The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Stronghurst Graphic, Sep. 2, 1920
GAMBLING JOINT RAIDED BY BANDITS: The tough resort which has been operated for some time at the Illinois end of the wagon bride at Burlington was raided by holdup men last Sunday night while a card game was in progress and $2,500 in cash and $2,000 worth of deposit slips secured. The victims of the raid were three Burlington gamblers, Oscar Potthoff, "Pat" Murphy and Gus Addis, and three young men whose names could not be learned. The Burlington Hawkeye thus describes the hold-up, which had in it, all of the elements of an old time western drama: "Get your mitts up and go to the wall," one bandit said, and two other highwaymen advanced with revolver ready. The six victims obeyed.
The "frisk" began with gamblers trying to reach the ceiling and each one being good. One of the robbers searched pockets while another one slipped one gun in his pocket and pulled out a leather slung shot.
As the robbers looked for loot, he also watched out for a hidden gun and passed his hand up under each of the players' shirt to see if any wore shoulder guns
The money on the table and a big roll of bills in the table drawer was attended to by one of the bandits, who swept it all into a sack. Little time was lost in searching and before the gamblers had steadied their nerves, the bandits backed out the door and slipped away.
Burlington police claim to be in possession of evidences which shows that the three bandits who pulled off the job hid in the weeds near the gambling shack for a time and then crossed the railroad bridge into Burlington and hired a taxi driver to take them to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, where they disposed of some jewelry secured in their raid and bought railroad tickets for Denver, Colo. The Denver police have been notified to be on the lookout for the men. It is also claimed by the police that the bandits came to Burlington with the intention of making a haul at the Tri-State Fair, but were foiled in their purpose because of the watchfulness of the fair officials, who had been warned of the projected raid on the gate receipts.
It is supposed that the men had a confederate in Burlington who was tipping them off in regard to matters at the fair grounds, and who also furnished them with information which enabled them to pull off the holdup of the gamblers on this side of the river.
***WEDDING BELLS***BEAL-SCHELL: Miss Florence Schell, youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Schell of Oquawka, and Mr. Omer Beal, son of Mr. and Mrs. Elias Beal of Rozetta Township were married at the home of the bride's parents on the afternoon of Aug. 27, Rev. D. K. Sailor of Oquawka officiating. Both of the young people are well known and popular amongst a large circle of acquaintances. After a brief honeymoon spent in Chicago they will be at home on the Beal farm near Reed.
MURDER AT CARTHAGE FAIR: What appears to have been a cowardly and unprovoked assault by Wick Crenshaw, an ex-saloon keeper of Warsaw, Ill., upon Bert Langford of Carthage at the Carthage fair grounds last Wednesday, resulted in the death of Langford the same evening. It seems that Crenshaw who is a man weighing in the neighborhood of 250 lbs. walked up to Langford who weighed less than 140 lbs. and without any warning, took him by the shoulder and turning him half way round hit him in the jaw with his fist.
The force of the blow was sufficient to break Langford's neck and death resulted almost instantly. Crenshaw, it appears, had been keeping company with the divorced wife of Langford, but the two men had never met before the assault took place. Crenshaw is said to claim that before striking Langford, he accused the latter of lying about him; but witnesses of the assault say that no conversation took place between the two men and that Langford was given no opportunity to defend himself from the brutal attack made upon him. Crenshaw was arrested on the fair ground soon after the fatal assault and is now confined in the Hancock County jail, awaiting the action of the grand jury which meets in October.
***WEDDING BELLS***FORT& JAWORT: Yesterday afternoon at 4:30 at the family home in Wausau, Wis., Miss Consuelo Jawort, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Jawort, was united in marriage with Grady Vincent Fort of Stronghurst, Illinois. The bridal hymm, "Until," was sung by Miss Esther Lahrbas? accompanied by Miss Madelon Willmam and the bridal couple entered the living room where the ceremony was read by the Reverend D. Jenkins Williams of the First Presbyterian Church.
The bride wore a beautiful gown of white satin with an overdrape of silver lace and her tulle veil was artistically caught in cap effect. She carried a large bridal bouquet. Following the ceremony a wedding dinner was served. The house was attractively decorated with palms and pink and white cut flowers. Guests from out of the city were Harris Lewis and Miss Ruth Raymond of Rhinelander; Mrs. Graf and family of Spokane, Washington; Miss Madelon Willman of Green Bay; Miss Lydia Plake of Merrill and Miss Mern Crum of Sycamore, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Fort left for a wedding trip through Illinois and North Dakota. After Sept.15th they will be at home at 207 Blossom St., Shenandoah, Iowa.
The happy event which the above records was the culmination of a romance began when the bride and groom were both students in Northwestern University at Evanston, Ill. Mr. Fort is a graduate for the science department of that institution and will teach in the Shenandoah, Iowa, schools the coming year
CAUGHT THE RASCAL: A young man who made several attempts to pass forged checks on Dallas City merchants last Saturday was arrested by Marshal Hupfer of that place and now languishes in the jail at Carthage.
