Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1896-07-10
CLAUDIUS SMITHS BOOTS.
Haunted, Folks Said, Aftor Thor
OIynor Was Ha1agod.
Three Men Who w0ro Thorn Killed Nv
h@itlosnakcs A pOctor's Explanation
OF story ToId UP Ia tho
Sohunneanunk nlountaina.

sohunneanunk Mountains.
NO ono In the Schunncmunk noun
loins viii ever forget the story of
Bnnard Persons hunted loots."
said Christy Lord OF that historic rart
OF Orange county. "Thc story dates
back u good ways. but it's always new
ond fresh along the old Schunncmunr
"broinnrd Persons boots, SO ths
story goes, were the very boota TINT
'laudius Smith kicked off his feet ius,
before he was hnngcd nj Goshen I'm the
revolutionary times. ClaudiuR Smith
was the bloody Tory cowboy who. with
MS Following of cutthroats and robbers.
'crrorizcd the Schunnemunk and sur
rounding country for ycata. His moth
CT was pious woman, who lived near
the RamnpO Pass. and when she found
Nhe couldn't turn Claudius from his
evil ways, she exclaimed one day:
oh, my poor son! Nou WI Cir Win
Your shoes on. like troopers horse
After the patriots had M last
captured the desperate. ard he WINS
taken 90 the gnllows at Goshen. he
kicked his boots of ms the rope wns
lHacrd about bignnals, ,und cxclalmcd:
My mother mid would de llSSII,
troopers horse, with Iay shoes on.
viii make her out II liar
Those were Claudins Smiths Inst
words. His boots, through some man
ner or succession. 1T last fell into the
possession OF Brainnrd picFson ycar,
niter tho cowboy wus hnnrel. Two
often heard my father say that when
foliss henrd that Broinarl had po,
Cloudius Sinlth's boots they went q
him and said;
iint OF course You aint going 70
wear 'cm. Bruinarig
ITO which llrninnrd replied.
Amt ~ Wen. but l am. though
most surcly!'
Then. AS my father usod 10 tcil. fol,..
said 60 lireinnrd:
Woo 10 you. Brainard Picrs0n. n
you wear those bootsl Not for nh IA,
treasure Claudius Smith buried In old
Schunncnunk would wc wear those
boots! There's blood on 'cmi'
And You must l.now thct was savlnc
a good deal. for Cloudius Smith hid In
thcSchunnemunle mountains thousands
upon thousands of dollars worth of
treasure which he and his .car.n stole
from the patriots. ard it's there vet.
II was put away SO snug thnt although
tho mountains have been dur over from,
top TO bottom and end TO end. 10 one
lns ever been able 20 fird Tint treasure.
30 OF course, IL must be- there vet.
Wen, when folks warned Brainurd
against wearing the Tory cuttllront's
boots, and told him there WAS blood on
en-. he answered back. SO my father
said. that he hadn't noticed any blood
on 'cm.
And even If there Is,' Brninard said.
I'll walk IL or Tomorrow. for I,o
going 10 drive some cattle down Jersey
way. / couldn't get pair o boots lilo
these for the price o. the best crittcr
I've got"
80 lbrainard put on the boots and
sirutted around in 'cn proud a., pea.
cock. But folks shook their heads and
said:
Not for all that Claudius Smith hid
In old Schunnemunk would We wear
his boots
"Br"innrd Pierson laughed. and next
hay started with his cattle down Jersey
way. wearing the dead Tory's boots.
somewhere down near the Hamalso
Pass a man coming this way met Il
drove of cattle. They went on bv.
and the mUn noticed that no droycr ,vgs
behind them. lie went on. lie had oonc
IA quarter of a mile or so when he al
most stumbled over a man Iyiny I'm the
road. lie noticed that the man had on
remarkably fine pair of boots. but he
started back IN terror as he saw n rat
ueSnakc lying near his feet. Discover
ing that the serpent was dead. ne ad-
vanced and was Mortified TO sec that the
prostrate mans face was black ard
swollen. and that he was dead II wos
pam THAT the rattlesnake had bitten
tie man, who had then killed the snake
before he was overcome by it's venom.
he dead man was Brainard Per
son. The discOvercr of the tragedy
sought the nearest help. and tho rattle
snakes victim was brought home +,
Scbunnemunk. The head Of the snolc
had been crushed by stone. and ore Of
It's fangs was gone. The snake had Bit
ten clear through one Of the bocfs
Brninard wore. and 4 tiny puncture ON
his ankle showed where. the deadly
venom had entered to do its deadly
work
'Claudius Smiths bootsl' was the
nrst exclamation that folks made when
Hrainard Person was brought home
dead frorl rattleSnalSe bite "Th, res
blood on en-. and we toll him SOL
"For a long time nothing was talked
about all through the Schnnemunk
country but Erainard Persons haunt
I'd boots and the awful fate that Rrain-
sId sDst VIA hc.aCse he 0ew 10 tEe