The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1877-07-26

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great French Kanawha Company, and
menting the unforeseen failure OF remi
tances from New York, requested, vii
blushing confusion, the advance of the il
significant sum of $25 for ''only few DAYS.
Somewhat surprised at this request, IL
young Virginian at first said nothing, whe
the distressed gentleman proceeded to mai
profuse apologies-he fought not to hay
been so bold, he was livery foolish, yer
presumptuous, etc., etc., etc. Thereat tn
young travellers feelings became highly es
cited. Presumptuous? Far from it q
had been misunderstood. 1t was enough {
know that his friend was a Frenchmar
lone of the people who had been our cour
trys earliest and best friends "-he woul
CONSIDER it favor if he would accept til
$25 as a loan, and would be deeply mortifie
if he refused it.' The end of the adventur
was that the embarrassed foreign gentlema
yielded, offered his watch as pledge, force
it on his generous friend-and that the waite
was in due time discovered to be pinchbecI
Proceeding down the Valley, the travelle
visits Winchester, OF which he presents a
interesting account, and thence goes t
Harper's Ferry, reaching the latter point b
the new railway Of "Wooden rails arme
with half-inch strap-iron," on which tn
rate OF travel was ten miles an hour, whe
the rails did not spring up and in the form
OF 'tsnake-heaGs penetrate the flooring O
the passenger cars. From Harper's Ferr
he proceeded by stage over the old Nationa
Road toward the Ohio, meeting with an up
set on the way--the horses having rushe,
down the PERCEPTIONS mountain road an,
overturned the coach down precipice o
only about twenty feet. Reaching Pitts
| hu v,yhsoh ba nfo &
manufacturing town with a population O
200, thoroughly begrimed with smoke
and certainly the darkest and dirtiest plac,
ever saw" he embarked on one of the ther
famous Ohio steamboats,, and speedily fount
himself thrown in contact with the wild, I'm
| trammeled and half-barbarous life Of the Fal
| West. The passengers on the boat were o.
| all classes and from all parts of the country
| among them Creole from New Orleans anG
an "Abolitionist" from New England. Be
tween these erelong sprung up discussion
OF. the rights and wrongs, the advantages
and disadvantages of the institution oil
slavery, which terminated in a personal con.
flict, a Irregular pugilistic encounter
Returning to the deck to witness the me-
Ice, I observed the Creole draw and fire his
revolver, the ball of which passed through
the frizzled hair of his antagonist, but With
out damage to his skull. The Abolitionist
raised bowieknife. The Creole quick as
lightning struck him furious blow with the
pistol, which however glanced aside from
the knife, but the shock threw him forward,
into the very arms as it were Of his adver-
sary. The grippe he received was horrible,
but the Creole seized the blade OF the knife
with such violence that it snapped off at the
handle, and redoubling his efforts as the 9TH
Or roalad I1nIor fho fhrnxr hso
upon the deck, and kneeling upon him,
raised his pistol.
ssNo quarter ~ said the struggling Adolf
zionist; '.fire away!''
from behind by a gentleman, and the crowd
cushing In, the two were parted, foam ssu
ng from the mouths of both as they mutter-
ed hoarse curses.
Terrific arrangements for mortal combat
follow. The ''Abolitiouist' at first dissents
and refuses, but being coolly informed that
in the 'sGreat West'' refusal to fight
''would not suit the latitude-if he talked he
must fight'-in which profound moral max
i'm several Western ladies who were pres
ent concurred''- New Highlander &C
cepts his adversary's challenge, takes pen
and paper, and writes:
''Sir, your challenge is received and ac-
copied. will fight you across table with
pistols in one hour. Both to fire at the
word, and to continue firing until one or
both are done for. My friend Capt. Adams
will arrange all preliminaries.
Your obedient servant, II. M"
Thereupon the shooting irons" are pre-
pared, space on the deck cleared, and-the
author hastens to the captain of the boat, in
great horror, to protest against such cold
blooded slaughter. Young man, responds
the captain, ''these affairs are of daily occur
renee on our Western rivers, and have
found that the best way to manage them is
to feisn ignorance, and to allow the parties
to cut their threats as soon as p0sslble-the
quicker the better for all concerned" The
captain winds up his moral discourse by ad-
vising the youth not to NEEDLE, as he would
not-he designed remaining in his cabin, in
order to say afterwards thas he was not
present--a fact which he feared would in.
lure his boat with ''some of the modern
Eastern evangelical Travellers Luckily a
clergyman and some ladies protested also
the worthy captain reluctantly consented
the combatants were ordered to surrender
their arms, and the Creole refusing, he was
put ashore at the next landing. A queer
picture of life on the Ohio twenty years ago,
but apparently a not exaggerated sketch.
Proceeding on his way, the young travel.
er has the luxury of participating in what
the Westerners called a Irregular bust up
A rival steamer came in sight; a race follow.
ed, each boat alternately shot ahead or fell
behind, and the furnaces of both were heap
ed with every imaginable combustble- hams
of bacon, cans of oil, etc. Suddenly tire
mendous crash was heard, and the explo
sion, 'slike the eruption Of a volcano, SEN
| vvIC1o front of tho vaccaI into the
along with passengers, freight and furni
ture. In an instant hot steam from the boil
ers was Kissing, and scalding to death those
who survived the first shock and remained
or the forepart of the boat, which was quick
ly on fire." A fearful scene ensued. The
crowd rushed to the stern-tWo small boats
were lowered, but swamped at once, ant
men and women threw themselves into tn
water. The author leaped overheard ant
swan to shore. with the exception of
| few only who were saved in small boat, al
| persisted horribly in the flames"
After this adventure, which must have let
| Col. Peyton in state of some doubt wheth
er his trip in search of health would remun
crate him for his trouble, the author pre-
ceeds upon his way, and reaching CiEciI
natl, reads in newspaper an account OF tn
little incident of the blow-up, which accoun
ended with the words, ''We are glad to so
nobodg IS to blame. The accident Das ia
auo,dable." At the Queen City he make
the acquaintance of the famous rape-gr0v
er, Mr.. Nicholas Longworth, the "Baccht
of America" and visits the distilleries whel
fabulous quantities of whiskey WEI
'sturned out at tenpence per gallon" tt
citizens, he noticed however, did not u
their own manufactures, and "were rs a
stemious in their habits and as far from b
ing drunkards as any. OF their WEBSTER
neighbors." Floating down the Ohio, I'll
traveller encounters snags and sawyers S; sto
at Louisville, where he is received wi
warm hospitality; proceeds to Frslnkfol
visits the tomb of Daniel Boone, and max
the acquaintance of an Irishwoman, who e
claims, ''This is darling country for POI
folks; for if work three days in the wee
can'tI lie in bed the other three if place
He notices also with interest the humor Of
Western woodsman, who, having been as
ed by his travelling companion if he, t
woodsman, chad seen dog come by tt
looked as if he were a year, or a year ant
half, CT two years old?" responded cool
s'Yes, he passed about an hour, or an he
and half, or two hours ago; and is now
! mile, a mile and half, or two miles ahes
, and he had a tail about an inch, or an in
: and a half, or two inches long ~ ''Il
will dot" exclaimed the other, riding
p abruptly ssyou have done for me to the G
tent of foot, or foot and half, or
: feet ~
v The author visits next, and presents int
j. | estiua scntnhac IF Mr. Crittenden and