The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-08-18
FROM. UP' Eek ]:
81 t,3 q li17g ON ~;
Quaint People Who Iiye'in ths West
Virginia Mountains
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

optallheu AZ 1 'tel y is1t W Sualrles-
ton-Devotion to Shoes, Which,
However, Are Rarely; Worn-Their
eu4quenchable Thirst for Red
Liquor. ~. /, .,
cHARLEsToN sW. Aug. II. g.
Every now and then there appears in
the police court Of this city q type OF
s dIsturberi Of q, distinct and suSSious sort.
He Is usually upward of slxiifeetitail.
loose jointed. big boned, tanned to the
color of}dark leather. clad In the most
rnary2llously ill-fitting garments Of
woman's devlslng, iansuid III manner
and soft nnd slow Of speech. aFreauent-
~ he, possesses shoes. lnswhieh case he
carries them slung over hls Shoulder on
bit oftwine. He doesn't. need them
on his feet, for those5 appesdages arc
hardened to the consistently of hoofs.
To- the experienced Judge ca charge by
the policeman ID such a caseais super.
nrous, for the charge Is practically the
same always. i H' ~;
II found this man drunkeapu dlsor-
DERBY and shooting gun hepthe street
last night. He shottwo holes IN 4 lamp
post and one in a store window. He
said he wasn't shooting n; anybody,
but had come to town TO haYe a good
tIme.Il 8 ~
Cup Elk, y I. !. Hoaahl,
Where do:youfcome fropR.: asks the
judge, well knowing wharf.-the answer
%pp Elk, ~ s.' iaoa 'sth, 5 s. the big
sot,-xelced prisoner. 4 I, :,
III i lie; YOU on light Mtll you go
back home at once?" 90
Yes, suh." II! 80.
Tts prisoner gets on wltha light fine,
or shooting has been productive Of
damage, upon. payment q, gets MS
pistol or gun or both and sets out on
foot'to treturnE.up Elk" wlthshis shoes
oyerghls, shoulder. II he lItetsanywhere
below Clay Court House, %tRfsb Is forty
miles up. h makes the return Journey
IN days walk, Up Elk Means along
the Elk river, u stream opmasnlficent
wildhcss which, begInningtdar across
near tfs Virginia line. twis,s,and turns
In its torsuous course between the al
most perpendicular mountains to flow
into the Kanawha at this place. Char
lesion people, 80 up ElE5n vacation
:time'and return laden with black bass.
8 Lumber Camps and Saw Mills.
There are lumber camps 'stnt sawmills
there, too. but outside .of!ahe summer
visitors ana the lumbermer;the popula-
ton IS made up OF as wild und unclvil-
lied class OF people as ean.'be found
anywhere In the country. 9rany OF them
are descendants OF settlers fwho came
across from the coast In the first mi
grafton about the time ofthe Revolu-
uonary war. The best names OF Vic
glnia and West Nirsiniasstr found
there to-day. bp, the hainssn are only
heritage OF the latter-da$ mountains
GERS. Town there IS none, IN the COM
monty accepted description. What ap-
pear on the maps as towns consist OF
one, store and two houses, on the aver
age. Clay Court House, WITCH is the
terminus OF the railroad ana the county
seat Of Clay county, is a place OF 200 In
habltants and is regarded as roaring
metropolis by the untravelled who have
never been to Charleston Houses are
strung along the river, 'thite or two
apart. each place with a coupleio OF acres
OF corn under cultivation ana a small
garden of onions. potatoes and toma-
toes. Raw onions and corn bread is the
staple meal OF the Elkers. Few OF the
houses have glass windows. although in
winter the thermometer freadently goes
below zero, and 1t is no Uncommon
thing 10 find a family of twelve or NJ
teen living in two rooms. TRe slazlness
and shIrtlessness of the people are be-
You'd belief to one who has not seen
them at home. ,to
Ambition to Visit the getty"
One ambition, however, htspnsidered
as praIseworthy and is pretty univrr-
sally entertained by the male, part of
the population That Is thu ambition
to visit "the city" which is going to
Charleston. To go TO town" merely
means taking trip to Clay Court
House or Big Sycamore Creek. where
there Is a church In which ssFyices are
held whenever a travelllngs'ministcr
happens to came that Ehe Elker
boy who reaches the age;. az twelve
without having been to town " regard
cd with. derision by his comrktles, but TO
visit the city is quite nnothgT matter.
and there are men OF forty, years OF
age who have never yet aSGumulasea
enough energy TO do It. thoughshey vii!
always tell you that there IS'plenty OF
time and they viii make ,hStEip this
yeah. or mex. yeah anyhow, i'Rexpec'."
AS for the women; within twonty miles
distance FROM here they comtfh to the
circus every year. but beyond That they
care fortunate jf they are nbletto hand
down to their children or grandchildren
the gIories OF day In the CITY,, There
: Is nothing in particular to; iakG them
thither; their husbands don't want
them alone, and 1t is almost without
the range OF the possible that they
should be able to lay hands .dn any