The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1881-09-22
AN ATTEMPT TO RUIN THE
NOrthe II Perry Co. Fair
By Frank McKenna,
AND WAS PREVENTED BY THf
INTERFERENCE OF THE
DEMOCRATIC CENTRAL
COMMITTEE.


this locality determined upon holdingl
= Fair, and a subscription was started
in which all contributed. Men who I.
bad nothing subscribed labor and did
it cheerfully. All wanted the Fair,
and by q united and untiring effort
succeeded, but like most of such en-
terprises the society found themselves.
in debt. Year after year men toiled;
to pay off the encumbrance, but i'll
luck followed until 1879, when the.
diretcors determined to abandon the:
enterprise which they had labored sol
hard to make a success. Mortgagesl
on the grounds were pushed and thel
Sheriff had the property advertised
for sale.
Again our people rallied to save their:
Fair, and at once went to work to;
pay off the debt which amounted to!
$500. The plan used to do this was,
that sixty shares of s25 each be loanedl
the society for three years without in
,terest, and the amount was finally
raised and the debt paid.
The new Board of Directors went
/. 10 work and determined to spare nei-,
Ether time nor trouble to make it sue !
7ccss. A grand balloon ascension was
;one of the features to draw a crowd;
! the B. & O. Railroad was to run an
:excursiun train from Shawnee and the
society agreed to make good all under
"a certain sum- if the passenger traffc
did not reach that sum. The railroad
company posted their mammoth bills
all along the line. The first thing to
ssattract the eye in Junction City was
the colored excursion posters on the
depot building. Small bills with time
table &c. were circulated by the thou
sands, and all looked forward for q
success.
I At this point matters changed. An
nunknown enemy had advertised in
!! The junction City Vidette, a grand
democratic mass meeting to be held
sin that place, and give list of prom.
Einent speakers and went SO far as to
fadvertise an excursion train. The. OBJ
ject being to appropriate the train run
Sning to our Fair and draw as many
Jas possible TO the meeting who woulC
,atiend the Fair.
The unp.incipled and contemplate
Z act was seen through at once and il
.awas determined to have it stopped i
y possible. G.. Litzinger, the Demo
Tcratic Central Committeeman of thi:
4 @township was sent for and he wrote tC
IJas. +. Comfy, Chairman of Centra
rCommittee to have the meeting post
sponed, and the indignation which ex
listed among all parties over the at
9tempt TO ruin the Fair.
80 On the following sunday Conle,
Hand Frank McKenna came up to Sc
Ethe members of the Fair Board anC
Etold them "that the Central Commit
htee had noshing to do with the meet
Hing and knew nothing about it, an
Ehad not been consulted about it..
~ RFrank McKenna then spoke up an
Hsaid, II AM RESPONSIBLE FOR 1T ALI
u II advertised the meeting on my ow
Responsibility"
III This same Frank McKenna to da
yEwill have the impudence to go on tn
ugrounds of the Fair and mingle wit
4 the friends of the society, not becaus
y he has not the same hatred he had
year ago for our public institution
n but because he is a candidate for Of
0 flee, and is adding insult to injur
by asking any friend of the Norther
8 Perry County Fair to support him.
'IH If McKenna or his friends deny
N made this statement, we are prepare
j to prove it, and should any one hay
Hany doubts about the matter, let the
#call on US and we will prove it
'Etheir entire satisfaction.