The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Registrar for Daniel McMillan Chapter, N.S.D.A.R.1919
Stronghurst Graphic, May 22, 1919
THE BI-COUNTY MEET: (This was an event that students looked forward to each year.) The annual athletic and literary meet of the Warren-Henderson County Secondary High School League was staged at Biggsville. The declamations and essays were held at the U.P,. church; the athletic contest at Gibb's field in the afternoon, and oration and chorus contes in the U.P. church and the high school auditorium in the evening.
A brisk north wind made the day rather cool, but an enormous crowd plus a full complement of "rooters" from each school made the day lively with noisy demonstrations with which they supplemented the "yells" of the various student bodies. Fannie Adkisson of Roseville won first place in the essay contest with "Justice to the Jogo Slavs"; Stronghurst's representative, Hazel Long, was given second and Elizabeth Kobler of Kirkwood third. In declamation, Mildred Smith of Kirkwood was awarded first place on her rendition of "How the LaRue Stakes were Lost." Stronghurst and Biggsville tied for 2nd place-Miss Ardis Hicks representing Stronghurst. In oration that evening, Leslie Lundgren of Alexis won first with the subject "The Power of Democracy." James Sterrett of Biggsville placed second and Margaret Rezner of Kirkwood third. The choral award went to Biggsville.
As always the athletic event attracted the most attention and the closeness of the contest between the two leading schools, Stronghurst and Roseville, kept the excitement at fever heat. As a decision of the judges the meet was tied for first place between Stronghurst and Roseville, each being credited with 41 points.(Read this issue to discover individual scores.)
1894 GRAPHIC: Coxey, Browne and Jones, the agitators who had organized "armies" of idle men to march on the National Capital, were sentenced to 20 days in jail. Among the first batch of ordinances passed by the newly elected board of trustees of the new village board was one requiring the closing of business houses on the Sabbath and was greeted with a "roar of dissent." George Dixson, who was living at Emerson, Iowa, had recently been affected with paralysis of the brain and had been taken to a hospital at Clarinda for treatment. Cold weather damaged gardens, planted fields and fruit trees. The Stronghurst Glee Club composed of Mrs. H.B.Harter, Mrs. I.F.Harter, Miss Effie Slater and Messrs. W.J. McElhinney, C.E.Fort and M.I.Robinson, furnished the music at a Masonic reception in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Pepper of Chariton, Iowa, at Carman on May 19th. George Chant and family were visiting Joseph Chant home; George was thinking of relocating here.
***OBITUARY*** C.A.MARTIN - C.A.Martin, pioneer resident and highly respected citizen of Biggs-ville, passed away last Monday at the Burlington Hospital where he suffered the amputation of one of his feet. Funeral services were conducted at the Biggsville Presbyterian Church.
***MRS. ELIZABETH POWELL*** Mrs. Elizabeth Powell, one of the county's highly esteemed pioneers, passed away at her home four miles west of Stronghurst on May 20, aged 72 years, 8 months and 19days. She had been in failing health for several months, but her condition did not grow serious until last Friday when a rapid decline began which terminated in her death.
Mrs. Powell lived with her daughter, Miss Nellie Powell and her granddaughter, Miss Lydia Cunningham on the farm owned by her late husband, William Powell, who died some seven or eight years ago. She was the daughter of Joseph and Sarah Smith, who came to Illinois from Pennsylvania in 1844 and settled in Fulton County. From there they came to Henderson County in 1855, where they spent the remainder of their lives.
Their daughter was untied in marriage to William Powell on Jan.1, 1864 and to this union were born fourteen children, six of whom died in infancy and two, after reaching maturity. The six surviving children are Charles H. Powell of Oakland, Ia., Mrs. Warren Shanks of Galesburg, William A. and Benjamin F. Powell of this vicinity, Mrs. Mary Clover of Carman and Miss Nellie Powell at home. A brother and a sister of the deceased also survive her namely Valentine Smith of Sargent, Nebr. and Mrs. Mary A. Fisher of Muscotah, Kan.
Mrs. Powell was a woman who possessed sterling traits of character which marked so many of the earlier settlers of this part of Illinois . She was a member of the Maple Grove M.E.Church and was a regular attendant on its services so long as her health permitted. Funeral services will be conducted at her late home on May 23rd at 11 o'clock with interment in the Stronghurst Cemetery.
