The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Stronghurst Graphic, Nov. 4, 1920
HALLOWEEN CELEBRATIONS: A number of public and private social events marked the Halloween season in this locality. On Friday afternoon the Willing Workers of the U. P. Church entertained at the home of Mrs. G.Q. Fort. The house was beautifully decorated with autumn products and Halloween emblems and tokens. On Saturday afternoon Mrs. A.A. Worthington and Miss Grace Simonson honored Mrs. Irvin Milliken. Some 20 intimate friends of the bride spent a delightful time and enjoyed refreshments of pineapple fluff, tea cakes and fruit punch. The home was decorated with autumn leaves, chrysanthemums and Halloween decorations. Beneath the decorations in one room were a numerous packages, which the guest of honor was requested to search.
On being opened, they were found to contain an assortment of pretty and useful articles for her new home. The students of the high school held a masquerade social at the schoolhouse on Saturday evening and had a merry time. Mrs. Johanna Wheeling served a delicious lunch and the evening was spent with games and music. The same evening the junior classes of both the M.E. and U.P. Sabbath schools held a social in their respective churches. Masques and fantastic costumes concealing the identity of the wearers were worn at both events and ghosts and hobgoblins and other sorts of weird characters were much in evidence. Halloween here was marked by the almost entire absence of acts of rowdyism and malicious mischief which have been wont in past years to be considered appropriate to the season.
WOMANLESS WEDDING-A BIG HIT:" The hit of the season" was unanimous verdict of the crowd that packed the Lyric Theater to the doors last Friday evening to see a swell society event portrayed by a company of local performers composed entirely of the sterner sex. While the announced title of the show, " The Womanless Wedding," gave the audience inkling as to the real facts, it would be hard to convince a stranger the true nature of the performers and none of the fairer sex was among them. In fact, so complete was the makeup and so fascinating the manner of some of the actors that had the stranger been of the male persuasion and at all susceptible to feminine charms and wiles, he might easily have been inveigled into a flirtation.
A number of those who took masculine parts were also so well made up as to make the establishment of their identity difficult to their most intimate acquaintances. The disguise of the genial and popular dry good merchant, E. R. Grandey, who impersonated the overgrown mischievous urchin brother of the bride, was so complete that his own wife would probably have passed him by as a stranger if she had not been in the secret of his disguise. Bert Putney and Ed Fort as "flower girls" threw the audience into convulsions when they appeared on stage dressed in short pink skirts with large sashes and brown curls dropping in rich profusion to their shoulders. While somewhat shy in manner at the start, they soon entered the spirit and during the "Virginia Reel" which closed the performance, displayed an amount of youthful abandon.
Dr. Harter, who acted the part of "ring bearer" during the marriage ceremony and whose costume suggested a combination of Indian maiden and chorus girl, also showed in the old fashion square dance that the terpsichorean art was not forgotten. Amongst the comic supplement celebrities as invited guests, W. C.I vins shown conspicuously in the role of "Maggie" his capability as director of affairs and supervision of "Jiggs" impersonated by Fort Hicks. "Andy and Minn and little Chester," impersonated by Dale Davis, L. McAndrews and Elmer Coleman respectively and looking as if they had just stepped out of the colored supplement page of the Chicago Tribune, added their full share to the fun making.
On course, the main interest centered about the "bride and groom;" and when Ralph Butler, attired in a costume from which none of the details of ancient convention nor modern innovation was missing, moved down the aisle toward the stage leaning of the arm of J. F. Mains as "father" and followed at a distance by Joe Peasley as "train bearer," there was no need for the proclamation, "Here comes the Bride.'"
At the center of the stage the party was met by the "groom," Lloyd Chant and his supporting friend, Albert Kaiser, George Dixson in his role as officiating clergyman advanced to perform his assigned part. Just at this point an interruption occurred caused by the jilted sweetheart of the groom who attempted to drag him away. Some of the groom's friend interfered and the sobbing sister, impersonated by Elzie Gilliland, was led gently back to her place amongst the guests.
The vows propounded by the officiating minister were rather unusual and both bride and groom were asked to give assent to some rather starling propositions and soon the couple was receiving the congratulations of the guests. (A long list of fanciful guests and their true identities with more particulars continues in this issue.) The affair was planned and carried out by the October group of ladies aid society of the local M. E. Church and a nice addition to the funds of the society resulted.
CAST HIS 18TH BALLOT FOR PRESIDENT: There were probably but few voters in Henderson County who cast a ballot last Tuesday who could say that they had voted for 18 presidential candidates during their lifetime; but such is the record of Mr. S. V. A. Simonson, who voted in Stronghurst this year. Mr. Simonson cast his first presidential ballot in 1852 when Franklin Pierce and Wm. R. King opposing Gen. Winfield Scott and Wm. A. Graham. Mr. Pierce was the winner. Mr. Simonson has voted at every presidential election since that time. Mr. Chas. Colyer, a neighbor, has a record of 17 ballots cast for president.
