Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-25
Bywaters Won Her Heart.

town. They hulted foxes together, rode
races and INDUCED in other sports.
Bywaters Won Her Heart.
Miss Viola Strother was the youngest Of
three siste- of the Strothers and was re-
garded as the prettiest. Bywaters consid-
cred Rotherwood much his home as any
place. and he was always Miss Viola's
cort to the social ffafs of the community.
They rode after the hounds together, and
before either was twenty years old Miss
Viola Strother was desperately in love
with her daredevil cousin, who rode well,
owned the best pack of hounds in the
county, was handsome, accomplished, we'll
educated and rather thriftless.
Billy ByWate owned and trained
blooded, high jumping horses. He bred
hounds and exhibited his horses and his
dogs at the horse shows and dog shows of
the country, getting many first prizes He
never appeared able to settle down to max
ing money He was the idol of his mother
and seemed to devote himself more to her
than to any other member of his own fam
lily.
He was noted in the countryside as the
best dancer and it wa; nothing for him to
ride twenty and twenty-five miles at night
to attend a dance. lie was not IN any
sense "ladys man. yet more than half
of the proud st young women of Culpeper
and adjoining counties We're in love with
him.
without a care and devoting himself to his
horses and hounds, the Strother boys were
forging ahead in politics. Their father.
Col. J. r. Strother, valorous confederate
soldier had repre- scented the county in the
Virginia legislature for years and they fol-
lowed in mis- footsteps in politics The
Strother family had been prominent in the
politics of the state for nearly 100 years.
In Opposing Political Factions.
Bywaters who was accepted by the COM
munity as the sweetheart of Viola Stroth-
err. was affiliated in politics with the patri-
clan faction of the democratic party. which
| is represented by the observation-disclosures
| ley combination. The Rixeys are rela
| of Surgeon General RiXey of the United
States navy, while the Barbours are the
relatives of the former president of the
Richmond and Danville Railroad Company.
The Grimsleys related to the Bywaters
BywaterS' mother having been GrmSey.
"Billy" Bywaters paid little attention to
politics. except to follow his own immedi-
ate family, and In this way never clashed
with his cousins. the Strother boys. The
latter have not the social polish Of the OPP
| posing political faction, but they could get
| out the vote and were generally successful
! in electing their men to office.
| A few years ago BILLY" Bywaters was
| selected by the Rixey-Barbour faction, be-
| cause of his popularity, to run for the office
/ of county treasurer, then filled by s. R.
| Smith, an adherent of the Strother faction
| While Bywaters had no political ambition
| he was willing to enter the race, as he be-
Iieved It would give him more money than
| he could make otherwise, and at the same
| time would not interfere with his outdoor
sports He ran against Smith.
The campaign was the most heated known
| in that section. Everybody wanted to vote
| for Bywaters. but the Strother faction put
| on the screws and kept their followers in
| line Smith was compelled to spend 5000
| to secure his election. and two weeks before
| It took place wanted to withdraw, believing
he was hopelessly beaten.
Bywaters Lost the Election.
| The Strothers would not hear of it. By
an arrangement with some Of Bywaters
managers it was decided to close the sa-
| looms the day the primaries were held. This
| was fatal to Bywaters, as the saloon men
and the votes they controlled believed By
| waters was Becoming too strait laced poati-
cally and voted for Smith. Bywaters was
beaten by less than 100 votes.
From that time on he was not as popular
| with the Strother faction as he had been.
He was still welcome visitor at Rother-
wood, but the friendly feeling OF the BROTH
ers was gone. They regarded Bywaters as
a dangerous political opponent. but made no
effort to win him over to their side. The
Strothers have belief that II man does
| not want to follow their lead he can follow
anybody else he pleases but thar he can
expect no favors from them.
Circuit Judge D. A. Grimsley, an uncle
of young Bywaters, Is determined that the
4 full facts Snall De Drought Out III the trlal
and has engaged Col. Mica1ah Woods of
Charlottesville, Va. to do 1t. Col. Woods is
one of the ablest lawyers in Virginia and
| for thirty years has been prosecuting at
| torney. $50 ase
A member OF the family in discussing the
case with a reporter, safd:4
i I'VE are not out for revenge or blood All
we want Is Justice. We do not undertake
| to excuse our kinsman for the relations be-
| tween himself and the young lady. Like all
Virgmians, We believe man who maintains
such relations takes his life in his hands
| Think Marriage Made Amends.
Had the Strothers shot our kinsman at
any time prior to his marriage to Miss
Strother while we should have .mourned his
death, we would have felt that he had
brought 1t on himself. We think that when
Mr. Bywaters married Miss Strother the
| rights Of her brothers to interfere were
| ended.
! I'VE even grant that they had right to