Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-05-23
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
NoncSenarian Writes of the Season
OF 1894 and other Interesting Mat
Hers--vermont aud Nortbern
New York
To the Editor OF the Free Press.

10 the EdltOr or the free Press.
The cold Of to-day reminds me Of the
cold of another May II. that Of 70 years
ago, or of May II, 1884. At that time
boy of not yet seventeen years. l was SELL
ing goods with a horse and wagon
among the farmers near WATERFOWL, n.
Y, working for my brother, the late
Samuel f. Villas, afterward of Platts-
burg. on that May day of the long ago,
snow fell all day, but much of it melted
as 1t came down so that though something
over a foot altogether, yet only four or
Ave inches lay on the ground at night
which, however, for two or three days
did not entirely melt away. My CUSTOM
airy travel was much hindcred by the
snow on that day such that was able
to cover but little ground while the roads
for several days were almost impossible
A letter came to mo n few days after
from my brother. Levi p. Villas, aftcrward
Of Madison. Wisconsin, then postmaster
at Morrisvile, telling me that foot and
n half of snow fell on the day named in
Worthwhile and immediate vicinity. and
that sleighs were used by many of the
residents for several DAYS.
That's another story" to sneak in
10 tell in addition. The younger people
OF the day look upon the time OF nearly
three-dusrters of century ago MS so far
removed from our dag as so very differ
ent in the main characteristics Of social
life that they believe. I presume. the
weather must somehow have been diff
ferent also. "Od-fashioncd winters" is
really but another nams FOR the cold win
,r.kic oh 81 .
four We now have.
gut the customs and manner Of living
then were old-fashionod measured by tho
standard of to-day. Then almost every
up-to-date merchant had statesmen on tho
road with horse ana wagon and he. him
self. during the dull season Of the wear
hesitated not 10 leave his business wit
clerk To tempt the greater profits of the
road. For that was long before the rail
road and IT was not easy for those ro-
mote from settlements 70 obtain nccces
stiles other than through peddlcro
AS nowadays the ambitious country
youth starts by "cerking'' in the village
store. then he would hire out for the
season reddlnE. with stock 10 include
everything. :lmost. usr.Nv sold NJ a
country store. taking sack from the farm
S. hides, sheep pelts and rags
During this season of 1894. spent ton
months in northern and western New
York in the work descrlbe. tho begin
ming Of later work Of the Same kind with
headquarters IN plattsburg Watertown
then was a thriving village with ono
hotel kept ny a man named Massey.
Plattshurg was nearly rs large Is Bur
rneton. or Of about 800 inhabitants
The regulation rate pail hv pcddlcrs al
Massey's hotel for a meal was a York
shilling or twelve and half cents and
six cents for lodging Whether or not
this was a special rate accorded to ped.
oilers or the regulation ono for all. am
unable now TO recall. Usually at noon
in stopping nj a hotel the order would
he 10 give n horse 6 cents worth OF hay
eth grain, this being about what horse
was supposed 10 need at noon
Wages were in accord with prices Of
general commodities on this first trim
of mine on the road. 7 received 5000 per
month and expenses. and when finally
after nearly five years experience on the
road was able to comman1 $50 per month
and expenses I was felt to have reached
the top in that Kind O business
Northern New York wa composed prin.
cipally of two parts outside the Adiron-
dacks. viz: A sparcoly settled farn1inc
section and n wild region heavily wood
cd, for the most part untouched by civ
iizaton, known a the North Woods -
The latter section lay northwest of Ma
lone, bordering for many miles along the
ST. Lawrence and was inha hitcd in many
parts only by Indians and TRAINERS. A
considera HE part Of II was hold as a
reservation for the Indians.
on n peninsula extending into the St
Lawrence river wcs. Of tho small vii.