St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-11-01
HISTORY OF A CLOCK.
City Timer of n Southern Town P0e
chased with the Price Of Black
Leg Gamester.

1eTudpS no CLOCK IN American mai
a more interesting history than tn.
one in the steeple of the city hal
and market house here. Back in the
days before the war, Alexandria, Va.
was one of the southern cities which
was known as pretty rabid place
for the sporting fraternity, but in
those good old days it was square
games and no cheating-a gentle
mans game from start to finish, re.
lates the Cincinnati Enquirer.
been visited by several gamblers from
the southwest who had come hither
seeking whom they might devour.' -
At length respectable citizen, in an
evil hour, fell into the snare which
had been set for him, and after Sc
ries of adverse games, carried on at
different places he found himself
feeced out of something like $4,000.
AS a true southerner, this he had to
pay without any pickering. He did so,
but not very willingly. Having staked
his money upon the cast he was too
honorable, rs it is called, not to
'stand the hazard of the die"
But lucky thought enabled him
to bring about his revenge on the
blackleg. He had somehow or other
ascertained that there was an old
law in Virginia-and similar law is
now enforced-establish while she
was yet a colony, in which it was
made and provided that if any man
could not show that he was pursuing
some lawful means of obtaining a
LIVELIHOOD he should be sold or hired
out at auction, to prevent. by his
labor, his becoming chargeable to the
town.
Going before justice of the peace
he Immediately entered complaint
against the gamester. The man was
arrested, tried and convicted to be
sold at public auction.
Here was dilemma. The gambler
was disposed at first to treat the
whole matter as huge joke. But he
soon found out his mistake. He was
taken to the public stand, put up"
for sale. and the bidding began-the
sale "peremptory." His victim start
ed the bid with:
Zone hundred dollars"
"Two hundred dollars said the
blackleg.
And so the gamester and his victim
went on bidding until the amount
had reached $4,000, when the former
begged to be let off, pleading pow
erty; but all would not ball1 the VIC
tim to get his revenge. There was
no alternative; the bad gambler must
either be forced into a service of de-
grading labor, under the supervision
of a man who had small cause to
love him, or he must go on bidding
for himself, which he was actually
to do until the sum had
reached $500, when he was permit
ted to depart from the town by his
prosecutor.
The citizen then gave the proceeds
of the sale to the city to be used for
putting a clock in the town hall and
market house, which building was
torn down few years ago to make
room for another of larger and
more imposing nature. Not great
many of the citizens knew the pc
.uliar history of the clock and
steeple, but Capt. Ed Dangerfeld,
one of the foremost men in the state,
told the building committee that he
was particularly DESTROYS of having
the old clock, which had done faith
ful service so many years, repaired
md placed in the steeple of the new
building; that he was willing to foot
every expense both for the clock and
steeple for the new city hall, and his
wishes were carried out. So to-day
he people of Alexandria still look
Upon their famous clock for the hour
If day.
As Willie Reasoned.
Willie lat his 1pSsOnS1-I saw ma