The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-06-19
Quaint Characters Of Addison,

QuGllll GiIdidGlGlS Vi huIlISUlll
Mention has been made OF Dr. Muck
enhauPt, Is being 4 character among the
many who resided here. We had anoth-
er doctor named Snyder, who came here
some years af;er Muckenhaupt, from
Eastern Maryland, who, in his way, was
of peculiar makeup.
lie is said 20 have understood medicine
thoroughly for his day, and was particu-
larly successful in treating typhoid fever.
On one occasion he had treated one oi
our citizens for thal disease until he was
practically well, needing nothing but
careful nursing and dieting. The patient,
contrary TO orders, ate something that
was forbidden, and, of course, got sick.
The doctor was sent for, and, after hay-
ing been told what the patient had done,
said: ''let him die and be ID; | will
do nothing more for him." but, Fortunate
| ly, the patient did not Jie. So careful and
clearly was this doctor, that, If he were
riding alorg the road and wanted chew
| Of tobscco, he would wait until he came
90 water trough or stream, when he
would alight, wash his hands, take his
chew. and. aitcr washing them again,
would resume his journey. Sometimes
he would be Sent FOR 10 see a sick person,
and after promising the messenger he
would be along soon, would not % at all.
Then, sometimes he wouid go to see 4
patient, and stay with him until he got
well, neglectiEg his other patients; at
other times he woGId be very attentive
to all and pay his visits regularly.
The doctor had faculty of making
money, and, in his industrious moods,
would accumulate good deal, and at
times, had considerable property He
married late in life girl hardly one
third his age. After this he became 50
indifferent that he would scarcely visit a
patient at all. His father-in-law conclud-
ed 20 go west, and the doctor and his wife
were going along. Some one inquired
how he was going. lie replied: Il 20 not
know how Barney Dewitt i going. bat
- for nlc and ifis. S. der, ne are going
in the COACH Once he was boarding al
landlord, and in telling Of it afterwards
said he had given the landlord few
effec.ual kicks and left the establish
nent" He had peculiar voice that
made his funny sayings and epigrams
s)nud more fanny than the mere recital
ctn. Another citizen whose ecccntrici-
ties v ere known all over the country was
bat very pugnacious, and often imbibed
pretty freely, which he did rather fire.
quently. lie WAS ready for anything
that turned up, fight, foot race or fun
once he made a be: with some one that
no person could lift his head from the
floor by pulling at his ears, the person to
stand ;tstride of him, and he lie on the
fioor The man who was to do the pail
ing put rosin on his fingers, and COM
menced 10 pull. Enfcli's ears began to
stretch and crack, but such was his grit
and stubbornness that, persons present
said, he would actually have allowed his
ears to he pulled off his head before he
would have said Il word. The bystand
ers compelled him to get up from the floor.
Enfield was not often without a law
salt OH hand. Once he sued a nan nam
ed Piper before Esquire Frey. in Somer-
field. Piper did no; like him very well,
and when the 'Squire's back was turned
moment, Piper struck Enfield blow
tha. knocked him down and made his
nose bleed on the 'Squire's carpet. The
Squire was a very fistidiOus man, who
cared more for his soiled carpet than he
did for the dignity of his court, although
ne WAS much aggrieVel al that also. \
fight was imminent in the 'Squire's office,
in which Piper knew he would come out
second best. So he apoiOgized to the
Squire by saying he was making gest-
urcs in talking, when Enfield came 50
ci iose that he happened 10 strike him.
4 man came to this place once named
Kylar, who had been among the Indians
and claimed 10 bc able To. aud, most
likely coald. speak the language. En-
field said he cnuld talk Indian too. So
Kylar commenced, and Enfield replied
in any kind of jargOn Inc could think OF,
and, of course, neither understood the
other Enfield swore kylar eould not
talk Indian, and Il fight was soon on.
Enfield had a habit of putting his face
close To any one he was talking to, es-
peeially when drunk, aud once he was in
Il very earnest conversation with another
IN in. and was drinking at the same time.
The other man protested against his
blowing the tobacco smoke in his face.
l.. Il.
fling great clouds in the other mans face,
saying: ''yust rs you blease, neighbor,
yust rs you bleaSe." Another man lived
in Petersburg a long time named Spauld-
ing. He presented the rather strange
anomaly Of being regular blue-bellied
Yankee, rock-ribbed Democrat and a
red-hot abOlitionist. lie took especially
good care of the cemeteries. calling on
any one who had friends buried, in eth
er. TO come on set days and help clean
| things up, threatening them with ex-
communication in ease they did not
come. In cold weather he liked 10 as
cend some hill aud inhale as much cold
air as possible, and it seemed To- do him
good. for he never was known Ia be sick.
| lie would draw all the air into his lungs
| he possibly could. and blow il ont like
an engine, with peculiar snorting sound.
He always wore low cut shoes in winter
as well as summer, and a shad-belly coat.
| He was the first person in town II know
when berries were ripe, and could be
seen any time. at break of day, vending
his way TO some berry patch, as long as
the season would last. He never missed
a funeral service any where within reach,
and was always the first on hand, al
though he did not attend any other re-
| lieioas services ut the churches. He was
of kindly. sunny disposition, well liked
by young and old. and when he dropped
out of our lives we felt friend and we'll
wisher to all had gone, and the places
that knew him once knew him no more
forever. While he was peculiar and ec-
centric, his good qualities, as is usually
the case, ovorcame whatever bad there
may have been.
In the early part Of the century an ec-
| centric old German. named Stein. lived