News December 1879

The fact that a half a barrel of cussedness is frequently found in a two-quart boy has never been explained.

Apples and potatoes are rotting badly this season.  Justin Stuble was repairing Sages Mill in Bridgeport by putting new timbers under the engine. Housewives were making mincemeat for pies. The state of Illinois signed an act to amend the boundaries of the state penitentiary, and thus Lawrence County would now send their prisoners to Chester State penitentiary.

C J Passmore was appointed Bridgeport Street supervisor. The usual price paid for husking and cribbing corn this year was three cents a bushel. Onions were scarce and sold for $1.50 a bushel. Tom Dobbs was working at the Centennial Hotel in Bridgeport. The Christian Sunday school was suspended because of a lack of older members for teachers. Mr. Depaty and Henry Bruce of Mount Carmel passed through Bridgeport with 30 head of sheep on their way to Lawrenceville. W M Williamson of Bridgeport moved his harness shop and tools to his dwelling house.

The lights burning in John Kennedy’s drug store in Bridgeport at a rather unusual late hour for nighttime with the store being closed caused great excitement among some of the citizens and not seeing John, they got somewhat alarmed thinking someone had made away with him.  Before they got the front door broken open, John came walking along with one of the town belles and reported that they had been down at Adolph Schmalhausens’ playing Muggins. (a domino game)

Mr. Cole has purchased the house and lot belonging to SP Barton formerly O V Smith’s. Three young men named Martin, Highsmith and Tennison were arraigned before Esquire Rogers of Bond township charged with disturbing a religious meeting at Grace Chapel and found guilty and fined $25 and costs. The two first named paid $10 each and half of the cost and the last named $5 and half of the costs.

An accident occurred in Bond twp. to the only son of Widow Payne who was out at work in the clearing with his mother burning logs. He was engaged in burning down sugar trees and while stirring up the fire, a tree fell on him, crushing him to death in an instant. Mrs. Payne is a deserving widow who with her little boy 10 years old was working hard to maintain their little home. 

The Bridgeport School was divided into three classes. The Grammar Dept with John McCleave as teacher, the intermediate dept with Miss Florence Cox as teacher, and the Primary dept with Miss Mary A Martin as teacher.  The total number of students in the grammar dept was 52; there were 37 in the intermediate class and 55 in the primary class. 

Wm Gray was the administrator for the estate of Thomas Smith deceased. T A Curry as the administrator de bonis non of the estate of Hiram B Broyles, deceased, sold his land. (An administrator de bonis non is a legal term for an administrator appointed by a court to replace an administrator of a will who could no longer execute the role.) William T Buchanan was conservator of O A Lovejoy. William T Buchanan was administrator of the estate of Charles Waggoner, deceased. Perry King was the administrator of the estate of John M King, deceased. Gilmore Howell was administrator for the estate of William Patrick, deceased.

Daniel Swinehart was a veterinary surgeon in Lawrenceville. K P Snyder was an attorney with an office in the courthouse. Callahan and T M Huffman Attorneys also had offices in the courthouse.  Brewer and Robinson Attorneys had offices one door east of the post office. Atty George Huffman had an office in the Herald newspaper building in Lawrenceville. Atty J Fields had his office upstairs in Tracy’s building.

County officials: William C Jones, Judge, Thomas B Huffman States Attorney, B L Cunningham Circuit Clerk, T A Curry Deputy, A I Judy Master in Chancery, Isaac Potts County Judge, James K Dickirson County Clerk, H A Clubb Deputy, John P Scott Sheriff, Edmund Ryan Deputy, W F Cox, Superintendent of Schools, James W Whittaker, County Treasurer, Jesse B Benefiel County Surveyor, Gabriel Graffham Coroner.

Board of Supervisors:  Wm Organ, Wm Miles, G Abernathy, T M Stevens, Jacob Potts, N Rawlings, Elijah George, H M Wagner, and Thomas Cecil.

Thomas’ picture tent of Mt Carmel visited Bridgeport. Chas O’Donnell shipped three carloads of hogs east. B Lanterman took a load of green beef hides to Vincennes as well as 280 pounds of tallow.  Corn was selling for 35 cents a bushel.  Sage’s mill ground buckwheat flour. John Schrader formerly of Lawrence County but (in 1879) was living in Texas arrived to visit. Rev W Couch was the Christian minster. John Gillespie delivered coal for 12 1/2 cents per bushel.

St Francisville: Miss Belle Tougas instructed her pupils every Sunday at the Catholic church house.  There had been no preaching by a protestant minister in the town for over two years. The superintendent of the public school was Prof LG Pitman. J L Kirkey formed a co- partnership with Dardien in the dry goods and grocery business and it was laughable to see Joe trying to put a bolt of glazed muslin into its original folds.

