Litchfield enquirer., 1876-06-15
HarWinton

When we stated, two weeks ago. that ''the petition to retain the post office at West Harwinton was signed by 60 legal voters, while the opposition got only II names" we gave the brief facts in a "nut- shell :" but, as your East Litchfield cor | respondent contradlcts us, we have been requested by several citizens of Harwinton and East Litchfield to be little more elaborate on tie affair. We knew Nhat- we were writing about, while 1t seems that "M. J. w." did not. It is true that the "opposition" did get 16 names in the first place, but five of them retracted, and signed our petition, thus reducing the real number to II, while yet others would have done so and given us their names, but they didn't wish to be called "turn- coats," for they said that the affair had been grossly misrepresented to them. Many more sent word that they wished to sign our petition, but We hadn't tune to get the paper to them. No one was al- lowed to sign our petition who did not receive mail matter through the P. O. in question, while minors and females were allowed to sign with the opposition. Y" They were excluded from our petition, though some of both classes wished to give us their names. He speaks of it's &C., commodating 16 families on thls side, and 31 on the other; he doesn't say how many of that number were little school children. The truth is, that fully sixty per cent of the mail is taken by families on this side: not only that, but as Harwinton proper only gets it's mail once a day, and as the mail arrives here four times daily, much of the Harwinton mail is received in this P. O. and kept till the next day for the | Harwinton mail carrier. Whereas the opposition" wished to locate the post office at Mrs. Kilbourn's beyond the Him. l it's which the law requires the Harwinton carrier to travel. Further, many of the residents of East Litchfeld signed our pe- tition gladly, for they were not so ''small'' as to wish to make our aged postmaster | Che is 76 years old) travel to Mrs. Kill bourn's four times daily to save them | travelling a like distance four times a month to get their mail. The present To- cation of the post office is nearer the di- viding line than it would be at Mrs. Kill bourn's, while the extra distance from the railroad. if any, is but trife It is be- lieved that the opposition hoped eventual ly to get the post office out of Mir. Austin's hands, thus depriving the old man of al- most his sole maintenance; though he gets less than dollar week for his trouble. Such, Mir. Editor, are the facts of the case. and you will greatly oblige the peo- pie of this vicinity by publishing them. MT. Wm. Clark waited on us last week. and says that he was going quietly along, "minding his own business, when 1 MT. Goodman attacked him that it is a wonder he was not killed ; that MT. G. first chopped him on the wrist with the hoe blade, then struck him on the neck with the handle, knocking him completely out of his wagon, and bruising him terri ply. The case is to be tried next Satur- day.
 -Messrs. Page & Dains, of West Har- winton, are not manufacturing white tis- sue paper, as stated in your paper, last week. ....
 A town meeting was called on Monday of last week. to vote an appropriation of two or three hundred dollars to celebrate the Centennial Fourth here; but learning that the proceeding was illegal, they ad- journed to await the action of the legisla- ture on the subject.
 The Epicurean Club of Harwinton, met at the untenanted house of MT. J. s. Rossiter. last Friday evening. Each youth furnishing jug of cider, and two dozen eggs apiece, with s'little toddy" to spice the whole. After getting outside of their bountiful collation. and potations, the re- turned home about midnight, deciding that they had had "real good time." Strange to say, they all survive!
 Inspector Stone, of Burlington, has been out viewing our roads, which have mostly been repaired. a.
 MT. Joseph Bronson has painted his house and repaired his horse barn.