The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-10-11
James Rays "reminiscences of
the Meadowgrounds. Con
tinued from last week.

| - OAit lhii AliG
residence in the Meadowgrounds
that he made a barrel of cider
which he wanted to keep sweet
to drink next summer. Itoccur-
ed to him to dig a hole in the
swamp and bury the barrel of
cider there. This he did. The
next spring when he resurrected
the barrel the cider had disap-
peared and the barrel was filed
with swamp water. OF course
Mr.. Johnston was disappointed,
and to say that he was mad
would be to state it mildly.
The Johnstons at one time own
ed the whole valley: Robert, the
lower farm; James, the middle
one, and Thomas, the upper.
The Meadowgrounds used to
be a great place for rattlesnakes.
| have killed as high as three be.
fore breakfast. l remember
while our family were eating sup
per one harvest, our attention
was attracted by a siz-z-z that we
recognized as the warning of
rattler. On looking toward the
door, we noticed that a big yellow
spotted fellow had crawled in,
coiled himself up, and was ex-
tending greetings with his tail.
We soon declared war and the
snake got the worst of it.
Deer was plenty in the lead
owgrounds then. One day the
dogs chased a big buck up
through the meadow. He ran to
the barnyard, jumped over the
fence into the yard, and from
that into Il rail hog-pen. But
that did not protect him, and by
the aid of the dogs, the big fellow
was soon killed.
We often saw deer in the field,
passing from one mountain to the
other.
Tommy Morton was over there
hunting, one day, and stopped in
at our house to warm. While talk
ing with the family, he heard the
dogs, and stepping to the back
door, they saw big deer emerg-
ing from the swamp at the old
dam and the dogs close after him.
They brought him down through
the fields a-sailing. Tommy
brought his rifle to his shoulder
and when he thought he had
good chance, he fired, but the
deer was little too far away and
running too FAST and so escaped.
article in theissueoft the
NEWS of February Is, on Nc
Connellsburg 40 years ago, you
refer to John Cook and Aunt
Hannah They were fine people.
During the winter of I845, they
were keeping tavern at Licking
Creek (Harrisonville) and | shod
stage horses for him. l did his
shaving that winter too.
John Bender drove what was
called Sin and out"-that is from
Licking Creek to McConnells-
burg, six miles, and Irode with
him many time. He had an
off wheel horse that was false,
and to encourage the horse to pull
when he would take a balkey
spell, ,0John had a chain attached
to stick for whip, and a few
licks with this chain would make
the horse get down to work in
great shape. After a few APP
plications of the chain, rafting it
was enough.
We went down to the Roaring
Run Falls one day fishing and
passed the cave. We got the
dogs to go in; but they soon came
back with the hair on their backs
bristling with rage. They had
probably encountered some wild
animal in there, and being at
disadvantage, decided to come
outside and wait for the ANIMALS
to come out, but they didn t come.
Once / went TO town (McCon-
nellsburg) the night after the fall
election. 1t was some time in
the 40's. The victorious party
was celebrating" and had big
bonfire at the upper end of town.
A fellow by the name of Jack