The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-06-28
SOME OLD MEMORIES.
Of BERKELEY COUNTY.
a.r.in.surs .Ad,t. E.,ltou. til. s.anplns Ground
ufTWo Great Wars s-RtrtiatlOas sf the Austy
q" Tones Of the Court aOa,sTsOns
,o.3 ExessdIsEiy Peculiar Hiila. 1al

MARrISsDuRo, June 2B.-The very stones
, in the streets Of this old Virginia town are
historical. Over them Washington march
ed, and his disappointed rival, General
!, Charles Lee, has trodden. Ashby and his
soldiers wearing the gray dehled through
these streets, along them Sheridan led his
boysin blue. The walls Of the quaint old
buildings are redolent with tales Of war,
and j fancy that the sound Of d drum tap
would cause the trees that line the curb.
stones like sentinels to whisper OF march,
inr souadrons, the bullets sharp singing,
and the shells fierce sibilant, for over this
town the smoke Of battle has hung like o
llpall, and above 1t has screamed the shot oi
bloody carnage. l feel an awe indetnable
as 1 tread these pavements walked In
other days, by men with names known
wherever deeds Of valor are told and
heroism is s'honored. 4.fl4 ,i..i
Tonight behind the fine horse OF MIR. s.
v. Fiery, rode down the fam
GUS Winchester pike. Over 1t again
and g again n suged the tide Of
war; and although score Of years have
passed some of the scars are discernahle
yet. What lovely drive 1t wasl The land
rising in grassy. swells to the mountains far
away on either side. In front the roads
gray Rinuosiues, pesfeCt foil amid the
fields OF waving gram golden TO the wait,
ing harvest, and broader sweeps OF meadow
land that lie between. Farm houses, well
kept aud neat, bearing in their happy ap.
pointments no hinte the bloody days,that
lie 80 dark in the past. To-day fields Of
ripened grain, meadows rich in an abund',
ant crop, herds Of sleek cattle, farm houses
full OF joy--twenty years ago fences burn
ing at the camp fire, folds laid in waste by
tramping armies, now the gray and now
the blue; homes made desolate and deserted;
the roar OF musketry and deeper groan ot
cannonading-what change. 4 could
scarcely believe it as stood ut Big Spring,
where once Sheridan camped, and where
now all is so peaceful. Then two tags,two
armies, tao interests. Now one land, the
armies gone, and one dear old flag above
US all. IN ta aU rtE 1IF +. i 4
gOi II p IN THE COURT HOUSE. aag4
Tales Of the war are as numerous Us the,
bricks in the payements or the jokes Of
Theodore Copenhaven, out at the disLilf
lerg. We've listened 10 them to-day from
all sorts OF people, aud found them interest,"
ing. IL was while being told a particularly
pleasing bit Of local history that my in
former conducted me to the Court House
10 give me proof OF several things OF which
he had spoken. Interesting as found
those documents TO which he called my
attention, 1 found others still more so. In
hao fall ~
collection OF documents that would glad
den the heart Of an antiquarian. For
whole decades they had lain in an nnfre-
euented portion OF the Court House, I'M
thought Of and neglected. But one day
the present clerk, IN looking about, found
them, and ut once set about preserving
them. Here are commissions issued in the
days OF "0ur Most Gracious Sovereign,
King George the Third" countersigned In
the bold, decisiye hand Of Lord Dunmore.
SINE are as old as l765, others bear
date Of 1770, 1872, l773 and so on. The
paper Is yellow with age, the writing faded,
save the signatures, and the printing
quaint, v ith the character" "f' for s." They
were printed in England century and q
quarter ago. They arc here yet, but the
men wllosi names they bear are gone these
many years. Their names live only in hiE
tory and these old documents.
VALUABLE, AUTOGRAPHS.
Looking farther I found the cramped,
uncertain signature Of Thomas Jefferson.
1t is a genuine signature, and is affixed to
certain legal documents. The name Of
James Monroe, clear, bold, evenly shaded,
isalso here, as well as those Of the two
Randolphs. Patrick Henry's name, in
beautiful chirography, the letters heavily
shaded and boldly formed, the whole un-
derlined with heavy srake OF the pen,
appears twice or three times. One docu-
ment signt d by Henry A. Wise is noticed.
One or two OF the oldest documents still
retain the royal seal, crown, embossed
with various devices, and attached to
pink tape. The pink color Of the tape is
doubtless due TO age. The papers are
remarkably well preserved. Some OF the
older books are wonderful samples oi bind |
ing. The psper is heavy and strongly
sized. One Of the books is nearly 200 years
old. The first will recorded here is that OF
Dongall Campbell, which was admitted 10
probate in 1859, Just ia years ago. was
shown the original will Of Major General
Charles Lee, which was made in 1852, the
month and day being in blank, but it was
probated April 10, 1883 Thewill bears in
It's every part the imprint OF the marked
individuality Of the man who wrote it. Il
Is free from anything like ambiguity, and
shows the strong friendships and bitter dis
likes OF its author. Lees home is some
eight miles from here. 1t is q long, low
stone house, one story in height, and at
the time he occupied 1t was oil in one
room, though he maintained imaginary di.
visions. One end was set aside for the
kitchen, and here the servants and dogs
were allowed. Next TO this he established
bis dining-room, reSsrving the other end
for slseping apartment. These bounda-
ries, though wholly imaginary, were main
tanned with the almost strictness, and no
one was allowed to forget their absence.
AN AEEcDorE.
General Lee, who all know was an Eng
lishman, never forgave Washington for
accsp ting the commandership Of the Con-
tinental armies, though why he should
have resented It SO far Rs Washington Is
concerned, 1t would have puzzled Lee
himselftotell. The war camoto q success
fful issue, and Washington had been by a
grateful land made President. At last,
being desirous Of once more seeing all the
officers in the war, he one day sent word
to Lee that at certain time he would pay
|him a visit. Nodoubt Washington thought,
or al least hoped tsat Lee had forgotten
his unjust anger, bat in this he was mista.
ken for when at the appointed time he ap.
peafed at Lees door he found the person.
sge gone and the door shut and locked, but
fastened to 1t a note, which read, mo ba.
con cooked or bread baked here to-day"
Tie will is written In close, compact
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