Peninsula Enterprise, August 2, 1884

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Transportation -- Railroad - ConstructionTransportation -- Railroad - Freight

The railroad officials announce that a freight train will commence to run from Accomac C. H., to New York about the 10th of August. The tract has been completed to a point about 4 miles from our town.

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Professionals -- Commission merchantsfields -- Crops - White potatoes : Quality control

Mr. Lee B. Kellam, commission merchant, New York, will not as been his usual custom, visit Accomac during the summer. He prefers to make this sacrifice of his interest at home, so as to be able to give to every shipment made to him his personal attention. We quote from a letter from him the following, which shippers would do well to read carefully and profit by: "That it is becoming more and more important every year that produce of all kinds, should be put up in better shape, thereby realizing more money for the shipper, and giving in every way better satisfaction. The way to put up produce is to have it run as near one size as possible."

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Transportation -- Railroad - Construction

Accomac C. H.

The Waddy hotel, at this time is full of railroad officials, "their wives, sisters, cousins and aunts."

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African-Americans -- SocietyInfrastructure -- Commercial - Residential construction

Atlantic.

The colored people belonging to the order of Good Samaritans had a parade here on Wednesday, of last week. It was a creditable affair.

We have had quite a building boom in this place, for the last year. -- Ten or twelve new houses have been built, and others are expected to go up soon.

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Sea -- Finfish - Catch : MenhadenTourists and sportsmen -- Field sports - Hunting : Waterfowl and shorebird

Chincoteague.

The Menhaden fishery here, thus far, has not been a success. While the fish are apparently very numerous the fishermen say they are so scattered and wild that they cannot capture them in paying quantities.

The birds are making their appearance on our marshes, the gunners during the past week having been successful in their slaughter. No place on our coast offers better opportunities for gunning, fishing, sailing and bathing than Chincoteague, and no host sets a better table than Captain Matthews of the Atlantic.

Suicide.

MigrationMental illnessFarmers -- Tenancy

Charles Muth, a young German laborer, in the employ of Wm. H. Oliver, Sr., living on Pungoteague Creek, committed suicide on Tuesday by shooting himself. The cause was evidently despondency, the result of sickness. It seems that becoming irritated, he threw up work and demanded a settlement. As he was not only a laborer but a renter with a growing crop, Mr. Oliver declined to settle until the crop was made, hoping also his irritation would pass away and he would go to work. Muth, however, took his bundle and gun and started off, meeting in the field a negro, Charles Smith, with whom he was on intimate terms, he got up in the cart with him, spoke of his troubles and finally breaking out crying and swearing, he jumped from the cart with the exclamation "I will shoot myself!" Placing the muzzle of the gun -- an old muzzle-loading carbine -- in his mouth, he cocked it and pulled the trigger, dropping dead in his tracks. The load (of bird shot) passed upward in the right side of the head breaking the skull between the right temple and right ear in small pieces, but strange to say no shot passed out. The skull in a space the size of the palm of one's hand was soft and pulpy, while the right eye bulged out on the cheek. The lips showed no marks of abrasion. A messenger was at once sent to Justice Scarburgh, who, on Wednesday morning held an inquest, and the jury rendered a verdict in accordance with the above facts. Muth had been in the employ of Mr. Oliver for about a year, and was a good natured, quiet man of about 23 years. He was without a family.

Base Ball.

Tourists and sportsmen -- Other recreation - Baseball

The Red Stockings of Northampton won a creditable victory from the Combination Club of Accomac at Drummondtown, Wednesday afternoon after a hard and stubborn struggle. The Combination led off finely making a score of 6 to Red Stockings 3 in the first 2 innings. On the 3d inning neither made a score, on the 5th the Red Stockings "put in good work" and by a score of 5 showed they were "masters of the situation." The rest of the game was barren in results except the 8th inning, when the Red Stockings scored two more. The Combination showed they had good material among them as "base ballists," but were deficient in the training required to compete with a first-class nine like the Red Stockings. The Score was, Red Stockings 12; Combination 6.