The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-07-09
Our Cumberland Letter.
cuxBEa1AsD, Nd, July Z, IA

AWtots OF the lntelngeners
The relations Of Cumberland and
Wheeling are 90 intimate that as gen.
eral thing any matter Of news In one city
p interesting to the people Of the other.
Acting on this Idea, and having On hour
Of leisure, I propose to give you q few
items from the Mountain City,
cHANoED FOR THE BErTRR.
Arriving here lew days since aiter an
absence Of over five years, l was OF once
struck with the great strides made In i'm
proyements. On the east Of the Baltimore
q Ohio Railroad, where now stands the
magnificent Queen City Hotel and hun,
dreds Of dwellings, besides the mammoth
Iron Works oil the Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad Company, there was then
scarcely ANhonse; and this is only 1.-THE
Of the great improvements made. At
casual glance one is apt 10 think, when
comparing the two cities,
WHEELING AND CUMBERLAND,
that the latter d ahead In the matter Of
handsome buildings; but come to exam
Inc closer, there 10 probably not house
In the city Of Cumberland either As ex-
penslve or elegant as several that might
be mentioned In Wheeling. The whole
difference lies In the fact that the location |
Of most Of the 1ne dwellings 10 Cumber-
land is as beautiful as can well be imsg.
ined. 1n lact, there Is probably not o
finer site for building in the whole coun.
try than many Of the cites 10 the western
part of the town, across Wills Creek.
HANDsoNE STRUCTURE.
And while speaking Of that section we
are reminded that few days since while
up there we noticed one fine building |
which bore the appearance Of recent com. |
pletion. To all appearance It was fine
private dwelling. Imagine then our sur
prise on learning that II was the county |
Jail. Through The courtesy Of the Sheriff,
Mr. Lynn, aud the Clerk Of the Court, Mr. |
"Thad" Luman, We were shown through |
this handsome structure. 1t has only |
been occupied come two weeks The
parlors, reception rooms, &C., are as ele-
CANT as the most fAstidious might wish,
and quite in TASTE with the Sheriff. In the |
prison there are only twelve or sixteen |
cells, and we forget which, but think the |
former. They are all cleanly, light and
well ventilated. The whole building Is |
warmed by an immense heater in the eel. |
lar, where the heat In each cell can be |
regulated at will. Between the bricks In |
the walls there is layer Of boiler plate,
so that should prisoner attempt 10 cut |
through, this plate Is touched and gongs |
are started through the whole front ol the |
building. The locks, gratiDgs, 80, are
all Of the most modern improvements. |
But there Is one serious drawback-there |
Is no separate compartment for female |
prisoners. At present there are none, but
should there be any they must be put with |
the male prisoners during the day or kept
locked in their cells, as all open on the |
same corridors.
AZ TO JGIIs.
About five or six days before We left |
Wheeling we visited the Ohio County
Jail, and Of course It's appearance was
iresh In our minds while In the Jail here |
/ will not give you my thoughts. Imagine
them, and then In Ohio County Jail / |
found thirty odd prisoners, and In Allie |
gheny County jail only five prisoners, 9
comparison that am not proud Of. 1t will |
probably prove oil interest TO mention that
this new jail cost some $4,000, COM
plete. ID
A REV COURT HOUSE.
Since my visit five years ago a new
Court House has been built on the old
site. We understand that the average
Alleganian considers 1t o failure, but we
had the beautiful Ohio county structure
in our minds eye, and most emphatically
pronounce II Q success. 1t Is large, neat,
airy and and altogether very flne build.
Ing. Architecturally speaking, 1t could
probably be improved, 90 far as the ex-
terror Is concerned.
PITTsBuRGR OPERA HOUSE.
And Just now the old Market House
has been demolished, and In It's place will
soon appear $76 900 Opera House, Mar.
ket House and City Hall combined. Oh,
ye happy CumberlanditeSl All this, and
taxes are only e5 cents on the 500 (tor
city purposea) Wheeling grinds along al
80 and 35. But come ye tax payers, and
see this beautiful mountain city, and you
will say that It would be better TO pay
the IS cents and get rid Of the mud and
dust, and have In place Of the ancient City
Hall building worthy ot the city.
THE CHAIN GANG SYSTEM.
To the people OF Wheeling who are
versed In the "beautles" Of the chain.
gang system, the following extract from
published proceedings Of the City Council
at its session last night will be Of interest:
Ordered, That the Committee on Ordi-
nances be instructed 10 report an ordi-
nance creating chain gang In the city Of
Cumberland. Adopted.
Cannot Wheeling persuade Cumberland
from taking this reLrograde step1
i GOVERNOR JACOB.
Governor Jacob, wife and child have
been visiting herea6outS for several weeks.
They make their headquarters at the IT.
Nicholas, where the Governors mother.
in.law Ia boarding, having boarded there
Tor many years.
i AwEST VIRGINIA EDITOR.
A few days since rural editor from
West Virginia stopped o. the 81. Nicholas
We were glad TO see him, considering him
something we had not hithertoseen, affair
Speciman Of the democratic country editor.
At dinner he called for broiled chicken.
{ The servant had no chicken. Then tried
chicken. None OF that Then roast
chicken. None Of that Then he started
the dsrkey for the best he had, remark
! ing 10 the other gueats, u am an editor
, and lawyer and II these niggers don't
stand around ] will give them h In my
paper" And then he called q waiter from
another table to hand him the pepper
cruet, which stood about eight inches TO
4 the south Of his plate. Many moro OF the
genuine southern democratic airs did this
/ man put on, never forgetting to tell that
. he "Was invited TO deliver the oration on
decoration day. but declined" During