Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1895-09-08
CHAT OF THE TOWN.
A Few Of the Things People are
Talking About.

A Strange State Fair Experience.
The SMALLPOX Scare and How it
Originated-A An Old Rehc-The
Tough Luck the Fair Played In.
Fine Fruit.
a good many curious and interest
ing episodes occurred during Fair
week, and few of them found their way
into print. One of the strangest of
them may be recounted as follows: A
very prominent citizen of the county
and an ex-oficial started to 90 to the
Fair Grounds, but before doing so,
called at his bank and obtained his
bank book, which had been left to be
balanced. He placed several valuable
papers in the book, and then dropped
it into the side pocket of his coat. On
the Fair grounds he felt for the book
and found it missing, and concluded
that he had dropped it. On the way
home, outside the city, he fell in with
friend and neighbor, and the two stop
ped at a toll-gate to pay their toll.
The friend put his hand in his coat
pocket for his pocketbook, but when
he drew it out, it was the bank book
belonging to the ex-oficial, while his
own book was missing. His startled
exclamation Of: why, that's not my
pOcketbOOki" was met with the
prompt reply from the ex-ofiicer: mo,
but it's mine all rightw The only eX
PLANTATION they could arrive at was
that someone had picked The ex-ofl-
cials pocket, found there was no mon
ey in the book and dropped it into the
coat pocket of the officials friend TAX
ing his book in exchange. The curl
Gus part of the episode was The fact
the two men should be friends and
neighbors and that one of the missing
books should be thus restored TO its
owner. It wouldn't happen that way
again in ten thousand times.
"a relative Of mine came up to the
Fair from the lower end Of WetZel,
said a member of Council, yesterday,
but he only got here after the exercise
of a good deal OF will power. He says
he was told by his friends that the
small pox was running riot here; that
the street cars had stopped running;
that several portions of the city had
quarantined against other portions,
and that business was almost suspend
ed, and the entire city in bad shape.
He was bound to see the Fair hOwev-
er. and came against the advice of his
family and friends. He says he was
greatly surprised to see things in
Wheeling moving along just as usual,
with no evidences Of public or pri-
vate anxiety about anything, and no
indications that there was anything
wrong. He will 90 home with very
different idea about the situation here,
but doubtless he will experience some
difficulty in getting his friends and
neighbors to believe the facts
This experience recalls the fact that
it is openly charged by Wheeling trav-
cling men that drummers from Pitts
burg and other points nave deliberate
| " spread b rOadcast throughout the
| territory tributary to Wheeling the
most attrOcious exaggeratiOns Of tine
smallpox situation here, TO the end
that some trade might be diverted
from this city to other points. They
| have imagined that the circulation OF
these deliberate falsehOods was a good
! stroke Of business enterprise, and have
/ not scrupled TO lie like a fisherman
whenever they imagined they could
/ possibly gain a customer. Some of the
stories thus put into circulation have
! been almost past belief, and the worst
| thing about il all is that many Of the
| country people and residents of small
/ towns along the river and railroads
| believe the yarns, while they will not
/ listen to the truth, which is that there
! has never been over ten cases Of small
/ box here. up 10 yesterday,
and less than fifty in all,
/ during its eight months of its preva-
| lence. They cannot be convinced of
/ the fact that one may come here, go
| about the city at will and transact all
possible business in complete safety,
| without hearing smallpox mentioned
! or seeing any evidence whatever Of its
/ existence. It's a queer world.
Leaning against a tree on the Steen-
rod farm. east of the city, is the tomb
stone of Captain John Mills, a gallant
soldier who served during the revOlu-
tionary war. and who was probably
the first delegate from Ohio county to
the Virginia Legislature. This relic
! should be taken care Of, and some
| communities can be recalled where
| such a memorial would not be allowed
TO lie about in this miscellaneous man
ner. Of a verify. we have small ven
GRAFTON for the past in this community.
The State Fair had an unusual num-
Der of antagOnistic things to buck
against this year, and yet there can be
/ little doubt but that the record for at
| tendance would have been badly frac-
| tured had the weather have been any
thing like decent. The people, not
only of this city. but of all the sur
| rounding country within a circuit OF
| seventy-fve miles, were in the humor
! 10 90. and they would have turned out
| twenty-five thousand strong on Thurs
dav had the week been bright and sun
nv. Buffalo Bits show, the base ball
| games, the smallpox scare in the ru-
| raj districts. and the rain, all damaged
the Fair very materially. yet the at
tendance was good despite all the
! drawbacks. The moral of all this is
that the public OF Wheeling and vicin-
itv are dead in love with the State
Fair. and will stand by it through
thick and thin.