Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-03-20
THROUGH THE STATE.
A Pittsburgh Reporters Opinion OF
Peasants County.
Enforcing Loug-Forgotten Blue Laws
Destitution in Mason County, Murder
Gus Work Over the Border
General State News.

Under date OF Wheeling, an imaginative
reporter on the Piusburg Times thus writes
I'D Peasants county, his text being tarnlsn-
ed by the recent Indictment OF domino
players by the grand jury:
Plsasans county, in this State is n OF
the most dead.slive places that could wen
be imagined. 1t resembles one OF the
away-hack ole Virginia counties, Wlthoutany
of II e T. T Y. favor about 1t.
A liule over q year ago the hrst railroad
was run through the countY-Senator lam
denis Ohio River read. 1t has been the
talk of the county ever since. Farmers
walk or ride miles once or twice O week 10
see the trains whiz along, aud at 81. Mays
tie county seat, the enulre town turns out
morning and night, no matter what the
weather may be, to see the trains pass. Inc
epoineers. conductors. and train hands are
10 the people heroes of no ordinary type
and the passengers are gszed on with Ill
concealed envy.
In fact the admiration for the train hands
has grown so strong in the breasts OF the
Younger fair ones OF 81. Marys, and this
feeling has been so encouraged by the train
hands themselves, that about 10 days ago
the town council met to consider the evil,
and finally to abste it passed an ordinance
making it an offense punishable BY a hns
of IS Tor a train employe to wave his hand
kerchiet, or in any other way cheer up any
maiden whose heart was probably yearn.
ing Tor the unattainable or anything else.
IT. .zao o-a ,ha touyn mn iaartnlIV
The train hands laid in an extra supply OF
handkerchiefs, aud now there Is con1nsal
Autter of white from the train as it passes
through St. Mary's. This bold defiance OF
the law has of course only increased the mad
passion in the hearts of the fair.
This town of St. Msry's, by the way, is q
curiosity. The funniest thing perhaps Is
the Jail. 1t is built OF logs and outside OF
the windows, which are inditlerently barred.
the TAILOR has built three pens OF bsrbed
wire 90 in case a prisoner should happen to
get outside the window he gets into a barbed
wire enclosure that would hold him possibly
a minute. ,
St. Mary's has no roller skating rink, and
in its stead the people, when not watching
the trains, have been wildly r~eyeiing in the
festive game of dominoes, and it has been
reported that the editor of the county paper
was nearly ruined by losing II cents ut one
sitting. The town some time since was
divided as to the merits of the spider and
the block game. The spider game carried
tie day, however, and the block game is
now almost a thing of the past. Recently
a commercial traveller introduced to the
residents the game Of stud.horse poker,
showing how it could be played with the
dominoes, and here is where the trouble be-
gan q,
The conservators of the peace could stand
dominoes as long as the name Of poker was
not connected with them, but there the line
lad to be drawn, and last week the county
vas paraly zed By an avalanche of indict-
ments from the Grand Jury against persons
for playing dominoes. The postofice was a
great rendezvous for the players and every
one Of them was caught. The minister of
the town, Rev. r. II. Blouse, a prominent
lumber dealer, two young ladies from Par.
kersburg, who were visiting there, and all
the leading people of the town were cap
tured. There is an old law in that county
that forbids the playing of any game except
cribbage, backgammon, chess and bowls,
az under this the arrest was made. What
the result will be when the cases come 70
tr al remains to be seen.
AS proving the truth of the often repeated
assertions that great restitution exists in
many Of the lower and interior counties of
this State we give space to the following,
from the Pt. Pleasant Register: "a terri
lie state OF restitution exists in Waggener
district. The mines and other public works
have shut down and hundreds of men who
have families dependent upon them for sup
port are out OF work, and many ofthem are
in destitute circumstances, We are told
that over one hundred and fifty families are
COW being provided for BY the overseer Of
the poor of that district"
The Natural Gas Company of Clarksburg,
it is learned, on Saturday last struck a small
flow OF gas. The company have been dill.
gently pursuing the work of boring for gas
at the west end OF town. Their diligence is
partially rewarded. The company is hoping
TO 60 farther, and it is hoped will fare bet.
ter. The REGISTER predicts a great boom
for Clarksburg should q paying vein of gas
be struck.
Says the Wayne Advocate: The contract
for building two iron bridges, one at the
Court House,. and the other near Hiram
Bloss's, seven miles below the Court House,
was let to the Smith Bridge Company, Of
Toledo, o., who was represented by ]. q.
Hilton, Esq. The bridge at Bloss's will
cost 1866, and at the Court House
S2,625 IS, each Of them being one span Of
235 feet.
The New River Bulletin thus refers t.
the general lawlessness prevalent in Taze-
well comfy, just across the Virginia line:
We regret to learn Of the continued law
breaking at this new and active city. Muir
ders have been OF very frequent occurrence.
and much general disturbance. Last week
an acting policeman was shot and killed,
and four men implicated in that and other
crimes were arrested and taken to TazeweIl
C.. II. On last Saturday night, the s~uperin-
tendent, Mr.. W. o. Davis, was shot at
BY some party unknown. There is con-
siderable excitement, and several meetings
of the citizens have taken place to decide
upon the best means to preserve order and
stop these rows. We learn it is proposed TO
organize q vigilance committee to assist in
enforcing the execution Of the laws.
1t is estimated that there will not be half
a wheat crop this year in thin State as com.
pared with last year. The acreage is short
twenty per cent. and the rough, freezing
weather OF the winter has greatly damaged
what was planted. Farmers should en-
deaveF to raise q large corn crop.