Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-08-23
ASUNDAY EXCURSION
CAMP ALGER BOYS MAKE A VISIT
TO FAIRFAX COURTHOUSE.
GEORGE HAsHINGToES WILL
Soldiers Inspect This Priceless Relic
and See other Interesting sights
of the Military.
(correspondence Of the Dispatch)

CAMP ALGER, August H.-In company
with n large number OF soldiers, the
Dispatch correspondent paid visit TO
| historic old Fairfax Courthouse to-day.
The boys on provost yesterday were given
liberty to-day. and the party started for
the county seat at an early hour. Any
one visiting this part OF Virginia would
be at once impressed with its natural
beauty. The road along which we passed
on our way over. runs through a beau
| tiful section Of the country. On either
| side appear at close intervals pretty ana
attractive farm houses of modern build,
while away TO the right and left extern
sive fields Of waving corn present evidence
that the owners do not spend their time
In idleness.
The soldier boys, and especially those
who have been on outpost duty, have
! been agreeably surprised at the album
| dance and quality OF the fruit TO be OBJ
| tanned in and around camp. We noted
this morning splendid orchards of both
| pears and peaches, the latter being par
| ticuarly abundant, and 1t requires little
money TO purchase a large basket OF the
| luscious fruit. The men guarding the peach
| orchards are allowed to help themselves,
| and IL is needless to say they do so with
a WILL
MUCH HOSPITALITY.
We were invited to stop at houses along
I the road and were always received in a
! most hospitable manner when the occu-
| pants learned that we were members OF
| the Third. The people around here are
nearly as much Interested as the boys
/ sol Ia
| court of inquirys work, and the ques-
tions asked us on the subject were numer-
| GUS Many of the farmers OF FAIRFAX
| have sons in Captain WIZARDS company
/ and all of them with whom we came In
| contact spoke in the highest terms OF the
| Captain and expressed pleasure that
| their sons should be under his charge.
| The home and farm Of Captain WIZARD
near the Courthouse, presented a most
| attractive picture as we saw IL to-day
! The handsome mansion, surrounded py
borders of beautiful flowers, with green
| lawn extending to the road on the front
| caused us TO wonder for a moment how
one could leave such place for the hard
ships Of army life.
| THE LITTLE VIRGINIA VILLAGE.
| Arrived at Fairfax we found many sol
| diers from the First New Jersey and thi
| Sixty-ffth New York. all of them busy
exploring the little Virginia village. The
| hotel which stands on the main street
directly opposite the courthouse enter
tains many a soldier guest, ana the
! stores. which number three or four, sell
| quite n good deal to the men from Camp
| Alger. As one of the propr1etors told me.
| the presence Of so many thousands OF
troops in Fairfax for three months has
been of direct and indirect benefit TO half
| the population Of the county. The farm
! ers have profited most from the sale OF
! their fruit, vegetables, milk, and butter,
| all Of which they dispose of 1t much bet
ter prices than could be obtained in mar
| ket When the farmer does well, OF course,
| naturally, the merchant and other classes
of businessmen profit proportonatey,
and the gentleman with whom L talked
stated that his business had increased
very largely, and he attributed the in
crease solely to the presence of the sol
diers.
VALUABLE DOCUMENTS.
After spending a short time strolling
! about the village, we made our way TO
the courthouse lawn, and there soon
| found Clerk Richardson, Of the County
Court, who courteously invited us into
! the new courthouse, where are deposited
/ some of the oldest and most valuable
legal documents in the State of Virginia.
! i
is an object OF interest to every soldier
who visits the courthouse, and Mr.. Rich
ardson has probably shown it to 1900 Of
! them i'm the past few months. He brought
! it forth for our benefit, and the boys
crowded around. eager 10 catch glimpse
! of the signature of the Father of Their
Country" The paper, worn by age, lies
in a glass case where it is carefully and
sacredly preserved. There are twenty
pages of the will. and at the bottom Of
the last page the signature, &C. Wash
! ingtOn," appears as plain as II only writ
! ten a few years back
MUCH WORN BY HANDLING.
People visiting the courthouse used TO
be allowed to handle the parchment, but
this practice was stopped just IN time
TO avoid it's complete destruction. From
constant lingering the will was worn and
! I'm some places the sheets are nearly drop
ping in pieces. Mr. Richardson told
us that effort after effort had been made
TO have the will removed to Washington
| but the county authorities wee resolved
that il should never leave Fairfax. The
! Clerks office IS comparatively new, and
| is absolutely fireprvof, so that there is
little danger of its destruction by flames
| A good many OF the boys find a still
| greater attraction two miles beyond
Fairfax, in the shape of a large distil-
lery, where the juice of the corn can be
obtained in any quantity at only 81 per
gallon. The dstillery has done a rush
ing retail trade. but the soldier is a
sharp one, indeed, who manages TO SNUG
gle the liquor into the camp lines past
the numerous provost guards Long prac-
tice has made them perfect in the AIT OF
discovering who has a bottle and who
has not, and the bottle generally remains
with them as confiscated property. The
party Of Virginians. which numbered
forty or fifty, returned to camp late this
afternoon, having spent thoroughly
pleasant Sunday.
The day in camp has been very quiet,
though the boys entertained many young
| lady visitors On account Of Chaplain
Ferguson's absence, there were no re-
Hgious services to-day, and, In fact, there
! have been none for some time.
| Companies L. G., II, and f will do
provost duty this week in place OF the
| companies of the First Battalion.