Evening star., 1896-10-31
A Unique Settlement That Flourished
Before the War.
ANNUAL Big MUSTER At SALEM
The Residents of the Free State
Turned Out in Force.
L " n II y r W H l S K Y



former years to section of country oc-
cupying some eight or ten square miles of
fauquier county on the south side of the
graded road leading from Marshall to Or
lean 1t was a wild, rugged and sterile
country, comprising a number of small
mountains. the valleys between them af-
ford.ns but a small area OF arabic land.
The original grant. which included this
tract, comprised a large proportion of more
valuable land. to the development of which
the alter ticn and energies of its owners
were devoted. leaving this less desirable
part or II Tree to be taken up and squat
ted upon by any who chose to do So and
ii is said that II thus acquired its name
the Free State"
The conformation Of the country not
being the best for road building, none of
the great thoroughfares made in the early
settlement of Virginia runs through the
Free State. and this. together with the
general lay of the land. rendered 1t an
isolated community, and many of the first
settlers were attracted to ii as much or
more more by the seciusion 1t offered and free
dom from inquiry into their antecedent as
by any other consideration Hence, in
course of time. the Free State came to be
peopled by class of individuals as rough
increased and multiplied, living among
themselves and to themselves. settling their
own differences, frequently. IL not generally
by force Of arms. without appeal to or in
reference by the law.
They had no schools, churches or stores
nor cared for any, and. having no desire
to see, and less to be seen by people out
s;de their own community, but few of them
ventured far from home. Marshall, then
called Salem. was their nearest village and
almost the only Intercourse the average
Free Slater had with others was when they
carried to the stores there the sumac.
chestnuts or other products to exchange for
whisky or tobacco. two commodities that
were freely INDUCED in by all ages of both
sexes.
Free Use Of Whisky.
Bush Thompson once bought a barrel of
whisky, and in about six weeks went back
to the same store to negotiate for another
The clerk expressed. some surprise at the
early. need Of the SECOND supply, but Bush
silenced him by asking: "How long do you
expect one barrel of whisky to last a
workihgman with fourteen children, when
they amt got no cow?'
AT election times, when contests were
close, and when circus came to town.
large numbers of free staters came to
Salem. but the one day OF the whole year
when the census of that far-famed coun-
try might be accurately told In Salem was
at the annual big muster.
Their there was a general outpouring of
the whole population. and it was these big
mUsterS that gave to the free state and
to Salem that reputation that made them
Famous throughout the length and breadth
o. the old dominion. Before the war it
was the law or custom for the militia force
OF the whole country to meet at Salem for
general review and drill, and a gala day it
was.
AS has been stated, it was the habit of
the free state- to settle his own difficulties
by force of fists, and by common consent
frcm time iEmemoral the annual big
jrr,n md Col,
place for such settlements. Despite the
Widespread reputation the free slater had
as free tighter nobody ever heard of two
of them meeting and fighting without an
audience. 1t must be done in Salem and in
a crowd.
1t has been said that there is not a rock
IN the streets of Salem that has not been
used on somebody's head If this is so
they must be possessed of a healing virtue
fer, despite their frequent use as skull
crackers, there is record of but few. if
any. casualties resulting from these fights
in the past century.
So, On a big muster day the various
clans of the free state filed into Salem. The
morning was given to the review of the
troops. which were disbanded about noon
or earlier, and then came a scrub horse
race or two, followed by an interval for
the luncheon or dinner.
After dinner some fellow would quietly
lay off his coat and proclaim himself the
best man In the county. The challenge
was Immediately accepted. a ring formed
by the spectators and the fun of the day
commenced.
From this. other smaller or larger fights
would spring up in the crowd, until fighting
became SO general that to all appearances
the whole seething. painting, sweating,
swearing, bloody crowd would be engaged
in an indiscriminate slaughter. from which
Is was next to impossible for any to es-
cape UNNAMED. If, indeed. with life itself
These fights were SO free that a man
really seemed out of place If he were not
engaged in some capacity.
A WashtnEtoninn's Experience.
Ned Ashby illustrates this by an anec-
dote: He had gone from this neighbor-
hood to live in Washington city and had
told SO much of Salem and the big musters
that an acquaintance became very much
and expressed desire to he
present on one of these occasions. So he
accepted Ned's invitation to spend his yaca-
tion in Virginia with him, and on the ap-
pointed day he and Ned went to Salem.
The review was over, the races were run
the iuncheon eaten and the champion had |
himself, been promptly tackled
and as pretty free fight as ever was seen
Was IN progress. IL seemed as IL everybody |
was IN 1t. and Meas friend, to get a better |
'iew' stood up on bale box in front of a |
store (Which of course, was closed) and |
was enjoying the scene to the utmost, when
without provocation or warning |
Whack!-he was struck across the hack |
with a hoop pole and knocked heels over |
head to the ground. Scrambiing to his feet 4
he said TO his assailant: What in the |
thunder did you strike ME for? 1 wasn't |
1oing anything
No. was the reply; that's jest hit; you
are neither fightin' nor partin'!'
These were busy times and every one was
expected TO be Going something.
This was the free state before the war;
now all is changed and there Is not fair
er neighborhood anywhere in Virginia than
his. When the call was made for roIun-
teers. the people of this region responded
1obiy. and there were no better soldiers in
he army of northern Virginia than the
free staters. Many of them We're found in
he Mountain Rangers. the gallant Turner
Ashby's first company: I'm the Black Horse |
he Warrenton Rifles, Stribling's Battery
and in other gallant but unnamed COM
oanies in the 9TH, Sth and 18th Virginia i
Regiments, all of which went from
Fauqu!er in the early part of the war; and
Mosby's command, recruited largely from
he same section later on. Four years as
ISOLATION in the life of soldier wore eff
he rough edges of these mems natures,
md they came home at the close Of the
var i very different class of people-those
who came home at all They went to work
With higher hopes, aims and ambitions.
With the result that their mountain sides
ire now dotted with cattle and sheep feed
ng In iuXuriant pastures, while the narrow
,ut fertile valleys are blooming as the rose. |