Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1898-10-06
A Pleasant Days Journey.

most enjoyable day in tour through
part of cur neighboring States o
Pennsylvania and Maryland. Bright
and early we were at the Norfolk 6
Western station in Shepherdstown to
take the 6 o'clock train. 1t was late
of course-usually is, when you want
to make a connection-ahd there was
a wait of two hours before the well
abused train came along. a short
ride to Hagerstown, and there we
found that there was no train by the
Western Maryland Railroad to Gettys-
burg until 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
The next best thing was to take the
Cumberland Valley train and go
around by Carlisle. We boarded the
cars at 9 o'clock, and we hadn't been
on the train fifteen minutes until we
were glad we had missed our first con-
mection. 1t was a genuine pleasure
to take that delightful ride through
the lovely valley in the fresh morning
air. Comfortable and spotlessly clean
cars, perfect roadbed over which
they glided without jar or jolt, polite
and agreeable employees, a country
whose natural beauties have been en-
HANGED by the efforts of the best farm
ers in the world, the trip was one that
we will not soon forget. Mr.. Edward
W. Burns, the courteous and thought
full travelling passenger agent, added
to the pleasure Of the journey by his
attentions, pointing out the various
places Of interest along the line and
giving bits Of local history. At Cham
bersburg we saw for few moments
Mr.. H. A. Riddle, the general passen-
ger agent of the road, a model official
in his line who, alas, has few equals.
Mr.. Riddle, as do the other officials Of
the Cumberland Valley Railroad, real
ICES the Importance Of local business,
and every man along the line, from
president down, keeps this end in
view. One Of the consequences Of such
a policy is the fact that while other
railroads are going into receivers
hands and running their stockholders
the c. V, pays dividend Of eight per
cent right straight along.
The tide to Carlisle takes about an
hour and three-quarters. After a
lunch in that solid old town, where, by
the way, so many Of our Shepherds
town colored folks have found a haven
Of refuge, we visited the Indian school.
This was an extremely interesting
feature of the day, and we reached
there in time to see the six hundred
Indian boys and girls march in pro-
cession to the great dining-room and
there fall to with one accord. After
an hour at the school we took train
on the Philadelphia and Reading Rail
road for Gettysburg, following the
route that a part Of General Lees
army took in 1868 and over which our
Second West Virginia Regiment had
travelled just few days previous.
We arrived at Gettysburg about 2
o'clock, and found the town full of
West Virginians-Governor Atkinson
and his staff and many others in Off
cial and private life. The Second
West Virginia boys were there in force.
The exercises in connection with the
dedication Of the monuments had been
held in the morning, and we were too
late for the ceremonies. The princl-
pal monument is just north Of the
cemetery. 1t is of granite of rather
good design, but the figure of the SOL
der surmounting it looks insignificant
and out of proportion. The inscrip-
ton on the monument appears to US
to be somewhat grandiloquent when
the fact is remembered that the total
loss Of the Seventh Regiment in two
days fighting was nine killed and
thirty-six wounded.
The ride over the famous Gettys-
burg battlefield is one of absorbing in
terest. Every person Of an under
standing age should if possible visit
this historic spot. There are between
four and five hundred monuments up
on the battlefeld-marble, granite
and bronze-m marking the important
points and locating the various regi-
ments. Among this vast number Is
but one to mark a Confederate loca-
tion-that of a Maryland regiment
which after long discussion was suf-
fered to occupy place on Culp's Hill.
No other Southern memorial is per-
mitted to mark the spot where the
Confederates displayed the most he
roic bravery that the world has ever
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