The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1877-03-22


that was payin' his attentions to her. The
constable rushed in and was jammed through
the jewelers. window, the preacher was
knocked clear out O. all likeness, and Squire
Hooker and dozen other abolishnistsi shame
fully whipped.
s'By this time the Irish at work on the
grade got wind Of free fight, and they dou-
ble-quicked into town and lit in generally,
and Miss June Davis man thought it was a
good time to get even with the Wrights. and
about forty fellers concluded to pay off old
scores; and the grand jury that was in ses-
sion up stairs in the courthouse come rum
nin' down, and upset the stove, and in less'n
four minutes the old shell was all ablaze, and
the fighters set two or three more houses
attire, an in an hour all the heart of the town
was burned out, an all the little men badly
fightin' kept up more or less for three hours,
ard never stopped till everybody was salts
fed mind we'll the last man ont was little
ST Duyall, splintery Teller with no legs to
speak Of, and everybody said no account,
and that you couldn't make anything outen
him, less it was preacher or school
teacher. But they want no exemptions in
that war, and 81 had to go in along with the
rest. You see it don't take much to start a
fuss when there's blood in the air; and a
free and independent people will have their
little differences in the glorious air OF the
free and boundess West. An | reckon
there was fuses settled there chat had been
runnin' for twenty years-neighbors that
had quarreled about jinin' fences, and rela-
tves that had lawed about settlin' estates,
and men that got cheated in boss trades
every man got full satisfaction and the books
was squared
ssIs that ALP" l asked seeing that he
made a long pause.
s'It's all the liquor" said Joe, gazing re-
gretfully at the black bottle which had held
our last supply; but Of the history there's
few more pints, and at your service
"Well, the town was half burned up, and
its character ruined, and all the whisky split
and the Constable and Sheriff and Squire
Hooker aud about fifty more badly whipped,
and the dog that started it all so chawel up
a Chiaaman couldn't "a made him over into
chow chow, and the run only stopped when
big thunder separated the forces-and then
there was peace. But Misses Chew declared
she wouldn't live in no such i heather coun-
try, and they moved back East, and so the
neighborlood lost tone; an the new preacher,
what was left of him, had call to go further
North, for he lowed a man with one ear
chawed off might be ornamental, but couldn't
shine in pulpit in Southern Illinois and
Abraham Miller was so dlsgusted with him
self about breakin' the rules and fightin' that
he took to his bed, and his new store went
all to shucks; an all the abolislinists left,
too, and the Virginny people swore the place
had no style about it anyhow, and they
moved, aud some o. the houses was hauled
off into the country and the rest was took by
a big fresh, and you won't find anything
there now but corn crib or two. And all
that from one dog fight.
g But so twas nobody from that town
ever had any luck, 'cept that same little
splintery 81 Duvall. He went off to Oregon
and gut to be a lawyer, and went to the
Legislator, and was in the big land commits
sion, and jest coined money; but after all,
the luck o. Union Flats overtuck him at last.
He up an married one o. them schooltnarms
sent out from Boston, and when they took
their tower down to Frisco she got sea sick
and throwed up all her teeth, that 81 thought
was so pretty and regular; and 81 tried for a
divorce, and said it was failure O. considera-
ton an fraud in the contract, an not the
goods he bargained for at all, but the Judge
differed with him, an he had to support her.
So you see, boys. my luck's bound to foller
me, and until leave the outfit you'll strike
no horn silver on this hill"