Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1875-04-03
"REMINISCENCES.
WRITTEN FOR THE MARrIssBURe INDEPENDENT
By A BERKELEY BOY.
About Newspapers and Edi-
tors of the Past.

l stand corrected by the editorial note
relating to my mentioning Col. Edmu nd
P. Hunter as the "last editoru of the
Martinsbug Gazette. 1t was my hesitancy
when so writing it, that caused me to in
terject the query which has called out the
true history of the case. | now recall the
name of Norman. Miller distinctly, but only
simply his connection with the Gazette
AS to the Rev. William Evans, who sue
ceedsd Norman Miller, according to your
version, l have no recollection of him
whatever But, seeing that he did so un-
called for thing as dropping the time
honored and revered name of Gazette and
substituting one SO general and common
and practically meaningless as american, |
am not sorry that his name is not on mem
ory's tablet. His name would seem to point
to his descent from the former editor of it
Washington Evans twas he descend
ant?) Rev William Evans was not
descendant of Washing ton Evans, and in
no manner related .-EDs. IND.1 But, if
this be true, however, only the less excus-
able for dropping the title of Gazette, which
had been so familiar to hundreds of Berke-
ley families, wherein the paper had been
welcome visitor" as truly said, {" for
near half century," Many another pa
per, which has become very institution"
to its locality, has been killed off by the
silly propensity for change of name, mere
ly for the sake of change. The plan pur-
sued by the less venerable Era aad Union,
on the other hand, was in sensible disre-
gard of another common, but questionable
custom-that of putting several names to-
gether when the time has come for uniting
two or more papers, instead of adopting a
new name, as l doubt not was wisely
done in the case of the INDEPENDENT. Be-
sides, in its case, the parties too tired ,as |
can readily appreciate, of conducting what
were all the time liable to be claimed as
mere "party organs" land accordingly
expected to do party work, however dis
tasteful, to independence journal
lists as the change has shown them to be)
required new name significant of their
united purposes. That name they have in
their proud word INDEPENDENT, which is
is suggestive of this quotation, from one of
the most stirring of the poems of Byron
''Thy spirit, Independence, let me share,
Lord of the lion heart and Eagle eye"
The couplet just quoted would, by the
way, make a good motto, and | would
venture to recommend it, had not the taste
of Mike Walsh furnished better one in
plain prose, which was, " Independent in
everything-neutral in nothing" For
this is the motto which used to give fair
warning to all time servers, at the head of
his Subterrdnea1a, a name intended to indi
cate his championship o. the underground
jewellers in Gotham. whose name was le-
gion in the Honorable Mikes day, while
they certainly have not decreased since.
But as | am writing of newspapers in
Berkeley and not New York, don't mean
to be tempted any further from the pur-
pose | set out with And now it is in or
der to allude to the opposition paper of the
Gazette's day under Col. Hunter, and its
editor, The old folks will anticipate me
as about to write the names of Republican
and of its editor, William G. Albnrtis, the
bright, vivacious and plucky Captain"
ofthe Virginia Flatfoots, " when was so
proud % be 'Lieutenant'' thereof (more
of which in some future chapter) and af-
forwards Lieutenant" in the regular ar
my the United States-for spelling for
a fight as Cap always seemed to be, his
desire was at length satisfied with a set-to
against the Indians. They being better
acquainted with the country than the LIE
utenant and his detail, and also with the
use OF the trees for protection, gave the
valiant editor so narrow a chance for his
life, that be never seemed 20 be Spelling for
a tight afterwards. The surviving old
folks will recall the sensation it made in
Berkeley, when the news of Alburtis' hght
with the Indians reached there. | will
do him the credit of saying that he show
ed ITO want of pluck, even when confront
ed by the redskins on ground chosen hy
themselves.
believe William Albur:is, like his
jolly, good-natured editorial antagonist,
but companion in m litayy drill, Edmund
P. Hunter, has long since gone 10 the
"Summer Land of the white man, while
| the Indians, against whom the first named
contended so valiantly, with all the reput-
ed longevity of their race have probably
gone to the happy hunting gfou ds'' on
the other side of the river. There | will
let them rest, unman toned further. for The
present.
In future chapter shall give an anec-
| dote or two illustrating the friendly per-
sonal relations which Hunter and Albur-
tbs managed to maintain, while they
fought each other invar iably through the
Gazette and epHJiicaR-therebv affording
an exampewhich II would be well for some
of their successors to initiate little. One
Of these anecdotes vas, number Of years
since, touched upon by the writer Of this
in one of the Berkeley journals that are
among the things that were. But ifthere
be any Of my present readers, who rempm.
Der it, to them its repetition, as an iavalu-
able link in my present chain of reminis-
cences, will not be irksome, while it will
be new to numerous r aders who will pc
ruse it for the first time in the INDEpEx-
DENT J. E.S.
WASHINGTON, D. C., March 80, 1875.
Rev. II. G. Brown. who has Sarv-