The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Stronghurst Graphic: July 16, 1925
FATAL SHOOTING AT MONMOUTH: Police Chief Irey of Monmouth shot and fatally wounded Philip Dennison of that city and seriously wounded Eddie Dennison, brother of Philip, last Saturday night at about midnight near South C Street and W. 8th Ave. after they had refused to obey his command to halt. According to the account of the affair given by the Monmouth Review Atlas, the police chief and two other officers had been called to the scene of the shooting by residents of the neighborhood who reported that there were prowlers about.
Chief Irey, when he arrived, saw two men who had been sitting down get up and separate in such a manner as to place him between them. He called upon them to stop and not being obeyed and believing them to be armed and about to shoot, he fired twice at each man. One of the men stopped, but the other continued running followed by the officer, who soon overtook him and brought him back to the scene of the shooting. Here it was found that the first man shot was in a serious condition having been shot in the arm and through the lungs. Both men were taken to the Monmouth Hospital where Philip Dennison, the first man shot, died at about 4 o'clock Sunday morning. It was found that the brother, Eddie Dennison, had been shot in the right side and that the ball had coursed around a rib to the front of his body. His recovery is expected.
Both men were found to be unarmed when captured and the version of the affair given by Eddie Dennison was that he and his brother had been in a near by grocery store for some ice cream and that they had stopped and sat down to rest and talk awhile. When they saw the officer approaching, they got up and started off not knowing that he was an officer and not hearing his command to halt.
Philip Dennison, the man who was killed, was employed at Western Stoneware Company's plant No. 1. He was 36 years of age and leaves to mourn his death a wife and five children, the eldest being but 12 years of age. He came to Monmouth from Cave City, Ky. about a year ago and had only recently recovered from a railroad crossing accident in which he was injured last year. A coroner's inquest held on Monday and Tuesday the verdict was that the effect that Dennison came to his death from a gunshot wound inflicted b a police officer while the latter was in pursuit of his duty.
AGRICULTURAL CONFERENCE FOR PASTORS: The agricultural conference for rural portions of western and northern Illinois which was called at Galesburg July 8th by the College of Agriculture of the University of Illinois was attended by a number of the pastors and rural workers of Henderson County. The purpose of the meeting is perhaps best defined in Dean Mumford's words. He said, "This conference has been arranged because of the conviction that intelligent and cordial cooperation between the farm and home advisors, the farm and home bureaus, rural pastors and the rural church, teachers of vocational agriculture and the rural schools may profoundly affect the economic, social and religious life of farmers. Frankly, the object of this conference is to promote such cooperation."
SURPLUS EARNINGS OF COUNTY OFFICERS: According to figures which have been furnished the Graphic, it appears that during the four years ending Nov. 30, 1924, the amount of excess salary turned into the circuit clerk, county clerk and sheriff, respectively, totaled the sum of $7,164.42 (in today's values=$107, 460). Following are the figures as furnished by showing receipts and excesses for the three offices named for the four years. W.P. Martin, Circuit Clerk: fees received=$13,286.95; excess salary paid county treasurer, $4,286.95. J.J. Barnes, County Clerk: fees received, $13,355.16; excess salary paid county treasurer, $1,805.99. R.T.McDill, sheriff: fees earned, $8,169.30; excess salary paid county treasurer, 1,071.48. E.L. Davenport, Sheriff, two years, fees received $2,816.35; salary two years, $3,200.00 (People were taxed but not all was paid out.)
NON-HIGH SCHOOL TUITION FEES: The Non-High school district board of Henderson County met at Oquawka as July 10th and audited and allowed tuition bills for pupils residing in the district and attending high school elsewhere as follows: Oquawka-$693.09; Biggsville-$3,529.21; Stronghurst-$1,575.00; Gladstone-$2,304.90; Lomax-$2,662,65; Dallas City-$800.00; Terre Haute-$336.00 and Media-$2442.00. (other schools listed were Rushville, Little York, Seaton, Monmouth, Kirkwood, and Blandinsville).
PARKING ORDINANCE NO.133-Essentially, this is what it said: "It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to leave any motor vehicle parked on Broadway St. between Nichols St. and the Atchison, Topeka and Sant Fe Railway unless said vehicles were parked at the side of the street at an angle of about 45 degrees to the curb, the right side of the vehicle being nearest the curb. Motor vehicles shall not park in sections designated "No Parking" or within 15 feet of a fire hydrant."-effective July 3, 1925. (Has this been repealed?)
