Local News
The Scarecrow of Hazard Mill
Under the Black flag – Shenandoah Valley 1864
There has never been a more wretched hive of murder and villainy than existed in the vicinity of Front Royal in the fall of 1864. Union Brig. General Wesley Merritt described the area as a “…paradise of bushwhackers and guerrillas.” Soldiers and civilians were murdered everywhere in cold blood while either traveling along the roads or in their homes.
From August through October of 1864 a host of demons descended upon the Front Royal community. Federal and Confederate Raiders roamed the countryside, essentially operating under the black flag of anarchy, giving no quarter. Each side executed prisoners and dragged them through the streets. Meanwhile, deserters and marauding bands of outlaws flourished in the mass disorder, and rape and looting went unchecked for months. Refugee women and children trudging northward from burning farms with all their belongings were easy prey for bushwhacking outlaws.
“FIRE IN THE VALLEY, The Berryville Wagon Train Raid” art by John Paul Strain.
In one of the most heinous instances of brutality, the towns people of Front Royal looked on in horror, as Federal cavalry dragged six of Mosby’s Raiders through the town – their band playing the death march. Two of the Rangers, David Jones and Lucian Love, were dragged out of the procession, lined up and shot in front of a church and left to die. While that was occurring, another Confederate horseman, Thomas Anderson, was dragged by horse through the streets to a nearby tree and shot in the head. His hands still tied.
A couple more cavalrymen rode through Front Royal’s main streets, dragging 17-year-old civilian Henry Rhodes behind them. Young Henry Rhodes was not a member of Mosby’s Rangers. He was a 17-year-old resident of Front Royal that had long dreamed of riding with Mosby’s men. He had remained at home to support his widowed mother and a younger sister. When Mosby’s Rangers rode through the town on their way to attack a Yankee ambulance train, Rhodes could not resist and mounted a neighbor’s horse and joined his heroes. His horse, however, collapsed during the race toward Chester Gap, and the teenager was overtaken by the Federals.
Henry Rhodes was paraded by his home that same morning, his arms lashed to the saddles of two Union cavalrymen, who dragged the youth up Chester Street. When Mrs. Rhodes saw her son, she ran screaming to him, hugged him and pleaded with the Yankees to spare his life. One of the Yankee cavalrymen brandishing a saber, threatened to behead both mother and son. A young man’s dream had become a family’s nightmare.
The troopers were men from Custer’s Michigan brigade. When the procession passed in front of young Henry’s mother, the cavalrymen stopped and dismounted. The sergeant in charge untied the ropes and Rhodes stumbled and fell. His wailing mother pleaded for mercy as the town’s people gathered along the fence railings to watch. The inflamed Union soldiers mounted on their horses taunted the prisoner. The cavalrymen surrounding the sergeant cheered and yelled “shoot him Cline” to the red bearded sergeant standing over the hated Mosby criminal.
An eyewitness account told of Henry Rhodes’s final seconds of life. A young girl, Sue Richardson, stated that his executioner, identified by the shouts as Sergeant Cline (later identified as Willie Cline), “ordered the helpless, dazed prisoner to stand up in front of him” while he emptied his pistol into his face in front of his mother.” The name and vision of Sergeant Willie Cline was instantly seared in the memory of that on-looker.
From the window of her house, Miss Richardson had watched. She knew Henry Rhodes and was probably close to him in age – and she never forgot his death. The scene haunted her, and she wrote in her diary: Such excitement and cruelty as never was witnessed here before … that poor Henry Rhodes should be shot in front of our door. The crowd assembled around him, then we had the pain of seeing the cavalry horses pass over him before his body was removed and left in a wheelbarrow at his mother’s door. His poor mother is almost crazy. I will not sleep until I get the name of this villain to Mosby.
The last two prisoners, William Overby and a man called Carter, were led off to be hanged by a huge and wrathful crowd of soldiers. Overby and Carter were taken to a large tree outside of town and offered freedom if they disclosed the location of Mosby’s headquarters. They both refused, and with hands tied behind their backs they were summarily hanged and left swinging for several hours. A sign was attached to Overby’s body reading, ‘Such is the Fate of All Mosby’s Gang.’ Custer’s men left them hanging to ensure all the townspeople witnessed the justice – knowing Mosby would get the message. He did.
