Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-10-24
rHE DELAY IN TEE ELECrIoN ne
TURNS IRON TUCKER.


It raises big trees, big bears, big
panthes, big bucks big birds, and
few-yery few-big people.
It preserves its pristine rusticlty to q
degree that would fascinate DAN.
BOONE.
The romance of life in Tucker county
Is wildly portrayed in the recital OF an
incident in the last weeks Tucker coun-
ty Pioneer, q weekly paper published at
the county seat. ~ -.-....
This incident took precedence Of the
election returns. They did hold an
election in Tucker, nearly two weeks
before the last issue Of the Pioneer, but
either the Commissioners carrying the
returns got lost IN the forests or they
were sill counting when the Pioneer
was published-at any rate, the Pioneer
had heard nothing about the result.
This may not appear strange when
we remember that old man kIrzMIL-
LER, who is one Of the oldest and best
known citizens Of Tucker, happened to
fall in conversation with sportsman
who had strayed into those forests about
the year 1858 or "a, and the subject of
the great war of the rebellion being
mentioned, which had then been in pro-
Eress for two or three years, KrTzAIL-
LER was ready with conflrmatory evil
dence that "there must be war going
on, for he had several times heard
somethin' like the shootin' of cannon
cross the mountains thar"
They don't "catch ON very readily
in Tucker to the progress Of events, but,
doubtless, they have little world OF
their own that Is good deal bigger to
them than anybody else's world.
1t was last Sunday morning a week
ago that the people of Horse Shoe Run,
id Tucker county, according to the
Pioneer, were thrown into q fever Of
excitement, and the settlers on that run
collected together, first in several little
knots, and at last in one big knot, and
with faces full Of curiosity, exchanged
views upon the all absorbing fact that a
young man ofthst settlement had been
seen riding down the road bright and
early that morning, leading an extra
horse.
Now, at first blush, there doesn't
seem to be very much cause for excite
ment over the sight of q man leading
an extra horse down one Of those
mountain roads, for it is frequent, or
not unusual, event.
But the one suggestive feature about
this extra horse was that he was equip
ped with a side-saddle. Ii he did not
have a regular side-ssddle-that is, o
saddle with two horns instead OF one,
which usually determines the gender Of
the saddle-it probably had the right
stirrup ofthe male saddle thrown across
the seat, and this little incident of the
equipment did not escape the sharp
ewes of the denizens of Horseshoe
Run.
The result Of this caucus of settlers
was the unanimous conclusion that an
affair of no small moment was about to
be consummated, in which the chigalry
of the settlement was at stake. The
courtesy, the manners, the manhood Of
the settlement, demanded that If that
young man with the extra horse was;
going for bride, the event should be
celebrated in, manner becoming the
chivalry of Horse Shoe Run.
Sure enough, the pickets who had
been sent out to shadow the young man
with a side-saddle, sent the word along
the line about sunset of that evening
that the young man was returning with
a side saddle full of a buxom bride.
The caucus again assembled. TOP
DIE was elected Captain. Twenty of
the finest looking men of the lot were
selected as his company. They donned
their most fantastic costumes. For
example, JEFF was dressed in lady's
clothes, wore false face with a snout
made of sock stuffed with bran, and
had golden slippers on his feet, with
claws like eagles" 1t was sdjudged
that "JEFF" was the finest looking one
in the gang.
This company, too, was composed OF
q band Of celebrated musicians and they
took with them their instruments.
Among the instruments enumerated is
the tenor drum, with all manner Of
bells, cow bells, sheep bells, dinner
bells, and horns, kettles, fiddles, conches,
and number Of other rlameless instru-
ments Of harmony known only to the
professionals of Tucker county.
The house Of the bride and groom was
reached. They marched around it seven
times, like the Egyptians of Jericho,
and then knocked gently and diff
IDENTIFY at the door as callers upon the
happy couple. There was no response
from within, and the band was ordered
to play, and the music that followed
was said to have filled the mountains
with melody until they began to shake
and the high crags to crumble.
Again the captain Knocked, but no
response; and again the band was Or
dered to play. As an accompaniment
to this piece, six Of the members of the
band opened fire with double-barrel
REMINGTON muskets, and at each vol
ley the fire flew an hundred feet, and
lit up the woods and resounded through
the mountains and was heard distinctly
SIX miles distant.
Again the captain raped gently, but
no response was received. The COM
pany was then ordered to take positions
on the porch Of the dwelling. The
band began TO play and the dance was
on. 1t must have been a wild, weird
soana The rolling of the drums. the