The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-12-16

| since.
REEVES American band Of Providence.
X. l., the oldest In continuous service In the
United States, will give a concert this even
ing, and ought to pack Blanchard Opera.
house to the standing-room limit. ID. w.
Reeves, the most famous composer Of
marches In this country, and probably the
world, will conduct the band in person.
MIR; Reeves compositions are full of virility
and rhythmic swing. He composed the cell
ebrated Might Alarm" which the Mont
pelier band has rendered with excellent
effect on several occasions. Now, don't let
bad weather or anything else keep you from
attending the concert tonight.
THERE has been considerable music. the
past week, in the Wheeler household on East
| State street, to judge from external appear
ances About three weeks ago Mrs. Wheeler
appeared on the front stoop arrayed for a
| journey, even to the bird-cage She lei
surely drew on her gloves, glanced up and
down the street, and walked off. In the
| house, alone, was left an adopted child The
| kidlet behaved quite well, however, until
the arrival OF Mr.: Wheeler, when it was
| given in charge of Ellen Allen About
week ago Mrs Wheeler suddenly appeared
and demanded the child. Ellen refused to
| give II up, and the woman snatched it away
| from her. II was promptly snatched back
when Mr.. Wheeler appeared and if 1t has
not been "replevined" since is safely in
charge OF its adopted papa. Mrs. Wheeler
! created quite commotion, last Monday, by
her loud talk and louder actions on East
State street. She was bound to have that
| child, but at last advices had not succeeded
JOHN KELLY, who works on the farm OF
| Irving Sparrow, near the junction, attended
the dime theater, last Saturday evening
The tragedy part of the play preyed on his
mind, and he plunged into a saloon and
took drink. Every time he thought Of
the sufferings of the heroine he took another
drink, so that when midnight approached,
he was just able to toddle. His brother
took him to the farm and left him at the
gate, supposing he could find his own way
into bed. Instead, Kelly apparently wan
dered down the track, for the early morn
! ing train struck him in the bridge just be-
| low the farm cutting off one leg below
the knee. He had apparently laid down
near the track to rest, with one leg over the
rail, and 1t was mere chance that he had not
| laid down with his body across the track.
When the train struck Kelly, the engineer
and fireman suspected something wrong,
and went back The injured man was
taken to the Sparrow farm, and Drs. Kemp
and Chandler summoned. The mangled
leg was amputated few inches below the
knee. There was also a cut on the mans
head, presumably caused by fall. Since
year ago last August, Kelly is the third
Montpelier man who has lost leg on the
railroad while drunk.
THE Unitarian fair, last Thursday and
| Friday, was such an unqualified, dazzling
success that the ladies have not yet re-
covered from their pleasant surprise. Just
think-over $500 taken in, and about $3.50
of that clear profit. " am afraid" smiled
one of the ladies' &" that we have established
a bad precedent" The fair opened Thurs
day afternoon with a delightful tea. The
vestry was thronged all the afternoon by
people who seemed determined to make the
fair a notable success. The candy table was
a splendid feature, and netted over $50,
while the time-honored fancy table aston
ished itself by earning about $50. The
voting on the telephone privilege was quite
spirited, Mrs. Henry Fullerton being the
winner. One of the most enjoyable features
was the lunch which opened Fridays pro-
ceedings. Oyster stews, coffee and pie (old-
fashioned kind) disappeared completely be-
tween noon and two o'clock. Aunt Sarah's
doughnuts," Aunt Jemimas pumpkin
pie," etc, were all there. This lunch was
supplemented by serving coffee and sanCi-
wiches between five and six o'clock. Moth
ing was left when the fair closed, except a
few dolls and the remains of ham sand
wich. We almost forgot to mention one Of
the most important incidents of the fair,
the voting of a negro doll to E. d. Hyde, as
the handsomest man in the Unitarian
church. 1t was happy choice. Friday
evening, Howells' farce, The Albany De-
pot" was presented. Those people who
insist on finding Howells entertaining en-
joyed the literary qualities of the farce, but
most of the audience expended their praise
on the care and pains which the young ac-
tors devoted to their rather tedious mate
rials. j. Eli Goodenough personated Mr.
Roberts; Miss Laura l.. Ropes, Mrs Rob-
erts; George X Putnam, Willis Campbell;
Miss Emma Cutler, Mrs. Campbell C. f.
Wilson, clever impersOnation of Council
man McIlheny; Mrs. j. Eli Goodenough,
Mrs. McIlheny; Mrs. o. II. Richardson, the
cook, and Will c. Berry, the porter. The
boys say the girls did better than they did
so we will take their word for it.
A WELL. KNOWN figure passed out of the
active business life Of Montpelier, on De-
cember |, when Storrs l.. Howe turned over
his books and papers to e. w. Thompson,
and retired as station agent at Montpelier
for the Central Vermont railroad. Mr..
Howe was born in Royalton, December I,
1920, and spent his boyhood on farm.
Montpelier first knew him in 1854, when he
was installed as clerk at the station under
John w. Hobart, his brorher-in-law, and
until recently the general manager of the
road. Four years later, Mr. Hobart was
called to higher honors, and Mr.. Howe sue
ceeded him as station agent. The WATCH
MAN representative chatted with Mr.. Howe,
recently, at his pleasant home on Baldwin
street. Away from the hustle of the town,
it afforded quiet that was always con-
genial to Mr.. Howe's nature, and also 10
the taste of the late Principal Gorham, who
amiably insisted on boarding with him for
several years. Mr.. Howe, despite his
seventy-one years, is still vigorous man.
His blue eyes smiled benignly upon the
changes which time had wrought during his
tenure of the station agency here. Yes,
there has been great transformation during
the past thirty years. said Mr.. Howe.
"The station and its surroundings are
very different from what they were when
began work as clerk under Mr.. Hobart
Then the track ran where the gentlemen's
waiting-room and the baggage-room are
now situated. In 1880 the passenger sta
tion was remodeled and the present COM
modious quarters obtained. In my early
days at the station, Montpelier was the big
gest shipping station on the road. 1t was
the central point for all the country round
about, and all the week long there rolled
into Montpelier a constant stream OF four
six and eight-horse teams. The building of
the White River branch and the Montpelier
x Wells River railroad naturally cut into
this heavy business, but the great lumber
and granite industries of recent years have
enabled Montpelier not only TO hold her
own, but TO increase. State street looked
more like the main thoroughfare of new
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