Thursday, March 4, 1948
OLD VIOLIN
My young friend, Layton R. Shelton, of Beard, reports the possession of an ancient violin made by the famous Italian master, Stradivarius. It is marked “Antonius Stradivarius, Cremonensis Facebat, Anno 1736 (X.A.S.)”
The instrument came to young Shelton from his mother’s people, the Hammond Family. They had it for several generations. Inquiry has been made to several music stores, but so far none of them has shown any interest. All of us have heard tell of great values placed upon violins of this great maker, and here is hoping this is one which merits big money.
I see in the book that Antonio Stradivati lived in Italy, 1649-1737.
FIELD NOTES
Mr. and Mrs. Alden Bird were over from Mountain Grove one day last week. They took the risk of admitting to their household the weekly visits of this Pocahontas Times. Last fall, during the deer season, Mr. Bird came upon the partially eaten carcass of a deer which had been killed and covered up by some varmint. The deer had been killed by a bite across the back of the neck. Mr. Bird proceeded to set some traps and he caught two big wildcats. The larger one was gray, with tufted ears, and was listed as a Canada lynx. The other one had the well defined markings of the bay lynx or wildcat or bobcat, all to common in these parts.
They tell me a sure way to tell the difference between the Canada lynx and the bay lynx is by the black tip on their tails. The Canada lynx has the black solid all the way around; the wildcat has a streak of white to divide the black.
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Last Wednesday, Will Perry was up from Renick to prove for bounty a big wild cat. He had found the body of a spike buck killed by a varmint near the fire tower on Anthonys Creek. It had been killed by a bite across the back of the neck. There was wildcat sign around and a track led to a famous wildcat den in a cliff of rock not far distant. Mr. Perry set a trap and caught a big bobcat. He reports that in an area to perhaps ten square miles he found the remains of no less than four deer which had been killed by varmints this winter.
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When Mr. Perry drove up with his wildcat, one of the bystanders was E. C. Bell, of Bridgewater, Virginia. In commenting on the way a wildcat killed a deer by a bite in the back of the neck, Mr. Bell said he had seen in the Shenandoah Mountain where bears had killed cattle by biting them across the back of the neck. In the Greenbrier Valley, it is most unusual for bears to kill cattle. Here the sheep range the woods for easy killing so the bears do not have to kill cattle. Mr. Perry recalled that he once had seen where a steer had been killed by a bear. The bear had jumped down a steep bank, caught the steer and bit it across the back of the neck.
I recall having heard many years ago of a bear killing a steer belonging to the McClintics back of the High Rocks at the head of Stamping Creek.
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Fred Sharp, of Stony Creek, reports five foxes and one wildcat so far this year. He got the wildcat on the mountain above Edray. One day last week, Mr. Sharp joined up with Fred Galford, to check on how the bears were resting in Black Mountain. It was a water haul as far as locating inhabited bear dens was concerned. The dogs did put up a varmint for a long chase to Cranberry. Mr. Sharp’s hound is still among the missing.
BIRTHS
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Grover W. Wright, of Cass, a daughter, named Karen Kay.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Pryor, of Marlinton, a son, named Raymond Giles.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Gladwell, of Beard, a son, named George Daniel.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Kramer, of Seebert, a daughter, named Charlotte Ann.
DEATHS
Mrs. Mary Gay Gum, aged 93 years, widow of the late M. F. Gum, died at her home in Marlinton February 27, 1948, of the infirmities of age…. Her body was laid to rest in the family plot in Mountain View Cemetery. She was a daughter of the late William and Martha Duffield Gay, of Stony Creek…
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Loretta Jane Taylor, aged 5 years, 4 months and 19 days, daughter of Mrs. Donna Cassell, of Cass… The little body was laid to rest in the Wanless Cemetery close to Cass…
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Arlie William Curry, aged 54, years, of Richmond, Virginia, died February 23, 1948. His body was laid in Forest Lawn Cemetery on Wednesday afternoon, after service at the Broad Street Methodist Church. The deceased was a son of the late Ellis N. and Alice Rock Curry, of Greenbank…