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Sunday, April 29, 2001
THE SCOTTISH WAR OF INDEPENDENCESubject: THE SCOTTISH WAR OF INDEPENDENCE I am a founder member of the Andrew-de-MORAY project which was set up to promote the vital part played in the north by Andrew-de-Moray and the people of Moray in Scotland's freedom from the English yoke of oppression. Andrew was joint guardian of Scotland with William Wallace. Anyway all the best with your site Charlie Murray Beattie |
Henry Beveridge Duffus of Dundee
He was living at Eassie, a small village in the county of Angus, Scotland not far from Forfar, when he invented the Mole trap.
To the best of my understanding it is still reckoned to be the most humane and effective mole trap available.
Thanks to Innes Duffus
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The Law
The use of mammal traps is controlled under several Acts of Parliament. Users must be aware of
these and should be competent in the use of such traps. This is particularly the case when using
spring traps. If in doubt ring or E Mail us. All of these traps must be inspected at least once a day and any trapped animals must be released
(if non-target species) .
CATCHING MOLES
Moles are fascinating little creatures and the occasional hill in the lawn is best scattered and ignored - after all, think of the
improvement to the soil's drainage. However, there are times when they become a real pest, destroying a whole row of
vegetables at a time or seriously affecting the use of a small paddock. When that happens, the only effective solution is to trap
them.
By the way, you can forget about caper spurge, milkbottles with open tops, pieces of rhubarb and all the other old wives' tales
about moles. They have all been tried, tested, and failed miserably. I'm not sure about the latest type of electronic mole
deterrent devices, but I suspect that you might need a lot of these (and even more batteries) to cover a large area.
The best type of trap by far is the "Duffus" type Mole tunnel trap, which I have found much more effective than the "scissor"
type. Apart from one (or more) of these, obtainable from Traps, all you need is a small hand trowel, a spare roof tile and a
mole stick. This is a T-shaped stick of about half-inch diameter or a little more, which you can either find in a hedgerow or you
can use the handle of a child's seaside spade. It should be about 18" long and four or five inches across the end of the "T". An
"L" shaped end of about 3" will do just as well. Point the longer end of the stick, but leave it slightly blunt to give a better "feel"..
Spread the existing mole hills, either by digging them up (the soil is useful as a basis for potting compost) or by spreading them
using a garden fork "wiped" flat against the soil. When new hills appear, start probing the ground with the stick in a circle, at
two-inch intervals, at least 2ft away from a fresh mole hill. Suddenly you'll hit a point where the stick suddenly "gives", then
"bottoms" firmly beneath the tunnel. Some catchers say that you can never catch moles this close to a hill and that you have to
find a deep main run (which is far from easy). Don't believe them!
Determine the direction of the mole run with a couple more prods, then dig a round hole about four inches across and roughly
the depth to which the stick was sunk. Probe its sides until you find the two ends of the mole tunnel, then insert the "L" or "T" of
the stick into and along these to make a smooth, continuous run right across your hole. Try the mole trap in place without
setting it, just to check that it fits - if not, dig a little more soil away, but not too much as it must be a tight fit.
Set the mole trap, and don't worry too much about adjusting it to a "hair trigger" - moles are powerful diggers and will easily
release a firmly set mole trap. And don't bother to use gloves (which is almost impossible anyway) as the latest research shows
that moles actually have quite a poor sense of smell. Cover the top of the hole with the roof tile, mark the position with a stick
(if in a large field), and leave for at least a couple of hours - preferably all day or overnight (once I succeeded within ten
minutes, but that was very much the exception!).
If you're lucky, you'll find a mole inside. My average rate of success is about 25%, so the more mole traps you set the better
your chance of success. Death is virtually instan- taneous, so don't worry about having to deal with an injured animal. If you're
less fortunate, the mole trap will be untouched, so leave it - for up to two or three days altogether, after which there is a
reduced chance of success. The worst thing that can happen is that the hole you patiently dug will be crammed full of soil, in
which case you must dig out the mole trap, refill the hole and try again elsewhere; you could try again in the same place, but this
rarely seems to work.
Bins-n-Benches Smithy Lane, Holmeswood, Ormskirk, Lancashire, England. L40 1UH
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Gate furniture, ironmongery, hinges, gates, bands, hardware, cap ends, hinges, bolts, padlocks, chain, gates, bands & hinges,
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The year was rich with some oddball Iowa stories -
one about Martin Duffus
Iowa news in 2000 contained more than a modicum of strangeness. None of these articles triggered a five-part investigative series or
won a prestigious award for the reporter. People read them anyway.
