The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1911-05-30
MORE OF HIS TRAVELS
Mr.. COyingtOn Tells Of Trip in the
Lower Counties.
Stevensburg. Va. May %.

View that night and they were await
ing me with open arms. and oyster
there. too.
The next morning We took
launch for Urbanna. / held the I'll
Ter guiding the 5-tOn boat
forgot to tell you the quain
records In Mrs. w. b. Lumpkins' Bi
BILE. was chilly. for there wa
frost in Essex on the 4th and 9Th
nipping buds found this Bibl'
dated in 1875. the very year OF oul
Declaration OF Independence. Their
| found the births and deaths o
Richard Lumpkin. CroxtOn Lump
kin, Col Eayan Rice. Leonard Henl!
late sheriff Of Essex; Winter b
Lumpkin, Josh and John Boughton
two brave younglmen who fell In bat
tie Of the COS. and Psalm In poetry
the first I'd ever seen or read OF.
heard there Of the death Of two
OF my old childhood friends. Mrs
Bob Smith. nee Sincoe. and Betty
Durham, nee Harmon. They wer,
both very fine ladies'.
Well, | return TO MiddleseX We
landed with a lot OF guano and as
fine oysters as man ever ate. We
devoured them raw. stewed. fried
and they were superb.
took my sister-in-law out riding
She is said TO be the best informed
woman on the Bible in Virginia
What a grand missionary she would
make II health was only hers
found lots OF merchants had OF
late failed in that section.
I've been travelling now in that
part of the country for 40 years and
each year 1t seems poorer and
poorer. while this section is richer
mean financially. Spiritually both
are going down. Why. just now a
fellow intimated 1t was Gods busi-
uess to send us rain | replied that
last Saturday was my sons birth
day. 30 years old, and that year,
1881, ii did not rain from May un-
iii September. complained then
about the weather. but will never 10
so again Mr.. McGill. a fine Epis-
,Opal preacher. told me a drought
was Just as essential for our exis-
.ence as many other things; that it
,aused fertilizering elements TO rise
20 the surface OF the ground that
,ould not get there unless ii was
Try.
Wednesday and Thursday went
% Urbanna and how was thrilled
with emotion There stood in
he same spot where | stood when
enlisted In the army. April 3. 1862
over 80 years ago. walked there
with Rev. w. r. Boggs. p. r. OF
district. found out
he was the son OF our beloved chap
ain Of the 9Th Va. Cav. Rev. Chas.
II. Boggs. who is yet living and is
nearly ninety years old. He was al
ways with the regiment whether in
he quiet camp or the roar of battle.
lie helped In every battle We were
engaged in.
found Mr.. Coleman. superinten-
lent of poor in King and Queen
county, was dead and his wife. a
OF mine. in his place un-
III his place could be fill by a
nan. | hear she is very efficient
Here at Urbanna the Baltimore
steamers land every day unloading
heir freight and in return taking
he products of :he river and land
20 Baltimore. Those people. like
all humanity, are dissatisfied with
cheap water facilities, are clamoring
for railroads and We envying their
nearness to market. But oh. the
for me every time.
visited Robt Guy Smith. near
whose father and my father
were special friends. He has a very
daughter and a lot OF fine
boys.
then went to Saluda and found
a beautiful monument erected to the
Confederates. felt like II was
part mine, for enlisted in that
county and contributed a small
amount toward llquidating a small
debt which Is still on It, | found
there a lot of nice farms. but a very
dirty courthouse, with a few por-
traits on its walls Rev. Mr.. Hob
day is the preacher in charge there
He has been hammering away for
nearly two score years, asking the
bishop not to allow any man to be
presiding elder over four years and
he has about succeeded. too.
| found a cousins grave near Sa-
luda and / frightened it up as best
| could. Poor creature, she was
an excellent woman. used to play
on the piano so often for me-. Fare
well, Sallie j. Bristow, nee Clarkson
left there to return home tC
bid probably farewell forever to Es'
sex. Middlesex, Caroline and Kinl
and Queen. found Geo. l.. Phil
lips. of Missouri, visiting his Broth
er William and Mrs. Bette Clarke
Of your city. near there.
| met Bob Hutchinson, chairman
Board of Supervisors, who is one OF
the best men in Essex county.
found the roads just this side oi
Montague's and Center Cross the
worst of any | had come in contact
with. but they had only s2,7OO tc
work over 500 miles with. and We
Notwithstanding and Brandy will
expend about $4,000 on two mile:
this year. We have already spent
over $4,000 on two miles of the
same road.
Mr.. Hilliard. chairman OF Board oi
OF Middlesex, is indeed
a fine man. and Mr. Manly Broaddus
of King and Queen will weigh about
300 pounds. He, too, Is a big fel-
low.
The John Andrew Clarkson monu
ment at Ephesus Is a beauty and
really cost less than any I have yet
seen. 1t has the following inscrip-
tion upon It: I'm grateful recogni
tion OF the patriotic services oi
John Andrew Clarkson. who enlisted
in Co. F., 55th Va Reg. April. 1861
Killed August. 1862. this monument
Is erected"
How distressing it was to me tC
see the graves Of my Aunt Susar
Phillips and her husband and Uncl,
William Clarkson and his wife 81
sadly neglected. when all four o.
them have children so we'll to do
| went to Phillips old mill anC
nearly everything was nearly rotteC
down. ] caught two yellow-belliei
there. the same sort I used to catch
over half a century ago.
Goodbye. will continue later.