Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1879-05-27
For the SPECTATOR.
On the Wing.


towards the setting sun. We left Wash
ington at 7:4O on the evening of the It'll
Night, with its shade, closed in after W
passed Rockville. Daylight made OBJ
ljects distinct to the eye at Grafton.
was the first time we had travelled owe
this road, the result of the narrow an,
contracted view of those who controlle,
Virginia's legislation at the time Balti
more asked the privilege of buildin,
this road up the Valley to Staunton
and thence to the Ohio. When sh
would have consented to have branch
from your town to Richmond, and to pa,
into the Golfers of Virginia bonus G
one dollar on each passenger she carriet
over the road, the blind and short
sighted refusal resulted in the Herculeal
task of building it here, Introducing al
element that caused the division of opin
ion in the withdrawal of the State from
the Union and the dismemberment O
the State. From our intercourse will
this people, we are perfectly satisfied th'
better element of West Virginia's pop
ulation would to o-morrow obliterate th,
line made by fraud and by trampling or
the Constitution. Near Grafton W.
came in sight of the old Nat Road
over which, in the days of Beltzhoover
and Porter, and Belden, we travelled
several times in their finely equipped
four horse coaches. Many, very many
are the pleasing associations connected
with those rides over this picturesque
region. We encountered among the
passengers who came on the train about
Piedmont dozen of the employees of
this Company, whose duty it is to keep
in repair the bridging and tresselling of
the road. One of them was one of six
brothers who went into the Confederate
army in different regiments from Flint
Hill in Rappahannock; went through
the war, and, although receiving various
wounds, all survived it. Our compan-
ion was badly wounded in the thigh at
the battle of Seven Pines, as the inden-
tation we felt plainly indicated. AS
the rule was to cut off all limbs, his
would have shared the same fate but for
the interposition of DR.. Gibson, from
his neighborhood, who backed him in
his remonstrances. Two of his broth
ers were in Gen. Smiths regiment, the
old 47th. He mentioned the fact that
the Governor kneW and could name al
most every man in his regiment, and
illustrated it with this incident. AS the
army was passing Thoroughfare Gap, a
soldier who had deserted some years be-
fore, and concealed himself in the
mountains, after such lapse of time
was embOldened to show himself, and,
dressed up with plug hat and store
clothes, was rash enough to come under
the hawk-eye of the old General. Ad-
dressing him with language more forci-
BILE than polite, he ordered him into
ranks. It was not long until a severe
q n ~ vrb 1e hoI
ly wounded in the back. This soldier.
speaking of his fathers activity, now
72 years of age, in walking Is miles to
court, said the longevity of some of the
Rappahannock people was astonishing.
Peggy Darr yet lives in comparative
vigor at one hundred and tUelve years,
and her brother Philip, residing at Lu-
ray, is one hundred and eight. He was
at the Centennial, and what is more re-
markable has a young wife and a child
four years old Passing Fairmont, we
were reminded of our old friend Col.
Raymond, who never went back after
the war, resided in Richmond, and gave
evidence of his friendship by coming
up to the Valley and spending several
days under our roof. Presently, enter
ing the county of Marshall, one of the
best in West Virginia, we were surprised
to hear of the success of its farmers in
growing wheat. One of its most ex-
tensive mill owners, J. Loudenslager,
told me he often bought his wheat in
Chicago, but now, Marshall not only
supplied him, but sold a large surplus.
The crop yields thirty bushels per acre
sometimes, and the land sells at from
$40 to $100 per acre. Near Moundsville,
on the right, we saw the old home Of
that true-hearted Virginian, Col. jeff.
Martin, so many of your readers re-
member as the successor of James
Points. They attempted to confiscate
his estate, but the old man lived long
enough to defend it and recover it,
and left it to his children. He died at
Moundsville, much regretted. Belmont,
across the river, is one of the finely
farmei counties of Ohio. The scene
from the very high bridge between Ben
wood and Bel Air is a very interesting
one. How il is so many little towns in
Ohio not only dot the railroad, but
throughout the counties is well worth
our peoples investigating. There is an
the State that arrests attention and de-
merino sheep meet the eve on very
many of the farms, and as we were
travelling in our irt-sleeves and an
noyed with the dust, their remarkable
coats of wool excited our commisera-
tien and admiration. Presently, on en-
tering the town of GAINESVILLE, we were
carried back in Imagination, we would
not like to say how many years. When
travelling east, in one of the fine coaches
referred to, we had one of the lovely
young ladies of th1e. then fourishing
town as companion to Wheeling, she
being on her way to Steubenville to be-
come pupil of the famous DIR. Beattie.
We had reason to believe we had excit-
ed much more than ordinary interest
in the young lady's good opinion, and
parted with sincere regrets, and yet it
was not long until the old DR.. dispelled
cloves young dream" by returning one
of our ardently indited missives. Here
we found the manufacture of salt yet
carried on at different points on the
Muskingum and its tributary, Licking
creek. In all the intermediate country
between Newark and Defiance, where
night shut out the view, our eve was all
the while RECALLED with the beautiful
lands. neat, often tasty and handsome
dwellings, fine fiocks of merino-and we
saw no other kind of sheep-the wood
pastures that reminded US of Kentucky.
The splendid walnut and cherry timber
of the forests is rapidly disappearing.
Through the county Of Tuscarrawas,
one of the largest tobacco growing coun
ties in Ohio, dealer told me the farm
ers only realized $3.50 to 81 90 per cwt.;
what our farmers would hardly take
for their lugs. From Newark to Mans
field we had as travelling companion
DIR. J. N. Mowry, a prominent physi-
clan of the latter place. A gentleman
of fine person, he interested me much
in detailing incidents of the war in that
portion of what is now West Virginia,
where the fight began. He was sur.
geon of the 14th Ohio, Col. Stedman,
and was at Phillip when Col. Porter
field received the shock from which he
never recovered. 1t was. too, a singular
circumstance, that the Dr.'s first case
was the amputation of the leg of oul
young friend, James Hanger, of youl
town, who had just reached Phillip, a
short time before, with some supplies
for his friends in the army, and wa.
struck by a stray shot in shed, where
he and others had sheltered for tn,
night, and which only hastened the re-
mOval of q limb previousIv diseased