Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1883-07-03
A Bird's.Eye View Of StauntOn, Va.
A FEW BRIEF ITEMS PICKED UP HERE
AND THERE OF ITS FAMOUS CITIZENS.

Written for the SPECTATOR by Strangei.l
am a cosmopolitan. I am at home any
where. 1 live everywhere-in hotels, on
the cars, on the streets, and live in Muir
freesboro, Tenn. Selah.
| I arrived at Staunton in the night As
the train pulled up through the Blue Ridge
scene of illimitable beauty presented it.
self The white moonlight lay in solemn,
shadowy grandeur over the everlasting
mountains that have lifted their peaks to-
ward the sky since all time began. The
Shenandoah Valley What host of mem
cries come thronging back with the namel
But the mountains that are outlined against
the blue Virginia sky looked down on diff
ferent scene twenty years ago. Then they
saw handful of patriots fighting against
great odds for freedom, and bravely, to the
''bitter end" Ask the sun and the moon
and the stars to tell you what they saw
years later. Dusky hands clutched at the
throat of Virginia and tried to strangle
her. Again she fought hard battle and
came out the conqueror Can the past ever
be forgotten?
"Are they gone? My pulses beat.
What was it? A lying trick of the brain
Yet thought I saw them stand,
A shadow then at my feet,
High over the shadowy land"
If could l would build a monument
that would reach to the moon and stars,
as high as all heaven itself to the Confed-
crate Dead everywhere, and honor the liv-
ing, too! So you see am Rebel as well,
to the "manor born," and unreconstructed,
too! I had the pleasure of writing up
Montgomery, Ala., in 1880. Temporarily,
from the Clerk of the Supreme Court, 1
had in my possession the Bible upon which
tIo of oil
President of the Confederate States of
America This Bible contains the follow
ing inscription: ''The oath of office as first
President of the Provisional Government
of the Confederate States of America was
administered to Jefferson Davis upon this
Bible by Howell Cobb, President of the
Provisional Congress, at the front Portico
of the Capitol at Montgomery on the 18th
day of February, A. D. 1861"
The heroes and statesmen who made the
history of that day are passing rapidly
away; but it is pleasure to know that
the old leaders of the Confederacy have
prospered in their various callings IN life.
Judah P. Benjamin is regarded as one of
the shredest lawyers in the Kingdom, prac-
ticing at the Royal Bar of England, with
an immense revenue from his profession.
Alex. Stephens died as Governor of Geor-
gia. Ben. Hill died with the Georgians
kneeling around him with their hearts full
of sympathy. Basil Duke, Morgan's right
hand man, has achieved great distinction in
law at Louisville. Gen. John G.. Brown,
of Tennessee, manages the Gould syndi-
cate, with headquarters at ST. Louis, with
salary of $25, ,000 a year. Gen. Echols,
of your own city, forever famous in history
with the army of Northern Virginia, is
Vice President and General Manager of
the Southwestern Extension of the Chesa-
peake and Ohio. Railway. God bless the
Confederates everywhere!
But we might write on forever, and yet
the half could not be told.
Having reverential love for Virginia, it
is quite natural that we should like Staun-
| ton, where we have sojolrned pleasantly
| for day or two. Seen in the strong, bril-
| liant morning light, high-colored, hetero-
geneous mass of architecture presents it
self, for Staunton is quite an old town, laid
off, believe, IN 1148, and in 1871 new
charter was granted as the "City of Staun-
ton" 1t is quite useless to go over the
beaten ground of ''writing up'' town, as
that has already been done by one of your
noted citizens, whom / regret not to have
met-Mai. Hotchkiss in handsome pam
pllOG VI koubuhoOiA, AhO f|cONec AAbClCoG ll6
more than location of city or it's COM
mercial advantages. Abroad, Staunton is
quite celebrated as an educational point
about four hundred young ladies from
distance being in yearly attendance on the
several Seminaries of this city.
Visiting that abode of human misery,
the Western Lunatic Asylum of Virginia.
established in 1928, with a present capacity
of six hundred patients-I found the
grounds to be very lovely and the whole
building admirably arranged and exquis-
itely clean. 1 have gone through good
many asylums in the last three years, and
if 60 crazy myself, will know all the
best places and where to be sent.
The Deaf and Dumb Institution is beau
tifully located and the spacious grounds
attractively laid out. The climate of Staun-
ton is delightful, especially at night, the
altitude being somewhat over thirteen hun
dred feet above the level of the sea. The
population of Staunton is estimated in the
neighborhood of ten thousand; the popu-
lation of Augusta county, of which Staun-
ton is the county-seat, is about thirty,five
thousand; voting population some five
thousand.
The assessed value of real estate for the
city is 81, 1927, 900; personal property, $685.,