Iowa Old Press
Sheldon Mail
Sheldon, O'Brien co. Iowa
August 4, 1898
A.F. Smith, formerly in business here, passed through town
Tuesday on his way home from Seattle, to which place he went in
April expecting to go on to Alaska. He has a good deal of faith
in the Klondike region.
E.P. Messer and wife enjoyed a carriage drive to Hartley Saturday
evening.
[transcribed by S.F., May 2006]
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Sutherland Courier
Sutherland, O'Brien co. Iowa
August 5, 1898
p 5 col 2
Adrian Warntjes visited his parents at Hull from Saturday to
Monday. One of his brothers is very ill with consumption and has
lately returned from California where he went in hope of being
benefited by the climate.
[transcribed by A.N., May 2012]
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Sutherland Courier
Sutherland, O'Brien co. Iowa
August 12, 1898
p 4 col 3
Bennie and Frank Inman have applied for admission to the
Soldier's Home at Marshalltown. This will make a good home for
them.
p 4 col 4
Word has been received from our Klondikers this week. They are
safely landed at Dawson City now.
p 5 col 2
Mrs. Henry Thonssen [Thonnsen] returned home Wednesday from
Wisconsin where she was called a few weeks ago by the illness of
her father. His death occurred before she reached him however.
p 5 col 3
Several boys from Co. E are to have furloughs. Among them is Will
Gallagher of Grant who is very sick with nostalgia.
Sweeney - Prugh
On Tuesday, July 26th, at Spencer occurred the marriage of Will
Sweeney and Miss Rose Prugh. Rev. Rather Kerby of the Catholic
church officiated at the wedding. After the ceremony the young
couple visited a few days with a sister of the bride at Ruthven.
From there they came to the home of Will's father in this
township for a few days' stay and then began housekeeping in the
new house that Will has built this summer.
Friends of these young folks have known for some time that a
marriage was soon to occur and congratulations and hearty good
wishes have been showered upon them in abundance. If their lives
bring to them one tithe of the happiness that their friends
desire to have come to them they will have little cause for
complaint. Will has grown to manhood in this community and is
liked by everybody. His bride is fully as well spoken of in Clay
county where she has lived. With a pleasant, new home of their
own and such jolly, good-natured parents as Will has to be
neighbors to them there would seem to be nothing in the way of
their complete happiness.
[transcribed by A.N., May 2012]
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Sutherland Courier
Sutherland, O'Brien co. Iowa
August 19, 1898
p 5 col 2
Adrian Warntjes received a telegram from the home of his parents
at Hull Tuesday evening, telling him the sad news that his
brother Walter had died at 5:30 that afternoon. The news came as
a surprise for Adrian had not heard that his brother was any
worse than when he saw him about two weeks before. It is likely
that the end came with but little warning. Adrian left for Hull
Wednesday morning by way of Calumet. The funeral was held
yesterday.
p 5 col 3
Last Saturday a telegram was received from Chickamauga, telling
Mr. Gallagher's family that if they wanted to see Will alive they
would better come at once. Walter started that evening and
probably got there Monday night. A letter came Tuesday however,
saying that Will was better, and that he had been discharged. Two
of the boys, Husted and Inman, were given furloughs and were to
bring Will home. They will probably get here this week.
The people of this region are justly proud of the grand farming
county we have here, but there is one thing we can't brag about
even a little bit, and that is the condition of most of the
bridges on our roads. There are many of them that are from four
to six inches higher than the roads and the ends of the bridges,
others have yawning chasms where the dirt has caved in and some
have great holes where planks are broken. Some of the bridges are
very unsafe. Many others are in such condition as to be very
inconvenient for everyone who drives over them. We have at times
in the past read similar criticisms to these in various Iowa
exchanges. It seems that such conditions are common in Iowa and
it is likely that the fault is in the system as much as in the
carrying out. There is apparently a divided responsibility in the
matter of caring for bridges - or at least the larger ones - that
results badly. We are not prepared to say just what should be
done but it is clear that our bridges are kept up very poorly and
there should be a decided improvement made in the way of looking
after them.
p 5 col 4
Miss Nancy Gruver and John Hastings were married at the home of
the bride's mother, on Tuesday evening, August 16th, Rev. Herron
officiating. Only a few of the near relatives were present. The
young couple will go to housekeeping at once in the west part of
town.
