Volume 16 , Issue 25

Local News From Highland Recorder, 27 September 1895

It was in 1895, September, that we found these "Local News" in the Highland Recorder, Dated 27 September 1895. Perhaps some of your Monterey, Virginia pioneers are mentioned here. I know I found some familiar names that popped out in my Paternal grandmother's genealogy, such as Byrd, Gum, Arbogast, Stephenson, Gwin, etc.

Monterey and the neighborhood round about were, for the first time, suffering from drought. It had been several days since they had rain and those days had been without doubt the hottest of the season. It had been a common thing to find the mercury up in the nineties and one day the week before it was reported to have registered 101 in the shade. How was this for warm weather in the highlands of Virginia? But the nights were delightfully cool.

If the dry weather continued much longer all the springs and small streams in the county would be dry. Several springs which have withstood severe drought were dry. The older inhabitants of the county say that as the country becomes settled and cleared out they notice that the water supply had decreased. The higher portion of Highland hadn't a very large supply to draw from. The farm owned by Mr. John Gwin, his mother and inter, at Vanderpool, was sold last Saturday by Commander L. H. Stephenson to Mr. William Swadley whose farm adjoins it, at the price of $900.

Mr. Peter Gum gathered up five for six hundred sheep in Crabbottom, for shipment to the North.

Mr. Henry Arbogast, one of Crabbottom's respected citizens, attended court, Tuesday, as he had not been in Monterey for three or four years.

L. H. Stephenson, Esq., was greatly improving the lot he recently purchased from Mrs. Carver, by cutting large ditches through it. Prof. Corrigan had the work in hand.

Mr. E. A. Dudley's traction engine with thresher attached, which he purchased in the Valley, came steaming up Main street Saturday evening, reminding us of the C & W, which was to come later. The engine would furnish the power for Mr. D's grist mill.
Ayer's Sarsaparilla was not a secret preparation. Any physician may have the formula on application. The secret of its success as a medicine lies in its extraordinary power to cleanse the blood of impurities and cure the most deep-seated cases of blood-disease.

Died, at the residence of her grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Henry Arbogast, in Crabbottom, on Tuesday the 24th inst., little Jennie, the nine year old daughter of Mrs. Susan Arbogast, the disease being that so much dreaded among children, diphtheria. She as laid to rest in the Crabbottom cemetery by the side of her father, who died several years ago. Mrs. Arbogast had the sympathy of many friends in her sad affliction.

About 2 o'clock the Sunday morning, Deputy Sheriff Ed Arbogast brought tot he county jail a tough looking specimens of humanity, who had been the source of considerable trouble and annoyance to this and other neighborhoods in the county. Saturday night he came up the Franklin road and passed through town, and sometime that night he applied for supper and lodging at Dr. O. J. Campbell's, a couple of miles below here, which being refused him he became very angry and threatened to burn the house. It was on this threat that he was arrested, at one place in Crabbottom he refused to eat a good dinner that was set out before him because squirrel was not mentioned on the bill of fare. He was very annoying to his fellow prisoners and the jailer's family and when the jailer attempted to quiet him he invited him in the cell for a fight. When a pair of handcuffs and a chain were brought to his notice he was more pleasant. A commission of lunacy pronounced him a lunatic and an effort was being made for his reception int he Western State Hospital at Staunton. It was thought by some that he was the man who had been burning barns in the Valley. There was no doubt but that he was dangerous.

Later, Mr. Tom Salven, who had been an attendant at the Western State Hospital, visited this man and after a short talk recognized him to be an inmate of the Hospital by the name of Alexander. It was supposed that he escaped.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

---