The fellow was a stranger to Dallas City people, but the Review of that city states that it has been tipped off to them that he hails from Stronghurst and that he is wanted here for similar crooked check utterances. This is probably a mistake, which arose from the presumption on the part of the informants here that the parties who have been doing a land office business cashing forged checks here and at Burlington, Iowa, had transferred their field of operations to Dallas City. It would appear, however, that there are others.
LED ASTRAY: Burlington Sunday morning Hawkeye contained the following account of the alleged criminal operations of two local young men: Herschel Simmons, who is spoken of as the principle offender, has served a term in the Illinois State Reformatory at Pontiac.
For the past several months he has been employed in various capacities by people in this vicinity and was believed to be making an effort to live down the stigma which his former record has attached to his name. Marvin Evans is a son of the late "Com" Evans of the Hopper neighborhood and so far as we know, has never before been implicated in any serious infraction of the laws.
"A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Herschel Simmons of Stronghurst, Ill., whom the police believe to be the principal in the check forgeries which have victimized Burlington business men for the past few weeks. Simmons is thought to have used Marvin Evans, also of Stronghurst, Ill. and who is now in the county jail under $1,000 bond, as a tool in cashing the fraudulent checks. Evans was arrested Friday evening and upon his failure to put up $1,000 under the charge of uttering forged instrument was taken to the county jail.
Police looked for Simmons Friday night and Saturday morning but were unable to locate him. Captain Charles McElroy said Saturday that he believed Simmons had escaped. "I am confident," McElroy said, "that Evans was only a tool in the hands of Simmons.
Evans appears to know very little about forged checks and seems to have been misled by the other man." The specific charge against Evans is based on an attempt he made to cash a check for $30 at the American Savings Bank and Trust Co. on Thursday morning. The day before, it is alleged, he was with another man who cashed a bad check in Burlington; this may have been Simmons.
The police say that there are several business firms in Burlington which have been swindled by Simmons and his gang, and that is several cases the sums obtained by forged checks are considerable. In an endeavor to aid in apprehending the forgers, these firms have been keeping quiet. Simmons is believed to have cashed forged checks in and near Stronghurst, Ill. Evans claims that he did not write the checks he passed and that he did not know the checks were fraudulent.
APPEARED AT A HEARING: Miss Ottilia Barr, the Dallas City woman who shot her father and her brother in a family quarrel on Aug. 17th and who had been confined in the Henderson County jail at Oquawka since that time, was given a preliminary hearing before Justice R.R.Trimble last Saturday and through her attorneys, O'Hara and Colin of Carthage, waived examination and was held to the grand jury on a charge of assault with intent to commit murder.
Robert Barr, the brother, who was shot in the chin and who also sustained a broken arm in falling, has been discharged from the Burlington Hospital and is almost recovered.
The father, Walker Barr, is, however, still in the hospital with a paralyzed side and may never recover from the wound inflicted by his daughter. The latter is reported as still claiming that she acted in self defense in the shooting.
AUTO THIEVES: Harley Todd, Jess Steepleton, and George Aldrich, the latter a La Harpe dentist, are confined in the Hancock County jail on the charge of stealing a Buick automobile belonging to S. H. Bradfield. The car was taken from the garage on the Bradfield place between Disco and Lomax on Aug. 14. It is alleged that the three men had arranged a scheme to deal in stolen cars and had opened a garage at New Philadelphia where the cars were to be changed in appearance and disposed of.
CORRECTION MADE: R. N. Clark of Media Township states that he has not been chosen for a committee of 17 from the American Farm Bureaus to formulate plans for co-operative grain marketed by all farm organization in the U.S. He states his name was one of three proposed and the committee has not been appointed. Illinois will likely have only one member on it.
***WEDDING BELLS***DODDS AND HUFNAGEL: From the Henderson County Journal: "Today at Galesburg Miss Velma Hufnagel will become the wife of William Dodds, well known Stronghurst farmer. Miss Hufnagel is the oldest daughter of Mrs. Amelia Hufnagel of Oquawka. She has spent practically all of her life in the vicinity with the exception of the last several months she has made her home at Stronghurst. Mr. Dodds is well known in the southern part of the county and is a farmer of considerable prominence.
MEETS HIS DEATH: J. S. Fouts, the bridge contractor who made his home in this county for many years and was well known to many of its people, was instantly killed last Friday night when the auto in which he and J.L. Snelson of New London, Iowa, were riding was struck by a Burlington passenger train two and a half miles from New London. Mr. Snelson was also instantly killed and the automobile torn to pieces.
Part of the wreckage of the car and the bodies of the two men were carried nearly a quarter of a mile on the pilot of the locomotive before the train was stopped. There was a deep gash cut into Fouts' head and both of his legs were broken. Snelson neck was broken and his chest crashed in. The accident occurred about 9:30 p.m. and neither the engineer nor fireman of the train which struck the auto saw it before the crash came. It is said, however, that any one in the wagon road could see an approaching train at the crossing for some distance. Fouts had been living in Burlington for the past year and Snelson's home was in New London. Both men had been in Burlington on the evening of the accident and had left for New London after eating supper at the Farmers' Restaurant 803 Jefferson St.
