Thursday, August 26, 1898
A LONG WAY ROUND
According to a paragraph in the New York Sun, there is a post office in Minnesota from which it takes a letter eight days – and more than 1,200 miles of travel – to reach another office only half a mile away.
“The second office is in Canada, on the other shore of Rainy River. The mail used to be carried across in a bark canoe by a half-breed who made a living by the work. Now it goes 150 miles by rail to Duluth, 600 miles west and north to Winnipeg, 200 miles east by rail, and 200 miles more by steamer and canoe to get to the village that can almost be reached with a shout by a good pair of lungs.”
We can furnish a similar tale in Pocahontas. Take Gillispie and Wanless, two towns of the Greenbrier about eight miles apart. Under recent mail regulations, a man might start a letter Monday at Gillispie to a man at Wanless. It would go four miles to Travelers Repose; Tuesday, 30 miles to Huntersville; Wednesday, six miles to Marlinton; Thursday, four miles to Edray. Then waiting over a day a Edray, it would go 12 miles to Driftwood on Saturday, and be carried to Wanless the next Tuesday, requiring nine days to make the circuit.
KILLED BY LIGHTNING
Thomas Bain, of Upper Kerrs Creek, Rockbridge County, was struck by lightning Sunday afternoon and instantly killed. He, with two young men – “Buz” and Charles Reynolds – went to a wheat stack in a nearby field, and on their return, while crossing a field, Bain was struck by the bolt, which tore the crown out of his hat, singed his hair and passed out his feet, tearing his shoes to pieces. Both of his companions were knock-ed down and rendered senseless. Upon reviving, one of them saw Bain’s shoes smoking. Both eventually recovered enough to go to the house. Bain was about 65 years old.
Last Thursday evening, nine head of cattle, owned by John Hulver, of Clarke County, were killed by lightning. The cattle were standing near a wire fence, when a post some distance from the animals was struck by lightning, and the wire, acting as a conductor, carried the electrical current down by the cattle. So terrific was the bolt that several of the steers were thrown over the fence into an adjoining field. – Rockingham Register.
THE BIBLE RELATIONSHIP
Jacob Bible, Esq., the progenitor of the Bible relationship in our county, was born and reared on the South Branch of the Potomac near Franklin, Pendleton County. His father was Jacob Bible, Senior, a native of Pennsylvania, and one of the early settlers of Pendleton County.
Upon his marriage with Sally Lightner, daughter of Adam Lightner, Senior, on Back Creek, Mr. Bible located at Hightown, thence he came to Rosin Run, near Green Bank, where he made ample improvements. This was about seventy years ago. Their children were Susan Elizabeth, Mary Margaret, John Adam, William Franklin and Rachel Jane…
Susan Elizabeth Bible became Mrs. William J. McLaughlin, near Huntersville…
Mary Margaret was married to Peter D. Yeager and lives at Travelers Repose. He was a prisoner of war at Camp Chase. He is now proprietor of the Yeager House at Travelers Repose and post master.
Rachel Jane Bible first married Morgan Bird and lived near Green Hill, Highland County. Walter and James Bird are their sons… Her second marriage was with John B. McCutcheon, near Dunmore…
WANTED
A good girl to do cooking and general housework in small family, $1.25 per week.
D. W. Bratton,
Bolar, Va.