Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-12-23

forty years.
Big Bows, do not tempt small ones. aud,
small bows. DO aot let BIG boys o. men 'e l,,,
YOU 10 partsse OF intoxicautss especially
when YOU know Il - against home rules.
FAMOUS sLkIGn RIDE.
MI. DIX Sleigh: Mv Christmas days
have usually been pelceiu, ply ana re-.
! plctc with blessings. ore, I'm the iSnS
ago. remember was somewhat eXceptlona',
though rs final outcome was very satlsitc.
| torv. IL was simply a ..prairie seig1-ride.
| In tho gloaming Of crisp winter daY Sc
lect parry OF twelve young people equally
composed of ladies' aud gentlemen, were
snugly tucked IN a. great old counirJ sle'SA
well lined with fresh straw ana Oui'a,o'
robes. -four bell adorned horse. snd lriiy
driycr COMPLETED HE outfit, and Away lhey
dashed across tNelye-rie psairle, un-
| marked gifh either tree. fence or house
only a Qlistening stretch OF snow ana lne
/ occasional bark OF the pralrie-wOii WIN
merry song and peals OK laughter "c speu
/ away towards the court house. whch SUI
4 denly, through some accident, toe gIea.
/ sleign was overturned aud the entire party
were nounderng IN the depths OF snow,
1 bank. Everybody laughed ana a'suieu
each other lint no one was hurt save the
younv lady whom was escOrllng. who nad
| been struck upou the head by one OF the
overturned seats. she gayly said tbat no
! harm was done, and Oh &c went - our oes-
tipatlOn. Gathered around the great open
l.lre. the injured ones face and head COM
menced 10 sell and blacken. until ere long
she wonid readily have passed Tor the queen
! OF TlmbnctOO, but the colors we're not ias''
She recovered and afterwards became my
partner for life.
johns WAY OF PUTTING IT.
Colonel Joun Bell Bigger: ! would gladly
/ give Won a rcminisceuce OF nv most memo
rable Christmas experience II ! couia DI'hE
10 mind ANYTHING interesting, but so many
year, have passed away since 10 chiiuiSn
olee ransacked the stocking from toe 70 hcel
/ that even il ANYTHING worthy OF remem-
trance occurred on any Christmas Jay du-
ring childhood memory fails % recall u now
1 IN advanced years, nv experiences on o"i
! Sayiour's natal day have been marked oY 10
particular event. On such DAYS l mihe'e III
| the dYefsitc- Of the nome circle, "ni& W
! in AZ early dawn, witnessing tue rlshg OF
| inc majestic sun, brightly shining in bound
| less space. and when the blazing orb OF oay
! i shedding it, last ray over hilltop anu
vale there comes over me a feeling OF com
placcncy winch In The sweet slumDCr thIt
! follows 10 the silent mlgnihcence OF hlsht Is
/ increased By the sound OF happy voices sing
]
! ing 10 the dreimer's ear.
TWO WAR INCIDENTS.
Canfain James ". Pegram Whose father
vr.s commander Of the Nashville and VINO
wa.hinlsolf one % the officers. In 1851 much
excitement WAS created throughout England
| bv the srrlyalin Southampton OF the steamer
/ Nashville ling TIE LAG Of the Confederate
/ ~ioto.. winch had never before been seen IN
| e Merry England"
On lilo craiso out the N'shyile's upper
works and warehouses had been Carried
away. and she looked complete wreck. Be
fore reaching southampton the Harvey
/ Burch. very fine clipper ship, had been
captured md destroyed,
Cui short time before Christmas. 1861,
news VAS received thlt United states man
! og.yar bad taken from the British mail
| steamer Trent Nessrs. Slidell and Mason.
/ Confederate commissioners 70 the Imperial
| Court Of France and TO the Court OF -.
/ James, together with their secretaries,
! Nessrs. Eustace and Mcfarland. This news
made "John BuWs" blood boil. Lord PAX
mer.on demanded the immediate release Of
the prisoners, and backed this demand by
sendin. quite an army to Canada. Many OF
tbe,e trooDs embarked 90 Southampton, and
"A tnev passed our ship salulcs were eX-
changed aud the old Confederate yell made
the ar vocal.
