Hello from Hazard!
We received no guesses for Item No. 1300, so, as promised, here is the story from Rex Bosley, of Toronto, Ohio, who submitted this item.
Rex says Item No. 1300 was an “initiation paddle that was used in a paddling line by the Ohio State Patrol as well as colleges and others upon graduation. The individual would crawl on his hands and knees blindfolded between a line of individuals and the last guy would paddle him with this oak paddle. Mind you, a .32 caliber blank was inserted in the hole, when the person was struck, the firing pin with the force of the weighted hinged wood piece, and the shell would go off. The noise and the sting of the oak paddle made this individual think he was actually shot.
I was told grown men cried. It was allegedly in good fun back then. This item was personally used by the late Harry Raubaugh, of East Palestine, who was on both ends of this initiation in the 1930s.”
Rex said this item was sold by a novelty company in the late 1880s that is still in existence in Chicago.
Thank you, Rex, for submitting such a fascinating item.
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We’ll introduce a new item next week.
As always, if you have any items you would like us to try to identify, send a photo or photos, a description of the item and what you know about it to editorial@farmanddairy.com, along with your name and hometown.
