Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-01-20


The New York Citizen tells good story of
General Lafayette and the oppossum. Colonel
Skinner, who is mentioned in the subjoined
article, is still in the land of the Pharaohs:
When General Lafayette paid a visit to this
country after it had attained its independence he
expressed a desire to take home with him
specimen of that essentially native animal the
Oppossum. An intimate friend of his, who was
editing paper at the time in Baltimore, near
relative OF Colonel Skinner, lately on the Turf
Field and Farm, hearing of this desire on his
part, inserted a notice to that effect in the col
umns of his journal.
Now, Lafayette has always been greatly and
dtservedly loved and respected by Americans
His name is a household word with us. Every
resident OF our country at that time would have
been pleased to testify appreciation OF the SER
vices he had rendered our colonies when stru9-
Cling for their independence. There was a de-
termination in the community to prove to him
that repnblics are not always ungrateful, and no
sooner had it become known that General Lafa-
yette wanted 'possum than it was unanimously
resolved that a 'poSSum he should have at any
cost OF labor and expense of money. Hence the
editor of the paper we have referred to was not
much surprised when the coach from PawtuXet
arrived, and he was informed that it had a box
for him with an Oppossum.
He said to himself that this is only as il
should be, and felt gratied that General Lafay-
cites wishes had been 50 soon complied with.
| Our readers must recollect that in those days
stage coaches were all the go, and that railroads
| were not in vogue. Hence it took news and
| 'possums all the longer to travel. When, how
ever, the Philadelphia coach appeared and
| brought two more boxes of 'possums, each con-
| tanning two lively specimens, the editor was sat
isied that the country had done its duty; so
| that next day, when the regular stage from the
eastern shore came in and brought him six adj
| dtional possums the editor felt that he had
| enough; but when the Chesapeake boat landed
at the wharf at Baltimore and presented him
with one hundred and twenty fresh specimens
he began TO think that they were getting toe
many for him.
Our people are grateful people. They proved
themselves so conspicuously on this occasion
| AS for the possums, the cry was "still they
| come" From north; from cast, from south
from west: by coach, by stage, by carriage, by
private and public conveyance, by steamboat
by rowboat, by salboat; from Maryland, from
Virginia, from Pennsylvania, from the Allegha
ny Mountains, and possibly even from the
Rocky Mountains, they poured on in one steady
stream. In the course of two weeks the
enthusiastic friend and admirer had accumu
lated twenty-five hundred 'possums.
What to do with them he did not know. HI
could not store them separately, and yet j
seemed equally impossible to store them togeth
er; and finally he turned them all loose in Mon
ument square, in Baltimore. Next day thu
hearts of tue darkey residents in that neghbor
hood were delighted, Coored gentlemen low
vily animal, and 'possums were abundant
TOO abundant; they wandered through
they climbed on the stoops of tn
no on the caves, perched on tn
chimneys, gathered on tn
% every place where
tsr u to cling, and Their
sing themselve
OF the higl
cha IN to thos
public .A-a < - *. $3.50 fs silaN . then
in time of ma. Tffa aeve
wanted for a pos a4iN n
J editors have NJ adj. ,d tsl atH