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Gazette & Courier - Monday, September 6, 1875
News about home: Greenfield items
(Greenfield) A lady made a misstep last week, and fell the whole length of the stone steps below the post office. A fellow, who might easily have caught her, as he stood within an arms length, looked on with open mouth, and did not even go to pick the lady up when she reached the bottom. Luckily, though bruised and frightened, she was not seriously hurt.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, September 6, 1875
A female burglar
A female burglar has just been caged in Indiana, whose ingenuity and daring would be worthy of admiration were they exercised in a different field of labor. Her name is Nellie Spencer, and she is reported to have had under her command as desperate a gang of thieves as ever flourished. The latest operations of her gang were undertaken in Evansville, where Nellie was so unlucky as to be caught.
She is described as a young woman and wears a determined look upon her face. She is of good large figure, and her movements are extremely graceful. Her eyes are coal black, and a winning smile plays about her mouth. She wears her hair short and curly, combed back from her forehead, and she has a very pretty way of throwing it back by a dash of her hand.
She is no ordinary woman, and has little of the timidity which characterizes her sex. She has discarded the garments of her sex with all other feminine attributes and donned the clothing of the sterner sex, while carrying out her plans.
Her gang would usually meet at 2 o'clock in the morning. The party assigned for the work of burglary would be assisted by one person to hold the swag, while the others would be posted around to give warning. The signals were various, sometimes a gentle rap on the fence, and again a low whistle.
When anyone approached, the party lay low until he passed, and the business was again resumed. No one person was selected to do the burglary, the risky work being divided between the members of the gang. Frequently however, Nellie is said to have accomplished a neat job single handed. Her valise was found where she boarded and among its contents were two suits of men's clothes.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 30, 1875
What savages think of twins
In Africa according to Dr. Robert Brown ("Races of Mankind") the birth of twins is commonly regarded as an evil omen. No one, except the twins themselves and their nearest relatives, is allowed to enter the hut in which they first saw light. The children are not to play with other children, and even the utensils of the hut are not permitted to be used by any one else.
The mother is not allowed to talk to any one not belonging to her own family. If the children both live till the end of the 6th year, it is supposed that Nature has accommodated herself to their existence, and they are thenceforth admitted to association with their fellows. Nor is this abomination of twin births restricted to Africa.
In the island of Bali, near Java, a woman who is so unfortunate as to bear twins is obliged, along with her husband, to live for a month at the sea shore or among the tombs, until she is purified. The Khasias of Hindostan consider that to have twins assimilates the mother to the lower animals, and one of them is frequently put to death.
An exactly similar belief prevails among some of the native tribes of Vancouver Island. Among the Ainos, one of the twins is always killed, and in Arebo in Guinea, both the twins and the mother are put to death (Popular Science Monthly).
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 30, 1875
Hampshire County items
By a peculiarly hard fate, the aged Michael Flynn of Westfield, who had been confined at the Northampton jail, died Sat. 21st, the very day his sentence of 5 years expired. He was 70 years old, and had prepared for death by willing his several hundred dollars worth of property to the Northampton Catholic Church.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 30, 1875
Shelburne Falls
(Shelburne Falls) Mon. the following accidents occurred in this place: Mr. Lupear, a Frenchman from Griswoldville, badly fractured and dislocated the elbow of his right arm. Walter Winslow had the misfortune to badly injure one of his fingers, while at work in H.S. Swan's furniture establishment. Both the accidents were cared for by Dr. Charles M. Wilson.
Sat., the 21st, was pay day for part of the railroad help, which, as a natural sequel, was followed by a row, in which one man received a bad injury in the face from a stone thrown by one of the parties engaged in the fracus [i.e. fracas]. The injured man was attended by Dr. C.M. Wilson.
John Bryant, a one armed workman in the furniture manufactory of Joseph Pierce, lost all the fingers but one on his remaining hand Wed. aft., by bringing it in contact with a plaining machine.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 16, 1875
News about home: Greenfield items
The town was unfortunate in its "fill up" on Congress Street. Several hundred dollars were expended here last year, in widening the road by dumping clay into the ravine. There has not been a rain since but there has been a "wash out" of greater or less extent. Wed. night a huge cavern was excavated under the sidewalk, and it is a wonder that the thin crust which covered it didn't break and let some poor unfortunate down into the muddy pit.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 9, 1875
News about home: Greenfield items
A party of 6 or 8 of the Tool Factory men experienced the "fun" and the proverbial luck of fishing, by a trip to Somerset, Vermont the first of last week. They arrived on the ground in good spirits, built a shelter of hemlock boughs, and laid out for sport. But before the actual business of the expedition began, it commence raining; nor was this the worst of it, the rain continued all day; by night it got well going, and the wigwam of boughs became leaky.
