HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Clinton News Record, 1925-07-30, Page 14p Special Request 0
the Old Hone Cot ;nilicc we are Reprod cmc in this iss xe
Rams F. Jackson, Vola H. B Combe and I)r. Shat ,
issue.*f The News .Record.
easemessammemememigemMusimmegleglexeMeemeieMsemeemsaveramMeme-
An Old Citizen Notes Changes in Clinton,
in Last Sixty 'Years.
eeeleeT e?,
Clinton, 1865 1925
You have asked pie to write a few with brilliantly electric lighted
lines ,for the perusal of sonic of our
1a s P
coming visitors next August. You
said you asked me to do this as one
qualified by a sixty years residence.
What about our worthy Mayor,. Billy appeared and stately brick two storey
Jackson, D. L. Macpherson, II. T. edifices have taken their places. Five
Rance,and we almost. might inclhde hotels are now represented by two,
the gallant Colonel of the 161st: Ty and instead of getting;a good dinner
may repudiate scornfully this claim for 26e with a glass, of ale thrown in,,
td longevity, but they might just as they will pay 75c and get no ale. We
well claim it so far as looks are con have grown in' -wisdom. , The doctors
easily ; while reasonable doubt one
of myself if one and clergymen have found out, merei-
judge be entertained y fully before the race became extinct,
judged by appearances. Of
course 'beverages are most
this is not to be wondered at, when that, intoxicating
Pernicious in their effect upon "the
one knows that I was brought u p with human system. So they. are distinct -
honest n the
ale'as a daily Bever- ly forbidden. And in the. place of a
age from the tender age of 7. Well, virile, hardy, powerful, rough set of
our friends should be warned that barbarous people, we are producing
they -will see many and great changes thanks to them, ;acultured, refined,
in the old home town and its inhabi-
on of 60ears ago! well-mannered, pale -faced race, so
tants. The Clinton ,Y superior in every way to the, passing
A bustling,.thriving town, or rather generation. Men no longer wear hair,
village, at least 5 good hotels, stores but some, are brave enough to keep
what they can a pretty little butter-
fly on their upper lip. Women, too,
boldly walk into barber shops, sit.
down like a man, and have their hair
cement sidewalks, laid dawn on the
most approved) scienitfic plan by the
Town Engineer, Mr., Jos. Wheatley,
C.E. Our wooden cottages have dis-
innumerable, churches, schools at the
front, honest mud roads with an at-
tempt a t gravel in spots,
solid wooden sidewalks and
everybody happy! In those days men "bobbed" as it is called; or in very
did business :Farmers drove into truth, shorn of what is a woman's
do
town with their produce an sold it
, glory. They are so advanced, they
e the reached
generally Ihefor y`places.
top,ypowder in "brie a
g
alar-wildpublic p
Competition
t wn.
the o1
e ofth
eentrro nee e+
the,ra'ns to d
was fierce. I well remember' two Men rack their brains p
grain buyers, Charles White- loveliest shades and `designs in silk
noted y , ocicin s which women' bayan`d do,
White-
head and Perrin having a glorious old of buy to hide them. No where is
0
scrap over the question as to wh woman's generosity more fully dis-
hed the better claim . to a load of 1 ed than in their exhib.tron of sr
grain. There were several scientific
rounds before the onlookers decided•
they had had enough fun out of it,
People acted naturally in those days,
I have seen a church warden taking
up the collection in the most arieto
cretic church with, his top boots on,
and they not too clean. Men bought
and sold untrammeled by vexatious
ill-timed legislation. I well'remem-
ber one night about 9 o'clock being in
need of supper, and the hotel meals
being over, a friend and myself
simply went to the leading grocer.
Mayor .Jackson Recalls Incidents
Of lis School Days in Clinton
isioricaljSi etche$ hili
ece
LIEUT.-COL. H. SE CONIRE.
HAS RETENTIVE MEMORY
He Recalls Events in the Early Eighties Which
If one could only get time to sit Tom and I' could see was the free
down with a real old tinter who had outside show and very well I remenr-
as good a memory as one's self, and ber the day when Billy ^ Jackson'
go over the old program of Clinton walked the tight rope: To protect the
life the story could be told very
much better than is possible by an in-
dividual.
My first recollections' of Clinton I
)pla:z at the timd when I,� was about:
three or four years of age, we were
living in two rooms at the back of
my father's shoe shop ,on Huron
street, located' on the. ground at pre-
sent covered by Connell's meat, mar-
ket and Watson's Grocery. A cook
house was' in the back yard about
twenty feet from the rear door of the
y
shop. I was frequently scared stiff
with persons knocking at the back
door., They were midnight drunks
from the Commercial hotel near by.
