Barefoot, in His Pajamas Defiance Crescent News 30 July 1922

                    Sheriff Zeschke (Defiance County)
                    Battles Night Prowler With Broom

    It was the wee small hours when badman slink from their secret haunts and prowl the darken highway to murder, rob, burn and kill. Yet Defiance enshrouded in the thick gloomy shades of night lay deathly quiet in its heavy slumber. When suddenly-

    Crash! Slam! Bang-a horrible din- and a hideous lurid light flooded the corridors of the Defiance County jail. Cries as of tussling men rang through the bare hallways.

    "They're murdering the sheriff! Its a jail break! To Sheriff Zeschke rescue!" rang but Policeman Karl Weaner's command to himself, as he quickened his step when the clamor increased.

    "What is it, Charley?" cried the policeman as he came within calling distance of the supposed battle ground.

    "I got one the first crack but the other got away," Zeschke shouted back. "See him," and there was Charley, barefooted and clad in pajamas with a broom, standing in the center of the topsy-turvy sitting room proudly displaying a badly bruised bat which with its mate had found its way into the prison house.

Barn Fired By A Shooting Star Defiance Crescent News 7 Aug. 1901

     The barn and contents of Gustave York near Cecil,was fired by a shooting star or a falling body of some sort and was totally destroyed. The body was seen to fall by his brother about 80 rods away and by several parties in Cecil and the barn was in flames in a few minutes thereafter. His loss was $350 with insurance at $140 which was settled the next morning by the S.T. Price & Company Agency.

Discovery Of Old Coins Defiance Democrat 14 April 1881

King George II, 1775 Guinea

    While Stillman Rose was plowing a new piece of land on Samuel Rohn's farm, south of the house and north of the River road (old 424), in Richland Township (Defiance County),the plow unearthed a couple of old cow bells. They were left lying on the ground, until the following morning, when Mr. Rose went to harrow the piece of land. The harrow struck the bells and one of the harrow teeth penetrated them so that Mr. Rose stopped to disengage the obstacle. While so doing he noticed that one of the bells was telescoped in the other. He stuck them a sharp blow on the harrow And the came apart and from one of them fell out several gold and silver coins, together with an old decayed buckskin bag. Quickly gathering together his riches he brought them to Defiance for inspection. The big find attracted much attention, and various were the speculations regarding them. Several people attempted to give their denomination and the country that coined them, but none were correct until Rev. May examined them. He at once recognized them as old English pieces and pronounced them Guineas and Crowns. The former coins, Rev. May says, has not been made for the past fifty (1881) years. The pieces were not much worn and the gold was as bright as if fresh from the mint. There were five gold guineas and eleven silver crowns. The dates of the were as follows: 
    One piece dated  1714, vignette of Queen Ann.
    One piece dated 1750, vignette of George II.
    Two pieces dated 1760, vignette of George II.
    One piece dated 1775, vignette of George II
    The silver crowns were as follows:
     One piece dated 1789; one 1771, one 1773, two 1775, one 1776, One 1777, One 1779, One 1780 and two 1781.
    The total face value of the money is about $40.00.
    One of the gold pieces had the letter "B" stamped on it.
    The cow bells were marked "P.W." The bells were made of copper, and in shape resembled the bells used at present day (1881).
    It will be noticed that the coins are very old, all of them having been made a hundred years ago. The ground on which they were found was never worked before. Who hid them in the ground is a mystery. They may have been deposited by some early French Canadians who occupied this section, and they may possibly have been hid at a still later period. Any theory is only conjecture. Mr. Rose feels as big as a king over his find, and this day he made the discovery would not have taken less than a forty-acre farm for his little fortune.

Four Tramps In School (Defiance Democrat 9 Jan. 1902)

    The school house in Hahn district of South Richland  Township (Defiance County, Ohio) which was situated near the B&O Railroad tracks, was the target for a quartet of tramps who camped there. They broke a new lock in gaining admission to the building and also damaged the front door seriously in the attack. They had provisions with them and camped in the house during the night and apparently had a good time feasting and roasting their shins by the stove with the school's wood, and littering up the floor. They left the next morning at an early hour and were seen as they departed by neighboring residents, but were out of reach before the indignant populace organize and pursue them.

    It will be well for them to dodge that section in their future travels.

Met With Ghost Begged Its Pardon Defiance Daily Cresent 11 July 1910

Francis Street Bridge  (Francis Street, Defiance, Ohio)

    Sunday evening while coming along Francis Street,(Riverside Ave, Defiance, Ohio) a prominent young man of Defiance was badly frightened by a ghost. The monster was clothed in white floating garment, and breathed fire from its nostrils. The young man badly frightened but a brave heart stood him in good stead. He boldly stepped up to the ghost, and struck it with all his might. A moment later he abjectly begged its pardon, and asked if it was badly hurt.

The Over Aqueduct Over Flat Rock and Blue Creek, Paulding County, Ohio Defiance Democrat 7 July 1855

    The contract for building the Aqueduct over Blue Creek and the Flat Rock was made on the 20th day of July, 1853. It was completed on the first of March 1854
    The aqueduct at the Big Flat Rock, as well as the one at Blue Creek was let on the 20th July 1853, and was to have finished on the 20th March 1854. Col. Alex P. Miller, during this entire period, was the acting Commissioner of this division and had exclusive charge of the work. So cautious and prudent were Col. Miller and the Engineer in charge of the work, that the foundation or superstructure was laid under the eye of the Engineer, soon after the date of the contract some two feet below the old structure, which had stood since the first opening of the canal, in 1844, thus remained in that condition about one year in order that it might thoroughly settle.
    When James Steedman took charge of the work on the 16th day of February,
he found these aqueduct nearly completed. The break by which the aqueduct at Flat Rock was destroyed occurred on the 11th day of May, 1852, by 1 o'clock in
the morning, Steedman was on the ground; and although at a period of the year when workers were difficult to obtain, yet before the night of that day, he had employed twenty-eight men, and several teams in addition to the state force. On the 16th, over two hundred men, and a large force of teams were engaged.
    The work has since been prosecuted without any intermission,night and day, in fair weather and in foul, with a degree of energy and skill, as all who have witnessed the operation, that are without paralled. No private contract on the Public Works has ever been prosecuted with greater vigor or economy. Indeed, we have it as the opinion of disinterested and experienced men that had contractor of average energy untaken the work that it would not probably have been completed in season to have passed boats during the present year. But the probability is, as we are advised by persons who have recently on the ground, that Boats can be passed through the aqueduct as early as announced (the first of July) and this to withstanding the late extraordinary rains and floods. In order that the reader may form some idea of the magnitude of this work, we will state, that the wall upon which the aqueduct rest, are each 147 feet long at the base, 10 feet thick, 37 feet long at the top, and 35 feet high, and contain about 2,200 cubic yards of stone. The trunk of the aqueduct will be sixty-five feet long, fifty-five feet between the walls and resting five feet on each wall. There are at this time 300 men, 8 boats, and 40 teams at work. Eight large derricks are used on the walls of the quarry, and on the Canal, hauling and laying stone. We venture to say that the whole history of Canal construction in Ohio, there will not have been a work of this magnitude completed within a time which will bear any comparison to this. And shall partisan be permitted, without rebuke, to malign a man who is thus devoting his whole energies with scarcely any intermission day or night to the public service. This system of falsehood and slander has been organized early. 

Ohio Stateman,  7 July 1855