Here are some old things I’ve found lately in my reading of years past in Dowagiac.
Feb. 16, 1909: Art Springsteen’s suit against the Michigan Central Railroad Co. for injuries received in December 1907 came to an abrupt close last week at the Paw Paw court.
The settlement was in the neighborhood of $5,000.
On Dec. 11, 1907, a fast Michigan Central train crashed into Springsteen’s rig and killed both horses.
Mr. Springsteen was badly injured.
The alarm bell was claimed to not be ringing.
1909: The Colby Milling Co. of Dowagiac disposed of its half interest in the Marcellus flour milling property to E.S. Conklin.
April 13, 1909: The Chicago Tribune has said that Frank W. Lyle, former president of the City Bank of Dowagiac, who was facing the state penitentiary on charges of embezzlement, has died on Wednesday of uremia poisoning and erysipelas at his flat.
1909: Ford Savage of Dowagiac and his brother, Preston Savage, sergeant of Company F, 26th U.S. Infantry, are enjoying a 30-day furlough.
It was Sgt. Savage’s first visit home in 17 years.
He is now three years short of 30 years of Army life.
When he retires he will draw for life a little over $51 per month (sure not like nowadays, huh?).
1909: A jury of Cass County farmers at Cassopolis have founded Ira B. Gage, vice president of failed Dowagiac City Bank, guilty of conspiracy to defraud the inactive stockholders in the institution.
Ira was left to be the goat as the two others, Frank Lyle, the president, and Leon Lyle, the assistant cashier, both had died.
So it looks like Ira Gage will pay the penalty for himself as his part and the other two.
It was said Ira was a well-liked man who had many backers, but did him no good as he was in big trouble.
Sept. 26, 1910: G.E. Nelson has sold his jewelry stock and business to Clyde Hart of Dowagiac.
In my Benton Harbor paper I saw a picture of a male cecropia moth. It has been years since I’ve seen one of these beauties.
They are big and have a wingspan of up to five inches.