Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1889-09-20

JOSEPH REINHART, g. NJ. KNOTT,
DAVID HAwN, w. J. KNOTT, Jr.,
G. II. KNOTT, A. p. REINHART,
S. NJ. KNOTT, j. S. REINHART,
GEORGE CATION, ID. G. MoLER,
LEE H. MoLER, B. E. CARTER,
G. S. KNOTT, NJ. NJ. SKINNER,
WASH. BANKS, r. ID. LAMAR,
G. w. MoLER, f. III. REINHART,
GEO. w. OsBoURN, q. n. MORRISON,
WIN. j. KNOTT, s. Il. KNOTT.
To the Honorable Commissioners of
Jefferson County, West Virginia.-In
answer to summons by your honor
able body, bearing date May the Sth,
1889, to answer petition of WI.
Reinhart and others, before you on
Monday, May the 18th, in writing"
as to the charges of toll on the Shep-
herdstown and Halltown Turnpike,
or on that part of it which leads from
where Moler's road enters it to Shop
herdstown. This point is called by
your petitioners Tanners Entrance"
a name l never heard until l read it
in the petition. The adoption Of this
name, for that point, seriously
object to, as not only being vulgar,
but calculated to deceive you into the
belief that it is point still nearer
town where the road from the pike
enters to my farm, and for which dis
lance pay toll. Another matter
named in the petition calculated to
mislead the understanding of the pub
lie, and which is utterly false, and
could only be intended to lead you
into the belief that l had departed
from the rates set by you and your
predecessors, when it invokes IAN in
vestigation by your honorable body
in regard to the roll charged us by
the Superintendent of said road" /
deny as an unmitigated falsehood the
charge of the petition of ever having
set a rate of toll, or of ever having de-
parted from the rates set and pub
lished by the Court. Here are the
printed rates of the Court, and also
the annual rates set by the commits
sion that you appointed a little over
one year ago to satisfy the clamors of
those same petitioners. They were
then offered the opportunity, if they
thought themselves aggrieved by pay
ing the established rates of the Court,
to take their toll by the year. and j.
p. Kearfott and g. w. NARROW, who
were appointed by your honorable
body for the purpose, set the rates of
toll for them. Most of those petition
ers accepted the rates set by the com
mission, and appeared to be satisfied
with it in preference to the ticket sys-
TEN which had been proposed A
few, however, refused the rates set
by the commission and also estab-
lished rate set by the Court, and kept
up continual, wrangling and strife
with the gate-keeper nearly every
time they passed the gate as to the
rate of toll she was compelled to
charge them.
have been informed that some Of
those who refused to accept either
rate of toll have the distinguished
merit of exercising quite laudable
industry in creating dissatisfaction
in the minds of others as to the rate
of toll they were paying, taking con-
siderable pains to leave the impress
| sion upon the minds of the people
that have been the cause of their
complaints. l have also understood
that in this matter their zeal for q
reform in the rates of toll has carried
them to point of very doubtful pro-
priety-that of inserting names in the
petition without the consent or knowl-
edge of some persons whose names
appear there.
THE DISTANCE TRAVELLED.
Your petitioners are very careful to
to tell you Of the distance they travel
on this road for which they complain
they are charged too much toll, but
they sedulously preclude from your
knowledge the fact that they are con-
stantly using some other parts of this
road for which they never pay any
toll. For instance, from Unionville
to Stroup's Crossing; from Unionville
to Decks Cross Roads, and from I'm
ionville to near Halltown and return.
In these parts of the road there is no
gate to collect the toll, and all the
parts here named are used every year
more or less by these petitioners.
An analysis of the grievances of
your petitioners will afford you not
only instruction but amusement. If
you observe, there appears to be 90 of
them, who paid in the aggregate
$4,000 This amount was paid by 10
of those petitioners The average
for each would be 1926, and paid by
the following persons, viz:
Capt l.. III. Moler, for sons and family So 90
W. Banks, for sons and family........... 4 80
A. p. Reinhart, for sons and family. 50
l.. II. Reinhart, for sons and family. 50
Jacob Reinhart for sons and family. ] 50
w. j. Knott, ST., for sons and family. ] 50
Chas. Knott and family. l 50
w. j. Knott, Jr.,. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 3 10
DR.. s. 7. Knott las physician. ........... so
u. Hawn and family. ..;..............> 90