140 years ago

November 26, 1880

W.H. Mansfield, of Peabody, was to walk barefooted the full length of Main street in Marion Centre in case Garfield was elected, and C.H. Thompson, of this place, was to perform a similar feat in Peabody, in the event of Hancock’s election.

Mr. Mansfield availed himself of the first suitable day since the result was known, and came over last Saturday to make good his promise. He appeared in front of the Cottonwood Valley Bank, barefooted, coatless and hatless and bearing a large American flag.

Ike Swisher has opened a gun shop in the room adjoining Bowron’s grocery.

Coal thieves are getting in their work. Some of them are liable to carry off a load of shot instead of fuel, some of these nights.

We move back this week into our office which we gave up a month ago for mechanics to finish. We have a cozy, capacious office, and the latch-string hangs out. Come in and see us, and if you are not now a subscriber to the old reliable RECORD, lose no time in becoming one.

That is a fine job of macadamizing on First street. We don’t know who deserves the credit for it, whether the city officials, or some enterprising private citizen, but it is a fine job, all the same.

Marion Centre’s Cornet Band has received new instruments, but a mere mention of the fact occurs to us as hardly doing the subject justice. The instruments are of the celebrated Gumchle Parisian make, purchased of Lyon & Healey, Chicago, and comprise eight pieces besides a fine clarionet and a $53 base drum, the schedule price of all of which was $380, much of which was contributed by our public-spirited citizens.