Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1879-01-14
GALA DAY AT saEPHERDsToWN.
Celebration of the Completion of the S. p.
r. e. to that point.

y
the celebration, on Wednesday last. of the
completion of the track.laying of the Shen-
andoah Valley Railroad to ShepherdstowD,
We Joined the contractors, vice-president,
secretary, directors, officers of the county,
Mechanics Band, and other invited guests.
and embarked on board the cars at this point
for the good old town of Shepherdstown.-
After brief ride of twenty nine minutes,
through as fine a country as the sun ever.
shone upon, tho "Fairfax" drew up at our
destination A host of warm hearted PEG.
pie we're there to welcome us, and amid the
music of the bands, ringing of bells and
waving of handkerchiefs, we alighted from
the cars and were formed in procession, un>
der the marshalship of Col W. A. Morgon,
assisted by Messrs. Harrison, Rentoh and
others. The column being headed by the
Criswell's Cornet Band and the Charles
town Mechanics Silver Band, moved at
once to Shepherd College. where B. F Har-
rison called the assemblnge to order and ar =
nounced John 81. little, Esq, as the Prcsi-
dent of the meeting, and Prof Pendleton as
Secretary. On assuming the Chair, Mr..
little, in few well>timed remarks, gave
cordial welcome to all, and announced as the
first orator for tho occasion, Geo. NJ. Beltz-
hoover, Esq.
Mr.. Beethoven opened his address by ex-
tending cordial greeting and hearty well
como to all visitors present. He said the
great joyfulness of the people of SheI.
oh 70 rhn
for years had possessed all the oonveniences
OF railroads at their doors, but it might we'll
be likened to the boy with his first pair of
boots-they amounted to but little to the man
who had worn boots for years but they were
everything to the boy. Shepherdstown had
been settled in 1730-149 years ago-and
now for the first time railroad locomotive
had entered her borders. He referred beau
tituliy to the historic memories of Shepherds
town, and the magnifcence of the country
about it. Steam had been first applied there
as a motor power for boats, nearly one hun
bred years ago, but as the eloquent champion
in defense of /" Justice to James Rumsey"
CIon A. r. Boteler) was present, he would
not refer further 70 that subject. As inn
portant appendage to railroads was the cleo
trio telegraph. Hitherto the most nom en>
tous events might have occurred, even in
Charlestown, the county>seat of the county,
and they would have been sent by the light
ming flash to the most remote borders of the
Pacific slope, and to distant parts of the world
ere they would have been heard of in Shop
herdstown; but with the s. v. R. Il. thoy
hoped to have the telegraph and all its ben
e6.s Flo read an extract from New York
paper speaking of grand trunk line of rail
roads from New York via Philadelphia, Bal
timore .Shepherdstooon, Staunton and the G.
& .. r. r. to Cincinnati and the South and
West The boy looking upon large map
short time after the great battle of Marengo
was fought, he said, had failed to fud Ma
rengo upon it, and inquiring the reason was
told that the map was drawn before the bat
ito occurred, and Marengo was not so prom>
inent then-so ShsEhesdstown had not hith
erto been prominent enough to occupy an
important position on the maps of the country;
but when she became a leading point on n
great trunk line of railroad, as she has every
prospect of becoming, her name would be
found on every map, and the eyes of capitals
lists would be directed towards her. Mr.
Beltzhoover closed by wishing the s. V. R.
4. success and hearty God speed, and re-
tired amid rounds of applause.
AfEsr music BY the ahepherdstown Band,
Col. q. L. Boyce, Vice>President of the S.
V. r. r. Co., was called upon, aud re-
spended in behal fot the Company. He felt,
he said, like fish out OF water. He was
called to duty which belonged to another
-onc eminent for his enterprise, benevolence,
christianity, virtue, and morality whose
shoe latchet he was unworthy to unloose-
the Hon. VIM. Mines, President of the
Company. Mr Mines, was, he said, his
Pythias, and there was void in the meeting
without him. 1t was like the play of' Fl am-
let" with Hamls. left out. But circum>
stances had prevented Mr.. Mines attend
ance. He asserted, in the name of the s.
V. r. r. Co., that there was no place at
which it would rather have received this
ovation than at Shepherdstown, and in con-
nection with the railroad coming to Shop
herdstown Col. Boyce could not forbear tell>
ing little joke, and applying it at the ex-
pense of Col. Boseler He relate! the story
that one party applied. to another to go in
with him in a game of poker against third
party, saying: "You 81. on my right and I
will deal you four jacks, give him four sevcns,
aud he will bet strong and we will clear the
board" The fellow replied, however, to
his comrade "Just you see here, I'm lit.
tie Interpretations, and if it suits you as
we'll you just deal mo four aces" Mr. Bote-
Ter, Col Boyce said, had always been little