Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1895-06-30

the Suffolk Military academy with the
handsome cadets, and of course came or
second best. Everybody got bouquets
but me. Ii was a, delightful occasion.
The Opera House was filled with indul-
gent friends and the perfume OF thou
sand magnolia blossoms. l sat behind
a large. graceful palm, with my sunny
head just peeping over it like a hard
boiled egg plant or an editorial orchid
living cheerily on air
The next day an expedition, including
the writer and family, was arranged
for. having in view the lake of the Dis
NAL swamp. 1t is a long and rather
laborious trip of 10 or II hours by canal
four negroes punting the boat ten miles
and return at the rate of two miles an
hour, not including stops for treatment
of snake bites.
we had avery choice party of young
people, headed by Miss Lizzie Joseph
King, the pnpctpaPs energetic daugh-
ta. and Major Dawson and Captain
Phillips, two carnations of'the academy
and pinks of chaperons also Mr.. Elan,
the railway guide, philosopher and
friend: Miss Vinton, the botantst and
buggist: Miss Hunter, Miss Mary PTet-
low, Mrs. Harper, the prize taker on
pickles and jellies; Miss Croker, the
entertaining reader and elocuuonist,
and others whose names l cannot spell
property
Gayly we started at o'clock by car
riage for the canal, which is perhaps
two miles from the town. We got
aboard the Jennie Wilson, and with the
Shrek of whistle from the off niger
on the jilipoop we began TO glide softly
from our mornings in the tall grass.
For the first few miles one wonders
what Tom Moore, the gifted freshman.
found to write about, for we glided
along through grassy meads and tall
weeds, but anon we found ourselves in
the canebrake and the hush of vast
100000 acre silence. Now and again
the deep silence would be broken by a
glad cry as fragrant magnolia and
cool moccasin, with red petals, were
gathered. and as the snake fell. with
mellow PUNK, shrieks of delight were
echoed from the deep, somber wall Of
giant gums.
The Dismal swamp was owned after
the Revolutionary disturbance by Geo.
Washington, who cut down a good MANY
of the large trees with his little
Ratchet.
He formed the Dismal Swamp Land
Company and dag the Washington ditch
to raft timber to market on, and the
dark sarsaparilla cOlored streak Of wet
ness is still there.
The Dismal swamp is yet the para
disc Of hunters, and In Lake Drum
mond there are fish as long as an oar.
| caught one, but ii had just been born
and was only So inches in length.
was told that If I kept 1t long enough
it would grow to be as big as an oar,
but ! only kept till the conductor the
next day asked me to please go into
the second-handed car, and | decided
to cast my little fish aside. Friends ara
to me far more valuable than fish, and
man is by nature social being.
A Mr.. Hosier escaped arrest by the
federal government in 1863 and fed to
the swamp. He swan the Elizabeth
river with his clothes tied in a bundle
on his head Finally he reached Lake
Drummond, and there decided TO swim
across. a distance Of seven miles. ! do
not know why, but possibly it was for
the excitement of being on the other
side, for it was just the same on one
side as the other. EnrOute he lost his
clothes and was met by a large serpenz
but pulling his revolver from his pocket
and pushing It into the serpent's back
| teeth he blew Off the creatures head
I h. Mr.
/ Hosier met up with a bear, and being
in nude state he hated 10 take fall
! off the bear catch as-catch-can. so he
ran away which might be called n
nude departure But the bear over
taken him. as the colored brother Gays,
and Mr.. Hosier turned upon him with
knife which he had in his other pocket,
and feeding this weapon 90 the bear
soon had the sad comfort Of closing his
eyes in death.
Being naked. he decided 10 skin the
bear and wear the pelt. for the red
nosed brar and poisonous DO bush, as
| deadly as a rattesnake were making
sad inroads upon his complexion IL
places. Putting on the bearshn on his
own bare skin, he approached hut afLS%
| nut, DuL every one ram "llch nc N-yDhV--
at the door, except one man, who bal
lasted him with birdshot and then re-
tired. Mr.. Hosier has since been IN
able to obtain recognition or be iden-
tilted and is still roaming UP and down
the Vastly swamp afraid to come
ashore. though It is now 30 years.
| have dramatzed this story from a
small book by Robert Arnold Of SUI
folk, called Uncle Alex and ais
Mule" Il deals largely with the Dismal
swamp, and he speaks Of Mr. Ilos.e,
as a lovely character, some Of wnoa.
statements are true.