Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-01-22
holly by surprise. The division stop-

Junction, and the staff rode off to hum
around in the neighborhood for quarters
at farm house. Col. Terrill reined uI
at the mansion of an old gentlemen O.
vast estate, but who lived alone, except
the large number of negroes who inhab
tied his plantation. The wife was dead
and the old gentleman had no children
to brighten his home and inherit his
fortune. But he was gentleman OF
the olden school and gave royal wei
come to the venerable and dignified
looking officer who had called to crave
his hospitality for the night. A mag
nificent supper, too tempting for sol
dier, was spread, and cooked in style
as only the old Virginia negroes could
cook it. After supper the cloth was re-
moved and clone Jack" tobacco and
Powhatan pipes set out. The cellar,
too, was invaded and bottles of Madeira
brought out, and the cobwebs being
brushed off, were opened and the spark
ling contents pledged to the health OF
host and guest. AS their blood grew
With the wine, their hearts grew young,
and 10 the minds of each with Joyous
freshness came the gay scenes and happy
pastimes Of youth. Tom, the old plan
tatiOn fiddler, was called in. After be-
ing furnished with couple of glasses
of the cob-webbed Madeira, the frosty
headed darkey announce5 that he too
felt forty years younger, and was willing
ito declare afore God dat he believed
dat was de same wine dat the ole boss of
all, Mars Williams father, had put in
dar cellar when he was q chile" and
wiping his mouth with the back of his
hand, began to tune up his violin,
which, too, seemed to grow younger un-
der the modifying influence of the occa-
sion. In few moments Tom had sue
ceeded In satisfactorily establishing the
telephone between the bow and his foot,
and by the time he had fairly launched
into that ocean of music, which flows
from alviolin, "Money Musk" the two
old gentlemen were on the floor. and
the dance went on. Here was picture
that Hogarth could not paint, and a
dance that the author Of "Tam O'Shan-
ter" could not describe. On one side of
the grand old hall built in real English
style, was the massive Colonel, with
body erect, head slightly thrown back
and with all the elacticity of youth, CIV
ingto perfection the double-shuffie,w while
on the other side of the room as his Uis
q vis was the venerable host rivaling in
ability the solitaire figure danced by his
guest. Then they ''cross over" and
each changing position in the room and
again facing, simultaneously they cut
the "pigeon ving.'l So the night was
spent, and as the Colonel rode away in
the morning in company with his
younger comrades, and turned at the
top of the hill to take parting look at
the hospitable mansion, the proprietor,
with his white locks cleaning in the
morning sun, was seen standing at the
gateway and waving his hand, while at
that distance could be distinctly heard
the = , oft repeated e farewell, gentlemen,
A PEACE EPISODE.
I recollect another rlittleincident illus
trating the opposite side of his nature.
1t was scene full of pathos and manly
dignity. At the time hs located in Bath
county, he commenced the practice of
his profession in Pocahontas, the ad
joining county, and continued his prac-
tice in the courts of that county until he
was excluded by the attorneys test
oath" in 1872. He was always favor
ite with the people of Pocahontas coun-
ty, and as he commanded their conf
dence, he also commanded most lucra-
tive practice in their courts, and the
people felt the harshness Of the prososip
tive policy of West Virginia as severely
In being deprived of the legal services Of
Col. Terrill as perhaps in any other par
ticular. In 1869 the test oath was re-
pealed, and at the April term of the Cir
cult Court the prescribed LAWYERS were
admitted to the bar. Judge McWhor-
f0r w CI1n00odnd hn
Hafris9 th 9da Eas "a "a Shs Asaeaa t. As sosa
jury, the imposing form of Col. d. TerriIl iii
was seen to rise from the bar. In
gS,ss tS5estoss s g M MEh ese 8 bse b c5 M
would show, just forty years ago from
POcahOntas county; that tor forty years
lie had gone in and out among the peo-
pie, blameless; that he had seen new
generation grow up around him, yet he
felt that he possessed theI confidence as
fully as he had done that Of their rath-
ers; he pointed with pride to profes-
sional life of forty years as the best vim
dicatiOn of the purity of his life and
conduct; and yet for the sole crime of
being true to his seotien and true to the
honest copvietions of his heart, he had
been prescribed and denied the right I'd
earn a living by the practice of his pro,
fessiop, and he felt deeply the Aumiiia.
ton OF being eompalled to ask fol: read
mittance to a bar of which he felt that
he was the father" The scene, the elQ-
quence of the old man, the dignity and
pathos with which be made his own
motion for admittance to the bar, i'm
pressed all as NEST soathing rebuke to
that policy of prescription adopted by
West Virginia Republicans at the close
of the war.
''HE SLEEPS wELL.n
The war was heavy blow to Colonel
Terrill. Its close left him wrecked in
fortune and robbed of his children. He
lost three sons in the. struggle. The
eldest, Gen. VIM. H. Terrill, espoused
the Federal cause. He had been sduoa-
ted at West Point and was serving in
the regular army at the breaking out of
hostilities. His sympathies were with
the South, but his conviction of duty
led him to prefer the old service. He
wrote to his father for advice: that ad-
vice was, "to follow his convictions."-
William commanded the old Sherman
battery at Shiloh, and saved Grants az,
my from destruction. For his gallantry
in that battle he was promoted to the
rank of Major General, and fell soon af-
ter at the head of his division at the bat
tie of Perryville. The second son, Gen.
James Barbour Terrill, fell while lead
ing his Confederate brigade in charge
at Cold Harbor His youngest son,
Philip Mallory Terrill, who was SOL
dier in Rosser's Confederate Cavalry,
was killed in one of the battles in the
Shenandoah Valley in 1864, The loss
of his three gallant boys broke the spir-
it of the father. and it was easy to per-
ceive that his heart was buried in the
grave of his children. His vigorous
constitution yielded to accumulated
troubles which weighed 50 heavily upon
him, and at last retiring from his pro-
fession, he sought rest in the family OF
his only daughter, who affectionately
nursed him in his dying hours, and thus
peacefully he passed away in the 18th
year of his age.
Those unacquainted with Col. Terrill
may think that to his virtues have been
very kind and to his follies little blind;
but l remember him as the cultivated
and scholarly gentleman whose mind