[transcribed by A.N., May 2012]
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Sheldon Mail
Sheldon, O'Brien co. Iowa
August 25, 1898
The Sheldon hose team is entered for the hose race at the Buena
Vista County Fair. We expect to hear a good report from the boys
in the speed showing. The team is made up as follows: Frank
Crocker, Sherm Strong, Lew Reir, Adolph Hons, James Glasser, Will
Harrison, Charley Woodruff and Charley Woodruff, Jr., Joe Teller,
Will Kee, Sylvester Cravens, Joe Donohue, Seymour Barrett, Rus
Barker, George Frank, Sylvester Stoner, Joe Goetterz, Harry
Carson.
Dr. W.R. Brock left Sunday for Chattanooga, Tenn., in response to
information that Jerome Frisbee, one of Sheldon's volunteers, is
quite ill there.
E.A. Knight writes of visits to Sweden and Norway and alludes,
incidentally, to the fascinating looks of Swedish girls.
[transcribed by S.F., May 2006]
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Sutherland Courier
Sutherland, O'Brien co. Iowa
August 26, 1898
p 4
Dora Richardson of Sheldon has brought suit against her husband,
Jas. A. Richardson, for a divorce on the ground of desertion. She
also asks that her maiden name of Dora Mayfield be restored to
her.
Capt. Tifft is slowly sinking, getting weaker each day and can
last but a few days more. He is nearly eighty years old and
displays wonderful vitality. He has eaten no solid food for three
weeks and can only take a few sips of sweetened water each day.
He is suffering from no disease, but there seems to just be a
general breaking down and his death will be caused solely by old
age.
p 5 col 1
Will Spence, whose arm was shot off last winter, came up last
Friday from his home in the central part of the state.
p 5 col 2
Will Siek [Sieh?] of Tama county died at the home of Mr. Litka,
near Calumet, Monday evening of typhoid fever. He had been
working at another place where the family had typhoid fever and
was not well when he came to Litka's. Two of his brothers got
here Monday. He was buried Tuesday in the Sutherland cemetery.
p 5 col 3
J. D. Long received a letter a few days ago from England,
informing him of the death of an uncle and that practically all
of his property has been left to J. D. and his brother. The
property is considerable in amount but Joe does not know
definitely how much there is.
p 5 col 4
Jordan - Hitchings
Wednesday evening at six o'clock, at the home of the bride's
parents in Sutherland, Rev. Green officiating, was solemnized the
marriage of Clay P. Jordan and Miss Mary Lucia Hitchings. They
left the next morning for a stay of two weeks at the lakes. They
will be at home after Sept. 14th.
These young folks were both born in this county and are known to
practically everybody in this part of the county. They are well
educated and talented, favorites in society and will have the
best wishes of all for their happiness and prosperity. Clay is
the Assistant Cashier of the First Savings Bank of Sutherland.
They will live in the fine new house that Clay has been building
in the south part of town. Mr. and Mrs. Hitchings on Thursday
sent out elegantly engraved announcements of the wedding,
containing also the "at home" date. There were present
at the wedding only the immediate relatives of the contracting
parties and a few intimate friends.
Back From The War
Saturday morning Will Gallagher got back to Sutherland from
Chickamauga on a thirty day furlough. He came back in care of his
brother Walter who went after him. Liveryman Roberts brought him
over from Calumet on a cot placed in a large hack, and he rested
a few hours at Will Reager's before starting on the ride to his
home some ten miles northeast of town.
Will has been in the hospital most of the time since he got to
Chickamauga and he shows most decidedly the effects of his
illness. When he left home about the first of July he was
physically perfect. He weighed 150 pounds and was known to be one
of the best athletes in this part of the country. Out of several
hundred young men examined at Sheldon he was pronounced by the
surgeons to be the best man they had examined. On his return he
weighs 95 pounds and is almost unable to stand alone.
But he said that he began to improve as soon as he got away from
Chickamauga Park, and that since he got to Iowa it seems as
though he could begin to breathe again. He felt stronger even
after the long journey home. The prospect now is that he will
rapidly recover. His trouble was malarial fever and chronic
diarrhea, with probably a great deal of homesickness.
His brother Walter is strongly of the opinions that the park is
terribly unhealthful and that there is much room for criticism of
the officials who are responsible for the bad condition of
affairs. He says that it is thought that there have been
detectives there investigating, so that the public may know where
the responsibility should be placed. The truth will probably be
known in time and then punishment should swiftly follow. The
soldiers and the people will stand the unavoidable hardships of
war without a murmur, but they will not forgive stupidity,
carelessness nor criminal neglect.
p 5 col 5
News comes from Chickamauga Park that Bert Bowers and Ed Meier
who belong to the 52d Iowa volunteers are very sick at that
place. We understand that Mr. Meier will be brought home some
time this week but Mr. Bowers cannot be moved at present.
[transcribed by A.N., May 2012]