Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-21
FIFTY YEARS ago
IN THE STAR.

xN I'LL MI N
Possibly the ventriloquists of half a
century ago were more expert than those
of today, or perhaps
Voice Thrower there was less familiar
n,r ity with their powers in
The following news item in The Star OF
September Is. 1853. suggests. at all events. 4
at least one valentine Nox' of the last
century was actually able to confound
his hearers without the aid of mechanical
puppets:
"A country woman in the market this
morning. holding child about year
old-the child fell asleep and its anxious
mother covered it with her Satisfactorily
after 1t began to cry and the mother
soothed 1t for moment. when it began
to cry louder--the more the mother
coaxed and patted the louder it screamed.
She raised the shawl. when TO her aston
ishment the infant was sleeping as il
made of wax. No sooner had she COW
cred. it again than 1t began to yell ten
times rs loud. Up started the COMPOUNDED
and astonished mother; then the child
suuealed like pig. Down dropped the
child on the floor, who began to cry IN
earnest. much TO the annoyance OF those
around it, 1t was Wyman. the ventrilo-
auist. playing off one of his pranks. who
begged the woman's pardon for the fright
lie put her In. il was readily granted
amid q roar Of laughter when the trick
was explained
occasionally the civil war in this neigh
borhood closely involved local people. In
- hn IA
F;ohtinr at is. 1863. is an interesting
account of this close per-
CulpepeI. sonal contact of local citi-
ems with the severity of warfare and al
the same time an interesting account OF
| the situation Of the. Army OF the Foto-
| mac:
1.-The editor of The Star CIV. D. Wal
| lach), left Culpeper Court House at 1880
am yesterday. Saturday morning last.
as has been published, the Union cavalry
crossed the -Rappahannock at sulphur
| Springs Rappahannock station and kei-
| lys ford converging between Brandy sta
ton and Culpeper Court House. the first
stand made by the rebel cavalry and ar
tllery being at the. former point From
thence to the courthouse the purifying
carcasses of killed horses tell Of the en-
gagement along the railroad.
| AT the .Culpeper place of w. d. Wal
| ZACH, where the Union light artillery took
! ,tp position, the engagement became
warm The rebels shelled the house to
drive our cavalry out beyond the pro-
J lection of the various buildings there:
! while the Unionists shelled the town. in
the edge of which. near the former mill
tary academy. the rebels had three guns
lin position. The portion of the family of
Nj Wallach then remaining in Culpeper
were forced to take refuge In the cellar
| into which one shell came, which for
tunately did not explode. and thus the
! eight females and children, near whom it
struck. pruvidentially escaped unframed
This is the fourth engagement that
| has taken place in part on Mr. Wal
| lach's farm since the beginning of the
| ter fanked the rebel artillery on their
| left and charged gallantly down upon
+; them. capturing the three pieces and
| about a hundred prisoners. including
! fled rapidly for the Rapidan river. On
| their way some of them occupied the
/ residence of Mr.. Curtis, and fired rifles
| from the upper windows. which made II
| necessary to shell the house, resulting in
| the death of Mr.. Curtis, his wife and one
| daughter. another female of the family
! being wounded. Skin FINISHING continued
on the Rapidan Monday and Tuesday be-
| tween our cavalry and the rebel cavalry.
| artillery and infantry. Wednesday MORN
ing the rebels recrossed the Rapidan,
f, showing a force of about two divisions.
| Our cavalry fell back few miles until
| infantry of the list Army Corps Gen
| Warrens) came up. when they retreat
ed over the river. again. pursued by our
| forces. In the affair of that day both
, sides lost perhaps ehfty killed and
| wounded.
"On "Wednesday night the Union line
| extended from Stevensburg through
| Culpeper Court House to the Stone
| Mountain House. four miles north OF
the courthouse. Yesterday morning this
line was changed the army having ad-
| vanced to closer proximity to the Rapl-
| dan river. where the rebel corps of A. r.
Hill and Ewell are believed to be now
| strongly fortified. The probability of
serious engagement last evening or to-
| day was strong yesterday morning. The
| Army Of the Potomac never was before
| in as fine a condition as it is at this
moment-so healthy, SO cleanly and
| hard fight twice as much as 1t ever
was before the battle of Gettysburg.
| Napoleon the First never had more ef-
| fective corps than Sykes 9Th. Warren
| I'd and the Sd Corps the name of whose
| commander the writer does not remem
| ber). all of which filed off to the front
| under the eyes of the narrator. IT Is
fairly presumable, II three corps of our
glorious Army of the Potomac are thus
! behind them.
Washington suffered from a very severe
storm about this time fifty years ago. the
story of 1t being told as fol-
| Severe lows In The Star of Septem-
Der 10, 1868:
0IVSm' 1.-THE heavy rainstorm of
Yesterday it seems was not confined to
this neighborhood alone, but spread over
a large space. and in some portions did
much damage The railroad has again
suffered. The wooden bridge over the
PatuXent at Laurel. built in place Of the
stone structure which was washed away
| by the freshet in July last, was swept
| away about IL o'clock last night and the
| trestle work at Paint branch, beyond
| Bladensburg, is covered with water, and
| it is feared it is damaged. No trains
| have therefore come through today, but
train left here at $50 o'clock this morn
| ing OH reconnaissance, and We learn
! that it has passed over Paint branch in
safety and will return with the through
! passengers, who will foot 1t over the
| stream at Laurel by means of the turn