The Newtown bee., 1894-12-21
VIEWPOINT, CONN, BEE.
 FRIDAY DEC. 21. 1894 lANuARY 1, 1882 6lO LAST WEEK. 3400
 BEE 
Litchfield County News.
WASHINGTON.

WASHINGTON.
 l TIMES AS THEY USED TO BE. Among the older residents of the town there are few who can give more inter- esting "reminiscences of Htimes as they used to be- than Merchant E. J. Hurl- burt. Twenty-Five years ago he carried on about the only store in this part of the town, while to-day with about the same population there are eight. MT Hurlburt in those early days, and before the advent of the railroad, used to make weekly trips to New Haven, the route being via Hotchkissville, Oxford, Sey- says that often in those days he would carry off S3 hogs in week. He remem- bers buying hog of George Logan for $lO0 and selling it in New Haven to Daniel Merrills for $105. This pork re- | tailed at 2S cents a pound. In those days every farmer had big pen of pork, and it was calculated that s"Ras" would I have lem. MT Hurlburt went along per- | sonally in these trips and in 20 years scarcely missed trip. In single week | he would carry off as high as 50 live MT Hurlburt carried off one load on a Monday consisting of 25O0 pounds of | poultry. Arriving home on Thursday he went again with $500 pounds of | poultry. having four horses. Mir Hurl- | burt's store was the trading center of the town, and he carried off to market every | thing that was raised. At the time of | the Centennial celebration in Woodbury, MT Hurlburt bought a heavy wagon of Harmon Baldwin. He had six large horses attached to the wagon, when Simeon Mitchell, then one of the leading farmers in town, came along and re- marked, ''well, 'Ras. there's 5000 worth of horses" MT Hurlburt afterwards sold the wagon to Charles Mason, who drew some of the first ties for the She- paug road with it. MT Mason sold it to Merrill Fenn, who still has the trucks in use. Twenty-Five years ago or so MT Hurlburt used to buy his flour in Pon- tiac, Mich. One time he ran out of flour, SO hitching up two teams he brought over 30 barrels. One man from Foot vile was so anxious to get barrel that he drove part way to New Milford, near Millington's, where he got his flour and turned round and started for Morris. He was lucky, for it was all gone a few hours after the teams arrived at MT Hurl- burt's store. Speaking of the way the trade used to keep his clerks jumping in those days he said they would put up $50 worth of the old fashioned Demarrer sugar in packages and by 9 o'clock it would be all gone. But times have changed. A village has sprung up at the Depot, and now many stores divide the trade. MT Hurlburt sits philosophi- cally by, takes what trade happens to come his way, and in quietness and peace is passing the last years of his life.
 CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH NOTES.
 The Sunday school is planning to unite with that of the Episcopalian church for the festivities of Christmas eve. The church will be trimmed up this week. s Last Sunday evening union services were held at the Methodist church at the Depot. There was a large attendance and an interesting meeting. The preach ing service was preceded by Union Christian Endeavor service, led by Arthur Titus.
 The annual meeting of the church is to be held on Thursday, January 3. The meeting will commence at II o'clock in the morning, when the business will be attended to. This is the quadrennial meeting, SO that election of deacons and other church officers will come up.
 In connection with this meeting there will be roll call of the members of the church at which it will be endeavored to get some answer or information from every name on the roll. This will be followed by sociable reunion of church members, and also of the members of the society. The ladies will provide noon
 lunch for the better enjoyment of this feature of the day. In the afternoon at ? o'clock there will be services held pre- paratory to the Lords Supper, which will be administered on the first Sunday of January. This will make Thursday. January 3, a full day for the members of the church.
 THE CHAMPION SELLERS.
 An interesting spelling match was held in the East street school house, last Thursday. The contestants from Miss Peacock's school in Calhoun street were Mary Bacon, Joseph Whitehead, Gustave Dahlstrom, Charles Anderson, Burtheell FoulOis, Emma Rydean, Grace Chase, FL len Ericsson, Lucy Whitehead and Flor ence Foulois. Those from MT Clark's school were Pearl Hollister, Delbert Gee, Helen Seeley, Florence Futile, Earl See ley, Seth Logan, Robert Hollister, Edna Futile, George Hollister and Daeie New ton. Maj Kingman of Calhoun street gained decided victory with three girls, Misses Dacie Newton, Pearl HollisLer and Florence Futile, still standing and now waiting to be spelled down by any school in town.
 hOMFOhDs
 There is to be Christmas celebration in the schoolhouse, Friday evening, in which Christmas tree will take the principal part.
 Jacob Ziegler is being visited by mis- fortunes this winter. He is still confined to the house with rheumatism and a glandular swelling under his arm. And Monday he lost his horse which got into a meal barrel and ate so much corn meal that it had to be killed after it had gotten down and lacerated and banged itself badly in it's agony of indigestion. Mrs Jerome Wedge is in Warren with her daughter, Mrs Arden Tanner. Mrs 1 Frank Powers has returned home. Mrs Ellen Blake has returned to Water town and Guy c. Ford is on the lookout | for h0usekeeper.
 If some of the owners of idle capital would come here they could enter into almost any kind of business and find no competition. If by good fortune that business should be the manufacturing of | cigars, snuff, etc, they would fiUd a bountiful supply of the raw material | ready for them which they could pur- chaae very reasonably.
 MASONIC NOTES