The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-04-01
..WELLsBURG REVISITED
By One Of Her Old Citizens
After a Long Absence,
u 9Eag4 IgFs 100 -77-' itiUa. 10,
interesting "reminiscences Of the Town and
and lie People, Especially the Duddrldve
Family and the Editor Of the
-. ~ Herald.
wEllsDuRo, March, 1870.

twenty years sleepin this ancient tow
instead otthe village Of the Knickerbock
ers, he would have found little to astonisl
him, save, perhaps, the whistle Of the 10
connective. After an absence Of nearly tina
length ottime, save one or two flying Wis
its, ! find it but little changed. True, thu
railroad, that contamination Of lons-cher
ished hopes, Is at last finished. But ever
therailrosd has proven disappointment
Not exactly because Of any lack in its utili,
~, but rather because this people hung
their hopes too high on expectations peg.
When this road was built large manpfac-
turing establishments were to spring up;
thenatural resources of the town and sur.
rounding country, were to be developed,
and Wellsburs was to take q anew lease OF
life and prosperity, and town lots and 9th.
er. property were to bring price
Commensurate with the Importance
OF the place. None Of these things
have come to pass, and the explanations OF
their failure are-various. One individual
facetiously informs US that as soon as an
enterprising firm comes here for the pur.
pose Of starting some manufacturing in
dustry, instead Of encouragement by do
nations Of land. etc., there are two com.
tnittees Immediately iormed-one to find
out how much money the firm has, the
other to take it from them, This state Of
affairs gives occas;s for the ventilation Of
the fayorite theme OF those people Ia mum.
Der Of whom are found in every commu-
pfty) who believe that since they we're
young the world has stood still, or even
refrigerated. They would rather hear the
winding horn OF the coachman as he blew
a blast from the brow OF the hill, announc.
ing the arrival OF the mail, than the shrill
whistle OF the locomotive as It rushes
through the streets Of the town. They
prefer the hat-bottom boats, with their
yearly cargoes OF produce, TO the magnif.
cent steamboat which walks the waters
like q thing Of life. They even pine after
the days Of slavery, although in this town
not one In two hundred ever owned a
cents worth Of "nigger.n
It Is hardly to be denied, however, that
in the days Of fiatboating Wellsburg was u
more important town than it is to-day.
Then Buffalo creek, from its mouth 10
Bethany, was lined with Touring mills,
which were busy manufacturing flour that
ranked in that day pretty much as the
grade OF minnesota Patent" does at pres.
ent. This flour was principally shipped
from WeIlsburg in aatboats, and with
whisky, corn, apples, potatoes and all
kinds of country produce, went 10 make
up q cargo for Cincinnati and New Or
leans. A, great deal oil money was made
In this business. In fact the substantial
men OF Brooke-the Tarrs, the Browns,
the Bells, the Dormans, the Stars, the
Gists, and numerous others, can trace the
foundation Of their prosperity to the early
days Of fatboating.
Some Of the old landmarks Of Wellsburg
are, missing. The Doddridge mansion
pointed 10 with pardonable pride by the
citizens OF this place as the residence oil
the. distinguished Phillip Doddridge-was
demolished number OF years ago in con.
sequenceof the high water undermining
the foundations and the front wall falling
in. Inits day this house was perhaps the
most pretentous OF the village. A porch
ran around two sides ofit, and from this a
fine view Of the river in both directions
was obtained. The grounds, occupying
about two-thirds of the square, were filled
with grape arbors running in all directions
ample, plum, peach and ounce trees. The
interior Of the house with its high mantle
pieces, curiously carved with quaint fig.
rres, would be acuriosity in this day. Mr.
Doddridge wasota eonyiyal disposition and
/ ID this house 1t was his wont 10 entertain
| his friends in princely style. Alter his
death II was occupied by his Bon.in'
law, Perry Plattenburg, with whom
his widow remained. The writer's recol
LECTION OF Mrs. Doddridge is that she was
plain, unassuming old lady OF Dutch
extraction. / have often heard talk Of 9
circumstance referred to by Hon. Wait
lman-T. Wiley in his sketch OF PHILLIP
lDoddridge," d, the curious case Of sus
| ended animation and supposed death o.
her husband, about ten years before tha
event actually occurred, In speaking o.
ltbis she took no pains to hide the Their
well.known libatious popensties OF hel
Husband. During one Of his periodical
snells. he was taken suddenly aud violent
llyill, and to all appearances died. Ply
sicians were summoned, but alter pra9tE
cling their art were reluctantly compelled
| to pronounce the man dead. In place lac
ouiescing in thisdecision, Mrs. Doddridge
with the energy Of despair, went to worI
TO fesuscttate him, and with the assistance
| Of Aunt Polly,n slave in the family, BY
means OF copious outward applications o
brandy and vigorous friction, to the aston
Iishment OF doctors and friends, succeeded
I'm printing him back TO life. He lived To-
ten wears alter, and died suddenly !,
Washington City while representing hi
district In Congress. His widow Away
maintained that II she had been with hin
lin his latter illness, he would not hav,
died at that time.
The mention OF Aunt Pollys name 70
minds me that she was the mother OF tn
the last Individual ever logged atthe pub
Lilo whipping post In this town. His nam
was Dawson-John Dawson. AT least h
. was called by that name. don't knoy
whether Aunt Polly's name was Dawson
or not, as such small matters as that wer
mot inquired into very infinitely anon
hecoloFed population Of those days. job
at that time was considered one Of III
worst niggers in the town, and at last wa
arrested FOR some petty ottense, taken bt
. fore the powers that be, and sentenced L
perhaps, five and twenty lashes well lai
/ on, I9byIthe town Constable, at the publ
whipning.post in'the Court House yart
, White people werenot logged in this mar
ner,, but,the negtoes were tied up on yer
slight proyocation. In this instance 1t al
pears 10 have had very salutary etfeC
and might be taken as an argument
favor q lie adoption as q retornator
: measure at the present time. From th,
Q day John Dawson was quite o ditferel
u man. He opened q barber.shop under Il
!, old Virginia House, became an industl
IouS citizen, and by close attention to but