1836: The temperature dropped to 44 degrees, the coldest recorded since the island was settled.
1856: William Hackley recorded in his diary: Rose at 5:30 and walked on the beach, returned home and bathed. At 9:15 a.m. barometer 29.57, thermometer 68, wind north by east 2, clouds 9. The weather is raw and disagreeable. Drew up petitions for John Lowe of the Libby Sheppard for 172 bales of cotton and one anchor and chain, Simon Frow of the schooner Florida for 201 bales of cotton, James Riggs of Ramona for 112 bales of cotton and Oliver Braman of the schooner Dart for 61 bales of cotton from the wreck of the ship Mary Hale, Rollins Master. Samuel Douglas filed libels for William Lowe, schooner Chestnut and John Curry of the schooner Relampago. My petitions are in fact libels as there was no consortship between the parties. R.W. Welch refused to endorse the bills of Captain John S brigantine Sarah Stern incurred for replacing sails, spars and riggings lost at sea and Tift to whom she w
print kicker: Sangamon Link
A drunken shootout in a Springfield saloon in 1905 left three men dead and two brothers charged with murder.
The cause was a previous fistfight, followed by a series of telephoned challenges.
Those killed were all from the Berlin area: horse trader Samuel Douglas, farmer John Lawrence, and Charles Casson, a farmhand. James and William Hinman, livestock dealers from Springfield, were found not guilty of killing Casson, after which charges were dropped in connection with the other two deaths.
The dead men were among eight to 10 Berlin men who came to Springfield to confront the Hinmans over the fistfight.