Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1888-10-05
The Printer Of KuInmerSOlthal
ny GEORGE. T.. FOSTER.

ih'l'ly tOMll COultt ulNC
takcn such name as Kummersolthal, or
Borrowing vale. was for II long while
unable to determine. Knowing that n
town famc1 in primitive time, and given
SO expressive II name as Borrowing
yalc." was sure TO have an cntcrtaipip,r
legend, and being specially interested in
the study of nomenclature rs fnr Ms it
related TO the names of places. decided
to stop over n day in one of my annual
trips p the valley and-solyc the mystery
mat TO me appeared wrapped up i'll the
name.
a little inquiry Mt the village inn dis
closed the fact that there still resided in
the town one of the old citizens, whose
mind, though feeble on matters pertain
ing to the picscn1 day, was still young
rs to the impressions received in youth.
Signifying my desire to see the old
man, the keeper of the inn pointed out
ms ancient home. aud, dinner o,cr, |
started for his cottage. lie was seated
Iii his doorway, and To my good after
noon," asked me TO sit down aud rest.
1t was not long before / adroitly led the
old mans mind back TO the sunny DAYS
OF his youth, and in his story of old
scenes, he gave the ancient legend of
kummersolthal.
1t was the effect that more than n cen
tuary ago, young German came, with
Ais young and charming BRIDE into that
beautiful valley. There he built him Il
cabin, and curiously selected .asitc by
the river side, Just where the SUMS first
beams struck in the morning and its last
rays fell at night. There for ten years
they resided; happy years they were,
too, though their nearest ncighbors were
miles away. a bright, little boy soon
made the fathers and mothers heart
rejoice, and the young fnthcr was very
proud and happy.
Che day, when he returned from his
work in the clearing, he found his wife
murdered by Indians, his child stolen
away and his cabin burned. The shock
svcrcame the young husband and father,
but alone he performed the sad funeral
rites over his murdered wife, and then
plunged into the forest to search for the
destroyer of his peace and for his lost
enid. 1t became mania with him.
and for years after, hunters and trappers
used to tell Of n half-crazcd man that
they often met, who was always on the
tramp. eagerly looking for something he
could not find, and when addressed on
any subject tear would start nfrcsh in
his eye, and he would sadly point in the
direction Of his old home. and utter the
sing C word "nummcrsollhal."
This. IN brief. WIS the legend that
The cd villagcr told me- aud ut the
close his mind became lost in his ancient
memories so that he forgot my presence
and L stole quietly away, leaving him rs
found him, absorbed in thought.
This was years ago. The town then
had two thousand inhabitants, but it
was so snugly nestled in the valley and
removed so far from railroads that il had
been overlooked by geographcrs, and it
was only by accident that stumbled
over it ut all. fcturning to the inn, ]
made note of the legend in my record
book, and, rs rad my bill the polite
! landlord presented me with a copy OF
the Kummcrsolthal Gazette. rcmem.
Der reading it with interest, and won
dcrcd Mt the printers ingenuity in get.
ting into his little sheet so many things
OF interest; and remember distinctly.
too, that in each item, no matter how
gay Oh the exterior, there was some
thing-what 1 could not tcll--that
showed 1t was written with sorrowinu
heart. Had time, should have called
TO see tho printer, and nav
tried to solve the raviL clam MRS
terious sadness that a.oticea; mn ~n
underle this gay exterior, pool pool and
evidently labored to conrii !!rhough ! hny
the village, and in otrcd s,JJcre thu
ling with other pcopprc s,roman of
village, the legend most 1Nnd ma
Now, after ten ycars'usua, ostow on &
myself at Kummcrsc crowd p.;nncd the
of the peace andlc river I'm" Ono by
when left there gathered ,,ome leav'
vailed, and it was q which me- des
casual observer that he rains 'i'I ~
had happened. fonlty -,
over the bridge and d6rsol- "
side, and found the
around an Imprinted &c d'
was an aged sign, so WY
of time that it was W.
could dccipher the word.
!hal Gazette"
From citizen l learned :,
before the paper had failed to ear
Somehow everyone felt disappointed
For moro than twenty years such fail
urc had never happened. Every Wcdnes
day at precisely four o'clock, r. NJ, tn,
papers were delivered at the posto.licc b,
the editor and his son, who silently &c
turned home.
One thing was certain, the Hummer
solthal Gazette was missed. No ont
thought of go'ng down to sec why it ha(
not come. or late years the editor ant
his family had appeared 10 shrink NOR,
from society. They were con ,iderct
exclusive and proud. 4 lively maj
with black whiskers, who evidently
prided himself in knowing all the ira
ditions of past years, informed me tina
the editor and puny wife came Their,
some twenty years before. He wa
thought at the time very eccentric, from
the fact that he wanted to find certain
point of land where the suns frs
beams struck in the morning, and tn;
last rays fell at night; in fact it wa
where the young Germans cabin stood ,
century ago. That spot he wanted. II,
purchased it at q high price. There h,
erected house, made part Of it on Office