Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1889-03-07

FEBRUARY, 1850.
T,ceniy-Fire Per cent CGsI, Before De-
livery.

lirery.
Can any rules be simpler any argu-
mcnt stronger, or any road surer or short
er? This ritter began under thes iron laws
after skooling Of three years in the store
of Jacob Senseny, Winchester, Va, in
1854, with $500, Is years old. | will
never forget the hearty cheers from James
Rely, Joseph S Carson, Henry NJ. Brent
and Nat Brent, head officers Of the bank,
as drew my money and started for Bal
limore. Twenty-Five per cent. was stun
ner and staggered the old timers, the fit y
and one hundred per centers, but it drew
in thehi and 10, rich and poor-everybody
delt in the little 13x1S. After awhile we
run the store bak 20 feet Things doubled
and trebled, and We moved into the Iarg-
est store in the place, where the records
we're smashed and everything run at the
very hiest rate of commercial speed.
Had the writer then had place like
4G6 and 46S to get his thurderbolts from
how much easier and swiller the race
but the running all around and hunting
up bargains and the time in auction rooms
was a serious mater and a vast waste Of
valuable time 1 cudn't spare. And be-
side there was no place then, as now, no
place outside of the auction rooms where
we cud buy upon our terms-fve per cent.
lvance-lha al wanted from ten upward.
rhe proprietor, then twenty-five, visited
the metropolis once month, kept bank
account in Baltimore, Philadelphia and
New York, and was preparing to change
headquarters to New York when the Toe
sin of war sounded and the Chivalrous
'nuth grappled with its great Northern
Brother. 1t was that heroic little band
Il .ainst the world. The ritter was Union
up to the last inevitable hour, until Lin.
coin cald upon Virginia to help fife the
South, and then, closing his great bust
Il $, he shot Yankees and Yankees shot
him at the rate Of SD Il month. God Of
Heaven what an occupation
The twenty-five per cent. c. B. d. had
yielded nearly 100000 in seven years
This little pile was invested in tobacco,
cotton and Confederate four per cent.
bonds. The two former were swept out
II existence upon the burning OF tic rebel
.apilol, and Appomattox cut down the
value of the bonds to two cents pound !
# was no fault Of the p per cent. or OF
the spot cash. 1t was simply the sweep
of Intellectual progress--an upward and
onward advanc Of human liberty. 1t
touched not the immulable law Of % per
cent. cash, even tho il struck the shakel>
from the Anglo as we'll as the Afric Of
the proud sunny South. Then, in thi.
eventful life Of vici,sifude, came a year
on the farm-in the harvest field, l0l in
the shade, and at the fodder >hok, 10 bclo
zero. What life for poor devil with
cut a diml-eleven thousand old diets
hanging over lim and burning up with
ambition what good the ndaunted puk
following the plow and reper-thro' the
bumbIebee's nests, for a little to eat and
Il place to sleep-it was little better than
fling the bluebellies-that Is, as far as
making money went, in fact there we're
chances during the war that did not oc-
eur in the unromantic life Of the shcaI
and shok, the hoe and harrow. For in
stance, clever little days financial spec
uIaiion in 1864, belo Petersburg. Il was
the da that Wilson and Kautz, raiders,
getting back from their expedition Of des
olalion aud plumber, struk Malone. it
was agen, as always The Yanks were
lodcd down with unavailable colaterals-
the colored brother and his mule and
chickens and ducks aud dogs 1t was all
over in twenty minutes. The blue boys
scattered in every direction, hoping to find
passage thro' to Grants lines only about
a mile Oft. Il was like Iolcomb's band.
and about the same ods-four to one
that wer loded down with plunder, beside,
between the raiders and Grant stretched
a long line Of Confederate curage that no
force cud pierre or drive. Sergeant Tim
berlake and this ritter detached that da
upon special duty pounced down upon a
bunch Of thes frightened fugitives; be-
side 4 dozen prisoners. armed with thirty
shooters, we cot any quantity Of stolen
pluuder-colored gentlemen and ladies
riding in the old family carriages-mules,
hogs and cows-a clever little string,
thirty in all, and marcht EN- to Peters
burg. The sergeant rode at the head Il
brot up the rear he was a magnificent
looking soldier,-passing us on the road
were many who asked of me what gen