Excerpts from
The Schuyler Citizen


January 11, 1872     A little four-year-old son of Mr. S. M. Hume, of this place, on Tuesday last, playfully caught hold of a neighbor’s dog that happened to be in the yard at the time, when the animal viciously turned upon him and inflicted a severe bite over his left eye. It was thought at first that the eye had been bitten, but it proved, fortunately, to be only a flesh wound, and Master Frankie is getting along finely, with no further damage than would naturally belong to Mace or Coburn after a mill in the ring.

        Mr. James Cooney, who enlisted in Co. C 119th Ill. Vol. in 1862, and has since been a member of the regular army, came back to his former home last week; his first return since he left in 1862.

PERSONAL

Mr. Wm. Campbell, of Tecumseh, Neb., came back on a visit this week.
    Mr. George Warren is home from Nebraska on a temporary visit.
    Mr. Frank Watts, who left here some years since, a little boy, with his parents for Augusta, is back this week, a young man, visiting his old home.

    MAKING WILLS
 It is generally understood that in order to make a will legally effective, it is necessary to have it properly recorded in the office of the county clerk. An examination of the record in this county for a few months back, in the year just past, reveals the curious coincidence, in several cases, of death following soon after the making of the will. For instance, Mr. Joseph Newberry, a very old gentleman, came up to Rushville, a distance of about eight miles, on the 10th of July in usual health; had his will made out, and died September 8th, less than two months thereafter.
    Stephen Walker had his made April 26th, and died November 27th following.
    Lemuel Parker on the 1st of August and died September 17th.
    Ralph Wilson on August 21st, and died December 28th.
    Elijah Wilson on September 30th, and died December 16th.
    Samuel Burrell on November 15th, and died November 17th.
    William Gregory on October 7th, and died October 23rd.
    John Carden on July 3d, died July 4th.
    Two or three of the above named were made out in view of the near approach of death, but the majority of them were made while in ordinary health. We merely publish this item as a singular coincidence. Let it deter no man who has a family and property from making his will betimes; for it is best that wills should be made.

Mat. Jones was badly stabbed at Newberrytown last Saturday evening by Abe Kokenour. Both are young men.

MARRIAGE

Married, on the 2d inst., at the residence of the bride’s mother in Bainbridge, by Rev. W. R. Carr, Mr. Joseph Cunningham and Miss Caroline Thompson.


