The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-12-03
THE DAILY DISPATCH.

4
THE DAILY DISPATCH.
e~-..1sy ~~e~,"1"11 Nlsrn.ns, December 3. Is56.
THE MAEAssA GAP RAILROAD ACCIDENT
fartn Pdrficntars.-Ac correspondent Of the Alex
andria Sentinel gives that paper additional par
ticuiars of the fatal accident on the Manassa Gap
Railroad, in Warren county, Va, which was
mentioned yesterday. He says:
Ii IL our melancholy duty to announce the most
serious disaster that has ever happened to the
Manassa Gap Railroad, being no less than the fail
ing IN OF TWO thirds Of the Bridge across the South
6ranch OF the Shenandoah River, and the carrying
down In general wreck the entire burden train,
and with II the tour hands on board together with
one OF the citizens of this county, John G. Buck
Esq, agent at Buctons tation
The disaster occurred about sunset Saturday
evening, the 29th Nov. as the train WAS on its
way to Woodstock John C. Peaster, engineer,
survived but q few moments after being taken from
the ruins William Nicols, fireman, lived . few
hours, and Thomas Fulton brakesman died the
next day about O'Clock in the evening John G.
Buck, Esq, still survives horribly mutilated, with
put little If any hopes of his recovery.
Geo. w. Riley, the Conductor made . most mi
raculous escape without serious injury, and is
the only person left of the i'll fated train to tell the
tale
Our citizens promptly repaired to the scene of
the disaster and rendered all the assistance in
their power. The wounded were taken to the
nospifabie residence of ]. r. Richards, ESQ.,, near
by. ........
Drs Buck, Turner and Brown were as soon as
circumstances would permit, on the ground, and
nave been unceasing in their attentions.
The piers of the bridge are uninjured. The
hrst giving way was thought to be near the CEN
tire OF the bridge-that part between the two
piers in the river first falling in and then that
portion next the abutment on the northwest side
OF the river, upon which was all the train, when
1t went down. The engine, it Is thought had
reached the abutment, but was drawn back by
the four cars behind, heavily ladened with brick,
plaster, goods, &c. The loss must be heavy to the
Company, besides the bridge, and the cars. are q
mass of ruins, and the engine must be seriously
damaged.
No person on the train could possibly be
blamed The steam was taken off before enter
ing on the bridge, and the train was moving
slowly across. There are various speculations as
to the cause 1t is most probable there were some
defects not observed either in the mbers or irons
OF the bridge or the screws.
IMPORTANT CHURCH MOVEMENT IN ENGLAND.
The Society for the Liberation of Religion from
State patronage and control," was held in Lon
don on the 7sh ult. Mr.. Apsey Pelatt, M. p, and
Mr. Mail, p, were among this speakers. Reso
lutions were adopted, opposing the church and
State connection, and various statistics were 81
ven supporting the movement
PAINFUL SCENE IN A COURT RooM-The trial
and sentence of VIM. Abram, of Canada West,
for the murder of bis son, at Toronto, has been
published The following painful scene took
place in court when the unfortunate man was
brought up to receive his sentence
When Abran was placed in the dock, there
was death like stiffness in the court. The pris
oner looked somewhat haggard, and appeared to
feel acutely the awfulness of his position. The
Judge having asked him what he had to say why
the sentence of death should not be pronounced,
he drew paper from his pocket, and, having
placed on his spectacles, proceeded to read it
1t was to the following effect:
Ny lord, awful as my position is at this mo.
ment, trust God in His mercy will give: me
strength to meet it, In the faith and with the
humble resignation of Christian hope, through
the blood of my Redeemer to be saved in the world
to come Ny life, my lord, for years past has been
one of distress, wretcbedness and misery, doubt
less in great measure owing to my weakness,
and not exercising proper restraint over nat
urally vile temper under a state of excitement. L
have no desire to live now except 20 make my
peace with God l am not conscious, my lord, OF
having any intention to take the life of my son;
although do not murmur at my fate, as was no
doubt the cause of his instant death.
II cannot'pretend to dispute or question the state
ments made by the witnesses, owing to the state
of my mind at the time of this distressing and
heart-rending occurrence. forgive my enemies,
and hope they will forgive me- that may die in
peace with the world. l have, from my heart,
forgiven all my family for ausht in which they
have erred toward me, and have disposed of all
MI worldly estate equally, nearly SO, among
them, leaving . small sum only to the parish
church to which have been in the habit of re-
sorting and where have at times received great
comfort and consolation. My lord, was sixty
four years of age on the 10th of July last"
TEXAN REMIN1sENCEs-Thed death of DR. Branch
T. Archer, of Texas, has been published. An
obituary notice published by Major Demorse of
the Gainesville, Texas, Standard, contains the
following
Gone at last is the old Roman, whose stalwart
form and Cato like look, is associated with the
earliest remembrances of Texas, which cling to
the minds of many of its old settlers When we
think of Branch Il. Archer, inevitably we think
of Austin and the two Whartons, all now gone
and of Tom Mckinney, and Mirabeau B. Lamar,
still above the sod, and still, we doubt not gene
rous and whole hearted as of old. Our mind re-
verts to the sand beaches called Valasco and
Quintans, at the mouth of the Brazos. the CEN
trail point from which radiated military action In
1896; we think of the princey hospitality of Ea
gle Island; the high hopes and desperate resolves
of the leading minds Of the Republic. 1t il all
now, like a dream, bright and peculiar. At Vel
asco, Archer's old home we saw Hunt and Hen
derson step on shore, at their first landing upon
4th of June, 1886, the little navy of Texas, to
which we were attached; and st. Anna, who had
embarked on the Invincible, for Mexico, in pur-
suance of the treaty with the President and Cab
met, was forced to return, at the command of the
volunteers present, acted upon by Lamar's speech
Of the day before.
We recollect distinctly his backward passage,
with Hunt one side of him, and some one else on
the other as a protection; tie angry volunteers
crowdng to the bank, and the momentary expec
ta,ion, that some one would avenge the wrongs OF
Fannin and his men, by shooting him as he stepped
on shore The ex dictator looked nervous, but es
capped the peril as by the breadth of hair. Those
memories all come to us with the name of Branch
L Archer. He was part of the old Republic and
. fixture of Velasco. In his company and that Of
Austin the two Whartons. and Cazeneau, we went
from Velasco to the Army on the Colette, in An.
gust of that year, in compliance with call from
Rusk for volunteers. We passed VIM. s. Fisher
and bis company, on the way. Archer was taken
sick from the exposure of the trip, (it rained
excessively and came near dying But good
constitution triumphed, and he lived to become
Secretary of War under Lamars administration.
He is gone and we shall see few more like him
with gentlemanly simplicity of character com
bined with Roman nerve, and stern, high sense of
duty. Branch /. Archer was from Virginia to
Texas, and was q brother of William s. Archer
formerly United States Senator from that State.
the body of . man apparently about fifty years If
l-It L. A. e