Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1875-02-13
Harper's Ferry.

UARrFRs FERRY, where for 50 many years
the bum of busy industry re'ounded, has oy
the ravases of war, the fury Of the clements
and the vicissi,udes Of time, become not unlike
Goldsmiths Deserted Village A very inter-
estinc letter descriptive Of the place recently
appeared in the Chicago Inter-0cean, from
the pen of writer who is evidently a keen
and accurate observer. We can testify from
personal observations at IIarper's Ferry that
the deIneatious are perfectly correct
o
The archi,ec, nl peculiarities Of this c'ic'e
Virginia village ave well hit of -
A row Of houses marked each side-honses
or phantoms Of houses-houses with the bhuds
hanging On one hinge, the doors barred WIN
rough timbers, the piers Tot'ing, and on rue
roofs the hideous wounds OF OcensiJnai oaUa
! fringed with moss. Many OF these houses
were built straight against the rock between
Two long flight Of steps had been hewn 10
| the mountain side, and through every crevIee
/ of the stones danged iroSt-buted spray OF
etass or vine that must have lent the unslsl /
| ly place some grace and beauty IN summer
| The style of these houses was generally pre-
tentious. Q spraid!ins Of architecture, Ike
! ARLINGTON. for instance. that makes great
show AZ a distance. but is nothing but cheap
wood and bricks when you come anear.
Harpcrs Ferry gets its name from an Eng
lishman who bought the place from Lord FAIR
fax. lie established the ferry, aud should
think that the old Charon who runs 1t now
was usiug the original boat. 10 IS the smallest
size of row boat, with rait near by io'
horses and wagons; it plies on the Virginia
side A superb iron bridge built 10y The Bal
timore and Ohio Railway connects the ferry
with Maryland; it is forkel like The letter \
aud Que side curbed like bow.
The great food Of 1870 rushed through tbi'
unfortunate town, destroying life and property
(earfullv. Fire has burned it and water ha'
washed it-may heaven keep it from torua
do Tie scenery is ineXprcssibly grand.
doubt il the much sought highways o
European travel have anything more beauIlia
10 offer. Among the natural curiosiiies Is
profile Of Washington, visible only to Imagl
native pcople. on rock Of tue Marylan'
Heights. Opposite the Virginia side there I
a ,inru arly balanced rock, called Jefferson
Rock :" on which the historian OF the place
asserts that Jefferson wrote his Notes OF Nir
ginia.' Ilesitaiing TO doubt any statement
Of such a very interesting aud pleasant i!ltl,
book. think if Jefferson percbed up there II
the hurricane that always sweeps over II
wrote 400 printed pages, he is greater maj
than we know him for. lt would be ungTA
cious 10 omit an Acknowledgement TO thi
book written by gentleman of the town VIII
must be Of a different pattern from his fellow
citizens.
General Spinner, the United States Treas
urer. tells q story Of Alexander ii. stephens
abou, the time of the Brown raid. Spiune
thoucht with a good many Northern men-il
fact with everybody-that the plan was fool
hardy. whatever else Stephens Of cours
ioined bis Southern friends in denouncing I'll
wbple thing. Both gentlemen were III Con
sress then and Spinner strolled over TO Ste
mems desk. IL think Brown was fool sai
General Spinner, "to think Of conquerin
virginia with eighteen men; don't you
Stephrns as writing aud didn't lookup, but b
answered with perfect gravity" Yes, SIR b
should have taken at the least two dozen.
IIarper's Ferry, seen as we last saw it und'
the mild glory Of an October sun, its tw
streets glimmerng with reflected heat, th
great Potomac warbIing on one side OF Il
peninsula on which it stands. and the Iaugi
ing Shenandoah sparkling on the other
well worth admiration, although It Is admir-
ton for picturesque but hopeless decay but
place more completely dead does not probabl
exist nearer than Nnevah. The sembIanC
of life oncegven by the United States ARM
ry vanished with its removal, and the tow
now needs oaly the rites Of sepulture to
completely forgotten.- GeOrgeto'on Courier.
I'VE have omitted some paragraphs by Il
Inter- ocean correspondent rejecting undnl
upon Harper's Ferry aud its people. Thous
the place il but wreck Of its former impor
ance, the people have a not cadavero"s look
. nor DO they subsist 90 Bass and Eels.' II
q natural advantages for manufacturing pu
poses will ere long attract capitalists, and II
cIatlsr Of machinery will yet awake an ect
in the mountains surrounding it.-ED. FEE
Press