The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-08-17
LOCAL MATTERS.

Dv,seNfag H0FS.-A slHSuiuE prosecution
was commenced In Henrico county yesterday.
the faets connected with which We append =
KoBERT JoRpAS and his daughter SARAH,
charged with stealing horse, the property OF
Joseph sharpe. on Saturday morning last, app
pearea before Justices Alice and Taylor toan-
swer. At u o'clock The Justices took their
seats, and Constable Thomas called the wit
nesses, who testified as follows:
Joseph Sharpe swsrn: On Wednesday morn
ing iasi, abont O'Clock, saw Miss Jordan In
my pasture; she appeared TO he irving 10 catch
my coli; watched her manruyres for some
nIleth minutes or more. When she failed 10
catch the colt she tried to drive 1t towards the
gate, but the animal refused to leave mule
li uia. WIS IN .ne pasture with II, and kept run
ning arouno IT, As soon as she saw me. she
came to my house and said she was in search
OF a COW which had estrayed away abont two
weeks before. then left home for Richmond.
" men ! returned, In the evening. l found
that the colt had been tnrned out of
the pasture. 1t was taken up In Rockets
and brought back that evening. The coli
was again taken from the pasture on last Sat
urday morning / made diiigent search for il.
but could not find it, On last Monday morn.
ing went to Robert Jordan's house, and found
him and his daughter standing in the ward
near the stable. spoke to him, but he made
no reply; do not think he heard me- as he Is
very deaf then asked his daughter il she
had seen my colt, or if they had any stray
horse in the stable. She said no; there was no
horse on the premises that did not belong there
then started away, and got short distance,
when Mr.. Jordan and his daughter went into
the stable, and heard them talking in 4 loud
tone of voice something about horse. I re-
turned aud told them that 1 had heard they
had an estray horse there, and If they had,
should like to see it, as had lost my colt. Mr.
Jordan then told me that when he returned
home last Saturday from Richmond he found
horse there, and was informed by his daugi-
ter that he had been left by a man whom she
dld not know, but who stated to her that he
knew her father well, and he would either
call for the colt that evening or early next
The man, she said. was carry
ing lot of mules down the road at the time
he left the colt Mr.. Jordan invited me to
come in the stable and see if it was the one
had lost; went in and found it was my col t
but he was very much disfigured; his name
foretop and tail had beencut short, and he was
otherwise Scared and disfgured about the
head. Mrs. Jordan, the present wife of Robt
Jordan, told me that Sarah brought The colt
there. / then took possession of the colt, Car
ried it home, and placed the matter in the hands
OF the Commonwealth.
Mr.. Stevens testified as follows: On We'd
nesday morning last, saw a young woman
the description of Miss Jordan, in
around his colt, and appeared to be trying to
catch 1T, or drive it OFT. / would not swear
positively that it was Miss Jordan. / wentfo
Mr.. Sharpes soon after, and learned from the
y
the pasture running around the colt
Isaac Sharpe testified as follows saw none
OF the occurrences that took place on Wednes-
day morning last at my house. relative to Miss
orcan and the colt. L started from home on
morning last with load of oats
The road from oar house to the main road leads
through the pasture. There is I gate through
which we pass from the pasture into the main
road. The gate opens directly into the main
read leading to Richmond, about six hundred
wards ia fol
to the gate. l then got down, opened the gate
passed through into the main road and closed
the gate leaving the colt in the pasture. saw
Miss Jordan standing on the opposite side Of
the road, in front of the gate. / spoke to her,
and asked her if she had found the cow that
she was in search OF the "Wednesday before
She said they had lost no cow and that she was
not in search of any on that day. then started
to Richmond, and she went into the woods op-
posite the gate. l saw no more of her. but
learned when l returned home that the colt
had been taken out of the pasture by some one.
/ saw no more of the colt until my brother
brought it home, on Monday. He was so much
distigured that did not recognize him until
had inspected him closely.
