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

covered log IN the woods near Baskerville,
Va. Bat 1 will give YOU only The iifst-
When was Young every boy ia my part
OF the town was anxious 20 be The iirst 70 nre
n pop-eracser on Christmas morning. was
consumed by the same ambition, and well
remcmber how auxionslv I watched and
waited for Christmas. 1855. law awake all The
night before, and at 3 In the morning slipped
/ quietly out OF bed. crept down sisirs 70 the
/ dark threw open The from; door. ana shiYer.
! Ing 10 the cold winter AR hsd the proud
satisfaction 81 Griug tie ncst salute. was
The envy Of al The b0ysin The neizb0orbood.
! ] had v y the coveted distinction. and N
| the enjo ment ol that high honor almost
/ forgot r. Christmas stocking, me TN sol.
/ dlers, % ly-gun. Hnd al the other gooa
| things g. make boy SO nfppy u his glau
/ scason. trough tire generous kindness oil
/ nv feilOw-cillzens nave since enjoted many
/ honors, nut none that gave me Scener sails
faction than ny triumpn on that carry
/ Christmas morning. The recollection oi my
| joy then has made me ever since feel The
! kindhest interest IN bows and popcracSers'
AFoxuuyT.
Colonel Thomas j. Evans; This was the
| Cbylstsnas o. 1885. when participated ~ my
/ first fox.hunt al my home m king WIliam
/ county.
and Mr.. Butler Edwards came down Win
/ their hounds for hunt the next day, aud
other gentlemen accompanied them. our
/ house WIS not large enough 10 onter'a'n
| them al. and some OF them went to the
nearest regab0rs.
The next morning early the horn biew.
I and bnulsmen. hounds. and horses assembled
! iu our front ward. and after The Christmas
/ bowl % cCg-nOg bad been consumed the
/ mntsmen started f05 the chase. IRE honnds
/ were nut into The whiic-oak woods and soou
/ he fox y as up.
About / O'Clock William Crock'ton. 0
/ dashing rider, cane galOpnc down the f0ad
/ at tho he'd Of the hun'smeu and the hounds
/ with the ,ox's tail stuck on the outside OF DIS
I bot.
Tnev all dined AZ our bouse in manner
/ that NirQ MIA gentlemen then knew now 70
! spend n Christmas day. was the happiest
! youth in Nrginio, and have never forgotten
/ that Grst 9ys hunt.
/ IN those days bounds were raised TO eaten
foxes, AVID they caught them. Nowadays
/ mounds 81 n TO be raised for taxing prizes at
/ tic bench. hoWs for their blood, and they
/ tJke them.
CASE or "BuCE-FEyER."
/ Police, uptain Chlrlcs H. Epps. formerly
coor-hearor OF the FofIy-siXth Nirglni7
regiment: Az a member Of tho X. l.. !.
| Blues / was stationed during the Christmas
~ 1853 on the EdlstO river. about twenty
miles below Charleston. ln0se were diYs
/ Of short 'l1Ons, and We csed out our allow
ances bg killing such game - We could ina.
/ We hunted for food rather than for sport.
/ nn the morning Of The 25th John /. llSt
/ nov OF tle police, +. S. Napier Jim IN,
/ 'cr nov dcad), and 'Ialley Llp'comb iklfe1
/ AZ the Crater, and started from tue camp
D q To- u &
/ kil dec IL We could ind one on the edges
oi the eNaulps and caprbrakes which
abound iY tDlt country. We bad been on
the huntne-grounds tut q short iime when
/ the dogs lad tire deer UP. They took di-
rccijon opposite o me- and soon got out OF
hearing. Poor Jam Butte said while pass
| iny me- or mv stand. ihlt deer is mile,
| bcyond sInd0wn.7 However, remained
at my pos, quietly watching out end inleoby
! nlcaing. ll a short time heard whai
sounded IKE q ioug.c0utiuded iail Of Tree,
/ then a slithi ru,t @. and about one hun0ieu
wards Oh saw The deer coming abreast ol
nae. and iiru such q ease Of oucb-leNer !
