SERVING HENDRICKS COUNTY SINCE 1847
Page A-2
The Republican
Delving Into Yester~Year
Local historian and writer Paul Miner takes items from
The Republican’s Yester-Year column to develop an interesting, informative and often humorous article.
To the Editor: Drowsing in the library on a rainswept day, I read Brownsburg’s canning factory in October 1896 was churning out 18,000 cans of tomatoes a day. I remembered green tomatoes can be electrified to make a battery, and that they possess slight diamagnetism properties as well. Few likely knew that back then, so “electric” and “magnetic” described things that were neither when sly marketers decided both words were sufficiently intriguing to reel in credulous customers. Bald people who had abandoned hope in 1850 for luxurious manes were urged to get the Magnetic Hair Restorer and Invigorator from the Empire Company in New York. Glabrous Advertiser readers surely hitched horse and drove to Danville, inconspicuously asking who around the Square had the stuff. Agents in Danville and Springtown sold Dr. W. Swan’s Magnetic and Vegetable Purifying Pills in 1851. Swan’s cleansed the liver, stomach and bowels without purging or vomiting. I found no further reference to “magnetic” until 1877 when Dr. J. Clark, one of “nature’s own magnetic healers,” lectured two nights in Clayton on physiology and “the magnetic touch.” A local doctor, “who had observations with him privately, reports him thin.” A mystifying San Francisco medium in 1880 “surmised” her powers arose from “certain physical peculiarities, in the shape of “magnetic endowments,” enabling spirits to “express themselves.” Seven years pass before another magnetic mention. This time, it’s Magnetic Insoles for relief from rheumatism, cold feet and bad circulation, price $1, please include shoe size. Those insoles were “the most powerful made in the world” and afforded relief within three minutes. The Magnetic Appliance Company of Chicago manufactured the miraculous devices, along with Magnetic Kidney Belts for gentlemen. The belts would “positively cure” pain in the back, head or limbs; nervous and general debility, and lumbago; rheumatism, paralysis and neuralgia; sciatica, kidney diseases and torpid liver. They remedied something I’m uncomfortable mentioning, impotency, heart disease, dyspepsia, indigestion, hernia or rupture, piles, and more. Together with the insoles, cost was $10. I’d spend that – and more –even if I didn’t suffer from all those conditions. Waist size needed. Both were warranted to cure that thing I can’t mention, and impotency, in one year or money back. Ladies could order an Abdominal Belt and Magnetic Foot Batteries for conditions I can’t disclose for fear of being indiscreet, but about which Magnetic Appliance wanted “full particulars,” for only $10, six-month trial guaranteed money back. These devices were worn over the underclothing and held their power “forever.” Keeter & Company on the Square’s west side sold six bars of Magnetic Soap for 25 cents in mid-1888. That quarter would buy seven bars of Every Day Soap. Old potatoes were $1 per bushel. A nickel bought a pound of prunes. Mrs. M.C. Thayer of downtown Indianapolis treated all diseases using water and Dr. Thacher’s magnetic shields in 1890. The miraculous “hydro-magnetism” cured chronic rheumatism and neuralgia in a few days. Dropsy, hernia, spinal difficulties, hip trouble and “all deformities of children” were cured with Magnetic Shields, along with nervous trouble, palsy, paralysis, epilepsy and chronic dyspepsia. Heart disease was cured in 99 out of 100 cases. A “very fleshy” Indianapolis woman suffering from rheumatism claimed both cure and eight-inch waistline loss. A bedridden Shelbyville man beset with rheumatism and blood poisoning was not only cured but gained “50 pounds of flesh in four months.” Mrs. Thayer cured boils, carbuncles and felon fingers at no charge. She convened consultations at Mrs. Daggy’s place in Danville. In 1902, readers sent a stamp or 10 cents to The Investigator, Box 7X, Willow Mill, Illinois. In return, they would learn about hypnotism and magnetic healing, “no fake.” This was a 30-day offer, so don’t send anything now. Defiance Starch which housewives “must have” for the laundry was unequalled; Magnetic Starch Manufacturing of Omaha produced it. A 16-ounce package not requiring cooking cost a dime. G.W. Sharp handled the “full line” of Professor Long’s Celebrated Magnetic Combs in 1903. These wondrous combs, which I think were made of an aluminum alloy, removed dandruff, stopped hair loss, and cured headaches. Sharp was county agent for the Mound City Dish Washer. The device was a large lidded pot equipped with a crank on top. Filled with dirty dishes, water and detergent, and cranked for five minutes, the gadget rendered everything inside clean and undamaged. I’d buy one. Paul Miner Lizton ______________________________________________________________________
Publisher’s Point of View It’s No News November
