Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1875-02-13
PROM WASHINGTON CITY
"Reminiscences ola Berkeley
hoy ContinuctI--The Ira.
gle Death ola Schools
mate. Etc., Etc.
WASHINGTON, ID. c.,
February 8, 1876

Among the girls in attendance
at the old school-house at the hall
lowed site of Hedgesville, the pro-
else location whereofis now mark
ed, 1 believe, by the Odd Fellows
Hall, was Priscilla Runner. She
was the only daughter of William
Runner, and think his only sur
yiving child. He resided, as his
father also then did, on Back
Creek farm adjoining the old tav-
ern farm, and now owned by one
of the Brothers Fuss, as is the last
named place also. She was about
twelve years Of age, q blonde, and
| of an amiable disposition; she was
very naturally q favorite with her
associates.
The custom was for the girls, du-
ring school hours,to TO out two to-
gether. In doing this they were
required to turn wooden paddle
hung by the door, with tin" and
"outn written upon paper. pasted
on either side, in large letters.
Although it was intended that
| the turning of the signal should DO
| noiseless, its " flapn could be heard
amid tho comparative stiffness of
the school room, wherein there
was none of the incessant vocal
chatter now so common, especially
in our public schools, during roci-
tatiOnS.
One moment the change Of
this paddle from Gin" to "out"
was heard, as tive of the girls turn
ed 1.-THE next scieams that
pierced the ears Of the scholars and
reverberated along the North
Mountain, near the highest point
of which, though much flattened
there, the school-house stood.
| immediately rushed cut, among
others, only to have my hasty
| glance met by the PROSTATE form
OF Priscilla Runner, almost touch
ing the Northeastern part of the
building, nearest to the Warm
Spring road, now dignified as a
street," / believe. We imme-
diately raised her up and bore her
into tho school-house. There was
no blood to Sc seen, except a mere
stain upon her forehead. Her COM
panion reported having heard the
crack of a rifle, and the blood stain
marked a small round hole, such
as rifle bali would make. There
fore there was no difficulty in de-
termining what had felled her to
the ground. But whence had come
the fatal bullet no one could tell.
1t soon transpired that young
man, who superintendent his faith
er's distillery in the building near
est to the public spring-now own
ed by Richard Bodine-had been
seen to shoot q woodcock, large
red-headed bird now seldom seen
thereabout, which had lit upon the
decaying stump of one of the orig
inal forest trees, in search of in
sects. But the direction in viii IN
he shot was one that would have
carried a ball, from his standpoi 1T
at the still-nouse door, at least fif-
ty yards south Of the position of
the unfortunate girl. OF course,
in view of the fact that the school
house was amid IL forest, and squir-
rels and other game wont to feed
therein, as i'm the case of the al
ways shy bird just named, no one
had right to infer that the bah
had not come from some other I'M
seen and even un-heard rifle-- at
least unnoticed when fired. where
firing was SO common--for the
still-house, over which was store,
the first opened in the village, had
already become a centre of attrac-
ton for "marksmen," as we'll as
idling gunners. Besides, Old John
| Westenhaver's blacksmith shop
was close by, and he was very fond
of the rifles, as we'll as ofsomething
else not necessary TO mention.
Leaving the mystery of who
shot her unsolved, number of
the larger boys extemporized a
stretcher with the aid of some
planks and bed clothes. On
this we carefully placed the un-
conscious girl--for, though alive,
she was unconscious-and convey
ed her to her home, which was
about two miles distant
The ball was known to have en-
tered the substance of the brain, for
L we'll and sorrowfniiv remember
Seeing a portion of it ooze from
the bullet hole as I held the poor
girl on my lap, awaiting the need
e4 preparations for her removal,
But the most careful probings.
which were made by DIR. Ham-
mond, the attending physician,
failed TO locate the ball, until after
her death. This did not take place