Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1875-03-27

going West. In that great city he
In new wealthy because a temper
ate man, AMI successful and use
ful and therefore respectable lam-
Der deaier--a great good surely to
come out Of such q Nazareth. So
am informed by ex-Deputy
Sheriff French, OF Berkeley, who
recently encountered him there.
BY the way, 4 am gratihed 10
have the last named a soj0urning
neighhor here, where Berkeley
boys are scarce; for they have
never made the ofiice-seeking
rush 30 Washington so character
istic OF the sens Of Eastern Nir-
ginian Ia the elfien time; for SO
western Virginia used te des-
ignate the heme Of the "Lowland-
srs" before the separation.
Howssever offen yeung men Of
the East have made a mistake In
leaving a tolerable comfortable
home there for one In the West,
there was no mistake on the part
of this distilicr's son.
And this recalls another exam
pie Of the good luck OF a change
from the poor slate lands Of Berke-
ley TO the rich lands OF the West;
say .'geod lack,u although /
don't think the phrase philosophy
cal. Just below Hedgesville, GO
ing towards the site Of that other
old distillery near Back Creek,
which | had the pleasure Of clos
ing up as its owner by inherit
ance, may be seen the foundation
marks Of a former dwelling. There
lived old grandfather McNelly,n
as learned to speak of him from
playmate, TO whom | am about
to refer for a useful purpose, fore
shadowed by my statement of
the case OF the Hedgesville dis
tiller's son. i can see him now
with memory's vision, sitting in
the porch of his house, blessed
with his second sight" at eighty
or perhaps ninety, reading with
out spectacles either his big Bible
tblessed boon to such as he y or a
newspaper-oftenest the former
when the latter, probably a copy
of the "Martinsburg Gazette,n
with Washington Evans. the inn
mediate predecessor Of Col. Ed
mund p. Hunter, its last editor,
Wasn't he, friend Logan ?'l the
old man being CLAY Wing" A
rather intelligent man was Mr..
McNelly, and his mental charac-
teristics descended TO a daughter.
She married Joshua Chew, an
humble stonemason, the creaita-
BILE because honest work of whose
hands Is found In the walls of my
old home, near which he lived for
many years as a tenant TO my
father, and other stene dwellings.
They had several sons. One of
these, according TO the general
rule of tempermental descent,
caught tho remarkably enterpris-
ing turn of his mother. Having
succeeded grandfather McNelly"
at his old homestead and stuck il
out there as long as its unmanured
and scratched" slate land would
yield nubbings, the family went
West, OF one OF the sons, Heze-
kiah, / hear favorable accounts,
similar to those of the distiller's
son, and TO the effect that he is q
successful farmer near Urbana,
Ohio-a center for emigrants from
Berkeley in the olden time, and
almost Virginian colony, as /
found it many yeyrs ago.
Now, what would these boys
have been had they remained in
Berkeley, with their antecedents
and surroundings? i leave the
question open as one suggestive
of profitable thought. j. Il. :.
WASHINGTON, ID. G..
sour correspondent, who is fur
nishing well written and highly
interesting "reminiscences of Berke-
ley county, is mistaken in regard
to the old Martinsburg Gazette. IL
had several proprietors after Col.
Edmund p. Hunter, the last of
whom was Norman Miller, Esq.
He disposed of the paper to Rev.
William Evans, who, on taking
charge Of it, changed the name to
the Berkeley American and
thus passed out of existance the
old Martinsburg Gazette, which
had been welcome visitor in
hundreds Of Berkeley homes for
near q half century EDS.
rha RiobpannH E'n01lirpy. in