Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1867-01-22

All Of personal character, will be chars
cd for at advertisement rates.
All communications must be accompanied by the OF
tine authors aud rejected cannot be returned
RACE BETWEEN A LOCOMOTIVE AND A
PRAIRIE sFIRE: George W.. Bungay, who re-
Gently witnessed prairie fire, writing to the
Detroit Advertiser and Tribune, says of it.
about seven o clock at night, I took pas
sage on the Dixon Air Line Railroad. The
train had proceeded but "a few miles irom the
city Of Chicago when we overlook a fire on
the prairie 1t was bitter night; the wind
was blowing hard. aud the snow was falling
bu, the tall, stiff dry grass of the prairie stood
high above the thin sheet Of snow ON the
ground, and the flames spread with great
rapldity. There was broad margin between
our track aud the river OF fire that swept before
the wind.
The line OF fame was about half mile in
length, aod now and then it made such rapid
progressit seemed 10 keep pace with the train
1t was a picturesque and grand race between
the fire stesds of the prairie and the iron
horse The former had no delays to make at
s!atioas, side tracks, and crossings; the latter
had the advantage Of human brains to d0.its
thinking and pilot il. On, on, they sped
throush the thick anu stormy night One
cracking and whispering in the wind soaring
end driving away every living thing 10 its
path: the other neigbing and pressing forward
with tread which shook the ground and made
the light in the nearest windows quiver like
aspen leaves. -
One fared its banner of flame in the sky, and
tossed its torches upon the crisp air, warning
ot approaching danger and light in which to
escape to a safe retreat; the other, with. It's
msue of smoke and breath OF sparks, and its
eye in its forehead, dashed along in meteoric
shower of sparks. 1t was poetry in motion
ringing with the rhythm of progress, whose
sound is music laarried to the couplet of iron,
in the iron epic of an advancing age. Our
locomotive gained the race at last, and We left
the fiery cavalry In the distance, fighting with
the wlnd and snow, and leaping over the creeks
and ponds in its course making bonfres of the
lone haystacks that stood, like Lots wife,
within the reach of its innumerabe spears of
f Hme. Before it was borne crimson flag
that lit up the heavens; behind it was char
red and tackened wake Of cinders. Whether
it swept away any human habitations 10 its
path, cannot say but it was most attrac
tive sight, and so full Of suggestion have been
tempted to give brief account of it.
MARRIED LADIES CLoTHlNG.-T'he Court
OF Appeals, in the case of Mary E. Hughes VS..
Commonwealth, has reversed deci sion of
lower court and thus decided, substantially.
that the clothing Of married woman does not
belong to her. but 10 her husband.
About year since a woman named Mary E.
Hughes stole lot Of wearing appars belong
ing to married lady of Middesex county.
The woman was arrested, aud after examina-
ton IN the lower court, carried before the Cir
cult Court OF said county. The counsel of this
woman demanded her discharge On this ground:
That as she was charged with st ealing clothing
belonging to Mrs. -, it was illegal, as no
married woman owned her cLothiog, it beng
the property of her husband. The court re-
fused to discharge the accus ed, but found her
guilty, and sentenced her to. imprisonment in
the Penitentiary for Jarce ny--thus deciding
that married woman does own her clothing.
An appeal was taken, and the case brought
before the court of Appeals It was argued
last term, and on yesterds = the decision was
gwen that the judgment Of the lower court
should be reversed, thug showing that, in the
opinion OF this court, :he husband owns the
Wiie,s clothing. Richmond Times.
ANEcDoTE OF GEN. LEE.-The editor Of the
Galveston Civilian has from General Long
street (who prououp ces General Lee, ''the best
man in the world J the following anecdote Of
the great Confederate chiefiain:
y On one occasion General Lee called Colonel
u, ,one of his staff officers, into his tent, and
commenced debating while Colonel L. wrote.
Colonel L. had in his mouth pipe, and was
smoking. The general inhaiId the noxious
vapor until his patience became exhausted, and
then said
Colonel L.. you can retire and send me
Colonel -; he does not smoke. =
Colonel L. retired, and in q few moments
Colonel - entered, to whom the General
commenced dirtating but after inhalins the
atmosphere Of the tent for awhile, he discov-
cred it to be considerably impregnated, not
with the perfume of roses, but the odlous. smell
OF viainou. whiskey, which he could not
stand $50 ~
-. Retire, Colonel -, and send ne an off,
Ger who neither drinks nor smokes; would
rather endure the smoke Of tobacco than the
SMELL Of whiskey'
- \ PERsEyER1NG DETECTIvE.-We received
a call yesterday from 7. P Van Trees, a secret
detective of the mountains, who has just
returned from long chase after two men
named DR.. James Hamilton and Engene
Hamilton. charged with the robbery OF Rock-
we'll & Co s. bank, at Eikhoro. Wisconsin,
some time since, of about sls0,000, in notes
and bonds. Tom has been on their track for
four or FIVE months, and at last arrested them
in old Mexico, near Ell Paso. He brought
them through as far as Santa Fe alone. and
was then furnished an escort by General Carrie
ton. Several attempts were made to rescue
the prisoners, bat our brave Colorado detec-
tive was too much for them. A woman, who
claimed to be the wife of one of them, made
an attempt to poison Van the night before he
arrived at Santa F., which also failed.
He arrived at Denver, Wednesday, aud
lodged his prisoners safe in Jail. They will be
taken to Wisconsin in few days, ur.der the
attentive escort that had served them so long.
-GolOrado YTnnscrlDt