Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-12-24
LEXINGTON.

Reading Clubs and Football Gamcs-Saic
OF Farni-PTonunciation- and Spelling
Match sermon on Temperance.
Correspondence ofthe Richmond Dispatch.
DECEMBER 81, 1885.
A number Of bears have been killed
in this section recently. Mr.. lIostetter
brought to town day or two ago a
bear which he had killed, and says that
it is the seventh killed by him this sea-
son. lie resides near Bratton's mour-
tain.
Mr.. T. N. Page, Of your city, has
been selected to deliver the annual al
dress before the Alumni Association at
the next commencement OF Washington
and Lee University.
Arrangements are making for Christ
mas-trees and festivals by the various
Sunday schools Of the town.
Reading clubs are getting to be very
popular through the county.
The students and cadets are having
occasional games of football on the
Virginia Military Institute parade
ground.
The farm near Lexington formerly
owned by DR.. Dawson, who has moved
West, has been purchased by Mr.
Bruce Tutwilcr, of Lynchburg, for
$500.
Our Town Council has decided to re-
actablieh the cbain-panC
Captain w. IL. Sale, Of Capon
Springs, is here with his family, and it
is said they will make their home in
Lexington for the winter.
An interesting pronunciation and
spelling match" came off last evening
at the Baptist church, for the benefit Of
the Sunday school. Professors Harris
and Graves, Of the Washington and Zee
University, with Webster's and Tor-
cester's Dictionaries before them, acted
as umpires, and Mr.. W. II. Waddell
was the schoolmaster. There were
twenty-One contestants in the spelling
class and seven in the reading class.
Mr.. W. b. Newman bore off the palm
in spelling, and Mr.. ". X. Abraham
in pronunciation. Both of these gen.
tlemen are students from Alabama.
The contest was very animated and
interesting one, and afforded pleasant
entertainment to all who were present.
The prizes, " Shakspeare's Works
and handsome autOgraph-album' were
presented to the successful contestants
by Rev. DR.. Taylor. ! have secured a
copy Of the composition which those
contending for the pronunciation
prize "were required to read before the
audience, and which is said to be an
admirable ordeal Of a readers ability
to pronounce correctly. Though the
words are nearly all in daily use, it is
claimed that there were quite a number
in it that are generally misprOnOunced.
Thinking that it may be Of interest to
your readers, it is herewith subjoined.
A sacrilegious son Of Belial, who
suffered from bronchitis, having ex-
hausted his finances, in order to make
good the deficit resolved to ally himself
to comedy, lenient, and docile young
lady Of the Malay or Caucasian race.
He accordingly purchased a calllope
and a necklace Of chameleon hue.
and having secured a suite of rooms at
leading hotel near the depot, he en-
gagged the head-waiter as his coadiutor.
He then dispatched letter Of the most
unexceptionable caligraphy extant in
wiling the young lady to matinee.
She revolted at the idea, refused to
consider herself sacrificable to his
designs, and sent a polite note
of refusal; on receiving which
he said he would not now
forge letters hymeneal with the Queen.
lie then procured a carbine and
bowie-kniie, went to an isolated spot
behind an abode of squalor, severed
his jugular vein, and discharged the
contents of the carbine into his abdo-
men. The debris was removed by the
coroner, who from leading life in the
culture of delleS-lettres and literature
had become a sergeant alarms in the
Legislature of Arkansas"
Rev. DR.. McBryde preached an able
sermon last Sunday at Grace-Memorial
church on the " Evils of lntemperance.
Colonel j. L. l.. Preston and wife,
who have been on visit to Philadel-
phia, have returned home. A. b. c.