WAY BACK WHEN

(The Spirit is pleased to share with our readers vignettes of life in the 19th century as originally reported in past issues of the newspapers. These reproduced stories include their original headlines.)

April 29, 1896 Playing Horse With Snakes

It is astonishing to what strange occupations small boys, who are full of energy, and without cares and responsibilities, will resort to fill up the gap of time. The other day a number of boys ranging in ages from ten to fifteen years, caught, by the use of a forked stick, ten snakes. Then they took strings and tied the snakes together, the tail of one to the neck of another. Then, having the head snake secured by a string around its neck, the boys switched up their reptile procession and gave the order of march. The snakes squirmed and wriggled, and made frantic efforts to get away, shooting out their red tongues in a most angry and menacing way, but to no purpose. It was excitement for the boys, but a disagreeable experience for the snakes, which were common garter snakes. For several hours the boys indulged in this amusement, and then, when tired of it, the little savages killed the snakes.

April 29, 1896 A Gang of Robbers

A gang of thieves and robbers is energetically at work in Oliver township. The real object of the organization seems to be to rob Morrison’s store, but while Mr. Morrison is replenishing his stock and getting things in shape again, other things are stolen as a sort of diversion. Last Thursday night a commercial traveler named Spencer, who was stopping at Rea’s Hotel in Cool Spring, was robbed of about $56 worth of his samples. The gang also called upon Uriah Abers, of Cool Spring, and stole all his meat. And a few nights since 25 bushels of oats were stolen from James Hawthorne. This gang of thieves ought to be broken up, and that quickly. It would not require very shrewd detective work to locate its members, because there seems to be a well grounded suspicion concerning their identity.