Five-Footed Calf

Friday, February 25th, 1881 

“What light through Yonder window breaks?” It is a snowball and Yonder goes the son of the glazier, reported the editor.  More rain, bad roads and high water. The Vincennes paper reported that the little schoolhouse across the river was under water, and the roads on the Illinois side had been rendered impassable by the high waters.

Mr. L J Hostetler, a salesman for Dr JH McLean of Saint Louis, met with a very narrow escape from drowning himself and team while driving from Lawrenceville to Vincennes. He drove into a deep channel, where the water had washed the bridge away and for a few minutes the affair looked very serious.

The train fireman on Engine #58 received a very severe injury on the head caused by falling from the engine to the ground while attempting to water his engine at Lawrenceville. His wounds were dressed by Doctor Maxwell of Bridgeport after which he was sent to Vincennes.

The 13-year locust were due to arrive this summer. David McCarty’s farmhouse and most of his household goods were burned up while the family was out and about. Loss is about $400 total. George Fuenfgelt, the butcher, who, as you recall was arrested in Vincennes a week or two ago for visiting an honest woman at her house of ill repute, has taken Charlie Miller of Robinson as a partner in the butchering business.  Meat could be found at all times in their shop on the east side of the courthouse square. Mr. Meiure, our representative, is said to be very popular among the women in Springfield.

The Watts house in Lawrenceville advertised to the travelling public that it had a well- laden table, nice clean beds and reasonable charges; it was operated by Mrs. Ellen Watts.  The farmers were concerned that their wheat crop would be killed by the nightly freezes and daily thaws. Mr. Haskin, the father of the rape victim in Crawford County, publicly thanked the citizens of Lawrence County, especially the jurors for bringing Rich to justice. (Remember Rich got 5 years.)

A requisition from the Governor of Missouri authorizing Stephen Walsh to arrest Frank H Ewing in Lawrence County upon a charge of forging a $600 note upon his brother was delivered to Sheriff Ryan here. The young man was duly arrested at his father- in -law’s, Richard Judy, and brought here to the county prison awaiting a train westward. Ewing had recently married a daughter of Mr. Judy and had been living with him since. The arrest has made quite a commotion in that vicinity and the statements of messenger Walsh, who is a brother-in-law of Judy, are very damaging to the prisoner. The rest of the story as told by the newspaper of Vincennes.: Ewing was married to a young lady in the West and being desirous of leaving her, forged a note for $600 and embarked for the East. After coming here, he got acquainted with and married Miss Vanny Judy, daughter of Richard Judy, and reported that he was from Macon County, Illinois and a dealer in stock. (So as I understand it, he was arrested for forgery …but not for marrying two women at the same time?)

SP Barton, the miller, posted a notice that all persons having his grain bags were requested to return them immediately. Nate Laws, one of our well- to- do Sumner farmers whose residence was about 3 miles north of town died of pneumonia. He left a wife and three children. There was a collision at Sumner on Thursday. The section men were coming in to dinner on a hand car and ran over a large hog on the track, breaking one of its legs. The car was thrown from the track, and the men were scattered in every direction. Some of them received severe cuts and bruises, (not to mention the poor pig).

Scam 1880’s style: The circuit clerk published lists in the paper of people who were owed money by the court, usually as witnesses. Then that person was supposed to go to the courthouse to be paid.

“To Mr. Lafayette Barnes: Please send my fees to me in the case of Pinkstaff and Haynes vs Miller.  signed with his mark, JH ‘x” Allison”

The above is a copy of an order handed to Mr. Barnes, the circuit clerk, by a stranger who demanded some $14.00 fees advertised as due to JH Allison. The signature had been scratched over and the ‘x’ inserted. The attempt to collect Harvey Allison's fees by his mark was a bold trick as everyone knew according to the reporter that Harvey was fully able to write his own name. Upon inquiry of the stranger, he claimed that the order had been given to him at the Pollock Mills in Vincennes by one JH Allison, who as alleged, worked there. The fraud was too apparent, and Till Curry went to hunt up Sheriff Ryan to arrest the fellow but he ‘smelled a mice and skipped out of sight’. The fellow was supposed to live in Vincennes, and it would not be good for him when he came around Lawrenceville again.

Dead Again…Still: For the third week in a row the paper published yet another obituary of Walter Buchanan who died January 31 at his home about 7 miles south of Lawrenceville at age 76 years, 5 months and 21 days.  Contradicting slightly the obituary presented by the grandchildren, this writer stated that Mister Buchanan’s last illness was between two and three weeks long during which time he was a patient sufferer. He had suffered greatly from rheumatism for many years, but he would not confine himself at home but rode around in his buggy almost daily both winter and summer.

The writer added some detail about Mr. Buchanan’s membership in the Presbyterian Church. He was one of 32 persons

whose membership was transferred from the Wabash Church March 15, 1835, for the purpose of forming a new church organization known as the Pisgah church in Lawrence County on March 30th. At this church Mr. Buchanan was a member 46 years and 10 months. (Almost as long as John King….not that he’s old or anything….)

An illustration of Mr. Buchanan's grasp of mathematical science was given by Honorable Jesse K Dubois, auditor of the state of Illinois, who delighted in telling a story of solving intricate and difficult equations. He sent one originating in the East and handed down from one faculty member to another, one expert to another, until it was pronounced a fraud and insoluble. Mr. Dubois sent it on to Walter.  Upon receipt and before bedtime Walter had it solved, diagramed, a full statement written out, and on its way back by first mail to Springfield.

Mr. Buchanan lacked any great respect for the elegancies of life. His house was plain to the last degree, and his harness and buggy was a marvel of unvarnished substance. But he had a weakness for a warm house and a big fireplace and roaring fires and a fat larder and shining horses. There was an unfaded aroma of pioneer times about him. (I hope that we can now lay Mr. Buchanan to rest; he certainly deserves it.)

PS: The legendary five-footed calf, which made its debut in last week’s paper, proved too much for the editor’s curiosity. Upon inspection, the editor confirmed: four legs, all present and accounted for, plus a bonus hoof sprouting from the left hind leg—because apparently, this calf believed in always having a spare. The little beast was lively and energetic, clearly unaware that it was one hoof away from starring in a traveling circus. Should it survive, the owner might fetch a handsome sum from someone in need of a conversation starter—or perhaps a farmer with a penchant for livestock that comes with built-in backup parts.