The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-09-13

fitvs, ,yearya ago. He told as that
| Powell. who was an early II English
settlar in these parts, and who had left bis
npn,e attached to the valley and several OF
| her peaks, had mined silver ore mile or
| two south from where we were then lying on
the grass, and that he YVES supposed TO nave
nnds much moneys but ne .hnatiy oisap-
pcared, aud no one knew what ever De.
came OF him. Our informant, VINO naa
passed three-score-and.ten, sald tnat IN
former times Tie people OF his valley spoke
Gcrmau. and that he and his wife kept up
between them the old custom, though his
children had never learned their ancestral
tongue. Though born and reared IN old
Virginia. this old gentleman had a broken
and foreign accent. From this 1t may be
Judged how secluded is life In Fort Valley.
Before bidding our pleasant acquaintance
| goodbye he gave us the route TO Gen 'ra!
Gilbert Mems, whom we had been Invited
to drop by and see on our way to Staunton.
And then we set out again. thinking the
| while that even II the fight Of years should
soon bring us through this secluded vale
again we>should yet probably never more
look upon the face OF the kindly old man.
We left the valley by def.e SHADED with
dense forest through the northern ridge
| OF the Massanutten. We travelled six or
seven miles with hardly break In the
woods. Nothing human appeared. We
were left to our own reflections; and as
night was rapidly approaching we sped
along over rough road, only now and then
disturbing that dark forest by an eXclama-
ton at its endlessness. Nightfall brought
us to Smiths creek, which, finding no foot
bridge, we had to ford; and in half an hour
we Knocked for admittance at the beautiful
and weII-appointed residence OF General
| Meem It IS needless to add we were well
received. warmed UP and cheered by
good supper, and after short though pleas
ant chat were sent to bed, where we slept
long and we'll.
One cannot speak too hatteringly OF
| strathmore. 1t seemed to us the hand
. soonest estate we had yet seen; certainly
!, surprising everything in the Valley. The
, land lies beautifully for cultivation and
stock-raising. The house-a large brlck
structure, OF lead color, tastefuiiy ana
conyeniently built-occupies the first emil
, nence west OF the North Fork OF the She
nandoah, which is spanned by substantial
and slightly bridge hundred yards from
the house itself. A lane OF bali mile runs
: from the bridge, through beautiful mea-
dows. to the great macadamzed road that
stretches through the heart OF the valley
r from stanton to Winchester. The corn
l
j. in front OF the house was higher than
we could reach with our Alpine stocks,
= while the wheat crop, which did not satisfy
/ the proprietor, averaged twenty-five BUSH
: els to The acre. The cattle browsing on
: the fine stand OF bluegrass were elephantlc
: in size and fat and sleek like seals. The
Cotswolds and Southdowns were splendidly
cared for, and presented in consequence q
fine appearance. We were shown TUT OF
wool that had been sheared on the place
I strands OF which were foot and half
: long. The ram that had grown it LETT on
the shearing-bench eighteen pounds OF
t wool at the same time. These statements
e seem almost incredible, but let the low
D lander remember the Valley is the garden
: OF Virginia and Strathmore is the pride OF
e the Valley. -. 49,
2 We took our departure early one MORN
ing. and were accompanied for mile or so
bv two fair companions who had exhibited
us TO the good people Of Mount Jackson as
two first-clasS gentlemen tramps. We were
out for forty mile walk that day, and as
cur gentle friends could neither 90 far nor
fast we selected the famous Rude's Hill as
the parting ground. Then came the walk
OF walks. We were in a good condition
physically. 1t was a pleasant day. There
was nothing to prevent the mile-posts flying
l by rapidly, and we made them fly. Rude's
Hill, New Market, Cross Keys, Harrison
burg, Port Republic-al famous names
!, now, but we had no time to pause-we
were walking our forty miles. Nothing
!, could delay US. We had to make Fort Def
ance that day. But we made it. Forty and a
half miles it is from Strathmore to the Old
, Stone church. The best walking we did
was after our twenty-fourth mile. We
went the twenty-fifth mile in thirteen and
, a half minutes. There were few miles that
t took us over sixteen minutes, the most OF
I them ranging between fourteen and fifteen.
E We spent the night at the parsonage OF the
: Old Stone church, 4 famous landmark in
; the ecclesiastical history OF the State. This
: time-honored editice was erected more than
: one hundred years ago by the combined
c labor OF the men and women-the Scotch
5 Irish-who first settled in the Valley.
i Around the church are the remains Of an
: old fort-Fort Detiance-which protected
the builders from the attacks OF the Indians.
3 The building is large and comm odlous, and
! in excellent Observation-Disclosures, at this
dav it takes rank among the finest OF country
, churches in Virginia. Rev. Alex. Sprunt,
/ q talented and energetic young preacher, IS
now the shepherd of the descendants OF the
: old Presbyterian flock that rererently Wor-
, shipped God in the ancient stone church
, nearly q century ana nal1 ago. ABOUT
, two hundred yards from the church is the
willow spring, which presents the novel
l and mysterious appearance OF u stream OF
water rushing out OF the trunk OF L willow
/ trough-a spout inserted In the tree about
, five feet from the ground. The eXplana-
ton Of this singular appearance is found
in the fact that many years ago gentleman
, conveyed the water from spring hun
! dred yards off to 4 trough by the roadside
through an underground pipe. at the
trough he bent the pipe, and running it up
through willow post about five feet made
a hole for the water to run out by spout.
In the course of time the willow-post took
root, and is now a good-szed tree, with
several large branches covered with leaves.
4 And the water flows on in cool limestone
current, exciting wonder and comment In
every stranger that passes that way.
We spent but one night in Staunton. We
found the time bad unconsciously flown
by, and we were already due elsewhere.
i We found ourselves famous men in Staun-
ton, but we tarried not. We set out for the
Humpback, where we wanted to see the
sun rise, and that extensive view Of the
i Valley and all the piedmont OF Albemarie
! and Nelson. En- route we passed through
the little village Of Shenandoah, which is
nestled far away by itself among the low
hills at the foot Of the Blue Ridge. The
night caught us climbing the mountain to-
wards the Humpback, whose frownlng,
! black face had been in view all day long.
But we never seemed TO go directly towards