Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-09-28
Bethel Fair.

The White river agricultural society
held their annual fan Tuesday, Wednesday
and Thursday. the goth. 2lst and 22d.
Financially it was a success. the attend
ance being over four thousand on Wednes.
day and two thousand five hundred on
Thursday.
The exhibit was the smallest we ever
saw at this or any other fair-not enough
in stock, as one exhibitor said, to ensure
competition, and hard work to fill their
classes.
The working oxen were the best exhibit
and some were excellent cattle.
There ere two pens of Merino sheep
and Mr.. Flagg had his Cotswolds which.
with one lot of grade Southdowns. COM
posed the show of sheep.
In floral hall the display was notable for
its lack of quantity. There were some
beautiful things. Miss Alice Gay. West
Randolph, had some beautiful oil paint
ings and handsomely painted china and
silk. and Miss Annie Sargent, Bethel, II
very handsome floral piece in water colors
of Japan lilies, ferns, etc.
Charles T. Kinsman. Rochester. showed
the best fret saving we ever saw. One
piece, The Lords Prayer, was a gem OF
art, cut in white wood. 1t looks like An
exquisite carving. Another piece, a
bracket back, was a vine-leaf wreathed
cross. We can conceive Of nothing
prettier than these, in this kind Of work
Miss A A. Woodbury., Be hel, had II
handsome hand-worked set, and Miss Eliz
Lyon, Gaysville. a night robe, also hand.
embroidered, and exqusitely done.
Miss p. H. Anterior, Royalton, showed
the handsomest SIMPLE of our flvorite
form Of utilized rags-after we have done
wearing them-a braided rug-the hand
soonest we ever saw. 1T could hardly bt
said there was wrong side to it, as
the edges were so carefully turned in, and
blind sewed SO it was only different from
the other side.
Mrs Lucy Weld. Royalton, and Mrs. E
C. Dunbar. Bethel, also had rugs which
were only less handsome than Miss Ather-
tons.
L. w. Welch, Bethel, had handsome
exhibit of parlor furniture.
A very limited show of fruit and veg
etabes, small but handsome one OF
maple sugar and honey made up all OF
notable excellence here.
The "great attraction" of Wednesday
was the advert, ed bare back riding of the
frontier scout who =" was with Custer" and
his band of ten trained horses on which
he WAS to ride twenty miles in sixty
minutes, changing horses each time
When he appeared on the grounds some
Of his trained horses had a familiar
look and soon they were found to be old
Woodstock hacks picked up for the occa
sion. But he mounted one of his wild
coursers of the plains and set eff on his
perlous and blood-curdling ride. On his
second round his fiery steed bolted from
the track, ran against a shed, or fence, OF
some other obstacle, and the rider came
to grief with dislocated shoulder, but
he got some bone carpenters and they set
his shoulder; then he made a new starr
and did his twenty miles in the hour
with some seconds to spare; but the race
was not felt to be the thrilling, exciting
spectacle which was expected.
Thursday forenoon nothing was doing
On the grounds and but few people were
present to help do it; but after dinner they
came in quite rapidly, the agriculture
wrestling match being the attraction.
Punctually at the time set they appear
ed on the carpet before the grand stand
Flagg of Braintree, Dufur of Marlboro
Mass, Wheeler of New Hampshire ant
Burbank of Michigan.
Flagg is well known farmer, VIII
went to the war and wrestled in the arm
"a solid, wel-built man.
Dufer, not quite as heavy as Flagg,
rather more shapely in form, light, curl
hair, the keeper Of clothing and gentle
mons furnishing goods store in Marlboro
and wrcstles because he likes II and Gil
do it well.
Wheeler is the youngest man of ii
four, with cords like steel wire, without
pound of superfuous flesh, quick AS a Gu
and like cat with great tendency
strike on his feet.
uIbank, short, muscular, legs lii
posts, not quite as taking" in form {
action as either of the others, but goo
man."
The bouts were exciting, especially Il
catch as catch can; and the final fall b
tween Flagg and Dufer was the finest v
ever saw. AS an exhibition OF ply sic
strength, endurance and prowess it WI
fine, and the general feeling was that eat
man wrestled for all he was worth. Wit
out naming the several bouts in deta
FIagg won the greatest number of D." falls
Duiar second, Wheeler third and Burbal
fourth, and received prizes in that orde
The purses for trots were not file
though the books were kept open till no,
of Thursday, and no races were trotted.
Secretary Markham announced that pr
miums would be paid in full, and call
the fair closed.