Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-09-10
The FIRE COMPANIES In q recent commu.

nication Of the Mayor of Washington to the
City Councils, he invites their attention to the
statement of the Board of Trustees of the
Public Schools in relation to the sehool-ro
In the Northern Liberties engine house-it
appearing that " the room is used as Sleep
ing place tor persons who do not wake up early
enough to let the school in at the proper
| nour, and that Z" the room in the second story
| was appropriated for the school by the late
Mayor, and the room in the third story desg-
mated as the meeting hall of the fire company,
ana that this arrangement was at inc time
satisfactory to all parties, but that since then,
indeed, during tho holidays, the FIRE company
has removed the furniture of tho school and
| taken possession of tho school room, either
forcibly or surreptitiOasly.
The Mayor concludes with the following re-
marks:
"The habit of meeting nightly in the engine.
houses and of sleeping in them is full of de-
moralizing tendencies as we'll as q prolific
source of false alarms of fire, and even of in
cendiarism, and ought by all means to be
broken up. The powers Of the Mayor have
been exerted to accomplish this object, but
are too limited with the present police force to
keep such order as will insure tho preserva-
| tlon OF the public peace and the maintenance
OF inc supremacy of the laws. Jealousies
nave sprung up among some of the companies
winch lead to rioting and violence in almost
every instance they are called out, and these
dlhculties Will increase unless promptly sup
pressed. 1t is, then, highly proper, as well as
necessary, that the responsibility be met at
once by those whose duty it is to see that the
laws are observed and that the public peace is
maintained as we'll as good order established
and upheld.
Fire companies are established for the
purpose of eRgendering feeling Of security
In the public mind as we'll as for the purpose
of preventing the spread of fire, when it has,
either oy accident or design, been communi
Gated to buildings, and they cease to accom-
plish either object efficiently when, instead of
emulating each other in a commendabls zeal
and promptneSs in repairing to the proper
scenes for their operations, they meet together
Tor the purpose of trying who can throw most
stones and show the most utter recklessness of
law and decency In other cities the powers
OF dIs;rictlng and closing have been given to
the Mayor, and its judicious use has proven
beneficial If it should be tried and fail here
1t Will then become our duty to look for other
and more potent means Of obtaining efficiency
and harmony in our fire department.
| have been thus earnest because am
induced TO believe, from my own observation,
| that unless some change be made in the pres
cnt system its dsmoralizing influences will re-
suit In more injury to the class of youth who
| hang around fre-epgines and engine houses
than will be compensated by all the good the
lire companies can ever do"
The EXCURSION of the Light Infantry to
Old Point, Portsmouth, Norfolk DC offers a
fine opportunity for those of our citizens who
desire trip to the saltwater region. The
| party will leave Washington on Friday after
noon, at o'clock, in the steamer Powhatan,
and reach Old Point by o clock on Saturday
morning. thence to Portsmouth and Norfolk:
returning, they will leave Portsmouth on
| Sunday morning for Old Point, and remain
there until IL O'clock m, departing at that
hour for Washington, where they will arrive
| on Monday morning about 6 o'clock-thus
| giving excursionists time to be present at the
grand reception of the Infantry by tho mill
tary OF Portsmouth, to visit the Navy Yard,
big ship Pennsylvania. Norfolk, the Marine
Hospital, DC, DC and e day light view of
| the Chesapeake Bay, on the return trip.
NATIONAL TnEATRE.-The play of "Dreams
| of DeusiOn" won't off admirably last night.
| Miss Laura keene was as usual charmingIy
| accurate in her delineatiOn Of the fine part OF
Lady Harleigh, and Mr. George Jordan per.
formed the part of Sir Bernard Harleigh in a
manner evincing careful study Mr.. Dickin-
son also acquitted himself handsomely as DR..
| Pungent.
The following piece, Two Can Play 1t that
Came" went of with spirit, as did the con
Guiding one of Novelty" Tonight, " Tho
Marble Heart" and "Novelty" will be pre-
\ sented
| women IN MEMS CLorHEs-A great buzz
was created on Twelfth street to day by the
1 appearance of two young women in mems
| clothes, who had been arrested on the street
| and were taken to Justice Clark's office. They
| said they were from Philadelphia, aud gave
| their names as Charles l.. Moore and Charles
| Walters One Of them concealed her face while
at the Office, as if with some sense of shame
but the other was quite talkative, and seemed
Il rafh m OLE in har
| committed to Jail for further examination.
FATAL ACCIDENT.-Thomas Connaught,
| waiter, recently discharged from the National
Hotel, where be had been employed during
the late busy season, fell from an upper
window of Shadd's boarding house on Third
| street near the Avenue, about half-pas: two
o'clock this morning. and died few minutes
after he was taken up. 1t was thought that
the deceased had been drinking previous to
| going in his room
| A SORRY PUPPY.-The Organ, disguised
with the turn politics are taking is devoting
its columns to original " dog Stories" and on
| the principle, we suppose, that a 20 a fellow
feeling makes US wOndr0us kind" expresses
much sympathy and tenderness for the abused
| canine race. This is all right; but why,
oh Grinder, why the superAuOus e in "pun.
psy" Can't you spell your own name?
| TIE LIBEL SUIT, entered by Marshal Hoover
| against Mr.. Joseph Shillington, came up on
| p1stpOnement, before Justice Goddard, this
| morning. The defendant was present, pre-
pared for trial, and Mr.. Davidge appeared
| for the prosecution; but there being no wit
nesses present, tho case was dismissed.
| FIGHTING, ASSAULTS, &c Elizabeth Bell,
| Mary j. Foster, and Jim Clagett, fighting
Il securitv for neane .JuIia Grontop and Hapry
| Douglas, assault; dismissed. Eliza Lomax,
| Mary Lomax, and John Thomas, disturbing
the peace security for peace. These cases
were disposed Of by Justice Hollingshead.
WATCH RETURNS This morning there were
no cases for trial; the cells were occupied by
unfortunates permitted to lodge in them.