The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1897-02-05
INTRODUCTION.

IN AN4 inquiries nave oeen n'a''e lol
NJ the following story which created
"A a good deal of local interest at
the time it was published, but the writer
of the tale appeared to care so little for it
that no copy of it was preserved. So
many inquiries have been recently made
for the story that an effort was finally
made to recover copy of it. The search
was at length rewarded by application to
Hannah A. Griffith, living i'll the neigh
borhood of Calvert, this county, who had
several copies of the paper in which the
story was published. Several chapters
were still wanting, when a gentleman
living in Philadelphia wished to see it
and was told that it possibly might be
found in some Of the libraries in that city.
His search was rewarded by finding a
copy in the Drexel Institute Library. He
kindly had the missing chapters copied
and sent them to the present publishers.
The author would give no "reminiscences
of the origin of the tale and was rather
opposed to having it republished. saying
it was all rubbish anyhow. His brother,
w. P. Ewing, who lives in the West, was
applied to and furnished the following
preface to the story:
The story entitled "The Hag of the
Wallowi wish"-some chapters of which
appear in the MIDLAND JOURNAL this
week-was written for, and published in
the Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper in
the fall of IS49. 1t created quite local
sensation at the time; and neighborhood
gossips discussed with great volubility
from week to week, the sayings and do.
ings of the actors of the story, and gave
to most Of them "a local habitation and a
name" / never asked the writer of the
story about the various personages who
figure in it, but looking it over, after a
period Of nearly so years has passed,
recall many of them as familiar acquaint.
ances of my boyhood.
There can be no doubt about the 1oca
ton of the story being at Porter's Bridge
on the Octoraro creek, nor about the prin
cipal heroine being Margaret Aurelia
Harlan, or "old Peggy Harlan" as she
was familiarly called. To intensity the
interest of the story aud make dramatic
scene. the writer took the story-teller's
privilege of indulging in AL anachronisn
and making the death Of Miles O'Fergu
son-Helen Darly's father-occur on the
night the bridge over the Wallo-wish wa:
swept away by flood. The bridge ovel
the Octoraro creek was carried away by {
flood some time in IS4o, think, while
Miles O'Ferguson, or Stephen Porter
must have died thirty or more years be
fore that time. From what have heart
of him, however, l conclude he was {
pompous, pretentions old fellow-one O
the nabobs of the county-and felt dis
gusted at the idea of his daughter Mar
garet marrying John H Harlan, very
ordinary farm laborer without a pedigree
Nevertheless Margaret married him
whether before or after her fathers deatf
do not remember-and for IS or 20 year
the docket of the Circuit Court for Ceci
county was embellished, at each term
with suits of John H. Harlan and wifi
VS.. Patrick Ewing" and David Brown
and Amos Hanshaw, the three neighbor
whose farms were contiguous to the Lane
Margaret had inherited from her father
Stephen Porter. Mrs. Harlan and he
husband are so faithfully deliueated il
the story as Mrs. Darby and husband
that no one acquainted with the forme
could fail to recognize them in the latter
The same can be said in regard to Timoi
Darby. No one who knew Stephen
Harlan, the only son of John H. and Mar
garet Harlan, could fail to recognize hi
counterpart in Timon Darby the only Sol
Of David and Helen Darby. Mel Rile
and Dandy Culpepper were drawn fror
two jovial, rollicking, boon companion
we'll known in the neighborhood at tina
time so as to be easily recognizable, an
whose names, if mentioned them woul
ne familiar to many readers of the jour
NAL. The Greenberrys and Tomlins wer
imaginary characters, ard, like most c
the scenery described along the Wallc
wish, existed in some other section of tn
country or in the story teller's imae
nation.
could give columns of reminiscence
of the old mill at Porter's Bridge, of tn
old homestead adjoining, of the annut
location of boundary lines by county SUI
veyors and the taking of testimony b
commissioned officers. to be used in th
various law suits i'll which 'John H. Hal
Ian and wife, were plaintiffs, and of
thousand other things connected ther,
within which incidental reference woul
be made to the Halls, the Gillespies, til
Hanshaws, the Browns, the Reynold
the .Moores and dozens of other peopl
living at that time. who have since passe
away-but as such "reminiscences are 'nC
necessary to an intelligent understandin
of the story a due regard for the soci;
proprieties restraints me from giving then
however much of interest they migl
possess for the general reader,