The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Stronghurst Graphic, Feb. 10, 1921
HARD TIMES IN NEBRASKA: J. F. Murphy received a letter from his brother, J.T. Murphy of North Platte, Nebr. telling of the business depression which exists in that part of the country. Mr. Murphy has been employed in the bridge building department of the Union Pacific R.R. for many years. He says that at present there are 28 engines standing idle on the storage tracks at North Platte on account of the falling off in traffic. In former years, North Platte has been a great hay shipping center but now, Mr. Murphy says, there is scarcely anything doing in that line because of the low price of hay and the excessive freight rates and baling cost. The freight rate to the principal market for formerly $1.25 per ton and now is $3.82. The cost of baling is $3.50 per ton and the average of hauling, $1.00 per ton. This makes the cost of marketing the hay $8.32 per ton to say nothing about the cost of production. As the price received by the farmer for the hay is but $10 per ton, the reason for the falling off in the freight traffic of the railroad is easily apparent. The farmer cannot afford to give his hay away to keep the railroad in business.
INFANT DIES: On Feb. 1st Francis, infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wm Reedy passed away at the family residence, five and a half miles southeast of town at the age of 10 months. Death resulted from an attack of bronchial pneumonia. Besides the parents, the child is survived by a sister, Helen, and a brother, Will. Funeral services were conducted at St. Patrick's Chapel near Raritan with burial in the adjoining cemetery.
MAUSOLEUM COMPLETED: The finishing work on the new mausoleum was completed the first of the week by the workmen under the direction of Mr. Churchill. Mr. C. Meiser of Bushnell of the Heldar Marble Works arrived in town Tuesday and purchasers of the crypts have been invited to view the completed work. An invitation was also given to the public to view this handsome sepulchral monument in the village cemetery.
ELECTED PRESIDENT: To the broad shoulders of H. N. Vaughan of Stronghurst, Ill., has fallen the responsibility for guiding the affairs of the American Polled Hereford Breeders' Association the current year. Members elected him president at their recent meeting at Des Moines. Last year he served as vice president to John Herold, Lewiston, Nebr., who was chief executive.
Vaughan is one of the live wires in the hornless Hereford camp and he has been a leading spirit in making his locality, Henderson County, one of the fountain heads of the breed-Chicago Drovers' Journal
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: Mrs. W.P. Veech underwent an operation for the removal of her tonsils at the Monmouth Hospital. The house in which Miss Sara McElhinney rooms at Normal, Ill. has been quarantined for scarlet fever; but the students are allowed to attend their classes under a daily medical inspection system. Rev. D. K. Sailor of Biggsville accompanied by Evangelist Sensibaugh was in Stronghurst interviewing the local ministers in regard to holding revival meeting here in the near future. Rev. Sensibaugh closes his meeting at Biggsville this week and will go from there to Gladstone for a two weeks meeting. The Biggsville meeting has been quite successful, 45 people having professed conversion. Mrs. C.E. Peasley went to Chicago to enter the Presbyterian Hospital for treatment to relieve some trouble with her feet. Rev. Sailor reports that Stronghurst leads all other communities in the county in the matter of contributions to the Near East Relief work, enough funds having been contributed here to take care of 9 Armenian children for one year. (Parents at this time period scolded their children to clean their plates as the Armenians were starving.)
A dog poisoner succeeded in reducing the canine population of the village to a considerable extent during the last week, some of the victims being animals which were highly valued by their owners. While this method, if judiciously employed, might be all right in getting rid of a good for nothing dog, the promiscuous dog poisoner is about as much of a menace to the community as some of the worthless curs which are allowed to run at large.
The H.M. and W. F. Allison families were at Biloxi, Miss. enjoying the southern trip and being benefited by the change in climate. H.N. Vaughan left for Texas to interview some of the cattle men on the subject of improving their herds by the introduction of some pure bred Henderson County Herefords. Herb Shrier, former Santa Fe section foreman at Dallas City, has been appointed roadmaster of the Chillicothe-Fort Madison division of the road; this position had been offered to Mr. T. E. Walker of this place and he turned it down as it would necessitate his moving to Chillicothe. Bernard Brent, who moved from the country south of Stronghurst to Virginia several years ago, has been visiting old friends. Eugene Peasley, son of Mr. and Mrs. C.E. Peasley, who has recently made Wichita, Kans. his headquarters, is recovering from a severe illness and has been discharged from a hospital. Mrs. Paul Wallin is recovering from the effects of an accident which befell her when she fell against the glass door of a bookcase in her home and cut a number of ugly gashes in her arm which required several stitches to close. The children and relatives of Mr. and Mrs. George S. Van Doren took possession of their home at Raritan preparing a fine feast to celebrate their wedding anniversary.
