The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Stronghurst Graphic, Sept. 20, 1923
MUSICIANS WIN FROM MERCHANTS: The band boys retrieved some of their reputation as baseball players lost in the Labor Day game when they were defeated by the businessmen’s team. The crowd was not as large but displayed keen interest in the game. Real ball was played by both sides during the first four innings with neither side scoring. Then in the 5th inning some well placed hits coupled with some fielding errors by the musicians enabled the four runs to be scored by the businessmen. The band came back and by the 8th inning the score was 6 to four in favor of the merchants. Their manager, Curtis evidently thought he could afford to take the chance of putting in raw substitutes on the businessmen’s team and sent in E. R. Grandy, W. C. Ivins, H. M. Lovitt and A. H. Kershaw. This proved to be disastrous as the musicians scored two runs in the eighth and two runs in the ninth winning the game. As the matter now stands, it seems that a third game will be necessary to decide the issue.
FOUND A BETTER WAY: Monmouth’s Fall Festival will be financed without questionable methods. The drive for the $1,000 needed to avoid a questionable lottery was supplanted by a subscription raised by the preachers.
WEDDING BELLS-PAINTER & MILLIGAN: The marriage of Joe Painter, son of County Treasurer F. E. Painter and wife of Terre Haute to Miss Theo. Milligan of Gladstone was solemnized in a pretty house wedding at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Calvert Bigger, sister of the bride. The ceremony was performed by Elder W. H. Cross of the Stronghurst Christian Church. The bride was prettily attired in a brown traveling costume with hat and shoes to match. Following the ceremony a delicious wedding luncheon was served by the hostess. The bride is an attractive and cultured young lady and has been employed in the Gladstone State Bank for some time. The groom is has been successfully conducting operations on his father’s farm near Terre Haute for the past year or two.
THE BATTLE ROYALE: Mrs. A. L. Beaver, who lives on south Broadway, heard a disturbance in her chicken yard one day this week and went out to investigate the cause. There seemed to be nothing wrong and she started to return to the house. Her path led by a peach tree in the yard and she noticed several green peaches lying on the ground. Thinking this rather unusual, she glanced up at the tree and discovered a good sized ground hog ensconced in the branches. Seizing an old pitch fork which chanced to be handy, she made a thrust at Mr. ground hog and succeeded in impaling him upon the tines. The jab, however, did not have sufficient force to reach a vital spot in the animal’s anatomy and he began to do some tail squirming. Not willing to give up the battle and not knowing what further course to pursue, Mrs. Beaver decided to call for help. Her cries soon brought her neighbor, Mrs. Mary Dixson, to the scene and a man who chanced to be passing on the street also stopped to investigate the cause of the commotion. Then, while Mrs. Beaver pluckily held the intruder on the tines of the pitchfork, he was soon dispatched by a few blows on the head from a hammer which had been procured by the assisting forces.
BANK ROBBERIES NEARBY: This seems to be the open season for bank robberies throughout the country, and this section of Illinois is being given particular attention by bandits. Last Monday morning at about 9:30 two young men, without masks, boldly walked into the State Bank of Cameron, Ill. and held up cashier H.W. Johnson and his assistant, C. E. Dunca, at the point of their guns and forced them into the bank vault, closing the inner door of the vault upon them. Then they proceeded to scoop up all the cash, amounting to $2,450, some $10,000 worth of registered U.S. bonds and a number of certificates of the stock of the bank belonging to directors of the bank. They then made their getaway in a large red automobile which they had stolen the night before at Galesburg and which they had parked about a block from the bank before the citizens of the village had realized what had happened. Mr. Johnson, the cashier of the bank, is a brother of the late Jas. Johnson who ran a garage here several years ago and Duncan, the assistant cashier, is a former Raritan boy.
Early Tuesday morning a band of yeggs drove into the village of Mathersville in Mercer County and after breaking into the bank there proceeded to dynamite the safe. After two unsuccessful blasts had been made, the citizens of the village rallied and drove the bandits off after an exchange of shots in which no one was injured. The robbers managed, however, to elude capture and are still at large.
On Wednesday morning between 2-3 am, the safe of the bank at Joy in Mercer County was dynamited by members of a band of yeggs while other members of the gang patrolled the streets and terrorized the citizens into silence. The loot obtained in this case amounted to between $3,000 and $4,000. The bandits in this case, as in all similar cases which have occurred in this section during the past few months, succeeded in making a clean getaway.
