The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-02-07
SAID TO HAVE HAPPENED
IN MARION COUNTY.
Silver Tongued Orator Said He Hailed
From Wetzei.

Wetzel county, w. Va. isn't
very far from any place in partic-
ular, as to distance, but in many
respects it is pretty remote. Its
denizens, like all mountain and
highland folk, are strong on lib
erty of speech and freedom of act
ion. "Montani semper Liber. I"
"Facillis descensus averni"-
which by Interpretation means at
is always easy to slide into hell
from Montana or Liberia, but not
from West Virginia."
The one particularly gallant de-
fender of the clan, and stander-up
for his native crags and peaks is,
The Tall Wahoo of Wetzel,"
Oliver Galleher,-or Gallahue, &C
cording to local nomenclature. "Ol.
Gallahue"-by that token is he
known throughout the length and
breadth and heighth of Wetzel.
He is built somewhat on the
specifications of Abraham Lincoln.
That is, vertically speaking. He
would be about neck and neck
with that gentleman in length, but
nowhere near him in embonpoint
of pulchritude.
He lis about IS or 40, as years
go, but age has nothing to do with
it. AS he himself says, he is "as
old as all the sages of the ages,
and as young as chortling cherub
laved in the Fountain of Perpetual
Youth. -
He owns hillside farm up on
Fishing creek, but that doesn't
bother him much. He also owns
a lot of dogs and guns and is fond
of hunting, so long as he doesn't
find things and have to shoot them.
But his hobby, sport and pastime
is the law. Ard he is always
ready and willing to argue any
kind of case in the local Justice
shops. And speechmaking well,
name your subject-anything-
and OF. is there, full of sublime
thoughts Of his own and everybody
elses; gets off with a flying start
and romps twice around the ring
to anybody else's once. AS Devil
| John Wiley says, "Ol. kin wrop
his tongue aroun' more words to
the minute, an eject 'em faster n
any chap at ever come over the
knob" He is untutored, as far as
schools are concerned, but has
tutored himself to such purpose
that he has the best things of the
master minds pretty we'll corralled.
Talking about schooling brings
us around to the time several
years .go when he matriculated
at the Fairmont Normal school
and that's what I started in to tell
about.
He lasted just three weeks there,
rest of the school and town.
Soon after he had descended on
that classic town and made it all
his own, a Tom Show" (Uncle
Toms Cabin opened for a two
night stand at the Opera House.
Several OF the hot-boy students
and staving young blades of the
burg had started in at first to
string out Mr. Gallahue, just be-
cause he was from Wetzel and
looked like fresh and easy one,
but they very soon found that they
had guessed it wrong, for he was
always there eleven to their one.
So they had cottoned up to him
and proceeded to sic him onto the
unsuspecting, and then give the
haw- haw when the latter got stung.
So they proposed to OF. that they
all take in the show, saying that
they had the tickets for the first
row. They had bought one ticket
for that row, and booked them
selves far in the rear.
1t was stormy night, and Oh,
showed up in long wet rubber
coat, high top boots, and hat with
foot wide brim. They had stop
ped along the way for several sun
dries and things and entered the
| tLaota~ ,,,-t