The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-12-04


but in horrid manner, for soon after their
arrival at this place Mrs. Moore and her daugh-
ter Jane were put to death, being burned,
and tortured at the stake. Mary, however,
escaped, and returned to Rockbridge county
where she married the Rev. Samuel Brown,
Presbyterian Clergyman. Her history
being so familiar with the Scotch Irish.
Presbyterians Of the Valley of Virginia, we
will turn from it to look at the mounds rear.
ed here and there by the hand Of the ruth
less savage, which yet stand as relic of
their greatness, but is all that is left to mark
the bloody deeds Of the Shawnee. Their
war-hoop has been hushed in the valley by
the snort Of the Iron horse that hurried us
on to the Queen city of the Ohio, Cincinnati,
adorned with her beautiful Ohio sweeping
her margin and the very summit of her ele-
waited hills decorated with magnificent man.
sions.
Feeling satisfied that the great Roman
Philosopher, warrior and statesman would be
proud OF his namesake. we glide on to In
dianapolis, the capital of Indiana, an inland
city near the center of the State, on the
upper waters OF the White river. Here we
were informed by an old settler that fifty-nine
years ago the site of indianapolis was
woodland-the only house the wigwam of
the Indian. Now they claim lis, 900 inhab-
itants. The Marion county courthouse is in
this city, and is the most magnificent build
ing we ever saw-was erected at cost OF
s2,OO0,OO0. The outside wall is composed
of Indiana granite, while the inner walls
are decorated with Scotch granite of all
shades. What would Old Augusta think
of growing so great? A new State house
is In progress of building, which covers three
entire squares Of the city, and, when COM
pleted, will cost between four and five
million of dollars. His excellency. Blue
jeans. spen1s much OF his time about the
erection of the capitol. Here is a line Of
street-cars eight miles east and west, and
another five miles north and south. Thirteen
railroads concentre at this point, and two
more under process of construction. There
city, twenty-one miles in circumference.
Our host, Mr.. Reemy of the Reemy House,
Informs MS that the entire tax is forty.fve
cents on the hundred dollars, as follows !:
IA cents State tax, 16 cents school tax, and
Is cents county tax-this includes two cents
on the hundred dollars State tax, which has
been levied for the building of the capitol.
He also informed us that the State does not
owe dollar. This city is live place-busi-
ness of all kinds on the push. Yesterday
there was sold in this market 165 car loads
of hogs, 60 hogs to the car. Whether this
was an average of the hog business or not,
we do not know, but their continuous
squeal seems to indicate that it does not fall
much below it. The time for our departure
having come, away we 60 to the depot, for
a trip over the plains of Illinois. While
waiting, we CHANGED to fall in company with
a gentleman to the manor born, who, when
finding that we were from Virginia, asked,
''How is politics in Virginia." We told
him we had no national politics in Virginia
that there was little difference among our
people in relation to our own affairs as per.
tanning to our State debt, but that beyond
that politics didn't bother us. SWELL" says
he, 81 hope the time will soon come when
you people will get out OF bondage" We
replied: "My dear sir, our people have every
political privilege that you have" ''But the
id administration imposes on you, and I
know it. II it hadn't been for the Republi-
cans you never would have had the war;"
''That may be-" we replied, shut perhaps
we were little hasty, too. Our people
we're very iea lous of their interest in the
slave property, which we all believed to be
politically and morally right, and in looking
in that direction lost sight OF the maternal
chord that should have bound this Union
together" II never had any sympathy for
slavery Inever could think of man selling
his children like cattle; it was the id
slavery that made all the trouble.'' Such is
Democracy in the West. In short time
my political friend returned and said, sold
Zach Chandler is dead. I guess it must be
SO, for some one has just brought the news
from down street. DIN him there is one
less to steal from the public crib" Here the
toot OF the engine informed us that politics
was not the order of the day, and right glad
we were. too. So away DER the prairies
of Indiana. Passing many fine farms. viii
lagos and towns-most noted among them
Terre Hautt-until we were brought to the
slope of the Great Mississippi, in the State
of Illinois. Had we not known that we had
not crossed the ocean, we would have i'm
agined ourselves in Holland or Belgium, for
our coach had commenced filling from about
three O'Clock in the morning until it is now
crammed with passengers-all speaking the
Dutch tongue-bound for East St. Louis to
spend the Sabbath. These discreet Ger
mans, like those of our Valley, have shown
great judgment, for there is not better
country anywhere than that north of East
st. Louis, along the Mississippi river. Part
ing with our Dutch friends at East St.
Louis, we passed over or rather through the
grandest bridge in the world Except one),
erected at cost of SO 100000 To describe
it would take.pages. From this point we view
the great commercial leviathans, playin e
upon the bosom of the mighty river, that in
ages past was the boundary line that sepa-
rated Augusta county from the western
wilds OF the Rocky mountain region. SPEND
ing day in St. Louis accommodating her
many grand curiosites, among which none
is more conspicuous than the building OF the
farfamed DR.. McLain, covering one entire
block, we took the St.. Louis and San
Eranciscn Railroad and nrnaoodad IN o,1r