HE WAS ROBBED: The driver of a Cannon Ball Motor Transportation Co. bus was relieved of about $30 cash (today's value=$450.00) last Sunday morning at about 12:05 o'clock by two bandits who signaled to bus to stop and boarded it at a point near what is known as the Pape railroad crossing between Monmouth and Kirkwood. After forcing the driver, Fay Stanford, to hand over the cash which he had collected, the bandits put the bus temporarily out of commission by cutting some wires in the motor and the made their escape in an old Ford car which they had in the waiting nearby.
Being about midnight hour there were no passengers in the bus at the time of the robbery or a larger haul might have been made. Officers at Monmouth were notified of the occurrence as soon as they could be reached and a hunt for the bandits started. There are little prospects, however of their being caught.
WEATHER REPORT: After several days of intense, sweltering heat during which the mercury has hovered between 90 and 100 in the shade, the cool breeze from the north today is calculated to cause the reflection that after all, Illinois weather, taking it on the whole, is not been of the dry scorching variety which causes vegetation to wither and die. The face of nature never presented a fresher appearance at this time of the year in the locality than it does at the present.
HOW HENDERSON COUNTY GOT IT'S NAME: "Monmouth Rotarians would be pleased to have Warren County benevolently assimilate Henderson County and the fly never had a more cordial invitation to enter a certain parlor than the county on the west has to come into the county on the east. Well, Henderson was once a part of Warren, being divorced in January 1841, since which time it has been going it alone and with fairly good credit, as it is populated with a sturdy, thrifty people who have the spirit of independence. The Illinois Blue Book says it took its appellation (name) from the Henderson River. That may be so but as the story went years ago, it got its name from a family prominent in the early history of whom Col W. D. Henderson was a conspicuous figure (J. B. Patterson of the Oquawka Spectator affirmed that the county was, indeed, named for Col. Henderson. When Henderson died in Kansas, Patterson, writing his obituary, gave Henderson credit. Both men were early settlers so I believe Mr. Patterson.) Col. Bill represented Henderson and Warren Counties in the fourteenth General Assembly (1844-1846), and he came up to the Republican Convention held in Bushnell in August 1846 as Warren County's candidate for nomination for representative in Congress; not because Warren had a consuming hankering for the result, but Col Bill did. He possessed an exuberant optimism, which was somewhat dashed but not wholly vaporized when the convention finally, on the 25th ballot nominated Col. Marsh." (Warren County was organized in January 1825 taking its name from Gen. Joseph Warren, the hero of Bunker Hill). —Warsaw Bulletin
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: A union service will be held at the U.P. Church next Sabbath with the pulpit occupied by Rev. R. C. Myers of the M.E. Church delivering the sermon. Prof. and Mrs. Dawson returned from two weeks auto trip during which they visited relatives in the eastern part of this state and points in Wisconsin. R. G. Hurd and wife of Sanger, Texas are visiting his brother, W.F.Hurd this week. Mr. Hurd is agent for the Santa Fe Railroad at Sanger, a position which he has held for 25 years. Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Grotenhaus and three children of Orange City, Ia. are visiting former neighbors and associates of Mrs. Grotenhaus. She will be better remembered here as Ellen Gray Tillotson. The family are enjoying an auto trip vacation of several weeks and drove here from Moline, Ill., where they visited with her parents, Dr. and Mrs. G. K. Tillotson. Mr. and Mrs. Ed Wanders and daughter drove down from Streator, Ill. last Sunday and spent the day with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Staley. Mrs. I. F. Harter arrived home from California a few days in advance of the Dr. who stopped off at Sabetha, Kans. for a short visit with his sister and other relatives. Mrs. Harter says that while she enjoyed the visit of several months in the golden state, she found no place which she would exchange for Stronghurst as a home. Some testimonial for the old town, we will say!
Mrs. Mink and her sons, John and Jap, are enjoying a visit from another son and brother whose home is in Tennessee. The little three-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Waldo Johnson of Decorra, who was severely burned by hot syrup two weeks ago, was able to be brought home from the Burlington Hospital. A fire of unknown origin on the Thalus Huston farm near Sciota last Friday night destroyed a large barn, two automobiles, a lot of farm machinery and a large quantity of hay and grain, entailing a loss of around $4,500 only $1,800 of which was covered by insurance. Mr. and Mrs. James Leslie of Clarinda, Iowa, visited Mr. and Mrs. L. D. Colier at their here last Sunday. Mr. Leslie is an uncle of Mrs. Collier and he and his wife were old time residents of Henderson County This was their first visit in many years of their early home vicinity. Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Hurd wish to express their pleasure of Sunday afternoon auto tip through Henderson and Warren Counties including Raritan, Roseville, Monmouth, Kirkwood and Biggsville made in the finely appointed Hupmobile belonging the Kaiser family. The party was composed of Mr. and Mrs. C. R. Kaiser and Mr. and Mrs. Hurd with A. F. Kaiseras. chauffer. (Not everyone had an auto and a pleasure ride on a Sunday afternoon was a real treat.)
