Juicy Fruit Gum

By Kristy McCaffrey

William Wrigley Jr. started the Wrigley Company in Chicago in 1891. He sold his father’s Scouring Soap and as an enticement to buy, he included a free gift of baking powder. However, the baking powder became more popular than the soap, so the company switched to selling baking powder with a few sticks of chewing gum as a gift. When the gum became far more popular than the baking powder, Wrigley proceeded to produce and sell chewing gum.

The Juicy Fruit flavor was introduced in 1893 and has been characterized as a combination of banana and pineapple, although some say it resembles jackfruit. Peach is also a reported flavoring.

The gum was taken off the civilian market temporarily during World War II due to ingredient shortages and the demand for the gum to be included in C-rations (prepared food for the military troops).

Juicy Fruit helped the Wrigley Company become the most popular and successful chewing gum company in the world.

Don’t miss Kristy’s novella Rosemary, Book 11 in the Widows of Wildcat Ridge Series.

Rosemary Brennan struggles with grief along with the other widows of Wildcat Ridge after a devastating mine accident takes the life of her husband, Jack, and many others. Forced to find a new husband or be evicted from her home by the unscrupulous mine owner, Mortimer Crane, Rosemary finds unexpected help from Jack’s friend, Miles McGinty, an ex-U.S. Deputy Marshal. Together, they’ll uncover Crane’s deceit that involved her first husband. But McGinty knows more than he’s saying, and Rosemary isn’t certain she can trust another man so soon after losing Jack. More importantly, does she dare open her heart to him?

A sweet romance set in 1884 Utah Territory.

Excerpt

Rosemary has gone into the hills in search of an old Spanish mine called The Floriana but has become lost. She stumbles across the path of two unsavory prospectors, Hector and Alvin. It’s here that she meets our hero, McGinty.

Two men rolled in the dirt, locked together like battling bull elk. Another horse stood vigil, minus its rider, who must be the man currently fighting Hector on her behalf. For a split second, she thought it might have been Priscilla’s husband, Braxton, but the man grunting and, unfortunately, losing ground to the likes of Hector, was a stranger to her.

Friend or foe, she couldn’t let Hector win.

“Freeze or I’ll shoot,” she said loudly.

Both men stopped and looked at her.

“Who are you?” she demanded of the stranger.

“McGinty,” he wheezed past the chokehold Hector had on him.

McGinty? That sounded familiar.

“Let him go, Hector,” she demanded, “before I drag you to the marshal and have you locked up.”

A wicked grin spread across Hector’s face. “How you gonna do that? You’re as lost as a whore in church.”

Rosemary inhaled sharply. “You’re a despicable human being, and if you don’t release Mr. McGinty right now, I’ll shoot your foot off.”

 Hector chuckled and gripped his arm tighter around McGinty’s neck. The stranger’s face was starting to turn purple.

Rosemary cocked the gun and closed her right eye to line up the sight with her left the way she had practiced with Jack. Without hesitation she fired, the kick from the weapon knocking her backwards with a scream. As she scrambled to her feet, Hector was howling, but Mr. McGinty had managed to free himself.

Alvin ran toward them with a lopsided gait, huffing and sweating. He might be young, but he acted like an old man.

Mr. McGinty grabbed a shotgun from his horse and aimed the firearm at the two prospectors.

“She shot me!” Hector wailed.

Rosemary remained where she was, a terrible trembling overcoming her. Good Lord, I did shoot him.

Alvin bent down to examine his friend’s leg, wheezing as he spoke. “Now, Hector, she barely grazed you.”

“She shot my foot off!”

Alvin shook his head, his mouth buried in the mop of whiskers that hung from his chin. “Nope. The bullet’s in the ground, not yer foot. She made a hole in your trousers, that’s all. I see a tiny speck of blood, but I’m not sure since you’re a mite filthy.”

“Grab her!” Hector insisted. “We’ll take her to Wildcat Ridge and have her arrested.”

“I don’t think so,” Mr. McGinty finally chimed in. “You were chasing her. What did you plan to do when you caught her?”

Hector’s expression turned incredulous. “Who the blazes are you? And how do you know she’s not my wife? Or somethin’?”

