Iowa Old Press

LeMars Sentinel
Thursday, January 12, 1882

SENEY ITEMS.
Seney, Iowa, Jan. 9th, 1882

Business very good for just after New Year.

The M.E. folks are enjoying protracted meetings here now.

School resumed to-day, after two weeks vacation during the holidays.

The Lyceum was well attended last Saturday night and an interesting
programme was given.

We learn that work on the new county bridge across the Floyd, north of
town, has been commenced. 

W.S. Darvill, of Fredonia, is building an addition to his residence.
W.S. Clark, of LeMars, has the contract.

There is not much doing just now in the produce line.  Farmers are
holding back hoping for a raise in prices.  We quote markets same as
LeMars.

We are glad to learn that Mr. G.W.D. Blair, of Fredonia, who was so
badly injured by his team running away is improving as fast as could be
hoped.

It is rumored that the ship in which Jack Wakefield took passage for
England was lost at sea with all on board.  We hope the rumor will prove
false.

Messrs. Arthur and William Reeves each presented their families with a
beautiful Mason & Hamlin cabinet organ as a Christmas and New Year's
present.  The instruments were purchased through T.J. Reeves, agent for
the company at this place.

Messrs. Keefer, Hull and Tinnin have supplied a long felt want by
erecting a good blacksmith shop here.  Messrs. Hull and Tinnin will do
the iron work, and Mr. Keefer will do the wood work.  We believe the
gentleman are competent and efficient workmen and we trust they will be
successful and receive the encouragement from our farmers they deserve.

Le Mars Sentinel, Jan. 19, 1882

UTECH. Sunday, January 15th, 1882, Charles, oldest son of William and
Caroline
Utech, of Elgin, aged 17 years, 4 mouths and 4 days.

The deceased, just cut off as he was entering early manhood, was a boy of
much
promise. He had a marked love for study, and his father who has a line farm
and home in Elgin, seeing the bent of his mind, sent him to Le Mars to
school,
this winter, where he became an active, interested student, and a favorite
with his teacher and class-mates. Less than three weeks ago he was taken
ill with malarial fever, and notwithstanding the loving care he received,
died
last Sunday. His remains were brought to Le Mars on Tuesday for interment in
the cemetery, and though the day was cold and windy, a large cortege of
sympathizing friends followed them to the final resting place. The bereaved
parents have the deep and heartfelt sympathy of the community in which they
live, in this great affliction.

Le Mars Daily Liberal, January 25, 1882

The three-year-old son [Earnest] of Thos. C. Taylor, Esq., died last evening
of diphtheria. The funeral will take place tomorrow.

Le Mars Sentinel, January 26, 1882

Humors of the Small-Pox.

Dave Edmonds got on the streets again last Friday after eight weeks of
smallpox, quarantining and disinfecting. He looked as hearty as a hunter,
and except a suspicious glaze on his face, as natural as ever. Dave believes
he caught the infection in a sleeper east of Chicago. He says, no more
palace cars for him— he'll travel henceforth in his good old fashioned way,
as pig-pelter on a stock train. I t is said the Devil is net so black as he
is painted, and Dave insists there is a funny side even to small-pox. Of
course he and his family were, rigidly shut up in their home, a red flag was
hoisted a t the gate, the storm-doors on the street side of the house were
padlocked, and no one but t h e doctor was supposed to enter the infected yard.

Sitting at his window when convalescent or able to be up, he once in awhile
got some fun out of it. One day a well-dressed smarty rushed through the
gate to the bolted front door and began thundering on its panels. Dave tried
to motion him off through the window, but the man had a mission, and
thundered away. Dave raised the window a few inches to warn him. Heedless of the
voice, the man with the mission began, " I have the ripest sewing machine,
etc., etc.,—let me just show it to' you," and he approached the window.

Dave's face was in full blossom, the machine man paused a moment, and Dave
hissed through the small crevice, "small-pox." The machine mart took in the
situation, ejaculated "O, hell!" and scattered himself down the street with
a velocity that was echoed back by the first good laugh Dave had had for a
month. A few days afterwards Dave was again at the window and the folks
inside were startled by a fierce thumping at the door. There was fine,
inviting sunshine without and Dave raised the window to sniff the fresh air
and enquire what was the matter. "I have," shouted the thumper, "the best
and only reliable edition of Garfield's Life pub - " "You infernal fool,"
shouted Dave, "can't you see that I have—,""published," continued the
thumper, "containing sixty beautiful steel engravings of—" "Small-pox,"
screamed Dave, "Garfield and the scenes of his struggles, by the greatest
artists in—" Small-pox, small-pox," yelled Dave, pointing to the red flag.

The dispenser of Garfield's Life caught the words finally, and without
regard to color or previous condition bounded like a wounded bull for the
street, which he measured at a 2:40 gait. " I was in hopes," said Dave to
our reporter, " he would break his neck getting over the fence, but he
didn't. You may scare, but can't kill a book agent.”

Le Mars Daily Liberal, January 27, 1882

Died.

McELHENY.—At his residence in Perry township, Plymouth county, of lung
fever, on January 26', 1882, J. L. McElheny, aged 60 years.

The deceased was born in Rockbridge county, Va. in 1823, was married to Miss
Nancy Smith, in 1844, and came to Sioux City in 18S2. After living at the
then frontier settlement for several years, he removed to his farm in Perry
valley, where he died. As a man and neighbor he was honest and respected by
all who knew him. A wife and twelve children are left to mourn a kind
husband and indulgent father. The funeral took place from his residence at
one p. m. today (Friday), and the remains were interred in Floyd cemetery.