The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-04-26
SOUTH BRITAIN BRIEFS
BY BILL GARRIGUS

About this time of year, super stitious folk along the Housatonic claim to see all manner of start ling things rising above the river mist. A canny Scot talked about the river, just the other day, and it is his opinion that something should be done toward making a perpetual record of life along shore, of the people who won a living from the stream as the Poo tatucks gave way before the ad- vance of civilization. He thinks there is 8 more romantic story there than 8 mere recital of citi- zens begged down in bottomless mudholes, or tin-can vacationists littering the banks. If the Wabash, Powder River, the Mississippi, and the Hudson have appeal, the Housatonic certainly should rate a place in the sun.
 This Scot hiked downstream from New Milford about forty odd years back, driving the family COW, shivering as his blue toes kicked the white frost from the stiffening grass and cussing be- cause the family refused to let him wear a new pair of leather boots. The lad was but fourteen, his eyes were wide open, he saw a hundred things he wishes he could remember, but he remem- bers enough to whet the appetite of anyone with a yen for research.
 At Southville, the kid saw bust ling activity around the post of- flee and several retail stores, and he smelled hot toddy from a pair of gin mills where rivermen gath cred to mooch on drovers, ped- lars, and passersby. The lad saw Big Bill Freeman and old Pegham Meade. Bill killed another nigger one Fourth of July. Meade was an ex-slave, weighing 250 pounds, who did chores for folks, fright ened children with his jungle jibberish, and carried a full wash tub on his head at the same time both his huge hands were lugging full waterpails. Kids ran and hid from Pegham but he was as harmless as he was huge. Some times he helped Peglegged Trume Pierce set the shad seine, although Trume knew how to do it alone. In the shadows this young travel CT saw eel racks. He saw old men mending shad nets and young men arguing about shad rights. He heard of the silvery hoard that swam upstream every spring to enrich river wise people and bring variety to depleted larders.
 Twenty~two children went to Pootatuck School when the Scotch kid got his first chance at formal education. He only went for cOu- pIe of seasons, and then he went to work on a rented farm. His playmates were MitchellS, Lock- woods, Shielkes, Williams, and Wheelers. The youngsters used to dig for Indian artifacts in the old Pootatuck graveyard, despite the denials of present wards of the region. The Scot showed some Of his loot to prove it.
 Levy Squanbushenball raised raised berries and garden truck up on the Purchase for sale to the lowlanders, and stole lambs on dark nights for home consunp- ton. Levy died, alone, i'll his shack up near the Centennial House, one year when the lamb crop was short. Folks missed his strawberries, plenty.
 This Scotch yOungster grew to manhood despite the perils of life by the river and eventually rented a streamside farm of about 200 acres for the sum of $1OO 8 year. His herds increased and multi piled. He always pail the ab- sentee owner on time and banked the balance, until a helpfufui neighbor grew jealous of his thrift and bid higher for the acreage. The Scot never heard about the deal until the new leasee came around trying to hire him. Then fine fur flew. The Scot moved to a Main Street farm after and Drospered modestly. He would have won enough to have given Southbury . library had he not bumped into Pootatuck pAenAg- ling.
 Yanks, Injuns. Scotch, Germans.