MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS FROM THE BISMARCK GAZETTE
Bismarck, St. Francois Co., Missouri
Misc. Front Page Items
Fri. Dec. 21, 1906

The spirit of Christmas is again abroad. We have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come around -- apart from the veneration due to its sacred origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that -- as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time in the long calendar of the year when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely and think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.

With the advent of Christmas the very atmosphere seems charged with good fellowship and good cheer, and the best and kindliest impulses spring unbidden from the hearts of men. It is meet that this is so, and that in commemoration of the birth of the Savior there should be great peace on earth and good will toward men.

To all our readers and friends we extend the compliments of the season. Some of you are not subscribers, but we hope every one of you may have a merry Christmas.

A merry Christmas to the Printer and may he live to make many more trips to the county of Bollinger.

To the teachers of the Bismarck school, a merry Christmas. May you have long lives, fewer cares and abundant success.

A merry Christmas to the Mayor and Aldermen. We hope you will see your way to give us a few street lamps, even if we have a moon already.

A merry Christmas to the girls who volunteered to wash the office towel. Be careful not to hurt the water when it gets a boil on itself.

To the town hogs and cows, a merry Christmas. 'Nuff sed.

To the I.M. Ry. Co., a merry Christmas. You have been having hard luck for the past week, but here's hoping the wrecker won't have another job for a long time.

A merry Christmas to the Board of Education. You are a broad guage set of gentlemen and doing your duty. Keep up the lick.

And a merry Christmas to our Postmaster and his assistant. They serve the public well and have a pleasant word and a smile for everybody whether the trains are on time or not. We hope they may keep their jobs for a hundred Christmases to come.

To the Woman's Home Mission Society, a merry Christmas. Yours is a noble work and you do it well. There would be no Christmas for many were it not for such as you and may you prosper and be happy.

A merry Christmas to our local clergy, the teachers of the religion of the Christ whose birth the day commemorates. Long life, happiness and prosperity to each of you.

To Pete Odle of Puckyhuddle, a merry Christmas, and we hope that you and Jake Barger may have the day of your lives and live long to swap "hosses and gotes."

A merry Christmas to the Chyenne Club. Good girls, every one of you, but we don't want to hear of your making too much racket when you play "pig". See?

To F. M. Priest, who is away up in Oregon reporting for the Gazette, a merry Christmas and we hope that he and "Ant Calamity" may make a match of it yet.

To all our merchants, business and professional men, a merry Christmas. Here's hoping that this may be the thriftiest holiday season you have known.

Let us not forget the school children who are doing such good work this year. Each of the girls is prettier and smarter than all the rest and every boy is fitting himself for the presidency -- provided, of course, that he belongs to the winning-party. A merry Christmas to the school children.

To all sorts and conditions of men -- this includes the Editor, a merry Christmas. We believe this about covers what we want to say about Christmas and we leave our readers to blissful anticipation of what Santa Claus has in store for them.

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NOT AT ALL WRECKLESS

The Iron Mountain has had a hard time of it in the way of wrecks during the past week. Last Saturday morning a coach got off the track on the cradle, on the incline at Belmont and the Branch train due here at 1:30 p.m. did not arrive till 1 o'clock the next morning.

The next day, Sunday, a broken rail caused the derailing of the Branch passenger four miles north of Charleston; three coaches left the track and turned over. Conductor Lynch of DeSoto was injured and about fifteen passengers scratched and shaken up. The train got in here about five hours late.

Sunday night there was a shake up near Hogan on the main line in which a dozen or more Italian laborers were more or less injured. They were taken to the Mo. Pac. Hospital by Dr. Eaton, the division surgeon, who was summoned to the scene of the accident and attended to the injured. The northbound passenger trains did not get the worm the next morning -- they were anything but early birds.

An engine flew the track at Tip Top, on the main line, Monday night and delayed the morning trains several hours next day. It has been a strenuous week for the Mountain and we hope Santa Claus will drop a great gob of good luck into their Christmas stocking to make up for it.

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ELECTION OF OFFICERS

The annual election of officers for Bismarck lodge No. [???], A.O.U.W., was held at their last meeting with the following results: M.W., J. H. Wyatt; F.D., L. Loston; O.K., E. Sherrill; Rec, H. E. Evens; F. & F., Geo. J. Goeltz, Sr.; R., G. J. Goeltz, Jr.; Guide, Frank Devine; Med. Ex., Dr. F. W. Stammer.

Sybilla Chapter, O.E.S. had an interesting meeting Dec. 14, when the following officers were elected: Mrs. N. A. Cottrell, W.M.; H. J. LaTour, W.P.; Mrs. Hugh Steel, A.M.; Mrs. Fanny Bryan, Treas.; Harry Evans, Sec.; Miss Maude Dent, C.; Mrs. H. E. Evens, A.C. The deg red [?] was confered on two candidates, after which they were treated to a fruit lunch, served by Mesdames Steel and Boston, assisted by Jake Barger.