The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1909-12-14
RICHMOND AND
WESTMORELAND
One of G.. w. BIS Interesting
Letters.
Hague. Va. Dec. 5. 1909.

One OF U. w. Is. interesting
Letters.
Hague, Va, Dec. 8, 1909.
The movement in behalf of good roads
has reached the staid old county of
Westmoreland none too soon, but it
seems in fact to have arrived. About
two miles of roadway leading into
Kinsale bear pleasing witness TO the
transformation which it has wrought.
Every horse on passing over the new
road seems TO share the delight of our
public spirited citizens in the great i'm
provement The road leading down to-
wards the Beach and Coles Point, with
the aid of gravel and shells, also is in
the line of this progressive movement,
much to the comfort of those who
travel it. Other sections Of road will
soon undergo treatment for this perma-
nent improvement.
Pigs, a pertinent theme at this sea-
son, are usually deemed a drug in the
market here, but now that prices are
high they seem scarce. Some of our
leading farmers are buying pork. Shoats
for use another year are in great de-
mand, and but few are offered for sale.
The huntsmen concede that birds are
scarce, and usually TO be found in deep
woods and dense thickets, where the
noise Of their wings in fight is the only
evidence the marksman gets that they
are there. Nevertheless, your corre-
spondent's good fortuneNit has been to
luxuriate often on quail and woodcOck
since the season opened.
The inability of our tomato Gamers
to find sale for the output Of their
canneries, and their consequent failure
to pay the farmers who supplied their
tomatoes, have entaied no little hard
ship on the latter class and the COM
munity at large. The scarcity of money
resulting from all this forces many
persons to sell their corn, and much Of
their grain is going to market.
The tragic and horrible death of Con-
gresham David A. DeArmond was
very keenly felt here, where many Of
our people had seen and heard him, and
felt warmly interested in him because
of his close relations of friendship to
Hon. w. A. Jones and sundry kindly
acts which endeared him to them.
Since the unhappy incident whereby
a small c0lored girl lost her life, as
many supposed from cruelty at the
hands of colored teacher, the demand
has been urgent by the negroes for
white teachers. AS result, a young
kinsman of mine from Randolph-Ma-
con College, has fifty-fOur pupils in his
small school-room. Who will contend
that our school facilities don't need en-
largement?
The unveiling of portraits and tablets
at Warsaw on the first Monday in jan
uary next promises to be one of mark
ed interest, bringing, as it will bring,
under review all the long eras of that
venerable community's history, its long
succession Of attorneys and clerks and
the times in which they lived.
Rev. w. G. Boggs, the newly ap-
pointed presiding elder of this district,
was last week visiting the churches in
this vicinity, and was warmly received.
He was amongst his kindred when at
Carmel and Kinsale, his mother having
been a daughter of John Campbell,
once a noted Commonwealth attorney
of Westmoreland, whose daughters,
besides Mrs. Boggs, having intermar-
ried with the Lelands, Mayos and Berke-
leys.
Church and Sunday School entertain
ments for Christmas are in general an
ticipation here. The Nomini and Mach
odoc Sunday Schools will draw together
crowds of children on whom Santa
Claus is expected to smile, but not half
so joyously as these little ones will
smile in return. The Episcopal young
people of the Hague are preparing a
drama for their entertainment, and re-
hearsals are already much in vogue.
Mr.. Thomas Brown, our late worthy
superintendent of public schools,
has been i'll for over a month. He has
rallied at times, but never sufficiently
to rise from his bed. 1t is thought that
surgical operation is necessary to his
recovery, and this his present weaken
ed condition forbids.
Justice Edward Newton is also con-
fined to his bed from an illness that has
held him down for several weeks.
Mr.. Walter Atwill, of New York,
has removed to Templeman's and is,
with his interesting family, occupying
the Baptist parsonage at that place.
He is son of the late Daniel Atwill,
of Port Royal.
Mrs. Walter R. Crabbe with her
mother, Mrs. Zimmerman, will occupy
the formers elegant home, Mount
Pleasant" this winter, much TO the
qualification of their many friends here.
Mr.. James Reed left us a few days
since for the home of his son on the
heights above Fredericksburg. We all
regret his leaving US, unless it be the
wild turkeys, to which he was often a
deadly foe.
Mr.. John M. Lyell, | have been in
formed, has closed his mercantile busi-
ness at Farnham, and ccntemplates
making Warsaw his future place OF
residence. If he should do so his well
come will be warm one.
Mrs. George F. Brown with her son,
Jim, will spend the Christmas holidays
with her daughter at Princeton, N. j.
G.. w. B.