The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-03-13

| ginia and desired to continue farming, ]
would not leave it to go anywhere, for ]
think the Valley Of Virginia is the garden
spot of the world and Augusta county the
| garden spot of the Valley. God bless Au.
| gusta l love her. 1t is natural that ]
| should love her for | spent the happiest
days of my life there. The first school.
house | ever entered as pupil was fifty
five years ago. The schOolhouse stood near
old Salem church on Naked creek, and my
teacher was old Uncle Andrew Young.
was small and he was very kind to me, and
| loved him dearly. The face of old Uncle
Andy and the boys that attended school
with me then, are fresher in my recOllec-
ti0n OF the past than events of only a few
years ago,-the Craun boys, the Hisers,
the Florys, the Sheets, the Stovers, the
Lntzs. the Raidners, the Currys, the
l.iskeys and Youngs, and many others
that ] cannot call to memory now. What
a change in fifty years. Where are they
now? Many OF them have passed from
time to eternity, and hope are now walk
| ing the golden streets of the new Jerusa-
/ lem; others have scattered eyer the world,
and few yet remain in tie Island of their
/ birth. Here feel like exclaiming in the
language of forgotten poet:
Or, would were boy again,
When life seemed fond Of sunny years (;
as s ss MAJ y aae inem Knsw 2, PAM
= 's'''
| The first newspaper | learned to read
was the Staunton Spectator, think, edited
by Capt kenton Harper, and over fifty
years ago. 1t was a strong Wing paper.
My father and mother were violent Jack
SON Democrats. The Spectator would pour
| hot shot into Gen. Jackson, and I recOllect
/ INV m ut her OTpa cqVinO yyhof a r,itv xxra o.
that as good Il man rs KentOn Harper
should entertain such vile political senti-
ments. recollect the bitter race between
jackson and Clay 81 years ago. Jackson
was elected and my father gave big din
| ner OF rejoicing, and only had eight or ten
there, for Democrats were very scarce at
that time in Augusta. Jackson, if / rec-
Ollect correctly, received less than one hum
bred and fifty votes out OF about two thou
sand. Among those present, recOllect
well Capt. Thos. Burke, Col. Jacob Baylor.
Frederick Craun, Capt. Samuel Hiser, the
father of John F. Craun, now of Mt.
Crawford, and VIM. S. Hiser still of Au-
gusta county. 1 will always love the name
of Jacob Slower. When l was about ten
or twelve years old, got into fight with
boy much larger and older than myself,
and altho' gave him ssthe best I had in
my shop, y he had gotten me down and was
pelting me at lively rate. when Jake
Slower came to nv rescue. pulled HIM off
and we both turned on him and gave him
what the boys called then ssTar and Siz-
Zors.'' I am only speaking of incidents
of over so wears ago. The first political
speech I ever heard was also in Augusta
at Hangers Old Tavern. now called the
Willow Spout. It was on the day Of Gen.
eral muster and only two miles from where
my father lived. and / rode behind him on
horseback. If / recollect correctly. Sam.
Mcdowell Moore. of Lexington Rock
bridge comfy. and Robt. Crai1 from ono
of the western counties of The district
were the opposing Candidates for Congress-
Moore was LARGE fine-lookinc man and
Craig was rather under Size. with dark
skin and keen. black ewes. They had if I'M
and down in the discussion: first one seemed
to be on TOP and then the other. NV father
was. Nearly everybody seemed TO he for
Moore and it made me- feel sad and 7
spoke of it to NV father and he renlied
that other counties in the district were
nearly all for Craig. and that he would he
elected. This consoled me. and INV recol- |
lection now is that Craig was elected II
was nearly night and everybody was Ieav-
ing the muster ground. / got INV father
to 90 by the cake and candy wagon of old
Joe Cothran and bay for me and nv two
younger brothers (who were too small toll
go to a general mystery one dozen horse
cakes, and pound of candy to take home
with me. Thus ended one OF the happy
days OF my boyhood. The first religious
impression made upon my young heart
was at the old Stone church near Hangers
Tavern. The pastor OF the church, l
think, was DIR. Speice, but aPresbyterian
preacher bV the name of Jones' who |