Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-05-08
Ting Underwood Case


in Alexandria in the result of the suit decided
in Richmond last week in favor of Mr.. McV elgh
late of that city, against Judge Underwood Tor
the recovery Of the possession OF the handsome
residence of Mr.. McVcgh on St. Asaph street,
which was, as the popular phrase goes, con
tiscatcd" by Judge Underwood some ten years
ago, and has been occupied by him IN no little
STYLE since In Alexandria, TO contlscatc.. is
a coloouial equivalent for 10 steal, aud 1t Is
believed by the mass Of the community there
that the effect Of the Richmond judgment will
be the restoration Of Mc| eigh's homestead to
its lawful owner; but the confidence OF the peo-
pic in the uprig htnc>S OF federal couts has peen
much shaken and there is in popular talk an
undcrcurcnt of belief that Judge Underwood
or some eff his friends will put au Injunction
on it and stop the Whole matter Confidence
is at low cbb in the power of the State Courts
to enforce their decision, however righteous,
against powerful politician allied with the
| party in power.
Tie residence immediately affected by the
result OF the suit is one of the handsomcst
| private dwellings in the town and occupies Il
| commanding site immediately adjoining the
United States Court House, and therefore con
ycDicnt for its Judge 1t is built upon a wide,
we'll paved street, ard, with its contiguous
grounds, occupies nearly halt an acre Of land III
| the heart of the city The building is very
commodious three story prcsScd-brick house,
built in the modern style few years before the
late war. lis grounds are highly ornamcnted
and beautihcd with flowers and adorned with
fountains and statuary 1t was purchased BY
Mr.. Underwood representative for $500.
| Upon the breaking out of the war Mr.. Nc
Weigh upon carrying his family out Of the
reach Of what it was then thought would be
the scene of h0stiities, left his Alexandria IN
tcrcsts in charge Of Mr. Robert Crupper, long
his confidential clerk, Il nIan Of great >agac!y,
the most unbiemised Integrity aud determine
ton, and withal a most uutlnchlng union man
aud enemy Of scccs>lon 50 well known ID loyal
| ty as TO be chosen IN the midst OF the war the
! first presiding Justice OF the Alexandria Cuun.
ty Court when rcorsaniz-d under the loyal
| Wheeling State government. And 1t was for
| tunatc for Mr. McNeigh that he had left such
an agent behind him, for there followed the
| Union ARMY to Alexandria, and remained 10 Its
rear during the whole OF the war, Il horde OF
adventures whose original migration was ut-
| dertaken for the purpose Of making money out
of the soldiers by pcddng but who OF cousc,
| seized grecdily the chances "Confscation ard
Abandoned Property acts offered to prey
upon the homes OF the rebels. There had
| grown up out Of the uttcrancc> Of Il New ork
paper at the time Il feeling among the new
corners to Alexandria that the soil was, IL fact
coutsc;tcd ly the act of war, and that its oc-
cupiers held merely by suiterancc VI the federal
authorities. il suttcrancc which il was every day
promised would soon terminate. jest Is dc
rcb people Of dis town have foriit all dat was
! dairs and am now lying in the mercy OF the
President Of the United States, .cs - docs the
| whole human family tlriit its all in de sin Of
| Adam and lie in the mercy of Jesus, was the
simiIe of coorcd preacher whom your CORES
pondeut heard preach. At the newly organic.
| ed County Court coorcd man was indicted
TOR stealing some iron, the property OF
| gentleman who had gone South. The AT
torncy appointed by the Court to defend
the criminal (who Is now leading lurlst
in Northern city, obtained the acquitta OF his
client on the ground that by the absence OF the
owner the goods were ipso facto forfeited to
the United States aud hence no verdict could
be given under an Indictment which laid the
property in the absentee 1t was during the
full prevalence OF this sentiment that Mr.. I'm
derwood was made u. S. Judge for the Fast
crn district of Virginia, and took up his head
quarters in Alexandria.
He had been at one time admitted to the
practice of law, but had come to Virginia as Il
school teacher, and marrying there, settled
upon his wics farm He had always been
thoroughly anti. slavery, aud was fearless in the
expression Of his opinions and acted up to
them an exercise Of freedom which required
both physical and moral courage to high de-
gree. Prominent as an antl-Slaycry man, nc
represented Eirg inia both in her 0narepub-
lican convention which nominated Fremont and
4 |
of the electors in each campaign. lie won the
admiration Of many Of his opponents Tor
the dauntlcss courage with which he main
tanned, for himself and all Others the right Of
free speech in Virginia, but was hated by the
vast majority Of the people in whose midst he
dwct, and who viewed him as an alien stirring
up scdition. With the success OF the rcpubll-
can party came the personal triumph OF Dir.
Underwood He was master of the situation,
and for several years he was the master spirit
in the civil government Of Virginia. 1t must
be said to his credit that he has never sought
to avcnge the personal indignities of which he
was the victim when slavery was secure OF its
dominion in Virginia. lie was elected Senator
(but was not ADMITTEDLY, and was chairman OF
the convention which framed the present con-
stitutou of the State. At the time he was APP
pointed District Judge he found the sentiment
that "all rebel property was forfeit: and needed
only that some method should be devised to
enforce the Forfeiture the current idea in
Alexandria. The commissioners to collect taxes
in insurrectionary States had declined to allow
the taxes to be paid by any but the person
owning the estate Or some interest therein, and
had advertised for sale half the counties round
about; not because the tax could not be col
lcctcd, but because the owner was absent. The
abandoned property agents were claiming as
abandoned property tables on which people
were eating, aud Judge Underwood became
easily convert to the doctrine.
Confscation, in this view, was not the cxcr
else of constitutional prcrogative ''tor the
lite of the person attained, -" but revolution
airy method of Furnishing traitors, dictated by
the higher law.
The earth is the Lords, and He has given
it to His saints. and we are his saints. He
hath given us the Aexandrian for spoil and
the Ethiopian for an inheritance. In this
enirit of f. naticism and greed he dccrccd in all