LOCAL SPLINTERS - 20 Jan 1875

SMITH, COPELAND, MELVILL, RAGSDALE, NEGRO JIM

Posted By: Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert (email)
Date: 1/15/2007 at 16:43:21

The Chariton Patriot
Chariton, Iowa
January 20, 1875

Local Splinters, Miscellaneous Excerpts, and Things in General and
Particular:

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A.X. SMITH, the notion man, is down sick with lung fever.

The body of Mr. E. COPELAND's little girl was sent by express to Ohio for
burial.

The new turn-up-on-one-side hats worn by the ladies just now are nice for
railroad hugging. They don't muss.

The sheriff is off after Negro JIM's wife and her paramour who are accused
of being accessory to the cattle theft.

We learn, just as we are making up our paper, that MR. ANDREW MELVILLE, an
old and respectable citizen of the county, living near town, died yesterday,
(Tuesday, January 19th).

WILLS RAGSDALE formerly of the Patriot, is in the dairy business with one of
his brothers in California, and is well pleased with the country and
business. In a private letter of recent date he says: "The grass is quite
green, and to express myself well pleased with the country would be a feeble
word. I'm delighted."

IN JAIL. -- Negro JIM, who married the white woman about a year ago, has
come to grief. He has heretofore seemed industrious, and was thought to be
honest, but last week he conceived the idea of a little speculation in
cattle, and set about to execute the same, which he did by driving from near
Chariton to Lucas, and selling for the cash in hand several head of cattle
belonging to MESSRS. PRINE & FILLEY. He realized about $100 in this
operation, and concluded to quit turning power press for the Patriot office,
and chopping wood at a dollar and a half a cord and hunt a new vocation.
But his fortune suddenly turned, for, after getting as far as Albia on his
journey, constable Reed came across him and brought him back. He had
forgotten to pay for the cattle, and Justice Woodward settled the matter
that he find better board in the little brick at the expense of the county
until the next term of the District Court when he will have a chance of
explaining his method of obtaining cattle. Mrs. JIM, we understand, left
some days before with another "feller" and if so this may count for JIM's
anxiety. At any rate he languishes in jail, and his wife comes not to
comfort him.
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Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
December 11, 2006
iggy29@sbcglobal.net