Time Machine Trip to January 1898

Hello Fellow Time Travelers,

Well it’s time to fire up the old “Time Machine Chair” and travel back in time to January of 1898.

For today’s trip Kathy Conrad, will be sitting in the front seat operating the Time Machine.  The big wheel is spinning; the years are clicking back and in no time, we are back on Wisconsin Avenue on Kaukauna’s Northside.

Charles Raught, Times owner, has left the newspapers on the chair out front.

  

Your old newsman - Lyle 

January 7, 1898

Experts say that the new $1 and $2 silver certificates will be works of art. The task of acquiring them, however, will be a work of industry.

Did you ever notice that when you meet a doctor he says: “How are you?” A newspaper man “What do you know?” A lawyer “What have you got?” But the preacher asks “Where are you going?” And that is the hardest to answer.

January 14, 1898

A girls’ basketball team from 1898

It has finally been decided to allow the young men at Lawrence University to watch the women when they play basketball. The men of the institution threatened to play ball behind closed doors if the law on not allowing the girls to play in public was changed. The girls will not play in their usual gymnasium costume of blouse and bloomers but the girls will wear instead of modified kind of bicycle suit.

All old officers of the First National bank were reelected this week as follows:

H.A. Frambach, President

M.A. Hunt, vice president

F.F. Becker, cashier

G.O. Babcock, assistant cashier

Luther Lindauer commenced harvesting his ice crop Monday, the ice averaging about twelve inches in thickness.

Father Rohde was injured while returning from a sick call last evening, in company of Louis Vanevenhofen the owner of the rig, when the horse was frightened by a train engine and bolted. Rev. Fr. Rhode was thrown from the buggy breaking his right arm at the elbow. He was treated at home by Dr. Lord who stated that there is a possibility of the elbow being stiff after healing. Fr. Selbach of Freedom was sent for to fill his place until further arrangement can be made.  

January 21, 1898

The tramps who were arrested here last week on suspicion of having stolen jewelry have been locked in the county jail this week. They will be tried Saturday and sentenced to the work house until further investigation is made.

The renting of pews of St. John’s church for the present year amounts to $2,110.00. There are but two or three pews now unrented.

A German doctor has stated the most drunkards can be cured by a very simple treatment, namely, by eating apples at every meal. He claims that by eating apples in large quantities possess properties which entirely eliminate the craving that drunkards have for drink.  

January 28, 1898

With the death of Mr. James Simmons this community loses another one of the oldest pioneers, another one of the few who can look back to the early years when Kaukauna, in fact the whole Fox River Valley and the state of Wisconsin was in its primeval state. James Simmons was born among the tribe of Brothertown Indians, January 5, 1821 in New York State.  He arrived here in 1835 at the age of 14 years. He said he lived with Joseph Quinney, in a cabin near where now stands the Combined Locks Mill. He could remember the old mission home that stood on the present site of the Chicago and Northwestern shops on Kaukauna’s south side and was among the attendees of the old log school and church about a mile south near John Brill’s homestead. His reminisces of his early years was very interesting.

The mayor and chief of police have ordered all slot machines out of Appleton, and as a result several new ones have put in an appearance in Kaukauna this week, where there are no restrictions.

Heavy Storms - The snowstorm here last Saturday night was but a touch of the regular blizzard that passed through the country further south. Trains were all abandon between Fond du Lac and Chicago from midnight until Sunday morning, when snow plows were sent out to clean the tracks.