Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1937-02-04

week to the Howard Rex (Wallace
Kuntz) farm.
/ Borne through Reinersville, Sun
day, the body of Thomas Dye, 8S,
was carried to Smith Chapel, where
the last services were held and in
| terment made for one of Center
townships most respected citizens
He had resided for about six years
(since his wlfe's death) with his
son-in-law and daughter, Mr.. and
Mrs. Noble Wiley, near Manchester
church, in Sharon township, Noble
county, but the major part of his
life was spent in Morgan county He
succumbed from paralytic stroke
James D. Rodeback, near Reiners-
vile, is a nephew of the deceased.
Yes, Editor Hovey of the Caldwell
Journal, I remember the organ
grinder and his monkey, the Italian
and his bear, the Jew and his pack
and the tramp camped by the rail-
road track l have seen them all.
The organ grinder is memory
brought back from my early jostle
with the city and the grizzled grind
er together with his monkey on q
string, to my childhood mind was
The ranking aspect of city life. My
father, who was of a jocular turn of
mind, was heard to tell of an aged
and fun-loving Missouri friend of
his approaching one of these hand
organ musicians and asking in all
seriousness TO turn the crank. The
old organist accepted the challenge
and after the aged Missouri friend
of my father had turned the handle
and rendered the only tune of which
the thing was capable which strange
ly sounded like "Will-ee, Will-ee,
come. to me; you know Will-ee
love thee" he retired, saying, "Well.
Doc, Ga nickname for my father)
do honestly believe with a little
practice | could master that mus
cal instrument and play it just as
good as my friend here from Genoa"
My father said, 'Uncle George Il
remember everybody called him 'un-
cleD I have a sudden and uneXpect-
ed admiration for your musical at
tainments and moreover I have
watched that monkeys expression
closely during your entire rendition
and | don't believe that monkey de-
tected even one false note" That
sturdy type of ease-taking manhood,
the professional "bo." who counted
railroad ties for living and sat by
his railside campfire is another mem
ory with my Missouri home as it lay
only a few tramp-steps from the
Wabash railroad. But now his ashes
are cold. He exists only in memory,
for the humble bo who once trod the
ties and travelled like bum, and
built his fire by the railroad tracks
as he journeyed to and from, now
iabs his thumb high in the air Just
like the regular guys, so Jim, how
come we know him, as the one
that's counting ties" Yes, and to
show further how the railroad hobo
worked my father once left his
shoes by accident on the front porch,
and a count the next morning show
ed two gone "Them days (as well
as shoes) has gone forever" Then
we get back to Reinersville and we
don't as of yore see the house-dog
swapping at his heels as our high
ways don't produce them with their
packs For the Jew peddler has
''sold OUT and his seasonal visits
once regarded as a big throb in the
forever OF course there are others
about here who remember the Ital
ian and his clumsy bear. another fea-
ture of present day life that exists
only in dimming memories.
Some local parties motoring to-
ward flood swept Marietta, Sunday,
were intercepted at it's gates and
turned back by patrolman upon
their admission that they were only
anxious to see the damage done by
the flood. This was the common re-
ception of those with only aspira-
tions to be eye-witnesses and they
We're many.
For a while there we had diff
Guilty telling whether it was winter
or summer without looking for
leaves on the trees.
We understand that the activities
in the vicinity of the Herschel Will
ley home amid the piles of lumber
portend the erection of a planning
mill. Any industry here should be
hailed with enthusiasm and we have
often wondered of late if the rural
districts would not eventually at
tract industries more and more, for
obvious reasons.