Thursday, March 1, 1900
Mrs. Mary Ruckman, an aged lady living near Edray, met with a serious accident last Thursday. She was feeding some sheep, and they crowded around her so closely that she was knocked down and so severely injured that she could not get up. She lay upon the ground for an hour or so before she was found. She has been dangerously ill from the effects of the hurt and exposure.
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Miss Mary I. McNeel and sisters, Misses Pauline and Maggie, daughters of the late Captain William L. McNeel, will leave for the State of Washington about March 20th to make their home with their uncle Henry McNeel.
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The Brownstown correspondent of the West Virginia News says that the tunnel near that town is something aver 400 feet in length. The work is about half done and will be completed on the time limit.
MAIL CARRIERS
The decisive action taken by the 2nd Assistant Postmaster General under which he will not accept bids from syndicates or anyone for a star route mail contract who does not live near the route will meet with decided approval all over the country.
Of late years, when the mail routes of this section were to be let to contract, the notices were posted in the post offices here, but they attracted but little attention for it was a foregone conclusion that some foreigner would bid it in at a starvation price, and come on here to look for a subcontractor to take it at something less than the bid…
Very often a good service would be given but usually the mail boys are poorly paid, and the stock used on the mail route are sorry specimens of horse flesh…
FROST
Very cold weather at present with about 12 inches of snow.
Mumps and measles are plentiful in this part and some people seem to be scared quite a bit over the smallpox.
How many people in the Frost community will throw in and buy a lounge for the Frost loafers to lie on in the store? They are getting tired hanging up against the wall.
Mrs. Jennie Williams, wife of T. J. Williams died at her home in this place Saturday morning about 3 o’clock. She had been a long sufferer.
Mrs. John Wanless died at her home about 3 miles from this place of pneumonia. She had been sick about 15 days before medical aid was called and then it was too late, as she was dying when the doctor arrived.
Mrs. Williams Bussard has been postmistress at this place for several days owing to the measles striking our postmistress.
The reported case of mumps at Gilmore Sharp’s has proven to be a gumboil on the back of the neck.
The people at Monterey are so badly frightened that you hardly ever see a professional man on the streets. It is reported that they are preparing dugouts for them on Lawyer Square. They have quarantined against Pocahontas before ascertaining whether or not Pocahontas has the smallpox, while at the same time there are two cases in Crabbottom. We hardly believe there is a case of smallpox in Pocahontas, but a genuine case of Cuban Chicken pox. They should ascertain to a certainty whether or not Pocahontas has the dreaded disease before tearing their shirts and not let one man worth his millions frighten the whole town.
We send the following nut for the teachers to crack: a mother gave to each of her sons 30 apples to sell. Johnny sold his at two for a cent and brought home 15 cents. Clark disposed of his lot at three for a cent, returning 10 cents; their combined sales amounting to 25 cents. On the following day, the mother went out with 60 apples and sold them at the rate of five for two cents, receiving 24 cents, for the lot. Where is the missing one cent?
INDIAN DRAFT
The measles are still a legal tender in this part.
Billy Gay is just recovering from a dose of measles and all of his family have it. Several others in this neighborhood have been exposed.
The smallpox scare in this part was huge but seems to be subsiding a little now.
BROWNS CREEK
We had a regular snow blizzard here Saturday and the thermometer registered 9 below zero Sunday morning.
Pole cat hunting is the order of the day up here. A good many have been caught.
If all the people of the county would get vaccinated, smallpox would not do much harm if it did get a start in our county. It is not that the disease is so dangerous to life that it is so dreaded but if it gets started, it spreads so rapidly. Everybody should get vaccinated without delay.
DIED
At Irvine’s camp on Knapps Creek February 10, 1900, John Randolph Tacy, aged 24. His parents are George and Caroline Tacy, of Back Alleghany… It was his wish to be buried near his home where his grave could be often seen and thus his parents and all others would be reminded of his being in heaven and would be waiting for them there.
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February 12, 1900 at Ronceverte, Mrs. Rebecca Auld-ridge, aged 90 years, relict of the late John Auldridge, of Laurel Run. She was a daughter of John Smith, a pioneer settler of the head of Stony Creek.