Hemlock bark was then tried, but to no purpose; rain it would, and leak it did. Alas for luck! The fishermen became wet, but they stood it like the "braves of the wood" for 3 days, and still the rain was on hand each day. Suffice it to say, that though the "young trout" bit well, "older game bit better". The party was welcomed home Wed., but it was observed that they looked a "little sad".
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 9, 1875
News of the week
Two little children at Viroqua, Ia. recently crawled up to a hen's nest in a barn. One of them put his hand in for an egg and drew it back suddenly, saying the hen had bitten him. The other one said that he wasn't afraid and put his hand in and was also bitten. Their screaming brought the mother, who discovered a rattlesnake coiled up in the nest. She took both children in her arms, but on returning to the house, found that in her hurry to reach the barn she had set down a boiler of water into which the baby had fallen and was drowned. In 30 minutes all her children were dead.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 2, 1875
News about home: Greenfield items
The thief who so adroitly "went through" the Mansion House on Sat., stealing a $47 suit of clothes belonging to Conductor Thorpe, and a pair of $10 shoes owned by A.N. Hull, has been arrested, and is likely to suffer the penalty of the law. He proves to be "Tim" Sullivan [also seen as Timothy Sullivan], who is notorious as an old offender. On the 18th of June he escaped from the lock-up in New Britain, Ct., where he had been placed, and Officer Kimball has for some weeks had a warrant for his arrest. After committing the robbery at the Mansion House, he hung around town Sun. and a part of the day Mon., but the officers wee not lucky enough to get hold of him.
Harry Breed, an engineer on the Vt. & Mass. division of the Fitchburg Road, recognized a fellow on his way to Fitchburg in Thorpe's good clothes, and notified the latter at once. Thorpe sent down a sample of the goods, and the Fitchburg police had Sullivan in less than 2 hours after receiving their information. Officer Bryant brought him up on Wed., and in the eve. he was tried by Justice Brainard and bound over to the Superior Court in the sum of $300. The stolen clothing was so damaged in its 2 or 3 day service on the rascal, that the owner did not care to claim and take possession of the property.
It seems that about a week previous to the robbery, Sullivan was seen skulking about the upper rooms of the Mansion House, and being asked by some of the girls what he was doing there, beat a hasty exit out of the east end of the building, going down to the ground on a tree. He is a slippery fellow, and our officers will have to be on the alert, or he will yet get out of their clutches.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 26, 1875
Millers Falls
With good luck, we trust our bridge will be passable for public travel sometime before snow flies. Since the 5th day of April we have been without a safe passage across this bridge, and since June 1st no passage at all for teams, which have been compelled to go around about 1/2 mile. There is but one bridge in Montague having more travel across it than this, and all this time has been taken to repair one abutment.
June 1st the work of repairing commenced, and it is not yet completed. Surely our citizens are forbearing. We would like to ask the chairman of the road commissioners how long he would have quietly borne it to have had the bridge across Saw Mill River near his own home, barred up, when 3 weeks' work would have repaired it? Mr. Co'es, the truckman, has suffered pecuniarily very heavily, by being compelled to draw all freight around so far to the depot. Two hundred dollars would probably not make him whole.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 26, 1875
Shelburne
We are glad to hear that the new location of the Troy & Greenfield Railroad at the county seat is not going to destroy the Agricultural Grounds, of which our people think so much, and which appears to be under the special protection of Providence, as well as Greenfield. Let all take notice.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 26, 1875
Letter from the seaside
Marblehead Neck, July 18, 1875 - ...I blundered upon Marblehead Neck. O, backwoodsman, who never saw a live lobster! O farmer, who never heard the roaring of the sea! O, country lawyer, full of the foul air of the court room, go to Marblehead Neck and renew your life and take back memories with you for old age. But stop at the Atlantic House and eat one of Tom Roche’s fish dinners and hear his merry laugh. Reader, I am not paid for this article. Tom Roche of South Deerfield was a stranger to me, and Marblehead Neck a myth, till that lucky day when Lon and I set out on a Bohemian tour.
I can give no details of our pleasuring. The time passed as if we had been residents of Utopia. Rowing, sailing, fishing, driving and smoking...succeeded each other in just the right order, and we forgot the "Hub" bub of our existence and gave ourselves up to dreams. Who would not dream with the Atlantic within half a minute’s walk of his piazza, and all around wild roses, whose cheeks are reddened by the salt breeze..."Sailor roses", the little brown faced girl, who tented on the beach, called them...
Six weeks had passed like a day, when it suddenly flashed upon us that our "business would go to the dogs" if we kept on oblivious to it...Max the Rhymer. [See Wikipedia].
