The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-24
{ BRIDGEPORT IN ,
 , THE OLDEN DAYS{
Today 78 Years Ago

In copy of the Republican Farmer of March 23, 1881, appears the follow ing, taken from a Providence nevspa- per.
 CONNECTICUT SEGARS.-Of all articles manufactured in Connecticut rom wooden nutmegs down to two cent ballads we have now to state a fact which occurred in this town last week. A decent looking man with a dandy grey coat and copperas coloured pantaloons, from Connecticut, called at one of our grocery stores with a load of. as he said; real spanish segars. purchased the lot and paid the bill; the man from the land of steady habits" pocketed the money and departed; i; when sad to behold. on unpacking them, he found them to be nothing but oak leaves, the outside having a thin layer of tobacco over them And our unfortunate grocer found himself taken in to the tune of one hundred dollars. We understand the same game will be played with the Boston grocers, and advise them to be on their guard against wooden nutmegs and oak leaf segars from the Hand of steady habitS."
 In the same issue is to be found an advertisement headed Selling off, Cheap, at the New York Store'' in which it is announced that George w. Smith intends leaving this place the first of April offers for sale his large stock of most everything needed in household. It is unnecessary to say that the advertiser of 1S41 was not the George w. Smith of to-day. Their George w. Smith was a liberal adver- tiser.
 In 1S4 it was customary for the merchants of this vicinity to go to goods according to their needs and re- turn with them. These periodic trips were always followed by an an- nouncement of the event. The adver- dlebrook, paints; Charles Tibbals, shoes; S. G. Kirtland & Son, taiIors; Tom linson & Booth, tailors; E.. w. & T. Buddington, tailors; Samuel Hodges, boots and shoes; A. Hawley & Co.,, ship chandlery; P. & E. Lewis, lumber; W. B. Dyer, drugs; Lewis & Smith, silver platers; Wade & Shelton, groceries; Edwin Porter, stoves; Levi Young. watches and jewelry; E. Camp. watch es, jewelry, andirons. looking glasses &c.: Eleazer Lacey. lumber; Hubbell & Thompson, dry goods; Hyde & Shel- ton. dry goods; Wheeler & Birdsey, dry goods; Hawley & Northrop. lumber; William Peet & Son, leather; Joseph Thompson, druggist; D. B. Nichols groceries; Titus c CfMather. ship tim- Der; T. Ransom & Co.,. Black Rock, grGeries. liquors, &c.; Thorp & Flaw
 
 Burroughs & Son, groceries; Elias Camp. jewelry; Timothy Burr, Green field, groceries, sc. Lewis Burr, Green field, groceries, &c.,; Tornlinson, Wood & Co.,, carriage makers; F. w. Par rott, cabinet maker; Galen Bulkley. cabinet ware; David Thompson, chair maker; w. Bigham, cedar ware fac tory; Thomas & Smith, cabinet ware house; J. B. & L. Baldwin, books; s. Lockwood. books: Horace Cooke. Bridgeport Hotel, formerly Steamboat Hotel; Curtis & Casweil, hardware; John Hood, painter; Folger. Lambi & Co.,, hardware; D. Hatch jr., lottery tickets; s. Sherwood, lottery tickets; D. Sterling & Son groceries.
 Business was done with New York through six packets which ran regu- Iarly. They were: The Orion, Capt. 2. P. Curtis; The Paragon, French, master; The Fame, J. s. Fayerweath- CT master; "The good sloop Cham pion," Sterling sherman, master; Sloop Reaper, c. Penfield, master; and the sloop Deborah Ann Elias, Capt. Samuel Kellogg, Black Rock.