A Country Rag
Holler Notes
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A Little Mystery?
On the twelfth of July in 1891, This may seem insignificant to most people, but Elmer and Minnie became the talk of the Shenandoah Valley in early 1896. By this time, the couple had two sons. Minnie was an attractive woman and received a lot of attention from other men. Elmer, a lawyer, was apparently quite jealous of the attention his wife received. By 1896, the couple were separated and Minnie, her widowed mother Lydia Biller, and Minnie's sons were living on the farm of Peter Myers, near Forestville, Virginia. Minnie was working for Mr. Myers on the farm in exchange for room and board. Elmer had been arrested and had been held in jail since the previous December for beating his wife while she was staying at his father's. He escaped from jail while awaiting trial, and had been seen in the area around the Myers farm, near Moore's Store, in southwestern Shenandoah County. Previous to this, he had been arrested several times for mistreating his wife, children and mother-in-law. On the morning of Tuesday, February 4, 1896 between six and seven o'clock, Minnie, holding the hand of one of her sons, and Miss Nave, who also worked on the Myers farm, were on their way to the barn to milk. When they were only a few feet from the barn, a shotgun was fired through a window of the barn. The shot was fired from a distance of not more than twenty-five feet. Mr. Myers, who was in the barn, heard the shot and the screams of the little boy. He ran out of the barn, only to find Minnie's lifeless body in a pool of blood. As he ran out of the barn, Myers reported that he saw a man running across the hill, but could not tell who it was. At the inquest, it was determined that all but a few shot from the blast had hit Minnie in the forehead, killing her instantly. Minnie's son, who was holding her hand at the time, escaped uninjured. A manhunt ensued, resulting in the capture of Elmer Weatherholtz. After a trial and conviction, Elmer was sent to the Virginia State Penitentiary in Richmond. On the tenth of February the following year, it was recorded that Elmer Weatherholtz died in the penitentiary of self-inflicted wood alcohol poisoning. The two sons, Bud and Lawrence, were living in Ohio with their grandmother Lydia Biller. Elmer and Minnie's two sons eventually both became sheriffs of the same county in Ohio, one following the other in the office. One was a decorated veteran of World War I, and both had children, who also had children. So, where's the mystery? In the 1940s, one of Elmer and Minnie's grandsons' wives says that she was introduced to a man by the name of Elmer Weatherholtz, her husband's grandfather. If Elmer died in the penitentiary in 1897, who was this man the grandson's wife had been introduced to? Since Elmer was a lawyer, he most likely had some political acquaintances with clout. Was Elmer bought out of prison after a staged death? A death certificate does exist, but there is no known record of a burial. Minnie is buried in the community where she lived and died. Moore's Store, to this day, is a quiet, peaceful farming community at the foot of the Allegheny Mountains. It is hardly a place where you would even imagine that, on a February morning in 1896, "one of the most cold-blooded murders that was ever perpetrated in this country was committed."
Sources: J. Floyd Wine - "Life Along Holman's Creek", 1982; The Free Press, February 5, 1896; John Wayland - "A History of Shenandoah County", verbal accounts. Photos courtesy of Jerry Silvious.
