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VOL. 1.-ML 41.
WAMINGTON, N. L, MONDAY MORNING, APRIL '17, 1865.
PRICE TEN CENTS.
THE HERALD OF WE UNION.
WirMiXGron .
■ APRIL 17
■ LOCAL INTELMCESMCE.
"^Theatre. We were at the Theatre Saturday
evening, to witness the play of the Maniac Lover,
and were well pleased indeed with Mr. John Davis
rendition of this character. He bad some insur
mountable obstacles to overcome, but under the
circumstances, done as well as could have been
wished. We have seen anumber in this character
which is one of the best of two-act dramas and
but few that excelled Mr Davis. The weather
was very bad, but. nevertheless, the building was
well filled. The singing was not the best, as there
was a very audible discord at times, however, the
audience seemed very well pleased. We did not
see the after p ece.
To-night, the Writing on the Wall and our Gal,
are on the bills.
and coinirmcd a brigadier general, and was
Vuo tty afterwards assigned to duty with Ewell.
During the siege of Richmond he commanded
a large brigade of regular and militia troops,
including (he former Lieutenant General Pem
berton’s artillery, on the north side of the
James river, his headquarters being on the fa
mous Chapin farm. In January last it was re
ported that Lee had been nominated a major
general, but if so he was never confirmed.
I the eyebrows. He dresses simply, is often bare-
headed, wears a single human tooth and blue
GRANT AND SHERMAN.
HORE GLORIOUS NEWS.
Tiie Occupation of Raleigh and
Lynchburg.
&C.J
&c..
&C.
Date Northern Papers.-—We will'feel under
obligations to our friends coining in possession of
late Northern papers at any time f they would
send them to us. The mails are very irregular,
and we must look te this source for the present
for late dates.
Globe Saloon.—We call attention to theyid-
vertisement of this place, advertized in to-day’s
paper. Mr. Morrell has heretofore enjoyed a good
reputation in his line.
Official information received in this city an-
nouuces the gratifying intelligence of ’he occu
pation of Raleigh by the army of Gen. Sherman
on the 12th, without any resistance from the
enemy. We arc without any further particu
lars, but hope to git details for our issue to
morrow.
We hear also officially that the forces under
Gen. Grant have occupied Lynchburg, Va.
The' Weather.—Saturday night it rained
again, bu' yesterday wag one of the loveliest, days
we have yet been blessed with. It was neither
too cool nor too warm.
Dieutenaut General Robert Stoddart Xwell.
General Sheridan captured General Ewell on
the Sth instant, while endeavoring to escape
from Richmond. His capture is an important
-event of the c ampaign, as Ewell was one of the
first men in th- rebel army—next in importance
indeed, to Lee himself.
Ewell was bora in the District of Columbia,
in 1820. He is a brother of Benjamin S. Ewell,
who graduated third in his class, and who, after
being an instructor for years at West Point, and
President of the Williamsburg (Virginia) Wil
liam and Mary College, went into the rebel
army, to be contented with he rank of colonel
and adjutant jgeneral to General Johnston.—
Richard S. Ewell, without being so studious,
was a more practical man than his brother, and
graduated thirteenth in his class, next to Geo.
H. Thomas, lower down than W. T. Sherman,
Stewart Van V'iet, and ahead of Bushrod R
Johnson, Col. Oliver L. Shepperd and General
Thomas Jordan.
Ewell entered the United States Army July
1. 1840, as brevet second lieutenant; was pro
moted to second lieutenant November 1, 1840 ;
first lieutenant, September 18, 1845; brevet cap
tain, August 20, 1847, for gallantry at Contre
ras and Churubusco, Mexico. In June, 1857,
he was engaged with the Indians in New Mexi
co. In 1858 he was in charge of the United
States troops at Fort Buchanan, New Mexico.
He resigned May 1, 1861, his position as cap
tain of dragoons, to which he had been promo
ted, and joined the rebel Army of Virgmia in
time to parti ipate as a brigadier general in the
battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861. During the
inactivity which followed this engagement
Ewell was promoted major general and assigned'
to a division of the Second, or Stonewall Jack
son’s corps. In this capacity he fought in the
battles of Front Royal and Cedar Mountain du
ring the valley campaign in 1862. During the
battle of Chancellorsvdle, in May, 1863, be suc
ceeded Jackson, who was wounded, in co umand
of the Second corps, and. on the death of Jack-
son, was appointed, on the latter’s earnest re
commendation, a lieutenant general, and perma
nently assigned to the Second corps With this
■command he fought at Winchester, Gettysburg
and during the first day of the battle ot the
Wilderne-s, May, 1864. Ile was here wounded
and his corps was given to Jubal Early. Ewell
retired to Richmond and assumed command of
the Department that he was captured in by Sheri-
A Rtvolulion'ary Kellie.
