Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-07-18
"reminiscences of Early Days in Rock Island

! of attention, for ornate signs were
! practically unknown then.
One of Bowen's store fixtures was
| big ice box, and in that he always
! kept in summer time a supply of gin
ger pop, or beer, a soft drink that he
himself made after a secret process
and for which he found a ready sale.
Rock Islanders in those days would
often walk many blocks TO get a drink
of his ginger cOncoction, which was
made, probably, after the manner that
lie housewife makes root beer nova
DAYS. using yeast and sealing it
tightly after the fermentation had
started. so that the gas was confined
and gave. the beverage bite The
secret OF making this drink passed
away with Bowen, however.
Bowen had son. who in his yOun-
ser days was something of a smart
alec. His name was George and he
orked in his fathers store. l re
member a German who supplied the
store with bread and cakes for the
retail trade. This German did not
relish Georges pranks and one day
the two had a heated argument. the
baker finally carrying the matter 10 the
elder Bowen.
After hearing the story Of the diff
Guilty the father said: 20, don't mind
George. HE'S got something to say
to every ID fool that comes along"
The German, evidently considering
that the adjective used referred to
George. was much Modified, and went
away chuclslingRover the supposed re-
luke
George, after the store had closed
in the evening, used to roam about
the streets, playing his jokes on whom
he might meet. He had a habit of
stepping up behind strangers. hitting
them sharply on the back and saying
why, how are you John?' When
the party accosted turned he would
apologize, claiming he thought he was
addressing an old acquaintance. One
eTeDing he happened to strike the
same man twice, and escaped a maui
ing only by beating it down the street.
George afterWard studied law. was ad-
united to the lbar and removed to Mis-
souri,. There he was elected circuit
judge. The last time he visited here
l remember he was in the last stages
o. consumption and a short time after
ward he died of that disease
Some time before the war there
were four Protestant ministers here
whose names l recall There was
Rev. Mr.. LarIin, Presbyterian, whose
church was a small brick structure
where st. Joseph's church now stanGs;
Rev. Mr.. Holt, Presbyterian. who held
In
where the old Central Presbyterian
church stood till recently; Rev. Mr.. |
ketchem of the Baptist church and
Rev. Mr.. Stuff of the Methodist
church. The boys had a saying that
went something like this:
"Larl1in went a sparkin'. Ketchem
caught him, Holt held him and Stuff |
stuffed him"
/ well remember when Richard Man |
sill, who died a few years ago. came |
to Rock Island. He was an English |
man and he came here when a young !
man. He worked in the mines at |
Coaltown and hauled coal by team to |
Rock Island. accommodating a good deal |
of property He was a student and
the weather., as many of the old resi-
dents will remember, was his hobby. |
Before the days of the weather bureau
he was the local authority on this
topic. His almanac was standard
literature and his prophecies were &C
copied without much question:
One day friend met MansiH out
in a heavy rain without an umbrella
and accosted him thus:
Pow does it happen, Mr. Mansill,
that you, a weather prophet, are
caught unprepared for this shower"
Now Mansill took his prophecies in 7
all seriousness and in an injured tone
he replied: IT'S not my fault. I had
nc advance information of this from
This storm, I am salts
fed was not meant for this locality,
but got switched off it's course. If 1t
had been intended for Rock Island I
should have been informed of it before
its arrival
When the stomach fails to per-
form it's functions, the bowels be-