THE COURIER
IN 0 AND a ABOUT
0 NEBRASKA a
Even as early as this the farmers In
the western part of the state are con
fronted with the annual plague of
grasshoppers. They are also early in
their schemes to cope with them. This
time they are being provided by the
government with a sort of serum that
has Its origin in South America. It is
a fungus applied to a sterilized prep
aration of gelatine and blood serum
and bottled In small phials. With a
part of this the farmer feeds a few
hoppers, keeping them in a box with It.
That is they have the privilege of eat
ing It if they wish. Some of these hop
pers, when they have been in long
enough to become infected, are re
leased and then stalk abroad among
their fellows spreading desolation. This
mode of extermination has worked with
great success In South American coun
tries and the pestered farmers of Ne
braska hope and expect similar relief.
A Table Rock man suffered a deadly
fear of burglars. One night the light
which he had left In the hall exploded.
It did not wake him but he did come to
when he heard somebody stirring about
In the hallway. Not thinking to rescue
his wife nor even wondering If she
were still in bed he hastened out the
window onto the porch and shinned
down a post. Away he went for the
neighbors, the tail of his white night
gown flaunting the breeze. When he
had roused two or three they surround
ed the house. The wife, who was the
one who hurried about In the hall to
extinguish the flames, now commands
anything and Is stralghtwuy obeyed.
The mill hands at Falls City are not
to be outwitted by any fire that comes
along. They have organized a depart
ment of their own and are preparing
with dally practice for anything possi
ble In the form of an emergency. At
untimely periods every day or so an
alarm is sounded and the men rush
valiantly to their several posts. Mean
while the ladies employed thereat cooly
slip down the water spouts.
A lingual endless chain is taking the
course of the rural newspapers. It goes
like this: Rags make paper; paper
makes money: money makes banks:
banks make loans: loans make pov
erty; poverty makes rags; rags make
go on!
Death to the dogs for the sake of
wealth Is embodied In this proposition.
It is the product of a calculating farm
er's brain. He has figured that the ex
pense of keeping a dog if devoted to
poultry would keep sixty hens in fine
flesh. In a year they would deposit
600 eggs and these In ordinary times
would bring in $90. What dog is worth
as much?
When you note a bevy of Ord young
ladies flocking briskly to the greens of
the country do not imagine that they
are out for mischief or are escaping
from fancied danger. They are merely
1
I
T. W. SMITH.
T. W. Smith, mayor and a leading republican of University Place,
though born In North Carolina January 29th, 1846, a goodly period before
the civil war, was not in sympathy with the cause of his southland.
Neither did he choose to fight against his home people. So he retired
diplomatically to the northern states, bringing up. by the close of the
war In Kansas. He had received a "good common school education but
had not attended college. After the war he returned to his native state
and took up the study of medicine, finishing his course in New York. He
practiced medicine after that for a dozen years, then entered the U. S.
revenue service and had many tickUsh experiences with the moonshin
ers of western North Carolina for three years. At the close of his cam
paign against these people he entered the mercantile business and this
has been his vocation ever since. He came to Nebraska in 1882, locating
at Blue Springs, where he remained In business for nine years.
He then removed to University Place in December. 1891. He still is
with the business he started after his arival.
For five years he has been closely identified with the city govern
ment, having served for this time as city clerk. During his tenure he dis
tinguished himself by selling the refunding bonds at a yearly saving to
the city of $223 In interest. The old water bonds, amounting to $13,000,
bore six per cent Interest. Bond brokers In Omaha, Kansas City and
Chicago undertook the sale but failed. The shrinkage in city valuation
did not tend to attract capital. But Mr. Smith succeeded where these
brokers failed. During his term as mayor he expects to land some
heavy strokes for better sidewalks throughout the city. He was elected
by a majority of forty-eight. He Is a member of the Masonic order, of
the M. W. A., A. O. U. W., and K. O. T. M. and Is a prominent member
of the M. E. church. He has two grown daughters, one of whom Is Mrs.
Stoner of Alliance.
IHf", H 21c-
DR. J. M. McLEOD.
Dr. J. M.- McLeod, specialist In general surgery and gynecology. Is a
native of Tennessee, having been born near Chattanooga In 1S65. In that
city he lived until he was twenty-one. He studied medicine in Vander
bllt university In Nashville and graduated In 1884. He Immediately began
to practice In Chattanooga.