Modern books of history describe the vener
able edifice known as Fi 11 Church, on the road
from Alexandria to Leesburg, one of the few
remaining relies built before the Revolution. A
Washington correspondent of the St. Louis Re
publican speaks further on the subject, as fol
lows :
The scenery and surroundings, picturesque
and ancient* naturally attracted the attention
of every passerby ; but, to those who knew of
iis founding and subsequent history, the sight
of the edifice awakened an interest far deeper
than the passing emotions of mingled curiosity
and awe eugentiered by its quaintness of style
and shadowy solitude. Bui t by Lord Fairfax in
the early part of the eighteenth century, the
bricks and other material being brought from
England, itlmd withstood the ravages of time
and the mutations'of civilization for full one
hundred and forty years, and yet remained a
well preserved monument of the past, speaking
to the present through the soul awaking associ
ations and nn mories that clustered around it
like green vines around the aged oak. Its mod
est steeple, o’ershadowed by the tall pines and
cedars that cast a sombre shade upon the grave
yard around, its steep roof, high gable ends with
Cath-rine-wheel windows of miniature propor
tion's, its solid brick walls, high side windows
and massive doors, of oak, all vividly brought to
mind the simple church aiehitecture oFthe days
when our forefathers’ fathers dwelt in peace and
happiness in the land which their king gave
th m. Inside, the high and straight backed pew,
the impending pulpit of burnished mahogany,
and the silver mounted railing of the altar, ful*
1/ responded to the ancient style without, while
marble tablets on the walls told the virtues of
many Virginians, who, loyal to God and their
country, had gone to rest iu the adjoining grave
y rd years ago. Here, so a tablet told, Lord
Fairfax bent the knee in regular and devout
homage to his Maker ; and he was followed by
a long lineof illustrious Virginians, chief among
them Washington, who often came from the
bead attached te a thread, as a neck ornament
and Bofetish against sickness, prefers iron to
silver arm-rings, wore at Kana a white body-
cloth of plain firm stuff, with a narrow edging
of watered green silk, that hardly reached to
mid thigh. His Moslem sandals were of gold-
embroidered scarlet, and he smoked detestable
tobacco.
A throng of royal spouses stood behind to
wipe off instantly any drop of pers oration from
the royal face, to hold the spittoon immediately
when the royal mouth indicated a disposition to
spit, and al; ready to rub the ground with their
foreheads when his majesty sneezed.
When his majesty drinks, no vulgar eye must
seo him do anything so ignoble ; he wheels sud
denly round to them, with his back to thecourt;
the wives hide him from view with umbrellas ;
drums beat, distracting noises of all sorts are
made, and all heads are averted, or the cour
tiers, if standing, dance like bears, or paddle
their hands like the fore feet of a swimming
dog. Among some tribes in the Congo country
the chief’s big toes are puller' when he drinks.
Protected, and not choked, by all such cere
monials, a king of Dahomey is a long-lived an-
mal. Eight successive kings of the present
dynasty have occupied the throne during two
hundred ai d fifty-two years. “Thus,” says
Captain Burton, “ rivalling the sev *n Roman
monarchs whose rule extended over nearly the
same period, and had caused them to be held
fabulous or typical.”
The flower of the host brought forward to
gr .ee this reception was the mixed company of
about two hundred Amazons lately raised by
the.king. The whole court did not show a
gathering of more than a thousai d. Some,
however, were away, attacking a village; all
who were there expressed in oration, and song,
and shout, and dance, determination to deal
terribly with the Abeokutans, against whom a
great expedition was intended It has since
turned out that the Dahomans were seriously
worsted in that expedition.
Time skulls of conquered chiefs, in various
typi-al settings, were brought out as a part of.
the more solemn paraphernalia of Dab man
royalty. One, for example, was the skull of a
neighboring chief, who on the death of Gezo,
Geleie’s father, sent word that all men were not
truly joyful, that the sea had dried up, and that
the v.orld had seen the bottom of Dahomey —
He was attacked and killed, and bis skuil, boiled
beautifully wb’te and polished, is mounted on
a ship of thin bra-s a foot long. There is al
ways water enough in Dahomey to float it, with
the mocker’s skull for freight, is the grim jest
intended. These skulls are without the lower
jaw. The lower jaw of an enemy is prized in
Dahomey fur umbrellas, sword-handles, and
other purposes. It is cut and torn with horri
ble cruelty out of the face of the still living
victim.
