February 26, 1909

Monday the 22nd was celebrated to a certain extent by the closing of the bank, and the public schools also gave a holiday. Most other business was suspended for a time. Why is it there is not interest taken in these holidays that there was years ago? It is because they are so numerous that they have become common? February has plenty of them; and they don’t appear to interest as they once did. Anyhow the day passed pleasantly. In the evening the drama “Imogene, or the Witch’s Secret”[i] was rendered in School Hall to a large audience. The playing is said to have been fine, and receipts up to expectations.

This latitude is blessed with fine weather for winter. The grass is beginning to sprout; turnip greens are plentiful; and two thunderstorms in as many weeks has been a little out of the ordinary. Yet the weather continues mild, and the prospect for an ice crop is by no means encouraging.

J. H. Markell is making some alterations to his property on Federal Street.

Miss Sarah Banning of Milford is the guest of Miss Lottie Welch.

Miss May Welch has returned to her position with Wanamaker at Philadelphia.

Miss Nellie Lynch of Viola is being entertained by Mrs. Adolphus Johnson.

Captain William Megee of Philadelphia conducted preaching services at the M. E. Church on Sunday evening.

Rev. J. R. McCready received a telegram on Monday announcing that his brother, a baggage master on one of the trains that collided at Delmar on that morning, had been killed. Mr. McCready immediately started for the scene of the disaster.[ii]

Harriet E. Marsh, aged 21 years, 8 months and 1 day, and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Marsh, died at her home at Robinsonville on Sunday evening. Funeral services were held on Wednesday afternoon by the Rev. Ellis, and burial made at Conley Chapel by S. J. Wilson & Son.[iii]

The first herring of the season were caught in Broadkiln on Tuesday morning. There were thirteen in number and sold for three cents a piece.

William H. Davidson, formerly of this town, has purchased a property in West Philadelphia, on Greenway Avenue, and will likely make the city his future home for some time.

Rev. J. L. McKim of Milford was to town on Tuesday.

Barge no. 6 has been brought to Milton Dock, and is having her joiner work done.

Reading a short account of the new custom in some parts of the State of New York that the residents have inaugurated skinning their hogs, instead of scraping them, reminds the writer of an incident or actual occurrence that was related to him by  truthful man, and took place near New Market, several years ago. The name of the party will be omitted, as he has one child if no more now living in Milton. It was the custom in the “way back” and not so far either to celebrate hog killing by using plenty of rum. On the occasion to which we refer, a plenty of the stimulant was on hand and so were the butchers. They commenced early in the morning by taking a drink and building a fire. Then they filled the pots with water, hung them over the fire and took another drink. When the water was hot they killed the hogs and imbibed another. They they poured the water into a hogshead and scalded the hogs, pulled them out on a turned over cart body and went for another drink. This time they felt so good they took two and stayed longer than they intended. When they got back to the hogs they were cold, and the water in the hogshead was cold, and the men clumsy drunk. They tried to pull the hair off the hogs but could not and concluded to skin them. After much stumbling and palaver they succeeded in getting the hogs hung up and went to skinning them. And according to our informant a mess they made of it. They cut and tore the flesh, sometimes a pound or more of the meat came off with the skin; and thus they worked until they had torn the hogs to pieces, and became so stupid themselves that they went to sleep. And this was in the good old days when whiskey was 25 cents a quart.

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[i] The play, described as “a realistic drama in four acts,” was written by Horace C. Dale, and first performed at the Grand Opera House, Reading, Pa., on April 27, 1891. It was published in 1892 by H. Roorbach, among others.

[ii] The accident was deadly enough to have been carried by many newspapers across the country. Seven people were killed, including J. D. McCready, the brother of Rev. McCready, and two were injured. The fatalities were railroad employees riding in the first two cars of one of the trains, who were pinned underneath the wreckage and could not be pulled out; they were burned to death. Passengers in the sleeper cars all escaped.

[iii] The cause of death was given as tuberculosis