Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-02-17
LEyA GAZETTE & VIRGINIA ADVERTISER
,,zETrE BUILDING, NO. 10 PRINCE STREET

Marriage and Desth Notices. when not exceed
ing eight lines fifty cents.
The Original Draft ofthe Ordinance
ofSecessiOn OF Virginia.
Mr.. James Mcdonald, Secretary Of the
Commonwealth and General Librarian Of the
State, in his report on the Library gives the
following information 10 regard to the original
draft of the ordinance of secession OF Virginia
and its present whereabouts.
"Ip this connection it may be proper to men,
,ou that having ascertained few months ago
that the original draft Of the ordinance of Sc
crssion adopted by the State Convention in
april, 1861, which was missing aud had been
much inquired for, was in the hands of Judge
J,bu G.. Underwood, [ at once wrote to him,
with the approval of the Governor, claiming
the parchment as the property of the State.
He replied as follows
"IINrrED STATES DISTRICT Court,
DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA.,
ALEXANDRIA,, Va, Oct. 2S, 1872
Hu ,J,,mes Donald. Secretary of State:
Slu-lour favor Of the 25th found me in
bed Of rheumatic attack, or you would have
received an earlier reply.
The pspsr YOU seek was deposited In my
hands in April. 1865, by Hon. VIM. Fl. Sc
ward, then Secretary oil State of the United
States. | gave him a receipt for it, promising
TO return it to his department when called
for.
You will therefore see that I could not prop
crlv give it any other direction without the
consent of that department.
Your obedient servant,
JOHN G. UNDERWOOD.
Addressing myself next to the State Depart
mcnt at Washington, and renewing the claim
Of Virginia to the document, | received the
following reply;
WASHINGTON, November l, 1872.
Jtme 1UcDonaM, esq, Secretary Of State of
Virginia, Richmond, Virginia =
SlR-I have to acknowledge the receipt OF
your letter Of the 30th ultimo, addressed to the
Secretary of State, enclosing one addressed to
you by Judge Underwood, and requesting that
certain paper referred to by him and said to
be the original ordinance of secession, adopt.
ed by the Virginia Convention in April 1861
may be delivered to you for official custody and
preservation in the archives Of the State OF
Virginia. In reply, | have to Inform you that
the paper in question Is on file IN this Depart.
ment, was placed here several years since, AID
lent to Judge Underwood, has been returned
10 the Department, and it is the opinion OF The
Secretary that he is not authorized to remove
1t from the file or to part with its custody.
am, sir your obedient servant,
CHARLES HALE, Asst Sect'y."
trust that other and more successful means
be employed to recover possession OF this inter
estlng document, which is clearly the property
OF the State, and the acquisition Of which by
any other holder can hardly be accounted for
rcputably. Your obedieut servant,
JAS. MCDONALD, Secretary &c. ;.
The General Assembly will at once be asked
to pass resolution, already introduced 10 one
Of the houses, calling upon the National State
dc srtment to give up this piece of property
ut ours.
A TERRIBLE EXpERIENoE.-The Pittsbrue
Mail says:-Attaehed to a certain Episcopal
Church, not removed from the East Park, Al,
eghany. by any considerable distance, is
ml!d-mannered, respectable, but somewhat
>uperstitious sexton. Beneath the church, or
rather little on one side of it, are situated
several vaults, belonging to wealthy members
OF the congregation, IN which are deposited the
dead belonging to the several families. ln one
these have been placed the encofined re-
Va
his duties the sexton one day last weak open.
cd the massive door leading to the home Of the
dead referred to, taking with him broom to
sweep up the floor and shovel with which to
remove any dirt which might have accunula-
ted His descent into the vault was noticed
tga number of thoughtless schoolboys who
We're lettering in the vicinity The sexton left
the key outside the door. Quietly stealing
Their way to the portal the lads, inspired by
the spirit of mischief closed the massive door,
and while the sexton was engaged in his work,
!'fned the key, and he was locked up-a living
inmate OF the charnel house where the decay
IVY Nshalomlcs of generations were deposited.
navlng swept the floor of the vault, the un.
SSflHctIng official gathered shovel full of the
& GyGrlI M and with it started to the door. 1t was
81 StG StASG Tie vas stumpcd by the discovery.
n;h n;"el aud It's contents fell from his hands, and
81 ,a; "u;l almost superhuman force he pushed
"sS!nSt the portal in his wild endeavors once
asSln % reach the land of the living The bolt
r;n I,aased to tail back and iu despair, fearing
a. an'as oeatll, he descended again and paced-he
HU"r ,.sn 9l the vault. Every sound was to him
ss:".sut with weird and ominous meaning. The
,II"s'eps on the sidewalk above sounded like
En "u eenong farewell to present life, the whist
o, .1s "lna, as 1t moaned through the Enclosed
J'asIS ,"ai of the door, seemed the message of
s asa'n from forgotten world; his own footsteps
SI II.''ea TO- sound his own death-knell. He was
,I %',.,i anId the ravages of the dread monster,
smtl-tne s"'m cothns, spoke Of ended lite-the
msn mS.'eSS frames, on which living creatures had
nn" n"'eu We're like spcctrcs, and as he gazed
, ,oUu ,he erumbling caskets he momentariy ex-
tuo fro'ru mat they would part and that bony
crnIt rusIrs !. would clutch him by the throat and
'aIlty ~ 'i'' '''' '''lo'''' o' ''0'o0 "
a. noise was heard. 1t was the sound of a
aS.o"1 ~""'nS bolt. Once again the frantic sexton
d,eu,ed daoa the strong stairs, and as he did, the
m"n.1 nU"r 1rw open and the softered light of the
oIe TUVb bGs ray tell upon his joyous eyes. With
ws. v"c uoHud ne passed the open portal and he
released from living death.
cha hnot three hours he had been confined in the
son. S"atae M house. One of the boys had been pre-
f,,h f,,i, when he was locked up and informed his
,Io 'nfr OF the event, and but for the candor of
hn IL