Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-01-07
EVENING STAR,
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

storm which commenced Saturday morning,
continued throughout that day and up to late
hour at night, and the ground is covered to the
depth Of six or eight inches.
The storm has caused general interruption
Ofrailway travel and of mail communication
The Saturdays trains Of 3 and p. m, from
Baltimore, did not reach Washington until
midnight, and the Sunday morning train
reached here aboutnine clock at night. The
northern mail train reached here this morn
ing at the usual hour.
Today, the avenues are alive with some Of
the finest turn-Outs ever seen here. With
gaily caparisoned horses, tinkling sleigh bells,
fast drivers, and gay women, it is not hard to
imagine that some folks are having a good
time. Probably the poor horses have another
opinion about the fun of sleighing. The crude
boys who cannot sleigh-ride, revenge them
selves upon those who can, by driving we'll
directed snow-balls at all passers; thus man
aging to extract some fun from their disap-
pOintments
Yesterday, a party IF urchins rallied near
the corner of Eleventh street and the avenue
and, after forming quite an arsenal of the
hardest kind OF snOw-balls, commenced a reg
ulsr cannOnade upon every body within range.
One Jehu, infuriated by smart hit, in at
tempting to pursue and ohastise his assailants,
upset his establishment, occupants and all.
However, no bones were broken, and, with
considerable laughter and some shaking out Of
rumpled feathers, all was speedily righted.
One stout lady Of the party left an impression
upon the snow, which is yet visible to the
naked eye from the Star Office. This group of
urchlns were no respecters of persons, and
Secretary Marcy and Postmaster Berret were
peppered most numerically as they drove IN
susplciOusly by the masked battery.
In connection with this storm we annex
description, given by passenger, Of " time
OF 1t had by the Saturday train from Balti-
more
The Washington Branch Railroad in a
SHo1c StOTm.-Never was the condition of
confusion worse confounded'' to a greater
extent exemplifed than on the passage of the
5 clock p. IN. train from Baltimore to this
city on Saturday last. 1t had been showing
briskly all day, and the track was covered to
great depth with the wintry element The
train alluded to arrived at the Annapolis
junction on time, but finding itself without
wood, backed on the Annapolis road and sup
Piled itself. 1t then pushed on and reached
point one mile and a half this side of the
junction, when ii stuck fast, refusing either
TO move backwards or forwards. Then the
biggest fuss commenced that was ever heard
amongst the same number of people. Captain
Owens was the conductor and did everything
TO relieve the train from its position, but it
was no go. Reflections upon the Camden and
AmbOy accident conjured up in the minds of
some of the passengers visions Of trains run
ming into them behind and in front. Like
Gen. Scott they imagined they had fire in
front and in the rear. Where is the half-past
O'Clock train from Washington, T" cries one
big cOwardly looking six feet giant. What
shall We do; it will run into US" continues
he. This started the fever, and Immediately
all the passengers took it. Each one looked
rs If his time had come. Windows were
thrown up, and innumerable cries of 90 Where
is Captain Owens?" The female passengers,
dressed in their silks and satins, cried for dear
Car tain Owens. As soon as the captain heard
the efforts Of their beautiful lungs he appears
amongst them, and Immediately they all wish
him to talk to them. Such Babel of sounds,
Spare our ears from the infection. ooh, dear
Captain, don't let anything happen to US
Won't this, and that, and the other train run
into US 20 and so on it went, until the CAP
tain, recovering with his usual grace from
the natural embarrassment of the scene con-
sOled them with the assurance that nothing
should happen to them while he was about
The men were pulling out their time pieces,
calculating the time it would take such
train to reach them and slaughter them, and
seemed, unless they we're believing for the
captain, to be making their peace with their
Maker. After remaining stationary until 10
O'Clock m.-something over FIVE hours
they were reached by the o'clock express
train from Baltimore, provided with extra
power, to which all the passengers were trans
ferred, which enabled them to reach the city
about 10 o'clock a. m, yesterday morning.
ROBBERY AND ATTEMPTED ARSoN-Yester-
day morning, after a IN, Mr.. NJ. A Hoffar,
the proprietor Of the small matchmaker and
jewelry store in the Star Buildings, located
between our counting room and the music
store Of Mr.. Hilbus, went into his shop, find
sng the front door unfastened. He imme-
diately discovered that he had been robbed
OF everything whatever Of value, watches,
trinkets, tools, &c, left by him on the prem
lses over night, except seven Connecticut
clocks, and that his store was on fire. With
the assistance of three or four persons hastily
called in, and the plentiful use of the snow go
abundantly at hand, the FIRE was speedily ex-
tinguished. 1t seems that the burglar or bur
glars, after receiving their booty, had kindled
FIRE underneath the centre of his counter,
or in one of the drawers thereof, which burnt
the drawer to a cinder, and much of the coun
ter, as well as a hole perhaps two feet square
an the thick pine floor, letting the fire fall
down into the cellar. 1t is impossible that
the fire could have been long raging, as its
effect upon the clock frames and the partitions
In the store was that of sudden and very in
tense heat, blistering everything in the room
as badly as though camphene had been spread
over it plentifully and then fired. A fire 80
klndled has peculiar effect, and goes out
usually before completely destroying the OBJ
jects sought thus to be burned On the front
doors are marks of splitting or splintering off
small pieces Of the outside edges (of the double
Doors where they come together, but the
hinges, hasp, lock, bolt, &c, worked as we'll
as ever, and showed no sign Of violence hay-
ing been used upon them.
Mr. Hofar's loss, he tells us, is about s100,
As near as he can estimate. He had no insur-
sance whatever. Since he has been our ten
ant, when he moved to this city from Balti
more we have found him to be steady in
dustrious, punctual, aud saving man lie
says that he found that the door leading from
his store through the back portion of the Star
ONCE premises, which he locked before going
home on Saturday night, had been unlocked
from his premises. Nothing whatever was
disturbed On our premises or on those Of Mr.
Hilbus, nor was there any evidence that the
burglars and incendiaries (if there were more
than OneD had ventured further in the Star
Buildings than Mr.. Hoffar' store. This act of
double fendishness was evidently penetrated