The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Registrar for Daniel McMillan Chapter, N.S.D.A.R.1920
Stronghurst Graphic, April 1, 1920
GRAPIC-1895: Curt Davidson had completed the erection of a handsome brick business house in Stronghurst to be occupied by himself and partner, Ed Doty. The 66 acres estate of John Johnson near Gladstone sold at an administrator's sale at $18 an acre. A. E. Jones, who spent several months visiting relatives in Wales, arrived home. Mrs. Jennie Logue Campbell, a former member of the Monmouth College faculty, gave an address at the Stronghurst Opera House on Sunday.
In an inventory of the personal property belonging to the county farm near Oquawka the following items appeared: 6 bu. Potatoes, $4.50; 1100 bu. Corn, $415; 25 bu. Wheat, $10; 450 bu. Oats, $126; 22 tons hay, $176; one team, 4 yr. old horses, $120; one team, 2 yr. olds, $60; one mare, 4 yr. old, $40; eight cows, $200; one 2-yr. old steer, $25; 4 yearling steers $80; total $1705. At present prices for farm products the property listed would easily be worth from $4,000 to $4,500. The 1,100 bushels of corn alone would bring nearly as much as the total amount of the inventory. (Last statement seems confusing as corn is listed as being worth $415. By looking at assets listed, one gains a sense of the operation of the poor farm in 1895.)
SUCCESSFUL MUSICALE (This was how to have fun in 1920) The musicale given at the M. E. Church on Friday evening was highly pleasing and very successful. The church was artistically decorated with ferns and blooming plants and before the program began was filled almost to the seating capacity limit. The beautiful costuming of the ladies taking part was a feature of the occasion while the manner in which the numbers were rendered, revealed both talent and careful preparation on the part of each performer.
Miss Mary Dixson started the program with the piano solo, "The Silver Nymph." She was followed by a quartette composed of Misses Maree Larson, Marjorie Thompson and Messrs Carl Larson and Kenneth Yoakam who sang, "When the Great Red Dawn is Shining." Miss Maree Larson appeared next, giving the humorous reading, "Sweet Day of Rest." Miss Erma Kaiser followed with a beautifully rendered harp selection and Eleanor Robinson Widney sang, "Roses of Picardy." The quartette gave a medley of Southern Airs; Mesdames Wallin and Widney sang the duet, "One Fleeting Hour;" Miss Larson held the close attention of the audience in a reading of Kipling's "Gunga Din"; a ladies quartette composed of Mesdames Wallin, Widney, Johnson and Maree Larson sang "The Little Grey Home in the West"; Miss Kaiser followed with another harp solo; Mrs. Grace Widney Wallin sang very artistically "The Boat Song." The mixed quartette sang the "Lullaby" and the concert was brought to a close with a well rendered descriptive piano solo "Pompte Valsanti" by Miss Mary Dixson.
Each number on the program was heartily encored and the encores were responded to in a way which indicated that the performers thoroughly appreciated the compliment conveyed.
WOMEN URGED TO VOTE: All women voters of Illinois, who wish to do so, may exercise their rights to vote at the Presidential preference primaries and notices have been sent from the office of the Secretary of State to all county clerks directing them to prepare women's ballots for this purpose. . .All Republican women voters of Henderson County are urged, so far as possible, attend the primaries taking part not only the presidential primaries, but in the regular township election, which are being held at the same time and place. Ivabelle Stewart, County Chairman
(NEWS ARTICLE FROM SAME ISSUE: STATES HAVING WOMAN SUFFRAGE: Voting privilege ranging from school elections to presidential elections has been granted to women by all states except the following: Alabama, Georgia, Maine, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.)
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: Miss Jean Spears began a spring term at Center School. Frank Curtis is moving his family to one of Joe White farms where he and the boys will be employed. Miss Evelyn Fort of Monmouth, Ruth McMillan of Hedding, Richard Peasley and Lester McMillan of Knox-all out of town students will be home for Easter vacation. James Brown and wife of Kewanee visited relatives in town while temporarily out of employment on account of the strike in the Wardsworth Fitters Co. Mrs. Joe Wilcox has purchased the old Stevenson property in the west part of town lately owned by the Dowell estate and now occupied by Frank Curtis and family. Lee Jarvis has disposed of his real estate in Crandon, Wisconsin and returned to Stronghurst. Albert, son of Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Glad of Carman, underwent a serious operation at the Burlington Hospital for relief from conditions resulting from an attack of the flu. Miss Salter is caring for him.
The first machinery to be used in the oil region of Warren and Henderson Counties was unloaded at Avon and will be set up immediately and put into operation at once. Earl, son of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. VanDoren of Raritan, and Miss Mildred Ulmer of Roseville were united in marriage at Burlington, Iowa on March 24th. The happy couple will establish a home at Kirkwood where the groom has a position as a mechanic. J. W. Stine and family have moved to the house vacated by Fred Mudd where they will reside while a new modern house is being built on the site of their former residence, the old Hollingsworth house. This house has been purchased by H. N. Vaughn and will be moved to some lots in the extreme eastern part of town. Mrs. Edwin Hurd has purchased of Miss Emma Marshall the house and lots on Mary Street formerly owned by the Morgan heirs.
The question of a public pool room is likely to be made an issue at the coming village election in Blandinsville. There have been three tickets filed thus far and a majority of the nominees are said to be in favor of pool rooms. There is some talk of placing a fourth ticket in the field with nominees who are known to be opposed to the pool room.
