Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-23
VALLEY OF VIRGINIA
LATE NEWS OF THE WINCHES-
TER SECTION.
Special Correspondence of The Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Star.
WINCHESTER, Va, December %, 1906.
Quite a sensation was caused here this
week when the announcement was made
that the Pennsylvania Railroad Company
was buying up several hundred shares of
the capital stock of the Cumberland Valley
railroad, which since its construction many
years ago has been a spur of the Pennsyl-
vania, and that the Cumberland Valley
road would shortly be taken over by the
parent line and conducted under that man.
agement.> few weeks ago the common
council of Winchester and the Frederick
county board of supervisors accepted low
figures for several large blocks of Cum
berland Valley stock, they having been
informed that it was not likely to be profit
able to hold 1t longer and when the an
nouncement was made that similar hold
ings were being sold for a much higher
price there was a sensation, but the in
formation came too late to be of benefit.
The entire business section of Charles
town, Jefferson county, W. Va, was threat
ened with total destruction early the other
morning by a fire which broke out in the
boiler room of the William Phillips Sons
big planning mill and lumber establishment,
but the center of the town was saved by
heroic work on the part of firemen. The
Phillips plant was totally destroyed, in
Guiding about $4,000 feet of lumber of the
finest quality, as were also eight or ten
stables, outbuildings and adjoining struc-
lures The loss amounts to between $50 600
and 100000, on which there was about
$4,000 insurance. Phillips Bros. are now
preparing to rebuild on the same site, which
is near the Baltimore and Ohio railroad.
Munifcent Donation to City.
The board of trustees of the Handley
fund, of which Maj Holmes Conrad of
Winchester is president, has just awarded
the contract for the erection of a mag
nificent John Handley library to the Man
kin Construction Company of Richmond
Va, the price being $40 7GO, which does
not include interior equipment, such as
boo--s and furniture, as contracts for such
supplies will be let to other firms. The
total cost of the library complete will be
about 100000, the funds for which were
provided for in the will of the late Judge
John Handley of Scranton, Pa, who was
president OF the Equity Improvement Com
pany of Winchester.
When Judge Handley died it was discov
cred that in his will he left the bulk of
his vast estate to Winchester to be used
principally for educational purposes-the es-
adjustment of fine memorial library, the
maintaining of school buildings for the
education of the poor and also industrial
schools in which mechanical arts are tC
be taught The board of trustees of which
Maj. Conrad is president IS work carry
ing ont the provisions of the will They
receive no compensation.
f. A. Wiley, a prominent resident o.
Middletown. this county, had an exciting
adventure with a sneak thief yesterday il
the big county hitching yard here, while
making purchases fer Christmas. He dis
covered, upon returning, that some
known person had stolen quite a lot OF
supplies that had been left in his stall at
the yard. Wiley saw a stranger emerging
from a stall near the one occupied by his
team. An exciting chase ensued. The man.
who proved to be innocent one, capped
although he was greatly frightened.
Cupid Ignores Cold Weather
Albert Rhodes and Miss Martha Henson
both members of old and prominent fani-
lies of this county, eluded their home folks
near Wadesvlle last night, and were mar
ried at the parsonage of the Southern
Methodist Church before being captured By
their family friends. They walked from
home to the parsonage and back again
while the Thermometer registered thirty
two.
1t was announced here this week officially
that Augustus Post, the automobile path
finder for the Glidden tourists, had received
final instructions to state that the Shenan-
doah valley pike had been selected as the
route for the Glidden tourists next summer
to the jamestown exposition. The tourists
it is said, will make their headquarters at
the New Willard while in Washington.