Grundy County, IL

Phoenix Advertiser
Minooka News

February 25, 1904
Vol. 29, No. 8


Ms. Chas. O'BRIEN spent Friday in Joliet.

Miss Ella HENDERSON is sick with tonsilitis.

Markets - Corn 36; oats 39; eggs 24; butter 20.

Michael WHALEN was in Morris on business Monday.

Thos. SHAW and Edward BARRY were visitors in Joliet Sunday.

Julius OLSON and Wm. ROLFS were in Joliet on business Monday.

Minooka, will have to begin to arise from her ashes again pretty soon.

Miss Essie BRISCOE visited in Joliet as a guest of Miss Mary BONZA Saturday.

Frank WEESE, of Morris, came up Monday to see what the fire left of the town.

Mr. and Mrs. Henry NEWMAN visited the latter's sister, Mrs. Fred DIRST, Friday.

Mr. and Mrs. Will COOP and Miss Mae TINDER called on Morris friends Saturday.

Mrs. James HENNESSY, of Odell, was a guest Monday of Mrs. James CANTWELL.

Mr. and Mrs. Geo. E. THAYER, of Joliet, spent Sunday and Monday with kindred here.

Attorney Geo. BEDFORD, of Morris, attended the marriage of his sister here Thursday evening.

Mr. and Mrs. Fred BEDFORD of Joliet, visited over Sunday with friends and relatives here.

N. J. COMERFORD accompanied his daughter to Morris Tuesday where she is attending school.

Miss Maggie DEMPSEY, of Joliet, visited Sunday and Monday with relatives and friends here.

Mrs. W. A. CLARK left Tuesday for Kansas City to straighten up the affairs of her sister who lately died there.

I. V. HOOPER is said to be improving at the hospital in Kankakee and it is thought that he will come home in April.

Miss Ethel WATSON returned to her studies at the Northwestern University Tuesday after spending a few days at her home here.

MARRIED. At the residence of the brides parents in Seward; Miss Lizzie BEDFORD, to Mr. George O'BRIEN, of Plattville, Thursday, February 18, 1904.

A. R. BLY, and family this week cease to as residents of Minooka and henceforth will call Joliet their home. They are old time citizens here and will be much missed.

A lecture on Eastern North Dakota is billed for Masonic hall this Friday evening. The speaker will be J. F. B. BECKWITH and of course his mission is to interest people in Dakota lands.

Robert MILLER the tonsorialist, rented Mrs. CARROLL's building just west of CAMPBELL's harness store Monday after the fire and had a new outfit of chairs, razors, etc., shipped from Chicago immediately so that he was again ready for business the following day.

Edward McEVILLY, W. H. KAFFER, M. L. KAFFER, Thomas OAKS, Henry P. BRANNICK and D. A. HENNEBRY attended a meeting of the Knights of Columbus in Morris last Sunday. The local council there was organized that day with a membership of 54. Mr. BRANNICK was initiated as a part of the exercises.

Chas. O'BRIEN, whose saloon was burned out in the fire Monday morning, had rented the GEARY place on the corner, owned by John McEVILLY, of Morris, by noon of the same day, and was out of business but a few hours. His entire stock and fixtures were lost in the fire and he carried no insurance. The fixtures were owned by Charles WHITE.

Jet HOUSE, one of the pioneer settlers and citizens, of Seward, passed away at his home there last Friday, Feb. 19, 1904, aged 85 years. The decedent was a brother of Rodney HOUSE, of Joliet, and was a well-known man. He leaves a widow but no children. The funeral occurred Sunday from the First Congregational church and interment was in Plainfield.

Mrs. Pliny GATES, sister of Frank ENEIX and Mrs. W. A. CLARK, of this place, died at her home in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, Feb. 16, 1904, after a very brief illness. Mrs. GATES was about 30 years of age and resided here till about twelve years ago. She leaves a husband and one daughter aged seven. The remains were brought to Joliet for burial and the funeral occurred there Friday.

Mrs. George COLLEPS, who had been ill with dropsy for a long time, died at her home here, early last Saturday morning, February 18, 1904, aged 53 years. Mrs. COLLEPS maiden name was Jennie Van HORNE and she was born in Newark, N. J. She was a sister of Rev. G. R. VanHORNE who was once pastor of the Minooka M. E. church and later presiding elder in this district. Mrs. COLLEPS leaves the husband, one son, George, Jr. and two daughters, Misses Mattie and Bessie COLLEPS. The funeral occurred Saturday.

The two-story brick building occupied by DWYER & COULEHAN's general store and meat market, Charles O'BRIEN's saloon and Robert MILLER's barber shop was completely destroyed by fire shortly after midnight Monday morning. With the building went up in flames DWYER & COULEHAN's entire stock, Charles O'BRIEN's complete saloon outfit and all of Robert MILLER's barber chairs, utensils, etc. Besides these Julius OLSON, the jewler, had a shop on the second floor and his stock was also destroyed. Other roomers on the second floor lost wearing apparel and other property. The fire seemed to originate in the rear of DWYER & COULEHAN's store and the manner of its starting is a mystery. Julius OLSON, C. G. KROGNESS and others discovered the fire about the same time and all hastened out and began the battle with the flames. The M. E. church bell was tolled by W. A. THAYER and the town was soon fully alarmed. The wind blew the fire east across the narrow alley and fanned flames against the side of Dr. BRINCKERHOFF's drug store and here the quickly organized bucket brigade directed their work. If the fire fiend leaped across the alley the whole business block would be doomed. Men worked heroically in the fierce heat and finally triumphed over the flames. The window frames of the drug store were charred and the glass broken but the blaze was fought back and thousands of dollars worth of property saved. The building destroyed was owned by Charles WHITE and his loss is about $4,000 mostly covered by insurance. DWYER & COULEHAN carried $3,000 insurance which probably almost covers their loss. Charles O'BRIEN estimates his loss at $1300 and he had no insurance. Robert MILLER carried $150 insurance and this will about cover his loss. Julius OLSON's loss is $200 or $300. He carried no insurance. On the second floor was WHITE's Central hall in which the services of St. Mary's church had been held since the church edifice was destroyed by fire last summer and pending the completion of the new church. Thus the congregation is again without a place of worship. Just east of the scene of the fire the Shepley Belton(?) hotel building burned three years ago. Mr. WHITE (Transcriber's note: The remaining two sentences are unreadable.)

Transcribed by Deb Haines, Grundy County IL CC, December 15, 1998