Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1933-03-16

be made that would furnish boat
ing and fishing. With the many
springs, plenty Of pure drinking wa
ter is at hand; shade and scenery
but why go on, it is all there.
But back to the saw mill On
Friday, we had eaten the good din
ner that Mrs. Parmiter cooked and
baked and packed for us in the big
market basket, and had gone back
to work, when down through the
woods on horse back, came Abe
Hayes to tell us that William Cham
bers was dead and our help was
needed. The mill was shut down,
and we started for the Chambers
home We learned that Mr.. Cham
bers, an aged man, had been build
ing fence along the lane that leads
to what was known as the George
Wilson place which at that time
was the home of the Hayes family.
When the dinner hour came, they
sent the granddaughter Fauna Will
son to tell her grandfather to come
On. Going to where he had been
working, she found him dead. Mr..
Hayes was called, and he knowing
that he would find at least four of
us, at the mill, came there. (That
was before we had telephones).
When we got there, we discussed
how we would carry him to the
house. Some of the men suggested
that we get lounge and carry him
on that, which was done, or rather
we started to do it that way; but on
the way up through the field the
lounge was pulled apart and the
body was dropped, when we picked
him up catching "nigger holds" and
carried him in and laid him on the
floor, and then went back and put
the lounge together and carried it
in and placed him on it. This was
before the modern equipment of
our undertakers. We have gone into
details in regard to this death more
because it was the first dead body
we had ever had hold Of, and
while we have helped prepare many
bodies for burial since that, none
have left the impression that the
first one did. We have no recol-
lection of any coroner's inquest ever
being held.
We believe J. w. Parmiter was j..
p at that time, which perhaps was
the reason the coroner was not call
ed While 33 years has passed and
some of the actors in that days
event have followed Mr.. Chambers
to the Great Beyond, several Of us
are still here. Let us see if we can
name them. Those gone-Belle
Wilson, Lizzie Chambers, daugh-
ters; Abe Hayes, Medill Knox, John
Fowler, Robert Henderson, the
undertaken; Leroy Sang, John Will
son. Those left. W. Parmiter,
T. E. Knox, Wildey Combs, and the
writer. Later we will give the his
tory of the VIM. Chambers family.
We told you this was our first ex-
perience with the dead, but we got
fast following this, as in
the next three weeks we were at
three more wakes, and many of
them we have forgotten, but never
that first one.
In the Meigs cemetery story we
told of Matthias Sang, but like many
more Of whom we have written, a
friend will tell something which
would have had place in that writ
ing had we known it then. Our
readers no doubt have noticed we
have not written in this story of the
characters whose story we told in
the Meigs or Bristol writing. But
the Sangs, as was told before, were
early settlers in Bristol We learn
that Matthias ran away from Ger.
many to keep out of the army. He
was the only member of the family
who ever left Germany. After his
son Orr had become wealthy he
learned the German language and
made trip to his fathers old home
where he found that his uncles and
aunts were still living and had
never married. When he found an
uncle and made himself known, the
uncle was wonderfully pleased that
ne could talk the German language.
Mr.. Sang after he came to Nor
gan county sold clocks. 1t is told
hat on one occasion he was trying
o sell a clock to a woman who
claimed she did not have the money
o buy it. Then he told her he
would take her note which would
lot be due until after death. To
his she agreed and gave him her
tote. AS he was leaving he said 81
m going home and pray that you
will die soon" This so worked on
Ter that she got the money and paid
If the note.
The Shipleys
We had hoped to have more data
efore we started this division of
ur story, but have been unable to
ct it. But we feel some one will |
urnish what we lack before we
nish our story. William dad"
hipley was born in Arundel coun-
Y, Maryland, Dec. %, 1909. Susan,