West Virginia daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1894-1902, 1902-03-20

At the Ladies Needle Work
Guild, which Is now giving an ex'
hibitior of old relics, has one that
but few will recognize In this city,
although at one time 1t was much
admired by the people of Sisters.
vile. We refer to a flag which was
presented by the ladies of Sisters
vile, to the volunteer company of
this city known as the Boys of
Blre." 1t was a crack military or.
Every member of 1t
wore full dress uniform of the
very best make. At a reunion held
in Wheeling on the Island about
1860. when all the companies of
old Virginia was represented at
grand muster, the "Siste-sville
Boys In Blue" took the prize
Tor being the best dressed and
dri'led company in the State of Viz
ginia. But few of the old boys In
Blue are now living. c. p, Joshua,
and Eli Russell were members, we
believe, who are still living. The
late John Cherry, we believe, was
Captain; the late R S. Corbett was
a colonel and the editors father, we
believe, was a lieute nant. The war
of 1861 broke up the company as
most of the members of the organi-
cation were Southern sympathizers
and southern company was not toll
Grated here In those troublesome
days. This flag Is about all that Is left
of this once famous military organi.
cation. 1t was made by the ladies
of Sistersville In large cooper shop
owned by George ellis which
stood at the corner OF Elizabeth
street and Alley B, where now
stands the McCoach millinery store.
1t was presented to the Boys in
Blue by Miss Amanda Wells, Sis
ter of Capt. Eph Wells and Misses
M. T. & T. N. Wells, of this city,
In what Is said to have been fine
speech. During the war the Wells
Sisters kept the flag and it was no
mean task to carry flag through
this city that was called rebel
flag, however, the ladies guarded
their precious charge and
1t can now be seen at the Needle
Work Guild exhibition and this is
the only time 1t has ever been ex.
hibited. The day has been when
to have displayed that flag In Sis
tersville would have been the occa-
sion OF about the biggest fight You
ever saw outside of real army
fight. We believe Its capture was
attempted many times, but the
Wells Sisters always were able to
hide 1t successfully from the would
be capturers. 1t Is not now. nor
was 1t ever anything but Union
dag, but because certain people
kept 1t and claimed 1t, 1t was de-
nounced by Home Guards who
never saw a rebel, as being a rebel
flag, and so the tried and true Home
Guards would try to capture 1t.
We are glad those days are past.
We can all now unite and look at
the old flag. talk about 1t and laugh
at all the trouble 1t caused in the
days gone by: Most of the Home
Guards, as they were called in the
sixties, we're composed of mighty
mean men. They had the same
kind of men In the south. They
were generally too cowardly to 60
to battle In the regular service, but
would stay ABOUND home and make
life miserable for ell who did not
agree with them. They would steal
chickens, take horses and ride them
for days or weeks ransack private
homes to capture some rebel flag,
gun, or anything. So they were In
devilment. Ride along the road
and. shoot sheep, cattle or hogs,
anything to raise q little hades. II
took considerable nerve here in
those days, 70 keep so called rebel
flag. bat 1t has been done. and the
flag is well worth the price sof adj
mission TO see 1t, and to re call the
memories Ii brings up with 1t.
The material Is If the finest silk
that could be purchased in the
early sixties before the war. Thea,
as now, the Ladies' of Sistersville
never do ANYTHING by hals es, but
always had the very best that the
market : f .ids. So the material In
this fl,g would today almost cost a
little fortune. What a grand day
that must have been In this city
when the flag was flushed and
the people gathered to present 1t
We win not attempt to describe