From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Oct. 29, 1913:

• “Colonel John K. Rankin is dead. The word this morning, while not at all unexpected, came as a blow to the citizens of Lawrence. Death has removed one of the city’s oldest and best residents, a man who had a large part in the building of this city, and his loss causes general sadness…. Colonel Rankin had been confined to his home since September sixth. For more than a week his condition grew steadily worse and worse and the family were obliged to give up hope of recovery…. Rankin lived a long and active life in Lawrence. He came here when the city was only a collection of a few log cabins. He joined the colony of home-builders and the Lawrence of today is the result of the efforts of such men as Colonel Rankin. He lived through the days of hardship and trouble on the western frontier…. When Quantrell and his band of guerrillas invaded Lawrence on August 21, 1863, Lieutenant Rankin, then a young officer, was in Lawrence on a furlough. He escaped the ruffians after a fierce pistol duel and later led a band of armed citizens in pursuit of the gang…. Fifty years after this date, when the citizens of Lawrence planned a memorial of that day, Colonel Rankin was still one of the most active residents of the city and because of his long connection with the city, his energy and enthusiasm, he was chosen chairman of the committee to plan and hold the memorial. The memorial was a great success and much of the credit for this must belong to the efforts of the chairman.”
• “October temperature records of twenty-five years were broken in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma and equalled in Texas when the thermometer this morning showed readings ranging from sixteen at Concordia and Dodge City, Kansas, to thirty at Dallas and Abilene, Texas. Coming on the heels of the snow and sleet storms driven by a biting wind, the drop in temperature caused suffering. The weather observer here said tonight would be not quite so cold and a decided rise in temperature would come tomorrow.”
• “Red Cross Seals will be on sale in Lawrence soon. The proceeds from the sale of these Christmas stickers will be divided between the cause of the visiting nurse in Lawrence and the state campaign against tuberculosis. The local committee which has been in charge of the nurse plan is co-operating with the state society with headquarters at Topeka and plans to sell at least 30,000 of the stickers during the Christmas season.”