The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1863-05-01
For the BEDFORD Gazette.
OLD BEN. BANNISTER'S VIEWS OF
ae aa THE WAR.

OLD BEN. BANNISTER'S VIEWS OF
THE WAR.
At the head of ''Welf Hollow" near the top
of the Allegheny, stands an old building, some
hundred and twenty feet long, and one room
deep, the middle of which is built Of logs, and
either end of stone. The log part, when first
erected, was no doubt considered perfect pa
lace by the old hunters who had squatted in
their little cabins, all along the top of this noted
range of mountains. The log part of this house
is SO old. that tradition says Washington slept
in it in 1855, when, under Braddock, he march
ed to attack Fort DuQuesne. The stone
ends were the work of subsequent years, made
necessary in order to accommodate the wagon
ers aud emigrants to the West, who, before the
days Of railroads, made this point the crossing
place over the mountains. There still lives i'll
this house very old man, the son of him who
built that very part of the house Iii which
Washington is said to have slept This old
| mans name is Benjamin Bannister. and he says
| that John Bannister--one of the signers Of the
"Articles of Confederation" from Virginia.
| was his fathers brother. Benny Bannistcr, as
lie is familarly called by all, is, as near as he
can tell, l08 years old. lie says his birth was
never recorded, but that his mother often told
| him and the neighbors, that he was born ''the
very year that Braddock and Washington went
over" At any rate the Oldest settlers OF the
mountain say he was known as "OM Benny"
when they were boys and girls. have not
time to tell you all have heard of old Benny's
history. A great book might be written Of the
incidents of his life and his odd sayings. He
| Il 80,
the Revolutionary War" His father was ut
the almost forgotten skirmish at Bloody Run.
Old Benny has seen all kinds of people, Stage
passengers in old times often lay over at his
house to rest, and Horny Clay always stopped
there, when he used to ride horseback from
Pittsburg to Washington. Besides emigrants
to the far West always made his house point
| in their Journey From these he often received
little presents. From lady passenger in the
coach, he once received a copy of Bunyan' $
Pilgrims Progress" Having natural fond
ness of reading, he perused all printed matter he
could get hold of, and now since his eye-sight
has failed, he gets great-grand-son, bright
boy of l6, who is clerk in a little store near by
in which the post-office is kept to read to him
whenever his time will admit. Old Benny al
ways was in the habit of giving his views and
orders in fgurative language, and nlck'namins
everybody and everything around him-a habit
of allegorical speaking which he ''got honestly
from his father, who, no doubt, had first ac-
quired it from the Indians, and after reading
the aforenamed copy Of ''Pilsrim's Progress
the habit was confirmed. 1t has been my
pleasure, since little boy, to call in to see old
Benny, whenever / CHANGED to pass that way
and was ALWAYS amused and instructed by
some of the old mans allegories and tales
So, having occasion to pass over the pike lead
ing up Wolf Hollow, some two weeks ago. ant
thinking it likely the last time would ever SCI
the old man, as he is falling fast, determined
as these are t'dark times" to stay all night
and by the cheerful log-iire, around the ole
hearth-stone where Washington once sat, heal
what Old Benny had to say in his own peculiar
style about our ''national troubles" Well
supper over, he tottered to his seat in the ole
"split-bottom" chair by the side of the fire, ant
says he to me:
"Coppie, sit down! !" "a new nickname fo
me, which the sequel may explainD Having
slowly filled his old laurel.root pipe witt
sKinnikinquc" from his spacious jacket-pockct
| he soon lit it with n bit of pine, and, giving {
couple of whiffs. says he:
"Wcll, Coppie, these are dreadful times
have lived to sec." That machine which Lin
coin said he would run, has made plagucC
sight of trouble.
"Now, Coppic, if you viii listen, will trl
to give you n full history of that Lincoln ma
chine, and the roai on which it was sintcnded t.
be run, too, and the reasons why the machine
won't work. But You must be patient and lie
, me go back little. It may seem good way
back to you, child! But / remember whel
there was no road and no machine, but ole
King George's--better than mind yesterday.
Old Benny then drew up little closer t.
me, and began:
: "In the year l777, a company of good men
: wiser and better than any now hear of--de
, termined to improve on the 'one horse system
, of progress pursued by the monarchial compa
MICS of the odd World These men were tn,
true lovers of freedom, and were not SELFISH bu
desired the welfare of their children. Having
heard Of beautiful city called Prosperity
which was built for frcemen, and which many
companies before had failed to fully reach OF
account of despots and cruel kings which op
posed, and death and disease from the pestilen
tial miasma of old rotting dynastics, there be-
ing nothing of the latter in this new and beau
tiful country and only one of the former, whc
pretended to claim any right TO oppose. this
company of brave men, boldly undertook the
work, ana after many hard conflicts with this
old King George, finally succeeded in vanquish'
ing him, though after great sacrifice of many
valuable lives, and the expenditure of much
money. They completed the road to the city
still, it was but temporary structure, a kind
I of tram-road which answered their purpose for
season, and proved tha. the route was prac-
ticable. This first company was called "1he
Confederation" and the road they called car
ticles of Confederation" In the course of q
few years it was found necessary to have .
more permanent road, many improvements, it