The Newtown bee., 1891-05-01
An Interesting Scrap Book.

All 4utcI tAusS 6SAhP oooh'
 As no man is so we'll qualified to speak of Newtown's past as eX-Town Clerk Peck, now our strongest link to that hon. ored period, so no man is so well equip ped with material for it's proper exposit- ion. This is illustrated by an interesting scrap book that he has filled from his store for his son, Arthur T. Nettleton of St. Paul. It opens with copy book, 2 written in a beautiful hand and illustrat- ed with scrolls and pen sketches by Al fred Blackman in 1921. This is it's open ing prayer:
 Grant may ever, at the morning ray,
 Open with prayer the consecrated day;
 Tune Thy great praise and bid my soul arise And with the mounting sun ascend the skies; As that advances, let my zeal improve
 And glow with ardor of consummate love;
 Nor cease at eve, but, with the setting sun,
 My endless worship shall be still begun.
 Here is one of the earliest records in regard to NewtOwn as town, tax of a penny an acre laid upon Newtown lands by General Assembly held at New Ha- ven, October l4, TIA, for further encour- agement for the settlement of this will derness. Here is quaint bit of blue law history in fines imposed by Justice of the Peace David Baldwin of $3 34 and costs, December l6, 1799, on Enoch Johnson and Nehemiah Hard, who complained against themselves for violating State statute in playing cards at the house of Eli Wheeler. Half the fine went to the 1f n,,I o1nx in 1902, in which similar fines were i'm posed on Eli Hard, Abner Beardsley and Abram B. Ferris, one of the grand jurors making the complaint was Micajah Nash, grandfather of c. H. Peck. My, how fat the town treasury would be now if all card players paid at that rate for the privilege. Far off Texas is represented here in a passport granted William F. Chapman by her minister to England in 1913, when the Lone Star State was an independent republic. Another page bears an original Revolutionary pension claim granted March g. ISIS; d pension pay ment of 1850 is shown, made to Peter Fairchild grandfather of Mrs C. Ii. Peck. The account of an execution at Danbury in 1877 is taken from the Bridgeport Farmer; more than l3, 1000 people gather ed to see Amos, negro, hung for rape. A deed of d Newtown slave, the negro boy Ned, bought of Lemuel Sherman in 17S7 for f1O, is given. The rigidity of ancient statutes is shown by State law requiring selectmen to see that each fam fly had a Bible, or, if they neglected to do so, to report the offenders for punish ment.
 And all such families are numerous, and whose circumstances will allow thereof, shall be supplied with Bibles according to the num- Der of persons of capacity to use the same in such families; and with a suitable number of orthodox catechisms and other good books of practical godliness and the like.
 And the constables and grand jurymen in the respective towns shall, on the evenings after the Lords day and other public days of religious solemnity walk the street and duly search all places suspected for harboring or entertaining any people or persons assembled contrary to law.
 Newtown was evidently as strict as the rest of them then, for in 1877 John Beers was arrested for driving cattle through ZOar on the Christian Sabbath or Lord s Day" In 1907, Curtis and John Tomlin- son and William Hale of Oxford were ar rested for hunting for d raccoon on Sun day in Ragged Corner. The final dis in 17S2, discharging 'all my petitioners and every of them from all rates and taxes that is or ever hath been due to me on account of my preaching" is an inter- esting document. The wild cat days of depreciated bank bills is recalled by S5 counterfeit on Vermont bank, with an affidavit made by Jared Brace in Vei- gennes in 1910 that it was counterfeit. A number of these State bills are given here. The oldest document in the book New Haven, October II, I'll, establish ing the figure as the brand for New town horses and granting Newtown town privileges, John Platt of Newtown, Capt John Hawley and Benjamin Sherman ot Stratford, James Beebe and Thomas Tay. 3 Tor of Danbnry having just laid the first divisions of land for the proprietors. Al most as ancient is document signed by Rev Thomas Tousey, the first minister releasing the town from a previous agree ment to still pay his salary of EGO year even though unable to work on account of sickness, infirmity or age. The bool has illustrations as well, including Ger Grant when in the army and Mir Peel himself holding the old wooden blow tha has been such an interesting part of his collection. The famous blue laws art given in full, with many of the laws act ually passed, like that fining all persons not attending church on Sunday, unles! for some good reason, three shillings Pictures of the first locomotive, passen ger train and steamboat show how prim tive they were. Time tables are giyef of the Housatonic road in 1S43, the yea that mail agent was first placed on th' road, which show two trains each wa. daily, one passenger, the other freight The former left Bridgeport at 12 15 p n } and reached West Stockbridge, the north , ern terminus, at 6 45; the freight lief Bridgeport at 6 30 a m and reached Wes ? Stockbridge at 5 15 m. Going south : the freight passed Newtown at II 50 : m, the freight at 90 m. This by n r means includes all the contents of thi ? valuable collection, in whose ownershi
 Mir Nettleton is to be envied.