Officer, Can I Go Home for Breakfast?

Note to Readers: The following post integrates two weeks of Lawrence County News due to an increased focus on campaign discourse overshadowing local coverage in anticipation of the upcoming Presidential election that would take place on November 2, 1880.

President Rutherford B. Hayes had decided not to pursue a second term. Following an extensive convention, the divided Republican Party selected Representative James A. Garfield of Ohio as its candidate, while the Democratic Party nominated General Winfield Scott Hancock of Pennsylvania. The campaign primarily centered around Civil War affiliations, tariff policies, and Chinese immigration.

Spoiler Alert: Republican James A. Garfield achieved a narrow victory over Democrat Winfield Scott Hancock, prevailing in both the electoral college and the popular vote. Voter participation was among the highest recorded in U.S. history, with only a 1,898-vote margin—representing 0.11%—separating the two candidates, marking the closest popular vote result ever documented.

Local news for the week of August 20th, 1880 included a mention of  Professor Webster from Saint Louis being engaged in photographing some of the prominent buildings of Lawrenceville.

Mrs. Allender and daughters moved out to their old homestead 2 miles West of town. Sheriff Scott took his two boarders, Woods and Casey, to Chester prison. BK Propes was treasurer and depository of the Lawrence County Bible Society.  Mr. TA Curry and Mr. JW Whittaker took their wives and Miss Molly Allender to Sailor Springs, Clay County Illinois; the ladies planned to remain there several days in hopes of improving their health. Postmistress Ida Seed of Lawrenceville and her mother were also there

The attorneys at Lawrenceville took steps toward self-preservation by holding a meeting in which all members of the profession were present and resolved upon a uniform scale of fees and also resolved to dissolve all existing foreign alliances. From this time forward it was agreed there will be no partnerships formed with foreign attorneys. (This meant  Vincennes and  non-Lawrence county attorneys.)

A case was brought in Circuit Court by Andrew J Schick, a school teacher in Denison Township against Defendant Highsmith who slandered him by alleging improper conduct.  It was settled by both of them stepping up and paying fines.  

The oldest man in this county was the father of Captain M O’Donnell who resided in Vincennes. The father who lived 4 miles south was about 90 years old and quite spry. Joseph Bartley of Lukin Township sold his farm some time ago, had a sale of personal property, and would soon move to Boston.

 Dr. ZD French retired from the Summer Press and Mr. E Jones took full charge of its columns. Later the newspaper said E Jones was the new proprietor of the Lawrence County Press and he was not yet 18 years old. (The Vincennes Western Sun editor called him the ‘boy editor’ and told him to put ice water on his head after a particular egregious campaign article.)

A good shower of rain over the greater part of the county was received with thanks; the plows were then running more steadily, the farmers preparing for a large fall sowing. 20 or 30 wagon loads of watermelons passed through Lawrenceville every day the past week; a great many being shipped north on the D&SW train and some to adjoining towns.

Mr. TW Roberts has been quite busily engaged the past week in repairing and fixing up the property on the lot south of the Rural newspaper offices in the way of new fences and would shortly relocate. Mr. Silas Cunningham, one of the solid farmers of Lukin Township and father of the circuit clerk BL Cunningham, visited the newspaper office to comment.

Both the Rural Republican and the Vincennes paper published articles about Joseph Biddle of Mount Carmel, a brakeman on the C & V railroad, who was killed at Grayville while making a coupling; he being crushed by the bumpers. The papers said that the accident was attributed to Joe's carelessness; he had been on the road only one week. However, the Cairo Daily Argus, in defense of the railroad company, said the brakeman, whom they identified as John Biddle conceded was indeed a greenhand, having been on the road only a few days, had no previous experience at the business. He was coupling cars provided with ‘deadwood’, and was completely mashed between them because evidently, he was unfamiliar with such cars. The deadwood on a railroad car consisted of timbers that projected from the ends of the car as far as the drawhead (the coupling device), to protect it from rough usage. There is no deadwood on the C&V cars, but some other roads have it. The C&V RR provided coupling sticks for their brakemen and required them to use a stick; but the brakemen would not do it according to the rail company, and “hence one of them is hurt occasionally, if not killed. A man who uses a stick is ridiculed by the other brakeman, and hence it is difficult to get the practice of it started. The C&V RR directs that hereafter no green brakeman will be employed.” The newspaper opined that the use of the coupling sticks on railroads should be compulsory. Nearly 1/2 of the frightful accidents that occurred on the rail could be attributed to the bumpers. If brakemen had no regard for their lives, the railway officials should take them in hand and charge them for failing to comply with regulations.  

The newspaper correspondent said that it was the ‘damnedest biggest drunk he'd ever seen’ at the temperance picnic and rally at Russellville Saturday night. However, the Vincennes correspondent said about 1000 people gathered at the Russellville Grove to take part and a fine day of sport was the result. Music was furnished by the Bridgeport brass band and added considerably to the enjoyment of the affair. And apparently having nothing to do with the previous article, TM Funk, the justice in Russellville, made arrangements to move to Nebraska.

