Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-07-24
A CLOCK WITH A HISTORY,
How the Town TimspIece Of Alexandria
was Secured.

Perhaps no clock in America has
more interesting history than the one
in the steeple of the City Hall and
market house at Alexandria, Va. Back
in the days before the war Alexandra
was one of the Southern cities which
was known as pretty rapid place for
the sporting fraternity, but on those
days it was square game and no
cheating-a gentleman's game from
start to finish.
On one occasion the town had been
visited by several gamblers from the
Southwest, who had come hither
"seeking whom they might devour.
At length respectable citizen. who
occasionally took flyer with cards,
fell into snare which was set for him;
and after series of games. carried on
on different nights, he found himself
fieeced out of something like two thou
sand five hundred dollarss As a true
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 Of the die. A lucky thought
enabled 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 it was ''made and
provided" that if any man could not
show that he was pursuing some 'law-
full means of obtaining a livelihood"
he should be sold or hired oct at auc-
tion to prevent by his labor, his be-
coming chargeable to the town.
Going before a justice of the peace
he Immediately entered complaint
against the gamesters. The man was
arrested, tried and condemned to be
sold at public auction.
Here was a dilemma. The gambler
was at first disposed to treat the whole
matter as joke. But he soon
found out his mistake. He was taken
to public stand, ''put up" for sale
and the bidding began-the sale ''per-
emptory.'' His victim started the bid
with lone hundred dollars"
1.-TWO hundred said the blackleg.
And so the gambler and bis victim
went on bidding until the amount
reached two thousand dollars. when
the former begged to be let off, plead
ing poverty; but all his pleadings would
not cause the cheated man to relinq quish
his determination to make him pay
dear for what he has done. There was
no alternative, the gambler must eth.
er be forced into aservice of degrading
labor, under the supervision Of a man
who had small cause to love him, or
he must go on bidding for himself.
which be was actually compelled to do,
until the sum had reached three thou
sand five hundred dollars, when be was
permitted to pay over the amount and
depart from the town, crowd OF boot
ing, yelling men and boys following
him to the wharf when he took the
steamer. The citizen then gave the
proceeds of the imam sale" to the city
to be used in putting a 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 great many of the citizen know
the history of the old steeple and clock.
out Captain Ed. Dangerfield, one of
the foremost men of the State, told
the Building Committee that he was
particularly desirous of seeing the
steeple and clock preserved, and that
he wished to defray all expense OF hav-
ing the clock repaired and "modernl-
zed" for the new building. This pro-
position was accepted, and to-day the
people of the good old city have prac-
tically the same clock their old time
citizen made gambler pay for.