Daily Republican., 1881-09-24
LETTER FROM WEST VIRGINIA.
BIG CREEK COTTAGE,
SUMMERS COUNTY, w. VA.
Santem her 10. 1881.

September 10, 1881. }
Special correspondence Of the REPUBLICAN.
For the last seven weeks we have had
no rain, and you might with all pro-
priety direct any communication in
tended for your correspondent to Dry
Creek, for Big Creek has been dry It's
entire length, Give miles), for mere
than a month. There has been a heavy
| rain storm south of us, and to-day New
river is full and has backed the waters
of the Greenbrier to point only mile
distant from my place. Unit! to-day
you could wade the Greenbrier at any
point, a thing not known Of for fifty
years.
Our circuit court adjourned Thursday
last after disposing of Il larger number
of cases than ever. Judge Holt cleared
the docket of quite number which had
been "cOntinued" heretofore. AT this
term our Grand Jury indicted the Ches.
apeake and Ohio railroad Company for
running their freight trains on the Sab
bath. Our wise ones pred ct Il removal
of the company's machine shops by way
of retaliation. If the company is wise
| it will submit to the execution of the
law.
| have occasionally furnished you
with a fish story, now will give you
one about snake. A shot time since
heard very vicious squealing of
rodents in my stable. On opening tn"
door ascertained the disturbance arose
from black snake which had thrown
/ $ coils around two rats, ana was then
and there, in the horse manger, crush
ing their bones like pipe stems. call
ell two Of my neighbors to witness the
fact and the process of deglutition until
blacky had gotten himself outside of the
rats. How the reptile caught two at
one time is to ME mystery. These
snakes grow very large. l saw ono
crawling slowly around the corner of
my hog pen yesterday, aud upon mark
ing the spot wue,e his tail Was and tne
point his head had reached found his
length to be u tritie over seven feet.
notwithstanding the very severe
drouth my corn will yield fair crop,
being most of it on river bottoms. But
some of my neigAbors will not gather
more than fifty bushels in all The hot
weather dried the grains before they
could mature AID three-tourths of the
ears were good for nothing. Our wheat
crops was larger than that OF 1880 and
goes far to make up for the deficiency
in corn.
The creeks having dried up the saw
mills could not be run for want of water
tand much loss has been caused there
by.
Game is plentiful and We are COM
PEELED TO make war on the squirrels, rae
coons, musk rats and marmots to pre-
serve our corn crop. Fifteen or twenty
squirrels and occasionally raccoon or
rnarmot is considered good morning
or evening s work.
Some of our Hinton youth have stray
ed as far as Big Creek to shoot squirrels
and your humble servant has Witness
ed one empty his double bare'led gun
no less than five times, then bring down
nothing We woodSmen, scarcely, If
ever, waste any ammuni,ion-sho
our game in the head-ard we get more
than we want for use. suppose prac-
tiCe makes perfect.
Our forests have been on fire for n
week past and We have with great diff
Guilty saved our fences. Upon one oc-
casion had my eyebrows and beard
siLged and became coml letel y exhaust
ed with the labor.
Hoping to give you better account
Of luatters and things soon, remain
w. B. W.