Out of Our Past: Gambling and ‘cussedness’ featured in 1877 news – Palladium-Item

Man reading newspaper(Photo: Image provided)

On Oct. 21, 1805, a British fleet commanded by Admiral Horatio Nelson defeated a French and Spanish fleet in the Battle of Trafalgar. Nelson, killed in the battle, was shipped home in a vat of liquor to preserve his body.

On Oct. 21, 1879, Thomas Edison invented a workable electric light at his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

On Oct. 21, 1917, American soldiers first saw action in World War I on the front lines in France.

On Oct. 21,1967, tens of thousands of Vietnam War protesters marched in Washington, D.C.

On Oct. 21. 2002, a car packed with explosives blew up next to a bus in northern Israel during rush hour; 14 people were killed in addition to two suicide attackers.

On Oct. 21, 2003, invoking a hastily-passed law, Florida Governor Jeb Bush ordered a feeding tube reinserted into Terry Schiavo, a brain-damaged woman at the center of a bitter right-to-die battle.

MORE OUT OF OUR PAST:Push for women's rights in Indiana started in Dublin in 1851

The week of Oct. 21, 1877, the following news was reported locally:

NAUGHTY If that party who boards at the Union House when disrobing for the night, would not stand where the reflections can be seen on the window curtain from the alley, there would not be a congregation there for her.

The Oct. 21, 1877, Richmond Independent noted a strange occurrence on Fort Wayne Avenue.(Photo: Image provided)

IN JAIL The recent attempted abduction of Mr. Abijah Moffits adopted son, Johnnie, under the impression that he was Charlie Ross, has been so fully ventilated there is no need for us to say much about it, but we will. The woman is undoubtedly crazed and her son is little better. The recovery of the boy attracted all the detective talent in the world and the abductors were captured in a twinkling. How a person cant tell Abijahs Johnnie from Charlie, we dont know.The Eds.

BILLS STORY Pious Bill made a short temperance speech at the M.E. church Thursday evening. Bill is earnest in the cause and makes right good doxology, but when doctrinal theologies merge, the Methodist encampment colored-folks lets whoop song went up, and it was too lively for many of the staid Quakers in attendance, who briskly fled.

HATS OFF Harve Lockwood is still wearing his ugly straw hat and wont quit. It aint right, Harve. Buy a cap and cover that ugly headgear! No self-respecting mule would wear a hat like that! The Eds.

WOE Charley Shively swears emphatically he will not buy his whisky where they refuse him peanuts free gratis. This will be a fatal blow to our whisky dealers.

The Evening Item Oct. 20, 1877,(Photo: Image provided)

CANAL TOWN Cambridge is quiet as usual but yesterday showed some stir. The marshal was busying taking in soiled doves, not the kind that fly wing-spread but the kind that sprawl limb-spread, for low sorts. One Mrs. Eller and two daughters, charged.

CARD SHARP There is blood on the moon and Wah! in the air up on North Seventh Street. A citizen of that aristocratic place talked in his sleep last eventide. Among other things, his wife who was awake, heard him say, Fifty cents on the tray, I copper the ace, and deuces aint wild! No jokers! The next morning the wife asked him to explain, and he told her he had been studying to increase his lightning-fast mathematical calculations, and was merely elucidating intricately complicated equations in sequence. - If she finds out what he was really intricately elucidating there wont be much calculating, nor poker wage sequencing, for all the trouble hell be dipped in. The Eds.

GREENVILLES CUSSEDNESS Addison Larimers notorious gambling room at Greenville is vacant at present since the arrest of Reynolds, the notorious cheat, has transpired. It is hoped that the report is true, for Greenville can show more whisky-shops, more gamblers and more thieves proportionate to population than any town in Ohio. The good people there are advised to take out an insurance policy or they will soon become a young Chicago.

MORE GREENVILLE CUSSEDNESS Ed Potter, (Cross-eye) formerly of Richmond, was arrested by Sheriff Hall. Addison Larimer (Hair-lip) was arrested also. After Cross-eye and Hair-lip got their bond fixed, they concluded to get on a drunk and visited various saloons during the evening, oathing vengeance on the grand jury that tries them. Hair-lip in fact became so disorderly that Marshall Hamilton was about to take him in when of a sudden Hair-lip become penitent and begged like a pup, Mr. Hamilton, let me go; I wouldnt be locked up for anything in the world! I wanna go home; I wanna see my wife and babes! The boose being so full of shamrock bruisers, the Marshall mediated that Hair-lip should put up ten dollars to insure an appearance in court Monday morning and let him go. Hair-lip gave the money and departured unsteadily. Cross-eye they said, had by then run like a quarter-horse when they arrested Hair-lip and, some say, is running still.

SHOE FLY Ike Hopper the old shoemaker has moved his shoe shop to Esquire Coats law office at the courthouse. When fresh legalities is discussed in that room, it will be pleasant for Ike to sit on his bench and make shoes, at the same time listening to the beautiful nasal twangs of Harmon Clark, as he expounds jurisprudence to a set of jurymen, who have, in the past, gone sound to sleep. Ike avers he wont go to sleep, as he likes lawyer talk more than his wifes haranguing, and can take it.

BUCKS PLUCK Buck says he will put a sore head on Butcher if he dont bring him that two dollars he owes pretty soon. The Eds.

FOR CLARITYS SAKE Dom Pedor, the Centerville correspondent of the Palladium, reported the bridge near Lymans well was broke down Sunday morning by some cattle the Jarrett boys was driving in; about eighteen, which they shipped to Buffalo. All of this is true except it wasnt Sunday but Saturday morning; and there wasnt about eighteen critters, but over forty, and they didnt ship them to Buffalo, but to Philadelphia. They was cattle though; in that he was correct.

Contact columnist Steve Martin atstephenmonroemartin@gmail.com.

Read or Share this story: https://www.pal-item.com/story/news/local/2019/10/20/out-our-past-gambling-and-cussedness-featured-1877-news/3975243002/

Go here to read the rest:

Out of Our Past: Gambling and 'cussedness' featured in 1877 news - Palladium-Item