Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-01-18
AlefanorIaQ6a5&tt&*
THURSDAY, JANUARY Is, 1877.


n most terrible case OF parental cruelty, dis
closing the imprisonment aud neglect for seven
teen year; of IN iotic son and the possible
murder Of another, has set the unusually quiet
borough Of Milton, Mass, lato az intense Iever
Of excitement As the story goes. aboutseven.
teen years ago quarrel occurred ia the family
Of Josiah Fields, by occupation laJorcr, 10
which the father, mother and several sons par
ticipated Ia the course Of the dispute Josiah,
| jr., hardly Of age, offended his father by his
continued obstlnacy, and the latter, as is sup
posed, struck the boy severe blow, lnHlctlog
upon him some permanent injury. In order
| to prevent the discovery OF the decd the wound.
| cd lad, it is alleged, was locked in chamber.
The sudden disa ppearaucc Of the lad was &C.
counted for in various ways by the people Of
! the ncighborhood the family giving out thai
| the boy had ruo away. Last Saturday one OF
the sous died and the privacy OF the family
was invaded Oac lady going to room, from
which an almost oVcrpowerlng stencil emanat-
cd, had the curiosity to unlock the door and
peer 10.
Her testimony is to the effect that a strange
man on all tcurs, Naked with long hair and
beard, ran at her utering gutteral sounds, and
being apparently unable to speak distinctly. a
general alarm followed. The matter was nolsed
about town and the creature wa!!owlDg ln his
own filth, was readily associated with the
long missing son, Josiah. r. So much ex.
ctement was Cccasioncd that the sccctmen OF
the town thought it their duty to investigate
the affair. Oa Saturday they called IN BODY,
but were requested to postpone their lnVesli:
CATION until Monday. Oa the morning named
COL Henry W. Russell waited on the family
and found the poor hall-wltcd fellow salloW IN
complexion from his l0Gg confinement, with
nicely shaven face and cropped head. 1t turned
out upon further investigation that during tie
interval between Saturday and Monday the 10
human parents had their son shaved aud put
iu prcscntablc shape. His appearance now is
OF al ordinary man, who s!oops slightly ami
has = very sa!!ow complexion, and what Is pc
cuIar, he is quite stout. Of late he has been
seen at the windows o! houses With blankets
wrapped about him, and this gave rise to the
story 0! "wlld man rowing about the woods.
The family assign no reason Tor having kept
him concealed all these years and Will not allow
him 10 be seen by any one 1T the present time.
What adds to the terror Of the l1Gcgolug story
is the fact that another son has also been miss
ine for upward OF sixteen years, and at tie
time oil his disappearance al Obi we'll near tie
house was suddenly filled W. lhe wiidesS
excitement prevails there, and pending the
digging out OF! the well The Fields family are
under surveillance. ~. L. Hra'd.
REsorRcEi AND FINANCES or VIRGINIA.
The report O! the sub-CommIt'ca Oh t!uauca,
(Alr. Ialialtrro, Of NJr!oiS, c;IaIrEan,l has
been printed, and ii contains valuable Intorma-
ton az to the assets, debts, Resources, w., az
Of the State. 10 it We learn that since 1860
Yur:ria, by ,lSlnrmtcrmcnl and from other
causes, has lost in population %1oG5l; loss IN
personal property ttnXlpc,l 81 .SS?,olG; los.
in taXabir rca! estate, 81 2l,323 ,?E'; lnt"Tn;i:
im;royrrcntS $50, Ion 3G22SI loss on bank
ing c.riiai, SIS $40, 500 loss nG circulation,
So. 900 900; los go Tie State Interest I'D
banks, $3. 760 O2O; loss pn Glritclrs aud DonuS
from banks. S36S. .S;,34"5 tpLAi 50, $500, ,l0l,-
| TO1.I1 10 which may Gc "!f"s; s.'ver a"d
other property Tot tax, sos, 10" t'"'; '9'ah
! $lG9 10 702.
| Whilc tie six New IiaI.:I States pay
| S. :JJ4 H. iutcgE1. rc""nu: 70 tHr Dn'ten
| States Government they hav SlGO 3l' 256 na
tiouai banking capital, and Virginia, w''l!e she
| pays s. .3I3, 100, has oDy Il rational hanklng
capital Of IS 55SO.9I%
During til" pas! year, ltclndin@ thc ic"3ouy
fund ($71,l99 there VA appropriated TO puo-
lie schools by Stat an! count taxation
81 ,UG9, SO 5G;appcoIr!aiod 10 charities aunuhI
| ly, SD go; t. colleges aHGuaiiJ' 9'O,VCo'
| Present vaIur Z! ,!c STATE iutcrr-i ~ AZ III
| tcrnnl improvements, S%y5.nJp t!!Seeh "uH
Dire! copies Of his report have h1'h Tfin''h
!n. circulation abroad.
a GORILLA WHICH SpGEhzEn \ po"roK"
t.. -, ,.-