Part of Mother’s Day was a trip to some antique shops.  One was Paddy Wagon Antiques.  I suppose the guy in the high chair would be an example of the kind of son that most mothers would prefer not to have. 

Paddy Wagon Antiques is mostly broken up into booths like this one.  It is one of those places where most of the space is rented to many dealers.  The store is clean and well-lighted. There is a good variety.  And from having made more than one visit I can say that there is a turn-over in merchandise.

I have heard of Deadwood Dick, however this is the first time that I have seen Diamond Dick.

Not sure who this was.  He did get a prominent position in a booth mostly featuring old records.

This perhaps one-time pillar of his community now sits unknown on a bottom shelf.

One last view from the second floor.  Paddy Wagon Antiques is on Route 36 in Tuscola IL.  That is the road you find yourself on if you take the only Tuscola exit on Interstate 57. 

The first picture is from March 27 of 2007.  That was a early Spring that got things growing, and which had a freeze which damaged much of the new growth. 

In 2008 the blooms didn’t start until April 15. 

2009 has the latest date for the Magnolia to bloom.  It took until April 18 that year.

2010 and 2011 were about equal.  In 2010 the first blooms were on April 5 and in 2011 the first blooms were on April 8.

This year, 2012, is the earliest so far.  This picture was taken on March 15.  I wouldn’t be surprised if that is the earliest that a magnolia has bloomed in this area.

The Dalton Adding, Listing and Calculating machine was made from 1902 to 1928.  This model is from 1912.  It was the first ten key adding machine and it had the ability to multiply.  Likely it was one of the wonders of its day.

Admiral tabletop tube radio probably from the late 1940’s or early 50’s.

If your decorating plans are following a grocery store or maybe a bean theme than you may need this sign.

This is from a set of seven illustrating the seven deadly sins.  I do wonder where these were before they ended up in an antique shop.

Lastly, this former Interurban Station in Harristown Illinois is being used as an antique and craft shop.  Harristown is near Decatur Illinois. 

I wonder how recognizable a croquet set is to most people these days? I remember playing this game a lot when I was a child.

Does anyone collects Colonel Sanders memorabilia?  At least I think that is who this is supposed to be.

An early form of 3D.  Viewing stereographic photos was very popular during the late 19th century.

The kind of thing I like to see.  I didn’t find any cameras I wanted, however I got some old film cannisters that had negatives from the 1940′s and 50′s.

Both shops have a lot of stuff.

I saw this in a shop in Chesterville.  It is a Smith Corona Silent Secretarial. It was made around 1945 and has felt behind the keys to make it less noisy.

At the Charleston Antique Mall.  I think this is to give one an idea of what it would be like to have a wicker room.

I think this is supposed to be a country look.

Just a regular display.

Lastly, as a tribute to the start of the baseball season a reproduction Babe Ruth sign.  You could buy it for $6.95.

MANIAC GIVES BATTLE WITH AXE
EDWARD BURKE CAPTURED BY POSSE AT PHILO
Deputy Sheriff Sadorus and Dr. Ryan
in Peril
Armed with an axe, Edward Burke,
a farmer living four miles south of
Philo, held Deputy Sheriff Jesse Sadorus
and Dr. Ryan of Philo, at bay
shortly before noon today, and was
not overpowered until he had given
a posse of eight men a hard fight.
Frothing at the mouth’ and with clothing
almost torn from bis body, Burke
was brought to this city and arraigned
in county court on a charge
of insanity. It was necessary to keep
him handcuffed and he attempted every
conceivable ruse to have his irons removed.

Burke has been insane for about a
year, his trouble being hereditary.
His neighbors feared him and finally
complained to the authorities. Deputy
Sadorus went to Philo this morning,
and with Dr. Ryan proceeded to
Burke’s home. The maniac put them
to flight with a spade and when they
returned he went after them with an
ax. The deputy was armed but he did
not wish to wound the man unless absolutely
necessary and therefore organized
a posse to capture him.
Burke was surrounded and the men
quickly closed in upon him before he
had time to do them any injury. Before
rounding up the posse Deputy
Sadorus telephoned to Urbana for
help. Deputy Sturdyvin started to
Philo in his auto, but the machine
broke clown about five miles out of
the city.

The jury which returned the verdict
finding Burke insane was comprised
of Dr. J. M. Bartholow, William
Glawe, John T. Sutton , E. V. Kirby.
D. M. Makensome and Stephen Mc
Graw.

