Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1917-04-19

sure. Square posts, IL feet high of
solid oak alternated with slabs Of oak
q inches thick standing on end pegged
together, with gates of the same COM
pleted the fertilization. A heavy pad.
lock was used for the closing. This
protection was necessary not only on
account of the lawlessness of the
country, free whiskey from the trad
ers, fights of the rival fur companies,
but also rowing bands of Indians were
continually prowling about. For the
same reasons every house was fitted
with hard wood shutters which, though
admitting light, would be im%pervioue
to the arrows. When the men were
on the hunt the women and children
lived within the enclosure. They
took further p%recaution to protect
themselves by using very little light
at night, usually no light but that
from the fire place. For special oc.
c%asions they used tallow candles made
from buffalo fat, with cloth for a
wick. The life in the village was
regulated by two bells. both of which
it is thought were brought from St.
Louis by Father Belcourt. A small
bell On top of the church was rung for
prayers, school, c%atechism, etc. The
larger bell was for mass, funerals
and larger meetings. 1t was support.
ed by a standard built for it about
forty feet from the ground. This
bell was cast in 1845 and brought to
81. Joseph in 1847, Its weight was
three hundred pounds and its tones
were and still are said to be wonder
fully sweet. 1t is of peculiar shape
and fine workmanship. Raised figures
surrounded its base typifying science.
art mechanics, music, astronomy and
husbandry. In 1874 the bells and
also the church was removed to LIE
roy, now st. Joe's parish, a distance
of several miles, but so highly were
they valued that there was lots of dis
s%ension between the people of the two
towns owe who should have them.
Father Genin finally decided that they
should belong in their original setting
and they were carted back to Wal.
ha)la by an uncle of Mr.. Monette's,
Andrew LaRocque, who is now living
in Fremont township of this county.
The large one, however, was crack.
ed at Leroy. The other one is on the
church at Walhal]a april 1910.
1t was the custom of the villagers
in the spare time between the hunts
or on long winter evenings to make
by hand such things as wooden shovels,
hoes, harrows, drags, ploughs, OK
yokes, carts. and sleds, for which only
hard wood was used. At this time two
raw hides were cut into strips, dried,
softened and made into harness, OK
collars etc. Something of natural skill
in caring for a wound is seer in MI,
Monette's description of his mothers
care of his hand. In 1865 when he
was but ten years old, while shooting
rabbits the gun went off in his hand
tearing out the flesh and the third
finger completely. 1t has the ap.
pearance of a fine piece Of surgery
and when asked who did it, Mr.. Mo-
nette said, "My mother cut off with
the scissors all the mangled flesh and
skin that was hanging to it. 1t had
already bled until L had tainted from
loss of blood and it was still flowing
so rapidly nothing would stop it,"
Dust and cobwebs and all other of the
early day remedies had failed when an
old hunter came up and said to scrape
the inside of an old felt hat. One ap-
plication was sufficient. The wound
and hand were badly discolored from
the powder, for this they took the in
side bark of a white wood tree, boiled
tit and cleansed the hand with the
juice. She bound it up with a salve
made from the juice of three roots,
wild cherry, willow, and plum, mixed
with bears grease. The pain for a
few hours was most intense, but it
healed very quickly and is not at all
unsightly.
Mr.. Monette witnessed the coming
and going of two great plaques, grass
hoppers and doves. They both came
to a climax in 1871. The grass hop.
pers came gradually. Year after
year they came to different localities
each time a little more numerous
than before. Wherever they chance d
to light all green vegetation disap-