Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 January 1906 — Old Time News. [ARTICLE]

Old Time News.

Facts from Jasper County’s First Paper. JASPER BANNER. NQV. 9TH.J854.

The editor would have wood, and be-said so rLflit at the top of bis. editorial columns, There was a well considered editorial on the subject £>f a steam grist mill in Rensselaer, the need for which the editor had long noticed but refrained from discussing, because he;did not like to interfere with the interests of others. The water mill was injurious to public health, could not run more than six months in the year, and daring the rest of the year the farmers, to the estimated number of 400 every

year, had to make long journeys into neighboring counties, to get their grain ground. That reforms sometimes moved very slowly in those days, is proved by the fact that thejold water mill held on here, with its inadequate work and its .skeeter and malaria breeding mill-races, for near 30 years after this article was written, and the good change was at last made through the agency of The Jasper County Drainage Association, and with Judge Simon P. Thompson as the chief moving spirit in the enterprise. Another thoughful editorial was headed “A word to the wise.” It foreshadowed or prophesied the evil days to be, in a financial sense, to follow the inflated wild cat free bank money period, then drawing to a close. Tough time were on the way and the farmers, especially were warned not lo lash out too extravagantly. Wonder if them took the good advice! Probably not, for men werebnilton the same ground plans then as now, and thejonly advice worth considering was advice to do as they wanted to do.

Married—ln this places Nov. 2nd by Rev. R. B. James, Mr. Joseph H. McCay to Miss Sarah A. Prichard daughter of Jonathan H. Prichard, Esq. Florida had gone Democratic and is still at it. N. R. Bowman gave notice that his public was all off, as he had sold all his stuff at a private contract. The county fair, held the Saturday before, was believeu to have been well attended, but the editor had been too busy to go and see.and the secretary had made no report for publication. No fnrther reference was ever made to the fair. Wm. Brown’s cow had strayed. She was of a roan color with white face and belly, and “well spread homes.” A liberal reward would be given, and perhaps the offer is still open. The run away “indented” apprentice whom Isaac H. Wright was so crazy mad about, was named Daniel Van Norman, which name we forgot to give last week.