Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-11-29
Pastand Present Condition Of the Ka-
nayyha VaIIey..The Status OF Judge

/ Pastand PRESENT Condition Of ths Ka-
/ naJyhn VaIIey..The status OF Judge
1 SUMMERS. tSstSt.7stf
Recent arrivals of intelligent gentlemen
from the Kanasha county, give rs infor-
nation of the condition Of things existing
there The pietuEs is By no means inyit-
ing, Goldsmith's Deserted village" might
appropriately be localized in that section.
The people have had q dear bought expert
eues I'll tie cost Of revolution Prom
having been ons. of the richest most pros
porous and, in many respects, one Of the
most inviting sections Of the State, il has
become one 81 the most impoverished, dis
traetea, aud aninyitieg Since early irthe
summer, the Valley has been scene of
uarfate5 Wise came among the people as
a bosom Of deyastation, he literally laid
bare the country ALI around Thin. Bis
worthless promises 70 pay are len wide
spread among the peppis-but, aiaal
their corn, their Wheat their cats, their
hay, their bacon, their all is goue; 70 be
heard of no more. He,took horses, mules
and wagons, and Impressed them IN his
service, both as he came and as he Left
He paid for nothing the whole time. his
cavalry sustained themselves BY depreda-
ting first upon one farm, then upon anoth-
er. They roved from field to field, and
from locality 70 locality, like droyes Of
lgrasshoppers. They Let down fences, en-
tered. in and fed their horses from grain in
the shock-.hey tookseorn and oats from
t4e barns. They quartered themselves q
tic tables Of faFmets like so many brig
aads and foOtpadsT never even giving 50
much as = slip of Wise's scrip In return.
Thick traii vas desoiAtioh everywhere.
The infantry were provided for by The
scrip system. Foragers were sent out,
w6oss asty it,xaslto SPY. out tie fat places
Ito To- set mock valuation on farm pro-
duets-store houses of provisions, &C.,
and give the owners certificates therefor.
II the owners OBJECTED, the properly was
considered sold in spite of the objection,
ana, 4as ttaasferFedt 70 ths wagons just IS
thou Eh It had been paid for in gold. No
mike manner, clothing and everything
else that was valuable was taken. In the
town Of Charleston the case, of two Young
Jews. clothes dealers, Afforded a DISTRESS
ing example Of his brutal vandalism. he
got hold of a letter which one of the men
had written 70 desler in the East At the
Botto n Of which was q note Indicating his
sym path with the Union. Wise bad him
aud his brother arrested and thrown into
pris son, and on being visited by a lawyer
initheir behalf, revealed. a depth or devil
istl brutality that astounded his visitor be-
yond belief. BE said he intended To- hive
these two Jews shot unless they, made over
their stock Of goods to him; that if they
would assign the goods hewould not
shoot them -bpt that he wanted II unF
derstood that either through blood, or an
instrument Of writing, be INTENDED to have
the goods. The lawyer from whose own
mouth VIZ, have these faets) went back to
the poor fellows and told them the sorry
tale. He len them in prison ii tears.-
The sequel wa, that Wise took Their, prop
erty, and carried them away captive with
him. .55.sa ~ ~
Theiold demon used TO curse frightfully.
His profanity was most disgusting. When
he had NO one else TO curse, he cursed o
Jenniugs, his son-and cursed him roufdly,
too. Especially did he belabor him when
Jennings reno nstrated against destroying
the beautiful and costly bridge over Elk
liver. HIS whole bearing was that Of a
man iGe devil seemiugly let loOseto fill q
portion of the unexpired term of Satan
himself Never did nlpeople more rejoice
to see q pestil eneeileaye their midst, than
the people Of the Kanawha TO see Wise
compelled make OF. The feeling was
not confined TO Union inen-it was general
CGoneerutng Judge Summers, we hear
that he stays most of the time out on his
farm some twenty miles from Charleston.
Poor man, his locks have been shorn, and
he has become as other men-as thosewh
never had name and fame as he has had.
The loyol people who had honored him SO
long, looked to him for guidance in their
dark hour Of. trial-but they soon found
that in him they had no helper. Cold,
selfish, timid, che loved his money, his
houses and his lands more than he did the
cause of the Uhiol. Like the young man
of Scripture he turned away, "for he had
| goat PosssssiOns.a He feared epnfsca-
ton from the rebels. Yet all the while
and even now his well-wishes are