All appeared in The Des Moines Register over the past 12 months. (See related article, Page 1A.) A quick review shows that weird
news in Iowa follows some common themes: lust, greed, anger and good intentions.
The 2000 list is topped by a bandit with a vanity problem:
When officers answered a robbery call in June at Muscatine's Central State Bank, they talked to witnesses who provided solid leads.
Tellers and bystanders got a good look at what the mask-wearing, knife-wielding robber was wearing. They accurately described the
blue getaway vehicle, and they pointed out the direction in which the man fled.
They also copied down the license plate: BURHOP.
Andrew T. Burhop, 25, of Wapello was pulled over four hours later.
"It's the truth. He must not be the brightest individual, but we don't always catch the smart ones," Sgt. Art Anderson said. Burhop is
serving 10 years in prison for bank robbery.
Here are some other memorable articles:
* A Delta man served several days in jail in July for publicly dumping a 5-gallon bucket of feces and urine on City Council members.
Michael Joseph Murphy, 42, was upset that city leaders had not taken steps to fix a problem with his sewer line.
His foul protest spattered a handful of city officials and triggered immediate health concerns.
"It hit everybody," City Clerk Lourena Schrader said. "It was a mess."
Keokuk County sheriff's officials charged Murphy with improper disposal of hazardous waste, criminal mischief and one count of
assault for each person spattered.
Officials advised the victims to be tested for hepatitis.
Schrader said Murphy first brought his sewer complaint to the council in May or June. She was unsure of the date, she said,
because her "minutes were on the back deck drying out."
* A cooked pig's head and hoof startled a Des Moines woman and her two sons as they swam at an Altoona motel pool in
September.
"It was the head of a pig, and the mouth of it was gone," Jolene Hanawalt said. "I was ready to throw up on the spot."
Motel manager Michelle Wall said the head may have been from a wedding party at another building near the motel.
"People are goofy," said John Bein, Polk County environmental health specialist. "They throw things in the pool like that all the time,
but I have to admit this is a little weird."
Police did not look for suspects.
"If it was a mutilated head, we would," Sgt. Ken Dales said. "But we won't, since it was cooked."
* In Poweshiek County, Martin Duffus, whose surname became a campaign issue when a television station did a story on how it is
pronounced (duff-us, not doof-us), lost the Republican primary for sheriff to fellow deputy Tom Sheets by 78 votes.
* Crawford County Treasurer Allen Hansohn came under fire for spending taxpayer money on telephone calls to a lonely-hearts chatline.
Hansohn, who was first elected in 1994, was accused of charging $650 in calls to Twilight Lounge, Telemates and Confidential
Connection, services that allow callers to record and listen to personal ads or participate in "live chats."
Hansohn made nearly 500 calls, covering 87 hours, over an 11- month span, an auditor's report alleged. He repaid some of the
money.
* The new Wapello County Jail couldn't open for business until officials fixed a problem: The locks didn't work.
"I found it ironic that we spent $10 million and, here toward the end, the one thing we need, locks, are not operable," said county
Supervisor Jerry Parker.
The project's manager discovered that a subcontractor ordered the wrong cylinder mechanisms. Without the cylinders, the locks
could be opened from the outside without a key.
* As robberies go, it was far from textbook. Cedar Falls police say James Greene's attempt to extract cash from his former employer
went sour when the gun in his pants went off, wounding him in the leg.
"I was so stressed out," said Greene, 39, of Waterloo, who drove himself to a hospital for treatment.
A day after Greene quit his job at Cover Up Industries, he waltzed into the home improvement store, unmasked, wielding a gun and
demanding cash.
His former boss heard a shot after Greene left the business with $200 in hand.
"I just wanted to scare him. I wanted him to go through a little stress, too," said Greene, who faces 30 years in prison. "I thought, `If I
was in jail, at least I'd be eating.' "
* Memo to crime suspects: If you're going to lie about your identity to police, make sure you keep your shirt on.
Waterloo police say Gregory Burkett, 20, was in a car that was stopped in March by officers who had a warrant for him. Officers said
Burkett tried to convince them that his name was Quincy Robinson, even though he didn't have a driver's license.
"He couldn't remember his Social Security number or birth date," said Sgt. Mark Langenwalter.
They identified Burkett by the tattoo on his shoulder: "Greg."
Burkett was arrested for walking away from a halfway house and a probation violation.
* Retired Chicago real estate agent David Eckles wanted to turn a rundown former nursing home into a piece of Wayne County
paradise.
Eckles bought the dilapidated house for $14,000 and spent the next dozen years painting, landscaping and repairing. He added two
solariums, a gazebo, new windows, a porch and 30 trees to his property.
When his taxes ballooned by 600 percent, Eckles, 62, panicked.