With the exception of the Cameron case, all the recent bank robberies in this section of the state have been pulled off in practically the same manner; however, in a case which occurred at Sandoval, Ill. on Wednesday morning, the mode of procedure was varied. There two armed men entered the home of the cashier of the bank,, ordered him to dress, bound his wife, and then forced the cashier to go to the bank and open the vault. They took $700 or $800 from the vault but were forced to flee when the cashier’s wife, who had succeeded in freeing herself, gave the alarm. The bandits, however, made a safe escape in the auto in which they were traveling.
The frequency of hold-ups and robberies of this character is presenting a problem which will need to be solved before long or the entire country will be at the mercy of organized bands of criminals. While there has been much opposition in the past in this state to the idea of a state police force because of the expense which would be incurred, there is little doubt but that a system of patrol of the highways of the state by such officers would go a long way toward breaking up the operations of the auto bandit class of criminals.
MARRIED IN MOLINE: LARSON-TILLOTSON: From the Moline Daily Dispatch-“Miss Mildred K. Larson, daughter of John A. Larson, became the bride of Converse V. Tillotson, son of Dr. and Mrs. George Tillotson in a pretty ceremony at the parsonage of the First Lutheran Church. The Rev. C.O. Morland officiated in the presence of a few close relatives, the bride’s father, Mr. Tillotson’s parents and Miss Marjorie Clemitus of Chicago. Miss Ruth Seaberg served the bride as honor maid and Dr. Kendall Tillotson of Chicago, brother of the bridge groom, was best man.
The bride wore a pretty frock of Alice blue georgette crepe (the color was named after Alice Roosevelt who favored that color), a sleeveless model trimmed with a band of panne velvet of the same shade and charmingly beaded. Her flowers were bride roses in corsage arrangement. Miss Seaberg’s frock was also of the blue georgette crepe and she also wore a corsage bouquet of roses.
Following the ceremony a wedding breakfast was served at the LeClaire Hotel, covers being laid for eight. Late summer garden flowers adorned the table. Mr. and Mrs. Tillotson left that afternoon for a honeymoon motor trip which takes them first to Chicago, later to Detroit and up into Canada. They will return via Peoria where they will spend a few days before returning to Moline. They will be home with the bride’s father after Oct.1st. The bride’s traveling outfit was a modish tweed knicker suit with hat and accessories to match. (This was quite daring for the time period.)
Mrs. Tillotson is a lovely girl and has won many friends through her work as assistant for Dr. Phoebe Pearsall. She attended the Moline public and high schools. Mr. Tillotson is employed by the Horst and Strieter Co.”(Tillotsons were former residents of this county.)
WEDDING BELLS: REZNER-MARSHALL-Miss Grace Marshall of Stronghurst was united in marriage on Sept. 11th to Mr. Leon Rezner, a young farmer of the Biggsville neighborhood, at the Presbyterian manse in Monmouth, Ill. The couple was attended by Mr. John Marshall, a brother of the bride, and his wife. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Marshall of Stronghurst and is a graduate of the Stronghurst High School, Abingdon College and the Western College for women at Oxford, Ohio. Lately, she has successfully taught several terms of school in his county.
The groom is the son of Mrs. Leroy Rezner whose farm, two miles east of Biggsville which he has farmed for this past year or two. He also has a farm of his own in the same neighborhood and there he and his bride will probably make their home next spring.
A BIRTHDAY SURPRISE: Mrs. C. M. Bell’s Sunday School class of girls gave a surprise party for Miss Eileen Jones, a member of the class-it being her 13th birthday. The evening was spent in playing games and nice refreshments were served by the girls, one of whom brought out the birthday cake with 13 candles. Each girl made a wish and blew out a candle. Before leaving, each girl presented their little friend with a gift.
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: Mr. R. B. Waite, wife and three children of St.Louis, Mo. were visitors at the Dr. Harter home as they were enroute from Omaha, Nebr. attending a wedding of a relative. The Willing Workers of the U. P. Church will hold a tea in the church parlors; the following ladies will serve: Mrs. R. N. Marshall, Mrs. Mary Thompson, Mrs. D. Prescott, Mrs. O. A. Rankin, Mrs. Oscar Beckett, Mrs. McGaw, and Miss Lucretia Bruen. All ladies of the community are invited. Mrs. F. V. Brokaw was called to Fremont, Nebr. by the death of an aunt. Ira and Will Huss, two Oquawka fishermen, are reported to have caught 1,600 pounds of catfish during two days last week. Mr. and Mrs. Russell Brokaw of the Raritan country are the parents of a fine baby girl born Sept. 18th at the Burlington Hospital. Mrs. C. Tullsen of Chicago spent two weeks with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. H. D. Lovitt. She has a good position at Mandel Brothers in the accounts payable department. It has been lawful to shoot duck in this part of the state since Sept. 15th, but the weather has not been sufficiently cool as yet to start these migratory birds on their southward journey; we have not heard of any being bagged by our local sportsmen.
