Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1897-12-21


There is talk of a removal of oueof the
walls of the stone bridge on Main street
over Evitt's Run. There is no necessity
for it. We have lived almost within
stone thfow of the bridge for a hall cen
fury and don't recall an accident by col
lision teams there.-Frec Press.
The editor of the Free Press must eth
er have very defective memory in re-
gard to local events doubtless recorded
by his own taciIe pen, or may be at
tempting by clever use of the word
+" teams" to mislead the public in re-
gard to an actual accident which came
within an ace of killing two well known
and estimable Young ladies at this very
point. But few years ago horse, rid
den by colored man, and carriage CON
tanning Miss Amelia Davenport (now
Mrs. Catesby Woodford) and her cousin
Miss Gibson. collided in the narrow part
of this bridge. The young ladies were
thrown out, terribly frightened, and pain
fully hurt, the carriage broken, and the
colliding horse injured. This may not
have been collision of teams, " as the
Free Press uses the term, perhaps inten-
tionally misleading but it was an acct
dent OF some seriousness, winch might
easily nave ended in the loss OF the lives
of two bright young girls, and which of
itself is sufficient reason for removing an
unsightiy and now useless structure.
The store of Mr. s Il Lands was burglar
lied Wednesday night. An entrance was
effected by breaking ont a bar in one of the
rear basement windows, through which ad-
mittance WAS gained to the cellar and thence
througila trap door to the store room above
The back door was then opened and the
thieves had plain sailing, with a well filled |
store-room to draw from. Shoes, cigars, to-
bacco, hams. flour, IL, were taken. The rob |
berry was not discovered till Thursday morn |
ing. Suspicion pointed to two negro boys
Harry ohnson,a negro lad some - or ii and |
Honey Johnson about Is or % and an ex- |
inmate of the house of correction. A search |
warrant was gotten out and the respective |
homes OF the negroes searched and every |
thing was found that had been missed and |
some things that had not been missed Two |
umbrellas, identified as the p. Jperty of Mr.. |
VIM. Kahn, stolen some months ago, were
among the stolen goods. The boys were
given a hearing before Justice GaIIaher,
plead guilty and were jailed to await the
action of the next grand jury. The offense
is felony and the punishment imprisonment
in the penitentiary.
Harry Johnson has since made con-
fession to. Detective NJ w Reardon of
the B. & o. R. r. force, that he and
Homer johnson broke into b. & o. r
r. car some days ago and took from it n |
lot of goods, which We're shipped to mer-
chants here from the city. 1t is said that
the parties have made confessions to a
large number of robberies which have
taken place in Charles Town for several
months past Homer Johnson, the older
of the boys, has served a long term in the
West Virginia Reform School and has
recently been released from that institu-
ton. 1t is thought both of them will get
very severe sentence.
George Carter and John Cook were ar
rested Friday evening by Constable Ma
thena and Detective Reardon on infor- |
nation which they obtained from Harry |
Johnson to the effect that they were in
company with he and Homer Johnson
when they broke open the Baltimore and
Ohio car. Justice Galiaher committed
Cool, and Carter to jail to await the action
of the FEBRUARY grand jury. Carter and
Cook are about twelve years old, and
H., Iof,-en,, III,