Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-02-23
HIGHLAND COUNTY.
The Overcoat Was Returned. A"
the Mamie Property Found.

the Mamie Property Founo'
MONTERREY. VA, February zz.-'spe-
c,al.,-There are little incidents Gun
nected with the history OK nearly ever
county and neighborhood which, d. .ne
time of their occurrence. prooapi'
created q hearty laugh. or were PRIV
nounced 'rather strange" by those w"o
Glanced to witness them. put W.,
have been allowed TO pass INTO opn, 60
save. perhaps, in the memory y. ardi'
whose sense of humor II above the'oi"'
nary level. - haer told
The following incident has peeh s so''
around many a Highland nresiue' 49,
IA vour correspondence kn0"ieuso' 100
never appeared In print: =, tho first
nnrine tba progress OF one OF the lils'
camp-meetIngs held in High'ahu' ~ ~.
a certain minister OF the Gospei hao ~
misfortune TO have ms o'siI Ts.s. sood
from the preachers tent. Inns e $50
h,otber like many others, having whoiy
consecrated his life and means 10 inc
eerv,ca Of the Master, naturally reservoir
hut a small portion OF his meagre IN
come for adornment, or even cohiol.'
NJ his body. hence the loss or an over
coat was to him a matter Oh serlou>
import. On the following DAY an ehor,
was made to apprehend the tniel anu
recover the stolen property. put an u
no avail When the congregation nau as
sembled for night service, old Brother
o, noted for his originality, TOOK
tha stand and to the surprise Oh every
one, spoke as follows
ss,rhere is a man in this congregation
who last night stole an oyercoat from
the preachers tent. That man was seen
and recognized by three eye-witnesses'
but / am authorized TO say that IL ne
where
found it nothing more will be said OF
the matter: IL not. he will be made TO
suffer the full penalty OF TIE law
L AN THE NAN.
One of the features characteristic of
small towns and country stores is the
grouping together OF men and boys for
! the discussion of matters In general. tbs
! spinning of yarns, etc.
| A few years ago q crowd OF this KIND,
many of them forced to idleness by the
inclement weather. had congregated in
| the storehouse Of a well-known mer-
camille firm, then In Monterey. The con-
yersation drifted from one channel to
another, until the subject OF accidents,
hairbreadth escapes. ETC.. was introduced
by some one present, when Rev. Mr. C,
| who CHANGED TO be one or tina
| number, just then related an account OF
| a serious accident and narrow escape
which had come under his observation.
| in substance. as follows:
about thirty-two or thirty-three years
| ago /, in company with my sister, left
our home In the county Of R 10
| visit relatives in West Virginia. Part
of the journey had to be made by stage,
| and there was one other occupant OF the
| stage besides ourselves-a young man,
whose name 1 have forgotten. but whom
We found to be a nice gentlemanly fell
low. At night. tired and badly shaken
up we stopped at a hotel in the town
| of c.. Not long after supper we
heard means and cries for help coming
from the rear of the house. and upon
| investigation found that the young man.
while. passing through the back yard in
| the dark, had stepped In newly-duS
| pit. fifteen feet deep, over which a few
rails had been placed as covering. Wa
| soon got him out, but found that he was
| badly hurt having broken his leg and
| left forearm and fractured two ribs.
He suffered intensely all night, and was
| unconscious next morning when we re-
| luctantly left him. / have never heard
| from him after that morning. but have
| often wished that / could know what
| became Of him."
At the conclusion Of this narrative the
venerable. gray-haired clerk. who had
| been seated at his desk behind the
tOunttIs anu WIN IdI, uHOUocIftu, bctu
eagerly listening. came hurriedly forward
with outstretched hand. exclaiming: II
| am the man, Parson. Shaker
AN UNFORTUNATE LOST.
The following incident is taken from
! the real life of one OF the humblest and
| most unfortunate men that this county
| ever produced. In his case, IL may truly
| be said that "misfortunes come not
singly," but, like certain species of birds,
were gregarious:
| Born into the world a cripple, he was
destined to hobble from disease to dis
appointment and from disappointment
to financial disaster and finally, TO be
overtaksn 10y that browning. most ter
| rible of all misfortunes under whose
blight he fingered. a hopeless victim.
until the hand OF death bore him away
| from asylum walls.
| Ii is of a minor misfortune Of indeed.
misfortune) of which / wish to speak.
| and In which his ready wit helped him
out OF very embarrassing predicament.
y good many years ago he became
enamored of one Of Highlands buxom
daughters, paid court TO her successfully.
and obtained the promise OF her hand In
marriage. On the day appointed for the
celebration OF the nuptials he repaired TO
the home of his promised bride. only TO
find upon his arrival that she had
changed her mind and had eloped with
another sutton. lie returned to Monterey,
sadder but wiser man, and having
no further use Tor the marriage license
which he had hoped would legalze the
coveted union, he enclosed II In an off,
cial envelope and returned 70 the County