Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1880-03-23
For the SPECTATOR.
Letter from FiShersville.
FIsHERsN1LLE. March 10Th. 1880.

FIsHERsNILLE, March 18th, 1880.
EDS. SPECTATOR II have before me
a very interesting old paper, headed.
"STAUNToN SPECTATOR and General
Advertiser. Vol. XVI. No. 35. Staun-
ton, Va, July 25th. 1885,"
On the first page DIR. Evans advertises
q soothing syrup, prepared by himself,
for children teething; and states that
the valuable medicine may be had in
Staunton of E. Berkeley & Co.
On the same page Allen & Cochran
advertise new goods.
Next comes the poem, "Parting
Words" by James Montgomery, fol-
lowed close by "The Angels Wing"
from the New York Albion.
This is followed by snake story from
the Perry Forester.
In this story is description of the
snake of which we have all heard, and
which is enormously supposed to have
the power of separating itself into an
indefinite number of pieces.
The supposed serpent has had the
name of joint snake applied to it.
The writer of the "snake story"
however, sets the whole matter at rest
by giving his experience with one OF
these supposed snakes.
Seeing one crawling across his path,
he struck it, and was astonished to find
it instantaneously fall asunderin hun
dred places. He at once began an eX-
animation, which resulted in the dis
covery of the fact. that, instead of its
being snake, it was only number of
"brown worms, measuring about three
eighths of an inch in length, with q
white head and small white speck on
the tall" These, when struck, loosed
their hold on each other. and, when the
cause of disturbance was removed,
would rapidly reunite and continue
their journey.
Then comes a description of an
"Orang Outang," from AfTica's LunaS-
nary.
This must have been great curiosity
to the beholder of forty years ago, for
he gives whole column to the "Man
Monkey"
Next we have the "Alligator Hunt"
''The Mastodon," Advantages of Ly-
ing" etc., etc.
On the second page, the Editor sails
into the delinquents and threatens to
drop the last rascal who fails to pay uI
by specific time.
The Editor ''has just returned from
the Exhibition of Mr.. Mccormick g
Reaping Machine'-says sit is an ad-
mirable invention"
We have next the report of Whig
meeting, in which Col. James Crawford
was called to the chair and Erasmus
Stribling appointed secretary. Every
thing in the meeting was in apple-pie
shape and passed off satisfactorily.
But we must jump ahead, or we will
string our letter to too great length.
We find on the third page that VIM.
Bell had lost a sorrel horse; that John
A. North has land for sale, and that
Benz. Crawford has quantity of wood
to dispose of at cheap prices.
There are several legal notices on the
same page, besides number of adver-
tisements of goods, &c.
Lists of letters remaining in the
Staunton and Waynesboro' offices.
L. Tremper was the P. M. at the
former place and A. Lynn at the latter.
The most striking advertisement in
the whole paper is this -
chase number of Negroes of both sex
es, for which I will pay the highest cash
price. Any communication promptly
attended to. J. w. PITTMAN.
The old paper has tendency to carry
one back and awaken train of thought
not altogether unpleasant, although,
while thinking, the faces of many dear
old friends (whose names are preserved
in ink pass before us-faces that to oul
natural eye are forever shut out.
Forty years ago! How many of those
who carried the business of your flour
ishing city upon their shoulders, and
who were the men of that day, are now
to be seen upon your streets?
Some, it is true, remain, but yearly
the number lessons, and in few more
years that generation will have entirely
passed away. A. A. A.