Enraged, Mosby’s men responded by cold bloodedly shooting Lieutenant John Meigs from his horse in vicinity of Custer’s headquarters. ‘In tears, Custer wept for his unfortunate orderly, who he said was ’shot down like a dog and stripped of all but his trousers.’ A short time afterwards, Custer exclaimed, “Lookout for smoke” – and soon you could track Custer’s vengeance as ugly columns of smoke started to rise in succession as he moved up the valley. He burned down all the farms and houses in a five-mile radius.
Painting entitled, “Sheridan’s Ride” by Thomas Buchanan.
Mosby’s guerrillas followed the smoke too and mercilessly killed any Union soldiers they could find – leaving them along the roads, with throats slit or hanging from trees. No quarter was the policy adapted by all sides. The Rangers searched relentlessly for Sergeant Cline but could not find him. Before killing the unfortunates, the Rangers pressed their prisoners for information about Sergeant Cline – but to no avail. All they had was a physical description and that he was in the Michigan cavalry.
Correspondent Francis Long of the New York Herald wrote, ‘The intervening country between Harrisonburg and Winchester is literally swarming with guerrillas,’ Grant urged Sheridan to continue destroying whatever was useful for ‘if the war is to last another year, we want the Shenandoah Valley to remain a barren waste.’
The Burning
For five days Custer tore into an 85-mile Shenandoah stretch, from Winchester to Waynesboro, burning mills, barns, houses, and granaries, destroying bridges and ripping apart railroad track. Custer exclaimed, “I will put the fear of Hell in these people.”
Mosby struck back with vengeance. On October 11, guerrillas ambushed and killed Lt. Col. Cornelius Tolles, Sheridan’s chief quartermaster, and Dr. Emil Ohlenschlager, Sheridan’s medical inspector.
Federal retaliation swiftly came on October 13, when Union Colonel William Powell hung Ranger A.C. Willis from a small tree and left him. Davy Getz met a similar fate. Getz was a mentally retarded man captured by Custer’s forces while hunting with a squirrel gun near Woodstock. Presumed to be a bushwhacker, he was marched to Harrisonburg and hung despite prolonged pleas from the residents. Vengeance begat vengeance.
When one of Custer’s ‘burn patrols’ was overrun by Mosby’s men – the Rangers lined up about 25 of them and executed them on the spot. Several more of Custer’s men were captured and hung as close to Custer’s camp as possible. Three more of Custer’s men were hanged along the side of the Valley turnpike. Hanging was slow work, so Union soldiers were often systematically lined up and shot with pistols at point blank range. The merciless killings and hangings by both sides went on for weeks.
Union devastation of the Shenandoah Valley continued into late October as Sheridan’s forces pushed the Southern army south beyond New Market.
John S. Mosby Raid drawing featured in September Harper’s Weekly edition 1864.
Bands of Mosby’s men roamed both sides of the valley along with countless deserters and outlaws. They often snuck into Union camps at night using rainstorms to mask their sounds and cut the throats of anyone they found. In one such incident, a small band of raiders snuck into a Federal ‘hastily configured overnight campsite.’ The site was in disarray as it had recently fended off an attack from bushwhackers and they were low on ammunition.
After a brief firefight, the Rangers yanked all the wounded out of the wagons and sat them together in the rain under guard while they plundered the wagons. No one paid much attention to the prisoners until one of the Rangers overheard a conversation amongst the prisoners addressing Sergeant Cline. When questioned by Mosby’s men – it was clear that Sergeant Cline was with Custer’s Michigan cavalry. He also fit the description given by Miss Richardson. Alas – they had captured the murderer of Henry Rhodes.
