The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
QUALIFIED FOR STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Encouraged by a large crowd of enthusiastic fans, the Henderson County Farm Bureau team gave the classical exhibition of the season when the dusted off the Carroll County boys by a score of 3 to 0 at Biggsville. Pence came near turning in a no hit run game, but B. Leavens spoiled his chance when he shoved the ball down the left foul line for a clean hit. He was the only man who saw first base and he hardly got his bearings; for a moment C. Leavens hit into a double play and both were out, Galbraith to Galbraith to Keener. That the fielding for the Farm Bureau was perfect is shown by the fact that while but 27 men faced Pence in nine innings only three strikeouts were credited to him…
HE DROPPED DEAD! This community was shocked this afternoon when the news was spread that L.A. Wilson had dropped dead on the lawn at his home in the east part of town at about 2:30 pm. Mr. Wilson had been engaged in finishing the mowing of the lawn which had been left uncompleted by a boy whom he had employed and toppled over while engaged in that work. Help was summoned and he was carried into the house and physicians called. It was found when they arrived, that life was extinct and Coroner Emerson was notified. The cause of death will probably be decided at the inquest.
HELD A FINE COUNTY PICNIC: (When social events were few, attendance at a countywide event was the highlight of the summer.) The picnic held on the Academy lawn at Media last Friday by the schools belonging to the Henderson County Sabbath School Association was a very successful affair. The attendance was hardly as large as the nature of the occasion and the fine weather warranted; but everyone present enjoyed a thoroughly good time. The parade of schools in the forenoon attracted many favorable comments. The prize for the community making the best showing in this parade went to Raritan schools, their finely decorated float bearing members of the various departs arranged in ranks according to grades and drawn by a handsome and finely matched team of horses, presenting a beautiful appearance. Several other schools also had nicely decorated floats and all had a nice company of Sabbath school attendants in line in the parade.
Next was the celebration program of music and speaking given from the stand which had been erected in the northeast corner of the grounds. The orator of the occasion was a famous Southern preacher and platform lecturer, the Rev. Sam Small. His topic was "American Ideals," and the main point emphasized the importance of instilling love, faith, loyalty, integrity and kindred virtues into the minds of the youthful element of our nation if we would continue of our nation if we would continue to occupy the high place to which we have attained.
Orchestras from Stronghurst and the Coloma communities furnished music for the regular program and also during the dinner hour, this sumptuous repast being served cafeteria style from the long tables upon which the contents of the picnic baskets had been spread. Neighborly visiting, races of various kinds and a baseball game between the Henderson County Farm Bureau and a picked nine from Media and Raritan with the former winning occupied the remainder of the day.
MARSHALL & RICHEY REUNION: The annual reunion of the Marshall and Richey families who settled in Henderson County in 1835-1837 and 1840 was held on Aug.20, 1925 at the home of C. R. A. Marshall. Rain this day and the day previous kept many away, but by noon a crowd of 65 had assembled and the usual sumptuous dinner was served after which the afternoon was spent in a social way. Several auto loads of baseball fans of the younger guests attended the county ballgame at Biggsville returning in time to help with the disposal of a quantity of large watermelons, cigars and ice cream.
DEATH OF ROSCUE WARD: Friends of the family received word of the death of Roscoe Ward, Sr., a former Henderson County school teacher whose home for a number of years was at Terre Haute. The family later moved to Abingdon, Ill. and from there to Hollywood, Calif, which has since been their home. Mr. Ward's death occurred suddenly at a hospital in North Dakota to which he had gone on a business trip.
LOCAL TALENT SHINES IN PLAY: It was demonstrated last Friday and Saturday evenings that given the right kind of a director and provided with the necessary accessories in the way of costumes, etc. Stronghurst has the material for putting on a musical comedy show ("Sweetheart Town") equal in every respect to those presented in the large city theatres. It seems to be generally agreed on by those who witnessed the presentation at the Lyric Theatre that no nearer approach to professional style and class was ever attained here by a company of local talent…
INDUSTRIAL EXECUTIVE DIES IN BATTLE CREEK: On July 29 Irving L. Stone, founder of the Duplex Printing Press Company known worldwide and one of the most prominent figures in the history of the development of the city of Battle Creek, Mich. died at his home there at the age of 84 years. Mr. Stone's passing is on note ad he was a brother to Mrs. S. S. Slater of this place and spent his younger days in Hancock County. He prepared himself for college and his subsequent successful career by teaching school in that county in the vicinity of Carthage where he came with his parents from Vermont when he was eleven years old. Dr. I. F. Harter is one of those who sat under tutelage of Mr. Stone during that period of his life and says the he still retains vivid impressions of the alertness of mind and uprightness and nobility of character which he manifested in those days.
The Evening News of Battle Creek included this extended article: "He was educated in the hard school of adversity. left fatherless and the "man of the family" when but a boy with a mother and sister at home to bear the bulk of the burden of support for a farm home on an unbroken prairie. Irving Stone managed to make his way through school and to acquire an education sufficient in begin his career as a teacher at the early age of 16. Later he was graduated from Hillsdale College where he was a classmate of Washington Gardner."
