The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-12-31
fIu,un
s.:
rryrspA i ~ . DECEMBER 81, 1873.

TuEsD a ! 10 Oh fR q, 1878 SO
sFor she pispaich.l ISL;
sss asaauel KILLER. s5sS
RocERiaH tap, Noyenabe g, 1873
;Messrs. agdiiiiiors: week of TWO aiieI3
{ the Inauguration OF ghe Mt.ler scaool =
mater "a business with Mr.. TICK Page, OF:
RataaYilir, thcsurviyois6 f The three eS tcu-t
sprs or Samuei "a ;lieEss state, prom pecd me,
y "a call % see him.. He was absent as dinner
q MRS. psge remarked that In, nut sipation OF
fte erection al d suitable aoRusnent to mis-
memory near The Institute, it was q matter
al much concern 20 lcarn the. date OF DIS
birth, and, so far as she bad been informed,
ledge was HnattainabIe. Meeting
>the kno.. '''.,eece ON my return, who
with Mr. y. b. or~ss ,'-ance OF events
mss a more correct remen0.- vnen-
3. that date than any one now i,Flng, -.
toned the circumstance. he SUI saa.s.
Miller he knew as g Dog, ana ls..'s'. req
bis coming to his grandfatsssr (Joan Ber-
re,,s) 10 seek employment 10 carrying shin
gles ona bui!dibS ne was erecting; SAID ne
fMiIler} was the FIRST teacher ne had ever
gone 10 school 10. He suggested shat /
should seek an interview with "a.
.elsoN BEBER.
40, nna az the oldest citizens. and q con-
temnorary or Samuel Miller ne t ives u y.
sser lie eastern shadow OF this ga ! luz
teryiewed him to-day. Ihoagh seVenty-
eiaht his aieasiBg and sight are unimpalEea.
and he can thread a 6ne needle. ana new.
wore specs. Unforsu ne cousl sn,uI
no light on. the date OF samueL MN ~. =
Sh;rsh. said he #as o year or two. older tuah
~ - he lived seventeen years near him
when he Was q hoy. he remembered tnas
Samr.es . grandfather, a very old man, Mvea
IN me top or what Is known as M1iiers
n.;,rntain. a mile and half east OF Bates
vile. and to the left OF the old scottsfiliie.
p'S The o,d man remembers that Samuel
xvn,,,d collect rich pine knots, boW ,em, ana
sse,,,,ss the wax that was white and soft, ana;
seil n mt ai. per pound to Walker kalnes.
and other shoemakers. He made htmsen
hanri.loon and wove cotton suspenders, DIS
mother having raised the cotton ana spun
&c. TWAS related by one Of the speakers aS
the opening Of the Institute tdat ne cotssct--
ed-fhe bits OF wool lost by the sheep on TIE
briars, wope from them weosaen susigssneers,
which, at the big musters heio s. y iiiiam
y,er hair From these two sources ne made
his first Slouos. Then a lad Of seventeen,
no tersn to tesch school,. Beber says be
was so boyishaookings with papils often
r,lder than hiesselt,fit was difficult to eota-
ynand lire proger discipline. After old man
Munr,s aeatA bis daughters moved down
snte ysbaI Rss calle& the "0id Fields, on
she Ronrlarsd Snith place, and scufhed acre
bs wea4ing and Spanning to support tsem-
selves. .Jebp, the oldest Of the two boys.
Sonnd his way ito Aynchburg and became
xlerk in a store, and ia three or four
wears Sam. followed. John soon ar>
,cunfulaHed enough ito merchandise Or
mis- own aceoaut, and became iadepenE-
ent,s but to q very moaerate extent 'coH,-
parea with Sara. AS soon as Sara was asle
he bought the Bouriassa Smith ava huas ..o !,
sOapes fracts cS land, tS,ree or fozT hunOGed
acres in all, sad fixed bis mother comssTta-
blE, with bG sister, providing them with
cIotbing, leod, ana servants. AT ahelr
dearh they were baried on the BoTland
smith placc, south OF where the Institute
is.Iyuiit. .Eismother lived to an advanced
age ,Tis q mates. Of regret Mr. Editor,
fhata more full history OF this remarkable
man, With the date of his birth and The sa-
silent poSnts or his life aud camncter, 0ad not
been preserved. Yet how much mere will
it be regretted u, besides, IN thesestsmatslo OF
of q great many, the dispersion OF the mo-
ney TO ahis timeexpended, whlc severely
criticised, the bulk Of what remains should
be lost by The reputation OF nhe state
flebtS Should this fell curse descend upon
Virg;nia the Miller Institute will not be the
onIyGone OF our literary institutions that
will suffer; but besides the latter will be the
inyestrnenIscY the theological schools OF the
different ,ehurches. Nay ave mot hope that
the hstiSnoi:little Carroll away Down in the
saIywest. i,a by no means the NEST favored
repion of the State, cut off from railroads,
and ian whose territory less public money
has been expended than almost in any other
county, is * the cloud 40 iGgerthan q mans
hands' which is looming up above the horl-
zon, the angury of better things.
$780,, LITTLE YORK. a.
You see much written about the cities
and tosgns that were at one eIne the active,
stirring, busy rnarts of the country; not q
singae fraee Of which, like Hthe cities OF the
plains.D is left to mark their sites.
Just under the shadow OF this Gap, look
ing east, and three miles, perhaps, from the
ton, In the beginning OF this century, vii
laee of this name was found in the limits OF
AIbemarie that contained forty or. fifty
houses. including tavern, two stores, q
church. &c. This was when the farmers OF
the valley counties Of Rockbridge, Augusta,
with what, at that day, were Bath and Pen.
deton. Wagoned through this village TO
Dumfrfes. then to Falmouth, and afterwards
TO fredericksburg and Richmond, their sur
plus products. Years after mulch trading
was done to another OF the lost towns.
Milton, on the Rivanna, now hardly
trace Of which is left. Both Of these were
in Albamarle. Later still, the town Of
scottsyile received all this trade. Little
York became an epitomized edition OF
Sodom, and had an unenyiabie reputation
for horse-racing. .eard-playing, and num-
ber5of courtezans, enough Tor population
OF three or. four times what it, possessed.
There was, as / am informed, singular
physical fact or phenomena 10 well o,
great depth, ninety feet, thai at times over
flowed for months, and presently became
dry. hfter,is. had grown into disuse, but
had thirty or more feet OF water, and was
loosely covered with rails, one Betsy Pleas
ants, with desire, as iS was supposed, TO
shuttle off this mortal coil, put aside; the
covering. and made the fearful plunge.
Tradition says that after she had explored
the bottom, II she was enabled. with the
momentum acquired by so long leap, to
do it satisfactorily, she was rescued
Now not 9 trace OF this village remains,
but corn and wheat and grass flourish
where crowds once did congregate.
VIRGIEIAN. y
IFor the Dispatch.]
Uncle Seaton On the State Debt. =
g Unc' seaton, what you think bout de