Evening star., 1916-10-01

FIFTY YEARS AGO .
IN THE STAR
Fifty years ago Newport News. Va.
was an insignificant village at the
mouth of the James
NeWpOrt News river, but a movement
n- was then on foot de-
signed to bring it into
prominence as deep water harbor and
a great shipping point. In The Star of
September p, 1865. it is noted that
Newport News was never heard of until
mentioned in connection with military
movements on the peninsula during the
civil war The Star continues
1T is now claimed not only that the
name will live in history, but that it's
situation is destined to make it the
commercial city of Virginia. and a for
midable rival to older settlements in
that state and Maryland. The harbor
is said to be the finest on the Atlantic
seaboar. is four feet deeper than that
OF New York, and is not barred by ice
In winter, or affected by yellow fever
in summer. To make these advantagea
available. a company has been char
tered. with capital Of $3.0O0,0O0, to
construct what Is called the Richmond
and Newport News railroad, though
whether the road will pass through
Richmond is point not yet settled At
any rate it is intended to connect with
the Covington and Ohio railroad, MAX
ing the connection complete between
the great northwest and the seaboard.
The great majority Of the stockholders
are said to be citizens of Cincinnati,
Chicago and St Louis. The cost of con-
structing the road will be small, as it
Is nearly an airline. and no grade will
exceed fifteen feet to the mile. Be-
sides: the people along the line are, it
Is SAID, anxious to have the road built,
and will. in majority of cases, give
the company the right of way"
gift concert enterprise was in
progress in Washington fifty years ago
and in The Star of Sep
Local Gift tember 2s, 1866, is de-
&C., scription of one of the
SAI' drawings which took
place at Wallis Opera HOUSE, near the
Center Market. The gifts advertised in
cluded $25,000 in currency in sums
ranging from $1,000 to $4,000. a three
story brick house, building lot, sew
eral grand pianos, gold watches and
diamond pins. together with a number
of small cash prizes. The advertise
ments stated that 10000 of the 10000
1t is evident from The Stars account of
the drawing that there was much
skepticism regarding the integrity of
the scheme. An immense crowd gath
cred in front of the opera house long
before the doors were opened and the
building-now known as the Bijou
Theater-was packed. fully $500 people
gaining admission. A concert was ac-
tually given, but under great difficult
ties. as the audience had no patience
for the prize drawing. Finally the
clamor compelled the suspension of the
artistic performance and the manage
ment got down to business, and with
some difficulty a chairman was de-
clared chosen by the audience, with a
committee of supervision. The drawing
box was the one used by the provost
marshal for the local draft during the
war. 1t proved, however, to be too small
to hold all the tickets, so it was pro-
posed to put the tickets in cloth and
that blindfolded boy should draw the
slips. When it was an
nounced that only the first five prizes
were to be drawn that night there was
folded boy was finally set to work and
drew out the first ticket, No. 82575, as
drawing the first prize: Many outcries
indicative of frank doubt as to the hon
esty of the scheme were heard. The
second ticket was No: 90251. the third
6609S, whereupon there was a yell from
the house: Didn't you make a mistake
and put in only the unsold tickets?'
The Stars account concludes:
THE audience present were not only
on the vigilant lookout for their own
numbers to turn up for prizes, but had
lists of numbers belonging to parties
not present, which were solicitously
consulted upon the announcement of
each drawn number. but, by some re-
markable streak of bad luck, not a
single prize, SO far as We could learn.
was drawn by any party present, or any
ticket represented. 1t is to be hoped
that they will be more fortunate today
when the small-fry prizes are drawn"
= :.
The local laws fifty years ago per-
mitted school teachers to chastise their
pupils, but not
Teacher Tried for with cruelty This
privilege was not
Whipping Boy. generally availed
of in the public schools. but occasion
ally a case arose of school whipping
that attracted attention. In The Star
of September 90, 1866, is the following
item:
Miss S. Brown, teacher of secondary
No. 4. first district, appeared before
Justice Thompson this morning to an
swer to a charge of cruelty beating
Walter S. Bastopol, one of her schol- |
ars. Miss Brown was accompanied by
Messrs. Wilson and Brown, trustees of
the first district. 1t appears, from the
boys own statement, that he was pun
ished for talking and singing and
jumping out of his place in school
hours: that the teacher cautioned
him not to behave so; that he was in
=, r.; Of haha n 10 daSrribe5I j