A Review of Life in the County during July August, September, 1878.

A deep dive continues into life in Lawrence County during July, August and September, 1878.

The year of 1878 was to be remembered for its extremely mild winter weather and the remarkable heat during the summer months. Temperatures for week of July 19: Monday 102 Tuesday 99, Wednesday 102 Thursday 100. The courthouse clerks moved their desks into the grove outside which was the coolest place to be found in Lawrenceville.  The intense heat caused a suspension of business in all directions. (No air conditioning and no electric fans).  Horse flies and gallinippers were terrible. The loafers enjoyed sitting in the grass under the trees in the courtyard dissecting watermelons.

Average yield per acre of wheat was not as good as expected.   George Shirley was proclaimed the champion wheat binder. He rode his harvester alone and bound 13 acres of wheat in one day.  Combs Brothers commenced threshing wheat with their new machine but protested against wire- bound wheat.  Wire injured the machine they said. Fields were full of wheat shocks.  W C Gilbert threshed his wheat after night by moonlight but said it was still hot. Mont Propes was heat struck while threshing but recovered.  However, one of his horses died. E D Turner stacked 150 acres of wheat and about 30 acres of hay during the hottest weather.  He was 66 years old.

Corn crops were bad, too much rain and not enough cultivation.  Copious rains followed by several weeks of mid-summer sunshine made the prospective corn crop the shadowy outline of a coming famine.  The present season bore ominous signs of a general failure. Late potatoes and cabbage crops were poor.

The Sumner Post Office had a new awning.  Dr R H Freese closed his hotel and resumed the practice of Medicine. Marion Fyffe and Will Stoltz started college. Os Stoltz attended State University at Bloomington Indiana. Frank Stoltz went to Dayton Ohio to attend theological school.  Walter Barr and Bob Kirkwood attended Asbury University at Greencastle Indiana. Willie Neal attended commercial college.

Bridgeport had a 4th of July celebration. The reporter noted there “were 1000 people there, and all enjoyed the good music, the speaking and the refreshments.” George Bycourt met with a serious accident while buggy riding with his fair one.  The horses headed for an oat field and the young lady was in a serious condition for a few moments until a bucket of water was brought to her rescue.  She soon recovered but her white dress was totally ruined.

Nine large fish were caught in the Lawrenceville mill wheel.  They were taken out and weighed and then sold.  The six biggest weighed 45,42,35,34 ¼, 26 and 21 lbs.  The other three weighed between 15 and 20 lbs.  The next day about 8 more were caught and the day after that another large number were caught, the heaviest of which weighed 45 lbs.

George E Peared was convicted August 1877 for manslaughter for killing Robert Rain.  He was sentenced to 4 years in the penitentiary.  The Supreme Court reversed the decision, and the case would be heard again. Johnny Burget charged with shooting William Worster’s dog. The prisoners in the county jail made another attempt to escape by cutting through the bars of the window. The commissioners were asked to consider building a new jail.

Blacksmith Spencer of Sumner was sick: not able to hit the nail on the head. Dust on Main Street in Bridgeport was 6 inches deep.  A new brick sidewalk was put in place instead of the old plank walk in front of Eckenrode’s business in Sumner. A new brick sidewalk was also  being built on the west side of Main Street in Bridgeport.

The partial eclipse of the sun by the moon July 28 was obscured from view by the clouds.   A glimpse of the shadow on the sun’s disk could be seen about 5 o’clock pm. An excited wild feline caused Will McCleave and George Childress to leave the Cross Road woods on the double-quick crying “panther”. George beat Will by two lengths in forty-two seconds.

Some court cases had to be continued as the material witnesses were out “blackberrying”. Sam Sumner recovered $395 for horses killed by the O & M railroad. Andrew Lackey, a farmer, sued Orr & Wallace, threshers, for failure to thresh his wheat. (The case was heard three times.) James Garvey of St Francisville was charged with selling whisky without a license. He was fined $20 and costs.

L R Schmalhausen Esq fixed up O’Donnell’s Hall in Bridgeport with seats, stage, curtains, etc. in regular opera house style. The Bridgeport Drama club entertained there for the benefit of the Southern Yellow fever sufferers. Some 12 -15 families from Lukin and Christy townships have moved to Texas and other points west.

Henry Heath a young man who was working for Chas Orr south of Bridgeport was arrested for stealing Dr Pennebaker’s watch. A man was arrested south of Bridgeport with two stolen horses. L R Schmalhausen bought 400 gallons of blackberries. Three moving wagons passed eastward soliciting charity.  They were for the most part from Texas whence so many emigrants went during the last three years. 

There was considerable controversy over the mutilation of some graves in the Sumner cemetery.  A full set of new instruments for the Bridgeport cornet band has arrived. Chas H Warner has been employed to instruct the band boys. Blackberry and apple pies are abundant. Mrs. Shirley, one mile west of Sumner, had one of her hands crushed in a cider mill.  J L Sencer and his little boy were thrown from a buggy resulting in the little boy breaking his arm.  A threshing machine of Colwell, Pepple and Co was overturned.

The Longnecker Express Team at Charlottesville (these were the semis of 1878) became frightened and ran 7 blocks when they came in contact with Akers Fish Wagon.  Both wagons were totally demolished. Mrs. L C Tougas of St Francisville had a house built on Eighth street opposite the Lutheran church. There was a special train to Vincennes for the installation of the new Catholic Bishop.

