Horse Sense

February 13, 1880, Rural Republican and Vincennes Western Sun

When a 21st-century descendant reads about the lives and times of their ancestors, a bridge begins to form, connecting them to each other. I hope  these deep dives into early history of Lawrence County is doing that for you.

The spunky editor of the Rural Republican, Miss Mary Buntin had been ill for about three weeks and her wit and opinionated views were missing from the February newspapers.  She probably would have made a comment when a public speaker stated, “when inquisitiveness is shown by a girl it is woman’s curiosity manifesting itself, but if by the boy who is the future of man, we call it the spirit of inquiry.”  Oh Yeah.  She would have taken him to task about that sexist remark.  

Personal ad: A professional gentleman of 25 summers, a blonde and about 5 ft 5 1/2 inches high, weighing 135 lbs.—steady and industrious, desires the acquaintance of a young marriageable lady of some means.  Object love and matrimony.  Address Harry H Demar, PO Box 3 Lawrenceville Illinois.

The Sumner Democrat managed by Cauble and Clippinger published its first issue. There was to be a large amount of personal property sold at public sale at the late residence of James M Thompson deceased of Allison Prairie on 20th day of February 1880. Large-sized can peaches sold for 15 cents at the grocery store.

Notices for taxes due for 1877 were published.  Property would be sold if taxes were not paid by the James N Thompson Heirs, J K Dubois, Mary Gray, Gold & Clubb, Ham Cunningham, J Andrews Heirs, G W Coughran, L Pauley, D W Quimby, Wm Parsons, Robert Duff, T J Kyle, M H Ware, Charles Cunningham, George Pasban?, and Jacob Hentz.

Some tidbits of history that was printed in the 1880 paper as filler: St Francisville was first settled January 27, 1710, by a party of Indian traders who went down river from the Old Post at Vincennes. In 1856 or 1836 (hard to read) U. T. Linder and Joseph G. Bowman were admitted to practice in the court. Abraham Lincoln, whilst here during the political campaign of 1840, made a speech favoring the Log Cabin and hard cider candidate and also took part in some suit then pending in the court to the great amusement of the people. The leading Whigs of that day were giants in their way, S H Clubb, J M McLean, Thomas Buchanan, John Mieure, John Gillispie, Wm Highsmith and others.

Denison news: The ground hog saw his shadow. Sam Mathias had concluded to quit ‘bacheloring’, or ‘batching’ as the reporter put it, and was going to sell out and go West. (Later he gave up that notion and used the proceeds from his sale to buy a Norman horse.)  Willard Smith made an improvement in the looks of his place by putting up a new barn. Joseph Desboef’s son and Levi Green, who both ran away on January 26 have not been found. The Sand Barrens school teacher, A J Shick, was “counted out”, or rather hauled out, because of misconduct and Miss Hattie Cunningham was employed to finish the school term. Jacob Billette quit farming because he obtained a good job as correspondent for the Cincinnati Detection department.

The individuals who had served as sheriffs of the County since its establishment were as follows: Henry Dubois, R. B. Marney, Samuel Thorn, Jacob Young, Joel Johnson, James Corrie (coroner and acting sheriff), Isaac Potts, C. D. Emmons, John W. Watts, G. M. Whittaker, G. F. Nigh, Elmer Ryan, W. C. Gilbert, William Blackburn, Harvey Allison, and John P. Scott.

A snowstorm with a clear sky and shining stars was a phenomenon one night. John Lewis of Sumner vicinity suffered a paralytic stroke. Dr. W M Garrard of Lawrenceville was appointed Master in Chancery for Lawrence County.

Court News: S H Siebert was indicted on a charge of forgery. As no witnesses appeared before the Lawrence County Grand Jury, Tom Mason was not indicted for the shooting of John Pinnick on Ayers farm, August 31, 1879. He had been held on a bond of $300 to appear before the court and answer the charge. (Remember this was the case where the trouble began in Vincennes where the whisky there had strong fighting qualities and carried over to our county with the result that Mason and the Cooks brothers tried to kill John Pinnick.)

In Lawrence Circuit Court the jury in the case of Justus Struble, the livery man, vs Mrs. Bettie Seed returned a verdict for the defendant.  The suit was brought to recover the value of a horse belonging to the plaintiff that backed down a perpendicular embankment on the East bridge and was killed October 10, 1878, while it was being driven by Mrs. Seed and Mrs. Brewer. The former lady jumped out, but the latter and her little daughter went down with the wreck and narrowly escaped death.  According to the Vincennes editor, there was unusually conflicting testimony in the trial about whose fault caused the death of the horse, (was it the horse’s fault), and a motion for a new trial was made.

The Vincennes editor commented on a draft of the model that was now completed of an invention by Robert Dollahan of Lawrence County and SD Dills of Vincennes that had a pint of merit that would undoubtedly make it practicable and useful.  It was a single-track sulky, and the point of advantage was that it was lighter, cheaper, and more durable because it was less liable to wear because of the rough roads.  It followed right after the horse on the smooth path.  The vehicle had a simple frame in the center of which was the wheel, the bearings being at each shaft and on the wheel.  The seat had a spring and was directly over the wheel.  Application had been made for the patent. (From the blog editor: From 1870 to 1904, there were patents for eleven variations of the one-wheel sulky. Dollahan’s 1880 invention and patent, along with several others’ patented versions were apparently unbeknownst to Carriage Monthly, who reported 24 years later, in their February 1894 issue, “Capt. Alphonse B. Smith, a pioneer of San Diego, California, is the inventor of a one-wheel sulky, which apparently is a success.”    I don’t think it really caught on……)

“Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people.”—W.C Fields, American comedian, philosopher, actor, juggler, writer, pal of Mae West, and a misanthropic, hard-drinking self-aggrandizer, who remained a well-loved character despite his contempt for children and dogs.