Typed as spelled and written
Lena Stone Criswell

THE MARLIN DEMOCRAT
Twelfth Year - Number  (Missing)
Marlin, Texas, Thursday, February 13, 1902
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ALTO SPRINGS.

       Farmers have begun to turn the soil for the crop of 1902.  The ground not withstanding the dry weather seems to be in a good conditions for farming.

       A good many farmers will sow oats next week.

       Mr. Tom Pamplin has recently moved to Alto Springs and occupies the place recently vacated by Mrs. Jarratt.

       Miss Mamie Bratton has returned from Southeast Texas where she spent several weeks with relatives.

       The quarterly Methodist conference at this place last Saturday and Sunday was very well attended by people from a distance but owing to so much sickness only a few from this place were able to attend.

       The "Sugar game" of base ball between the "Old men" and school boys which was to have been played on last Saturday was knocked out on account of so much sickness in the community but the weather will clear up again soon and us boys will again show the "Old men" how to play ball.

       Never in the history of this community have the people suffered so much from pneumonia and lagrippe--there being at present 20 well developed cases --and there has been but few, if any, in this community that has been so lucky as to escape the lagrippe.  Mr. Frank Bratton has up to the present had seven well developed cases of pneumonia in his family and Mr. McCleskey, five: Mr. Jennings two; Mr. Vaughn, one; Mr. Harlan, one; Mr. Pamplin, one; and Mr. A. J. Pearson is down at present with chances against him.

       Our school has gone to zero since the pneumonia epidemic--from 80 to 15.
                                            "I AM FAT."

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by The Democrat, Marlin, Falls Co., Texas