The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1896-05-15
CORNSTALK MILITIA.
How Maryland Patriot Guarded His
Property from RaidInx ReAcoafs.

How Maryland Patriot Guarded His
Property from RaidinE ReAcoa4s.
During the exciting ti,nps of the
American Revolution the Eastern
ShDre, while MANY were true
patriots and thoroughly believed III
and upheld the cause Of American lib
erty, was yet u hbtbe1 for Toril.., who
az firmly defended what they believed
to be the rights of the King TIE re-
gi6h knowh as THE Seaside; which ex-
tends along the western shore of ssi,e-
phxent Bay. was particularly. well sup
Piled with the adhtrents, of Geerge III:
ia gTeat-grandfathfE OF George ".
furnell, now prominent member of tie
bar OF this circuit, was stauneh de.
commissioned officer in the militia, but
owing to the depredations 80 frequently
being committed along the seaside and
about his own home. known as the Fair
field farm, it became necessary for him
to remain there to protect his property.
The Tories about the country acted as
pilots for the British soldiers. who fire.
quently came in boats through the inlet
at Chjncoteague and up the Synepuxcnt
bay, the prosperous farms along the
shore offering an excellent field for their
raids. For the most part these farms
were entirely unprotected, and the local
Tories would guide the soldiers tb, those
hoiises where ,.they would probably get
1T is told q Mr., .p,u,rnell that early
one morning, while looking over his farm
and standing on Hill which command
ed view of. the bay, he saw several
boat loads of redcoats making their way
toward his own shore. He went 10 his
house and summoned a dozen negro men
about him and armed them with long
cornstalks- Mounting an old gray horse,
he marched his battalion down behind
the hill, always keeping out Of sight of
the approaching British. As soon as he
reached the foot of the hill on the inla nd
side he called halt and gave orders to
his men. He stationed himself just at
the brow of the hill, so that the head of
bis noble charger could just be seen by
the men ON the bay. Then came the Or
der for his battalion to march in review.
In an unbroken line around and around
the hill they marched. with their corn
stalk muskets glistening in the sun.
His twelve men made fine showing.
and the effect on the raiders was mag
lcal. The distance magnified the num-
Der. They saw the army and precipitate-
~ retreated. The fame of the yalorous
old gentleman has been handed down to
the present Observation-Disclosures Sun
Pear Trees Killed by the Thousand.
That the winter has proved disastrous
to thousands Of pear trees in Genesee
county. is iiDw only too apparent a
note of danger has been sounded by the
Geneva experiment station and Director
Van Slyke late lii Marth sent out cir
cular letter asking about the ton1par=
alive hardness of varieties as shown
by this winter, and it's unprecedented
cold in ii1any sections. In the town Of
Byron are some of the finest Dutrhess
pear orchards in Western New York
The Rear-growiilg Industry has btclt
profitable and the past, two. years lianS
thousand trees: have been set The most
injury is to the Duchess variety. and
this kind has been the one most set out,
not always with the intention Of grow
ing Duchess. but the trees were set out
to use as stocks to bud other varieties
on. The trees grown are almost wholly
dwarfs-that is. pears Oh ounce roots
Some varieties do not make a good union
with the ounce. and. as the DutcheSs
does. the buds of Clargeau and other
kinds that are now most in favor are
worked on the Duchess. thus making
what is known as a ''double-worked"
tree. The small one or two year set
Duchess are to a very large extent
dead to within two or three inches of
the ground. |. w. White of Byron r>-
Inmates that out of 1900 trees not over
100 are alive. y. H. Green and SON
who have over 5000 of these young trees,
think their loss nearly as great-Roch-
ester Democrat