The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-05-19
KEPT THE HENS WARM.
Eugene Ferriter Tells of an Amusing
Experience of Years Ago.

Eugene Ferriter, tender of the gate at the
Bridge street crossing, tells good story OF
how he acted as caretaker of flock OF
well-bred hens brought to Brattleboro for
exhibition at a poultry show held IN the
town hall about % years ago. The show
was held in the early spring One OF the
exhibitors brought a number of coops OF
fancy specimens which he kept in bag
gage car which was left standing, the night
of the poultry show, on the side track op.
posite the passenger station. The owner of
the flock said to Mr.. FeiTiter, who was a
general utility man about the yards in
those days, that it would be well to keep
the biddies warm with little fire in the
old box stove standing in one end of the
baggage car. Accordingly Mr.. Ferriter
urged the fire bit about midnight after
the birds had been returned to the car
from the town hall where they had been
decorated with ribbons. The hens evident
" enjoyed the heated car for, as Mr., Fer
ritter tells of the affair, they talked among
themselves in an undertone. An hour later
Mr.. Ferriter gave the fire another few
square inches of draft and added fresh
fuel He carried no lantern so was unable
to discern the condition of affairs in the
car. He heard the hens talking a trifle
louder than when he made his trip Of in
SDptllOH
they we're praising the consideration shown
them by the Central Vermont railroad.
About a. m, he added more fuel to the
fire and at that time, as he recollects the
events of that evening, the chicks were whis-
pering among themselves. He recognized
the difference in the volume of converse
ton but laid it to the fact that it was get
ting time for sef-respecting hens to retire
The hens did retire evidently about that
time for when Mr.. Ferriter made his next
hourly visit everything was quiet in the
car Though the temperature within the
car resembled that of midday at Palm
Beach Mr.. Ferriter gave the draft another
notch and added another bucket of coal.
He congratulated himself that the hens
would not suffer from cold feet. Mr.. Fer
ritter had forgotten that there was such
thing as hens in the general scheme of rail
roading when the morning broke, and was
getting ready to go home when the owner
Of the prize-winning birds came down to
the station to gaze for a moment upon his
flock of blue ribbon specimens before eat
ing breakfast. He entered the car but even
the most domesticated specimens of his
flock failed to manifest any interest in his
visit. 1t took the owner of those hens
about four minutes to start things, lie
wanted to know of the whereabouts of Mr..
Ferriter. Gene heard his request and it
was case of seeing Mr.. Poultryman first.
The solcitous caretaker of the poultry
garage had followed instructions literally.
He had kept the hens warm. In those days
the state board of health or local health
officer did not hold inquests over the death
of hens. Every bird was dead. Whether
thev died of suffocation or in an ecstasy of
ioy over the attention shown them the rec
ords do not show Somewhere in the arch
ives Of the Central Vermont railroad at st.
Adams will probably be found the. docu-
ments in the claim case instituted by the
irate hen owner. The only defense put up
by Mr.. Ferriter to the division superin-
tendent when questioned about the matter
was "next time you want hens tended get
someone who knows about hens.'