Under these circumstances YOU nav well
Imagine that Christmas, 1861, was royalty
celebrated by The officers OF the Nashville.
Contra.
on December a. lsCi General Butler
commenced "A fierce attack UPON Fort Fish,
er. On Christina. DAY be began TO land bis
army 10 assault The fort on IL. iilnk and land
face. Half oi the garrison Of Battery Buchan-
/ an were marched through one OF the most
fearful artillery dfcs ever seen 10 reinforce
the fort. These forces were given position
hcf8ecn the end Oi the s'ockadc and low
waier mark During the whole OF Christians
uisht we stood in a cold, driving rain.
When the tide was up The right OF the line
was over knec.deep ln water. We had md
no dinner nor supper and were miserable
| About midui .ht toe m0rOiony vas slightly
varied by quifc brisk skifmi-h Win = plI'
nf the enemy, skf,mish hOe, who in the
5,rlnc.s hsd lost th.ir way. we took them
m ont OF the wet shortly after tbs loud
explosion was heard, whlch W. alte'Ward
learned va, thc powdcr~hip TINT Batter III
tended should DloW up line fort We spent
fearful Christmas highland fought Lard The
next day, requesting Butler.
on A NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
+. Courtney Jenkins, Esq. II was al
Wilmington. y. c., December 2i 1861
The United -titss fleet opened Ere on Fort
Fisher. nj the castern mouth Of Cape Fear
river. and alf that day and nigh' could bt
heard the consoles booming Of the fra ate,
blttoricsa, thcl poured their fast ndiIrous
lire ashore. TIE guns Of the i.cet and me
rssp0Ddlng forts furnished the only musi.
ior Christina, chimes as lhe day dawncd, and
While the casualties q the point OF attack
were feW. there Yves most stupeldOu'
fright, panic. and scanperng amons th'
GOOD towns-pcople. the non-comhatmts and
coutrahands moving away As rapidly a, pos
sihle by every conceivable conveyance.
was purser Of the Confederate steamer Tai
lahassee, commanded by Captain John VIII
kinson, Confederate states navy, the mos
successful ana daring biocbade-iunnei
known. and our vessel was laden viii
Government cotton to be taken TO Bermuda
and exchanged for blankets, shoes, mcdt
cines. and ammunition, as had been custom
arv. Ian the midst OF the citS's turw0i
ana confusion we cast oil from The whor
! soon after noon. and ia due time
anchored nj Smthyiilc. the port AZ tie
mouth OF the river. About dusk Genera
Whiting ielegraphcd us from Fort Fisher
that tie United States troops were enDlrE
inc. tie attack on the fort paving been aban
doned. We were under way in o few mi
uute,. crosse d the lower or western bar Of
Fort Caswell, and soon after saw the Aene.
Fiv, an inward-bound steamer We had
learned WIS ashore that morning, and two
Of the cnom5's blocladers were close by 10,
beach shcllug her, The tire being returned b'
lbe batteries there. (She was named aitel
the wife Of and commanded nv Captain J0
seph Fry. Confederate States navy, who Wa
shot 10 death at Santiago de Cuba in No
vember, 1879. while in command Of 90,
steamer Nirginius, carrying Cuban patrlot'
and arms, igc.) We took advantage OF TIL
pre0ccup9ilon, slipped speedily down th'
beach, aud in less than an hours time were
at sen ana Ou our course. oar passenger
were Major lleros Won Borcse. Of Genera
Jeh Stuart's staff, on his way home Tor treat
ment OF his thrOat wound, and Commando
William a. Webb. Confederate States navy
WIKI secret orders abroad iron the stcre
tary OF the Navy aud they both remained on
deck through the lively run we made. Il
was an exciting Christmas-Day and night
easily designated as my most memorable eN
perience OF that anniversary, and wa
happy 10 fall asleep on the deck cotton bdes
there b slumber soundly until daybreak
A SMALL BOY woo GOT 10 BE a BIG MAN.