Bill McKinney, for a long time a resident of Sand Ridge took himself away last week with the wife of Alfred Baker and now they sojourn in the Hoosier State.  Alfred Baker of Lawrence County applied for a divorce from his wife Jennie N Baker.

Isaac Hall, formerly of Russellville opened a new boot and shoe shop in Lawrenceville. Wm Provines of Lukin furnished Sumner with a good quality of coal from his mine.  Coal of a good quality was discovered on the farm of William Provines seven miles southwest of Sumner. It was in a vein eighteen inches in thickness and two feet below the surface of the earth.  The vein grew larger as it approached a slight rise in the ground.

James W Whittaker in his annual report of earnings turned over into the treasury $280, the amount of a fees over his salary. That office and the county clerk’s office are the only two that made collections over their salaries. Pisgah church held a public supper with proceeds to be applied to the Sunday School.  Admittance was 75 cents per couple, single was 50 cents, children under 15 was 25 cents. The Lawrenceville school held a program with singing and recitations on December 23 to benefit the schools. The admittance was 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for children under 12.

Grand Jurors selected to serve at the February term 1880 were: Perry Lewis, Thomas Kirkwood, Wm Laws, Jesse P Jones, A H Couchman, E C Davis, Josiah Pepple, Richard Greer, William McAndrews, John R Thompson, William Cannon, George Hennegan, Joseph S Black, Harrison Milburn, Goerge C

County commissioners paid Pickerell and Ryan $2.00 for digging a grave for an unknown pauper, and $2.50 to A G Wineman for fixing the pump in the courthouse yard. County Judge Isaac Potts received $162.50 as his quarterly salary.

Toys sold in Vincennes for Christmas were boys’ tool chests, rocking horses, magic lanterns, velocipedes, doll furniture and express wagons. Dolls, made of wax, china, rubber, patent and knitted, were also available for sale.

Samuel Shimer, an old gentleman who once was a distiller at Russellville had constructed a horse powered machine that by the attachment of one horse cthat could be made to furnish power sufficient to operate an ordinary thresher.  

St Francisville:  The town was 160 years old but the remains of the first fort that was built there were plainly visible on the bluff near the Catholic Church according to the reporter from St Francisville.

The ST F & L RR pay car arrived Saturday and later that evening the railroaders visited the saloons and put in a jolly appearance. Capt. M O’Donnell bought 90 head of very fine hogs from Samuel Kirkwood of Bridgeport for Bierhaus and Son, Vincennes.  

The material for building the bridge across Indian Creek the Lawrenceville and St Francisville railroad was all on the ground.  The bridge will be a combination of wood and iron and will consist of but one span.  The Lawrence County Teacher’s Institute was to be held in Bridgeport on January 1st. Scarlet fever and scarlatina cases had been occurring all fall. Col J Sage of Bridgeport, an old war veteran succeeded in obtaining $3000 arrears in pension to which he was entitled under the new law. Col Sage denied this in next week’s paper.

Turkeys and chickens suffered on Christmas eve. No skating or coasting had occurred yet, the weather was very mild. The latest slang phrase in December 1879 was “Well I should smile.” July 1, 1880, would be the last date to file a soldier’s pension application for back pay. A dog tax was collected to pay for sheep killed by the canine taxpayers. Bridgeport twp. had 44 taxable dogs, Lawrence 122, Petty 160, Denison 170, Russel 195, Allison 87, Christy 165, Bond 135 and Lukin 227.

Malinda Fuller was seeking a divorce from William R Fuller. Francis S Herin was also seeking a divorce from Sidney A Herin. G W Cooper prepared to build a new livery stable in Sumner.

Bridgeport news The M E church had a Christmas tree (apparently this was rather rare and newsworthy) W M Seed Jr sold 40 head of hogs the average weight being 300 pounds. M M Lewis shipped 12 carloads of wheat from Lawrenceville station. Sociable dances, rag sewing, surprise parties and popcorn stringing are too numerous to mention in the west end of town. The Presbyterian church planned a supper in January, with the proceeds going for the benefit of the church.

The chief cook at the Union Depot in Vincennes gave the patrons of that hotel for Christmas dinner turkey wings, salmon with jelly, gelatine of turkey, quails, larded besides several other dishes too numerous to mention.

The two most important events in the life of man are when he examines his upper lip and sees the hair coming and when he examines the top of his head and sees the hair going.

The Auction for the Festival of Trees to benefit various organizations sponsored by the Lawrence County Health Department has begun on the Parrott Auction site https://www.parrottauctions.com/auctions/32312-lchd-festival-of-trees. Don't forget to bid for the Lawrence County Historical Society's Tree Lot Number 29.