Andrew j. Carter, called for the defence -
/ went to Mr.. Jordan IS house Oh Sunday MORN
ing last, for the purpose of borrowing a horse:
he told me he would loan me one; that he had
one horse more than he wanted. 1 asked him
II he had been purchasing; he said no. / then
went to the stable, and saw Il horse there with
his name and tail eut short. asked him if he
had traded for him; he said no, he had not !;
that he had been left there by some man, in
his absence, with his daughter, (as he was ill.,
formed by her, as he passed down the road
with a lot of mules, and that he promised to
call for the animal that evening or the next
Miss Jordan was in the stable ut
the time, while was examining the horse ;
she was bridling the one Mr.. Jordan loaned TO
me. / then left, and know nothing more about
the matter in question.
Here the evidence closed, and Mr.. Ndnce,
counsel for the prisoners, moved that the par
ties be acquitted, upon the ground that the
evidence did not show any felonious intent on
their part; that in its worst features. it was
nothing more than a trespass that the evil
dence by no means connected Robert Jordan
with the offence; and il it was admitted that
Miss Jordan took the colt, it was nothing more
than childish freak, which, he hoped, might
be overlooked.
The Justices, after consulting together, re-
fused to discharge The parties, but continued
the case, for further examination, until Sat
urday next, at II O'Clock, and recognized the
parties and witnesses for their appearance.
Pafiantbropie CaH.-Some few days since, the
fact was announced that Rev. F. J. Roggs had
been appointed by the Union Seamen's Friend
Society, to solicit aid for the erection of Sea-
mems Bethel That gentleman is now pre-
pared 10 commence his ''labor of love- and 1t
is hardly necessary for us to urge Opon mer-
chants the importance of the movement The
interests of Richmond are as much dependent
upon good merchants maripe as that of any
other city of her size, and her citizens should
be willing to aid in reforming the morals-of
that class of persons upon whom they are
compelled to depend. Heretofore the sailors
arriving in our port have had no resort on the
Sabbath but low grcg-shops ard worse dens OF
iniqnity. They were made to feel that the resi-
of the world was against them-that no inte-
rest was felt for their temporal or eternal well
fare-and feeling thus, had no regard for them
selves or for those around them. Buta SNORT
time since, a Bethel was temporarily opened
for their accommodation, and its good effects
are visible every Sunday afternoon. Go to this
Bethel when open for divine service, and there
YOU find scores Of sailors listening to the teach
ings of the man of God. Pass along the dock,
and you find every seaman respecting the SAD
bath day. Ii then, this reformation has been
effected so easy, what may we not expect when
a neat chapel is erected, where sailors can as
semble to hear preaching at all times May
they not, as a class, be entirely reformed ana
made valuable members OF society 7. And VINO
are to be most benefited by this reformation
Our city merchants. The entire community
will enjoy the good fruits, but the merchants
are to have the larger share, and because they
are most dependent Oh sober, steady, honest,
skiilful marine. Let some one OF them. then,
open this list for contributions, with liberal
them set good example, III q
truly philanthropic cause, and HUNDREDS ana
thousands of others will follow with their
mites. and thu swell up sum tndt Will pay
for ssl3ethel' which will prove creditabie To
Richmond and to the contributors.
Court Honse LoaEng.-Of all the disagreed
BILE and disgusting places to While away an
idle hour, the Mayors Court is the plncei and
yet, not morning passes that scores of young
gentlemen do not assemble there to see the out
casts of society rs they come reeklng from the
cutters and sewers of vice, and 10 near the
charges on which these wretches were arrest
ed. Court-houses are poor resorts at best, for
there one is sure to see the murderer and the
thief covering, under the indignant frown OF
Madam Justice, rs she passes upon the crimi-
nails guilt: but all other Courts are inviting
to refined feelings, when compared with the
Mayors Court. Curiosity often leads men
into bad ASSOCIATIONS, and familiarity with