Thursday, February 18, 1898
THREE riders raced
on the broad highway –
The devil, a woman, a man –
And, spurring his steed,
laughed the devil gay,
“Come, follow me,
ye who can!”
Three riders raced,
and the stakes were sin,
Over the broad highway,
And the devil was second
in coming in –
For the woman led the way.
– Life
LATEST – Just before going to press, we received a line from a prominent man in New York City, which says we can be sure that the Greenbrier Rail Road will be built.
WE have recently had the hottest February day in many years.
FAMINE is bringing war to an end in Cuba. The mere loss of the island will not be half the punishment Spain should be made to suffer for her inhumanity.
WITH Alaska claiming our surplus population on one side, and on the other fighting Spain, will make more room for the rest of us, if we go to war over the patriots who are trying to get the inestimable blessings of liberty, which we enjoy – and grumble.
AN examination was held by Justice Bird last week to inquire into the sanity of Andrew Smith, who was dismissed from the Hospital at Weston last year as cured. It was decided that he is insane, and he was placed in jail to remain until he can be taken to the hospital.
THE body of Deputy Game Warden Wilbur Teeter was found in the woods near Harman, on Dry Fork, Randolph county. There were two wounds, one in the hip and the other through the heart. It is supposed that Teeter, who had made many enemies by informing upon violators of the game laws, was shot while tracking someone through the woods. His body, discovered by a dog, was lying beside a log and was covered over with bark.
MAPLE SUGAR
The weather lately has been ideal sugar weather. Hard freezing weather yielding to bright, clear days makes the sap to flow. Last Monday a large sugar tree was cut down near Marlinton, and the tree “bled until the ground was soaked.” The discovery that sugar could be manufactured from this tree was not made until the 18th century. It was a prime necessity in those days when the pioneer raised everything he used on his farm.
ACADEMY
Miss Susie Simmons has gone to Lewisburg. Our village loses an excellent dressmaker.
Col. George A. McNeel sold his lot of fine cattle to Cary Nickell, of Monroe county. The Colonel always reaches the top figure.
Washington Spence, who contracted to put the logs cut on the Overholt place across the river, has got the logs within a half-mile of the river. He expects to splash them into the Greenbrier with the waters of Rock Island Run.
Mr. Editor; Being first duly sworn, we meet the famous fish stories of Marlinton and the snake stories of the upper end by the biggest fish story of 1898. Miss Belle Burnsides, on her way to school, was crossing the Greenbrier River in a canoe. She saw a large catfish and killed it with the pole with which she navigated the canoe. The fish was 24 inches long and weighed 17 pounds. She says she was not out fishing, nor was it a good day for fishing either. In matching this story, bring forth nothing but true tales.– BUMBLEBEE
ANCIENT AND MODERN
And Jacob said unto his sons, Why go ye away to Egypt to buy corn? Go ye down to Buckeye, West Virginia, and buy your corn, flour and bacon of John N. Adkison, for he even giveth to the poor. And they said unto him, We know not of this man. And he answered them saying, If ye had done wisely and subscribed for The Times, you would know all such things.
Haec fabula docet: That people read advertisements in The Times.
NEW YORK
EIGHT thousand men are at work in New York City removing the snow. Many of these men are starving. Every big snowstorm is a God-send to them.
ALL the ocean steamers arriving are a sight to behold. They are one mass of ice from bow to stern. The rigging is frozen. The life on the ocean wave these days is a hard one.
A FISHERMAN’S boat was picked up off of Staten Island last week, with two occupants. One man was dead – frozen – and the other was dying; the lower part of his body being frozen to the boat.
IT IS estimated that over 100,000 men are idle in New York City at the present time. The poor of this city are suffering terribly this winter, as the cold has been unusually severe. The station houses, alms houses, hospitals and all charitable institutions are over crowded. Every thing is done that can be done by charitable people for the relief of these unfortunates.
INSTEAD of the churches taking up collections for foreign missions, they should devote the money to the poor of their own country. Instead of missionaries to India, etc. they should be sent to the tenements and do some good work among the poor and downtrodden.