Evening star., 1917-03-11

that negroes cannot vote until a con-
ventfon is called to reconstruct the
state; and the commissioners OF the
election find themselves in a quandary.
Ihey held meeting yesterday morn
ing. at which a committee. consisting
OF Mayor Latham and Judge Moore. was
appointed to proceed Immediately to
Washington and consult the Attorney
General of the United States upon the
question of the legality of such negro
votes as may be attempted to be polled
today. The republicans, in anticipa-
ton OF unfavorable action on the part
OF the commissioners, held a meeting
and appointed committee of four. two
white and two black, to take lists Of
such votes as the commissioners may
reject"
When It rained fifty years ago WASH
fngton was not a pleasant place. The
streets were so bad
Dangerous Spots ly paved that they
in the Streets. n"nssa,.. ] aDae -, e
weather. Passage across even the main
thoroughfares was in such conditions,
a matter OF actual difficulty If not dan
ger. Expedients to insure public safe
ty, If not comfort. were adopted In
The Star Of March Z. 1867, is this item
The heavy rains have had a very
disastrous effect upon some of our
streets and avenues. making deep ruts
in the carriageways and holes in the
sidewalks and crossings. The police
have been careful. when the holes ap-
peared to endanger the lives and limbs
or pedestrians and the safety of Goa ches
and horses at night, to make such
temporary arrangements for safety as
were possible. The boxes and barrels
upon the crossings of Pennsylvania
avenue and street. on 9Th and in
other localities. indicate dangerous
places. These have been reported to
the city authorities and will be re-
paired as speedily as possible"
Sentiment in Congress for the res
toration of the original District de-
veloped strongly after
RetrOceSSlOn the civil war, and ac-
r.44 tually led to an enact
" ment by the House of
a bill to this end. 1t is thus told of in
The Star of March S. 1867:
The following is an abstract of. the
bill which passed the House of Repre-
sentatives yesterday by a vote of Ill
to % to repeal the law retroceding the
county Of Alexandria to the state of
Virginia, and reinstating the jurisdic-
tion of the District of Columbia over
the original ten-mile square: Section
repeals the act of July 3, 1886 retro
cedfng Alexandria county to the state
of Virginia Section provides for the
protection of private and public prop
erty and rights. Section provides that
a n I I,,Ia Il
and hereafter to be brought shall be
CONDUCTED in accordance with the laws
enforced in the District of Columbia
Section regulates the assessment and
collection OF taxes of every deScrip-
ton. in accordance with the laws in
force in this District. Section de-
clares vacant all the civil offices in
the city and county of Alexandria and
requires new appointments and cleo
tons under the laws in force in the
District. Section s requires all causes
pending in the courts of record of
Alexandria city and county to be trans
ferred to the Supreme Court of the
District of Columbia, and all proceed
ings before justices of the peace to be
decided by justices hereafter to be
elected or appointed. Section pro-
yides that the law shall take effect
from and after its passage
one OF the most disastrous fires ever
known in Washington in point of loss
OF life occurred on the
Lives Lost in night of March s. 1867.
Hal r when the Central Hotel,
o' at the corner of 9Th
street and Pennsylvania avenue, was
destroyed. The fire is described in The
Star of the next day, which states that
at
:5J o'clock in the auction rooms of
Lully Bros. in the first floor of the
building. An officer tried to give an
alarm from Box 81, at the corner of
Az street and Pennsylvania avenue,
and about the same time some one tried
Box "a. The signals. coming together.
were confused at the central office,
and the result was that the alarm was
not given until sos o'clock, when the
signal from Box "A was clear. The
flames spread rapidly, with this head
way and in twenty minutes the in
terror of the building from the base
ment to the fourth story was entirely
afire. No one was hurt in the build
ing itself. the lives lost being the re-
suit of the falling of walls upon adjoin-
ing structures. Mai. Richards. the su-
perintendent of police. had warned the
people away, and the falling walls did
erich, F. Mullinghaus. b. Ostermayer,
John Eyrich. Mr.. Emerich's daugh-
ter. Capt Browning and L. Tur-
pin. who were engaged in trying to
save a piano. were caught in the fall
ing of the rear and south walls upon
Emerichs house and restaurant. En-
rich. Eyrich and Mullinghaus were
killed outright. Ostermayer was ter
ribly crushed and died the next day
after amputation of his leg. The next
morning the body of Charles Lully
was recovered from the ruins of the
Tmerich building. Thus five lives were
known to have been lost in the fire.
A suspicion of arson was Immediately
and an inquest was held
the day following the fire. with the re-
suit of a verdict that the flames were
started by an incendiary. Two brothers
of Charles Lully We're arrested on the
night of the fire. but were later re-
leased on their own recognizance. Later
two other young men. ]. ]. Larner and
George Mcdaniel. were arrested on
suspicion of arson and were held for
a hearing The total losses to prop