Jack is dead
New Ipswich Historical Society
Marion Davis Audio-Tape Transcriptions
Sometime before her death in 1986, Marion Davis recorded her memories at the encouragement of her brother, Walter Buck. The recordings were transcribed by a secretary.
The Friends of Wapack have made these available to the Historical Society. Marion was born on February 8, 1894 in Fitchburg, MA.
Jack swallows a metal hook
Sometime during the winter previous to this Mable had emptied a bag of grain into the grain box and had given the horses some grain. She was pretty sure something clinked as she put the grain into Jack's manger. Anyway, he pitched in to eating and before he got his grain finished he began to cough. Mable let him out to the trough to drink, and he still kept coughing. In the morning Frank had the veterinarian come over. At that time they used to put a forked wire hook in the grain bags telling what was in the bag. Apparently Jack had swallowed this. The vet ran a hose down his throat to push it down. He said, "Someday this will land in his lungs and he will have a hemorrhage". Well, that's what happened the day we came up with the 2-horse load of lumber for the cottage on the hill. They got half way up. Frank had told me to go around to the Lodge and get the key and come up to the cottage, which I did. When I got up there he didn't show up, I didn't hear the wagon. He came up afoot and said, "Jack's dead." That wire had hit his lungs and he coughed; blood flew, and he died. We had to bury him. We went down to Koski's and borrowed Nellie, the horse they had and we got the load up.
Photo Archives
A reader left a comment that he lived in the “Annex” of the Wapack Lodge .
James Roger diary entry - Pullets 23
9th January 1913
Hard frost, zero, wind northwest; fine, sunny day. David choring round and took the blinds from Mr. Gordon’s house to Lonie’s in afternoon. Got letters last night from May and Miss Bryce and postcard from Hamish, who is all right again. Got letter from John Preston today about destroying the browntail moths on his place; also postcard from Mrs. McKown at Atlanta. Sent a box of butternuts to May Mair and one to Johnnie by Parcel Post. 3 lbs. each at 17 cents. I fixed Hall today for Grange installation tonight. Pullets 23.
Alas, poor old Jack. People depended on their animals and the creatures depended on them.
I think the Annex was Allard’s old house and at some point my buddies son bought it.