Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1905-09-27
Col. ChaS. T. 0'Ferrall.

gulSncu law y w. 49, " -
l., Friday morning at his home in
Richmond.
His illness was of three weeks
anration and death was due inn
nediately to paralysis of the throat.
Ex-Governor O 'Fcrrall was born
:, Frederick county. Virginia.
October u, 1910, and was 90 years
oil His father was the late John
O'FerraH. of Morgan county. Nir-
rn;a (now West Virginia., and
was 4 popular man Of his time.
bovino often been a member of the
Virginia house OF delegates, and
Of the time of his death was clerk
ofhis county and circuit courts.
II was at this later period and It
,he age of fifteen years that ;he
ronnqer O'Ferrall came into public
rf, and there was hardly mo-
mcnt from that time until the cnd
of his term as governor, on Janu-
AIRY I. 1895, that he was not rend-
e,iuc service to the public. either
in peace or in war,
Young O'Ferrall was appointed
clerk pro tempore of the court of
Morgan county upon the death OF
his father. and at the age seventeen
was elected for a full term of six
years. But the war came on. and
the gallant young Virginian des-
tined thus early in life to make a
name for himself shouldered a
musket and marched out To fight
for his people.
Morgan county was strongly
Union in sentiment and sent only
about twenty soldiers to the Con
federate army.
The town Of Berkeley Springs
sent only two, and Charles +.
O'Ferrall was one OF these.
He entered as a private in the
cavalry service and rose step 10y
step as a result of his intrepid
bravery to the rank of colonel, and
at the close of war was in COM
mand of all the Southern cavalry
in the Valley of Virginia.
To his regiment, indeed, Is due
the credit for holding the last line,
having the last fight, and capturing
the last prisoner ON Virginia soil.
His command was in two en-
gagements after the surrender of
Gen Il. f. Lee, having refused To
believe that his great leader had
laid down his arms. although under
q flag Of truce General Hancock
sent him word that Lee surrender
ed, and that it would be well for
his regiment to follow the example
Of Its commanders. He never
knew the definition of the word
fear, and his black plume al
ways waved at the head of his
regiment, where the battle rolled
the deepest.
In that four years of blood and
carnage Colonel O'Ferrall was
eight times wounded three times
from saber thrusts and five from
bullets.
In the cavalry engagement at
Upperville. in 1868. he was shot
through the lungs and left for dead.
The Richmond papers announced
the death of the gallant young Off
GER but he recovered and resumed
command OF his regiment.
Returning from the war, he got
together enough money to enter
the law class at Washington Col
lege, from which he was graduated
with distinction. He settled at
harrlSonburg and entered upon
the practice of his profession.
In 1871 Colonel O'Ferrall was
elected to the house of delegates as
conservative. At the end of his
legislative term he was elected
Judge of the county court of Rock
mgham, and in this position dis
posed of some of the most impor-
@nt and perplexing criminal cases
ever tried in the Valley courts.
When the readjusters got con
lrol of the legislature, in 1879.
Judge OFerraIl was displaced, and
one OF General Mahone's followers
put INTO his place. He was always
al ardent Democrat, and upon
eavlng the bench was sent from
Tie Cumberland Gap to the ocean
many times to preach the doctrines
VI his party to the voters.
In 1882 Colonel O'Ferrall made
us hrst race for Congress. His
competitor was the late Judge
JOnn Paul of his own to,rp of