Connecticut western news., 1911-01-19
OLD BELLY" ROCKWELL
Stories of a Quaint Character in Can
 aan Valley Long Ago.

SIoTleS or Qualnt Character m Can
 aan Valley Long Ago.
 Deacon Stevens "reminiscences of old days and old-time residents, in the East Canaan and Canaan Valley districts, have brought back to the memories of other old inhabitants, recollections of people and circumstances long-forgotten. That's the way such "reminiscences usually work. Deacon Stevens is illumi- hating his biographical matter with occasional anecdote illustrative of the characteristics of those old time Can aanites, which give added relish to his interesting series of articles, and The News is glad to hear from others who are reminded" by these articles, of some good old story in which those old time characters figured.
 MT. D.L. Peirce, whose earliest recol- lections of Canaan were printed in these columns some weeks ago, is reminded, by MT. Stevens references to the numerous Rockwells of Canaan Valley, of one Billy" Rockwell, an interesting and eccentric character who fiourished some three-qnarters of a century ago, and who figured in numerous stories that have been handed down from generation to generation.
 Among other anecdotes recalled by MT. Peirce, is one relating to Billy" Rockwell's wedding. It appears that lU' 1oi6 fc N@ some damsel in Canaan Valley, daugh- ter of we'll known family, and courted her so assiduously and successfully that he won her away from all rivals and persuaded her to name the happy day. She named it, and at once began prepa- rations for the marriage festivities.
 The day came, and the appointed hour found the bride-elect attired in her nuptial finery the invited guests assembled, the clergyman ill waiting, and all in readiness for the eceremony-all except Billy" who had not shown up. AS the minutes went by, and still no sign of the recreant bridegroom. the brides people became anxious, and messengers were despatched to hunt him up, or at least find out what had befallen him.
 The emissaries secured hls neighbor- hood, and finally located him a mile away from his home, on the top of 8 barn, in his work a-day clothes, shing- ling the roof.
 Look ye here. Billy" shouted the messenger, What tn thunder's tn matter with you? Don't you know this is your wedding day., and you ought to've been married an hour ago?'
 "Well swan !' said Billy, "if hadn' t plum forgot all about it. Say, you go back an tell 'em I'll be right along jes' as soon as can finish out this row O shingles"
 Another Billy Rockwell story which MT. Peirce relates, is to the effect that Billy was in a tavern one evening, where crowd of loungers were telling great yarns about their respective big sheep, and the amount of mutton tallow that had been extracted from their champion animals. Some one asked Billy how much tallow he had ever got from single sheep.
 -"Well, I'll tell you," said Billy. "I had a ram once, that was a scrawny sort of beast, with no meat on him, to speak of. and made up my mind I'd fatten him and kill him. Nobody thought he'd amount to much for tallow but fattened him, just the same, and after I'd fed him about all I thought he ought to have, butchered him. Well sir, how much do you suppose his tallow weighed?"
 All sorts Of extravagant guesses were volunteered, to all of which Billy shook his head, and finally somebody asked him
 "How much did it weigh, any way ?,
 II don't know" said Billy. "I didn't weigh it. There wasn't but a darned little of it.''