It is a very clear recollection in
my mind of the day we moved from,
there to a cottage built by Bill Shane
on Rattenbury street, on the property
at present occupied. •, by Nels.Bell.
There I got my first glimpse of the
Buffalo- Goderieb, railroad. I was
much mystified with seeing a lorry
going up and down. I could not
figure it out, finally the railroad was
explained and the first sight of a
locomotive and train at close quarters
was- intensely terrifying to me•
those days were
boys and girls in 9.
started to school at•five years of age.
When my time came my mother pilot:
ed me to the old'red school house,
which is now the -residence of Mrs.
Jas. Sheppard on Townshend street.
h
inthe
were then
three rooms ms
'hee
Them
played ]k school, the other two were in the
stockings. Education is of a high or- i brick building now Occupied by Mr.
g Myfirst teacher was
der, so high that farmer's sons and i Beet Hovey.
daughters refuse to stop on the farm � Miss Morgan, who veryshortly was
any longer, arid go out as doctors, l married to the late P. D. Brown of
lawyers, teachers. clerics, which pro- . the grocery firm of Brown. and Cavan.
fessions. are getting somewhat over- I did not like him very much for
crowded to put it mildly. But what that because Miss Morgan was a very
of that? We
are improving day by nice teacher. She was followed by a
day. We will not have more than Miss Bell. She was so very likable
one church before long, and Father that we all soon forgot our grouch
Gaffney smiles all over at the against Brown. The next teacher
thought. So, we bid our visitors wet- was Miss Bishop, all the boys and
come ; rejoicing: in the thought that girls of that day will remember her
shows from the raids of London
Roaders Billy organized a ,company
of Light Inafntry, armed with swords
made from cradle fingers from the'
cradle with which the farmer of those
days cut his grain crops. Later an
Artillery Corps was formed and Joe
Rowell made the: guns, one msunted
on a carriage made with twheels of a
perambulator (called baby carriages
now). The gun was made out of an
old' muzzle loading . musket, large
bore. The gun carriage was drawn
by Billy. Glass' big Newfonudland.
dog. The gun'when loaded had' lots
of black powder and a liberal : charge.
of salt to pepper the London Roaders.
T never saw them come up for their
medicine.
Manyof these old boys have passed.
to the Great Beyond; how many are.
still on earth'I cannot guess. As
well as being hard fighters they were
good pals If one licked' the other
today he 'would also share his last
bite of a treat with him tomorrow.
Enough for now.
—FRED JACKSON,
Brown and Cavan. We did not say i
anything but "good evening" to the•
smiling: proprietors, who were too I
busy with more important customers
to pay any attention to us and walked
downstairs into the cellar. Selecting
two kegs for chairs and placing 'a
box' between us for a'. table, wet fell
to work on two tins of oysters (each
tin held 3 dozen in those good old`
days), soda, crackers, splendid fresh
butter, and two quart bottles of •Dub-
lin stout. A supper :fit for a king!
You can't get it today! And then we
settled ajl comfortably by a wine. j ,�„
glass of good French brandy, and in
the words of my friend "walked home
as straight as a string." Men were
men in those days. Theywore hair
on their faces, stood u,p•for their
-rights, fought for them if need be, did
a day's Work of 10 hours for $i,
brought up a fancily and saved money
on it, '. .
But our home -coming friends will
find everything changed. Mud roads) THE OLD NEWCOMBE'STORE
have been converted into splendid
macadamized, tarvia covered roads, will be remembered, by many hom
wooden sidewalks they tripped over
,going home in the dark, are replaced comers.
the; Clinton and • its inhabitants they
come to'yisit, have not stood still, but
have' advanced upon•the broad high-
way, upward, .to.conipletest civiliza-
tion!
Yours, etc.,
—JOHN RANSFORD.
e-
CLINTON, HYDRO SHOP AND POWER HOUSE
The upper picture shows the Hydro and Waterworks plant with the.
with the, kindliest feelings. All the
tables of weights and measures and
multiplication were taught in song,.
Everybody had to beat time with the
right hand, index finger extended.Iler,
venison of ,punishment was a shingle,
the tip end of which was blackened
by dirty handle. That' shingle was a
more effectual punishment than all
the rawhide whips, hickory whip-
stocks, and bamboo canes used by
later teachers., I have a very vivid
recollection: of one beating I received
from a certain man teacher. He did
not believe my reason for being late
for school every morning, be said he
would write a note to my father and.
find oat if I was truthful. I was to
carry the note; I; refused. Under the
punishment I received with the hick-
ory I fainted away. That ended the
incident. I: promised to say ns
oh sg
About it at home.' Twenty y
f -
ter. I broke my promise.
