Year: 1867

GLENN1ILE, GlLMER COUNTY,
WEST Va, December Z, 1867.


Editor Of the Register:


We see in your excellent and widely
circulated paper, communications from
almost every county in the State, ex-
cept this one. i will, therefore, give
you short sketch of her past progress,
and her failure prospects, which, (if you
think proper,) you will insert in your
columns. The county of Gilmer lies
near the centre of the State, and con-
taius population of about four thou
sand inhabitants. The little Kanawha
river, a beautiful and navigable stream
runs directly through its centre; the
soil is we'll adapted to grazing and is
unsurpassed by any county in the State
for corn aud tobacco, two of the most
profitable products of this section; and
if its mineral resources were fully de-
veloned, it would perhaps be unsur-
passed by any county in the State for
mineral wealth. From Glenville, the
county seat, to the Braxton county line,
some fifteen miles, the hills are under
laid with the best mines of bituminous
coal in the State and are now being
worked Immediately on the banks of the
river. A steamboat came up the river
last Spring and made the trip from
Glenville to Rathbone city in six hours
and experienced no difficulty in passing
up and down the river. We have been
favored with excellent crops of oats and
corn the past season. The wheat crop
was very good, but there was but
small breadth sown.


The oil wells at Ratbbone have fur
nished us with an excellent market for
our coal. There is also good demand
for coal at all the towns along the river
from Glenville, to it's mouth, there be-
ing coal in any quaHtity found below
this point. The little Kanawha river
and all its tributaries abound with
valuable timber, great amount of
which is run to market every year. The
city of ParkersJurg at the mouth of
the river furnishes good market for
all kinds of timber. All of these ad-
vantages, together with the stock, raised
in the county, aud also tobacco, before
the revenue OH il was so enormously
high, made it one of the most flourish
ing little counties in the State,
and capitalists and enterprising young
men were coming amongst Us and in
vesting their means. We were happy,
free and prosperous people. But since
IL III catl.I N
Radical misrule we are very much on
the decline. And now, Mr.. Editor, If you
will bear with me little while, will
give you short account ofthe proceed
ings of the officers of our county, and
then yOH will readily understand why
it is that we are in siokly condition.
j. 5. Brannon, the Registrar who
skulked and hid and lied the Conserv-
ative voters out of an opportunity reg
istering their names before the election
in the spring of 1866, could not do so
in the fall. Having advertised certain
days to be at his office for the purpose
of giving the voters an opportunity to
have their names registered, he could
not dodge the question so nicely. The peo-
pie that he had deprived of the right OF
IL duOulNC bO IOhS oS WV IN
pense of his oath, came pouring in on
him, and it looked to him SO much like
fair play that he could not stand it, so
he resigned his office and the honorable
Board of Registration were careful not
to appoint another until after the cleo
tion, so the people were again deprived
of the opportunity of registering, and
the only way this swarthy creature
could make himself useful any more
was to 90 before the Board as witness,
where he would swear that certain per-
sons refused to take the required oath,
and register the first opportunity offer
ed them. This was when he was read
ing the obnoxious Maryland test oath
to them, and telling them that that was
the oath they would be required to take
before they could register, and the
Board thought it very disloyal OF
them in so refusing, and therefore
erased their names as the
ex Register gave them ont. The Board
was made up this time of the following
persons: James Cother, the renowned
President, Adam Hukert, and one Isaac
Beall. Old Adam discovered that the
people were becoming 50 disgusted at
the conduct of the Radical party that it
was constantly falling off and going
over to the Conservatives. He became
panic stricken and struck out for
wheeling, as We are credibly informed,
saying that if Governor Boreman did
not give permission to strike of from
forty to sixty names that the party
would be bsaten in this county. So
the Governor, thinking that Old
Adam would be very fit tool,
appointed him q member of the Board,


which enabled him to strike of as he


supposed the necessary number, but it


was no GO. Their party was beaten by


some twenty three votes in the county.


l had intended to give you general


history Of the doings of the Radical


party of our county, but the thing has


grown stale, though there were many


doings and sayings that would have


been interesting and Instructive to the


pub,ic generally. At the meeting o.


the Board of Registration of our county


this fall they were able to do but little


although they had notified q great


many persons to appear before then
to shsw cause why they shoulC
not be disfranehised. But their
\ witnesses, hearing of the many defeat:
of their party in other States and see
ing the state Of things that existed il


eur own county, and that they were
bound TO do all the swearing over agair
a before every election, and the defeat