Nelson Family Juvenilia
Box 1 Folder 32
The Mountain News, February 5 - n.d.

THE MOUNTAIN NEWS
Feb 5th
Published by WR Nelson Greenville Willows

AN ADVENTURE ON NEW POPLINGTON
Chap 3
Joe looked vainly up and down but to no use hold as he turned back into the forest he saw something for upstream when it got about five rods above him he saw it was a log he said I can get no aid in that quarter but he said perhaps I can paddle to the ship on a log so stropping himself he jumped into the water and soon swam out to the log and putting his hand out for support he grasped the keel of an overturned boat words cannot describe his joy he towed it to land put on his clothes and then turned and emptied the boat after he got the water all out of the boat he searched it for a pair of oars at last he found a pair of oars a small mast and a rudder lashed to the boat in the [cocker? locker?] he found a sail and a small flag he thought probably that the blacks had massacred a Big Continent settler while out in his boat the boat had been overturned and had floated down to him he called the guide and with his help they [stepped? steddied? MS faded] the mast and set the sail Joe took the oars and the guide steered the boat. They went down the river without any mishap with an east wind at their backs but when they got out of the [lee?] of the shore a strong land breeze blew coming in gusts which made the boat careen good but which made it fly over the waves so fast that Joe took in the oars [roll?] [page break] up the flag and then took the helm soon coming round a promatory [promontory] the dark low hull of the Gen. Allen soon running up along side a [li--?] was let down and the guide climbing up the rope Joe was left to moor the boat alongside the long hull of the Gen. Allen then climbing up and over hand Joe stood before the captain report yourself sir said the captain
To be continued
WR Nelson

BOYS COLUMN
Snow Ball Cannon
In the first place make a beech log six feet long and one foot through shave it round then gouge a hollow six inches wide and three inches deep then make a six foot bow of lever wood and stick it through a hole two feet from the front then take a large cord and take it as the bow string then fix a notch in the gun barrel the same as you would make a bow gun then make a hardwood trigger then take a big block of wood five feet long and two [page break] feet high and two feet wide and set the cannon barrel onto it and bolt it on solid then have a windlas[s] to pull the bow string back and it will look like this [illustration]
[Germeyor?]

NEWS
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NEW POPLINGTON
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There has been addition to the New Poplington navy a schooner rigged warship called the Edith has been launched at Cainforth ^last October the great ship yard the above picture [illustration] is an exact counterpart of it
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The Allenstown and Woolbern Central was plouched [plowed?] out the 19th under great difficulties the Allenstown and Farmington Centrar has just been plouched there were sixteen engines and one thousand men with shovels there has also been recent news of the Woolbern and Cainforth route being plouched out.
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The great Allenstown Store has had a large dome built upon it the store is being repaired
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UNITED DIVISION
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The Northern Express has been snowbound and has had to have relief
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A long breaking train started from Woolbern to do loot consisting of fifteen engines a snow plow and 800 [page break] men with shovels after many difficulties got to dug out there they found the people in a bad condition the most of the houses were covered up where they were the people would dig the snow away from the upper windows and then dig up through the snow to the air then put a ladder up and climb out
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The coming of the breaking train was a relief just in time to the Mountain City people they had got all out of provisions the trappers have been doing their best but the deep snow spoiled their trapping after things had got to be coming kind of scarce they started a train up the mountain to [dog? dug?] out to get some supplies they got started off [hill?] right and were soon lost to sight but the rails were so slippery that the engine could not cut head way they tried to make it go along but soon the wheels began to slip they shut on brake but to no use it slid backwards into the city at a good rate
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The Checkerbery City and prison room has just been broke out
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MAPLETON
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The snow has been kept out of Mapletons roads good this winter it takes a Mapletoner to do a thing up good hurrah for Mapleton [page break]
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CHIPAWA
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There has been a heavy snow fallen on Chipewa the roads are being broken out
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COAST COLONY
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The inhabitants of Winterville were very much surprised when upon looking over the icebound ocean they saw a large number of men and dogs when they got nearer the people saw twas a large body of trappers with their dogs of[f] on a hunt there were two hundred men and one hundred dogs
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There has been a lot of snow fallen the roads are being broken out
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WILLOWS
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There has been a heavy snow fallen but the snow dont get ahead of the Willows people the roads are well broken out
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WR Nelson editor of this paper was elected moderator for the city of Greenville his rival was George Brown of Greenville
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WHAT I SAW OF THE BATTLES OF POPLINGTON
Sandy Beach
The next day the 27th of March we set about fixing ourselves in better quarters at the scene of the battle the place is now called Battle Land [page break] in memory of the battles fought here we did not expect another attack for some time so we went to work & built ourselves log houses and in the mean time keep a good lookout for any enimies a month lacking one day passed and we were not disturbed but during this day three of my scouts came in at different times and said that there were nearly two thousand soldiers come led by the intrepid Gen. Allen and his lieutenant Gen. Max there was a bustle in our camp directly & during that night we threw up breast works as fast as possible but we had not time enough to make but enough to partially conceal our men on the morning of the 27th of April as soon as it was light we could see the army of Ethan Allen but a little ways off and as it grew lighter we could see the captain and generals stirring round getting their men in order and taking dispatches we got our men into form to receive the attack as best we could and at fifte[e]n minutes past six oclock we saw the enemi[e]s columns begin to move towards us they soon struck in to the double quick when they were within twenty rods of us we opened fire on them we saw man after man of theirs fall but they came on never replying till they had got within eight rods then their whole line became one sheet of flame my men began to drop by my side like ripe apples form the trees but still our bullets kept thinning the [page break] ranks of the blues still they came on they were now now [sic] within five rods of us then they stopped they could come no further "Men[,"] I said "Stick to it we shall win do not give in" our bullets rained down harder I looked at my watch it was just nineteen minutes past six could it be it did not seem possible just then some one touched me on this arm I turned and saw my lieutenant his face was more pale than usual sir sad he W[M?] Littles are loosing ground "forward men" I called and leaped out of the trench and led my men obligoely [obliquely? obligingly?] across the face of the foe leaving a line of dead and dying behind me but I was too late Williams men were then flying towards the sea with a thousand men after them I saw I must retreat and so started for the shore but at that instant a body of Gen. Mayors men came down upon me my men could stand no longer but broke and run I put the spur to my horse and kept at the head our boats were waiting us and the instant we were in started for the ships and escaped amid the shot and shell of the cannon on shore I again looked at my watch it had been but six minutes since the first charge and yet in these six minutes we had lost about 240 men killed and a hundred wounded while as we afterword heard the Big Continenters had only lost but a hundred killed and wounded
To be continued
Burt Green
[page break]
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