Stories of Interest from the Hickman Courier from October 7, 1871 • Construction began on the new Fulton County jail. • The Hickman City Marshal arrested two men with stealing a skiff from Columbus as they passed the city wharf. • Fourteen family members had been poisoned at the home of John A. Sloan near Hickman. A daughter-in-law of Mr. Stone mistakenly used a bottle of “rats bane” when preparing sweetmeats. All narrowly escaped death according to Dr. J. W. Gourley. • James Chapman fell out of a skiff and drowned near Island No. 8 on September 29th. • Moses…

Stories of Interest from the Hickman Courier from September 30, 1871 • The Kentucky State Auditor’s Report for 1870 of Fulton County reported the following statistics: 96,000 acres of land, assessed valuation, $833,183; 1,271 town lots, valuation, $165,140; 1,469 horses and mares, valuation, $95,505; 856 mules, valuation, $69,005; 3,307 cattle, valuation, $12,450; 46 stores, valuation, $121,975; under the equalization law, $110,020 with a total assessed valuation of taxable property $1,431,348. • The old Fulton County Jail was torn down with only the iron cells left standing. • Fulton County had twenty-two school districts within the Kentucky’s Common School System, each…