Posted inUS Civil War

July 3, 1861 – Latest War News

A skirmish took place near Romney, Va., on Wednesday last, between a small detachment of Col. Ashby’s Cavalry and a party of 67 of Lincoln’s Cavalry. Deluded by a professed deserter, they were led into an ambush and surrounded by Lincoln’s troops. Capt. Dick Ashby first encountered them with only 11 men. The Hessians demanded their surrender, to which Capt A. and his men replied with a discharge from their guns. The fight was severe, but Col. Ashby coming up with a squad decided the contest. The enemy ran, leaving 18 men dead and a number wounded. Col. Ashby lost two men, several wounded, among them himself and Capt. Ashby severely.

Posted inDaily News Local Histories

Parrot, Once Pure, Killed for Swearing

Slayer Fined For Executing Individual With Human Traits

EVANSTON, Ill., July 1.—When a parrot teaches itself to swear it becomes an Individual with human traits instead of just a parrot. This is the decision of Justice of the Peace H. G. Williams.

Rutheda, the parrot of Mrs. Bertha Flugge, “was the purest and most clean-minded thing I ever saw” before it flew away from her, according to Mrs. Flugge.

Posted inUS Civil War

July 2, 1861 – The Federal Troops Driven from Mathias Point

Thomas Freeborn during the Mathias Point engagement, firing at Confederates on the shore.

WASHINGTON, June 28.

The Pawnee arrived at the Navy Yard this morning, bringing intelligence from Mathias Point According to a statement of persons in the expedition, Capt. Ward, of the Freeborn, yesterday obtained from the Pawnee a reinforcement of about twenty men, and united with others from his own vessel, comprising between thirty and forty men in all. They started in several cutters for Mathias Point, taking with them about two hundred bags, which were filled with sand on the shore, and with which breastworks were soon erected.

Whilst on returning to the Freeborn to obtain cannon for the battery, a force of the Confederate troops variously estimated at from 1,200 to 1,500, suddenly emerged from thick woods, where they were concealed, and poured a volley of shot into the party, who made a hasty retreat. Several of the men jumped into the water, swimming to the Freeborn. Capt. Ward protected the men as far as possible, firing twelve or fifteen shots among the rebels, but the effect could not be ascertained.

Posted inDaily News Maritime & Naval History

Steamer is Destroyed

Loss of $350,000 and Traffic to Martha’s Vineyard Interrupted When Steamship Sankaty Burns at Dock

Postcard of the steamer Sankaty

New Bedford, Mass., July 1—The steamship service between this port, Wood’s Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, just beginning its season of greatest traffic with summer vacationists, was rearranged today as a result of the destruction by fire last night of the steamship Sankaty and the dock of the New England Steamship Co. here. The fire which started in a pile of hay on the dock from a cause still undetermined, caused a loss of $350,000. As the dock used by boats on the New York service which is adjacent, was undamaged, it was arranged to use that and to put the other vessels of the fleet on a new schedule.

Posted inSports

4,000-Mile Bike Race is Captured by Frantz

Nicholas Frantz, winner of the 1927 Tour de France

PARIS, July 18 (AP).—Nicolas Frantz of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg today won the annual longest bicycle road race of the world, covering 4,000 miles, which started June 19.

The race is called “tour de France,” and skirts the entire frontier and coast boundaries of the country.

Posted inSports

Perfect Sport for the Tired Spectator

By Crosby S. Noyes, Foreign Correspondent of The Star

Cartoon of Tour de France spectators

PARlS.—After a number of years of more or less serious spectating, we have finally discovered what we consider the ideal spectator sport.

The Tour de France rates, we are given to believe, as a national sporting event in France almost in the same way as the World Series rates in the United States. But there’s one great difference between the great annual bicycle classic and most other national sports.