The sun., 1893-06-04
RAvAGING INSECT HOSTS
DRIVE PENysYLTANIA MFNNoNlrEs
FROM HOUSE AND HOME
Exypt's Plague or Itee Revivod-Cioth and
Book BindinCs Their Chosen Diet-As
Old Bonust Frame Caused All the Trouble.


book Bindiur. Their Cho-ea Diet-A,
Old Bonsst Frame Caused All the Trouble
LANCASTER. June 3-John Snyder is prom
inent member OF the Mennonite community
in Ephrata township. this county. There are
no Mennouitcs who are n OF we'll TO do. There
are few Mennonites who are not rich. All are
proverbIal for the exceeding cleanliness and
neatness OF their premises. both inside aud
ont. They ming!e but li.tle with the outer
world. No matter how we'll of Men
nonito farmer may DO. tho natural thrift
OF his family invariably induces Its
members to lose no opportunity to
earn an honest penny for themselves.
Prompted by this feeling. one of Farmer John
Spyder's daughters learned the trade Of mil
liner. and ome time ago opened shop In her
fathers horse TO carry on that business for
hersel. II Miss SNYDER bad had in view the
patronage tn at was to come from her Mennon-
ite sisters It is doubtful II she woulG have
started In tIe millinery business. for tho Mem
noni,e sisters have nothing t. do with the
fashion and flrbelow o. worldly adornment.
One bonnet. OF tho simple Shaker pattern.
will do n Mennonite IN siden for year and a
Mennonite m atron for tn o rest Of her lifetime
But there are other maic ems aud matrons In
that vicinity who are not Mennonites. and
have all the vanities OF their sex. 1t was
for their behoof and the money that she
up in the millinery business II the theory to
account for something that is causing the
people OF Ephrata and adJoin Ing townships
TO compare thu EN- selves with ths pestered peo-
pIe OF Egypt in the days o. Pharaoh is
correct. 1t was a sad day for herself.
her family. and for Lancaster county
when Miss Snyder set out to be boss
milliner Ono day. some weeks aao. thrifty
housewife OF Ephrata township opened an old
A. A,l i,Ao lpip n
years. tightly closed. She found no treasure
in it. An antiQuated but physically sound
bonnet frame was oil she found. 1t was too
good to be wasted. and she Immediately sent
It to Miss Snydes's millinery store to have 1t
remodelled and m odernized and made into
new Sunday bonnet. A few hours later Miss
Snyder took UP the frame to fashion it accord
ing to the prevailing style thersabouts- She
threw II on the floor the next instant. and OK
claimed. In good Pennsylvania Dutch:
Der Hut ist volier tl4heH'
Which rendered into English Is. The bon
net Is full OF heas."
were within hearing hurriedly TO the spot 10,
bonnet full of tieas was somsthine that had
within the memory OF the oldest ,communi-
can't And this bonnet was truly full and run
onY rns Of fr strange % insects The ,swarmine bon
nSt franc was quickly bundled out St Sst the
sssn. asssS .ns such e tSs asssd .ss
had escaped from it and were ssraS-
Cling In all directions scross the noor: i"
but In less than twenty-iour hours the snyder
household discovered that enough Of them
short time with hungry horde OF inv aiding in
eects. They were in every nook and Granny
drawers places where books were Kept, and
the beds and bedding OF the house. They
boldly sWarmed on N en-. women. and children
to feed on shirts or linen underc!othing they
The insects quickly made their fondness for
bo0k 3 Sy sa1g awsE the paste or sa
shoMsd Sr the oeath or
sweate.s inside Of hats, end did mot mot Ts, fGt
on it The Mennonite hat is OF 6iack ielt. with
very Wids ortm an and . very TX, low h erSwn. avn
as the insects continued to be called. dotted on
the interior Of Menn9nit;e, hat until one
sRss Kitchen Tsa oven Dry When an hoaP
ing up from behind the sweat oand OF the hat.
tumbiiny out oyer the top in squads, and racing
beat Of the oven had apparently not been con-
dueive to their comfort as they mined away
to 500 what was the matter. Farmer snyder
closed the oven door and cremated the hat
This was the first actual removal of any ex-
traordinary number Of the in sin uatinc insects:
but Is they were RAPIDLY taking possession OF
inside OF his house with coal oil that would
ceilings from celiarto roof with coal oil. using
two barrels Of it The Insects &C. seemed to enjoy
left In their raids on beds. linen. Closets, bureau
to I
from his walls and ceilings. rip up his floors
AM dsmolish his partitions and rebuild tho
By. this time people had begun to ,shun the
was imminoSs The % Snyder % family ast; h rans eapts
to their meeting house to w9rship and there
hSy saw OF II.
sppFGGachoS Or passing by So when Farmer
fSs os BSs
don brother when he is in trouble.
among them. but humber OF thsI btethren
got together and went to Farmer sRyder's aid
iumisatsd for days wit b Burning sulphur. "1n the
family having j. abandoned the house and
sufiocating smoke. which entered every crack |
sa 'ns 5 5dn hs s'
tSS snS out their
70 garret, and made the house new inside. All |
soaeoS IN 70
Then fhs, SNYDER Household TOOK ,possessioa
that they were rid OF the pests. 1t cost Farm |
or Snyder nearly 81 ,OOU to evict them.
But the good brsthren who aided in bring |
ing about this pleasant result soon found that |
the fieas, as they were still called. had sought
revenge for their ruthless uphousing. Next |
day. after the work at Snyder's was done. !
every man who had taken part in 1t made the |
appalling discovery that his own house |
had been taken possession OF by tho insects. |
and that they were playing havoc there Just |
As they had been doing At Synder's. A dozen |
houses within a circuit OF three or fouS miles |
were infested With them. More than that,
dale. and tho residence OF the Rev. Elias Nolt. |
the pastor; The neieh6orho2d now became
Pan EksS; an,S Ro.rin ne S eaarehl lo, was closed
thing with starch in it. Men. women. aud
childen IN that vicinity clothed themselves in
mont Of coarse cloth, but the men GeDer-
Ally are wearing a. pair Of trousers
days the infested premises have been
kept. constantly fumigatcd with sulphur.
but the insects not only hold their own. but
are apreading. Merchants are closing their |