Eckles placed three 4-foot by 5-foot signs in his yard opposing taxation. Then he painted the house garish colors and dismantled
many of the improvements.
"I just wanted to make this area look good, and they're penalizing my artistic ability," he said.
* Dan Savage, a Seattle columnist who writes about sex, said he tried to infect conservative presidential candidate Gary Bauer with
the flu before posing as an Iowa Republican during the Iowa caucuses.
Savage infiltrated the Bauer headquarters in Des Moines during the final days of the caucus campaign, passing himself off as a
volunteer.
Savage later wrote that he licked doorknobs and coffee cups and slobbered on a pen, all in hopes of slowing Bauer and his
conservative agenda.
Judge Scott Rosenberg sentenced Savage to a year of probation, 50 hours of community service and a $750 fine for voter fraud.
* The parents of a former Des Moines middle school student sued the school's principal after he made two students arm-wrestle in
his office.
Jose Luis and Lisa Ann Gomez said their teen-age son, Jose, broke his wrist during the wrestling match in January 1999.
Vincent Lewis called two boys to his office and ordered them to engage in a hazardous activity, according to the lawsuit.
A lawyer for the district said the competition in Lewis' office stemmed from a gym class dispute.
The Gomez boy and another student disagreed on who won their competition, said attorney Drew Bracken. Lewis intervened and
asked for a rematch in his office. Jose Gomez's wrist snapped during the rematch.
* A romantic getaway for two women at an Altoona hotel took a not- so-fun turn when they realized they didn't have the keys to
handcuffs placed on one's wrists.
Julie Ratcliffe, 29, of Des Moines told police that her friend had placed the handcuffs on her and then realized she didn't have the
keys.
"Once they put them on, you always expect them to say, `Oh, my God, I don't have the key,' " Rat-cliffe said. "But she was
serious."
* A couple left the men's restroom of a south-side Des Moines tavern just after the sink came crashing down.
The couple apparently was getting along rather well in the men's room at Looney Toons on Indianola Avenue.
Manager Ed Armstrong believes the plumbing couldn't withstand the weight of an amorous couple in the throes of passion.
"No one actually saw it, but being in the bar business as long as I've been, that's our assumption," Armstrong said. "The police got a
laugh out of it. They joked about getting cheek prints."
* An injured raccoon picked the wrong Des Moines neighborhood to pilfer garbage.
Neighbors say they called animal-control officers to take care of the raccoon but got no results.
Douglas Wedeking, saying he was concerned about the animal's welfare as well as children's safety, tried to finish off the raccoon
with an ax handle.
That's animal cruelty, Des Moines police said. Wedeking, 52, and his neighbor, John Randles, 31, were charged with
misdemeanors.
"I feel bad about this now," Wedeking said. "This wasn't like the guy who stapled the cat. I hope I'm not in that category. All I did
was try to put it out of its misery at the very end."
* A Scott County Jail inmate didn't need a hidden nail file or a secret tunnel to make his great escape.
He simply signed another inmate's name on a dotted line and walked out.
Terrell Gary Bloch, 29, of Davenport escaped by identifying himself to guards as an inmate who was to be released on bail.
Davenport police captured Bloch nearly an hour later.
"Beyond what it might seem, we don't have a catch-and-release program here," then-Sheriff Mike Bladel said.
TRENT UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
Fonds Level Description
Duffus, Joseph James, 1876-1957
95-1015
TITLE
Joseph James Duffus summons to the Canadian Senate. -- 27 Feb. 1940. -- 1 item.
BIOGRAPHY / HISTORY
Joseph James Duffus was born June 17, 1876 in Peterborough, Ontario to James J. Duffus and Maria Galvin. He was
educated in Peterborough. He was a farmer, businessman and builder. He married Gertrude L. Sullivan, also from
Peterborough, on April 30, 1907. They had four children: Jean M.G., Gerald M.J., Karl J.A. and Isabell I.G. They had thirteen
grandchildren. J.J. was a graduate of the Royal School of Calvary and the Royal School of Infantry. He served with the 3rd
Prince of Wales Canadian Dragoons and the 247th Regiment. He also served with the Coronation Contingent. J.J. was
decorated with medals from Edward VII, George VI and Elizabeth II. Eventually he was called Lieutenant-Colonel and then
Colonel. He as an alderman for the City of Peterborough for six years and Mayor of Peterborough from 1916 to 1917.
