Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-03-02

| "aiu, however, mad not the courage to
take his own life, and his portion Of the
poison was also found. The other letter is
from Ryan to his parents. telling them
that he dies by his own hand and solemnly
| protesting his innocence. In it be con-
fesses that bad company and might walk
| ing" have brought him to bis miserable
end. Ii his life bad been different. be says,
the evidence that brought on his unjust
conviction would not have had the force it
did have with the jury.
"reminiscences Of an Octogeuarisn.
Editor of The Burlington Free Press:
Since you allow Octogenarians space in
your columns. as l notice in an article over
tho signature of "eighty-fve' in your issue
of February I'd. L thought I would give you
few items of personal history, that might
be interesting TO some of your readers
While your correspondent "Eighty-five"
made his advent into this world in old Eng
land in 1871, my eyes first saw the light of
day in America. in Charlotte, Chittenden,
Co., Vermont, in 1875, on the borders of the
beautiful Lake where on the llth of Septem-
Der 1914, the British Lion surrendered to the
American Eagle, under the leadership of
Commodore McDonough.
In early life l was educated in business a
farmer, in religion Methodist-iI politics,
a Federalist. later Wing, later still i Repub-
lican, where l stand to-day, waiting with
anxiety the decision of the great political
Sanhedrim to know whether We shall have
for our next President the reliable Governor,
Il. b. Hayes, or the slippery Ex-Governor,
s. B. Tilden.
In 1886 left my native State and landed
in Huron county. Ohio. where | still reside
pitched into the woods, cleared up new
farm, my labors have been abundant, nv
success financially only tolerable. l have
raised a family of eight children, four boys
and four girls trimming them up to the total
abstinence standard I; and have nineteen
grandchildren that are being educated in the
same way and hope this may be continued
to the third and fourth generation and dur
ing all future time.
In perpetual abstinence from all intoxica-
ting drinks, and temperance in other mat
tiers, with q good foundation to begin with,
may be found the secret of my present status
of physical and mental force and vigor. Ny
memory is still tenacious very few things
of importance have passed from my mind
My sight and hearing are both good (; | can
read and write hours without spectacles; see at
distance as we'll as l ever could without
glasses. Hear distinctly in a remote part of
an audience work and walk without fatigue
or wearying.
In my native town, Charlotte there was no
central point where business or social forces
could be concentrated hence there was a
pulling in opposite directions, some for the
-Four Corners, west some for Baptist Corn
ers and some for Mutton Hill. But in all
early day by kind of compromise the Con-
gregationalists built a church between the
hills and there under the pastoral care of the
Rev. Truman Baldwin the pioneer fathers
and mothers with their children, assembled
for worship, sometimes with the mercury at
20 . or more below zero without particle |
of fire, but celestial fro" and not much of
that. There the venerable Priest Newell, |
(the father of all tho Newells) with his cock
ed hat-Deacon Rich and Deacon Beach to |
lead the song. and others of Calvinistic pro-
clivities waited on the ministratiOns OF the
word for years but nearly all have passed
away.
In those early days Methodism was not
very popular, nor Methodists very plenty, |
and the ministers OF this persuasion held
meetings in school houses and private houses
and sometimes in harms, in warm weather ;
till Ammi Fuller fitted up the upper part OF
his cider mill, and there heard once the
venerable Bishop Asbury hold forth the doc
trines of ''iree salvation" sitting in chair
.for very age" After this Ammi Fuller
paid liberally toward building a Methodist
church at Charlotte Four Corners, and left in
his will ample provision. had it been faithful
ly executed to supply the pulpit with Metho- |
dist preaching for all future time
In Burlington l know many OF the leading
men of fifty years ago. John Howard, who |
kept hotel for many years said to be an ex-
pert in detecting horse thieves and villains ;
Sion z. Howard, dry goods merchant, who |
had peculiar tact in advertising and selling |
goods, especially to the ladies'. Charles |
Adams, the eccentric climb of the law"
George Robinson, Heman Allen, OF iull |
weight avoirdupois the promising BenJa- |
min +. Bailey who passed away in the midst |
of life. Geo. P. Marsh said to be one of the |
best scholars in America who has been hon |
ored with several important appointments |
from the government and Is still abroad,
believe on some foreign mission. | remem- |
Der, too, some anecdotes of Barty Willard, |
of political genius, who once represented the |
town in the State Legislature. When asked
to make an epitaph upon himself he respond
ed in the following rather prophetic rhyme;
Beneath these clods old Barty lies
Worn out his days. put out his eyes,
Beneath these clods he's doomed to lot
He lived a fool and died a sot.
saw the first steamboat that ever divided
the waters OF Lake Champlain, commanded
by Captain Winans | saw the British ves-
sells when they came out and sailed down op- |
posite Nergennes where our fleet lay, not |
ready to sail. and captured and burnt Nes-
sci near NcNiers Ferry, fired at the gazing |
multitude gathered along the shore. passed
three times, Rouses Point with rutt, where
the Railroad bridge spans the Lake at the
present time, and | remember well when
Dewitt Clinton projected the Ere Canal,
that opened the gate of commerce to the
West. He was thought to b" iniane, and 1t
WAS called Dewitt Clintons big dItch.
Ny memory goes back nearly To $500 and
many things that occurred i'll thnt carly day !
and little later are fresh i'll my mind. l
have seen our fathers reap down their broad
acres with hand sickle and clean their grain
(threshed with Il tlai) in hand fan. have |
seen our mothers card wool and tow with
hand cards spin, weave and make their own |
garments without machinery OF any kind l
have seen cut-nails headed with II hand ham |
mer one at a time. that can now be made, |
for aught know one hundred IN II minute ;
and other tardy manufacturing PIocoss'S
that art and machinery have swept awny.
My time goes back beyond the age OF
steamboats,, railroads and telcsraphs when
there WAS nothing run by steam but my
mothers tea kettle no crossing the Atlantic
in seven days, and talking with our trans
Atlantic brothers by telegraph ut noon or ut
night, of things that happened in the morn
ing no percussion caps; no lnelier matches
but the old knife and flint struck up the fire |
and not pegged shoe or boot on the contI- |
nent and photographs and dncutrreotypes
and homeopathic doctors wuIc yet to be
born.
In conclusion would heIo present my |
compliments to my contemporary ''Thomns
Whaley," and say TINT hope We mny still
live OH for few years; in health and viSor,
and leave our earthly change i'll prospect OF
II better life though We have no complaint to |
make OF this) beyond the river where thou
sands have passed before us.
Yours truly, MYnoS BEFckINKiDGE
Norwulk Huron Co Ohio. |
E-h 10Th IS17