Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-08-25

| tUOk CudA 60
| THE FIRST TRUST REPosED IN HIN.
| II was the first trust that had beer
renosed upon me, and will never Ior
Ger for thought with a thrill OF Jol
| II this one man will trust me cal
make others do 1t, and | think the con
fidence then begotten was the lever
which enabled me to move circum'
stances from that time on. When spring
came there was little increase IN sai
ary and was put on the road seiiins
! lumber.
/ was ordered one morning to prepare
myself for journey TO West virgins
| tn a Mace called BErning Springs, on
| the Little Kanawha river, to inspect .
large amount of oak lumber which the
! firm contemplated buying. The river
being high with the spring flood, 1t was
necessary to go horseback quite dis,
lance across the country. Night 1ounu
me one day at a log cabin in the WOODED
hills of Webster county. Putting up
my horse, after supper as l sat on the
porch Of the cabin the woman ap'
preached me and said:
stranger, l notice that you wear
white shirt. A neighbor Of ours has
died over here. The nearest store Is 40
miles away. and we would like to pro-
cure a white shirt and collar and Tie
to dress the corpse in"
cheerfully placed my store OF clean
linen at her disposal and she careluily
selected what she needed, at the same
time keeping up running fire OF
thanks. In that portion Of the country
there was neither wagon roads nor
wagon, and when man died the neigh
bors gathered from far and near and the
male portion of the community acted as
pallbearers, the corpse being conveyed
to the grave on an old-fashioned bier.
A WEST VIRGINIA INCIDENT.
By the light of torches that night the
men hewed out rough colin and the
bier was made from poles and the next
day in relays of four we carried the man
to his grave. Winding to and fro over
the valley just as the sun was sinking
behind the hill we came out on the brow
of the hill where grave had been dug.
An old patriarchal man who seemed to
have charge of the ceremony ordered
the bier set down by the side OF the grave
and requested the friends and neighbors
of the deceased to take last look at
the corpse before it was laid away.
There was sort of helpless, appeal
ing look in voice and eye. He said:
''There Is no minister present to say
those words which are customarily ut
tered over the dead, but If you will all
kneel with me / will try and pray for
the well being of the depar ted"
had heard eloquent men of the ma
ton on the stump, In the pulpit and at
the bar, but that old man gave utter
ance that afternoon to the most eloquent
prayer, from its very terseness and sim
plicity, that I believe ever fell. from
mortal lips.
The golden sunlight of dying day
lighted up the hills and left the valleys
dark. Standing on that knoll with the
glories of the sunset all about him and
his long gray hair 1uttering in the wind
and glistening in the light 1t was pic
ture more impressive than II he had
been a. scarlet-clad cardinal standing
under the sheen Of thousand lights.
His simple prayer was:
Father, we send Thee another soul;
Thou knowest the burden ne had to
bear, and we ask Thee for Christ's sake
to be merciful."
WASN'T ashamed of the moisture that
filled my eyes as turned away from the
ggaye on the bleak mountain side, and
State assembled petition to Gou-s great,
white throne as beautiful as was uttered
over that humble grave.
While pursuing my calling OF real
estate agent, l dealt more or less In
West Virginia lands. Becoming &C
ouainted with several prominent men OF
that State, conceived the idea OF build
Ing a railroad from Charleston up the
Elk river to the Monongahela and con-
Meeting with the southwest branch OF
the Pennsylvania at Fairchance. This
brought me in contact with Hon. WI.
w. Cowden of Wheeling, who later on de-
sired me, In connection with himself and
Congressman Atkinson, to form COM
pany in the city Of Pttsburg with the
introduction of General Green 3. Raum's
refrigerating system, known as the uni
versal Refrigerating Company.
The inventor, Frank A. Smith, came
here accompanied by colored man In
his employ, and setting up an exhibit
ton box in the Monongahela House,
proceeded to show the public the merits
of his invention. / relied entirely on
his statements and simply acted as an
organizer of the proposed company for
this city.
BOUGHT STOCK IN RAUM's SCHEME.
"Mr. Raum came on after the system
was on exhibition about week, and his
standing in the political world, as well
as the fact that Mr.. Cowden and his as
sociates had tested the invention in
Wheeling, w. Va, and pronounced 1t a
success in every respect, induced me,
when approached by Mr.. Smith, to have
some of my friends join me in purchas-
ing 81, SOC, 900 worth of stock In the
parent company. Mr.. Smith and Gen
eral Raum were both we'll aware OF my
past history, as / can prove by letters In
nv possession which had been sent
them by persons in Pittsburg at the
time l went to Washington when l was
elected director and Vice President OF
the Universal Refrigerating Company at
salary of 5000 = year, which l never
got
A gentleman named Hayes, former
resident of Pittsburg, came from Chica-
20 and, attracted by the account that
he had read in the papers Of this inven-
ton, made contract with him by
which he and his associates agreed on
the 9th day of February last that they
would start a sub-company in Cook
county, Illinois, with capital stock Of
ST, OOO, 900, of which 1000, 600 in stock
was to be delivered, full paid and non
assessable, to the said party Of the first
part, and in addition thereto $1,000 in
cash under these conditions, and $50, 900
PAYABLE in 90 days from the date there