The Newtown bee., 1897-03-12
BETHEL.
INTERESTING POINTS IN HISTORY.

 James K. Polk was elected president in the fall of 1S44. He received 170 elector-
 al votes from the democratic party. Hen-
 " Clay, a candidate of the whig party, l received 105 electoral votes. MT Clay
 had also been a candidate in 1924 and 1882. The war with Mexico broke out in lS46. Soon after war was declared near | ly every large town had a recruiting sta
 tion where young men enlisted ny the
 thousand. A great many young men
 were charmed with the idea of going to
 Mexico. Danbury raised quite a large
 company. Four young men enlisted
 from Bethel village, which was then a
 part of the town of Danbury. Charles
 Williams and William Mayhew were Plumtrees boys. Henry B. Stone was a
 natter by trade and Andrew Cole worked
 in the village. Everybody talked about
 the war. The school children caught the fever and played going to war and when
 the news came that great battle had
 been fought everybody was eager to hear the newspaper read. Only two New York papers came to Bethel by mail on the boat to Norwalk and up on the Danbury stage. The Journal of Commerce was taken by George Clapp,a well-to-do comb maker. The New York Herald was talk en by Hiram Weed, the village storekeep CT. A few of the best readers in the place volunteered to read the war news. The best readers were Frederick Shep- ard, Dr Hanford Bennett, MT Weed and William A. Judd and perhaps the minis ter. The reading was usually done even ings so that farmers came in from the out districts to hear the news few days ahead of the weekly paper printed in the county. In those days two semi-weekly papers was all the place demanded. At the present date about 300 daily papers are sold. The matters got up a new style hat that was called the Palo Alto hat, which sold as fast as could De made. The style was a fur hat, pearl color, wide fl lat brim, taper crown. A cord and tas. sel took the place of band. Your cor respondent, like many other boys, felt proud of his first fur hat, Palo Alto style. Hiram Benjamin had hat shop in his yard at the foot of Benjamin Hill. Hiram Cole bowed and set up the hats, sized and blocked them in the old fash toned way of making hats. Three out of four that enlisted from Bethel came home gain. Charles Williams died soon after be arrived in Mexico and was buried there in soldiers grave. Sergeant Henry B. Stone was wounded in the head. A Mex ican bullet plowed a furrow along the top of his head without breaking bone. He soon recovered and returned home at the close of the war, and in later years was killed in battle in the union service after he had been promoted to the office of lieutenant colonel. Andrew Cole nev- 1 CT gave up his rowing habit acquired in the army. He went south many years ago and has not been heard from since. | His widow draws a pension for his ser vices in the Mexican war. Andrew Cole 1 was born in Hopewell district in the low CT part of Newtown. His father, Hiram Cole, was natter. He was also broth CT of G. M. Cole, ex-warden of the bor- ough. William Mayhew died in Nor walk. He was natter by trade and left | a family.
 DEATH OF HARRY s. GLOVER. = Harry s. Glover died on Monday of short Illness, at his home on Golden Hill. He was nearly 70 years of age. Mir Glev- CT was born in Newtown, June 30, 1927, and was son of Barry and Lucy Glov- CT. He learned the batters' trade in l Bethel and has always been a highly es- | teemed citizen. He was member of the | Episcopal church and was also member of Eureka lodge, F. 6 A. M. A wife and l daughter survive him. The funeral was attended on Thursday afternoon.
 On Monday 12-pound girl baby was born to Mir and Mrs Benjamin Short and l probably nobody feels more happy than the young ladies' grandfather, Dea Sam- uel Kyle.
 Mir and Mrs Theodore Ferry of Dan- bury had child born to them, fine 10 pound girl.
 Miss Edna True is confined at home with illness.
 Mrs Henry Platt and children have been quite sick and under the doctors care the past week.