Our Town 100 Years Ago: October 1895

Late October 1895 was a busy time for Whitehall. Crops were in, the town was growing and short on water (no sewer or water system yet served the community) and kids were back in school. The following are articles as written in the October 17 and 25, 1895 editions of the Whitehall Zephyr.

A Long Felt Want: Now that the bustle craze has returned, Shorty Davis, who possesses inventive genius of extraordinary merit, has come to the front like a god of glory, and filled a long felt want by inventing a bustle that bids fair to eclipse all former inventions. The concern is made of thin sheet rubber, and is constructed on the automatic principle, with vacuum chambers, and is so arranged that it discharges the air and flattens out as the wearer sits down, and by aid of the vacuum chambers, inflates as the wearer arises. The invention is also provided with an air valve, to which is attached a double action, self acting whistle, which will be found of unestimatable value to signal a street car or call the lap dog, as the case may be. It may also be used as a life preserver or a pillow. A model of the invention is on exhibition at Shorty's place of business on Railroad street.

"Laugh and grow fat," has become a musty, mildewed back number. If you would now get fat, you must go to Franks' Meat Market and get one of those nice, juicy steaks, or an invoice of that finely seasoned sausage, which will lay the tallow on your ribs, like the blubber on a whale.

SAMMY get your gun! The Spaniards say that they hate the Americans and that they will attend to them as soon as they are through with Cuba. They say they will parade in Central Park, N.Y., and hang Cleveland. -Poor Grover.

The sidewalks along Railway street are sadly in need of improvements. They should be leveled up kept in good repair. One night this week, ye modest scribe was horrified to observe a young damsel, as she came tripping along in the mellow light, unexpectedly step from off one of the high places and suddenly perform such acrobatic feat as to cause the man in the moon to blush till the earth was bathed in deep crimson.

The scant water supply in our town should be taken into consideration by the citizens and business men, and should be handicapped by a few barrels of water, kept constantly on hand. Do not put this off, but get a move on, for the fire fiend is like a thief at night and comes when least expected. Do not wait until your singed cat come bounding through the red, glimmering hole in the partition, and the hissing tongue of the fire demon shrieks in your ear, to late! too late!

Don't forget the races and dance on the 26th. Come everybody and bring your best girl-or some other fellow's best girl-come anyhow, for you can play the horses till your pocket book busts, and dance till your collar button melts, all on the same occasion. Don't forget the date.

Mr. Coryell, at Jefferson Island, had 250 young chickens this season. So did the coyotes.

Joe Morris received a consignment of anarchist candy last week, which has been source of considerable amusement among the boys and girls. While it does not "blow up" the person eating it, the partaker, for a while, feels like blowing up the giver.