The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-11-09
THE FIRST LICK.
Mayor Davis and a Distinguished Es-
cOrt Proceed to Proceed.

We were through the rush of the
week, and looked forward to a short
but restful lull, when advised that some.
thing was about to happen. Hurrying
to the street, we found Engineer Moler,
Contractor Mcbride, Mayor Davis and a
number of other noteables about ready
to take up their line of march for the
west end of Main street. Following
the procession it was soon divulged that
Mayor Davis, with bran new pick in
his hand had been commissioned to
strike the first blow on the excavations
for the water mains. After care.
full consultation of the blue print spot
was selected, and our heads were rever
entially barred in honor of the import
ant occasion.
His Honor reminded the eager audi.
ence that this was The first time in the
history of Hillsboro that its citizens had
gone to 80 much trouble and expense
for the sake of water. He was inclined
to regard it as an auspicious omen, and
hoped it would be so considered by the
gentlemen before him.
He was about to swing the pick with
powerful sweep, when some one sug.
gested that an event of such moment.
GUS significance should be attended with
word of devotion. The Mayor &C.
quiesced, and with an inquiring arch of
the eyebrows, nodded toward Newt
CLANCY, as the most pious looking man
in the crowd.
Nevis chin dropped, the apple of his
throat heaved upward and his counte.
nance assumed the serious aspect of
man who has just discovered that the
last oyster he swallowed wasn't above
suspicion. The Mayor gave him an.
other nod and an emphatic glance
which precipitated the task.
Newt was on new and untried ground.
He was before a strange tribunal, and
didn't just exactly know the hang of
things. He started in with legal ideas
uppermost, and feeling that the occa.
sion demanded some especial tribute to
the power addressed, he began SOL
emnly:
"Oh, thou great Chief Justice on the
Bench of the Universe, from whose de-
| cisions there Is no appeal in hell or
earth or sky, thou who dost possess su
preme and indisputable power, legisla-
tive, executive and judicial: l appear
| in thine august Court with conscious
ditfidence and humility. Thou mayest
| be surprised at my presence and appar-
ent presumption, in view of the fact
that l have never presented any Gre
dentials here. But Hi Davis sent me,
and peg your Honor to bear with me.
It may be possible that you remember
Hi, thoug l doubt 1t. He attended
Sunday School in his tender years, but
l don't suppose you've seen much of
him since. He's down here with bran
new pick in his right hand, just ready
to hit lick that'll knock the everlast
ing stuffing out of the Main street Nc
Adam. Oh, Judge, don't leG anybody
rush in now with restraining order,
on the said Hi and the pick aforesaid.
If your Honor please, we've had h
1 beg pardon, but, we've had such a
h If the Court pleases, l was about
to introduce an involuntary quotation
from Capt. Dawson's unwritten reports
of '9l-2. With your Honor's indul-
gence, however, will simply say that
we've had h a, \ high old time
with this water works question. Our
first bill, you will understand, was de.
clared unconstitutional, inasmuch as ii
conferred corporate powers while only
local in its application. We fought the
INJUNCTION in the Ohio Courts, but we
couldn't knock it out worth -
mean, we couldn't knock it out by q
d by - considerable. [See Ohio
State Report, 90, Scott ct al vs the 1ncor
porsted Village.] The temporary in.
junction was made perpetual in spite o
Hades and high water. Then We sho
another bill through like Ella beating
tan bark, and that one stuck. But, w
couldn't sell our bonds! What do yo,
{ think of that? Gilt.edged five per cent
shot in the whole United States o
bonds ran for forty years! But I'll no
t stop to expatiate on that just befor
, the election. Only, we actually couldn'
sell d d. "a d rated bond
That's fact. Then we got out six pc
cent. bonds, and just barely, by tn
skin of our teeth, we got rid of then
4 got premium of thirty-three cent
a housand-twenty five dollars on sew
enty.fve thousand! We've got tn
: money in bank. We've let the cor
s tracts, and Mr.. Wagner's driving well
/. into the earth as fast as you could sin
q carving fork into an apple dumplins
At first he crashed into the limeston
. and had to move his whole caravan
0 with the steam pipes, safety valves
: whistles and other appurtenances there
unto annexed. But he's getting waite
now, as you'll readily discover, if yo
take the trouble to 60 over to the Cles
: creek bridge, on the Samantha pike
: Johnnie O'Connell has the stand-pip
0 foundation nearly done. Mr.. Moler'
r here ON salary, and Mr.. McCabe (no
!. the Chaplain, Lord is here with abou
" seventeen hundred men and millio
4 tons Of water main. That's the legs
: status ct this ;uncture, and we don