The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Stronghurst Graphic, Oct 7, 1920
MEMBERSHIP DRIVE-FARM BUREAU: The campaign for new members for the Henderson County Farm Bureau and the Illinois Agricultural Association which had been carefully planned by County Farm Advisor J.H. Miner and President Robert N. Clarke of the county farm bureau and their assistants,and was inaugurated Monday morning. It is being conducted in a manner which promises to place this county well up in the list of organized counties in the state.
-SALVATION ARMY: Things are shaping favorably in this county for the Salvation Army appeal for funds which starts in Illinois next Monday and continues for one week:Last year Henderson County more than subscribed her share and everything indicates that the same will be true with this year's drive.
Henderson County is asked to subscribe $1,000 ($10,660 worth today). Rescue and maternity homes; boys' and girls' industrial homes and farms; the providing of summer outings for poor mothers and children; emergency relief in the slums including the distribution of food, fuel, clothing and medicine; and means of carrying on religious and social activities; children's work and gymnasiums are some of the activities and institutions of the Salvation Army for which the money will be spent.
The campaign in Stronghurst will be in charge of Attorney W.C. Ivins, W. H. Babcook will conduct the drive in Carman; E.G. Lewis in Media; and J. B. Bryan in Gladstone.
A CENTURY OF DRESS: On Oct. 9th at the Lyric Theatre a Fashion Review will be given under the direction of the Community Club, Mrs. C.R.A. Marshall, leader. This will be a community affair and in invitation is extended to everyone in the community to be present and as many as can conveniently do so are invited to wear costumes peculiar to some former period, including coats and hats. This invitation is to both men and women.
A display of antiquities will be at the club room and all are asked to contribute anything they have of interest in that line. Committee: Miss Lucretia Bruen, Mrs. M. E. Beardsley, Mrs. I. F. Harter and Mrs. B. G. Widney
OBITUARY-JAMES H. BOWEN: News of the death of Mr. Bowen came as a shock to the people of the community. The end of this aged and well known man came without warning at his home, death being due to arterial sclerosis.
James H. Bowen, son of John and Mary A. (Burton) Bowen, was born in Michigan, Nov. 28, 1833 and passed away at his home in Stronghurst Oct. 2, 1920, aged 86 years, 10 months and 4 days. On Nov. 3, 1879 he married Mary A. Foy to which union nine children were born, eight of whom survive to mourn the loss of a loving and devoted father. These are David P., Grover C., James H., John M. Edward O. and Thomas J. Bowen, Mrs. Hattie Bakewell and Nellie Bowen. Another daughter, Myrta, died in infancy. In addition to the eight children there survive the faithful wife, two sisters-Mrs. Jane Covert of Raritan, Ill and Mrs. Kate Francis of Delevan, Kan. and one brother, Warren Bowen of Winfield, Kans.
Mr. Bowen was one of the oldest residents of this section of Illinois having come with his parents when he was but four years of age and the family settling on a farm four and a half mile northeast of La Harpe. The greater part of his youth was spent there, but the "call of the West" appealed to him in his young manhood and at the age of 21 he went overland by ox team to the gold fields of California.
After spending ten years as a miner there he started for his Illinois home by water. He crossed the Isthmus of Panama by train and then took shipping for New York City by way of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. On his arrival at the old homestead in Illinois he again took up the pursuit of farming which he continued to follow during the remainder of his life. He retained much of the vigor of youth up to the day of his death, his springy step and mental alertness being the occasion of frequent comment on the part of his many acquaintances.
He took an active interest in public affairs and served for a term of years as Justice of the Peace in Terre Haute Township. He was a great reader and frequently made use of the store of knowledge thus obtained in the discussion of political, social and religious topics with his friends and acquaintances. He was fearless and outspoken in the denunciation of shams and pretense in politics or religion and in defense of the views which he personally held on these subjects. He frequently declared his faith in God and devoted much of his time to the study of the Bible. The knowledge thus gained, he endeavored to impart to this children and made it a large factor in their early training. His loss will be deeply felt by these children and by his loving companion as well as by all the people of the community. Following a brief service at the home, the remains were taken to Raritan where funeral services were conducted at the Baptist church; interment was in the Raritan Cemetery.
