Past Pages for April 29 to May 1, 2020

Wednesday

150 years ago

The Turkish Speaking Head, a most startling novelty and inexplicable wonder, as reported to us by reliable witnesses, will be here this week, and on Friday and Saturday evenings and Saturday afternoon will be exhibited at Mart. Reese’s old saloon rooms. A living human head, upon a table in full view, converses with visitors. It has created a decided sensation in Virginia City.

140 years ago

Poisoned Food. — Yesterday afternoon Deputy Sheriff Williams of Douglas County arrived in this city with a box of food which was poisoned several months ago by a negro, at Sheridan, named Butler for the purpose of killing a German resident of that place. The food is supposed to be impregnated with arsenic and when a chemical analysis is completed by August Hebberling, assistant assayer of the Mint, we will find if poison is found in the food and the negro Butler will be tried on a charge of attempted murder.

130 years ago

On Sunday evening George Hark and Adam Uhl came to blows in front of Fischer & Decker’s. No one seems to know what it was all about and particulars of the affair are only obtainable with great difficulty. It seems the row was between three of the leading butchers in town.

120 years ago

Yesterday Fred Stanley, who enlisted in the Nevada Cavalry and went to the Phillipines, returned to this city. When the Calvary returned to this country Stanley re-enlisted in Troop M, 11th Cavalry, and was badly wounded in the leg during action. He has been discharged for disability and says he wants no more soldiering and is glad to be home in the sagebrush land again.

100 years ago

Kings Canyon Road to be Opened at Once. To put a force of men at work at once on the Kings Canyon grade and open the way to Glenbrook was one of the conclusions at the Greater Carson Club last night.

Thursday

150 years ago

Narrow Escape. — Night before last the engineer of one of the V. & T. R. R. Co’s locomotives discovered a horse, caught, as he supposed, by the bridle on a culvert which crosses the road just east of town. He started his alarm whistles, but the horse not moving off, he stopped his engine, got off and went to drive the horse away when he discovered a man, dead drunk, lying across the track with the horse’s reigns in his hands. This was a mighty “close call” for this subject of John Barleycorn, and there is a good opening for his reformation.

140 years ago

The hanging took place at Winnemucca on Tuesday afternoon at 10 minutes past 2 o’clock in the presence of a large crowd of spectators. Long before the hour set apart for the terrible scene in the hanging of Charles Westley Hymer, who on the 6th of May last murdered T.K. West in Paradise, Humboldt County (continued).

130 years ago

As the Appeal predicted, there was a fine shower of rain yesterday, and it looks as if there would be more soon.

120 years ago

The Paper Dance. Yesterday the Band boys gave the long promised paper parade and it proved an excellent attraction. Every member was dressed in gorgeous paper costumes from a bold bandit to the harmless Chinese, and the elephant wound up the procession, somewhat gaunt for want of proper food and slightly intoxicated or so it seemed.

100 years ago

The regular meeting of the Leisure Hour club will be held this evening. After the business meeting Mrs. Blackwell will read a paper on: “The Problem with the Unemployed; Does it Affect Us?”

Friday

150 years ago

An Indian Murderer Caught. — On Friday last Sheriff Thacker received a dispatch from the Sheriff of Lyon County, requesting him to go up to Camp McDermott and arrest an Indian, who is charged with murdering a man some three weeks ago at Kauffman’s Station, 40 or 50 miles this side of Virginia. The shot that killed the man was fired through a window, while he was at the supper table, and no clue was obtained to the murderer. It seems the sister of Natchez, informed the officers that the murderer had been wintering at that place.

140 years ago

Hanging (Continued) A Dying Declaration. “Friends: I am now standing on the verge of eternity. As a dying statement, permit me to say that though I was never yet made perfectly conscious of the fact that I am guilty of murder in the strictest of the term, yet I am perfectly willing to confess that in the deed I have committed, and in every false step of life, I have violated so far the ordinances of God and man as to be willing to expiate them all with the sacrifice of my life.” (Continued)

130 years ago

It is rumored that Jaguarine, the champion swordswoman, will be one of the attractions at the District Fair this Fall.

120 years ago

It is now a settled fact that about July first Theo Hofer will have charge of the Carson Post office with the appointment by the President having been confirmed by the Senate. There is a little romance behind the appointment. About a year ago, without any warning to anyone, younger Hofer invaded the Stewart mansion and packed Senator Stewarts granddaughter off bodily and married her. It was heard that grandma Stewart was sizzling hot when the news reached her.

100 years ago

Overland over the Lincoln Highway. Maps have been issued by the San Francisco offices of the Western Army department showing the route through California and Nevada that has been selected by the army transportation service. And, strange as it may appear, the route selected is the Overland trail. Placerville, Carson, Fallon and Ely have all been left out.

Trent Dolan is the son of Bill Dolan, who wrote this column for the Nevada Appeal from 1947 until his death in 2006.