The increased war taxes included a whisky tax. The tax was so hated that many locals took to distilling their own whiskey for private use.
The income tax levied was explained thus. A man having earned $1000 for 1862 was to pay 3% on $400, or $12 in tax. The tax was to be paid on May 1st with a 60 day grace period. The tax was to cease absolutely in 1866.
With coffee in short supply, much of it going to the soldiers, folks turned to substitutes. One substitute was roasted rye. Unfortunately, the ergot fungus on rye made this a bad choice. Discussions were being held to ban using rye for a beverage. ( Note: Ergot is a source of LSD)
Several thefts were reported. A gang of horse thieves were hitting Tippecanoe County pretty hard. The reporter remarked on the increase of horse thefts throughout the state as well.
A washer woman’s drying line was relieved of its contents by a thief. The line had held 8 shirts belonging to a groom who was left with just the shirt on his back.
The Warren County clerk’s office was broken into but the safe lived up to its name. Burglars were unable to access the contents.
A fire in the French Dye House elicited very little sympathy on the part of the reporter. He commented that except for the damage to the neighbors house, it would have been better had it burned to the ground. However damage was $300 and the business was insured for $1600.
The auction of real estate for back taxes brought in over $8000 in purchases and over $4000 from owners paying their back taxes.
Unlike Christmas and New Year’s sales, there was little mention of St. Valentine’s Day merchandise. There was a passing reference to correspondence between lovers, but little else.
The biggest political issue on the table was the vote about the water works. With the purchase of a new well, the city needed to address how best to use the water.
The Methodist Church was the site of a dramatic rescue. A tom cat got stuck in the cupalo. A group of boys climbed up into the cupola and extracted the distressed feline.
Abraham Lincoln, a great fan of the circus celebrity, Tom Thumb, entertained him at the White House.
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