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VOLUME X L II No. 2 LIVONIA, LIVINGSTON COUNTY, N. Y., FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1 9 1 6 WHOLE No. 21.37 E. R. B OLLES’ TALK No. 196 Two Grut Fairs— Every Induciment to At tend Bath of Them— Hurry Up to Get to Avnn.— Real Estate- Auctiins—Ask Me All About T i e n . / As I have said several times, these talks are usually written early on .Monday morning, so a good many things may happen between that time *nd Friday, when the paper is issued. For instance, how the weather turns out between Monday and Friday; whether favorable or unfavorable for the Livingston county fair at Avon, I cannot now tell, and I can’t tell you about the various matters of interest and amusement that have been pleasing the public there since Wednesday. I can tell you,however, that the fair is still on; running Fri day and Saturday of this week, and that if you have not gone before you had better go one of these two days; and if you have been there it won’t do any hurt to go down again the first pleasant afternoon. Each fair is different from the others in some points, and the Avon fair is differ ent in a good many. One thing is certain; there is not a better track to see races on in the State; and the racing this year is expected to be way beyond the average. The great white city of tents is worth going especially to see, both inside and out, as every department and every at traction is housed in a tent instead of a building. The midway is larger and more complete than before, and includes, besides the shows, rides and games, a big dancing pavilion, where continuous dancing is con ducted by Mr. Powell of Hemlock, who had a similar attraction at Way land last week, and will also be on hand at the Hemlock fair next week. The Wayland street fair struck a cold and somewhat rainy week for the best of success, but still the band boyi tell me it turned out financially to the good', although not in a large, way. The whole affair passed off very smoothly, and there were plen ty of attractions for that sort of an event, where everything is in tents on the street; no enclosed grounds and no admission fee. The Hemlock fair is next Wed nesday, Thursday and Friday, Octo ber 4, 5 and 6 . and from every indi cation it will be one of the best onea ever held during the whole forty- nine years of this fair’s existence. The races will be filled by horses that have beea in the game at all the earlier fairs, and late years very few races have more entries than Hem lock. The live stock exhibit will probably be as large, at least, as usu al, and for poultry no other fair, un less a State fair, ever approached Hemlock's exhibits. The buildings will.be filled with exhibits of interest, and from the standpoint of an agri- cultural and horticultural fair and races. Hemlock wili be second to none. In free acts,as they are called at the fairs, which term covers the amusement features outside the reg ular fair exhibits, sports, midway, etc., no fair yet seen this fall can surpass Hemlock. While there are only two companies of performers, they are of the best, and each gives two acts on the high platform near the grand-stand, where the perform ance can be seen from both stand and grounds.The Riva-Larson troupe, two men and two women, with a novel apparatus, gives performances altogether riut of the usual line of aerial acts. These people stand among the highest paid circus artists in the world. Then the Kimura Japs, in two very pretty acts, showing some of the marvelous things the Japs can do in balancing, posing, equilibrism and juggling. »To the best of my recollection no Japanese act has ever been presented in this part of the country. As a final evi dence that W ill Miller, the president, and the other fair officers are serv ing up the best there is, Fred Zeit- ler and his 54th Regiment band of Rochester are engaged for the whole three days, and will plsy between the races, for the circus acts^ and give a short concert on the grounds, necessarily short, for every hour of the day is crowded with something good to see and hear. This band, with more men and instruments -than at the carnival or the picnics, ia a whole afternoon's delight to a n y real music lover, and no do«bt will be classed by many among the leading attrac tions of the fair. Ed. Westbrook will be Johnny-on-the-spot with a wonderful midway under his skilful direction; and don’t let the young folks forget Powell’s dance pavilion, which will be running fu ll blast all the while, with music by the kind of an orchestra that puts the dance tingle into the toes. I have farms for sale all the* way from small ones up to large ones, with prices according to land, build ings and location. These farms are located in several townships in Liv- ingson. Ontario and Steuben coun ties, and I am glad to