A Clever Defra y ing Note Exposed in Horse Fork Scheme
A veteran insurance man recalls a con man in Clyde Ohio who sold farmers horse hay forks through a scheme using sub agents and forged promissory notes. He roped in dozens of farmers, issued notes for 180 with interests, then vanished after collecting 5 000 to 10 000 dollars. The ruse relied on tidy contracts that masked the true debt and delivery. He tracked new victims by touring town after town, leaving a trail of protested notes when the notes reached the bank. The author shapes the tale from observed episodes in Sandusky and Wood counties and plots a cautious inside look at the graft.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Joseph B. Howles
Clyde
Nichols House
Dupes
Wood County
Freeport
Bowling Green
Sandusky County
Cleverly Charged Fork Scheme Ends in Fraud
An uncle recounts a farmer’s encounter with a gentry broker who used a forged promissory style contract to trap the farmer into a deal. The note promised $180 plus interest and asserted delivery of forks, yet concealed the farmer’s potential losses if sales faltered. The misrepresented agreement aimed to secure payment while shifting risk to the unwary buyer.
The Popes Train and Cotton Bolls Mystery
Reports describe Pope Pius XII touring venues in simple dress and joking with visitors about train lengths on cassocks. A local Edgefield mercantile display shows a cotton stalk with 178 opened bolls, sparking notes on possible yield.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Edgefield (Mise) Mercantile Company
Wise Place
Horn's Creek
The Doctor's Blunder and Sabbath School Jests
A Town Topics snippet recalls a Sabbath School classroom gag about commandments and a quip that breaking one would leave nine. The piece shifts to a caller asking if the husbandbooted Dr Smoother from the house after Jack, worn by baby for two weeks, was told by the doctor to take more exercise.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bobby Thickneck
Dr. Smoother
Jack
Dialogue Sparks Anxiety Over Town’s Safety
A husband warns of a notorious killer threatening the town while his wife expresses anxious concern. The exchange reveals fear and vigilance as they discuss potential danger and the need for caution in daily life.
Not a Cockneyite and Other Light Bits
A compact collage of humorous snippets and gags from early 20th century papers. Dialogues on marriage, mischief, and social manners alternate with quips about fashion, cooking, language, and love. Witty exchanges spotlight everyday foibles, cross-cultural humor, and playful banter from multiple small notices.
Kherson Oats From Russia Introduced By Nebraska
A Nebraska experiment station report highlights Kherson oats from Russia as an early maturing, short-straw variety suited to central and western Nebraska and the Great Plains. Tested 1901–1903, it yields well in western regions, drought resistant, though color makes it less marketable than Texas Red.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Russia
F. W. Taylor
University of Nebraska
Nebraska
United States
Kherson
Ruatsia
Great Plains
Points for the Farmer Inspires Practical Field Work
Davis urges careful planning and steady effort to make profits, advising farmers to scrape bark from apple trees to kill eggs and involve children in early detection of pests. B L P notes emphasize early action on new bugs. Governor Deneen endorses teaching elementary agriculture to every farmer’s child before focusing on adults.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Davis
Deneen
Producer and Consumer Tension in Price Equilibrium
The producer seeks high prices while the consumer wants low costs. Both parties converge on abundant production as the common ground, enabling moderate prices that satisfy producers and consumers alike.
Bright Bits By Wits Wit and Words Reflections on Virtue Merit
A humorous column reflects on honesty pride and kindness noting that real worth cannot be bought and that self made beauty fades while a man’s reputation rests in deeds not praise The piece wittily contrasts wisdom folly and the limits of advice in human conduct.
Bits by the Way: Oddities and Curiosities Across Regions
A scatter of trivial notes covers diverse topics from social norms in China to animal fears, historical ice manufacturing in 1783, and economic curiosities. Observations include gendered scent perception, cheap clothing in India, and lemons used in soap production in lemon-growing countries.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
China
India
Kidney Pain Relief Testimonial From W L Jackson
W L Jackson of Parkersburg West Virginia describes twenty years of back pain and urinary trouble from weather, requiring nightly urination and catheter use. After taking Dean's Kidney Pills the urine flowed freely and pain faded. He claims eight years of cure at age over seventy and remains active. Sold by all dealers for 50 cents a box Postes Milburn Co Buffalo NY
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
W. L. Jackson
Parkersburg
W. Va
Loftes
Dean
Postes-Milburn Co
Buffalo
Also Mentioned on This Page
J. P. Johnston
Hasling
Johnston
Noth
Faravanr
Ons
Jon T
Farerang
Ovre
Jone
Soca Sr
O. Toston
Gerssah
Pius
de Pius X
Tom—Jones
Tess
Cincinnati Enquirer
Cleveland
Cassell’s
Mary
Anny
Willie
Little Willie
Houston Post
Tuck
Louisville Courier-Journal
Bis
Indy
Boston
Ella
Stella
Trou
Kherson Oat
Ittle Iver
Eadaghe
Jacrese Susetirates
W.L. Douclasse
Mess
W.l.dong- FT
Rone” Genet
Douglas
W.L. Douglas
Bruckion
Hass
Hansaaite
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!