The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-06-21
A CLOCK WITH A HISTORY IN
THE CITY HALL OF ALEXANDRIA
Its Purchase the Result
of a. Poker Game in
Which a Citizen Was
ISleeCed, butGot
Even.
Especial 10 The Timcs-Dispatch,,

Especial TO The Times-Dispatch)
WASHINGTON, D. c., June @-Por-
haps no clock in America has more In
teresting history than the ono in the
steeple OF the City Hall and market house
Mt Alexandra, Va. Back In the days be-
fore the war Alexandria was one of the
Southern cities which was known as
pretty rapid place for the sporting ira
iernity, but on those days it was a square
game and no oheating--a gentiemans
game from start to finish.
On one occasion the town hadtbeen VS.
tied by several gamblers from the South
west. who had como hither seeking
whom they might devour.' At length n
respectable citizen who OCCASIONALLY took
flyer with cards, fell into snare which
was SGT for him, and after series OF
games, CRIED on OH different nights, he
found himself ileeced out OF something
like two thousand five hundred dollars.
. AS a "trie Southerner' he had to make
good, and this he did without pickering,
but with the determination TO get even.
He was too honorable not to stand the
hazard or the die. A lucky thought en-
Rbled him to bring about his revenge on
the blackleg He had knowledge that
there was an old law in Virginia--and a
similar law is now on the statute books
established while she was yet a.. colony.
In which 1t was made and provided
that II any man could not show that he
was pursuing some lawful means of OBJ
tanning n 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 ganlesters. The man was arrested.
tried and condemned TO be sold at public
auction.
Hcre was a dilemma. The gambler
was at first disposed to treat the whole
matter as a whole joke. But he soon
found out his mistake. IIc was taken to-.
public stand, put un'' for sale and tho
bidding began---thc sale ''peremptory.
Ills victim started the bid with "one
hundred dollars"
Two hundred" said the blackleE.
And SO the gambler and his victim
went on bidding until the amount reached
two thousand dollars when the former
begged to be let Oft, pleading poverty;a
cheated man to relnquish his determine
ii tion to make him pay dear for what he
had done. There was no alternative, the
gambler must either be forced into a SER
vice Of degrading labor, under the super
vision of q man who had small cause to
for himself, which no was actu-
ally compelled to do, until the sum had
reached three thousand five hundred dol
lars, when he was permitted to pay over
the amount and depart from the town, n
crowd Of llooting, yelling men and boys
following him to the wharf when he took
the steamer. The citizen then gave the
proceeds of the man SALE to the city
10 be used in putting clock and steeple
on the town hall and market house, which
building was torn down a few years ago
TO make room for a larger and more
modern structure.
: Not a great many OF the citizens know
the history Of the old steeplo and clock,
but Captain Ed. Dangedfield, Ono of the