John E Smith burned another kiln of bricks with the help of John Strimple. John C Judy is in the poultry business. “Fair deal and no Fowl play “is his motto.  Physicians however avoid his poultry yard on account of the personal remarks of the ducks. (Humor in 1878)

In August the newspaper began reporting about Stivers Medical Springs. A listing of the natural chemicals in the water was published. Some residents who were sick improved after visiting the Springs on the Stivers farm west of Shiloh church. The Bridgeport brass band and the people of Bridgeport gave a basket picnic in the pretty grove adjoining the Springs.  The reporter stated there was plenty of refreshments, good music, and entertainment and about 500 people attended. Thomas Haines ran a Hack (taxi) to the Springs.

August Tugaw advertised his farm for sale, 4 miles west of St Francisville containing 80 acres.  Improvements consisted of a good house, new barn, orchard, 45 acres under good fence, the rest in good timber.  Included was a good well and running stream.  The reason he gave for selling was that the farm was too small for his work force.

Pork prices were lower than they have been for the last 25 years. Watermelons were around at a nickel or dime each. T B Huffman sold his 33-acre fruit farm. Bridgeport had two butcher shops. The Christian church in Lawrenceville was trying to raise money to purchase a new bell.  Apple and peach butter makers were busy. Peaches sold for 3-40 cents a bushel. Justin Struble has several new buggies at his livery stable. Mr. Silas White moved his wagon and repair shop to town and was located just north of Barton’s store in Lawrenceville.

The Temperance meetings were still announced in the news, however there did not seem to be as many meetings in Denison Twp.  Joe Ryan, a saloonkeeper in St Francisville, was stabbed about 1 a.m. by Bob Baker who lived south of Lawrenceville.  Baker was “tight” and called Ryan up out of bed to open his saloon and give him whiskey which Ryan refused to do. Baker began using obscene and loud language.  Ryan went out to make him leave and Baker stabbed him in the thigh.  The wound was not dangerous, and Baker was arrested.

The drought had been long and weary. The farmers worried about the corn and were behind with their fall plowing and seeding. The heat continued.  Mr. Parmar living near Sumner started with a drove of hogs to Lawrenceville. On the road ten of them died from the excessive heat. Many in Lawrenceville were hauling water from the river for household purposes.

Edward Ryan arrested Lewis Gowen and Arch Spring arrested James Clark.  Both officers were paid $50 by the county commissioners.  George Clark was paid $30.50 for whitewashing and plastering the courthouse. Irwin Gosnell was paid $3.00 for mowing and cleaning the courthouse and yard. Paupers mentioned who had received clothing or medical attention were Lafayette Clemm, Amer’s boy, the Yocums, Benj. Butler and his “feeble minded” son, Mrs. Hockins, Ed White, Mrs. Titus, families of Dibble, Cochran, Highfield, and Dickerson, Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Shelton, Mary Lee, Lawrence and Smith, and Rachael Johnson.

Cobb and Niblow of Olney set some tombstones in Shiloh cemetery. Little Ross Hensley, oldest son of Moses Hensley, was badly hurt on the head by falling under the wheels of a hay wagon with a runaway team attached.  Drs McDowell and Bosart operated on Paul Sheraden’s hand and removed several diseased bones. J E Eckenrode and M May returned from Boston and New York where they bought the fall and winter stock of goods, several carloads of which had already arrived.

An impudent tramp who was prowling about the premises of Mr. F F Atwood frightening the women folks, was collared by that gentleman and with a No. 32 “persuader” was induced to “git out of town” which he did in a remarkable short space of time.

W J Kyger, as guardian, wanted to place a boy 10 and girl 7. If interested one could inquire at his home halfway between Lawrenceville and Vincennes on the State Road.  Another ad was placed in the paper “Wanted a home for a little girl 14 years of age. Contact E F Dalrymple Bridgeport.”

Warner Bros (the Walmart of the era adjoining the Bridgeport depot) started a huckster wagon. They also advertised that they paid the following prices for produce brought in or offered for trade, “Old hens $1.80 per dozen, eggs 10 cents, butter 10-12 ½ cents, Irish potatoes 45 cents per bushel, sweet potatoes 60-75 cent, feathers 35-40 cents per pound, dried apples 50-75 cents per hundred, dried peaches halves $1.00-$1.25, white navy beans $1.50-$2.00 a bushel. They also reported they had sold 2304 fruit jars during the season.  

John Miller of Sumner was declared insane and taken to Anna Illinois state hospital. A few weeks later he died, and his friends brought his body home. The Garing string band furnished the music for Stiver Medical springs on Sundays. Temperance meetings and church services were also held at the Springs.

The Propes threshing firm lost another horse. This was the third one that had died since they commenced threshing.  While threshing at Mr. Jesse Benefiel’s Mr. Gal Propes had his hand severely cut by a mis-stroke of the band cutter. One finger was nearly severed from the hand.

Lawrenceville now had a brass band as well. A young man named Lewis living in Richland County while on a visit to Sumner one evening accidently shot himself in the thigh.  The pistol went off in his pocket and the ball struck the thigh bone and ranging down came out at the knee which necessitated his being hauled home.

G P Mock and W E Mock, brothers had been editors of the Lawrence County Press until C P died in St Louis. A little son of Leonard Herold while feeding a hog from his hand had one of his fingers bitten off and ate up by the rapacious animal. Dr French was immediately called in but failed to restore the finger.  He dressed the wound and told the boy not to feed any more hogs out of his hand.

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