Mr. BH Propes the undertaker had a sign swung out in front of his business house on E Main St. On August 17, 1880, Mrs. Clara Musgrave, wife of William Musgrave, the agent for the O&M railroad died. She was only about 26 years of age and left a husband and two children. Also, Josephine Morgan of Denison Township age 31 died on August 18.  That same day, Harvey Edward Cusick, Denison Township, age one month, died of erysipelas. Mrs. Catherine Gray, a sister of GF Gray of Lawrenceville, died at her home two miles south of Bridgeport August 13. She left her husband and five children to mourn her loss.  Miss Jesse Shick of Sumner died on August 14th of pneumonia, aged 35.

Miss Hattie Norris, age 35, sister of James Norris, died August 24th of meningitis. Her remains were taken to Freelandville Indiana for burial. A child of Isaac T Hall of Lawrenceville Stella, age 3, who had been ill for 6 or 8 weeks with measles, died August 22 and was buried at Russellville.

Felix Tougas of St Francisville purchased an interest in a traction engine. The steam thresher of D. Catt of Decker Township was at work for Joseph Desboeuf near St Francisville. While transporting a steam thresher across the Wabash near Saint Francisville, the bottom of the boat caved, owing to the great weight of the engine. Fortunately, the boat was not injured so much as to cause it to sink. James M Truitt crossed over the Wabash at Russellville with his steam thresher having five- or six-weeks’ worth of work to do in Indiana near Oaktown.

C Cole placed an ad in the paper to remind the farmers of the county that his new dam was completed; he possessed new bolting cloths and new cleaning machinery and was prepared to do their grinding in the most improved style. SP Barton also advertised to the farmers that he would like to sell their wheat. Mr. Barton took the D&SW railroad and left $400.00 in gold to famers from whom he bought wheat at Pinkstaff and Birds Station. Wheat was worth a dollar per bushel in Sumner.

The dwelling of Grandpa Coulter was destroyed by fire on Friday the 13^th.  It originated from an imperfect stove flu. The family were all away from the home except the old lady, (that’s the way the newspaper reported it).  She, being deaf and quite feeble, was not able to call for assistance, and consequently the fire had advanced considerably before anyone else discovered it.

Seth G Ellegood of Sumner declared bankruptcy. Wesley Potts of Saint Francisville added croquet grounds to his hotel. Reverend Miss Mary Phillips, a lady who had won a good reputation by preaching throughout Lawrenceville Wabash, Richland, and Crawford counties died at her home in Olney Monday of consumption. She was greatly disappointed over the refusal of the General M.E. Conference to license women to preach and to this fact was attributed as much as anything else for rapid decline in her health.

A 2- column advertisement announced that Union Christian College, a small co-educational college located in Merom, Sullivan County, Indiana was accepting students.  It was one of the first co-educational colleges that allowed women to take any class that a man could take. Other co-educational colleges would only allow their women to study home economics, nursing, teaching, secretarial, etc. At UCC women could study to be doctors, lawyers, or ministers. The ad offered, without any extra charge, instructions in vocal music, elocution, and oratory.  The entire expense for board, books and tuition for one 12- month terms was $25.00. Meanwhile the Vincennes Western Sun advertised DePauw College for young ladies at New Albany Indiana. Baltimore Female College, chartered in 1849, announced that its board and tuition was $260, unless the student was under 12 years old, and then it was only $200.

The next week’s paper dated Friday, August 27th, 1880, announced that temperatures were in the 95 to 99° range. Water in the area was getting as scarce as hens’ teeth. Most of the wells were going dry or water getting so low as to be unfit for use. The corn crop was suffering from lack of rain, indeed the editor thought that rain might not save it in many places. Work on the public well was booming and the editor thought that the dry spell was a very good time to succeed in getting a good well of water.

Miss Buntin, the editor, also had a suspicion that the old Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) were breaking out their muster cards and pepperbox pistols in Lawrence County again. Why such mysterious movements at midnight of horse and men with lanterns and other instruments of deviltry she did not know. (During the Civil War, Southern sympathizers joined the KGC in the county; later the KGC would become a model for the Ku Klux Klan.)

There was a picnic near Chancey and the weary in that section of the county took a day off for general amusement. Mr. John Harlan married Miss Rachel Millhouse at the residence of the bride's mother on August 22nd. JE Lemons, a young man of Russellville returned from a trip to Kansas. He reported splendid crops and good times in the southwestern portion of the state.

RA Hill of Princeton, was sent to jail on a charge of forgery. He was an insurance agent and a quartermaster of the state militia. The C&V carpenters put in a turntable at St Francisville. Charles H Martin spent a few days at Stivers Springs near Bridgeport.

At St Francisville there was a drunken row in town Saturday night during which Emmett Thomas was stabbed in the left groin and William Martin was cut in the right elbow. Both cuts were done by Marshall Armstrong, allegedly in a purely accidental manner. The row was between Rick Rouse from Knox County Indiana and E Marmaduke of St Francisville. While Marmaduke was in custody of Policeman Burlow, he requested that he be permitted to go home to get his breakfast. Burlow waited while Marmaduke went into the kitchen for the meal but when Burlow went in to invite him to jail, he was gone. Lawrence Bushye, Charles Delisle, Hiram Page and Peter Delorier were fined $5 in costs for their participation in the riot. WP Bernhardt and Marshall Armstrong were fined $3 and costs. The first four pled guilty and the others stood their trial. (So if one gets arrested in St Francisville now, are you allowed to go home for breakfast before going to jail or did Marmaduke spoil that for everyone?)