The times., 1901-06-16
AN ANCIENT TAVERN sign
Now the Property of a Woman of
Indianapolis.


/ old Inn on the Connecticut River.
! The charm Of romance has always in
/ vested the old tavern. II is not neces-
sary ever to have supped or slept in one
/ to feel this. All novels OF the romantic
sort have hOspitahle taverns in them. and
! many pages describe their good cheer.
/ Recently Mrs. Alice Morse Earle. New
England woman. author of several books
/ on colonial life, wrote book called "Oid
I Tavern and Coaching Days. in which
she tells of the wayside inns and the
/ early modes of travel in this country.
Long ago. at the end of the route. I,
| The stage pulled up the folks stepped out
/ They have all passed under the tavern door
The youth and his bride and the grey thrce-soore.
Their eyes weary with dust and CLEAN.
/ The day had gone like empty dream
! SOFT may they slumber and trouble no more
1 For their eager journey. its jolt and roar,
In the old coach over the mountains.
Among the tavern signboards pictured
/ and described in Mrs. EarIe's book is one
owned by Miss Emma 3. King. 332 North
Illinois Street. this city. daughter Of the
late Edward King. Mrs. Earle says OF
| this board.
AN old sign swung for nearly a century
by the roadside before house called
BisselTs Tavern, at BisseH's Ferry. East
Windsor Conn. Originally it bore an
elaborate design of thirteen interlacing
rings. each having in its centre the rep
resentation of some tree or plant pecu-
liar to the State it designated. These
interlacing links surrounded the profile
portrait of George Washington Above
this was the legend, The Thirteen United
States Beneath this. Entertainment by
David Bissell, A d. M Ten years later
the words David BisselT were painted
date 1881 was also placed in both upper
corners Of the board. In 1891 the sign and
house came to Joseph Phelps. a new de-
sign was given-a copy of the first gold
eagle of 1875. and on the other. the re-
verse side of the same coin. In 1916 J.
PeItien bought the ferry tavern, and he
painted out all Of ]. Phelps name save
the initials, which were his own He hung
the sign on the limb of a big elm over
the ferry road
Another Of Miss Kings treasures is
piece of the wedding gown worn by her
great-great grandmother, sister of JON
athan Edwards. The fabric from which
the gown was made was captured on its
way from England in a British vessel by
American sailors. and what had been in
tended as gift for the wife of British
officer was bestowed on a prospective
wonderfully handsome gown. for the piece
yet remaining shows it to have been Of
heavy white silk and painted with rare
skill and taste The lady who wore 1t be-
came the wife OF Alexander King who
fought in the Revolution and whose sword
and leather cartridge pouch carried at the
battle of Ticonderoga have descended to
Miss King. There are comparatively few
of these swords yet in existence in the ex-
cellent condition of Miss Kings The
original commission granted to Alexan-
der King as ensign under General Gates
is owned by a brother of Miss King.
One Of the quaintest objects that Miss
King possesses is an old pitch pipe,
wooden case half a foot long and very
narrow 1t is double. and when the inner
case is drawn out, the marks by which
the pitch Of the tone was graduated are
seen on its upper surface. Pipes like this
one were used in the old meeting houses
to pitch the tunes by.
other objects of interest are piece OF
the charter oak which blew down in 1856,
part of an original Washington letter
showing the signature. snuff boxes, gin
ger jar. minute glass, pewter porrin-
ger, pewter plates and spoons Quantities
of beautiful linen testify to the elegant
tastes and skiilfuI fingers of the ladies' of
colonial New England.
Turning over a package of old deeds,
some of which date back to 17lO. the
names of Oliver Ellsworth, Gov. Roger
WoIcott and Owen Tudor prominent in
New England annals, appear. These
deeds. musty and yellow. with quaint
phrases, now obsolete, are tied with
homemade fax string, which is still
strong.
\ curious memento is a large brass
buckle inscribed with the words First
Warwickshire Regiment and bearing the
rude picture of a war horse. This was
picked up on the battlefield of Waterloo
by the poet Shelley, and through a friend
of his given TO Miss Kings father.
OF great interest and much historic
value are the bound copies of the "Ameri-
can Mercury" 1799-1S4 which Miss King
owns. This paper was published in Hart
ford. Conn, by one Elisha BabcOck The
issue OF December %. 1893. is fascinating,
for it contains news of BOnaparte (spelled
Buonaparte) in Egypt, and reveals the
magnitude of his personal power. In
part. the announcement reads:
The cOuntenance of BuOnaparte. al
ways firm and always immovabie restOr-
I'd hope and confidence TO the army. His
-ame alone is worth in that country an
army Of $4,000 men. This reputation and
his inVIuCible ascendant are not more
iue TO the glory of his army than to his
profound policy.
But far SURPRISING this news item in in
crest is the one in the same issue which
announces the death of George Washing
-On. The deepest grief and the profound
est reverence must have dictated its lines
1t is our painful duty to announce to
)ur country and the world the death of
len. George Washington. This mOprnful
event occurred last Saturday evening
bout IL O'Clock. On the preceding night
le was attacked with violent inhamma-
Ory affection OF the throat, which in less
han twenty hours put period 10 his life.
Mature in years covered with glory.
md rich in the affections of the American
people
Another notice on the event reads. in
lart. thus:
when the reverend sage the august
statesman. the father OF his country. has
resigned his breath, when the idol Of an
smpire. the envy and admiration of dis
ant nations. and the brightest ornament
IF human nature. when Washington is
10 more. let sense of the general loss
le testified by the badge of Il general
Mourning. but let not the voice Of eulOgy
- heard. lest the weakness of talents and
he deficiency Of language do injustice 70
he fame of the deceased. The
Jews Of his death being fully confirmed,
omorrOw will be observed by the citizens
Il Hartford as q day of mourning Di-
-ine service will be attended at the North
Meeting house, and ali business suspend
d.
Military officers are requested to ap-
.ear in uniform, mourning Grape on the
eft arm"
Miss King owns. also. a copy Of the
Nicksbu-E Daily Citizen, printed on
saH paper during the siege of this city
81 Union soldiers in the civil war Some
f the statements it makes are laughable,
at even more pathetic when one cOnSid-
. uni