Two Old Maids

The Rural Republican, an eight-page newspaper,  was published once a week on Friday by Miss Mary Buntin. The cost per year was $1.50 cash if paid in advance, otherwise $2.00 annually.

The universal theme everywhere was about the removal of garbage to prevent disease, specifically yellow fever. The contract for the public well on the courthouse square was given to the Gosnell brothers and would soon be completed. The first load of watermelons from Sand Ridge made their appearance in the Courthouse yard.

Census numbers were still making the news.  The county had increased by 1087 persons from 1870 there having been 12,533 people in 1870 and 13, 620 in 1880.  (As a reference point there are 15,678 people living in the county in 2025, but alas, 13,000 of them do not know we have a Historical Society.)

 The previous week James M Truett and his steam machine threshed on the farm of Jacob R Snapp 642 bushels of wheat in three hours and 50 minutes. Joe Griggs, living on Grigmond Island, (no idea where this is) north of Bridgeport, while stacking wheat last week, was accidentally stuck with a fork, by a man pitching from the wagon. The fork entered the left side an inch above the heart, and was for a time considered dangerous, but accounts reported him rapidly recovering.

The following was a partial list of the teachers in attendance at the Normal (teacher’s institute): C H Martin, Ida Cox, Molly Martin, Emma Stiles, Dave Price, Manda Ray, Rob Kirkwood, Becca Calvert, George Cunningham, Kitty Schaffer, Maggie Price, Molly Spencer, William Ray, Ada Rawlings, Nora McAfee, Molly Sheridan, C Hodges, Bertle Carter, Molly Allender, JA Martin, Libby Smith, Jennie Kingsbury, JA Jones, Mattie Barrett, Laura Thompson, CH Price, May Buchanan, WH Stoltz, and Allie Smith.

Wednesday morning the cry of fire was heard to break the stillness of the village and for a time all was excitement and bustle. It appeared that while Mrs. Charles Teschemacher was engaged in cooking breakfast, fire caught between the ceiling and roof and soon would have been past all human aid. The prompt response of the citizens, who hastened from all directions with buckets and ladders, soon extinguished the blaze. The damage resulted in $50 fully covered by insurance. (That’s because her husband sold insurance.)

Doctor R H Freese departed this life June 23, 1880; he was a member of the Sumner Lodge #245. The following deaths were reported: July 10 Mrs. Elizabeth Neal, Lawrence Township, age 55; July 21 Susan Hoke, Russell Township, age 58; July 12th Robert Oliver Lawrence Township age 3. Judge James M McLean’s daughter, Mrs. Virginia C Russell died July 19, 1880. She was the wife of E S Russell of Mount Carmel.  Miss Mary McDaniel the young lady who was so badly burned by a coal oil explosion at Sumner died.

Mr. Jacob Miller, who married the only daughter of Mr. Joseph Eason, some five months ago, and had been living on Eason’s farm, went to Olney on Monday and sold a horse. He rode another horse off and was not heard from again. Whether he concluded “to go West” or was foully dealt with, is the question. Mr. Eason duly searched for his son-in-law, but he was nowhere to be found.

A notice was published by Charles Douglass, Superintendent, that the Union Chapel Sunday school would have a celebration on Saturday August 14 at the maple grove on JM Lewis's farm, 3 1/2 miles northeast of Sumner or 1 1/2 miles north of Union Chapel.  This was said to be one of the finest groves in the county and was supplied with a first-class well of water.

A lady’s railroad coach had been added to the passenger trains on the Danville and Southwestern Railroad. James W Vandermark visited Vincennes Saturday and got outside of considerable corn juice.  He was very boisterous and endeavored to ‘take the town by storm’ until Marshall Sachs administered a single dose of double up fistic medicine to his mouth which had a soothing effect and James was waltzed to the cooler without any further resistance. He made his appearance before the Vincennes mayor later and was fined $18.20 for being intoxicated and raising a disturbance. The Vincennes newspaper said “Come again Jimmy.”

The Vincennes newspaper also noted that one of their residents had received a handsome bicycle from Boston.  The wheel was over 4 feet in diameter and its light, but strong construction gave it the capacity of a flyer. It cost $85.

Saturday morning a brutal tramp at Hadley, a small station 3 miles West of Sumner, attempted to rape Miss Rosa Courter, a 15- year- old girl while she was walking along the railroad track. She stepped to one side to let him pass, but instead of doing so, he grabbed her. Fortunately, her screams prevented him from tarrying long enough to accomplish his evil designs.  Various earlier newspaper reports said he had succeeded in his hellish purpose and made his escape to Olney pursued by citizens.  He was finally captured; a rope tied around his neck and brought back to Hadley. Whether or not he was handed to a gallows constructed by nature (a tree) for such inhuman brutes, the newspaper was unable to say. All of this appeared to be false news. Then the newspaper reported that the man “arrested” might be released because the girl was almost blind and unable to identify her assailant.

The county commissioners paid  T A Curry $2.50 for Chas Shields, a pauper, CM Bosley $1.25 for putting locks on the court house doors; Fred W Weyl, $6.00 coffin for a pauper; Dr David Burget $5.00 for medical attention to Wm Scagg’s son (who later died), $5.00 for Mrs. Varmer’s son, $3.00 for John T Lewis and daughter,  and $4.00 Mrs. John Barnes; H F Jennings for digging a pauper’s grave $2.00; John Burget $2.33 medicine for John T Lewis and $8.45 medicine for Mrs. Herrin; T M Steven $8.45 for coffin and burial robe for a pauper.

Abner Williams burned a kiln of 212,000 bricks in the northern suburbs of Sumner. Lester Reeves, the robber of the Sumner post office, only obtained $1.46 in coppers for his trouble. His “friend” Abner Williams gave him up.  The US Marshal was to arrive and take him away.

 John Richardson auctioned his dry goods, groceries, boots and shoes, queensware, tinware etc. at cost in St Francisville.

Bridgeport Brevities: Blackberry wine was being made; Lew Schmalhausen made five barrels.  He purchased 175 gallons of blackberries at 10 cents per gallon. There was a picnic at Stivers Springs; the Bridgeport band would furnish the music the following week there. Five train carloads of new wheat were shipped; W L Gray purchased 12,000 bushels of wheat already that season. 

Peaches were ripening at Pleasant Grove. Peter Midaugh was to be the teacher there for the winter term.  A small cyclone passed over Bird Station, last Thursday, destroying those nicely set up shocks of wheat, and played sad havoc with the orchards.

The editor remembered that Henry Ruddy once carried mail between Lawrenceville and St Francisville. One time he forgot to take the mail with him.  It cost him an extra ride of twenty -two miles.

A son of the Emerald Isle meeting a country man whose face was not perfectly remembered after saluting him most cordially inquired his name.  Walsh” said the gentleman.  "Walsh –Walsh", responded the first gentleman, "are you from Dublin?  I knew two old maids of that name.  Was either of them your mother?"