Jacksonville, Sept. 26.--There is great indignation among business men and property owners here, and the city council has been asked to take action to guard against possible repetition of a practical joke which occurred at an early hour Saturday morning, and resulted in demolition of all windows and doors of the U.S. Hotel, and the plate glass front of the Beekman Bank. The matter will be given attention by the council at its next session, and it is possible those instrumental in the work of destruction may be punished.
    While darkness still covered that portion of the earth which encompasses Jacksonville, and while Saturday was still young, its residents were rudely awakened from their slumbers--not by the clang of the proverbial fire bell, but by the roar of heavy artillery. There was immediate response to the alarm, and hundreds rushed to see what had caused the terrific explosion. In the very center of the city they found a cannon, from muzzle and touch-hole of which veins of smoke still emanated. Round about it on every hand, there was broken doors, strained walls and shattered glass. But those who were responsible were not to be found.
    It developed that a party of young men had secured possession of a cannon, which had lately been used by the Grand Army of the Republic at a celebration. This they dragged to the heart of the city, loaded to the muzzle, and then fired. The damage resulting will amount to considerable.
Unidentified 1904 clipping, SOHS vertical files


    . . . along about midnight--and all was quite--Bum Neuber and Marshal Bill Kenney loaded that old brass Civil War cannon with 6 woolen men's socks filled with gunpowder, pointed it down Main Street--lit the fuse . . . BOOM-m-m-m-m! It took old Otto Biede (local glazier and tinsmith) 3 weeks to replace all the shattered windows in downtown Jacksonville . . . with Bum Neuber gladly footing the bill. He said it was real jolly fun.
Pinto Colvig, Clowns Is People, unpublished manuscript, SOHS, page 113

    JACKSONVILLE--There were many stories to tell when men and women who had lived in the Jacksonville area for more than 50 years gathered for the Old Timer's Reunion held in connection with the U.S. National Bank's opening day festivities here.
    John Schumpf, born in Jacksonville in 1877, was one of the oldest to attend the affair that was hosted by Wesley Hartman and held in the former Dowell law offices, on Third Street.
    Schumpf's favorite story follows:
    "The Grand Army of the Republic reunion of November, 1906 [sic], was a sort of blast for all concerned when the veterans got together and decided to celebrate the event by shooting a cannon down the main street of Jacksonville.
    "The artillery piece was pulled by California Street by a team of horses--I was the driver--and brought to a standstill at the corner of Third Street.
    "Common cotton socks, donated for the glorious cause, were stuffed with powder and rammed into the cannon.
    "At high noon the muzzle was pointed east and the blast was ignited. [Even though this is a first-person story, every other account--including the contemporary ones--say the cannon was fired late at night.] Two shots were fired, and a third was on the way when the Civil War veterans were halted.
    "Every window in Jacksonville, from Third and California streets to Fifth Street, had been broken by the concussion. The brick walls of the U.S. Hotel were damaged.
    "It cost $700 just to replace the broken windows."
    Schumpf said his father owned the first barber shop in Jacksonville, and his uncle, Sebastian Schumpf, using a foot treadle lathe, made all of the woodwork and the pillars for the courthouse.
    Schumpf said he saw the railroad come to Jacksonville, and at that time Jacksonville was the biggest community in this area. It also had the biggest Chinatown north of San Francisco.
    Approximately 50 persons attended the reunion.
    Fred Corbin led a group that played old-time music while guests danced.
    Stories and reminiscing were tape recorded. Refreshments were served.
Medford Mail Tribune, January 25, 1965, page 10    Where are those recordings now?