Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1873-01-29

RambIes Of a VsrmOnIer. No. 4,

Mr.. Eiiior 81 leit New York al 2 I
N. and arrived a. Baltimore, aboai > a
NJ, aud as ne wcre about - minutes Be-
hind time. the train TO Washington has
left. sud ! had until 4. NJ. 10 loOl
about in. AitsF waiting here tho or ihre'
hour. Wehi down TO the Relay House,
where Baltimore aud Ohio R.R Inierseeii
With the Washington 4 Baltimore read
would not advise any enc to s,oP oFel
here Eve or siI hours. uuleIs they ar
obliged to as was. always make it 4
point Of looking around aud see ant
learn what | can Of place when delayed
The place is uninieresting except TO an
antiquarian. There are only about twen
ty houses and in my humble opinion they
we're the first built in America. The State
Of MARYLAND has several public ins,ltu
tons. One Of the largest, the State In
sane asylum, [ could sec from the cars
on an eminence to our right 1t is bull
of stone. and is large imposing building
A Vermonter is apt to think that no 9th
er State can furnish much in the way oi
scenery that is grand, but If he will 60 uT
the river from the Relay House to Fred
rick city that illusion will be dispcllcd,
and especially, wheu he gets to Harper's
Ferry, Va. Never has it been my COOL
fortune to see anything as romantic or
grand. The cliffs rise up perpendicular a
few feet back from the Potomac, several
hundred feet. Sandy Hook nestles at
their feet with just room enough for a
row of houses on one side with a railroad
aud wagon road in front, and across the
river is Harpcr's Ferry with Boliver
Heights in the rear.
You cannot see any trace of the late
war until you get here, and then you will
begin to see desolation. This place be.
fore the war was of considerable impor-
tancc. it boosted then Of a government ar
senal and an iron bridge across the Poto,
mac, and being place of summer resort
for families aun pleasure parties Washing.
ton and Baltimore. The bridge has been
rebuilt and the b. & o. and the WIN.
chester 4 Southern roads come together
on it; the B.&O. coming in Gu half cir
Gle. 1t is a beautiful and substantial
structure. llarper's Ferry has gained
for itself some renown and place in his
tory, but at fearful cost, for it seems as
iheugh the curse of God rested upon her
for the part she took in the capture OF
John Brewn and his deuded followers
and in Selling the government buildings
To these she was almost entirely indebted
for her former prosperity. The arenaI
and buildings adjoining have not been re.
built or repaired, and | was unable to sec
any new buildings in the town, The val.
ley OF the Shenandoah il called by those
best acquainted, as beautiful and good. il
not the best farming country III the Unit.
ed States. | think | can safely say that
| never have seen so charming a place
east Of the Mississippi river. 1t is from
five TO twenty-five miles wide and about
one hundred and twenty-five miles from
Harper's Ferry to Staunton, where the
valley proper ends There is a range OIL
mountains on each side which break the
high wieds and nearly makes one think
that he is much farther South than he is
The soil is Of limestone formation and mos
of it Is very fertile. Their principle crops
are wheat and corn, although all the grain.
that we raise do well. Apples, peache,
and pears do well and their grapes can.
/, not be cxcelled, as many soldier can ties
tify. They hold good improved land from
40 to $50 per acre, with buildings. Coco
many have large farms of four or five hun
drsd acres and they have got to sell SON,
OF 1t soon or the sheriff will. They are
anxious to have Northern men with mon
ey come and buy part of their lands. Ne
cessi'y has been a good lesson to them, fo
1t has taught them that labor is honorabl,
and for this very reason they look upon
an energetic, 60 ahead farmer or bushes
man In different light from what the,
used to do. Ii person gees there anc
, settles they will use him well, they dom
, do as we do in the North as soon as a Dor
son comesin, pick him up and then drol
him like hot potatce, but they try him
and ii be is straight forward man the
gradually close around him, and soon vii
be visiting together, then there will b
more danger of having too much than to
little company. They are more socia
than we are, and as moral and religious
There Is another class, though small. tina
pride themselves upon their ancestors, an,
it will be impossible to get upon intimat
terms with them. They hold themselvc
aloof from all common people, but the
will not trouble you for they would a