The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-04-04
SOUTH BRITAIN BRIEFS
BY BILL GARRIGUS

Signs of Spring IA load of witch hazel brush rolling through the village on a truck marked Long Hill". Inactivity around the bull barns of the new arti- ficial breeding establishment as stockmen returned to the natural methods of increasing their herds. People at Pootatuck moving fur niture back down to the lower floors as the danger of floors decrease. More sand hauled in from Bethel for the new hospital despite the abundant supply To- cally. State troopers again in- vestigating thefts at the new in- stitution as outsiders thaW out and start picking up tools. Kid fights, dog fights, and gossip; all these are signs of Spring.
 The tax collectors house is rap idly nearly completion. It's a trim little dwelling and 8 sign of bet ter times. Taxes seem to be coming in regularly and the re- cent furor about increased valua- tions has largely subsided.
 According to Time somebody in Hollywood is preparing to film 8 picture about Sergeant Alvin York, the fellow that Percy Beardsley helped out" during the Meuse- Argonne Push. York marched in a big flock of German prisoners and walked away with plenty of medals Percy Beardsley worked a Chau- chat automatic rifle, killed Ger mans, kept his lip buttoned up and his eye on the sight line. York got a rousing reception from the American civilians when he re- turned, the Saturday Evening Post featured his adventures. Percy went back to Good Hill and raised stout Devon cattle. We're wonder ing about the new films; will it be historically accurate, or will it continue the myth that MT. York practically qualified as one man army? (Percy doesn't care, but lot of his buddies do. Watch the picture and listen for the comment when Hollywood tries to show America how one Sergeant York won a Congressional Medal of Honor)
 When we locate that. researcher, the first assignment he gets will be to discover what's wrong with Kettletown. Some years ago the Mormons held a meeting at Ket- tletown School, passed the hat, asked for financial aid and re- cruits. Nothing happened because somebody said one of our local gossips was there and whoever signed on would be duly reported and blacklisted. The next thing anybody heard of KettIetown was when the motion pictures people discovered it and a top flight film executive built a home there. Things went along very quietly for awhile and then Southbury boiled over. The Bund had dis covered Kettletown! Those Ger mans bought about 175 acres just over the fence from the picture mans homestead and started to set up cell for Herr Hitler. They failed. We passed 8 zoning law that kept Southbury safe from in vasiOn. KettletOwn settled down to its knitting again.
 Now what is it about Kettle town that attracts exotic groups? Why did the Mormons and the Bunders come to that particular locality to make a pitch and start spreading their particularly un-American brand of philosophy? Is it magnetic attraction, or what? That's a job for the researchers.
 Our biggest recent turnout was for the auction sale down at ROx- bury Station the other day. Every politician in the Shepaug Country was there, and some came from outside. MT. Barkley ate so many dOughnuts Put Smith thought he might get sick. MT. Manville bought pitcher with a hunting scene on it, and tiny thermOm- eter on the side to tell how cold the cider was. But John Ludorf furnished the real excitement when he bought what was sup posed to be gentle" horse for $62. That horse almost ran over Colby Stillson and near caused a panic when he threw Ed Man vile. Horses are mean, come spring, but Ed is normally a good rider. Anyway, that was a good auction and we should have them more