In the presence of his majesty the highest
courtiers of Dahomey lie on their sides, and at
times roll over on (heir bellies, or relieve them
selves by standing on all fours. The king
speaks to his subjects through an official, calle'
the Men, to whom his word is cauied on all
fours by a ceremoni; us middle-aged lady, called
his firm voice reassured her, and she accom
panied him to the house.
-Mrs. Lee sat sewing, the needle flying in out
with more vigor th n seemed necessary. She
looked up as a shadow fell upon the floor, and
the mother’s heart relented a little as her eyes
fell on Agatha’s bright face; a mixture ofsmiies,
tears and blushes. But her brow darkened
again as she saw her companion.
“ Mrs. Lee,” said the young man, leading bis
campanion up to the obdurate parent, “I love
your daughter, and have reason to think my
regard is reciprocated. May I have her?”
He paused a moment, the matron’s lace gave
no signs of relenting, and he went on.
“ Of course y ou would not give your daughter
to a stranger, I think I can satisfy you on the
point of respectability, though Aggie must have
told you that I am poor, My father was form
erly a New York merchant; his name was like
my own, Arthur Wilson.”
“Wilson,” she interrupted, in astonishment
and agitation, “You have not been knowYt by
that name here.”
“Simply a mistake of the landlord’s,” he re-
turned, “which I thought too unimportant to
reciify.” -
“Your mother’s name yas Susan ?” she que
ried.
“Yes,” he replied in astonishment.
“Had she any near relatives ?”
“One sister living somewhere in the country.
I know neither her name or place of resi
dence.”
Mru Lee sank back into a chair.
“I am that sister. I might have known you
by your resemblance. Young man, I am in
debted to your father for a home. Ile interfer
ed and lift«d fl om our home a heavy mortgage,
to which otherwise, we must have sacrificed
everything. Forgive me for my injustice.”
Of course our hero would not be worthy of
the position he has occupied in our story if be
did not freely forgive her, which forgiveness
was immediately recorded.
Gentle reader, can you foresee the sequel ?—
If not, let us slip into the village church, this
beautiful frosty morning, and become a witness
of the matrimonial tableau, which is being en
acted—in which the blushing Aggie and our
manly hero take a prominent part; that will
be sufficient to satisfy all doubts, I think. And,
now we leave them with most earnestgood wish
es ; and may they enjoy the highest degree of
matrimonial felicity.
ALABAMA
CAPTURE OF SELMA.
Forrest and Roddy with their
entire commands Prisoners,
&C.,
&C.
&Cr
the Dakoo; sue comes ba'k also on all fl
with any answer that may 'be intended lor
royal ear.
Tile Mortgage,
As we pass along in search of incident
the
for
dan.
Brigadier General George William Custis Lee,
of Virginia.
This officer, who is reported captured by
General Sheridan, is the first son of General
Robert E. Lee. He was born at Arlington
Heights, in 1831, entered West Point in 1850,
graduating July 1, 1854, and entered the Uni
ted States Army as brevet second lieutenant.—
October 20, 1859, he was ocommissioned first
lieutenant in the Engineer corps, but resigned
May 2, 1861, and, foillowing his father’s exam
ple, entered the rebel army. After the failure
nf his lather in Western Virginia, and his re-
capital or Mount Vernon to worship in the way.
side chapel, whose simple solitude better re
sponded to his calm and devotional spirit. * *
Civil war came, and has raged four years.—
Let’s look at the little church now. The grove
in which it nestled has long since gone down
before the axe, the trees interfering with the
rance of guns on a point two miles and a hall
distant. The palings of the graveyard disap
peared with the trees, and the sacred ground,
exposed to all kinds of intruders, has been
trampled until many of the sodded mounds are
almost leveled. Monuments arc mutilated, and
all grave stones that are portable have been
carried off, The windowless walls support a
dilapidated roof, which in turn, supports the
weatherworn steeple. Inside, pews, floor, altar
with silver railing, pulpit and 'marble table s
on the walls have all disappeared, a d in their
places are substituted convenient arrangements
tor keeping horses. Yes, reader, t-o little
church is used as a stable by Union cavalry.
tirement to the shades of the War Department
at Richmond, young Custis Lee was made a col
onel and placed on the staff of Jeff. Davis.—
When his father was called to the field, in
1862, Custis Lee remained on with the rebel
The King of Dahomey.
