Iowa Old Press
Davenport Democrat
Davenport, Scott, Iowa

Sept 3, 1870:
Police Court.
Acting under instructions from the City Council, Marshall Kauffman has
locked up the "Shoo Fly" Saloon and the St. Louis Billiard Hall for reasons
heretofore alleged and at last we are rid of them.

F. Vogt for keeping a saloon without license, on Brady St., above the Fair
Grounds, was fined $20 and costs, which he paid.

H. Redwick was arrested as a common vagrant and ordered to leave the city.

Sept 16, 1870:
Police Court.
The matinee at Justice Peters rooms opened this morning to moderately full
benches. Mattie Blair and A.Williams played to the tune of about twenty-five
dollars in the drama of immoral life.

T. Jackson and Jenny Watson also took active parts to the same tune, but the
latter pair being out of change, went to jail.

A.Miller got mixed up with too much benzine-was duly fined and went out to
take another load.

M. Crowley and T. Jackson were put through and jailed

September 20, 1870.
Elopement or Drowning.
     Rock Island has a conundrum on hand. There lived there a short time
since, one William Harrison, a carpenter by trade, a man of family and much
given to grief. His family relations somehow got out of gear and not
unfrequently when his poor wife had fits, which malady she was unfortunately
heir to, he would himself go into tantrums and allude obscurely to poisonous
drugs, villainous ammunition, chilling steel-even would make a cool
calculation of the probable time required by a given number of catfish to
pick the flesh from the bones of a full grown man. These ghastly hints at
self destruction became annoying, and his wife sought to unravel the mystery
of the dark worlds, through the help of a Davenport woman who claims to be
hooked up in the affairs of the future, having been there to see for
herself. This intelligent female told the wife that that kind of talk was a
sure indication that he husband was about to run away with another woman,
and probably she knew.
     This morning Harrison's clothes were found on a raft at the lower part
of the city, carefully piled up in a heap, and it is the opinion of Mr.
Carter at the Glass Works, where the missing man has been working at his
trade for the past two months, that he has, eloped with a brevet wife to
parts unknown. This conclusion, however, may do him great injustice, though
some days ago he painted his tool chest black, and sent it to his mother in
LaSalle, with instructions to sell the same, buy good clothes with the
proceeds as he should never use his tools any more. It is an open question
whether he has committed suicide or eloped.



Wednesday, September 28, 1870:
Sudden Disappearance.
A servant girl named Mary Schluntz, aged 16, mysteriously disappeared from
Sheriff Schnitger's son the evening of day before yesterday. She had
formerly worked in the family of W. Bach, and in August last, went to work
in the Sheriff's family. Day before yesterday she was arrested by Bach on
charge of stealing some articles of wardrobe from his wife. The testimony
went to show that the things alleged to have been stolen were found in the
girl's open trunk. She being a minor, was bound over to appear at Circuit
Court. So much did the girl take the accusation to heart, that she
disappeared last evening, leaving for Mrs. S. a note of a few touching
words, leading to the belief that she drowned herself in the river. She was
a girl of good character, much liked where she worked. Her parents reside in
the city, and are, of course, overwhelmed with grief over the sad affair.

September 29, 1870:
The Missing Miss.
     Yesterday evening's Democrat contained an item relative to the sudden
disappearance of Miss Mary Schlurz, from the family of Sheriff Schnitger,
where she was employed. Though there was a horrid impression in existence
yesterday, that she had drowned herself in consequence of a persecution by
one Bach for petit larceny, we are informed to-day upon authority that
claims to be posted, that she is alive and well, and within easy reach of
her friends.
     This is as all hoped. There seems to be some yet unwritten history
hanging about the case, with which the public has no particular concern.

[Note: surname was spelled differently in each article]

Submitted by: #000525