The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1909-07-16
OUR STATEMENTS
AND HIS MEMORY
Do Not Agree and Correspondent
Takes Us to Task.
wELLrKNowN PEOPLE SIGHTED
And Names Once Prominent IN the
Community Never Observation-Disclosures
ences to Institutions Which Cannot
Exist-As It Was 40 Years Ago.

I have felt constrained for some time to
write YOU relative to some glazing errors
and misleading statements that are con
tinually finding a place in the local news
department of your paper. These errors
sometimes seem to be given a humorous
turn, while at other times they breathe
saddened or pathetic state OF teen ing
While | am quite ready to admit that Inc
Reformer is really a very creditable. local
newspaper. vet | frankly confess that, L
am often panied to note the apparent DIS
regard for the plainest facts OF truth con-
corning many of the well-known people OF
Rrattleboro as well as its social and ma
terial conditions. ,..,
Practically all of my boyhood llfe, as
well as several years OF my early, mahnoou'
were spent in BIattle3oro ana vtct nIa;y,
and therefore | think | can, justly clam
to have been tolerably we'll acquainted
with its people and earlier history. Whlle
I have been a resident OF the west TOT
many wears. vet have attempted through
the aid of eastern papers to keel, IN toucn
with the scenes Of my early lie put l
must confess that the references TO pTa if
tleboro people and the descriptions ol ne
and general activities as pictured Uhere
now Through the columns OF The Re
former hear the unmistakable INDICATIONS
+bat a hiphlv imaginative and welrdly con
iactural mind is responsible for much that
is allowed to appear IN your paper.
have been panied to note that, you
rarely find occasion to mention any Vi Ciie
people, the boys and girls; VINO were NY
Early associates. 1t is only short time
ago about forty years, since many OF
them were my schoomates, hrst at the
LITTLE red school-house on Canal street, ana
iatar If the high school There was Elijah
Wales, the three Pellet boys Thomas,
John and Will, Eben Wells, the, Judge
bows. Thomas and Will, Clarence Carpen-
ter, Louis Willis, Herbert Andrews Al
thur Gilbert, Willie Wilcox, Henry
Thompson; and the girls, May Burdette,
Hattie Wales, Mary Niles and many.
others whom | do not readily recall. VI
course these "boys and girls" are all there
vet, but their names are seldom men
toned in the paper and ! trust | may DE
excused for calling your attention to the
probably unntentional neglect l also ?, re-
call many of the older ones; ,. y. Her =
rick, c. W. Wyman, Asa Davenport, u +.
Thompson, w. +. Richardson, II. ii. Had,
lev Julius Estey, Levi X. Fuller, and
many Others But perhaps you are to De
excused for not mentioning them as l
presume they have passed over the
river. III
I must confess to having been both
amused and somewhat vexed at some OF
vour references to the material SIDE OF
Brattleboro. In the matter OF local tfal-
fic, for instance, you continue 10 lelf, ~
street railway. Now, | am sure Brat
tleboro has no such method OF transporta-
tion, Your imaginative powers, have been
nduly developed. | recall full well that
tbe old village coach meets all trains ana
CONVEYS the traveller to any part Oh I.e
village. And then there is the west VII
lage coach that was also at the depot as
regularly as the trains arrived. l questio nf
ouite seriously whether the people OF
Brattleboro would think of permitting
their beautiful streets to be desecrated by
the rushing to and fro of the modern cleo,
tric street car. Their esthetic taste would
surely receive a rude shock. 1t Is prl,
mariiy village of quiet resttulness and
beautiful homes and there surely Is no
need for the introduction OF TINS modern
innovation.
West river railroad is another example
of your vagaries. Don't you know, that 1t
was decided long ago. perhaps as far back
as 1870. that a road could not be built up
tbis tortuous valley? No, no! | am sure
such foolish undertaking has never been
attempted and that knowlton's tour-ln-
hand still makes its daily trips from
Townshend How often do yet, see
those spanking bays come sweeping aoM Sa
| Main street and draw up in front OF the
| town hall to deliver numerous mail
noucbes at the post office. Another thing
| that | feel inclined to resent Is your rel
erence to suspension bridge over the
river opposite the Waite farm. Now, we
former residents well know there IS no
bridge there. The only way to reach
! Chesterfield is to cross the island ana take
! the mountain road, or drive up to Farr 5
| ferry and take the boat, first giving loud
toot or two on the tin horn to notify
them that you desire to cross. Yes, that
the way. and the only way. You are MS
taken about there being bridge.
Your reference to certain prominent
corner as being occupied by the Peoples,
bank building is somewhat tarfetched as
that is where the Revere House stands, or
or more. And the old American House,
with its massive pillars-you have even
been tampering with that and have tired
| to convert it into mercantile and office
| building. How are we former residents 10
recognize the place the next time we re-
visit it if you continue to trample out our
traditional memories in this manner!
| love to think that, if ! were, there
now, / could purchase a book at the Jo-
seph Steen place. groceries at Newton 5,
hardware at Thompsons, dry goods at
q. j. Pratt's clothing at Chamberlain 5,
meat at Hadley's, and take pleasure
drive in one of J. L. Rays turnouts. And
why not, it's only forty years ago. :,
And you also think you have actually
constructed dam across the Connecticut
river and expect to harness that stream
of water. Now that idea is pretty tar
| fetched. or at least will be at the first big
| freshet Do you think you could put up
| a dam that would hold the mighty rush
of water, such as we have seen come tear
ing down there in some of the spring
freshets and completely covering the ISL
and? | have seen the current there so
strong that | am sure it would sweep
everything before it.
No, no, Mr.. Editor, all these things are
mere creations of fanciful Imagination,
which if allowed full sway may eventually
lead to unpleasant and awkward results
However. I do note with considerable
degree of pleasure that you have not yet
attempted to ignore the Estey shops, the
Carpenter organ factory, or the Smhh
novelty works; but there were other en-
terprises of "a few years ago" that seem
to have passed out of your knowledge.
Permit me to suggest that hereafter you
exercise a little more care in your refer
ences to Brattleboro people and condi
tions, as it is becoming somewhat difiicuit
for me to reconcile your statements with
my memory.
Yours truly,