They quickly segregated him from the rest of the prisoners and fled into the darkness with the wounded Cline in tow. Just before dawn, the small band of horsemen was spotted by Union cavalry and took flight westward down the hill fording the South Fork of the Shenandoah River towards the safety of the forest. After evading the enemy for a couple hours the Rangers forded several streams and took refuge along the west bank of the river at the site of a burnt down mill – known locally as Hazard Mill. Ironically, the mill had been owned by a Unionist that did not support the Southern cause. The site had apparently been contested during the ‘burning campaign’ as over a dozen bloated corpses and many spent cartridges still littered the area. The bodies were mostly stripped of clothing and possessions – likely the victim of deserters hiding in the hills.
Drawing attributed as “War to the Hilt” by US National Park Service.
“They talked it over with me sitting on the horse,” by Howard Pile.
Legend has it that the Rangers coerced Cline into admitting the brutal murder of Henry Rhodes. He reportedly showed no remorse. After a little taunting of their own, the Rangers assembled everyone to watch the spectacle. Willie Cline was placed on a horse with hands tied behind his back and was hung from a tree within site of the old mill.
Aftermath: By December, the war moved eastward, and the belligerents departed the valley. The war in Virginia ended the following spring and Mosby disbanded his command shortly afterwards about 22 miles east of Front Royal. Many of his Northern adversaries headed west to fight Indians. Mosby’s principal foe, General Custer, died with all his men about 12 years later at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.
After the hanging of Cline, members of Mosby’s force informed Sue Richardson of the revenge.
According to Miss Richardson’s diary dated in May 1864 (after Lee’s surrender) she’d heard stories of a Union soldier (known as the Scarecrow) still hanging from a tree near the ole Hazard Mill site. One weekend, she and others ventured out on a day trip on horseback in search of the scarecrow. She wanted to be sure it was really Cline. A local boy took them to the site. There they discovered Cline’s decayed body still swinging from the tree. “His blue blouse had faded considerable, and the crows had picked away at him clean – but it was him for sure. His ‘orange tinted’ hair billowed in the wind and his lifeless body gently drifted left and right when the breeze whipped up. As I gazed at him, I couldn’t remove the vision of Rhode’s poor mother wailing in agony on Chester Street. Cline got what he deserved. We left him swinging.”
Sergeant Willie Cline joined the list of many souls who were never accounted for during the valley war of 1864, however, few would be remembered as he was.
The story of the Scarecrow of Hazard Mill grew over the years and children would hide behind trees and watch it at night to see if it came alive. Unruly children were often threatened that the scarecrow would come for them unless they behaved. Locals used the site as a reference point for directions. The morbid site was known to most people in the area, but no one removed it from the tree. Allegedly, he continued to swing for years. The people felt they would be doing an injustice to the widow Rhodes if they cut him down. Later, stories circulated that his crumpled remains formed a pile next to the tree that bore his weight. As time passed his remains disappeared and only the legend remained. In the late 1800s, a few locals would occasionally hang a scarecrow in a tree in reference to the scarecrow stories.
For years after the conflict the fall of 1864 was known by Valley residents simply as ‘the Burning.’ The Civil War departed the Valley, but it left permanent scars on the land, and on its residents. Hatred towards the north continued for decades until those that lived the era and their offspring had passed on.
Today, it’s difficult to find anyone familiar with the ‘Scarecrow’ legend and you wouldn’t know there was a war in the valley at all, if not for the descriptive “Civil War Trails’ signs. Many families have come and gone over the 150-plus years since the burnings. Many of the locals that lived in the valley during the war fled the area afterwards for a more promising life in nearby towns. Some places in the valley remained untenable for years. There was no livestock, no barns or houses or stores for miles in some stretches. Those that later inhabited the Bentonville area heard the hills were haunted and stayed away from the ole mill. Today, the dirt road to Hazard Mill still bears its name. The ruins of the ole mill remain but the acreage is now part of the George Washington National Forest.
Photograph taken by Lt. Colonel (Ret.) John Morgan.
