The Agony

On Friday, March 25th, 1881 The editor noted that the monotony of the season was relieved somewhat last Sunday and also on Tuesday morning by a nice little fall of snow. “There was hardly enough, however, for a successful snowballing party.” The sun was shining and the snow was falling. 

Jay Leonard of Allison offered his celebrated stallion, English Draft, for sale. Mrs. Booker of Duncanville Illinois rented the residence formerly occupied by M E Barnes in Lawrenceville and would soon open a millinery and dressmaking emporium. The guardian, G A Morton for Tandy French, William French, Lydia French, and James French published that he would sell the real estate of the minors. Mrs. Margaret Buchanan wanted to sell her hotel. Mary A   Beale and James Milligan were appointed administrators of the estate of Samuel Beale, deceased. WJ Hiskey of Allison is one of the finest decorative painters in Russellville.

 Fred Hopt, who formerly worked at the saddler’s trade in Lawrenceville, and who moved to the West a few years ago, was confined in the jail at Salt Lake City where he had been convicted of murder in the first degree and was to be hanged in a few weeks.

The old county jail was receiving some repairs under the supervision of Supervisor Rawlings. The editor was still not pleased, “Would it not be a good plan to save the money expended on the old, dilapidated building we have at present toward helping to build a good substantial new one sometime in the near future?”

Despite the objection of the mothers of the village —and to the undisguised joy of the teachers—school was officially dismissed for the summer on March 25th. The end of term was celebrated in the traditional way: by students showering their teachers, Mr. and Mrs. P. J. Anderson, with gifts ranging from thoughtful to “where on earth did they find that?”  Among the treasures were a water set from Annie Buchanan, cups and saucers from Rose Barnes, ”Ivanhoe” from Lizzie Dickerson, a silk handkerchief from Jenny Judy, a bottle of fine perfume from Henry Schmalhausen, a black lace veil from Minnie Brewer, and a set of vases by Girtie Schmalhausen. A Card of Thanks was published by the Andersons.

George H Cunningham received 16 volumes of the ‘American Cyclopedia’ from St Louis. George had just passed a favorable examination from School Superintendent Cox and received his certificate to teach. He was only 14 years of age.

Died at his residence March 20th, 1881, James M Blevins, age 29 years 11 months and 13 days. Mr. Blevins was only sick for 15 days, with that dreaded disease, typhoid fever. He was born in Knox County and had been a citizen of Russellville for 20 years.   He came to Lawrenceville about a year ago and engaged in the butcher business. He had been married but one short year and left a wife and one child. Burial was in Russellville cemetery.

A man arrived in town Saturday evening under of cover of darkness on the train and put up at hotel de Watts. The next morning, he went into the newspaper office and in a blustery manner, announced himself as an international preacher and asked the editor to publish a sermon. The editor declined and the man departed. Soon after, the gentleman was seen perched upon a meat block in front of T W Robert’s store waxing eloquent upon the virtues of Napoleon. He had talked for probably 20 minutes when it was said some mischievous boy threw an egg, not of the sweetest possible smell, up against him and his doxology was then and there declared with more hurry than usually attended such events.

Readers, you remember last week the article about the blacksmith who was shot in the neck and removed the bullet himself. More facts have come to light but not necessarily more enlightening.

 On March 17th Charlie Young and Tom Hall went out gunning, one carrying a shotgun and the other a 22-caliber target gun. They returned during the afternoon and began shooting at a mark placed on the fence and on a line east of the north room of Hall's Restaurant. One or probably two or three shots were fired and one of them struck Pierce in the left side of the neck going through a thick woolen coat and shirt collar, and penetrating the windpipe, where it was ‘spit out’. (The Vincennes paper said he coughed it out.)

It seems a little strange that a man could stand back there and shoot from the back of the restaurant, at a mark due East with the ball hitting Pierce, who was, at the least calculation, 25 paces West of the room.  The editor noted that it is a little unusual for a gun pointed at an object in one Direction to hit a man at that distance in another direction as this ball must have made two distinct curves to have hit Pierce in the front part of the neck as it did.

Young and Hall were arrested on Saturday and a preliminary hearing heard. Judge Walton, after hearing all the evidence, allowed the boys to go, saying it was not sufficient to hold them under bond. Careful examination of the mark failed to show where any ball struck and glanced off as some few seemed to think.  It seems to be a universal feeling that whoever fired the shot meant to kill Pierce and only failed in their mission because of the ball having to penetrate the whole coat collar and shirt. Peirce’s wound was not dangerous but quite painful, it was reported. (The Vincennes paper said he was in a precarious condition.)

