The Waterloo Times August 30, 1894 HECKER Still dry in this neighborhood. Rain enough to settle the dust only. Remember Null’s picnic next Sunday. Wheat and oats threshing about finished and clover hulling beginning. Mr. Gambach is replacing his old horse-rack with a new one on the south side of his store. Born, on last Wednesday, to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Mueth, a fifteen pound girl. Father and mother both doing well. Mr. Hoereth, of “New Bremen,” one of our enterprising merchants, has been improving his property by building a new fence – Joseph Boules, carpenter. Messsrs.Hunt, Rattmann and Penzhorn, of St. Louis, are visiting Mr. Penzhorn’s relatives and friends here. They seem to be having a rattling good time of it. Mr. Witte, our tailor, moved into his new shop which has just been finished, on last Monday, and Mr. Rissmeyer, our enterprising saddler, will soon occupy the building vacated by Witte. Louis Gregson, who has been confined to his residence for several weeks with rheumatism, was in Freedom last Thursday, greeting his many friends. He is better, but not yet entirely free from his malady. “Sam” Hill is also on the sick list and has been ever since Diefonbach’s picnic. What is the matter with him? Is he grieving over the foot-race he didn’t run, or didn’t his wiener- wurst and sour kraut agree with him? The two Johns are the champion squirrel hunter of Freedom. We understand that they were hunting three times and killed seventy-five squirrels. If anybody can beat this record, let him make his whereabouts known. Edward Meng, our genial saloonist of “French Town,” will give another picnic in Heweis’ Park, September 16. All who are acquainted with Edward know his ability for making a success in that business, and everybody is invited to attend. Magnus Ruhl’s challenge to a foot-race has been accepted by the old man Volkmann, who is also 72 years old. The contestants will run a distance of 50 yards and back. Race to take place at 2 o’clock p.m., on day of Null’s picnic, September 2. Mre. Diefenbach, our farmer, butcher and saloonist, is building an addition to his barn 16 by 16 feet. We understand that Mr. Diefenbach contemplates building a new dance hall in the near future. He always takes the lead in making improvements in Freedom. Joseph Klinkhardt has been very busily engaged for the last two or days nursing an aching tooth. We advised him to use cold iron, but he seems to be afraid of it. Charley Meyer, a young man living with Mr. Klinkhardt, has also been suffering for the past week with inflammatory rheumatism. S.I., Taylor made a business trip to his old home at Mt. Vernon, Jefferson county, Ill., last week. He reports a good corn group in that section of the country, and that Mt. Vernon, the county seat of Jefferson, has changed so much in the last ten years, that one who has not seen it lately would hardly recognize it. Ten years ago it had a population of 3,500, now it claims 7,000; and at that time the L. & N. was the only railroad in Mt. Vernon, now she has five, and a good prospect for more. Land in Jefferson county was then selling for $10 to $15 per acre, the same land is now selling at $40 to $50 per acre. The L. & N. Machine shops, employing 700 men, are located at Mt. Vernon, also the Supreme Court building for the Southern Grand Division. A very thick vein of first-class coal had been discovered and is at present being mined there.