"To Plow is to Pray"

A review of the local news from the Vincennes, Mt Carmel and Lawrence County newspapers for November 1879.

The shareholders of the Lawrenceville Library Association had a special meeting.

Bond neighborhood: While Mr. Ad. Steffy was leading his horses to pasture, some unknown person sprang from the fence corner and struck Mr. Steffy several blows with a large knife, but he escaped with one slight wound. 

Mr. John Smith, formerly boot and shoe dealer of Lawrenceville, was joined in the holy bands of matrimony to Miss Gordon of Vincennes. The couple went east on quite an extended bridal tour, and it was reported that they would probably visit all the principal cities of Europe prior to their return.  The newspaper also reported that Mr. Smith would on his return enter into the practice of medicine at Bird Station. (from boot dealer to doctor. . quite a career change)

Rutherford B Hayes, President of the United States, declared that Thursday November 27, 1879, as a day of national thanksgiving and prayer.

The newspaper reported that it would soon be time for the pale sickly consumptive oyster to get lost in a kettle of soup at the church festivals.

As printed in the Rural Republican, “about 7 o’clock, while BL Cunningham, the circuit clerk, was quietly seated at his residence with his family and suffering from neuralgia, someone knocked on his door and he went out to see who was there.  Opening the door and stepping out on the front step he saw Will Garrard, or so he thought by the dim starlight, who at once asked if he was Cunningham, to which an affirmative response was made, when Garrard seized Cunningham by the beard and sprung between him and the door to prevent his returning inside.  About this time Cunningham saw Garrard’s partner in crime, Dan Finfrock, standing outside the front gate but a few steps off apparently ready to render any aid needed should the dastardly design to injure their victim was thwarted.  For a few moments Cunningham tried to get loose with Garrard at his throat and the scuffle became more boisterous than the villains intended. Fortunately, at that moment Deputy Sheriff Ryan came riding by, heard the racket, jumped off his horse and separated the combatants, ordering Garrard and his partner to leave the premises.  The next day before Esquire Walton, the defendant Garrard pled guilty and was fined the enormous sum of Five Hundred Cents to the disgust of everyone.”

B L Cunningham defended himself from the assault by Garrard by having the following printed in the paper the following week: “Last Friday evening about 7 o’clock after suffering from a severe attack of nervous headache all the after part of the day, I was sitting in my room with the family when I heard a rap on the front door.  I walked through the parlor into and through the hall without a light.  Upon reaching the front door I saw him by the dim starlight on the walk and the gate.  On stepping out of the door Garrard who was standing at the door says to me, Cunningham, is that you?  This is the way he requested that I should come out.  I answered in the affirmative.  He asked why I denounced him as a liar through the Rural Republican. I answered that he had lied, and I took that means in saying so, at which time he caught me by the chin and whiskers with his left hand.  I caught his arm and demanded his release.  At this time Deputy Sheriff Ryan put in his appearance. Garrard says he cupped my jaws which is only pomp and wholly untrue as he never touched me with his right hand, except he struck at me after he passed out of the gate when Ryan had hold of him which only brushed my arm.  Now I hold myself responsible for what I say or do morally and legally as any good citizen should, and not otherwise.  I will not engage in a physical encounter If avoidable.  Now I leave the public to judge the shameful matter for themselves, hoping this will be the end of it.”

Researcher’s note:  Will M Garrard was the editor of the Lawrenceville Herald newspaper. We could not find the inflammatory article or “lie” that B L Cunningham was said to have uttered, but the Democratic Herald and Rural Republican newspapers were always “sniping” at each other. People took their politics very seriously. Another example is below.

The Republican newspaper urged among the many reasons why James W Whittaker, a Democrat, should not be re-elected for county treasurer was that he deposited the county funds in a bank in Vincennes to the neglect of the home institution, the Sumner bank. In reference to this the Lawrenceville Herald said:

The election of Tuesday resulting in the reelection of Mr. Whittaker as treasurer was a well-deserved compliment to a most worthy and honorable man, who had demonstrated his fitness for the position by his admirable performance of the duties of the office during his recent term just closed.  The Republicans who supported him on his merits need have no fear that their trust will be betrayed for no man in the county possess superior integrity and his caution in business will prompt him to deposit the county funds in the safest depository he can find whether in the county or not. (He deposited it in the First National Bank at Vincennes.)

Roller skating was all the rage. The girls put on short dresses and slipped up alleys same as on ice. And the boys thought it was just as nice. Allen Dunlap of Sumner warned all persons against harboring or crediting his wife, Lucinda Dunlap.

As reported in the Weekly Western Sun, published in Vincennes, Indiana on Friday, November 14th, 1879, Daniel Burget, a resident of Christy twp. Lawrence County was thrown from his horse Monday and died the following day.  He was buried Wednesday with Masonic honors.

Gimbels, a general merchandise store, celebrated its first anniversary in Vincennes.

The vicinity of Russellville felt the effects of a big wind, Saturday night.  Fences were blown down, and it was said, the house of a man named Pinkstaff was unroofed.  Much damage was done to small buildings. Ira Norton of Russellville traveled to Vincennes Saturday and hitched his team at the Illinois end of the bridge.  After the storm he went over to get his horses and wagon to go home, when he discovered that they were gone.  Norton proceeded to his home, on foot, but his team had not yet arrived.  Sunday morning Dr. Meskimen of the vicinity of Allison, found the team standing hitched to the front of his fence, but their heads were turned towards Vincennes. Norton recovered them Monday but there was no explanation as to how they got to the place where they were found.

