Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-02-19
The VIRGINIA PAYNEs,
A Family Made Famous BY Tho
Resent kstamorph0sIs.
MEN, ,REs OF A CORRESPONDENT
Women of Marvellous Beauty and Men Of
HsreuI. an Strength-A Hardy Race
The Valley ofvrginia Before
the War.


Frederick count,v, Virginis, the alleged
man woman, aooS 'uAts OF which created
such sensation Q few weeks ago oil over
the country, has called forth from Mr..
John Morgan McAVonn, Of AroolA, this
State, the following Interesting reminis.
cences OF the Payne a unily in general and
Lydia Rsbscoa Payne o Darticulsr:
Among the recolla,tions Of my early
manhood linger some pleasant memories
OF the PayneA and OF this particular lam.
" to which Miss Ly die Rsbecoa belongs.
The Paynes were OF eTte naive famiiy cou.
pection in Virginia and, like oil old fsm.
lilies, striking root In she s>ms soil for
many years had acquired . reputation for
certain traits which distinguished them.
They were hardy. rssoi,ite, thrifty race.
perfectly upright and ho,sorsble; except
on the female side not remarkable for
superior intelligence: carr sst, plain, COM
mon sense people; the men notsd for their
great sire and prodigious slrtngth and the
women for
Their singular Deawsy.
Miss Mollie Payne, = daughter OF Ma.
than Payne, OF Darksvill,, w. Va, twenty
or twenty-five years ago was regarded as
the most beautiful women In the Valley
ut Virginia. ] recall ss ! write q charming
day IN long ago spent with her in Q genial
Virginia home before the ominous clonds
OF war had lowered on q careless, happy
people. She nAfe q wonderful i'm preston
on my boyish senses. she had that rare
combination, brilliant blue eye, with hair
rs dark as the p! ume OF Poe's raven. Tall.
with that wonderful suppleness which the
modern novelists have
MsAe Nes,iy Ridiculous
by attaching II to all their heroines, we,h-
the heather; large OF feature. with that
marvellous compile rion which can only
come to maidens on the hillsides and
where the winds that famed their chseky
bio y from the mountains; with tceth the
whiteness and evenness Of which no dusky
maiden OF the south hss ever surpassed;
her features radiant with the endless play
Of the most fascinating smile ever saw
on any face, after tbs lapse OF nearly %
years recall her ss the most beautiful
OF all the women have ever met She
married Richard Briefly, OF the wpli.
known Virginia Briefly family, who was
her escort that day recall, and her charm.
ing home has long been noted for Its Gle.
CANT hoe spitality. l met her At an enter.
tainment two years ago. accompanied by
her loving daughters, grown TO woman.
hood, and, while time hsd written some
telling marks upon her face and form, there
we're still the traces Of
That MArSeISus beauty
which, q quarter OF . century ago, had
made her famous through sll the country
side.
Indeed, all the Payne women were
sipgularly handsome. There used TO be
saying in the valley that among all the
Paynes there were no ugly women or smart
men But the Payne women were also
handsome In that better sense OF hand
some 10 NJ handsome does There 10 some.
thing OF eInggeration, am sure, In these
recent reports OF the exploits OF Miss LYDIA
Rebecca Payne, better known % Miss
Becky, snd hereafter TO be known, II
seems, ss John Calhoun Payne-that 10. u
the Legislature be conplaisant. lt 10
claimed that she was masculine, hoidenish.
| think not think she only displayed,
At most, the welLknown energy of her race.
knew her very we'll; have met her at en-
lfrtainments; have visited her home:
think ] once had q sleighride with her over
hose Virginia hills, and certainly there
was nothing, either In her appearing or
demeanor, to create the slightest suspicion
that che
Wore the Garb q: the WsosE Soc.
She was charming and accomplished girl,
With the well.known Payne beauty and
vivacity. ] recall perfectly the iiIt time
saw her. Miss Bette l.. Payne, her sister.
for many years has been the principal OF .
female seminary at BrucetoWn, Na. Miss
Bette l.. Payne IL one OF thoss noble
women whose life 10 . perpssual ssnedio'
ton, consecrating her entire life to the
education OF her own ssI, woman Of
side culture, Of the sweetest and trusst
nature, thoughtful, an enthusian 10 her
rrt, serene, selfcultured, with the d!scip.
line OF q studious life on her.
Eighteen years ago this coming June ]
had the pleasure OF delivering an address
o the graduating class Of Mis- Psynss
seminary, among whom was this Miss
Lydia RebRoca Payne, hereafter 70 DO
known o. John Calhoun Payne, and whom
I then saw for the first time. Certainly,
as she stood there. In spotless white, With
the compl. Iion aud voice Of . girl, resdinE
her thesis, the conjecture OF this recent
episode Of her lifs-in which, at the ags 'of
thirty-tiI, she discovers that sh0 is mas,
and celebrates the discovery by marrying .
woman Of over forty-wouid have seemed
altogether
Absurd and Improbable.
This school OF which speak has Hns
reputation In Virginia, some Of her noted
nen being sponsors for II, and Randolph
Tucker, II mistake not, coming from his
home In Lexington to grace IT. commence
ment with the charm OF his eloluencs.
"Old soldiers who saw service In the
Valley will remember, doubtless, Q nns
stone mansion TO the west OF the pike,
about q halt-mils distant from IL, and
about three miles soath Of Bunker HILL
This was the residenns OF the late Jesss
Payne. an uncle OF Miss Lydls Rsbeccs
Payne, snd whose two youngest dauEhSn
were better known than even toe dau9n-
tsrs OF Joseph Payne, the father of Lydia
family of II children, all Of whom reached
maturity, / bslisve, Left fsthsrlsss st IN
esrIy sge, they lived alone With thsir
mother In the homestead through oil
The TSyiagHesaSs - me Wss.
They were both remarkable women. Cour'
srsous, high, spirited, sslErsllsnt, With so-
bu,jness instincts-which seemed, indssJ.
A common hertags OF the Psynss-thsy
msnseed Q lasss farm and were prospsfoue
and happy. They were pronounoed
IJnionistI were superb and daring squse.
tdeppes. md no troopsf who rode with
sheridan aod Stuart could tske fspcs 10
finer style. Many . soldiss has turned
with sstonishmsnt and adAirettoo - hss
Emma u younsss, o. her ens fSsdStG.
bcf slssast 6Eurc sVis0ing . sone E,aee.
mi resX 10 eysrY motise Of the trained
l aniunak bsr oonplsxtso hvalias ths bloom
Of tbs vild ross b. ~ vaysitA bsf mA9-
ni6esnt hair, ths eesoe d Go'd noa9ns
frse ana uncssa ans4 b thswind Of hssvsn.
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