The Newtown bee., 1898-04-15
OUR NEIGHBORs.
BETHEL.

at present at Leeds. THE
BEE Ia privileged to print portion of q
letter written from The County Hotel,
Canterbury, under the date of April l.
Mr. Shepard writes; "This, as you will
see, lie from the historic old town of Can
terbury. We left Leeds, Wednesday
morning, the Both, and went from there
direct to Lincoln, stopping few minutes |
at Do~caster. Lincoln Is fine old town |
and the cathedral Is as all of them, mag |
nidcent, and crowns a high hill. We
stopped there until night; then departed
for Grantham, where we stopped over
night and got into an annual fair which
was fine and fun also. 1t was a good, or
far better specimen of the booths and
''shoot the shoots" of our Danbury fair,
and was located on the market square
and going at night under full glare of
electric light. The electricity was pro-
duced by portable electric plant that
went with the fair the next day to some
other town. The next day we went to
PeterborO, Ely and Cambridge. Saw
Cambridge this morning, and last night
by moonlight. 1t is beautiful town,
far prettier than Oxford. The colleges
are generally prettier, and they are laid
out among grassy lawns that add so
much to their beauty. We left there at
30. Arrived here via London at $50
p. M, took q walk to st Augustine's Alb
hey. Will start for London about noon.
Expect to visit Parliament buildings to-
morrow, and we have tickets promised
to Walt Parliament on Monday and Tues
day. Shall be In London until Thursday,
when we go to Windsor, Isle of Wight,
Salisbury, Oxford, up the west side to
Chester and Leeds, arriving there about
April u. We shall take day excursions
from Leeds to York, Harrogate, Scar
borough, Bollen, Ashley and perhaps
Durham. Since we left the weather has
been mild and clear, with moonlight
evenings. We think we are in luck as
1t rained a week steady up to the time
we left"
BETHEL BOYS COME ROME.
George A. Crofut Of Granger, Wyo-
ming, was in town, last Saturday, at
tending the funeral of his sister, Mrs
Marie Hunt. Mr. Crofut was born on the
Wild Cat hills in Bethel about 70 years
ago. He was the youngest son Of
large family who were well-known ctti-
zens of the town, and will be remember
ed by the older people of the place. The
father of this family was Elihu Crofut,
a carpenter by trade. His old house is
still standing, and Is better known as the
Morehouse Lyon place on Goldfish hill,
80 called, in Elmwood School district.
"Uncle Elihu,7' as he was called, was a
busy man and a genius at his trade, and
his services were sought for among the
busy farmers of his day. In after years
his sons grew up and followed their diff,
ferent occupations in the place and car
ried on thriving business. Some were
comb makers, matters and wagon makers,
all good mechanics in their way. Uncle
Ellhu married two wives and had chill
dren by each. Their names were as fol-
lows: Preston, Charles, Abel, Eber
and Hannah, who married Zalmon Sher-
man; second, Daniel Hyatt. By the
second wife were William, Naeh and
George A., and two daughters, Mrs.
James Hunt and Mrs Eli Stone, all de-
ceased. The writer met stranger, last
Saturday, on Milwaukee street, near the
old homestead of the late Oliver Shep-
ard, Low occupied by Mrs Cole and sis
ter, Miss Adams. The stranger proved
to be George A. Crofut, from whom we
gathered the following facts Of his life.
He SAYS he was born in Bethel and when
a lad about eight years old he lived ia
Sandy Hollow, 80 called in those days,
and with Esquire Oliver Shepard went to
the district school. He did chores and
drove the cows to pasture, sometimes up
to Great Pasture and sometimes down to
sstoad hole" Uncle Eli Taylor lived
where Mrs Eli Taylor Andrews now lives.
That house appeared to be very old in
those days. When of age he went to
learn the hat mapping trade, and al
though he has not worked at the busi-
ness for nearly so years he thinks he
could bow bat and nap hat just as
we'll 40 he ever did. Soon after Mr. Gro
tut became of age he went West to make
q fortune, and has visited his native
place but few times since. He has trav-
eled through nearly every state in the
union, and was present when the last
golden spike was driven that united the
East and West ends of the great Uuion
Pacific railroad. When asked what he
thought about the gold fields of Alaska
,,e said: ~ have no desire to go there.
Plenty OF gold may yet be found in che
states.' Mr. Crofur has lately been en-
gagged In the irrigation of the dry lands
near the Little Snake river in Wyoming.
BY irrigation those great plains will be
capable of supporting hundreds OF thou
sands of people. The lands are like q
garden In the East. AS he passed along
he turned to your correspondent and
said "Good-bye. 1 am glad have
net you. Probably we shall never meet
again" The last tie that has bound him
10 his native place has been broken 10
the death Of hls sister, Mrs Hunt.
DEATH OF Mrs SARAH NJ. HUNT.
Mrs Sarah Marie Hunt died at her home
on Elm street, April z, aged ~ years.
eNNa