Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, May 01, 2014

As the Record-News continues to celebrate its 150th birthday this year, it's interesting to explore the work of our predecessors to find what appeared on the pages of their newspapers back in the infancy of journalism in Ringgold County.

All of the items in this article appeared in the Ringgold Record from 1874 to 1887. Our thanks to local historian Sharon Becker for bringing them to our attention via her work as coordinator of the Ringgold County page on the IaGenWeb project.

During the biting frost of last Saturday night, a man left a horse standing on one of our streets two hours without a harness on. A man who would leave a horse in that condition would chew plug tobacco at a funeral.

This is just the time for sleigh riding for both the old and young. It's cold enough to require that the young gents and the old ones too should see that their lady companions are carefully wrapped in the buffalo robes, a very delicate and delicious duty for the young man. At the same time it is so mild that by moderately close stowing none need suffer with cold.

The minstrel performance did not come off last Saturday night on account of not having an audience. A very good reason.

Jerry Branum's team ran away last Saturday. He and his wife were in the wagon and after the horses ran about a mile the tongue broke and let the horses loose. Mr. and Mrs. Branum were left quietly seated in the wagon, to watch the speed of their horses as they sped across the prairie towards home at the rate of 2:40. The team started from the new school house. No damage done except breaking the tongue, double-trees and single trees.

Persons running around town at night and stealing what they can find in the shape of provisions, etc., had better look a little out; for traps are set for them, and they will be caught. They are the worst class of beings on earth, and when caught should be hanged until they are dead, dead, DEAD!

Two young men got into a little altercation last Friday on the street, and wished to settle their differences by ascertaining which was the best man, but they remembered that the town was incorporated and knew that it would not do to fight on the inside of the incorporation. After a little warm discussion, they decided to walk outside of the city limits, but when they got there and found no restrictions, it cooled them off, and they became good friends.

Mora; always take a walk before you fight.

Every loafer in Mount Ayr who has any respect for himself or calling will get his knife sharpened ready for whittling. It is almost spring and there are hundreds of storeboxes and barrels setting around which no one has touched yet.

The boys had a battle in the park Friday evening. One side of the army used sky rockets and the other eggs. The hen fruit came out victorious.

Preachers should not fail to be on time when going out to dine. A couple of dispensers of the gospel went out the other day and were to be on hand at 12 o'clock. My host waited until the clock pointed to one, and not being able to stand the pressure, 'slid out,' leaving the remains of the dinner for those reverend gentlemen to eat when they chose to put in their tardy appearance.

Last Saturday brought a good trade for our merchants. Despite the mud, the streets were well lined with people. After noon quite a crowd assembled on the south side of the park to witness a wrestling match between Abe Stephens and George Lee. They opened out with a few preliminaries, but closed with fewer, the first fall resulting in a broken arm for Lee. He retired to Dr. Horne's office and had his arm adjusted.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, June of 2014