The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Stronghurst Graphic, April 19, 1923
25 YEARS AGO-1898: Mrs. Abraham Wagy, a former resident of this locality and a resident of Henderson County for 50 years died at her home in Gladstone on April 13th at the age of 92 years. In the village election Geo. T. Chant was elected president. Silas bell, one of the old residents of Biggsville was killed by the cars (train). Issue contained a letter from W. M. Brook written from Skaguay, Alaska to his grandfather J. W. Brook of Olena telling of an avalanche which occurred in the Chilkoot Pass in which over 100 persons from all parts of the U.S. who were on their way to the gold fields lost their lives. Dr. T.C. Hanline sold his office and practice to Dr. S. A. Tate of Media. E. W. Tinkham re-entered the ranks of Stronghurst business men by having leased a ware room in the G. H. Butler Building and laid in a stock of buggies and carriages.
***GEORGE ROBERT MORGAN*** Last Thursday morning Mr. George Robt. Morgan passed away at his home near Terre Haute. Mr. Morgan, the son of George J. and Sara Jane (Richards) Morgan, was born near Terre Haute, Ill., Dec. 25, 1873. When about six months of age he came with his parents to the farm which later he purchased and it has been his home practically all his life. On March 16, 1898 he married Lulu Shaw and came to the old home place which has been their home their entire life except two and one-half years which were spent in Buena Vista, Los Animas, Colo., and various other health resorts of the West seeking to gain back his former health. He leaves to mourn his departure his wife, his daughter, Mrs. Vera Fordyce, who lives nearby; two sons, Harold and George and one little girl, Dorothy at home. Three sisters, Miss Mary Morgan, Ella Parish of Stronghurst and Margaret McKinley of Santa Ana, Calif., the father, mother and two sisters and only brother have preceded him in death. Funeral services were held at the home with interment in the Terre Haute Cemetery.
***WEDDING BELLS***GRAHAM & BILLUPS: The marriage of Miss Bessie Billups and Mr. Frank Grahm was solemnized last Saturday at the Methodist parsonage at Burlington, Iowa. The bride is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Billups of Stronghurst and the groom is a son of Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Graham and is an industrious young framer of the north country. They will go to housekeeping immediately of the groom's father's farm.
RASPBERRY AND STRAWBERRY PLANTS: The Weir Fruit Farm has a surplus of Cumberland raspberry plants-the best variety grown here. We will sell at two dollars per hundred in small lots and much cheaper in large lots. They plants are clear of mixture or disease and have had state inspection. Also have plenty of Dunlap strawberry and Lucretia dewberry plants for sale at reasonable prices.-W. T. Weir
PLACEMENT OF NEW SCHOOL: The sovereign voters of the school districts number 104 and number 30 expressed themselves in no uncertain manner last Saturday regarding their desire as to the educational advantages they wish the youth of this community to enjoy. So early were they to register their decisions that at times during the afternoon there were as many as 20 people in line waiting to deposit their ballots.
Rather late in the campaign a proposal to locate the new community High school Building on a site on the C. R. A. Marshall farm, 3 ½ miles northwest of Stronghurst, which Mr. Marshall had offered to donate to the district, was sprung upon the voters. Whatever may have been the real object of this move, it had the effect of stirring up many people to a sense of the great importance of the whole school question and was, no doubt, an important factor in bringing out the record vote which was cast. The sequel showed that there were but 22 voters out of 413 who voted on the site proposition who were in favor of the country site. The results shows a decided preponderance of sentiment in favor of a combination building for the two schools such as it provided for in the plans submitted to the voters by the school boards...
Mr. G. E. Chandler was re-elected as member of the high school board and Mr. C. H.-Davis as member of district No. 30 board practically without opposition.
LOCAL CONNECTION TO MURDER: Oscar Davis, chief of police of the city of Raton, New Mexico, was shot and instantly killed on Sunday evening, Apri l7th, while attempting to arrest two drunken automobile speeders in that city. The regrettable occurrence is of special interest to people in this section from the fact that the wife of the slain official was formerly Miss Maude Marshall of this vicinity, her marriage having taken place ten years ago.
The following is taken from the ( April 10th edition of the Raton Range: The two men, who gave their names as Clyde Norman and Oscar Brigame, together with Beatrice Cleland, 13, Oillie Ferfes, 13, Dorothy Ferfes, 15 Dorothy Wersonick, 16, and Frances Ross, 16, were driving about town in a Nash touring car when arrested on Flint Street for speeding by city Marshal Davis.
