Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-01-30
VERMONT HAPPENINGS.
WHAT A WEEK BRINGS FORTH IN
THE WAY OF NEWS.
The Happenings of Seven Days on onr
Hills and in Our Valleys Condensed
ana Photographed for Busy
free Press Readers.

Among the relics Of the Soldiers Memo
rial hall at Rutland, VT, is the key to
Libby prison. 1t is a brass key about SIX
inches In length and was turned on every
Union soldier confined there. In the same
case is the flag of Libby prison and one
of the prison notices which reads as fol-
lows: Read This Notice-Ths roll of
commissioned federal officers will be call
ed by the clerk of the prison at 1880 O'Clock
a. m. and o'clock pm, daily. Every Of
iicer must fail in promptly on the floor
to which he Is assigned for roll-call. Five
minutes after notice Is given every oihcer
must be In the ranks. Those not comply
ing with this rule will be punished accord
ingly-(Slgned) Thomas =. Turner, cap
tain commanding G. S. military prison
There is also the order and correspond
ence book of the prison from January /,
1862, to December 10, 1863, which contains
correspondence bearing the signature of
the notorious Wirz, who was hanged for
his inhuman treatment of Union prison.
ers.
The annual meeting of the stockholders
Of the Rutland Driving Park association
was largely attended at the Bardwell
House, Rutland Tuesday afternoon. 1t
was voted to hold three days meeting
July 2, 3, and 4. The stakes will aggre-
gate 5000.
It was voted 70 let the Vermont AS
sociation of Road and Trottng Horse
Breeders have the use of the grounds
for it's meeting in August. A board of di-
rectors was elected, which met and or
ganized. officers and directors are as fol-
lows: President, w. c. Landon; vicc-pres-
ident, j. w. Cramton; treasurer, ii. A.
Sawyer; secretary, Edward Dana; direc-
tors. w. C. Landon. Wayne Bailey, j.
w. Cramton, George Z. Chaffee and X. Il.
Hannum
Charles F.. Sears, who resides at the Gen.
tire. Village, has Two historical relics that
he prizes quite highly. The first Is one OF
the Harrison campaign of 1910, In the shape
of a piece of heavy cloth or print, on
which in regular intervals. about nine
inches apart, are log cabin scenes and
pictures Of William Henry Harrison. The
Intervening spaces between the pictures
are filled with flowers, Beside the cabin
Is a barrel which is labeled Hard cider"
For what purpose this cloth was used Is
not known. 1t was found by Mr. Sears In
| trunk formerly owned and used by mis- ia
ther The other is a cane which has much
historical value. 1t is made from piece
of white oak wood taken from the original
"Old First Church" at Bennington Centre
which was moved before the present struc-
ture was built, and which was the first
church built in Vermont. The head of the
cane is carved from a piece OF the first
apple tree ever planted in Bennington. In
the centre of the head is a piece of wood
about half an inch square taken from the
famous Old Charter Oak of Hartford. The
cane was made by the donor. Elisha Waters
of Lansingburgh, n. Y, now over so years
of age. and whose early life was spent at
Bennington Centre.
| Somerset Is having a squabble with its
| town clerk, who refuses to give bonds, as
required by the selectmen. The clerk fur
thcr refuses to give up his books, and the
town Is up in arms
! CONCERNING VERMONT PEOPLE.
Mr. and Mrs. b. Howard Smith of Cow
erneur, n, y, celebrated on Sunday the
/ 10Th anniversary of their marriage. AL
| though close 10 the century mark, both
are possessed OF their faculties in a re-
markable degree. b. Howard Smith was
born at Willamstown, Orange county.
| Vt, on Juno II, 1900. He came OF came Of
good New England stock. Mrs. Smith was
/ likewise born in Vermont and also has in
her veins the blue blood of New England
arstocracy, being q daughter of Deacon
and Mrs. jackson OF Randolph. She was
born May 3, 1906. The families epigrated
to st. Lawrence county, then for the most
! part a Wilderness at time when 3. How
ard Smith and Caroline jackson were "in
! their teens" Here these two were married
January %, 1926, and here they have since
made their home. Both Mr.. and Mrs.
Smith now find II difficult to hear easily
! Otherwise their faculties are exceedingly
well preserved. OF the two Mr.. Smith Is
perhaps the better preserved. Although
| he uses glasses, he can read fine print
without them and often does.
DR.. c. II. Dunton, who was recently
| granted vacation from his duties as
principal of Troy Conference academy,
will start next week for New York city,
| and will go from there TO Washington
and points farther south. In his absence
! tl,,,, Il. Il will 1nf am NJ
cpal.
Mrs. Mary Champlin, for many years
resident of New Haven, bat now living
at Terrisburgh, will be 100 years old in
June.
Moses Pierce of Derby IAne, the oldest
of II children, was born at Corlnth, VT,
May 25 1898, and is probably the Oldest
person living in Vermont, says the Boston
Globe
His parents were Samuel Pierce and
Mary Sargent, the former being so years
old when he died and the latter "a. His
grandfather, Sargent, lived to be nearly
100. OF the IL children, four sisters are
now living, the Oldest 81 and the youngest
so years old, also one brother aged 81
years. One sister was 90 when she died,
and another 81. Mr.. Pierce's parents
moved to Thornton. N. H., when he was
four years old, and he lived there about 20
| years. He learned the shoemaker's trade
and used to so through the country from
house to house. making boots and shoes
for the whole family and making repairs.
This was before the days Of cheap boots
and shoes. and nothing more was done
| until his next visit. He has lived IN
Derby Line and 5tanstead. Que, just
across the Canadian line. for 10 years. car
rying on the shoemaker's trade and after
ward the tanning business. Mr.. Pierce re-
members the death of Washington and the
profound sensation Il caused throughout
the country at the time, His memory is
remarkable and he remembers trivial
events which happened over 70 years ago.
He lost his eyesght about seven years
ago, but his hearing rs still good. and some
one reads the papers to him, and In this
way he keeps posted on current events.
Mr. Pierce was distantly related to Presi-
dent Franklin Pierce. He remembers dis
tlnctly Capt. Samuel Morey and the steam
boat he built and run on Lake Morey in
Fairlee, the forerunner OF Fultons steam
boat upon the Hudson river. On the Tooth
anniversary of his birth the citizens OF
Derby Line and Vicinity presented him
with 100 silver dollars and relatives and
friends with 500 In gold. Mr.. Pierce has
| N i,,,o,,c baan taunnnra n in his ha hits nj