Postcard Talk Morris Illinois 1903 McNeil Refugator Shot Himself Did a Clean Job

History Documented in Postcards from the Past

by Mary Katherine May
of www.QualityMusicAndBooks

This past weekend I was out perusing the antique stores in Anoka, Minnesota. Jam-packed to the point of usually allowing only one person being able to pass through an aisle at a time, there I stood examining postcards. It is absolutely true that it takes me much longer to go through old postcards than most collectors, because I am generally looking at the written message and postmark date first, and the image or photograph and condition second.

Originating in Morrison, ILL on September 2 at 9:30 AM,
I cannot be certain that the year was 1903.

The posted message I offer here today originated in Morrison, Illinois, on September 2nd, possibly in 1903. The last number is only a partial. Due to part of the back address on this undivided back postcard being partially scribbled out with pencil, I can glean only that the recipient was a woman (Miss), and that she lived at 839 North 2 St. West, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. On the front, where the message on an undivided back postcard had to be written, we discover that Floyd was writing to his sister, though still no name.

The postcard itself would be interesting because it shows a large amount of lumber being floated down the Mississippi River. This is called a "log raft." The information about the actual postcard is as follows.

No 8. Log Raft on the Mississippi River, Clinton, Iowa.
C.D. Hurd, Publisher, Books and Stationery. Made in Germany.
(back) 84878; This Side Is for the Address.

The initial message, on the side of the front is fairly short.

Dear Sister--Mother received letter we are all well, hope you are the same. will answer your letter in a day or so. Floyd

What makes this particular postcard so exciting is the LATE BREAKING NEWS--almost like a new flash on television today.

McNeil Refugator(?) book keeper shot himself. did a clean job.

I am assuming that this happened in Morrison, IL, and that Floyd was adding something that his sister would want to know. We don't know if McNeil, who did a clean job, at the point of writing was alive or dead, and if alive whether or not he survived. What we do know is that it was important to both sender and receiver of this card.