Sam McElwrath had stepped out doors for a smoke and heard a would-be thief calling his hog in a very low tone.
-from the Dresden Enterprise, November 27, 1903, Dresden, Tennessee
-from the Dresden Enterprise, November 27, 1903, Dresden, Tennessee
-from the Columbia Spy, July 14, 1888, Washington Borough, Pennsylvania
-from the Clinton Public, Clinton, Illinois, Feb 23, 1883
Fire Destroys Stoner Barn
Spontaneous combustion is supposed to be the cause of the fire that destroyed the barn of John Stoner, two miles north of Bethalto. The fire broke out at three o’clock in the afternoon. Mr. Stoner was in Bethalto at the time, and his wife was alone on the farm. She said the flames broke out suddenly in all parts of the barn. She tried to untie the livestock in the barn, but was unable to do that on account of the flames. One mule and two calves perished in the fire. Twenty-five loads of hay, and all the farm machinery were in the barn as well as a storm buggy and a motorcycle. All were lost in the fire. from the Alton Evening Telegraph, July 26, 1919
-from the Vernon Courier, Vernon, Alabama, June 15, 1888
-One-line brevity from the Hartford Herald, Ashland Co., Kentucky, Aug.4,1907
Here is the story, special to the New York Times, published August 1, 1907:
A copperhead snake, which had crawled into a keg of beer and died, caused the deaths of “Red” Popham, Sam Biggs, Will Simpson, and Carey Turney in an outing camp at Welch, fifteen miles distant, in the mountains, and probably end the lives of Samuel Willis and Walter Johnson.
Ralph Dunbar came here late to-night and returned to the camp with a doctor. “With seven other men, I went to Welch this afternoon, intending to remain one week. We took several kegs of beer. The journey over the mountains is rough and I presume the beer accumulated an extra amount of gas. One keg was partly submerged in a spring and the bung flew out. All who drank the beer became ill and four quickly expired. An investigation revealed a big copperhead snake in the keg and this explains the death of my friends.”
-from The Stockton Review, Stockton, Kansas, 19o9
-The Adair County News, Jan. 28, 1903, Adair, Kentucky (from a listing of ”A Dozen Don’ts”)
-from the Alton Telegraph, Alton, Illinois, June 22,1893