The officer jumped on the running board of the machine and directed the offenders to jail. Turning the corner on First Street, Clyde Norman, who was driving, drew out his revolver and shot Mr. Davis twice, once just above the heart and a second time in the breast killing him instantly. According to Dr. Whitcomb, to whose office the wounded man was taken shortly after the shooting, either shot would have caused death.
Immediately, after the firing of the shots, three of the girls jumped out of the car, the elder Ferfes girl falling upon the prostrate form of the marshal in her haste to alight. Norman slowed down to allow the Cleland girl and Ollie Ferfes to get out and then headed south toward Capulin. They were pursued down First Street by W. T. Markham in his car. The latter fired at the machine until his ammunition ran out and they fired back at him. Deputy Ben Pooler heard the shooting and gave chase, but did not shoot for fear of hitting Mr. Markham.
The Nash car turned over at the railroad crossing at the end of First Street, but the boys escaped uninjured. For 36 hours they were objects of a man hunt in which the sheriff's office and dozens of armed citizens joined.
The account says that the two boys, who claimed to have been on their way from Oklahoma to Prescott, Ariz. and who had stopped at Raton and invited the young girls who were with them to take a joy ride, were finally rounded up near Maxwell, New Mexico and brought back to Raton. They claimed to have been drunk at the time of the shooting and stated that they had obtained their liquor at Raton and Trinidad, New Mexico. The girls who were in the party said that they had never seen the men before and had been in the car but a few minutes when they were stopped by Davis
of the slain official was held in the Shuler Auditorium in Raton on Monday afternoon...Mr. Davis was born in Canyon City, Colorado in 1878 and moved to Raton in his early youth. He was married to Miss Maude Marshall about ten years ago and to this union one child, Clifford, was born. He was elected chief of police of Raton several months ago.
***BERTHA MATZKA*** Bertha Peters was born in Germany, August 13, 1849 and passed away at the Wadesworth Hospital in Stronghurst on April 10, 1923, aged 73 years, 9 months and 5 days, her death being due to pneumonia. At the age of six years the deceased with her parents came to this country settling in Chicago. Here she married in 1868 Bernard Matzka with whom she shared life's joys and vicissitudes until his passing in 1906.
To this union thirteen children were born, three of whom died in infancy. One daughter, Mrs. Viola Firkins, died at Smithshire, Ill. Jan. 20, 1922 at the age of 29 years. There are five surviving daughters and four sons, namely: Mrs. Lizzie Palmer of Piepot, Can.; Mrs. Nellie Livingston of Clifftenville, Can.; Mrs. Lena Rosen of Raritan, Ill.; Mrs. Etta McCullum of Smithshire, Ill.; Mrs. Augusta Castle of St. Augustine, Ill.; Fred Matzka of St. Augustine, Ill.; Ben Matzka of Wilcox, Can.; Herman Matzka of Burlington, Ia.; and George Matzka at home. .
Mr. and Mrs. Matzka lived in Chicago for several years and then moved to Gladstone where the former followed the trade of stone cutter at the Gladstone quarry. From there they moved to a farm near Stronghurst and from there to another farm southeast of Raritan where Mr. Matzka died. Mrs. Matzka and family then moved to Stronghurst where she has since resided. About 13 years ago she joined the Stronghurst Christian Church and was a faithful member. Funeral services were held at the church with interment in the Stronghurst Cemetery.
SHOCKING NEWS: A telegram came to Mr. and Mrs. Dan Campbell and family bringing the shocking news that their eldest son, Lou, had been killed Sabbath day at Steubenville, Ohio, having been run over by a large electric crane. His brother, Earl, was working with him and had been away from him about five minutes when the accident occurred. Mr. and Mrs. Earl Campbell and Joe Campbell, who was also working there, arrived Tuesday p.m. on No.9 with the body and the funeral will be held from the U.P. Church.
MEDIA MEANDERINGS: At the school election Mr. Clifford Thompson was re-elected and Norman Beersford elected as a new member for the high school board. J. E. Lawyer was elected without opposition as the new director of the grade school district. Misses Ruth Howell, Zelma Campbell, Frances Drain, Claudine Simmons and Mildred Lant chaperoned by Miss Julia DuPuy attended the movies at Smithshire Saturday night. Archie Heap and sister, Miss Goldie, Paul and Ward Gibson also attended the same evening. Mrs. Jno. Pogue will go to Chicago to see Mr. Jacob Ford who is again quite ill and gradually growing weaker. Prof. A. L. Beall accompanied by Prof. W.W. Murtland went to Gladstone Tuesday evening to get chicken from Love' hatchery. Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Drain have gone to Kirkwood where he has employment. Mrs. Drain will care for Mr. Drain's grandmother, Mrs. Jno. Weaver, who is quite poorly. Correction: Miss Mildred Lant was the winner of second place in the declamatory contest.