The weather was cooler, and farmers had commenced cribbing their corn. Miss Ida Cox was the third room teacher in Bridgeport. Mr. Sullivan had set up his store in the room north of the milliner shop on Main Street.  Warner Bros store was broken into the previous week and burglarized to the extent of $175 in clothing. About $90 of the merchandise was found in one of the old warehouses near the store.

James May was teaching at Freemont school. W M Duncan moved his shoe shop to Sumner. Charlie Eshelman was teaching at Seymore school north of Bridgeport. Dr Crump was the only horse physician and surgeon in town. The west part of Bridgeport had been known as Devil’s Neck, but the name changed to Shinbone Alley. George Duke pocketed more apples than any other boy in town. John Fullilove succeeded in getting his military pension at last.

The Board of Supervisors met and authorized $5.65 for railroad fare for paupers, $3.00 for cleaning the County privy, $6.00 to be paid to M N Wilkerson for conveying paupers out of county. Paupers who received merchandise or service: Charles Shields, Homer Pickle, Minnie Basinger, Amanda M Myers, and John Gibson.

Election judges and clerks were Wm A Organ, E C Crews, J A J Black, W S Norton, J B Reagan, Thos G Cecil, James Mickey, E W Weyle, T E Adams, T M Funk, Jacob Potts, H H Jones, James W Price, John M Collison,  John Potts, N D Rawlings, E B Price, John H Roberts, Geo Huffman, Charles Teschmacher, Wm H Miles, R S Reed, James H Childress, L C Conover, John Bancroft, George A Abernathy, M Eshleman, John A Bard, John W Hill, H W Bunn, Eligah George, Aaron Schrader, Joseph D Utter, James M Corrie, Dederick Brosa, T L Jones, John McCord, Henry Sheridan, W B Smith, Wm Schmalhausen, George Stout, George H Kendrick, J L Sheridan, R M Baker and O H Martin.

Mr. Chas Irwin had a mare stolen from his stable.  The mare had been very seldom ridden and the thief, after riding her a few times above town, abandoned her. Two men were arrested on Sand Ridge by Deputy Sheriff Ryan on suspicion of being the guilty parties. 

The body of Henry Fail who had been residing for a short time two miles below Allison Township was found in an adjoining cornfield where he had gone to shuck corn. The body when found was some 60 yards from the place where he had been at work.  He no doubt had started to dinner and being attacked by the complaint from which he had been suffering, namely bleeding of the lungs, was found dead in his tracks.  The coroner was satisfied after an inquest was held and the verdict returned that the deceased came to his death through bleeding of the lungs or hemorrhage.  The deceased was 52 years 5 months of age and was born and raised in this county.  He left a wife and several children in rather limited circumstances.

Henry Hart was tried at Lawrenceville on a charge of maliciousness in poking a pitchfork into the side of a horse belonging to William Gillen from the effects of which the horse died.  Jesse K Dubois moved to Springfield. Joseph King and Miss Cinderella Day were married in Sumner.  A glass slipper figured in the wedding.

“Scrub” racing was one of the pastimes of the Lawrence County people, a track near the Carey place on Allison prairie being the principal rendezvous. Sam Lane won a purse with his favorite mare, his competitor being Larry Brown. It was claimed that Brown ran 200 yards with his horse just a minute before the race, which accounts for his being beaten by Lane.  A scrub horse race held on the same track a week before was a fifty- cent mule race.

Col. Sages’ Mill in Lawrenceville was liberally patronized.  The mill force were accommodating and Henry could turn out the very best of flour and plenty of it to the bushel.  A corn sheller and buck wheat bolt were being added to their machinery which would make it the best-appointed mill in the county.  Sages’ “Pride” flour was considered by all classes to be the best according to the newspaper.  

Warner Brothers (The Walmart of Bridgeport) reported their sales for the past two months were 33 1/3 per cent larger than for the same time in 1878. Another sundry store in Bridgeport was opened in the James Johnson (business)house by a Mr. Sullivan from Indiana who had purchased the building of Mr. Johnson.  The merchants in Bridgeport were laying in their supply of potatoes at 30 and 35 cents a pound.  Walter Gray was buying hogs on foot and Jake Schlender and Uncle Dave Lanterman bought dressed ones.   Wm Wade and Wm Black had dissolved their partnership in the blacksmith business. Black and Keiber were conducting the shop. Business was quiet in Bridgeport as farmers were gathering their corn while the weather was good.

L S Highsmith called upon the editor and chatted as he paid for his subscription. Back in 1846 he stated that he drove an ox team from Lawrenceville to Chicago and hauled salt from that city to this one, making the trip in 14 days. He said that Lawrenceville was just booming with business in those days.

GT Green of the Children’s Home Cincinnati was to be at the Centennial Hotel in Bridgeport on December 8, 1885, after the 2 o’clock afternoon train with a company of boys from 3 to 13 years old to place in good homes.  Terms were fair. Anyone interested could speak to the editor of the Republican, Dr G Walter Barr of Bridgeport, or W R Carlton of Sumner.

The Children’s Home of Cincinnati had been working for Homeless children since 1864 placing over 2000 in good homes and visiting and watching over them after so placed.  The Home had received nothing for this from either the children or the people taking them and the terms upon which they were placed were as fair as could be made to the family receiving the child and securing something for the child when he came of age.

A preacher said that to plow was to pray.  This shows how little the preacher knew about farming.  When a man was plowing and the implement was brought to a sudden standstill by striking a concealed rock or stump and the handles collided violently with the man’s abdominal regions as he suddenly lurched forward, he—well, he didn’t pray.  Some of the words he made use of, would fit well in a prayer, but he didn’t take time to arrange them properly.

(A special post for the St Francisville News for November 1879 will be posted tomorrow.)