"March 25, 2002: Snowed 7.5 inches last night (more snow than Lincoln received all winter!). Membership meeting this evening. Coffee and cookies in Party Room furnished by 7th floor.
March 26, 2002: Too much snow and ice for me to get my hair washed.
March 27, 2002: Mary came after work and I took a shower. Went to Book Club meeting and after that to Delores' and played Cribbage."
Pretty tame stuff from Grandma. I would bet I was glad with all the snow on the ground that Grandma chose to skip her hair appointment. Would have hated to have her slip and/or hurt herself on my watch.
Here's a fun Winside history story.
Tramps
About 1898, six men, rather suspicious looking characters came into Winside one afternoon and being hungry as usual began the begging act throughout the town. Unsuccessful in this line they entered a grocery store where part of them held the clerk's attention while the others filled up their pockets and walked out. It being rather late in the afternoon, the local people thought the men would pull out for good as they had been reported going west up the railroad track.
That evening Marshal Frank Brower, while making his rounds, discovered a light coming from the office of the American Grain and Elevator Company, or known to most of us in later years as the Crowell Elevator Company. He knew the office should not be lighted at this time of night, so approached cautiously to find out who might be there. Paper had been placed over the windows to keep out the light but the upper part of one window was bare, which gave them away.
The marshall returned to town, gathered up a posse of local citizens who captured the six men without a fight or a gun fired, placing them in the calaboose. The posse disbanded and the robbers thought they were not being watched any more as everything was soon quiet.
The calaboose was located at that time, about 25 feet south of the Needham elevator office. It was made of three-inch plank with a heavy door, one-inch ceiling and a shingle roof; strong enough for ordinary use.
Some time during the night the men pryed a few boards loose in the ceiling and pushed a hole through the roof to make their escape. The first man put one leg through the hole in the roof ready to pull himself up when both barrels of Harry Brower's shot gun was emptied into it. Harry had been stationed in the Needham office to watch through the window for his father, in case the men tried to escape.
Dr. A. B. Cherry was called to pick out the shot and dress the wound. The following morning the six men were turned loose by the citizens, with a warning that it would be healthier to stay out of Winside. -- C. E. Needham
What a great word, calaboose! My list of businesses mentioned in a previous post does not show a grocery store per se in 1898 but there was a drug store (owned by Dr. Cherry, ironically). There were also four "general merchandise" stores so it may have been one of them that was shoplifted. I also note that Frank Brower also ran a hotel, so he was a rather busy guy. I am guessing Harry Brower was Frank's son since it reads Harry was watching through the window for his father. Would be a fun story if Harry was about 13 years old, but that's too much to ask.
I leave you with a shady-looking character to be sure. Kinda crooked, too. (I was in too big of a hurry to straighten and re-scan!)
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