In the king’s presence, where he sits in the
deep shade of a sort of barn-gate, there is a
circle of white sand for those who approach to
run their faces in. His Majesty, King Gelele,
a son cf King Gezo, by a northern slave-girl or
a mulatto from the French factory at Whydah,
is over six feet tall, well made, except the cu
cumber-shape shin, and several shades lighter
than his courtiers. He is about forty-five years
old, slightly bald, with peppercorn hair, gener
ally close shaven, scanty eyebiows, thin beard,
thin moustache, a square jowl, red bleared eyes,
and a turned up nose, “looking, in fact, as if
all the lines had been turned the wrong way,”
our story we are a . ra. ted by a large old farm
house, with a yard filled with choice flowers,
that denote, somewhere about the rustic build
ing, taste and iove for the beautiful As we
enter the coo , mammoth dinning room—we are
nor Ung in fathoming the mystery A lovely
you; g girl, with some of those very flowers
twined among her curls, is flitting n and out,
bearing light and sunshine into every room
which she enters. But she is not alone, as a
voice from the kitchen testifies.
“Now, Agatha, sit down and keep still three
minutes, will you ?”
“ Yes, mother;” and down went the merry
lit’le figure on a stool at the fret of the perplex
ed dame.
“Well, now, talk sensibly a few minutes, and
that is all I’ll ask of you a present.”
“What shall I say ?” asked Miss Agatha,de
murely folding her hands.
Mrs Lee took no notice of the question, but
went on,--
“I’ll own I was only twenty-one when I was
married, and thought that quite ton young; but,
as respectable a chance as you’vegot now aint
to be slighted; and when Jason- Smith comes
here to night tell him yes.”’
“But, mother, I hate him?’
Agatha’s lace was serious enough now.
“Fiddlesticks I you never used to talk so be
fore that young travelling jackanapes, Arthur
Gilson, camo ere with his picture-:; and you,
like a little simpleton, believe all he says is gos
pel truth'.” « And the indignant matron leftthe
room.
Half an hour later that veritable young‘ ja k-
anapes ’ found Agatha in. the l ine sobbing. S e
started as he came sod moly beside ber, but
smiled through her tears as she saw who it was.
We have it authentically that New York pa
pers of the 13th inst., announce the capture of
Selma, Ala., by the-Union forces, with the re
bel Generals Forrest and Roddy, and their en
tire commands. Further particulars not given.
We hope to: lay them- in full before our readers
to-morrow..
Petroleum Lamps.
Since the introduction of petroleum, kerosene
lamps have been universally used by families,
and, any information regarding their use may
be considered a public benefit. Many persons
when going to bed,'or when leaving the room
tor a short, time,, are lu the habit of turning the
wick down low in order to save a trifle of the
consumption of oil. The consequence is, that;
’he-air of the room soon becomes vitiated by
the unconsumed oil vapors, by the gas produced
by combustion^ and also by the minute particles
of smoke and soot which are thrown off. Air
thus poisoned is deadly in its effects, and the
wonder is that more persons are not immedi
ately and fatally injured by breathing it. Irri
tation and inflamation of the throat and lungs,
headache, dizziness and nausea are am mg its
effects.
The total expenditure of Massachusetts for
war purposes, from rhe commencement of the
rebellion to the present time, has been twenty-
se en millions tw. hundred and e’ghty thou
sand six hundred a A fifty-two dollars. Of this
sum there renvin utstandingliabilities amount
ing to ab ut fourteen millions of fourteen of dol
lars.
President, and his name appears bn the rebel but not much flattened, and not wholly without
1 0UC BOL muon mimo vtnuvnu
a bridge. He is strongly pock-marked, and has
the Dahoman mark in three short parallel and
the rebel Congress in 1001 nee was uj.u...»^'. perpendicular lancet cuts between the scalp and
She toid him, concluding, with a defiant flash
of her brown eyes:
“But I won’t marry him ; and if mother says
anything more, I’ll appeal to father, though I
fear he mie tside whh her.”
‘ft f course you won’t, Aggie,” he replied ;
and added, after a pause, “Come, Aggie, I am
going to ask your mother to give you to me.”
Agatha looked up, half eager, half afraid; bet
The I u nan heart gives nir e y-s x thousand:
s okes every twenty-four houis.
Pd rather ba\e newspapers without a govern
ment,’ said the great Jefferson, ‘than a-govera-
ment without newspapers.’
To hear a declaration of love a young lady-
will give her ears. *
A husband can readily foot the bill of a
wife who is not ashamed to be
stockings.
A flattering
seen footing bls
fiction—To tell a lady she has a
fine carriage if she only walks gracefully.
Why is il e sap ofa'ree like the mercury ft
a theremometer ? Tf sinks in winter.
The Savannah people a mft that t’ e-Co'^ 6 ^’
eracy has: gene up.