The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-07-12

TIE RySRr or PRAYFR DENIED

baltimore Exchange, by an Alexandria cor
| fespondent. The outrage Is said to have cren-
| ted In tense excitement there:
ALEXANDRIA, Va, JuiyS.
| ioa people once accustomed TO enjoy the
| Iunest liberty, oppression goes hard Our
Sins against the assumed power Of Abraham
Lincoln have been most heavily visited upon
us, and deep Is the wound inflicted upon the
peopie oy the iron heel of despotism. Daily
are AT the cords frightened. and daily are we made
10 feel the authority Of kind "pro tee tors
Inc Northern arms never meet with the
slightest reverse-neyer run afoul of a pig
pen, or a masked battery--that our community
Is not made to feel deeply the wrong that has
been done, in daring to obstruct the pa ssage
mond.
Yesterday the cup of our humiliation was
hiied TO the brim, and All insult offered to hu-
mainly and Christianity, which must meet
with rebuke from the powers at Washing
ton, as 1t will doubtless receive the frown of
One who Is greater than them all, and in
whose hands are the destinies of all. large
congregation assembled on Sabbath morning
at the Second Pres by terian Church, to hear
the Rev. James Turner Leftwich, one Of the
| most eloquent and able divines in the Church
"a man OF mark, and one beloved by our
whole community. Combining as he does, in
| an eminent degree, true piety and real brave
| ry, ne mas more than ever since our late trou-
bles began entrenched himself In the love and
| esteem Of our people; and there being but
| two other churches, out Of the nine or in
| INC CITY, open, MS Is always CROWDED., ana
| among the congregation are invariably a
| number of our prot. ctors, drawn no doubt to
| the church from curiosity and as spies, as the
| sequel proves. Mr.. Leftwich has never in
his sermons in the remOtest degree in tro-
| duced political topics, but has, ever since the
| occupation of our city, and the absence OF cur
| brothers, fathers, and friends, who have gone
| out to fight for their firesides and liberties,
| prayed feryently fer them and for the succes s
| OF our cause For thus giving expression III
| prayer for the Southern Gonfederacy and our
| soldiers, he was arrested on coming ont of the
| pulpit by Orderly Fairbanks, and taken be-
| fore his colonelship HeIntzeman, who, iudg-
| ing from the fanas tic tricks he sometimes
performs, has not been accustomed to the ex-
| ercise OF much authority. In the presence of
| so much power and buttons, it was of course
| supposed that Mr.. Leftwich, measured by
| their own standard, would have bent the knee,
| asked pardon for his grave offence, and
| promi sed-as heiwas authoritatively in formed
| he must do-to pray for the Union and for the
| President OF the United States. But alas
| for human expectatiOn-as bold and fearless
! rs good, the Reverend gentleman, with an air
| of triumph, coolly informed his captors that he
| should on all occasions, whenever an oppor-
| tunity offered, pray with all his soul for the
| Southern cause aid for those who had gone
| out to fight for him and his.
| HeintZleman then told him, III any Thing bu t
| a gentlemanly way, that unless he praye for
| the Union and the President of the United
| States, he should pray no more, and he would
order mis- church to be closed In reply Mr.
| l.. said that his heart could not be manacled
| that he (Heintzleman) had the power to close
| the church, but that If il was open and he Of
| Heated, he should certainly pray for the
| South and her cause, which he believed jus t
| and righteous.
Before departing Mr. Leftwitch PROFOUND
| Ell this question. do l understand you, sir,
| addressing Heintzleman,) to deny the free
dom OF prayer as we'll as of speech p The
question was poser, and for a moment
| HeintZleman hung his head, and what was
| Or SIf En- fao
| but soon recovering himself he answer
ed peremptorily, Yes Very well.'' said
| Mr.. Leftwitch, abe it so; but l give
| you to understand, sir, that l shall Gray
| for whom please Then turning, he left his
| captors dumb founded at the spirit Of the
| man who had dared assert his freedom and ill.,
dependence in their august presence. An
| anxious crowd awaited Mr.. LIS release, (for
all felt sure he must be released,) and when
| he appeared ne was eagerly grasped by the
hand, ard number Of anxious nquirers gath
cred round to listen to the accounts of the ar.
rest and to what had been done and said
Observing the crowd, the aforesaid Orderly
VINO made the arrest, was quickly dspatch
to listen to what would be said. His pres
ence, however, had no other effect than to
elicit few leers from the boys in the Gro wd
and some remarks upon himself by the elder
ly portion, which must have made him feel de.
clGedly small.
