The Baraboo news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1884-1911, 1909-06-10
II RETROOPECTION
Miss Eliza s. Chapman Tells Of tie Early Pioneer
Days in Baruboo
Days in Baraboo

and my first box tender was he
who is now Hon. John Jenkins of the
18th District. There was merry lit
tie party from Baraboo, Mrs. Julia A.
Getchell, now of Skowhegan, Maine,
Mrs. Cordelia Getchell Plummer and
Lucy Flanders, the two last having
gone to their last home. Among the
younger ones were Will, now Doctor
Vittum, of st. Paul, and Joe Davis,
who was quite as good then as now at
quips and puns. AS the cultivation of
hops grew, hop pickers were in great
demand, and when DR.. Blachly's folks
started in the business, nearly the
whole Presbyterian church turned out
to help them along and have a good
time. If [ remember correctly the
doctor did not have much to do with
the hops, but let the boys run the
yard. Merchants could leave their
stores with one clerk, for there were no
customers. Lawyers could close their
offices, for there were no clients. All
were hop picking. "Belles and ma
irons, maids and madams, all had
gone," not to some grand reception
but hop picking.
At the first peep of dawn farmers
were around with their wagons or hay
racks gathering in their pickers, and
we were all on hand, too, for though
we mostly went for fun we were all
anxious to get an early start while the
hops were plump and rot wilted, as
they were apt to be in the middle of
the day. Ladies who boarded ana
had nothing to do, were often as eager
for the fray as anyone.
One year when hops were booming
certain set was invited out to DR..
Blachly's to finish up the yard and
have little extra good time. We
were all paid off and delicious sup
per was served. While waiting for
supper some of us were specializing as
to what we should do with our funds,
and whether it was safe to bring so
large an amount home in the evening
for fear of hold-up men, when in trip.
ped Mrs. Munson declaring that her
money was safe, for it was tied into her
pocket and nobody could unite it.
Imagine the blank look on her face,
when few minutes after supper she
started to put her hand into her pock-
ct, and found pocket, money and all,
gone. Mrs. D. K. Noyes, who was
never supposed to play apractical joke
on anyone, sat next to Mrs. MunsOn at
supper, and had lifted Mrs. Munson's
dress skirt and cut her pocket off and
taken her money. AS the rest of us
were in the joke we kept up din and
drew Mrs. Munson's attention to
another part of the table. This was
bus one of the pranks that sober digni-
fled people played on each other.
Most of that jolly throng have obeyed
the last summons; few are here yet.
GAuO Jill OChhAAO1 "AOAA 0AAOhAO
dearly love to see, have lost track of.
Whether the hop business was right
or wrong 1 doubt if most of us stopped
to consider, but followed the crowd,
and had good time and added quite
a little to our pin money. But Mr..
John B. Crawford stood to one side
and would have nothing to do with
hops, neither would he let his children
pick them, so was on the safe side,
and when the crash came he was not
in it. Perhaps it would be we'll for
farmers of the present to lay by while
they can, for prices may drop back to
their old standing.
ELIZA S. CHAPMAN.