! bad 70. was never known. For moment
was IS + yarayzcd. 10 was the first VIVA
/ deer has ever seen. ana ! went through
| tine experience common 10 dcerhunicrs, only
was soon able 10 recover myself, and
as the buck wls gliding across ROAD
and abo.f one hundred aud sixty yards
distant f0m me | raised my mlnc
mu.bcr end planted my bullet IN his
shoulder ad down ho dropped dead. Nc0
Napier ri.iumo up, aud in a baSiy glance
seeing tho animals horns, exclaimed Nv
/ cod, Charlie. Won have Killed somebody
cows G' course he was mistaken; 1t was
cooi fstlgcl,. and the Blues that day all had
q good c. ri,tm9s dinner.
CHRISTMAS FIRES.
Cipiam George \. Aln>he formerly Chief
OF the Flt- Department.; II u chiefly 10 Gre
matters tiat Christine, has impressed me-
/ tr1 u. rs was often the case, 'hlt loNou9 oc-
.i0u pissed without giving as q few rurS'
o. was none tbe less an occasion Of ANXIETY
on ne part of she officers and men % the de-
pertinent who used al oi1eencc not only 10
prevent fres ana alarms, but also TO be pre-
pacd for ttc worst should our services be
needed What caused us most trouble VA
thc lull h,eGsc -iyen 10 men and boys 10 iet
of fic-cr4cAtr> iu the street: and u tue day
was wind aud The shingles upon The roofs
Of houses dry we would be- sure 10 have
more or li,s tual Tres and slarm- during
thc day. have seen as many as nine alarms
iu 6uc day. The mos, seriod, hrc from ih.
cause WIS the burning Of the gla,s."orhs
and Henry Destior'S house (Noal's ARR, As 70
VS. calico. IA Rockets, in tbe wear lSjS.
But bv far the most memorable Christmas
fire. and ono winch Hill never bcforcotten by
The dremrn Of that day, was the burning Of
The spots wood Hotel. The alarm for this
ire wa, gwen AZ 80 4. b. Christmas IN the
wear $50 fhi- WIS AN imposing building
and noted hotel. and priced the more because
II bad escaped the great Ore OF Arril, lSf3.
with the loss OF this splendid building eight
human beings were hurried INTO eternity. to-
gothcr " IN 100000 worth Oh property.
The weather wa. extremely cold, the Their
mometor ranging 100 below zero. The ire
men were promptly ON the ground and di1
| IA that was IA the power oi nan to stop Toe
/ ire but such was the nlnmmaOlo character
~ the building th,t IN thirty minutes the
flames had FUN possession OF every iloOr and
in one hour the whole structure was gone.
This cssta deep gloom over The city. hlppe0-
INC SO soon after the Capitol disaster, ana,
war times not excepted, that was The gloom-
est Christmas in Richmond / ever knew.
WHAT A DOCTOR SAYS.
DIR. w. W. Parker: A doctor is the last
man 10 have any interesting Christmas ex-
periences. lie has no holiday, moi even one
sabbath in the wear. He generally has GOOD
appetite for tho Christmas dinner. Come
out to the asylum Friday week next and /
will illustrate.
~ = FEDERAL PRISON.
Mr. william Royal: The mos, memorable
Christmas that | ever spent was December
-, 1864, as g prisoner Of war at Fort Della
ware / was taken prisoner March 20, 1864.
spent tnreo months In the old Capitol Al
Washington, was transferred TO Fort Della
ware in June. 1854. and remlined there IN.
"a June ID. 1863. II live thousand years
shall never forget December 21, 1864. The
cold was fearful. We were IN long, opeo
pans barracks, cut up iRlO divisions, each
division being supposed 10 be sufficient
to contain four hundred men, we'll crowd
cd. I pass by the vernln which swarm
ed over Us. There was one Stove 10
each division, which about lily OF the
most muscular men could sometimes see.
We were allowed TO have only one blanket 20
the man. II frieud sent us more we were
"hacgcd out and the extra one WAS taken
away. It's very trying 10 spead winter IN
that climate halt clad, with no 0yercOa,, and
only one blanket and pine board Ter bed.
Aud we were starved also. Breakfast Goa
sisted Of piece OF boiled meat one inch IN
diameter "a cilDe % one inchl and Two, some