Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-08-23
That Outrage at Clifton SPRINGS Va

| Some person, signing himself &c" has in
closed me the Gazette of the 10th, containing =
statement purporting to be from one Captain
NJ: Eldrldge, deputy internal revenue collector.
hls statements are q series of malignant false
| hoods throughout The camp meeting is under
| the auspices of the NJ. E. Church, and not
| Inc IN orthern Methodist Church." Samuel
h. Detweller and Colonel Joseph h. Anderson
were not on the encsmpment at the time when
Eidrldge was here; so that his claim of being
| notlceu in this respect must be characterized W
IL deserves to be, "a mistake'-not to use
| stronger language The statement lat some of
them had knives and hatcheLs in their hands y
II true at al, could only apply to the colored
COOKS III elie kltcnen, Tor the men had none, and
| there We're no clubs, weapons or ANYTHING
OF the sort exhibited, or even limited at. No
person thought of anything Of the kind. Nv
| atten..on Was first called to the presencs of y
suspicious looking person standing by the side
OF the boarding tent in conversation with one of
the proprletors. The cow ersation was of such
| Character as to make it my duty as superin
tendent of the meeting to inquire into the mai
| ler, ~hereupon the proprietor said, in sub
| s.ance, the gentleman had assumed the re-
| sponslblltles of an internal revenue collector
| ald had no papers by which to identify himself
| rs the properly constituted person to make such
! COLLECTIONS. Just then my attention was called
| TO the license which NJ. Eldridge was writing
with lead pencil. This excited my suspicious
i.noWing tnat The Government officers issued
| such license Ia printed form. reservng dupli.
c!tes As every dealer knows, and in every sense
different rom that wnicn NJ Eldridge was pre-
| paEIng: Ol course | interrogated him as to his
aulnollty, and he failed in the production Of 8
single pa per or stamp save an envelope which
was addressed to him, which was no Identified
ton Whatever, rs he might have written it him.
self knowing very well that such q license as
W. Eldrldge was Writing was Of most Dues
Iloaable, not to say fraudulent, character, told
nAt nyAc ,,,Nall
but requested him to remain on the encsmpnent
until could dispatch TO Secretary Desno, and
then II he wee the proper person it would be all
rIgu., and If 1t turned ont that he was An i'm
postor as we al believed him to be, that he ougut
| 10 be arrested. At this juncture ne became very
uneasy, AND act Cd, as we thought, like q guilty
man. l told him that the UnlLed States marshal
would be on the ground il few minutes, and
I1at ne had better m Ike himsefessy and remain.
he Started immediately to leave the ground, and
l cal! I'd TO HIM, and again asked him to remain,
stating That mad req Tested the police not to
Srrest MIN: dc paid no attention to this, but
started ofin haste, whereupon tho police, upon
their own responsibility, made the arrest, for
which they are ready to answer at any time and
place.
The police INDUCED in no discourtesies what.
ever NJ Eldrldge very properly demanded
lheIr authority for making the arrest, where
upon they produced their comm.s sions, which
had been issued in accordance with the code of
Virginia. There was no boisterous conyersa-
ton or threats. The mans detention simple was
Insisted upon. At Clifton station gentleman
reccg .,lze4 him As NJ Eldridge, and he was
,mn'Ilasly released. His staten mt about
"oe'ng kept stlnding in the mud'' is false. W.
sent dlspsscn in all haste to Secretary Deano
as soon as III; Eldridgs was placed under sur
yelianGe, and the following was received from
~ u. Trait, Commissioner, at Washington, D.
u: collector White has in his employ dep
uty oy the name of NJ. Eldridgs, who is author
1zed 20 collect taxes. The person under arrest
snouia r De able to identi y himself as this per-
son. ms was all these gentlemen wished to
hno"-tnst ne was the proper person. To me it
seems ridiculous that q man should come singly
ana alone with no official insignia of Office and
expect TO pass on his face" rs this gentleman
ana. SO long as there are so many thieves in
the country and parsons claiming to be Urited
;2tates revenue officers who issue Government
licenses IN lead psuciling, and borrow the paper
upon which to write them, the camp meeting
police must be excused for exercising their su.
shorty. His tomtoolery about personal dan ger