Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 May 1900 — The Library Entertainment. [ARTICLE]

The Library Entertainment.

The bld folks’ entertainment at the court house for the benefit of the library last Friday night was a success in every way. The two court rooms and corridors were crowded, and nearly five hundred paid admissions were received. The net proceeds after paying all expenses were something like $75. Of the four prizes offered by John Makeever, A. Parkison, Henry Harris and A. McCoy, respectively, Mary Morgan, aged 77, was awarded the prize for the best girl singer; Jennie Wishard, aged 60, that for best girl speaker; Wm. Pierce, aged 78, that for best boy speaker, and 8. W. W. Cheever that for best fidiller. Music was rendered by the Citizens Band and some excellent singing by quartettes, both white and “colored.” There was a little grumbling by some over the long waits in being served with refreshments at the banquet, but this was apparently caused by lack of a sufficient corps of assistants on the part of the caterer and the further fact that the “Barnacle” editor had stationed himself near the door to the larder. We understand that whenever a waiter appeared with a tray load of refreshments the cow-puncher would pounce upon it with the same voracity he used to evidence when a prospective campaign contribution was in view. Perhaps this avidity for something nourishing may have been accelerated to some extent by the lateness of vegetation starting up this spring and the fact that choice clover hay is no longer obtainable from democratic farmers except for cash, but at any rate it caused quite a little annoyance and several went home without waiting longer to be served.