Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1870-01-25

va Man who lives In the ''Hole an the Wall
But had been in there only short while, whe
the lights were suddenly blown out, and he an
his old friend were left in total darkness IS
they wandered about for some days, before the
could find their way out of the "Hole an til
Wall My friend Davie tells me, that tn
Old Nan showed him an old Boston Almanac
which gives the answer to question that ha
often been asked, and one too of vast impor
tance, viz "Who struck Billy Patterson. -
The title page of the Almanac is nearly al
gone, but Davie says enough is left to show
that it was doubtless published by John Smith
believed to be grandson or some other nea
relation of the original John Smith.
January 18th, 1870.
To NY Venerable and Worhy Friend,
the "Oldest Lhabitant >
Believing that you. like myself, love to think
and talk Of By gone days, take the liberty, or
this last day of the year one thousand e,gh
hundred and sirty-nine, of holding little so
cabe confab with you through the medium OF
our ancient and valued aoeekly visitor, the
"Stounton Spectator" You and |, my cid
friend, have travelled up the hill of time until
ing down fast on the other side You no doubt
think as do, that the times about here ''aint
as the times used to auas. 1t is true, that very
many years ago, Lewis Greek ran down stream
just as it does now, and the sun still continues
to rise away off some where east of Gospel
Hill, and sets the other side of Newtown just
as it did when we were boys. But the people,
the houses, the woods and the fields don't look
like they did in the Days Of Auid Lang
Syne." | believe tie girls are as pretty as ever
they were, and that, you know, is saying a
great DEAL for you doubtless remember as we'll
as do, that in our youthful days Staunton
was famed for pretty girls, indeed think it
| might be said Of our town in those days as
Burns said of Ayr
'Auld Staunton wham ne er town surpasses,
For honest Lien and bonnie lasses."
But still the 'mezanchoy reRection' arises
that times dint as times used to c0s." Where
is ''old Uncle Larry as ace young tellows
used TO cali our old Postmaster, and the old
Post Office too. Where is it The old man
is gone, long ago. but the old building is still
on the corner of Main and Augusta Streets,
yet who would recognize it now, that had not
seen it for thirty years And Uncle Larrys
Man Friday, (Remus, the yellow mani, l
wonder what has become of him. Can't you,
In imagination, see the old P NJ leaning over
the porch rail, and hear him call to Remus-
who sits on the porch-steps- with a sort of pc
Larry Snapp, bring out the Winchester mail F"
In those good old times, that we old folks
like to talk about, we had number of charac
ters, that were considered as sort of town fix
lures. There was old johnny Ballard, who
was the first sexton at the Presbyterian Church,
and Smith Thompson-both revolutionary SOL
diers 1t vas Thompson, you know, who said
be shaved ''Boily Jaruic, noted character
in one of the Waverly novels, who had proba-
bly, lived some years before Thompson was
born When he told old MIR. S. about it's
laughing said 1T couldn't be 'Well, said
Thompson, ''if it wasn't him it was his father.
Another old revolutionary character was Neddy
Swords; and still another famous ''old sold
Ter, T" 'od Dick Matthews" who sang through
the streets 'Gen'l. Washington, rowdy dowdy
dow" in the year one thousand seventeen hun
dred and seventy-six.
Don't you remember Davy Perry and the old
paper mill
With the wheel that always ran round except
when 1t was still
And Browns Dam, and Bollinger, and the
Brewery, all gone many a long day since
Packers Mill and Breese's pond, both have
disappeared, and Peck's lanyard and many
other ancient landmarks, known only to old
folks like you and myself are no longer to be
seen. Abney's Hill and the Cave, and Gar
ber's Hill are still on the South side of Lewis
Greek but don't think they look like they
did when we were boys There are no woods
now on Abney's Hill and no dead men found
in the cave, and no CARRIERS Ben, ever to be
seen nowadays driving four horse wagon
and team up Gasbers Hill
Bessie Belt and MARY Gray" [ know,
are located just where they have always been,
and are doubtless, as much visited by the boys
Of the present generation as ever they were,
and snakes and rabbits are occasionally found
on them; but alas what has become Of all the
chincapins that Bessie Bell used to be SO ia
nous for And the toUn pumps where are
they! kice's pump. in Newtown; Hill s
pump. at what is now known as Bruce's cor
ner; McGonige's pump at the foot of Gospel
| Hill; PEBBLES pump in Gallowstown, and
| Chambers pump, at Hilbs corner, all these
| have disappeared, save the one known In old
times as Hills pump. By the way, this re-
minds me that old Berry Hill was one of our
odd characters. He, you remember, kept a
little grocery in the house now occupied by
Taylor & Kinney, and took his meals in a
small house on the alley below the old 'sgrare
gard" He usually wore low quartered shoes,
and the boys said, he carried chips in his pock-
cts to throw out before him, to step on, when
going in muddy weather from his store to his
meals Old Michael Poffenbarger was another
| queer character One day, when somewhat
under the influence of ''John Bdrleycora, in
order to spite the old ,gonaan with whom he
| had quarreled, fell down a well in his yard !;
| fortunately, he did not get hurt and when the
| neighbors came to pull him out he became
quite offended, and said, ''he could not see
why man could not fall down his own well,
| without so much fuss being made about it,
! Don't you remember the tavern on the old
Winchester road, where Joseph Asst now lives,
| kept by Mitchell, and the sign with the cross
ke,s painted on it, swung out in the old way,
after the fashion of Nicholas Tedder" that
| Irving tells US about. And Mrs. Abney's ia
| nous Spring, of which old Mr. Heiskell said
| that, ANY one who had been raised in Staun-
| ton, and drank out of it, and moved away from
here, was sure, IF he hved, to come back again.
| might remind you Of many other odd char
acters, and memorable localities, that were to
be seen in our town and vicinity, when We were
boys, but must defer it until some other time.
Those good old times, my venerable friend,
fear have left us forever 1t is true, We had
no rail roads, no steam mills, no gas, no bia
hotels, only small tdverns-ao radicals, no re
construction, no freedmen bureau, no carpet
Burgers and scdiidlcdgs nor nOn-cldd oaths
but We had an honest government, and con
tented aud happy people, ~ d.af
DAVE DEANS.
II am speaking" said a long -winded orator
for the benefit of posterty. YES sale
one of his audience, ''and, if you keep on mucl
| longer, you will have your audience present.
COOP HINT -Provdeuce has given no mar
ability to do every thing, that every man nigh
do something. ea ssesg..
| a.