The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Stronghurst Graphic, June 23, 1921
LUTHERAN NOTES: Confirmation services will be held next Sunday; an offering will be lifted to defray the expense of the Bibles which the congregation will present to each catechumen. The Luther League will meet at the church; a report from four delegates to the Galesburg district convention held at Kewanee, Ill. will be given. A reception for new members will follow.
THE EAGLE WILL SCREAM AT MONMOUTH: Fifty live Monmouth boosters are working like beavers getting ready for the first annual revival of the celebration of July Fourth in the Maple City. Hundreds of dollars have been subscribed to assist in making the event a banner one and the members of the ten committees send out word that there will be something doing from ten o'clock until late at night.
The idea is to revive the old time custom of celebrating the Fourth and in connection with the program hold races, ball games, a parade, free acts and last but not least a grand display of fireworks that will eclipse anything presented in this section of Illinois on Independence Day. Plans are being made to accommodate a crowd of 15,000 visitors and if the weather man does not frown on the event, it is certain that the number will not be far from the estimate.
1896 GRAPHIC: The C.B.&Q. west bound fast mail train ran from a point halfway between Biggsville and Gladstone to the Burlington bridge on June 20th with the engineer, V. B. Giddings sitting unconscious and dying in his seat. The fireman, W .J. Main, did not know anything was wrong until the train which had gain a momentum of 70 or 80 miles an hour was about 300 feet from the bridge cross the Mississippi. He climbed over the engineer's side of the cab and succeeded in bringing the train to a stop after it had crossed the draw and entered the Burlington yards on the west side of the river. Engineer Giddings died shortly after being lifted from the cab and an investigation revealed the fact that his skull had been crushed by coming in contact with a pole set close to the tracks near on overhead bridge between Biggsville and Gladstone.
Chalmer N. Salter had just purchased from his father, Paul Salter, the drug stock, furniture and fixtures in Stronghurst. Dr. J. R. Carper of Stronghurst and Miss Sue Burtlin of Croton, Ia. were married at Dallas City on June 20th.
GRADUATED FROM THE BIG "U": Stronghurst High School was represented at the commencement of the University of Illinois at Urbana by the Misses Ethel and Edna Schierbaum and Chester A. Brooks. There were 1,050 graduates and owing to the size of the class, only parents and friends of the class were admitted. President David Kinley gave the address and presented the sheepskins.
CORRECTION OF NOTE: At the wedding ceremony of Miss Marjorie Gibb and Mr. Estel Mudd, Miss Madeline Park was the Maid of Honor and Miss Martha Whiteman of Biggsville and Miss Helen Turner of Galesburg were bridesmaids.
OLENA OBSERVATIONS: Children's Day was observed on Sabbath p.m. June 12th. "The Light of the World" by Katherine Lee Bates was the program. It was turned down by some of our neighboring schools on account of its being rather difficult rendition, but we say without boasting that it was nicely and very interestingly carried out. The pupils taking part did exceptionally well reflecting credit to themselves and those supervising their training. Very much credit is due the Misses Hazel Hicks, Winifred Dowell, Thelma Peterson, Vera Detrick and Esther Johnson for the time and effort they put forth in helping to make the program a success. The church was beautifully decorated and a large crowd was in attendance. A fairly good collection was taken which goes to the Educational Board to help some striving young person to gain a higher education than they could receive without this help.
Dr. Green, president of Hedding College, was present on Sabbath P.M. and gave a very interesting talk along the line of a higher education for youths of our land. He was late on account of his having been misdirected three times on his way from Abingdon to this place and as the afternoon was excessively hot, a very large per cent of the congregation had left and thus missed hearing a very interesting talk.
Mrs. Oscar Marshall while visiting friends remembered them with several boxes of fine strawberries, home-grown on their place near Danville, Iowa. Mrs. Allen, a former resident and business woman of Olena, arrived here about two weeks ago but brought a little surprise with her-a brand new husband labeled Dr. Allen. After making various improvements on the home and store building, they have now opened up a general store and a soft drink parlor; they would grateful for your patronage. (Olena as a thriving business location is hard to imagine today; only a group of houses remain.) Miss McClinton has been re-employed to teach the Hopper school. H. S. Lant signed up for another year as principal of the grade school in Oquawka with a substantial increase in salary. Mrs. Esther Curry Ross and young daughter returned home from the Burlington hospital. The young daughter will answer to the name of Katherine in honor of her great-grandmother, Mrs. Katherine Ross. Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Wetterling and children motored over from Ottumwa, Iowa and spent the past week with friends near Olena and Terre Haute. Mrs. James McDermitt of Oakland, Iowa, has been a recent guest of Olena friends.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cooper, who have been employed by H. S. Lant the past two years, have moved to Burlington, Iowa and have employment with the Shower Brothers. Keith Hicks is cutting a figure with a spick and span new Ford roadster (one of the "Wow" cars of that day). Charles Waterman of Hopper is reported as quite seriously ill but is somewhat improved. His young son has tuberculosis of the bone and is reported quite ill. A friend while in Burlington recently went to a co-operative grocery store to purchase 100 pounds of sugar but was advised to buy less as they thought on account of the scarcity of fruit, sugar would soon be selling at 5 cents per pound.