STILL AT LARGE: Sheriff Hicks of Warren County has received a letter from the authorities of the Joliet penitentiary asking him to be on the lookout for Carol Carroll, who was convicted in the circuit court at Monmouth for the burglary of the bank at Swan Creek on the night of Jan. 30, 1911. Carroll is wanted in Chicago for the murder of a night watchman and the robbery of the offices of the Western Shade Cloth Co. last February.
It will be remembered that the capture of Carroll, following the Swan Creek robbery, was bought about by the alertness of some citizens of this community. Carroll and one of his accomplices, afterwards found to be a fellow calling himself George Reed, had stolen a team of horses and a buggy, and driven to Stronghurst on the morning following the bank job at Swan Creek. They abandoned the rig before driving into town and at about 5 o'clock in the morning one of them appeared at the Santa Fe station and tried to buy tickets for Chicago. He was informed that there was no east bound train which stopped here in the morning and he then aroused Glenn Baxter at the Hughes Hotel and asked if he could get a livery rig to take him to Gladstone.
He was directed to the Thomas livery barn where he secured a rig and was driven to Gladstone by Chas. Weddington. In the mean time Frank Gustafson had found the driverless team on the road near his place and word had also reached here of the robbery at Swan Creek.
Word was telephoned to Sheriff McDill at Oquawka concerning the circumstances and he immediately started for Gladstone to see if he could intercept the stranger who had been driven there from here. On arriving at Gladstone he learned that a man answering the description of the suspect had boarded an east bound way freight a short time before. The Warren County officials at Monmouth were notified and when the freight train pulled into that city they were on hand and took the man into custody. They also arrested another stranger who had boarded the train at Sand Lake and who proved to be George Reed, the accomplice of Carroll in the bank job.
Carroll broke jail while the Monmouth and was recaptured in the state of Nevada after a long search. He was brought back to Monmouth, tried and found guilty and sent to the Joliet penitentiary. At that time he was a young man, scarcely out of his teens. It seems, however, that no reformatory effects followed his imprisonment and that he has since developed into a hardened and dangerous criminal who bids fair to end his life upon the scaffold.
GLADSTONE GLEANINGS: Evert Phillabaum from Cheyenne, Wyo. visited his grandmother, Mrs. Rose Stephenson.Ê George Cook of Galesburg has accepted a position in Des Moines, Ia. and stopped to visit his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lou Cook, enroute.
The railroad agent, Glen Tribler, is confined to his home with mumps. Mr. and Mrs. Albert Mears were given a utility shower at Bryan's Hall. Music and dancing were the pastimes. Miss Helen Poindexter of Galesburg visited her grandmother, Mrs. Charles Forward, during spring vacation. John Cook went to the Burlington Hospital and was operated on for appendicitis. Miss Adeline Saben is quite ill with the flu at the home of her sister, Mrs. Lena Pence. Frank Porter, the mail carrier, is very ill. Mr. Ralph Miller moved his family here from Burlington to begin work at the garage in the old stone hall, which he has fitted up.
OLENA OBSERVATIONS: The heavy wind which prevailed here all day Sabbath was very disagreeable and much damage is reported to out buildings and telephone service. A tornado struck Chicago and adjoining towns killing 20 and doing heavy damage to property. Dan Burrell of the Hopper neighborhood is sawing wood with his "buzzer" for some of the families west of Olena. George Fort is again enjoying country life, having returned to his home after spending the winter with his daughter, Mrs. James Hicks in Stronghurst. She accompanied him home and will keep house for him until other help is found. The Gill family moved into the Mary Gibson property in the village. Mrs. Gill took quite ill and was hurried to a Burlington hospital for an operation for gall stones. This family had moved here from Burlington last year and had been staying at the George Barnett home east of Olena. Fred Pence is now the mail carrier.
MEDIA MEANDER-INGS: The Community Club had a dinner and all day sewing at the home of Mrs. Richard Gould. Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Schroeder are the happy parents of a baby girl born Saturday. Several from here went to the show in Stronghurst Tuesday evening.
April 8, 1920 LOCAL FARM NEWS-KANE FARM: Out at the farm of Wm. Kane you will find Mr. Kane a very busy man as he has two hired men putting in oats and preparing the ground for 140 acres of corn which he will plant this year. Mr. Kane has just owned this farm one year and is contemplating building this year or in the near future. He is also starting a small herd of pure bred Shorthorn cattle, having a few good quality heifers this spring. He and Sam Claybaugh bought a very fine young herd bull at the recent sale at Galesburg. He is also found a herd of pure bred Poland-Chinas as he says we are going to have to raise more and better livestock if we keep up the fertility of this high priced land and pay a dividend on the investment.
***OBITUARY***RUTH LUCILLE MORELAND: Ruth Lucille Moreland, daughter of Clarence and Elzina Moreland, was born in Gladstone Township on Feb. 9th, 1918, and passed away on April 4th. She is mourned by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Moreland, grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Dixon of Carman and also by E.C. Moreland of Dolliver, Iowa, Charlie Dixon of Carman, Lena Dixon of Omaha, Nebr, Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Anderson of Stronghurst, Ill., who are aunts and uncles of the deceased.
Funeral services were conducted at the home of her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Dixon of Stronghurst with interment in Carman Cemetery.
Those from a distance in attendance at the funeral were Mr. and Mrs. H. O. Wray of Corydon, Iowa; Dr. J. W. Wray, Eddyville, Iowa; Mr. E. C. Moreland and daughter Nellie of Dolliver, Iowa; Miss Lena Dixon R.N. from Omaha, Nebr. and Miss Lelia Anderson of Fort Madison, Iowa.