The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1874-03-27

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large yard adorned with trees and shrub
berry, and made sweet and vocal by tn
perfume of flowers and the songs of birds
The locality, believe, still has the SAM
characteristics, with the advantage of
much more capacious and tasty domicile
Mr.. Bradford was large morose man, ant
/ was always afraid of him.
Where the office of the 1fgis now stands
was big gate, opening into Mr. Bradford
lot, with lane leading round to the wood
pile and stable. Immediately above, where
there is now icwelry establishment, stooC
was occupied as chamber by his two sons
Augustus and Charles, his only children
The next building was the store Of Par
ker Moores, the site, if not the house, occu'
pied by G. w. Norris & Bro. Mr. Moores
was one Of the most elegant gentlemen in
the place, universally popular, kept the
incest store in town, and died quite young
Immediately in rear of this store was q
long low frame building with the end to.
ward the street, occupied by John Mcclure
who was said to be Il superior boot and
| maker.
The next house was built for hotel
and was about as often empty as tenanted.
Dr.. Archibald Dorsey occupied it several
years. When l left Bel Air it was occu-
pied by Mrs. Wagner, the widow of that
Wagner who was of the firm of Wagner &
Hanson, whose printing Of office in Balti-
more was demolished by Il mob during the
war of 1912.
Next comes the Jail, which seems to be
a permanent institution, though the present
prison-house is in rear of the original one.
The iailors changed about as often as new
Sheriffs were elected, hence it had varie-
ty Of tenants. Among the Sheriffs WHO &C.
cupied it themselves. as l now remember,
were Joshua Guyton, Henry Johns and
James Kean.
The next was the old hotel owned and
kept by Stephen Jones, Esq, all the time
| knew it. 1t is said to be the oldest house
in town, and was built at apcriod beyond
the "mcmory of the oldest inhabitant.' u
When the streets were laid off, the owner,
whoever he was, refused to have his house
''sot back" and hence the street, the whole
width of that lot, was squeezed into hall
the width it should have been. Mr.. Jones
was quiet, pleasant old gentleman, at,
tended closely to his business, rarely left
his premises, and had q good run of Gus
| tom. He was Justice of the Peace, and
settled all those minor eases that did not
come within the jurisdiction of the Courts
The next was an old log house in which
Vincent Jeffrey lived and died, and the
next the old store house Of Messrs 4. A. q
N. w. S. Hays, in which they so long and
so successfully transacted business. 1T was
here that Sam Galloway was employed
from youth to age, and it was Inc only
house IN the place | ever knew Junius d
Booth, the great tragedian, enter and COZ
verse, while he lived in Hartford.
The next house-that at the oorner-was
occupied by Miss Sally Bond, with whom
her nephews Little Joshua and Angus.
tus A. Bond boarded, and where the form.
er died quite young man. DR.. Richard
N. Allen subsequently lived in it, who wa,
both doctor and LAWYER, and proficient
at both Ho practicet alternately at ply,
sic and law, but never, to my knowledge
I attempted to mix them. He was hand
some man, but had brother who sometimes
lived with him,--William H.-who was
about as hard featured as men are ever
made. He was, however, a very talented
man, often served in the Legislature, and
in 1928 was appointed by President Jack
son Territorial Governor of East Florida
The last time saw him was in 1886, or
a steamer in Hampton Roads, with Span
ish game-cock under his arm.
The next building was very long double
shop, one half for wheelwright and the
other for blacksmith. John Blaney Car,
ried on the first and Howell Mitchell the
other. Mr.. Blaney lived in house be-
tween the shop and the Academy, and Mr.
Mitchell in the house below and adjoining
the shop.
There were only three small houses be
yond this, the first occupied by VIM. b.
Bond, the next by William Jeffrey, and the
next, where the little rivulet crosses the
street, was an old building owned by Mr.
Samuel Lee as school-house. The last
remember Of it, Esau, colorcd man be.
longing to John Henderson, had a Sunday
School there for young men Of his OWE
color.
There was not house between this and
the crossroads, mile off, where old Molly
Mackey sold ginger cakes and raised ducks
Col. Maulsby subsequently bought Cherry
Hill and erected house, all the lumber
for which was hauled from Havrc de Grace
by old Ben Gibson.
AT the junction of the two roads, (proba
bly, you now call them streets,) where the
blacksmith shop now stands, was the start
ing point for all quarter races, and the out
come for the game of long bullets, both o
which were very popular at that day.
couldn't help thinking, the quiet Sab
bath hour l spent in the Episcopal Churcl
near by on the 2Sth of December last, of til,
contrast between the earnest and pious al
monitions that fell from the lips of Rev
Mr.. Snowden aud the language had hearC
within few yards of the same spot in the
days of my boyhood. Let people say
what they may, the world is growing bet
ter, and this is not the first instance in my
experience where prayer and praise have
succeeded imprecations and ribaldry.
Altho' this letter is longer than it SHOULD
be, am unwilling to close, Mr. Editor
without an expression of qualification il
having formed the acquaintance of Rev
Mr.. Snowden, who was so kind as to homo
Mr.. Clark and myself with a special vs
while under your root. knew his pre-
decessor well for many years, who went il
and out so long administering to the spirit
ual wants ofyour people, and who was in
deed, shepherd to the flock, and if an
half as good a Judge of human nature IS
have sometime had credit for, the Rev. join
, II. Kecch has a successor who will faithful,
. and zeulously perpetuate his holy mission
The next letter will treat of Hartford il
, General Respectfully,
, ABINGDON, Va, March, 1874. G. b. c.
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