The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-03-10
OLD TIMES IN MADISON
INTER ESTING REMINISCENCES IN-
 TERESTINGLY TOLD.

A Beloved and Respected Teacher
 President Harrison's Death and tho
 Mourning for Him in madison-The
 Birth of the Republican Party In
 the old Town-Msjor HuIps Opinion
 of Henry Clay-War TImes-The
 World and Madison Moving.
 To the Editor of the Journal and Courier:
 Perhaps something by way Of remln- iscences in the history of my native town where for more than fifty years had my home may be of interest to the present residents of Madison village and so submit the following:
 I wonder if a certain man now living in Boston street remembers when the first term of the Boston district school was held. Some of the younger people may smile to learn that it was in the west parlor of the old Bushnell house adjoining the house of Dr. D. M Wepp' One winter term and think two terms, the three R's-"R Reading, "Riting ana "Rithmetic"-Wer taught at that place. Jonathan Champion was the teacher; fact I shall never forget By way of punishment for some chlldlsh misdemeanor l was not whipped but the teachers silk handkerchief was passed around my body under my arms ana knotted at the back and then 1 was hung upon a long spike driven lnto protecting beam in the ceiling overhead and there hung for some twenty mln- utes When taken down of course my deportment for the remainder or the session was perfect and my affection and regard for the teacher were both tender and lasting. I am thinking that gossip would be busy and tongues would wag at a lively rate were such mode of punishment practised in dis trict school at the present time. After wards one term of summer school was held in the west parlor of Theophilus Scranton's house and I learned my A x R C,s during one winter term under the teaching of a Miss Wilcox, who taught school for young ladies in the parlor < chamber of the house now occupied by Deacon Frank c. Dowd Josiah A. Net. tleton and myself made up the class ot
 
 ing new school house for the Boston district was up for consideration no < suitable spot or. which to place the building could be found. No land own ar in the village was willing to sell or part with a plot of ground that Tn US location was acceptable to the people. ] The matter was finally settled Wneu "Uncle Henry Scranton" offered the use of a spot of ground in the rear or tne Waydell house free as long as used TOT school purposes. The offer was accepted and the school house was bullt. Galen Dowd and Frederick Hill were the car penters and more than six months tune was consumed in it's constructor. be- fore the elevation of Boston street Vll- 1age to the dignity of separate school district I attended two terms or school at the old time institution that stood on the Green very near the spot now oc- cunied nv the Memorial Hall. When the new Boston street institution was built Inc children of the Green district were accommodated in the lower room nf Lees academy, rendering useless the old school house where had been edu- cated the grapdfathers of the present generation It was bought by Hubbard Scra nton and drawn to his place in Bos- +on street and by him fitted up for the X nurpose of dressing slaughtered hogs and was SD used for score of years or more "JTncle Hubbard" used to call 1t his hog factory, but Uncle Hubbard is oone and sleeps with his fathers and ' saw a few weeks since that the old hop factory had also gone--that time inc great leveller of all things animate and inanimate, had brought the oid house to a level with the bosom Of Mother Earth to return in various ways to it's original elements. Good bye old relic of the eighteenth century. Ihou hast left behind thee good record or truth and usefulness. Fortunate indeed yould it be for many palat1al nall with it's tiled floors and frescoed cell ings could they show record of honest usefulness and freedom from the stan of moral guilt like that of thine own ink bespattered walls. Good bye, old re1ic Thou hast in thy time filled 11nioue place in the worlds affairs, for in this whole country, in ancient times ar modern days, could another build ing be found that had served two such worthy and useful yet totally unlike purposes as the training of the youth ful mind and the dressing of slaughter ed hogs?
 Tn the latter part of the first week in April. 1S41, while on the bed sick with the measles in my fathers house, Thomas Coe came into our west parlor and gave the startling news General Harrison is dead" A boy of eight years could not be expected to know much Of the significance of that sad event but know that sadness and wonder and fear were manifest by look and word. Party feeling had run high during the nrevious campaign and the scanty de- fails and slow coming of news concern ing the matter by stage and post left abundant opportunity for endless con iectures and surmises of all manner of possjble evil things. At last the truth came to hand that the president had died natural death and that Vice President Tyler had taken his place and the machinery of government was nov ing smoothly on. The next thing to en- rnge the attention of the town was the grand but solemn memorial service Tn honor of the dead chief magistrate. The whole affair was one of Madison great times By 10 a. m the Congre- eationaI church was full and the church yard and adjoining Green show
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