October 29, 1890, Oshkosh Northwestern
Halloween was even a thing back in the 1890's, though this article raised several questions in my mind. First of all, what was the local grocer going to do with the beans? Shoot them at offending trick or treaters? And what is a Hibernian? Turns out the Ancient Order of Hibernians was (and still, is) an Irish Catholic fraternal organization. Members must be male, Catholic, and either born in Ireland or of Irish descent. And was the devil himself going to make an appearance at their event? And what about these "tick-tacks" that are to be employed? No, it's not the familiar breath mint we now find at checkout counters, but as best as I could find, it was a noisemaker employed to rattle windows and create a scare for the average homeowner. The article below from a Le Roy, Kansas newspaper (some forty years later, mind you) explains the idea in much detail and it looks rather complicated. Needless to say, Halloween promised to be quite the event in 1890. Sadly though, a snow storm hit the area and curtailed activities sooner than desired.
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