Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1913-08-08
EDITOR, MERCHANT,
LAWYER, ET CETERA
Ebb Witten, of Crundy, a Man Of
Many Parts Member of Large
And Well Known Family

"Ebb" Witten's visit to towr
on Monday reminds the editor
of "the gossip department" OF
this paper of a few facts which
may be of interest. He is one
of a family of 13 children.
Robert Witten. Ebbs father was
twice married. His first wife
was a Miss Custard, by whom s
children were born and by the
last marriage there are 5 child
rem. all living. The late Jas. r..
Witten, one of the most prom
inent citizen, of the county, for
years a successful farmer living
near this town, brother to Rob
ert, was the father of 10 child
rem, Ia of whom are now living.
The late VIM. Witten of Abb's
Valley counted IS children in
his family.
"Ebbs" full brother and sisters
are Mrs. Reese Whitley. North
Tazwell; Mrs. John Graham,
Graham, Va. f; Mrs. VIM. Porter,
Tazewell; Mrs. Jas. Charles,
Pikevillc, Ky; Mrs. G.. S. Wat
kins, Grundy. Va; j. w M.
Witten. Abingdon; DR.. Walter
Witten, North Tazewell and E.
H. Witten, Bramwell. The boys,
and girls too. have all made good
Ebb saws that "Wilk is the hest
one of the lot" He is succeed
ing on a nice farm near Abing-
don. DR.. Walter is pushing a
head as a successful physician
at North Tazewell. Ebb migrat-
ed to Grundy IS years ago during
the somewhat "wild and woolly"
days of Buchanan County and
practiced law, sold goods, and
later married a Miss Watkins,
daughter of a prominent citizen
of the historic town of Grundy
the best thing he ever did.
About two years ago he became
the editor of the Sandy Valley
News, which obstreperous and
plucky sheet he still sends out,
much to the annoyance of the
old line Republicans.
He is an ardent fellow and
admire of Theodore Roosevelt,
and champion of the Bull Moose
party. He was and is still, pro-
minently mentioned as a pro-
bable candidate for the legis-
lature from this district, and if
nominated would poll a good vote.
Speaking of the Sandy Valley
News, brings to mind Alex
Beavers, who formerly owned
and edited the paper. 1t was
known those days as the Grundy
Messenger, and strictly a cam
paign paper. Alex, with the
aid of a boy, got out the paper
pretty regularly during cam
paigns, and when there seemed
to be no particular demand he
would suspend publication. "
1t is told of Alex that if he had
legal notices which had to run a
times in succession in order to
be legal he would if pressed for
time just change the date line
and reprint the copy of the
paper of the week before and
let 'er go at that and it is said
that few of Alexis subscribers
would ever notice it.
No doubt Alex could give a
number of amusing and interest
ing incidents occurring in his ex-
perience as newspaper man at
Grundy.
In those days there were a
number of the old-time "Journy-
men printers" on the road and
now and then one would wonder
as far from freight-trains and
water tanks as to Grundy and
get a job on the Messenger. An
amusing story was told in the
Clinch Valley News office by one
of these old-timers just from
Grundy. He said that he work
ed several weeks on the paper
there, and his weekly salary was
deferred from time to time, and
finally, the printers throat be-
came unbearably dry and no
money to buy even a pint of
moonshine, was in sight. The
lonely, dry printer got mad and
after business hours he unlock
ed the forms of the Messenger,
took great handfulls of type and
bombarded the walls of the shop,
until the Office looked as though
"a hurricane had struck it,"
picking up his coat and "beat
it" for the railroad water tank
where he caught the next freight
train east. The fellow that told
this story in this Office may have
been lying 1t is true how
ever, that the course of Journal
! ism did not run smoothe those