1896 -- all the important stuff

 

Brookville Democrat, March/April 1896

Another Railroad Coming

Friday night's Indianapolis News contained the following: Articles of Incorporation filed with the Secretary of State today, announce that a new railroad will immediately be built from Union City, Randolph County, to Lawrenceburg, Dearborn County. 

The road will be 81 miles long and will cross the counties of Randolph, Wayne, Union, Franklin and Dearborn. The road is to be called the Union City, Richmond and Lawrenceburg railroad (how convenient!) 

The capital stock is fixed at $200,000. In incorporators are Mackey, Page, Evans, Rowland, Shoemaker, Zeigler, Howe, Palmer and Tewksbury.

Asylum News

Richmond -- The Eastern Indiana Hospital  for the Insane, located here, has had a remarkable showing in the small number of deaths that have occurred within the past few months. Up to the first of this month, there had not been a death since the middle of August -- eight months.

The Enumeration Law

This year's enumeration of school children will be conducted according to the provisions of a new state law, which requires that the name and age of each child be recorded. The following are points of the law:

1. The enumeration has to be taken and all transfers have to be made between April 10 and April 30.

2. Not only are the names of the parents of guardians to be taken, but also the name and age of each child, giving the street and number of the residence.

3. The signature of parent or guardian is required, certifying to the correctness of the enumeration.

It will be seen that this will require much more work than under the old law.

NOTES: Keeping track of students was difficult, but somehow considered necessary.

They built a railroad somewhere once a month, and this one was to be built immediately! It never was, but hey ... they thought about it.

Having no deaths at the madhouse -- what a concept.

Watch what you say!

 Brookville Democrat, April 12, 1918 (verbatim content)

A WARNING

It is generally believed that there are in Franklin County men and women whose words and acts verge on disloyalty, if indeed, they do not cross the line

As a government body we hereby warn all such persons that they are under observation and subject to investigation.

You are either for your country or against it; there is no middle ground.

Many things which might be tolerated in times of peace cannot -- will not -- be permitted now when the interests of our country are at stake.

If you refuse to do your reasonable share of war work -- giving or service -- regardless of the sacrifices of your countrymen; if you "eat what you please", regardless of food regulations, you are disloyal and a menace to your country's cause.

We are under obligation to report all such cases to the State Council of Defense for investigation. This will be disagreeable but war imposes many disagreeable duties and we shall not hesitate when we get the facts.

-- Council of Defense

NOTES: Sedition acts in this country in 1918 forbade the teaching of "European" languages in U.S. schools. This was mainly aimed at German-heritage people.

All of this stuff was unconstitutional and fueled by fear that became the post-war emergence of various anti-semitic and racist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan. Main targets were Catholics, or specifically Orthodox sects of the Christian faith.

No idea if anyone was ever prosecuted for "eating what they pleased" but many of these "Germans" were shunned or ridiculed for having an accent.

We never learned from hate, only became better at enforcing it.

It was never clear how many actual "enemy agents" were in this country and what they intended to achieve in a war that had no political agenda -- just one that strove to annihilate the enemy in a trench campaign that lasted 3 years. Espionage acts passed in 1917 essentially were sufficient, but the hate was never satisfied. Punishing people was the next illogical step.

THE SEDITION ACT 

It imposes a prison sentence of 20 years and a fine of $10,000 (a huge sum!) or both on any person who writes, prints or utters anything tending to obstruct a Liberty loan campaign, recruiting for the Army or Navy, or saying or doing anything vilifying the government or officials or tending to incite resistance to them, or who by word or deed favors the cause of Germany or her allies.

It takes away mail privileges from persons convicted of violating it. if a man violates the act no mail addressed to him and none sent out by him will be delivered (men = women as well). 

 

Hens for peace

Brookville Democrat, April 4, 1918

Hens Work For Red Cross

Everybody in town or county who owns hens is earnestly requested to devote one day's egg production to the Red Cross. Bring the eggs to the Stenger Building on Main Street on Saturday, April 6. The room will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and some of the Tri Kappa girls will be there to receive the eggs.

If individual or community finds it more convenient to sell the eggs at home and bring the money, that will be quite as acceptable. Let's see who has the most patriotic hens.