RARTAN REPORTS: Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Thrush, Mrs. Lettie Mesecher and Mis Gretta Voorhees attended the revival meeting in Roseville Saturday evening. Mr. and Mrs. Willis Adams also attended this service. Verne Barnes who has been in California for several months arrived at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. E. O. Barnes. Mrs.Garold Gipe is spending a few days in St. Louis. Dale Lauver had his tonsils and adenoids removed at the Burlington Hospital.
MEDIA MEANDERINGS: Dan. J. Smith and Miss Florence Gram sprung a surprise on their many friends by taking themselves to Oquawka Saturday and being united in marriage that afternoon at the home of Mrs. Lou Essex, Rev. O. W. Rose, pastor of the M.E. Church officiating. The bride has been a resident of Media all her life. She received her education in the grade and high schools and at Monmouth College where she spent two years. While in college she devoted a part of her time to the study of music and other became an accomplished piano player. For a number of years, she has been a successful teacher of this and other counties, having held the position of principal of the Media Grade School. The past three years she has taught the primary room where she has given excellent satisfaction and is honored and respected by the entire community. She has been quite prominent in church work and a favorite in the social set in which she moved.
The groom is the son of Dan Smith, Sr. of Oquawka. He is a veteran of the World War, having spent one year overseas. He is now employed by the A. & E. Motor Co. at Burlington. Immediately following the ceremony, Mr. and Mrs. Smith left for an overland trip to St. Paul, Minn. and the lakes of Wisconsin. Mrs. Smith will make her home with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. N. J. Gram, this winter as she has been re-employed as primary teacher for another year. This excellent young couple have a host of friends who will wish for them prosperity and happiness throughout their life.
MEDIA MEANDERINGS: A large crowd was present at the fish fry given by the men's Bible Class Thursday evening and a good social time was enjoyed. After supper, a free motion picture play, "The Man Who Played Square," was given. The purchase of the motion picture machine for the use of the church and schools and at least one show during the week for the community is being favorable considered. Miss Farre Mathers will be hostess of her class of young ladies at a picnic supper at Crapo Park in Burlington, Iowa. Friday afternoon. They have planned to attend a picture show in the evening before returning home. E. G. Lewis is in Chicago and he was heard over the radio by home people Tuesday noon from Sears Roebuck station as he gave his talk of "Alfalfa and How to Grow it" and again in the evening from station WLS he was heard on "The Farm, Town and City." Gayle and Archie Heap have each purchased a Fordson tractor from Roseville parties. Miss Hazel Smith is employed at the Monmouth Pottery. Mrs. Otis Smith was quite ill a few days last week from ptomaine poisoning; she had fully recovered. E. G. Lewis has a carload of peaches on the track which he is selling for $3.35 per bushel at the car.
BIGGSVILLE BRIEFS: Mrs. H. J. Millen who has been confined to her home with a bad case of neuritis is again somewhat improved. Rev. Caughry who has been called to the Biggsville congregation of the U.P. Church will take up his work next Sabbath, the 19th. Owing to the illness of Mrs. Caughry who is hospitalized in Omaha, the family will not get into their home for some time. Mrs. Reifschneider who was taken sick one day last week, is being cared for in the home of her sister, Mrs. Ceil Stewart at Monmouth. Miss Elizabeth Cramer who came from her home at Cherryville, Kans., for a visit with her grandmother, Mrs. Lizzie Garrity, was called home by the illness of her father. There will be no preaching in the Methodist Church for the next two weeks as the pastor, Rev. Roy Featherstone will take his vacation. Mr. and Mrs. R. A. Graham drove down from Galesburg on the Sabbath afternoon and Mrs. Charles Graham returned with them. Mrs. Carrie Graham and Miss Jean Mekemson accompanied them home and Miss Jean will go on to Memphis, Tenn. that the physician from whom she had been taking treatment for the hip trouble may note the progress of the recovery. The Sabbath school class of Dr. Alvina Mekemon held a surprise and house warming at her home; she has just recently moved into her home that had just been remodeled. Mrs. Charles Knutstrom left for Chicago where she is taking treatment for a growth in her mouth. She was accompanied by her sister, Miss Anna Beork of Burlington. Friends have received word of the marriage of Miss Jean Lorimer at their home at West Alexander, July 2nd to Horner Maxwell of Pawnee City, Nebr.