The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1878-12-26


ing The police Court was packed witha motley
throng OF men and boys. II ages they
ranged anywhere from tan 10 esxhty, but IN
prnrient curiosity and eagcrness to hear the
details If sad story, little difference could
be observed. The occasion for the assembly
was the trial Of young man charged with
the seduction OF chaste and girtuous We man
under the promise OF marriage. The prose-
cutrix gave her age as twenty-three, but
you would scarcely have taken her for twenty,
so fresh and almost girlish was the face. 1t
was face, too, iairer than most girls have,
intelligent. and what. under other clrcum-
stances, might have been called bright. You
could have readily imagined her to have been
merry, romring girl, careless and full OF
life. She was neatly dressed in plain calico
and comfortable cloak, and her face was par
TALLY screened by dark veil. Beside her
most crushed by the sorrow that had oyerta-
ken him. As the sad details OF the story
were given in the testimony Of the various
witnesses, he bowed his head on his hands.
and once or twice was heard to exclaim,
s'my God nv God!" The accused was
young man with rather handsome face and
| reckless air,-just such an one as would be
likely to attract giddy, thoughtless girl
Near him stood his brother, man OF high
character and sterling worth, who seemed to
be more affected by the gravity OF the still
alton than he against whom the charge was
made.
The name OF the prosecutrIx was Josephine
Mc1.aln, daughter OF Mr.. McT.alr, respect
able and worthy mechanic, and the accused
vas Cicero Doom. son Of MIR. Madison Doom,
a man universally esteemed in this commu-
nifty, where many years Of his life have been
passed. Major Elder, Commonwealth At
torney. conducted the prosecution, and
Meade F. White, Esq, the defence.
The story of the girl, as told to the Mayor,
was that she had first met the accused some
two years ago. At the third meeting Sic
had agreed to discard o man name Whitlock.
to whom she was engaged. and substitute
Doom in his stead. 1t was agreed be-
tween them that they should be married the
following summer, and that by virtue OF that
agreement she hal yielded to his advances,
after being assured that Should anything
happen the marriage would be consummated
earlier. She had been before that thor
oughly chaste woman. When the time fixed
for the wedding approached, the accused had
told her that he was not ready to marry
was too wild ard reckless to think about set.
thing down yet The intimacy between them
continued with more or less ardor, until with
In two or three months ago, when Doom dis.
appeared. On the cross examination she de.
MED emphatically the authorship Of various
letters shown her, and again declared that
she had been yirtuous woman before meet
ing the accused. Mr.. McLain testified that
he had introduced Doom to his family. At
the time Of the Introduction the man Whit
lock was attentive to his daughter, and be had
been anxious to get rid Of him. Doom had
volunteered bis services to assist in that
laudable object. After Whitlock. who from
all the testimony was most dsrcputable
character, had been disposed Of, Doom con.
tinued his visits, until they also became dis.
tasteful to the father. At times the accused
would come to his house very much intoxi-
Gated, and upon one occasion it was the
purpose Of the witness to forcibly eject him,
had not the entreaties Of his wife prevailed.
After that, Doom was not allowed to visit
the girls home, but she would meet him by
appointment at various places. The father
had hoard nf these clandestine meetings, and
alsu tnat his daughter frequented a house OF
i'll fame. He had endeavored to follow her
on one occasion, but failed l0ascertaIn where
she went. Doom had once told him that ILLS
daughter had promised to marry Linn.
These were the principal witnesses for the
prosecution. Others We're introduced, and
testified to the respectable standing OF the
McLain family, at their former home. In
Lexington, and to the general good reputa-
ton of the girl.
The chief witness for the defence was
Briscoe Dull, who testified that to his per-
sonal knowledge the girl was impure before
she ever came to Stanton. A number of
others were introduced to prove that her
reputation was not good, and that she
had been the subject Of general comment
in connection with the man Whitlock.
After hearing the evidence, and the argu-
ments Of the counsel, the Mayor dismissed
the case, on the ground that the prosecutrix,
previous to her intimacy with the accused,
was not vlrtuous woman.
SOCIETY MOvEMENTs.-The preliminary
organization for society's winter campaign
commences with great yigor and premises
to be the most active that has afflicted our
little city for years. The formation OF clubs
, now occupies the attention Of the bellies and
beaux, and to an alarming extent does the
mania prevail. Three well developed cases
, have been discovered, and these may be re-
garded as only the vanguard OF the hosts to
follow. Enrolling papers, we understand,
are being industrIously circulated for others,
, and the recruits are not few. As might not
altogether have been unexpected, jealousies
and heart-burnings are coming to the sur
face, and finding expression In the most
whitening satire and blighting sarcasm. For
instance, club No. !, composed Of the junior
members, has flourished for overs year I'm.
der the inspiring title Of the "Terpsicho-
reans." It is now designated BY those who
have been black balled as the ct. B. TBS"
which, when translated into Staunton Eng
lish, means "Trundlc Bed TT" No. 2.
was organized some little while ago, and
was christencd ~. & G. 5. C.'-Lades'
and GentleMen's Social Club. It lived q
week under that imposing headline, and
. yielded to the shafts OF calumny. 1t Ia now
known as the "Tec Hees,' or "Patent Gig
glers." No. 8 then came into existence, and
scarcely had it marsballed under tine name
OF TONY" before the irrtvercnt aud ungod.
ly dubbed it the "Antediluvians," or %. Ms
meaning "Old NJ" but that last word
Is too horrid to 60 upon record.
And thus what was primarily designed to
be the source Of unbounded sociability, has
been productive Of chickering's and estrange-
ment, and society is left without definite
| stratum