Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1890-10-01

4
Ing Democratic convention, assigned Us
to room 10l the sky parlOr. We were given
the privilege to walk or take the elevator
to our room. Bender said if it did not cost
any more we would take the elevator We
had jus, about got TO sleep when we were
startled by loud rap at the door. Iuquir-
ing what was wanted, the porter cried out
that another delegate had arrived and he
wanted to put himin our room. We all OBJ
iected and told the porter to take the dele
gate in with him.
Leaving HagerstOwn next morning at 1870
we arrived at ChsrIestown at $50. We
were met at the station by Judge Beckwith,
Mr.. Washington aud Mr. Becker, with two
two-horse carriages ready to drive and show
us the $50 acres Of land bought by the
Charlestown Mining, Manufacturing and
Improvement Company, and 100 acres
with vast deposits Of brown hematite and
wash ores leased We went out in wester-
" direction on the Middleway pike and the
first place we came 70 was II. b. Dayen-
ports farm of 700 acres, a beautiful place, no
finer farm in Lanca- ter county. Davenport
raises 375 bushels Of wheat and 90 bushels
of corn 20 the acre. This land joins
Charlestown and the Shenandoah Valley
Railroad runs through it, Part of this land
has been purchased by the Mining, Manu-
featuring and improvement Company. This
and an of the tracts bought by the company
Join the town and is all frs,-class land
Entering the city we come to the business
streets, where we sec good stores aud lively
business going ON. We next see the Court
House SIS here John Brown was tried Tor trea-
son, found guilty and hung in field just
out Of town. We stop at the Carter House,
a very good hotel for a town of 5000 inhab-
itauts, and where the proprietor makes no
distinction between Democrats aud Repub-
licans. politics being equally divided At
the hotel we are introduced to a number of
gentlemen, among them Mr.. Higgiubotham,
the postmaster. Mr.. II. is from the western
part of Pennsylvania, and moved to Charles
town sixteen years ago. lie owns beauti-
ful farm three miles out of town and drove
Us out too see it. We take look at the
crops and stock and are convinced that he
knows all about farming and how to live
After dinner We take carriages and drive
around the town. We are more fayorably
impressed with it after seeing rows of fine
residences with beautiful lawns. After
viewing the surrounding country and seeing
all of this old town We are conviced that this
is the garden spot OF The Virginia valley.
It has FIVE churches, viz, Episcopal, Pres
byterlau, Baptist, Methodist and Catholic,
l Female seminary, I male academy and ,
public schools, banks, building associa
uons, water and gas, competing railroads,
Shenandoah Valley and Baltimore and Ohio,
aud good turnpike roads to all parts of the
county, planning mills, sash ard blinl fac
tories, foundry and machine shops, -four
mills, fertilizer factory, two grain elevators,
bark mill, tannery aud two carriage lacto-
ries There are three weekly newspapers.
The gentlemen at the head of the Charles
town Mining, Manufacturing and Improve
men; Company are men of integrity. They
have intelligence, energy and pluck and this
company. backed by advantages mentioned,
in my opinion, cannot fail.
After supper az the hotel all were invited
to spend the evening az Judge Beckwith's
residence, where We met number Of prom
inent people of the city, and spent delight
ful evening socially, and winding up with s.
grand lunch.
Friday morning we fnd ourselves in the
hands of Mr.. Charles Becker, of Baltimore,
accompanied by Judge Beckwith, Mr. Hig-
giubotham aud Major Mcdonald of Berry
vile, Va Major Med is an eminent law
yer, who, by his general knowledge of af-
fairs, entertained US pleasantly through our
whole days trip.
Three years ago Mr.. Becker, whose guests
we now are. travelled from Baltimore TO
Florida, stopping at different places looking
for some location TO start some business en-
terprise. He was pleased with this locality
and bought % tract Of 800 acres about three
miles from here, on the Blue Ridge, and
kept on adding until the present time,
and now has 2,400 acres 400 of which he
has cleared and planted in fruit, viz, 10000
peach trees, $1,000 grape vines, 5000 april
cots, 5000 ounces, 5000 pIums and dam
sons, 500 japanese persimmous, 500 English
walnu,s, 300 paper-shell almonds, at an ex-
pense Of 100000
We drive 90 the Shenandoah River, cross
on Mr. BIS Ferry and are now on his land.
A short distance from the Ferry we stop at
a limekiln. This Is operated day and night
aud lime is hauled away as fast as it can be
burned. We next came to a marble quar-