Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1876-08-04
Notes by the Way.


&C., &C., sc.
Correspondence of the Staunten vindicator.l
FINCAsTLE, BoTEToURT Co.,
July Is, 1876.
In the course of a leisurely drive through
the counties of Augusta, Rockbridge and
Botetourt to the place of my present so
journ, under the shadow of old Tinker
Mountain, the home of my boyhood, have
tackled few items that may interest
INDICATOR readers. / stumbled upon a
goodly number of these last at Greenville,
where old Mr.. Valentine, the Postmaster,
informed me that the largest bundle Of
papers that reached his office came from
that of the INDICATOR. It required
subscriber to your paper, and he. as you
see, is now no longer numbered with that
unfortunate class of our fellow citizens. [
had also the pleasure of making the &C.
quaintance of W. F. Smith, Esq, one Of
the Oldest subscribers-one of those who
in its swadling clothes, stood by it through
its youthful struggles and now rejoices in
the success of its mature years.
Greenville is Conservative, or Democrat
ic, whichever name you like best, to the
back bone, and affords with the adjacent
county the finest material for Tilden
Club. Let some of the old Warehouses;,
such as the Lillys, the Smiths, the Larews,
the Prisons, Hawpes, Blauth, and that
stripe call to their aid the young and active
workers like the Palmers, the Bumgard-
ners. Gjlkersons, McClures, Armentrouts,
the Llghtners, the Wallaces, and the scores
Of kindred Spi Its that constitute the bone
and sinew Of the neighborhood; let them
buckle on their harness for a big pull, a
long pull and pull altogether, and my
word for it, the November returns from
Greenville Precinct will challenge the ad-
miratiOn OF every man, good and true in
the county of Augusta.
TRADE AT GREENvILLE.
The condition of the Greenvlle market
is encouraging to consumers, but calcula-
ted to depreSS the dealer, with butter and
eggs at III Cts, good frying chickens 15c.
and whortleberries at 25c., and 'sich." A.
StauEton man can hardly realize that he is
only IL miles from home, and longs with
hopeful longing for the Valley R. R. to
put him in immediate communication with
favored though she be in some respects has
her draw backs, one Of the chiefest Of
which is the width, or more appropriately
speaking, the narrowness of her principal
thoroughfares, which brings the houses so
near together as to drive the citizens into
the payment of ruinous rates of insurance
and large and almost reckless investments
in Cincinnati fire proof safes. Then, too,
it is often so embarrassing to the mer-
chants living On opposite sides of said
thoroughfares. For instance, a customer
getting off his horse in front of Palmer
Brothers is kindly greeted by Mr.. Smith or
Mr.. Zimmerman, over the way, and polite
ly invited in, to 'just look at some of our
great bargains" when he discovers the
buyer had his eye on some Of Palmer's
pretty new prints; or the Brothers Palmer
extending the hand to clasp with friendly
shaking that of an old customer who SEEM
ed to be entering their portals is surprised
to find his foot was on Smiths door step
and he was lust going to see what
Smith means by selling out at COST"
MIDWAY.
But we must leave Greenville, after ten
dering our compliments and thanks to the
little Burg for rearing and furnishing to
the INDICATOR two such valuable helps
as Hess and Valentine of whose well being
many kind friends make frequent inquiry
and we push on to Midway, reaching that
metropolis in the shank of the evening and
being kindly welcomed to the hospitable
roof of our friend DR.. f.. in the suburbs.
The prominent citizens of Midway and the
country around, among whom are Mr.. J.
D. McGuAin, DR.. Jno. G. Hyde, Messrs. G.
J. Bell, Jno. A. Spencer, Hugh Lyle, VIM.
Hess. Mike Dull, J.. A. Brown and others,
whose names I forget. are taking steps to
organize Il Tilden and Hendricks club,
which from the interest already shown in
the cause promises to be a large and active
one. 1t is to be hoped that every neigh
borhood in the county will follow the laud-
able example set by Midway.
SHOOTING.
You may have heard ere this that one
Dobbin, the only colored Conservative in
that section, was shot and killed by tri-
fling white man named Thompson, who
met him in the road last week near Browns
burg. Dobbin asked Thompson what
made him tell so many lies in case which
he was witness against him (Dobbin),
which had just beer tried at Lexington.
Thorn pson replied by firing on the negro
who was killed at the second shot, when
Thompson escaped and is still at large.
LEXINGTON.
Passing hurredly through Fairfield and
only pausing long enough in the good little
town to supply the demands of some very
urgent subscribers, who could not wait
till my return. Ipushed on through some
magnificent country waving with luxuri-
ant corn and dotted witt yellow shocks of
wheat and oats and meadows streaked and
spotted with winrOWS and heaps of fra
grant hay, to Lexington, the Virginia
Athens. of fond memories and historical
associations. but just now the dullest of
the dull. There are some pretty new bull
.dings going up in Lexington, and prepara-
lions being made for the re.opening of her
popular schools, of which the prospects of
the University are represented to be bright
er than for several years, while every day
brings new patriculates to the Institute.
The valuable museum at Washington and
Lee, of which will give you more ex-
tended account hereafter is now being put
in order for public inspection. This is an
extensive collection and, as many of your
readers know is the generous donation of
liberal northern gentleman, who persists
in keeping his name from the public
Those who have seen it speak of it as high
ly creditable, both to the University and
the unknown donor. We gave ourselves
the pleasure of a call upon the s'Gazette,"
and made the acquaintance of Mr.. Bar
clay. the enterprising and genial editor
were also favored with an hours chat at
City Headquarters. with Mayor c. M.
bold. His Honor has the ring of the true
metal in him, and is a regular reader and
warm friend of the VINDICAToR. We
can also recommend his Havana's.
After leaving Lexington as we approach
the Natural Bridge the forest trees present
a singular appearance. The green trees
are thickly hung with dead and dropping
twigs which as brown, mingled with the
green. give the woods peculiar mot tied
appearance. Breaking off some of these
twigs we find hundreds of minute worms
in the heart, which have been deposited
there by the migrates of locusts that have
swarned over an area of country extern
ding forty miles in this direction and which