The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-09-08
MOUNTAIN EXPERIENCES.
Queer Characters and Lively Sports in the
Cheat River Wilderness.

Go w Al eto lOtctt iJOl iHllltll are UdNIllH
fine sport. A young man of the
neighborhood brought in sixteen fine
black bass nineteen inches long an
evening or two ago and exhibited
them with the result that everybody
wanted to go fishing Visitors here
have double advantage in bass fish
ing on the Yough. In addition to the
sport they enjoy, they see some of the
most wildly picturesque wilderness
territory in this section of the noun
tain country. They likewise meet
with some of the primitive dwellers
in this wilderness through which Big
| Iough flows. A gentleman declared
TO your correspondent that it was
worth trip across the ocean to spend
q few days among the people of this
section and hear the wonderful stories
they tell.
A visitor here who had been fishing
in the lower waters of Cheat river in
L.West Virginia told the following
story, which, if it be without merit
in every other particular, has the
merit of being true.
"a party of four, two visitors and
two expert fishermen from this COM
munity, went into the wilds of West
Virginia on Cheat river to fish for
bass. After days hard driving over
the rough mountain roads of the sec
ton we encamped in little cabin on
the banks of the Cheat. l will not
describe the primitive fare, cooking
and general methods of living among
these children of the forest. 1t is
quite sufficient to say our party got
very hungry at the expiration Of two
days, and we were all very glad to
return to the hotel.
1--WE met with one old man over
seventy, who had never seen rail
road train, although he had lived
within few miles of the Baltimore
and Ohio ever since it was construct
ed. Another queer character we met
while we were encamped in the will
derness was a little fellow who claimed
to be a constable or some other sort
of a peace officer. He told us of two
men living in the neighborhood who
had some years previously traded
wives, one giving the other a jack
knife TO boot. We questioned his
veracity, but he vehemently declared
his story was true and gave US the
names of the parties.
After two days hard fishing in the
toughest stream have ever tried to
wade. with very poor success we
started across the mountain on our
return. We had not gone many miles
when we met a man apparently fifty
five years of age. We stopped to
make some inquiry in reference to the
roads, and, recalling the constables
story, asked the stranger if he had
ever heard of two men in that neigh
borhood who had exchanged wives,
one giving the other iack-knife to
boot. He replied that he knew all
the parties very well, and said he
knew all about the jack-knife trade,
as it was called, but that the story
was often told incorrectly. We asked
him if he would give us the true ver-
sion of the affair, and, remarking
that we were strangers, he agreed to
tell us what we were so anxious to
know. This is the story he told US,
and | think it lays the Strange
Scheme of Randolph Mason in the
shade. But to the story,
Christian Maslin and Eliza j.
Dodson,' said the stranger, were
married in the year 1870, in Fayette
county, Pa, by one Isaac Justice.
The young people settled down and
began housekeeping in Pennsylvania,
where they lived together about two
years. Maslin was somewhat dissi-
pated, and in consequence things did
not go smoothly with the couple.
After two years OF married life in
Fayette county, Pa, they returned
to West Virginia and separated, the
young wife returning to her fathers
home. The husband settled down to
farming, or what they call farming
in this country. Maslin hired as his
housekeeper sprightly young wom-
| an named Louisa A. Grimes, who
remained at the head of his cabin
establishment for about three years.
At the end of that time Maslin was
desperately in love with the house
| keeper and wished to marry her, but
| Maslin's wife, who was living in the
same neighborhood, was in the way.
CAT this time Maslin met me, Sam
uel NJ. Williams, and told me he
wished to get rid of his wife. | asked
him why he did not sell her. Maslin
replied that he would sell her quick
enough if he could get any one to
buy, and asked me what would give
| | happened at that time to have an
old rusty jack-knife, and told him
would give him the knife for his wife
He said he would take it, and the