Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-12-11

folIogs The children we're at work picking
cotton 10 field near their fathers house
about week ago, when negro youth named
Willis Asbll, about eighteen years of age, who
had been discharged from Mr.. FaIlow's service
and ordered to keep off the premises, joined
them and commenced i'll treating them and 10
terferiDg with their work 10 various ways. FL
nally be went so far as to strike one OF the boys
With stick. The resentment of the little Ia
borers eliminated at this affront and they at
once made combined attack upon their tor
mentor with stones, sticks and knives, which
they employed with such effect as to lntlct a
severe Injury upon the head of Asblll, which,
as is alleged, brought upon bin an attack of
cerebro spinal meningitis, resulting IN death
day or two ago.
The children were at oDce arrested on a
charge of murder and brought to Columbia,
where their case came up to day, as above stat
cd, 10 the Supreme Court, 90 application Tor
writ Of habeas corpus. After tou ching areu
mcpt by counsel, ably seconded, it may wei! be
believed, by the almost iotautle appearance or
| the affriphtcd prisoners. the Court granted the
| writ, aud bail was allowed in the sum of $4,000
| for the appearance Of the defendants at the
next term of the Court of General Sessions for
| Edgefied cou0!y. The case has excited the
kecncst interest 10 this community and is With
cut parallel in the history Of the State.
DEATH OF MAJOR GENERAL Benz. HUGER.
The death OF this veteran soldier, which occur
red in this city yesterday Iaorunp is announced
with sinc=re regret. IlaViog lived more than
the three score years and ten usually allotted to
man. he has gene down to he grave beloved
by all for the Kindness OF his manner aud the
bsoevoencc Of his heart. AID honored by those
who knew him best for the strict integrity and
uDbemisbed purity Of his character.
General Hugcr was one Ct many dlstln-
gushed members Of an old Charleston lam
lily, being the eldest son Of Copnel Francis Kin
loeb Huger. lie was born November %. 1905,
and graduated at West Point in 1925, and was
thsn at once assigned to duty 10 the artillery
branch Of the service. "a the organization
of the ordinance corps 10 1881, he was
transferred to it, and served for mauv years
az commander Of the arsenal at Fortress
Monroe, and ia various other posltioos
notably as chief OF ordnance TO General SCOTS
army in Mexico, where he obtained three bre
vets as a recognition of his conspicuous courage
and ability. Subsequently he acted as an 10
spectOr of or nance. ln 1861 he resigned his
commission and offered his services to the Con.
fcdrratc authorities. lie was at once appointed
a brgadier general and assigned TO the command
oil the department of Norfolk. Va, where be
displayed marked ability organized hne dlVl-
sion, and was soOD promoted to major general.
Heparticipatcd 10 the battles around Richmond,
and Continued in the service Of the Confed erscy
until the end, when be was 90 duty 10 the
Trans Mississippi department.
Sitce the war Gen. Huger has been living
on his farm in Fauquier county, Va, but a
kind Providence decreed tina! he should die in
his old home, surrounded by his family and
freuds. No truer son Of Carolina e'er breathed
his last upon her soil. Charleston Nears, 18th.
COMMUNICATED.
VENUS AND JUPITER Some persons we're
ct loss, last week. to koow which OF the two
beautiful planets, near the southwestern hori-
200, was Venus and which Jupiter. AS rule,
any planet seen in the western horiz)n more
than three hours after sunset, however brilliant
cannot be Venus, her greatest elongation or
angular distance from the SUI being about IS
degrces-perhsps little more-so that q planet
seen at a greater distance from sunset than
half way between the horizon and the Zenith,
can hardly be Venus Now, some of the alma
macs place Venus 10 the constellation Scorpio,
and Jupiter 10 Sagittarius. for November,
which puts Venus west Of Jupiter, and, per-
hap7, made some persons think the brighter
plauet was JUPITER. 10 Decen Der, however,
Venus will BE- found in Capricornus and Jupi
ter 10 Slgitarius, west Of Venus, as will
now appear. Now as 10 the brilliancy
of this splendid object, it is very little small.
er than the planet upon which we soouro.
1t might be supposed that when she is at her
nearest approach to our EARTH namely 10
her inferior conjunction, say about twenty FIVE
millions ofmies sway-she would bejust so much
brighter than when she is in her superior con
unction-or farthest distance from the earth
say one hundred and sixty millions of miles,
and this would be the case, but for the fact that
| her enlightened hemisphere is turned more and
more from US as she approaches the earth and
comes more aud more into view as she recedes
! from it, 1t is to this cause then that We must
attribute the uniformity of her spendor. as we
usually sac it. Tomorrow evening the moon
and the planets Mars aud Saturn, will be
near neighbors from our standpoint, and
if it is clear, will be worth observing, though
the greater brlliancy of the moon, in her first
quarter, will 10 great measure quench that of
the two other planets. PROCTOR.
December i.