of certain irregu
larities of which I was entirely inno
cent. " Soon afterwards he went to sea ,
first as a clerk on an East Indiaman in
1884. Conceiving a desire to adopt a sea
faring life as a profession , he put him
self through all the minor grades , until
he arrived at the command of a ship in
1841. His voyages were to the East
Indies , South America , Europeaud about
the world generally. The latter part of
this career was passed on steamships ,
and it was concluded in 1804.
"Ten years before that time , " he
wrote in recent years , "I had forseen
the inevitable decay of our commercial
marine , under our system of nominal
protection to American shipbuilding ,
which prevented us from ship-owning ,
and I have since my retirement devoted
a great deal of time to what I consider
to be the only means of its resuscitation ,
free ships , and I have done what I could
to advocate free trade in general , while
free ships have been my specialty. 1
have labored for free ships 'in season
and out of season , ' and I have done it
solely and absolutely from love of my
old profession , and from a desire to give
employment to my old comrades and to
those who might be their cuccessors.
For this I have been accused of receiving
'British gold. ' The shipbuilders have
circulated these falsehoods , and on one
occasion because I told their advocate ,
Gen. Negley , who repeated them to me
in the Arlington House in Washington ,
that he was repeating what he ought to
know was a lie , he assaulted me on the
spot , and they reported through their
organs that I had assaulted him. " This
labor of love he continued with una
bated ardor and constancy to the very
end of his long and active life.
The captain was a very familiar figure
in literary and journalistic circles in
New York city , and was a great per
sonal favorite , not only with men of his
own age and standing , but with those
of much later generations. Remarkable
as was his physical vigor , which , at the
age of eighty-six years , had suffered
but little abatement , it was , perhaps , less
noteworthy than his indomitable youth
fulness of spirit , his unimpaired keen
ness of intellect , his lively humor , and
the zest with which he maintained his
interest in all the happenings of the day. I
It was his delight to meet his chosen as
sociates as at the dinners of the Twi
light club and disouHS the questions of
the hour with abundant knowledge and
wonderful animation. He loved a good
story very heartily , and had a largo col
lection of them , gathered from every
clime , which he related with admirable
force and point.
For many years ho used to pass his
summers in his cottage in Idaho , which
was but a long day's ride from Salt Lake
City. He was on excellent terms with
his Mormon neighbors , and was very
tolerant in his estimation of them ,
while acknowledging the faults of their
social system. The subject was one on
which he was always prepared to dilate.
One of his greatest enjoyments was
riding on horseback , and to this practice
his longevity was doubtless partly due.
He was in the habit of making long
riding excursions , in the company of his
wife , and he published some interesting
notes of his equestrian travels in 'Winter
Sketches from the Saddle by a Septua
genarian. ' His passion for the sea never
deserted him , and in the later years of his
life , when the summer heat on this side
of the Atlantic became oppressive , he
thought nothing of a trip to Liverpool
and return by the same steamer after a
a week's running about in London.
Recently his time has been divided
between this city and Boston , and he
employed his leisure in frequent contri
butions to the newspapers and maga
zines. His signature "J. O. , " has been
written to many articles for the Evening
Post. Some books of his , too , have
been favorably received 'Sailors'
Life and Sailors' Yarns,1' 'TenMonths in
Brazil , ' 'Mormon Country , " and the
'Round Trip.1 One of his latest vol-
um'es contained his reminiscences of the
Crimean war , and was full of amusing
anecdotes founded upon his experiences
as captain of a transport , and of his
customary shrewd comment.
In 1847 he married Ann Qertrude ,
daughter of Anthony Dey of this city.
Their only child was a daughter , the
wife of F. V. Parker of Boston. New
York Evening Post.
COREY TO BRYAN.
The following suggestive letter , writ
ten by a former well-known and pnpu
lar candidate for governor of Penusyl
vania , was sent , by the writer , to THE
CONSERVATIVE for publication.
Hon. WM. J. BRYAN ,
Lincoln , Neb.
MY DEAR SIR :
You have not a ghost of a show of
being elected to the office of president
of the United States. This is so trans
parent a fact that I do not believe there
is an intelligent democrat in the United
States who sincerely thinks you have , or
really desires to see you elected , and not
only so , it would be a calamity such as
has'never befallen the American people ,
and dishonor to yourself to be elected
upon the Chicago platform of 1896.
This being the true state of the ease ,
there is but one wise patriotic thing for
you to do. Wise with special regard to
your own best interest. Patriotic as
regards the interest and claims your
country have upon you , in , that recog
nizing the truth in the premises by un
selfishly standing aside aud allowing the
democratic party to nominate George
Dewey upon a common-sense platform ,
you have it in your power to prevent the
great calamity and disgrace to our coun
try of having to endure the present poli
tical demagogue , Wm. McKiuley , for a
second term. The honor of having pre
vented such a calamity to our common
country should be sufficient to prevent
you from a second time experiencing
the chagrin of being turned down by a
time-serving political mountebank. If
you are not purblind to your own best
interest aud every consideration of pat
riotism and love of country and con
trolled and governed by an irresistible
egotism , yon will stand aside and allow
your party to nominate the only man
possible for the democratic party to *
elect , for , ten chances to one , Dewoy's
personal vanity , on being elected to the
high office would result in his dropping
off as did William Henry Harrison and
Zachary Taylor thus leaving the way
clear and the only possible way of your *
ever sitting in the presidential chair.
Mark the prediction. Are you not equal
to the occasion ? May wo not hope so ?
Yours respectfully ,
J. B. COREY.
Pittsburg , Pa. , April 5 , 1900.
NATIVE SILKWORMS.
Mr. L. O. Howard , entomologist for
the Department of Agriculture , makes
the following observation relative tea
a specimen of the cocoon of the ceoropia
silkworm sent him from Nebraska City
for identification :
"This is the largest of our native
silkworms , and feeds upon the leaves of
apple , pear and other plants of the rose
family. The caterpillar is a very large
and conspicuous species , green in color ,
with red warts on the fore part of its
body. It is very seldom sufficiently
abundant to cause any especial damage ,
but , should it become very abundant , it
is readily controlled either by handpicking -
picking or by spraying with an arsenic
al solution. The cocoon is composed of
tough , coarse silk , and experiments have
been made in the effort to utilize the
silk commercially. There seem , however -
over , to be insuperable difficulties in
reeling the thread from the cocoon.
The chrysalis in the specimen sent had
been destroyed by some bird , apparent
ly by a woodpecker. If the other
cocoons on your trees are in the same
condition , the caterpillars will not be
noticed this summer. "
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