100 years ago
NOVEMBER 28, 1902 — Major Walter Reed, a distinguished officer in the Surgeon General's department, died in Washington last Sunday, of appendicitis. Dr. Reed was a brother of our friend, Mr. Tom Reed, of Antelope, and visited Marion some years ago. The daily papers have contained fine eulogies of him, this week. He was eminent in his profession. He had been a surgeon in the United State Army since 1875. In 1893 he was appointed curator of the army medical museum in Washington. At the close of the Spanish war he was sent to Cuba to investigate the peculiar diseases of the island. He was an eminent bacteriologist, and he it was who discovered that yellow fever was conveyed by a certain variety of mosquitoes, and as a result of his brilliant discovery and the remedies suggested and applied to prevent it, the island has been entirely free from this deadly scourge for a year, the first exemption it has enjoyed for three centuries. The nation lost a great and useful man when Dr. Reed died.
Mrs. Roger Hannaford and daughter Josephine arrived from Mount Vernon, Washington, Monday evening to visit Marion relatives and friends.
Mr. A.W. Robinson, founder of the RECORD in 1870, (then the Western News) now editor of the Cawker City Ledger, gives us this echo from the pioneer past:
Bailie Waggener has appointed Frank Doster assistant attorney for the Missouri Pacific railroad, on a salary of $6,000. He has selected one of the best men for the position he could find in the state. We knew Doster soon after he landed in Kansas. I was running a little 9x12 paper in Marion, the first one they ever had in the town. We "kept batch" in our office, a little room over a harness shop, and the young attorney frequently visited with us. He had no wife then and he put in a good deal of his time reading our exchanges and watching us soak our bread in gravy. We knew Frank would amount to something; he had no bad habits, and was very studious. Since then he has been a member of the legislature, judge of the 25th judicial district, and for six years chief justice of the supreme court, and we — are still running a little weekly paper and trying to make both ends meet.
The home talent of Marion which had such great success at the Pilsen Hall last Wednesday will show at the Rogers Hall Monday evening, Dec. 1. Reserved seats will be on sale at Stanford & Billings' drug store.
Serving turkeys should be glad that it's over.
The boom of the town of Aulne continues. Mr. Holloway has erected a blacksmith shop, and Mr. Burns, a former blacksmith at this place, will occupy the one vacated by Mr. Holloway.
On a Rock Island train, last week, two well dressed, ardent lovers, evidently a newly married couple, amused the other passengers with their cooing. After awhile the fair young bride leaned back in her chair and fell asleep. Her companion took advantage of the lull in affectional demonstrations, and went into the smoke car to enjoy a cigar. While he was gone, a long, lean, lank, grizzly specimen of humanity came in and sat down in the vacant chair beside the sleeping beauty. Presently, the young woman, half asleep, turned and laid her head lovingly on the shoulder of the stranger, and put her plump arms around his neck. The green gawky stranger seemed a trifle surprised at this unexpected familiarity, but he made no desperate effort to escape. He merely looked around at the convulsed passengers and grinned. Then the hilarity awoke the young women, and opening her large blue eyes she saw her mistake. With flushed cheeks she stammered an apology. "You needn't 'pologize to me," drawled the stranger, "I didn't keer."
The ladies are requested to have the fancy articles intended for the Presbyterian Fair delivered to the home of Mrs. D. Thompson by Monday noon.
Dr. Hannaford has received a card from Mrs. Noah Miesse, from which we are permitted to quote. It is dated at Tempe, Arizona: "Arrived here Monday morning. Noah is feeling real strong. Appetite good, but left lung quite sore, probably caused by a cold car. Weather fine. Are settled in a good, comfortable place." All our people will be glad to know that the long journey was made so favorably, and will fervently hope that the good news in the above note will be followed by Mr. Miesse's speedy restoration to health.
A small freight wreck on the Rock Island track between the depot and crossing delayed traffic for four or five hours last Tuesday.
It took an opinion of the attorney general to bring a couple of obstreperous school boards in central Kansas to time. The teachers wanted to observe Thanksgiving as a holiday. The boards declared that if they failed to hold school Thanksgiving, they would be "docked" in salary. The teachers appealed to State Superintendent Nelson and he, in turn, called upon the attorney general. The attorney general investigated and opinion of the court found that "Teaching contracts for stated periods are subject to the observance of recognized holidays, and there should be no reduction for such occasions from the teachers' wages.
(Copied by Joan Meyer from the 1902 microfilm files of the Marion Record.)