Francis W. Rockwell, a former prominent citizen of Galesburg, Ill. where he conducted a wholesale and retail piano business and who was well known to many Henderson County people, died at a hospital in Pomona, Calif. recently from peritonitis following an operation. He had made his home in California for about three years.
Grandpa Colyer celebrated his 90th birthday last Saturday. Roland Davidson was in Aledo last week playing in the band at the fair. Mr. Charlie Wheeling and wife are now comfortable located in the house formerly occupied by Albert Kaiser and wife. Mrs. Sarah Wilson was called to Media to care for Mrs. Mattie Van Alstine. Miss Hazel Weir of Coloma received eight first premiums and four seconds on her display of apples from the Oak Grove Fruit Farm at the Aledo fair. Mrs. J.J. Proctor died at the home of her sister, Mrs. Ed Towler in La Harpe Tuesday morning; the deceased was a daughter of the late J.C.Coulson and a sister of Geo. C. Coulson, editor of the LaHarper.
Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Chant spent several days with friends in Adams County and took in the Home-Coming celebration at Mendon where the big attraction was a baseball game in which the St. Louis “Cardinals” crossed bats with the Mendon team. Mr. and Mrs. John Fordyce and daughter Marie of Roseville, Ill. accompanied by Mr. Fordyce’s mother from Waynesburg, Pa., his aunt, Mrs. Emma Sproggs of Spraggstown, Pa. and his sister, Mrs. G. B. Scott and child, departed on an overland auto trip to Washington and California points.
APPOINTED SHERIFF OF ST. LOUIS: George W. Strodtman of that city was recently appointed sheriff of the city of St.Louis by the governor of Missouri. Mr. Strodtman is a man of substance and of the highest integrity of character in the business world of St. Louis. He has been engaged in the real estate, insurance and loan business since May 1, 1887 in the firm Strodtmann and Strodtmann..Mr. Strodmann is a grand nephew of the late Henry Strodtman of this vicinity and has been a visitor here at various times in the past.
MEDIA MEANDERINGS: The Media Community Club was entertained at the home of Mrs. W. W. Murtland. Miss Grace Loomis Terry from the Maude Alma Main School of Fine Arts of Galesburg has been employed by the high school and grade school boards to teach music in the schools. She comes highly recommended as an instructor of piano and voice. Mr. A. E. McCartney who lives on a farm just east of town, left for Mayo Brothers Hospital, Rochester, Minn. for treatment and possible operation for cancer of the rectum. Mrs. McCartney and son Don accompanied him. C.R. Pendarvis accompanied a shipment of cattle to Chicago. Rev. E.B. Morton, pastor of the M.E.Church, preached his farewell sermon Sunday afternoon and will attend conference which meets at Kankakee. The annual picnic of the Wever Academy will be held on the Academy lawn on Sept. 29th. Emory Cavins was initiated into the mysteries of the Tri-State Mutual Lodge Tuesday night. The infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Victor Worrell was quite ill the past week. Messers C. C. Sullivan, Neil Ausmus, Thomas Howell and Edwin Erickson attended the Masonic lodge at Raritan; Mr. Erickson took the 3rd degree. Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Wax are moving from the Sutton house to the U.P.parsonage where they will be more comfortably located as the parsonage is a modern home.
BIGGSVILLE BRIEFS: Donald, the little two month old baby of Mr. and Mrs. George Millen, who has been quite ill, is reported to be recovering nicely. Mrs. Irean Zimmerman and daughter Lucile and Mrs. Jack Keener left overland for Champaign where Lucile will attend the Illinois University. Madams Zimmerman and Keener anticipated a visit in Decatur with Mrs. Cornelia Baker and family. Meredith Fagan met with quite a severe auto accident when enroute home. The steering wheel locked and thinking he would be able to right it, failed to stop the engine and while on Main Street ran into one of the big trees in front of the Dr. Henderson home. When he alighted to the ground, he found that the jar from the car had broken his knee cap. He was removed to his home and the fracture was set by Drs. Henderson and Babcock. Mr. and Mrs. John Gibb and family were in the Hopper neighborhood where they attended a family reunion of the Burrell families. Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Moore left for a visit in Springfield, Excelsior Springs and Kansas City.
DIED-FRED DEUTIULER: Mr. Deutiuler, a resident and carpenter of the Raritan community, passed away at the Monmouth Hospital last Thursday where he had been taken several weeks ago following a paralytic stroke. He leaves a wife and children. Funerals services were held at Smithshire with interment in the Ellison Cemetery.