Was Chester Barton a saint or scoundrel?

Depending on to whom you are talking, Chester Barton, the son of Dayton old-time diarist Emma Nevada Barton Loftus, was either a saint or a scoundrel, with little light between the two.

One thing a person might say is that he certainly was a character, and he did some things I don't understand.

Chester's apparent love of rattlesnakes is one of those things his mother Emma couldn't understand. The book by Robert Laxalt, "The Man in a Wheatfield," is supposed to parrot Chester's behavior with reptiles. After reading that book and Emma's diaries in which she describes Chester's fascination with snakes, I think Laxalt had a handle on his behavior.

Everyone Chester knew had a nickname. His was "Monk," and there are stories of why he may have been called that. The one I accept is that he won a race down the road from Lake Tahoe, and the loser called him a real "Hank Monk," the legendary stage driver.

George Meyers, proprietor of the former Meyers Hardware in Carson City, and Chester often played practical jokes on one another. One prank Chester pulled occurred when George was hospitalized. Chester collected a few cow patties. His wife, Helen, trimmed them and placed a layer of chocolate frosting over them, making an elegant-looking chocolate cake.

Well, when Chester took the cow-patty cake to the hospital, George was truly touched, but Chester left before the cake was cut.

It's said George threatened to murder Chester, but I'm fairly sure he paid him back a hundred-fold. With them, it was a contest to see who could outdo the other.

Recently, I had a call from Diane Loving in Carson City, who said she has Emma's gold watch that was given to her by Helen. The watch is engraved with Emma's initials. Helen traded at the store where Diane was a checker.

When Chester was getting up in years and needed supervision, Diane watched him to make sure he didn't get out of the car while Helen shopped. Helen was so grateful she gave the watch to Diane, who was hesitant to take it. But Helen insisted, saying she had two watches.

Diane asked for the phone number of Jim Parker, Emma's nephew, who lives in Reno. Being a nice lady, Diane thought the watch belongs in Emma's family.

Anyway, so much can be said about Chester Barton. I keep listening to the stories and hope some day I'll hear all of them. The jury is still out about how I really feel about him.

The Dayton Museum is on Shady Lane and Logan Street in Old Town Dayton. It's also the location of the Dayton Chamber office. The museum is closed until February. Call 246-5543, 246-0462 or 246-0441 for an appointment or group tours.

The Historical Society of Dayton Valley meets at noon on the third Wednesday of the month at the Dayton Valley Community Center. Visitors welcome. Check out the Web site: daytonnvhistory.org.

• Ruby McFarland is a board member of the Dayton Historical Society, a docent at the museum and has lived in Dayton since 1987.