In 1886 he came to Nebraska and In 1894 settled In Lincoln. He was
determined to achieve marked success as a surgeon and patiently went
to work to master every detail. He supplemented his previous study
with a complete course In the Ensworth medical college and hospital at
St. Joseph, Missouri. After this he graduated from Cotner university..
Under Dr. James A. Hunter of New York he studied diseases of the chest.
In 1898 Dr. McLeod received a diploma from the Chicago Homeopathic
medical college. He also did post graduate work at the New York Poly
clinic. After these years of elaborate preparation he became a registered
pharmacist and took a course In an optical college.
For four years he was professor of anatomy and surgery In the Lin
coln medical college. At present he Is one ot the surgeons for St. Eliza
beth's hospital. Dr. McLeod has a lucrative practice and has acquired
much local fame as a surgeon.
He lives at Seventeenth and Washington streets, where he has fur
nished an attractive home.
a health club. They have organized for
the sake of their physical development
and every morning take this walk into
the country. If there be any merit in
fresh air and a lively trudge before
breakfast they Intend to know from
experience what It Is.
ii
Dancing after church In Idaho was
too much for T. J. McDonald of Pierce
and he came home. He tells It to his
fellow citizens In holy horror and they
become Instantly happy that they dwell
In a civilized region. All was solemnity
enough during the services of the
evening. The profound words of the
pastor were listened to with the deep
est respect but when the benediction
had been pronounced the deacons and
others interested slid the chairs into
corners and cosy nooks out of the way
and the musician brought to view his
violin. Then for several hours the
congregation danced and the preacher
joined In. None enjoyed it more than
he, judging from his ecstatic smile as
the belle of the village clung to his
proud figure.
Into the post hole the little boy
dropped his plaything. He leaned In
to get it, lost his balance and stuck
head first in the hole until he drowned
in the water that partly filled It. He
was the two year old son of Mr. and
Mrs. William Gorey of Inman, near
O'Neill. The father had dug several
postholes for the setting of a fence
around his premises. The baby played
in the yard and naturally wormed its
way to the nearest hole. It had rained
some and all were to some extent full
of water. With his little feet sticking
up they found him later and when they
pulled him out his hand clutched the
plaything he had reached in to secure.
The person who attempted to poison
the family of Will Smith of Filley did
not quite succeed. And yet It may not
have been an attempt. At any rate
Mr. Smith noticed a peculiar change in
his well water. He was saved from
serious illness If not from death by
accidentally spilling some of the water
on his hand. Before he had a chance
to drink the skin with which the water
came In contact was strangely cracked
and crisped. Then he sipped some of
the water to see If the trouble was
there. Had he not been cautious be
cause of what had been done to his
hand he might have taken some fatal
gulps. As It was he suffered from
cramps Immediately. He took some
of the water to a druggist for analysis
and abandoned the use of his welL
Public opinion sometimes reaches In
tense extremes. It Is In that state In
Colfax county at the present minute,
all over the drowning of two women In
the Platte river recently. They were
driving across the bridge when their
rig was met by one In charge of Mad
ison Fleek, a Lin wood liveryman. The
bridge was too narrow for their pas
sage and the animal driven by the wo
men commenced to back. In a very
brief space they were backed off the
bridge and fell Into the rapidly flowing
river. Now the question Is. may
Fleek be convicted- of manslaughter?
He has been bound over to the district
court of that county on the charge and
the public Is hot In a discussion of the
merits. Some contend that if Fleek
had been a gentleman he would have
waited for the ladles to cross before
he drove onto the bridge. But, having
met the ladies mid-stream he ought,
they say, to have dismounted and held
their horse while they were given time
to get out of the buggy. Particularly
should he have done this when he saw
their horse becoming unruly. Others
say he had as much right on the
bridge as they and that It was all over
with so quickly that he had no time
to hold their" horse for them. The neu
tral are prone to believe the Judge
who hears the case will decide It by
the toss of a quarter.
Time is valuable to the man who Is
hunting the corpse of a drowned per
son. Consequently It will be worth
while to know how to raise the re
mains in short order. A Schuyler man
gives directions this way, bulwarked
with the promise that the scheme Is
infallible. Fill a Jug with unslacked
(Continued on page 9.)