April 29, 1861
Secession at a Discount:A Palmetto Flag Taken Down from the Court House at Weston, and Burned by the Citizens.
[Correspondence of the Virginia Star.]
Weston, Va., April 22d.
Mr. Editor:--Our town was the scene of considerable excitement on yesterday morning, caused by the discovery of a secession flag, lying on the roof of our Court House, having been placed there during the "wee small hours of the night," by the renegades of our place. We have but few secessionists here, and they are composed of broken-down politicians, bankrupts and half-witted aspirants. Well, after getting down the miserable thing, county the stars, (eight in number,) and taking a general survey of the "critter" that had cost its admirers so much labor and loss of sleep, the Presiding Justice:a whole-souled Union man:applied a match to it, and burned it up, amidst the applause of the crowd. Lewis county will give such a majority against the disunionists, that will make them tremble in their boots.
Yours, for the Union,
Stars and Stripes.
Timeline of West Virginia: Civil War and Statehood: April 1861