The first principal in my time was
the late James Scott, for many years
librarian with the Clinton Mechanics
Institute. He was followed by the
late D. M. Malloch: ("Sammy" Mal-
loch we used to call him): He
straightened out all we rough necks
in proper style and never hurt any-
body. All the oldssehoolneates have
a very fond recollection of "Sammy"
Shortly after he came' the present.`
school was built. There were two,
factions in those' days, famous for
their fighting qualities. The London
Roaders and the'3ase Liners, They
had many royal battles, w
stch Bre
frequently quelled by
ll
Core, the terror of all offending boys.
We were all afraid of Bill. When we.
could not be controlled in another
way the .threat of . sending for Bill
Core always brought , us under sub-
jection . I'll never forget the firet
real battle I witnessed. between Lon-
don Roaders and Base Liners. They
were playing shinny on Townshend
street. Someone was ordered with a
blow to "Shinny on • your own side,
Dam you." There was a clinch, fol-
lowed by a general fight with shinny
stieks and blood flowed freely.
Among the London Roaders were a
lot of huskies; they did not know
what fear was. The Lanes, Jones'
Mackey .and Creakee 11teMullen, the
-Swinnies (boys' way of naming Swirl -
banks), the Irvings, Cooks, Higgins,
'Newmarchs, Fulton, Macphersons and
others' whom I Cannot recall; AmOne
the Base Liners were Billy Jaelscn,
recognized captain, Billy Glass, Geo.
Brown„ Billy Coats, two, bent boys,
Burnett' Levan, Joe and Sam Rowell,
the Elliotts,' Marlowe, Tewsleys, Jim
and Jack, Ralph 'Davis, Bally Hart,
Bob Doan, Ike Rattenbury,' Buchanan,
S. J. Andrews, Castle and others..
Billy' Jackson organized >a circus,
the shows were always held on Satur-
days. At first the: admission was five
Pins. As the circus grew larger the ,
Price got bigger and it took ten pins;
The late Tom Jackson and I always
Inanaged to hook enough Bins far ad-
mission. Finally the shout got to he
too big and expensive for us,'
5c admission, and Billy would riot
let tis in free. He had a big
tent made of oiled canvas which used
to line the big dry goods boxes. All;_
puma$ house to the right. The lower picture shows the Hydro Shop, which'
will .be better known to old timers as the "Palace Block,' eornerl'of Al -
hart and Rattenbury 'streets. This building has ; just recently been ac-
quired,by the Public. Utilities Commission and has been nicely •fitted up.
The top flat has been rented to the local Oddfellows and the Clinton Club,
each having.a ,very, complete suite of club rooms.
THE ' CLINTON POSTOFFICE
mill Interest Old Boys and Girls.
The idea of reviewing the past his- Cooper, Bob Coats and .others whose
tory of ' Clinton in the columns of names I have forgotten.
The News -Record' from now .until Old Being able to +n lay a cornet, I
Boys? Reunion, is to my mind, a good., joined`'No. 4'Company of the 33rd
idea. I remember meeting W. ]i iba ttalioii as bugler 1 in 1881. Major
Rand at Carleton Place some years MusZay o£ . Atheleote occupied the
after he left Clinton, he handed me dual position of junior major ' and
the New Era with the remark that it quartermaster. He administered, the
might interest me, but was of no in- oath of allegiance and .the equipment.
at the same time. No. 4 Company at
that time consisted of Captain Wm.
Sheppard, Lints. McWhirter and
Isaac Barr; Sans Mercer, Color Ser-
geant; Sons Hagen and Charlie ,Sieh
yar as Sergeants; Wm. Thornton,
cook, and privated Wm. Smith, Wm.
Rance, Wm. Shaw, Geo. Bay, A. J.
Grigg, Alf. DennisWalter Coats,
Tour Swarts, Jacic Tewsley, Jim
Howson,,: Jack Shaw, ° Wm, Ross,
Joe Graham ,Joe Rowell. These are
all I can now recall. Most of these
have passed to their reward. The,
catnp was held at Goderich in the
month of September.' The Hon. A. M.
Russ was Lt, -Cola and his adjutant
was Major Cook of :Goderich. This
gentleman had been a'sergeant-major
in the regular army and he instruct-
ed the whole battalion from squad
drill to battalion drill. His methods
terest to him. I inquired why? and
he told me that the paper chronicled
the comings and goings of people
that were new to him, and people he
knew nothing of. My mart of this
ietthr writing is to cover the early
eighties. ' At that remote: period "I
had two outstanding ideas, to belong
to a Brass ]land and a Lacrosse Club.
