Thursday, March 25, 1926
Up on Back Allegheny a few weeks ago, a man going along the road heard a pig squealing lustily. The sounds appeared to come from above, and looking up he saw an immense golden eagle flying over him with a huge chunk of a pig in his talons. Luckily the man had his gun with him and he shot the eagle down. The pig actually weighed 22 pounds and was killed by the fall. The eagle has a wing spread of nearly eight feet. The eagle is now being mounted by taxidermist Blackhurst, of Cass.
A PIONEER WEDDING
By Lloyd Vaughan
In pioneer days in West Virginia, a wedding was looked forward to with much pleasure by old and young. It meant a great gathering of the settlers, a rollicking good time, an abundant feast for all – a pleasant day in the settlers’ busy lives; a day given up to fun and gossip; a day of romance, a wedding and best of all, to the settlers – a dance. Therefore, a wedding proved to be a great event to the settlers.
The day dawned bright and clear. The sun rising like a great ball of fire, cast his bright beaming rays over the beautiful hills and cabins clustered with white glistening frost shining like diamonds. The groom and his attendants met at an appointed time to celebrate an old time-honored custom, which always took place before the party started for the home of the bride. This performance was called “the race for the bottle.”
The groom selected a number of young men to take part in this race, which was to be run over as rough ground as possible. The rougher the road, the more ditches, bogs, stumps, brush, in fact, the more obstacles the better, as all this afforded opportunity for daring and expert horsemanship. No other race that has ever been known could be compared to this race for the bottle. The run was very exciting. The horses with their riders were placed as near abreast as possible, and the starter would give the Indian yell, and the riders would be off on a dead run. The pounding of heavy hooves, the cracking of whips, the commands of the contestants, and the yells of the onlookers, made the scene very exciting. …At the end of the mile-long run, was a bottle hung to a bush. There were judges required for the race. The man that got the bottle first won the race. After the race was won by one of the racers, they returned to the starting point, where the victor was greeted with loud shouts. The groom got the first drink from the bottle; then came the participants and others; after which the bottle was put away to be kept as a memento of the occasions.
The party would then repair to the village and march to the home of the bride. The hour of the marriage would take place just before the midday meal. When the groom reached the home of the bride, he would find her in readiness, dressed in her best, consisting of a plain gown without any ornaments. The groom was dressed in a handsome buckskin suit, and perhaps a raccoon skin cap. Proud indeed looked the groom as he took his lover’s hand and led her up to the waiting minister. …
The merriment grew as the day progressed. The great feast consisted of wild meat, such as turkey, venison and other forest delicacies.
Closely following the wedding feast, prize contests were held such as running, shooting matches, boxing and wrestling…
After the contests were over, supper was fixed, and then the dance…
Late at night, the gaieties ended, the boys accompanied the girls home. Thus, ended one of the happiest and gayest days of frontier life.
WEDDING
Miss Goldie McNeill, attractive daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. W. McNeill, of Buckeye, and S. Glenn Smith, son of Dr. and Mrs. M. C. Smith, of Hillsboro, were quietly married at the Presbyterian manse Wed-nesday evening, March 17, 1926, at 7:30 o’clock. After the ceremony, they returned to the bride’s home where a delightful supper was served.