GLADSTONE GLEANINGS: The Misses Phyllis and Darline Freed of Casper, Wyo will spend their vacation with their grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Duvall. Miss Velma Wallace of Rocky Ford, Colo. is visiting her uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor Galbraith. Several car loads from here went to Avon, Ill. Sunday to attend the Sensibaugh revival meetings. Mr. and Mrs. G. H. Tribler left for their new home at Glasford, Ill. where he has position in one of the banks there as cashier. Robert Thomas came home the first of the week threatened with typhoid fever. George Duvall had an operation performed at the Burlington Hospital and is doing fine. Mark Kemp moved into the Simpson house from the west part of town. Mrs. Fred Geade is very seriously ill at her home with little hopes of ever being any better. Lucias Lox went to Aurora, Ill. where he is in a training school for returned soldier boys. Mrs. John Knutstrom entertained the Ladies Aid at her home; a good social time and elegant refreshments were served; the color scheme was pink and white.
BIGGSVILLE BRIEFS: The Chautauqua tent arrived here Saturday evening and was at once set up. The opening program was given Sabbath night by Miss Wilmer, "Singers of the Cross." The Monday afternoon program was cancelled due to hard rain. A large crowd was present that evening and Loren Bates, reader; Miss Shriker, soprano; Miss Helen Smith, Accompanist; entertained with a splendid program. The Conservatory Glee Club Concert Octet was on hand for Tuesday afternoon and evening. (Before movies and TV this is how culture came to rural America). The ice cream social at the home of Andrew Ericson north of town by the South Henderson baseball club had a small crowd on account of unfavorable weather; only twenty-one dollars was realized. Mr. and Mrs. Morgan of Marshalltown, Iowa visited her sister, Mrs. John McIntosh and family. Miss Leone Kilgore entertained her Sabbath school of little people in the park with games and a nice luncheon. Miss Alma Pearson, who has been teaching at Swift Current, Sask., Canada, is visiting her parents. Miss Mable, who has been teaching at Kalamazoo, expects to study voice at New York City. Finally, Ted Stewart received his silver loving cup for winning the pig essay contest last fall; somehow the presentation was over looked Mr. Beal said.
MEDIA MEANDERINGS: Charles Stansberry has started up a new garage in the Hickman building. Marion Bice, who went to the Galesburg hospital last week, has returned home but is still quite poorly. Raymond Mathers and Leonard Steele have been laid off their work on account of getting badly poisoned while grading the road in the timber west of town.
CARMAN CONCERNS: The wheat is mostly cut and some rye. It has been very warm on the men and horses. Norton Parks lost a horse from the heat in the harvest field Friday. Mr. and Mrs. Fred Crane have purchased a new Studebaker car. Jack Simonson was badly hurt by being hit while playing baseball. Theodore Brewer has been visiting his sisters, Mrs. Cleo Morrison and Mary Coats. Mrs. Mamie Clover entertained the King's Daughters of the Maple Grove church of which she is a member.
LOMAX LINGERINGS: Miss Fern Dowell is attending Normal school at Macomb. Raleigh Wyatt went to Wever, Ia. where he will assist CH. Logan with his harvest. The Lomax first ball team went to Basco Sunday and were defeated at the seventh inning when the rain forced them to stop at that place. Bennington Bros. commenced hauling lumber from the local yard for the new schoolhouse at Terre Haute.
WHERE THERE'S A WILL: The controversy over the famous Johnson will case at LaHarpe has become so violent that several columns of the newspapers of the town are given up each week to the charges, counter charges, insinuations, interrogations, explanations, exculpations and justifications of the principals in the controversy. The late lamented Billy Mason used to tell a story of a young man who was one of several sons of a man who had died leaving a large fortune. A quarrel arose over the division of the estate and after the case had been dragged along through several terms of courts of high and low degree, this son said one day when talking the case over with his brothers: "When I think of all the delay in the distribution of his estate which these lawsuits have occasioned, I am almost tempted to wish that father hadn't died." In view of the bitterness and rancor which has been stirred up over the Johnson bequest to the city of La J. N. SALTERHarpe and which it will probably take years to eradicate, we are led to wonder if some of the citizens of the place are not tempted to wish that Mr. Johnson had either left no estate or taken it with him.
