The New York herald., 1872-10-08
Chivalric Celebration Of the
Battle of Bull Run.
LOVE AND MURDER IN VIRGINIA.
The Story of Rhoda FewelI,
the Desperate.
A Prisoner Shot Dead In His Prison Cell
The F. F. VS. Excited and
Lively Timo Expected.
A TRUE BILL FOUND

A TRUE BILL FOUND.
The Trial to Take Place
in NoveMber.
MANASSAS Va, Oct =, 1871
Your special correspondent nnds himself at this
place, not altogether unknown to fame hitherto,
but more recently notorious In the opening scene
or q remarkable scandal and tragedy which 1t Is
expected Will during the coming week undergo
thorough legal examination and scrutiny. The
scene OF the scandal is Manassas, Prince William
county, Va, lying thirty three miles from Washing
ton. and at the junction Of the Orange and Alexan
dria Railroad and the Manassas Gap Railroad and
the future termini Of the Manassas and Potomac
Railroad and the Virginia and Maryland Railroad,
recently chartered The village stands on
the summit OF an elevated plateau lying
between the Potomac and Rappahann0ck and be-
tween tide water and the Bull Run Noun tains. The
surface Of the country seems to slope gradually In
all directions so that Manassas, geographically as
we'll as historically Is 'city set upon hill which
cannot be hid" This was the key to the military
operations which were carried on in Northern vir-
was the centre Of 'Mosby's confederacy," in which
| that partisan chieftan was "monarch OF oil" out
| side the immediate presence OF the Union armies.
At the close of the war not house or building Of
any kind, not Q rail fence post remained to in
dlcate the former presence OF civilization, with the
solitary exception Of the Weir House, OF red brick,
| standing about one mile from the station. Away
| to the northwest, lying about six miles
distant, can be seen the battle fields of 61 and 62
| and stretching away about ten miles beyond the
slopes of the Bull Run Mountains. Further to the
southwest can be seen the spires Of the village Of
| Warrenton, and about fifty miles away the Blue
Ridge towers In majestic grandeur altogether,
when touched by the golden beauties OF Virginia
sunset, making view seldom equalled either in
historic interest or scenic splendor.
THE VILLAGE OF MANASSAS,
numbering about Ave hundred inhabitants, In about
equal proportions OF Northern emgrants and
native Virginians Is laid of In squares parallel to
the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, and is almost
surrounded by the iOrtfcations erected by Beaure-
gard In 1881. 1t looks more like western town
springing up on the broad prairies than staid
town OF the Old Dominion. AS the centre Of
prosperous farming community, the site Of brown
stone quarries, which, since the war, have been
largely developed and are inexhaustlble; as the
future county seat Of Prince william; as an impor-
tant railroad JUNCTION, and as central point OF
section, every SQUARE inch OF which IS historic
Manassas has evidently prosperous future be-
fore IL.
Lucien N. Fewell universally known from bis
bOyhood by the sobriquet OF ''Rhoda Fewern
and the man who will be tried for murder during
the coming week, Is married man, about twenty
six years OF age: mere youth at the outbreak Of
.fought with Mosby" until taken prisoner and con-
fined at EImira, n. Y. He was reputed to be good
disposition; but his recklessness OF getting into
scrapes Is fully equalled by his ingenuity In getting
Gaa o. ahm noas 0 "a and friendly
they would have considered criminal in others
Rhoda seemed to have no idea oflaw, and he would
be at one time
THE TERROR OF THE COMMUNITY.
and at another Its spoiled and petted child. It was
similar characters that caused the Reconstruction
Committee, IN December, 1859. to summon George
them in regard thereto IS hat tSs
State Of Virginia would have been admitted before
the holidays had It not been for "Rhoda" For
some months past he has been under bonds to keep
the peace, and there has been but little complaint
against him. His sister, Miss Fanny Fewel was
was bold and forward in her manners, nothing was
ever heard against her character until the recent
and, being the youngest, was evidently q fayorite
Child and allowed her own way in everything.
JAMES +: CLARK, the MURDERED MAN,
was about thirty years OF age, small in stature, but
very active and restless He served also In the
Confederate army and bore much the same char.
acter as "Rhoda" for recklessness, mingled how
ever, with more shrewdness and cunning He was
severely wounded during the war in nearly the same
manner as when shot BY "Rhoda," and recovered
contrary to all expectations. His father Rev. John
Clark, Is minister OF the persuasion known as
pmvs or more y%,gary y, n as hard
ttnel, published at Front Royal. Clark has prac
tised law in Prince William and STAFFORD counties
noted for shrewdness than depth. He was quite
p prominent as conservative politician, was
elected by them as CommOnwealth's Attorney, !
and came very near receiving the nomination Of
Senator In the First Senatorial district, which was
equivalent to an election Clark could render him
winning the affections Of a Miss Lee residing near
Fredericksburg, which resulted in
and, for aught that the community at large knew, |
Clark removed from Brcntsville to Manassas
last Spring and entered very heartily into the
canvass for the removal OF the court house to the
Ms a Fannie A. wbs ne sca became
site his residence. Clark was evidently con-
siderable OF ladies man." but moth
self ani Miss Fannie. All Of a sudden
Clark CLARK began g % to appear dissatisfied with Manassas.
business there and took his wife and two children
10 his father-in-aw's, near fredericksburg AS an
excuse to his friends he said that he had become
on his law library and household furniture and pay
up his debts and start anew somewhere else I
Rumor said he had been very extravagant, and
was indebted to various parties for whom he had
collected money as an attorney. He wrote letter
In the Manassas Gazette, of which he was the edi
tor resigning his position, and informed his friends
that his address Tor one month would be Memphis
Tenn. and left his business as Commonwealth's
Attorney in the hands OF fellow attorney. After
he had been gone about week, as was supposed,
THE OLD MAN WITH A HAND TRUNK,
who figures as an unknown character In this drama,
arrived in Manassas on Friday night, July 10, and
called at the Eureka House, hotel kept by the
father OF Miss Fannie Fewell who is likewise the
railroad agent at Manassas. The old man, feigning
asked for liquor, and was directed
across he street. For some unknown reason he
night he appeared again at the same hour and with
the same actions, but without the hand trunk. The
next night, the 10th july freight train arrived at
Manassas at midnight, Miss Fewel as the train