Well, it’s four days into No News November. How are you doing? Have any twitches developed? Are you getting bruises trying to read a stranger’s newsfeed? Or maybe you’ve been sneaking a peak every now and then just to make sure you aren’t missing out on something tragically important. Or maybe you think it’s a dumb idea and you are still constantly checking your newsfeed, your FB feed, your twitter feed and so on. Let me let you in on a little secret: It’s okay. Whether it’s politics, climate change, shortage of workers, inflation or the national debt, it will be okay. There’s nothing that will change just because you were listening to it in November. You may not have heard your neighbor’s rant against President Biden or your cousin’s tirade about former President Trump. You may have missed the suffering your neighbor endured because Dairy Queen didn’t have Buster Bars. But, again, it’s okay. If you haven’t joined those of us turning away from the news this month, it’s not too late. You can still enjoy 26 days of bliss if you start today. Just do it. If you procrastinate on this, it will be over before you know it. With Thanksgiving coming, do yourself a favor and turn it all off now. This is a time for family and friends. This is a time for empathy for those suffering. It’s a time for patience with your loved ones. It’s a time for giving thanks, not criticism. A time for love, not hate. A time to forgive.
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My quitting last year was due to the toxicity. What I didn’t expect to happen, happened slowly. Over time more happiness creeped into my day. This may not happen to everyone, but you should try it. You will be okay. If you are accepting the challenge, we would love to hear from you here at the newspaper. __________ Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! Anne Frank
Thursday, November 4, 2021
Yester~Year
The Republican has published local news weekly since 1847. We offer this column as a look back at events from our archives and to help connect today’s readers to the people and events in our past. ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of November 5, 1896 Clayton: One of the best Republican rallies in the county was held here last Friday. The crowd was variously estimated from 5000 to 8000 people. The parade at ten o’clock was one of the finest in the campaign. Charles Hogate and Morton Pike came down from Lafayette over Sunday on a tandem. The Republican is indebted to Mrs. Phoebe Newman and James D. Smith for generous quantities of persimmons. Sheriff Bell and Deputy Taylor were called to Pittsboro yesterday by wire to quell a riot. They returned last night without any prisoners. Ed Pearson, son of Silas Pearson, came the farthest to vote of any man who voted in Danville. He came from Newport, Rhode Island, where he has a position as a telegrapher. New Winchester: “Bake” Harper and Edgar Williams are each the possessor of a sprained back trying to lift a spiked gate Hallowe’en night. Avon: The ladies of the neighborhood conducted an unusually tidy refreshment stand at the election, Tuesday, proceeds of which go to furnish the parsonage some needed fixtures. Frank Downard’s barn west of town burned yesterday morning about one o’clock. It is supposed it was set on fire. It was one of the largest barns in the county, three stories high, cost $3,300 Mr. Downard says. The “best judgment” of the Brownsburg Record is that there were 3,500 people present at the recent Republican rally. ______ ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO Issue of November 3, 1921 Many methods of Christian Science practitioners, Chiropractors and Osteopaths were denounced strongly at the meeting of the Hendricks County Medical Society, Friday afternoon, at the Royal Theater. Grain is asked from the farmers of Hendricks county for the relief of the starving Armenians. Charles E. Kurtz, of Marion township, is the chairman of the drive. Seemingly all the parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, big brothers and sisters of the school children came to the Mattie A. Keeney building to enjoy the Hallowe’en festivities. There more different costumes on exhibit than a Paris dressmaker could design in a lifetime. Amo: A two-pound Irish potato, almost in the exact shape of a mud turtle, is on exhibit at Owens’ store. It was grown by Charles Summers. Professor Rigdon’s new book, “The English Sentence, a Grammar Text Book for Colleges and Normal Schools,” has recently been issued by the Indiana Publishing Company. The Hallowe’en dance given by the Phi Delta Kappa fraternity of Clayton was one of the most brilliant social events of the year in Danville. The hall was decorated with fodder and pumpkins. About twenty-five guests were present in addition to the membership of the fraternity. Ned Clay’s six-piece band furnished the music. One of the notable occasions of the week was the open meeting last evening as planned by the library board. The high school orchestra furnished