St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-11-13

work for Mrs. r.. j. Bennett ana is
spending the week with Mrs. r.. r..
Richards.
MUSEUM NOTES
Many Interesting Additions Made TO
The Historical Department
The historical department las re-
ceived several additions recently.
One of the latest ana most INTEREST
ing is a camlet cloak, originally the
property OF Maj. Earl CIapp of Con-
necticut, an aide to General George
Washington, during the heyoIutlon-
airy War. The CLOAK is of plard home
spun, the coIors being still bright
and gay, though the green lining
is somewhat faded. The coax is
loaned by Mrs. frank o.. French ana
has been hung in a wall-case on the
north side of the Colonial room.
Several unique relics of the Span
ish War have been loaned by Ralph
Sulloway-a fragment of tflIing
from Moro Castle, wood from the
chapel of Fort Cabanas, mimic bah
and a souvenir from the battleship
Olympia . These articles have
been placed in the case of relics at
the northeast end of the Colonial
room.
Miss Catharine Kidder, whose no.
table collection of china has been
one of the chief features of the MIST
orical department for some years,
has recently added to that a few hne
specimens of old time furniture and
articles of household use. Among
these may, be mentioned baskets of
various styles, samplers, an old mi
croscope, Paisley ,shaWls,. honlespun
linen and quaint copper-plate bed
curtains. Two old-time looking
glasses are perhaps the finest ar
ticles in the collection. One has a
mahogany frame carved in scroll
work with a gilt eagle at the top
and is of the type commonly known
as a Constitution Mirror, dated from
.1775-1800. Such mirrors we e made
in great numbers just after the Rev
oluticn, about the time the eagle
was adopted as the national emblem.
The other looking-glsss is of the
empire style, and the date J. ay be
put from $4,000. The turned side
columns and drop ornaments of the
overhanging top show the French
influence. a
The last articles of Miss Ktdder'
collection to receive special mentor
10 a Sl1dlIs LdUIS WHICH Has
been placed in the Office near the
grandfather's clock. This charm
ing bit of furniture may have been
used as a small teatable, or it may
have been a candle-stand. Such ar
tieles have been made from 1876 to
the present time and were very
plentiful throughout the 1nlonies
Tripod candle-stands were usually
about four feet high and were de-
signed to hold the night candle and
often the Bible as we'll, beside the
high bedstead.
From Miss Mabel Pope, +hree in
teresting articles have been received
as loans-a charcoal stove, Il four
sided lantern of a hundred years ago
and a cartridge box. Mrs. E. E.
Drown and Miss Bridget Rooney
have loaned articles of Staffordshire
pottery. Rev. Henry Crocker of
Chester has presented fine speci-
mems of fieldspar, muscovite, pyrite
and tale to the Museum and they
have been put in their respective
places in the mineral collection.
Letter by Benjamin Franklin
One of the most valuable as well
as interesting loans ever received by
the Museum is an autograph letter
VI II dnhllu OWnOQ ny MIS-.
Alfred P. Grint. The letter was writ
Ten in liz soon after Franklin's
return from a visit to his niece, Mrs
Richard Fisher, Jr., of Wellington.
ough in Northamptonshire, England.
While the paper is much yelIowed by
age, the fine penmanship makes The
words still easily legible. After
speaking of suldry personal and fam
lily matters, Franklin gives a graph
ic picture of American life as he eX-
perienced it in the year 1928 I'm
the eastern paris of New England we
are afflicted with / skulking con-
tempible enemy, l mean the Indians,
who will not I've brought to a fair
fight, but Turk about in the woods in
small companies and take all oppor-
tunities to burn, destroy, kill and
carry captives all they can meet with
And tho this country, people and
towns increase apace, yet they are a
great hinderance to the settlement
of our eastern parts and put our
young country to a great charge to
maintain soldiers. 1t has pleased
God to give our forces success
them last year and it is SO
that they make overtures for peace,
but they are a perfidicus people, not
to be trusted. Our i'll neighbours.
the French, set them on and support
them for they hate to see this land
grow so FAST
The closing of this quantity phras-
ed letter mentions Boston taverns of
the early 18th century. 81 am with
my son Samuel at the F. and Crown
in CornhiII against the end Of School
Street. Brother Jospiah lives at the
Blue Ball in Union street near the
Green Dragon
MONROE