Bedford Weekly Mail
December 30, 1898
page 1
EARLY MORNING FIRE
Ragsdale & Harris' Meat Market on the East Side Gutted
At about three o'clock Friday morning, Dr. Fox, upstairs on the East Side, discovered that Ragsdale & Harris' Meat Market next door to the southward was on fire toward the rear of the building and gave the alarm. The fire department was aroused, and with the assistance of the night policemen, Payne and Glover, and some early rising citizens, two lines of hose were laid from the northeast and southeast corners of the square, and what looked at first like an ugly fire that threatened the whole east side of the square was soon subdued.
The building was an old shell and of little value in itself. Mrs. Pearsoe [difficult to read] of Kansas City, Mo., a sister of Miss Mary Stillson, is the owner of the property.
Ragsdale & Harris had $500 insurance on their outfit and stock which will probably cover the loss. Most of their furniture and tolls were destroyed as well as a big stock of meats.
Deputy Marshal Charlie Payne held a hose nozzle during the fire with his bare hands and found when he got up at noon Friday that his right hand had been badly frozen on the edge of the palm.
60TH ANNIVERSARY
Of Their Wedding Celebrated by Mr. and Mrs. Alfred C Hamm
One of the most pleasant and inspiring experiences we are permitted to enjoy is the participation of the fiftieth anniversary of the marriage of two dear old people, it being quite rare that any couple is permitted to live so long together, much more so is it when we are permitted to participate in celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of the marriage of two such dear old friends as Uncle Alfred and Aunt Sarah Hamm. Let us stop to reflect a moment; sixty years ago, on December 24th, 1838, Alfred Hamm and Miss Sarah Knight were married at the J. D. Knight homestead one mile east of this city, then a small town of 400 to 500 inhabitants, no walks, nothing but mud streets; no railroad yet to come for 15 years, nothing but woods surrounding the little town scarcely. What changes have they lived together to witness! At that time, Uncle Alfred was hale, hearty and active, while Aunt Sarah was just the same that we see her now, only, perhaps, a little more active, she now being close to 80 years young, while Mr. Hamm is nearly 87.
Light refreshments were served. A number of nice presents were given the bride and groom of sixty years, and in every way it was a most delightful occasion.
page 3
TUNNELTON
Miss Sophia Wesner, daughter of Joseph T. Wesner, formerly of this place by now of Heltonville, died at her home Monday, 26th inst, and was buried at Tunnelton Cemetery, Tuesday. Mrs. Wesner and four children have all passed away in the last five or six years. Mr. Wesner and one daughter survive.
***********************
Charles O. Dobbins of this city and Miss Daisy Benjamin of Saginaw, Mich., formerly of Seymour, will be married at Saginaw next Wednesday.
***********************
Master Archie Chapman and sister of Charleston are visiting their grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. William Simpson.***********************
Salem, Indiana, December 27 – A large barn on the farm of P. C. Cauble, near this city, burned last night together with its contents including a large amount of hay and farming implements. The remains of a human body charred beyond recognition were found in the debris. It is supposed that Benjamin Clifton, mentally infirm, is the victim, as he was in the habit of sleeping in the barn. Clifton was in Campbellsburg drinking to excess, and late that night he was seen going in the direction of the barn. He probably went to sleep while smoking. The property loss is $8,000.***********************
George Peters was caught in the act of stealing a bucket of oysters from in front of Carter's restaurant by Deputy Marshal Payne Friday night. He was taken into court Saturday and pleaded guilty, stating that he was drunk at the time of committing the theft. Judge Martin sentenced him to the Reformatory for one to twelve years.
***********************
Harry E. Richardson of Ocheyedan, Iowa, was here visiting his brother, Jesse Richardson, and family whom he had not seen for six years.
***********************
Dr. W. H. Heckman has gone to Pennsylvania to visit his parents.
***********************
Mrs. Daisy Labadie, who had been visiting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. F. O. Cross, left Friday afternoon over the B. & O. S. W., for Connellsville Pa., to join her husband.
***********************
Benjamin Woolery of Bartlettsville will leave Saturday for Louisville to attend medical college.
***********************
Harley Pope of Chicago is visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Pope in this city.
W. H. Consalus [difficult to read] and Meck Stone took Samuel Earl to the Insane Asylum Saturday. Earl grew worse after his arrest and was confined in a straight jacket this morning. It is likely his mental trouble is the result of some disease, and his recovery is doubtful. [See article in last week's issue.]
