PWCo Items: 29 August 1874

Alexandria Gazette (Va)
29 August 1874

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY ITEMS.  [From the Manassas Gazette]

Only last week we published a letter from "our new city" (Potomac) to the effect that it was fast building up, and was going to have a bank, &c., and now we see the hotel keeper, Mr. Brick, advertises to sell out, and heads his advertisement, "being desirous of leaving the country," &c.  This looks bad for "our new city," for its first hotel keeper to leave right in the midst of the season.

The colored man, Henry Johnson, who was arrested last week at Woodbridge Station, on the A. & F. R. R., and lodged in jail, has been released on account of not being the guilty one.  The jailor and sheriff of Pittsylvania after seeing him, stated that he was not the man.

The amendments to the Constitution in regard to changing the townships into Magisterial Districts, will meet with a hearty approval in this community, as the people generally are getting very much out with the township system, believing firmly that it will never work satisfactorily.

We expect the $5,000, which was appropriated by Congress last winter for the deepening of Occoquan creek, to be made use of very soon now, as the dredging machine will commence operations in a short time.

Our young friend, J. Frederick Tansil, son of our townsman, Col. Rob. Tansil, has joined a Government surveying party, and expects to leave for the West some time during the fall.

Major B. B. Douglas and Hon. James B. Sener, candidates for Congress for this District propose to address the people of Prince William at Brentsville, on Monday, September 7th, Court day.

Occoquan has been improved very much this summer, in the way of new buildings, and it still continues.

Occoquan is to be incorporated into a city before long, according to the act of the Legislature.

Newspaper Tidbit: PWCo Items (19 August 1872)

Alexandria Gazette
19 August 1872

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY ITEMS - [From the Manassas Gazette.] -- Jas. B. Sener, Radical candidate for Congress in the first Congressional District, and W. W. Douglass, elector on the Grant ticket, announced that they will speak at Brentsville on the next court day, Monday, September 2d.

A singular phenomenon was noticed at Brentsville on the night of August 10. During the rain the moon broke through the clouds in the west and there appeared in the east, spanning the entire heavens, a beautiful rainbow which remained there for fully half an hour.

A picnic will be given near Brentsville on Tuesday the 2d inst., which, judging from the names of the managers, will be one of the most pleasant affairs of the season.

Mr. Frank Cannon has sold about 5,000 railroad ties for the Danville extention.  These ties were purchased for the Fredericksburg railroad, but were not taken, and have been on hand some time.

A race was run on Tuesday last at Manassas between a sorrel colt owned by H. B. Varns and a sorrel mare owned by C. L. Hynson. Mr. Varns' colt was entered by C. A. Cannon and Mr. Hynson's mare by Wm. E. Goodwin. The distance was 940 yards. The race was won by the colt, beating the mare ten feet.  The stake was $120.

Newspaper Tidbit: PWCo Items (19 October 1874)

Alexandria Gazette
19 October 1874

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY ITEMS -- [From the Manassas Gazette]

The Circuit Court met on Monday, Judge James Keith presiding, Geo. W. Larkin esq., Commonwealth attorney. When the grand jury had been sworn Judge Keith charged them as follows. That they should "bring to notice all breaches of the peace," on which the good order of society depended; "all murders, assaults and batteries, burglaries, and violations of the internal revenue laws." On motion of James M. Love esq., M. H. Wells esq. of Fairfax C. H. was admitted to practice at this court. In the case of Commonwealth against L. N. Fewell, councel for defence, Judge Nicol, stated that he was not ready for trial on consequence of the absence of important witnesses. This case was again continued. There were about seventy-five decrees and orders entered in Chancery and a large number of common law cases disposed of.

As Mr. A. D. Wroe of the lower part of the county, and Mr. Samuel H. Jones, his brother-in-law, of Brook's Stations, Stafford county, were driving into Brentsville on Monday, their team became frightened at the noise of a flock of geese and shying, upset the vehicle, throwing the two gentlemen out and hurting them severely, though not seriously.

Wm. H. Pinn a colored man who has heretofore acted with the radical party in this county made a speech at Brentsville on Monday last, in which he scored radicalism pretty severely, and the Hon. James B. Sener particularly. He advised the colored people not to disgrace themselves by voting for Sener.