The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-11-13
DOWN IN OLE VIRGINNY.
Il WILMINGTON CORREsRoNDENT
CROSSES THE RIVER,
Leaving the Radical infected Capital to
Enjoy the Pure Atmosphere OF Old
Dominion Iife-what Ne Says


earliest morning hours In a city railway
station are not the best to study you
fellow human beings from an optimistic
standpoint. The commuters come stream
ing through the iron gates as train after
train arrives and disgorges. They look
sleepy and cross as they. AS the day
ployes, gate-keepers, ETC., are just as
sleepy an cross as they. AS the day
wears on this aspect will change; the
frowns will disappear. and geniality sue
coed ill-temper.
In the 3. and =. Station there Is one
object the interest in which never lags.
1t is the brass star in the floor OF the
ladies' waiting-rOom that marks the spot
where Garfield fell. People familiar with
its location carefully avoid stepping upon
1t, and when speaking of it and the event
! it commentaries they unconsciously
lower their voices, often TO a whisper.
A cOlOred woman once testified, when
sending her son to the House Of Refuge
! for Incorrigibles, that his misfortune was
all owing TO the fact that she had stepped
| upon that death star" q few days be-
fore her child was born.
The colored woman in attendance can
! tell you many interesting things about
the question asked about the Star, not
infrequent one being, who was Gar
feld?"
Another institution in the station is a
Bureau Of Information with the notiflca-
ton: "All questions answered here" A
brilliant correspondent thought he would
test the concern. He stepped uD and
asked: What is the chief end Of MANI"
ITO ride on the Pennsylvania railway"
was the answer.
Still another attraction is the man who
calls out the departure Of trains. He re-
minds one Of the Missouri river-no head
to speak Of, but what a mouth! After
he had made an extraordinary vocal ex-
hibition the four newspaper men entered
the train for Fairfax station and soon
We're slipping swiftly along over the IA
nous old long bridge with the beautiful
panorama of the Potomac spread out be-
fore them in as fair an autumn morning
as ever shone
At the driving station Of historic Alex
andria, with its "reminiscences OF long
departed glory, you have a plain front
view Of Christ Church, in which are the
pews Of the Washlngtons and Lees, pre-
served in the condition they were when
last occupied by them.
Farther down, you catch a glimpse Of
the Braddocl House. in which that officer
planned the expedition from which he
never returned, and not far away, and in
sight, is the building which was the Mar
shall House. and in which Ellsworth lost
his life almost simultaneously with the |
death Of his assassin. And now you pass |
fully into the scenes and associations Of !
the great war. Upon the high grounds |
left and right, as you speed along, are
the earth forts, in many Of them the en-
brasures for the heavy guns still to be
traced. Your railroad folder tells YOU
that this road was practically one battle
field from Alexandria 70 Culpeper 1t is
a pretty country now, with well kept
farm-hOuSes and wide barns and boOded
stock grazing on the pasture slopes, and
just now it is particularly attractive in
the rich and varied forest hues of autumn.
At the close of the war all this region
and away over to Gordonsville. Culpeper,
Brandy Station, Manassas, Bull Run.
Chantilly. Gainesville, Vienna and so on
up TO Balls Bluff was a scene Of savage
desolation, tramped over fought over,
devastated, soaked with blood and full Of
dead mems bones That awful harvest
has been gathered by reverent hands,
and the bones OF the fallen rest beneath |
the peaceful trees of Arlington.
AT Fairfax Station we alighted, to take
he stage for Fairfax Courthouse, four
niles away. Inc stage looked rs though
{ had seen better days; It couldn't see
worse and hold together. and it is posi- /
lie it dates back 10 the war as an ambu- |
ance. II it does IT illustrates the hard
hips to which the wounded were sub
ected. 1t is covered with black oil
10th and has BLACK Maria" appear
nee. The driver sits up in front with
tin horn stuck in a socket at his right
and. Into this he blows vigorously to
to the people his arrival and
departure. TO the Courthouse people
nd those along the route he is railroad,
Xpressman, mail man. messenger. tele-
hone and telegraph. From the Govern I
1ent he gets II hundred dollars a year
or carrying the mails. and his charge
or the trip is twenty-five cents each Z
IAN. I
We had hardly got under way when the a
correspondents turned loose their batteries S
T inquiry upon him. v
Fighting around here? We'll, I should p
ay. Every inch Of the ground in all b
MS region has been fought over. All c
lese plains and slopes were covered S
18th camps for years. The first army u
ere was the Confederate, but after that
le Yankees were here most Of the time G.
on see that church? That was a Fed Is
al hospital and headquarters. Right in h
10 road here and I'm that graveyard r.
ross was lively fight one morning. "
ere camped in that yard about the f.
lurch and were not watchful, as they a
al no idea there was "a Confederate III
lywherc near as the Yankees had pos al
ssiOn Of the whole region. But Mosby In
AS pyrOotin' around, and at break OF
~, with about a hundred men, he rode "
on the top Of yon rise and made a II
sh right across here for the Yankee al
mp. III
1T was 50 sudden the Yankees had no or
ow. Some Of them tried 10 make a lis
and and got killed. but the best they 20
uld do was 10 jump their horses and pc
ke up this road, which was corduroy pf
en-" ct is corduroy now)
You never saw such a race as that
rs, with the Yankees just more than
mbng, and MOsbys men tight to their
els, yelling like devils. | was a small as
y, and lived in that house in the clump
trees. / and my brother went down WI
Ter the fight. The Yankees had got to'
'ay so quickly they nearly went with as
their hats. There were forty or fifty ~
IS lying around. They were black felt Isl
tn the brim turned up on one side with
)rass eagle and black feather" oi
l supposed you helped yourself?" %
Well, yes; we picked up five or six Of IRA
I'm. You see that block away I'D on the i"t
e OF that tree? Wen, that's where the Iel
ny telegraph wire ran. That's the only So'
p left now" in
'airfax Courthouse Is Ike a pretty ex- De
ct from ancient history. 1t is delight Iol
In the odor Of memory and reminis- pa