Mrs. Jimmy Raney

By Lillye Younger, Sun Correspondent

Bottles Hold Tales of Travel

PARSONS, Tenn. - When it comes to collecting glass bottles, Mrs. Jimmy Raney of Parsons has something to show. Her collection could be called "The Past in Glass."

Bottles first attracted Mrs. Raney when she saw a clear glass bottle imprinted with a grape-and-leaf design which had a glass handle. Its label reads, "Garrets American Wine," and it came from Mack Crawley's antique shop.

"From this start two years ago I decided to collect bottles as a hobby," the dark-headed slender woman said.

The large collection reminds one of the quotation of the Ancient Mariner, "Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink." However, two of her bottles are filled with water from the river Jordan.

"One of these was in the collection Hobart Townsend brought me last summer from his world cruise," Mrs. Raney recalls. It's label reads, "Aqua Jordonius."

The other bottle is quite small, about two inches long and 1/2 inch in circumference. It has a red sealed top and was mailed, attached to a picture postcard of the Jordan river.

Another prize is a French perfume bott1e Townsend brought back from Paris, France, by plane. The pressures from the altitude caused the stopper to sink.

A soft drink bottle from Italy, unlike ours, of blue glass with a very rough finish and holds 12 ounces. It is called "Lemonate."

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Among other interesting bottles from Townsend's cruise is a soft drink pomegranate bottle From the Grand Hotel in Warsaw. In Frankfort, Germany, he picked up an apple juice bottle which is similar to soft drink bottles here.

One of the containers came from behind the Iron Curtain. It's a green glass soft drink bottle with an ingenious stopper made much like the spring top, glass fruit jar lids fastened with wire.

Medicine bottles also find lodging in Mrs. Raney's collection. "A camphor bottle dated 1907 is a gift from my aunt," she said. She used it to keep her camphor in but was happy to contribute it to her niece's collection. Another medicine bottle from Virginia City, which perhaps held quinine, has a one-inch glass stopper.

One of the larger bottles in the collection is a hug e green champagne bottle from Old Mexico. Its label reads, "Pink Sparkling" and has a picture of Imperial Augustus. "My friend, Mrs. Roy McPeake brought this bottle to me when she vacationed in Old Mexico," the collector said.

A round wine bottle fits into a handwoven basket. E. E. Led-better brought this bottle to Mrs. Raney from California. It bears the label, "Tipo Rose."

"One of my largest bottles is a one half gallon Puerto Rican Rum bottle which was mailed to me by a friend," she said.

Another bottle hailed from the New York World Fair. "It came from the Belgium Pavilion and is a Belgium beer bottle. B. Boyd added it to the large collection," she noted.

"Among my prize bottles is a beautiful glass decanter with a glass top which holds a jigger. My old schoolmate, John Walker brought me this one."

Four miniature soft drink bottles hold great significance for Mrs. Raney. These four survived the fire that destroyed her home a few years ago.

Big bottles, small bottles and those of round and square shapes all have a place on the shelves in the dining area of the attractive Raney home. The dining area joins the living room where a large family altar is erected.

"Having a hobby helps fill up my spare time and it takes unpleasant thoughts off my mind," Mrs. Raney added.

Jimmy was born on a large farm near Perryville and attended school in Parsons. "I rode the Peevine train back and forth to school. The fare was $14.15 per month," she said. She is the daughter of the late J. P. and Betsy Britt Ledbetter.

She married Edd Raney Feb. 25, 1917, and experienced 20 months of separation during World War I. "It was very trying times," she recalls. "War was the last thing on my mind when I retired and the first thing when I awoke."

The interesting couple are retired and reside in their new home on the Old Decaturville Road.