The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-04-24

EDITORIAL EXPEDITION
INFO the Interior Us far as the County
seas Of Barbour-No tcs by the Way and
atthe objective Point-Court Day After
ak Months VacHIIon-A Republican
and Democratic Meeting All In ono.
On Monday last the writer hereof lett
Wheeling for a trip into the interior Of the
State. as far as the historic town OF Phil
llpi, the county seat Of Barbour. Leaving
by The 1885 A. NJ. train on the B. & O.
road, Grafton was reached between two
and three o'clock in the afternoon, where
a very Indifferent dinner was had at the
railroad hotel, and Webster, the "point
divergence Tor Phillip and Beverly, dis
tant miles from Grafton, on the Parkers'
burg branch, was made at half past three
It was o rainy day, and there was no Gov
cred vehicle to be had, but there was gum
wrap or two to be borrowed, (thanks tothe
kindness ofthe old gentleman who keeps
the Adams Housed and ACQUIRED in these
we set out in Jersey wagon for the spot
where the opening performance ofthe
war took place nineteen years ago this
coming Sd day Of June.
Phillip Is ~ miles away from the rail.
road at Webster, and the course Is due
South over hills and through wales innum'
cradle, but through country that con-
stantly grows on the eye and the imagina'
ton OF the traveller, whether it be the
first or second time he has made the trip.
When Journey into such parts oil West
Virginia Us Taylor and Barbour counties,
and see the natural capacity OF the soil,
aud contrast the sparseness of the popula'
ton and the backwardness OF everything
in the shape OF development, always
think OF that story Of the Country Parson
entitled, Concerning people out OF whom
more might have been made"
The present condition OF West Virginia
ia the legacy that slavery, secession and
Democracy left her, and yet the people Of
West Virginia cling to Democracy from
the force Of hereditary prejudice and habit
lust Us the prisoner OF Chillon at last
preferred, after long captivity, his dungeon
and his chains to sunligh. and freedom.
We had for our driver MIR. Gall, q
relative Of the editor OF the Phillip Plain
dealer, very sensible man, who was
born and raised near Phillip, and who
knew all the people, all the farms, and all
the ways OF the country, and was not
averse 10 answering the questions OF an
inuuisitiye newspaper man. In fact he
rather enjoyed It. He took pains to point
out the objects Of interest along the road,
commencing with the fine large home oil
Ruben DAWSON, the cattle king OF Taylor
county, who used to be In the Legislature
along about lSBS,G9, and who was known
there rs he Is ut home for shrewd com.
mon sense aud general worldly wisdom.
Out Of the profits OF many drive from the
valley oil the Greebrier he has built him.
self one OF the handsomest houses In the
State-too handsome altogether to be left
unsurrounded by any adjuncts in keep
ing with 1t.
JOHN 8, BURDETT.
As we wound along certain hill side
half way to Philippi, said to myself this
is the hill on which l met John
s. Bnrdett returning from the "bat.
tie Of Phillippi." l remember how
he stood up in the wagon as win
and Frank Kelly (sons OF the Gen-
eral) and myself passed him on that hill
road, and how he triumphantly exhibited
cannon ball that had been shot from one
OF Lander's pieces early that morning
perhaps the same ball that took that I'M.
fortunate boys leg off who had hid in the
stable, and petchance the very same that
so narrowly escaped Col. Ben. Martin on
the same memorable occasion. Burdett
was then living at Pruntytown and had
been member Of the Richmond Conyen.
ton, and had stood up stout and strong
against the Ordinance OF secession, despite
bis antecedents in the slave business, and
had come home and taken an active part
in the 18th oil May convention at Wheel.
ing. He was full OF zeal fer the Union
cause, and no doubt he meant and still
means TO leave that cannon ball as tro.
ply TO his children's children. 1.-THE
ways Of life are tangled and many there
be thatlose their way" The Captain was
like the man who co.operAted with the
Liberals in England, and who said that
although they we're going ss far as Slough,
and he only as iaras Horn-slough, yet he
would travel as far as he went In their
company. And so as Commissary during
the war, and Senator from The district Of
Taylor, Preston and Monongalia after the
war, the Captain travelled a good piece
with the Republicans, but finally switched
of at Hornslough and went back TO HE
own.
NINETEEN YEARS.
Il was nineteen years siuce l travelled
up this steep hill side, but the Impressions
OF the long gone occasion seemed to come
back with remarkable freshness as / re.
called incident after incident, by the way,
like the one Just referred to. We we're At
Grafton when the news came that Mon.
day morning June 8, 1861, ola great battle.
/ had seen Lander return and report 10 |
Gen. Morris before we left for Phillip,
and as did not then know how hard ne
drank was impressed by his used up Rp.
pearance that he had gone through ter
tible ordeal Of some kind. So We got on
cattle car that was moving down the Par
kersbuTH road, and stopping at Webster,
where all was excitement, only long
enough to half hire aud half conscript
three horses, We rode over this same mud
pike, Just alter rain, aud landed at
philiipi about the middle OF the afternoon.
Nineteen years had brought their
changes 10 the country. There are now
ever SO many new houses along the route,
and among them Two or three white !