Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1886-06-26
MORE "REMINISCENCES.
Bunker Hill.

"reminiscences OF Martins burg, by
Berkeley Native brought to my
mind other "reminiscences and recol-
lections prior to the time of our late
unpleasantness. To some of these
incidents my mind recurs to others
with feelings of profound sorrow
Berkeley Native alluded to lame Mike
Seibert, which brought to mind
part of the circumstances connected
with political affair for many years
being of the things that were, in
dropping in and catching on to Berk,
eley Natives theme | mean no in
trusion upon his efforts, to bring
back to our people the way things
were done at that day and generation,
as he has in his communications
brought to my mind many things
forgotten by me, and which my mind
recured to with pleasure. The cir
cumstances which am about to re-
late are Of political nature, but
mean no direct or indirect disrespect
to any person or persons to whom /
will allude in this communication.
Before the war between the States
the two great political parties of the
country were named respectively
the Democratic and the Wing, and
in the county of Berkeley we had
in those days ardent and uncompro-
missing men in either Of these two
great political parties. For great
many years, and | believe from the
foundation of the government of
Berkeley county nearly upto the year
1850, the Wing party held the power
and all the offices of honor and profit,
which naturally they would, having
the numerical strength at the polls
to vote down any man who would
present himself, belonging to the adj
verse party.
For long time, under the old
law, the State of Virginia required
all voters to assemble at the Court
House of their county, to cast their
suffrages which they were required
to do uiuG uoce, or by warning out
right the candidates whom /. they
voted for, each candidate having his
place on the Judges bench and thank
ing the voters at the, same time for
the suffrage cast for him. We have
said that the Wing party had the as
tendency for many years in Berkeley
county, but from the year of 1910
up, the Democratic party seemed to
be gaining ground in political point
Of view, and ventured to bring for
ward candidate in the person of
Lewis Grantham, of Back Creek, a
sound-minded and unpretending me-
chanic, who accepted the call from
his fellow democrats, and went hard
at work to secure his election. He
would commence at the North end
Of the county on sorrel horse and
electioneer the voters of the county
on horseback, finishing up at Frye's
mill in the extreme South end of the
county.
His election came off and he was
defeated by eight votes only, which
was quite unexpected to many per-
sons, his close approximation to an
election having been deemed impos-
sible. The decisions of the old Vir-
ginia legislature being at that time
annual, the elections coming off in
the month of May each year, at the
next annual election for members OF
the legislature, Mr. Grantham was
induced to try his strength in the
political field agair, and after two
fold exertion and heavy canvass,
Mr.. Grantham was defeated by vote
of only fifteen, which would seem
oughtto have settled the determine
ton of his friends that his success was
impossible. At the next annual cleo
ton, all the powers that could be
brought to bear on Mr.. Grantham to
again try his strength in the political
field, was exercised by the democrat
ic party, and they at last succeeded
in inducing him to take the field
again. DR.. Dennis Murphy, Col. j.
B. A. Nadenbusch, Uncle lame Mike
Seibert, JAS w Gray, Maj. J. Rob
inson, Benz. c. Speck and others, took
q leading part in the politics Of the
county at that day, all being strong
and faithful supporters of the Demo
cratic party; in this third effort on
their part Mr.. Grantham was defeat
ed by 25 votes. In these stirring
times your correspondent was only a
youthful STRIPPING, but assures you
these circumstances were not passed
over without interest TO him.
A few. years elapsed when the en-
Reimbursement laws became little
more liberal. I omitted to mention
that it required property qualiflea-
ton to become a voter in the State
of Virginia, which was a certain