an excellent prelude to the program. Miss Lou Robinson’s talk on “The Library and Its Progress was brim-full of interest and the speaker was at her best in the presentation of the subject. Dr. J.L. Sharp has purchased the ground at the intersection of South Tennessee and South Washington streets, the site of the Figg house which burned, where he proposes to erect a splendid hospital that he may better care for his increasing number of patients in Chiropractics. _______ SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of November 7, 1946 Mrs. Rosemary Frazier, dean of women, Canterbury College, will attend the conference on student guidance at Purdue university. Miss Ina Shaw, formerly of Danville, has been appointed head librarian at Canterbury College. Gross receipts from the annual Hallowe’en party at the Danville schools was $934.22. Crawford Parker, formerly of Danville, was the successful candidate for county clerk in Henry County in Tuesday’s election. Wilber E. Newlin, a Hendricks county stockman, will be among the Indiana
exhibitors at the International Live Stock Exposition and Horse Show, in Chicago, November 30 – December 7. He will enter Duroc-Jersey swine. As far as township trustees go, the Grand Old Party slipped a little in Hendricks County Tuesday. At present ten of the twelve trustees are Republican; at the beginning of next year, Franklin township will join with Brown and Union in the Democrat column. Mrs. Emma Wills at Clayton received painful injuries, Monday, when her fingers were caught in a wringer of an electric washing machine. ______ FIFTY YEARS AGO Issue of November 4, 1971 The smoking at school policy adopted on an experimental basis at Brownsburg High School expired October 15 and the policy has been rescinded. New Winchester Veterans of Foreign Wars is the top post in the state with 100 percent membership. James L. Lowry has joined the law firm of Kendall, Stevenson & Howard, Danville. Miss Susan McBride, Danville Community High School senior, has been chosen as the DAR Good Citizen. Scott Schillen, 24-year-old native of Nevada, will be the piano soloist when the Indianapolis Philharmonic Orchestra comes to Danville, Sunday, at 4 p.m. This concert is a community project by the Delta Kappa Chapter of Tri Kappa. Mrs. Claude Walls, executive secretary of the Hendricks County Tuberculosis Association, reports Christmas Seal letters were mailed this week. Mrs. Leslie Sandefur, Danville Welcome Wagon Hostess, reports new Danville residents include Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Gardner from Defiance, Ohio. They have two children, Lora, age 2, and Scott, age 4. Brownsburg saw a vote against a swimming pool referendum, 568 to 376. David L. Richardson, cashier-personnel officer of the First National Bank of Danville, completed the fifth annual seminar for younger bank officers. November 12-13, the Hendricks County Hospital will present its annual Food & Gift Fair at the National Guard Armory, US 36, across from the hospital. ______ TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO Issue of October 31, 1996 A total of 51,487 Hendricks County residents are registered to vote in Tuesday’s General Election. This is an increase of 3,844 more than for the 1996 primary. The Abstract & Title Guaranty Co., south side of the square in Danville, was turned into a full-blown birthday party buffet of their boss, Lee T. Comer, Friday, on his half-century mark. The Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Hendricks County recently completed purchase of the First Presbyterian Church of Danville at 95 North Jefferson St. Beginning Sunday, November 3, the worship service will be each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. The wind and rain didn’t dampen the spirits of 35 dedicated Senior Golfers on October 23, at their Halloween mixed scramble at the Hendricks County Golf Course. Julie Wallace, of Amo, was the winner of the $25 worth of groceries at the Open House at the Amo General Store. _____ TEN YEARS AGO Issue of November 3, 2011 Local playwright Ron Schnitzius gives voice to the elderly in Hendricks Civic Theater’s production of Schnitzius’ comedy, “The Wrinkled Rebellion,” starting November 4, at Long Street Playhouse. The Town of Brownsburg’s annexation of 140 parcels contiguous to its east boundary became effective October 27, increasing the town’s size by about one-third. For the first time since it opened in the 1950’s, Danville Dairy Queen will stay open year round. On Friday, November 11, the Plainfield Elks will be opening their doors to all community veterans for a dinner, free of charge. Clint Stoutenour, son of Clint and Tina Stoutenour, recently received a $500 scholarship from the Association of Indiana County Sheriffs. Mill Creek West Elementary School in Amo has eight new fitness stations installed it the outdoor science lab. The fitness trail signs were funded by a $2,500 American Farmers Grow Communities donation from the Brock family. _________
