Jerry Munehun / Munghun

Tom

Explorer
Feb 10, 2004
231
9
I have searched the Furoms for these stories and haven't found them with the exception of the "crows in the smoke stack," which I didn't post here. If I have repeated anything that has been posted before, please forgive me.

That said, here they are as quoted by Herbert Halpert and Charles Grant:


Axe works by Itself.

"I've hear them talk about take his axe out, set that to work, an' he'd go home to bed. Axe would chop all day, just as good as if he was there - old axe cut him three or four cords of wood. The rest of the choppers could see his axe once in a while but they couldn't see him; hear it all the time - but they was afraid to go over there. They was all afraid of him - called him a wizened - afraid he'd do somethin to them if they went around his axe."


Horses Lake.

"Jerry Munghun - this was Old Hanover Furnace where he done these tricks. The Joneses run the place, and he used to hang around there, too. The Joneses were goin' away, had their matched team hitched to the post, and they was dressin' gettin' ready to go away. He asked them for money - he just wanted money to sport around with. They refused him. And then when they came out to go away, their team was in the pond - Honver Lake. They had the men that worked for them on the place tryin' to get them out. And he told the Joneses if they'd give him the money, he'd get 'em out. And when they paid him, the horses was tied to the post, right where they had left them. And when they examined the pond, the men was workin' at two old logs in the pond."


This one was told by Charles H. Grant.

He said one time old Jerry had a lot of pigs up there and - uh - somebody up in the country come up to buy his pigs. And he said he wanted to beat Jerry down on the price - Jerry set a price on them that was reasonable - and thought it was reasonable. This feller wanted the pigs but he wanted to pay less. Yeh. So he said after a while Jerry told him., 'Well, you can have the pigs.' So he bought the pigs. An' he paid for 'em all in silver dollars.
Then the man got the boys there to help him to drive the pigs to Cookstown - Ander said he was one of the boys. So he said they started them down the road and there was a little run they had to cross. An' he said when they got the pigs in the run - they drove 'em in after a while - they had a job gettin' them in. He said finally they got them in the water, started them across and - uh - the pigs all turned into chips - pigs w's all gone, turned to chips.
And he said the man come back after his money - wanted to make old Jerry give his money back. So - he gave him his silver dollars back. He had a bag carried this silver money in, he said he seen him put the money in the bag - the silver back in the bag again. An' he said the man thought it was all right until he got to Cookstown. Then he wanted some money and he went in his bag, an' he found the money that Jerry gave him back was just iron washers about as big as a silver dollar. He had no comeback, no witnesses. The boys seen old Jerry pay him the silver back. That about winds up the story that Ander told."
 
Tom said:
This one was told by Charles H. Grant.

He said on time old Jerry had a lot of pigs up there and - uh - somebody up in the country come up to buy his pigs. And he said he wanted to beat Jerry down on the price - Jerry set a price on them that was reasonable - and thought it was reasonable. This feller wanted the pigs but he wanted to pay less. Yeh. So he said after a while Jerry told him., 'Well, you can have the pigs.' So he bought the pigs. An' he paid for 'em all in silver dollars.
Then the man got the boys there to help him to drive the pigs to Cookstown - Ander said he was one of the boys. So he said they started them down the road and there was a little run they had to cross. An' he said when they got the pigs in the run - they drove 'em in after a while - they had a job gettin' them in. He said finally they got them in the water, started them across and - uh - the pigs all turned into chips - pigs w's all gone, turned to chips.
And he said the man come back after his money - wanted to make old Jerry give his money back. So - he gave him his silver dollars back. He had a bag carried this silver money in, he said he seen him put the money in the bag - the silver back in the bag again. An' he said the man thought it was all right until he got to Cookstown. Then he wanted some money and he went in his bag, an' he found the money that Jerry gave him back was just iron washers about as big as a silver dollar. He had no comeback, no witnesses. The boys seen old Jerry pay him the silver back. That about winds up the story that Ander told."


He got swine-dled. :rolleyes:
 

Tom

Explorer
Feb 10, 2004
231
9
Judy Olson had published these same stories in her book "Pemterton Township: A History." My grandmother, however, also recalled these stories from her childhood. She couldn't remember them exactly and that is why I quoted them from the book.
 

Tom

Explorer
Feb 10, 2004
231
9
Her book was published in the mid 70's. I have never seen a copy of it except in the library's reference section - I couldn't even check it out. The Pemberton Historic Trust has a short version of it that Judy produced for them and they are trying to get her original re-published so they can sell it.
 
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