Ten births occurred in the county the prior week as well as the following deaths: Joseph  Bohtshis of Russell Township, February 27, age 40 years and 10 months; Battle Ransberger of Russell Township March 5, age 4 years and nine months: Maria Ann Hart of Russell Township February 28, age 62 years and eight months; Mary Moss of Russell Township March 2, age 30 years; Green F Cobb of Lawrence Township January 30, age 28 years and five months; and Mrs. Sally Brown of Lawrence Township March 5, aged 21 years and nine months.

Bridgeport: The hitching racks have been repaired. Fraser's drug store came very near being destroyed by fire last week. William Langdon living South of town died last Saturday. He buried at Shiloh with the Masonic Order doing the service. Mark Watson, the temporary Telegraph operator, came very near ending his earthly career. He was crossing the railroad a short distance ahead of a train, when he slipped and fell across the track. The fall stunned him, but fortunately he recovered in an instant, and got off the track about four feet ahead of the train. No injury except a peeled chin.

The correspondent who signed himself as ’Pueblo’ from ‘Popcorn Town’, apparently north of Cross Roads school, stated that Marion Fyffe was learning the cooper trade. School at Crossroads was closed last Saturday. Robert Robertson was in attendance, but few others were because of bad weather.   The ‘Crossroads Union’ was a spicy little paper published by Orri Hardacre.

Bond: Bad colds were numerous. J T Mills was rafting logs to Barrett’s mill while the river was high, and Ed Longnecker attended college at Westfield. The Pinkstaff school professor, JB Reagan, closed this week for the term.

John Burrell and James Foreman, two boys from Russellville were arrested while in possession of a nice little raft of saw logs. They had been watched for some time as it was suspected that they were trespassing on the timber of Mr. William J Wise a few miles north on the Indiana side of the river and their appearance with a raft which they evidently were taking to Vincennes to sell seemed to confirm this suspicion. They were put in jail for safekeeping.

Sumner: Albert Laws, son of Tif Laws, while playing at Comb’s sawmill on some saw logs, fell and broke his arm. Mrs. Jim Harland skipped out yesterday and left Jim and six children; her whereabouts were not known. Married at the residence of Henry Sheridan March 13, Jasper H Jones to Jenny Sheridan. The reporter announced that at last, Jasper had departed from the ranks of celibacy and taken unto him a wife. He cast his lot with one of Summer's most handsome and refined young ladies. Miss Jenny, the bride, was a teacher in the Intermediate Department of Public schools there.  

The Belgrade, the little Steamboat, steamed up and left the Wharf yesterday at Vincennes about noon with the whole crew on deck, for a downriver voyage of about 10 miles. The object of the trip was made for the purpose of bringing up some wheat for Niblack. When the boat arrived at the C&V RR bridge, about 8 miles below the city, the bridgeman failed to open it, although the pilot did some unmerciful whistling. The bridgeman replied to the captain that he had been ordered from headquarters not to open. Captain Tindall was very much worked up over the manner, and threatened to institute suit against the corporation, as he was out “a considerable sum for fuel, wages, etcetera. Etcetera.”

The ladies who attended the Lingerie program recently will understand the following article published in 1881.

THE AGONY

Pins stick into her in places she can't possibly reach, garters grip like tourniquets and threaten to cut off circulation entirely; corset steels break, and sharp ends prod her sides with the enthusiasm of tiny daggers. She shivers from the change from the sensible flannels of every day to the icy exposure of evening costumes. Her hair is yanked into artistic suffering, pulling viciously in unexpected spots. She is layered with contraptions that no man alive would tolerate for five minutes- like corsets and bustles - until she resembles a decorative puzzle designed by the enemy.  And above all she is guaranteed to itch in numerous places. One woman confessed she had known moments when she would trade her purse and contents for a good claw at the calf for her leg. A man grumbles at the slightest inconvenience in dress, but a woman ‘must set on her style and continue to smile’ through a bent pin is at that very moment actively plotting her downfall.  These facts were mentioned so that the husband or father when he winces while paying the bill for a fine female costume may take comfort in knowing that the wearer is already being thoroughly punished for her extravagance.