The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1881-07-06

= ~ u E ~. ~, ~ = ~ . | ,tf,2fi i.I.-| I've
county mad acq qulfed a population of
several hundred; it had a store, Al post
Office, two. churches, a school. house
and several shops. The people of
that quiet little hamlet were. spros-
percusand happy; yes, happy inilheir
ignorance Of what was necessary for
their own welfare and the. public
good. For SO strangely benighted
were they that as yet, they had no
licensed hotel to spread its legalized
blessings around, as the deadly pesti.
lential dew falls on some Of die coun.
tries of the burning zone. Fer years
thislittle village had nestled among
the fertile fields Of Western Cd,
and SO far as the records OF. our Grim.
inal court showed, its existence was
unknown at the county seat, for no
criminal case had been "sent np''
from its law.abidiug precincts. But
the march of Improvement is ever
onward. There came an enterpris-
ing man, and, unfortunately for the
village, he was a man Of "good moral
character" and therefore a fit jrecipi.
ent for the favors Of. the court. He
proposed to purchase a corner1lot in
the place, and erect thereon fine no,
tel. The good, staid, and. sober old
burghers Of the town were rejoiced at
the contemplated great improve.
ment; it was just what was wanted
to make San embryonic New
York, and the price of village lots
went up with a bound.
Time passed on, the hotel was com
pleted, furnished, and was to5be open
ed on the 22d day Of February. An
application had been made for a Ii
cense, and, if it was granted, the pro-
prietor proposed to give a grand ball
on the night Of the opening, atwhich
time the well stocked bar was to be
SO free that those who attended could
sin without money and withoutiprice
he well knowing that the. seed thus
sown9 would ia time yield him. an
abundunt harvest, though the gath
ering might leave behind the barren
stubble-feld of drunkenness and
crime.
Ofcourse the license was granted.
The proprietor was, as l have said,
unfortunately man of good moral
character and temperate habits
Deacon A., Of the Baptist Church; Glass
leader B., of the Methodist Church;
Elder c., Of the U. P. Church; Doctor
D., Squire E., and a number of lesser
lights of the society of the village
signed the certificates of the proprie-
tors good character, Believing, that all
that was required to make the little
town happy and prosperous the rests
of their days was legalized place to
commence 10 manufacture drunkards.
The name was the UNITED STATES
HoTEL," at S.
Time moved on; the 22nd day of
February came at last, and all the
lads and lassies for miles around were
there. The bar was open and Free
In the course of the evening some
young men who had never been &C.
customed to drink before, because the
law had never placed it so convient-
ly within their reach, got drunk.
There was row in the bar-room.
Free whiskey ended, as usual, in a
free fight, and one Henry D., son of
widow, who lived a mile or two from
the place, in fit of drunken frenzy,
with his naked hands, struck stand
of glasses that stood on the counter
and dashed them on the floor. The
broken glass cut his hand severely
One of his companions, Will W., tax,
ing from Henrys pocket a white silk
pocket handkerchief and wrapping
it around his bleeding hand, tied the
corner ends together. The young
man left the hotel with several 9th.
ers, and was at home in the morning
but he was so drunk that lie forgot
the important fact that he had taken
a young lady to the dance, until he
was reminded of it in a somewhat
emphatic manner by the young lady
herself the next day, she being at the
time an inmate of his mothers house.
William w., who tied the hand
kerchief around Henry's bleeding
hand, was the owner of a small store
that store that stood near the canal.
His stock of goods consisted of coarse
clothing, usually worn by boatmen,
and general assortment Of boat sup.
plies. He was a man of low associa.
tions and bad repute. His store was
the nightly resort Of boatmen and
roughs, who live along the water
thoroughfares of the country, and the
women who do "cui8ine" on board the
canal boats. That night William
was at the dance until nearly day.
liphk Tn tho morning ha disnnvarad