Today in Johnson City History, Saturday, October 26, 2024

Gov. Taylor falls into Reelfoot Lake, short news accounts in The Comet, "Get Involved!" absentee voting

Thursday, October 26, 1899: One hundred and twenty-five  years ago today, The Comet reported sad news. “The pale horse and its grim rider has again visited our household and has taken from us our babe, Eleanor Blair. The Lord gave her to us October 1^st, 1898, and on October 25^th, 1899, sent for her. He wanted her in heaven, perhaps as a companion for her little sister, Edith. In her short life this little babe has had scarcely an ailment. Last Saturday she was taken ill with a cold after several weeks of particularly good health. Dysentery developed and would not respond to treatment. Wednesday afternoon about three o’clock the little body was shaking with a spasm and while struggled to throw it off God’s finger touched her and she slept. The funeral services were conducted at the residence Thursday afternoon at two o’clock by Rev. J. A. Lyons and the little one was then laid to rest in Oak Grove Cemetery.

“We beg to say that we feel very grateful for the many expressions of sympathy that have reached us, and the many acts of kindness shown us during the illness and death of our little one.”

It is interesting that Eleanor’s parents’ names were not mentioned, but her sister’s name was mentioned.

Dysentery is a bacterial infection that can usually be effectively treated today.

Readers also learned the following, which was initially reported in the Commercial-Appeal, which was, and still is, a newspaper in Memphis.

“Gov. Taylor is just from Reelfoot lake (sic), where he fell in. He was with Seld Waddell and a part of Union City people. They went out to the lake to shoot ducks. The governor deposited his portly figure in a canoe and, with No. 5 shot in his gun and a deadly gleam in his eye, silently stole out on the placid bosom of the water, seeking to destroy ‘quacks’ and duck feathers. There is a curious thing about the governor’s hunting. Whenever the chief observed of the feathery tribe sees him coming he wigwags a waning (sic) note in his cohorts to beat a retreat. It is even cruelly told of the governor that he is a dead game sportsman to such an extent that he buys all his game on the bank. The man who was rowing the boat moved his mind quicker than the paddle, and while rowing around with the Boers in the Transvaal, or thinking of what an artistic figure Oom (sic) Paul would cut in a cake walk, overturned the skiff.

“The former great governor of a great state splashed down into the lake. In going out of the boat he had presence of mind enough with him to take his chair along. He had learned from his boyhood that walking on the waters these days is not what it is cracked up to be. He reflected, therefore, that even if walking on the water was not good, he might at least take a seat in his chair, which rested in the mud, and wait for the skiffman, who was splashing around and filling himself with lake water. The poor skiffman had gotten so much of this stagnant fluid in him that he had to be floated out on a paddle while the boat was being turned over again. There were no dry docks in sight and the two belated and mud-besplattered Nimrods had to pull for camp.

“In the meantime DeLong Rice, the governor’s manager, had issued an altimatum (sic) to the ducks and followed it up with an open declaration of war. A ten-bore gun and a hundred shells and a skiff and DeLong and the skiffman formed the attacking fleet. DeLong muttered the battle cry of ‘Death to the ducks” and pulled the trigger. The shot went after the mark and the gun took its spite out on DeLong’s shoulder. Out he went into the water, flopping about like a lame lobster. He, too, started to camp for repairs. He tried to get there unobserved. The governor, who had also headed for camp, hailed him, but Rice was too busy pulling for the short (sic) to answer questions. He wrung his hat and dripping coat and sat down.

“The governor came  up and it was evident that something had happened. His hat was slouched down over his ears and his clothes looked as it he had been ran through a washing day up in the mountains of East Tennessee. Rice saw a light; the governor had pulled up lame.

“’Hello, governor,’ he said, ‘how do you feel?’

“’I feel like a durn fool,’ he said, ‘how do you feel?’ Rice said he felt so, too, and the rest of the camp had the joke of the outing.”

Other non-related stories of interest included the following:  “Mrs. J. B. Cox has been ill for several days with typhoid fever. She is doing as well as could be expected, and her friends hope she will speedily recover.”

Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection and can now be prevented by means of a vaccine.

“Postal Clerk George Hufstedler, whose head strnch (sic) at Concord, Tenn., on last Sunday night, was still alive yesterday, with slight hope of his final recovery, notwithstanding that his skull was badly crushed.”

“Quite a number of the society young people enjoyed an opossum hunt last Tuesday night. We have not been able to learn how successful they were, but have heard of no cases of gout resulting from an overdose of ‘possum and sweet ‘taters.’”

“Mrs. J. B. Richmond, of Gate City, Va., is visiting her daughter, Mrs. J. R. Cox, who has been very low with fever, but is now rapidly improving.”

“In a row at Blue Springs Saturday night John Bowers was seriously stabbed by John Collins.”

“Dr. J. B. Triplett, of Elk Park, N. C., was found dead in bed one morning last week. It is said that he took morphine to allay a severe pain and died from the effects of the opiate.”

Everyone knows this is an election year, and the election is close at hand. I’ve shared in “Get Involved!” before that, for several reason, I absentee voted in the November election this year. What I didn’t share, but that you may find interesting, is that I found my absentee ballot while going thru the pages of the local newspaper. I say this in case you have asked for an absentee ballot, but have not received one. I know I don’t always look at all of the newspaper on the day I receive it, and I can say the same thing for catalogues and magazines. A word to the wise will suffice!

Truly, it takes several people to put together something like you’ve just read. I express profound appreciation to Heidi Dulebohn and Stephanie McClellan Houk for their thoughts and encouragement.

Grateful appreciation is expressed to Collin Brooks for his social media expertise. If you need assistance with your social medial needs, call him at 423-735-8755.

Will Riddle, owner of Riddle Technology Services, can help you with all your computer and computer-related needs. He’s the best! Call him at 423-480-4024.