I had an old battered B flat cornet
and at the same time played centre_.for
the lacrosse club of Clinton, in 1880.
The captain and trainer was the late
John Chinas, the star: player vas
Geo. Robertson, the ,other players
were .Tom Jackson, 'Allan Reed, Geo.
Bay, Torr Ranee, Jack •Scruton, Fred,
Corbett and Charles Hine.
About this sine the firemen of
Clinton decided to take part in an in-
ternational tournament at London.
This event, as far as Clinton was
con-
cerned, as beinglooked after by
Geo. E.
Pay, fixe chief, and John Cun-
inghame, Captain. These gentlemen,
after much' consideration, decided that
to join the international event, speed
for,
with a
m
would be the deciding fat >
few trained men to make the coup-
lings. They decided' to take as fire-
men' the fastest 'runners of Clinton.
All runners were invited to, meet at
the coiner of Orange and Princess
streets, to race to the corner of Mary.
and Orange, a distance of 300 yards.
The first fifteen men were to go to
,London. When I arrived on. the
scene every able-bodied man in Chit
ton was there. Joe Wheatley was the
CM -
acknowledged athlete of Clinton in
those days and was to set the 'pace.
when the race started I found mysel
running between Jim Finch and
Chitter: Chambers, both fairly fast
runners. Some distance ahead were
Joe Wheatley, 'Torr Rance and Geo,
Bay. 'By extending myself won the
race. Geo. Bay, second, Torr Rance,
third. This put us on the firemen's
racing team. We lost out in London
owing to Joe Wheatley and Robt.
Jones making a bad coupling.
Finally T was admitted to, the old
Hugh Scott Band. The Band was
composed of Hugh Scott, Joe Ryder,
Tom Newmareb, Charlie Hine, Homer
et
fired first. I heard a horrible ex-
plosion and a groan at the same time..
A .J. was flat on his back rubbing his -
shoulder. His advice to me was to
hold the musket close when I fired'
or else have my shoulder knocked out
of joint. I took aim, hugged the rifle.
shut both eyes, pulled the trigger and
made a bull's eye. Capt. Sheppard'
complimented me very highly for
thie Shot, and I , did not mention the •
fact -of both eyes being shut.
Thid was the year of the "Dark,
Day" The Stores were: lit up at 1:30
p.m. and many thought the end of
the world had come. Ogle Cooper's
donkey, •thinking it ivas night time,.
lay down on the L. H. and B. cross-
ing and was run over by the train.
It was the end of all things for him:
About this; time we had a rather ;•
celebrated: person in • town. Owing to
his` uncompromising helief in the un-
ending, ceaseless torture by fireof"
the unsaved, he eazned the title of'
"Hell Fire Jack." He was against all
such, things as cards; dancing, smgk
ing, and drinking,' skating rinks,
even included the Owl. Snow Shoe Club -
as people engaged in an immoral and
depraving pastime. This was, resent,
ed by the Snow Shoe Club, which eves
a rather exclusive organization. and:
they proceeded to offset this scandei'
by making the other clergy of the,
town members of the Club:
Those seem good old -days now, but
life is only brilliant when we are -
young and .gay. I question aiprevious
writer's statement that we are better -
now
etter•now' than we were. In those old days
business was -doneon yearly credit,
were without gloves. When we were today, if a man asks for 60 days
off parade we were busy with prpe credit we scrutinize Isis past record'
clay, shoe polish and brass polish- through several agencies and them
One event stands out very clearly in find eve have made a too trusting sple-
eny memory, it was Walter Coats' in-
dignation
atbeing addressed by
the
adjutant as "That man with a cabbage
under his hat:" Also my first exper-
ience in firing the old Snyder rifle.
A. ;J .Grigg and I were firing ;from
the same Pitt at No. 8 target. Grigg
take. Trusting that the names I
have mentioned may
reach the eye
of
some old boy or girl of Clinton and
set their thoughts to our 01d Ilona•
Week.
—H. B. COMB);:
hLINTON BOWLING // , GREEN
where 01d home Week visi ors will be made welcome.
"r
G
We Welcome back . to Clinton the ' Old Bo
and Girls of Forme Days.
arris Knit
Pure Silk Tailored Hosiery
Lad ies Pure Silk Hose
Shades to Match ,e• nay Gown
Lecid ies who like
Pure Silk, Well-Wearin
los fiery
Ask for Harris Knit.
JV!anu f acturecd in Clinton, Ont,, by
STEVENSON & HARRIS