Stories of Interest from the Hickman Courier from August 25, 1876
• With the increase of precipitation, the crop prospects in Madrid Bend were considered “splendid.”
• The Hickman Courier reported that there were hardly any “mad dogs” in the city, which was dramatically different for the prior summer.
• William Power of Hickman was building a new brick pavement in front of his residence.
• The Hickman City Council met on August 16th and declared James Warner as victor of the recent election for City Marshall.
• The Hickman City Council was negotiating with the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railroad to improve the city’s wharf.
• The Fulton County Circuit Court adjourned early on August 21st on account of Judge W. W. Robertson’s having an illness. Ed Crossland was elected pro tem Judge and held court until later that evening.
• The grand jury of Fulton County indicted Thomas Burgess for stealing a buggy from Martin Chambers of Hickman. Circuit Court Judge W. W. Thompson ordered Burgess to be brought to Hickman from the Clinton jail. The Court order was executed by Sheriff B. R. Walker on August 23rd. Burgess was to remain in the Hickman jail until the February term of the Fulton Circuit Court. The Grand Jury also acquitted Dr. Gideon W. Paschal, a resident of Fulton Station, of the murder of a child by poisoning. Testimony by the family’s physician, Dr. C. D. Boaze, stated the death of the child was from fruit worms. In his opinion, there were no symptoms of poisoning. Further testimony from other witnesses, corroborated that the child had not eaten any fruit from the orchard of Dr. Paschal and the “whole story was a mistake without foundation in truth.”
• J. W. Stephenson (District No. 1), E. M. Bradley (District No. 2), J. R. Barksdale District No. 3), Lewis C. Young (District No. 5), and J. O. A. Cooper (District No. 6) were elected Fulton County constables. A. P. Fields was elected Justice of the Peace for the 5th County District.
• The Democratic Club met on August 21st and passed a resolution to erect a “Democratic Tilden and Hendricks Reform flagpole and flag on the Fulton County Court House hill. A committee was appointed to raise funds for the project. They also passed a resolution to organize a committee and invite Democratic speakers to address and encourage the black communities in the county to support the Democratic Presidential Candidates.
• L. S. Trimble, candidate for Congress, addressed the citizens of the county at the Fulton County Courthouse in Hickman on August 18th before a “respectable audience.” His speech was “well received” and “made a decidedly favorable impression.”
• Rhey Boyd, assistant elector for the First Congressional District, gave a “most effective speech” to a “large and attentive audience” at the Hickman City Hall on August 23rd.
• Isaac Trabue, a former Republican candidate in the First Congressional District, was delivering speeches in the region denouncing the Republican Party and calling for the election of Peter Cooper for President of the United States.
• A large delegation from Hickman attended the Fulton Democratic barbecue.
• The editor of the Hickman Courier was certain that a convention would be called to nominate a Democratic candidate for Congress in the First District. Oscar Turner, L. S. Trimble and A. R. Boon were all legitimate contenders with a chance to claim the candidacy.
• Thomas Clay McCreery, United States Senator from Kentucky, was invited by the Fulton Agricultural & Mechanical Association to give an address at the Fulton County Fair.
• Henry Buchanan, of the Hickman firm Buchanan & Barnes, was to travel to Eastern cities to purchase “Fall and Winter stock” for next several weeks.
• Lucy Isler, a wealthy young lady from Hickman, purchased the Westbrook residence and donated the property to the Catholic Church for a convent and catholic school. Additional buildings were to be constructed to facilitate both.
• W. L. McCutchen and his daughter, who were traveling in Eastern cites was telegraphed to return home on account of Mrs. Jennie McCutchen’s health issues. He accepted the invitation.
• W. H. Whipple, who resided near Woodland, was recovering from a heat stroke that he had on August 19th.
• A fight occurred at a church festival in Fulton between Wes Board and Lewis Johnson. Board killed Johnson with a knife.
• The Paducah News reported that the Republican Convention in the city on August 23rd was composed of twenty-four white and twenty-two black representatives from six of the twelve counties in the First District.
• J. H. Glass began to publish the Democratic newspaper the Gibson County Mirror at Trenton, Tennessee.
• A cotton manufacturing firm owned by James Moffit was destroyed by fire on August 19th at Troy, Tennessee. It was believed the fire originated from the heat produced by the one of the cotton gins. The loss was estimated at $5,000. He was not insured.
• Robert A. Hatcher, former member of the Confederate Congress during the Civil War from Charleston, Missouri, was renominated as the Democrat from the 4th Congressional District of Missouri.
• Ernest Fowlkes, son of Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Fowlkes of Hickman, died after a short illness on July 19th at the age of six.
• Carl Schurz, of Hickman, intended to return to Germany after the election to reside.