April 11, 1918

Patriotic Hens Bring Good Sum To Red Cross

Red Cross Egg Day was a decided success. Two hundred and fifty dozen eggs were brought in and those were sold for $75. Cash donations amounting to $69.39 were received making the day's total proceeds $144.39. Ninety-seven persons contributed eggs and 57 gave cash. We would like to publish the names of all donors, but that would take up too much space. The largest contribution of eggs from one person was 11 1/2 dozen from Mrs. F. R. Petty. 

The executive committee extends the thanks of the Red Cross to all who answered the call for eggs and also to Misses Armstrong, Bossert, Frye and Popper who were on duty at the room to receive the eggs.

NOTES: Rationing of agricultural products was a national phenomenon during wartime and individual contributions during World War I were decidedly amazing.

Most likely the money raised for this project had little impact on the wartime operation, but the symbolism was enormous. 

Be somebody, be a nurse

 Brookville Democrat, April 5, 1917

For Girl Graduates

To girls about to graduate from high school comes the suggestion of great opportunities for service and for financial independence in the field of public health nursing work.

The Indiana Society for the Prevention of Tuberculosis points out that, with the increasing success of the efforts to get the health of all the communities under supervision, the demand for public health nurses far exceeds the supply.

The compensation for this steady work is from $70 to $100 a month which far exceeds the returns from most sorts of effort for which women are so peculiarly adapted.

The demand from other states had taken several of the Indiana public health nurses and to keep up the supply and meet the foreseen demands of the future, the State Tuberculosis Society issues this notice to high school girls who may be interested in the subject of nursing.

NOTE: America had also just gone to war that month, so it's likely the Red Cross absorbed many of these would-be Florence Nightingales. The peculiar adaptation for women's work was otherwise ... pretty standard stuff.

Amen to that

Aurora Farm & Mechanic, Dec 20, 1873

Sacred history teaches us that the earth was made for man to cultivate. The all-wise Creator so constituted man that his most pleasant occupation should be in beautifying his home -- in planting, nurturing and keeping perpetually fresh and blooming the productions of the soil.

By the sweat of his brow, man was to prolong his existence and make the world better for his having lived in it. Here his mind was to develop, as the seed which he deposited in the earth, to mature and perfect itself in useful knowledge.

Many of the eminent men of the Bible followed the avocation of the first man; and even to this day, some of the brightest intellects are engaged in the novel avocation of farming. 

Our own country too has had its Cincinnatus. In the peaceful and healthy pursuit of tilling the earth, Washington spent his happiest moments.

Art, science and mechanism have blended to enhance the labor of the farmer and thus we have indubitable evidence that the interests of the farmer are co-equal with the march of improvement -- that man lives not to himself, but each and all, in their several spheres of labor, swell the immensity of commerce and give life, energy and vitality to the earth.

Amen.

 

How sick were we?

December 1912

Diphtheria

Owing to the appearance of diphtheria, the schools at Fairfield were closed Monday and will remain closed until all danger is past.

Harry, the 13-year-old son of Mrs. and Mrs. Emmett Crawley, died Monday of the dread disease and two more of their children and three of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Omer Hudson are ill and it is feared may have contracted the disease. There have been two cases in Brookville, both patients having recovered.

May 1916

Measles

Up to Thursday noon, Dr. Squier, town health officer, informs us that exactly 50 cases of measles have been reported to him. The Connersville papers report that there have been mover 500 cases in that city this spring.

April 1925

Reily School Closed

The centralized school at Reily, Ohio, has been ordered to be closed bythe Board of Education (Butler Co.) of that township in an effort to check the spread of smallpox. There are 250 pupils in the school, and it is intended to have it remain closed for a week.

October 1918

Schools will reopen

The public and parochial schools of Brookville will reopen next Monday, Nov. 4, the influenza epidemic having subsided to such an extent as to make it safe for the schools to resume work, after being closed four weeks.

November 1921

Tuberculosis

It was pointed out here today that Indiana is woefully behind many other states in facilities to care for tuberculosis patients. Thee are but 500 beds for the care of the tuberculosis in the entire state, whereas at least 30,000 active cases of the disease exist in the state, causing more than 3,000 deaths annually.

