Frostburg mining journal., 1880-08-07

A Man Sets Fire to H1 Oaon Property
Not a Bell Rings--hOt Fireman Stirs--
The Wheel Of Fortune Turns upon ia
Oaoner and Leaoes Nothing but Ashes and
Blasted Hopss Behind.
At about $50 a. m, the I'd inst,
the citizens of Frostburg were called
upon to witness sight that must
have stirred their innermost souls.
Joseph Preston, at the hour mention
ed, appeared upon Main street and
in the presence of large crowd of
people deliberately set fire to -(here
We pauseto wipe our eyes.)
Had our tears mid these flames fallen,
We will not say, but this we feel
There'd been no fire, no need of hauling
Away the debris of the fortune wheel.
'Tis ever thus Time and law wait
for no mani You may keep ahead Of
time, but there is no dodglng the law
You may look it in the eye; it may
even aoink back at you; but catch you
it will sooner or later, and when it
does catch you, how you peep through
the cracks of the door; how you are
seldom seen in your accustomed place,
and, lastly, how you look with fear
and trembling to the coming of that
awful person whose duty it is to pros
ecute; at whose nod the machinery of
the law starts on two legs for your
premises, and then and there has
your body in his legal grasp, from
which there is no escape except
through the eye of needle.
Thus was it with our friend Joseph.
The last revolution Of that fortune
wheel found the said Joseph in the
august presence of our prosecuting
attorney, attended by that other aw-
full person, the constable. Did the
said Joseph get down his twenty
foot sword? ?" No. Did he reach forth
and take David unto himself2 Nay,
verify, but quietly smoked his pipe
and said
Whence cometh thou? Art from
abovef Dost dwell in the clouds ?
Art omnipotent?"
"No," said David. II am the pros
ecuting attorney for this county.
Hast thou heard of him in times gone
by2"W
Joseph pauseth.
"Well, sir; I have come here in the
name and by the authority of the
State of Maryland upon information
had. Here we divert to insert an
incident-the sudden disappearance
of seventeen small boys whose where
abouts will not be known until further
advised.) I am informed that you
keep upon these premises certain
device known as fortune-wheel
(said wheel being then and there pres
ent) from which you get large sums
of money; which device and getting
is contrary to law, and I therefore
command you to put that machine
away and use it no more"
With which command the said
Joseph Immediately complied. Was
that all? No, no. poor Joseph sleep
eth not we'll that Saturday night, and
Sunday was no day of rest to him
for the law hath yet another hold
upon Joseph. So Mo-at it be Next
we find the constable issuing from a
magistrates Office possessing an Off
cial document in which the name Of
Joseph distinctly appears, and as
quickly as the eagle snatches away its
living, struggling prey, so was the
said Joseph quickly snatchsd by this
constable; but not like the rapacious
eagle did the said constable carry
away the said Joseph, but left him to
live in awful suspense until Monday
morning, August I'd, A. D., 1880. at
which time the said Joseph was to ap
pear before the aforesaid magistrate.
The dreaded Monday cometh and
so did David, but not with anger in
his heart and "the law newly whet-
ted" but with sympathy and kindness
towards Joseph, and he saith
"Joseph, thou hast violated the
law; thou hast broken the statute;
but as we expect mercy we will show
mercy; go, thou, and destroy by flame
that Internal law-forbidden machine,
even in my sight Doest this, Joseph,
and then and not until then shalt
thou go Free"
Then did Joseph take his hatchet
and brake this machine into thou
sand pieces and make pile of the
same and set fire thereto, all of which