There is only one residence within the National Forest near the site. The actual Hazard Mill site is owned by Lt. Colonel (retired) John Morgan and his wife Sonja. Mrs. Morgan is quick to tell you that the area is “definitely haunted” and can regale you with many tales of such. The colonel acknowledges that the area is full of energy and occasionally erects a scarecrow in October to commemorate the legend. The local Equestrian club reports that during their annual October ride through the National Forest, they occasionally see a ‘Halloween-like’ skeleton cloaked in Yankee blue hanging on the legendary hill above Hazard Mill.
Photograph taken by Sonja Morgan.
(Portions of the details of the Valley war and the story of Henry Rhodes were extrapolated from “Mosby’s Rangers” by Jeffrey D. Wert, 1990).
Local News
4-H Center Partners with Special Love to Honor Tom Baker with a Memorial Dedication to Him of a New Terrace
In 2018, Tom Baker, an artist and the inspiration behind Camp Fantastic, passed away. “That was when we began talking about how we needed to do something to honor the man and his impact on this community and so many people,” remarked David Smith, senior director of Special Love, at the memorial unveiling on Saturday. Smith clearly remembers forty-one years ago when Tom and Shiela approached the 4-H Center about possibly developing a camp for young people battling cancer. “It’s not a mystery why we chose this spot,” Smith added. Tom was very fond of the view overlooking Harmony Hollow. 4-H Educational and Conference Center executive director Katie Tennant marveled at the blessing of seeing so many people who benefited from Camp Fantastic working at the 4-H Center today. She said that keeping that dream and vision going is an awesome experience.
A picture of Tom Baker, founder of Special Love and Camp Fantastic, is displayed on Saturday, June 15, at a memorial dedication of a new terrace at the Northern Virginia 4-H Center in his honor. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh.
A poem that was very near and dear to Tom and is read every year, at the end of every Special Love staff orientation, at the start of camp, “Risk” by William Henry Ward, was read aloud by Kathy Russell, also affiliated with Special Love, for the benefit of those in attendance at the memorial unveiling. “To laugh is to risk appearing a fool, to weep is to risk appearing sentimental, to reach out to another is to risk involvement, to expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self, to place your ideas and dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss, to love is to risk not being loved in return, to live is to risk dying, to hope is to risk despair, to try is to risk failure. However, risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he can’t learn, feel, change, grow, or live. Only a person who takes risks is free. The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, and the realist adjusts the sails.”
David Smith (L) is affiliated with Special Love and Katie Tennant (R), the Northern Virginia 4-H Educational and Conference Center executive director.
Several young people who have benefited from Camp Fantastic unveil a dedicatory plaque to Special Love founder Tom Baker at the opening of a memorial terrace in his memory.
“Because we have a full medical team, we can have the sickest children here,” executive director of Special Love, Jan Bresch, told the Royal Examiner. After the program, the guests at the memorial terrace unveiling were welcomed to a reception with food.
Local News
VDOT: Warren County Traffic Alert for June 17 -21, 2024
The following is a list of highway work that may affect traffic in Warren County during the coming weeks. Scheduled work is subject to change due to inclement weather and material supplies. Motorists are advised to watch for slow-moving tractors during mowing operations. When traveling through a work zone, be alert to periodic changes in traffic patterns and lane closures.
*NEW* or *UPDATE* indicates a new or revised entry since last week’s report.
INTERSTATE 66
Mile marker 0 to 8, eastbound and westbound – Right shoulder closures, including westbound exit 6 off-ramp for utility work, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. through June 28.
*NEW* Mile marker 3 to 4, eastbound – Right shoulder closures for traffic equipment maintenance, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.
*UPDATE* Mile marker 7 to 8, eastbound – Right shoulder closures for sign work, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
INTERSTATE 81
Mile marker 299 to 300, northbound and southbound – Overnight mobile left lane and right shoulder closures for mowing operations, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. through the night of June 22.
Mile marker 299 to 300, northbound – Right shoulder closures for utility work, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. through June 28.
Mile marker 299 to 300, northbound and southbound – Overnight lane closures and traffic-lane shifts as needed, 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. through December 2024. Shoulder closures 24/7. Work zone speed limit: 55 miles an hour. Work is related to southbound acceleration ramp extension and bridge widening.
