Watchman Beaten

National election news dominated the newspapers for September 17th and September 24th, 1880.  Most of the front-page columns were dedicated to Garfield and Hancock rallies. However, politics must have been good for the birth rates as 14 births were announced in the September 17th newspaper. One of these was apparently not wanted. Some unknown person left a baby boy on Dr JC Barr’s doorstep at his residence about 3 miles west of Lawrenceville. The doctor not wishing to adopt the little waif, turned it over to the keepers of the Poor Farm.

The fruit crop in the country this year was estimated be the largest and the finest in the recollection of man. In the United States two million barrels of apples were estimated to be gathered.

The death of Mrs. William Thompson, an excellent old lady occurred last week at her residence, in Allison Township, Lawrence County Illinois. She had been suffering several weeks from injuries sustained by a fall which finally resulted in her death. Jane Richardson Thompson, wife of William Thompson of Lawrence County was born in Butler County Ohio February 27^th, 1807, and was consequently at the time of her death in her 73rd year. She was married to William Thompson on November 16th, 1826.

Russellville: Mrs. Bell, formerly of Ohio, was buried in Russellville on Tuesday.  She had been suffering from various malarial troubles for some time. Mr. and Mrs. John P Miller of Russellville lost their four-week-old infant child Tuesday.  Cause of death unknown.

T J McGowen sold his resident in Russellville to G W Foreman for $500. Ella Fyffe of Lawrenceville was to attend school in Vincennes. T L Jones, president of the Sumner town council, visited St Louis to inspect their fire engines as he was in the market to purchase one. The Lawrenceville public schools opened this week; Mr. and Mrs. P J Anderson were the teachers. E B Green and James S Pritchett, attorneys advertised in the Vincennes newspapers that they practiced in the circuit and county courts of Lawrence County, the appellate and Supreme Court of Illinois and in the district and circuit courts of the United States.

Bird Station: Typhoid fever seemed to be the prevailing complaint there. Three of Wash Lackey’s folks were dangerously ill with this disease. Wheat was gradually on the rise in the markets the previous week. Ford, Cochran and Co. had shipped thirty carloads of wheat since July 1^st.  The new building of Jack Daily would be used as a boot and shoe shop and a butcher’s stand. Isaac N Shields was building a new residence for his own use.

 Pleasant Grove: Overcoats were coming in fashion. Miss E E Cooper was to start for Oxford soon to complete her education. Most of the farmers in this vicinity were almost done plowing for wheat. Misses Victoria and Anna King were going to Friendsville where they would attend school in the winter.

Bridgeport: Ossie and Luella Baird, two mutes of J A Baird  left Monday evening for school at Jacksonville.

Wanted: a good industrious girl, capable of doing all kinds of housework neatly. She could get a good steady situation at fair wages, if she were to  apply at the newspaper office.   The newspaper also noted that there was a fine opening in Lawrenceville for some enterprising individual to establish himself in the freight and dray business.

S P Barton and lady were at the soldier’s reunion at Toledo the past week and telegraphed back that they shook hands with the next president-Garfield.

Deaths reported: August 29 --Frank Braumfield Lawrence Twp 1 year; July 31-- Henry J Hart Lukin twp. aged 54 years; September 2 --Elizabeth Saums Lukin twp. age 53 years, August 21 --Emma Mitchell, colored, Lawrence twp. age 12 years. August 26 --Della M Turner Lawrence twp. aged 7 months; September 7--Mattie Dickirson Lawrence Twp aged 6 years.

Friday evening Mr. Jack Norris and his workmen while at work in the vicinity of Shaker Mills, on the Embarrass River, about 10 miles north of Lawrenceville, discovered the remains of an unknown man in the river, lodged between some logs. They immediately secured the corpse, which was in a bad state of decomposition, and dispatched a man to the city to notify Coroner Grafham, who went out early Saturday morning and impaneled a coroner’s jury.

Nobody in the neighborhood could identify the deceased, although several persons had seen a man answering his description passing through on foot, early Monday morning, but could not positively identify him as the man. No marks of violence were found upon his person, and nothing could be found about him to lead to his identity; his pockets contained only an old pocket handkerchief and a few pieces of tin and iron.  The jury after hearing all the evidence, returned the verdict of accidental drowning.

The deceased was about 30 years of age; 5 feet 10 inches high, sandy hair and chin whiskers, balance of his face clean shaven; was dressed in Cheviot shirt, had on two pair of brown overalls, and new boots; no coat, vest, or hat; had the appearance of a laboring man. He was buried in the woods on the banks of the river.

Other deaths:  The funeral of David Jones was held at Pleasant Hill Chistian church.  A infant child of J P Lamott of Flat Rock was buried at Pleasant Hill also.

From the Vincennes Paper: Several couples of ladies and gentlemen took advantage of the lovely moonlight night and drove to Lawrenceville. After taking the residence of Mr. Colburn Garrard by storm, and being entertained in the most hospitable manner for several hours, the party made one grand sweep of the city, viewed all the sites, and the courthouse, drank cider, lemonade, ate sweet cakes and crackers, and returned home in the flood of moonlight highly elated over the pleasure of their trip.

DL Brewer, Democratic candidate for prosecutor of Lawrence County, was challenging K P Snyder, the Republican candidate. A picnic was held at Stivers Springs near Bridgeport with Doctor Malone, the resident physician, giving a lecture.

Joe Reimers was the Vincennes Drawbridge Company watchmen. His job was not an easy one according to the newspaper. Jim Parker, from across the Wabash in Illinois, was in the city on Saturday night and was returning home at 9:00. When he got to the other side of the bridge Joe came out of the gatehouse to open the gate. Parker wanted to cross for nothing. Reimers told him he couldn't do that kind of business. Then Parker told him he had paid to cross the day before. Reimers told him he had not. Parker then dared Joe inside of the gate, on the bridge. Joe took the lantern and went in. Parker, who was on a horse, dismounted, and dealt Reimers a terrible blow in the face, knocking him down between the braces below the floor. Joe had a padlock from the gate in his hand and while Parker was endeavoring to get to him, he, Reimers, kept striking Parker in the face with the lock, with blood streaming from the wounds onto Reimers 's clothing. Mrs. Reimers and her daughter, attracted to the scene, came out to assist Joe. Parker also made an attack on Mrs.  Reimers before she fainted at the sight of the blood on her husband's clothes. It was found he had but one scratch on the nose. The blood was from the other fellow. Parker, whose face was terribly bruised, got away the worst for the wear.  (Sounds like adult beverages might have been involved on the part of Parker.)

Book Sale History Center 10-2 Saturday September 27