Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1880-04-20

A VERY MARROW EsCAPE.-On last
Friday evening Capt. H.H. Riddleberger
went into his gas-house to empty bar
rel of oil into the tank. just as he had
arranged the piping and started the oil
running, two gentlemen called him to
his front gate to discuss some court bus
mess. When the Captain returned he
found the tank overrun and the oil
wasting. He called for bucket which
was carried by his little son, and he
commenced the work of trying to save
something like half barrel of oil. The
gas in the mean time was escaping
through large aperture in the tank
and so far overcame him as to make
him totally insensible. One of his lit.
tie daughters found him struggling and
unable to get out. The family we're I'M.
able to relieve him, and Mrs. Riddles
berger gave the alarm of fire which
soon called several hundred persons to
the scene. By this time the house was
so filled with gas that man could not
enter and get out without extreme diff
Guilty. Some who attempted it were
made sick instantly. Mr.. John Hoover
and Marshal Hoshour, however. went
down into the pit and brought the Cap
tain out, to all appearance dead; and in
this condition he remained for nearly
an hour. His consciousness was re-
stored in about two hours. He fully
recovered during the night and was at
tending to his business in Court as US
ual on Monday.
The Captain says it was his own reck
less carelessness which came SO near
costing him his life, and that no blame
is attached to the neutrality-suspicious.
doah Herald, April 14th.
MAHoNE's CALL.-'If thou hast any
tidings' (said Falstaff to an cient Pistol
'prit5hee deliver them IKE a man of this
Had Gen. Malone borne this injunc-
ton in mind when he wrote his call for
a Readjusters' Convention, the public
would have been able to tell what he
was driving at, and for what purpose he
was calling his followers together. But,
perhaps, he adopted his foggy forms of
expression to conceal his real object,
which Is to betray the State and turn its
electoral vote over to the Radicals, in
order that he and his Independent elec-
toral syndicate may profit thereby.
He muddies the water that honest Re-
adjusters may not know what is at the
bottom Of his frog pond.
We have not seen so turgid and stilted
a piece of composition for many day.
It reminds one of the supposed ancient
SHIELD which had been found by the an
tiquary Martinus Scriblerus and which
he highly priced, incrusted as it was
with venerable rust. He unused on the
splendid appearance it must have had
in its bright neWpess till one day, an
over sednlous house maid having scpur-
ed off the rust, it turned out to be mere
ly an old pot lid Winchester Times.
An unnamed, headless, mixed ticket
will never receive the support Of the
white people of the great Valley. Many
of them voted for readjustment, but none
of them sold themselves into political
bondage. They are free people, and
disdain, despise, and abhor tyranny in
any shape or form. Malone may send
out his edicts commanding votes for an
independent ticket, but they will not be
needed. The Whig may below, and
rant, and rave, and cheap damnation
mountain high" on those who dare ex-
ercise their freedom, but all to no pur-
pose. Our people are opposed to radi-
calism, and will die in the last ditch
rather than ground their opposition to
1t.-Nte7a0ndO0h valley.
SALES OF LAND IN BoTEToURT CoUN-
TY.-We learn from the Finoastle Her.
aid that Capt. Corbin M. Reynolds,
State Treasurer, has recently sold to Mr..
Cook, the old family homestead, on
which are immense deposits ofiron ore,
for SIC, 00.-part cash.
The Catawba Furnace property, stu
ated ten miles West of Fincastle, has
been sold, tits reliably reported, to an
iron master of Ohio, named Bramwell,
for the sum of 500 ,OOO, $50, 900 cash.
On Monday of last week, Mr.. R. B.
Williams bought at auction the John
Whitmore farm, on James River, of SO
acres, for $3.50 90.
No question of REIMBURSEMENT is to be
discussed in this canvass, and the Dem
ocratic party is large enough and gener
GUS enough to be political. home for all
her children, no matter how they have
differed on State questions. Let US there
fore be done with this mixed business,
this unnatural and wicked alliance, and
all these mean and shifty contrivances
to deceive the honest voter, and let US
stand together by our Democratic cOlOrs,