The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: E. R. Grandy, J. F. McMillan, Dixson Jones and Frank Johnson left for Taylorville, Ill last night in the McMillan car to see the baseball game in which the Henderson County Farm Bureau boys cross bats with the Tazewell County boys to decide the state championship for 1925. C. E.Peasley and W. W. Ross are amongst the Henderson County farmers who are also attending the big state picnic at Taylorville today. W.W. Murtland and wife and son William are leaving Media for Lilly Lake, Ill. where he has accepted the principalship of the high school and supervision of the grades this coming year. The departure of this excellent family will be a distinct loss to the Media community and is also regretted by this paper as Mrs. Murtland has been a valued correspondent for the paper at Media for the past two years. R. T. McDill writes that he is now in charge of the "honor farm" of about 2,000 acres near Lockport where there are 128 prisoners who look after the farm work, sleep in cottages and are never locked up. Threshing on the farm was finished last Saturday, oats averaging 58 bushels per acre.
Raymond Mellenger, an 18-year-old boy of Fort Madison, was instantly killed last Saturday night at about 8 o'clock when the Overland touring car which he was driving and of which he was the sole occupant, was overturned into a ditch near Adrian, Ill. Young Mellenger was returning to Fort Madison from a Modern Woodman picnic at Powellton, Ill. when the accident occurred. He was a member of the Fort Madison high school band which had furnished the music for the picnic and was prominent in school athletic circles in his home city. Dr. Lauver received an ugly wound over the eye this afternoon while cranking his auto in a hurry to go to the L. W.Wilson home where he had been summoned. The crank of the car flew off and struck him with sufficient force to cut a deep gash just over the eyebrow. Reports which come in from the hail-stricken districts in Henderson, Hancock and McDonough County indicate that the damage to corn was even greater than was supposed. In many cases practically total losses are reported while in others the losses run from 10 % to total. Biggsville's annual harvest home picnic is being held today and tomorrow with Walter B. Runley of the Agricultural Extension Department of the International Harvester Co. as the principal speaker for today and F. E.Doembel, Vice President of the Illinois Agricultural Association as the orator for Friday. Supt. Dawson wishes to call attention of parents and pupils to the fact that the Stronghurst grade and high school will open on Monday, August31st.
OLENA HOME-COMING: As our church could not get in readiness and as the congregation thoroughly tired to exhaustion, there were no services here Sabbath day. Saturday Aug.22nd goes down in history as a gala day for Olena. For roads, weather, health and slackness of farm work and a willingness to help a worthy cause all combines to give us one of the largest crowds for the annual Home-Coming Picnic for the Olena Church grounds that have yet assembled on these occasions. Every committee labored hard to bring their work up to efficiency and were very successful. The program committee gave a fine program before the noon hour consisting of readings, recitals, vocal and instrumental music, being ably assisted by Miss Mildred Lant, who gave a fine reading, and Mr. H. S. Lant of Stronghurst offering instrumental music. The dinner committee were on the skip, hop and jump from early morning till late in the afternoon, and dished up close to 150 dinners, which disappeared like hot cakes on a frosty morning. The were receiving many compliments on the fine chicken dinner they were serving. Mrs. Thomas Dixson and Mrs. John Lant had their old job as ticket sellers and when dinner was announced, they were almost mobbed as about all present wanted to get in the eats at the first table. After the dinner, two lovely cakes, one donated by Mrs. Thomas Dixon of Carman and the other by Mrs. H. S. Lant, were offered for sale and brought satisfactory prices. A few other articles were disposed of and then the sports committee got busy. They surely pulled off some fine stunts and games which caused much merriment and pleasure. The young peoples' Bible class taught by Miss Thelma Peterson and the infant class taught by Miss Nellie Johnson had a fine display of articles for sale in their booth, which were so readily disposed of that many never got a peep at them. They cleared the neat little sum of $9.15. The stand committee also did a rushing business, ice cream and pop being so easily sold that there was nothing to return but the bottles. Among the large gathering, we noticed the following towns, cities and villages represented: Burlington and surrounding neighborhood, Monmouth, Biggsville, Gladstone, Oquawka, Colma, Media, Carman, Raritan, Stronghurst, and Hopper. Our own community turned out fine. Everyone present just seemed to be out for a good time and were sure having it greeting old friends and neighbors of whom they had met for years. We had the pleasure of a few minutes' conversation with Mrs. Cecil Marshall McArthur of Walton, Kansas, who is visiting her many relatives here and whom we had not met in many years. Yes, it will go down in history that socially, financially and as a happy go lucky time for our home coming picnic held on the Olena Church grounds Aug. 22, 1925 was a howling success. Although we wore double lensed glasses through the day, we failed to notice but one or two of the business men of Stronghurst giving us any patronage. Is this quite fair to a community you expect to draw trade from? Mr. Worley and family are a yearly asset at these gatherings, Mr. Beardsley and family and Mr. Frank Johnson and family took time to runover and get in on the dinner. Yes, Saturday is a "busy day," but you take time to eat, banks close of one hour and it would take only about that long to give Olena a chance at you.