SHORTS
    See three new estrays this week at the head of the estray list.
    See in to-day’s paper another of “Pete’s” interesting letters from Nebraska.
    No great change in market prices this week. Hogs are quoted at $3.25 to $3.60 gross; $4.25 to $4.60 nett.
        Mr. Godlove has retired from business, and has a “notice” on our second page to those who have unsettled accounts with him; see it.
    The week-of-prayer meetings are being well attended in Rushville this week. The meeting to-night will be in the E. M. church, south of the square.
        The people of Vermont, Fulton county, are holding enthusiastic temperance meetings in their churches on Sunday afternoons. Rushville could well afford to do the same thing. What say the pastors?
    Some weeks since a little six-year-old son of Mr. John Hughes, of this vicinity, while slipping on the ice fell and broke his thigh bone. He is now able to be out of bed, and will soon be ready to try the ice again.
    Our “Carrier Boy” is under truly heartfelt obligations to some unknown friend for a well-written “New Year’s address, composed by Dander and presented to Ernest.” He begs to thank him or her for the favor as earnestly as though it had been used. He is sorry not to know the name of the writer.
    Small-pox has made frightful progress in Philadelphia, as the following figures will show: Deaths in July, 5; in August, 16; in September, 18; in October, 236; in November, 562; in December, 1.094. Go right off and get vaccinated. Dr. Speed has his hand in, call him in. Presbyterian Sabbath-School.
    The following are the statistics from the annual report of the secretary of the Rushville Presbyterian Sabbath-school…
    This is a larger attendance than any previous year. In 1870 it was 150; in 1869, 155; in 1868, 144.
    The largest attendance this year was on December 17; number present 191, being the largest number ever present before. The largest number last year was 188.
    The smallest school this year was on July 15th; number present, 85.
    On six Sabbaths all the teachers were present; last year, two.
    The following scholars were present on every Sabbath:–Emma Erwin, Elizabeth Erwin, Phoebe Wells, Minnie Warren, Lewis Wells, Saml. McCreary and Charles Carson. The following missed only one Sabbath:–Annie Nelson, Mary Parker, Hannah Hammond, Nellie Wells, Mary Emerson, Humphrey Griffith, Willie Ray and Cris. Peter. Rushville M. E. Sabbath-School.
    The secretary of the M. E. Sabbath-school in Rushville read his annual report at the anniversary meeting on New Year’s night. We glean from it the following items of interest:
    Officers for the year–Geo. W. Scripps, supt.; Rev. G. R. S. McElfresh, assistant; W. W. Potts, secretary and treasurer; O. Lacroix, jr., librarian, Hinman Munroe, assistant…
    Largest attendance May 7th–303.
    Smallest attendance January 15th–94.
    Banner class for attendance, Miss Sue Wells’, having but ten absent marks.
    The superintendent and secretary have been present every Sabbath.
    Four teachers have been present every Sabbath: Jacob Graff, Mrs. Josiah Parrott, sr., Mrs. Joshua Sweeney, and Dr. Bowers. Three were absent but once; four absent twice.
    Thirty-two scholars have been present every Sabbath, viz.:–Lizzie Derickson, Ida Washbaugh, Nellie Little, Mary Odell, Mary Bower, Grace Scripps, Sarah Cook, Agnes Speed, Fannie Scott, Louisa Hites, Lulu Bell, Rachael Reed, Lizzie Reed, Marcus Parrott, Ernest Scripps, Samuel Campbell, Luther Jackson, Richard Greer, Frank Irvin, Cleon Sweeney, Frank Bower, Fred Bertholf, John Hewett, Herman Scripps, Milton Greer, Eddie Graff, Walter Neil, Edward McClure, Willie Speed, John Goodwin, Rolland Noble; George Williams until death, Chas. Peters until he left, and George C. Scripps until his removal from town.
    Four were present every Sabbath but one; twelve were present every Sabbath but two.
    Master Willie Speed has been present every Sabbath for five years, and his sister Agness Speed has not missed a Sabbath since she entered the school, a period of four years.
    Last year twenty-nine were present every Sabbath and seven missed one…

DIED
    PARKER.–In this place, on the 8th inst., Mrs. LAURA H. PARKER, wife of Mr. E. A. Parker, aged 36 years.
    The deceased was born in Tennessee; came to Rushville with her father, Dr. John B. Hubbard, in April, 1849; made profession of religion at Ingham college, Leroy, N. Y., in her 17th year, and united there with the Congregational church; was married in 1855, and shortly after united with the M. E. church with her husband in Beardstown. She was ever held in high esteem, wherever she lived, for her many social virtues and Christian qualities. Not only her family, but the community suffer a loss in her demise. The funeral took place at 10:30 a.m. on the 10th inst. from the Presbyterian church, largely attended by sympathizing friends.

1871 or 1872.
CAMDEN, ILL., Dec. 26th, 1871.
    Editor Schuyler Citizen:–One of our Sabbath-school superintendents made this statement on last Sabbath evening: “1872 years will have passed to-night since the birth of Christ.” Others have since contradicted this statement, and say that only 1871 years have passed. The discussion of this question has run very high for a few days. Teachers, preachers, doctors and laymen have disagreed. Can you set our Savans right? Do we number our years before or after they pass? ONE WHO WANTS TO KNOW.
    December 31st, 1871, closes 1871 years; January 1st, 1872, begins the year 1872. We say “Anno Domini–in the year of the Lord” all through its months; but the year itself is not completed till the last day of the last month.–[EDITOR.

