The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Stronghurst Graphic, Dec. 20, 1923
HOW TO SPEND AN AFTERNOON: Mrs. A. C. Allison and Mrs. L. E. Pogue were the hostesses at the home of the latter to the following ladies: Mrs. Robert McKeown, Mrs. Eleanor Gibb, Mrs. Anna Lant, Mrs. L. D. Colyer, Mrs. A.L.Beaver, Mrs. Mary Dixson, Mrs. Mary Thompson, Mrs. H. M. Allison, Mrs. Henry, Mrs. Sarah Graham, Mrs. Myra Fort, Mrs. C. E. Fort, Mrs. Edgar Rankin, Miss Jennie Fort and Miss Sarah Nelson. The afternoon was spent in cutting out quilt blocks to be sent to a school in Frenchburg, Ky., where Miss Reba Thompson, a niece of the hostesses is a teacher. Delicious refreshments were served and a pleasant social time was enjoyed by the entire company of mother, grandmothers, great-grandmothers and great aunts.
MEETINGS FOR CATTLE FEEDERS: Arrangement has been made by the Henderson County Farm Bureau for a Cattle Feeders' Day to be held on Friday. Two meetings will be held with the first at the Bald Bluff town hall and the second at the Farm Bureau office in Stronghurst. E. T. Robbins of the cattle department at the University of Illinois will discuss various questions confronting the feeders at the present time and will be in a position to give some very helpful suggestions.
BIGGSVILLE BRIEFS: G. C. Foster had a force of men roofing his town residence. The cemetery tea at he home of Mrs. Mabel White was a great success with $13.71 ($188.11 in today's values) being realized. Mrs. Emma Carbaugh, who has spent some weeks at the E. L. Claybaugh home, returned to her home at Spirit Lake, Ia. A box is being packed at the U. P. parsonage to be sent to the mountaineers of the South. At the missionary meeting at the home of Mrs. Maggie Whiteman, the group decided to send a Christmas box to a mission station at Due West, South Carolina. The box will contain handkerchiefs locally made and donated by one class, candy, nuts, clothing, and goods to be made up by the recipients (May be same box as mentioned previously???) The ladies of the Presbyterian Church served lunch at the Mekemson and Lyons sale. A delightful time was reported at the oyster supper held Tuesday evening at the U.P.Church and given by the men's Bible class. Some 75 were present. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Boyer south of town are the proud parents of a little daughter who has been named Dorothy Marie. The bazaar and chicken supper given by the ladies of the M. E. Church was quite a success with something over $159 ($2,181.48 in today's values) realized. The basketball game played here resulted in the defeat of the local team by Keithsburg by a score of 12 to 11. Mrs. J. W. McClinton suffered a slight stroke at her home near Coloma. She is able to be about, but her speech is slightly affected.
A FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE: Mr. Clifford Talbot, who lives south of town, had a rather unpleasant experience with one of his horses. He found the animal loose in the stall one morning; it had chewed the halter rope in two during the night. Mr. Talbot turned the horse out in a lot with some other horses and it began to bite them and also itself until the blood ran. While trying to catch the horse and return it to the barn, Mr. Talbot was attacked by the animal and would have been seriously bitten had it not been for the heavy clothing which he wore. Dr. Shum, the veterinarian, was called and he advised that the animal be shot. This was done and the head of the horse was sent to Kansas City for analysis. Word has come back that the horse was not suffering from Hydrophobias (rabies), but that it had probably been poisoned from eating spoiled sheaf oats.
MEDIA MEANDERINGS: The high school basketball team defeated Oquawka High there with a score of 26 to 10. Quite a number of students went there with the team to root for them. Miss Grace Terry, the instructor in music in the school, has organized a Girls' Glee Club at the high school. Everyone should purchase Red Cross Xmas seals from the pupils of the grade school and help stamp out tuberculosis and also help to pay the salary of county nurse. A union Xmas tree and program will be given by the children of the Sabbath schools of the U.P. and M.E. churches at the U.P. church. A White Gift offering will be lifted. Santa Claus will be there with a treat for every child; everyone is invited. H. B. Dixon has been doing some trapping on the side and has met with good success so far as he sold $50 ($686 in today's values) worth of furs. Mr. Dixon's barber business has increased to such an extent that he has put in another chair so as to be able to accommodate his customers. Paul Gibson is working at the second chair.