In accordance with orders from his colonel
ship, when, at night. the sexton was about 70
open the church, the Provost Marshal APP
peared, closed The gates, and stationed file of
soldiers TO guard the entrance. This proceed
ing caused much excitement, and q large
crowd assembled in the neignborhood of the
church, who gave expression to their opinions
OF this outrage in no Measured terms. The
ladies, fths Lruest in the landD who had as
sembled to attend church, were particularly
Ca us tic in their remarks
IL is said that orders were received from
Washing ton by telegrap phi 10 allow the church
to be opened, but for the truth of this will
not vouch. However, in accordance with
| these orders, or because of returning sense
OF shame and reason, the order for the closing
| OF the church was contaminated, the guard
| removed, and the Provost Marshal dispatched
| to the pas tors residence to inform him that
| he could proceed with his services as usual.
The account by telegraph OF this outrage on
the church is, as usual, falsifiad. There was
| no request made to have the church opened
on the contrary, it was determined by the ell
ders to let the onus lie where it properly be-
loLged, and to let the church stand closed.
As you may iInag inc, there was much excite
ment and Indignation manifested on the part
of our citizens, and much shame and confu-
sion of face exhibited by those of the soldiery
possessing any refinemen. of feeling. Mr..
Leftwich's course of conduct, under these
trying circums tances, is wor thy of the high
est commentator, and some of the soldiers,
who dare express an opinion of their own,
severely condemn HentZieman's act.
The denial of the right of freedom of prayer
cannot fail to have its effect at home and
abroad, and cause the rejecting portion of the
Northern people to consider into what a des-
pOtism they are fast drifting, and if they are
| not already too degraded by the powers at
WashingtOn they will turn upon their tyran-
meal rulers and Indignantly hurl them from
power.
Freedom of speech we expec ted to be de-
MED but to undertake to manacls the heart
God tor just cause, is tyranny tyrannized.
DESTRUCTIVE CoNFLAGaATIoNs IN BosroS.-
We have already given account of a very
destructive fire in Boston on the 4th. 1t APP
pears from the papers in that city that there
were two. The one at East Boston reaches a
loss Of three. fourths of a million of dollars
A large number OF families have been thrown
ont of employment, and not few lost all
their worldly possessions. The other fire was
| in Albany and Hudson streets. At the first
named fire sixty houses, eight vessels, two
factories, a machine shop, L foundry and
sectional dock were consumed. The proper
ty, however, was largely insured. By the
hre ON Albany street twenty buildings were
either consumed or greatly damaged. During
the 4th there were no less than fourteen fires
in Boston and the surrounding towns ,involv
ing Il loss of nearly il 900 900, most all OF
them caused by shooting crackers.
NJ. w. Fisher, ESQ We are gratified to be
able to tate (says the Norfolk Argus) that the
report that this gen tleInan' had been taken
prisoner by the Abolitionists and carried to
Fort Monroe, is incorrect. A letter has been
received from him postmarked at Eastville,
(his post-oftce,) showing that he ran the
gauntlet safely.
CORDIAL FOR OUR SoLDIERs.--An army sur
geon suggests the proprie+y Of friends sending
blackberry Cordial having the following
ingredien ts-cloves, cinnamon, allspiee and
ginger-to their soldier friends. The sugges-
tion is doubtless Il good one, and needs only
to be entioned TO be put in execution by the
devoted and patriotic women OF our land.
Lewis F. Harris, Esq, late President of the
Bank Of Savannah, died i'll Cincinnati on the