Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 84, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1906 — Old Time News. [ARTICLE]

Old Time News.

Fifty-One Years Ago. JASPER BANNER, lULY 22,T 855. The Banner slipped a cog on the week of the Fourth, and got out ne paper that week, and considering the vast labor involved in publishing a paper in those days when ready set matterand co operative insides had not been dreamed of, and when every paper had to be printed on a laborious hand press, two pages at a time, no one can blame the editor for skipping an issue once in a while. The Fourth was celebrated in a way to “Afford every assurance that the Spirit of’76 still dwells in the breast of our honest Yeomanry.” A national Salute was fired, at sunrise, and at ten o’clock the procession was formed and marched t® the grove, where Rev. Burgess mule a prayer, J. E. Ballard read the declaration, W. D. Lee, Esq., made the principal oration and Messrs. Brown and Henkle added to the interest of the occasion by short but appropriate speeches: and a number of very pertinent and patriotic toasts were read and enthusiastically cheered. The exercises were enterspersed with music. A new daily paper had been established at Lafayette, the Gazette, and that town was declared to be becoming famous for dailies.

The farmers were harvesting their wheat and Mr. D. K. Warner, one of ,our most enterprising farmers, had five patent reapers at work in a field of 600 acres in sight of the editor’s office. The patent reapers of those days carried an extra man to rake off the bundles, and it was about as hard and back-breaking work as a man ever went up against. Work on the great east and west railroad had been at last started, with a great flourish on June 19th, over at Lacon, 111., on the Illinois river. It was thought that the section from Rensselaer to Francesville woulcl be under contract before fall. An 18 mile stretch of railroad running due east from Lacon, and now a part of a road to Chicago, is probably all of this great road that was ever built. A wedding on July 4th. The parties were Samuel Greenfield and Miss Mary Harderst. all of this township. Squire W. Hopkins performed the ceremony.