From the Lawrence Daily World for July 20, 1910:

“A dilapidated movers outfit containing a man, a woman, and three unwashed children drove through Lawrence last night on their way to Ottawa. It was Ed. Hockenberry taking the family of Newt. Cox back to the husband. Mrs. Cox took her children and eloped with Hockenberry several days ago. The party drove overland until their money was exhausted, and then concluded to return home and ask for forgiveness. According to word received from Ottawa, Cox intends to take the three older children from his wife and refuse to have any thing more to do with her…. If Douglas county farmers don’t tie the cultivator out in the corn field, and bring their entire families in to the Merchants picnic tomorrow afternoon, they will miss the biggest time of their lives. All Lawrence is planning to participate in the joy-occasion en masse, but the new park is roomy and will accommodate all who will come. It is to be the one big rah-rah day of the summer. There will be free lemonade, free watermelons and free cigars. There is nothing tight about Lawrence merchants, and they expect to establish a precedent as royal entertainers, which subsequent picnics will find difficult to surpass.”