Mr. McGinty looked at her and the full brunt of his attention stilled her breath. Before she turned purple herself, she gulped air into her lungs. He was tall and strong and … how on earth did the likes of Hector best this man?

“Are you his wife?” he asked. “Or somethin’?”

Copyright © 2019 K. McCaffrey LLC

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HORSE HARNESS by Zina Abbott

I have a secondary character in my most recent book, Diantha, named Buck Kramer. He drives a wagon pulled by the mare, Mabel, and the ornery mule, Charley. He discovered by accident Charley holds a special affection for Mabel the horse. The two make a good team. With all the hitching and unhitching going on in my story, it was time to find out the proper terms for the equipment, as well as the process.

 

Plow harness

A horse harness is a type of horse tack that allows a horse or other equine to be driven and to pull carriages, wagons or sleighs. They can also be used to hitch animals to other loads such as plows or canal boats.

There are two main categories of horse harness:

(1) the "breaststrap" or "breastcollar" design. For light work, such as horse show competition where light carts are used, a harness needs only a breastcollar. It can only be used for lighter hauling, since it places the weight of the load on the sternum of the horse and the nearby windpipe. This is not the heaviest skeletal area and heavy loads can constrict the windpipe and reduce a horse's air supply. 

Breastcollar harness to pull a sleigh

 (2) the collar and harness design. The collar and harness places the weight of the load onto the horse's shoulders, and without any restriction on the air supply. For heavy hauling, the harness must include a horse collar to allow the animal to use its full weight and strength.

Putting harness on a horse is called harnessing or harnessing up. In North American, attaching the harness to the load is called hitching. The order of putting on harness components varies by discipline, but when a horse collar is used, it is usually put on first.

Parts of the harness include:

A collar to allow the horse to push against the harness with its shoulders and chest. Two main alternative arrangements (with some intermediate types):

Horse in harness with horse collar

A horse collar (or full collar). A padded loop fitting closely around the horse's neck, pointed at the top to fit the crest of the neck. Used for heavier pulling, especially when used without a swingtree or whiffletree, which is a crossbar, pivoted at the middle, to which the traces of a harness are fastened for pulling a cart, carriage, plow, etc.

A breastcollar. A padded strap running around the chest from side to side. Used for light work, or for somewhat heavier work it is used together with a swingtree evenly on each step without rubbing.

Hames (if a full collar is used). Two metal or wooden strips which take the full force of the pull, padded by the collar.

 

Close-up of harness with hames and wooden strips

Breeching. A strap around the horse's haunches allowing it to set back and slow a vehicle, usually hooked to the shafts or pole of the vehicle (also known as thill). Used for a single horse, a pair, or in a larger team, only for the wheelers (the animal or pair closest to the vehicle). The leaders in a team do not have breeching, as they are in front of the shafts or pole and so cannot slow the vehicle. Breeching may also be omitted when the cart is very light or has efficient brakes on the wheels.

Traces. The straps or chains which take the pull from the breastcollar or hames to the load.

Harness saddle or "pad". A small supportive piece of the harness that lies on the horse's back, not the same as a riding saddle.

Girth. A strap that goes firmly around the girth of the horse to attach the harness saddle.

Driving Set

Belly-band. A strap that goes more loosely under the belly of the horse, outside the girth. Prevents the shafts rising up, especially on a two-wheeled vehicle (where weight on the rear of the cart may tip the front up).

Back band. A strap going through the harness saddle to join the belly band either side. Takes the weight of the shafts or pole. In cart harness it is replaced by a chain running in a groove in the harness saddle, hooked to the shafts either side. In a four-wheeled wagon such as the one I describe in my latest book, my character would have used a fixed back-band. The shafts or pole must be allowed to hinge up and down, to allow the horse and vehicle to pass over hillocks and dips. Often the shafts are independently hinged, and on a side-slope these will each hinge to follow the horse, and a sliding back band is not needed. However, if a sliding back band was used with independent shafts it might allow one shaft to ride up higher than the other, and so for such shafts the back-band is normally fixed to the harness saddle. On other four-wheeled vehicles, the two shafts hinge together, and a sliding back band is needed as for two-wheeled vehicles.

