The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-12-21
correspondence Of the Richmond Dispatch,

IuTfC-i !yaaCnGc pi TIC RlcllinDli IjiocllGI.
IErfHsHuRG, December 20.
: meeting Of citizens WAS held last night
at the courthouse, ut TIC call Of The May or,
for the purpose OF organizing g society for
tic relief Of The poor CT the city, who are
reported 10 hc already in an urgently nccc2-
,ilicus and suffering condition. The meet
ing was DOT sufficiently advertised, and was
rather Slinly attended. Judge WeiSigcr pre-
sided. \ permanent ornnnizatiou was effected.
consisting oi president, Jicc-pre&idcnt at
large, one vica-lrosit.cnt lrom each ward To
be ciiairIucn ii visiting committees o!
three III their respective wards, one
secretary, and q treasurer. Mr.. j. L. Brooks,
president Of the Merchants National Bank,
was made permanent president and Of the
ycc-pTesidclitS three arc white and three
coiorud. An adjourned meeting 10 perfect
the organization and to initiate active inca
s;urcs OF relief viii he held Tonight, when.
from I'll can learn, there will be q much
;G!!er attendance. The best citizens are
warmly Interested in the good cause, and are
disposed to ignore Ill party difference. in CO.
operation for the benefit Of the poor.
The December term Of the Hastings Court
begins its session Tomorrow. After diSposing
If the Commonwcaltii's business the Judge
will adjourn the court until the ID proSimo,
10 allow his jurors, witnesses, 1t, TO enjoy
tic Christmas. II is yet uncertain whether
tie church difficulty will Lc tried before the
,!udgt Or ii illry-cithcr party having the
'i..hj 70 demand a jury. TIA jury is claimed
iuc Judge will PIT on ii the uost impartial
and unprCiuGiccd citizens, to the end that
ri-id Justice may be administered in this in.
poltant case.
There are eli tie docket ten or twelve tclo-
nicS and four lnisdenicauOrs.
Mr.. William :. SIcCAncc was tried for IS
sault in the Mayors Court this morning. lie
had 10 counsel to represent him, the tradition
here being that the Mayor always decides
AGAINST the LAWYERS. His wtneSscs--good and
intelligent men-ahundantly proved the out
ra@eo;;s character Of the assault from which
he defended himself; but the negroes, as
usual. were ready with elaborate testimony
the other WAY. and Mr.. McCance was fined
800 and bound over TO keep the peace SIX
months il tie sum OF $3.50.
We had almost fire last night in the
establishment OF Captain Joseph '. II. Nash,
resulting from the explosion OF Il lamp
filed with uOn-crpiosire oil. Lucus non
iuceHQD.
General Malone Is IN the city, and his ar
engagements for the transfer of bis residence
aud headquarters to this city will soon, l
learn, be completed.
CONGRESSMAN Phtt was also in the city TO-
dav, and Senator Il. G. Greene.
Last night we had hail, this morning snow,
aid subsequently stir wind anG bitterly
cold weather.
Colonel ". +. Cameron is expected TO re-
!urn homc il dry tive. ROBIN ADAiR.
THE END OF A MURpERER.--LaSt Sabbath a
man named Henry Smith, aged about seventy
wears. died from exposure to cold i'll Sand
Hill township, Marshall county, Va. His
history is strange and interesting, and shows
that llan can live ina state OF nature as well
as the beasts of the field. For more than
twenty years lie lived III the open air, with
oii Il Roof to shelter ltini from the storm.
lie was Il man Of weak mind, and possessed
!, violent and ulgovernahe temper. About
thirty-cight years ago, While III SroS-snop
in this city, lie quarreilcd with man named
JOSEPH Newt, and during this ahrly stabbed
him. The wound proved fatal and for the
crime Of murder Smith was sentenced to the
penitentiary for sixteen years. At the close
OF his term OF confinement he desired 10
remain in prison, bat his request was refused.
For many years he renamed at the 700! OF
y fallen tree. and subsisted OH the provisions
Ina. were given him by the charitable. When
hungry he grccdily devoured raw meat and
uncooked vegetables. When clothing was
eivci, to him he tore them into fragments,
prcGcrring TO be clothed in filthy rags rather
than in clean and decent apparel. He had
sunk even below the level of the brutes.
Two wears ago his ncighbors built him a
comfortable hut, but in 4 short time he hao
,,scd It for fuel. Afterwards he lived III an
.onnn field without any protection from the
;nclercncv CT the weather. During the
severe cold of last week he was found lying
s., q heap of ashes with feet and hands frozen.
He fingered few days in great misery until
death Kindly came to his relief and ended his
sufYerings.- Wheeling IateNtgencer, Decen'-
Der 14th.