Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1845-09-04
TPELIER, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1916.
SELLING A WIFE.

/ \
| cla Advertiser The reader will notice that il
| claims to be written by an eyewitness and of that
ihct, and the facts detailed in it, we have the best
reason TO know there is no doubt. Possibly some
OF the TEXTURES OF the scene may be almost as dis
gushing as the American habit Of "spittng," which
so oliends the sensbies of our trans atlantic Wis
ltors; and possibly too the condition. habits con-.
| tort aud general welfare of the population among
! whom the things below described take place. wonll
hardly be preferred to their present circumstances
| by my portion of the inhabitants of the United
| States. bond or free
| was at Birmingham, two or three years AGO.
/ thl being anxious to see some of the coal mines
! anl large iron works of Snff,rdslre. set ont one
hne morning for the town of Wednesday,, e ont
eight miles The road, (the Liverpool and Holy
hcdd.) pe,Isps the finest in the world aud IN this
part 1t is lighted with gas for distance of TWEEN.
~ miles. The eight miles had to travel we're
one con'lnuuus street; the first three miles of
which are occupied by small houses and cOAdgts
ornee which the towns people Of Birmingham IN
inc PRIDE Of their hearts, aud in deflnce Of ridi-
cnle call their "cOuntry houses" lnng an /
hiIh wall, stretching Tor two miles on one side of
the road. psoiects noblenan's park from the pro-
fare w. a.slkEefl8'r !resp1sses Of the public.
HUcrUns drehy prospect opens upon you; YOU
feel that You are leaving civilization behind and
entering the unknown regions The green fields
are passed, and the brown fields commence. The
SKY Is no longer blue; or 1t may be blue, for ought
yon can tell about the maier-ull the sky that you
are cogni2 mt Of is dull cnncpy Of crnwliny
smoke, rolling AMI curling over head far as the eve
can stretch hllf bloting ont daylight from nature
and whitening every shrub and every blade of grass
that has the hirdii.ood to deem il sprng-'ime and
to rally for one more effort against the DESTROYER
The road becomes choked up with monstrolls WA .
gons, drawn by more monstroEs horses, SIX, eight,
aud ten in team, and loaded with cokes aud Goals,
piled up like hay stack; others are laden with
loose bars of ron and 90 clauking and laundering
along; others again, bear immense steam boilers
fly VIII els, or other kinds of machinery; the face
of every teamstor is black inGy, coal black and
the teeth and eyes Of every man are white-dread-
fully white.
There are coal pits in fall work. within ten yards
Of each side Of the road, and a continuation of
them as far as you can Close on the road side
too and stretching far away, are iron works with
their three and live hundred horse power engines,
kissing and screaming as if in mon ,trous agony ::
the dull roll ct machinery, the heavy cling Of forge
hammers, the screechng of pit wheels, the eternal
din Of bner.makers rivetng BOILERS and the low
muttering thurdcr and papabIe qnver of the earth
as blast" is fired, close at hand, disodeiny
sometimes thousand tons Of coal, or iron stone.
1.-THE PITS ali these combined stun and distract
/ the ranger.
Now we meet strings of women clad for the
most part In mems coats each armed with rounl
basket or "scutle' for carrying Goals, going to the
pits with their husbands, fathers or brothers din
her. Again they are met in dozens, returning from
the pits, staggering for two or three miles beneath
basket iull OF coal, their daily allowance There
was no femlnlneness Of features, NJ wonanly ey-
preston, IN the appearance Of these unorun ties
their clothes were ragged, their necks and faces
Were crushed into heap by carrying heavy loads
OF COAL from their infancy, and their language was
Infamous and disgusting. | should compute that
every fifth man we net Ind lost leg or an arm or
crlDppI n lind 4
Others had their faces burnt into frirhtful distor-
tons by foul air, and explosions in the nlnes but
all were stout well-bullt, blacK-aced fellows and
all were clad in ii rough kind of flannel ali e.
Groups Of young children followed the coach as
we whlrled up the street of the town. some turn
ing gmbols, others performing evolullons on their
hdnJs and ieeI, after the manner Of wheel in mo-
ton, and all looking al US eagerly, in expectation
oi copp RS. Surrounded by such motley attendants,
we arrived Il: The Z" Turks Head Inn"
Having takea possession Of quatlers at the Inn.
for two or three days, and removed the dust and
SCOT which had clung To me On my Journey stroll
ed through tie town, on tour Of discovery II
was market day, but the hurry OF the market was
over; butchers carts and iruherers WAGONS were
reloaded with the remnants Of their wares. All
! Wednesday, hId just dned, and all Wednesday,
appeared to be III state of plethoric lethargy a
natural consequence Of a repetIve dinner on mar
ket day. Lazy store keepers were proppInr M
! Inelr
slores, calculating III solemn taclturnlly the profits
| of the morning.
Some signs Of life were discoverable as pass
ed the taVerns, which we're very numerous; there,
fdd!es We're scraplng with desperate energy, or the
/ "hurdy gurdles" Of Italian boys were grating re-
morseess music. horrible hubbub o laughing
| singing, chanting and slufing of feet pro .peded
from each, ana on entering one, from motives OF
/ curiosity, saw men and women, with washed fl.
ces ana sunday clothes, crowded together; women
nursing huge buskrts, conlai ing their "markei.
lngs," were sitting on the knees of men. whose
arms enclrcled their waists, and drunkel men were
accusing them with hornplpes, the chief art OF
which appeared to consist IN beating time to the
| fiddle with their heavy nailed shoes.
On e.enterlng the street, obs rived man with
laced coat and hat, Violently ringing huge bell
| and men, women and children, were crnwdng a
round him with anxious looks. The tavern occu.
pants for a moment left their liddng and drinking
4 and clustered around the doors. The bell ceased
and for Il moment there was a profound silence
when the town crer looked with dignity around
and swelled out rather larger than was necessary
us he SAID, "iiem, this is TO give nolce-that wo
man and he little baby will be ofiered-for sale
in the market place. this allernoon--at fuu
o'clock-by her husband--Moses Stakeholder
wlso-Rough Moey."
universal roar of laughter followed this an
nolncement, sand all the people answered" bur
rah The women bent double in their CONFUSION,
of merriment. The men threw their heads back
ward, roaring with JOY and clupped the womel
smartly on their shoulders as II To intimate tina
such fun was too much for them aud quite inexpres
slble IN any other manner. The shop keepers ros,
from their dreamy state and rubbed their hands
then smiling, collected in twos and threes, congrnt
r ualed each other on the promised scene aud leav
ing their shops to the Of their apprentices, re
tired to the tavern TO drink success to 'RoupI
Moey." The crler went to different parts Of TN
town, TO make his announcement, ana group o
ragged children followed him.
~ little before the time appointed for the sale, {
} crowd was collected in the centre of the narke
place; there were some dozens of women, witt
, dirty gowns and dirtIer faces, bonneless aud can
less, and each with child IN her arus, calhnl
loudly to each oher and passing coarse tests an,
seonser language; when far off hurrah wa
! heardIand motley assembage of buck-laced PEG