The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-02-20
News of the week.

News of the Week
The Office of the Pittsburg Post was
burned Sunday morning, causing loss of
$50, 900. Two large presses and ten
type-setting machines were ruined,
Virgil P. McMasters, Of Colesville, N.
Y, has disappeared and there is said to
be shortage of $40, 900 in his accounts
as executor of the estate of Riley Bush,
of Nineveh.
Joseph A. Iasigi, the Turkish Consul
at Boston, was arrested in New York on
Saturday on charge Of embezzling $4,000
from Peter Charles Derieux, in the former
city. 1t is said that $3.50, 900 are in
volved in the case.
Charles Christy, the last of the famous
Christy Minstrels, died at the City Hos
pital Kansas City, Mo, of cirrhosis Of the
liver, aged 6S years Christy was one Of
the original Christy Minstrels founded by
his uncle, Edwin P. Christy.
John Mars, member of a Lexington
Kentucky, clothing firm, on Saturday
morning killed his 4-year-old son, John,
wounded his daughter, Helen, aged II;
tried to kill his sister, Ida, and then cut
his own throat, killing himself He was
insane.
Darius n Couch, who died on the 18th
instant at Norwalk, Conn, was born in
Putnam county, New York, and was 70
years Of age. He graduated from West
Point Academy in 1916, and served in the
army until 1856, taking part in the Mexi
can war. After leaving the army he was
engaged in business in New York city and
in Massachusetts. In 1861 he became
colonel of the Seventh Massachusetts Vol
unteers. His rise was rapid, and he per
formed distinguished service with the Army
of the Potomac particularly at Fredericks-
burg and Charlottesville He resigned
from the army at the close of the war, and
a year later was the Democratic candidate
for Governor of Massachusetts,, but was
defeated. He was Collector of Boston from |
October l, 1868, to March 4. 1869
Sydney Root, the closest personal friend |
of Jefferson Davis after the war died in
Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday last. He I
had reached the age of 70, and had been
very feeble for some time. Major Root /
was born Of poor parents at Montague,
Mass, in March, 1924 In 1848 he
moved to Stuart county, Georgia. Mr.
Beach went to Liverpool in 1861 and es
tablished the firm of Beach, Root 4 Co,
which did an enormous business. Major I
Root made several contracts with the Con
federacy for supplies, and this caused him
to become intimately acquainted with many
of the leaders. In 1864 he ran the block
AIDE and went to Europe on a confidential
mission for the Confederacy, and visited |
France. Great Britain, Spain, Canary Is
lands, Bermuda, West Indies and other
places. After the fall of the Confederacy,
Major Root returned to Georgia, and found
that his vast fortune was practically wreck
ed. In 1866 he moved, with his family,
to New York, but returned to Atlanta in
1873.
Gen. j. 0. Selby, died on Saturday
last, on his farm near Adrian, Missouri. |
He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, in
1881. Shortly after reaching manhood
he moved to Missouri, and it was not long
before Bleeding Kansas brought bands
of armed and desperate men to the west of
the Missouri river to fight out the ear
Hest of the bloody battles for the freedom
of the slave. Shelbys sympathies were
with the South, and he deserted his fac
tory to raise company in Kentucky He |
took the field on the plains of Kansas,
with Clark, Atchis0n and Reid, but when
the Abolitionists won he went quietly back
to his factory at Waverly. On the fall of
Sumter Shelby raised, mounted armed
and uniformed company of cavalry and
promptly marched away for four years of
bloody strife in the Confederate Army. I
On his return he settled on farm in Fay
cite county. He soon became involved in
the tide of railroad speculation, lost his all
and moved to farm near Adrian, Bates
county President Cleveland in his second
term, made him United States Marshal
for the Western District of Missouri.
John Randolph Tucker, who died in
Lexington, Va, on Saturday night, was
son of Henry ST. George Tucker, member
of prominent Virginia family, and was
born in Winchester, Va, December "A,
1928. He was educated at a private
school and in the University of Virginia,
where he was graduated in law in 1874.
He was admitted to the bar the next year,
and began practice in Winchester. In
1852 and 1856 he was a Presidential
Elector on the Democratic ticket, and At
torney General Of Virginia in 1857, 1859
and 1863 In 1870 he was elected Pro
fessor of Equity and Public Law in Wash
ington and Lee University, but resigned
in 1874, when he was elected to Congress.
He was member till 1887, for short
time being Chairman Of the Ways and
Means Committee and for two Congresses
Chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
He was an orator of much power. In
Congress he was especially active in oppos
ing protection. After his service in Con
gress Mr.. Tucker returned to his profess
orship at Washington and Lee University
and was also made Dean of the Law School.
He was on intimate terms with President
Garfield, and was one of his literary exec
utors. He received the degree of LII. d.
from Yale in 1887, in which year he de-
Iivered an address to the Law School of
that institution.
Maryland Affairs.