Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1886-02-16
A MAGIC LINE.
QUEER BIOGRAPHICAL SITUATION.
unIs cfuls N Two srArIs.

Virginia also separates the cities OF Bris-
FOL, In the former State. and Ooodson. In
the latter. This line runs for more than
a mile through Main Street. which Is the
principal business throughfare OF both
cities. Within a radius Of forty miles Of
these twin municipalities are the State.
of North Csrolins. IVES, Virginia and
Kentucky. The same line marks the
limits Of the se,cn,y.fhh meridian. by
which ''Ess,ern'' time Is regulated. aud
the nineteenth meridian. which governs
the .'oentrsr' standard. Railroad trains
In Virginia run by Eastern time. While
Tennessee holds allegiance TO the central
meridian. A passenger train from some
poin, In Virginia arrives daily a, 1850
In. NJ. The traveller takes half an hour
for dinner and resumes bis journey IN
Tennessee AZ | r. ". the same day. This
sounds funny. bu, IL is nevertheless true.
Bristol and Good,on have a population
Of twenty-five hundred each. and the
municipal, county aud State Govern
men,s are entirely distinct. Elections
for Mayors. Aldermen and Recorders fof
the sister ei,iss ATE hel5en diieren, days.
State elections In Virginia are held In
odd and In Tennessee in even years,
hence rone bu, Presidential elections
ever occur At the same time on both
sides Of Main Street.
The State line m~eAsurably aids the e.
cape Of criminals. A large percentage OF
these ale subsequently, arrested by 'en-
turing near OF across the line. aud some
.urou, and amusing Incidents are told
Of ,hi, phase Of the relations between the
two places. An offender. having escaped
from q Tennessee officer. ran across Main
Street. climbed upon a pile Of boxes and
began 10 iAan, the officer. who sAs Pos-
stle.s 20 rearfssi him without q r,quisi.
ton from the Governors Of Virginia and
Tennessee. While the refugee vas in
dulsing In a good deal Of hilAriiy over the
officers prsdieAmen,. a friend Of the lat
ter gave the boxes a shove. which threw
them down. landing their occupant, IN
Tennessee. where the pursuer Jos, no time
in securing bis a
An old man from the coInify came %
Goodson, imbibed too freely Of tie cup
that ckesr. and proceeded 10 give > curb
stone matinee. Ga the approach o. an
officer the performance va, hastily AL
joarn,d TO the Bristol side Of Maine ST..
where IL va. continued until the arrival
Of = Bristol policeman convinced the am
atcuf minstrel that be bal escaped seylla
only 10 perish Ia ChArybdi'. In thi. it
uAiion the dis,arber Of the peace placed
one zoo, il Virginia. the other in Tennss'
see, and standing like a eloihespin aero"
the State line Informed the ofhsers OF
Bristol and Ooodson ,hA, he would sue
either city ,ha, removed any par, Of bis
body from the other State viihosi bis
permission. Thi. threat availed him
nothing. however. and the emigran, was
taken TO the Good.on lookup. bowling
because he was no, permitted 10 ait him.
sslf like a family washing upon the State
line.
/ James W. Virgins and Hofa,io Glow
two citizens Of the Tennessee side Of The
, line, had a Misunderstanding. from which
Horaiio emerged with q dishgured coun-
~,enAnee and bis clothing badly torn. Not
wishing TO 10 to jail the beligsren, Wig
gin. decided to smigrAie aud within a
|. few minutes wa. safe in Virginia. fo'
.ome time after his arrival in the Old
Dominica be pursued the sven tenor Of
his way. urdis,urbed by the cares and
anxietie. iha, bese, the ordinary law
breaker in eon.,An, fear Of apprehension.
Mr.. Wiggis.'s felieiiious condition might
have been prolonged indefinitely bu, for
the closing Of al bAr-rOom' In Goodson'
owing 10 an election which was bsing
held. A. the election progressed Wig
gin. became very dry. Standing on the
Good.on side be could look into open
Bristol bAr.rooms and see = ''land lowing
with peach and honey" However. he
endured the Agonie. Of TAniala' until
late ia the afternoon. when a well'mean-
ing but misguided friend proposed that
they 70 Aeros. the stree, and take some
thing" The drink was a costly one for
Virgins. for scarcely had be sc, bis glass
on the bar when the .iroag grip OF the
law laid hold on him and be was taken
by the sheriff TO another bar 10 answer
for malieiou.ly a..uliing the inotfen'ive
Glow With a wAgon.spoke.
A. owes II. but owing 10 homestead
exemption has no property subject TO levy.
A drive. into the city and ia turning his
horse OF vehicle crosses the line. Is in
,,anily attaches A property and makes
good bis otherwise yAlueless deb, on the
ground ,hA, 4 was removing bis property
from the State. Nor does the line Assis,
in the collection OF debts from individuals
alone. for the novel spectacle was here
witnessed Of a locomotive chained TO The
track. The Atlantic. Mississippi and
Ohio railroad. which William Malone
bankrup,ed during bis administration a.
President Of the concern. sen, the engine
aeros. the line into Tennessee. when a
wide.Awake creditor took this oPPor,an.
10 enforce the collection Of a claim he
had against the road.
!, Attachment. Of a gen,ler nature ATE
also aided by the line. Tor here young
people can watch the old year out in Vir'
GINA by Eastern time. and have an hour
, 10 make the mos, Of and watch the same
year on, In Tennessee by Cen,ral time.
when storm. darksn the paren,Al horizon
the young couple can step across the line
and find a second Gretna Green, where
parental rage avsil' bu, little unless ae'