The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1877-02-03
A Letter from ELI Perkins.

Eli Perkins was announced to lecture at Ellicott
City on Tuesday evening last. After the engage
ment had been made with him he wrote the lecture
committee as follows:
On THE Cars lat large) IN New YORK,
January Is, 1877.
Hon. BardUeU iSlote, Chairman Lecture Committee
EllicoH City, Md:
DEAR SR:-YOurs informing me of my engage
ment in Ellicott City is received. Very well.
will try and be on hand at tho ceremony which
you say must take place ON Tuesday evening, Jan
3Oth In fact, as l suspect, that this is an en-
gagement to lecture, will be on hand at all haz-
ards-or rather at Ellicott City.
Have no fear about my not being present. l am
always present when lecture.
Then everything seems to urge me on towards
your town. Here in New York the people who
have heard me lecture follow me around in great
crowds, enthusiastically cheering me and inviting
me to go away-to move on /!
Even railroad officials are very kind to me-
Col. Scott says he'll be glad to furnish special
train to Baltimore rather than leave me remain in
Philadelphia over night Mr. Garrett of the Balti
more and Ohio, says he will be glad to give me
perpetual passes over his road-hoping l may be
killed on the trains.
So will be with you Jan. 30th,--dead or alive
If | happen to be dead and you do not wish tC
disappoint your audience 1 suggust that you sc
arrange it that holders of reserved seats will bt
entitled to a front seat at the funeral when they
can sit and enjoy themselves the same as at the
lecture.
I remember visiting Ellicott City many very
many years ago; should say about 300.
Mr.. Wolfersberger of the American Progress
was then fair-haired boy-innocent and blithe-
some. He had just emigrated from Ireland with
q wife and seventeen small children and the Pro
gress Office stored away in a Saratoga trunk tc
avoid paying duty.
Fifty years afterwards came J. R. Brown, Jr.
of the Times Mr.. Brown, if 1 remember rightly
fell out with ColupbussAt Palos and not having
money enough to buy ship, walked up through
Russia to Behring Straits, swan 40 miles across
to Russian America and marched straight through
bowling wilderness to Ellicott City and set up
his newspaper.
Your town, you know was named after the En-
colt City Times. AS soon as Mr. Brown had estab-
lished the Times, why people rushed in from all
directions, from jamestown and plymouth and built
houses just so as to be where they could take the
newspaper
Those were the times that tried mems soles.-
Many time l have known Mr.. Brown to 90 out
and kill eleven or twelve bears and scalp drove
of Injuns before breakfast and then turn around
and work off four five million copies ofthe Times
on hand press just for exercise.
In after days remember how Ellicott City grew
and iOurished, how you built churches and school
houses and jais and filed them with your patri-
otto citizens. L remember how you practiced self
denial in those times, how You all gave up drink
ing and swearing because Governor Swami came
over from Baltimore and with tears in his eyes
went round from house to house, persuading your
people that swearing was incompatible with family
prayers.
How beautiful, how self-sacrifcing If l like
Ecott City well as I think 1 shall 1 intend to
settle there. If for pecuniary reasons 1 am not
able to do it myself, Mr.. Brown has promised to
settle for me.
Ny lecture will be about the perkins Family
with 498 new and novel ideas ON the "Philoso-
ply of Fun"
But 1 must not linger. In the meantime and
until shed these ideas may Heaven continue tc
protect you from Your friend,
ELI PERKINS lat large.)