Anteater Needed

January 28, 1881: 

Still the winter held on with snow and ice, and the sleigh bells sounded merrily in the county’s villages. The weather was disagreeable, the roads were slippery, but health was good. While A W Leech of Sand Barrens was out sleighing, his sleigh turned over and threw him and his lady fiend out.  The editor admonished him to drive with both hands next time.

Mart Drake received an increase in his war pension of $12.00 per month, and the reporter noted that "now he feels as happy as any old soldier with the canteen full of grub."

Mr. John H Irwin, brother of William and Charlie Irwin, living six miles north of Lawrenceville, died of measles settling on the lungs, January 21. Mr. Irwin was a young man of sober, industrious habits and a good citizen. Also died on January 7 at age 8 months and 22 days was John Raubarger of Russell Township.

An obituary was published for Mary Alice Crews aged 17 years nine months and 18 days who died January 23rd, 1881, of measles at her father's residence near Lawrenceville. She attended school in Lawrenceville the previous two years.  She was a good student, N obedient pupil, a kind schoolmate and won the respect and esteem of both teachers and schoolmates.

Mr. Clarence E Buchanan of Denison and Miss Phoebe S Irwin of Bridgeport were married January 19th at the residence of Mr. John M Buchanan.

The citizens of Lawrenceville met for the purpose of organizing a festival for the benefit of the town cemetery. SP Barton was elected chairman, S Hall, secretary, and William Walton treasurer. The following committees were also elected: arrangements by BL Cunningham, William Robinson and Ed Schmalhausen on part of the gentleman, and Mrs. SP Barton, Mrs. HH Corey, Mrs. DL Gold, Mrs. Etta Sandiford, and Miss Perliza Price on the part of the ladies. Soliciting committee members were RC Meserve, EH Robinson, Charles Borden, Dan B Whittaker, Thomas R Hennessy, Levitt Robertson, Thomas Watts and Robert Barrett on part of the gentleman, and Miss Lizzie Hardacre, Miss Ella Blackburn, Miss Emma Barnes, Miss Alice Obenwith, Miss Nelly Seed, Miss Addie Mieure, Miss Hettie Ray, Miss Belle Flowers, Miss Ida Allender, Miss Anna Selby, Miss Ada Hennessy, Miss Anna Garrard, and Mrs. Belle Jackson. The festival was to be held at the City Hall on February 9 with admission $0.25 for adults and children under 12, $0.15. Supper would be served for $0.25.

The Presbyterian Church of Sumner having built a new building thanked the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville for donating a bell.

John Warner of Charlottsville was visiting Stivers Springs for his health. Dr Lewis of Bridgeport was busy breaking horses to work. A cyclone in Bridgeport on the previous Saturday , broke several signs, and two or three grind stones of W M Lewis. H C Crampton, formerly of Bridgeport, was now the traveling salesman for Shipley Hoover and Co Dry Goods Merchants of Cincinnati. The Widow Seed of Sand Barrens had a wood chopping party, and the Widow Kauffman had a social party.   

Mr. Charles O'Donnell and DD Lanterman entered into a partnership by the firm name of Lanterman and O'Donnell in the butcher business. Lanterman would be found at all times in the shop while O'Donnell devoted his attention to the purchasing of the necessary supplies. Other butchers advertised in the papers. The New Meat Market, owned by James M Blevins, butcher, handled the best animals and sold good lean meat for less money than any firm in town.  His shop was under Schmalhausen’s drug store in Bridgeport.  John B Evans, butcher, located on the north side of the Court House Square, took great pains to prepare his meat. He claimed to sell more good clean meat for less money than any other firm in Lawrenceville. George Fenfgelt also advertised his meat shop under T W Robert’s store, stating that he had 25 years’ experience and any farmer with fat stock to dispose of should see him. 

In Sumner Miss E Turner was the proprietor of the bookstore that had changed hands four times in the past three months. There was a new millinery store operated by Mrs. Milligan and a grocery store by Gordon and Brother.

Four-fifths of the citizens of Vincennes and the entire population of Lawrenceville were vigorously discussing the alleged domestic difficulties of Mr. Coburn Garrard, a well-known resident of Lawrenceville, who was temporarily located in Washington DC. It was a well-known fact that Mr. Garrard brought a young bride from Baltimore to Lawrenceville a few years before. She created a sensation in the quiet village, her manners and appearance being those of a thoroughbred city belle, and she became all the rage. Mrs. Garrard's position in Washington society was the very best, but village life was not to her taste, and she soon grew tired of the monotony of the Lawrence County scenes. It was a well-known fact that domestic difficulties were frequent, including one disturbance occurring at the Buchanan House in Lawrenceville in which Mrs. Garrard stuck a knife into one of her husband's hands. Mrs. Garrard’s state of mind was a periodical occurrence which appeared to be the sole cause of the difficulty that occurred. The above encounter perhaps was the foundation of rumors that a few days before, Garrard had been killed by his wife or vice versa. The newspaper had it on best authority that there was no cause for the rumors. Mr. Garrard had received a telegram from Lawrenceville conveying the joyful intelligence that his wife had recovered from her unfortunate indisposition and was in perfect health and happy. The newspaper was pleased to make this fact public and hoped that it would put a stop to rumors that were as unjust as they were scandalous.

After arguing wwith his aunt about what to wear to visit a menagerie, young Johnny asked his mother what kind of animal was the strange foreign animal with a long lithe  body and long snout in front of him. “It is called an ant-eater, son,” replied the mother.  After a long silence, the boy asked, “Mamma can’t we bring Aunt Mary here some day?”