WALNUT ITEMS FROM THE AVOCA DELTA
Before Walnut Had Its Own Newspaper
PHYSICIANS.
DR. W. F. WIARD,
Walnut Station, Iowa.
Offers his professional services to the citizens of Walnut and vicinity. Call promptly responded to day or night.
(April 8, 1875, p. 1)
(April 8, 1875, p. 3)
Evidently women were created before men—so she could look around the house for his boots and hat.
Sand hill cranes are plenty on the west Botany since the flood. A number have been shot.
Last Thursday the mixed train on the Rock Island, ran off the track just this side of Walnut Station, tearing up the track for considerable distance. But little damage was done save to the track. Now that
the frost is coming out of the ground and the company continue to be too infernal stingy to allow section bosses men enough to keep their sections in good order, we must expect the road to be out of repair some where.
Walnut Station has grown so its best friends wouldn’t know it.
A lightning express train will soon be put on the Rock Island railroad.
The Rock Island railroad company are building twelve locomotives for freight purposes.
The Rock Island railroad is now doing a heavy freight business. Four trains arrived and departed on Sunday.
Last week, a team belonging to G. R. Randall, near Walnut, while he was harrowing in a field took fright and ran away. Mr. R. stuck to the ribbons for about two hundred yards, but was finally compelled to let go. Shortly after one of the horses was caught by the harrow, both its hind legs broken, the teeth penetrating its body killing the animal instantly. Fortunately, Mr. Randall escaped unhurt.
Last Thursday the town of Walnut was the scene of the most intense excitement over the intelligence that a Dane by the name of George Bonde had committed suicide, by hanging himself in the stable of a German by the name of John Jacobs, who lives about two miles north of that place. Bonde came to that place about four weeks ago, with three horses and a wagon, farming utensils and a house already framed. He boarded in the Jacobs family until his death. On the morning of his death he arose as usual, and went out to feed the horses. Shortly after Jacobs went to the stable, and on opening the door discovered Bonde hanging to the roof of the stable. A coroner’s jury was summoned by Squire White, of Shelby county, who examined Bonde’s clothing and trunk, found $155, in money and a note for $250, but, nothing that could shed any light on his reason for taking his own life, and a verdict was rendered in accordance with the facts above stated. His sister, who resides in Durant, Iowa, arrived there on Saturday and took possession of her ill-fated brother’s effects. A deep mystery surrounds the whole affair.
(Friday, April 15, 1875, p. 3)
PLOW TRIAL.
Walnut Badly Beaten!
Denmark and Clarinda Breaker
Too Much for Them!
The Stubbbs Breaker and Ottawa Clipper Badly Beaten!
A very hotly contested plow trial took place on Wednesday last about two miles north of Walnut, on the farm of Peter Farrell, resulting in the complete defeat of the Stubbs breaker and Ottawa Clipper which, as related to us by an eye witness, occurred as follows.
Two Clarinda breakers had been left, a few days previous to the above trial, with Mr. Farrell to be settled for when they had been tried. In the meantime, parties at Walnut having been apprised of this fact, resolved to defeat the sale and build up a reputation for their plows at any cost–. So with their plows in the best possible order, repaired to the scene of action, without giving notice to Van Brunt & Sons, of this place, who represent the Clarinda breaker, knowing that by so doing they could not defeat the Clarinda, if there was any one to represent it, and accordingly built upon the hope that there would be no opposition, but like many others who build upon intentions, were doomed to disappointment. They first commenced with the Clarinda, using all possible means to make it a failure, but without success. At this juncture, the agent called to settle for the plows–not knowing how matters stood. Proceedings were for a moment stopped, the Clarinda agent took possession of his plows, asked for a file—for the shares of the plows were thick, and could not be expected to run with plows previously fitted for the trial—and after a few strokes, pronounced the Clarinda ready for the contest before it. Plowing was very brisk for some time–. The Clarinda taking the lead from the start. The Stubbs breaker was induced to run, after an unlimited amount of fixing and adjusting—the Ottawa clipper did much better, but was of very heavy draft. Mr. Farrell was allowed to be judged, who decided as follows.
“The Ottawa Clipper is one half horse heavier draft than the Clarinda, and the Stubbs breaker I would not have at any price.”
Thus was this would be shenanigan trial ended. Mr. Farrell kept the Clarinda breakers, paying three dollars more for them than the other breakers were offered him for, and another feather has been added to the already full-fledged crown of the Clarinda breaker. (April 22, 1875, p. 3)
ANOTHER PLOW TRIAL AT WALNUT, APRIL 23, 1875—The Clarinda Breaker again proves itself the lightest draft breaker made by an actual dynamometer test, with the Stubbs Breaker and Ottawa Clipper, as decided by a committee chosen from those present. Below we give the relative draft of each breaker.
Clarinda—highest point of draft,785 lowest point of draft, 550, average draft, 625.
Stubbs—highest point of draft, 800; lowest point of draft, 625; average draft, 700.
Ottawa Clipper—highest point of draft, 875, lowest point of draft, 700; average draft, 775.
(April 29, 1875, p. 3)
We received the following report of the plow trial at Walnut, published in our last week’s issue. The article the writer this report alludes to was not written by us—it was only an advertisement. (May 6, 1875, p. 3)