I have read several stories in old newspapers similar to this one. Most of the time it seems like the police of the time went to great effort to avoid shooting someone. Considering that I can think of at least three incidents in this area in recent years where the police shot a mentally ill person in confrontations that were no more threatening than the one in this story I wonder if the old-time police were more successful at avoiding deadly force in incidents like this.

Put His Foot In It
On one occasion in Scotland a guest arriving rather late at a country house was quartered in the haunted room. Although professing to he a skeptic, like many others, his courage vanished with the light. Determined, however to protect himself as well as possible he placed a loaded revolver under his pillow and awaited events. As the clock struck midnight he saw a fleshy hand at the end of the bed, and steadying his nerve, he addressed the visitant thus: “If you do not instantly remove your hand I shall fire without further warning.” He counted three and then discharged the bullet . A howl of pain which aroused the household followed, and It was soon discovered that the successful, marksman had shot away two of bis own toes.

The second is a story I remember my father telling. It was said to have happening in a house that once stood about a mile east of Pesotum Illinois.

One Saturday night a farmer was sick and asked for his children to
stay with him instead of go to a dance that night in Pesotum.  His
children decided to go to the dance.  As they were leaving he told them
that if he died while they were gone that no one would ever sleep
peacefully in his room again.  Well, I suppose it comes as no surprise
that the farmer did die and that afterward anyone who tried to sleep in
his room was bothered by a ghost all night.  He would do things like
pull the blankets off and make his eyes glow while he stared at you from
the foot of the bed.  After a while people got the message and stayed
out of the room.

At some point another family came to live in the house and had the
same experiences with the haunted bedroom. No one would spend the night
in there.  The farmer who lived there had a daughter who was seeing a
young man.  The young man heard the story about the haunted room and to prove his
bravery said he would spend the night there.  He took his gun with him
and before going to sleep he put the gun on the nightstand.  The young man
did have some trouble sleeping, however until he looked at the foot of
the bed and saw what seemed like glowing eyes everything had been
quiet.  Now why he thought he could shoot  a ghost I don’t know, however
he did grab his pistol and fired a shot at the glowing eyes.  The
family in the house heard the shot followed by a scream.  When they came
into the bedroom they saw the young man holding his foot.  It turned
out that he had seen the reflection of the moon on his big toenail and
had shoot himself in the foot.

When I saw the first story in the old Courier I wondered if it wasn’t the inspiration for the second story.  Or maybe both are true and shows that it is dangerous to sleep in a haunted room with your feet sticking out from under the blankets.

The No. 2 Rainbow Hawk-eye was one of the cheapest cameras you could buy back in the early days of the Great Depression.  It was first made in 1929, the year of the stock market crash, and ended production in 1933, the first year in office for FDR. Judging from ads from that time the No. 2 Rainbow Hawk-eye sold mostly for between one and two dollars.  One ad offered it for as little as 87 cents.

The ad above is from Robeson’s Department store in Champaign, Illinois. Robeson’s was a very popular store in those days and it is possible that this camera camera from there.  The No. 2 Rainbow Hawk-eye was the kind of camera that a young family without a lot of money would have purchased to make images of what was important to them.  The 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 negatives would have been printed without enlargement. I imagine that The No. 2 Rainbow Hawk-eye was a guest at Christmas and birthdays. Although since film then was very slow it is likely that most pictures taken with the The No. 2 Rainbow Hawk-eye would have to have been taken outdoors.

I do wonder what became of the images that this camera made.  Hopefully, they were passed on.  Judging from some of the other cameras in the box I am guess that the No. 2 Rainbow Hawk-eye was retired when a more sophisicated camera was purchased in the mid-thirties.  Probably it sat forgotten for decades until it was sold in a box with several other cameras at an auction in the late 70′s.  My father was the buyer.  And again the cameras sat for several more decades until I was looking at that box of cameras last winter. I noticed that the No. 2 Rainbow Hawk-eye was the only one of the cameras that used a film that is still made.  I looked the camera over and found that the shutter still worked and the lens seemed clean enough.

Now has you can see from the picture the camera is beat up and the metal parts are rusty. Very primitive even when new compared to todays cameras and definitely judging by appearance not improved by the years. Still I felt a strong curiousity to see if the No. 2 Rainbow Hawk-eye could still make an image.  And as you can see in the gallery below it still can.

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To me there is something mystical about using a camera from former times.  And that was especially true with the No. 2 Rainbow Hawk-eye.  The times when it was born seem similiar to our troubled time.  Hopefully we will make it through these days as well as the No. 2 Rainbow Hawk-eye.