Army scenes on the Chickahominy

Army scenes on the Chickahominy
Harper''s pictorial history of the Civil War. (Chicago : Star Publishing Co. 1866)

Saturday, November 19, 2022

Car Theft, Poor Hunting and the Sad Effect of the Dog Tax - 100 Years Ago

 

QUINTON 


Everything seems quiet here; the bootlegger has gone from this section, it is reported, so have the  prohibition officers. Let all go. As long as my neighbors keep on hand the juice of the grape and blackberry for home use I need not worry. Crowds of New Kent people went to Richmond Saturday to celebrate Armistice Lay. The weather and roads were fine. All report a great time. One young man who went up in his nice new car tells of an experience that nearly cost him his $2,000 car. He said he stopped in front of Miller & Rhoads to make a small purchase and was in the store only a little while. When he returned to get his car, or the one he thought was his, he found seated in it, at the wheel, a beautiful lady with a child by her side. “That is my car, I think,” said the young man to himself, but mine had no lady left in it.” He went past to see if he made a mistake and thought of a piece of wire he had picked up in the road on the way to Richmond and made fast to the side of the car, as he might need it. He returned; there he found the wire as he had left it. He politely told the lady it was his car. "Please excuse me,” she said, “I was so tired I just wanted to rest ” She politely got out with the child and begged to be forgiven. Of course she was. The young man said he noticed two finely dressed and handsome young men who would walk back and forth and look in the store then at the lady in the car, who seemed to be an up-to-date flapper. Had he stayed a few minutes longer, at some given signal from the men the tired beauty would have been on the way to North Carolina. Of course she was only used as a decoy for the men who watched him so closely. But he is now at home, so is his car, and he is happy. Two new cars have been stolen in Richmond owned in New Kent: one was Mr. R. T. Southall’s, the other that of Mr. Elwood Mountcastle, which never have been recovered, or ever will be, as it happened twelve months ago. There is now much sickness in this section. Scarlet fever and diphtheria that have been in many homes now seem to be under control of medical skill and only a few cases are reported. There has been only one death, that of Littleberry Tunstall. Mrs. R. T. Provo, is ill at her home, “Liberty Hall.” She is 72 years old and little hope is entertained for her recovery. Her daughters, Mrs. Grover Richardson, Mrs. Linwood Bailey, Mrs. A.R. Moore, and Mrs. Garthwright of Richmond are with her. For the first time for many months the supervisors have a force of hands on the roads doing some fine work. There are two new overseers over the force. Hugh P. Fisher for St. Peters district and Rosser Moran for Black Creek. Both young men are experts in trench digging. This they learned when overseas. Both are proving expert road builders. No better choice could have been made by the supervisors, as they proved brave boys in the World War and deserve all that is good, for it is only the brave deserve the fair.

Cold and dry weather is making hunting a failure. Thus far little game has been found of any kind. Rabbits and deer, so plentiful last year, have left this section apparently; very few partridges are ever seen afield should not be killed. Where is that familiar sound so often heard to rise in years gone by? At daylight on every hand could be heard the calls of Bob White. Never hear them now; foxes, minks and cats, with the pot hunter, have driven them away or destroyed their nests and the young birds. This dog law is good in some cases but when the fox hunter had to kill his fine pack of fox dogs then old Reynard had his day. We can not afford to pay $3 for a female to raise from. As soon as born all females are destroyed. I have seen seven or eight beautiful fox dogs killed at one time, seven thoroughbred Gordon and Irish setters drowned from one litter — can not pay the tax. Let the foxes take charge of all fowl and game. 


Truthful Jeems.


-West Point News, 17 November 1922


The dog law referred to . . .


H.L. Baker, of Buckingham and Cumberland, put through what is known as the Baker Dog Law, Chapter 390, Acts of 1918, regarded as the most comprehensive legislation of its kind in the United States.
The Baker law makes it mandatory for each person owning or having a dog under his or her control, or upon the promises upon which he or she resides, on the first day of February in each year to pay a tax of one dollar on a male, and of three dollars on a female, and should an unlicensed dog come into his or her possession, or a puppy become six months of age after the first day of February in any year, then the license tax must forthwith be paid. Commissioners of the Revenue are required to list all dogs for taxation, and the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is especially charged with enforcing the law, which became effective July 1, 1919.


 -Front Royal Record, 20 October 1922



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