Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1872-11-05

bombarding windows and doors with corn and
shot and committing other pranks peculiar to
the occasion.
Halloween is the night when witches are
supposed to walk abroad and supernatural in
fuences prevail in the visible and invisible
world. In the United Kingdom, particularly
in Scotland and ireland, it is great day, and
few old Irish and Scotch Irish people of
this city, who spent their early days there,
will remember with pleasure the Interest with
which they looked for its annual recurrence.
Some. have been disposed to connect Hal
loween with the observance of All Saints
Day, which follows but according to the best
authorities it is relic of pagan times.
In the United Kingdom it is celebrated in
quaint manner by the common people, and
the customs there have to some extent been
brought to this country, although it is not
now celebrated to so great an extent as for
merly. In the Old Country nuts and apples
were everywhere in great demand, and many
strange superstitions concerning the observ>
ance of Halloween prevails among ALL Burns,
in celebrated poem, has done much to i'm
mortalize the Eve:
The auld guild wife's we'll boarded pits
Arc round and round divided
And mony lads and asses' fates
Are there that night decided.
According to Brand, the young women
who wish to know whether their lovers are
faithful put three nuts upon the bars of the
CRATES, naming the nuts after their lovers
If a nut cracks or jumps the lover will prove
unfaithful, if it begins to blaze or burn he
has regard for her. If the two named after
the girl and her lover burn together they will
be married. With apples the custom is to set
them afoat in tub of water, into which the
Juveniles by turns duck their heads, with the
view of catching them, and the bobbing of
urchlns' heads in pursuit of the apples occas-
ions great merrment to the youngsters An,
other ceremony much practiced is to place
three dishes filled with clean aud foul water
and one empty on the hearth, when the par,
ties, bllndfoded, advance in succession and
dip their fingers into one. If they dip into
the clean water they are to marry maiden ::
1t into the foul water widow; if into the
empty dish the party so dipping is destined
to be either bachelor or an old maid
TRIALS OF SpEED.-We have been re-
quested to say that in consequence of the
weather preventing the trials of speed at the
late lair, the officers OF the Society have de
termined to re>open the grounds on Thursday
and Friday the 18th and Ssh of November. in
order to allow the contests to come off. MANY
fast horses will be present on the occasion.
and the managers are sure that all who attend
may expect pleasant time. Premiums TO
the amount Of $500 are offered. Exhibitors
OF live stock, implements. &c, are invited to
be present-no entrance fees being CHARGED
~ feature in the entertainment. will be a Grand
tournament. We trust that the crowd pres.
ent may be large, so as to make up as nearly
as possible the ill-iuck of the regular meet
ing: Arrangements will be made with the
various railroad lines for round trip tickets.
Winchester Ncms.
PERs"NAL-From the New Martinsvlle.
w. Va, Lodor Indicator, we extract the
following complimentary notice of our county
man, John A. Thomson Esq:
1--WE learn from several of our EXCHANGES
that our highly esteemed friend and contrib
ufor to our columns. John A Thomson. of
Jefferson Co, w. Va. is running as hide,
pendent Candidate Cor Congress of the End
district
''As an able writer on finance and an I'M
compromising Trend of the rights of labor.
he stsnds pre- eminent in our estimation and
Justly entitled to the suffrages of all his fel
low citizens who love justice and hate iniouity
III the administration of government
CHESAPEAKE Il Quo r. r President
huntington and Messrs Low and Sto,rs and
Gen. Echols, Directors of the Chesapeake g.
Ohio Railroad, having been spending several
days in Huntington, W. Va, left for East
ward Tuesday. The matter under considera
ton is the building of road to Chicago from
Dayton, Ohio. and line from Huntington to
Dayton. The route between the two first
named cities has been examined and found to
DC 24S miles long. President Huntington
mas ordered a survey of another line from
huntington to Dayton. There is now less
than ~ miles OF the Chesapeake & Ohio r.
H. unfinished, and the track layers are work.
ing ut the rate OF five and half miles per
week.-Staunton Tindicator.
HE AMERICAN FApMER-The Novem>
Der number of this old standard agricultural
journal contains, as usual, large amount of
''eu auo useful matte.% appropriate to the
season. and every department of rural life re-
ceives its due share of attention. For the
new volume for 1878 the publishers offer very
handsome Inducements in the way of valuable
premiums for the formation of clubs, and we
recommend our readers to send for specimen
numbers. The Farmer is published by Saml
Sands Il Son, Baltimore, Md. at 81. so year
or at 81 to clubs of FIVE or more.
THE VALLEY RAILRoAD.-Sinceo our last
paper was published, we have moro definite
Information as to the refusal of Baltimore Citv
to pay the required quota of her substitution
to the Valley Railroad. The grounds on
which the refusal is based are not such as