 

A combined driving team in carriage harness

Surcingle. A term used within certain light fine harness designs to describe the combination of a light girth and harness saddle.

False martingale. A strap passing between the front legs, from the centre of the collar to the belly band, to hold the collar in position. Called "false", because unlike a true martingale it does not attach to the bridle or have any influence on the horse's action.

Crupper. A soft padded loop under the base of the tail, to keep the harness from slipping forward.

Back strap. A strap attached by looping through the crupper D at the rear of the saddle / pad or surcingle to attach the crupper.

Shaft tugs, or just tugs. Loops attached to the back band to hold up the shafts of a vehicle in van or fine harness (not needed in cart harness, which attaches to hooks on the shafts). Two types:

For two-wheeled vehicles the tugs are stiff leather loops, fitting fairly loosely around the shafts (which are rigidly attached to the vehicle), to allow flexibility as the animal and the vehicle move against each other.

For four-wheeled vehicles with independently hinged shafts, the tugs (Tilbury tugs) are leather straps buckled tightly around the shafts so they move with the animal.

Terrets. Metal loops on the saddle and collar to support the reins. The bridles of the rear animals of a large team may also have terrets to take the lines of the animals to the front of them.

Reins or Lines. Long leather straps (occasionally ropes) running from the bit to the driver's hands, used to guide the horses. In teams of several animals these may be joined together so the driver needs to hold only one pair.

Bridle: When working in harness, most horses wear a specialised bridle that includes features not seen in bridles used for riding. These usually include blinders behind and to the side of the horse's eyes, to prevent it from being distracted by the cart and other activity behind it.

 

Driving bridle

Bits for harness may be similar to those used for riding, particularly in the mouthpiece, usually operating with a curb bit and adjustable leverage to help balance the effect of the reins on different horses in a team. The bridles of the rearward horses in a team (the wheelers in a four-horse team, and both wheelers and center horses in a six-horse team) often have rings at each end of the browband, through which the lines of the forward horses pass.

In some cases, a specially designed running martingale may also be added. A looser overcheck used to hold a horse’s head in a certain position may also be used in a working harness to prevent the horse grazing. The overcheck hooks to a pedestal on the harness saddle.

Harnesses have been used since ancient history throughout the world. Images of what is known as the 'throat-and-girth' harness was used for harnessing horses that pulled carts. Since it constantly choked at the neck, it greatly limited a horse's ability to exert itself. Through the years there have been great improvements in harnesses, including specialization for specific purposes. Here are a few examples of different types of harnesses:

Racing harness

Cart or wagon harnessed to mules

For an excellent online source of parts of a harness, CLICK HERE to go to the Equine Heritage Museum site.

In my book Diantha scheduled to be published on June first. Trust me. In the story, there is more “hitching” going on than just with the equines.

Diantha is now on preorder. To read the book description and access the purchase link, please CLICK HERE.

Sources:

Wikipedia

Dictionary.com

http://www.equineheritagemuseum.com/additional-information/a-glossary-of-harness-parts-related-terms

https://www.kentuckyliving.com/news/master-of-the-mules-revives-reputation-of-the-sturdy-beasts-keeps-tradition-alive

 

Legend of Minnehaha from an Interesting Source

I have a weakness for books, especially free books.

My county genealogical society announced at our meeting a week ago they had several books available for free because they were outdated, had copyright issues, or were duplicates--issues that that made them inappropriate to be in a county library repository.

I found some interesting genealogical sources, but mostly I felt drawn to the HISTORICAL books. Among them was the following book:

NARRATIVE of the MARCH of

MORGAN'S MOUNTED  VOLUNTEERS

From Fort Atkinson, Iowa to Long Prairie, Minn.

Guarding Removal of Winnebago Indians

By William E. Read

Private in Morgan's company

This narrative, which was transcribed from handwritten pages, was originally written about 1848 at the close of the Mexican-American War. In the middle, the author told an interesting account of the legend of Minnehaha.

I looked this up on Wikipedia, and here is what the first paragraph read:

Minnehaha is a fictional Native American woman documented in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1855 epic poem The Song of Hiawatha. She is the lover of the titular protagonist Hiawatha and comes to a tragic end. The name, often said to mean "laughing water", literally translates to "waterfall" or "rapid water" in Dakota.