November, 1999 In the weeks after Among the first was the Tenth Legion Minutemen, also known as the Shenandoah Riflemen. Soon thereafter came the Emerald Guard of New Market, the Mount Jackson Rifles, the Toms Brook Guard and the Shenandoah Sharpshooters. From the nearby counties of Page and Rockingham, came the Page Grays and the Rockingham Confederates. The Mountain Rangers were formed in Frederick County, and from Springfield, in Hampshire County, the Potomac Guards were formed. In Hardy County, the Moorefield Greys were quickly assembled. These ten companies moved toward Winchester, where they would form the 33rd Virginia Infantry. When they arrived in Winchester to receive their supplies, those supplies consisted of knapsacks, blankets, cartridge boxes, canteens and tents. The quartermaster did not issue shoes and reliable weapons. Here, these ten newly formed companies officially became the 33rd Virginia Infantry Regiment of Volunteers on July 15, 1861. They were placed under the command of Col. Arthur Campbell Cummings, a lawyer and a farmer, who was also a veteran of the Mexican War, and a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute. That same day, the 33rd were combined with the 2nd, the 4th, the 5th and the 27th Virginia Infantries to form the First Brigade. These five regiments had a combined strength of approximately 2600 men. Those members of the 33rd who had spent time at the Virginia Military Institute were well acquainted with their new Brigade commander. He was the eccentric professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy and Artillery Tactics at the Institute, Thomas Jonathan Jackson. Jackson, assigned the strategic post of Harpers Ferry, developed a strict regimen of drill, drill and more drill for his new soldiers. He had the reputation of being a strict disciplinarian, and did not disappoint the raw recruits. The constant drilling was interrupted by forays into the surrounding area to “disrupt” communications and transportation. Among these “disruptive” activities were removing the wire from the telegraph poles owned by the B&O Railroad, and destroying the railroad itself. On July 18, Joseph E. Johnston, commander of the Valley district, received word that Confederates under P.G.T. Beauregard were under attack at Manassas and needed assistance. The next day, Thomas J. Jackson and the 33rd Infantry arrived at Piedmont, on the other side of the Blue Ridge, and boarded freight cars bound for Manassas Junction. At 2 a.m., on the 20th of July, the 33rd arrived at Manassas Junction. Men slept wherever they could find a place, in the cars or outside the cars, as they were exhausted from their march of the previous days. Despite this exhaustion, they were in formation at dawn and marched to the Confederate right behind Blackburn’s and Mitchell’s Fords on Bull Run. That night, they bivouacked in a grove of pines. For most, words could not express the emotions felt in anticipation of their first real action of the war. The citizen soldiers showed amazing composure, however, with one exception. A soldier, in an attempt to avoid the impending conflict, tried to shoot off a toe, but missed, shooting off half his foot instead. The men were awakened early the next morning by the sound of firing. After a quick, cold breakfast, they returned to Blackburn’s and Mitchell’s Fords. Three hours later, rifle and artillery fire to the left rear indicated the beginning of a major engagement. The firing was coming from Henry House Hill, the left anchor of the Confederate line. The response from Jackson’s men was quick. A seven mile march to the double-quick from Blackburn's and Mitchell's Fords to Henry House Hill, left the men “thirsting for water almost unto death.” At about 11 a.m., the men arrived at the Confederate left, where they hugged the ground below the crest of Henry House Hill. For two and one half-hours, shells burst over and among them. By mid-afternoon, Jackson knew what was coming when he saw two Federal artillery batteries unlimber to the north. He issued instructions to Colonel Cummings to let the Federals advance within 30 yards, then have the men fire and charge with the bayonet. After issuing Jackson’s orders to his men, then seeing their tenseness, Cummings decided to ignore Jackson’s orders. He did not wait; Cummings issued the order to charge. The men of the 33rd swooped down the hill into the Federals. To one observer, it appeared that the Federals “just lay down and died.” Heavy fire stopped the men of the 33rd, and they retreated back into the 2nd Virginia. This caused more confusion. Frantic attempts were made to restore order in a timely manner. The Federals advanced up Henry House Hill again. Jackson gave the order to wait until the Federals advanced to within fifty yards, then “fire and give them the bayonet and when you charge, yell like furies.” When the Federals had advanced to within fifty yards, they ran headlong into a torrential charge of Confederates. Accompanying the charge was the blood-curdling scream that would ring out over many a battlefield, the Rebel yell. The Yankee line disintegrated under the Confederate assault. Federal troops could not get back to nearby Washington fast enough. Many simply dropped their weapons and ran from the battlefield. This became known as "the great skedaddle." The citizen soldiers of the 33rd Virginia Infantry had “seen the elephant”. They had turned back the Federal forces in the first major engagement of the war. The 33rd and the First Brigade had been the difference between victory and defeat for the Army of the Confederacy at Manassas. During this battle, and as a result of their gallant actions of the day, the First Brigade had earned a nickname for itself and its commander. Thomas Jonathan Jackson would forever after be known as “Stonewall”, and the First Brigade became “The Stonewall Brigade.” |
Questions? Comments? Email dsilvius@intrepid.net .
Don Silvius works as a database administrator and has followed an avocation for genealogical and historical research
during the past eight years. As a musician, he played keyboards with "Nightwave," a Valley band, and has written over
150 songs, including all of the music for his wedding. A descendant of families who have lived in the Valley since
the 1700's, Don lives with his wife and two children near Inwood, WV, on part of the property once owned by his
great-grandparents. He holds a B.S. in chemistry from Shepherd College in Shepherdstown, WV, is the vice president of his local
Little League Baseball organization and is active with several historical societies. Don can be reached by e-mail
at dsilvius@intrepid.net .
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Holler Notes (c) Don Silvius, 1999. All rights reserved.