Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-12-19
OUR CHARLESTON LETTER.
News from the Kanawha Valley
There is Trouble Brewing In
the Sheriff's Ofhce-The Names
on the Political Slate for Differ
ent Offices.

Correspondence OF the REGISTER.
CHARLESTON, w. ", Dec. Is.
The Kanawha river rose eight feet
this week, and let out thousands OF
bushels of coal. River men are happy
over this boom, and a revival OF BUSH
ness is very perceptible.
Judge Smiths court is still in session,
and sent two more candidates to
Moundsville to-day. G. W. Hartwell
goes for five years for horse-stealing,
and John Wynn, who has been notori-
Gus for general meanness around town,
received one year for cutting some fel-
low in a bar-roOm row.
Now that the Swinburn-Dryden con-
tested election case has subsidized, we
are. from all appearances, about to have
a rehearsal of it in the sheriff's office.
The great trouble with Swinburn
was not that he did not get
votes enough, but that he was not
a citizen OF the United States,
but subject OF Great Britain and there
by not entitled to his office. The same
question in reference TO our vely popu-
lar Sheriff not being naturalized was
talked Of at the same time, but we heard
no more of it till now, and the contest,
if it comes up, will be Taxpayers VS..
John A. Rossler. The history OF it is
briefly this: Several thousand acres OF
land were returned delinquent and sold
by the Sheriff in accordance with law,
but now these delinquent land owners
will put in a plea of defense that the sale
was illegal and that they had no legal
notice OF the sale, because kanawha
county has had no sheriff since 1877,
otherwise Mr.. Rossler is not citizen OF
the United States, but an alien. We
are not informed as TO the correctness OF
the defense, but were told by a very
prominent gentleman that Mr.. Rossler
had never been naturalized. We
went TO the office to-day to interview
him, but he was not in, so we
give this as we got it from other parties.
Kanawha has never known a more
popular sheriff or more worthy gentle
man than John III. Rossler, and we hope
he will be able to come out all right,
but in case he does not the records and
the business transacted by him will be
null and void and kanawha county
affairs, so far as the sheritialty is con
cerned, will be in terrible muss.
However, there is a year for the re-
damption of these lands and the whole
affair may blow over. We will give
Mr.. Rossler's side OF the story in our
next.
Candidates for the different State
offices are looming up here. Thos. +.
Broun heads the list on the slate for
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and will in all prob
ability be the Democratic nominee. lie
is an efficient gentleman and has never
offered for an Office before,
but has served in the Democratic ranks
faithfully and without recompense.
c. C.. Watts, late law partner OF John
T.. Kenna, also has an eye on the Attor-
new Generals office, but will, perhaps,
compromise on the commemorative at
torney of kanawha county, as this is
the first step to Congress from this Dis
trict. There are other aspiring candi-
dates for the different offices which We
have not time to mention now, as they
are written very dimly on the slate, and
we have not time to decipher them.
Judge Jackson has sent word that he
will not be here on the 18th, as he in
tended, and his Court will stand adj
iourned until the next regular term.
JEUHUs.