The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-22

made to Beverly to lay the founda-
tons here for a new progressive town.
But the proposition met with no en-
couragement. The aristocratic Bever-
lyites were prosperous and contented
in their Arcadian fashion. They chung
to the habits and customs of a century
ago because they preferred them. Mod
ern innovations were distaSteful, low
ering, plebean. So the proposition of
the moneyed men was rejected, and
the town of Erkins was conjured out
OF the WILDERNESS. From the very start
1t has been the struggle of the Old,
proud, traditional Virginian and the
new, money making Westerner between
the two towns, and Beverly has suffer
ed sadly in the contest. The history of
this municipal rivalry is typical of
what is taking place throughout the old
South to-day. In a very few years the
population of Beverly was equalled by
that of Elkins. Then gradually the bus
mess of the old town was absorbed by
the newcomer, and finally, two years
ago, the county seat was openly COW
eted. For more than a century Beverly
had been the county seat of Randolph
and the dominant town of this section
1t had endured the civic aggressions OF
its upstart rival with silent dignity,
but when graceless hand was stretch
ed out to rob it of this last chief mu-
nicipal treasure the ire of the old
Bourbons was aroused to action. A vote
or the county was passed on the sub
Ject and Elkins was designated as the
custodian of the county records by a
comfortable majority. So the enterpris-
ing Elkinites declared forthwith they
would go to Beverly and take what
belonged to them without waiting Tor
any tedious laws delays" To this the
scornful Beverlyites answered nothing,
but all the old muskets, sabers, hikes
OF half dozen generations were fur
blshed up and the little town, with as
much earnestness and absence of noise
and excitement as is shown when the
same people go out to kill a bear on
their native mountains, prepared to do
battle.
The story of the trouble sounds like
some stray chapter from the Middle
Ages. BY turns one is reminded of
opera boGffe and of some tragic feud
of classic dimensions. Every male cit
lien of Beverly was sworn in as a dep
uty sheriff, put under arms and sta
TONED in front of the court house
where the county archives were stored.
Mines were dug under the railroad
track with the intention of blowing up
the train bearing the predatory Elkin-
ties. AS for the latter, they too were
preparing, in their own way, for what
they supposed might be a slight un-
pleasantness. There was every indica-
ton of the most serious kind of trouble.
All night the entire male population of
Beverly, musket in hand, stood in front
OF their beloved court house. Hun
tiers, woodsnien most of them, accus-
toned to conflict and with ten years
of accumulated insolence from their
rival to goad them on, these
Beverlyites meant business. Had the
men from Elkins come when they were
expected there would undoubtedly have
been a pitched battle In the streets of
the little town with results as dis as
trous and bloody as any that charac-
terize such battles of the Civil War as
were fought in the neighborhood. But
lame and impotent conclusion to the
display of SO much valor on both sides.
The Elkinites never came. Wiser coun-
ellis fortunately prevailed among them.
Possibly the we'll known prowess In
arms of the men of Beverly had a sal
utary effect upon the minds Of these
younger spirits. Anyway, their expe- |
dltion was abandoned. the old mus
kets Of Beverly were put away-and
the venerable archives OF Randolph
county were sent to Elkins, ignonrin-
iously, without escort, on a freight
car, when the courts, months after
wards, decided that Beverly no longer
had right to keep them. Thus ended
a war that might have been, and that
If 1t ever had started would have put
this state in the van of Kentucky for
bloody feuds. Old West Virginia has |
never come in armed contact with new
West Virginia, but 1t has met defeat |
nevertheless. The Elkins that grasped |
at the county seat is already aiming |
at commercial importance, and 1t |
seems likely to have similar bloodless
success.
The plan for opening up the state is |
not a desultory one. Hitherto 1t has |
been so. Short lines have been run |
in various unconneeted localities, and |
the problem of transportation has been |
lacking in system and efficiency. Now |
however, the various railroads of West |
Virginia are to be combined In one |
scheme having for its object the throw |
Ing open of the entire state and the |
finding for its products the easiest out |
let. AS planned now, about seventy |
five miles of new road will connect the |
western part of the state with the |
Great Lakes and similar extension |
win join the eastern section with the |
lines running to Chesapeake Bay.
CTTTTOpn CMvTNIY