Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-01-01
Dreadful Accident i'm Carroll Co.. Md

w ESTMINSTER, MD, Dec. Ola poor uef-
man named Y cks, living about three miles
from this place, yeste,d'y met his death in
fearful manner The particulars, as have just
learned them, are as follows: Il cks and hls
wife emigrated to this country numb"r Of
years ago from Germany, and IN the course q
time found their way to this county. they
bought little homo near this city, where they
have lived ever since, earning their living BY
tIling the small quality of sell which thny had
purchased Z cks was an aged man, and TOR Il
large portion Of his life has beeu subj: ct to
epileptic fits Yesterday, while sta ding over
a large cooking stove, which Was heated almost
a red heat, he was seized with one OF his perl
odical attacks and fell upon the stove li'S
wife was from home at the time, aud as the
house was situated in lonely place, far iron
any neightorS 40 assistance was at hand TO
rescue him. He lay upon the stove Tor u long
time, until his fit had passed away, aud he was
literally wasted to charred flesh. It's clHthcS
took fire aud burned off entirely. Portions OF
his body we're burned to a crisp. When found
by his wife he had rolled off the stove. and Was
lying upon the floor.
Siucc writing the above gentleman just
from the scene Of the accident informs ne that
after u ,cks had recovered from his tit he tell TO
the hJur, where he lay for some time lnSens-
bic. He then recovered sufficiently tn attempt
burned as he was, to put Oh another shirt, hu!
tainted in the effort. In this condition he was
disc .vercd by his wife Thcrc is still some lie
about him. but the Doctor says says he ulisi
dic-Baiti0,ore 4me,fcan.
ACoLoRED MuL1oNAIRE- Men whose
taxes foot up from 81, 900 to $40 OUU each year
eau get two per cent per month for it, or use 1t
trl, hn nj II
on their taxes is nothing III comparison. Hun
dreds of thousands of dollars are retained in
this way. A notable instance OF this practice
is the case of "a colored millionaire Of New Or
leans, who has lodged paying his taxes until
now they amount to nearly $lO0,0OO, due to
the city aud State This man is character
Tor romance. He is so ab>temious that nc
may be called u nniSer. He dsdalus rest, aud
with wonderful activity works GU i'll a small and
obscure one-story house, remote from the bust
ness portion of the city. The building is his
office and his home. 1t is dingy and dllapidat-
ed on the outside Within kind of lobby,
partitioned off from the main room Is the
miser's office. A desk full Of pigeon holes
crammed with papers, an iron sale and chalr
or two, constitute the only furniture.
Beyond are the rooms where he lives with
his mother, woman about hundred years
DID, Yet this man, so uup-etcntluus IN his
business surroundings, has nearly a hundred
teuemcnts, scattered all over the city, which
briug him anywhere from $50 to $500 each per
mouth. He owes over two hundred properties,
estimated to be worth at least 800, 900, be-
sides bonds aud cash to a large amount. This
man, however, never pays any taxes, except
when he disposes of piece OF property, and
tneu ouly on that property. In tue Sheriff 5
office arc tax wrls against hun dating back
twelve years. and to some OF them are attached
as much as six yards of foolscap, filled through
out with closely written descriptions OF bis
property. The reason for avoiding his annual
taxes is a speculative one. The city charges
him ten per cent interest On his money, which
he never loans except 90 III rrtgaga, and be can
make from Is to "a per ceut Every tenth
year also the taxes of one year are wiped out
by prescription. Or2ens Times.
EMINENT DOMAIN. In the year 1853, Ebert
Kipp and wife leased the block bounded by
Forty seventh and For,y,eighth streets and
Fourth and Lexington avenues. to the Harlem
Railroad Company, for a period of twenty one
years, with the usual covenant on the part o!
the company to surrender the property at the
expiration of the lease Iu 1869 the company
took statutory proceedings TO possess thcmsei-
Yes of The land absolutely.
These proceedings were resisted by Mr. hlpp
on the ground that the property was not ncces-
sary for the legitimate purposes OF the road,
and that the act giving such rights to the cor
poratons was passed subsequent to the lease
and would impair the validity of contract.
The referee decided in favor of Mr.. Kip, but
his decision was overruled by the courts on the
principle of eminent domain, and that the cor
poraton had right to take any land needed
by them upon paying for the same:
Mr.. kipp then commenced suit to recover
the land upon the ground that the Harlem Rail
road Company had transferred all ITS franchises
to the New York Central and Hudson River
Railroad Company, and having no longer cor
porate existence the law of eminent domain
could not apply to them; he also set up the
covenant to surrender
The company demurred on the ground that
until the time for executing the covenant ar.
rived, Mr.. kipp had no standing 10 court and
that for all the purposes Of the lease the Har-
lem Company has still corporate existence
The demurrer was argued ID the special term
of the Supreme Court to-day before Judge
Barrett, who reserved his decision -Neto York
NeaoS. 81.
MURDER IN FAUQUlER COUNTY. We learn
FROM gentlemen by the Orange cars yesterday
afternoon that young man named William
NJ. Dirkin, lately resident of Petersburg, was
murdered 10 Fauquier county, near Rappahan-
mock Station, on Friday night last The mnr-
der is believed to have been committed by a
negro; and it was not until Saturday morning
tina, the dead body was found in the woods near
the station named. The particulars Of the muir
der, or the motive for it, were not ascertalned
by our utormants, but 1t is stated that the
supposed murderer is known, and that he got
on the cars of the Orange railroad at Kappa
hammock, having bought ticket from that
place to Culpcper Court House. Whether he
left the train at the latter place or not is not
certainly known, but the entire country 10 that
section is being searched for him, and stroug
hopes are entertained of his capture.
Young Dirkiu was about twenty years of age,
ID