do all I can to put prospective buyers in touch with these opportunities. Also some homes to sell in this village, Conesus and Hemlock. If you list your prop erty with me to sell or help, I will do all I can for you. Sometimes cer tain properties sell quickly, and other times they are a long time selling; but constant pecking away at a job usually accomplishes the results we are after. Auctions, too, are com ing on, but the most of them will be held off until after the two great fairB I have been telling about. Go to Avon to-day or to-morrow; and go to Hemlock next week; you will be sorry if you miss either. E. R. Bolles. ■ m i ■■ RaUy Day it the Baptist Claret The Livonia Baptist church will hold a general rally day October 15th—two weeks from next Sunday. The affair will last all day .There will be preach ing in the morning at the usual time, followed by Sunday-school, at which some experienced man w ill be pres ent to offer hints as to effective or ganizations and work; upon the dis missal of Sunday-school, dinner will be served in the basement, in con nection with which there will be no expense whatsoever. The purpose is not to make money or to offer a meal in the hope that some one will take it as bait find attend church; the ob ject is purely to make possihle a so cial dinner hour, so that the whole congregation may remain in a free and informal way and no one need feel obliged to go home and prepare a Sunday dinner. It will afford, particularly to the men, a get-togeth er opportunity which is not offered during the week,and it is hoped that no one will feel timid about remain ing. The afternoon service, at which two or three speakers will appear, will be confined to one hour’s dura tion. Then the evening serviee will be held at the regular time and a man full of ideas and enthusiasm will speak. There will be special music at all of the services. * An in vitation is extended to all who can attend, whether or not they be mem bers of the Baptist congregation, of some other c^nferegation, or of none. Strawberries While Yea Wait William Nevins has 6,000 straw berry sets of the ever-bearing varie ty on abouta quarter of an acre, and if growing weather continues for a few days he will have plenty of ber ries for the market. The sets are bearing splendidly, and some are so full that a quart apiece is looked for from them. Mr. Nevins is figur ing on an acre next year; the plants will be set a little closer, which will increase the yield and make cultiva tion easier. If the weather contin ues right for growing conditions, he will be a good man to have at the other end of a telephone about next week. _________ The J. U. E. C M The J. U. G. club was entertained by the secretary, Miss Edith Coe, on Saturday afternoon, September 23. The girls held a short business meet ing and made arrangements for the Avon fair, on Friday ot this week. The president, Mrs. Grace Perrin, appointed Miss Ambia Wood and Miss Edith Warrington a committee on refreshments. After the business was disposed of, the club played games, sang songs and danced. A light luncheon was served at five o’clock, the girls leaving at seven, reporting a splendid time. In three weeks the club will give a variety shower at the church for Mrs. Der- othy Warrington, and this will be a community affair. ** South Livonia, Sept. 27. WHERE EVERYTHING GOES Mexican Towns aro All Wide-Open— A Ceuntry Where tbe Joint Predominates— -Every Kiad of a Game— A Chance for Temper ance Work Written for tho Gazotto by M. J . Brown One more letter of hot places and lively doings, and then a change to something interestingly different. I want to take you back to Calexico and Mexicali for a story 1 have over looked. Calexico is a thriving little city on the California side of the border, right on the Mexican line,4t the foot of the Imperial valley. Mex icali is a Mexican addition to the California town, just over the bound ary—and believe yours truly it is “some town.” I came into Calexico by auto from El Centro on Saturday night, and it took me so long to get the dust out of my clothes and ear* that I passed up the Saturday night “ doings” over the border and went to sleep—or rather to bed, early that evening. Sunday morning I went across. I knew nothing of Mexicali and I bumped up against some surprises. Ti Juana, said to be the toughest town in North America, was not in it with this burg. While the two towns are practically one—only mon uments designating where Wilson leaves off and Caranza starts in— one would knpw he was out of God’s country without seeing the boundary marks. There is an invisible line as sharply drawn as a board fence be tween two nations. Sunday was suf focatingly hot and many soldiers wer& lined up at the monuments, seeking the shade of a few trees that thrived along an irrigating ditch. The boys could toe the line, crowd