Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-09-21


for the times of 1876, but now-weu,
there is little old Court House down
in Southern Ohio (once painted green)
that would compare very fayorably
with the State House here as a place of
holding courts. But some of the old
''pub fumes" have been reused from
their Rip Van Wrinkle sleep, and now
we are to have bran rev public build
ings that shall be the pride of the city.
They are to be erected on what was
formerly Penn Square, beautiful 10
cation and well adapted for the pur-
pose.
The system of inspection as carried
on here is not the most perfect in the
world. a short time ago one Of the
leading journals came out in lengthy
editorial in favor of having a Meat
Inspector appointed, in order that
butchers might not impose upon their
customers by selling them diseased
meat. AS nearly all of the cattle used
for beef here are slipped from the
West, it is but fair to presume that
some of them would not make first
class ''roast," and 1 think myself that
a good inspector of bovines would
find enough to do in his line to keep
him busy. But perhaps they think
that the less inspection they have the
better, as too rigid examination and
condemnation of the cattle shipped
here would have tendency to raise
the price of beef by creating scarcity
in the market.
1t has been but three months since
a paid fire department was organized
here, and, judging from the anathemas
one can hear hurled against it on every
hand, a person would think that it
does not give general satisfaction, and
that the old style of volunteer com
panies is what they would rather have.
From what I can learn, those same
volunteer companies must have been
gay arrangements. Racing to a fire,
colliding with street cars and fighting
seems to have been the favorite amuse-
ment of the "boys," and many a sore
head and closed eye has resulted from
running wild the masheen." When
ever any one wished little excitement,
all that was necessary was to turn in
an alarm of fire at one of the telegraph
alarm boxes, and in a few minutes the
streets i'll the vicinity of that box
would be crowded with hundreds ot
people, and, it being ascertained thai
the alarm was false, the slightest provo
cation would be the signal for a free
fight. But things work different
under the new system, and the boys
have to ''spile for muss."
The baker still serves his customers
every morning by the aid of the iden
tical pnsh=cart that-Mas- brought into
use an hundred years ago, nor does ht
for moment dream of employing any
other means. A horse and wagon are
not to be thought of. His great
grandfather used push-cart, his father
used push cart, and he uses a push
cart. To use anything else would be
sacriligious.
Another time-honored institution ot
Philadelphia, and one, l believe, tha
had its origin here, is the hot corr
business. The season is nearly ove1
now, but the merchants" have driven
a lively trade as long as possible
AS darkness settles upon the earth
hundreds of colored women issue from
mysterious dwellings in dark and mar.
row thorougEfares, and perambulate
the streets or sit upon convenient
corner steps and cry thtic wares in a
somewhat monotonous but not un
musical voice: "Hot c-o-r-n-hot
corn!" Their stock in trade consists
ofperhaps dozen ears of boiled corn
placed in a nice clean bucket and GOV
cred with snowy napkin. The "dull
ness of business" often compels them
to remain on the streets till long after
midnight, and how they make living
at it is beyond my knowledge. Theil
customers comprise the newsboys
bootblacks, and street arabs gen
orally, who live on the European
plan that is, they do not eat always
when they are hungry, but when they
can get it,
The musquito season is upon us
now, and these little blood. suckers are
holding high carnival every night over
innocent and defenseless humanity
The city is infested by aravenous set
of foreign mosquitoes, whose capacity
to hold a large quantity of food is
only equaled by their voracity and the
persistency of their prosecutions.
They come from New jersey, and fine,
healthy fellows they are, too. l have
not yet seen any of the 'heavy birds, -
for the reason that they are too large
to fly over the Delaware. l have been
reliably informed, however, that, when
domesticated and trained properly,
they are very us-ful t. Jersey farm
ers-two healthy mosquitoes being
able to do the work of an ordinary
horse. 1t has been darkly limited to
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