Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1904-03-10
From the West Virginia Historical Maga
zlne.
SELIM THE ALGERINE.
BY REV. W. T. PRICE.

resident OF mcdowell, HISulduu
county, Virginia, having ministerial
charge of a group of East Highland
Churches and contiguous section of
Bath county, Va I frequently passed
spring of surprising purity and
volume about two miles south of Nc
Dowell, known to me as the Vance
Spring, that being the name of the
family living nearest to it at the
time.
1t was while living in the vicinity
named that l met with fragmentary
account of Selim the Algerine, in
transient newspaper. Three or four
miles farther down the valley from
the spring lived Mrs. Rebecca Hamil-
ton, lady of considerable wealth
and one of my most faithful parishion-
ers.
She had me hold meeting services
at her home occasionally for the bene-
fit of near neigbbors aud her numer.
ous retinue Of servants
Upon one occasion, while at her
home, I repeated something of what
I read about Selim and inquired if she
had ever heard of such person pre-
viously.
1t 80 turned out that she had, and
that her father, John Graham, was
one of the hunting parties that dis
covered him at the Vance Spring, 1t
being the location selected for the
hunters camp.
The section of Augusta county
whence the hunters came Is now
known as the Deerfrld district on
the head streams of the Big Calf
Pasture river. This is the stream
that is now bridged by the G. & o
erallroad at Goshen, Va.
was intensely interested in find
ING out that whstever she heard her
fathers and others say abo t Selim,
virtually agreed with the printed
sketch as to his wretchsd condition
when found in the tree top near the
spring mentioned.
A tree had fallen during the sum-
mer, believed to have been a sugar
maple, and the leaves had dned on
the branches, and it was into this COW
ert the fugi i've had crawled to await
the dying hour he seemed to realize
as so very near, from the way his
strength was failing through the pri-
vatons he had been suffering for
weeks.
The more plausible conjectures as
to the time when he was thus found
indicate the autumn of 1859.
Samuel Given is the name OF the
hunter that first had glimpse of
thi. perishing stranger, and his first
impression was that what he dlscov'
cred was some kind of strange wild
beast, new to that region. He aimed
bis guu and was in the act of shooting
when he perceived it was human
being.
Upon coming nearer he found a
person in a very pitiable condition.
being entirely naked excepting few
rags wrapped around his feet and
ankles. His body was literally COW
cred with scars and scabs from being
scratched and torn by thorns and
briers, while he was endeavoring to
make his unknown pathless way to-
ward the sunrise.
Then, too, he was manifestly IN
extremis from weariness and hunger.
To their dying day these hunters
never forgot the expression of feature
with which Selim regarded them un-
til his fears were dispelled by their
kind actions.
The stranger thus found 80 uneI'
pectedly was different in his tones
, and language from anything the par
ties had ever herd before, and sc
there was DO such thing as under
!; standing each other. 1t was founC
l out afterwards Selims tongue wa
Arabic; that of Given and Graham
was Scotch-Irish, and some one bal
observed, an Arabic poet most prob
ably, that Arabic is the language o
angels, but seim's lid not sound lik'
= an angelic voice to his Scotch -Irl't
e discoverers. The only thing plain II
5 their apprehension was he must hav'
: something to eat and wear, snc
|: they promptly proceeded to feed an(
clothe the curious stranger go mys
2 teriously placed in their care.
After several days treatment Selin
seemed to be ready for removal anC
wa, placed on pack horse and car
ried to Capt. John DickinsOns' nea
the worlds famous Windy Cove.
ur. .I.-on vras the s0ul n