November 17, 1911

“The Mysterious Vail Company”[i] gave three successful entertainments in School Hall last week, and left Thursday morning for Lewes. The exhibitions were first-class, and the “Showmen” pronounce his success in Milton beyond his most sanguine expectations. As is the custom with the Electric Light Plant of Georgetown, which lights Milton, the lights were put out just before the performance began on Wednesday evening, and relighted after a while. This is the usual custom with the company. At Christmas time or whenever anything unusual is taking place in Milton, these lights are almost sure to go out. Last Christmas it knocked some merchants out of sale of several bills of goods by doing so. It is said there is a party in Milton, who telephones the Georgetown company by cipher, when is the best hour on extra occasions to put out the lights, and out they go! We don’t know much truth there is in the above sentence, perhaps not any, but Madame Grundy will talk.

People, who close their residences and go away indefinitely, should employ someone to air their goods occasionally to prevent them damaging. There are two residences in South Milton now so closed. One of them has not been open for over two years. Now the goods in this building must be in a bad state, teeming with infusoria, or other microscopic anamalculae [sic], the product of the rottenness and decay, and inferentially, a menace to the neighborhood.

We are sorry to know there is serious talk of removing the Shirt and Overall factory from Milton. The reason for this contemplated move is the scarcity of hands. The management has done everything in his power to secure operators, but cannot employ enough. The contracts are great and must be filled, and if labor cannot be found in Milton, the only alternative is to remove the plant elsewhere, or abandon the business altogether. Naturally the owners prefer the former, and will do it unless operation can soon be obtained. It will be a cold day for women, young and old, of Milton, who are dependent, on themselves, when the Shirt and Overall factory is removed from the town. It has been a means of support to many of them, and it may continue and remain in Milton.

We are indebted to Captain John Tomlinson, of Drawbridge, for the following item, which we publish verbatim: ‘Last Wednesday, as Charles Mason, of Milton, Del., an egg buyer, was crossing the Drawbridge, he discovered a wild goose had taken its abode with a flock of tame geese at the bridge. Procuring a gun from the owner of the flock, he very dexterously brought down the wild goose and presented it to Mr. Tomlinson, the owner of the gun,, and now she is thanking Charles for his kindness, and enjoying the rarity of a wild goose dinner.

The Royal Packing Company has enclosed its plant with a wire screen for the purpose of keeping out persons who have no business in.

Parker Mason. son of William Mason, has secured a position with the Pennsylvania R. R. Co. as operator and agent at Cambridge, Md. He entered upon his duties last week.

The ladies of the M. E. Church will give a Thanksgiving Supper in Masonic Temple on Thanksgiving Day, and numerous committees have been appointed to arrange for the event.

H. K. Wagamon is having built a modernized chicken house near his residence on Federal Street, The walls and roofs are of corrugated iron and doors and windows perforate the walls.

The new improvement being made to the Carey property near the corner of Broad and North Union Streets is being roofed with asbestos shingles, the first of the kind ever used in this locality.

The revival service now being held at Weigand chapel is said to be meeting with much success, and that without an evangelist. “Yell it not in Gath!” etc.

We are sorry that were led to misrepresent an occurrence that took place, or that was aid to have taken place, regarding that little “wire fence.” And the disposal of the wire fence” on Halloween night would have been gladly published had the matter been brought to our notice. With all the traditional reliquity [sic] of the newspaper correspondent it is impossible for us to know everything that occurs. And if happenings favorable or inimical do not appear from Milton in the Milton communication, please do me the favor to believe the omission, on my part, is due to anything but neglect, or a desire to show partiality, or a disposition to slump the duty of a newspaper correspondent. Send me items of interest. If you commit suicide, break your neck, leg, or even your big toe, and we will tell the 10,000 readers of the Chronicle about it.

On Wednesday morning of last week a company of carpenters left town for their work. One man owned the horse, the others had the wagon on charge. During the ride the parties who had, none of them, been to the “show;” fell to discussing the wonderful tricks of legerdemain then being performed by “The Mysterious Vail Co., ” then operating at School Hall. The driver didn’t believe in “any such stuff,” etc. The others apparently did. The conversation waxed warm, and the driver finally said, anyone who believed in such stuff did not believe in the Bible and had no religion, and he didn’t care to lie in the company of such people, and ordered them to get out of the wagon. They told him they shouldn’t do it as the wagon was theirs, and if anyone got out, he would get out himself. This he did. And my informant said “the last I saw of him he was going toward Milton, leading the horse, and with a blanket, his dinner, two sheave of fodder, and twelve ears of corn on his arm.” The men out of the wagon and went on to their work. The wagon was subsequently taken back to Milton by another team. One of the workmen said “I think Mr._______ had a brain storm.”

