Jackson Purchase Historical Society

Stories of Interest from the Hickman Courier from April 11, 1874

• A snowstorm on April 9^th reportedly “caused a heavy demand for coal, overcoats, and overshoes” in Hickman. The freeze of that night “finished the fruit crop of this section.” Farmers were “getting dispirited” that the wet weather halted progress with the planting season.
• The Mississippi River was reported rising and that with the melting snow overflow was “inevitable” at Hickman.
• Due to bad weather of April 9^th, the “letting of the bridge across Puncheon Creek” was postponed until April 17^th.
• The new St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Hickman was to be “opened for divine service” at 10 o’clock on April 19^th.
• The Hickman Order of Odd Fellows planned to celebrate the anniversary of their Order on April 27^th with a “grand ball and supper.”
• The Hickman Building Association was being organized and proposes to invest in building houses in the city.
• There were a dozen houses being built in Hickman and a new grocery store constructed by William Desilebreck in East Hickman. In old Hickman, Hertweck, Baltzer and Knoerr were building an addition to their wagon factory.
• The debate for and against prohibition of alcohol in Fulton County was highlighted in the Hickman Courier, along with a “plea for Temperance Societies” and a call that the election was “too hasty” and should be postponed.
• It was reported that the Fulton County assessment by the State of Kentucky may lead to “considerable reduction in the rate of taxation.”
• W. Robertson, W. G. Bullett, F. M. Ray, and J. M. Bigger announced their candidacies for Circuit Court Judge of the First Judicial District.
• Bernard A. Neale, N. P. Moss, and A. R. Stubblefied announced their candidacies for Commonwealth Attorney of the First Judicial District.
• John W. Wingate, H. C. Bailey, Jonah Montgomery, and Joseph Roulac announced their candidacies for Fulton County Judge.
• John W. Mays, William D. Taylor, J. T. Branham, and George W. Stubblefied announced their candidacies for Fulton County Jailer.
• John F. Tyler announced his candidacy for Fulton County Sheriff, J. F. Bynum announced his candidacy for Circuit Court Clerk, John N. Wilson announced his candidacy for Fulton County Clerk, Peter McConnell announced his candidacy for Fulton County Surveyor, and B. F. Hubert, M. G. Gaskins, and John R. Fields declared their candidacies for Fulton County Assessor.
• Caswell Bennett and Oscar Turner, candidates for Congress in the First District, addressed a crowd of people at Eddyville on April 6^th. Both men declared that “there was no difference between them in regard to politics, each being a Democrat.” They addressed the “inequities of the Federal system of taxation” and “protective tariffs.”
• P. Caldwell of Weakley County, Tennessee was candidate for 9^th Congressional District of Tennessee.
• The Dresden Democrat reported that Vincent Brann of Weakley County, Tennessee was accidently killed in a hunting accident on April 9^th. John McDaniel, also of Weakley County, while shouldering his rifle “bashed against a limb” which discharged the gun beneath the shoulder blade of Brann. Brann left a wife and two children.
• The Dresden Democrat also reported on April 3^rd that the son of A. Brasfield was bit by a mad dog and that Hardin Maddox of Hickman traveled to Dresden with a “mad-stone” to cure the boy. He applied the stone for four hours and that no symptoms of hydrophobia were noticed, and the son was “supposed to be in no great danger.” Maddox stated that the stone was given to him by his grandfather and “originally came from some wonderful island.”
• The first annual ball and supper of the Clipper Baseball Club of New Madrid, Missouri was to be held on April 14^th.