The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1903-03-27
Of wood, in the year 1910.

Of wood, in the" year 1910.
A paper bearing the account of Jo-
seph Wheeler for services as first select
man in 1919 would make the taxpayers
of this generation smile. For that year
it cost the town just $500 for his
services and he seemed to have spent a
good deal Of his time seeing to the
towns affairs, too. Another paper in
his possession would console the side
walk advocates for it seems in 1928 the
town didn't build any walks, but a
subscription paper of that date tells Of
how the first walk in town was laid at
a cost of $162.74 and the small FLAG
stones which were used were drawn
here from the Mine Hill quarry in .Rox-
bury.
or his collection of old firearms and
swords he prizes most highly a sword
bis grandfather, Dan Peck, used to own
ana use at time when he was captain
OF the militia here, some Is years ago.
There is also in the collection a sword.
two pistols and shoulder epaulette
used when there was company of cav
airy here in the year 1888. Several old
flint locks of historic value, a brace of
pistols, swords, bayonets, some powder
TASKS that date way back, and quite a
quantity of perfect flints such as were
used in the guns for which they were
made.
OF HIS MISCELLANEOUS
articles it would be hard task to give
details but perhaps a few that make
the most impression on visitors will be
OF interest. For instance take the
articles he has that have successively
followed each other by which light has
been secured. First there is the old
Tint and steel. This method of getting
ire is very, very old, and next is the
taper, small iron basin in which
grease was put and into which a rag
was put and lighted. This is followed
by series of very interesting candle
sticks of tin and stone, and small tin
lamp called the petticoat lamp, which
was hrSt used on the introduction OF
whale oil as fuel for securing light
But 1T seems to have never been yer,
popular, this lamp, for the odor com.
ing from it did not make it a pleasant
companion in the room. Mr. Peck has
quite an array of Indian relics, many
OF which were gathered from near here
and some that have been sent him
from distance. They are mostly Of
stone in the shape of Indian plows
sklnnlng knives, hatchets and arrow
neads and many of them are highly
priced for their beauty of form and the
stone of which they were made. The
Indians could evidently beat the dudes
or to-day as far as pipes are concerned
Judging by the collection. There is a
pipe OF peace, used by the Indians,
quite massive affair, and a pipe from
the Alaska Indians, brought to the
museum by Abel Dibble, Mrs Peck's
uncle, very fine in it's carving, resem-
bling Japanese workmanship. A
braves brooch, in the relics, which only
the Indian braves were allowed to wear,
is purported to have been worn by
Little Hawk, and was given Mr. Peck
by Robert Van'Kuren, a relative, who
purchased it of Little Hawk during
the Minnesota massacre
A collection of ink stands are worth
more than passing notice. There are
some regular old timers, made to be
carried in the pocket with place also
for the quill. Then there are a large
number
THAT EVIDENTLY WERE NOT
made for modern pockets for they are
of the heaviest kind of stone and many
of them are very cute in design. Some
of them also have record as having
served such men as Zalmon Sanford
way back in 1914 and later Henry Beers
Glover, Judge McCurdy and DR. Ben
nett.
Mr. Peck thinks he has the first lock
that was ever brought into Newtown,
and it is probable he will not be dis
puted by those who see it, but it it real
ly too bad there ever was a first one,
for perhaps Newtown people would
have always. remained too honest to
need locks if they hadn't been introduce
ed for them to try to break. And, too,
heIhas number of venerable looking
pocketbooks belonging to noted New
towners, which have done service in
boarding quite little pile of wealth.
There is still one relic of that before