Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1875-02-16
WEST 5sVIRGTNIA,. TUESDAY
Spirit Of Jefferson.
charlestoWn, Jeferson County, West "a.
IUEsDaI. A0RNING, FEBRUARY1 10, 1sI5.
. AN AMUSING RECOLLECTION.

recollection Of the pranks of Moncure ID.
Conway q cousin of the famous editor, Jno,
n. ManieD played upon DR.. Peck, President
of Dickinson College. Pa, who afterwards
was Bishop. Peck. Conway was student at
the college. The Courier says:
Dickinson College was sustained at the time
We refer to by the Methodist Conferences of
Pennsylvania, Virginia, aud Maryland, aud
the Annual Conference was to be held at
Staunton, Va, in March, 1913. DIR. Peck,
as was customary, made his arrangements to
attend the Conference, and also tolsEitness the
Inauguration of President Taylor, in Wash-
ington. ss' .sezs.
The,students were aware of the fact, and
one evening Moncure D. Conway, Marcus d.
Conway, Marcus j. Parrot, and H.. A. Ma>
ginnes, then a freshman from New Albany,
(now the portly mansger of the louisville
Industrial Exposition.) sat down TO play
game of euchre. The Presidents visit to
Staunton was commented upon, and, in the
mischieyous spirit of studenthood. practical
joke wins projected, which, after mutual sug-
gestions from the three, assumed complete
shape. S ss-fi'
Conway could initiate DIR. Peek's hands
writing, and pen and ink being procured,
be wrote letter to the superintendent Of the
Insane asylum at Staunton, Va, in which he
stated that very respectable citizen of
Carlisle, Penn, named Hugh Blair, was SUBJ
ject to temporary alteration of the mind,
during which he imagined himself to be Dr.
Jesse T. Peck, President of Dickinson Coll
lege. Then followed description of the IN.
fortunate Hugh Blair, which was an elaborate
picture of DIR. Pcck himself As Mr. Hugh
Blair had been absent some days, his friends
We're becoming alarmed, and the suppositiop
was that DR.. Peck would reach Stauntou
to attend Conference on q certain day, Mr..
Hugh Blair had gone there, under his delu>
sion, and would be on the same train. Would
the superintendent be so kind as to watch the
train, and if the gentleman described came,
to take him to the asylum without exciting
his fears, and to retain him till his friends
could call for him, when all expenses would
be paid aud they would be ever grateful. &c.
The letter was sent and the trio awaited the
sequel.
DIR. Peck, in all his imposing dignity,
reached Staunton on the day expected. On
Stepping from the train he was accosted by
polite gentleman with:
'Is this DR.. Peck 2"
eyes, sir; am DR.. Peck, President of
Dickinson College," was the diguifed re-
sponse.
''Glad to see you, sir. Will you step into
my carriage, DR.. Peck Y'' said the afabls gen,
tleman.
DR.. Peck, supposing it to be an attention
which was being paid to the President of
DickensOn College, complied, and was driven
to the asylum, his com panion chatting pleas
antly on the way. He had not been inside
the institution long before he discovered its
character, and naturally desired to know why
he had been brought there
The superintendent assured him that he
would not be harmed and that he would
simply be required to remnin at the iustitu-
tion until his friends came for him. =.
DIR. Peck became indignant and demanded
to be released He declared himself to be
CDR. Jesse T. Peck, President of Dickinson
College," but as this exactly corresponded
Hugh Blair and his peculiar delusion, the
superintendent smiled blandly and begged
the Doctor not to excite himself.
Finally DR.. Peck's protestatious were 60
violent, that the superintendent, to pacify the
supposed monomaniac. acoeded to his request
to send for ssome of his Conference friends
to identify him. They came, In wonder and
surprise, and the Doctor was recognized by
bis astonished friends and released with pro-
fuse apologies by the superintendent, who
could only, in palliation for his error, produce
his letter assuming to be from Dr. Peck re-
gsrding the unfortunate Hugh Blair.
DR.. Peck felt very much hurt over the
cruel joke /; the pleasure OF his visit to the
conference was spoiled, and on his return to
the college the entire Faculty-among which
were Professor Beard, now of the Smithsonian
Institute, Professor Allen, now of Girard
College, and DR.. Tiffany, now pastor of the
Methodist Memorial church of Washington
instituted an investigation to discover the
authors of prank which, in its audacity,
rivalled the students of Charles O'SIaIley's
day but all their efforts were in vain. The
the first time, those who remember the incl
dent will remember the authors names
How LITTLE Boy D1ED.-The Virginia
City (Nev.) Enterprise of January 18th has
this little paragraph: Little Eddie Nye,
who was run over by fat car las: evening,
and was so badly injured that he died next
morning, was rare, bright :hild, and one Of
the best children in the city. Just before
be died he sang The Beautiful River with
voice as though he had caught. the tones
from the softer shore on the brink of which
his mother had taught him. Tho child all
his life had lisp, but this last prayer fell
from his tongue without halt or quiver, but
rather steady and clear, and yet with far off
tone, as though another's voice of infinite
sweetness hsd seized upon his lips in the
supreme moment, to leave an echo in his
apguished mothers ears which should last as
long as life. Shortly after the little PRAYER
the sunny eyes closed. and little Eddie was
gone, On Sunday his funeral attracted the
whole city, and there was not dry eye
around the dead child's bier"
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