Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1859-11-01
STAUNTON, VIRGINIA, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER |, 1859
s:Rake ,em Down..

ar s:Rake 'em Down. selafl
We expressed our surprise yesterday at the
apparent success with which mere handful of
desperate ruffians were enabled to throw the
town of Harper's Ferry into panic. We did
not usnen, however, to express any particular
astonishment at this particular case, for there
have been hundreds of instances in which large
bodis of men, and very bold men, have been
struck with utter CONSERVATION by the most
trivial accidents Itis the unknown In all such
cases that operates upon the mind. As soon as
the cause comes to be investigated, confidence
returns. m r s7e s9 ts..
We recollect one incident much to the pur-
pose, of which the writer was q witness many
years ago, in the goodly town of Vicksburg, well
known to history as we'll as geography. It was
in the very noontide heat of the '.Flush Times" !"
since immortaliEed by Mr.. ]. Baldwin, 10 the
month of July, 1886. The scene was the Vicks
burg Hotel, at that time owned by Mr.. Folkes,
from North Carolina, originally, and kept by a
gentleman named Glidewell, from Petersburg,
Va. There had been shooting match in the ho-
tel that evening" not an unusual thing at thattim
and one man had been killed on the spot, and
one severely wounded. The man who had done
the shooting was thought to be stll in the no.
eI,
ed with persons attracted by the firing AS was
usual on such occasions, the crowd soon became
thirsty, and the services of half dozen bar-ten-
ders were in constant requistion. 1t had been
determined to keep watch upon the avenues, and
prevent the homicide from escaping, as it was
believed he would attempt to do, for he was
known to be person of resolute, even desperate
temper 1t happened that there was confined
in the hotel, at the same time, poor maniac,
who was suffering under the effects of mania
potu, and had proved very hard to manage
This man heard the firing and the uproar, and
became perfectly frantic. The persons who at
tended to him having been called away by tho
noise, he contrived to break open the door, and
half naked as he WIS, to make his way to the
kitchen, IN his attempts to reach the bar.room.
There were several cooks, all females, in the
room, all of whom, alarmed at his strange ap-
pearance, uttered yell of terror, and cleared
the premises, some through the windows and
others through the DOORS To these the maniac
paid no attention, but seizing q large kitchen
knife that lay on the table, he rushed in the di-
rection of the bar.room. There were three steps
that led down into it, from an elevated fat like
the poop of a ships deck. There were about
forty persons drinking at the bar, and at least
one hundred more in their rear. The forty
gentlemen had just touched glasses, and were
about to raise the beverage to their lips, when
the maniac clearing the steps at bound, sprsng
from the platform into the middle of the ROOM
and fiourishing his butoher-kDife about hs head
shouted with voice loud enough to turn the
Mississippi backward, "rake 'em down." The
effect was tremendous. "Sauus qui pout" at
Waterloo was but q circumstance compared to
it. The glasses fell from the hands of the drink
ers in perfect shower of crystal. The glasses
sparkled on the floor that time instead of the
board The crash was about such as We
may imagine would be produced BY verifying
the oft repeated simiie, and introducing .'sure
enough bull, into esure.enough" China shop
Probably no premises were ever evacuated at 8
shorter warning, not even the French lines at
Waterloo, when the occupants left at sight with
out notice of intention to quit The crowd ran
out, rolled out tumbled out, got out in every
way they could. Even the bar keepers desert
ed their posts and the cause of all this confusion
actually went behind the bar, took 'heavy
pull" came out, and chased several of the fug-
tives up the street. That is, he did not mean
to chase them, bis whole object being TO get a.
way; but they ran because they saw him com
ing at full speed behind them, and did not know
what his intentions were.l 1t was at last dis
covered that he had gotten out, and he was
pursued and overtaken
We relate this anecdote to show how much
may be done by single individual, when he
takes a crowd unawares; OF course, under the
same circumstances, score Of men can work an
untold amount of mischief upon the largest pop.
uation,
Perhaps we will be excused for finishing the
story we have just been telling. When the era
zy man was brought back, it was found neces
sary to confne him for the night in the Jail OF
the town, and as the coolest room was occupied
by man who had been confined for murder, he
was put into it along with him. He had not
been there very long before he got into violent
quarrel with the murderer, and falling aboard
of him, beat him without mercy. The jalor
hearing the noise, came to the rescue, and not
knowing what else to do with the mad maD
chained him to post in the yard, and put him
under the suroeilIanAs of an enormous mastif,
who had the intelligence, almost. of human
creature. This dog laid himself down, at the
word of command, close by the prisoner, and,
whenever lie began to rave, rose from his posi-
ton, gave growl and showed his ivories in a
manner which it was impossible to mistake
The madman would thereupon sink his voice al
most to whisper and apologize to his brute su-
perior, 10 the most respectful terms, saying, VI
beg your pardon, sir, didn't mean to disturb
you,'' &c. He was next day sent home, having
created almost as much excitement, as the luna
tic who once escaped from an asylum at Mar
sslles, in France, and getting possession of q
small fort on an island in the bay which had
been abandoned, but still retained few heavy
guns in position, with considerable quantity Of
ammunition, actually cannonaded the town, and
fred shots into several vessels entering the har-
bor.-Rich Dispatch.
CUMeUs FAoTs AHoUT TIE PREsDENTs.-
II