December 1927

Scarlet fever

During the last month there were scarlet fever cases in four schools in this county -- Peppertown in Salt Creek Twp., Gap School in Laurel Twp., Little Cedar in Brookville Twp. and the Springfield Consolidated School. Wee it not for the control methods used, the disease might have become a serious menace for weeks to come.

February 1941

Measles, mumps reach epidemic proportion here

The Brookville public schools and schools in other communities of Franklin County, are being effected to a large extent by the epidemic of measures and mumps prevalent at this time. As of Wednesday, Porter Nesbit of the Lew Wallace school reported 93 pupils absent out of an enrollment of 145. He said the absences were directly contributed to the measles and mumps either directly or indirectly.

October 1941

Scarlet fever checked

No new cases of scarlet fever were reported in the county this week. There were three new cases of diphtheria reported in Laurel Township, but none in Salt Creek or Posey townships.

Some of those stricken with previously reported cases of both diseases are now being taken out of quarantine.

February 1943

Chicken pox, measles

Dr. E.M. Glaser, county health officer, stated this week that measles and chicken pox are prevalent in the county and warned parents to keep children out of school when the presence of either disease is suspected.

The period of isolation is from 10 to 14 days. Measles isolation is not less than seven days, scarlet fever not less than 21 days. 

October 1955

Second polio shots will be given here

Dr. Herbert N. Smith, Franklin County health officer, announces that the children who received their first polio shots last spring can receive their second shots now. 

March 1956

Health nurse warns

about diphtheria

Mrs. Marie Cooper, Franklin County health nurse, has issued the following warning to parents: 

"There have been cases of diphtheria reported in the northern part of Indiana. The State Board of Health has brought this to the attention of the physicians and urges immunization of all children with diphtheria toxoid. No child is safe until he (she) has been successfully immunized."

February 1901

How to cure the Grip

Remain quietly at home and take Chamberlain's Cough Remedy as diected and a quick recovery is sure to follow. That remedy counteracts any tendency of the grip to result in pneumonia, which is really the only serious danger. Among the tens of thousands who have use it for the grip not one case has ever reported that it did not recover. For sale at King's drug store.

NOTE: It's a wonder we lived long enough to realize that most of this stuff was preventable thanks to actual science.

News about Joe Brookley

 The Brookville Democrat

April 6, 1911

Dastardly deed

Joseph Brookley's splendid start in the poultry business has met a sad reverse.

A week ago Sunday he found his hens lying about the yard, suffering greatly. A veterinarian was called but could do nothing and the fowls died.

Some of the grain in their craws was sent to the state chemist for examination and the report just received states that the grain had been soaked in nitric and carbolic acids.

Brookley's loss is near a hundred dollars.

The utter, horrible heartlessness of the wretch who did the dastardly deed, the cruelty and depravity of a heart that could conceive such an act indicates a creature in human form too vile for language to picture.

March 18, 1909

See the new L.C.  Smith typewriter No. 2, sold by Jos. L. Brookley.

July 10, 1902

Joe Brookley of Connersville visited relatives here from Friday until Monday. Joe seems to have attractions at Cedar Grove also. Joe also visited relatives in Brookville on May 8.

July 19, 1900

Joe Brookley had his hand badly lacerated on a meat hook Tuesday evening at Stoll's slaughterhouse.

April 27, 1899

Ben Gardner, Joe Brookley and Henry Schneider wheeled to Connersville last Sunday.

June 3, 1897

Joe Brookley went to Indianapolis Monday on his bicycle.

Sept. 23, 1897

Joe Brookley left Friday evening for Indianapolis where he has secured employment.

Sept. 10, 1896

Frank Biltz, Will Fries, Geo. Geis and Joe Brookley broke camp near the home of S.B. Templeton last Monday after a delightful week's sojourn angling for the finny tribe. The boys claim to have had their hearts lacerated by the handsome young ladies in Fairfield and will angle on dry land in the near future.

May 12, 1917

Joseph Brookley, who has been a resident of Brookville all his life, died Saturday evening, May 12, at the Poor Asylum at the age of 42 years. Interment in Maple Grove Cemetery.

NOTE: Joe did not live his entire life in Brookville. We have proof of it. He was also the first president of the Brookville Eagles lodge in 1905.