Thursday, July 12, 1900
STAND UP
The staunchest trait of American character has never been pictured in bolder relief than it was by Justice Brewer in his vigorous speech at the Bunker Hill Day dinner of the New England Society of Chicago. The old-time men of New England, he said, were not in the habit of keeping their ears to the ground. They often lacked sweetness and grace, but they never lacked independence, force or steadfastness of purpose.
“A man with his ear always to the ground to catch the rumbling of the people,” the justice remarked, “is not worth a snap of the fingers.”…
When every man listens for the mutterings of the crowd before he makes up his own mind what he himself believes and stands for, the nation is swayed wholly by the lower forces of imitation, suggestion and emotion, and like an inorganic mass, it moves inanely this way or that, or, taking panic, it rushes madly on to destruction…
LOCAL MENTION
Last Saturday, Charles Bruce passed Marlinton with 30 or 40 head of cattle bought in Greenbrier, on his way to Mingo.
The past week William Irvine and others have been busy with their teams hauling rock for the Marlinton Bank Building from the Kee Quarry.
Ten dead and three hundred injured was one result of the Fourth of July celebrations in the city of Philadelphia alone, from accidental explosion of fireworks.
After the very hot wave of last week, the reactionary spell of cooler weather has set in, and everyone has remarked that there is a “fall” feel in the air, which for early July is unusual here.
The basket meeting in the grove near West Union was largely attended. It was decided to build a church near there. $250 was raised and a committee appointed to select a site.
WOODFORD HUTTON SHOT
Woodford Hutton, son of Colonel Elihu Hutton, was shot and dangerously woun-ded by C. P. Darlington, editor of the Randolph Enterprise.
The shooting occurred in a saloon in Huttonsville. The difficulty arose through a dispute over county politics, which is now very heated in Randolph in view of the coming primary election. The lie was given and Hutton struck Darlington with a beer bottle, then Darlington drew a pistol and shot him twice in the right side of the abdomen. He was at once put on a special car and sent to the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore where he arrived Friday.
Hutton is about 22 years old and well known in this county. Recently he was with a camping party on Williams River. He and Will McLaughlin, of this place, attended the races and celebration at Elkins Wednesday. They returned to Huttonsville together and the latter left him and started for Marlinton at 4 p.m., only a few hours before the shooting.
Darlington escaped and fled some distance but returned the next day at noon and gave himself up. For several years he owned and operated the Webster Echo and lately bought the Enterprise.
NOTES BY THE WAY
At Millsboro Depot it was pleasant to renew acquaintance with Dr. A. F. Kerr, one of the resident physicians. He was one of my many Monterey pupils at the close of the war. His career has been varied, arduous and eventful, but now in his lovely home, he passes a serene and useful life in the bosom of his young and attractive family. He is useful as a good physician, ruling elder in his church, leader in prayer meetings, superintendent of Sunday school, chorister and organist in the absence of the leader.
No matter how numerous his patients, this doctor generally finds time to be in his place at public worship. Dr. Kerr is the youngest son of Colonel David W. Kerr, a native of Pocahontas, and for many years a prominent and widely known citizen of our county. The colonel is now in his 87th year, in fairly vigorous health and with mental faculties unimpaired. He lives with his son, and it is beautiful to notice how attentively he is cared for by the doctor and excellent wife.
A PECULIAR TIMEPIECE
A gentleman, calling on a farmer, observed: “Mr. Jones, your clock is not quite right, is it?”
“Well, you see, sir,” said Mr. Jones, “nobody don’t understand much about that clock but me. When the hands on that clock stand at twelve, then it strikes two, and then I know its twenty minutes to seven.”