Yet, in this narrative, the author wrote it as an actual event he heard from the last living witness. Here is the transcribed story from the ca. 1848 narrative listed above, including the original spelling and punctuation:

Now we are approaching the rocky cliff, or precipice, where Minnehaha took her fatal leap that immortalized her name. As I am, perhaps the only white man now living who met and talked with an eye witness of that tragic scene, I will tell what he told me. He was a small Indian, not more than 4 and one half feet high, rather lean and sparely built, tolerably gray; and, I should think, about seventy-five years old. The interpreter I had was a young half-breed, by the name of Balige, who lived in the vicinity of Reed’s Landing, below Wabasha, on the Mississippi. He was not an expert in the language of the Dakotas, but could converse with them pretty well. The old Indian said, and showed with his hands:

“A good many years, or moons, ago,” pointing north west, “up a river”, (which we understood to be the St, Peters river) lived a young chief. He married another chiefs daughter; and, after so many moons, came with his wife to a big falls on this river and went down a little ways to a little falls. That here his wife was delivered of a daughter (paplaspapoose), it being near enough the little falls so that they could hear the noise. The woman, waking up once, and a kind of dreamy state, and hearing the sound of the water falling, thought it was a band of Indians laughing, and she asked her husband, “Who is that laughing?” He answered “It is the water laughing (Menaukuanuahuawah).” The name has grown into Minnehaha in the same way that Ouisconsin has grown into Wisconsin, and Maquoquetois into Maquoketa. When little Menauhuawah grew up to womanhood, she was the fairest of fair daughters of the northwestern tribes and just as good as she was handsome. She was beloved by all the Indians far and wide and had lovers, who sought her hand in marriage by the score. 

John Henry Bufford's cover for The Death of Minnehaha, 1856.

One young brave, from away east on the Wisconsin river wooed her and won her heart. But her father had grown to be a big chief -- Head Chief of a good many tribes, and it was beneath his dignity to give his daughter in marriage to a low grade hunter. She must marry a chief, and he forbade the young brave’s coming about his lodge. The Old Chief had located his village some way up the ridge from where Menauhuawah made her fatal leap. Finding that his orders had been disobeyed, and that the lovers had met, against his will, he flew into a passion and sold his daughter to a young chief that lived away up the St. Peter river. The time arrive when the young chief was to come and claim his bride. All preparations were made, and the ceremony was to take place at sundown. When the groom came in sight, everyone was on alert, and Menauhuawah slipped out and her absence was not discovered until she was half way to the river. The Big Chief ordered some young braves to run after her and fetch her back. A good many ran, but three of the swiftest outran the others, and were within a few bounds of her when she leaped from the precipice. They ran to the edge and looked down, but could see nothing of her. They had to go back some distance before they could found a place where they could get down. They got down and went to the place where she went over, but could find no sign of her whatsoever, not even blood on the rocks where she must have fallen. For two days, the whole tribe and the bridegroom with all his retinue made search, but could find no trace or sign of Menauhuawah’s body. 

Death of Minnehaha by William de Leftwich Dodge, 1885

On the third morning, as there were many old squaws and others around the precipice, mourning for the lost, when the sun rose and shown over the hills on the east side of the river, and its rays struck the rocks of the precipice, they began to send forth a dismal sound that increase in volume till it made the stoutest heart quail, and the boldest brave tremble with fear. And, although many years have gone by, and the sound diminished, nothing would induce an Indian to go near the cliff at early sunrise. The name Menauhuawah (now Minnehaha) will exist as long as the world stands. The English Mina, the Dutch Mena, and the Indian Menau you, have all merged into the Scotch Minnie in form, but retain the meaning of the Indian Menau, when attached to counties, towns, lakes, etc., such as Minnehaha, Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, etc. And long after the last Indian has passed from the wide domain of North America, and he exists only in history, the name of Minnehaha will stand as a monument to remind us of the once numerous and noble red men of the forest.

My latest novel, Nissa, Book 3 in The Widows of Wildcat Ridge series is now available on Amazon including Kindle Unlimited. To read the book description and purchase your copy, please CLICK HERE.