WRECK NEAR LOMAX: A fast "Red Ball" Santa Fe freight train west bound and loaded with merchandise of all kinds was wrecked about a mile and a half east of Lomax about 10 o'clock Monday forenoon. The breaking of an axle of the engine is said to have caused the mishap. The engine and entire train of something like 30 cars left the track with the cars being piled up promiscuously and their contents scattered all about. There were several cars of automobiles of various makes included in the wreck and the machines were said to be badly smashed and twisted. Wreckers from both ends of the division were summoned and the aid of section crews was called from various stations in this territory and the tracks were cleared of wreckage by evening so traffic could resume. Fortunately, no lives were lost; but the expense involved in damage to rolling stock and commodities in transit will no doubt be heavy.
HIGH SCHOOL TEAM TROUNCES BURLINGTON, 40-0: The local high school team had little difficulty in administering a decided defeat to the team from Burlington High School. The game started with Burlington receiving at the south goal. They were downed on their 10-yard line and held for downs. The ball went to Stronghurst with Gilliland skirting the right end for the team scoring the first touchdown and kicking the goal point.
Burlington kicked off and within three minutes Putney broke away on a fake for another touchdown with Gilliland kicking the goal. Burlington chose to receive and soon was forced to punt, which was blocked by Salter who recovered the ball and went for the third touchdown; Gilliland kicked the goal.
In the second quarter Stronghurst was penalized for offsides but soon had the ball in Burlington's territory with Sanderson going through the center for a touchdown; Gilliland kicked the goal point.
In the second half, Burlington held more successfully and neither team scored. In the last period saw Sanderson passing to Gilliland who successfully made a touchdown; Smith failed to kick the goal point. Lineup for the home team included the following: McKeown, Marshall, Dowell, Kershaw, Decker, Jones, Salter, Sanderson, Gilliland, Putney, Smith, with substitutes being Rankin for Marshall and Carlson for Rankin.
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: Duck hunting has been the attraction of the nimrods (hunters) for several days with only fair results. Mr. and Mrs. Hez Butler returned home after spending the summer visiting relatives; both are very much improved in health. Miss Mary Brokaw visited her friend, Marie Rankin and attended the 6 o'clock chicken dinner given by the ladies of the Reformed Church. Raritan is said to lose one of its general merchandise stores soon. The firm of Perrine and Son is moving their stock of goods to the small building adjoining their present location where the post office will also be located. C.E. Perrine, business manager, will retire with his family to the farm. This leaves the Callow firm the only mercantile firm in that place.
On Saturday afternoon the primary department of the M. E. Sunday School was given a social in the church parlors by their teachers, Mrs. K. C. Walker, Ruth Woods and Marjorie Smith. The little folks had a fine time playing games and the afternoon passed quickly. J.R. Marshall arrived here from North Dakota to visit friends. Wm. Weir was able to return to his home at Coloma from the Burlington Hospital where he had been a patient for several days. Mr. and Mrs. John Tracy have gone to take charge of the inmates of the Lee County Poor House on the county farm 6 miles west of Burlington, Iowa. The new house of the J. D. Lynch farm southeast of here, which will replace the one destroyed by fire, is coming on fine; it will be a two story brick and one of the finest country homes in this section. Mrs. Ackerman of Albuquerque, N. Mexico and Mrs. Abbie Gridley of Kirkwood were guests of the Salter families in town.
I have the best grade of apples at $1.50 per bushel; second grade is half price of number one. Also 500 or more bushels of good cider stock clear of rot sell at 40 cents per bushel. A few pears are priced at $1.25 per bushel-W. T. Weir
FATALLY BURNED: Mrs. Philip Spangler, a former Dallas City lady, was burned to death at her home near Adrian, Ill. As the result of attempting to start a fire in the cook stove with kerosene, she ran through the house into the yard and rolled in the wet leaves until the flames were extinguished, but was too badly burned to survive.
1895 GRAPHIC: The price of grain and livestock was extremely low and the price of farmland in Illinois was higher than it had ever been with the tendency to go upward. At a meeting of the village council an ordinance was passed requiring the construction of sidewalks on both sides of Main, Nichols and Division Streets from the east to the west sides of the village within 30 days. President Evans of Hedding College in Abingdon had come out strongly against college football and 25 students who had played a game in disregard to his opinion were facing suspension. Stronghurst' new dry good store, "The Leader," was thrown open to the public on Nov. 3rd. Dr. Holmes, the notorious criminal who had murdered many people and had just been convicted in Philadelphia of the murder of Benjamin F. Pitzel, was sentenced to be hung. John A. Gordon, D.D. of California visited his son, J. W. Gordon, and preached at the U.P. Church. At a sale of trotting horses held here by Messrs. Salter, Beal and Ragan, the horse, "Spectator,' was purchased by A. Sperling at $500.