Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-02-18
Short Tales Concerning People You
Know.
THE VICINITY OF OTTUMWA IN BRIEF
Births, Deaths, Marriages, Movements
efYour Acquaintance as Chronicled
by courier's Staff of Correspondents
Who Know Whereof They Speak.
Charlton,

Charlton, FEB. 17.-In looking over
some old records in the county court
house it was accidentally discovered
that the township of Charlton county
of Lucas is fifty years old this month.
The exact date is not given but as it
was the custom of the county commits
sioners to meet the last week in Feb
ruary and the proceedings seemed to-
be at the February meeting it is prob
able that the birthday of Lucas county
could be safely celebrated sometime
next week. The records show that in
1852 just three years after Lucas
county was officially organized the
county commissioners in their Febru-
airy session divided the county into
townships or rather set off section
of the county six miles square and call
ed it Charlton township after the city
located on the ground. 1t comprised
section ~ range 81 of Lucas county.
The first election being held in the
new voting precinct in April, 1852. At
their next meeting they set off section
IS range 90 and called it English
township; also Cedar, Union, Wash
ington, Warren, White Breast and Lib.
erty townships were organized at this
meeting. Ottercreek' was next laid
out, then Pleasant and Benton and the
final arrangement of the township di-
vision of the county was completed in
1876 when Jackson township was or
ganized and the rural portions of
Charlton township were formed with a
separate organization known as Lin
coin township This gave the thir-
teen townships as now existing. There
are few of the old settlers of the coun-
ty now living&who can remember the
birth of the township but if they
should decide to fittingly celebrate it's
fiftieth birthday they would no doubt
find a hearty response in the younger
generation and it would prove both a
pleasant and profitable cause to pur-
sue.
Pink Eye in Lucas County.
Lucas county is just now suffering
from the effects of a very troublesome
though not dangerous epidemic of a
peculiar disease of the eye which
seems to be highly contagious. :. The
southeast part of the county seems to
have been the birthplace of the idisease
and it is here that the greatest num-
Der of cases is reported though it has
extended to Charlton and several cases
are reported from every section Of the
county The medical fraternity has a
professional name for it but the COM
mon gentry call it pink eye from it's
close resemblance to the disease of
that name prevalent among horses
some years ago. The eye becomes
swollen and inflamed and causes much
inconvenience but after short time
it is easily cured and disappears leav-
ing no ill effects of it's visit. In some
cases the eye becomes very painful
and it is impossible to use it for some
time, but generally it is very mild and
but little attention is paid to it. There
are now nearly fifty cases reported in
the county.
DR.. TomIns Speaks.
The beauty and possibility of music
never occurred to many until they
heard DR.. w. L. Tomlins, of New York,
deliver his instructive lecture at the
high school building Friday evening
Dr. Tomlins is a musician and leader
of world wide fame and his lecture was
along entirely new lines which he had
conceived during a life time of public
work in this art, not from mere finan-
cial point of view for what he could
make out of it, but for pure love OF
the art which he claims has powers
capable of revolutionizing the entire
world both socially, politically and
morally.
Exciting Runaway.
Mrs. D. w. Clowser and Mrs. E. S
Lyman had an exciting runaway Sun
day evening which may result serious
ly to one of them. They were driving
horse to sleigh and were jus
about ready to turn in home when OF