Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-01-31
Chapter of "Reminiscences.
BY THE BERKELEY BOY"

The aliusion, in my letter from
here, / incidentally mentioned the
old Presbyterian church on King
street, the locating of which there
was probably thought to be mis-
take by some OF the younger read
ers of the INDEPENDENT, the edi-
flee wherein that denomination
now worship having its site on
Queen street.
In my reference to the old land
mark on King street, the site Of
which, with straining eyes, /
barely succeeded in identifying
by debris as / drove past. ] also
mentioned the name of the vener-
ated pastor of the Presbyterian
church ia the days Of my boyhood,
Rev. James Brown. From my
memory has passed the names Of
all the other officials of the church,
or became so dim that | scarcely
dare to attempt their mention
Perhaps Mr.. Baker was among
them; if not his excellent wife GER
tainly was among the "deacon-
eses" who needed no laying on Of
hands to make them efficient in
their self-imposed labors of love.
But / would be doing injustice TO
the memory of a sister of hers,
were / to place her at the head Of
the list of the class of workers al
luded to. She was Mrs. Cooper,
wife of the old demure postmaster
of that name. Being childless
Mrs. Cooper was in position to
render great service to the cause
Of religion, and she did it without
question. The young ministers
became as pet children to our
chilldless high priestess-such, for
example, as "young David Rid
de-" as he was called at the date
in reference, say from forty to fifty
years ago.
/ have the impression that Mr..
Riddle was educated, ut least in
part, by funds raised in the church.
If so, Mrs. Cooper could not have
failed to take leading part in
raising them. 1t is pleasant to be
able to recall no divinity students
whom she helped through college
as having apostated OF all despic-
able bipeds the scapegraces who
have been guilty of this base in
gratitude are most execrable in my
estimation. l encountered one
such who had been sent to Can
nonsburg little ahead of myself
and my contemporaries, James Frs
kline Stewart, David III. Strother
and other Berkeley boys whom /
met there. Mr.. David Riddle
had graduated there some years
earlier.
One of the first invitations / re-
ceived to join any company of my
fellow students, in a social way, /
was given to understand, was a
"mock prayer meeting" Q) the
leader of which was being educat-
ed on funds raised in one of the
lower counties of Maryland
Charles, / think, by just such So
licitors as Mrs. Cooper and her
associates. His shamelessly irrev-
erent conduct was we'll calculated
to recall the description of the
apostates of scriptural times whose
last estate was worse than the
first, because of their having taken
in seven devils at once,
When / mention the name of
the leader of the mock prayer
meeting at Cannonsburg as that of
Samuel Dexter LIE Compt all read
ers of advanced years, and such as
are politico- Historically informed
as to the trying crisis OF their
country, will at once recall the in
famous "Le Compton Constitu-
tion," wherewith the Border Ruff
fans attempted, under the lead of
him whose name it adjectively
bore, because made at Lecompton,
a town named for him to enthral
nascent freedom in Kansas by fas-
tening upon her the worst features
of the slave code. What more
fitting preparation for and proph-
esy of his future career of infamy
could LIE Compt have Afforded than
his voluntary leadership in collie
giate transactions Intended to- cast
reproach on the church whose
funds had obtained him admission
at Cannonsburg, as we have seen?
But am not quite done with
the old Presbyterian church. /
have reminiscent thought of her
Sunday School, which my notes
on the Presbyterian School of
Berkeley Springs called up before
my mental vision. Although
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