Time Machine Trip to March 1909

By Lyle Hansen

March 5, 1909
The annual track meet of the various classes of Lawrence University was held at Alexander gymnasium. Kaukauna was represented by two freshmen, Frank Charlesworth, who secured first place in the broad jump, and Roy Kuehn, who took second in the shot put.

A Kansas City street car conductor found a pocketbook lying under a seat.  He remembered the man who had been sitting there and ran after him.  “Thank you, there’s $3000.00 in there.” was all the man said and walked off. He later heard the man was looking for him. Expecting maybe $50.00 floated in his thoughts.  But all he said was “Go buy yourself a cigar.” Then he handed him 15 cents.

William H. Taft was duly inaugurated President of the United States. Thousands that had assembled in Washington to witness the event and accompanying parade and festivities spent the day in the throes of one of the worst storms that the city had experienced in many years. A blizzard raged all during the night.  Ceremonies had to move inside taking place in the senate chambers.  The parade through the slush was not well attended and very unpleasant.




March 12, 1909

Open war on the car flipping practice indulged in by boys here and elsewhere in the state has been declared by the Chicago and Northwestern Railway Co. which has appealed to the courts for aid in fighting the evil because of the danger in it. Prosecution of boys who practice car flipping is the means which the company will employ to abolish the practice.

Kaukauna was visited Tuesday and Wednesday by one of the worst blizzards of this winter.  The snow delayed trains and interurban cars and crippling the telegraph service. The railroad found it necessary to run double headers and even then, the trains were one to two hours late.

March 19, 1909
Luther Lindauer will commence work next Monday on his new $150,000 pulp mill on the power recently acquired at Little Rapids and from that time on there will be activity at this point until the mill is complete and is ready to turn out pulp because it is a well-known fact that "no grass grows under foot" when once Mr. Lindauer gets started on a project of this sort.

March 26, 1909
The unusual sight was witnessed of two beautiful white swans on the lower river disporting themselves, their size and gracefulness attracting much attention. An inexperienced hunter got his shooting iron to go gunning for the birds, but was informed that they were protected by law in all seasons of the year. A heavy penalty attaches to either killing the birds or destroying the eggs.

The saddest case on record in this vicinity from the ravages of consumption is that of the Van Gompel family of Little Chute.  The father, mother and six children have died within the past eleven years and one child remains, a young daughter, whose health is impaired.

Plans for the complete rebuilding of its telegraph lines on the Lake Shore division south to Milwaukee is being considered by the railroad. The decision will be reached within the next thirty days.  The cost of the work will be between $4000 and $6000 according to estimates. The rebuilding of the lines was made necessary by damage resulting from several storms this winter.

The reign of terror among women in Manitowoc by a person dubbed “Jack the Hugger”, will probably be ended after an incident of a recent evening. A south side girl was seized at a late hour when she was on her way home from work. In the struggle which followed the girl jabbed her assailant with a hat pin.  As the man sought to cover her mouth she bites his hand. She tells the police he will be easy to identify by his wounds.  The girl had bruises and a cut on her lip.