Below are some transcriptions from Newspapers in Kenton County. Please feel free to submit any portion of a Newspaper, just be sure to include the Newspaper name, date of article, page and column.

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The Daily Commonwealth, Covington, Kentucky
August 29, 1874


• At the August election a colored man was elected to the office of Town Marshal of Harrodsburg. The People of that place says of it: "Burrell Sneed, colored, was elected Marshal last Monday. He is the first colored man who ever ran for office in Harrodsburg. Only a few white men voted for him - his support mainly coming mainly from the colored people. He had the legal right to run - he has the legal right to hold the office and perform the duties of Marshal. He does not pretend to be competent. His election only shows what may be done, nay, what will be done. Kentucky is afloat with her sister States upon the muddy and turbulent current of that stream which is bearing the Republic on with resistless sweep to ruin, and she cannot escape the common destiny which extreme Radicalism has prepared for the whole country. The day is not far distant when there will be negro post-masters, gaugers, & c., in Kentucky; nor will the child of ten be half way through his teens, before black men will occupy office in many counties in Kentucky. This is no attempt at prophecy but is simply the necessary conclusion from what Radicalism has done and promised to do."
  
• Uncle John Harper, the famous Bluegrass turfman, and owner of Longfellow, died at his home in Woodford County Wednesday. He has been ill for a long time, confined to the room and occupying the very bed in which his sister, Betsy Harper, was murdered two years ago. He was an old man, marked by many peculiar traits of character, and popular among stock-raisers and sportsmen everywhere. The Harper homestead, near Midway, is one of the finest demesnes in the world. It came to the family with the early settlement of Kentucky, and has never been out of it. A more old-fashioned place and a more old-fashioned master could not be conceived.- (Courier Journal).
  
• As will be seen by the reference to his address, Hon. O. P. Hogan, of Grant announces himself as an independent candidate for Congress in this District. We regret that Judge Hogan has seen proper to take this course. He is a gentleman of many excellent traits of character. He has had some experience in public life, has been a consistent Democrat, and is a energetic, successful business man. Judge Hogan will find no justification of his course in the fact that the Democracy of the District, though is accredited representatives, failed to ratify a little compact made by some of the candidates themselves, as to the mode of selecting a candidate. Though Judge Hogan may not see it, that same compact was in the interest of another candidate, and had it been carried out nothing is more certain than that the Judge would not have got the nomination.
  
• I am a candidate for Congress to represent the people of this District in the Forty-Fourth Congress, and have been ever since the 10th of March last. At the County Court of Grant County, at the April term, by the request of my opponents in the field at that time, to-wit: - Hughes, Preston, and Duncan, I met them there to debate upon a plan by which we could settle our claims before the people, and we agreed to hold a Primary Election in all the Precincts in this Congressional District, to be held at the regular August Election, and the man receiving the highest number of the Democratic votes of the district should be declared the nominee of the party and the candidates who were beaten in the Primary Election should retire from the field and support the nominee. We drew the article in writing, and we put our names to the paper, and published our agreement in all the papers in the district, and we canvassed to that end for about two months and a half, and I believe four-fifths of the voters were well pleased with the agreement we had made. After this we requested the Democratic Committee to ratify what had been agreed to. About this time Hon. Wm. E. Arthur, present member of Congress was called to meet at Covington to either reject our agreement or ratify it. The Committee was called three times, and not until Friday week before the August Election did they convene, and then they only had five members out of nine of the Committee in attendance, and they decided to break up the arrangement we had made - three out of five voting to break up the Primary Election. The strange part of this procedure was that four out of five of the Committee at the meeting one week before were for the Primary Election. What brought about the sudden change is unknown to me, but I have my convictions about the matter. Some gentlemen said Mr. Arthur would not have time enough to go before the people and discuss his claims. In reply to that I proposed to let the Committee set any day that Mr. Arthur would name for the Primary Election, or let the Committee, or Arthur, or any other candidate set the day for the Primary Election from then until the 12th of October next; but these gentlemen were, it seems to me, determined that the people should not have what they so much desired, a Primary Election, so every man could go to the polls and cast his vote for the man he wished to represent him in Congress. I have made this proposition to all the candidates ever since the Committee broke up the Primary Election, that I am willing to run the Primary Election, any day that they would name, and I even go further than that, and make the proposition that they can make their nomination at Walton, and then I will run a Primary Election with the nominee, giving him all the prestige of his nomination, and if he beats me I will get off the track, and do all in my power to elect him. All I want in this matter is fair play for myself and the people. O. P. Hogan, August 24, 1874.
  
