West Jefferson in Days Gone By - series 47 by Charlie Miller

NEWS ITEMS: ____ The Madison County Democrat, July 28, 1870 – The Macedonian Oil Man was in town Wednesday night, gave his usual “show” and relieved our people of a considerable sum of money. 

____August 4, 1870 – The population of West Jefferson, exclusive of the Railroad Addition is 570. 

____ August 11, 1870 – Henry Eye took on too much red eye on Sunday and as a result, had his right eye closed up by the proprietor of an up-town doggery. The baseball mania has broken out in this village and a club called the “Athletics” which promises to eclipse its famous namesake, has been organized. 

____September 11, 1870 – Dr. McCullough the new Post Master, intends to remove the Post Office to the Martin Kuehner Shoe Shop. (This building was the one that collapsed several years ago on the northwest corner of Main and West Streets.) 

____There is a man in Terra Haute, Indiana who pays his wife a regular salary of $3.00 a week to keep her mouth shut. Every time she speaks to him except when absolutely necessary, he docks her 1c. a word. He was out a little late last Saturday night and she took out a month’s wages for his shortcomings, and he finally had to agree not to count it in order to get some sleep. 

____September 22, 1870 – Ben Hoe is adding a large storeroom to his business on the east end of Main Street. 

November 10, 1870 – The Village dads have ordered brick sidewalks to be laid on all the principal streets and we notice that the property holders have gone to work in earnest. 

November 17, 1870 – W. H. Stutson, the popular butcher, is supplying our citizens with the very best beef steak at 16 cents a pound. 

____NIBBLERS- Our grocery men will not doubt tender us a note of thanks for printing the following- 

“One kind of nibbler is a man who enters a grocery store, runs his fingers into every sugar barrel and takes a couple of ounces, then goes to the cheese and cuts off a slice, just to taste, then as a matter of course, he must have a few crackers, and perhaps before he makes up his mind to purchase a quarter of a dollar’s worth, he has eaten the profits on $2.00 worth of groceries. He is more disliked by the grocer than the rat because they can’t kill him when they catch him! 

____December 12, 1870 – There is to be a Christmas tree at the Methodist Church.