"The hammer brigade" and a little 'schputt'

There must have been especially vocal dissent in Pierz about something in the fall of 1914.  I like "you can hear them knowing away..." in particular.  Dr Ed Kerkhoff was publisher and editor in 1914, so I'll attribute this to him.  

From the September 17th, 1914 Pierz Journal:

 "The hammer brigade are always in trim. Listen and you can hear them knowing away upon every side.  They work without pay, furnish their own rations, and never take a layoff.  They are the most persistent people on earth.  Every one of them has an idea that his own little carpet-tack driver is a maul. But I have observed that woodpeckers seldom harm a living tree.  They always make their big noise upon a dead branch".

John Dombovy married Martha Otremba (according to a 1930 obit for Mrs Jacob Niesius, "Mrs. John Dombovy of St. Paul and Mrs. Theo. Stumpf of Genola are sister of the deceased and Charles Otremba of Golden Valley, N.D., is a half-brother of the deceased") but I'm posting this because the article is snarky so it caught my eye ☺.  John Dombovy was the son of Florian & Johanna Dombovy, and was 31 in 1914.  He must have been a good sport and was probably well liked in Pierz for this kind of teasing "news", ya know?

Early editorials from the Pierz Journal

...and other stuff.

For your next (Incredibly) Trivial Pursuits game when the Q comes up about the editors of the PJ between 1909 and 1919, all you'll need to blow em away is to read this post.

H.C.Bailey was first, for about a year, then A.P.Stoll and E.H.Kerkhoff, then just Kerkhoff, then F.L.Preimesberger, ok?  Someday you'll thank me for this.

Like all newspapers of the time (and today), the PJ did job printing--posters, fliers, church bulletins, invitations--why have a press if it's only used once a week?  The Journal office printed auction bills, too, so they had news brought right to them.  Hmm...I wonder if the farmer had to pay to have his auction published in the paper, if they printed the bill?

These next three clippings are here just for their historic interest.  I imagine it had to be said: "These rates will be strictly adhered to and everybody will be treated alike".

An example of the boosterism of the PJ early on.  This was Ed Kerkhoff encouraging land owners not to sell too cheap.  I like his conclusion, too.

                                                                                                      The editor had to reprimand occasionally, too. 

"There are events occurring in every community which, if reported in a local paper would create a commotion little dreamed of.  What to report and what not to report often perplexes the editor.  He is often unjustly accused of cowardice and favoritism, when all the time he is looking towards the good reputation of the town where his lot is cast.  The local editor, from necessity, almost constantly finds himself between two fires, and whichsoever way he turns he is sure to be unjustly treated.  This is one of the pleasures of the newspaper business".  
--Pine City Poker

It tickles me that this was from "some other paper", so it didn't sound like "our" editor was whining ☺. 

"An editor and his wife disagree with each other materially.  She sets things to right, and he writes things to set.  She reads what others write and he writes what others read.  She keeps the devil out of the house as much as possible, and he retains him and could not go to press without him.  She knows more than he writes, and he writes more than she knows.--Ex."

The Journal pencil pusher has been appointed village justice of the peace by the council.  It is a thankless job.  About the only remuneration a justice usually receives for dispensing justice is injustice.  However, we are going to qualify, and if any of the members of that council are ever brought before us as defendants in a criminal case we will give them the full limit of the law.  (

This would have been Mr Bailey.  No wonder he left town so soon after he started the paper!)

And here's an ode to the country editor with reasons for what he writes.

(I imagine this sort of article had to be printed regularly ☺)

A Pierz Pastiche or Journal Jumble ☺

...and TG for an online Thesarus ☺

From my vast 'Clippings from the Pierz Journal' files, here are things that are cool or fun but not enough for a whole post by themselves.  

YOU are soooo lucky!

Aus-ge-spielt...a familiar word that made me smile.

In light of the pope's announcement of his retirement this morning, I thought we might publish some of the home guard.  Bishops Cretin, Trobec and Bartholomew.