Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-08-05
Prize Relics.
W"shiDgtOn's Ratchet May he owned
by a Bellows Falls Man---Other Relies
Do

WhshiDgtOn's Ratchet May he owned
BY n Bellows Falls Man---Other Relies
Including Alexander HamIIton's Tea
Pot.
1t is possible that one of the greatest
relics of the world is owned by a resident
of Bellows Falls. 1t is nothing less than
the world-renowned and possibly fabl d
Ratchet with which the youthful George
Washington felled his fathers cherry tree
at the time he established his reputation
for veracity.
This relic is owned by D. NJ. Damon, to
whom 1T was given many years ago by his
| father, Hiram Damon, into whose posses
sion it came in 1862, when the Union army
of which he was "a member, was stationed
near Fairfax, Virginia. Hiram Damon
with a few soldier companions, made a
visit to the historic Lee mansion in Fair
fax, where George Washington spent sew
eral years of his life While rummaging
around the building in search of some souv
enlrs, Damon came across small, rusty
Ratchet, in an out of the way corner in the
| garnet. The blade is about three and one
half inches long and one inch wide, and
| Judging from the appearance, it had lain
many years in the place where it was
found. Nothing is known of the Ratchet s
early history, but circumstantial evidence
| proclaims that this is the identical weapon
with which the father of our country won
his first notable victory over fasehood.
ID. NJ. Damon also owns a large number
of relics picked up on the Chickamauga
battlefield many years ago, including a
Bible, which was picked up by his father
during the battle at that place. Among his
collection he values piece of coarse wooden
cloth, about two inches square, which was
cut from the Confederate presidential chair,
which was in the state house at Richmond.
which was plundpred by the Union soldiers.
Mrs. Randolph Dodge is in antiquarian,
who also owns number of valuable relics
Sh' has recently sold to Prof Willard of
Saxtons River pewter tea pot which be-
| longed to Alexander Hamilton On the
pot was engraved the Hamilton crest, and
over it the name Alexander Hamilton, -
and below Lombard ST., London, Eng
| land Mrs Dodge bought this piece of
pewter ware at an auction which was held
! several years ago in Hnrtand, Vt, and
she did not discover the value of this pur-
chase until quite recently.
Mrs. Dodge owns several pieces of the
first glass ware made in this country. The
glass came from Peterboro n H., where
it was manufactured over century ago.
The sand from which it was made was
brought from Connecticut by oxen, as it
was not known at the time that the neces-
sary quality of sand could be found in this
vicinity. The glass is coarse, dark and
heavy, and the articles crude in form, but
they answered the purpose once. The
most interesting article of the collection is
a small perfume bottle, which tells more
wildly than words of the former personal
vanity of the fair sex. Another interest.
ing article is an old tin tea cadiy, which
differs from the usual style of caddy in that
it bears a lock, which was evidently used
to prevent ;ae servants who were not hon.
estly inclined from helping themselves