The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-01-15
A Man of Many Scars.
Reported for the vIRo1N1AN. |

I = ONAh SoAASpPOltlCHO opcllUfti CNGHlIlS IiO
long ago at the fireside of that hospitablt
gentleman, Mr.. William Lunsford. Mr.
IL. IS the most remarkable man in the
county by long odds. He is now 65 years
OF age, and while seated before a blazing
fire on the evening'we were with him, he
gave US some pages Of his history that are
well worth relating here. Long before
this we had heard of some of his many
fistleuffs, which number several hundred
-but,we had on this occasion from his owr
bps an account Of the only two that he
considers OF much Importance. Said he
fWhen L lived at a place commonly called
Midway, on the line between the counties
Of Augusta and Rockbridge, IN the GG5s
\ 'E4seuoid NesiiviuS Furnace was in blast.
l got wind that fellow with whom / had
had difficulty had been reinforced by
four others, ard had gone down to Green
vile to Squire Lilley for q warrant for
my arrest. While standing in the road
talking with a friend about the matter.
who should come in sight but these same
fellows. | was standing on the ground
holding my horse and upon seeing them [
took my saddle off and put it upon the
ground and faced The enemy. They halted
and consulted with one another, and
started toward them at atrot. In a twink
ling they scattered and fled. | singled out
the ringleader and pursued him, but failed
to overtake him until seized club and
threw it, striking him in the back and
stunning him. He continued his flight for
some rods further and as he had run in a
circuitous way, 1 caught him near the
starting point and at once proceeded to
give him beating. His cries brought his
four friends to his rescue and the whole
crowd began striking me with sticks and
cutting me with knives. | cleaned up the
patch however, and then made the dis
covery that my bowels had been let out.
They were actually dragging upon the
ground in the dust and leaves.n Here he
paused, and opening his clothes showed us
the cash through which his bowels had
been let out. An ugly looking scar twelve
or fourteen inches long shows the course
OF the knife. MI. Lunsford continued
There were twenty-one separate and dis
tinct wounds on my body. When found
myself so bad cut went to my saddle and
taking from behind it some ''hickory" cot
ton had bought for shirts, laid down on
my back and gradually worked the bowels
back into their place and then wound the
cotton about me and awaited help" This
occurred about the latter part of May, and
although Drs. Hall and Jackson pronounced
him mortally wounded, the game old
chicken took his cradle and went forth in
July to harvest his crop, and would have
done SO, but some neighbors seeing what
he was about, took his cradle from him and
harvested for him. There are a number
OF living witnesses to all l have here re-
corded. Dr.. Hall, one of the most promi-
nent physicians who ever praeticed in this
county, said that there was not a case on
record in which q HlGszl had receyyed suclr'
wounds and had recovered. Out of the
twentyone wounds there were eight that
were considered mortal.
His next important bout took place in
what is now West Virginia. This time
he was tackled by a Mississippi River
rough-a boatman, After his big fight in
this county MI. L. removed to West Vir-
ginia. While there engaged in farming,
one Of the fellows whom he had beaten at
Midway settled down near him. One day
when l.. went to mill, which was ten or
twelve miles from home, he passed. near
the mill, store at which was congregated
a large crowd. When he reached the mill
and turned his team, he saw quite
number of men approaching from the
store. When the crowd came up. one of
them-a large, stout fellow-stepped on a
loose plank and began jumping on it in
order to frighten L. IS horses. Lunsford
politely requested him to desst, and the
fellow then grew worse and told him he
had come there to whip him. Mr.. L. told
him that he didn't know him and didn't
want anything to do with him; but the
fellow replied, II came here to whip you
and I'm going to do it." "Then, y said
Lunsford, ''you will have to do it at the
end of a fight ''That's the talk of a
man." said the fellow, and he quietly
waited until Mr.. l.. unloaded his wagon.
But while he was doing so Lunsford was
watching his chance, and all of a sudden
he sprang from the wagon, struck the
boatman sou'wester and clinched him.
A part of the mill wall had fallen away
and left an opening that showed preci-
pice of near fifty feet under the mill.
Lunsford brought his man around and en-
deavored to pitch him over this precipice.
The first and second attempts were fail
ures, but the third time they came around
Lunsford tripped the bully and both of
them popped through the hole Fortunately
for Mr.. Lunsford he caught on beam ten
feet below, but the other man went to the
bottom. J.. thought he was dead and went
on to the store, but in little while the
boatman made his appearance, leading the
crowd. In the crowd L. recognized his
old Midway enemy and at once OWNED
that he was the prime mover in the attack.
He quietly waited until the crowd came
up and when the bully renewed the fight
it was nip and tuck until the boatman
stepped with his foot in the eye of an old
mill stone which gave L. the advantage,
and he at once proceeded to beat the fellow
to death or make him say enough, . but
he wouldn't cry out. His foot became de-
tached and then L. took his head under
his arm and they both rolled toward the
river. On reaching the edge Of it L.
caught q snag and jumping to his feet he
piled his heels to the rough's back until he
was sure he had rendered living on his
part impossible, but the fellow wouldn't
hack, and l.. desisted and went about his
business. In this fight Mr.. L. received a
cash on the right side Of his back which
cut two of his ribs in twain. They never
united and at this time he experiences
great Inconvenience from them. Not
withstanding all these wounds, and the Go
years of frost on his head, he is q man
among men, and will fight at the dropping
of hat. And you could travel a long
way to find man who knows him, that
would risk fight with him. 1t is due to
n p L - Ii