Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1880-09-25

adjoining the sands of Horteniius Low
ry, John Stoneman, Jesse Stoneman,
Andrew Moore and Benjamin Sampson,
which has a curious history. Every
person who has had anything to do
with it in the way of ownership has be-
come ruired financially. This is veri-
ty in It's history not to be disputed
Some time in the year 100 two men
from Virginia came there aud cleared
, ont a little patch of ground and built a
cabin. When winter came on one of
the men came back 10 Virginia 10
bring his family out in the spring to
their new home in the wilderness, leav
ing his companion in charge of Their
new acquisition. So, when spring
came, the man brought his family ont
to this place, but instead OF finding his
companion at the cabin, found family
by the name of Davis in full possession,
but he could find or hear nothing ofthe
companion he had left there.
The Davis family claimed the proper
ty as their own, claimed that they had
cleared what had been cleared, and had
erected the cabin, and refused To give it
mp. Nothing was ever heard OF the
lone companion, and il has always been
the belief that lie waa murdered by the
Davises and his body concealed. But
one of the Davis family; we have been
told, died natural death. Several of
them committed suicide and Others be-
came insane, and they became financial
IL ruined. There seems TO be strong
belief among the people OF that section
that q curse rests and ever will rest up
on that tract of land, aud the financial
ruin that has tracked its history, rs well
as the miserable ending Of the family
who first possessed ii, seems TO ailord
good grounds for his belief.
ToRPrpo BALLUoNs.-A scientific gen
tlemau, says the New York Herald,
warns .he country and the government
of new and terrible engine of war that
may possibly come into use, and against
which New York would he utterly de
fenseless. Ii is the torpedo balloon. A
VESSEL lying out or range OF any oi our
forts could take advantage OF iavorlng
brcezes to set adriit, without aeronants,
small balloons, each carrying fifty pounds
of nitro glycerine, the explosive to 10
dropped by q wellknown and cheap
mechanical contriyance at such time as
may be determined upon after tho dis
tance and velocity OF the wind hsvo been
estimated. 1t will be readily seen that
a vessel barely in sight Of land and after
ONLY the rulest calculations, could not
send out any such fiendsh missiles with
out doing great damage TO life aud prop
erty somewhere within the great area
covered 10y New York, Brooklyn and
Jersey City. IL ispoor comfort TO think
that other large cities of the world arc
equally exposed TO such tcrrors, aud
that even London and Paris are not Tar
enough from the scaboard to escape
harm. A general agreement between
civilized powers, such as was made re-
garding explosive bullets, should prompt
| ly nip this danger in the bud.
A PROTEST. Rev. J. Il. Haskell, of
the Central Evangelical Lutheran
Church, Staunton, Va, has written a
long letter to tho Staunton Vindicator
protesting against the sentence Of depo-
stion issued against him 10y the Evan
gelical Lutheran Synod Of Virginia.
lie says that the connection between
his church and the synod was legally
dissolved in .Idne last; that the synod
has, therefore, no jurisdiction over him,
and that he was deposed simply because
he followed his congregation out Of
synod with which they would no long
Or affiliate. lie charges the synod with
un-Luthcranism, with a violation OF its
own constitution, of the teaching OF the
Scripture aud Of justice under the com.
mon law, and challenges it TO defend its
action in publishing an unofficial pam
ph!et calculated To injurc his reputation,
and in attempting 10 deposc him from
the ministry.
H.