Lost in my Thoughts

Here it is Wednesday, early in the afternoon, and I just remembered I never wrote.  I spent the morning in the archive library reading in the 1885 Sheldon Enterprise and thoughts of that stayed with me.  I think I made some kind of resolution that I'd pay more attention to this blog and look what already happened.

The old time newspaper editors really laid it out, baring everyone's soul.  One article told of a lady who was examined by the commissioners(?) on insanity and pronounced of unsound mind.  It went on to say she would be taken to the Jamestown Asylum the next day.  "Her brother, it will be remembered was sent to the Insane Asylum at Yankton...and is now at Jamestown.  At last accounts he was but little, if any, better than when first sent."  We never read anything of the kind in today's news.

To make your mouth water, this bit appeared, "Fried prairie chicken for breakfast is now on the bill of fare."

Insults came easy.  Here "Dr. J. D. Henning returned from his trip East last Saturday.  The doctor doesn't seem to have lost an ounce of avoirdupois since his departure."  I had to think about that a bit, then remembered avoirdupois means weight.

A writer in the Sept 8 issue rode the train with the sheriff to take the lady to Jamestown.  To get there, they rode the train to Fargo, then boarded another train to reach Jamestown.  While there, they saw another man staying there.  They saw him "paring potatoes in the kitchen.  He says he is a Methodist exhorter, and preached us a sermon in his wild way, and also sent his regards to everyone in Sheldon."

A long article told of the hanging of Louis Riel in Canada and got pretty graphic.  "The hangman appeared from the gloom of the corridor.  He was masked and present a repulsive spectacle, as his black eyes could be seen through small apertures in the mask gleaming through...The drop was nine feet, and the victim fell with terrible force, so that his neck was broken instantly.  For an instant the body remained still, but suddenly the nerves twitched and the knees were drawn up to the adboman.  This was repeated three times.  The coffin was nailed up and buried in a temporary grave near the gallows."  The writer even described the rope used, "It was a short hempen cord five-eighths of an inch in diameter."  Morbid!

All of these were the ways of the news back then.  Almost every issue stated graphic details.
...

 Ole leaves Duluth to get a job as a chauffer driving a huge limosine in New York City. The Pope arrives at the airport and Ole picks him up. The Pope wants to do the driving. Ole says that's against company rules, but eventually gives in. The Pope is a terrible driver, he goes up on the sidewalk, he doesn't stop to pay the parking lot toll, it isn't three minutes before a policeman pulls him over. The policeman sees right away that he has a problem on how to hand out the ticket, so he calls his supervisor down at the station & says "I need help in how to give a ticket to someone here who's really important." "Is it the Mayor?" "No, more important than the Mayor?" "Is it the Senator?" "No, more important than the Senator." "Well, then who is it?" Policeman says "I'm not sure. I don't recognize him, but he's got the Pope driving for him."