Women Attorneys. .

January 7 1881

‘Ye tax gatherer is abroad in the land with his big book; Don't sic the dog on him.’  The tax collector counted 1,430 dogs in the county and hopefully was not bitten by any of them.

The 17^th snowstorm of the year occurred the day before the paper was published. Notwithstanding the extreme cold weather, a little Seed came to the surface in Lawrenceville last week. (The researchers haven’t learned who the parents were yet.)

Reverend John Hennessy delivered quite an able sermon at the Lawrenceville M.E. church on Monday evening.  TB Huffman and DL Brewer entered into a partnership in the practice of law. Ed Schmalhauser’s cottage on his fishing ranch near St Francisville was burned last Monday.  (‘fishing ranch’. . . Really?)

The editor reminded all correspondents that he reserved the right to chop out all objectionable items from manuscripts received.

James N Blevins, previously in Lawrenceville, was now a butcher in Bridgeport. His place of business was under Schmalhausen’s drug store. At the sign of the beef's head on the north side of the Court House square in Lawrenceville, John B Evans said he sold more good clean meat for less money than any other butcher in town. George Fuenfgelt’s meat shop under TW Roberts store in Lawrenceville advertised fresh pork, beef and sausage constantly on hand.

The attorney general decided that the Judges of Elections who carried the returns to the county clerk were only entitled to mileage, no per diem payments, a savings of $27.00 to the county.

Lee Jackson, the indefatigable section boss on the D&S W railroad in Lawrenceville was married on Tuesday, January 4, 1881, to Miss Belle White. The bridegroom was a hard working ‘hail and hardy good fellow’ and as an employee of the railroad, was always found at his post of duty, late and early.  The bride was well-known in this community as a good and industrious young lady, and the Rural extended its congratulations to the happy couple with the hope that ‘their ship now launched upon the stormy seas of this life might ride the storms in safety and at last reach their journey’s end hand in hand, at a ripe old age, free from the cares and sorrows of this transitory life.’

The editor reported that “the attack upon the Rural office by three young ladies yesterday was a bold as well as a cold one.  They fought bravely and we thought, once, we would be taken prisoner. But by using proper strategy we escaped the terrible doom pending over us. We even went so far as to pat ourselves on the head and say ‘Good boy, we're proud of you’. They sent us taffy this morning.”   (Is his new bride still out of town? What game is he playing here?)

The Price brothers were making things boom since they got their new steam mill in running order. They employed a well-known miller, Mr. Robert F (couldn’t read the whole name), who was classed as one of the finest millers in the state and was prepared to turn out as good a brand as flour as made anywhere.

The meeting of the teachers of Lawrence County was held at the Lawrenceville school building on December 27, 1880, and continued for four days. FM Cox was elected president, PJ Anderson vice president, LG Pittman, secretary and PJ Anderson treasurer. Each member paid $0.50 a day to defray the expenses of the institute. The attendance, notwithstanding the extremely cold weather, was excellent there being nearly 60 teachers present. (Remember they were threatened with non- renewal of their certificates if they didn’t attend so of course they were there….)

Some things happen in this world that would puzzle a Philadelphia lawyer to decipher. For instance, the editor asked, “why is it you never can pour out a bucket of ashes without their taking whirl and filling your eyes or covering your clothes? He said he never undertook to wheel a poor dilapidated wheelbarrow but what his nose would set up a terrible itching and cause him to stop, gently rest the wheelbarrow and scratch his nose. Why was that he wondered?

Notice: Having concluded that a higher state of sociability, literary attainments and general knowledge could be attained if the citizens of our little village would convene once a week or once in two weeks. We therefore earnestly solicit all who concur with us to spend the evening at Mrs. SP Barton’s January 7th where the plan to accomplish the disideratum will be discussed and decided by those present.  Respectfully Mrs. SP Barton and Mrs PJ Anderson (OK, I’m not going to tell you what ‘desideratum’ means, because I had to look it up, so you can too….)

LOST:

1. Lost someplace between Lawrenceville and Vincennes, or probably in Vincennes last Tuesday afternoon a blue gingham dress pattern.  Any information concerning the lost property will be liberally rewarded by leaving it at the post office in Lawrenceville.

1. Gabriel Tugaw placed a notice stating that in July a bald- face 2-year-old colt about 13 hands high and branded with the letter T on the left shoulder with one white hind foot had gone missing. Any information as to the whereabouts of said colt would be liberally rewarded. (Did he just now 6 months later miss it?)

1. Lost or stolen from the residence at Lawrenceville last Sunday January 2, 1881, a three-year old red heffer. She had a white spot on each flank about the size of a hand, and was marked with a hole in each ear. Any information would be liberally rewarded.

Bridgeport: WM Lewis purchased a fireproof safe that he received on Monday morning. It weighed 3000 lbs. Will Gerard sold his business in the newspaper known as the Herald to Frank C Meserve, a rising attorney, and it would be edited by the proprietor and who, according to the editor of the Rural, had the ability to make it a more respectable paper than of late.  (Meow)

There was to be a  festival given at Beck’s Hall in Bridgeport on January 14, for the benefit of the Bridgeport band to finish paying for the new instruments recently purchased and other debts incurred by the band.  The rumor of a newspaper being published in Bridgeport came to pass and the editor of the Lawrenceville paper said that the initial issue of the Bridgeport Times published by Mr. Clark and Mr. Freeze was a very credible sheet and minimal in its politics. 

In National news, Mrs. Belva A Lockwood appeared as counsel and made her first argument before the Supreme Court of the United States. The reporter noted that Mrs. Lockwood was ‘a rather striking woman.  She was tall and finally proportioned with a ruddy complexion and hair prematurely gray which she brushed straight back from her high forehead and gathered in a simple knot behind.  Mrs. Lockwood did not, like Dr. Mary Walker (the first licensed medical practitioner), affect the male -styled clothing.’ (Mrs. Lockwood met with considerable success in her chosen profession and had a large and lucrative practice despite the reporters of her time being more concerned about what she looked like than how well she argued. Women attorneys. .  .Gasp! What is the World coming to?)