Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-03-17
Mysterious SnicIIc

| WASHINGTON, March IA mau named
Charles A. Penlz. who was formerly sergeant
10 the army, who has,beeu stopping al Myers
Hotel, on Pennsylvania avenue, between SEES.
onl aud Third streets, for several days, con
! mitted suicide 10 his room about five o'clock
| this afternoon. He said when be arrived there
| that he had Just come from Portland, Oregon,
| but that be belonged 10 Washington Territory.
| From his manner it Was supposed that he Was
| mono maniac on religion. 1t appears that he
| has been assisting as a rcylYalist ia the West.
| Several letters were found ia his trunk from
| ministers commencing his services in the cause
| Of religion. One CT the letters i1u1d on him,
| but which had never been delivered, was ad
dressed TO Rev. Mr.. McElrcsh Ot Baltimore,
| Introducing Pentz az worthy man aud Chris
| tiau. Before lie shot himself be secured, lock,
ed and barred The door Of his room from the
| inside. lie then stood near the bed and with
| his lett hand shot himself 10 the left temple,
causing almost instantaneous death. The pis
| tol used was very small one, the report being
80 faint that it was not heard down stairs. The
heavy fail Of the body on the floor however,
was distinctly heard. The body was turned
over to The police and removed to the police
station house, corner oil First and 1 streets,
where an lcquest was held this morn
log. The deceased WIS about ,hiIty.live years
OF age. He left no letter giving any clue as 10
the cluse Of bis suicide.
y MODEL OFFICIAL LETTER. The follow
ing is copy verbatim ct lteratim Of letter,
applying for I government position, which was
sent to President Hayes day or two ago:
ALEXANDRIA. Va, March 1877.
Your HIQhncSS :-Wcra not Alexander |
would be Diogcnes; were | not myself, would
be you, aud now to business as the girl said,
When the young man talked love to her, and
referred him to her papa. | vas COnledc-
rate soldier, ragged dilapidatcd sou Of mis-
fortune who charged at the head Of the Black
Horse squadron many tune, AID OFT against
you gentlemen in blue, but beyond q Yankee
havcrsack aud an oil cloth cover, the devil
thing did l cverget Well, after being starved,
chased aud run over ior i1ur years laid down
ny old battered sabre and started for home OF
au old crOw-bait mare, who hadn' tsmtlled corn
and hay for six months. | aimed fer my farm
on the Potomac, aud said to my o!l mare, if
you can cheat the buzzlrds and reach home
safe, can make a coru crop sure. We reach
ed my paeroal domain, and | Iarmed iOr Eve
years, and then feeling that my country needed
my services, |, leaving my honesty aud self
respect behind me, turned politician and pitch
ed 10 the fray. Last fall [ went to Ohio to
stump the Stale, and beg leave Of your Eyce-
leucy 10 alludc to q remarkable fact which our
mutual friend John G. Thompson will corrobo-
rate that wherever | made democratic speech
es, there were enormous republican gains this
fact induces me 10 believe that the Ohloans
have no taste for eloquencc or orato!y. Now
having failed to elect my man. hunger after
the fash pots, and seeing old Juba Early and
Gen. Dabney Maury, those iIIustrous last.
ditchers, who hate the Yankees worse than they
do the devil, begging for office, | lhuk poor
private soldier is iustlti in catching the crumbs
that fall from the political table. Therefore,
your eyceency, | will accept o! consulate, and
will retire to some far off spot, and there med
itate upon the sins Of mispent youth.
HAMpr0N's CoLoRED App0GNTEES. --Goy
Hampton has certainly not Disseminated
against colored citizens in bis appointments to
office. He has retained j. q. CtInton, coIorcd,
as treasurer OF lancaster county, despite the
protests Of numerous white democrats, who are
applicants Tor the place. Clinton is lie.
publican. and supported Chamberlain 10 the
recent State canvass. He has appointed q
coored Republican auditor of the wealthy
county of AbbevIllc. very important Office, as
the entire assessment CT real and personal
property 10 South Carolina is made by the
county auditors. HI has also appointed many
colored trial justices, and the jury commission
er Of Charleston county is Robert Dercef,
well.known c1lored man who holds Hampton's
but has his right to the Office con.
tested by Garrett Byrnes, : white nan ap-
pointed b. Chamberlain. J