From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for June 26, 1915:

• “Yesterday, at a point seven and a half miles northwest of Lawrence, in Jefferson county, a tourist from St. Louis refused to even attempt to negotiate the notorious ‘Billtown’ Morasses in the Golden Belt route, turned his automobile about and took the back track…. The name of the tourist is E. C. Harrison, and he is treasurer of the Haas-Lieber Grocery Company of St. Louis, and he left St. Louis a few days ago in a high-powered automobile…. All went reasonably well – as well as possible, in fact, allowing for the excessive rains all along the route, until he struck Billtown Morasses, in the southern edge of Jefferson county, in the first lap of the Golden Belt Route from the Missouri river to Denver…. His ire was roused over the situation in general. He deeply resented a necessity that would not exist except for the negligence of the authorities, from the road overseer to the county commissioners. He reasoned, ‘If such a condition is allowed to exist, week after week, in such a presumably enlightened community but fifty miles from the Missouri line, how many times may not the situation be duplicated between here and the state line, three hundred and fifty miles farther west?’ The more he reflected the madder he got…. Then he paid the man who had hitched on to pull him through for his trouble, turned his machine around and started east.”
• “The police this morning arrested John Doe, a Lawrence youth, 19 years old, on a charge of violating the traffic ordinance last night. He was fined $15.50, including costs, in Judge Albach’s court this morning, and given some advice about reckless riding on the city streets. Officers say that the young man was making a speedway out of Massachusetts street, and that he was circling back and forth from one side of the road to the other in violation of the city law which requires vehicles to stay on the right side of the street, according to their direction. The youth, who was badly scared, promised to take greater care in the future.”
• “George Cossell of Bennington, is here for the purpose of buying horses – a few all-purpose animals. If he does not find what he wants he will go on into Missouri on the same mission, accompanied by his brother-in-law, John Henry of Overbrook.”
• “A man named Bill Stevens, place of residence unknown, was arrested at Vinland yesterday in connection with the stealing of tools from a carpenter named Kennedy at that place. Part of the tools were recovered but Stevens’ accomplice escaped with the remainder. Stevens is now in the county jail and the officers are looking for his partner. The tools were valued at $60.”
• “County Clerk Herman Brocker is starting a beautifying campaign at the court house. Mr. Brocker noticed that there was a rose bush just outside the south window of his office which had fallen on the ground, so he had a workman build a trellis this morning and is training the bush over it. ‘I am going to have a regular flower garden here in time,’ said Mr. Brocker, ‘and make the yard and lawn prettier.'”