Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-10-13
JoITiNos ABOUT JosLIN.
Breezy Hatch OF Happenings From the
I-....- IL NJ tha Ccnntx

/ Upper Ind OF the County.
| Joslin, Oct 11.-Mrs- Samantha Par
ker is again quite i'll.
Mrs. Liedtke is very i'll with typhoid
fever.
! Fred and Mamie Schafer have been
visiting friends in Moline
Mrs. Mccall, of Coe, is visiting with
w. E Donahey and family.
Mrs. S. s. Beal and Mrs. Oner Karr
are visiting friends in Moline.
John Butser, of Hillsdale, has been
Smelling corn for William Dillon.
Mrs. Samuel S. Wainwright is said
to be seriously sick, having burst a
blood vessel.
Rev. Shultz preached a very inter-
estins sermon to well filed house
Sunday last.
Miss Rica Brandt has obtained a
situation as nurse in the city hospi-
tai in Moline.
Mr.. and Mrs. Cain, of Hillsdale.
visited last Wednesday with Mr.. and
Mrs. McMurphy.
Rev. Schultz is to reside in Hills
dale, as it will be more convenient to
his appointments.
Mr.. and Mrs. Bassett, of Rock ISL
and, are visiting Mrs. Bassett's par
ents, Mr.. and Mrs. Tubbs.
The banking firm of Simonson &
Schafer is paying out quarterly up
wards of 81, 900 in pensions.
Miss Emma Schafer will teach the
Eureka school the coming winter and
Miss Ella Liphardt in District No. >,
Coe township.
Charles Osborne is contemplating
building another cattle barn, intend
ing to enter more largely into the cat
tie feeding business.
Miss Myrtle Head was made vic
tim of surprise party Wednesday
last. A large crowd was present and
good time is reported.
A little slapping unpleasantness is
said to have occurred during the last
week. Maurice O'Connell's son
slapped Willie Whiteside and Willie's
father slapped O'ConHell. which re-
suited in w. II. Whiteside and his
son, Willie, being arrested; but report
has it that the prosecutor failed to
put in an appearance.
One of our farmers is negotiating
for the renting of his farm, which
consists of over two hundred acres.
He milks about twenty-five cows and
ldhcS HIS LIlilh W Iuc CIcstLHCl y. hC
hires couple of hands and claims,
when running expenses, taxes, hired
help and interest upon his investment |
are paid, there is very little left for |
the owner. Therefore he will try
something else.
At an annual town meeting of Port |
Byron township, held in 1867, j. H. |
Lyford, n. Belcher and Archie Allen
were appointed a committee to write |
a history of Port Byron township. In
1869 they made a report from which
the principal facts in this sketch are
taken. The gentlemen were each of
them early settlers and active men,
and all have passed away. In the
spring of 1928 two brothers, Robert
and Thomas Syrus, made the first
permanent settlement in what is now
the township of Port Byron. They
were bachelors and came from Sanga-
mon county, ILL.,, engaging in the
keeping of wood yard, supplying
such steamboats, as occasionally
passed up and down the Mississippi
river. The Syruses soon had compe-
tition in the wood trade which led to
a serious difficulty and to a law suit,
being the first appeal to the law in
this vicinity. A man by the name of
located three miles below on
the rapids and went into the same
business. As there was no landing
there, or an available place for one,
he hauled his wood to the head of the
rapids, and offered it for sale near the
Syrus wood yard. The wood Of
fered by Kinney was superior to that
offered by Syruses, so that he
soon monopolized the trade. This led
to unpleasant feelings. 1t so hap
pened that one night Kinney's wood
pile was burned up, and shortly after
Syrus' cabin was destroyed by fire.
The next time Kinney and one of the
Syruses' met after the occurrence, a
quarrel ensued, and in the fight Kin
ney was stabbed with a knife. Syrus
was arrested and taken before Joel
Wells, justice of the peace who re-
sided just below what is now the viii
age of Hampton, Joseph Danforth,
who lived just above the present city
If Moline. being the constable who
executed the warrant. Syrus was re-
luired for his appearance at court,
md not being able or willing to do it,
vas ordered committed to Jail. The
nearest Jail on the north was at Gale
Ia, and on the south at Alton, and
Constable Danforth started with him