• Local Brevities:
  1. Mr. Henry Wolf, who it was feared at one time was on the verge of insanity, caused by the drowning of a dearly-loved son, is, we are happy to say rapidly recovering his health.
  2. R. A. Athey, Esq., Mayor elect of Covington, will be sworn in on Monday, 7th prox.
  3 Mr. Thomas J. McCarty, for a time employed in the office of the Clerk of the Kenton Circuit Court, in this city, died at Maysville, a few days ago.
  4. Dr. Paul Waite has resumed his practice at his old home in South Covington. He is one of the oldest practitioners in the county, having located in Bank Lick valley over twenty-five years ago.
  5. We are glad to see that J. N. Furber, Esq., has been appointed chairman of the Kenton County Democratic Executive Committee. His experience, impartiality, and sound judgement are guarantees of a faithful observance of the party’s interests.
  6. The latest authentic intelligence we have as to the condition of Mr. J. R. Sweeney, is contained in the following note: Leesburg, Ky., Aug. 26th, 11 ½ o’clock . S. Davis, Esq., - I regret to inform you that Mr. J. R. Sweeney is now laying very low and I fear cannot live many hours. He is unconscious.
  
• Kenton County Court
  1. In this court last Monday the will of Lewis Collins, deceased, came up for action and upon testimony of the subscribing witnesses and of Dr. Kearns, as to the condition of the mind of the testator, the will was rejected. Ben Collins, son of the deceased, then moved to be appointed administrator, but the motion was overruled, and L. Shaw was appointed and qualified. Collins took an appeal to the Circuit Court.
  2. The will of Bernard Bruns was probated, but Bernard Bruns, Jr., and Heinrich Bruns have appealed, and Bernard Marachall is continued as curator. Estate fifty thousand dollars.
  3. The bastardy case of Vincent Shields was filed away to redocket.
  4. The will of Henry Overberg was probated; also that of Jas. Humble; also that of Joseph Kohlberg, Jane Humble and Henry Buddenbaum being executors in the last two, respectively.
  5. Ann McGrain was appointed administratix of the estate of Thomas McGrain, and Mary E. McKay of that R. S. McKay.
  6. John Luen was appointed guardian of Henry Schafer, Jr.
  
• Kenton Criminal Court:
  1. The Grand Jury, Tuesday, returned indictments against Michael Riley, grand larceny, and the following for selling liquor to minors: Wm. Morgan, John Overman, Fred Doebling, C. Deisler, Barney Shoemaker, L. Wirth, Peter Beltlinger, H. C. Flaute, Louis Light. Against the latter there are three indictments by as many different parties.
  2. In the case of the Commonwealth vs. John Weisenburger, a motion for a new trial was overruled.
  3. In the case of the Commonwealth vs. Geo. Gardner and Wm. Gardner, continued to next term; bail $500 each. Same vs. Andrew Merkle, fined $25 and ten days in county jail. Same vs. Frank Westenberger, continued; same vs. Ellen Keagen, not guilty; ? John Donovan and John Hannegan guilty, the former fined $25, the latter $50. Same vs. Wm. McGraw, not guilty. Same vs. Anton Frank, guilty.
  4. On Wednesday, Michael Riley pleaded guilty to stealing a silver watch from Phillip Metz, and was sentenced by the jury to the penitentiary for one year.
  5. Thomas Morgan, charged with stealing money from Billy McGraw, discharged.
  6. J. D. Shult, L. K. Frazer, and Henry Kassen were appointed Jury Commissioners to make up a list jurors for next term. Court adjourned until Court in course.
  
• Pendleton County (Falmouth Independent):
  1. W. W. Coleman not at all discouraged with his meat transactions of last spring, proposes to commence the pork packing business this fall.
  2. A party of ruffians took great delight in interrupting the Good Templar’s lodge, at Morgan, Saturday evening. They are promised a warm reception if they repeat their visit.
  3. S. W. Hall, tobacco merchant at Butler, recently sold at Cincinnati, seven hogsheads of tobacco which he cleared one thousand dollars. This gentleman has about fifty thousand pounds yet unsold, and calculates to make quite a nice thing out of the trade this season.
  4. The committee appointed by the temperance people of this district to employ attorneys to made the defense in the contested election case under the Local Opinion Law, have employed Gen. W. Finnell and John H. Fryer, Esq., to represent them. The feeling of the temperance people is to contest every inch of the ground. It is thought that the Local Opinion contested election case of this district, will be dismissed by the Board of Examiners, before whom it will come up on next Monday week, for want of jurisdiction. It seems that the idea of a contested election case never entered the mind of the law-maker who drew up the Local Opinion act.
  
• Southern Items: Says the Atlanta Constitution of Friday: Mr. Ballard a farmer, who lives in Cobb county, was bitten by a rattlesnake on Wednesday. He suffered terribly until Thursday morning when he expired. Just after he was bitten Ballard shot the snake four times and killed it. It was found to be as large as a man’s leg, and is supposed to be the largest snake ever killed in the county.
  

  
  Transcribed by Jeannie Gallant