The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-07-06
Col. Tom Sn1ifh Tells
 Story Of Visit by S10iss
 Bell Ringers to Elyton
Terrific Rainstorm Developed and We'll Known Banker Recalls How Men Had to Garry Wives and Sweethearts Home at Midnight
 Hour in 1871
By W. J. ROLES.


 In 1871 Elyton was the county seat and metropolis of Jefferson county. birmingham had just been founded and the first sale of town lots held.
 Ihere wasn't much here in the way of amusements in those days. Wednes day prayer meeting, with an occasiona1 performance' by thenth rate minstrels ana musical organizations, school com. mencements and the annual apnear- ahce of the circus on the town ,o+ were about the only diversions th a citizens had in those days.
 Ely ton was typical mountain conn. ny town It had it's court house cHque' It's social set, it's town boob :" leaoihg light and the usual run UT ordlnary every day working people and loafers. It was an ayeraea town In poor, undeveloped country.
 Eiyton in those days was the poii- tlcai' social, religious and educational center Of Jefferson county It had 5oo or 400 population. The aescen- dents of the men and women of that day later played an Important part In the building of Birmingham, and some or them are today the most prominent and progressive citizens of Birmingham.
 In 1871 a band of Swiss bell ringers came to Elyton. In the absence of any other hall large enough to accom- hodate the crowd that gathered to near them the Elyton school building was used.
 or this performance and the incl aents 1t gave rise to Col Tom. o. smith, native of Elyton, and now and for many years past yice-president or the Blrmi O a G.. company, tells an interesting story.
 The school house was crowded to capacity said Col. Smith, recalling the incident with considerable amuse- ment. T was just a boy and. of course, the Swiss bell ringers gave a great performance, as I looked upon them in those days. We didn't have many opportunities of going to musical or other entertainments except a candy pulling, or Justification or other party, where games familiar to the boys and girls of those days were played They were exciting enough to us then, but the present generation no doubt would find them very dull and tiresome
 But going back to the Swiss bell ringers. While the performance was gong on one of the hardest rains I ever saw came. It poured in torrents and continued long after the peri ,rm- ance had come to a close
 There were very few clouds visible when the people started to the show consequently there were no umbrellas in the crowd. We waited for a while hoping the rain would stop, but in stead of that it came down harder as the hour N midnight drew nearer.
 We had to go home whether the rain stopped or not. So some of the boys not burdened with sweethearts or sisters braved the clements and made for home.
 "Others were not so fortunate, how ever. Several men were there with their wives, and some with their sweethearts whom they hoped to make their wives some day. Repeated fore casts by the weather prophets among us were not reassuring and as the hour of bed time had long past and the wind and the rain continued in unabated furry all determined that they must go home.
 50 out into the rain and the wind we ventured. Elyton had no paved streets or sidewalks. The red clay was sticky and soft and the water came up over our shoe tops. But we had to go home.
 q recall with amusement to this day of the ludicrous sights as the brilliant flashes of lightning revealed the struggling mass of men and women as they trudged their way homeward. An occasional feminine scream filled us with dread lest some awful acci- dent had occurred. Then bright flash of lightning would disclose the cause.
 Now there were some fat women In Elyton in those days, as well as lean ones. And some of the fat women had married little scrawny men, less than half their size, while some of the little women had taken tall fat men as husbands.
 Tn an act of chivalry the men had to carry their wives home on their shoulders to keep their rect | dry. The little men struggled bravery under the burden of their 200 pound wives, staggering and webbing all over the sidewalk, while the big men with the little wives marched on, head erect. scarcely feeling the weight of their better halves.
 T recall one big fellow. whose wife