Thursday, March 20, 1947
FIELD NOTES
Judge Gathright and Mr. Cover were over from Hickory Lodge on Jacksons River, one day last week. I inquired about the proposed dam to cover so much of the valley there. The reply was the waves as yet were not rippling over Hickory Lodge, and may be not ever.
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Mr. Cover gave report of his interesting experience of animal reasoning. At the outbreak of the recent big storm, he had a large herd of cattle being wintered some distance form his place, Greavers Mill. A cow was expected to freshen, and as soon as anyone could move in the deep snow, a young man went to look about her. No trace could be found. The next day, the cow came into the barn; she had found her calf. She was penned and efforts made to back track her, but with no success. She had circled around in the trails of other cattle. Then she was turned out to go to her calf. The cow then went and rounded up seven head of other cattle, and broke a path in the deep snow to the barn, and some of these cattle had never been to the barn. Then after the path had been well broken, here came the cow and her young calf.
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E. H. McLaughlin, of Browns Creek, knocked down the biggest golden eagle I ever did see – eight feet two inches wing spread; twelve pounds in weight and nearly forty inches long. Up on the Horse Ridge of Browns Mountain in full sight of the McLaughlin residence, and a full five hundred yards away, a lot of crows were fussing around a very large bird, perched in a dead tree. It looked too big for an owl. There was a 30-30 high power in the house, and Mr. McLaughlin decided to take a shot, regardless of the distance and the fact that his eyes are not quite so good as they used to be. He took advantage of the shade cast by the house, and the bright sun on the target. At the crack of the gun, the big bird fell out, and the crows scattered. It was a wonderful shot. This eagle has been hanging around Browns Mountain most all winter. Fox hunters have taken chance shots at it on the wing.
Some weeks ago, Paul Burr, of Burr Valley, also killed a big golden eagle. It had a sheep down and was eating on it.
WEDDINGS
Miss Dora McLaughlin, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Park McLaughlin, of Minnehaha Springs, became the bride of Dale Sharp, son of Mr. and Mrs. Everette Sharp, of Mingo, Tuesday morning, March 11, 1947, in a ceremony performed at the Humphreys Methodist parsonage in Dunbar…
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The marriage of Miss Cleo Virginia Corbett, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Omer Corbett, of Dunmore, and David Warren Sheets, son of Mr. and Mrs. David Leslie Sheets, of Greenbank, took place Thursday, February 22, 1947, in the Monterey, Virginia, manse…
BIRTHS
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Charles J. Sharp, a daughter on Tuesday, March 11, 1947. This is the fifth daughter and fourteenth child in this family; all living.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Frank Kibler, of Atlanta, Georgia, a son, named Frank McClintic, II.
DEATHS
Dennis Underwood, aged 45 years, after many years of invalidism. The body was laid to rest in the family plot in the Beaver Creek cemetery. He is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Moses Underwood.
Isaac Taylor “Dick” Sheets, of Richmond Township, Pennsylvania, formerly of Greenbank; a son of the late Henry and Rachel G. Sheets. He was married to Claudia M. Galford; and is survived by seven children. Burial in the Lyona Cemetery in Pennsylvania.
SOME LOCAL HISTORY
Continued…
At the spring court, Selim was taken to Staunton. Here he came face to face with the Rev. John Craig, D. D., the venerable pastor of the Old Stone Church of the Valley of Virginia. Selim went to him and said, ‘Sir, I am going home with you.”
Asked for an explanation, Selim said he had seen a vision in his starving time, where a great crowd of people, in a strange country like the one he is now in, were making the way to life. Nearly all of them, when they reached a certain point, fell into a chasm and were seen no more. A few went around to one side where an aged man told them how to reach the place of the heart’s desire. Such men, by following his instructions, came safely through. He recognized in Dr. Craig the old man he had seen in his vision. He, Selim, desired to go with him to learn the meaning of his vision.
At the home of Dr. Craig, Selim was shown a Greek New Testament, then as now a part of the equipment of every minister. He read it as to the manor born, and here he received additional light on salvation through Christ. Soon he was examined by the Session of the Old Stone Church as to his religious experience, and admitted as a member to that band of ironsides.
Popular and well liked by the pioneers of Augusta, the brave, intelligent and highly educated gentleman began to wonder about going home to play his part in the country of his birth.
To make a long story short, his friends put up the means, sent him to Williamsburg, thence to England, thence to Algeria. Of all the times and of all the places, Algeria was then easily the worst when it came to torture of Christian converts. Selim never seemed to be able to tell what he really did go through, but a fiery furnace would have been a pleasant place to lie down in comparison. In a few years, he was back in Williamsburg, haggard and worn and more than half crazy. He was committed to the mad house.
Then fortune favored him. His mind became soothed by the peaceful atmosphere of the hospital; the professors of William and Mary College became aware that Selim was deeply learned in the classics. Governor John Page took him to his home, Roswell, to spend the rest of his long and useful life.
