The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-11-16

shooting match muGt take place atSmith.
town. There we're giants in those days
around here, and they used 10 make the
very hills shake in some Of their exhibi.
tiOns Of The "manly art" Al 4 camp.
meeting held near Morgantown a certain
man became very anxious as to his future.
He went out into the woods 10 pray, and
In his agony exclaimed, "0h, Lord, | am
not Ct for heaven and don't want 10 90 10
hell; where will / go?" A man who was
listening very promptly advised him TO
50 to Smithtown.
REV. SAMUEL CLAwsoa,
About thirty years ago the venerable
Rev. Samuel Clawson, hearing Of the
wickedneSS Of the place, determined to
try to redeem II. After a careful exam.
inatlOn he said there was "ten acres OF
hell there to grub out," and that he would
undertake the contract. Having learned
something from the history Of the men
who went down to Sodom, he decided not
TO undertake 10 carry the town by storm,
but by slow approaches, So, he com.
menced holding meetings all around it,
AT length he got some Of the citizens in.
tereeted, some prolesSed conversion, and
at the opportune moment he moved his
meeting into the village, and held a great
and glorious meeting. The town was
not only completely revolutionited, but
evangelical. A quarter Of a century has
passed since then, and Il has been all this
time and Is now one OF tho most moral,
quiet and orderly places in the State.
And when the good old mah is called
hence TO the better world, carrying his
sheaVes with him, he will have no richer
ones than those garnered in this wicked
old town.
Clawson was there in his prime, and
was one Of the most remarkable men Of
his day. He was not n profound theol.
ogian, nor particularly eloquent, but for
portrRying the tcrrorE OF the broken
law and abusing His Santanic Majesty,
he had but few equals and no superior.
He was very demonstrAtive and would
frequently jump over the pulpit while
preaching. Once, while debating with 4
UniyerSalist, he lost his temper. BE as.
sumed that attitude so peculiar to him
self, and SO perfectly INDISPENSABLE, and
astonished the assembly with the follow.
ing terrible prophecy in regard 10 his
adversary "Thank God you will soon be
chained down 10 Hell's brazen floor; the
devil with his three pronged harpoon
will pierce your reeking.heart, and pile
on your fetid CARCASS the red hot cinders
Of black damnation higher than the
pyramids Of Egypt, and fry out your
grease to grease the gudgeonS Of hell"
This sentence was spoken at one breath.
Tradition tells Of many more OF his
strange sayings and ecCentricities.
THOMAS MEREDITH.
In December, 1858, Thomas Meredith,
an old and highly respectable merchant
Of Smithtown, was found dead in his
barn near here. He was for many years
a Justice Of the Peace, a man Of excel
lent sense, and very useful to the com.
munity. There are some things tending
to show that he died by his own hands,
but nothing definite is known.
COL. J. NJ. HIcK
lived here at one time, before the war.
He was engaged in mercantile business.
He was colonel Of regiment Of militia,
when the war commenced, and tried to
carry his men into the rebellion, but fail.
ed most ingloriously. AT q general mus
ter in the spring OF 1861, his regiment
'mutinied and drove the Colonel from the
field. He went South and became Lieut..
Colonel, il, Col. Pegram's regiment, was
captured at Rich Mountain, and, | believe,
had all his dreams Of martial glory
knocked out OF him in that little en-
gagement, and thereafter turned his at.
tention to the more congenial pursuit Of
gaining filthy lucIe." Had Col. Hick
been loyal he would doubtless have been
one OF the leading meAyof our State. He
was full Of energy and ambition, and de.
served better fate.
J. J. HUTCHINSON.
On the 4th day Of November, 1864, ],
J. Hutchinson was murdered IN bis store
here. The murder took placeNabout 0
o'clock in the evening. Mr.. Hutchinson
had remained in the store to write ZONE
letters, and left on his desk an unfnished
letter to Tallant & Delaplain, OF Your
city. He was doubtless writing that letA
ter when the murderer came to the door.
From the position Of the body when
found, and other circumstances, it seems
that he was called to the door, and when
the door was opened by him he was struck
three times with heavy hickory club on
the'head. The club was left in The store.
his throat was then cut from car 10 ear,
almost entirely severing his head from
his body; butstill not content, the fend
stamped him severely on the breast and
bowels. The cause as we'll as the perpe-
traitor Of this most &endish act are still
wrapped In mystery% No more cruel
murder was ever committed, and the COM
'IDlnity in which he was raised, and lived,
and>by whom he was loved has \Iabored
hard AMI long to discover and bring 10
justice thefiend incarnate, but in vain.
NoONcLUEoN. y Y
But am spinning this letter out too
long. would like 10 take you out and
show you Tom. Watsop's big castle, and
down the creek 10 an old4ndian camping
and burying ground, and ACROSS the hills
to where Morgan Aayed the Indians, and
over a little creek to where thu witches
used to chase Bill S., and over to Pleasant
Valley where Prof. Wade used to teach
"young ideas how to shoot" and many
other places Of interest. MonongaliSis
great county and Smithtown is ia
GROWING glory. JUNIus, JR.
Blaine Breaking Down.
A. c. BuellL Letter 70 n. Q. pemoerat.