The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-05-30
LOCAL MATTERS.

- ~Ss
up on one of the benches fast asleep having long
whip and rope by his aide, and supposing him to
be some drunken ioafer, who was attempting to
swindle the city out of nights lodging aroused
him from his nap and took him into custody. Al
ter asking few questions and making . careful
examination of his person. the officer found that
bis prisoner was the notorious horse and cow thief
EDWARD DUsNAyAHT alias WIN. JONES. whose
marvellous feats in rcguery had entitled him to the
appeIlation of Jack Sheppard the second Know
ing the character of the prisoner, watchman Boze
took an extra grip upon his arm, and never releas
ed it until he landed him in the second station
house, to be locked up for the night.
Dunniyants accomplishments may be Judged Of
by the fact, that few months since he stole q
horse in the vicinity of Petersburg, and after.
wards made his escape, Notwithstanding the fact
that he was pursued by party of men for miles,
he being on foot and most of them mounted A
gentleman who knows something of his running
qualities says he Ia as feet IS an antelope and a.
enduring q red fox. The next we hear of this
rare bird he made his debut in the neighborhood
of Manchester, and soon thereafter the fine cows
and fatted calves of that quiet town began to dis.
appear This game was kept up for several weeks,
until finding himself suspected and watched,
when he crossed the river into Heurico county
and renewed his business of COW stealing by driy-
ing off and offering for sale fine mch COW, the
property of Robert Cartwright. About the same
time MIR. John Pearce, at the Poor House. missed
valuable calf, and Dunnivant was known to
have been lurking about the premises on the day
that the sucking" took leave of its owner there
is very little doubt that he could easily tell what
became of it. .,t
But the extraordinary talents of this wonderful
genius were not eRtirely expended on horses and
cows as can be abundantly proven. On the 18th
OF April last he robbed Mr.. VIM. NJ johnson of
several articles of wearing apparel, and a small
quantity of jewelry and money by way of keep.
ing his hand in. During the progress of the Spring
races, the prisoner made his appearance on the
race course and soon after fell afout of and beat
another man unmereifuly, seeing which, gang
put after him to punish him for his audacity but
feeling no opposition to be crowded he offered them
leg bail, and as none of them could overtake him.
he gained the woods, outran his pursuers, and es.
capped the righteous sentence which Judge Lynch
would most assuredly have inflicted upon him had
he fallen into the hands of his pursuers
Dunnivant alias Jones is about % wears old 4
feet or 10 inches high, well built and muscular
and possesses the countenance of desperate If
there is any truth in physiognomy he lacks neither
lne WIN nor the courage to perform any deed, how
ever daring, either for gain revenge. He pro-
fesses to be ignorant of the place of his BIRTH and
when arraigned yesterday morning, was not at all
disposed to be communicative. He has been COM
mtted to jail until Saturday next when he will be
examined on some OF the charges preferred against
him, if his presence is not demanded in the neigh.
borhoOd of Petersburg to answer for horse steal.
ing.
A Court Sccae.--Yesterdaym morning, an old and
infirm man named Robert Wexford who Ia sorely
afflicted with palsey, and his wife, Mary Ann,
made their appearance before the Mayor, to testi-
fly against James Kertch, whom they charged with
cruelty assaulting and beating the first complain
ant last Tuesday evening, at his own door, with
out cause or provocation The husband began his
story by declaring that he had given the accused
no otfence-had never interrupted him in any
way-but that the accused had first thrown a
bucket of water on him, aud then caught him by
the back of the neck, choked him until he was
nearly lifeless, and given him a blow in the eye,
which nearly deprived him of sight.
Mrs. Wexford began her evidence by saving
that she was q member of the church-that on
arising from her knees after a fervept PRAYER her
ears were sauted by the cries of her child and on
looking out the window. found the prisoner had
long pole and was stirring up her darling boy by
frequent strokes. Even this violence did not ex-
cite her ire, for she possessed within her that
which calmed her troubled spirit and she
made no complaint, feeling that she was unpro:
tected and in the hands of her enemies Some
time after, the cries of her darling old husband
luted her ears, and fearing for his safety she open
ed the window and piped out murder at the top of
herlvoee This brought in the neighbors, and dear
old Bobby was saved from massacre.
Atthe close of this meek tale of suffering and
endurance, five neighbors were introduced for the
defence, all Of whom swore that Mrs Wexford
was complete virago-that she got drunk, beat
her husband, knocked down her chiIdren-abused
her neighbors-insuted strangers-and kept the
dirtest, most disorderly house to be found outside
Tuesday afternoon this amiabe lady wilfully
emptied a bucket of dirty water on Mrs Kertch
and an old lady and that she had even threat
ened to fire the house in which she lived These
statements brought the m adam to her feet about
dozen times, and the police had great difficulty in
keeping her quiet; but when the Mayor ordered
her to be taken to Jail and her husband to the poor
house, she burst forth in a torrent of abuse and
rage, aud like the escaping steam of an engine,
created such an uproar and confusion that th.
Off polIo cd IN fsk
the court room in order to enable his honor to pro
ceed with the business of the day Unfortunately
for her piety and goodness, she was veil known TO
the court and had never failed to produce row in
every neighborhood in which she located.
Taking the 0rong Paats--On the 5th of last De.
cember, William Curtin accidentally carried of
pair of pantaloons belonging to Thomas French
and as he forgot to bring them back, French was
unkind enough to get a warrant against him for
theft. Yesterday morning Bill appeared before
the Mayor to answer the charge, confident that he
had been guilty of no offence in borrowing pair
of indispensables without the consent of the
but as the witnesses for the Commonwealth were
not present, he was locked up with Lipscomb's
boarders to be examined at some future day
No papers.-fsaiah Jackson, free boy was ar
rested with Il A. Pattersons pass, and as he had
no register of his freedom with him, he was sent
to the gloomy shades of the Valley to be taken care
of. a
+ Iasolence Striped dresses have become so very
fashionable, that even the negroes prefer wearing
one made by cowskin to going without It. Yes
terday morning free fellow. called Ned Smith,
was convicted before the Mayor of insolence TO
white man, and ordered stripes enough to make
two fall suits, if properly arranged.
Laid ore.-The charge against Bill James, q
free negro, for stealing keg of sugar from canal
boat last Wednesday afternoon, will be examined
into soon Is the witnesses can be brought before
the Mayor. Bill was seen to pass the keg TO a
drayman standing on the basin bank, who, no
doubt, had been engaged to take it away for him
RunaDay-Jim. slave TO NlMerriman, was ar.
rested by the watchmen last Wednesday night and
comitted to Jail yesterday to await the orders of
his owner. He acknowledged being runaway At
the time of his capture
Bound opa.--Thomas Austin and William Cur.
tin were arrested and Gagged last Wednesday af.
ternoon, for being engaged in fight on I'd street
Curtin it is said, using rocks freely during the
melee, but being bad m&rksmau, did his antago-
mist no injury with them. The Msyor committed
both parties to jail yesterday morning, In default
of baifo their good behavior.
High Price-Messrs Green & Hobson, of this
city. sold hogshead of tobacco, made by Mr.. A.
J. Chandler, OF North Carolina, to- Messrs Cosby
& Winfree. yesterday morning, for 425 per hun.
dred weight. This, we believe is the highest prics
paid for manufacturing tobacco this season.
p.urn~ Pa.s-Eor sevaraI sl~ vs ns a fcur cy