Not Grave Robbery (Defiance Democrat 1 Aug 1899

    Salome Nicely of veteran of the Confederate army (Co. H 25 Va.), in the war of the rebellion, Died Wednesday of last week. His funeral on Friday and he was interred in Moats cemetery in Delaware township.

    It happened that Salome was wounded during the war, as a result of which he lost a leg, and was compelled to depend on a wooden leg for part of his support.

    He had a pocket, or perhaps more properly speaking, a hole in the wooden leg in which he kept his ready cash.

    In laying out the body and preparing it for burial this peculiarity of the wooden leg was overlooked and not thought of until after interment. 

    Mr Nicely had no family and resided during his life time with the family of his nephew, Lee Nicely, of Washington township (Defiance County). After the funeral the latter thought of the money bank in the wooden leg, and concluded it would be wise to examine it and see if there was some money in it. Accordingly assistance was secured and the body was exhumed and examined, and sure enough in the cash receptacle of the wooden leg $40.00 was found. The money was properly cared for and the body returned to the tomb.

Bumped Bridge (Daily Crescent 15 Aug 1910)

The Canal Bridge On Third Street (Defiance Ohio)

    The M.& E., canal this season resulted in the putting out of commission the Third street bridge for a day and night, and the interference with street car service over Sunday.

    Water was let in the canal last week and Sunday morning two boats passed up. The first boat passed safely through, but the second boat in bumping the Third street bridge knocked it off the track on which it turned so far out of line that there was barely room for a pedestrian to walk over.

    This bridge is turned by hand and cannot be bumped open as can some of the canal bridges. It was turned for the first boat to pass up the canal and the craft sailed through in a majestic way. For some reason the crew of the second boat bumped the bridge a number of times throwing the structure off the track.

    This morning the city employed, Andy Pessefall to place the bridge back in position.

    The boat that bumped the bridge is the property of the Defiance Box Company. The captain of the crew is Robert Mc Intyre. As the city claims that the crew or owners of the boat should stand the damage as according to city employees the crew had been ordered not to bump the bridge, the captain, Mr. Mc Intyre and his son were placed under arrest. They were released on $200 bond. The trial was to have been this afternoon, but because of the absence of the city solicitor from the city, was postponed and will probably occur tomorrow afternoon.

    It seems that the bridge did not turn very easily and the boatmen bumped it to force it around. They were too strenuous in their bumping, however, with the result the bridge went off the track.

Police Pinch Chicken Fight (Defiance Democrat 22 Feb 1909)

    Like birds of the night; without a flutter of the wing or without a cry of warning Defiance city and county authorities swooped down upon a crowd of sports who, ensconced behind the walls of the historical old brick building situated near the Carriage Works on the Fort Wayne road, were enjoying a cock fight. The fight was taking place in one of the room in the building and so interested were the chicken enthusiasts over the contest that they did not notice the approach of the police who surrounded the building and blocked every exit. Chief Hubbard then walked into the room undiscovered. He grasped one of the fellows by the arm and asked him to allow him to see the fight. The fellow pushed him away with the words that he had paid as much as any else and intended to see the scrape. He glance at the fellow who was causing so much trouble and imagine his surprise when he looked into the face of Chief Hubbard. By this time the crowd had "got next" and were trying to escape the eye of the authorities in every way possible.

    One fellow crawled into an empty cupboard which unfortunately was too small to hold his bulk and there he stood with his head hidden from view, but he though he was safely covered and was congratulating himself on his quick action, when he was tapped on the shoulders and asked his name. Another endeavored to escape through a window but policeman Wahl very gently pushed him back into the room. Another jerked up part of the floor and crawled under. He would have remained undiscovered had not one of the unfortunate ones who were unable to escape told of his hiding place and he with the rest was put on record and told to appear before the Mayor.
     There was forty gentlemen in the crowd and all appeared before Mayor Crowe to hear their sentence. The Mayor was very lenient with them and fined each $1.00 thus making the fine $2.00. All paid and went their way with a deeper respect for the Defiance officers of the law.

Life Is Sweet, But Whiskey (Defiance Democrat 6-9-1849)

    Twenty years ago a Potawatomi Indian, who had been to Defiance to get his jug filled, on his return broke through the ice, at that time not very thick on the Auglaize near the fort. He bellowed loudly for help, which came, and when a pole was extended to him, he would not take hold until, first they had taken out the jug, to which he held tightly. Poor fellow, in the hour of need he did not forsake his friend.

St. John's Tavern (Defiance Crescent News 1 Aug. 1932)

Tobacco  Plants

    Many have a recollection of the Jack St. John's tavern which existed in the structure that is now the farm house on the old Kruminel farm out along the Ayerville road. This farmhouse, the east and West portion of which together with the north wing formed the old tavern, was erected by a carpenter named Henry Newton Stites.

    In its heyday it was the only stopping place along the mud road between Ayerville and Defiance and its custom was increased by the fact that St. John's large tannery just across the road from his hostelry. Signs of the old pit are still visible and Mc Gaffick says that from this hole he has drawn countless tanks of water for the steam threshing rigs with them he has been associated.

    St. John's was quite a farmer in addition to these activities and Ike recalls that during the Civil War he had a 16-acre field of tobacco in new ground on the farm now owned by Sam Maddock of Ayerville. He and his two older brothers worked at setting out plants and picking worms for wages of 25 cents a day, dinner and supper, and money!

Hicksville Cigars Now Go Hollywood (Defiance Crescent News 6 Dec. 1934)

Douglas Fairbanks

    Defiance county cigars have gone Hollywood.
  Allan H Wright of Hicksville whose plant here manufactures the Mae West brand of smokes, has learned an item in the United States Tobacco Journal, published in New York that no less a personage than Douglas Fairbanks bought up the entire supply of Mae West cigars from Central Avenue dealers in Albuquerque, New Mex., and took them back to Hollywood.

    Fairbanks was so impressed with the Mae West cigars, according to the publication, when he was in Albuquerque making election campaign speech for his friend Clyde Tingley who won the election for Governor. 

    The Wright product is put up in a handsome black suede package with front mark "Try Me Some time."