----Source: Greenwood Gleaner Clipping Smith H. Miller Reminiscences

CHRISTMAS CAKE

It was along about1896 or '97. Father had a small piece of pine timber to put in a little above the Black River bridge up near Withee and he put 7 or 8 men in there to log it off. They were encamped in a small log shack.

I can only remember two of the men and they were Bill Smith, W.F. Smith and Bill Hommel. Bill Hommel was the cook, and apparently was not much of an artist at it
either.

It seemed that they urged Bill to make a cake for Christmas and after they ate it they were not so well-pleased with it so they wrote a little ditty to rhyme with a popular tune of that day.

I remember part of this very clearly and would like to repeat it for the benefit of old timers who will likely appreciate it.

There were apples, prunes and raisins. 

There was pork grease, sausage and vinegar, too.
There were carrots, beans and onions
And the cover was stuck on with glue.
There were caraway seeds in abundance
Sure to set up a fine stomach ache
T'would kill a man twice
After eating a slice of

Of Bill Hommel's Christmas Cake.

Bill Hommel was a pretty fine fellow and I think he enjoyed this about as well as anyone. A little while later a very bad accident took Bill away. It was a shock to us all.