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 12, 1875
News about home: Greenfield items
The grass upon the Clapp lot was cut on Thurs., cured and gathered into the barn without encountering a storm. For many years it was thought to be impossible to make the hay on this lot without having it wet, but it seems to be favored with better luck now.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 5, 1875
News about home: Greenfield items
A.N. Hull, who offered to give a ton of coal to the man who should make the best guess on the capacity of his big coal hod sign, closed the list of guesses on Sat. Homer R. Stratton is the lucky man; the hod holding 389 lbs. of coal, and Stratton guessing 390. There were 100 guesses, ranging from 75 lbs. to 630.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, June 21, 1875
News about home: Greenfield items
Wed. aft., William Eastman's team from North Amherst, loaded with strawberries, green peas and beet greens, had a little hard luck. The horse took fright near the freight depot, by one of the crates rolling off the wagon on to him, and ran as far as the marble shop where he was stopped. No serious damage was done the team, but the load was promiscuously strewn along the route for some distance, and afforded great sport for the young scavengers of Tough End, who hastily gathered up the berries and made off with them, leaving the peas and beets to take care of themselves.
J.A. Crump [read the Google book "History of the town of Whately"] of Whately thinks he is in luck in finding deeds given under the seal of King George the Third of England, to lands now forming the site of the town of Shelbourne, Canada. It appears that William Crump, grandfather of James, was a British soldier, and, being discharged, was given his choice of a pension or a grant of land in Canada. Preferring lands, a grant was made to him and another discharged soldier. their families being in England, William Crump went over after them, but died there. The son, father of James, soon after came to New York, bringing the deeds with him, but neglecting to obtain the property. It has remained to this day in possession of individuals composing that town. J.A. Crump intends to go to Canada and claim that part which was deeded to his grandfather, and which has been regularly recorded according to law.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, June 21, 1875
Shelburne Falls
Fri., Louis Sommer caught out of a hole in the river near his shop, with his bare hands, a trout which measured 14 inches in length and weighed 1 1/4 pounds.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, June 21, 1875
Hinsdale, N.H.
Jonah Bent of Winchester, N.H., who had the job for hoisting the Universalist church, just before completing it, ad the misfortune on Tues. to fall from the top of the blocking, about 12 ft. to the ground, which caused the fracture of a bone of his left arm and a severe injury to his left shoulder.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, June 14, 1875
News of the week
A most remarkable hanging took place at Madison, N.J. a few days ago. A young woman named Hopkins fainted while passing from one room to another, and falling forward, her head broke through a glass door, so that she hung suspended by the neck on the sharp glass until rescued by her friends. Her throat was cut from ear to ear, but she was not fatally hurt.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, June 14, 1875
Hampshire County items
The case of Mrs. Stephen Haywood Senior of Plainfield awakens deep sympathy in a large circle. Six years ago one of her eyes became impaired, resulting, after the lapse of 3 years, in its entire loss. Meanwhile the other eye, double prized, becoming similarly affected, she went to Boston last winter to consult with an eminent eye doctor. After examination, thinking thereby to arrest the trouble, he recommended the removal of the blind eye. Unfortunately this advice, well meant, was adopted, and the next day witnessed the operation. Almost immediately the sight of the only remaining eye ceased, leaving her as she is now, and probably will continue to be totally blind. The means used to secure relief hastened the dreaded result.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, May 31, 1875
Horrible disaster
Church burned at Holyoke; frightful loss of life; 79 people burned to death - The most terrible disaster in the history of Western Massachusetts, save the Mill River flood of last May, and one of the worst ever known in New England, occurred in Holyoke Thurs. eve. The French Catholic Church at South Holyoke caught fire about 8 o'clock, while a large congregation was attending the evening services, and so rapidly did the flames spread that a number of people were unable to make their escape, and 66 persons, men, women and children, were burned to death, and a no. of others were fatally burned or wounded, so the total loss of life will reach at least 75.
/ The audience in the church was large. Thee were 700 or 800 people at the service, a very large proportion being women, with but few children and not many men. The vesper service was nearly through, and it was as the priest, Father Dufesne [i.e. Father Dufresne], turned to the altar to consecrate the host that the tragedy began, lightly - as such tragedies do, and at the moment no one who looked on thought of danger. The censer of incense [i.e. censor] kept burning in the shrine of the Virgin at the side of the chancel; by some unkindly current of air flamed up and caught the lace or muslin drapings around the arch enclosing the sacred effigy. A young woman, Ellen or Lend Blair [i.e. Lena Blair], rose in her pew close beside the shrine, and with her fan beat the flames, in a vain endeavor to extinguish them.
