The Newtown bee., 1895-05-24

| date 1923. It seems at that time farmers al put their sheep into big flock of say about a thousand sheep. A shepherd was hired to care for them and for every night during the summer the farmers used to bid for the privilege of having the sheep lie on some of their poor land. At the close of the season they balanced up and this particular year dividend of eight cents and two mills was declared on each sheep, so that the farmers had had their sheep cared for all the season without cost and were paid dividend on each sheep besides. From some rec ords in his possession it was also seen that at one time Newtown had band. This was in 1883 and was
 MADE UP OF THE FOLLOWING MEN:
 Josiah B. Fairchild and Charles Seeley each played Kent bugle, Anmon Will Hams a serpent, William Prindle base horn, Edmond Fairchiid trumpet, Isaac Blackman and Peter Nash cornet horn, Edward Bailey, Sidney Middlebrooks, Elijah Terrill, Orrin Stillson, William Sommers and Benjamin Glover clarionet, George B. Sanford piccolo, Elias Beers, James B. Beers and Peter Fairchild flute, William Scudder base drum. In thoss days Bridgeport had to send to Newtown for it's band of music and the band was on an excursion train to that city when the train ran off the tracks into pile of wood, in the year lS40.
 A paper bearing the account of Joseph Wheeler for services as first selectman | in 1919 would make the tax payers of | this generation smile. For that year it cost the town just BPS .09 for his services and he seemed to have spent good deal of his time seeing to the towns affairs, too. Another paper in his possession | would console the sidewalk advocates for it seems in 1928 the town didn't build | any walks, but subscription paper of | that date tells of how the first walk in town was laid at cost of $162 "A and the small flag stones which were used were drawn here from the Mine Hill quarry in Roxbuly.
 | Of his collection of old firearms and swords he prizes most highly sword his grandfather, Dan Peck, used to own and use at time when he was captain of the militia here, some D years ago. There Is also in the collection a sword {, two pistols and shoulder epaulette used when there was a company of cavalry here in the year 1888. Several old flint locks of historic values brace of pistols, swords, bayonets, some powder flAsks that date way back, and quite quantity of perfect Hints such as were used in the guns for which they were made.
 OF HIS MISCELLANEOUS
 | articles 1t would be a hard task to give details but perhaps few that make the most impression on visitors will be of interest. For instance take the arti- cles he has that have successively fol. lowed each other by which light has | been secured. First there is the old flint and steel. This method of getting fire is | very, very old, and next is the taper, | small iron basin in which grease was put and into which rag was put and lighted. This is followed by series of very interesting candle sticks of tin and stone, and small tin lamp called the petticoat lamp, which was first used on the introduction of whale oil as fuel for securing light. But it seems to have never been very popular, tbis lamp, for the odor coming from it did not make 1t pleasant companion in the room. MT Peek has quite an array of Indian relies, many of which were gathered from near here, and some that have been sent him from distance. They are mostly of stone in the shape of Indian blows, skinning knives, hatchets and arrow heads and many of them are highly prized for their beauty of form and the stone of which they were made. The h. dians could evidently beat the dudes of to-day as far as pipes are concerned, judging by the collection. There is pipe of peace, used by the Indians, quite massive affair, and pipe from the Alas ka Indians, brought to the museum by Abel Dibble, Mrs Peck's uncle, very fine in it's carving, resembling Japanese workmanship. A braves rooch, in the relics, which only the Indian braves were allowed to wear, is purported to have been worn by Little Hawk, and was given MT Peck by Robert VanKuran, relative, who purchased it of Little Hawk during the Minnesota massacre.
 A collection of ink stands are worth more than a passing notice. There are some regular old timers, made to be carried in the pocket with place also for the quill. Then there are large number
 THAT EVIDENTLY WERE NOT made for modern pockets for they are of the heaviest kind of stone and many of |