January 29, 1903… Henry VI of England was 8 months and 25 days old when he became King. The recent census shows there are just 339 Seminole Indians left, nearly all of them in the Florida Everglades. Kentucky’s first Democratic statewide primary will be held on May 9. Allie Young is chairman and Percy Haly is secretary of the Democratic party. Announced for governor are (all Democrats) Robert J. Breckinridge of Boyle, J.C.W. Beckham of Nelson, and John K. Hendrick of McCracken. A candidate for governor in the primary will be assessed $2,500. Additions to the Midway Honor Roll include Harry Wise, Lulie Holland, Blanche Parker, Willie Wise and Luke Lucas, plus most of the others named in the Jan. 8 issue. Lucien Williams has been taken to the county jail after being indicted for trying to spread smallpox. We do not remember to have ever seen the roads as muddy as they have been this week. The Versailles Pike Monday was a perfect lob lolly from one end to the other. The snow remaining on so long had made it soft enough to break through in places. Much work will have to be done on it right away. J.W., B.F. and Isaac Parrish have sold their crops of tobacco, 200,000 pounds in all, to V.F. Zeigler at an average of seven cents per pound. The Cash Morris family has moved to town and is living in the Leavy property on Railroad Street. Mrs. Drusilla McCarty Smither, 94, the oldest resident of Woodford, died Sunday after an illness of some weeks. She was the widow of William P. Smither, who died several years go and who for over 60 years was a merchant tailor in Versailles. Midway City expenditures for the past year have been $6,813.68. Taxes bring in about $3,000, licenses about $2,000 and the rest comes from schools, sundries and fines. Schools receive about $2,300; city salaries amount to about $1,300; streets, fire department, police, lights, miscellaneous, and sundry account for the other expenditures.

January 31, 1924… Henry L. Martin Sr., the youngest surviving member of Gen. Morgan’s council, was among the honored guests at the U.D.C. luncheon at the Lafayette Hotel. Clarence Curtis, 72, died Tuesday at the residence of his daughter, Mrs. W.R. Holman. He was born in Woodford and had lived many years in Midway and at Nugent’s Crossroads. He lived his last 25 years in Lexington. Mrs. Clarence H. Burk bought the William Campbell farm of 105 acres near Jetts Station for $170.50 per acre at auction. The Optimist Club held its regular luncheon meeting at Young’s Café with R.S. Berryman in charge due to the absence of H.G. Roberts. There were 27 present with Willis McCammish leading the singing and talks by the Rev. G.H. Harris, D. Howard, Prof. J.P. Beamon and A.C. Hunter. Member Guy Rhoads will soon be leaving town. Phillip Beasley, who has been living on Broadway in Versailles, moved Saturday to the recently purchased home of his brother, Joseph L. Beasley, in Woodland Park. James Brown, chauffeur for Dr. Stockton’s garage, broke his leg Saturday when he was cranking his truck and it backfired. Martha Hall, granddaughter of Sheriff Frank Bohannon, has been taken back to Good Samaritan with a relapse following an operation. Mrs. A.A. Bowmar entertained her bridge club Friday afternoon at her home in Woodland Hill. W. H. Edwards Jr. has moved his family to their new home in the Mulcahy house on Rose Hill in Versailles. James Y. Edwards and his family have moved from the Wade farm on McCoun’s Ferry Pike to the farm formerly owned by W.H. Edwards on the Lexington Pike, now owned by Miss Smith. The bishop of the Covington Diocese has created a separate parish out of St. Leo Catholic Church in Versailles. The Rev. Father Nicolas Juderman is retained as priest in charge. He has rented a flat from Joe McDonald on Lexington Street and will moved there on Wednesday. Mrs. Roy G. Krabill has been selected as teacher of the 7th grade to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Miss Mary Lee Lear. A mass meeting of those against the $75 million bond issue heard talks in front of the Versailles courthouse Monday by C.S. Williams, Bolivar Bond, Theodore Harris, Charles B. Sullivan, Ernest Dunlap, Dan M. Bowmar and Alex L. Edwards. J. Swigert Taylor, Kenner Taylor and the trust company acting as executors of E.H. Taylor Jr. sold to Richard A. Baker 1,111.2 acres known as Herford Farm for $243,428,.66 James G. Blaine weas born at Brownstown, Pennsylvania in 1830 and was in public life for 30 years. He lost the closest election in our history, which took three days to decide: the election of 1884. A change of 525 votes would have given Blaine New York and the presidency. A change of 2,000 votes in California would have defeated Wilson in 1916. The 1884 campaign was the most bitter and slanderous in history. The causes that led to Blaine’s defeats were Henry Ward Beecher’s hostility. President Arthur’s lukewarmness, Roscoe Conkling’s irascible nature, the mugwumps, Prohibition candidate John P. St. John, the Rev. Birchard’s “Rum, Ramonism and Rebellion” episode in New York and the rainy election day. Long explanation of Blaine’s defeat appears on editorial page, very interesting. Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Harper have gone to housekeeping at Yukon, Florida. Mr. and Mrs. William Campbell and family have left Friday to make their home in Florida. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Donovan, proprietors of the Donovan Hotel for the past 15 years, will go to Lexington to live on March 1. Miss Ida Kenney Risque and Henry Harper of the University of Kentucky were dinner guests of James Cogar Sunday night. C.W. Hudson, a well-known jockey of Lexington, is visiting his brother Everett, who lives on the Ike Parrish farm. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Duffy are the parents of a fourth child and third daughter. He is carrier for rural route #2.