The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-01-02
IlGTIl EAIII:R

has resumed double tarn. It's latest.
efforts pale into insigbilcance any
thing the NeRs has seen in the fax
ing lire for many years, Newspa-
per readers in Wheeling viii remem-
Der reading the past few days a se-s
ries of peculiarly dazzling murders,
transformations, high crimes and 9TH
er misdemeanors in Logan county.
First, a young girl was going home
in the moonlight happy in the COM
partnership of her youthful lover. Sud
denly shot rang out in the gloam-
ing. and the maiden was standing
horror-stricken by the side of her
murdered betrothed, while the sad
sough of the wynd sobbed sweet SYM
pathy in the woodland. The next day
it was learned that battle had been
fought for the possession of the same
girls hand, and when the smoke of
the Winchesters had cleared, two
three, four or five men, according to
the distance from, Huntington the dis
patch was sent, lay dying and two
We're carried home to their weeping
brothers. who swore by their blood to
continue the feud until the insult had
been wiped out with the gore of their
enemies.
Then, not content with decimating
the population of Logan, a sudden riot
occurred during the Christmas exer-
cises in a church at Nolan's, town
which a microscope fails to reveal
on DR.. Whites map. quarrel arose
between two men. One ran down the
aisle slashing right and left at the
worshippers with horrid knife until
another-perhaps butcher-cut him
down. Then, with dying oath be-
tween his clenched teeth, and, as
Azrael touched his cheek with his
last cold pallor. he drew his trusty
Harrington and pierced his slayer
through the heart, and caused his
heels to kick at Heaven. The con-
gregation fed through the windows.
The children's presents were left un-
touched upon tree whose candles,
rejecting the spirit of peace on earth
glow upon the blood-stained floor,
their message of grace in awful con-
trast to the white, upturned face.
mute evidence of the fall of man.
Next was heard the crack of the
Winchester in the mining camp.
Rough men these in Logan county
mining camps-when habitated in
the imagination of the Huntington
man. There came the sharp, quick
reply. Then a volley. Then the
groans of the dying, the curses of
the vanquished, the cold. dank drip.
drip, drip of life blood as it stained
the whitening leaves. Death was
abroad in Logan that night. His
black wings cast his shadow of gloom
DER the stricken county. His eyes
glowed red with liquid blood, distilled
from the hearts of assassinated men.
The sweet, pure, mountain air of Lo-
gan was as the breathless darkness of
the narrow house. Yea, Death is ter
rible when he wraps himself in the
cloak of the assassin and goes forth
to destroy at the rate of four dollars
column.
These are but few of the Incl
dents with which the trusting news
paper reader has been regaled from
Huntington. 1t might be added that
they grew in horror the further they
got from Huntington. We dread to
receive the San Francisco papers
lest we learn that all of Logan coun-
ty has been obliterated in an awful
cataclysm of intrigue, feuds, murder
and riot. But it is all SO interesting
and done with such a masters
touch that we can forgive the unes-
sential, insignificant fact that not one
blessed word of it all was true. No
one was murdered in Logan. No
sweet-faced mountain lass was left
sobbing DER her lovers bleeding form
While the wynd soughed in the wood
land. No Christmas candles lighted
the path of the assassins in the
church No cracks were heard in the
mining camp, unless they were funny
cracks. But why spoil a good news
story for the unimportant details that
it didn't happen. 1t might have hap