The Press., 1910-02-23

Benjamin Oorbin. who had some killed, came over, thinking some great dog had done the mischief. They followed on the trail, which there was no difficulty in doing, as a light snow had fallen in the night and he was easily tracked, until they came to large pine bush, where the wolf had lain down and melted she snow. They then concluded it was no dog, but some wild animal Soon the road was filled with men and boys hunting the wolf. The wolf was surrounded in Q swamp on the farm of Dea. Jacob Lynn in Woodstock, about mile from the Union line, now owned by Forrest Marcy. Dogs were sent in to drive the wolf out, and he came out between two men who had guns, one of whom was so taken by surprise that he did not fire, and the other snapped his fiintlock gun in vain and it would not go of. SO the wolf escaped and was last heard of in New Hampshire.
 The meeting house was built in 1884 and was rather poorly finished, with narrow, uncomfortable seats. A bell was procured, and after it was hung Ezra Horton and Calvin Marcy, IT,, were chosen to ring it for church services and toll 1t for deaths and funerals. It was quite an honor to ring the bell. and one would ring one Sunday and the other the next. Ezra Horton was also the tything man
 The church had been without 8 regu- lar pastor for two or there years, when Rev. Samuel I. Ourtiss came from West Woodstock to supply in the fall of 1889, and moved here in the spring of 1s40 and continued abo0t thirty. five years. Mr. Ourtiss probably did more real good than any other man ever did in Union. As Dea. Laban Underwood of Woodstock said to the writer, He was she mak ing of Union '' Certainly Union saw it's most prosperous times during his days. He had much energy of character and was interested in the temporal welfare of his people, as we'll as the spiritual. From the first he was staunch advocate of the temperance cause. even before the great reform which commenced in the early forties. When Mir Ourtiss came to town there was much rum selling
 l-s ne ka house there was a little settlement called Union City, composed of small, poor habitations, the people seeming to be content to live in humble cir- cumstanoes, and they doubtless drank rum when they could get it Soon after Mir. Ourtiss came to town he was riding along near this place on horse back, when he heard a voice from the gutter calling out "What must I do to be saved ?'' "What say ?" "What must I do to be saved ?' was repeated "Stop drink. ing for one thing" was the instant answer. There was one old fellow, Levi Walker by name, though he lived within a mile of the church seldom came to a service. He thought it would be a fine thing to pay visit to the eccentric Rev. Lorenzo Dow, then famous, who lived nsar Norwich, so Walker took his staff and trudged down there He found MF. Dow and introduced himself by saying "How do you do, MT. Dow. my name is Walker ; "The devil is a Walker and a great Walker, too,' was the instant reply, as he kept on with his work. He doubtless referred to the passage in Job where satan, in ansW or to the inquiry 'Whence oomest thou, satan ?" replies, From going to and fro in the earth and walking up and down in 1t ''
 When Mir. Ourtiss came the people attended church much more generally than in recent years. coming from all parts of the town. from the distance of two to four miles It was an in. spiring. sight to see the procession of teams coming on all the roads center ing at the church. Every seat would be occupied, the congregation in sum mer being about one hundred and fifty. There were two services and two sermons, and but few thought of leaving until the close. Dexter Moore led the singing a number of years, and took great interest in keep ing 1t as good as possible. Samuel Hammond played the bass viol We had for lady singers Mrs. Bulke Foster, Mrs. Dexter Moore, Cynthia, Marcia and PeTsis Hammond, Lovisa Corbin, Loviaa Lawson aud others
 There were singing schools nearly every winter. which served to keep up the choir by furnishing new recruits. Mir. Ourtiss undertook an amount of labor that would kill a modern minister. He had but $500 year until 1864, but managed to save money and bought an old rum down farm, with dilapidated build- ings. In addition to preaching two sermons, he had an afternoon or even. ing meeting at schoolhouse if the weather would permit. He went to each of the scboolhouses in turn. With the Friday afternoon prayer meeting, attending funerals, visiting schools and work on his farm, it made him a very busy man indeed In addition he did much pastoral duty; as most of the families in town were represent cd at church he felt 1t his duty to visit them. He used to say he made the rounds once in two weeks He enjoyed good health, and it was re- markable that in all of his l. ng pas- torate he missed but few Sabbaths from illness. There wero many ad- ditioDs to the church during his ministry. Probably his greatest use- fulnaaa xwas in kha sSakad pPoaobiS 0 oF