The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-11-02

Here, twice week, Wednesdays and
Saturdays the year round, came the town
butchers with their meats. Dively, with
his dog Mage, and Sam Mcdaniel,
champion fighter of the town, also
breeder of fighting cocks. Country
people from far and near came with
products of the farm. At the market
they could sell for cash, while at the
stores they were compelled TO take
trade. The grocery had not then come
into existence. Of the farmers living
near, who brought marketing, may be
mentioned, Jacob Leininger, Jonathan
HOlwlck, John Sell, John Feighner,
David Bechtel and Henry HOutz, all in
good circumstances and prosperous.
Mrs. HOutz, among other articles, brought
pOt-cheese and smear case, which always
found ready sale. The BARS and Will
llmans', of Plain, were regular attend
ants with butter, eggs and fowls.
among those from distance, were
JACOB Garman, of Jackson township,
who come with buckwheat flour and
cOrn-meal; George Adam Rex, from Tur
keytOOt Lake, with fish, flour and meal;
Prior Foster from Pike, with fresh fish
and chickens. Apples and other fruits
In some seasons were brought from
COlumbiana county.
There were rules and regulations for
the government of both buyer and seller.
These were enforced by an officer called
Market Master. At the time of which
we write, the position was held by John
Bueklus. He was strict construction
lst, and rigid in the discharge of his Of
hclal duties, without fear OF favor. He
had seen how it was done in "Old Phil
delphy," and so it must be done here.
He collected the rent for stalls, assigned
places for those having anything to sell,
settled disputes, preserved order, and
acted as inspector. If any commodity
offered for sale was not what the seller
represented, that is, not in sound cOndi-
tlOn, or short in weight or measure, the
Market Master was empowered to con-
tscate the article. Incidents of this
character frequently occurred; the wri
ter remembers the following: A country
woman had butter for sale; it was work
ed into cakes, which she represented to
be of one pound weight. This was ques-
TONED by purchaser, and the Market
Master called in to settle the dispute.
When tested, the first cake fell short, and
as MIR. Buckius started for basket into
which he intended to deposit the cakes,
as cOntiscated, the enTaged woman threw
the balance of the butter at him, with
an avalanche of anathemas in Dutch
upon the Market and the Market Mas
ter.
The prices then current for staple ar
tlcles of consumption were as follows
Butter, to 8 cents pound. 1t was
usually worked into pound and half
pound cakes, aTtistically figured with a
mold. Eggs, from four to six cents a
dozen; beef, best cuts, seven cents;
rOasts, five cents; soup bones and liver
given away; smoked ham, eight cents;
lard, five cents; fresh pork, five cents;
veal, hind quarter, five, fore quarter,
two and a-half and three, and drug at
that; cranberries, fifty and sixty cents
bushel; apples and potatoes, a shilling;
maple sugar siX-pence; maple mOlas-
ses, fifty cents; oats, shilling; hay,
five dollars ton, and everything else of
home production in proportion.
There was no decimal currency in cir
culatiOn at that time. Our silver coin
was mostly foreign. A shilling, or levy,
was twelve and a-half cents, and six
pence, or ftp, six and quarter cents, and
prices were adjusted to these denOmina-
tiOns. The government issued no silver
currency of less denomination than twen-
ty.ive cents, and not enough of them to
meet the wants of trade.
The Market House was a great place
of rendezvous for the boys In summer
moonlight evenings. Here they would
assemble in a large body and engage in
plays. The most common were "Pris-
Oners' Base," "Hide-and- -gO-Seek," and
Wolf" varied some evenings by the
whole crowd dividing into two sides,
each having leader, and testing their
strength by pulling with rope, one
side against the other. There were no
police at that day to intimidate, and the
boys were wont to keep up a terrible
racket, whOOping and hallOOing, till the
Court HOnGa q O'plnpk hnlI ran tho Gi0-
nal for stores to close, night work cease,
and everybody repair to their respective
homes and to bed. There were boys of
larger growth, who sometimes used
the Market House for the exhibition of
their deviltry, or, to express it more
mildly, fun-lOving propensity. The "Ab-
OrOgOnes" of town will remember"C Cheap
Jack" who was on hand during Court
week, in Judge Halleck's time. He
travelled the country with two horse
covered wagon, carrying dry goods and
nick-nacks, which he would auction off
from the wagon. The citizens were sur
prised one market morning, to find
Cheap Jacks" wagon, with its contents,
on the top of the market house, astride
the cone. 1t was common occurrence
on the morning after an election, to find
some display in or on the market-ve-
hicles, stOre-bOXes, signs, effiigies, some
bhAlS bhab WOu1u OANAiC hAC pun
lie wonder and surprise.
The building remained in use until
1889, when a new Market House of frame,
with Town Hall overhead, was erected
on the north half of the Square. Tins
structure was afterward removed to the
corner of Poplar and Eighth, where it
now stands, used as an engine house.
Since that time we have had no public
market. LIS