The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-08-29
MRS. n&L's LETTER.
Correspondence of the Herald.


HARPER's FERRY, August 81, 1880 y
Last "Wednesday evening the Hon. Mr.
Sturgis, Republican candidate for governor
of West Virginia, addressed his friends and
fellow citizens" of this place on the political
situation in general, and his owa case in par
ticular, About one hundred persons OF vari-
Oh: sizes and ages and previous condition OF
servitude assembled in the postofiica building
to hear him. Right hear let nae pause to e1-
plain. The postohice occupies one room on
the first floor ofthis building; one other Is used
by dress maker in pursuit Of lIvlihood
tho two rooms opposite evidently In
other and better days the parlors OF
the hou.e-are used for school room,
being made one by sliding doors
kept open, while the upper stories are utilized
for q boarding house. IL was III Tue school
rooms that the audience collected.
Eight o'clock having arrived without bring
ing enough to fill the house, a SAiwart negro
-incited thereto by Lawyer Davis,tne ruling
spirit of the hour-took the schoo! Dell from
lis shelf and went out into the highways of
the town to ring in the dilatory seovereigns.
This novel method succeeded III .hlling the
rooms, bu. not crowling them, and Mr., Stur,
gis was ''introjuced' by Mr.. Davis in the
sweetest Irish brogue you can imagine, and
in a very pretty speech. MIR. Sturgis is a
good speaker, and has candid, 'ingenu.
Gus way of putting things, very convincing
to the untutored mind, and calculated to
begui!e even the we'll instructed. He doesn' t
say anything new but he says old things in a
new way. He is not vituperatve, but he is
cool, fluent, and processes to deal only in
practical facts. He said, among other things,
that the prosperity Of West Virginia de-
pended upon her cutting herself loose from
the conservative south, and allying herselfto
the progress in the north;that the Democratic
party was the south and the Republican
party the north, and consequently the only
way to effect or complete the separation, was
to vote the Republican ticket straight in
November. Mr. Sturgis was born in Ohio,
but unable to make living in
that progressive state, emigrated to
the conservative south where he
was at one time Democrat and edited a
paper of ultra Democratic views. He stated
this latter fact, and said 81 was young then,
but low know better"
He was followed by q Colonel Hutchinson,
Reprepublcan candidate for congress in the
second district, who is very ugly and very
humorous candidate indeed. He made a
very pleasant variety in the evenings per.
Torrance and sent everybody HON In good
humor.
Thursday large party Of us went to
Sharpsburg, twelve miles from here, to see
the battle-ground. Everybody here calls it
Antietam, but think Sharpsburg more cor
rect. believe the battle is generally called
Sharpsburg in southern reports. 1t began at
Antietam creek and ragged over six miles
past Sharpsburg in n0rtherly direction.
There is a federal cemetery about half q
mile from Sharpsburg 1t is like other fed
eral or military cemeteries, except that it
numbers among its decorations spiked can,
non left there by the contederates, and dated
1872, very likely one we took from the
English in the war of that year. There is a
tower built so the superintendent cottage
FROM tho top of which you have lovely
view, which you can enjoy if you can get up
there alone, SO that the sound OF nu'
man strife and human suffering
does not reach you, detailed
in that wearied monotonous voice pecullar to
guides and Cieerones. | felt profound pity
for the officer in charge the day we went
there. One of our party was Yankee,
whose talent for asking questions amounted
to genius. The officer fought the battle all
over, pointing out as he went the various
places mentioned he was very clear, simple
and comprehensive thought; but when he
had finished aud drawn a long breath of re-
lief that the so soft told tale" was ended, our
interrogation point began and "harked him
back" over the entire ground as if we hadn't
heard a word of tho description. The
central figure of the cemetery, i;
United States soldier leaning on
his musket and grimly surveying the scene
OF the first drawn battle. 1t is fine statue
heroic size of granite, and is surrounded on
a., sides with regular rows of little white
stones which mark the graves. This regular
ity suggests the rather profane word o
"planted,' often used for buried. In goins
we passed along the very road travelled by
Jackson's army in that famous march.
rarely read descriptions of battles, for, as
rule they leave me even more confused thai
they find me, but when you have thu
ground before you, even the dulles
must get some idea of the battl
fought upon it. The only drawback is, nj
two people will give you the fac.s alike. on
man who ''saw the whole fight will poin
out certain red brick house as McClelland'
headquarters, while another, who also saw i
ali, will tell you that was Lees headquarters
and so on. | remember one description o
the battle of Chattanooga, published, think
in the Memphis Eagle and ILquirer, that wa
a perfect word picture, and that even | cearl,
comprehended.
Ole Bull is dead. How strange that b
who made that wonderful old violin ute
such delicious sounds should perish Will
the violin is more vigorous and strong. thai
ever, and the sweet sounds linger fresh IN GU
souls. His death was calm and peaceful
like the dying out of long drawn csdenza
l am very glad l heard him whenever
could.
have nothing more to say but adieu.