Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1874-04-25
For the Essex County Herald.
"reminiscences of Guildhall.
NUMBER THREE.

Probably few Of the present citizens
of Guildhall can recollect things that
took'place seventy years ago. Some
of the events OF that period, / think,
will be interesting to your readers.
At the time, great excitement was
produced.
Not far from seventy years ago,
negro man, whose name was Backus,
occupied q farm, near where the
Washburns' mill, in Maidstone, now
stands, some half mile north Of the
farm then occupied by Benoni Cut
Ter, Esq. Backus was employed as a
laborer by the farmers of Guildhall,
Northumberland and Maidstone !;
and thus became acquainted with the
houses Of the inhabitants. After he
had lived there some time he was
missing some one said che had run
away to Canada"
The next year, people in Gulldhall
and nei4hborinS TWINS heeenno rory
much excited by almost daily reports
Of thefts committed. Generally the
amount stolen was not very large.
A neighbor of my father said, Il took
out of the oven, last night, five loaves
Of bread and put them on the the ia.
BILE, when going to bed. Three Of
them were missing, when | got III
this morning, and my husbands frocE
which / had been mending WAS gone
from where | left it. Somebody has
stolen them" The next day, it was
reported that shirts and other articles
had been taken from Mrs. Howe's
clothes line, in the other part of the
town, and the next day it was report
ed that Mr.. C's cellar had been enter
ed, and pork taken from the barrel
One woman who had made her churn
ing Of butter into rolls found half o
the rolls were missing the next morn
ing.
Most people, in those days, did no
think of fastening their doors on go
ing to bed as they did not expect any
one among their neighbors woul,
steal. But they soon became alarm
ed and fastened them. Several hears
some one trying to get in to thei
houses during the night, and hear
footsteps as they rose to ascertain
the cause. "Who is it? Who is tn
thief, OF thieves" was the universe
inquiry. We expected every day, t
hear of some new theft, for such new
flies on the wings Of the wind" an,
was the general subject Of converse
ton as neighbors met. If we hear
Of theft at Maidst one, on Monday
we were likely to hear Of one at Lal
caster, Dalton or Jefferson, on Tues
day. "What does it all moan?" wa
the repeated ordinations.
At that time, the bridge over I'll
: Burnside brook was not safe fc
teams and there was but little pas
ing on the river road between The
ophilus Cutters and Reuben Howe
After some time, it was reporte
that a COW was missing from a yard
the back part of Lancaster and coul
! not be found. The animal was sui
, sequently discovered on the BEN
: place in Guildhall, and had evident
! been regularly MIXED so that she W,
$ not injured. The excitement rose {
$ high, that there was talk Of calm
e out the militia and securing the WOO
+ in all directions, to find the THEY'VE
: for it was generally supposed the
: must be a gang. But light was i
d in, unexpectedly, which cleared Il
: part of the mystery. Rum, thong
n ruinous in divers ways, sometim,
j. does good. But here | will copy fro
+ boy poet of Guildhall, who olte
It wrote doggerel rhymes for his anus
G ment and that Of his associates