Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1869-09-21
For the Spectator.
HIGHLAND, September 18th. Is


HIGHLAND, September 18th, 1869.
Mr.. Editor Il am opposed to apologizing,
therefore will not bore You or the public by do
ing thing that have made up my mind to
do, if you will accept it, and that is to give
you an account OF matters and things in High
land, and only ask that neither you nor your
view the effort with critics eye,
ress But pass the imperfections BY
The drouth out here was almost as bad as it
was in Augusta. Wheat and oats were good
hay was of very good quality, but not good in
quantlty-corn, buckwheat and all garden veg
etables are perfect failures Fruit is very album
dant and of very fine quality, owing in great
measure to the dry weather while it was per-
fecting Cattle are fatter than usual and very
plenty, tho buyers are scarce, and [ am told
that The Kinder Pest is in Pennsylvania in
addition to the short crops of corn and grass
theresa there is a doubt as to the price i'm
proving. Cannot you, Mr. Editor, let US know
of the truth of said report? We are some
what of the opinion that cattle buyers put it
out to get cattle low
Mr. Edgar Campbell met with very heavy
loss on the 23rd inst A negro was hauling
oats and stacking them near his wheat and rye
stacks, and set them on fire with his pipe or
the match with which he lit it, destroying both
wheat and rye. The shortness of the corn
crop makes this very heavy loss.
Now that have given you all the current
news, allow me tell you of Picnic excursion
to Cheat. A short time ago some ladies' and
gentlemen (your humble servant one of the
latter, formed party for the purpose of
pleasure trip everything being ready we took
the Staunton and Parkersburg Pike. Ascend
ufoIn IL. ~,
left below us the notable grass lands of Crab
Bottom, dotted here and there with the com
Portable but unpretending homes of the farm
ers, and on our right the lovely valley of the
head of Jackson River with its verdant fields
and pleasant homesteads, the whole scene
bounded on all sides by mountains which
seemed to cut it off from the rest of the world
and form the loveliest of valleys. Proceeding
we soon reached Laurel Fork, where upon the
moss-covered banks of cool and limpd stream
beneath towering frs, spruce, &C., we were
treated to a luncheon Of vands that would
have satisfied the taste of the most f,stidious
epicure, while the jolhty and bon-mots of the
party were in perfect keeping with the occa-
sion. Lunch over-we started westward and
then it was seen plainly that having started on
this trip for fun, the ladies We're determined to
have it, two of them getting into buggy pre-
coded the party, and at various points we saw
their marks in the form of blockades-but still
everything went "as smoothly as marriage
bell, " the party being well up together Miss
N ian occupant OF the buggy in 'front.'
with inimitable presence of mind dismounted,
and with the most perfect acting [ ever saw
commenced examining the buggy. In an in
slant all the gentlemen were out and starting
forward, when one said-.What's the matter
Miss n is there screw loose ?" She with
perfect composure resumed her seat and drove
off saying: Il only got out to see IF there aoere
any loose" We arrived In due time in the
valley Of the Greenbrier River, the ladies were
Hospitality and cozily cared for at Mr.. P. H.
Slaven's, and the gentlemen found quarters
further On. After an early breakfast we started
for Cheat, whose lofty heights could be plainly
seen in the distance. Crossing the main or
principal branch of the Greenhrer we found
ourselves ascending the much-taked-of Cheat,
and here let me say that were Ootanist
enough to mention the flowers, herbs, plants,
trees and vines seen on our ascending, there
would be such an overflow ''of gentlemen of
that persuasion into the little valley of Green
brler river, that the inhabitants would be as
much bothered with and as soon eaten out as
the Egyptians were with the locusts--so they
may thank their stars" am no botanist.-
There were flowers of every hue and kind
plants as numerous as the most inquisitive bot
anist might wish-mosses of every kind and
variety-vines common, beautiful and rare
trees OF every species common to our Virginia
mountains and several varieties of each said
to be found on Cheat only-while the positions
IN which they were growing must be seen to be
belieyed-there were large fiji, birch, &C., grow
ing luxuriantly on fallen trees and on square
flat rocks with no more earth than one could
hold In hat, and In some instances the roots
OF these trees had penetrated the rocks like
wedges and split them Every here and there
could be seen pelucid streams whose waters
were as cool as any one should ever drink,
While between the two tops was the Cheat
rivera stream Of considerable size rising near
the highest point of the mountain and running
along its top in northern direction finally de-
sends into the valley west, and empties into
the Monongahela at the boundary of West Vir-
glnla and Pennsylvania. There is study enough
for botanists, biologists and mineralogists on
Cheat, to either enrich or impoverish the in
habitants of the surrounding country =
After dining and allowing the horses to Craze
at Cheat River bridge we turned our heads
homeward, and arrived in good time at Mr..
Burners, who in true Virginia hospitality did
all he could TO make us comfortable and happy.
His good wife spread board which was liter
ally covered with viands for both supper and
breakfast, and am sure long will the party re-
member the turkey, family pie and potatoes
while they will be loath to forget the coffee,
custasd, pickle and pie, they met with during
our sojourn at Burners But, Mr. Editor, you
mast not think we had no impediments to con-
tend with, for we did Mr.. Burner lost every
thing he had during the war, and tho he has
a comfortable hou Sc, he has not furnished it,
and ladies' had to crowd into BEDS and l
understand one Of them was on the floor, and
lady had hapd-trunk for pillow. But the
greatest privatic,n of all was, the ladies had no
looking glass. Six gents had one bed, but they
took it army fashion on the floor, and Nor
pheus furnished as sweet and refreshing sleep
as IT they we're on downy pillows" i.
On our return we stopped to examine the
Notifications, where Gen. Ed. johnson had his
Allegheny fight. The view from here was
equal to any ever seen in the mountain, not ex-
cepting the far famed Flag Rock of the Warm
Springs mountain. Grand as was the scene
we could not help turning our eyes on the mold
erlng forts. trenches and chimneys which spoke
"Of liberty born of a patriots dream,
Of storm Graded nation that fell"
And as we sauntered slowly among those sacred
ruins, many scene Of Bellum days came Wv
idly up before us-many face now beneath
the sod was present with US, as we read
@ -4'all our history DER,
From the birth of the dream to its last"
A nj yr;t1, Lon,t +o,obo1 RI tho uuiot MO