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: The Raritan Baptist Sunday School is preparing to give a cantata at the opera house Christmas night. The Raritan Reform Church now has electric lights. Members of the Reform Sunday School will give a cantata at the church on Christmas Eve.
W. H. Cross, the local poultry buyer, loaded a car of chicken for the New York market accompanied by "Dutch" Hoffeditz. Miss Irene Kershaw is confined to her home with a severe attack of tonsillitis. Miss Blanche Hodgens is helping take care of the holiday trade at the Ed Cutler store in Carthage. A fine 10lb. boy arrived at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Glen Baxter at Gilman, Ill. on Dec. 10th. William C. Cross, mayor of Burlington, died at his home after a brief illness. Mr. and Mrs. Guy Leinbach are the happy parents of a new daughter born to them at their home Wednesday morning. George Trimble, a well known citizen of Oquawka, was drowned in the river near that place when the launch which he was navigating capsized. Howard Thomas of Burlington, Ia. has returned from Wyoming where he homesteaded a claim on government land; he is visiting his uncle A. E. Jones and family.
***OBITUARY***RICHARD DIXON: Richard Dixon, who a quarter of a century ago was a well known Stronghurst citizen and business man died at his home in Yale, Oklahoma on Dec. 7th. From the Yale Democrat: “Richard Dixon, a well known citizen of Yale, quietly passed away at his home Dec.7th at the age of 76 years, 8 months and 28 days. He came to this country from England with his father when he was three years of age and settled in Carman, Illinois, where he spent his early life. He was married to Sarah Nevada Anderson, Oct. 5, 1876 and the young couple spent their early married life in Carman and Stronghurst, Ill. They moved to Glencoe, Okla. in 1900. Three children were born to the couple: one boy and two girls, all of whom have preceded him to the “unseen world.
They moved to Yale in 1902 where they have made their home since that time. At the time of his coming to Yale, the railroad had not been built and there were only three or four houses on the present town site.
Judge Dixon was one of a family of nine children; two brothers and two sister still survive him-Mrs. Mary Ann Perry of Carman, Ill., Thomas Dixon of the same place and Henry Dixon of Peck, Kansas.
Judge Dixon had been a justice of the peace in Illinois before he moved to Okla. and during practically all of the time he has been a resident of the city of Yale. At the time of his death he was justice of the piece of this district and also a municipal judge of the police court of the city of Yale. He was known as the “Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Yale.” While this appellation was at first no doubt given him in jest, it was a fully merited title. For we have been informed by those who know that more than 1,000 cases have been tried by the Judge in the court of Yale and not one decision he has made has ever been reversed by the high courts. This in itself is a record. It is safe to say that there is no other justice in the state of Oklahoma who has served the public so long and has such a record to show. His official life is without blemish and above reproach. It may be said that “he loved mercy and did justice.
Funeral services were held in the Presbyterian Church. The service was attended by the city officials who marched in a body to the church, by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of which Judge Dixon was a member and by the Rebekahs and the Royal Neighbors. The church was crowded and many stood with more outside who could not obtain admission. This alone was a great tribute to Judge Dixon’s citizenship and public life. The body was interred in West Point Cemetery.”
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: Fort Madison will not be given the opportunity to buy the present Santa Fe Bridge over the Mississippi River at that point when the new structure under contemplation is finished. The government will not allow navigation of the river to be obstructed by two bridges so close together and the old bridge will have to be removed. Dr. Robert Newell and wife of San Francisco, Calif. stopped off on their way home from Rochester, Minn. for a visit with former friends of Mrs. Newell. The lady will be remembered by most people as the second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. G. Valley who moved from here to California several years ago. The couple was guests of John Gilliland and H. N. Vaughn homes. Dudley Billups has been confined to his home for about ten days as result of an injury to his knee which he sustained while he was assisting his son-in-law, Forest Wyatt of Lomax vicinity, haul some shock fodder on a manure spreader. Dud stumbled and fell in such a manner that his knee came in contact with one of the spikes in the spreader puncturing the member and causing him much pain and discomfort. The danger of infection is now passed and he is resting easier.
Delivery of 100 tons of coal at the surface made up the first day's production of the Shuler mine at Alpha, Ill. Manager Charles Shuler, Jr. states that within ten days the output of the mine will be increased to 300 tons daily and predicts a tonnage of 1,000 a day for the mine eventually. It is by far the largest new producer that has been opened in Illinois in many years. The new mine will market its product in Rock Island, Moline and Davenport, only about 30 miles distant.