Thursday, August 26, 1926
The 1926 Pocahontas County Fair was the best ever. For four days it rained, but it takes more than the six inches of rain that fell to dampen the enthusiasm of the people at their Fair…
J. W. Sturgell, of Little Levels, is still the champion fiddler of the county. Edray’s champion was Bill Clutter; Buster Bowers, of Hunters-ville, and Scott Darnell, of Greenbank.
The rain made the track impossible for racing and the midway was pretty well drowned out.
The showing of sheep was greater than ever, and the cattle were of unusually high quality.
Space fails to list the good things of the Fair that are so well worthy of mention. But the best thing about the Fair was the spirit the people showed in cooperating in putting on the entertainment programs of the various districts.
All in all, it was a great Fair of the people, for the people and by the people.
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Sheriff Barlow, L. S. Cochran and other officers captured a big still on North Fork of Anthonys Creek one night last week. The still was still warm, showing that a run had been made that day, but there was no one about when the officers arrived. It was a most complete and able still of large capacity.
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Born to Mr. and Mrs. Henry C. Miller, at Buckeye, a daughter.
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George W. Smith, of near Lobelia, was in Marlinton Monday to see his son, Clinton, who is at the Marlinton Hospital recovering from a desperate attack of appendicitis. This was Mr. Smith’s first visit to Marlinton in nine years. He brought to this office three very interesting Indian relics, two fine spears and a flint battle axe. These relics were found on Hills Creek near where the last Indian shot in Pocahontas County was fired.
The tradition is that one day as Richard Hill, the pioneer, was working in his clearing, he saw an Indian sliding down a steep bank into the creek, trying to slip up on him. Mr. Hill grabbed his gun and shot the Indian. He said the wounded man slapped his leg. Mr. Hill then made to the nearest fort, which was at Millpoint. There he gathered a party to follow and fight the Indians. From the sign there were only four or five Indians. They could be trailed by the blood of the wounded brave. They were followed into Nicholas County but were never overtaken.
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Mr. and Mrs. B. R. Fowler, of Marlinton, on August 23, celebrated their 50th Anniversary by having their five children with them: Mr. and Mrs. George Fowler, Mr. and Mrs. Luther Fowler, Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Fowler, Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Authors, and Miss Ella at home. Their grandchildren number 28 and one great-grandchild. This old couple spent most of their lives at Hillsboro and moved to Marlinton when farm life got too hard for them.
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Dear Cal;
After thinking the matter over, I have decided to comply with your request and repeat the story I told you the other day, hoping that it might help someone.
More than 30 years have passed since I, with a party of six hearty, healthy and as good men as ever lived, from Uniontown, Pa., arranged for a hunt up Cheat River, above the club about nine miles, at the camp known as Second Camp.
Their names, Charles Seaton, Albert Hutchison, Judge Frank Fuller, General Bailey, Charles Lynch and John Lynch. John Lynch was supposed to have heart trouble. In fact, he had an attack on his way into the club from Beverly, the nearest railroad point.
When we left the Club on our hike up the river to camp, they prevailed on John Lynch to stay at the Club. The rest of the party was afraid he might have an attack of his trouble and it would be hard to get his body out of the woods.
We went on to camp and prepared it to spend three or four days. About sunset that evening, we heard someone shout down the trail, and in, who comes, but John Lynch. It threw a damper on our otherwise jovial party.
He had barely gotten into camp when he had a heart attack, and I have never seen anything like it…
About 11 o’clock, Charles Seaton came out where I was and asked me if I thought I could get down to the club as Lynch was dead, or just about so. I told him I could try. He said Ike, the man in charge would be leaving at 4 a.m. for Beverly for another party, and he would be taking the team and we would have no way of getting Lynch’s body out.
So, I started. It was very dark and I had no light. I got into the water and waded to the club. I got there between two and three a.m. I got Ike out of bed and reported to him what had happened.
We got the two horses with pack saddles and stretcher to carry out Lynch’s body. We got to the camp about daylight that morning, and John Lynch was the first man to greet us.
The sequel is this – Charles Seaton, Judge Frank Fuller, General Bailey and Charles Lynch are all dead now.
Albert Hutchison and John Lynch are still living and both are in good health.
