Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-03-04
VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE.


In the Senate, yesterday, certain papers rel
alive to dispute between the Superintendent
of Public Instruction and the Petersburg
Board of Public Schools were laid 90 the table
and ordered to be printed.
bill was reported to regulate tie uniform
ity Of text books in the public schools.
The bill providing new charter for Peters
burg was passed; also, bill to provide pew
recent freshet.
The bill incorporating the Staunton River
Savings Bank IN Pittsylvania county was
passed.
In the House of Delegates an adverse re-
port was made Oh the bill to amend the Code
in relation to pay OF jurors
Bills were passed authorizing the sale of the
commons of the town of Woodstock, Shenan-
doah county; authorizing the NJ. b. Church at
Staunton to sell portion OF their real estate;
providing for Supreme Court law library at
Stanton and Wythevlle; establishing the
eighteenth judicial circuit and for the relief of
D. N. Gordon, late collector of Cedar Run
Township, in Fsuquicr county.
The bill for the appointment OF railroad
commissioners for Virginia was debated until
adjournment.
DEATH OF TIE LATE j. i. WILLIAMs-An
account of the death of the late j. f. Williams,
formerly Of this city, was published in the
Gazette at the time OF Its occurrence The to-
lowing account, containing additional partcu-
lars of the dreadful death of the deceased, is
taken from Brentsville letter TO the Baltimore
News:
BRENTsviLLE, Feb. q, 1875.
MI James E. Williams, lawyer, aged
about thirty-f five years, was found dead about
half a mile from this place yesterday morning
about eight o'clock He resided about one and
his usual custom, comeinto town 10 gel his daily
mail and, meeting with number of friends,
bad spent tho day at the hotels drinking, and
left about dark in AL intoxicated condition to
walk 10 his home, having at the time been ur-
gently solicited by Mr.. Davis, clerk of the court
to remain at hi. house all night. He WAS seen
on the road q few rods outside the village limits
by some colored people, and 1T the time WAS
holding to the roadside fence, seemingly in a
bewildered condition, which was the last time
he WAS seen until found dead in an almost nude
state A family by the name of Sexsmith, who
live about half mile from the place, heard
some one hallooing about ten o'clock ut night,
the voice indicating that the person was calling
some one. The noise was kept up at short in
tervals until after midnight when it ceased but,
strange to relate, though there were two men in
the house, no attempt was made to discover the
cause of the calling, which was certainly that of
extreme distress.
The body was first discovered by one of the
men Of the house, who was chopping wood III
the woodpie, and styling in the road leading
from The field gate to the house, and about TWEEN.
ty-fve yards from the yard. When discovered
~ itc honl- nth al
ted in the air and fists clenched and the face
depicting intense suffering at the time OF death.
The lower limbs were entirely nude, the gar
ments being stripped down over the shoes and
covered with clay.
The marks on the ground in the mud showed
that the unfortunate man had, as it Were drag
ged himself distance of about 400 yards. in an
attempt TO get to the house, and the cries heard
were evidently his crying for assistance. The
deceased was man OF fac talents, but lattery
had been addicted to d too free use OF lntoxlca-
ting liquors. He was captain in the Contede-
rate army and WAS captured during the war and
confined at Point Lookout and while there be-
coming much impaired in health, took the oath
of allegiance to the federal government and was
released from prison.
Not daring to come home he went to Wash
ington and there received the appointment of
Assistant Register of Wills for the District Of
Columbia, under Colonel Webster, which posi-
ton he filled until Grants second election. He
then commenced the practice OF law in Wash
ington which he continued until year ago, when
he removed with his family to his native place for
the purpose of identifying himself with the peo-
pie and continuing to practice his profession.
The first case of any prominence in which he
was engaged after his return here WAS in the de-
fence of Fouks, the murderer of the Herndon
family, whom he ably defended, and was en-
gagged up to the time of the murderer's confess
sion making arrangements to carry the case to
the Court of Appeals
The awful circumstances of his death have
terribly shocked his friends. He leaves widow
and several small children. The deceased was
very respectfully connected here and was
brother in-law to Aylett Nicol, Judge of the
County Court of Prince William, and his father,
for many years, was clerk of tho same Court,
and was held in high esteem. An inquest was
held, and the verdict of the jury wss thst the
deceased came to his death through intempr.