The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Stronghurst Graphic, Feb. 1, 1923
OILED ROADS: How are the roads? They are fine where they have been oiled. That is the comment you hear everywhere during this siege of broken up roads and mud. Where the roads have been oiled, the going is fine; where they have not, they are almost impassable. This is the time of year when you see the result of oil that has been properly and not too sparingly applied. This is the time of the year when you can convince the most pessimistic that oiled roads are the only relief to us less fortunate who do not have the hard roads.
A bigger oil program should be framed up and carried out this spring and summer. Every main road and by -road should have it. Conditions now are a good deal better than they were ten years ago, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. Mud isolates the farmer from his town. It loses him time on the hauling of his products to market-it slows up business generally...Let's all get busy on the oil proposition and make muddy roads a topic of history instead of current events. Make our slogan for 1923-Drag the roads and oil the road. (Today, we take good roads for granted as we don't deal with MUD.)
OBITUARY: THOMAS MILLIGAN-Funeral services for the late Thomas Milligan were held at the Biggsville U.P. Church. The song service was by the male quartette of the church and the pall bearers were Wm. Whiteman, Frank Whiteman, John Stevenson, Jr., James Stevenson, John Weir and James Kilgore, Jr. Burial was in the Biggsville Cemetery.
Mr. Milligan was born in Sullivan, Ind. in 1884 but had been a resident of this county most of his life. In 1876 he was married to Miss Emma Ryason, who with six children survive, namely: Mrs. Ollie Douglas, Biggsville; Mrs. Ollie Rust, Spokane, Wash.; R. E. Milligan, Ivensdale, Ill.; Wm. Milligan, Little York; Mrs. Ruth Fritts, Antone, Oregon and Mrs. Sam Claybaugh of Stronghurst. He is also survived by two sisters, Mrs. Wm. Graham of this city and Mrs. William Duff of Earlham, Iowa. One daughter, Mrs. Samuel Duncan and a twin sister, Mrs. Elizabeth McMillan, preceded him in death.
Mr. Milligan was one of the old settlers of this county and during his span of life has seen a prairie wilderness transformed into modern farms and thriving towns. He was a kind and devoted husband and father and will be sadly missed from the home circle and by all who knew him.
DORIS MARGURETTE WILCOX: Little Doris Margurette Wilcox the infant child of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Wilcox, was born Aug. 15, 1922 and died Jan. 29, 1923, aged five months and 14 days. She is survived by her father and mother, four brothers and two sisters. Little Doris was not sick very long and the end was a peaceful one. Funeral services were held at the M. E. Church with burial in the Olena Cemetery.
WEDDING BELLS: LIBY-BILLUPS-Elmer Bernard Liby and Miss Opal Helen Billups surprised their many friends by quietly taking their departure for Monmouth Monday and were married in that city in the afternoon.
The bride is the youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Billups of this city and is a charming young lady. She was a student of the local high school up to the time of her marriage and was very popular with the student body. She was a member of the high school Glee Club and being especially gifted with a fine voice, her services were much sought after for local entertainments and benefits.
The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Bert Liby who live about five miles north of this city. He is an industrious and prosperous young farmer, a popular young man and has a host of friends in the community in which he resides. The young couple will make their home with the groom's parents where he will continue in the occupation of farming.
MAY LOSE THEIR LIGHTS: Biggsville and half a dozen small villages near it are supplied with electricity by a local company that buys its current from Monmouth. The local company has gone bankrupt and Monmouth is threatening to discontinue the service on account of a debt of $13.00 which they cannot collect. They owe the Biggsville Bank $23,000 and the State Utilities Commission is dealing with the case. For the time being, the Monmouth company has been restrained from cutting off their current and the bank from collecting the $23,000.-Blandinsville Star-Gazette.
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: Mrs. Mabel VanTassel arrived here from Washington, D.C.; she was called here by the serious illness of her mother, Mrs. Ed Simpson. Mrs. Ed Simpson and Miss Belle Best are patients of the Wadsworth Hospital. The former is suffering from a nervous shock and the latter is a victim of pneumonia. Mrs. Avery Heyman and son Lucius of Richmond, Calif, were called to Dallas City by the death of her mother, Mrs. A. McAndrews. They spent the week at the home of her brother, L.E. McAndrews. The Dallas City Enterprise is noting the centennial anniversary of Mrs. Mary Halbower saying she is the second woman in Hancock County to become a centenarian. Mrs. Wellington Jenney was the first of this community. Mrs. Jenney, who died a few years ago, had attained the advanced age of 103 years. She was the great-grandmother of Mrs. J. F. Highfield.
On account of the warm weather, the ice harvest had to be called to a halt. Vint Siens informed us that they had only succeeded in getting up about 6-tons, which is but about a fourth of their needed supply. However, they are thankful to have gotten up that much and will not waste anytime wading into it again should the ice look fit. Winters are not like they used to be and a fellow has to hustle to get much of a crop of river ice while the going is good.-Dallas City Review
A Quarantine has been placed on the vocational school. Several cases of diptheria are among the students who are isolated in the infirmary of the school. No other cases were here so the disease was probably imported. A strict quarantine was promptly enforced. The married trainees are permitted to remain at their homes, their movements being regulated. Classes are being held for the single students in quarantine at the school as usual. The teachers and all employees are in the quarantine too.-Nauvoo Independent.
ENTERTAINMENT AT THE LYRIC: In spite of the bad weather a good sized audience was on hand to greet the entertainers that took part in the Lake Fort benefit at the Lyric Theatre last evening. The program consisted of moving pictures, musical numbers, dancing, etc. and each number was encored profusely. Each entertainer did full justice to his or her part. The solid gold ruby set ring given to the most popular young lady present was won by Mrs. Nell Long.