CLOSING SCHOOL EVENTS: But two weeks remain of the present school year and teachers and pupils are busily engaged with affairs which are associated with the "commencement" period. On Friday evening the Junior class will tender a banquet to the Seniors according to the custom which has been in vogue for a number of years. On Wednesday Class Day exercises will be held in the high school assembly room at 3:15 p.m.
On Sabbath evening the sermon to the graduating class will be delivered by Rev. A. Jaggers at the United Presbyterian Church. On Tuesday evening the exercises in connection with graduation of the class of 1919 will be held at the Lyric Theatre. Rev. A.W.Ferris of Carthage has been secured to deliver the address on that occasion. Admission to the graduation is free, but a charge of 20 cents will be made for reserved seats.
NEIGHBORHOOD NOTES: Dallas City is arranging to honor returning soldiers and sailors of Dallas, Durham, Pontoosuc and Lomax Townships. A buffalo fish weighing 55 pounds was taken from the river at Burlington. Five cases of small pox are reported at Aledo and the health authorities are taking every precaution to prevent the disease from becoming epidemic. The Mercer County grand jury returned an indictment for murder against Lee. O. Landers charged with causing the death of Miss Maude Saunders. The accused man is still at large; no trace of his whereabouts was found. The LaHarpe city council and the Western Illinois Utilities Co. are at outs over the question of the insulation of the high voltage wires which the utility company have brought into the city and also in regard to the lighting contract for the city. The management of the company threatens to stop all improvements contemplated in extension of lines and service if an attempt to force lower rates is made by the council.
Paul Barry, 19 year old son of Mr. and Mrs. James Barry of Raritan neighborhood, is in the Galesburg hospital suffering from a split nose and broken cheek bones resulting from his being kicked in the face by a horse. Mrs. J.W.Cassingham of LaHarpe fell from a porch at her home in such a manner as to break both bones of her left leg below the knee. She was taken to the Burlington hospital for treatment. Mayor Hartsell of Carthage recently declared himself to favor moving pictures and baseball games on the Sabbath day and at a recent meeting of the city council a petition signed by 300 citizens was presented asking that these amusement be prohibited on the Sabbath day. The mayor is considering putting the whole question of Sunday closing up to a vote by the people. Rev. J.W.Graham, former Christian pastor at Roseville, Ill., had his left leg broken in several places, the bones of his left hand broken and his scalp badly torn at Bushnell, Ill. when the automobile which he was driving was struck by a passenger train on a grade crossing.
POLL TAX NOTICE: At the annual meeting held on the Second Tuesday after the annual town meeting, the highway commissioner assessed a poll tax of two dollars on all able bodied men in Stronghurst Township between the ages of 21-50. This tax must be paid by the first Monday in June 1919 to either C.H.Curry, Treas. or D. Prescott, deputy. The only ones exempt from this tax are paupers, idiots and lunatics.
OLENA OBSERVATIONS: Quite a number of children and some adults have the mumps; the latest victims are Mr. Sam Claybaugh and Miss Goldie Davis. Rev. Russell appointed Harvey Lant as one of the 4 minute men to speak during the "Centenary Movement" of the Methodist Church. Mr. Will Hicks and family attended the commencement exercises of the Oquawka graduating class of which Mrs. Hick's brother, Max Fryrear, was a member. Keith Hicks remained and accompanied the class on their excursion the following day to Keokuk. Mrs. Oscar Marshall of Danville, Iowa, was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Burlington where she passed through quite a critical surgical operation. Although she remains weak, her condition is hopeful. John Lant and different members of the family spent much time there to be near their daughter.
Sammy Lant is carrying around a much burned face caused by experimenting with powder. Most of the farmers, notwithstanding the cold, backward spring, have their farm work pretty well in hand. Some have all their corn planted and other will soon finish. Mr. Will Goff and family of Oquawka, Mr. Wilbur Black and family of Stronghurst, Mr. Robert Winders and family, Mrs. Anna McCannon and grandson of Burlington and Mrs. E.D.Rease of Media were guests at the Fred Fisher home in Hopper Sabbath Day.
LOMAX LINGERINGS: W.Q.Crane was in Chicago on behalf of the War Savings Committee of Illinois. The May Brothers Minstrel troupe played to a full house at the opera house. A son was born to Fred Nixon and wife on May 13th. Willie Scott of Fort Madison has been employed as a molder by the Lomax Boiler Co. New steel is being laid on the west bound main track of the Santa Fe; the work is being done by an extra gang. Joe Starkey had the misfortune to fall on an old sickle, cutting an ugly gash in his leg near the knee cap. Dr. Emerson gave the necessary treatment.
