Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1895-10-18
FROM WASHINGTON.
Correspondence of the Alexandria Gazette.]
WASHINGTON, Oct. Is.


WASHINGTON. Oct. Is.
aThen shook the hills with thunder riyen.
Then rushed the steeds to blttle driven,
And louder than the bolts of Heaven,
Far flashed the red Artillery"
The sharp and penetrating shot fred
the other day in Richmond, before the
visiting artillery of Boston, by Governor
Charles T. O'Ferrall, seems to be still
reverberating in the dull ears OF drow-
az democratic President makers in this
CITY. His admirers claim it was cen
ire hit and ruDg the bell of the Presi
Dental shooting gallery. The ambi.
tious "warrior Governor" simply and
plainly demanded that the venerable
s'mother of States and statesmen"snould
be lifted from the steri)ity of circum-
stances and no longer remain q barren
Josephine in the mysterious modus
operandi of Presidential procreation."
New nuptials, new bridal wreaths and
a new Napoleonic heir from renewed
old mother were, he thought, the de
mands of the hour. 10 the historic drama
of reproducing a Nations Ruler"
10 battle Queen as of yore should be
'old Virginia" Admirers of the Gov
ernor here in their confusion OF etf'r
yescent exhi,eration spoke exciledly
and unwisely of him as the available
Vlreiuian for 1900. But the sober,
second thought has brought
solidi6ed consensus of opinion
that the present is the accept
ed time for the struggle in question,
There is light field of democratic as
pirante in the race of next year, and the
impost of heavy weight would not be
bothersome to the broad back of the
feet footed Virginiau. His majority,
which was q big one for Governor,
would be, as claimed by his friends.
bigger one for the Presidency. The
administration of Cleveland would give
him its cordial support. In esoteric
circles it is already whispered that with
dead third term and a disgruntled
Secretary OF Treasury out of the way,
the Governor might probably mount to
the lofty position of the administration $
favorite in the great race. He has on.
foot in the stirrup, and there are no dol
lars to doughnuts here that he Will mol
be among the starters next year. AS
surances from some of the friends OF
Senator Daniel are to the effect that ne
will, receive no molestAtion from that
quarter.
The case OF VIM. B. Eldridge vs.. Pc
ter J. Trezevan, Submitted to the U. s
Supreme Court to-day, pre- sented for its
decision for the first time the question
OF the power of the State of Louisiana
to exercise the right of seryitude or
easement derived from the Napoleonic
code upon the lands lying ada
cent to the Mississippi river without
compens alton to the owners, the at
firmative of which the Supreme Court
of the State has sustained. Eldridge
is resident OF Mississippi who owned
'Fairview" plantation in East Carroll
parish, Louisiana. Trez, want was the
contractor under the State Board of
Engineers for constructing a levee upon
the land of Eldridge, half mile or
more from the river bank. Eldridge in
1890 sought an injunction from the u.
). Circuit Court of Louisiana, to pre-.
vent the engineers and contractor from
constructing the levee on the ground
that no compensation was to be made
him for the appropriation, and this he
alleged was in violation of the 18th
amendment to the Constitution of the
United States and of the 156ih arti-
Gle of the constitution of Louisiana,
which forbids the taking of property
without due process of law and with
nut first providing due compensation
therefor. The injunction was denied
by Judges Lamar and Don Pardee en-
the ground that the matters complain
cd of were under the jurisprudence Of
Louisiana, damnum Gbseque iyuria IA
loss without injury" Thereupon,
Eldridge appealed to the Supreme
Court of the United State. In the
meantime, the board of engineers and
contractor, having given bond, pro-
ce,ded with the work and completed
he levee across complainant's property.
The question is one of Importance, not
only to the State of Louisiana, but to
the United States which is construct
ing series of levees along the Missis-
-ippi river. If the government be
compelled TO compensate owners Of
lands for the property occupied
by the levees, as we'll as to ex-
pend the amount Necessary for con-
stluction, it is likely that the i'm
p'oyement of the Mississippi river will
cease, or, at least, proceed very slowly.
Ol behalf of the heirs OF the late
Judge Advocate Joseph Holt, Messrs.
Shellabarger and Wilson to-day filed in
the Orphans Court caveat protesting
against the receiving for probate of the
will so mysteriously forwarded to the
Register of Wills on the 26th of August
last and purporting to be the last will
and testament of the deceased. The
contestants allege that the will is q
forgery that Joseph Holt never signed
nor acknowledged it; that the alleged
attesting witnesses, U. S. Grant, w. It.
Sherman and Ellen B. Sherman, never
signed it and were never requested to
sign it by the deceased and that it was
not, even if signed by the alleged tes-
tator, executed as required by law.
The csveators further say that even il
the will was properly signed and at
tested, the deceased afterwards revoked
and annulled it. The caveators asked
that the issue thus raised be sent to the
Circuit Court for trial before Jury.
Postmaster General Wilson has re.
ceived. cablegram from the United
s ates consul at Bruges, Belgium, stat
ing that he had caused the arrest there
of man supposed to be Harry Rus
sell, one of the notorious postoffice rob-
bers, who escaped from the Ludlow
street Jail, New York city, on July 4th