Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-10-17
PIKE COUNTY, o., Sept; q, 1872.

: ~. rFf r|rrH -
I. EDTToR CHRONICLE. u Dear Sir:-l
have been thinking that letter from
Pike County might perhaps interest
your readers, many Of whom know
more Of Europe than ofthis portion O
their own State, and no wonder that
they should, for it is almost as easy te
go TO Europe now as to penetrate into
the fastnesses Of Pike County. Here
roads are plenty and soma of them toll
erabIy good, but we are destitute o
Railroad facilities. The hoofs Of the
Iron horse have never yet trampled the
soii In this I" neck Of wOods.v j@Es,itl4et
y Aifew weekslsiace / Iivisited WayeEly
fheh County seat it isa quiet, and
"a pretty little town, situated in ths
center, of q rich, corn growing district
It Is built on the banks of the canal
Iseventeen miles distant fromIC chilli
teotfie.n The, town evidently possesse;
wealth, and has many, advantages
lying as it does right IN the heart o
ths Sciota. Valley, yet it was apparent
fly lifeless, q protect Rip Van w WinkieIo
Ia town, fsst aslees, and snoring, for.the
pufing of, q .distiIlery in Its suburbs
sounded very much like that nasal In
/ ffifcAtfon Of Elumber.9c &38ld 9dt
AS we. were crossing a'bridge, one d
those almost obsolete things, cana
boat passed SslowlyE along, drawR, BY
two anatomicae hofses and burlesqut
on mule, my travelling Companion
noted the. occurrence by an apt and
printed quotation! from eJosa Billings
y Cuss amule. - Before leaving Wafer
lily We assembled to the top of the Court
house, and from the observatory i6b.
Etained a view Of the surrounding couh.
try. 10 the Nefth, South, and lEase the
view was the same, an ocean of corn,
dotted with islands in the shape 'ol
farm houses, sibat inethe iWeShi the
Inonetony oftthis corn field landscape
was broken by "a, 7range of hills, that
marks the enurses9f the, Sciotas river,
and, d,bhiefestlamoHg the hills rose Pain,
ters Knob.irdt . lowered loft ly,. and
stood out In bold dsrelief against the clear
blue Of the September sky.,,s so,,,,,,d,, |
id From our elevated position we had
talrah "a birds syeyiew of the town, and
could easily detect the little ,artifees by
W1tDst tti6lst1J W tAtoo NORTHUMBERLAND u
their real value. 1t was idicrous, yet
pitiful, to see the paint, and lace cur
tains In front of the houses, and ash
heaps, garbage boxes, slop-pails in
the rear. We could not avoid thinking
Of the moral to this scene, for how often
do we see the luxuries and snperhciaIi-
ties OF life thrown up as a. 'Barricade,
behind which poverty entrenches its
self, and as In our dwellings, so in our
lives. The world looks In at our front
windows and doors and sees but one
side, OF our lives, who among US has no
ash-heaps and slop-pails hidden from
: before descend iag from my perch /
uoted that q Jail was constructing, al
most; Under, the caves 0f the Court
house. / asked my guide 2 Why they
were building a new jail, be did not
notice the inquiry, but remarked that
the Democrtic party had Controlled
Pike County for a number Of years. The
remark appeared significant, and while
Il was wondering whether my qnes,
ton had, or had not been answered we
descended the stairs and were soon ON a
level with the rest of mankind. .sf.,ys
D "A drive Of fourteen miles brought us
to the little village OF CALIFORNIA, where
at present I have my abiding place, or
Pike County in. general, and inhahi.
tants thereof, anon.
MEMO.