The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-09-04

writer. He lived somewhere north
from where Ursina now is, and was in
the habit of paying rather frequent
periodical visits to acquaintance in the
neighborhood of ofPetersburg. He would
start from his home in the morning,
vending his way slowly, 80 as to reach
Basil Birds's about eleven o'clock, at
which time they had dinner, and
whose table is noted for its plentiful
supply of good, well-cooked provender,
and where he would lay i'm by no
means small supply, and from there
he would go down the hill, half
mile, to Capt. Glisan's, whose dinner
was somewhat later than Birds,
where he would dine the second time,
and, after bidding the family an affec-
tionate adieu, he would proceed up the
| hill half mile tn Lot Watson's
whose dinner hour was later than Capt.
Glisan's. The third dinner was des-
patched here, when the old man inva-
riably headed for the home of the
writer's parents, whose dinner always
came later than any of the rest, some
where near o'clock. Then the fourth
repast would be partaken of; and, APP
parently, if there had been any more
farm-houses at which he could have
successively dined, Jones could have
been ready. He evidently, Alexander
like sighed, not for more worlds to con-
quOr, but for more dinners to eat The
writer remembers a circumstance that
happened i'm his boyhood days at the
Jersey Church." in which Jones was
the principal actor. Capt. Sanner, of
Somerset, and J. III. Hoblitzell, of
Meyersdale will doubtless remember the
occasion referred TO. IL was on Sept.
10th, 1859, long before the Railroad was
completed, or Ursina and Confluence
were in existence when a Union Pic
nic was held at Jersey" Everybody
and his girl were there. The Brass
Band from Petersburg was on hand,
and the managers were DIR. Rogers, j.
H. Hoblitzell and Il. +. Fear, all of
whom lived in Harnedsville. Ofcourse,
Jones was there, as he was never
known To miss an opportunity To fill his
stomach. He evidently thought, as
friend of the writer's used to say :
"Belly better burst than waste good
victuals - and he never wasted good
victuals, or victuals not so good, as far
as is known at this writing.
On occasions of this kind, you must
always say the table 'groaned'' with
good things, just as you say, in de-
scribing hail-stones, that they were as
''large as hens eggs" anyhow, on this |
occasion there was plenty to eat, and |
there were, or would have been frag- |
ments enough to fill a good many bask- |
cts. The managers determined that |
for once Jones should have enough TO |
eat, so they set him down, or rather |
stood him, by the table, the first one,
and began TO nil him up. They piled
everything promiscuously around him;
ham, beef, chickens, turkeys, bread and |
butter, pies, cakes, and everything ever |
seen or thought of; but Jones was equal |
to the task. He literally ate his way |
through it all and when the first table |
was done, and the second came on, he |
took fresh hold, and seemed a good
"a new. His wants were again sup |
piled rs before, and as those who oc-
cupied the second table, went away |
satisfied, he still ate. The third table |
stood up, and Jones' capacious stomach
was, IA yet, unsatisfied, for he was
eating rs though he had only COM
menced. Finally, when everybody |
had eaten, and was satisfied, he began
to grow weary, or, at least seemed to |
be unable to eat any more ; and the |
last the writer ever saw of him was |
when he wended his way wearhy up |
the hill towards his home, laden with |
remnants of the feast for the next day. |
Everybody in Somerset County near
ly, must have known Samuel Beachy. |
He was frequent visitor to Petersburg, |
and he always kept fat horses and good |
ones, particularly an extra fine grey |
mare he used to ride. He was always |
warning people with whom he was
talking ''to keep dark, and propound-
ing the question whether everything |
was sdtisfdcieRdum. Once he was i'll |
Petersburg, and some time after dark |
he started 10 90 home, riding the grey |
mare: becoming bewildered, he, instead |
of taking the Turkeyfoot road, went |
down the pike, and turned to the left, |
and rode through a half dozen farms, |
and came out on the pike again, after
daylight next morning. He said after
wards that he had no idea where he |
was going, but, when he came to
fence, if the mare could not jump it, or |
find low place, he laid it down care
fully, and rs carefully put it up again.
All these men, Notwithstanding their
eccentricities, were good lawabiding cit
izens, and were members of the great |
mass going to make up the citizen
ship of this great country.
In our own township we had our
share of characters, some of whom have
been mentioned in these papers.
Squire Roddy was as well known in
Somerset, indeed, better in some re-
spects, than at home. He was man
of unimpeachable integrity, and had
friends wherever went. If the wealth
er was very dry, and the Squire cut
his grass, everyone said rain was sure
to follow and if he made trip to
Somerset, it mattered not how brightly
the sun shone, people began to hunt
their rubber coats and umbrellas. On
one occasion, when there was pro-
longed drought, and the Squire did
not come to Somerset, some one
brought suit against him, and sent for
him. The Squire, wondering what
malfeasance he was guilty of, dropped
everything and went to Somerset and
was told of his dereliction and the
drought; and, behold, ''they say" it
rained in torrents that very night and
the 'Squire's reputation was safe.
Addison, Pa. NJ.
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