Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-08-22
Staunton vindicator.


COMES BACK THE GOVERNOR OF A
GREAT STATE.
GOV. F7FER OF ILLINOIS VISITING
THE SCENES OF HIS EARLY
CHILDHOOD.
THE GOVERNORS TRIP TO HIS BOYHOOD
HoME-RECoGNITIoN OF LOCALITIES
OF 40 YEARS AGO-HE MEETS HIS FIRST
SCHOOL TEACHER-SKETCH OF HIS LIFE
SINCE HE WENT WEST-THE OLD
FRIENDS OF HIS FATHER NEARLY ALL
PASSED AWAY.
&C., &C., sc.
On Sunday morning last, in the
| congregation of the First Presby-
terrain church, standing during the
opening hymn was a tall, slender, and
very striking looking man. His 1.-THE
and youthful figure was contradiction to
the mass Of gray hair tinged with black that
| waved over his forehead. His features
were clear cut and his eyes black and sharp.
At his side stood a pretty little woman
with the staid look of a matron and yet
the freshness Of girl. lot half dozen
people in the congregation knew who the
strangers were. They were Gov. Joseph
Wilson Fifer Of Illinois, (''Private Joe
Fifer, y and his wife, who had arrived from
Illinois the afternoon before to visit the
scenes of the early childhood of the Cover
nor, in Augusta and Staunton. After the
service was over, the Governor and his wife
were introduced to the pastor, Rev. Dr..
Mcfarland, Hon. HI. st. Geo. Tucker
member of congress from this district, and
others. At the Virginia Hotel where he
stopped Governor T. was fortunate in find
ing an old friend and acquaintance in the
person Of Capt. J. f. Wilson, who was a
brave officer in the 18th Illinois regiment
during the civil war, in which he lost an
eye, and was, later, the postmaster at
Lynchburg, where he was very popular
with the people. He is now engaged in
some work here for the Census Bureau at
Washington.
On Monday morning. Gov. Fifer and
wife drove out to Churchville and on to
jennings Gap, the neighborhood in which
the Governor was born and spent his
childhood, and where some of his relatives
lie buried. He found that all the men and
women of his father time with one OIL two
exceptions, We're dead OF moved away, but
he recognized with perfect distinctness
many of the places Of his boyhood's sport.
He visited the residences of DR.. Robert S.
Hamilton, MI. S. Brown Allen and othe1
well known citizens Of that vicinity, and
spoke with great pleasure on his return to
Stanton of the hospitable reception he had
met with. The Stonewall Brigade Band
with a number of citizens had been wait
ing some time to give the Governor sere-
made, but his late return to the city fooled
their courteous intention.
RECALLING FAMILIAR SCENES IN
STAUNTON.
Gov. Fifer's father was building con-
tractor in Staunton for time, and one of
the buildings he erected was the solid old
First Presbyterian manse, corner of Fred
erick and Coalter streets. Monday in
company with J. Howard Wayt, ESQ.,, the
Governor visited the manse, and Dr.. Nc
Farland, the pastor, showed him over the
house. Not change had been made in the
brick work of fifty years ago, and the Gov
ernor greatly admired the massive pillars
in the rear, which was the fashion in the
day the manse was erected. From there
MI. Wayt took the Governor to the old
Presbyterian church, which now forms a
part of the Augusta Female Seminary
buildings, and in which Gov. Fifer had at
tended church regularly when a boy His
family were Presbyterians. He was then
taken through the Augusta Female Semi
nary grounds and buildings and greatly adj
mired them. At his desire he was taken to
the old county court house, with which he
was familiar when a boy, and was
there introduced to judged. W. Stout, the
Judge, and W. A. Burnett, the Clerk of
the court, J. N. Ryan Circuit Court
Clerk, Capt. E. A. Fulcher of the
County Board of Supervisors, and several
members of the bar. He was particularly
interested in the portrait Of Chief Justice
Marshall there and that of Col. John B.
Baldwin. He knew Col. Baldwin by repu-
tation.
VISIT TO EX-sECRETARY A. II. II.
STUART.
Being DESTROYS to pay his respects to
theyenerable ex-Secretary Stuart, Gov. F ifer
had early in the day, addressed anOte to him
asking permission to call. He soon received
kind answer, and in company with his
wife, Capt. Wilson, and MI. Wayt called
on MI. Stuart. Both the Governor and his
wife spoke of the visit afterwards with
great pleasure. They staid there an nour
and half, much Of the time being spent
in delightful "reminiscences by Mr.. Stuart
of National politics and parties in other
days, and much of it being spent in show
ing to his guests the old mansion which is
a century old this year, with it's portraits
of distinguished men-W ebster, Winthrop,
Peabody and others.
A SKETCH OF GOV. FIFER S LIFE.
A representative Of the VINDICAToR
called on the Governor and his wife at the
hotel Tuesday afternoon. In conversation
Gov. Fifer is plain, unaffected and frank,
and an exceedingly pleasant tall1er, as is
his wife. In reply to question about his
early life in Augusta and Staunton and his
career after leaving here, the Governor
said:
We went West in 1850, when I was eight
OF nine years old. We lived at jennings
Gap. l was born there and came here to
Staunton about the year 1917 OF 1913 MY
fatbar then hui1t tho old Prochu+or;a,