it to a fraction of a foot,but they must not get an inch over it. And aeross the line was a big plaza, and lining it was a row of saloons with the cool lager signs starring the soldiers in the face. If one has no baggage he may go and come at will across the border, but if he has a grip or a package he is held up by the custom house officials and his stuff looked over. As I went over the line I called out to the line of perspiring soldiers to “ come over and have something,” and started something. They all be gan to yell—“ Lap up a cool one for me, brother.” \Say friend, buy a bottle of Schlitz and drink it in the doorway where I can see you.” “Give you half the pay I have com ing if you’ll change clothes w ith me for one hour.” “Sneak me one over under your arm when you come back.” These and many other calls followed me across the plaza. I started at one end of the crooked front street and went down the lint. About every other building is a sa loon, white men running them, and in many Mexican or Spanish girls tending bar. Nearly \every saloon has private drinking and gambling rooms in the rear. I hadn’t gone half a block when a bunch of Mexican girls in front of a dobie held me up and begged me to come in and buy them a pail of beer. I protested I lived in'a prohibition State and had conscientious Bcruples against rais ing the lid up on Sunday. A few rods further was a bunch of drunken Mexicans sitting in the shade of an alley. They had a hang-over jag of the night before. One of them, in pigeon Spanish, asked me to buy a drink,and when I ignored the drunk en greaser, four of them got on to their feet, cursing aad shaking their fists. I didn’t loiter. And it was these Mexicans tiiat start the numer ous shooting scrapes that occur in the Mexican border towns. A drunk en Mexican is a dangerous proposi tion in his own country, and a cow boy can’t realize that he m u st stand any more from a Mexican over the line then he does on the U. S. side. So he resents the cursing and then, as one of the regulars expressed it, “hell pops for a few minutes.” But I want to state that with the ex ception of the drunks, one w ill not be molested in the Mexican towns, unless he is looking for trouble. Un molested doesn’t express it. The Mexicans ignore you, won’t look at you, don’t know you are there. You may drop into a salbon, eating house or anv other place and not a Mexi can will ever glance at you, much less notice or speak to you. They resent your presence, they plainly tell you they don’tlikeyouand don’t want you around, and they do it without word or action. But you see it, feel it, smell it. After I had gone down the line of this one street I dropped over a block and resumed explorations. The next place of interest was a Chinese joint, a'sort of combination store and refreshment parlor, where crowds of Chinese were drinking soft drinks,eating the heathenish-looking dishes and sweating. I t was a strange sight, but the odors were too strong for detailed observations.and if there were “ hop joints” in the rear it can not be proven by—but I guess they were there fast enough. On the next corner I ran into a big-sized surprise —from the fact of my entire lack of information of Mexicali. On this corner was a large wooden building, about 50x150 feet. Before I got any where near it I could hear a buzz of noises and voices—a sound like the stock exchange in New York or Chi cago. I couldn’t make it out. I looked up for a sign and on the top of the big building in gilt letters twu feet long was tbe sign, “The Owl Theater.” Wondering at a Sunday morning matinee in a Mex ican town, I crossed over and entered the big buiiding. And what an un expected sight. It was a big gam bling house—one great room for the- whole large building. It was densely packed with men ninety per cent. Mexicans, all talking, half of them drinking, and with the noise of the fans, the talking, the calls of the gamblers, it made a noise like a swarm of flying bees. Every kind of a gambling game I had ever heard of, and dozens that I had never heard of, were running. Drunken and sleeping Mexicans were stretched out over the gambling tables that were not operating, were lying un der them and were piled along the walls of the room. Down one en tire side was a bar, with white bar- tenders, and beer was in demand as ''flsst as'it could be drawn. — In front of the room were the roulette wheels, and these were the favorites for the Mexicans to lose their money. They crowded around Bix deep, waiting for a chance to play, and in front of the tables I saw a Mexican boy not not over 11 years old, placing his change on the numbers like a veteran gambler. The Mexieans all play for small change, and invariably they will stay along with the game un til they go broke,’ but very often Americans take a chance .with the wheels, rieh bloods