MEDIA MEANDERINGS: Miss Jean Mekenson is the recent purchaser of a fine new Victrola from the Co-operative store. County Supt. A.L. Beall has issued a school directory of the county; it is a 64 page booklet and contains the names and number of every school district in the county, the teachers' and directors' names and addresses, the teachers' salaries, the assessed valuation of each district and the amounts levied for school purposes. Mr. and Mrs. Walter Overbay are mourning the loss of their only child, a babe of two years which passed away at their home on the John Pogue farm southwest of town; the little one had been sick only a short time with pneumonia. The remains were taken to Colchester Ill. for burial. A social dance was given at the Dan Campbell home.
Mrs. Arthur McIntire spent several days in Biggsville helping care for her sister, who has been quite ill with bronchial pneumonia. "Scailing Captain Davies," a long distance walker, was in town on his way from Kansas City to Boston, Mass., walking on a tract to travel the entire distance without sleeping in a regular bed and with rigid restrictions as to food eaten. He is a newspaper stunt and is being featured by the Kansas City dailies.
1896 Graphic: At a meeting of the Stronghurst village council a proposition was made by the cemetery association through E. B. Campbell to transfer the ownership of the cemetery to the village at a consideration amounting to practically $2 per lot was turned down. Judgment in the amount of $2,500 was rendered in favor of Grove Foote in a damage suit brought against the Burlington Street Railway for injuries received while in the employ of the company. Mrs. Robert Marshall died suddenly at her home northwest of Stronghurst on Feb. 12th. A 14 round mill with eight ounce gloves in which Peter Groome, Jr. and Walt Spiker were principals was staged in the Beal livery barn on the night of Feb. 6th.
The fight lasted nearly an hour and became a question of endurance and wind. "Pawnee went down in a heap at the end of the 14th round and being unable to rise because of exhaustion was counted out and Pete was declared the winner. Elmer Davis moved back from Oakland, Iowa to a farm west of Stronghurst. George Hodgson, the ten year old son of John Hodgson of Smithshire, was accidentally shot in the leg by another boy by the name of Patch; the boys were hunting rabbits with a 32 caliber revolver
WEDDING BELLS-GRAY & NOBLE: At the Baptist parsonage on Garfield Ave. in Burlington, Feb. 3rd Miss Gladys Gray and Mr. Alfred Noble of Oquawka were united in marriage. Miss Bertha McKibbens was the only attendant. Following the ceremony a fine luncheon was enjoyed at the Hotel Burlington. The bride is the youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Gray of Gladstone. She is a graduate of Biggsville High School and later attended Knox College at Galesburg and the Normal University at Bloomington, Ill. She is one of Henderson County's successful teachers. The groom is the son of Mrs. George Noble of Oquawka and has been in the grocery business since finishing his high school course. They will be at home to their friends in Oquawka.
JOHNSON-CUMMINGHAM: The marriage of Waldo Johnson and Miss Lydia Belle Cunningham took place on Feb. 16th at the M.E. parsonage in Burlington, Iowa. The bride is a niece of Mrs. Nellie Powell of Carman, Ill and is well known to many; the groom is a son of C. A. Johnson. The couple was attended by Mr. Carol Nelson and Miss Esther Johnson. The new couple will be home to friends after March 1st on a farm near Biggsville.
LOMAX LINGERINGS: Walter Smith will move to the Fred Fitz farm where he will work during the coming year. Urban Logan and family will move into the house vacated by the McKims. F. F. Rehling, deputy tax collector was in Carman collecting taxes. C. L. Vaughn had the misfortune to lose two fingers of his right hand and have another badly sawed in a power saw at his home. Dr. Emerson dressed the wounds and he is getting along fairly well.