The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-02-23
r ..om.rv On this occasion 70 m.La

tis customary on this occasion to make
, sneech. and were I Gregg, Norris or
! Mixter. I should certainly do so, endeav-
ming bv abundance of sparkling anecdote
to Get Won all back into the heart and
sn;Tit Of former days when we were boys
together"
how 7 and another man earned drink In |
in Rock Island, about thirty.h hive years ago
and paid for it-or rather the other man is
suspected to have paid for it-by a trans
fer of a third partys property,
It was in the DAYS when there was no |
money, less even than there is now;
and we all had to do three days labor on
the street, for our road tax.
COL John Buford was then Supervisor,
and had called out about dozen able
bodied citizens, one of whom was that other
man just spoke of The is one OF our recent
ex- Presidents and his name begins with a
b. Another was myself, He and | were
put to unload the wagon, while all the
others were employed to load. We had
no dump boards in those days and, as
many of you know, the work of unloading
was about as hard IS that of loading, every
parcticle of the sand having to be got out
of the wagon box with a shovel. The sand
was taken from the ground where the St.
Louis depot now stands and was hauled on
the street in front Of the wooden mill prop
erty.
Never were two young men more tired
than and that "other man.
Col. Buford, who was then candidate
for and afterwards elected to the State
Senate was with the men who were load
ing, and furnished them keg of beer
from Davenport, to wash the sand out of
their threats. When that was gone he made
them pail of egg nogg-but never drop
of either got we. 1t was all an accident of
pointing it out.
Late in the afternoon the sand began to
come faster and faster from the refreshed
leaders. The day was fourteen hours
long; no ten or eight hours work for Old
Settlers At last, however, the days work
was done, and that other man-that recent
ex President-and | sat down, tired and
parched, 1t happened about that time
that well known minister passed US. He
was scarcely out of sight when my com
panioD noticed that the minister handicapped
his red silk handkerchief. He spran1
| to his feet with an exclamation of joy,
picked up that handkerchief and ran Of
| to return it to the minister, possibly. Very
| soon, however, he returned, with a tin cur
| of Tom Bentley's best. We gladly swall
| owed the welcome contents OF that cup, bu
to this day | don't know who paid for thu
drink. AS for what became of the handker
chief, am equally ignorant. [ saw tina
he had handed it to somebody, but sup
posed it was all right and asked no ques
tons. Whatever suspicion there may b.
in the matter is none of my creation; but
if you want to settle the point,-ask th,
man who picked it up,
MR.. JAMES TAYLOR
then said, in regard to those who had die,
during the year:
1t now becomes my sad duty to reat
over the names of those Of our Association
who have died since we last met. | az
happy to state that the number is less tha
it has been for some years. The first o.
the list is Rinnah Wells, born in Wayn
county, ILL.,, May IA, 1921; died at Anda
lusia, on Sunday evening, April IA, in hi
56th year;-had just been elected mem
Der of the Board of Supervisors. MI
Wells married Miss Hannah Buffuu
daughter of the late Jonathan Buffum
leaving widow and FIVE children.
Jonas Sparks was born Jan 4, 1915
died July 3, 1877; native of Bedfor
Co., Pa. came here in lS4l; we'll know
about Coal Town as being an Independent
honest man.
James Copp, a native Of Devonshir,
England; born Nov. 5, 1915; died on Sur
day morning, Aug. 5, 1877, in bis sixty
second year. He came here in 1885, livin
with Col, Davenport on the Island, wher
he was married to Miss Sophia Bowling
in 1888. They had seven children, fou
of whom survive. He was very extensive
ly known.
Mrs. Eliza D. Augustus, native Of tt
state of Main; died Aug. 5. 1877.
Mrs EImira Calkins, born in Saratog
Co., n. Y, Jan. II, 1905, widow of Z.
CaIkinsl; died Sep. 3, 1877, in her sever
ty-seventh year. She came here with ht
, family in 1912.
John Siegrist, born at Strausborg, Franc
: in 1914, came to this county 10 1887 an
resided here to the time of his dealt
which occurred on Wednesday, Sept.
1877, in his sixty third year.
Il Vim. ID. Hatten, boru in Buckingham
shire, England, in 1912; came to Ne
! York in 1881, and to EdgiDgton, in tn
county, in 1889, where he successfully Il
7 the life of farmer until last year, whe
!. he came to live in this city, where he die
Oct. 80, 1917, in his sixty-ffth year, lea
ing widow, three sons and thr,
daughters. He was much respected
being an honest, upright man.
George W. Harris, born Jan. II, 179
! in Suffolk Co., n T.; died Oct, 23, 1877
in his eighty-third year. He served
country in the war of 1912; came
Henry Co., ILL.,, in 1887, and to th
I county 10 1912, where he resided until Il
day of his death. He was much respectt
by all who knew him and was very ef
Gent member of the Old Settlers Societ
Judge John W. Spencer, born July 2
1901, died Wednesday evening, Feb. 2
1878, in his seventy seventh year; can
{ here in 1923; was the first commissions
the first county judge. member of tt
constitutional convention in IS47, and a
! officer in the Black Hawk war. He W:
the second president of the society, an
' his honored remains we are called on
accompany to their last resting place tC
morrow.
In ancient times, the Jews had vel
impressive custom, when they had the
social gatherings such as we have to-nigh
and when loud mirth was taking the plac
of reasonable enjoyment, then it ws
the duty of one Of the Office bearers
pass around the tables with miniatul
coffin on salver, telling very forcibly 1
each and all that, in the midst of life an
enjoyment, death is near at hand. S,
the reading over the names of our old an
dear friends is even more impressive to l
now. 1t admonlshes us, one and all, tina