BIGGSVILLE BRIEFS: Joe Ewing is now engaged in bridge construction work with his brother-in-law, E. B. Tapper, and they are now located at Willard, Kansas. Mr. and Mr. Robt. Humphrey of Anson, Kan., former residents, were called Galesburg by the death of Simon Nevius, the lady's brother. A number of high school boys were suspended for a week for some of their foolish pranks. Mrs. Chas. Knutstrom returned to her home in Wyoming after several weeks spent at the home of her mother, Mrs. Laura Knisley, who has been seriously ill but is now much improved. Frank Graham, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Graham southwest of town, and Miss Bessie Billups of Stronghurst were married last Saturday and will go to housekeeping in the Graham farm. Mrs. Agnes Adair has returned from a visit with her daughter, Mrs. Bessie Rankin near Stronghurst.
Word arrived here that the exploring party in Florida who were lost in the Everglades who left Ft. Myers to Miama to blaze a trail shortening the distance of a hundred miles after being lost several days and being without food several hours and overtaken with a severe storm, arrived at Miama Sunday with blistered hands. Some of the parties said they wondered why the roads were so crooked, but now they understand as they left the big trees and did not make any bridges where it was possible to find high ground. Among the party was Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Dunham. Mrs. D. is a daughter of Mrs. Liza Brown, one of our oldest inhabitants. (Note the spelling of Miami)
RARITAN REPORTS: A number of new cases of measles have developed in the last few days. Forrest Burkett and Grace Hunt, both of this community, were united in holy bonds of matrimony April 10th at Burlington. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Hunt and the groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Burkett. He is at present working for Russell Mathers. Marie Barry is the victim of diphtheria; she is getting along nicely. Roscoe McDonald was on the market with a shipment of hogs.
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: Mr. Frank Hamel, the piano tuner, will be in Stronghurst April 23rd. J.G. Saunders is here from Bonaparte, Ia. greeting old friends. George Hoffeditz and family moved to Berwick, Ill where he will have charge of a branch produce house operated by E. G. Ewing. Mr. and Mrs. Ernest F. Putney are the proud parents of a fine boy born April 12th; the young man ahs been named Ernest, Jr. Fred Davis was down from Moline supervising the moving of his household furniture to his residence in there. Mrs. R. B. Chase, her son Glen and wife and Gale, drover over from Burlington and took dinner at the C.E. Spiker home. Mrs. Spiker returned with them so she could spend a few days visiting her daughter, Mrs. Chase, and family.
Earl G. Gordinier's Dramatic Stock Co. is rehearsing their plays for the summer season. They will rehearse two weeks and they play a week in the Lyric Theatre. This company is well known and always has given the very best of satisfaction. Mr. Gordinier always has a good company of ladies and gentlemen and the people of Stronghurst always welcome them in our midst.
E.L. Wertz was elected mayor of Oquawka succeeding E.L. Moffett. Dr. W. R. Salter and family have moved here from Galesburg to make their future home. Mrs. Melvina Crane, who spent the winter with her daughter at LaCrosse, Kans., has return to her home north of Stronghurst. Estel Mudd has left the employ of the Farmers' Co-operative Store and is now employed as bookkeeper for the Mudd Motor co. Sheriff E. L. Davenport, assisted by Ed Stubbs and his young son, Harley, has captured 11 young wolf cubs in Media Township. C. R. A. Marshall and son Henry drove over to Edwards, Ill. in a Ford car belonging to Mr. Marshall's son Glenn, who is the manager of a farmers' elevator there. They left the care with Glenn and returned by train. Rex Wray, formerly of Media and now employed by a mining company at Nogales, Ariz., is making a short visit at the home of his parents Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Wray of Monmouth. Rex expects to be sent down into Mexico by his company to a mining property in which they are interested. The Monmouth College Girls Glee Club on which Miss Evelyn Fort is the director, recently returned from a concert tour in Southern Illinois and including the city of St. Louis.
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: A number of their friends perpetrated a surprise on Mr. and Mrs. Harry Painter last Friday evening at their apartments in the Harter block in the village. The company of friends was accompanied by the Stronghurst band, which discoursed some of its best music for the occasion. Later, nice refreshments were served to the guests in the adjoining apartments of Dr. and Mrs. Harter. Mrs. Painter was made the recipient of a number of articles of utility and adornment for her new home.
