The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-10-24
ON THE RIVER.
An oeeasiona1wrlterfor theIntsllisenee
ON mis- Return from n Trip to the Dark
INNS or lEonroe--An Interesting Ae'
count ofsRhht he saw down There.
~ srplIppiR b PoPr. October, 1873.

Editors IptellIgenset:
Hayfngjas returned from short So
journ among the Ozark hills of Monroe
| / have at your suggestion jotted downa
few notes Of matters and things in that
comparatively unknown and, in the pres
ent declining condition Of ia Belle RiV-
iere," almost inaccessible region.
The euphemism above employed to de-
scribe this corner OF the Buckeye State is
commonly used, 1 believe, in q political
! sense. And, certainly, this is missionary
ground for Republicans. In the great re.
action at the polls this year against cur
rent financial heresies, Monroe County in
creased her Democratic majority by about
thirty 1907 votes. Greene township which
constituted the principal sphere OF my OBJ
servations gave one hundred and forty
| two (l42) votes to the nominees OF the
dominant party on the State ticket and
thirty one l3l) to the Republican candi-
dates But where schools and churches
are multiplying and the standard Of edu-
cation and culture is being elevated as is
case here,-the Independent voter Is not
far behind. In fact he has already appear
ed even in Greene township. The returns
show that four courageous voters scratched
the successful nominee for Congress and
one voted for the opposing candidate.
But il we accept the common phrase as
description Of the physical aspect Of the
country then It must be applied at this par
ticular season with some reservation. Il is
rugged country and its innumerable hills,
not ridges touching one another with
scarcely any intervening bottom land, oil
clothed with dense forests, but they arc
not now dark. They have donned the au.
tunin robe'o OF various colors, so that 0 sim
gle glimpse from the heights Of sunhst Is
worth trip on Q low-water packet.
On the Fishpot road, four miles west oil
Clarington, the visitor has spread out be-
fore him a landscape not less than twelve
miles in extent, which Is one blended pan
Drama Of green and gold and crimson.
Near Round Bottom on a cross road, look
| ing south west we obtain another equally
magnificent and even more extensive view.
The rayine of the Fish-pot through
which the road ascends by Q remarkably
easy natural grade is shut out from the
sun for more than mile by lofty. cliffs and
| tall forest trees while every rock and ial'
| len trunk is crowned with the greencst
moss and fcstooned with the most luxuri-
ant ferns. In fact everywhere in this re;
gion, the lover OF the grand and beautiful
IN nature may enjoy perpetual feast.
Darlington may be called the metropolis
OF this district, the point OF approach and
departure for trade and travel. II is as
most Of your readers may know a fair and
thriving village having some inviting
bomes and prosperous business houses and
| last but not least a handsome and capaeb
ous schoolhouse. The warehouses Of the
traders are Being rapidly filed with the
fall crops OF apples, potatoes, beans and
cheese, which will doubtless soon seek
market in YOUR city. Some Of tho young
ladies' Of the village performed what may
| be regarded as rather daring feat the 9TH
or day. The ill.starredN steamer Jno. Por-
| Ter lies short distance below the town.
Three Young ladies being out on an after
noon ramble, partly perhaps through love
OF adventure and partly through womanly
sympathy for those aboard who had been
so long cut of from human society, VEN
tured to go aboard of the steamer where
they were received Us SO many angels by
the surprised but grateful enforced her.
mits. They were most courteously treat
ed and given cheering. account Of the
thoroughly renovated and perfectly clean
condition Of the vessel.
New Castle, the Capital Of Green town.
ship, Is a villagcof perhaps a dozen houses,
none OF them being pretentious, with aneat
and comfortable Presybterlan church hay.
ling fiourshing congregation and Sabbath
School. The soil OF the country round
about is not rich but Is kept in pretty good
condition and yieldsfair crops. Some ofthe
farms, Us for example that OF Mr.. George
Nef. about mile and half from the
village, arc models OF neatneSs and COM
pleteness in dwellings, barns, outhouses,
gates &c, but such Is not generally tho
case. The people are largely emigrants
| from Green county, Penn, from which the
township takes its name. They are
characterized by the homely manners and
virtues. the conservative principles and
the generous hospitality for which that
norton OF Western Pennsylvania is famed.
The wisdom OF the people is, after the
true Baconian idea, embodied chiefly in
nithy. though sometimes not very elegant
proverbs. One employed by friend OF
mine struck me as rather new and at the
same time forcible. Speaking, OF the necess-
ity Of paying dueattention 70 natural apii'
tudein the choice OF vocation he remark
ed: "You can't make whistle OF pigs
tail"
Considerable interest has been excited
on the subject OF Temperance, owing to the
excessive Indulgence by lew old soak,
ers in "hard eide" which is the principal
Intoxicating drink used in the neighbor-
hood. Hard cider drunkenness is said to
| BIO loud, lively and lasting. A Murphy So
ciety has been organized and is holding
weekly meetings in the village, church.
Fox hunting with hounds is fayorite
amusement among some OF the people but
the method is rather novel,. The hunt Is
conducted by night, and the darker the
night the better. A FIRE Is kindled In the
centre Of the field Of operations which is
supposed TO attract the attention Of the
foxes, The hunters who follow the hounds,
part on horseback and part on foot, deter.
mine the state OF the game and the sue:
cessful dogs altogether by the sense OF
hearing. The effort Is not to destroy the
fox and great offense would be given by
any one who should main or destroy the
animal, or even take him alive; Evidently
these hunters hold that there is more hap.
piness In pursuit than possession.
But in the multitude OF minor topics
am In danger OF overlooking the principal
object OF tits communication which was to
give such OF your readers, as may be ig-
f1orant rs was on the subject, some ac-
count Of the natural history OF switzer.
Switzer is cheese that has been spoken
against, imputations have becnu niustly cast
upon It's origin and curing, and 1t is cnti.
lied to a chance Of indicating itself before
the tribunal OF an impartial public, It's
associations, 1t must be granted, have been
rather bad In some quarters, and its per-