Tag Archives: oddments

From the July 28, 1932 edition of The Chatham Record:

Skillet Champion

In a contest staged at Fort Thomas, Kentucky, Mrs. Charles A. Pommering of that town won the skillet throwing championship, hitting a dummy husband four times out of six. More than fifty women competed, and all expressed regret that they had to throw at dummies, as the men unchivalrously refused to act as targets.

Thus proving that the male population of Fort Thomas were no dummies. . .

Newspapers typically run their most urgent, relevant, and newsworthy items on the first page, in order to grab their readers’ attention. The articles located directly beneath the paper’s banner are the pick of the lot – editors know that these may be the only articles the reader sees.  In a masterful display of editorial acumen, this May 1886 issue of the Chatham Record shows modern-day editors how it’s done:

Note the lead stories: Pensions, a Confederate ship, the Town Cow, and LEECHES. How could you not want to read more?

This paper has something for everyone!  But in the interest of space, let’s go right to the lede: LEECHES. Aspiring journalists, take note: if you’re wondering how to compose an informative yet arresting first sentence, this is how it’s done. . .

LEECHES: Where Do They Come From and What Is Done With Them.

A Cincinnati Barber who Imports and Sells the Leeches

“Screaming Isaac! What is that?” shrieked a reporter of the Cincinnati Sun, jumping from a barber’s chair on West Sixth Street, as the proprietor, Peter Meschler, unscrewed the lid of a heavy airtight and mysterious box, and disclosed 2,000 greasy, wiggling, villainous worms, pulling themselves out about four inches and bowing to the half-dozen customers on the opposite chairs.

Now that the author has your attention firmly in hand, he provides the rest of the story:

“Oh, come back,” said the barber, reassuringly. “Nothing but leeches I have just imported from Sweden. Perfectly harmless, sir. I have been importing leeches for many years, and am the only importer this side of New York. The use of leeches in Europe is very common – much more so than in this country. People over there only die happy when they have a leech on their bodies.”

After a discussion of the practical ins and outs of the leech importation business, our informant continues helpfully:

“The eye doctors use leeches for weak and inflamed eyes. You see, the worm sucks the surplus blood around the eye and removes the cause of inflammation. Persons afflicted with neuralgia find a leech a good remedy. Every day I make sales to families whose names are not disclosed. You would be astonished to see a printed list of the people who keep leeches in their families. . . A leech, you see, is a little like a toothbrush – everybody wants one of his own.

If you need to know the rest of the story – and it continues on for many more paragraphs – we invite you to come view this article (and many more like it) in our historical newspaper collection!

Walks In Upon His Own Burial: Man Appears As His Supposed Body Is Lowered Into Grave

Bristol, Tenn., Special – In the midst of a solemn burial service, when members of the family were seeing lowered into the grave what they believed to be the body of their husband and father, James Swecker, the man supposed to be dead, suddenly appeared upon the scene to the utter amazement of the funeral party.  This happened yesterday in the village of Timber Ridge, near Greeneville, Tenn.

Swecker is a veteran of the Civil War, and a somewhat eccentric character.  Last fall he announced himself as a candidate for Congress in the First Tennessee District, canvassing every county. He disappeared from his home a few days ago.

The body of a man answering Swecker’s description was found by Southern Railway employees.  Death resulted either from murder or from being struck by a train.

In a pocket of the dead man were found papers containing the name of Swecker, and this, together with marked resemblances, led to a positive identification.

The coffin was raised from the grave and further examination leads to the conclusion that the body is that of a man named Mellengore, who recently disappeared from his home at Morristown, Tenn.

from The Chatham Record, 19 April, 1911