Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1901-01-18
eyes with admiration al they rode in

to Staunton on court day. And thin
of it, he was nine years old, when II
good DIR. F. 7. Stribling, Que of tL
earliest superintendent, was born an
saw the wise old physician buried
lyears ago.
Among the barely 25 merchants VIII
were doing business in the count
when Mr.. Argenbright was born. ar
three who he knew well, John Wayt
Peter Hanger and Jacob Swoope. nov
long since gathered to their fathers
but not forgotten by him or many 9th
ers. When the subject of our sketch
was about 40 years old, he get in bat
health. 1t must have been appen
dicitis from what he says of his symp.
toms which baffied his mothers herE
teas aud his grandmother p0ultices.
SO as there was a scarcity of physicians
in the county, he decided to consult
DR.. solomon Henkel, at Woodstock
| and there being no Pullman then be
tween Greenvllle and Woodstock he
mounted his horse and with his hand
upon his sore and aching side, he rode
50 miles to the doctor, whose treat
ment put him on the road to recovery.
Coming home he says one DR.. War
wick, OF Middlebrook, made cure of
him and he was not sick again for over
40 years, then it was an attack of fheu-
matism which yielded to treatment
Now he is in good health though
his eye sight has failed considerably
of late so that he finds it difficult TO
shave himself as he has always done,
but his hand is still steady enough to
do it. He walks without assistance,
often forgets his cane and while we
were sitting around the fire, went out
on the porch shouldered some sticks
of wood and laid them on the fire. He
has been a man of temperate habits
never used whiskeL or tobacco, retired
and arose with the day, lived under
every president except George Wash
ington, was rocked in d Democratic
cradle during the first year of Jsffsr-
as administration, has voted for
every Democratic President the coun
try has had and only missed voting for
Bryan the last time because he did not |
Gail was too long and he would not go
to the polls if be had to wear 1t, 80 he
staid at home, though his daughter, !
Mrs. Hawpe, plagued him for sacrifice |
ing his patriotism to his pride.
"REMINISCENCES AND RETROsPECTION.
From Mr.. Argenbright and his fam
ly who have heard him talk, one gets
some interesting recollections of his
earlier days, and the retrospection, es-
9ecially at the beginning of the new
century, is entertaining and profitable.
The year he was born there seems to
lave been only one practiclng physie-
an in the county, DR.. Alexander Hum
u reys, and Rev. John Glendy was the
,nly Presbyterian minister in the
county who supplied the church at
Bethel and also preached in Staunton.
The boy was quite a lad before be
aw any carriages, as theirs were only
wo four wheeled ones in the county
When he was born, Judge Archibald
'tuart's coach. and Tom Martin IS
Nvhfa}, r1n do ~
week from Winchester to Stsunton,
eaving Winchester on Friday at 7 8.
a., reaching Stanton Sunday at p.
H., so miles; then leaving Staunton
Ionday at 4 a. M, arriving at Win
hester Tuesday at 10 D.. M, making
he trip down the Valley Is hours
ooner than the one up.
The taxes of Augusta county at that
ime, including Staunton, amounted 6
o 81 ,5577S. and there were 8, 236 tith
.bles. In1S10 the population of the
ounty had reached IA 338. Now the
otal tax Of the county is S135 900 and t
# the city about $50, O00, and the pop
llation of the county and city has :
cached SO, 1875 When George l. Al t
enbright was born the United States !
ad q population of about 5000, 900. f
ow it has over rs 900 900, in fact his t
istory is the history OF the last cen =
ury and almost of the United States. q
lie has lived through four wars, while
he majority of the people have lived
through only one-the Spanish. He
ecollects when his mother paid enc
Iollar yard for calico and had no
axes for him during the war of 1912 :
because there was no sugar, and he re-
members also when he had to pay the s
anne price for calico for his daughter
n the war of 81 So, and had no cakes {
or his children, and now the old gen
leman is looking on his fifth war in
he Philippines, and in hoping that be {
nay see the last of that we are doubt !
ess wishing him good piece into the {
wentieth century. T G. III. {
Hastings Court. |,
The Hastings Court, Judge Henry
". Holt, presiding, began its January