***********************
NOTE: Consider Marshall a spelling variant of Marshal.
An infant child for Mr. and Mrs. Marshal Miller, West 12th Street, died Tuesday morning.
***********************
Henry Hartman of Bartholomew County was visiting his brothers, Ed and John, in this city.
***********************
Tom Farrell of Loogootee, working for J. S. Clark with gang No. 4 on a Southern Indiana construction train, while unloading T-rails at Heltonville Wednesday had the first joint of the second finger of the right hand cut off between two rails. He was brought to this city and the wound dressed by Dr. Freeland.
***********************
Constable Chesnut arrested Schuyler Fox for disturbing [a] Pentecost meeting, and he pleaded guilty before 'Squire Dillman next morning, got [a] $12.50 fine and costs and went to jail.
***********************
The Monon Company will replace the old bridge over Salt Creek with a new steel structure that will be erected within the next 60 days. It will be 136 feet in length and, according to Road Master Cornwell, the best bridge on the entire road.
***********************
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Fillion left at noon Tuesday for Louisville to attend the funeral of Mrs. Fillion's mother.
***********************
The funeral of James Thompson, formerly Superintendent of the Bedford Telephone Company who died at Mitchell Saturday morning of typhoid fever, took place from St. Paul's Church at Jeffersonville Sunday afternoon at three o'clock.
***********************
W. M. Lewis received a telegram Monday announcing that his wife's father, William Wilson, had died at his home in Paoli, Indiana, and would be buried Thursday at ten o'clock A. M.
***********************
Aunt Sarah Freshwater, who had been an inmate of the County Poor Asylum for nearly 40 years, died Monday. Her age was unknown, but she was supposed to have been over 80 years old. She had been partially demented the greater part of her life, but was quiet and neat in her habits, her mania taking the form of occasional wild rambles over the county.
***********************
Prof. F. E. Callahan and Miss Lucie Acord were married Monday AM at Mitchell and left for a visit to Indianapolis and other places. Mr. and Mrs. Callahan are leading teachers of this county and have the best wishes of a large circle of friends. The MAIL extends congratulations.
***********************
Clarence Guthrie and Mary Castello, daughter of John Castello, were married at the home of the latter, near Crosslane, Sunday at 11 AM. A fine Christmas dinner followed. Many guests were present, and the young couple received a large number of handsome gifts.
***********************
Henry McGregory and Ola Bowman were married at the home of the bride on North I Street at two o'clock Sunday afternoon by 'Squire Dillman.
KENT-MITCHELL
A Handsome Home Wedding at the Residence of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse A. Mitchell
A wedding at home is something rare in Bedford, but there cannot be another as beautiful in all its appointments as was the one Wednesday evening when Mr. Harry Hardy Kent was united in marriage with Miss Nellie Mitchell.
The wedding occurred in the commodious residence of the bride's grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Jesse A. Mitchell, and the parlors were handsomely decorated with holly, mistletoe and ferns with many shaded lights to enhance the effect.
Miss Nellie Mitchell is one of Bedford's fairest and sweetest daughters and is a representative of one of the oldest and best families. All who know her admire her for her beauty of mind and person. She is the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Mitchell and the idol of her brother.
Mr. Kent is English by birth, but he has shown his preference for America by choosing for his wife one of her beautiful daughters. He is a young man of sterling character and well deserves his good fortune.
Mr. and Mrs. Kent will live with her parents for the present.
***********************
Mrs. J. B. Cooper went to Bloomington Wednesday in answer to a telephone message announcing the sickness of her sister, Mrs. A. D. Seward.
***********************
Mrs. Dave Thomas fired two shots from a .38 caliber revolver at her husband in the north part of town late Tuesday evening. Mr. Thomas, who is a railroad section man, was a good deal alarmed by this demonstration on the part of his spouse and hurried downtown to inform the police. While Marshal Russell was looking for her, Mrs. Thomas went to the Columbia Hotel on the trail of hubby and flourished a pistol till the landlady and boarders were frightened almost to death. The porter was sent after the marshal who hustled in the direction of the hotel, meeting Mrs. Thomas on the way. She carried the pistol in her right hand in her jacket pocket, and Russell saw the gleam of the handle and grabbing her arm took the weapon away from her and placed her under arrest. As the jail is full of men, he was compelled to release her upon a promise to appear for trial.
Typed and donated by Randi Richardson.