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By: Jim Fitzpatrick |
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Email: jim@nunica.com |
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Local Farmer in Polkton Township writes for the Coopersville Observer. |
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Along Brandy Creek By Jim Fitzpatrick
The Coopersville Observer February 10, 2014- - No. 123 |
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When old Bill was still a young fellow, before he hooked up with Ester the school teacher at Sough Evergreen, he had gone into business on his own. Having grown up on a farm, being self employed was in his blood. Farming, however, was a whole lot of morning till night work the way he saw it. He had a better way to go about making a living. As a kid he had raised rabbits to sell for meat to help supplement the family income. The piece of land he owned along the south side of River Road had an old vineyard on it that grew some rather high quality grapes. He would trim up those aged vines and boost production. Prohibition was in effect; the juice from the fruit, with a little effort and imagination, would during these times have a nice added value if things were done right. The beverages he had in mind for sale were hard to come by for the general public.
Wasn’t long and the vineyard was doing well and Bill set up to raise rabbits in the old barn behind the house. By early spring the sign out at the end of the drive read; “Rabbits for Sale, live or dressed”. Well, it was the rabbits for meat that sold the best. Business picked up right away. When a customer drove into his yard, Bill could usually be found right there in his rocking chair on the front porch. You had to say it just right when you ordered up your meat rabbit if you wanted one of the special wrapped packages that Bill sold. He’d go out back to the large ice box and slide a long necked bottle of drink into a butchered rabbit carcass, then wrap it up real nice. Business went well for several months – that is until the sheriff and his deputy arrived at the place one day and handed Bill a warrant for his arrest. Bill spent the rest of Prohibition in the Ottawa County Jail. When he got out of prison, the life of a farmer didn’t look all that bad. Ester told him that she felt that he would still make a very fine husband if he had in mind to marry her. The two of them lived out their married lives working the land. |