***OBITUARY***J. N. SALTER: John N. Salter, well known citizen of Stronghurst and veteran mail carrier on rural route No. 1 died Wednesday evening June 22nd at about 5:15 following an illness of several weeks from nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys). While it had been known for several days that the physicians had practically given up hopes of the patient's recovery, the news of his death was received with sorrow by the entire community in which he was held in high regard.
When rural mail service was first established from the Stronghurst post office, Mr. Salter received the appointment as carrier on Route No. 1. He made his first trip on the April 1, 1893 and during the 18 years which have intervened he faithfully served the patrons of Route 1 until the illness compelled him to relinquish the work.
Mr. Salter was the son of the late Paul D. Salter of this county and was one of a family of eight children. Previous to his coming to Stronghurst he was engaged in farming in Warren County. He is survived by his wife and one son, Ray, several brothers and sisters and a large circle of more distant relatives. Funeral services will be held at the Stronghurst M.E. Church on June 24th.
THE HOG DIED: The prize winning Duroc Jersey boar, Good Enuff Pathfinder, owned by Del Dixson took sick and died a few days ago. He was one of the noted sires of the Duroc breed and a very valuable animal. Mr. Dixson carried some insurance.
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: Foster Lazear retuned from St. Louis where he was called by the illness of his mother. The second car load of oil for the village arrived and with the aid of the big sprinkler operated by Messrs Dowell and Foote, the oil has been applied to streets in the residence districts of the village. Work was started last week on the new concrete bridge which is to span Honey Creek south of Raritan, the cost of which will be $4,000. At the annual sale of Registered Shorthorn cattle held in Galesburg an average price of $115 per head($1,252 in today's values) was obtained; local breeders brought back a number of head to be added to their herds. The Murphy Oil Prospecting company began putting down their 4th test well in Sciota neighborhood on the Luther Huston farm this week. The other three wells have only shown traces of the much sought field. Mr. and Mrs. Guy Little and family of Lomax were visitor at the Elmer Davis home. The Harter apartments which were considerably damaged by fire and smoke a short time previous to their departure for California last winter have been refinished and re-decorated.
The evangelistic meetings at the South Prairie church in Media Township have aroused considerable interest and a movement has been started looking to improving the church and the church property-an new bell being included in the plans. Fifteen car loads of livestock left for Chicago the consignments being as follows: Hartquist Bros-7 cars of cattle; Ed Links-one car cattle; Lyman Ross-3 cars of cattle; Bert Yaley, Maurice Lee and Co-operative shippers, -one car hogs each; and C. G. Richey-one car sheep. Miss Ethel Brokaw is home from Peoria where she has been teaching this last year. Joe Huff who conducted the Olena School last year has been employed as a teacher at the Raritan school for the coming year. Raspberries are ripening fast. While not abundant, the fruit is of fine size and quality due to the recent rains and favorable conditions generally.
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: Miss Helen Turner of Galesburg who recently closed a successful year as teacher of Home Economics in an Indiana school is visiting Stronghurst relatives. The young ladies of the Martha Society of the Stronghurst Lutheran church enjoyed a picnic at "Footprints" park. The storm of last Monday seems to have been unusually severe in some portions of the county, an enormous rainfall being reported at Oquawka and Biggsville and damage by lightning being reported from various sections. Mrs. James Spiker of Bushnell and Prof. Arthur Walton, wife and son of Naperville, Ill. have been guests at the I. V. D. Perrine home south of town-four generations being represented in the hostess, Mrs. Perrine and her visitors. Mr. C.E. Peasley has been up in Canada looking after his farming interests there. Oquawka's Community Chautauqua will open next Monday afternoon and will continue with two big programs daily until Friday evening.
RUMORS OF A MARRIAGE: We have it on good authority that somewhere in Monmouth and by some one duly qualified to perform the ceremony, at some hour yesterday, June 22nd, Mr. O. J. Sanderson and Mrs. Mamie Sweasy, two of Stronghurst well known people were united in the bonds of matrimony. Diligent inquiry on the part of the reporter has failed to bring out any of the details concerning the event, but as the cigars have already been distributed and smoked, we feel perfectly safe in making the announcement of the main face.
Mr. Sanderson is one of the best known and highly respected citizens of the community and is the owner of the fine farm adjoining Stronghurst on the south, which was formerly the Joseph Dixson home place. The bride is a former Raritan lady and is a most excellent woman in every way worthy of the companionship of the one who has chosen her. For the past year she has been living at the Apt home in the village looking after the comfort and convenience of the four blind inmates of that home.