Anyone who likes history or who simply enjoys reminiscing about the 'good old days" should discover the joys of microfilm. One of my favorite pastimes is to spend a few hours in the Special Collections section of the MSU library, poring over the microfilms of old newspapers. There are newspapers collected there that go back into the 1800's, including a few local ones.

I have recently been going through old copies of the Cadiz Record, hunting old obituaries; this job is considerably lengthened by my being sidetracked by other news items from the past. One example is the following, from the April 17, 1934 edition, entitled "Preacher Advised to keep on Preaching."

"A preacher accused of moonshining was advised by Judge Charles Dawson in U. S. District Court to 'stick to preaching' or he 'might get a chance to be chaplain in the penitentiary.'

"The Reverend Adoiphus Walker was charged with operating the 'Center Ridge Distilling Co.' in Calloway County, the largest whiskey making outfit ever discovered by prohibition raiders in West Kentucky. o "At the last term of court the Reverend Mr. Walker who subsequent to his arrest took up preaching, was sentenced to a year and a day, but sentence was suspended till today. Judge Dawson probated the entire sentence, only uttering his word of warning.

"Bert Dyer, a young man jointly accused with Walker of conspiracy to vtolate the national prohibition law was given a 6 month probated sentence.

"The distilling plant was found in the Blood River vicinity. Signboards announced the business and an elaborate code of rules of behavior for employees and visitors, even telling the men to take off their hats and be polite to the ladies, was hung on a tree.

"The accused preacher declared he was through with making whiskey and intends to continue preaching."

Many of the early articles are marked with a dry form of humor which makes them interesting reading: for example, when announcing the death of Mr. Pullman of Chicago, who invented the railroad car named for him, the paper commented, "he took out of the world with him everything that he brought into it."

A large portion of the early papers was composed of articles clipped from other journals; these were of a sensational nature generally. However, the November 1934 Record included a notice taken from a Gallatin County, Tennessee paper which I first thought was a joke, and then realized that It had been put in the Gallatin County paper in earnest. It reads as follows

"This is to notify Gallatin County persons that are figuring on attending the World's Fair and sponging on J. B. Barker and family while there and then come back and tell people they stopped at the Palmer House, had just as well save their fare. Because Barker and wife and son are in Gallatin County for several weeks and their home in Chicago is padlocked. Barker says he bought one-way tickets the day the fair opened."

That's one way to save yourself problems.

Return to the Index of Judy Maupin's Genealogical ancedotes, stories and family notes.