NEWS: Tidbits From Allan M. Trout, 1964, Hart Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Submitted by Edith Bastin, Email Registry ID# Date: 14 Dec 2002 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ************************************* USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogical information on the Internet, data may be freely used for personal research and by non-commercial entities as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format or presentation by other organizations or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for profit or any form of presentation, must obtain the written consent of the file submitter, or his legal representative and then contact the listed USGENWEB archivist with proof of this consent. ************************************* Published in the Courier Journal, 1964: "Early to bed and early to rise - to make enough cash to do otherwise." - Wills Point (Texas) Chronicle. MRS. OLLIE M. PRESLEY, Munfordville, kindly favors us with an authorized report on the occasion of her grandmother jumped off the railroad bridge. "I have thought many times," she begins, "of writing you about the time my Grandma Edwards jumped off the railroad bridge between Munfordville and Rowletts. She and Grandpa (Uncle Billy Edwards as the people all called him) were over in Munfordville to do some shopping. They thought to save time by taking a short cut across the railroad bridge." "They were a long way out on the bridge when they heard a train coming. Grandpa swung over one side and held to the end of the ties. But Grandma jumped. That was back in the day and time when big old dresses were in style, sort of hoop dresses they were. Grandma had one on that day, and lucky for her she did. For the wind catching in it softened her fall and she landed safely on the ground under the trestle." "Grandpa pulled himself back to the tracks, and both made their way safely home to Rowletts. Both are now resting in Cherry Springs Cemetery in Grayson County. All their children have passed on, too, but Grandma often told her story of the jump to grandchildren and great-grandchildren, scads of whom are still living in this and surrounding areas." "I HAVEN'T got the biggest bushel gourd in the state," reports R. B. Tipton, Ravenna, "but I may have the oldest. It has the date of 1896 on it. It belonged to my late father-in-law, but has been in my possession 30-odd years. I married into the family in 1907, and it was considered an old gourd at that time. My father-in-law used (it) for eggs. It is 41 1/2 inches around and holds 14 dozen." STOUTLY SPOKEN, Mr. TIpton, and thank you, but I am afraid your valued specimen will have to take a back seat to another one at hand at least as to size and age. Carlyle D. Chamberlain, curator of Louisville Free Public Library Museum, 743 S. Fifth Street, writes: "We have a huge gourd here in the museum. It bears the following notes on a card: 'Gourd raised on Funk's Farm, near Mammoth Cave. Used for storing eggs. Given to Capt. Robert Fort of Louisville about 1890. Donor: Capt. Robert Fort.' The gourd measures 54 inches in circumference. If any of your gourdologists has a larger gourd and wishes to donate it to the museum, we will gladly palce it on exhibition with proper credit." "I recall seeing many such gourds in the country. My mother used them for strings, eggs, and flower seed. However, with the advent of pasteboard boxes of all sizes and types, bushel gourd had about disappeared before you started your campaign of revival."