The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Stronghurst Graphic: September 4, 1924
MISSIONARY FROM CHINA: Mrs. W. F. Brewster of Foo Chon, China is a visitor in the home of her aunt, Mrs. Frank Johnson. Mrs. Brewster was formerly Miss Mae Douglass, the daughter of the late Grant Douglass and spent her early childhood years in the Olena neighborhood. About four years ago she want to China as a missionary and there met and married Mr. W. F. Brewster who is now engaged in the importing and exporting business at Foo Chon. Mr. Brewster is now in this country on a business trip. Mrs. Brewster brought with her a large assortment of specimens of the handiwork of the Chinese women of Swatan, China, where a tidal wave recently wrought devastation and ruin. It reduced a large portion of the population to poverty. These specimens include hand made and embroidered articles of feminine apparel, handmade silver ornaments and jewelry and fancy articles of various kinds. She is offering these for sale to anyone desiring to purchase.
BIGGSVILLE HOMECOMING PICNIC: The annual homecoming picnic held in Biggsville was a very well managed and successful affair. Weather conditions were all that could be desired and while the attendance of Thursday was reported to be slightly below expectations, the average attendance for the two days was highly satisfactory. Those who were present on Thursday were privileged to listen to fine addresses by Justice Floyd E. Thompson of the Illinois Supreme Court and the Hon. E. L. Werts of Oquawka. On Friday Governor Small addressed a large and locally attentive audience on his favorite topic of good roads. The Governor briefly reviewed the work which under his administration has been accomplished through the use of the funds provided by the $60,000,000 bond issue of a few years ago and pledges his untiring efforts toward seeing that the money raised by the proposed new $1,000,000,000 bond issue was economically and judicially expended in the building of hard roads throughout the state, providing he was re-elected and the bond issue voted by the people& Captain Oscar E. Carlstrom of Aledo, Republican candidate for Attorney General followed the governor. John C. Allen, Republican candidate for Congress from this district and state senator Martin E. Carlson of Moline besides a number of other men more or less prominent in local and state political affairs were present at the picnic and mingled freely with both the patrician and the plebian elements of the crowd.
ANNUAL SUNDAY SCHOOL PICNIC: The annual Henderson County Sunday School picnic will be held Sept. 6th at Oquawka. The event is being eagerly looked forward too by both young and old and if favorable weather prevails, a day of real pleasure and enjoyment will be spent. A program of sports consisting of races of various kinds, horseshoe pitching, etc. will start at 10 o clock. A big basket dinner will be the noon feature and good speaking, glee club, quartette and solo singing will take up part of the afternoon. Baseball will be one of the day s attractions and those who wish to indulge in this sport are asked to bring ball, bat, mask and gloves. Plenty of shade and drinking water will be found on the grounds and a well stocked refreshment stand will supply all the needs of the inner man not provided by the contents of the lunch baskets.
TRI-COUNTY FAIR FACES CRISIS: The LaHarpe Quill, Sept. 2: J. F. Hurdle, president, and J. W. Minnich, secretary of the Tri-County Fair were present at the meeting of the Golden Rule Club and submitted the facts and figures of the financial condition of the association which gave anything but a rosy prospect for future fairs in LaHarpe. Receipts fell about $2,800 short of meeting the disbursements during the 1924 session and the actual shortage of expenses over receipts is about $1,500. This would not be an insurmountable obstacle in itself if it wasn t for the original heavy debt that the association contracted and has been carrying since the reorganization four years ago which calls for interest payments annually of approximately $1,500&
MEDIA TO SAVED: On Oct. 1st Clyde Lee Fife is coming to Media to conduct a meeting during October. The Men s Bible Class is fortunate in being able to secure this evangelist. At fifteen different cities scattered all over the United States, he had a total of 15,981 conversions or an average of 1,065 for each city.
W. H. Cross Produce Company building and moved into the rooms last Saturday. Philip Mains has returned to his home here after a season spent with the tent crew on the Redpath Chautauqua circuit which closed at Michigan City, Ind. Philip Chant will leave fro Albuquerque, N. Mex. where he will attend high school and assist his brother Lloyd in the latter's work as circulation manager of an Albuquerque newspaper. The free show put on at the Lyric Theatre last Monday evening by the Stronghurst business men proved to be a drawing card. Although the weather was very threatening, the attendance taxed the capacity. Miss Alta Marie Reynolds, who is the proprietor of a beauty shop in Kewanee spent Labor Day with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. F. G. Reynolds.
WINNING HORSE: Peter Foote, the brown trotting stallion owned by Ira Foote of Stronghurst won the 2:22 trot at the Adams County Fair in three straight heats. The event carried a purse of $350 with added money. (($5,026 in today's values). The horse also won the 2:25 trot at the Hancock County Fair and now Ira is taking the horse to Missouri and expects to make a good accounting on the trotting circuit.
OLENA OBSERVATIONS: The Burrell reunion was held at the home of Miss Georgetta Burrell in Olena with 75 present in spite of the rainy day and slippery roads. A pleasant feature of the day was the presence of Mr. George Burrell and son of Pilton, Iowa. Mr. Burrell had spent his very young days near Olena and had not been back for many years. The Dowell reunion was held in Crapo Park, Burlington with a goodly number present. Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Davis entertained at dinner Sabbath complimentary to their son Lee. The following relatives were present: Mr. and Mrs. John Lant, H. S. Lant and family, and Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Marshall of Burlington. Covers were laid for 18. Mr. Lee Davis, who is holding down a fine job in Chicago, was accompanied home by his sister, Miss Golda. The Olena School will open Sept.8th with Miss Jean Spear as instructor. Miss Thelma Peterson has begun her school in the Heisler neighborhood. The annual Olena Homecoming will be Sept. 13th in the church grounds. A committee of Mr. Cecil Brook, Mr. C. E. Lant, Mr. Russell Carothers and the Misses Lura Speck and Emma Marshall will plan the forenoon program. At the noon hour a chicken dinner with all the trimmings will be served by the ladies of the M. E. Church at 40 cents a plate for both young and old. Many who sampled the dinner last year said we should have charged 50 cents and one gentleman actually dropped that amount, accepting no change. The afternoon will be outside amusements. A good stand and booth will be on the grounds and children's games will be played.
NEWS FROM THE WEST: Earl Mahnesmith, who has been holding down a railroad office position at Yermo, Calif., for some time has been transferred to Moapa, Nev, where he was formerly located. He writes that the mercury ranges from 110 to 122 in the shade, ice is five cents a pound and only one rain day out of 668 occurred. He met an old conductor by the name of Widmeyer who asked to be remembered to the Beardsley Bros. and Cliff Regan whom he knew when he lived in Yates City and Elmwood years ago. (Both names of local Stronghurst residents in 1924).