from the Im perial valley, and then the wheels get a game run for their money. In the rear end of the building was a little stage railed off from the main gambling room, and this gave the place a license to raise the theater sign, and they told me that this little theater plays up the big attraction end of the notorious place when dark ness covers the town, and when the visiting Americans have got just enough beer under their belts to go sensation hunting. There were many games there that I had never seen or heard of— Mexican games, no doubt. They were played with cards on the green covered tables, but always a white man was the head guy, and the most of them well dressed, slick- looking men—but men with hard faces, professional gamblers. “That’s some jo in t ,” I remarked toan Amer ican who stood by my side. “First trip here?” he asked, and when I said yes, he observed that I should, have come over last night (Saturday) if 1 wanted to have seen the “whole works.” The heat was terrible every where outside, and in this great room packed with sweating, swelter ing, stinking Mexicans, it was almost unbearable.notwithstanding that the big fans kept the hot air in circula tion. The table gamblers were get ting in for their day’s work. They would grab a sleeping Mexican by the legs and jerk the hombre off the table on to the saw dust floor with out his awakening. Then they would sit down and get out the cards, shuf fle and deal them with one hand while they kejst a fan on the job with the other. The Owl theater is the one big gambling concession of Mexicali. There are many other lesser con cerns that will part a man from his money. And as I sized them up I concluded that from a financial point of view I didn’t blamfe Governor Can tu for refusing to fight or for want ing to secede Lower California. In former years I have visited many border towns, and in those days the minute you crossed the border the money doubled in value. In those days 1 have made purchases amount ing to fifty cents, lay down an Amer ican silver dollar and get back a sil ver dollar (ex) in change. But this condition has now just about revers ed. There is no longer any Mexican currency in circulation in these bor der towns—only American coin goe 3 — and outside of the Chinese dumps most stuff costs double what it doe3 on the American side. B u ttheterm “ moststuff” is booze, There is little else in the town an American would buy. Since the mo 3 t of the smaller towns in California and the State of Arizona have gone dry, the irrigation places are wide apart, and the border towns are American-wise to the gringo thirst yearn. A pint bottle of beer costs twenty cents, a very small glas3 ten cents, whiskey (but few touch it in th i3 hot country) fifteen cents and wines and mescal are cheap. There is a garrison of 1500 Mexican soldiers at Mexicali, but the officials are dead wise and they are stationed about ten miles back from the border, and b u t few of them are seen around the town. There are numerous effi- ciala coming and going on horseback, b u t from their nondescript uniforms one wonders whether they are mail carriers, rurales or army officers. B u t when I saw the 45’s and cart ridge belts I took the mail carriers out of the guess. Yaqui Indians are numerous in and around Mexicali, and they are never-tiring curiosities to the Wash ington guardsmen stationed at Cal exico. Unlike the Mexicans they do not conform to the American ways, b u t retain their atjeient customs. A Yaqui, like a Navajo, is ever striking and interesting. And next week I will leave the hot border to modem conferences and will take you back to Aztec days, to one of Arizona^ mysterious and ancient old riiins. Back ta the OK Spat Mr. W illiam McNitt of Saginaw is a veteran of the war, up in the 70’s somewhere, and in good health. The local interest in this statement, how ever, is in the fact that he came to Livonia Saturday and walked over to Hemlock, where he was born, and which he hks not seen before in fif ty-three years. Mr. McNitt did not see much besides the landscape that reminded him of Hemlock, and the only man he met on the entire trip, whom he knew, was George Thur ston. George was in the Union cem etery at work, and Mr. McNitt wan dered in to look over the old stones and learn how many of his former friends are resting there. Fifty- three years is a long time to prepare for changed conditions, and he said that while he did not expect to see more than two or three faces he could recognize, tramping the hills again and looking at the lake was a pleasure long anticipated. On his walk over from Livonia he took din ner at W iliam Clancey’s, the sur roundings of which were practically the same, though of course many improvements were noticeable. He enjoyed the walk, over and back, in the bracing air; reveled in the scen ery, which he