PRIMARY ROADS
*NEW* Route 340/522 (Winchester Road) – Southbound right shoulder closures of on-ramp to westbound I-66 for utility work, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. June 12 – June 28.
SECONDARY ROADS
Route 638 (Howellsville Road) – Stop and proceed with traffic control 24/7 just south of Route 685 (Patty Tract Lane) intersection to replace the bridge over Venus Branch. Estimated completion: August 8.
Route 658 (Rockland Road) – Closed to through traffic between Route 340/522 (Winchester Road) and Route 705 (Fishnet Boulevard) for the construction of a bridge over Norfolk Southern Railway. Estimated completion December 2025.
Vegetation management may take place district-wide on various routes. Motorists are reminded to use extreme caution when traveling through work zones.
Traffic alerts and traveler information can be obtained by dialing 511 or www.511Virginia.org.
Local News
A Platoon of Businesses Stands Behind Reaching Out Now at Open House for Youth Center in Progress
At 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 13, at the revitalized Raymond E. Santmyers Student Union and Activity Center at 200 East 8th Street, an open house was held for businesses in Front Royal and the larger Warren County area to come and see and get a feel for what the youth center is going to be and why it is worthy of their investment, not only financial, but of time, talent, and resources. President of the non-profit Reaching Out Now (RON), Samantha Barber, shared at length RON’s vision for the much beloved building, explaining in detail all the progress that has been made and still needs to be made to make the youth center operative again.
Karen Peer of Sysco (behind the table) facilitates the business open house for the Raymond E. Santmyers Student Union and Activity Center. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh.
The presence of so many people who play key roles in this community testified to the enduring Santmyers legacy and a good gauge of how eager the community is to see the youth center reopen. In attendance was Councilman Glenn Wood, who had a very positive experience at the youth center when he was young and credits the Santmyers for their legacy of keeping kids out of trouble and giving them a safe place to be productively engaged and thinking about their futures. He also said that he believes the Town can continue making financial contributions to RON like the one made earlier this year for $25,000, and he emphatically hopes they will. Also in attendance was Justin Proctor of the Advisory Committee for Environmental Sustainability (ACES), who spoke with Animation about his talks with Barber regarding what ACES can do to reimagine the space outside the youth center. Matthew Welch of Quiet Mind Psychotherapeutic Services, Inc., spoke of his appreciation for what RON plans to do. Robert Adanitsch, CEO of ACOM, pointed to the cameras his people have installed at key points in the building and mentioned the vape sensors installed in the bathrooms.
Justin Proctor (L) and Chris Rademacher (R), both affiliated with the Advisory Committee for Environmental Sustainability (ACES), are excited about the role they will play in reimagining the space outside the youth center.
President of Reaching Out Now Samantha Barber stands with her good friend, culinary artist Devin Smith, before the meal he created for Thursday evening’s open house at the youth center.
With a history dating back to 2008 and not only surviving but actively meeting needs during the onset of the pandemic, Reaching Out Now already has a legacy of instilling leadership qualities in the community’s young people, working in close partnership with the school system and developing programs like Safe at Home with softball and baseball games to give our young people the support they need and raise money for scholarships. This revitalized youth center is where children between eighth and twelfth grades will feel seen, heard, and loved. Barber shared that when surveyed, the youth have reported that they want tutoring opportunities above all other things, including food. Here, she emphasized that financial contributions are vital considering the amount of money that still needs to be raised before the center can open, but more important than anything else is the investment of time, talent, and resources through programs designed to convey skill sets to the youth of this community, which will hopefully guide them on a path to a bright future. We cannot do this without you, she told the group.
Matthew Welch (R) stands with two other representatives of Quiet Mind Psychotherapeutic Services, Inc., as they attended the open house supporting the youth center whose values align with their own.
