15 May 1867
Page 1
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Newspaper
Freeport Journal
Location
Freeport, Illinois, United States of America
Date
May 15, 1867
Page
1
An early report describes a harsh Russian mud bath facility where patients lie in open air boxes of heated mud for up to an hour. They are then moved to warm baths, amid confined, smoky spaces with bare boards separating genders. The treatment ends with a hearty meal and restoration of the body to a cast-like condition.
Thos Meehan argues trees generate heat through decomposition like a stove, warming surroundings. He notes snow near trees thaws, hyacinths thaw underground, and dense evergreen belts act as stoves and blankets reducing cold winds. He calls for more screens and tree belts to temper climate as timber clearing worsens conditions.
A colonial era note describes an ancient male secret fraternity among Cherokees, Choctaws, Chickasaw, Creeks, Seminoles and other southern tribes. Initiation is simple yet binding, with life‑long obligations and mutual aid. Indian Freemasons reportedly trace a genuine Masonic origin, possibly centuries old, with anecdotes from U.S. Commissioners and a Seminole Florida encounter.
A fragment discusses an Indian fraternity linked to Freemasonry themes. It notes peculiar groupings of three, five, and seven during hunts, claimed as traditional and sacred. The piece links these numbers to Masonic symbolism and hints at a historic bond akin to the Jonathan and David friendship prior to Freemasonry.
The report details growth of Illinois Bible Society operations in the year ending March 1867. It notes 33 new auxiliary societies, totaling about 1,450 with branches, $65,000 in book value across 1,450 depositories, and ~85,000 volumes circulated costing $42,000. About 150,000 families were visited, 7,000 destitute of Bibles found, 5,000 supplied. Remittances to the American Bible Society reached about $82,300, with roughly $40,000 for state circulation and $12,300 for broader supply. Life memberships around 1,4600 and about 700 directors formed, travel and labors by agents summarized. The piece reflects Illinois as a major remitter to ABS, second after New York. It closes with historical notes comparing growth since 1847 and thanks to supporters and agents.
Artemus Ward is linked to a real liv ing showman known as the irritator in jokes. A Cincinnati memory recalls a bold riverboat encounter on the Ohio when the Major boasted of bribe cards and a pistol duel, then used legal wit to defend a client in a mock serious plea. The tale ends with a grim note as the Major and his wife are later said to have died in a banking escape gone wrong.
A Sing Sing correspondent recalls an intricate escape plan by convict Jas Dunn. Dunn allegedly used a gutta percha water tight coat with a hood and glass panes, attached tubes with decoy items, to wade through river waters aided by floating ducks. Guards noticed but missed him as he fled to an accomplice outside, before being recaptured and returned to confinement.
A 1863 Wheat era dispute in Loganport Indiana centers on a Old School Presbyterian minister named Church and his daughter who clashed with a soldier’s wife over a butternut remark. The jury awarded $100 to the plaintiff after thirty six hours deliberation while a new trial motion is filed. A Whitewater B Register report also notes a fatal minting accident at Winchester Patridge & Co in which Horace Gunderson was crushed in a basement belt accident and his body severely damaged.
The Illinois Stove Company of Chicago reports its premises were invaded by a mob of eight hour men and employees driven from work. It notified the city government it will seek damages accruing from the proceedings, asserting the city can restrain violent acts of mobs under the law.
About fourteen rabbits released on Mr. Austins Barwon Park estate in Melbourne multiplied rapidly. Last year the progeny on the estate totaled 14 253, despite destruction and intrusion beyond the estate boundaries, with rabbits found at considerable distances into the surrounding countryside.
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