STRONGHURST HOG WINS FRESH HONORS: Word came that Dixson and Walker's great Duroc boar, Good Enuff Pathfinder, had won second place in his class in the National Swine Show now being held at Des Moines, Ia. Rivalry for prizes at this show is always very keen amongst hog breeders as it is recognized to be the one show where only the best hogs to be found in the U.S. are entered into competition.
Taken in connection with the honors previously won at Galesburg and Springfield, this adding of new laurels to Good Enuff Pathfinder's list should make the demand for his progeny brisk at the Dixson and Walker sale on Oct. 16th.
WEDDING BELLS: BROWNING-CHASE: Miss Garnet Chase, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Chase of Burlington and Mr. George W. Browning of Charleston, S.C. were united in marriage at Burlington on Sat., Oct. 2nd by John Brambecker, J.P. officiating . Mr. and Mrs. Browning will make their home in South Carolina. The bride is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. W.L. Spiker of this place and her friends her extend congratulations.
1865 GRAPHIC: An ordinance establishing fire limits for the village and providing for a fire board passed. John A. Swanson of Galva, Ill. rented a room in the new Beardsley block in town and is making preparations to open a dry goods store. Postmaster McElhinney moved the post office outfit to Dr. Harter's new brick building on Oct. 9th (site of present day Quill). Ira Campbell was getting material on the ground for a new residence on the lots opposite E. Doty's residence. A new boarder weighing 11 lbs. registered Oct. 7th at the hotel kept by Mr. and Mrs. Dan Shook. Cyrus Rohrer and Miss Maggie Hixson, both of Raritan, were married on the evening of Oct. 3rd at the home of the bride's parents, Mr. and Mrs. W.H. Hixson; and on Oct. 9th at the home of Mr. and Mrs. A. VanArsdale in Raritan occurred the marriage of their daughter Cora to Carl Steingraber of Dallas City;.
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: Mr. and Mrs. James Reedy and family of Winthrop, Ia. were guests at the Will Reedy home south of town. Daniel Reedy and son Vincent of Ford, Ia. joined the group. Charles Hull, a former resident of La Harpe, Ill., where he was prominent as a stock buyer and shipper, died suddenly at his home in Des Moines, Iowa. A daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Rankin Sept. 25th at their home south of Media.
Frank Lamoreaux of Warren County is held in the Henderson County jail charged with attempting to kill his divorced wife, Jeanette Pratt Lameroux, who is staying in the vicinity of Gladstone. John Spencer of Waco, Texas, visited in the home of Mrs. A. L. Beaver. He is an old newspaper man and established the first newspaper published in Calhoun County in this state. He later did similar work in St. Louis, Mo. and Dallas, Texas. Something more than $10, 000 worth of stock in the proposed Tri-County Fair Association of Hancock, McDonough and Henderson Counties was subscribed at a banquet held at La Harpe last Friday night. The committee is asking for a minimum of $15,000 to buy the present La Harpe fair grounds of 33 acres with the buildings thereon and 50 shares of stock in the old association owned by Mr. Bradford. W. J. McElhinney has been confined to his home by illness several days. Mrs. H. M. Allison is regaining her strength after her illness of several weeks, much to the delight of friends. School was closed this last week on account of lack of heating facilities. Dr. and Mrs. J. Highfield moved into the new bungalow recently erected by Bert Moore in the south part of town. Charles Walker arrived here from California and has kept busy greeting friends. Sam Rankin of the east country returned home from Canada where he has been looking after the work on the farm occupied by his son Ray. The latter has been in poor health for some time, but seemed considerably improved at the time his father left.
FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! John Marshall and wife left their home four miles northwest of Stronghurst to spend the evening elsewhere. On their return they found the house filled with smoke and soon discovered that it came from the living room where a rug on the floor lay smoldering. Further investigation revealed that the top of the center table in the room had been partly burned through and that the books, paper, pictures and other articles which were on or beneath the table had been either wholly or partially destroyed.
