Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1932-08-04

While we are never ready to give
up our loved ones in death, yet it
never seems so hard after we have
seen them suffer for weeks and
sometimes years; but when the end
comes quickly and in tragic way,
the blow comes much harder. SO
far as the records go, there has new
er been a murder committed in the
township. Counting from memory.
we think of - suicides in the fol-
lowing manner: Hanged with rope,
his suspenders. one; with knife,
two; with gun, fye. OF this num-
ber there were 10 males and two
females. While no doubt the de-
tails of these tragic endings would
be read with interest, we feel that
write, as We have written some of
them when they occurred. Of the
accidental deaths we have had sew
eral The James Bell whom we
spoke of only few pages back;
George w. Henderson who also met
who was trampled so badly with a
horse that he died in short time;
VIM. Lindimore, McCracken Rob-
erts, David Stiles by falling TIM
Der; Jas. Parker, a resident of near
Rural Dale, but who was kicked by
a horse at the home of his father
in-law. the late John Gilliland, near
Otho. The death of Edgar Wells
was given by the coroner as acct
dental 1t will be remembered by
many of our readers that this boy
was taken into the home OF Baz and
Eliza Keyes Wells, after the death
of his mother, and everything Of
love and affection was bestowed on
fhe lad whom they loved as their
own son. But the story is too
fresh in the minds OF our read
ers. to tell again at length at this
time. We only tell it that you may
understand that the II suicides
mentioned did not include him.
In this age when scarcely day
yasses that we do not hear of some
one we know going from our coun-
~ TO the hospital for an operation,
we have. to stop and study about
the great strides that have been
made in surgery in past half cen
tury. We don't know whether they
had any hospitals then or not, at
any rate we can't remember Of
hearing of them at that time. When
a small lad we remember of two
operations. One was our aunt, wife
of George V. Ray. One of the ply
sicians was Dr. Brown, and we be-
lieve both We're Browns The op-
Grafton was for tumor and was per-
formed at the home, now the home
of John Broedel and family, near
the Valley school house. We re-
member seeing the tumor. Perhaps
to US at that age the thing looked
bigger than it did to grown ups,
but we remember they had put it
in a tub to carry it out. The other
was Mrs. Hi Bell at Bristol, also for
tumor, and by the same physicians.
AS we walk and ride in Bristol
township we see the footprints as
it were of men and women who
have gone on-haye closed their
labors. folded their arms and lam
down to rest Perhaps the one
place most noticeable where the
pioneers made tracks was in the
roads.
Back when Thomas Harmon, now
of GAINESVILLE, was supervisor of the
township roads, he informed us
that there was at that time 81 miles
of road. Our earliest recollection /
of road building was when we had !
the Stanbery road law The author |
of this law, Hon. E. M. Stanbery, !
was representative in the state leg
Islature from Morgan county. I'm
Ger this law the township was di-
vided into two districts. A su-
perintendent or supervisor was ap-
pointed for each district. Dock
Workman and G. P. Roberts filled
these positions. They hired men
and teams. AS we remember, the
intent of the law was to pike the
roads with rock. At that time the
rocks were hauled onto road to be
piked, where men broke them, first
with large sledges, then broke them
smaller with two pound hammers
The law was not permitted to re-
main in force very long.
Then we remember when the
taxpayer worked out what was call
ed a road taxa percent of their
tax: they were allowed $3.50 per
day for this work. If they could
not work it themselves or hire
someone to do it for them, they paid
it into the county treasury and 1t
came back to the township and was
worked out through the township
trustees. At one time we remem-
ber we had II supervisors who
were elected by the voters of the
respective districts in which they
resided. Later campaign was
started to pike the township with
lime rock. Farmers gathered the
rock off their fields and dug
them out of the hillsides and haul
ed them to the section to be i'm
proved, where they were ricked
three feet wide and three feet high,
and as long as their stone would
go. They received 20 cents per
cubic yard for this work, then men
and boys were hired to break them T
at 70 cents per yard. In this work
the big sledge was used, after
which a round hammer weighing
perhaps one pound was used. With
this hammer the slone could be
Irolran puch finer ONLY a few