Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-04-09
A pERSIMMON TREE.
The One 10 Which Booth and Harold
Made Fast Their Boat Still Stands.
WINTER WEATHER IN APRIL.
Needed.
,cor,esnondcnce OF the Dispatch.)

fcorrespondcnce OF the Dispatch)
CONFORM. KING GEORGE COUNTY,
VA. April Son the bank OF taihDo
crock. I'm this county, there stands to-day
a solitary and unshapely old persiinmon
,ree and TO the body Of that tree John
wilkes Booth and David c. Harold ueu
the old hat-bottom boat on that memo
rable night in April, lS65-hve days ai'e'
, the assassination of President Lincoln
eGambo' IS tributary to Machodoc
creek. and IL was never known wnelhsr
tho fucitlyes rowed up this winding tribu-
tarv through mistake. or whether my
regarded II as a L.ore private ana neare-
route 10 the house OF Mrs. II. L. Queseh-
berry. whittier they had been directed py
Thomas a. Jones. OF Charles county
Md. the noted Confederate secre;-S'rVice
agent. who. by the way. died about Il
month ago. But that they did go up
"Gambo" creek and hitch Mr. Jones
boat 10 that persimmon-tree there Is no
doubt. for the man who 'IlSsed-up
sort Of spring-wagon in wh'ch 10 maui
Eooth and Harold had the boat roihteu
our 10 him by Harold, AID some une
afterwards carried a sentlanln 10 IN
spot Identified the tree, and eNpial"ed
! how the boat was made iast 10 us
| crooked body near the ground. AS UNIV
! passes. AMI as tn story of EOoth hignt
| from Maryland Is reiterated, tHai oIa
decayinS persimm0n-tree. ".ilch hccP'
! silent watch over the ebbing and flowing
! tides of Gambo creek. becon more anu
more sacred 10 the people Of that soctien;
and. though II occupies very oDScrre
and inaccessible spOt-now a lnai5n-ahu
was never seen. perhaps, nv Gozcn poo
| ds OF the present generation IL IL no.
| without reputation, AID no one would
! dare 10 mutilate H.
Mr. William T.. Baker Jr., OF this coun-
Is, for several years past travelling sal =
| man for George Il. iiill & Co, OF .AleXau-
/ dria. has accepted the position Of book
keeper for a wholesale grocery-house Of
the same city.
Tho Misses Jeter. of this county. were
| n few days ago called to Caroline by the
critical Illness of an elder sister. Mrs.
| Bette GraVatt.
| Mr. Edward Jones. a farmer about 60
years of age, was stricken with paralysis
several days ago while at work IN his
field, and his condition is considered criu-
| cal
TIMELY DISCOURSE.
| Rev. ". q. Bates. pastor in charge Cf
King George circuit. preached special
rmon 20 young men in Trinity Me;ho-
| dist church last Sunday morning. 1t ii
o'clock The discourse was timely and
appropriate. and the preacher did rot
| forget 10 give the young iden most eN-
| ccllent advice on the subject Of sobiiety.
Evangelist John {. l;osser VIII conduct
protracte1 meeting at Trnity Methodist
church, King George Courthouse. this
| spring and the Baptists have engaged
Rev Frank Beale for series OF meet-
ings at Hanover church !a;c.' in the sea-
| son.
So far April has brought hut little
spring weather to encourage the faImcr
and TO advance vegetation. Huge log
fires are as important in the country
| homes now as they were in midwnter,
and the busy backward farmer must no
! vide fuel and keep up the oil wood-pile
( in the backyard. lust as Il April had not
come. But we are reminded by rtain
| "old folks" that this is natural, becase
| April is obliged 20 borrow ten days OF
bad weather fom ono OF the winter
months" Where this superstition pre-
walls winter weather il. April Is entirely
acceptable.
1t is estimated that complaining in
this section Will be at least thirty Gays
later this season than usual.
SUDDEN DEATHS
Mr.. Peter +. King, of this place, died
| suddenly last Tuesday evening; aged
about ~ years He was he oldest son
Of Lieutenant William +. King. who died
here two months ago. AMI worked up 10
| twenty-four hours before he died. For
| several days he had complained Of an at
tack Of the grip. and when a physician
was called in il was ascertained that
pneumonia had developed and that the
| case was beyond human skill. a widow
and four children survive him. The re-
mains were inferred Wednesday evening.
Another large drove of city horses ar
rived here this week. and were put on
the market at figures ranging from the
| price of n hog up to that of a sure
| enough horse. The dealers in this class
| of stock declare that some classes of the
| King George people have a mania for
wind-broken, heaving, spawned. and
WORKOUT horses, and that the colored
folks will pay any price for a horse or
mule with a bobbed tail and high head.
Just SO it comes from the city"
AN EXPERIMENT.
II Is announced that a weekly news
paper will be started at Colonial Beach.
| Westmoreland county. at an early day,
and that 1t will be edited by two young
men of this county. 1t is an estabiished
| fact that providence provides for the
| lame and the lazy" but it remains TO
be seen what Providence will do for any
more county papers in the Northern
| Neck
1t IS understood that the Republicans
of this county have determined to hold
n convention and nominate candidates for
the county offices. in order TO reduce the
large number who would otherwise re-
main in the field as independent Re-
publicans. The party, however is by no
means united in favor of nominations.
The Board of Supervisors of the county
are considering the subject OF building
a new Jail in place OF the one destroyed
by fire here one month ago, and IL ~
probable that a contract for the work
will be awarded In the near future. In
the absence OF a jail, the King George
prisoners have 10 be sent to the Frede-
ricksburg jail-some twenty-five miles
distant. ana aside from the inconveni-
ence it adds greatly to the county ex-
penses to take prisoners TO and bring
them from Fredericksburg.
LOCAL OPTION.
King George has rarely ever been more
thoroughly aroused on any issue than
1t is just now on the subject OF local
option. The county has had a local
option law prohibiting the sale Of
liquors Tor some fourteen years. and
about month ago the liquor advocates
began to circulate for signatures petit
ton praying the Judge to order an cleo
ton on the question of Liquor license
or no liquor license" and il was that
petition which aroused the people and
greatly surprised the anti-prohibitionists
to find so great multitude openly OPP
REAL ESTATE AT PRIVATE SALE.
@ PECIFICATIONs upon which all