Page 67 - Visit with Will Pringle, Richmond County

ISSUE : Issue 63

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1993/6/1

f remember someone saying that they needed to put a bag of hay in the window if it was broken or something like that. There was a big family. One was drowned on the way up from Scott's River--a sailboat went down. Pop and Mom were watching him coming in, and he never--a sou'wester--never ap? peared in the harbour. Must have gone, got tangled up in the ropes and went down. And in those days the mast was set right into the keel. There were no guywires like on the modern yachts. And the strain was--and old boats were known to pull apart, and with ballast they'd go down. But anyway, coming back to the house: one of the sons left there and, they said, had to borrow money to get on the stagecoach, and headed into the States. His name was George. I remember reading where he was a sparring partner--he was a big man, about 6-foot-2 and weighed about 220. Quick on his feet, and skipped the rope. He was a sparring partner of Bob Fitzsimmons when Bob Fitzsim- mons won the heavjrweight title from Jim Jef? fries. And then he wandered from there through into South America, and he met a Spanish heiress, and he got mining in La Paz, Bolivia. And he came home here a mil? lionaire. Cadillac, big Cadillac--I think it was the second car on the place. You can imagine--into the quiet countryside of horse-and-wagons! He hired bricklayers and carpenters, and he had the old home built right up; it was beautiful. (George Pringle. He built up the same house that....) Yes, yes, the old--that's why it stood so--that's why it should be a heritage. He also--the old Points Church, Presbyter? ian church--it was going downhill. And he had that all fixed up and painted inside and out. I remember as a little boy going by with the MacDougall boys, to get the cows, and he'd be standing there jingling some money in his pockets--big broad- shouldered man. Sharp dark eyes. And he'd give us some money, and we would be so de? lighted. (Did he bring the heiress back with him to Cape Breton?) No. But he had some girlfriends. They got a ten-dollar goldpiece and a chain on it. I remember. Well, he went back, and he died after that, died suddenly. But I remember of meeting his children. One of his sons now is a lawyer in California--David. And the daughter came up here for two summers for a visit. Very pretty--dark eyes, dark hair. And she always wore a rose in her hair. And she would say, "We'll to the dance tonight--yes? no?" I remember of her--I was mowing hay--and following the motor around. She was fascinated by farm machinery like that. And fascinated by a cream separator. She would stand and watch the cream separator as you turned the han? dle. She had the most beautiful watch, it had like diamonds on it. It was so differ? ent from.... So that was one of the (descendants) of the old (people).... He'd be a relative. He wouldn't be an uncle because there was a generation in between there. On one side of the brook was Big Jim Pringle, that had the grist mill built with the help of his fa? ther. And it was later, property and all was bought by Rory, Roderick MacRae. He continued the grist mill for awhile. I re? member being down with my father, as a lit? tle boy. We took down three bags of wheat that Pop had grown. And I remember of Rory going out--letting the water come into the race(way), and we ground--watching the big stones going around--and we ground about two bags of beautiful golden yellow flour. Our own flour. That was interesting. (Were other people using the grist mill at that time, too?) Well, I think there was a few. But then it got cheaper to buy the wheat flour from the West. And so it was--the grist mill died away. WAYNE WEATHERBEE. DIRECTOR INTRODUCING THE Sydney Memorial Chapel Funeral Information Line • 567-2222 • The Sydney Memorial Chapel Funeral Information Line is a discreet, convenient way to obtain accurate and up-to-date information regarding funerals, including dates and times, as well as information regarding the deceased. The Funeral Information Line is a 24-hour service. 49 Welton Street, Sydney • 539-0500 A NON-DENOMINATIONAL FUNERAL CHAPEL

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