/ The flimsy draperies were choice food for the fire which rapidly reached upward to the top of the shrine, caught eagerly at the light pine ceiling, and in a mere moment wrapped the roof above in fringing flame jets and gnawed hungrily along the light galleries. Then all was panic. The assault was instantaneous; it gave no time to deliberate, no time to appreciate the fearful scene http://www.holyokemass.com
b_fire/images/insidechurchlast3.jpg . The survivors of the disaster hardly knew what happened. It was all too swift for thought. The flame ran along the tinder roof as quick as a man could run. Hardly one was there who did not obey the blind instinct of self preservation.
/ In the gallery on the western side, many leaped from the windows upon the scaffolding of the new brick church building beside the old one, and most of the people on the floor chose windows or the inside front doors to escape. All those in the western gallery did escape, for the stairway heading thence to the vestibule was direct and easy. The unfortunate men and women in the eastern gallery had a far different task. The windows were a sheer descent, not only of their height above the floor, but of the embankment on which the church stood, and then the way thence to the vestibule, instead of a straight stairway, was around a sharp double angle. And here, in their hot haste, the unfortunate creatures tripped and fell, one upon another, until the hall beneath was choked with a desperate, struggling, writhing mass of humanity http://www.holyokemass.com
b_fire/images
blood_03.jpg . Meanwhile some had passed toward the rear door that led to the priest's house in the rear, but that too, was speedily invaded by the flames.
/ It took but two minutes. The engines were on hand then, and no time was lost in getting streams of water on the flames, which then encompassed all the sanctuary and burst from the front windows and doors. Then the work of extricating from the burning building the dead and dying began. The firemen, while water poured in above, entered the vestibule, and, covered by the descending torrents, rescued the bodies from the horrid sepulchre before the eastern door and at the foot of the stairs, which formed the death trap of that gallery.
/ The heap of human forms was too high to see the top of it from the doorway, and their struggles and their efforts had ceased. to all appearances there was nothing to save of life, yet the faithful firemen drew forth blackened and unrecognizable forms, scarce bearing the semblance of humanity.They came across occasionally a breathing form, and laid upon the earth nearby, who survived but a few seconds, nor revived to consciousness; stiffened and blackened, their spark of life was not strong enough to last. But most of the bodies were lifeless, and disguised by suffocation or by the fire that charred their garments and their flesh out of all resemblance to what they were.
/ The catastrophe was so sudden, so swift, so pauseless, that few were cool enough to observe its minutiae. The ruins of the church lie now a heap of charred timbers and arches over a hidden floor quite untouched by fire. The priest's house adjoining it in the rear, a mere shell, stands to mark more emphatically the spot. The whole no. of persons known to have lost their lives is 79, nearly all of them mill operatives. Nearly all those who were not burned to death before they were reached, were so severely scorched that they died within a few minutes; 20 so died after being taken out from the ruins. http://www.holyokemass.com
b_fire/images/monats-100dpi.jpg Out of the whole no. only 7 men are known to have perished. Most of the victims were young women from 15 to 25 years old, though some were old women. [See the New York Times article entitled "The Holyoke Disaster", From May 29, 1875. Also known as the Precious Blood Church fire http://www.holyokemass.com
Our quiet village was shocked Mon. eve. by the entire destruction by fire of the "Stearns Block", formerly owned by H. Andrews. Loss estimated at $12,000, insured for about $8000 on store and goods, and $2000 on furniture of house. Goods mostly destroyed; furniture of Mr. Stearn's house greater part saved.
/ Rufus Dinsmore, who occupied the tenement above the store, it is reported, has lost nearly all his effects. No insurance. The fire was discovered about 11 o'clock at night, and the alarm given by some passers by. The supposition is the work of an incendiary. We feel a deep sympathy for the two young men whose business is thus destroyed. George Stearns and his partner Henry Hopkins, especially for Mr. Stearns. He has been particularly unfortunate since opening business for himself. A very long and severe sickness of a disease that has crippled a limb, besides the general prostration of his system; he has been a great sufferer. Spent the last winter in Florida, and has recently returned home. Stearns & Hopkins had one of the finest stands of our village; it is a great public loss. Through the exertions of the firemen, other buildings in the vicinity were saved. Had there been a high wind the result would have been much more serious. The Methodist parsonage is sadly blackened, and was only saved through great exertion.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, May 10, 1875
News about home: Greenfield items
George Hunter had a little hard luck Sat. eve., when on his rounds filling Sun. orders for oysters and lobsters. Leaving his horse unhitched on High Street, the animal got ready to trot off to the next place while George was out of sight. Of course everybody who saw the horse without a driver had to yell "whoa!" and it was soon frightened into a run. Taking a short turn by George S. Eddy's house, the wagon was overturned, and oysters, lobsters, crackers, etc. were mixed upon the ground in a grand chowder.
- Sat, Feb 7, 2009