J.J. was the President for the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce for four years; president for the Ontario Associated Boards of
Trade and Chambers of Commerce in 1926; president of the Ontario Plowman's Association in 1926, director from 1923 to
1942; and, president of the Peterborough Hockey Club in 1926. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club and the Knights of
Columbus. He was first elected, as a Liberal candidate, to the House of Commons in 1935 and he was summoned to the
Senate in 1940 where he sat until his death. The Honourable Joseph James Duffus, Colonel, died February 7, 1957. (Taken
from: "The Canadian Parliamentary Guide." Ottawa: Pierre G. Normandin, 1957.)
Premature BurialSource:
The Washington Post
Date: 11/15/1999
Joe Duffus
Joe Duffus, president and CEO of Models Inc., a Vienna company that specializes in interior design of model homes, reads the
bankruptcy listings in this publication every week, keeping an eye out for friends and business acquaintances who might have gone
belly up.
But he wasn't prepared for what he saw in the bankruptcy listing last week. A company with a strikingly similar name, Model 1 Inc.,
listing its address as 8501 Tyco Rd., filed for Chapter 11 protection in late October. His own company resides at both 8500 and 8502
Tyco Rd.
When the Model 1 listing was published, the calls -- from vendors, customers, friends, relatives -- came pouring in, expressing
everything from condolences to anger to anxiety.
Model 1 isn't even in the same business, being a model search agency that has been the subject of a Federal Trade Commission
probe. Its real address is miles away on Leesburg Pike. It stopped operating in July.
So, for the record, Models Inc. is alive and well, as it has been for 10 years.
1900 UNITED STATES CENSUS ABSTRACTS
Alexander Duffus of Monroe County, New York
Charlie Duffus of Poweshiek County, Iowa
Edith Duffus of Broome County, New York
George Duffus of Hudson County, Jersey City, New Jersey
George Duffus of Poweshiek County, Iowa
George Duffus of Wilson County, Tennessee
George W. Duffus of Poweshiek County, Iowa
James Duffus of Poweshiek County, Iowa
Jane Duffus of Poweshiek County, Iowa
John Duffus of King's County, City of New York, New York
John McGlashan Duffus of Orange Copunty, Williamstoun, Vermont
John Robert Duffus of King's County, City of New York, New York
William H. Duffus of Poweshiek County, Iowa
William Duffus of Poweshiek County, Iowa
William M. Duffus of King's County, City of New York, New York
Subject: Duffus in literature
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2001 23:02:08 -0000
From: "jkduffus" <jkduffus@ukonline.co.uk>
To: <davidduffus@greenvillenc.com>
Dear David,
Been loaned a book called 'The Three Perils of Man' by James Hogg otherwise known as 'The Ettrick
Shepherd'. At the beginning of chapter 12 there is a verse out of something which looks like it's called 'Tragedy of the
Prioress'. The verse is spoken by Lord Duffus. I have a feeling that Walter Scott (who knew Hogg) also mentions the
Duffuses. I don't know quite what to make of this book but Hogg's 'Confessions of a Justified Sinner' is well worth a read. I once saw it
described as about the first book that had a character showing all the symptoms of clinical schizophrenia- not bad for about
1825!
Had a wee thought about the news paper cuttings I sent- it seems to me their relevance was to 'A Dance called America'
rather than anything to do with the family name in particular. The first part of Allan Massie's bit is I suppose relevant as far as
my letter goes. However, as ever, you are the editor!
If things get a bit muted from this end, don't be too surprised- it looks like yours truly & quite a few others are about to
get our jotters. Shown the door in other words. This, as you can imagine, is something of a sickener after 30 years.
All the best, anyway,
John Duffus.
Found on these pages are a mixture of sources and source lists and digitised resources. Some
of the information is 'edited highlights' from other web resources I have written - Genuki Angus for
example. I intend making this section of my web pages the public storage and access space for
information - other information only being accessible on the Intranet.
Angus Clockmakers
Angus Newspapers
Angus Non Conformist Church Records
Angus Taxation Records
Civil Registration: County of Angus (LDS FHC Film Numbers)
Dundee Directory, 1782
Dundee Directory. Abstracts from 1782 and 1824
Forfar Academy Roll of Honour, The Great War
Forfar Old Parish Registers
Glamis Heads of Family, 1834
Graduates of Aberdeen University born in Angus, Scotland
Jute In India
Register of Burials, Cinnamara, Assam, 1939-1959
St Andrews RC Church, Dundee. Death Register 1804-1816
St Petersburg Death Records
Email: A.R.Nicoll@dundee.ac.uk ICQ: 20024093
Past Issues
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COPYRICHT -2001
Aa richts is pitten by. Nae pairt o this darg shuid be doobelt, hained
in onie kin o
seestem, or furthset in onie kythin or bi onie gate whitsomeiver, athoot
haein leave
frae the writer afore-haund.
Copyright 2001
All rights reserved - David Duffus