The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-12-19
VIRGINIA NEWS.

prominent citizen of Petersburg, died at his
residence Monday afternoon at half-past
o'clock.
Mss Jeannie Patterson has recently
been delighting the people Of Charlottes.
7 vile and Staunton by giving series of in
teresting readings.
"a buck weighing 200 pounds, when
dressed, was killed last week by Mr.. Jas.
p. Hogue, near Smiths in Rockbridge
county," We don't believe it.
George W. Smiley, charged with kill
ng Joseph A. Black, in the fall of 1870,
has recently been tried and acquitted in
the Hastings Courtsof Staunton.
MIR. John J. r. Robertson, of Chester
field, accidentally shot himself with small
pistol, on Monday last, while in Peters,
burg. The wound is not serious.
The Fredericksburg Ledger is satisfied
Major Kelly, delegate from the county OF
Spotsylvania, is working on the principle
of justice in the present Legislature. So
are we.
over 5000 pounds Of deceased fowls
were shipped over the Virginia and Ten
nessee road, to Norfolk, one day last
week. No danger of broken rails harm
ing them.
Meetings have been held in the Meth
odist Church in Staunton nearly every night
for three weeks, and large number of
persons have expressed their desire to hence
forth walk with the Lord.
There were produced in the county of
Augusta, during the month of November,
nine thousand eight hundred and sixty-two
and one half gallons of high wines, or
whiskey. Tax, s4,995.50. asIts
More people get married in Augusta
county than in any two counties of the
State, il we are allowed to judge from the
marriage notices in the Staunton papers.
There are some few deaths also.
"A girl-name not giyen--poisoned her.
self near Barboursville, in Orange, a few
days since, OH account Of her seduction by
her step-brother. The william had fled as
soon as her shame was detected.
Our sister city of Petersburg is cursed
with difficulties, if we are to believe what
the papers of that city say. The police
regulations seem SO imperfect as to be al
most utterly worthless. Nothing else can
be expected from the number of drunken
policemen constantly reported in the
papers.
Our colored friends in Petersburg,
having become involved in difficulty
concerning the right to some church prop
erty, have taken the case to court, and will
spend several hundred dollars and much
bad feeling in fighting over it. AS sensible
Christian men they should have set
tied the question among themselves.
, "A thief named Henry Stith, who, six
or seven years ago, committed a robbery of
between three and four thousand dollars. in
Petersburg, having fled, attempted on Sat-
urday last to return to that city. He was
recognized on the Southside cars, witch
caused him to jump from the train while
running at full speed and make his escape.
On Thursday last, little daughter of
James Jett, Of Spotsylyania county, met
with most horrible death by being
burned. The child attempted to stir some
lard then boiling over the fire, when its
clothes caught and the child was soon en-
veloped il flames. The flames were
sucked down the throat of the child, ca,ls-
ing almost instant death.
THE BURNING or CAPTAIN Foo Us
AMI ~ 4NEiNftho hESoM n - he
Lynchburg Ne,cs Of yesterday gives the
following thrilling particulars of the late
terrible accident on the Virginia and Tennes-
nessee Railroad:
The material train, of which Captain
Robert A. FOCUS was conductor, and to
which two caboose cars and some eight OF
ten flats were attached, encountered bro
ken rail just at the bridge spanning the
Hollow, over which the engine and ali the
flats, except two and the cabooses, passed in
safety. Two of the flats and the cabooses
became detached from the train and were
prccipitated over the bridge, a distance of
some 30 feet, and broken TO pieces, the
mass Of timbers being piled up nearly to
the height of the bridge.
The car in which Captain FOCUS, the con-
ductor, was, and q colored man named
William Griffin, took fire, it is supposed,
from a lamp that was filled with coal oil,
and was soon mass Of flames. Capt. F.
and the colored man, who were both
wounded, were unable to extricate them
selves from the wreck, and were literally
burned TO ashes, not even their bones be-
ing spared /; and when the wreck was
cleared away, as soon as the fire could
be subdued, the only things that could be
found were the watch of Capt. f. and the
steel frame Of his pocket-book.
Immediately upon the occurrence of the
accident, Engineer Mr.. VIM. Campbell,
stopped the train, and accompanied by the
loborers on it who were rninjured, hurried
back to the burning car, and seeing that
Captain FOCUS was still living, made every
effort to save him, but the flames had made
such strong headway, that Captain L. him
self recognized the. impossibility of the suc-
cess of any attempt to rescue, him and calm.
ly told Mr.. g. to leave him to his fate
The last word he was heard to utter, amid
the cracking and the roaring of the flames,
was Amen and with this invocation his
spirit passed away, and the stalwart form
was soon but heap of ashes. A death so
horrible would surely appall the stoutcst
heart, and the feelings of those who wit
messed the terrible scene may be imagined,
not described.
The fire from the burning ears commu-
nicated to the bridge, and that was also de-
stroyed. 1t will be replaced to-day, and
the trains will run through without inter-
ruption.
A colored man named Frank, who was
on one of the flats, was slightly injured,
and it is fortunate, indeed, from the NUM-
bers on the train that the casualties were so
few.
Funny Proceedings in the Tweed Case