Stories of Interest from the Hickman Courier from April 8, 1871
• A portion of the people of Ballard County clamored for a division of the county and it was proposed that Milburn be the new county seat.
• The Mayfield Democrat reported that a Professor J. Hervey Gardner swindled about $5,000 from the people of Fulton Station under the guise to build a school but departed with the money on the Paducah & Gulf Railroad.
• Judge A. R. Boon and several other gentlemen left on April 7th for Mayfield from Paducah after attending proceedings against him in the Federal Court for not allowing testimony from African-Americans in his courtroom in Graves County. Boon claimed that Kentucky does not “authorize the admission of such testimony.”
• Ed Crossland is seriously ill and confined to his bed.
• The Murray Gazette reported that a preacher by the name of Dr. Collinsworth gave a series of lectures in Calloway County that focused upon the Church of Christ not being in anyway associated with the “Catholics, Baptists or Reformers” and “stirring up strife and contention.”
• Fruit in West Tennessee was not injured by the recent frosts.
• McKenzie, Tennessee reports having a Reading Club.
• R. O. Whitehead retired from the editorial chair of the McKenzie Times and was succeeded by Colonel H. W. Wall.
• The temperance movement appeared to be gaining ground in West Tennessee according to local papers.
• George Stacy was convicted in the Federal Court in Paducah of a robbery committed in Hickman County.
• T. A. Duke refused to surrender the office of City Clerk of Paducah to Mr. Greenwood his elected successor on the grounds that the election was fraudulent.
• Mr. Wingo, Circuit Court Clerk of Graves County, died in Mayfield on April 1st.
• The public was invited to attend a discussion on April 10th at the Fulton County Court House on the issue “shall we have a Federal union on a constitutional basis, or an absolute government?”
• The Democratic Party in Livingston and Calloway counties held meetings to support Willis B. Machen for first choice for governor and John A. King as second choice. Marshall County chose Oscar Turner for governor.
• The Paducah Kentuckian reported that “Western Kentucky, so far as we can learn, is in a good condition; that is the people are generally out of debt, and are making every year something beyond their expenses.”
• The Paducah Herald stated that Major R. T. Johnson has declined to canvass for the State Legislature in Graves County on account of his ill health.
• Petitions were forwarded to the Post Office Department requesting the establishment of post routes from Hickman to Blandville, Hickman to Boydsville and Hickman to Lovelaceville.
• The Murray Gazette announced W. W. Ayres, John Armstrong and Joel Curd as candidates for the State Legislature from Calloway County.
• A. J. Hess and Thomas Sproat declared themselves as candidates for mayor of Columbus. R. T. Samuel, Willis N. Ringo and W. F. Donaldson declared for City Clerk and T. B. Pearce and J. R. Ancy as candidates for City Marshal.
• Small pox was reported in Dresden, Tennessee. A merchant in the city, W. C. Scott, was the first to contract the disease.
• The former editor of the Hickman Herald, David A. Chambers died at his house in Union City, Tennessee on March 27th.
• James West, W. C. Holland and Colonel James Brian are candidates for the State Legislature from Marshall County.
• Fulton Station reported that farmers have imported fine hogs from Parkersburg, Pennsylvania and are turning their full attention to hogs and cattle ranching.
• John Lafever of Fulton County eloped with his niece, Mrs. Spencer, whose husband died two weeks earlier.
• The Circuit Court of Hickman County sentenced five men to the penitentiary before adjourning earlier in the week.
• J. H. Davis, J. H. Dodds and A. D. Kingman were elected Common School Trustees for the Hickman District.
• The residence of Sheriff William Roper, 7 miles from Hickman, was destroyed by fire on April 4th.
• Dan Rice’s Circus played on April 3rd but the Hickman authorities fined the owner $100 for not having a State license to perform.
• The Temperance ticket was elected in Mayfield on April 3rd, “a great reformation in that village is now promised and expected.”
• Mr. Badger, the Assistant U. S. Internal Revenue Assessor, commenced the assessment of Hickman and Fulton counties.
• The Odd Fellows will hold a dinner on April 26th at the Planter’s House in Hickman.
• A woman was brutally beaten to death in Columbus, Kentucky on April 6th. The murderer escaped but law enforcement was in pursuit.
• Reverend J. Cummings, Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Kentucky, will preach in Hickman on May 2nd and 3rd at Rosewell Chapel.
• The Fulton County Court established a new civil district in the county and an election for two magistrates and one constable was ordered. Hugh Cooper and N. Bushart were appointed judges and Charles Nichol as clerk.
• John W. Cowgill resigned the position of Public Administrator of Hickman.
• J. H. Dodds, R. E. Millet and Henry Campbell were appointed supervisors of the tax books for 1871.
• Some enterprising citizens discussed building a narrow gauge railroad from Hickman to Wheeling of Lake County, Tennessee.
Jackson Purchase Historical Society