Fouts was married about three months ago to Mrs. Deborrah Pendry, a sister-in-law of James Pendry of this place, and she was visiting relatives in Lomax, Ill. at the time of the accident occurred. Mr. Fouts body was taken from the Prugh undertaking establishment in Burlington to Dallas City, Ill. where funeral services were conducted from the Christian church at that place, after which the remains were interred in the Dallas City cemetery.
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: Hon E. L. Werts of Oquawka was in town calling on friends and looking after his political fences. L. A. Grier and R.B. McLaughlin of Monmouth; W. J. Fowler and J. S. Miller of La Harpe; A. R. Smith of Galesburg and A. D. Atkins of Raritan are in the village submitting bids on bridge construction work which county superintendent C. R. A. Marshall is arranging to carry out in various townships in Henderson County. Harry C. Tutwiler, wife and daughter of Red Oak, Iowa are visiting in the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Baker. Mr. and Mrs. Guy Sanderson are the happy parents of a young son born last Sunday morning, Aug. 29th. The event raises our well known and popular grocery man, A. E. Jones, to the dignity of "grandpa." Nate Groom did not go to Canada and instead accepted a position at the Lewis Seed Co. Mrs. Fern Hicks was visiting her mother, Mrs. Hattie Pendry. Mrs. Ivabelle Stewart of Biggsville was in town in the interest of the Women's County Republican organization of which she is chairman. A lot of the youngsters of the village and community indulged in a marshmallow and "Weenie" roast in the Putney pasture west of the village. W. A. Thompson of Wilsonville, Nebr. and his son Ewing have been visiting at the McGaw, Rankin and Lukens homes in this vicinity.
The pupils in piano classes of Mrs. R. W. Upton and Miss Evelyn Fort are giving a piano recital at the Upton home. The Misses McElhinney and Wax will render vocal solos and thereby add variety to the program. Chas. Whiteman of the Coloma neighborhood reported an addition to his household of a fine young son and heir, born to him and Mrs. Whiteman at the Burlington Hospital on Aug. 29th. Mr. and Mrs I. H. Brokaw, their daughter Ethel and son Chester drove over to Peoria in their new Willis-Knight car. Miss Ethel remained there where she has been engaged to teach in one of the high schools during the coming year.
The watermelon crop along the river bottom lands is unusually large this year and the melons are of fine size and quality. Many have found their way to the local market during the past week; but the difference between the prices which the growers are asking at the patches and those which prevail here seems a little out of reason. Prof. Carl Larson was making arrangements preliminary to the opening of the public high school of the village. Pupils in the grades will be expected to present themselves on Monday morning and the high school students will not be required to report until Tuesday morning.
OLENA OBSERVATIONS: George Fort of Olena neighborhood held a sale of his household goods at his home west of the village; articles brought a good price. Mr. Fort will make his home with his daughter, Mrs. James Hicks of Stronghurst. Will Hicks and family are moving into the house Mr. Fort vacated. Trustees of the Olena Cemetery are holding their annual meeting. Oscar White is hauling his oats crop to Gladstone and Virgil Davis delivered his to the Burlington market.
FIRE IN CARMAN: A very fierce fire destroyed the large barn, straw stack, cow barn, chicken house, pump house and some other buildings and all of Mr. Charles Bowlyou's farming implements, harness buggies and many useful tools to be used around the farms on the Copeland farm located about half way between Burlington and Carman. The mother was busy at her house work and did see the fire until it had such a start nothing could be done to save the burning buildings. The wind blew the flames toward the house and for a time it was feared the house would burn too. The neighbors did all they could to fight the flames and saved the house, but the furniture was removed and badly damaged. Mr. Bowlyou's loss is estimated at almost $3,000 and Mr. Copeland's loss is quite heavy as most of the buildings were new.
GLADSTONE GLEANINGS: Mrs. Frank Lauber of Lafayette, Ill. and Dr. and Mrs. Frank Daugherty of Peotone, Ill are visiting with their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Daugherty. Mrs. Verna Barnett and children of Biggsville are spending several days at the Sam Duncan home. Clyde Sandy, who has been in the Burlington hospital for five weeks with a broken leg, was able to come home. School will begin on Monday: Prof Blackstone, principal; Mrs. Glen Gribler? in the grammar room; Mrs. Arch Griffith in the Intermediate; and Mrs. Lena Pence in the Primary room. Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Cadle from near Peoria are visiting Mr. and Mrs O.A. Hedges.
OLENA OBSERVATIONS: After on interval of two weeks vacation, preaching services and Sabbath school reconvened; only three more preaching services before the close of this ministerial year. While Mr. and Mrs. Anderson and daughter were here from Fullerton, Nebr., they were entertained at the M. E. Beardsley home and the following day at the Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Lant home where guests were Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Marshall, Mrs. Myrtle Davis and son, Mrs. Isaac Downs, and Mr. and Mrs John Lant.
Quite a good many from here attended the Tri-State fair held in Burlington last week. Miss Grace Marshall has been a guest in the Vaughn home near Lomax and accompanied them to the state fair in Springfield.