Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-08-09

1t is quite well kept, the entries being in
the usual form of reference to day-boOk,
and being mostly in the hand of clerk,
except the settlements, which are largely
in DR.. w. p. Russel's own hand. This |
account with John Daniels commences
on page $50 in 1917, is transferred to page
PA, and is settled February 2, 1850. The
following items, constituting this settle
ment. are in the handwriting of DR.. W.
p. Russell, viz:
Debtor side.
Feb. ,, to cash on note endorsed, s25 90
" bill from store book, I3 50
" " to note to balance, ~ Il
Footed. s2ll 90
Credit Side.
Feb. End, 1850
Error in charge OF Aug. 81, ls47, - 90
Balance OF J. Daniels acct, > Il
By one bay horse, l75 90
Feb. I'd, $50, interest on horse, %
tFooted) s2ll 90
This was beginning to be interesting.
There could be no doubt but that the bay
horse was Flying Morgan. He did not
get into the account till February ,, 1850
when Ethan Allen was over seven months
OLD. But it appears that the horse had
been delivered before the entry was
made, by the item of three dollars for
" interest on horse 1t would take three
and one-half months nearly for SIS to
draw three dollars of interest SO this
item indicates that it was in the fall of
1919 that FLYING Morgan was delivered
to DR.. Russell. and that it was the season
of 1850 that he had him in Iales hands.
Just where Mr.. Yale's half interest came
in does not appear, but it is beyond ques-
ton that he did have the horse, and
doubtless at the halves, the season that
DR.. Russell owned him. And Mr.. Yale
is right in saying that the horse was pur-
chased of Daniels in 1919, but it was in
the fall instead of spring He was also
right in another statement that he has
made to me, in which | have always
thought he must be mistaken, and that
is that it was his strong impression that
the season that he had Flying Morgan
Ethan Allen was year old.
This was very well as far as it went,
and was sufficient alone to settle forever
the fact that Flying Morgan could not,
while owned by DR.. Russell, have begot-
ten Ethan Allen, because Ethan was
foaled before DR.. Russell ever had any
thing to do with Flying Morgan. But
we were anxious TO get further informa-
ton. There was no account with Har-
vey Yale save a small one prior to 1917.
And the day books that went with this
ledger had not been found. So, after
dinner. DR.. Russd and | repaired to the
garnet on Seymour street. This garrett is
not nice place for recreation of IA sum-
mer afternoon; the elder DR.. Russell had
been proprietor of a drug store, and had
been postmaster as well; and here. I'M
der sweltering roof, in dim garnet,
lighted and ventilated only by single
| little window at the end, were piled in
dust and confusion the refuse and re-
mains of the store and other business,
bottles, packages, drugs, medicines, rus
ty surgical instruments, human bones
and dirt; temperature about right to
brown a turkey. In an old desk we
found the doctors visiting lists, pocket
size, but they only extended back to 1900
We dug up in some boxes the store books
covering this period, but they were not
in the hand of DR.. Russell, contained no
account with Yale, and were of no inter-
est. We were beginning to get trifie
warm, and remarked to the genial doc
tor that he was drenched with perspra-
ton. "Drenched," replied the Disguised
doctor; IL assure you | never was dryer
in my life"
We had now got to the bottom of the
last box and had found nothing, when
the doctor commenced rummaging a rub
bish heap to find an old parchment peck
ct book containing accounts on slips of
paper, which he did find, and which we
examined without result; but in this
search he also unearthed another pile of
books, among them stout leather coy
cred day book marked journal G." and
running from January l, lS47, to May 4,
1851, This journal is filled complete and
the entries are almost without exception
in the handwriting Of DR.. w. p. Russell.
1t was his journal as physician and con-
tains his daily charges and receipts as
such, during the entire period covered
thereby. Moreover, by a fortunate Cir
cumstance, 1t is a complete daily history