Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1916-07-21

ter the founding of he;Independent
A box of 100 matches sold for ten
cents. Our hats were plated straw
or manufactured from sleeps wool
by two enterprising hatters, the Jami-
sons. The wool, when prepared for |
blocking into hats, was about tho |
fourth of an inch thick. The shoes
for the families were home made; the |
Gather tanned by two enterprising
Greenbrier tanners, James and Lewis |
Patterson of the Meadows, ard the |
family shoemaker was the ancient |
Buck Fox and Castor Patterson, a |
nephew of the tanners, who still
lives in the Meadows region, but the
,,ae-e kevo long since passed to their
II.
T-.a w.:tcr vc-y distinctly -cmem-
;orS hi3 Est r-2it to Lew!sJu
~ "a ~ Han U.s. q rGAl I.,r'
James H. Stratton conducted the
Lewisburg Hotel, and a genial host
he was. We, acting as deputy sherin,
arrested Major" Wimbush for OPP
Grating a blind tiger on the Hinton
Island, and took him to Lewisburg to
Jail. He, as we'll as the imDrovised
officers was much interested in the
many evidences of high civilization
; .aam at the old burg. The old stone
, court house was then standing with
the sign of D. j. Ford e Son hung
out. Henry Gilmer was then in his
youth, learning law at the feet of
that great lawyer, Judge Snyder, and
Major Harris was IA the height of his
glory. Governor Price was still there
the Nestor of the Greenbrier bar, and
John A. Preston was prosecuting the
criminals, while DR.. Rucker was de-
Tending them; and John w. Arbuck-
( lie was coming to the front. James
: Withrow. Esq, was a court commits
: sioner: Johnson Bell was a prince o.
: merchants; Alexander F.. Mathews,
: the pioneer banker in the region west
e of the Alleghanies, who came out Of
r the war without penny and, by
great business acumen and without
y resorting to high financial methods,
+. became, we believes, the wealthiest
!. man in the Greenbrier Valley. Henry
$ Mason Mathews had not then bee:--
D attrney-general or governor, both of
9 which offices he afterwards filled with
. great honor to himself and his coun-
ty; and Capt. Robert F. Dennis, who
! had led the first company Of Green
! brier soldiers in the great Civil War;
and COL James w. Davis, also a Con-
r federate soldier, were in active prac-
o tice; Joel Mcpherson was clerk. Ii
: was largely through the loyalty, and
! determined effort Of The Greenbrier
independent that many of these men
|, had been relieved from the disquali-
n fications of test oaths and proscrip-
tive laws and were now permitted to
;. appear at the bar in person instead
" Of by proxy.
), The recollection of the days of Nat
4 Harrison was still: mere And Capt
Curlos a. Sperry with Governor Price
, and others kept up fight which
! prejudice and passion could not re-
7 sist and which eventually resulted III
\ the overthrow of the tyrannical con-
, ditions existing from the fall of the
, Confederacy, in 1865, tc the adop-
, ton of the new constitution. In
, stead of abandoning the DISTINGUISHED
common soldiers these able and faith
full lawyers by peaceful methods
9 and ceaseless effort overthrow the
4. political terrorism and tyranny exist
ing throughout that period and the
historical facts should be perpetu-
ated and handed down to the remot-
est generations, with the names of
q these patriot lawyers who made the
fight and secured to the people the
. civil, political aid religious Ibertie-
!, they now enjoy. All who, remem-
Der the intense political passions and
prejudices of those days will freely
accord to The Independent it's full
measure of credit for the brave and
, persistent fight it made and the wide
influence it exerted in the effort t.
. restore to the people the rights of
! which they had been unjust.y de-
prived. There are many yet living
i. who clearly remember this struggle
for the repeal of test oath5 and pro-
, scription laws and who will witness
, for those who played the leading
part in the struggle.
On our second visit to Lewssburg