The Portland daily press., 1864-12-27
Tuesday Morning, Dec. ~, 1864.
Familiar Life in Western Virginia,

JOSRtu Win Lue over INC ulilS on our way 10
Elizabeth, was a wheezy old fellow who got
into some difficulty in New Orleans about
thirty years ago, and was troubled with great
remorse of conscience. He came to West
ern Virginia and settled in West county be-
cause he wanted to hide himself and get a.
near Hades as possible before he died."
The emphasis of my companion's illustra-
tion must excuse its profanity, but in rude
way l could give you no better idea OF the
first impressions made upon the traveller by
this country. The population is sparse, and
we find few of the noble traits that poets lead
us 10 suppose are found in the character of
the mountaineer. The rudest dive ling in
Moyamensing or Kensington would be pal
ace in Writ county. The broad hills and
sweeping streams which group together many
sweet pictures OF nature, are duh and heavy
in the eyes of these men. Let me take one
out of hundred--such one as found
lounging at the tavern corner in Elizabeth,
and man of great importance in his own
county. Tall, gaunt, unshayed and uncomb-
ed; with cold, gray eye that never seemed
to smile, hard, long fingers that made per-
petuar appeal for soap and water, and narrow,
hign cheek bones, very gaunt and cadaverous,
straight, coarse hair and imperfect teeth
The shoulders were high and perched, and the
long arms swung over the body, like branches
OF willow tree. "They are SO much given to
AAFAAS VA AAouAAlAlh c40Cat ooi0 NY 1OnpobloAt9
shat they can't stand straight--one foot is al
ways higher than the other" His body, that
might be realized, if the reader took a caricar
ture of the Yankee, the SouGherner and the
negro, and combined the ridiculous traits of
all, was covered with homespun cloth, that
came from the dying vat blue, but had assimi-
lated to itself every color that could be gath
cred from the clay on the roads and the bark
of trees.
These people are elannish in their traditions
and friendships. The families have intermar-
ried, and the offspring of three generations lie
scattered over the hills. A father has large
farm, and as each son marries, he receives a
slice, builds himself log cabin, probably
obtains horse for dowry, plants corn, sends
his wife into the field with hoe and harrow,
and, with his gun and dog, lounges off amid
the mountains to shoot squirrels, rabbits and
foxes. He has never been to school-he can
not read or write-he never sees newspaper
There is town called Parkersburg, where a
great many men live, who can read and write,
and call themselves lawyers; and another Town
called Elizabeth, where the squire lives, and
which contains the village tavern, at which
niace every Saturday afternoon he can hear
the news. rsq4srr,f 4ys4Ja Rats
Inere is Methodist and Baptist church
within ten miles, where the young people are
married and the children are christened, and
the dead ones are buried. These people bury
their dead on the high hills. One or two of
the cemeteries form scenes of SURPRISING love-
illness, and dwell in the recollection as the on
ly things of beauty in Western Wis ginia. On
ly In their graves do these people approach
the taste and decorum Of life, and the civili-
cation of the last hundred years has been the
civilization of death. f.g, ashaor3a
This apathy to the world that lies beyond
ana around them enters into the affections OF
these people. Parents love their children and
husbands love their wives, but could see
nothing of the pure love that sanctifes our
own childhood home and makes life sacred. i
remember the shock my feelings once received
as | heard poor emigrant woman lamentng
for husband whom death had taken away
after welded life of twenty years. "He
was decent, hard working man, was Barney
she said AMID her tears, land always earned a
living for his family" To her twenty years
of conpanionship had been nothing but child
bearing and bread and butter. ees =
have found few exceptions to this illustra
tion among the people have seen in Western
Virginia. Marriages are made to unite con-
tiguous tracts of land or to keep desirable
possessions in the same family. Children
come TO them, and they are huddled into the
hills TO track rablts, to follow the plough, or
TO urop corn over many weary acre. The
boy learns 10 shoot, dig, row and swim. The
girl learns to sew coarse sewing, spin, make
butter. and cook. Reading and wr ting are
unnecessary accomplishments.
There have been but two Presidents-An
drew jackson. the great tradition of the rude
American mind, and Abraham Lincoln, whose
name has been dnned into their ears by the
tumult of mighty war. So that these child
ren are saved from starvation and frost, the
the whole duty of the parent is performed.
spent night at farmhouse on the KanaW-
ha a lew evenings since. as was travelling
in tBe direction Of Hughes river.
While there, one Of the boys who had been
ia Sherman's army, returned from the waes.
He had been absent from his home ior three
years, and as he came up the road he seemed
TO be a stout, manly boy, whose mind had
been developed by the strange school he had
lust left. HIS father was lounging at the door,
with his hands in his pockets, as the boy came
forward. swell, father, how do you do?" A
pause. "Tnem's good boots you've got any
way Not another word, and the boy passed
into the house. And yet the father had GER
good boy," he said. "He could hit squirrel
on top of tIee, and when there's lighting to
be done, he's always around. Them boots
has heels on them, and will be mighty good
for ploughng." This man had no politics.
He had not voted during the past election
"Yoa see," he says, I've got three horses and
a colt, and when man takes sides, the bush
Wnackers steal tnelr nOrSes. i uluu VObe IOT
Lincoln because he freed the niggers, and
didn't vote for Mcclellan because III did the
bug-hunters would call me a jeff Davis man,
and some day might be took off TO Wheeling
The euphonious name of "Bug Hunters" is
gwen TO company of home guards who scour
the country for guerrillas and bushwhackers,
and are much dreaded by the sympathizeres
with secession. Among these peopie woman
becomes a drudge. The higher relation OF
life. which egladly surrender TO her Is never
recognized here. / to TX dinaer with q farm
er waose home had more evidences of tasta
and comfort than any / had seen in NV ionr,
neyings. His wife was demure, sad-iaced
afectionate little woman, who would have
shown very sunny smile ifthe clouds around
her had only broken. We sat at the table
and she waited upon us as a domestic-a blum
dering, unsatisfactory domestic, who excited
her husbands anger because the fire wouldn't
burn, and for not whipping the hounds more
frequently, and particularly because she neg
lected to give the writer of this article knift
with his pie. The house seemed cold and des
Olate, and cherries, where woman was thus
deprived of her mission. l felt a sympathy
for her sad face, and as / rode away fell
that If | could only have leaned over and kiss
ed her, or said some sweet word of affection
or spoken OF other homes where women were
honored and loved, should have been an
swering the impulse ofmy heart, and certain.
ly not doing violence to her own. It was not
TO be. rode into the lane and under the
walnut trees. As turned she was standing
In the door. Her husband was caressing his
bounds.