Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-04-01
The Canvass in Virginia.

! The State Of Virginia has not witnessed
for many years so exciting n canvass, ~ that
which is now being carried on between John
Letcher, the Democratic candidate for Gov
ernor, and William l.. Goggin the candidate
! Of the Opposition In the ANIMAL, of party
warfare, We have rarely seen recorded such
crueltics a. have been practicet-;maglna'
: tiyclv-hy the gentlemen we have named.
upon each other. Ii Mr.. Lctchcr'- friends
arc 10 be believed. honest John is a cruel
: Ogre of the most approved nursery-tale pat
tern, with similar propensities for human
! flesh. and equal powers of digestion. Mr..
Goggin on the other hand, if We are to credit
his partisans, i, what Senator Thompson
! would call bloody old bruiser,' whose on
ly delight is to pummel the aforesaid Ogre,
''hunest John Letcher." The suferings of
! both--on paper-haye been painful in the
| extreme In fact, the crueltics to which, it
is alleged, Mr.. Gogsiu has been subjected by
his rival Mr.. Letcher, may be truly said To
be without parallel. Forty times during
the canvass in Western Virginia. various
Democratic journals have solemnIy assured
their readers thar fletcher has swallowed
Guggin whole" One journalist, however.
| who is more cautious in his statements, SIM
ply declares that ''Goggin has been perfectly
used up" But another, who processes To
have been an eye witness of the feat, asserts
! that the wretched Goggn was swept fore
and aft, by canister. grape, and small shot,
was flayed pounded, thrashed, lacerated and
pummellcd to a jelly: was ground to pieces,
! chopped into mInce meat, and then-swa-
lowed whole" Incredible rs it may APP
pear, it is nevertheless true that during the
time the unhappy Goggin was undergoing
this horrible treatment Norfolk paper was
adding to his fortunes.
That u gentleman. who on one occasion,
had been mildly devourcd:' on a second
''catawompously chawcd up" on Il third.
"massacred' and who, finally. had been
ground to pieces and swallowed whole. y
should not only have survived these several
processes, but should be in condition to re-
| taliate upon his chiefadversary is one Of those
marvels which it would puzzle philosopher
to explain. ct, if we may credit the aSser-
tons of his friends, the same Mr.. Goggin, who
was confidently reported rs having di>ap-
peared down the throat of the rival candidate
was seen soon afterwards. dealing his
blows thick and fast Oh the unlucky head of
John LctchCr, every one of which went home
with telling effect Who John Letcher is,
it is very probable that most of our readers
already know; but it may he interesting TO
them to learn that, with regard To personal
appearance. he lis the pcrsonifcation of one
of the first families Of Virginia-dresses fine
wears large gold spectacles low down on
his nose-has a red head and fair skin
all of which we take for granted are distin-
gushing characteristics of the +. +. Vs.
But it sounds little queer to those who
have certain fixed ideas relative to time and
space to learn, that while Mr.. Goggin WAS
thus furnishing Mr.. Letchcr in Western |Ir
ginia. gentleman was pounding away IT
the same Mr.. Lctchcr in Richmond
journal says he hit poor L"tchcr many Il
hard lick. aud those Iicks were kecnly teIt.
for we saw Democrats winching under them
with our own eyes" After this ocular de
munstration of the fact, who would dare To
doubt that persons who are pummelled vica~
riou,ly must suffer terribly? But besides
direct assaults upon each other, both Guber-
national candidates are subjected to indirect
blows which are ostensibly aimed at their
particular friends and partisan>. Mr.. Cog
gin is made to suffer for the sins Of the Hon.
John W. Bolts, aud Mr.. Lctchcr for those Of
pr Ruffncr.-BaH. ETrh0HW.