This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
This newspaper page contains 24 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Ashton Gazette
Location
Ashton, Illinois, United States of America
Date
May 09, 1907
Page
3
A four decade old will by William Carter of Homer triggers a legal dispute in Vermilion County among sixty heirs. First marriage children claim half the estate, second marriage children contest, while the mother’s trust status and several deceased siblings complicate the case involving about $50,000.
The Chicago Ottawa and Peoria Railway Company gains a license to incorporate with Champaign as principal office and a nominal capital of 500 000 dollars. The line would run from Chicago through Cook, Will, Grundy, La Salle, Marshall, Woodford and Tazewell to Peoria and from Ottawa through La Salle and Bureau to Princeton. Directors include H B Chubbuck Ottawa and W H Carnahan C A Wright Charles Zilly and George M Mattis Champaign.
A blaze at the Hammond Packing Company's beefhouse in Chicago's stockyard caused about 150000 dollars in damage. Firefighters saved nearby Armour warehouses as watchman Jos Stoup alerted the fire and escaped through heavy smoke after entering the building.
The St. Charles Viaduct, known as the Bridge of Sighs, was destroyed by an incendiary fire after little effort to save it. The bridge over the Great Western tracks between Elgin and Aurora had been closed due to disagreement between St. Charles and railway companies, forcing pedestrians to cross on foot all winter. Citizens welcomed the blaze, hoping it would lead to a new bridge and end the dispute.
Thieves broke into safes at M. Buckmanter general store and L. Holt hardware in Wheel er early Sunday, stealing stamps worth 237.29 and 32.50 in cash from Buckmanter, plus 1500 in bills and 5 in silver from Holt. St. Elmo bloodhounds traced the robbers along the Indianapolis Southern tracks to Newton, where they likely boarded a train.
The Alton police arrested Richard Sims on suspicion of assaulting Violet Spencer and slashing her with a razor on a street. His description matches Spencer’s account, and another suspect is under surveillance. Spencer is expected to recover. a heavy cloak prevented a fatal wound.
Cornelius Bowman of Coal City saved five years for a marriage license but had only $1.20 when the permit cost $1.25. Deputy County Clerk Swenson lent the remaining five cents, enabling Bowman and Anna Histek to proceed with their wedding plans.
Christian Wirth and his wife held two intruders at gunpoint, then marched them five miles to Waterloo and handed them to the sheriff. The detainees Harper Gilette and H Sutton, from Indiana, carried revolvers during the search. Both are charged with burglary.
Stephen Boras found a bundle in the Fox River near Elgin containing three infants two twins a boy and a girl. Coroner Norton suspects the bodies were hurled from a passing train and had them buried after examination. The infants appeared to have been in the water several days and wore fine clothing.
Edwin Martin Dye and Professor Magan of St. Louis were tied to trees on Shurtleff College campus after ruling for the sophomores in a campus oratorical contest. Harold Johnson, a St. Louis attorney, had decided for the freshmen and faced no punishment. The annual debate between classes stirs strong loyalties and pride.
George Militis of East St. Louis was pronounced dead twice after a fall and ambulance transport by undertaker. He sat up in bed during mourning, later revived briefly, then lost consciousness again. A doctor finally declared death, but Militis regained consciousness half an hour later shocking Mrs. Militis.
Theodore Wahlgren of Kane County is defendant in a $10,000 breach of promise suit filed by Chicago resident Edna Ewing. He admits aiding her to help her children after meeting through a massage advertisement but denies ever asking her to marry him. He says he was already engaged to his current wife during the massage treatment.
A bill introduced by Mr Shanahan proposes moving Joliet prisoners to a new site with 500000 dollars set for land purchase and construction plans. The project aims to employ inmates in truck farming and quarry work and to centralize adjoining state institutions for cost savings. A separate measure grants Chicago teachers pension funding via a funded annuity and a nine member board to oversee gradual salary deductions linked to years of service.
Legislative leaders prepare for a short adjournment to push through measures with public demand while Gov Deneen may veto, and if vetoed, he will bear responsibility. Major items include local option pure food a 2 cent fare and Joliet prison funding merged with the insane asylum.
David B. Willett, a Bloomington section hand, sues Iowa Central Railway for 5000 damages claiming a train ax struck his leg, breaking it in three places. He describes the foreman leaving the ax by the track, the handle snagging a truck chain, and the ax being hurled with great force, rendering him crippled for life.
The jurors blame David Mayer, Mayer Hotel proprietor, for the death of Mrs. Mate Chester, grand secretary of the Eastern Star, at Peoria hotel. They cite hiring of incompetent, underage elevator boys as the cause of the accident.
An automobile driven by Ensley J. Case carrying women guests of the Travelers' Protective Association struck a garbage wagon and rammed a telephone pole in Peoria. Ensley Case suffered a broken head cut, Mrs. J. M. Eby of Adsora forehead cut and body bruises, Mrs. J. E. Mischer of Aurora suffered a fractured right hand and other injuries.
A Highwood bill to ban alcohol near Fort Sheridan military reservations passed the Senate 45 to 0 after oneHouse amendment allowing saloon closings by January 1. It heads to the Governor for signature. The measure targets intoxicant sales within one and one eighth miles of the fort and supports soldiers at Fort Sheridan and a new training station near Lake Bluff.
Paris adventurer Laurent Revel recalls a decade of globe trotting across all continents. He carries about 50,000 official certificates of presence and supports his travels by painting porcelain and giving free lectures. Revel survived attacks in Abyssinia and China, faced arrest in Tonkin, and escaped Klondike detainment before nearly starving in Venezuela. He plans to resume travel to Canada, Chile, Australia, and a deeper China voyage.
A Grand Magazine note describes Tonquin’s resinous buried trees valued for coffins prized by Celestials. Rich locals seek the rare wood, paying high prices as legends say ancient forests vanished in cata strophes, making the timber a wealth source. Also a Washington Herald quip imagines future flight neighbors borrowing wings.
A quirky verse notes the peach crop boasting to a cat, with the Tabby fading without a sound. It appears in the Kansas City Times and hints at sidetrack conversations about pride or alarm when meeting men.
May bank payments prove sound with low defaults despite heavier activity. Rail and lake freight volumes rise as waterways open, boosting mill and factory hiring prospects. Agricultural districts report farmer spending on implements, seeding progresses, and bank clearings reach 268,150,366, up 13.2 percent from last year. failures in Chicago district total 15, down from prior weeks.
New York reports persistent cold affecting retail and wholesale trade with April sales below last year, though four month totals exceed 1906. Advance fall orders look strong, while May 1 strikes are less severe. U S and Canada weeklies show growth in exports of wheat and corn, with Bradstreet’s noting overall industrial activity remains active and mixed.
Market quotes from Chicago to New York cover cattle hogs sheep and grains. Prices list per region include shipping cattle hogs and sheep ranges, wheat corn oats rye and other staples with no. 2 or no. 3 grades and varying bid intervals. Also notes a local incident in Youngstown and a gubernatorial respite in Missouri along with a Friends conference announcement for Richmond Indiana.
We want people to find what they are looking for at NewspaperArchive. We are confident that we have the newspapers that will increase the value of your family history or other historical research. With our 7-day free trial, you can view the documents you find for free.
People find the most success using advanced search. Try plugging in keywords, names, dates, and locations, and get matched with results from the entire collection of newspapers at NewspaperArchive!
You can also successfully find newspapers by these browse options. Explore our archives on your own!
Browse by location and discover newspapers from all across the world.
Browse by date and find publications for a specific day or era.
Browse old newspaper publications to find specific newspapers.