GLADSTONE GLEANINGS: Lee Galbraith came home from Camp Grant with an honorable discharge. Lee has been over the top several times while in France. Mr. and Mrs. Ira Peterson were in town visiting Mrs. Peterson's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Morse.
CARMAN CONCERNS: Commencement exercises will be held at Dallas City Christian Church May 22 at 8 o'clock. From a class of 20, three graduates are from Carman, namely, Miss Rhoda Marsden, Messrs. Golden Babcook and Walter Howell. Fred Siegworth, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Siegworth, has arrived home from overseas.
DISGRACEFUL: A Biggsville correspondent of the Galesburg Republican-Register says that the Bi-County high school meet held in Biggsville last Friday was a most disgraceful affair in many respects. The charge is made that downright rowdyism marked the conduct of some of the contestants as well as that of some of the "rooters" and spectators. The courtesy of the U.P.Church people in granting the use of their edifice for the literary contests is said to have been rewarded by an utter disregard of propriety and civility and by the reckless marring and defacement of the church furniture. The charge is made that the sale and distribution of intoxicating liquor was carried on in a more or less open manner and that even some of the athletes were partially under the influence. These are serious charges and it behooves the management of the Warren-Henderson League to investigate the same and if substantiated to use every effort to see that future meets are not disgraced by similar actions. Far better drop high school athletics entirely than to have contests degenerate into occasions for rowdyism and brawls.
RETURNING SOLDIER BOYS: Quite a number of the boys who have seen overseas service have returned to their homes here during the past week or two: Glenn Marshall who saw considerable front line action during the closing months of the war; Joe Baxter, who belonged to the crack "Rainbow" division and whose overseas experiences over a period of 21 months; Alvah Putney and Frank and Ira Woods, who have also seen and experienced many of the hardships and dangers of actual warfare.
LOCAL AND AREA HAPPENINGS: Charles Ray of Lamar, Colo. is visiting his sister, Mrs. C.N.Salter. Oliver Chandler is here from Ft.Collins, Colo. looking after his farming interests. Miss Charlotte Maxey closed her term of school in Dist. No.5 with a picnic for pupils on the school grounds. A. S. McElhinney reports the sale of the Nordstrom property on Mary St. North of the Santa Fe depot to Otto Steffey. Nine cars of stock were shipped to Chicago from this point: C.G.Richey, 2 cars of cattle; John Peterson, 1 car of cattle; Geo. Stout, 1 car of cattle and 1 car of hogs; John McCartney, 1 car of cattle; John Voorhees, 1 car of hogs; Doug Wasson, 1 car of hogs, Elbridge Fort, 1 car of hogs.
The Stronghurst band boys went over to Burlington last Saturday evening to help welcome home the members of the company of famous Rainbow Division in general and our own representative in that company, Joe Baxter, in particular.
The train which brought the soldier boys into Burlington did not arrive until 1:30 o'clock Sunday morning, but there was a crowd estimated at 7,000 waiting for them on their arrival and the reception accorded them was both noisy and sincere. L.A.Wilson resumed his position as weigher at the Santa Fe stock yards in the village after an intermission of a year or over caused by ill health. A gang of workmen under the supervision of street commissioner, Jas. Sutliff, has been busy cleaning out the ditches, drains and culverts along and across the streets of the village, an improvement for which there has been great need. The Willing Workers of the Stronghurst U.P.Church will hold an afternoon tea at the home of Mrs. L.E.Pogue May 23rd. The ladies who will serve are Miss Ella McQuown, Mrs. Ella Griffiths, Mrs. R.I.Findley, Mrs. Pearl Drain, Mrs. W.B.Towler and Mrs. Frank Lant. An invitation is extended to all the ladies of the community to attend. C.S.Brokaw, who with his family, has been living at Colorado Springs, Colo. arrived in town and will spend some time looking after his farming and stock raising interests in this vicinity. The rest of the family will remain in Colorado for some months yet at least.
MEDIA MEANDER-INGS: Mrs. Gladys Martin and son went to Burlington where they met Mr. Martin just returning from France where he had been since the first part of the war. Mr. Len Steel has improved his residence by giving it a new coat of paint. Mrs. Mildred Welch visited with home folks and while here had the misfortune to loose her pocket book and twenty dollars.