FROM BIRMINGHAM.
    Birmingham, Ill., Jan. 5, 1872.
    Editor Schuyler Citizen:–We have no dry-goods store in our town and one is needed very much. We have to go from six to nine miles to get to a dry-goods store. Plymouth is situated six miles from us, almost due west, on the C., B. & Q. railroad. Augusta is on the same road nine miles south-west. Huntsville is six miles south and Brooklyn six miles south-east of our town. Any one wishing a good location to sell goods would do well to come to this place. There is a good farming county around Birmingham, and, if I am not mistaken, our township is the third in the county for wealth.
    There has been a good number of hogs bought and taken out of this neighborhood in the last three weeks. The majority of the farmers in this section of the country have sold their hogs at prices ranging from $3.60 to $4 gross. The buyers here are now offering to pay $4 per hundred to be delivered in ten to twelve days. Wm. Noel had the finest lot that have been sold out of this neighborhood, one weighing eight hundred pounds. B.

Letter from Nebraska.
Monterey, Nemaha Co., Neb., December, 1871.
    Editor Citizen:–Since writing my last I had the pleasure of visiting a couple of our neighboring towns, viz.: New London and Peru. I did not stay long at the former, and a few hours at the latter. New London is one of that number of mushroom towns, of which so many were laid out by enthusiastic and ambitious persons, with the expectation that a year or two would make them populous cities, and is situated, as the most of them are, in the midst of a wild prairie country, with no chance for communication with the rest of the world except overland–for all the streams here are too shallow for navigation, even for the smallest boats, and where deep enough are too narrow–, and their only chance for a railroad being in the rapid growth of the place. New London has fared better than some of her neighbors, however, this place–Monterey–for instance, all traces of which have disappeared–said traces consisted of an old log hotel and one or two houses of the same kind. New London on the other hand now consists of about fifteen or twenty houses, two churches, a store and blacksmith shop, I believe.
    Peru is situated on the western bank of the Missouri river, about nine miles north-west of Brownville, and, according to a cotemporary, “has a remarkable pleasant location, and bids fair to become a town of no little importance.” I couldn’t see the pleasant part of the location, however, for it is situated something in the manner of Brownville, with the exception of being placed in a valley between bluffs, as I described. Brownville is built upon them, and has no grading on the streets whatever that I could see. But altogether the situation is rather picturesque, and the country around it is beautiful. As to its becoming a town of importance remains for the future to determine. “Cotemp” says, “It has a population of 800.”–Cotemp is a Peruite. At this place is located the State Normal School. The building is quite plain, built of brick, about three hundred feet long by eighty wide, employs five professors, I believe. I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of two of them; found them very agreeable. The building is very pleasantly situated just back of the town, and away from those terrible bluffs. But to return to “Cotemp.” “Peru contains many fine residences, and some good business houses. There are two good churches–Episcopal and Methodist–, a good district school house, one steam flouring mill, two hotels, one livery stable, five general stores, two drug stores, one hardware store, on tin shop, two lumber yards, three blacksmith shops, one wagon and carriage shop, two meat markets, two agricultural implement houses, one barber shop, one real estate agency, two brick yards; lots of clergymen, physicians, politicians, etc., but no lawyer’s office, not saloon in the place”–remember “Cotemp” is a Peruite.
    We passed over a magnificent country going to and coming from Peru, that portion being much better settled than here, and the difference is very quickly observed. It seems strange to me coming from a timbered country to ride over these grand prairies, where nothing obstructs the view. A farmer can, with a glance, see all over his broad fields by stepping to the top of any one of the numberless eminences upon his place. There is some advantage in that, but it will scarcely over balance the disadvantage of having no timber, but this disadvantage is fast being overcome by the discovery of good veins of coal in various parts of the state, which will furnish the fuel. And by the Legislature which has passed a law, called the hero law, which obliges all persons to either keep their cattle up, herd them, or pay for all damages they may do by running at large. Nearly all of the farmers are surrounded by good hedges, but nearly all of them are too young as yet to turn stock, I suppose. The law mentioned is for the purpose of allowing them to grow unmolested, and I guess will be repeated when the hedges are large enough to turn out. Wire fencing has been used here to a great extent, composed of three wires fastened to a post. It does not amount to much. The cattle soon learn to spring the wires apart and get through. Cattle are dying off here pretty fast this winter, the cause is ascribed to the dry food they eat, which consists for the greater part of corn husks, they running loose in the fields. PETE.

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