The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Stronghurst Graphic, Feb. 5,1925
FIRE IN BLANDINSVILLE: For the third time within a year our neighboring city of Blandinsville has been visited by a disastrous fire, the latest coming on last Friday night, Jan. 30th. The fire originated in the Silvertooth and Lewis Cafˇ where a gasoline stove blew up and threw the burning fluid over the room converting it into a roaring furnace. Three adjoining business places were also destroyed before the flames were subdued: Webb and Son Store, The Cotton Grocery Store and a barber shop. The Pearson Variety Store south of the cafˇ was also badly damaged by smoke and water. The loss on buildings and stock is estimated at $25,000, probably half of which was covered by insurance.
It is believed that with proper fire fighting facilities, the fire could easily have been confined to the Cafˇ in which it originated. Blandinsville is neither provided with a system of water works nor adequate fire fighting apparatus and the citizens are reported as becoming aroused to the necessity of providing some method for reducing the fire hazard.
DAIRIES MATTER: Henderson County is richer yearly by $60,000 because of the soil fertility produced as a by-product of dairying, according to the blue Valley Creamery Institute. The figures are based on data resulting from many carefully kept records on a considerable number of farms. The average quantity of manure recovered for use on crop lands in the area studies was 7.4 tons per cow and since the fertilizing value of a ton of manure is $2.60, by-product of each cow is approximately twenty dollars. The application of this figure to the 3,000 dairy cattle in this county brings the total added value to the soil fertility here to almost unbelievable figure given above.
OBITUARY ***OPAL CARLSON***Opal Alice Carlson, the only daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Edward Carlson of the Olena neighborhood, passed away at the parental home on Jan. 31st following a lingering illness. The deceased was born August 9, 1907, making her 17 years, 5 months and 22 days old at the time of her death. During nearly two years of illness she bore her suffering with great fortitude and was always a cheerful disposition. She possessed a beautiful Christian character and will be greatly missed in her home, in the Sabbath school and by her many young friends. Those left to mourn her departure are her parents, two brothers, Glenn and Clarence, together with numerous distant relatives. Funeral services were conducted at the Olena church with interment in the Olena Cemetery.
LOSES MONEY: The guarantors of this season's five number lyceum course for this community have been assessed $10.00 each ($140.53 in today's values} to make up a deficit caused by lack of patronage. Inasmuch as some of these guarantor's purchased tickets to the amount of seven or eight dollars at the beginning of the season, they naturally feel that their share of the expense of providing clean, wholesome and educational entertainment for the people of the community has been rather excessive. It is quite evident that there is not enough interest taken in this community in the sort of entertainment provided by the modern lyceum bureau to justify a few persons in signing up for a season's course. (After WWI the agricultural economy was in a slump and people cut corners and paid for necessities.)
CORN CULLING SCHOOL: Seed corn selection according to the most approved methods was thoroughly explained to a group of Henderson Count farmers by Dr. W.L. Burlison of the Agronomy Dept. of the University of Illinois in a meeting held at Stronghurst. Four to six from each township were invited to act as corn project leaders in their respective communities. After an extended discussion of the points to be considered in seed corn selection, the men were given the opportunity for practical study as each man had been requested to bring a sample of his own seed corn to be used as laboratory material:(list by townships for individuals selected).
KILLED BY HIS OWN HAND: Carthage, Ill. Jan. 29 "The most unique suicide in the history of Hancock County occurred Wednesday morning when the body of Earnest W. Earls, 43, prominent farmer living seven miles northwest of here near Ferris, was found hanging from a beam in a roof of a corn bin on his farm. The man had tied a rope about his neck, climbed to the top of a heap of corn, tied the other end of the rope to a beam and fired the full charge of a shotgun into his left breast. The impact threw him from the top of the corn heap and left him suspended in the air by the neck. The double plan made death certain. The body was found soon after 7 o'clock by members of the family and death occurred only a few minutes previous.
Mr. Earls had been quiet but had given no inkling of the intended act. He had gone to the barn Wednesday morning as usual to attend to his tock. Members of his family can ascribe the deed only to worry over an important charge of assault brought against him by William Gabel of Elvaston. The alleged assault took place July 13, 1924 and since then he had been quiet and morose the family said. The trial opened in the Hancock Count Court here before Judge Warren Orr Tuesday and was to have been concluded Wednesday. According to Clyde, Johnson, Earls' attorney, the case against him was weak and in an event the charge was of minor importance.
Earls was known as an expert farmer and was popular in the community. He leaves a wife and two daughters, 13 and 15 years old. An inquest was conducted at the farm by George Moore of Carthage, coroner Wednesday morning with a verdict of suicide."-LaHarpe Quill
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: Fred Mudd and family are moving to Abingdon where he has employment in a hardware store. The regular luncheon of the Better Stronghurst League was held last Friday at the NuVon CafˇinI the village (this group preceded the Booster Club of today). Mr. E.G .Lewis of Media gave an interesting talk on community problems and the relation of agriculture to community development.