Community Events
County Democrats Host Senator Tim Kaine and 6th District Candidate Ken Mitchell in Pre-Primary Event at Vibrissa
You may be a minority in your home community but in statewide and national elections every vote is very important. — That was one of the messages conveyed by Virginia’s U.S. Senator Tim Kaine during a luncheon gathering on the outdoor deck patio of Vibrissa Beer and Kitchen in Front Royal’s Historic Downtown Business District Tuesday, June 11. Also appearing, and responding to questions along with Senator Kaine, was Democratic candidate Ken Mitchell, who will challenge Republican incumbent Ben Cline in Virginia’s Sixth District Congressional race this year.
The WC Democratic Committee promotional for Senator Tim Kaine and 6th State Congressional District challenger Ken Mitchell’s visit to Historic Downtown Front Royal. And we were informed the promised coffee was provided by Doppio Bunny Coffee – a little more caffeine on the side, please. Graphic courtesy WC Democratic Committee
And while every vote is important, it appears that for local Democrats that vote won’t come until the November general election. For as Warren County Democratic Committee Vice-Chair Jessica Reynolds explained to us, neither Mitchell or Kaine faces primary challenges from within the Democratic Party on June 18. However, five Republicans are vying to challenge Kaine for his U.S. Senate seat. They are: C.L. “Chuck” Smith Jr., Edward “Eddie” C. Garcia Jr., Hung Cao, Jonathan Emord, and Scott Thomas Parkinson.
Kaine stressed the importance of the coming national Presidential and Congressional elections as the very concept of our democratically based Constitutional Republic form of government seems to increasingly be at issue. That appears to be based on acceptance by some Republicans of Donald Trump’s claim that his recent Stormy Daniels hush-money payment, election-interference criminal jury trial and conviction in New York City was a politically manipulated fraud, as opposed to a trial based on legitimate evidence that would have brought any American citizen to trial before a jury of their peers, including an ex-president of the United States.
Describing his experience as a young man in Honduras when there was a non-elective dictatorship in place, Kaine said, “I was naive but at the end of the year I wasn’t naive. I was like, wow, dictators are real, authoritarians are real. You can’t just take for granted that you can vote because in Honduras when I lived there, you couldn’t vote. And people I lived with prayed for the day when they might be able to choose their leader. So, I came back in 1981 feeling like, okay now I’m not naive. I understand what’s out there in the world.
‘But I was still naive’
“But I was still naive, because I never would have thought that I’d see that same authoritarian impulse here in this country. And yet we’re seeing it all around the world, we’re seeing it in Hungary, in El Salvador, in the United States. The battle between democracy and authoritarianism is not like a settled issue. No, it is a live issue. And we are on the verge of celebrating 250 years as a nation in 2026. And the burden and responsiblility and opportunity has been placed on our shoulders to be a generation that revitalizes and then puts the functioning democracy we have at the time in the hands of our kids and grandkids.
Tim Kaine and Ken Mitchell, the latter speaking below, on the primary stump, but pointing for November with no primary challenges for either Democratic candidate on June 18. – Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini
“And I believe we’re up to it, Virginians are up to it, I think Americans are up to it, and I think that’s why we’re going to be successful come November,” Kaine told his audience of Democrats and independent voters, drawing applause.
The Democratic candidates also faced some tough questions about the Biden Administration’s apparent support of Israel’s ongoing counter-attack on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip where they have been relocated as a stateless people with no military defense system, only a rogue, minority terrorist organization, Hamas, which claims, questionably many Palestinian might suggest, to act in the interest of Palestinians. Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in 1200 Israelis reported killed and 250 taken hostage. The consquent Israeli military actions, which still continue, are generally being defined internationally as a genocide, with Palestinian casualties estimated at least at 38,000, now approaching 40,000 or more. A woman questioning Kaine on the Israeli/Palestinian situation, cited 14,000 children among those Palestinian casualties.
The ‘situation’ in Gaza
“What you call a ‘situation’ in Gaza is more than 14,000 children killed. I have a 5-year-old. I see my kid in every one of those children,” she began emotionally, adding, “And I’m going to tell you, yes, talking about a two-state solution where Palestinians and Israelis can live in peace would help. But I don’t know if that would be enough for me to be able to vote Democratic on the ballot,” she said of the coming November election.
