The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1878-12-28
Correspondence baltimore County Union.
LETTER FROM BALTIMORE.
A Merry Christmas-Very Cold Weather
Pleasing Incidents at Waverly-
Old "Uncle Eldred" and his
Christmas Presents, &c.

A Merry Christmas-Very Cold Weather
Pleasing Incidents at Waverly-
Old "Uncle Eldred" and his
Christmas Presents, &c.
BALTIMORE, December 25th, 1873.
! To-day is the great anniversary of the civilized
| world. Though secular business is generally sus-
pended and citizens are giving appropriate
! cOmmemoratiOn thereto, devote an hour or two
to your service in writing my accustomed weekly
epistle. We have clear, unclouded heavens, a
| bracing atmosphere and the mercury considerably
below freezing point. To speak plainly, it is very
cold. Ice is being formed every second. Old Sol
| seems to have lost his power. Not even place
can be found where ne has pretended to melt the
smallest particle of snow. 1t is what cOuntrymen
call Cutting" Holiday as it is very many labor
ers are at work in the suburbs and surrounding
country cutting and housing ice from various
streams and ponds which has been formed to the
| thickness of five to seven inches. Last night
| Christmas eve-was signalized and ushercd in by
| the blowing of inconceiveably numerous horns,
| trumpets, etc. Companies were out until after
''Big Sam the town clock struck twelve, making
as / may say-night hideous with their noise.
| They kept the sdtUrHaiiG up until early morning.
| Horns have been a decided speciality this year,
owing to the newspaper controversy regarding
| them in the past four weeks. | saw one company
of twenty thirty young men and boys, headed
| by band of music, marching the streets late at
night carrying a tin horn longer and larger than
| Sir John Ross great telescope, which was borne
upon the shoulders of eight persons-one at the
| end blowing it-that would have walked snakes
had the weather not been so cold. 1t was ludic-
rous sight, causing much amusement and attract
| ing all passers-by This company had the mon
| ster horn. There were thousands others of lesser
dimensions, varying in length and size from one
to fifteen feet, and proportionate in sound and
! circumference. Nearly all our churches had SER
1 Al ft.ll Ia1
! They were Enthusiastically dressed with beautl-
full evergreens flowers and other suitable emblems.
| Take it in every respect L doubt If Christmas
was ever before more happily and judiciously
passed in our city, There was scarcity Of good
/ dinners fat turkeys and other choice things, not
emitting the proverbial egg-nOg Many social
calls were made upon friends and acquaintance
who had superb set-outs. / may mention some OF
! those upon whom Nestor called. They were his
old friend A. S. Abel of the Baltimore San, Frank
| Bennett. the world renowned and millionaire auc-
tioneer, DIR. Smith, Chas H. Webb, City Collector,
| Hugh Sisson, and some others. Nothing could
surpass their spreads and the social pleasure of
| meeting them such occasion. They have
long been my favortes in the way of making
Christmas calls, with some of them not missing
such visit in the past thirty years.
There were some very pleasing incidents con-
nected in anticipation Of Christmas coming oc-
curing few days ago in your neighborng WI
lage, Waverly, to which l pleasurably make refer
ence. The young girls belonging to the first and
highest class in the Waverly public school, most
excellent institution, comparing favorably with
any of its kind in our State, determined to sur
prise their special teacher and principal of the
school, Prof. Joseph S. Wilmington, by making
him Christmas gift. They organized commit
tee of their class to arrange matters appertaning
thereto, consisting of Miss Ida Gill, Miss Sally
Hamilton and Miss Jennie CCnolly, each having
particular part of the duty to discharge, raising
funds, selecting the souveniers, etc. They pur-
chased beautiful double glass inkstand, silver
mounted, ON which were engraved the initials
81 S. W." also a handsome gold pen, the handle
of ivory ornamented with gold and an exquisite
gold pencil, on each of which likewise the
initials 81 S. W." Singular to say the affair was
kept entirely secret, except to the class already
named though over three hundred pupils, male
and female are in the school. Friday last, Goth
inst, the day appointed to make the surprise
and formal presentation. Being assembled for
that purpose Miss Ida GILL; very bright young
miss, stepped forward tremblingly with roseate
bushes and modestly made the following neat ad
dress:
Dear Teacher We, the pupils of your class,
which you have been so faithfully and successfully
teaching for the past year. ask your acceptance Of
this gift as a small token of the esteem and high
appreciation in which you are held by US, hoping
it will be useful to you in the future when away
from those who now bestow it. We, therefore,
| wish you merry Christmas"
Mr.. Wilmington gracefully cepted the present
in a neat and touching little speech, thanking the
donors for their kind and beautiful remembrance.
The occasion throughout and in all its appoint
ments was an exceedingly agreeable one, tall OF
pleasantness and tender feeling.
Another incident which occurred in the same
school about the same time was also OF peculiar
| interest. Eldred Estep, an old cOlored man past
his seventeen year, white headed and venerable
in appearance, who had been janitor of the nsti
tuition since its organization asked loosely
to hang up his stockings for holiday presents. lie
quickly took the hint and instead of using stock
ings according to old Santa Claus, hung up half
dozen large bags in different parts of the school,
The next morning to his surprise and delight he
found them literally crammed with all sorts Of no.
TONS including coffee tea, bread, cheese, butter,
apples, potatoes, cabbage, hams, sausages, eggs,
| clothes, chickens, sauer kraut, meal, flour,
turnips and in fact an almost endless and abund-
ant variety of everything conceivable, really out
doing PaaGoras box. Each bag was stuffed to its
fullest capacity anG in the aggregate holding
enough substantials and deiicacies to supply the
old man for year more to come with a greater
portion of his needs. He was thoroughly over
ioyed and in attempting to make Il speech re-
turning thanks, broke down in the midst Of it, be-
ing overcome by paroXlsms OF JOY and sutuslon
|
Old "Uncie Eldred," as they call him, was born
in Montgomery county, Nd, and owned by Mr.
Vim. Holmes. He has resided in Baltimore coun-
ty over thirty years. Eight years before the war
he bought his fresdom for $780, and four or five
years subsequently purchased the freedom of his
wife for $500 more. lie is quite we'll known, dis
tinguished for honesty and highly thought Of
He Keeps couple of rooms, lives comfortably
and spends some of his spare time doing odd jobs
for Mr. Hennigbausen, well-knOwn lawyer of
Waverly. 1t is his belief he subsist for near
] ~ two years to the bagsful he got as mol
iday gifts
Christmas is now nearly over as the town clock
has just struck eight. Permit me, therefore, to
extend the compliments of the season with long
life peace, prosperity GSd happiness to all your
readeIs-yourselves, Messrs Editors, especially
and everybody else, and in anticipation OF happy
New Year when it comes. 1t has been mine to
spend a very pleasant day, not emitting the time
| passed in writing this epistle, already. perhaps
too prolix. NEsroR.