Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1838-08-13
MISCELLANEOUS.
From the kniekbcrbochcr for jnl,l
IMBlNG THE NATURAL BRIDG

nave some reason 10 believe, that | am the on
! " surviving witness of that most ndycniutous TX.
plot oi climbing tie Natural Bridge IN Virginia
and believing that the particulars ought to be pu,
upon record, | have selected the knekclbockel as
the medium. ! have often times and Ton many
years, wuhstood repeated solicitations To do tins TO,
the following reasons which rive lest it might be
supposed, by some suspicious persons. that had
waited tor the death OF the other alleged witnesses.
Immediately alter the ldrc nlufc had been accom-.
plished and while all the circumstances were fresh
IN my memory. recorded them IN a SORT Of journal
kept to record stsltcts names. hy poor Patrick Hen
~, a man OF color, who kept Tho Bridge. THIS re
cord was referred To by Patrick, whenever IA ,s,,r,
became inqusitlse about the circumstances. Some
believed my statement, and others disbcleycd
II but bv lar the greater number disbeevcd H. as
he informed me. This VAS Ian from being pleasant,
10 one who had never had his veracy doubled before
But tins not all.
| happened 10 be at the Bridge, some time after
the event, when a large company OF respectable
looking ladies aud gentlemen had Just returned
tom under The Bridge, and waiting dinner, like
myself. Al the house on the summit To which have
a'odeu. lhe conversation. among Tins COMPANY
turned upon the remarkable event, AZ II does To this
day and the book was referred To. ~ usual Tor tie
particulars. Immediately rive painrk the hint that
WISHED To innln 5ncog III order thnl | mig l hem
'of hNse1 the remarks upon my testimony. II Is
IN old saying. that listener never hems any rood
nl himself. and so II TUNED out tins occasion.
testimony, ladies' and all. L,ulc did they imagine
that The man himself ensconccd IN u corner of
tie sane room with themselves. | forthwith deter
mlned to volunteer no more testimony about things
50 out Of the common cul- cnt OF events al all
events | determined 10 hold my peace, unul the
public mind should settle down the ruth rs II
generally does NJ last.
That time seems to have arrived. The public
without an exception, so Tar rs know, has welded
IT'S ciedencc to tile united testimony oil many wit
nesses. Scarcely periodical in the country or
BOOK I'll travels, but mentions the subject
But there is another reason for coming forward
NJ tins tlmc Tradition has got hold oil the story al
The wrong end. in the very last number of your
Magazine, QUE oi your contributors mlsrcptesents
The matler-unInlenlIonally doubt; and Miss Mar
uneau, III her Retrospect OF Western Travel under
takes 10 detail the whole affair. scarcely one crcn
sianee OF which she does correctly. Under these
circumstances, think discerning public will an.
p'ceiaie my true motives IN coming out INV
own signature; indeed, unless were 10 do So /,
would be useless TO say an, thing A all.
think IT was In the summer at lSls that james II
Piper. William Reveiv. WI liam W. zee. and m,sell
being then students at Washington College. Virginia
determined to make jannj 10 the Natural Badge
fourteen miles OH Having obtained perunsslon
from tie president we proceeded on our way ieolc-
my Nhcn we arrvcd At the Bridge, nearly all Of
us commenced climbing up the ptecipous siJcs, IN
oIdei 10 lmnpflallze our names, rs usual.
We had not been long thus employed before we
were joined by Robert Penn, Of Amherst then a
pupil OF tho Rev. Samuel lIuu>tun's grammar
school, IN the immediate nciehbouthood Of the
Bridge. Mr.. Piper the hero OF the occasion, com.
nenccd climbing on the opposite side OF the creek
from The Que by which the pathway asccnds tie
ravine. He began down on the banks OF the brook
50 lar that we dad not know where he had gone and
were only apptlzed ohrS whereabouts by his shouting
above our heads. When looked up he WIS
standing apparently right under the a,eb, suppose
an hundred feet from the bottom, and that on the
smooth SIDE, winch 10 generally considered lnaocessl-
bic without ladder lie was standing far above the
spot where General Washington is SAID TO have IN.
scilbca his name when youth.
The ledge Of rock by which he assembled to this
perllo0s height does not appear from below to be
three inches vide aud runs almos, right angles to
the abulmeut OF the Bridge of course its termna.
ton Is far down The cliff, on Tint side. Many the
written and traditional accounts state tins to be the
side OF the Bud up winch lie climbed. believe
Miss Maulneau states but II is altogcthera ms
take, as any one may scr, by casting eye up the
pteciplce on that side The stony doubt olis
mated from the preliminary explnit.
The ledge OF rock ,lch lie standing, APP
pcaied 50 narrow to us b low, 10 make ns be.
Ievc his position very pcnlous one aud we ear.
hestly enlrcated him 70 come down. He answered
us with loud shouts Of dtrlsion. Al tins stage al
the business Mr.. Penn and servant letl us. lie
would not have done so, suppose, II he had known
what was to follow but up 10 Tins time. Of us
had The shghtest suspicion that Mr.. Piper intended
The daring exploit which he afterwards accomplish
ed. lie after desc ndcd from thai side crossed
Tie btook, ard commenced climbing on the side by
which all NslteIs ascend The yluc. He ffst
mounted the rocks on this side, as he had done on
the otlet-ldf down the aubnmcnr, but notso Ga
on tie opposite side. The projecting ledge may 5c
distinctly seen by any visitor. 1T commences four
or five feet iIom tie pathway, the lower side,
and m,nds round, gradually ascending, unil II
meets the cleft 81 rock which the celebrated
cedar stump bangs. Following this ledge 10 lis
termination, II bfou hl hlm 10 abou, lhlny or forty
feet from the ground and placed hun between two
deep tissues. on each side OF the gigantic column Of
rock on which the aforementioned cedar sunni
stands. This column sands out from the Bridge rs
separate and distinct If placed there by nature on
purpose Tor an observatory TO the wonderful arch
and favinc which it overlooks huge crack or
assure extends from It's base It's suunit IN Iced
1t is ciackcd on both sides but much pcrcepti
tbly on one side than the other Both these assures
are hckly overgrown with bushes, and numerous
roots project lnto them from the trees growing on
the precpice. it was between these that the be
fore mentioned ledge conducted him. Here he
stopped, pulled off ms coat and shoes and threw
them down to And this, in my opinion, Is
sufficient rciulalon Of the story, oen told, that
he went up TO inscribe his name, and assembled So
high that lac found it more difficult to turn than 90
forward. lie could have returned easily from the
point where he dsencumbefed himself, but the fact
that he did thus prepare early, and near the
ground, and alter he had ascended more than dou-
Die that height, on the other side. are CHAR proofs
that 10 lnscrbc his name not, and 10 climb The
blidge was, his object. He hid already inscribed
his name above Washington himself, more than fl
ty feet.
Around the face Of this hnre column and between