Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-01-09

TIE FlTzI1UGus.- FROM the Washington
Sunday Herald. The Eitzhughs are very
old family in England. In Virginia for many
generations they occupied the highest rank in
the Colonial and State Councils, and were uni
yersally esteemed for their talent, prohi!y AMI
high morality William FitZhugh, the enigrant,
was the son of lawyer and was himself OF thai
profe sion. lie was born in 1850 and died II
i-Ol. He settled in W estmoreland, and mar
ried Miss Tucker Of that county. and lett nv
sons between whom, at his death. he divided
"a .q5l acres of land in King George and Stat
ford and perhaps Essex. They owned the
estates called t.,ag Nest and Bedford, in kln2
George and Bellaire and Boscobel, in Stafford.
William Fitzhugh, eldest son Of the emlgranl
married Miss Lee oil Ncstmoreland Henry
married Miss Cooke. Of Gloucester lhoma,
and George married daughters OF Colonel He"
Mason, of Stafford and John, Miss McCarty.
Of Wpstmoreland From these marriages hay
spruug all the families Of fi2hngh IN lrgln.:l,
MARYLAND and New York.
Colonel vii lam Ei,zhugh, the anrestoc Of
This distinguished family, was an eminent and
most successful lawyer and was employed h.
the great laul-holders o! his day, both in Eng
land and America, in the management! OF ncr
causes. There i; in the library Of Cambridge,
Mass, i large, ulanu$cri pit volume OF his letter.
copy %! which has been made tor the irS!ni.
Historical Socicty. lie writes like SINGER.
Christian and q devoted son OF the Church q
England. His will, admitted To probate "a
IrOl, commences in the i.iIOHlng impressive
manner: $50,
In the namr Of the Father Son. and Holy
Ghost, Trinity in Unity. nifty in TRINITY,
Three Persons an,, one Cod blessed forever
Amen !. William Fi!%hush, OF Stafford ro19
~, in Virginia. being hy God : grace bound Tor
England, and knowing the tyai;tE ana unecr
tainty OF men 5 lives, and being al present III
perfect health and mcmory, do now nIdain;
constitute and appoint this my last viii ami
testament, reyoking all other ana former or
other Wills this 18th day Of April. l1ol.
This Colonel FitZhugh was the paten;r ~!
the manor Of KayenSworth. which extended
from the Rappahannock, near Fredericksburg.
10 the vicinity Of Alexandria.
Chatham, so called from the sr"al Ear "!
Chatham, was erected not long before The Key
oution by member Of the Fitzhu2li family,
During the late war it was for time the head
quarters of Gen Mcdowell. This line old n!a:l
sion, with five hundred acres OF land has recently
been sold for $4,000 10 Il Mr.. Watson, ri
PENNSYLVANIA Chatham WAS the birthplace
of the late Mrs. parhe Cust!S, Of Arlington.
and Of her brother, Colonel VIM. ii. Fitzhugh
of Ravensworth. This gentleman wi! be II
mcmbered by many OF thu older realden, I"
this region As 4 young man "i great prom.S'
suddenly called 10 his last accoIlnt ty beas:
thrown from lis horse. y very handsomr
man himself, lie had recently married lady Q:
great beauty, the daughter Of Governor Colds
borough, Of Dorchester county, on the t.asterl
shore OF Maryland Mr. Eitzhugh was AZ
ardent friend OF the Colonization Society.
|, ~ al all
10 number about two hundred. and provided
the means for their emigration to Africa. Had
his life been extended 10 the ordinary age OF
man, this gentleman would doubtless have bcea
eminent in the public councils, aud have con,
lerrcd great rcnown upoa the honorcd name IL
bore.
The branch OF this family which cmigratci
to New FORK about sixty year. ago settled IN the
Gcuesec valley. The late Henry FitZhngh, ali
eminent merchant and politician Of tswego.
was of this branch, as were his sisters, th.
wives respectively of James e. Birney, Gerritl
Smith and DR.. Backus, of Rodierton. Th.
late Major Nicholson, of the Marine corps, mar
ricd a lady of this family Henry Brent, form
erly of this city, married 4 daughter Of pr.
Bach,ls, above named. who wasa son Of the celr
hrated clergyman OF that name in Connecticut
EIGHT YEARS OF TORTURE. \ few da5
SINCE one Of the prominent clerk" Of the Bank
of New York shot himself, and all were aston
i.hed to learn that hi accounts were correct
hi prospects Of the brightest, his associations
Of the most pleasant character, and everythlns
connected with hia life apparently conducive
of pleasure and happine=. Why then did l."
commit suicide, The only reason .ivcn at the
inquest waa thar he had lraen suffering from
neuralgia of the brain. the pain Of which, ii
was supposed, became 30 intense that he was
driven to momcnary insanity, and during th''
frenzy he sought relief in death. To his fellow
clerks Rufus Ripley left 4 letter nf farewell,
not written in archrdancc with the traits {"
character Tor which he was generally beloved
but in 4 strain Of pp#nry that hliod h,
whole life.
1t was L mystery Ia them, and 70 iii who had
known Ripley while living. Now, the matter
is fully explained, and it Is shown that the
young man had long contemplated III: ar'
which led TO his death. His family physician,
DR.. +. 5. Bunker, residing at $50 Henry street,
Brooklyn, has made an autopsy Of the brain o!
Ripley, and from This scientific examination
has ascartaincd Tn" fact that Tor years the
young man had been sufferer !rom tall>.
both singular and terrible He has shown that
during the last eight Years Of young tlpleys
existence he has been sirngglIng'tn overcome
the effects OF one Of the most acute malade>
if sucht may be caedihat has yet come {"
the knowledge of the medical world. l'nrn@
this time Ripley has been subject 10 periodical
fits OF headache, thai have olentimes complete
ly Frustrated him and rendered him unfit for
business driving him to distraction.
These fits would come upon him At all times,
and until now have never been satisfactorily
explained. From the autopsy made it is shown
that for this eight years sharp neede-ik'.
&rowths of bone have been forcing their way
from his skull into the BRAIN until at last they
had penetrated so far that their presence be-
came uncomfortable, and the unfortunate sought
his only relief That this act was premeditatcd
is proven by the fact that Ripley had been en-
gagged for days in writing letter to his BROTH
err, portions Of Which would be indited between
the periods Of pain, and it is now felt that he
was cognizant that his was an atfliction beyond
the reach of medical science N. \. lF"rM