thinks is as grand as any in the world, and confided to the Gazette man that he remembered but one day when he had ever been given a better time, and that day was when he saw Lee surrender at Appomattox. It is a long way from Saginaw toHemlock.even as the crow flies,and a man who will take the trip, not expecting to find any acquaint ances, but just to look at the old places he has not seen in fifty-three years, deserves a good time, and we are glad he had it. Death if In k D. Start Louis Daniel Short, a son of the late Daniel and Persis Doolittle Short, died at his home in Rochester Sunday at the age of 52. This is a sad announcement. An extended no tice has been furnished us, but we were unable to get it in type. It w ill be published next week. Wednesday was the birthday anni versary of Herbert Bennett, Mrs. Ogden and Madulin DeWitt, and Mrs. DeW itt made a party at her father’s in honor of the event.,There were twenty-two guests. THE 49TH ANNUAL Next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are tho Dates of the Great Event at Hemlock- Mere on This Year Than Ever Before— $1900 in Race Premiums. Competition will be open to all at next week’s fair. Another thing about it is that premiums are always paid in full. These two propositions are what have given the fair its standing in the counties of Western New York. Those who have taken the trouble to examine the book of sixty-two pages put out by the society, a copy of which anybody can have by asking the secretary for it or calling at this office, know that any one, by pay ing a dollar,will be entitled to a card constituting him a member of the society for a year and one ladies’ membership ticket, which will enti tle her to enter articles in that de partment, with which she can pass to and from the grounds at all times. These conditions are liberal enough, when a membership ticket costs but a dollar. An individual ticket is 35 cents. The officers of the fair have done everything they can do to make the show next week equal to any ever given by the society. In fact they expect to make a record, and have worked with that end in view. There are but two things which have a bearing on the case—two things which can either help or hinder. One of these is the weather. The other is the public. The officers may work ever so hard to bring about results, but if the public fails to show an appreciable interest,what the officers do will not count for much, Will Miller as president, Floyd Beam as secretary, Walter Short as treasurer and E. H. West brook superintendent of privileges, realize what they have undertaken; and ask that they may be accorded the support promised them when they agreed to serve as the officers ol the society. They are not askingjoo ► much. They have a right to expect it. These remarks, which have the merit of truth, anyway, are not made at the suggestion of these men or of anybody. But the head offi cer of a fair is just like a village trustee. If the exhibition is a sue cess, people in general do not see why it should be anything else; if it is a failure, or even a partial one, the men at the head of the affair are blamed in some intangible way. We believe the fair, the three days of next week, will be a great success in exhibits, in numbers and in en thusiasm; but this can only be made absolutely certain by earnest co-op- eration with the officers we have named. Conesus News Charles Havens of Rochester call- es on friends in town this week. Mrs. Blanche King of Erie, Pa., has been visiting her mother, Mrs. W illiam Penning. Mr. and Mrs. Trenholm and Miss Ruby Naracon have been visiting friends in Buffalo for a few days. Mr. and Mrs.Harvey Walkley and Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Boyd took an automobile trip through Allegany and Steuben counties last week. Mrs. T. A. Mays of Pittsburg and C. M. Mays of Horseheads have re turned after visiting their sister, Mrs. Grace Burt, at the home of H. F. Chapin. Mrs. Nettie Clark Bozard, daugh ter of Mr. and Mrs. J.F . Clark, who were formerly residents of this town, died at the city hospital in Auburn last week. Her age was 54. Conesus, Sept. 27. ** Allen’s Hill Matts Mr. and Mrs. Louis Belcher have bought a farm of Mr. Alger on the west side ofHoneoye lake. Mr. Bel cher and hia family expect to move about the 20 th of October. Friends here are sorry to have them go, as they are well liked and good neigh bors. The annual harvest festival was held in the Methodist church last Sunday morning. The pastor, the Rev. W. W. Kothrock, preached a sermon appropriate for the occa sion. The choir and congregation furnished suitable music, and the decorations consisted of flowers, fruits, grains and vegetables of the season, and were arranged very at tractively under the supervision of Miss Lyra Patterson and Mrs. O. J . Simpson. A llen’s Hill, Sept.J27 **
