The Cook County herald., 1905-09-16
Whole Town Stung Up


ment in this vicinity on last Tuesday
morning at half past o'clock a. m.
which for time greatly disturbed the
erstwhile calm and quiet OF ou,
thriving community and resulted ir
pain and profanity to a large number
of our most respected citizens
Lafe Hoover has piece of ground
which borders on the west side Of
Bingville, perhaps 10 acres in all
which he let come up in timothy this
season. Lafe set last Tuesday tc
cut this timothy and employed Hanb
Dewberry to help him do the same
Lafe and Hank started in bright and
early. Hank he drove the mower and
Lafe he come behint later with his
old sorrel mare hitched to the hay ted:
der.
There was a large crowd along the
street leaning over the fence watch.
ing Lafe and Hank do the work and
offering suggestions as to how it
should be done. It is the general be
lief that this crown was attracted
by the spectacle of Hank actually
working, which is so rare a sight that
the people of Bingville can hardly
be. blamed for turning out en- masse
as you might say.
Along about 9:30 Hank suddenly
drove over a bumblebees' nest and
what happened Immediately after
wards almost beggars description.
Hank hadn't been stung more than
dozen times until he dropped the
lines and started to run for the fence
where all the people was congregated
AS soon as the horses found them.
selves at liberty they too, goaded by
the bumblebees, lit out for parts un
known, dragging the mower after them
at the rate of about Is miles an hour
and running into stump and break
ing off the cutterbar. Then they pro-
ceeded to the far end of the field and
run into stone fence, and finding
their progress blocked in this direc
tion and several bumblebees still prod.
ding them they stood still and begin
to kick and kicked until they kicked
every durn bit of harness often them
s.
AS Deacon Bradbury feared tn.
bees then begin to scatter and to at
tackt the innocent as we'll as the
guilty, sparing neither men, women
or children. Mrs. Salina Cooper who
had come out to the fence with her
infant son aged three months and is
SO heavy On her feet that she can't
run very fast being as she weighs
PTS lbs, started home, but the bees
stung her once on her escape and
ontc on her infant son.
Deacon Bradberry was stung
couple of times on the ear, and one
bee got fast in his whiskers and he
don't know how many times it stuns
him before he got it untangled-he
counted up to IL stings and then
he lost count, because it was too pain
full to remember.
Miss Sally Hoskins, who was pass
ing along the street to mail a letter to
her best fellow who lives at Snake
Bend had bumblesbee to sting her
on the ankle through her openwork
stockings.
Snide Petersby had two bees to get
up his pant leg and he got out in the
road and danced a Jig for about two
minutes. Ras Slocomb said after II
was al! over that be never knowd
Snide could dance like that being as
Snide always complained of being
crippled up with rheumatic, but with
them two bees up his pant leg he was
as suppl and spy as 1e.yearsold.
Several others whose names we
failed to get were stufg 6n different
localities, and in short time after
the bees got into the crowd the street
was deserted being as those who had
got stung dispersed at once to their
homes where they bathed the affected
parts in various linaments. .
Hank Dewberry suffered = awful
His face, especially his lips, was all
stuIg up fearful where the bees lab
BED It te hin: Hsnk,ssia bs EeqldnY
be exaggefating t Any II he SAID thai
his upper lip felt about two feet and
q half long whereas it was only about
three inches long by actual measure
ment.
Lafe Hoover whose moving ma
chine was almost total loss not only
refused to pay Hank any wages tor
helping him cut his timothy, but has
Hank charged up with the loss of his
mower. Hank says Iafe is welcome
to the money to pay for his move,
If he can petSit Hank saws 'hoforo J,e
would pay for that mower after hat
ing his feelings outraged and hissel1
muti!ated so by them bumblebees he !,
would carry suit for damages up te
the Supreme Court ard spend every
cent he had n#the: world fighting the
suit. II Hank spent every cent he
had in the world he would expenc
about Is cts.-.s.Bing g&flle RugIe., item.
in the Boston Post, sss.5=s. 81,