Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 July 1917 — 'TWAS A VERY QUIET FOURTH [ARTICLE]

'TWAS A VERY QUIET FOURTH

Tbe O*ly Noise Making in Rensselaer Was From Motorcycles. Rensselaer probably had the quietest 4th of July this year that was ever known in the history of the county. Not a fire-eracker, gun, revolver or tor torpedo was heard from mom to night, and the only noise-making heard was the “pop, pop” of motorcycles passing through and the cecasc-sai lawbreaker who persists in operating his automobile —when out of sight of the peace officers—with the ent-out open. The town was praerieally deserted —perhaps we should say the streets, rather, as many people spent the day in the quietude of their homes. Business houses were all closed and therefore the streets deserted until night, when there was quite a turnout to the picture shows. The weather was ideal, bright and pleasant all day long, and just

cool enough to make it delightful. Some few people went to Wheatfield, many others to Lowell and Cedar Lake, while still others went picnicking to the woods or fishing at the rivers. Lowell 1 got the largest crowd from here, however, 12c tickets being sold at the Monon station and several went via automobile. * The Rensselaer band played at Lowell and as a result that town gat the majority of our people who wanted a little excitement. Quite a good sized crowd was reported at Wheatfield, but during the afternoon a report came from Burrows’ Camp, just across the river from Tefft, that two men had been killed there, and about half of the people ran to their automobiles and hurried to the scene of the tragedies, only to find that the story was a fake and was probably started to make business for the resort there. But in Rensselaer it was the sanest kind of a 4th and no doubt the people who remained at home felt better next day than those who attended the celebrations at other towns, ' ■