Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-10-13
THE SECTION WHICH IS WEST VIR.
GlNlAS LAND OF PROMISE.
Scenes Along the Line of the Chesapeake
and Ohio Railroad-Ths State Capital
in '83-Railroad and River Pro-
jacts-Fish and Politics-The
Tower End Of the State.
LOCAL AND GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS.
Special Correspondence.
KANAwHA FALLS, w. Va
October 9, 1881.

BY circus and encumbered oy "run-
in" OF freight trains, which increased
and delayed travel considerably. 1t
does not require q mensgerie in this Sec
ton to get the honest yeomanry and
their wives, children and sweethearts
under the canvass. There must be
some amendment to the church dlscip-
liue which does away with the necessity
OF fOur-fOoted beasts and creeping
things as protection to members who
have q weakness for sawdust en-
tertainments. Anyhow the trains
both ways were crowded with circus
goers from the aged veterans with
grandchildren down TO the noisy youth
who sat with his girl on his lSp and q
bottle OF whisky in his sidePocket, "o'er
all the ills of lie victorious" The COL
ored people were well represented in
the crowd, and they are apparently the
happiest and most contented residents
in this end of the State. They get
along smoothly with the white natives
better in fact than the foreign white
element that furnishes most of the labor
too are cOlored men and the summer re-
sorts and hotels along the line Of the
railroad furnish considerable employ
ment for the others, in addition
to the ordinary work OF the
towns and farming communities.
Wherever, any considerable number OF
them are collected together, they have
their church and bush NEE ings and
keep themselves in - state OF chronic
revIvals with singing and shouting. The
latter, which occasionally resembles
species of madness, has some method in
It, Judging from story told by Father
Stenyer, Of Charleston. According to
the good fathers account, two OF his
cOlored domestics were discussing the
protracted meeting OF the previous even
ing and one OF them began TO berate the
other for holding her while she was try
ing to indulge in some religious gym
nastic over the tops OF the seats.
"What for you done hold me
last night, gal, when l was shoutin'P'
"De reason dat / Idone hole you Jimmy,
was kase you came near knockin over
de stove"
"Weil, you need'en mind hol'en me
agin gal. don't want nobody but Mr..
JOnson to hole me-"
Penisentiary Matters.
At Cannelton l met Major Bridges,
formerly superintendent OF the PeniIen-
tiary al Moundsville, but who now lives
at Huntington. He spoke enthusiastic
callv of the valley and said it was being
filled up rapidly with an excellent class
settlers. In Huntington he thought
over one hundred new dwellings
had been erected during the past season
and the extension of the car works there,
which is now settled upon, would bring
in three or four hundred additional
skilled workmen and their families.
Concerning his retirement from the
penitentiary, Major Bridges expressed
no regrets. 81 am going into the hotel
business at CanneltOn," he said, land
am rather glad that / made no effort to
be reappointed at Moundsyille. 1t is
pretty hard matter to run au institution
of that kind 10 SUIT everybody, with
board OF directors on one hand that want
70 direct everything by spending an
hour or two at the Institution every
month, and two or three
hundred convictI on the other who
need the: strictestS kind Of military dis
cipline 10 keep them under. As TO the
latter YOU can hardly understand how
hard il is to deal with them without
making mistakes. You cannot believe
anything they III you unless it Is sup
ported by other evidences, a%d cases
are continually arising whore you have
TO act promptly aud decidedly. For in
stance a convict will yet out Hf huu0r
with his employment and spoil the ma
terial entrusted to him. \ OrOlm L. n
be made so tuat it loJks all right on the
outside and yet comes 10 pieces when
handled. Or he will cut the leather in
whip lash and turn the ends under
40 that it can be- detected only on close
examination. Most conv!Cts are shEewd
enough to tell a plausible story, and
where complaints are made OF inirac-
tons Of the prison rules, you have got
10 be firm If the case ia sustained, for
they soon get your measure aud know
lust how lar they can 20 with you, l
used 10 make the guards carry book
and make 8 written statement OF ot-
lenses against the rules. These were
turned in and passed upon in sort OF
court Of inquiry, held every week. l
understand these courts OF inquiry have
recently been abolished by the Board OF
Directors, which il true is all wrong, for
fa convict is punished wrongtully on
the mere statement OF guard, he may
not know even for what he is being
punished, and conclude that there IS no
usa in trying to obey any rules what
ever. 1t is a serious thing too in this
that good time amounting TO perhaps
aix months, may be taken from him,
which is equivalent to a sentence OF six
months Imprisonment against him.
Charleston.
Stopping over at Charleston on Thurs
day I found the Permanent Seat that
is TO be-" looking brighter and more
prosperous than / ever saw it before.
fhe hotels were well filed with visitors;
a good many new buildings have been
erected and others are in course OF con-
structton, and merchants and manufac.
turers spoke very encoursgingiy oil
growing trads and prosperity. The new
Capitol building. or rather the improve
ments TO the old one, come on slowly,
the masonry being delayed somewhat
by the slowness Of the stone contractor
In getting out the material needed for
foundations and facings. The sandstone
used IA obtained from E'k river quarries
about seven miles from Charleston, and
is OF better grade than that commonly
used for building purposes Mr.. ehep-
pard, the capital builder, had been un-
fortunate in the matter OF encounterlng
marked advance in labor and material
since his contract was taken, the former
having come up nearly hty PER cent
and the latter q good deal more. The
building is rot completed fT enCu !h to
furnish much idea Cf It's appPaIlpee
when finished. The rear extension is
expected to be pnt under cover this win
ter. The addition TO the front is but
little above the foundation
Nearly opposite the state House