April 2 1880

 Old winter had almost “marched” out in April of 1880.

Sumner News:  Business improved as the roads got better.  The surplus wheat that was held by the farmers was being rapidly brought in and sold. Dr H C Stoltz, the town’s popular dentist, was saving molars from further decay in numbers too numerous to mention. Combs Bros were applying the finishing touches to their new store house erected south of their lumber warehouse.  T L Jones and Son were erecting a large building adjoining their storeroom in which to display machinery and farming implements. J P Jones was nominated for supervisor, M B Smith for collector and G M Petty for assessor. D B Clark, of the Sumner firm of Lewis and Clark, sold his interest in the business to the senior partner Milton Lewis. James L Spencer, S S Snodgrass and Bennet White and family of Summer left the previous week for Colorado. Clarence Davis, the wholesale bigamist, tried to induce a Sumner girl to marry him. The fact that he could not get a marriage license, except by going to Lawrenceville prevented the nuptials.

Remember the story about Big Joe Childress we posted earlier in the March edition of 1880? Big Joe was found at an unusual hour of the night inside Tracy’s grocery store in Lawrenceville.  He was arrested and Constable Bill Powers put him in Lawrenceville jail. Somehow Joe watched Billy better than Billy watched Joe, and Big Joe vamoosed. The Vincennes newspaper had more to add about this story. Ed Tracy and William Garrard of Lawrenceville went to Vincennes and arrested Joseph Childress, the young man who was found inside Tracy’s store. The arrest was made in the C & V railroad yards, and the prisoner was again returned to Lawrence County jail. The facts of the operation seem to be as follows: “He secreted himself in Tracy’s store previous to closing up time, with the intention of admitting his confederates at the proper time.  When he started to the back door to open it, he fell over a chair.  The noise aroused the dog of Ike Mowrey, which with his master, was sleeping upstairs.  The dog rushed downstairs barking, and Ike put his head in the stairway and demanded the cause of the racket on the first floor.  Big Joe, it was thought, was too badly frightened to escape.  He was taken into custody but did not want to go to jail and was placed in charge of Constable William Powers putting up his watch, (which actually belonged to Ed Ryan), to make the Constable feel secure.  The next day Joseph was a wanderer. The second time he was arrested he was offered the pleasure of making another hole in the Lawrence County jail if he took the notion to escape again.

Bridgeport News: Dr H V Lewis had a neat office fitted up in Bridgeport and planned to hang out his shingle soon. Jacob Garing of Bridgeport sold out his business in that place and moved to Olney according to the Lawrenceville newspaper. The Vincennes newspaper reported him as a resident of Tonawanda, New York. The Misses Beck, a couple of excellent young ladies of Bridgeport, left for Missouri to reside with their relatives permanently.

Denison News: The past Saturday there were three interments at Bunker Hill Cemetery: Mr. Shroyer, a merchant of Sand Barrens, a child of Mr. Smith and Mr. Osborne’s child.  A. Knight was building a barn. Sunday school was organized at Pisgah the previous Sunday. The correspondent noted that there was nothing too low or disgraceful for some people to do. The gate hinges from the Buchanan graveyard were stolen, leaving the graves and gravestones to the mercy of hogs and other animals, and they had disfigured it in a shocking manner. 

A new correspondent wrote from Bogard Prairie which researchers think is near Charlottsville. (Please correct us if we are wrong.) “The weather was fine. Health was very good. Wheat looked finer there than anywhere else. The baptizing the previous Sunday called out a large crowd. The prospects for the new church house were very flattering.”  (I’m not sure he or she will have the job long if this is the best he can do.)   Another correspondent provided  a bit more information about the baptizing.  “There were 11 persons baptized and 205 spectators present”.

Mt Zion News: Mr. Wm Conover moved into his new house. John Abshire came near losing his life in Saturday’s

storm when some dead limbs fell on him.  The school taught by C H Martin closed for the term.

Lawrenceville News:  School commenced for Spring term Monday April 5.

Vincennes News: Captain O’Donnell, previously a resident of Lawrence County, but by 1880 an extensive pork dealer in Vincennes noticed that he was missing a considerable number of hogs.  He had a faint suspicion as to what had become of the swine, but nothing definite enough to lay his charges openly at anybody’s door.  He set about to fix a trap, however, and a prominent butcher walked into it.  The plan concocted was this: Gignasky had been in the habit of disposing of dressed swine to Peter Pomil, who was in the pork packing business. Jake Metzger was employed as “cleaver swinger” for Peter Pomil, and his position as such, of course, enabled him to inspect all meat cut up.  Capt. O’Donnell had missed nine hogs altogether, and seven of these belonging to a Wabash County man had mysteriously disappeared from the I & V pens.  Cap. O’ Donnell put Jake Metzger on to the aural appendages of hogs, (“ears” for those of you who are unfamiliar with this term) that were easily designated by a peculiar mark.  Acting under advisement and in the capacity of a detective, Mr. Metzger cut off a few ears and put them in his pocket.  When presented to Mr. O’Donnell, he fully recognized in them his original mark and immediately came to this conclusion: As that was his mark, and he had missed the hogs, and Gignasky had sold them, it was very reasonable to suppose that Gignasky had also stolen them. 

John Beard who was employed by Mr. Gignasky at the time the man was affected with this pork- picking adventurous streak, knocked the hogs in the head as fast as they were brought to him.  The butcher wanted John to accompany him on several occasions, but John emphatically declined and would always put him off with the remark “I’ll kill the hogs you bring to me.  I was in the penitentiary once for stealing them, and I’ll be d—d if I am going again.”

Deputy Sheriff Rumer arrested Gignasky yesterday afternoon on a warrant sworn out by O’Donnell.  The prisoner failed to secure bond and was required to plunk down $500 in cash for his appearance in court.

A couple of Vincennes gentlemen crossed the river to shoot snipe in Lawrence County. One took 75 shells and came back with 65 snipe. The next day they went again, and one shot 110 snipe and one duck, and the other 55 snipe.

Bird Station News: Mr. Rich was the new minister at Liberty church.

Chauncey News: Mrs. Leander Merrit died at Chauncey on March 12 of puerperal fever. (This was ometimes called childbirth fever.)

It is an old saying and sometimes invariable true, that when it rains on Easter for the next six Sundays will ‘the low hung clouds drop their garnered fulness down.”  It seems that the “garnered fullness” will be exhausted, before Easter if it keeps on at this rate.