Jackson Purchase Historical Society

Stories of Interest from the Hickman Courier from June 13, 1874

• The long-continued drought in the region had caused “great injury to our farming interest and great despondency with our whole people.” Tobacco was expected to be half the average crop, hay was “literally burnt up,” oats “greatly damaged,” corn was “suffering,” cotton “greatly injured,” but the wheat crop was believed to be above average.
• Hickman City Council met on June 8^th to compensate contractors for street repairs and formed a committee to investigate the death of a horse owned by R. E. Finch claimed to have been killed by the city’s bad roads. The Council also passed motions to repair the steps leading up the hill to the Fulton County Court House and that all dogs assessed by the City Tax Collector be muzzled within twenty days, and the City Marshal directed to kill dogs found “running at large” after that date without muzzles.
• A grand picnic and dance sponsored by the German Benevolent Society was scheduled for July 4^th at Miller’s Garden in Hickman. An advertisement announced, “dancing day and night” with “excellent string and brass bands.”
• The Hickman Baseball team had been training to play an upcoming game against the Union City club.
• The Davis Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry planned to meet at Kirk’s Schoolhouse on July 4^th.
• A “protracted meeting” at the Hickman Methodist Church, led by Reverend J. D. Bush and Reverend James Spence, had been ongoing during the past week.
• Reverend N. N. Cowgill was to preach at the Hickman Episcopal Church on June 13^th.
• Jefferson Pierce, Bible Agent for the State of Kentucky, lectured before the Fulton Bible Society during the past week in Hickman. It was reported his work in the county was “very successful.”
• The young “German misses” of the music school presented the editor of the Hickman Courier a “beautiful bouquet” on June 10^th.
• The Fulton County Court met during the week and ordered Joseph Crostic to close the old Moscow and Mayfield Road to alter the route, Isaac Barnett and others petitioned the court for a byway from old Barnett Road southeast to the State line, R. C. Prather and A. D. Kingman were paid $8.00 to be certified as tax supervisors for the county, William B. Jones was appointed Constable in the Hickman civil district until the August election, a verdict was issued against John Wilson to pay $36.00 annually for four years and nine months to Sarah Winston for the maintenance of his child, and T. J. Lane was appointed as guardian for Nannie and W. J. Vance.
• An editorial in the Hickman Courier recounted at a meeting of citizens in Ballard County before the Civil War in 1861 that Oscar Turner, Democratic candidate for Congress, loudly denounced Judge R. K. Williams for “neglecting his official duty to make [pro] Union speeches.”
• Another editorial in the Hickman Courier encouraged Ed Crossland to seek another term in Congress and declare himself a candidate.
• The Columbus Dispatch declared its support for William Lindsey for Governor and in doing so stated “all the jugglery of the State cannot alienate the [Jackson] Purchase from him.”
• The City of Benton passed a prohibition law within the town limits by one vote.
• A magical lantern exhibition of Bible pictures was on display in Woodland.
• The Union City Herald reported that a man by the name of Shoeffer, who was accused of setting fire to businesses in Union City, was exonerated “by all the leading citizens of the place.”
• The T. J. Caverhill murder trial in Trenton, Tennessee brought forth more details and that it was not Thomas M. Collie who murdered Caverhill but a woman by the name of Mrs. Gallagher. The woman was paid $200 soon after the murder and was promised $200 more when Mrs. Caverhill received the insurance money. His widow was also reported to have participated in an attempted murder in Mississippi before she relocated to Tennessee. She was believed to have been involved with a married man who hired a black man to kill his wife. The wife survived the attack, and the attacker and husband were captured and later hung.