“I am completely conflicted because it’s the lesser of two evils, we are still supporting genocide. And how can you support and be behind people that have not yet put an end to this but have the power to do so?” she asked, apologizing for her nervousness. “But I had to be here to tell you this in person,” she added, pointing to frustration at seeing no result from “calling the White House, sending emails, going to protests.
“It is not enough when you’re seeing children just like my child that just had the privilege to be born in this country versus being born there. There’s nothing different between her and the children of Palestine,” she concluded, drawing applause from much of the audience.
Kaine did not back away from a meaningful exchange with a mother, pictured below, critical of the Biden Administration’s stance on the Israel/Palestinian Gaza situation. It is a ‘situation’ that has resulted in what has been reported at over 14,000 children killed, she said, of approaching 40,000 Palestinian deaths over the 8-month Israeli response to the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack that killed 1200 Israelis, with another 250 kidnapped.
“And that’s true. I’ve spent time with hostage families who’ve had their loved ones kidnapped and brutalized,” Kaine began in response. “And I’ve spent time with Israelis who’ve lost families, and I’ve spent time with a lot of Palestinians. And Americans who’ve been in Palestine like doctors on medical missions who are coming back with heartbreaking accounts. It is just, it is heartbreak, it is absolute heartbreak,” Kaine said, adding the observation, “And the U.S. doesn’t have the complete ability to just change the situation in another part of the world. We have influence, we have leverage, more than most,” he admitted, adding, “And it’s taken too much leverage, frankly, for us to get Israel to up the pace of humanitarian aid …
“But Israel does have actors in the Middle East: Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah, who want to wipe it out,” Senator Kaine observed of the multi-faceted Middle Eastern political chess board. However, the senator added, “That doesn’t excuse similar violence against Palestinians on the West Bank. That doesn’t excuse throttling humanitarian aid into Gaza. That doesn’t excuse indiscriminate activity that it might get somebody in Hamas, but also wipes out lots of civilians,” Kaine observed of what a majority of the UN Security Council nations appear to define as genocide of Palestinians in Israel’s response to the October 7 Hamas attack.
“And so, it’s very hard to figure out how do we stand to defend Israel at the same time leveraging what we hope would be better behavior” by Israel’s leadership, Kaine asked rhetorically of a situation he observed has been evolving problematically since 1948 in the wake of World War II and the West’s response to the Nazi holocaust of European Jews.
Kaine cautiously noted some developments over the past few days that gave him some hope for progress toward resolution of the now one-sided conflict moving into its eighth month of Israel’s reaction to the October 7 Hamas attack. However, in response to a related question from another person, Senator Kaine observed that from his past statements and actions, current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears not to favor the two-state solution that would establish a Palestinian nation that could coexist on equal terms with its neighbors, including Israel.
This reporter is reminded of the comment he read a number of years ago from an Israeli peace activist after the first three or four years of Netanyahu’s leadership and his treatment of Palestinians: “Israel is like the abused child who grows up to be the abuser,” she lamented.
With a world in escalating turmoil, welcome to national election year 2024 in America.
Local News
Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: White-Tailed Deer
Fawns are being born and people are finding them.
White-tailed deer cannot be rehabilitated in our county as it is part of a Chronic Wasting Disease containment zone. Because of this, we don’t often admit deer or fawns.
Our “treatment” of fawns occurs through our hotline, where we advise finders on when fawns actually need help or, more commonly, how to reunite them with their mothers or adoptive does.
Fawn found alone, without mom around?
Fawns (young deer) are most commonly found when people or pets stumble upon them, spook them, or hear them crying.
No mom? No problem! A doe (female deer) will leave their fawn for upwards of 12-14 hours a day, meaning if you don’t see her, her plan worked!
This helps keep fawns safe from predators, since mom can outrun them but the babies cannot. Staying quiet and hidden keeps them safe.
In most cases, there is no reason to intervene.
As long as they’re curled up like the fawn pictured here—quiet, with their legs tucked up underneath of them—that fawn is fine!
