Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-04-21
VIRGINIA NEWS.

The work of rebuilding the DISMAL
Swamp Canal will be begun thia week.
James W. Balm & Co., of Norfolk,
dealers in buggies, fixtures, etc., made
an assignment yesterday.
Mrs. Virginia Louise McBlair, widow
of Capt. VIM. McBlair, Confederate
States navy, died in Norfolk, yester-
day.
W. ]. Browning has been appointed
sheriff of Rappahannock county in the
place of sheriff G. 81. Lillard, who died
recently.
Mr.. Samuel B. McElroy's dwelling
house, kitchen, and a school building
at Gordonsville, were burned, together
with much of his household goods yes
terday.
The old county court house, which
for several decades has stood on the
corner of Twenty-second and Main
streets, Richmond, is being torn down
to give place to more modern strnc-
ture.
Friends of General Fitz. Lee who
have been long residents in Cuba are
said to have written to him strongly
dissuading him from attempting to
take up his duties until the rainy sea-
son is over.
Mr.. Robert Blackie, of Glasgow,
Scotland, who married Miss Lucy
Herndon, daughter of DR.. B. S. Hern-
don, of fredericksburg, died at Cannes,
France. last week where he had gone
for his health.
The case of Mary Alternately. one OF
the negro women charged with COM
plicity in the murder of Mrs. Lucy Jane
Pollard, in LuneDburg county last sum-
mer, was brought up yesterday in the
Prince Edward court for trial.
Mr.. Everard B. Meade, who was SO
well known in social and insurance cir
cles, in Richmond, died Sunday in the
5Sth year of his age. Mr.. Meade was
gallant Confederate soldier and leaves
q widow and several children.
The Virginia republican convention,
which meets at Staunton next Thurs
day, will, it is understood, endeavor to
force on the democrats declarations on
certain questions in connection with
the proposed constitutional convention.
A young white man named Mills,
driver of market cart for a Hanover
business man, was murderer yester-
day on the Old Mountain, not far from
Ashland. His body was found by the
roadside, with his skull terribly crush
ed. The supposition is that the MUIR
der was committed by q white man,
and that robbery was the motive.
A statement appeared in the New
York papers last February to the effect
that Mrs. John King Van Rensselaer,
had ATTACKED Patrick Henry, not upon
the ground of his character, but the
character of Virginia, which, she claim
ed, was penal colony originally"
Mrs. Van Rensselaer, writes to Mr..
Charles Weber, jr., of Baltimore, in re-
Spouse to an inquiry from him, indig-
nantly declaring she never made any
such statement.
DR.. Curtice, the United States
chief inspector of quarantine for Vir.
ginia, returned to Washington from
Richmond to-day. Thence he will be
sent to Georgia for the purpose of con-
Quoting certain experiments at Balm
bridge, in the southern part of that
State. DIR. George G. Faville has been
appointed inspector in charge, and will
have his headquarters at Norfolk. MIR.
Joseph M. Turner has been made local
officer for Richmond.
Perhaps, with the single exception of
the burning of the Eastern Insane
Asylum, on the night of the 9TH of
June, 1885, the old town of Williams
burg suffered about 8 o'clock Sunday
morning with tue greatest fire in its
history. The entire block on Main
street between Colonial and Botetourt
streets was laid in ruins. Ten houses,
including two stores, the others being
small frame dwellings, were burned.
Two young ladies, the Misses Braith-
waite, had to jump from a shed to the
pavement to save their lives.