A brawl in Belinda makes the front page ....

I'm not sure who Wm. Long was, but that's Henry Spiker --- the Belinda village blacksmith back in 1904 and a friend of my grandfather --- at left. I found the photo among Granddad's papers years ago. Henry was married to Barbara Molesworth, one of Lucas County's pioneer educators.

Whatever the case, Henry and Mr. Long got into it back in March of 1904 at Kennedy's store in Belinda and the following brief report about the encounter was published on the front page of The Chariton Patriot of March 10. It would appear that the most seriously injured party made a full recovery as no follow-up reports were published.

The only justification for republishing the item here, 129 years later, is the fact I found it amusing. Looking at the image of Mr. Spiker and considering his profession, I don't think I'd care to challenge him in a "mix-up."

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Because they could not agree over some collections of accounts, Wm. Long and Henry Spiker came to blows in Kennedy's store in Belinda last Thursday and Long is in bed with a badly bruised and sprained shoulder as a souvenir of the mix-up. The two men quarreled over the right of each to collect some book accounts against a man who was in debt to Long, and who had been working for Spiker in his blacksmith shop. Blows were exchanged, a clinch followed, and Spiker threw Long with great force on his hand a shoulder. In the clinch, Long got his thumb in Spiker's mouth where it received a good chewing-up. Long was badly hurt and had to be taken home. His condition is said to be serious. Spiker escaped injury aside from a scratched nose. The fight was short, being over before the bystanders could interfere. No arrests have been made.