Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 March 1906 — Old Time News. [ARTICLE]

Old Time News.

Fifty-One Years Ago. JASPER BANNER, FEB., Ist 1855. The issue for Feb. Ist completed the first volume, 52 numbers, of* the Banner, the first number of which was issued Dec., 22nd, 1853. The extra six weeks more than A year, were caused by the editor’® tussels with fever and ague. An editorial advised the farmers of Jasper county to get a move on them and invest in labqr saving machinery. More especially to break away from the old scythe and elbow grease method, of making hay, which still prevailed. He He advised them to buy Harris’s mowing machine and a Sanders hay rake, and to make hay by horse power. The Harris mower was no doubt far ahead of an oldfashioned scythe, but no doubt it would seem a crude and awkward machine now. ■ — A burlesque account ©f an imaginary meeting of wild-cat bankers, in the Kankakee swamp, was copied from the Goshen Democrat. It appeared that no banker was allowed at the meeting who had a place of business which {anyone ever discovered, or who had ever-redeemed a dollars vorth of his bank circulation. Those’ rules would not have barrel out Col. May’s two banks at Rensselaer, or Mr. Ade’s bank at] Morocco. Afr this same supposed meeting, me member was expelled for having paid cash for ten cents worth of matches bought of a peddler. A letter had b j en received rt Pontiac, Mich., addressed to the man whose son had a running sore on his ancle. Also one at, Cleveland addressed “To the’, big red faced Butcher, with a big wart on his nose.” The clerks knew the batcher but would not’ deliver the letter for fear of a licking. Frank May, the absconded bank cashier, had written back from Crestline, Ohio, to his uncle the Colonel, at Indianapolis, saying he was very sorry for robbing the bank, but not returning any of the cash. He said no use to follow’him as he would never be taken back to Indianapolis alivC.