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Monday, 16 October 2006 |
Compiled By Terry A. Fye Of The Spirit
(The Punxsutawney Spirit is pleased to share with readers vignettes of our area?s past that reveal the ways life has changed over the preceding 113 years. These reprinted reports with their original headlines and spelling from back issues of the local newspaper highlight events, personalities, attitudes, and lifestyles that made the news long ago. This series will appear each Monday for your reflection and amusement.)
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE
(September 21, 1892)
THE DESTRUCTIVE GRUB
It Made Great Havoc with the Oats and Potatoes
There were no potato bugs this year, but a vastly more destructive pest has been at work. The common, every-day grub worm, which has heretofore been found occasionally lurking beneath the sod in sandy soil, has multiplied himself to such an extent as to become an intolerable nuisance. In many instances the whole of a farmer?s potato crop has been destroyed.
James Hawthorne, of Oliver township, planted fourteen bushels of potatoes, and will not have a bushel that he would offer for sale. Elijah Campbell, of Ringgold township, lifted a hundred bushels of potatoes last week, which he hauled to the back yard, where he will boil them and feed them to his hogs.
These are only example cases. There are many others, and they are just beginning to find it out when potato digging commences. In some instances the potatoes are almost entirely consumed, only a few mutilated remains being found, along with a score or more of big, fat grub worms.
These worms are also destroying the oats. J. T. Raymer, of Oliver township, says they ate more than half of his. They attack the roots and the stock dies before the grain has time to mature.
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A BAD CASE OF SUNSTROKE
Charley McClain, of Punxsutawney, Is the Victim
Tuesday?s DuBois Courier had the following: ?Chas McClain, a young man of Punxsutawney who has been working with the engineer corps near the Berwind-White shaft, received a sunstroke yesterday afternoon at 1 o?clock that came very near proving fatal.
He had just returned to his work after dinner when he was overcome with the heat and fell over unconscious. His companions did what they could to resuscitate him but their efforts were unavailing, and he was sent down to the Allegheny Valley station on an engine. At that place he was transferred to a street car and brought over to the National, where he lay in an unconscious condition until 5:30.
Dr. Spackman was summoned and administered treatment. The young man?s mother lives at Brookville and was wired for during the afternoon. She arrived on the 7:17 train and remained with him during the night.
The young man is a member of the Senior American Mechanics and the Sons of Veterans and those orders will undoubtedly care for him if necessary. He was resting easy last night with prospects of speedy recovery. This is the second time this summer he has been overcome by heat.?
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(September 28, 1892)
A Physician?s Rough Experience
Dr. J. B. Morris had an experience on Sunday afternoon that he is not anxious to have duplicated. He was driving toward Clayville and when near the depot of the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburg railway he saw an electric street car approaching. Having his little boy in the buggy with him he concluded to take extra precautions against a mishap and drove as far as possible from the track, turning the animal so as to face the approaching car.
The horse showed but little uneasiness until after it had passed. Then it became fractious and began to back, pushing the buggy over the embankment at that place, upsetting it and dumping the doctor and his child out very unceremoniously.
The frightened animal then sprang forward and in attempting to cross the sidewalk fell and could not get upon its feet until assistance arrived. Fortunately no one was injured, and the vehicle was but slightly damaged.
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An amusing incident occurred in front of a Main street saloon on Saturday night. A drunken man had been ejected from the establishment just as a prominent young business man in his shirt sleeves was going past.
The inebriated individual mistaking him for he party who had fired him made a rush at him brandishing his fists in a very suggestive manner. The young man was frightened at the man?s actions and rushed down street at a pace that would have made Ed Weaver turn green with envy could he have seen him.
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About forty Punxsutawney people returning from Brookville last Friday evening missed connections with the B. R. & P. at Falls Creek and were compelled to remain in DuBois over night, much to their chagrin and inconvenience.
The Low Grade train was about fifty minutes late, and Conductor Lauck told the operator at Reynoldsville to notify Falls Creek that there were in the neighborhood of fifty people for Punxsutawney. For some reason the train did not wait, although it would have delayed it about ten minutes, and so the passengers could not get home.
There may have been some misunderstanding, but if there was not, it did not show any great eagerness on the part of somebody to accommodate the great traveling public.
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These glorious, mellow autumn days cause a man to feel like going out amongst the hickory and oak and chestnut trees with dog and gun and chasing the chippering squirrel. When a large gray squirrel goes chattering up a tree or jumps from limb to limb, cutting down acorns or chestnut burrs, it thrills a man?s blood. His savage nature returns and he is all a sportsman.
He turns to become a destroyer of life, to put an end to the career of a happy rodent, and see its lifeless and bleeding form fall limp among the dry leaves. His breast is disturbed by no pangs of pity. He yearns to become a murderer, and if the frisky squirrel refuses to hold still long enough to be shot, he becomes furious, calls it all sorts of hard names, and thinks it is being very mean and low-lived because it refuses to play as a mark. Then he becomes desperate and will shoot at little innocent birds or chipmunks or anything that has life. |
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 17 October 2006 )
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