The lamp which had been standing on the table was found in a blackened and partially melted condition, which seemed to indicate that it had been the source of the fire. John says that he blew the lamp out before leaving the house, but it would seem that the blaze had been blown down into the burner of the lamp and that it had communicated with the oil there after the occupants had left.
The probabilities are that if there had been some more inflammable material near for the flames to feed upon or it there had been a draft through the room, the house and its contents would have been entirely destroyed. As it is, John estimates that he suffered a loss of something like $150 ($1,599 in today's values).
WENT IN COURT: The grand jury organized last Monday morning with Clyde Duke as foreman and finished its work the same day returning two true bills of indictment, one against Ottilia Barr of Dallas City for assault with a deadly weapon and the other against Mrs. Eva Savage of Oquawka for cruelty to a child. Miss Barr is the young woman who shot her father and brother in a quarrel last summer. Her case was certified by Judge Grier down to the county court. Mrs. Savage was arraigned on Tuesday and pled guilty to the charge of cruelty and was admitted to probation on her bond of $500. The first jury case called was that of Fred Dutton vs Fred Anderson, forcible entry and detainer; this case is pending. Orders have been entered in a number of common law and chancery cases.
AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT: Miss Freida Haffner, a school teacher who has been living in Oquawka, and Merideth Fagan, a Biggsville young man, were both badly injured when the auto in which they were riding turned over two or three times in the road a mile south of Little York. Both are in the Monmouth Hospital; young Fagan had a leg broken and was badly cut about the head. He is said to be in a serious condition. Miss Haffner was badly cut and was unconscious when picked up. She is said to have suffered a severe nervous shock. The car which was a new one was badly smashed up.
BIGGSVILLE BRIEFS: Mrs. Cora Rankin Reeves of Tarkio, Mo. is a guest at the home of Edgar Rankin. R. T. Rowley went to Chicago where he has accepted a position with the Marshall Field Co. Mr. and Mrs. Clarence McCormick expect to leave soon for Florida to spend the winter; they will drive through in their car. Mrs. Ivabelle Stewart leaves for Chicago where she will attend the National Suffrage Convention.
Biggsville is never behind when it comes to anything that is of benefit to the town and to the surrounding community so for this fall and winter a good lecture course will be put on by the high school people. The course consists of five numbers from the Chicago Circuit Lyceum Bureau-Nov. Katu, the magician; Jan-Freeman of Hammond Co. Distinctive Artists; Feb.-The Chicago Recital Co.; March-lecture by J. Franklin Babb; May-The Dixie Girls presenting the "Belles of 1860."
CARMAN CONCERNS: Mr. and Mrs. Lee Jarvis of Dallas City Sundayed at the A. C. Babcook home. Mr. Jarvis took sick and was taken to the hospital and operated on for appendicitis, it being a very bad case. However, he is doing nicely if no complications set in. Mr. and Mrs. Carl Shelton visited the Clyde Mead home. Mrs. Edna Babcook has been very sick with summer flu. Mrs. Frank Wolford and son George visited her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Willis Dowell. Mrs. Dowell left for Stronghurst to care for her mother, Mrs. Hudson, who is seriously ill. Marcellus Clover is convalescing.
GLADSTONE GLEANINGS: Robert Beck returned from Winterset, Iowa to attend his uncle's funeral. Mr. and Mrs. John Fryrear were called to Stronghurst by the illness of her mother, Mrs. Kate Hudson. Miss Fannie Galbraith is training for the nurse's profession at the Burlington Hospital. S. E. Duncan had a farm implement sale in front of the livery barn. The food sale at the post office took in $50 which will go for books for the high school library.
***OBITUARY*** Mrs. H. E. Whitmeyer passed away Sept. 30; short funeral services were held at the home after which the funeral party left for the old home near Pittsburg, Pa. where the remains will be laid to rest in the family burying ground.
Alice Dight was born in Pennsylvania in Sept. 1883 and was married to Rev. H. E. Whitmeyer in 1903. To this union was born two daughters, Aline and Genevieve and one son Harry E., Jr., now but an infant of one year. These children with her husband and an aged mother are left to mourn her premature death. Rev. and Mrs. Whitmeyer moved here in 1912 when the former became pastor of the South Henderson and Gladstone U.P. Church.