The “Song Recital,” held in the M. E. church on Tuesday of last week, was a decided success, Although “The Vail Mysterious Company” performed on the same evening, the Church was well filled, as was also School Hall. The people appeared to have given themselves up to their entertainments. Miss Mildred Matthews sang several solos in a manner most attractive. Stanley Peters, baritone, is a splendid singer, and the solos he rendered were received with the appreciation they deserved. About $25 was realized.

J. B. Welch was last week the recipient of a barrel of line apples, a present from one of his nephews, P. W. H. Pierce, of Fayville, Md.

Mrs. Millie Pierce, wife of Foster Pierce, died at their home near Lincoln City, Del., 4 a. m. Tuesday morning, November 14th, 1911. Age 37 years. Funeral at Lincoln Church at 2 o’clock Wednesday. Interment in Lincoln Cemetery. Rev. Taylor officiating, S. J. Wilson & Son, Funeral Director.

“Leaves have their time to fall,” wrote Felicia Hemans years ago; and the Felicias, the Marys and the Sarahs of Milton think Mrs. Hemans was right.

Isaiah Young has succeeded in removing the tent he recently purchased of G. W. Atkins from Lavinia Camp Ground to near the A. M. E. Church, in north Milton, and will fit it up for a residence.

One person was admitted as a probationer into the M. P. Church on Sunday morning.

The dredging machine worked last week along the docks and up to the bridge and is still engaged there. Many hundreds of cubic yards of sand have been removed from the river that the people have paid for being put on Federal, Union and front Streets, No gaby! The “mud machine” is not cleaning out the river for amateur captains of motor boats to race on, altogether. We expect to have a steamboat here in “the sweet bye and bye,” if the new contractors can only get that darned jetty to face a northeaster.

Services will be held at the M. P. Church on Thanksgiving morning, Rev. Hurst of the M. E. Church will preach the sermon.

W. H. Chandler of Scranton, Pa., was a Milton visitor on Sunday.

The timber leaf, of the land of James and Ida Ponder, advertised to be sold at public sale on Saturday last, by the Sussex Trust Co., was not sold. The property was offered, but presumably the bids were not as much as the owners expected and it was bid in.

Last Sunday was a remarkable day— a day to be remembered, in moods of temperature. And on Monday morning the thermometer was below the freezing point. The little ponds of water in the pavements on Broad Street were frozen over

We read in a daily that one man died on Sunday from heat, and within six hours another froze to death. We think this was I,–yes we are certain it was in Chicago, for it couldn’t be done in any other place.

A circumstance that had its inception in Milton six years ago, culminated in said town on last Saturday afternoon. Varda Hastings, then of Lewes and Rehoboth Hundred, bought of S. J. Wilson a suit of harness on credit. On Saturday Varda Hastings now doing business as one of the firm of Hastings & Hastings, commission merchants of Philadelphia was in town touring with an automobile. He went to Mr. Wilson and paid three dollars on his account, which by the way, was barred from collection by the act of limitation, and promised to pay the remainder at a future time. This act of Mr. Hastings being an acknowledgement of the debt, and a renewal of the account Mr. Wilson went before Squire Collins and had issued an execution, and had Mr. Hastings’s auto attached. This made Mr. Hastings quite wrothy [sic], and he became belligerent and wanted to whip the whole Wilson family, with the constable thrown in. The crowd soon gathered and melee began, and while constable was getting up and brushed himself the town bailiff and others walked Mr. Hastings over to the lockup. Subsequently he was released upon the payment of $5 with cost; after which he paid S. J. Wilson’s bill and the auto was released, he afterward left town.


[i] This vaudeville and magic troupe (0ne man, two women and three dogs) toured the eastern U. S. and Canada from the late 1890’s to about 1916, always to very good reviews. “Vail” is an archaic synonym for “veil.” Not much else is known about them.