The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-12-29
IH
TRAGEDY AGAIN
WEST VlReINIANs TAKE I'm.
4. USUAL INTEREST IN TIE
cAsE-MAY DEVELOP
"A FEup.

CHARLESTON. Dec. %. West vir
gians have a special interest in the
Bywaters tragedy near culpeper, Va.
iron the fact that j. A. STROLLER, one
of the principals is a member-of the
West Virginia legislature, The fol
lowing special from culpeper, gives
further details Of the situation:
AS a result Of the visit Of Detec
tive Cornwell, Of the Washington
police force, It is ihtlmated that al
thought there Is some division among
the members Of the family on the
subject, Mrs: Viola Bywaters, whose
husband, William Bywaters, was
shot by his brotherin-law shortly
after he married their sister a week
ago Saturday, will so TO Washing
ton when the case of DR.. Leon Is
called for trial. He is the physician
who was implicated by her state
ment to the coroner's jury. and it is
Understood that pressure may be
brought to bear to have Mrs. By
waters go to Washington to testify
against him If he is identified as the
physician in the case.
That the shooting OF Bywaters viii
do much to open old political and
social breaches in Culpeper and Gull
pepper county is the belief Of many
people who have viewed the matter
dispassionately, but the principals III
the two factions will say little con-
corning their future attitude,
The friends Of Bywaters claim tina!
the shooting was cotd,blooded muir,
der, while the followers ofthe Shoth-
err brothers insist that they simply in
voked the "unwrtten law" Of Virginia,
The "honor code" of the early days
is still greatly respected in the Pied
mont section of Virginia, 1t, too, deals
with the "unwritten law" but 1t says
that when the man marries the young
woman, the right of vengeance ceases.
he having made the amende honotn-
BILE.
Were chums as Boys.
Young BILLY" Bywaters and the
Strother boys were born and reared
in the county-in the foothills of the
Blue Ridge Mountains The strotn-
ers are related to the Bywaters
through their mother. The strother
boys, with the exception Of phil"
are older than Bywaters. phil"
strothers and BILLY" Bywaters chum-
med together when they were boys,
and Bywaters was a frequent visitor
at Rotherwood, the strother home.
about four miles out Of town. They
hunted foxes together, rode races,
and INDUCED in other sports.
Bywaters considered Rotherwood
as much his home as any place. and
he was always Miss violas escort to
the social affairs of the community.
They rode after the hounds together,
and before either was twenty years
old Miss Viola Strother was desper-
ately in love with her daredevil cous-
In. who rode well, owned the best
pack of hounds in the county. was
handsome, accomplished, well eda-
Gated, and rather thriftless.
He never appeared able to settle
down TO making money. He was the
idol Of his mother, and seemed to de.
vote himself more TO her than to any
other member of his own family. He
was noted in the countryside as the
best dancer, and It was nothing for
him to ride twenty or twenty-five
miles at night to attend dance. He
was not in any sense Gladys man"
yet more than half of the proudest
young women in Culpeper and adjoin-
ing counties were in love with him.
strothers Took to Politics.
While young Bywaters was enjoy.
ing life. without a care, and devoting
himself to his horses and hounds, the
strother boys were forging ahead in
politics. Their father, Col. ]. Il.
strother, a valorous confederate SOL
der, had represented the county at
the Richmond assembly for years, and
they followed in his footsteps in poll.
tics. The Strother family had been
in the politics Of the State
for nearly 100 years.
Bywaters. although accepted by the
as the sweetheart Of Viola
strother, was affiliated In politics
with the patrlclan faction Of the Dem
ocratlc party, which is represented by
he observation-disclosures combina-
ion. The Rixbeys are relatives of
Surg. Gen. Rixey, of the United States
,avy, while the Barbours are the rel
ltives of the former president of the.
Richmond and Danville Railroad Com
,any. The Grimsleys are related to
he Bywaters: Bywaters' mother hav-