The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1903-08-14
roads, leading, the one to Quaker Hill

Une OUQcr 10 LEACH t1OllOW. OuoTIud0
was made separate town in 1902, 101
years ago. The name Fairfield"
would seem to have been somewhat of
a misnomer, for the town is ''fair" on
ly in limited spaces, Are there not
the Short Woods, Pine Hill, Beaver
Boys and Bogus, not to mention
others? The original township was
granted to several men from old Fair
field and to make it attractive to set
tiers they gave it the name it BEARS
If one had been permitted to read
the earliest recorded history of New
Fairfield, which, unfortunately, were
destroyed by fire some years since, he
would have found ample evidence of
the patriotism of it's citizens in the
Revolutionary period and reason to be
proud that he was born there. My
grandfather, Samuel T. Barnum, was
town clerk for some "a years and it was
my privilege in boyhood to read the
records of the town meetings in the
days of the War of Independence.
Men, money and commissary stores
were contributed literally. I never
heard of more than one Tory in the
town, and to him was given coat of
molasses, for lack of tar, and feathers,
and he was set on donkey, backward,
and accompanied to the limits, towards
Canada. 1 we'll remember seeing the
old Revolutionary pensioners at my
grandfather coming for their pen
sions. One of these was Hessian,
Rhinebault by name, a deserter from
the British army, who was caught and
made to run the gauntlet in Main
street, Danbury. He carried the marks
to his dying day. There was one Will
kinson, with bald head and scar
seven inches long thereon, who was
never able to get a pension, because re-
turned on the roster as a deserter. I
remember feeling sorry for him. His
story had every appearance Of being
true. 1t was that he was taken sick
on the march through the Carolinas,
covery. Being overtaken by some
British cavalrymen, he cried for quar-
ter, only to receive the reply that they
would give him four quarters, at the
same time slashing him on the head
with a broadsword. Samuel Tweedy,
president of the Danbury bank and
congressman of this district, became
interested in his case, but could never
induce Congress to vote pension to
poor Wilkinson. I recall another vet
eran of the Revolution, Capt Hodge,
grandfather of Norman Hodge. On
company training day, inspired by fife
and drum and "sour punch" the usual
beverage of the occasion, he shouldered
his cane and showed show fields were
Won."
Recalling those early days, the an
Gent worthless as saw and knew them
were men of character, honest men
without guile or hypocrisy, who said
what they thought or held their peace.
1 see them now in my minds eye,
gathering of a summers afternoon at
Stephen Hopkins grocery at the foot
of Sawmill Hill, alternating the smok-
ing Of their clay pipes with draughts
of Santa Croix rum and brown sugar at
three cents glass. And the stories
they tolduand the jokes they cracked
on each other; contented and happy!
Alas! Those olden times have passed
away never to return. Old family
names for the most part have become
extinct, and a new set. not to the
"manor born" has succeeded. occupy
ing the old homesteads. Who could
have imagined that so complete a
change would be possible within.three.
quarters of century in a rural town,
remote from rail and telegraph con.
nections.
In my boyhood days bitter family
quarrel arose in the woodS-Beardsley
VS.. Chase or vice versa, Chase VS.. Chase;
not over money, as 1 remember it
perhaps it was a SANDER case. At all
events, much excitement and anger
in evidence. Two out-of-town LAWYERS
were engaged; one for the prosecution,
the other for the defense. Reuben
Booth of Danbury and his brother-in.
J law, Belden, a famous farmer-lawyer
of Newtown. They came together, in
one conveyance to the trial. Court
was held in the afternoon and lasted
till late at night, in Stephen Hopkins
ball room. The room was crowded
with interested spectators. Feeling
ran high on both sides, almost to the