Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-06-26

upon him and referred to him as ''Mr.
Coffin, or Squire Coffin"
Toms next move was to ask the
price of the best house In the town;
the figure was set at high notch, but
he paid it with the utmost non. chaI-
lance, and forthwith proceeded to
burn all the establishments original
furnishings, and replace them with
new and elegant appointments. There
were other houses near, and the neigh
boring land inc 'uded III his purchase
was hilly and uneven. The houses
were purchased and moved away, per-
haps torn down, while an army of
laborers were employed to smooth the
wrinkles out of the landscape.
Once established In his castle, Tom
gathered around him many servants
and filled his stables with fine horses.
The lawns were kept smooth, and it
was sure death to the beast who ven-
tured to despoil them. Once Coffin
saw two men leaning against the fence
of his grounds, and he rushed out
with two horse pistols to drive them
off. The servant who was
not willing to swear that
black was white, if Tom so fam
cied, had to pick up his duds and
walk. If any of the horses failed to
come up to his expectations the ami
NAL was led down to the lakeside and
shot. Once a teamSter offered Coffin
500 for an animal that was being led
to the slaughter, but the offer was
angrily refused.
Tom would go off at intervals, no
one knew where, and return in few
weeks. 1t became known that he
had a sheep ranch somewhere out
west, a -four mill in Michigan, and a
residence in Chicago, and it is sup
posed that he went off on business.
Once he returned with young and
pretty wife, although before that he
would not allow woman around his
house. He and his wife live in
Winthrop part of the year now, and
go off at intervals to somewhere,
as the villagers say. How much he
is worth can not be definitely found
out; the villagers tell startling stories
about his having closets packed full
of bills and silver, but this is un-
doubtedly exaggeration. Tom Coffin
is as rich as mud, though, the Win
thropites think him the greatest
crank on earth.
The other of Winthrop's oldest men
is Uncle Bragdon, and his great
speciality is drinking cider. His ca
pacity for surrounding apple juice is
astonishing, and people whose stom-
achs are of the ordinary pint size will
hardly believe the stories of Uncle
Bragdon's feats of drinking. He is
about 20 years of age now, and his
occupation from mill work to hoeing
potatoes is principally drinking cider.
That part of Kennebec county in
which Winthrop is located is noted
for it's fine orchards and immense pro-
duction Of apples and cider, so Uncle
Bragdon is favorably located for graft
flying his appetite. The story of his
bargain with the widow is the best of
many told about him, and not only a.
comical yarn, but true one.
The widow in question had a great
pile of wood in her doorway, and
Uncle Bragdon was hired at so much
to saw and pile it. He soon began to
ask for cider, and the widow, who
had, like everyone else in Winthrop,
a cellar full, favored the old mans
whim until he had emptied keg or
two, and then, by agreement, she be-
gan to charge a small price per GAL
Ion. The wood-sawing went on, with
drink of cider for punctuation be-
tween every two sticks, and the
widow kept tally.
When the job was done the widow
and Uncle Bragdon figured up and for
fact he had drank so much cider
that he owed the widow $3.50.