The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-07-07
THE GREAT BARBACUE
AT BARRACKSVILLE.
Marion County in Earnest
The Largest Gathering Of PeO-
pie Ever Had i'm the State
Outside Of the City Of
Wheeling!
5000 or 5000 People Ia Attendance
Speeches by Hon. w. &. Brown, of
Preston; Hon. Chas. y. Lewis,
OF Harrison, Col. Ben.
Wilson, and others

Editors of the Register:
The great barbacue at Barracksyill,
on Saturday, the Fourth of July, unde
the excellent management of the com
mittee appointed for the purpose, cam,
off in accordance with the published
programme, and was complete success
The DAY was fine and the crowd i'm
nense, numbering from five to six thou
sand persons. All the adjoining coun
ties were represented largely, and IL
for Marion, her people
Came like the waves come when navies are
stranded
The best of order was observed and
good humor abounded. The people with
wagons well laden with provisions be.
gan to come in as early as five o'clock
on the evening of the third, and more
or less arrived from that time until day
light on the Fourth, when the roads be-
came black with the multitude, and by
ten o'clock the grove, which contains
about five acres Of ground, was filled
to its utmost capacity.
The meeting was organized at nine
o'clock A. NJ, officers appointed, etc,
and at ten o'clock the exercises of the
day were commenced by procession of
young ladies on horseback, each repre-
senting in propria persona a State of
the Union; aud carrying banners with
the names of the States inscribed
thereon. This procession appeared,
first. in u field adjoining the grove, and
as they filed into view the excitement
of the people was intense. A subStan-
tial rail fence was fairly borne down
by the pOpulace in their effort to get Il
near view of this beautiful perform
ance. After riding about the grounds
for some minutes they approached the
Speakers stand, dismounted, and were
escorted to seats on the stand; when the
Hon. w. G. Brown received them with
some eloquent remarks. A little incl
dent just here deserves special mention.
The venerable orator referred in turn to
each of the States with appropriate re-
marks and as he spoke of "Virginia, the
mother of States and statesmen" and
compared her present down trOdden pO-
sition with her previous proud history,
the fire of youth was rekindled in his
bosom and his elOquence irresistible,
many eyes, with his, gave way To tears,
and when he followed with beautiful
tribute to our own West Virginia, the
enthusiasm was unbounded, and the
forest rang with the cheers of the null
titude.
Col. Ben. Wilson followed this speak
er with AM excellent and very forclble
address. Hon. Charles S. Lewis then
entertained the audience with care
fully prepared and very logical speech
of two hours length, which was listen
ed to with interest throughout.
The policy of the Radical party, both
State and National, was pretty thor
oughly ventilated by these gentlegicn
and others who followed them
Fontain Smith, of Marion, intro
duced the speakers with suitable and
eloquent remarks.
The day AID the way it was celebra-
ted will long be remembered by every
one present. Friends, long separated,
here met and renewed their vows of
friendship. The Federal and Confeder-
ate soldier We'd with each other in doing
honor to this national holiday and
there was blended in this vast audience
the venerable pioneer and the latest
settler; the maid and matron; the
"leial" and the "disloyal;" the disfranch-
ised and the registrar; Wings and DEM
ocrats; Conservatives aud Radicals; and
nothing of an unpleasant character oc-
Cured to mar the pleasure of any indi-
vidual.
The County Convention met on the
grounds in the afternoon aud appointed
one hundred delegates to the Grafton
Convention. Full proceedings of this
would be given, but space forbids.
Reports from different points Oh the
railroad indicate that more than thou
sand persons were disappointed in get
ting to Barracksville, owing to the ina
bility of the railroad company to fur
nish an extra train for their accommO.
dation, for which the writer under
stands arrangements were made, the
travel to New York requiring all the
transportation the company can COM
mand. y.