Carthage High School graduating class has 45 members this year. Stephen H. Ferris, aged 60, cashier of the Hancock County National Bank of Carthage, Ill. died last Friday afternoon from the effects of a fall from the roof of his house that morning. He had climbed to the roof for the purpose of placing wire screens over the rain spout entrances and fell a distance of 30 feet. Oscar Beckett is walking with a decided limp at the present on account of an injury sustained one day recently when one of the horses of a team with which he was disking fell and caught Mr. Beckett's leg between its body and the disc. Mrs. Doug Steffey has been at Maysville, Mo. for the past two weeks visiting at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Maude Winters and making the acquaintance of a young grandson which arrived on April 5th. M.G. Lovitt of the south neighborhood is laid up with a couple of broken ribs, the injury being sustained while he and Leslie Lovitt were felling trees in the timber. A tree had become lodged and fell at an unexpected moment, catching Milt and inflicting an injury.
HE DIED: Edward Wayne, infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Schroeder of Media was born March 9th, 1923 and departed this life April 19th, 1923. He leaves to mourn his parents, one brother, Eugene, and one sister Edna. Short funeral serviced were conducted at the home with the remains laid to rest in the Stronghurst mausoleum.
COUNTY BOARD RE-ORGANIZED: The new County Board of Supervisors, which is composed of the same members who served last year, met in Oquawka and was organized by the re-election of C. H. Curry of Stronghurst as chairman and the re-appointment of all of the old members of the various committees. There was no other business transacted at the meeting.
THE OLD LINCOLN TRAIL: Dr. G. W. Clarke and Mr. John Watson of Roseville were here interviewing some of the people in regard to items of interest. During the afternoon they visited the old east cemetery near Olena (Watson) where a number of Mr. Watson's relatives are buried and decided that an effort should be made looking toward the restoration and preservation of that burial ground.
Dr. Clarke is present of the Warren-Henderson Historical Association and is endeavoring to obtain all the facts possible concerning the early history of Henderson County. He is, just now, especially interested in the matter of the location of the road or trail which Abraham Lincoln followed when he marched his company of soldiers from Sangamon County to Rock Island to help put down the uprising of the Indians led by Chef Black Hawk in the early thirties.
A movement was started several years ago to have this trail appropriately marked with monuments; and it will therefore be seen that its definite location is a matter of great importance. Dr. Clarke says that the identification of the trail from the Sangamon to a point near the Old Bedford Church south of Stronghurst has been established; and also that the portion of the trail leading from Oquawka to Rock Island has been definitely traced. The exact route followed by Captain Lincoln and his company of men from Old Bedford to Oquawka has, it seems, never been accurately determined; and this is a matter which Dr. Clarke is particularly anxious to have cleared up. He has asked the Graphic to give him what assistance it can in this work and we therefore ask that if any of our readers are in possession of facts upon the subject, they make the same known to either Dr. Clarke or to the Graphic publisher...Here is an opportunity for anyone who is in a position to do so to render a valuable service to this community. (Chuck Shinkle worked for many years plotting this trail.)
IT BURNED: The barn on the N.E. Curry place at the corner of Nichols and Elizabeth streets was destroyed by fire on Tuesday evening. Passers-by discovered smoke issuing from the structure at about 5;30 o'clock and an alarm was instantly give. There is a sub fire station less than a block from the Curry residence and a line of hose from this station was soon coupled to a hydrant nearby and a stream of water turned on the burning structure.
Firemen with additional apparatus from the main fire station were soon on the scene, but so rapid was the progress of the flames, that the building was reduced to a mere shell of charred weather boarding and studding before the fire was extinguished. The loss was therefore practically total. The garage on the J.F. McMillan place, just across the alley from the burned structure was saved only by the strenuous efforts of the firemen. There was a quantity of stored furniture in the left of the barn and Nat's camping outfit was also included in the total loss of contents. Insurance in the amount of $500 was carried on the building.
***OBITUARY***HIRMAN C. SPEERS: Mr. Speers, 38 years of age and an employee of the contracting firm which is engaged in laying pipe for the Sinclair Oil co. through this section, died at the Wadsworth Hospital, April 14th as the result of complications following an attack of influenza. The home of the young man was in Indiana and the remains were shipped to Pinhook, Ind. after being prepared for burial at the Regan undertakings rooms. Two brothers of the deceased, Chas. E. Speer of Aberdeen, S.Dak., and Orville Speer of Newton, Ia. came here following his death and took charge of the arrangements for the disposition of the remains. The deceased is said to have a mother living at Indianapolis, Ind. and three additional brothers.