Thursday, July 21, 1897
MR. J. J. BEARD, of Huntersville, has in his possession a Bible with marginal references that be- longed to his grandfather, John Jordan, the pioneer. It was printed in Edinburgh in 1796 by Mark and Charles Kerr, His Majesty’s printers.
There are found memorands of births, marriages and deaths on blank leaves and spaces.
John Jordan and Miriam McNeel were married December 20, 1796, and he died February 16, 1836. It is a 12mo volume, having the Apochrypha, the Psalms of David in metre, and considerable other matter bound with the two Testaments. In its time, one hundred years ago, the book was evidently a costly and fancy article.
BIOGRAPHIC NOTES
THE McNeill relationship on Swago trace their ancestry to Thomas McNeill, who came to Swago from Capon Valley, Frederick County, Virginia, between 1768 and 1770. His parents, whose names cannot be recalled, came from Scotland. Tho-mas McNeill’s wife was Mary Ireson, from Franklin County, Virginia.
About 1770, Thomas McNeill entered three hundred acres of land and settled where Joseph Pennell now lives, (1897), and built the house occupied a few years since by the family of the late William McNeill, one of his grandsons. His family of sons and daughters were widely scattered in the course of years, but wherever they went they became useful citizens. His sons were Jonathan, Absalom, Enoch, and Gabriel, and the daughters were Naomi and Mary (Polly)…
A CLOSE CALL
OUR exchanges from Lewisburg and Ronceverte report that Trout Shue came near being lynched on Sunday night, July 11th. A party, variously estimated from fifteen to thirty persons, organized at the Brushy Ridge campground, eight miles of Lewisburg. Sheriff Nickell was duly notified, and passed the camp about 9 o’clock on his way to Lewisburg. He was overtaken by four of the parties, and he turned back and at the home of D. A. Dwyer, succeeded in persuading the lynchers to give up their purpose.
The lynchers had procured a new rope, were well armed with Winchesters and revolvers and meant business.
In the meantime, the jail authorities had been notified by a fishing party coming in from Clear Creek who had passed the campground and had heard enough to make them think that violence was intended, and so the party informed Deputy Sheriff Dwyer, who at once took the prisoner to a place of refuge in the woods a mile or two from the town. On Tuesday officers Nickell and Dwyer set out for Moundsville with the prisoner.
Steps are being taken to round up the lynchers. On Monday, bench warrants were issued for the six who were recognized by officer Nickell. Charley Lewis, a colored person living near the campground, has been detained in Lewisburg as an important witness, as he is believed to have recognized about all the persons who had gathered at the campground.
When Shue learned what threatened him, he was greatly agitated and could not put on his shoes and was on the point of making a confession, and thus be prepared for extremities.
It would seem that the verdict does not meet the views of these people, some of the Greenbrier citizenship insist the death penalty should have been inflicted.
CONTROVERSIES AT FROST
TUESDAY, Mrs. T. J. Williams and Mrs. Dr. Gwinn, of Frost, were arrested upon the warrant of Susan Houdyshell, charged with stealing fruit jars.
The preliminary examination was held before Squire Bird at Marlinton, and resulted in a dismissal of the charge. T. J. Williams, a Confederate Veteran by occupation, and N. C. McNeill represented the defendants, with L. M. McClintic for the State and H. S. Rucker for the prosecuting witnesses.
The State’s evidence was that after the arrest of Susan Houdyshell in May, Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Gwinn had come to the house and without permission searched it to see if some fruit jars which had been stolen were in the house, and having missed some fruit jars, it was supposed they had taken them that day.
The defense said that they had gone to the house and that John Houdyshell, the owner, was there and that he had given them leave to search the house to satisfy themselves concerning the jars and having done so, took nothing away with them. The defense also impeached the evidence of the prosecuting witnesses by a number of disinterested citizens of Frost neighborhood. The trial excited great interest and was attended by a large crowed of people.
THE JAIL DELIVERY
The jailer at Marlinton has been made a victim of misplaced confidence, and it is not likely that he will allow visitors to enter the cells to visit prisoners again. Wednesday morning, George Roberts, arrested and committed for beating his wife, and Ervine Houdyschell, a confessed burglar, had escaped during the night. All that was left was the negro boy in jail for forgery, who missed the chance of his life in not giving the alarm. He claims to have done his best to arouse the jailer, but it is not believed. He says Roberts has been working at cutting the bars of the steel cage ever since he (Douglas) has been there, (over a month), and that he had told him he was making a rat-trap. He also says that a bar fell out Tuesday morning, making a loud noise, and Roberts told him before the escape that it was caused by the falling of a bar. About dark, Roberts was out of the cage and working at the brick wall. He made a hole under a stone window sill…
Railroad News
It is reported that the Chesapeake & Ohio and the Camden system held a meeting at the Hot Springs the other day and it was decided to follow the original scheme of joining the railroads at Marlinton, and that work would begin at once…
The prospects for railroad developments are certainly brightening and a good many of our anxious citizens feel it in their bones that we are to have a railroad soon.
FROST
IT raineth and the sun shineth and the people maketh hay.
Corn is short, but wheat is good.
Cronin Dilley will start up his thrashing machine soon.
Dr. J. B. Lockridge is our leading calf buyer.
Look forward! Prosperity is just ahead.
~ Mountaineer
HUNTERSVILLE
IN romantic literature, the stork figures as one of the most beautiful and interesting of birds. For the past few weeks one has been much in evidence amid the picturesque hills and vales in and about Huntersville. One was seen perched on William T. Moore’s chimney long enough to leave a nice little boy to gladden that home, and then gracefully winged its way to Cummings Creek and took its place on Henry McComb’s chimney top, and when it went away a little girl was nestling in the cradle. The next place where it rested on poised wing was on one of J. C. Loury’s chimney tops, and there is a nice little boy that make matters pleasant and interesting in a Huntersville home.