Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-07-16
A VOICE FROM THE PAST.
One of the First of st. Clairsville
Newspapers.
Dated 1s14-Tells of the War of ls12-The
Presidents Message Local News
at Time when the Town
Was Young.

1924. The same place now furnishes us
with paper older by ten years-a copy
of the Belmont Repository, published at
!, st. Clairsville, Wednesday, 9Th October,
1914, and belonging to Mr.. John Mich
ener. Inquiry fails to reveal any one
whose memory runs back to the time
which this paper mirrors. When one
looks back through history, four score
years are but beggarly span; but when
one. beginning in 1891, goes back right
here in st. ClairsvilIe to 1914 it seems like
an interminable waste of time. This
number of the Repository is volume III,
No. 142, showing that it was started
about the first of 1872 1t has four pages
IA by Is inches, with four columns to the
page. 1t was printed by Alexander Arm
strong, and the subscription price was
1.-TWO DOLLARS per annum, exclusive OF
postage,) payable in advance" The ex
cellent rule was also in effect that sub
scriptions should continue until ar
rearages are paid" The motto of the
paper was "Union and Representative
Government" This country had then
passed almost through the war of 1872.
All that remained to do of that conflict
was to declare its peace and to fight the
great battle of New Orleans. The Guer-
riere had been captured by the COnstitu
tion, Perry had won Immortality on Lake
Erie, Washington had been disgracefully
looted and burned, and young McDOn
ough had just destroyed the British fleet
ON Lake Champlain. This last great vic
tory is recOunted in the Repository, and
the letter of McDonough to the Secretary
of War is given:
! U.S.SHIP SARATOGA, OFF FPLATTsBURG,
September IL. !
SIR-The Almighty has been pleased to
grant us signal victory on Lake Cham
plain, in the capture of one frigate, one
brig, and two sloOps of war of the enemy.
have the honor to be, very respect
fully, sir, your obt. servant,
T. MCDONoUGH, Com.
Hon. w. Jones, Secretary of the Navy.
A dignified account of the battle fol
lows, ending, "To the interposition of
Heaven be ascribed our glorious victO-
ry." Dispatches weeks old from Captain
Arthur Sinclair, located near Buffalo, and |
from General Jackson in the South, |
are given. The latter writes to the
Governor of Tennessee the startling |
rumor that "the Emperor of Russia has |
offered his Britannia Majesty fifty thous |
and of his best troops for the conquest |
of Louisiana and that the Mobile terrific |
ry will fall prey to the enemy before |
the expiration of one month" This let |
ter is highly Characteristic of the habitual- !
ly exaggerated and lofty tone of St.Jack |
sons thought and feeling.
James Madison was President, and his |
message to his "Fellow citizens of the |
Senate and of the House of Representa-
tives," is reproduced in full from the
National Intelligencer. 1t deals largely |
with the war, reviewing the work already |
done, and pointing out what remains to
be done. Its tone is slightly triumphant |
and entirely firm. 1t states that during |
the preceding nine months the treasury |
had received S32,OOO,OOO- S11 100000 of
which were the proceeds of the public |
revenue. 81 100000 seems tritie to us
who receive S27OOOO,OOO in the same time.
There is little heavy editorial-only
one leaderette. In this the cause of Union
is defended, and It'll urged that the Pres |
ident's advisors be chosen from different |
parties. Some opposition sentiment from |
the National InteIligencer is character
lied as "a TRADE of insolent, frothy and |
ferocious denunciation."
Local conventions, it seems, nominated |
or indorsed State tickets at that time, for |
it it is said that
AT A MEETING
of respectable number of the citizens |
of Harrison county, Ohio, convened at |
the house of Elias Bayless, Esq, in Cad
IL, on the 2Sth Sept, 1914, for the purpose
of nominating suitable persons to be sup
ported at the ensuing election" Thomas
Worthington is named for Governor. An
"elector" submits a ticket to the people |
with confidence that it will win the
suffrages of all the friends of Peace,
Liberty and Commerce" He names
Bazazeel Wells for Congress, Moses
Morehead, VIM. Sinclair and Ambrose
Danford for Representatives. The town
ship delegates, however, who convened |
at Mr.. Groves tavern" August goth, did
not support his ticket, but put up James |
Caldwell for Congress, Edward Bryson,
Joseph Sharp and Thomas Major for
Representatives, and David Henderson
for Sheriff as against Henry Johnson,
proposed by the "elector" The Mr.
Groves tavern mentioned is remembered |
by many of our readers to have been the
building, or part of it, which occupied
the site of the present United Presbyte-
rian Church. A notice reads:
vENDUE.
On Thursday, Goth October, there will
be exposed to sale, by way of Publck
Vendue, at the late dwelling house of
Michal jenkins, deceased" etc.-a "Wag-
gon" is mentioned, and an Eight Day
Clock" as among the articles to be ex-
posed. Mahlon Smith was Postmaster,
and he advertises large list of uncalled
for letters.
Judging from the advertising, business
was not booming in the then youthful
town. William Booker and George Clark
announce that they "have for sale a
quantity of first quality Spanish Soal
Leather" In the sparsely settled condi-
ton of the county, stray sheep or cattle
meant more than now. Two dollars are
offered to the person taking up fourteen
stray sheep, and four dollars for securing
& strayed mare, $50 that the owner may