What if the fawn is crying?
Even if a fawn is crying, leaving them be can give mom an opportunity to come get them, or allow an adoptive mom to find them.
Again, even if something has happened to a fawn’s biological mother, does are notorious for accepting orphans and caring for them alongside their own fawns!
Deer herds often have multiple mothers lactating at the same time making adoption the best option if mom passes away.
Please give adoptive mothers every possible chance to give fawns the opportunity to be raised by their own kind.
When to help a fawn.
A fawn needs help when they’re obviously injured or ill, laying on their side with their legs out from underneath them, or if they have fly eggs or maggots on them.
Contrary to popular belief spread on social media, “curled ears” mean nothing in terms of gauging whether or not a fawn needs assistance—please do not consider this a sign of anything.
If a fawn DOES need help, please be aware that there are certain Disease Management Areas, in which fawns cannot be rehabilitated nor can they be transported out of these counties.
These counties include Arlington, Bland, Carroll, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Floyd, Franklin, Frederick, Loudoun, Madison, Montgomery, Orange, Page, Patrick, Prince William, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Roanoke, Shenandoah, Smyth, Tazewell, Warren, and Wythe counties.
This is due to Chronic Wasting Disease, a disease that is fatal to deer, being found in or adjacent to these counties.
What is Chronic Wasting Disease?
Once in an area, Chronic Wasting Disease prions can live in the soil for years.
Spread through saliva, urine, and other bodily fluids, this makes transporting fawns around the state especially dangerous to the deer population as it can introduce this disease (and others) to new areas and consequently shut down rehabilitation access to fawns in that area.
If you have ANY questions about a deer, please don’t hesitate to call us or your nearest rehabilitator.
Despite our inability to rehabilitate fawns, we can still advise you the next best steps given your unique situations, or reassure you that the fawn is in fact fine and healthy and safe to leave.
If you do find a severely injured fawn in a Disease Management Area, or a severely injured adult in any county, it is best to call the local police as they may be able to send an officer out to dispatch that animal to limit suffering.
This is typically the most humane option as it does not require handling nor transport of an injured animal—both of which can be extremely stressful. If police are unable to assist, some rehabilitators (including our center) may be able to offer humane euthanasia so that the fawn does not need to suffer further.
It is always better to call and ask for advice than leave an animal to suffer!
Local News
Fire & Rescue Responds to Residential Fire on Acton Street in Front Royal
On Wednesday, June 12, at 12:13 p.m., units were dispatched to the 400 block of Acton Street in Front Royal for a reported dwelling fire. Firefighters arrived swiftly, reaching the scene within four minutes, to find a two-story, single-family home with flames visible on one side.
Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini unless otherwise noted.
Firefighters immediately started battling the blaze inside the house and quickly confirmed that the occupants were safely out. A second alarm was issued, bringing in two more fire engines to assist. The fire was declared under control by 1:05 p.m.
Two firefighters suffered heat-related illnesses and were transported to a local hospital for treatment. Fortunately, no other injuries were reported. The American Red Cross assisted two adults who lived in the home. Even though the residents were not at home when the fire broke out, smoke alarms were functioning, which was crucial in preventing injuries.
Emergency crews remained on the scene for about two and a half hours, ensuring the fire was extinguished and investigating the cause. The Warren County Fire Marshal’s Office is currently investigating the fire. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Fire Marshal’s Office at (540) 636-3830.
The following units responded to the fire: Engine 1 (Front Royal), Rescue Engine 2 (Rivermont), Engine 10 (North Warren), Truck 1 (Front Royal), Medic 8 (Fortsmouth), EM 1, FM 3, FM 4, Battalion Chief 1, Chief 101, and Chief 100. Additional units from the second alarm included Rescue Engine 3 (South Warren), Rescue Engine 9 (Chester Gap), and Medic 12 (Middletown).
Below Photo Courtesy WC Fire & Rescue
WCFR’s quick response and teamwork were vital in managing the fire efficiently and ensuring everyone’s safety.
(From a post on the WC Fire & Rescue social media page)
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