140 Years Ago
Milky Way: When a man milks a cow, he shouldn’t attempt to smoke a cigar at the same time. The man that tried it did well until he lowered his head and touched the cow’s flank with the lighted end of his cigar. The cow put two tons weight into one of her hind legs and struck under the milker’s left jaw. After he ceased whirling around and the myriads of stars disappeared, he decided farming was the hardest work a man could do.
130 Years Ago
Hot Water in Empire: A well-known widow lady was about to be married and so a crowd of men assembled and indulged in a shivaree. The noise of horns, tin pans and horse fiddles were kept up before her house for over three hours. Finally the men learned that there had been no wedding, and the mob adjourned to a saloon. They were drinking when the party who had been the recipient of the shivaree appeared with a number of lady friends who proceeded to douse the crowd with buckets of scalding water. If the lady should ever decide to marry, the chances of a quiet wedding are good.
120 Years Ago
A great race — Joe Klein and Jake Trall participated in a footrace, the stakes $40 a side for a distance of 50 yards. When the racers appeared on the track, J.K. was arrayed in pink tights and yellow stockings. J.T. was resplendent in red tights and black silk stockings. The race was on, and they were belly and belly for the first 20 yards, when J.K. kicked a feather and stumbled. J.T. forged ahead and kept in the lead until the safety pin which held his tights up gave way and his harness fell down. It was then that he grabbed his falling garments and made a superhuman effort winning the race by half a belly ... time 6 1/2 seconds.
70 Years Ago
Salvage: An appeal went out to all women of Ormsby County to collect nylons and silk hosiery and donate them to any hosiery store. Silk and nylon is greatly needed in the nation’s war effort for the making of parachutes and other vital war needs.
50 Years Ago
Best selling books — Fiction: “The Shoes of the Fisherman” by West; “Caravans” by Michener; “Elizabeth Appleton” by O’Hara; “The Concubine,” by Lofts and “The Glass-blowers” by du Maurier.
30 Years Ago
Entertainer Wayne Newton will headline a dinner show to benefit the St. Gall Catholic Church Building Fund at John Ascuaga’s Nugget. St. Gall’s pastor, the Rev. John Corona, said funds will help build a new church on Centerville Lane in Gardnerville.
Sue Ballew is the daughter of Bill Dolan, who wrote this column for the Nevada Appeal from 1947 until his death in 2006.
