One hundred years ago today William H Cline brought suit against the Town of Leroy for damages to his home and property during a charivari in October of 1914 that "celebrated" his marriage to his second wife, Katherine Dunlap (43). William Cline was at that time a 69 year old man. As he described events during the night, a crowd of people appeared on his lawn and hurled bricks through his windows, brought mud into his carpets, and broke his water pump and threw it in the well. William Cline called the mayor and demanded help and fired off his shotgun, but the mob continued unabated. No help was sent by the Town of Leroy, and William Cline filed suit in 1915 for damages.
When the matter came to trial the Town of Leroy was prepared with 65 witnesses. The defense was that the curtains were not damaged, the water pump was in bad repair, etc. Testimony went on for three days and provided entertainment for the entire town. The verdict was for the town, but Cline brought the matter up on appeal. The case was remanded for a new trial in 1917 on a technical flaw in the trial.
In April of 1914 Mr. Cline had a near death experience from a case of blood poisoning. He reported that he was walking along the street in Leroy when he was suddenly stricken with great pain in his leg. He remained at home for a few days and the leg swelled. Mr. Cline was in a delirious condition when finally taken to the hospital. At the Brokaw Hospital he was diagnosed with blood poisoning. during his treatment gangrene set in. His skin was removed and 64 square inches of skin were grafted to his gangrenous leg. He stayed in the hospital about 6 weeks for his recovery. The name of the surgeon who treated him was not mentioned in the Pantagraph.
William H Cline was a wealthy member of the town and had at one time been mayor. He was actually elected as mayor again in January, 1928 at the age of 82. During his second term as mayor the city installed a 62,000 gallon water tank that improved the water pressure of the town appreciably. He was born in 1845 in Pennsylvania and moved to Illinois in 1894. His wealth can be judged by the fact that he claimed to have sold about 400 cars of cattle and hogs each year after moving to Illinois. Hardly a credible claim and probably a misprint. He died on December 27, 1928. He had been previously married to Mary Scott, also of Leroy, but they had no children.
Katherine L Dunlap was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Dunlap of near Leroy, born 1870. She lived until 1948, still living in Leroy with her unmarried sister. She had never had any children.