May 2, 1902

Perhaps Dr. David Wolfe has one of the best arranged, best tilled, and best stocked farms in this locality. It is proverbial that every kind of farm produce that Dr. Wolfe brings to Milton, is put up in the best order; and his cattle, horses, swine and sheep, are the fattest and of the best. The land of which his farm is composed, is in a high state of cultivation, well attended to and well tilled. He supervises his work, and has everything under his immediate direction. Mr. Wolfe has two calves about half grown. They are twins and both as nearly alike as it is possible for cattle to be. They are kept stabled and well attended to. His work been the impress of a master hand.

Issac W. Nailor has contracted to erect a building for Mr. Daniel Hirsch, of Milford.

Mr. L. B. Chandler and wife, after a protracted visit to Scranton, Pa., returned home on Saturday.

Mr. J. B. Welch and wife. Mr. J. H. Davidson, and William Reed, visited Seaford and Bridgeville last week. There were some famous speeches made on that occasion.

Rev. A. J. Perry will deliver the first sermon of a series on Bennum’s Camp Ground on next Sunday afternoon, beginning at 2 o’clock p. m. subject: “The Home with the Seven Gables.”

Charles Atkins is building a boat house on the river above the bridge.

Mrs. L P. Corkran and Mrs. May Lank, left town on Wednesday as delegates to the State Sunday School Convention, which meets in Wilmington on that day.

Mr. John Ellingsworth was in Baltimore last week.

Captain George Hunter is visiting relatives in town

P. Frank Atkins, formerly of this town, is in town with Mrs. Atkins and two children, a boy and a girl. They are the guests of Mr. Atkins‘ parents, Mr. and Mrs. P. Paige Atkins. Frank, like all other Delaware boys, is making his mark in the busy whirl of life. Success attends the persevering. Pete will be there.[i]

Mrs. Hettie J. Dorman, widow of the late J. B. Dorman, late Clerk-of-the-Peace for Sussex County, is having her future grave digged [sic] in the M. B. Cemetery in this town. Mrs. Dorman is not dead, but this action is made necessary in order to make a proper foundation for the monument intended to be erected over Mr. Dorman’s grave, and also to mark Mrs. Dorman’s last resting-place.

A part of the cannery being erected along the river blew down last week. It is said the bracing was put in the wrong way.

S W Darby, of Frederica, informs us he has sold one-half of the ground purchased by him from Mrs. Sallie Ponder at Ellendale. Also, that he has contracted to furnish the brush to be used on the canal route about Lewes. Mr. Darby is an adept in the contracting line, and if Frederica had a dozen men like S. W. Darby, she would be at the front in all matters of business.

Dr. J. A. Hopkins is laying stone curbing on his division line, between his property and that of Samuel Lofland.

Very few people around Milton believe the story of Waite, the confessed murderer of Mrs. Collins. This must not be construed as anyone in Milton thinking that Mr. Collins, the husband, did it. No one believes this, either.[ii]

Mr. Anson Wright is in Milton from New York.

Robert Salmons, a colored man, was buried on Monday. It was the largest funeral cortege that has passed through Milton for many years. Mr. Salmons lived near town. The funeral was held at the A. M. E. Church, South, and to interment made beyond town. J. R. Atkins funeral director.

By the time the early frost nips the corn husk–or shucks—as they are commonly called, there will be a factory in this town for the manufacture of mattresses. This is on the authority of the Board of Trade.

Mr. W. W. Conwell, cashier of the Milton Depository of the Lewes National Bank in the town, has purchased the post office building, in this town, now occupied by A. J. Manship. This does not mean anything queer. Mr. Manship will occupy the office indefinitely.

The Queen Anne’s railroad has, or is about to put in, a switch at Holland’s, one also at Warrington’s, and Messrs. Ward & Merritt have one put here for the convenience of their business.

Mr. Clement Hart is an example of what some Milton people are obliged to do. Mr. Hart is a carpenter. He works away from home most of his time. Comes home and spends his evenings in the town that given him no employment. He is doing this now. Lately he came home, put painters at work on his building and fences, and now any one going up Federal Street can see the beautiful home of Mr. and Mrs. Hart, as nice a little cottage as Federal Street has.

W. T. Atkins in now engaged repainting the interior of Zion M. E. Church.

May J. Carpenter died at the home of John Watson, at Ellendale, suddenly, on Monday morning of epilepsy, aged 61 years, 6 months and 8 days. Funeral at Ellendale on Tuesday afternoon. Rev. J. A. Buckson conducting the obsequies. S. J. Wilson in charge of funeral.

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[i] Carole Atkins Sherr, granddaughter of P. Frank Atkins, informed me that the children were Wilson Burton Atkins (her father) and Gwyneth Rebecca Atkins. Wilson was four and his sister was almost seven. Gwyneth died two months later in their Philadelphia home, having celebrated her seventh birthday on the Fourth of July.

[ii] On April 12, 1902, Mrs. Ilda Collins of Laurel, Delaware was found brutally murdered in a stable on the farm where she lived with her husband and their two small children. Two days later, immediately after he returned from his wife’s funeral, Elmer Collins was arrested for the crime. He was acquitted after a sensational trial later that year. Pinkerton detectives arrested and claimed to have extracted a confession from a black man, William Waite, some time later, but it was established that Waite was in Smyrna at the time of the murder.