Mr. Stone's teaching career included the superintendent of the city schools of Three Rivers and Battle Creek and although he was attracted to the manufacturing industry after following the teaching profession for a number of years, his scholarly attainments were always in evident during his business career. "Mr. Stone had an exceptional gift for concise and beautiful expression in written English. His associates remarked and those with whom he corresponded said he could clothe statements in briefer and more beautiful English than almost anyone they knew…"
The Duplex Printing Press Company which was the great work of Mr. Stone's life was incorporated in 1884. He was the founder and its practical head up to the end of his life, being chairman of the board of directors when he died. The idea of a flat-bed printing press capable of high speed was a germ out of which a great company grew. For six years arduous experiments were carried on and difficulties innumerable encountered but, in the end, mechanical skill and perseverance and the surmounting of financial problems triumphed and a machine capable of printing from a web of continuously running paper at a speed of 4,000 complete and folded newspapers per hour without any expensive stereotyping processes was turned out.
After that, the business grew by leaps and bounds until today the Duplex Printing Press Company has become the greatest single newspaper printing press plant in the world and its presses know wherever newspapers are printed.
NO VOTE ON COUNTY SEAT REMOVAL: The people of Henderson County will not be asked to go on record this year on the question of the removal of the county seat from its present location in Oquawka. The authority for this statement is none other than Mr. Wm. T. Love, who was the prime mover in the circulation of a petition asking for an election this fall on the question of moving the seat of county government to the proposed city of Nuhope on the hard highway south of Gladstone. Although the names of nearly 2,000 voters in the county were obtained on this petition, which was duly filed in the County Clerk's office on July 29th, Mr. Love stated that after careful deliberation on the part of the promoters of the Nuhope proposition, it has been decided not to press the matter of a vote on county seat removal at this time. The petition will no doubt be withdrawn.
Mr. Love states that the first plat of the new city of Nuhope has been put on record and he indicates that all of the efforts of the promoters will be concentrated during the coming year on making the city of Nuhope a reality. If these efforts succeed, he feels confident that the people of the county will enthusiastically support the proposition of making it the county seat. The fact that a large number of voters signed the petition for a vote this fall is taken by the promoters as what will occur when the city becomes a reality.
128 AT FAMILY DOWELL REUNION: (If you are doing family history, you definitely want to look up this article at the Henderson County Library as it lists the names of all the attendees.) The annual Dowell reunion was held Sunday, Aug. 16th at the Arthur Dowell home west of Olena with 128 present. The day was spent in visiting and enjoying a basket dinner at the noon hour…The next reunion will be held at the Mr. and Mrs. John Dowell home at Lomax on Aug. 17 1926.
KILLED NEAR BLANDINSVILLE: Marion Bright, aged 63 of Fountain Green, was killed Friday night of last week on the road three miles southwest of Blandinsville when the buggy in which he was riding was struck from behind by an auto driven by Eddie Hayes of Blandinsville. Bright had stopped in the road to talk to Charles Foster who was in an auto headed in the direction from which the Hayes car was coming. The bright lights of his car blinded the latter and in turning out to pass the Foster car, he crashed into the buggy occupied by Bright. The victim of the accident was pitched out of the buggy and landed on his head in the road sustaining injuries from which he died in the LaHarpe Hospital about two hours later. A coroner's inquest was held the same night and a verdict of accidental death rendered.
NEW FIRE TRUCK HERE: The new village fire truck recently purchased by the Stronghurst Village Board at an expense of $4,650 ($69,982.50 in today's values) arrived Monday and is quartered for the present in the Knutstrom garage where it has been examined by practically the entire populace of the village. Besides being the last word in the way of fire fighting apparatus of its kind so far as equipment is concerned, it presents a decidedly handsome appearance with its bright red and gold finish and burnished brass tanks, pumps and other equipment.
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: At the invitation of Estel Mudd's class of the U.P. Sabbath School a company of 25 or 30 young people from the First Evangelical Church of Burlington motored to Stronghurst and enjoyed a social in the village park with members of the class and invited guests. The members of the Stronghurst Christian Church held their annual basket dinner picnic at Crapo Park in Burlington. Dean Burrell and wife of Chicago and Miss Leone Burrell of Galesburg left after a vacation of several days spent here with their mother, Mrs. Helen Burrell. Mrs. Bell's class of girls from the U.P. Church Sabbath School held a social at the Frank Smith home south of town. Nice refreshments were served by Mrs. Smith and a fine time was enjoyed by the girls. Miss Esther Lind returned home after a two weeks' vacation in Wisconsin. Roy Millen of the neighborhood north of Biggsville visited his cousin Paul Bell. Prof. Nicholas returned home from auto tour of the West. Mrs. Fred Ackerman and Mrs. W. F. Salter and family of Kirkwood visited at the John Mc Keown, Sr. home south of town. The South Country Birthday Club held a lawn fete and cafeteria lunch at the home of Judd Wetterling Monday evening. A happy time was enjoyed by 100 or more guests, seven of which were guests of honor. A pleasant family reunion was held at the O. J. Sanderson home in honor of his daughter, Mrs. Veva Harmes of Milwaukee, Wisconsin who with her husband and family are visiting.
A card was received from Rev. W. H. Cross from London, England. It says "Was in Westminster Abbey yesterday, St. Paul's Cathedral last Sunday. Going to the Tower of London and the British Museum next." Miss Marjorie Thompson, who recently returned from a summer vacation in Oregon and Washington has accepted a teaching position in the Tacoma, Washington schools. Robert Dodds, formerly of this vicinity and now living at Grand Junction, Colorado accompanied by his wife, visited friends here. They were on their way home from Flint, Michigan where they bought a fine new Buick car from the factory there. Joseph Dixson, Jr. who has been vacationing on a Colorado ranch this summer arrived home. His intention had been to "hike" the greater part of the distance, but he found so many friendly autoists who were ready to assist him with a "lift" on the way, that he got only about 5 miles walking exercise during the entire journey which was made in practically the same time it would have taken to travel by rail.
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.
OLENA OBSERVATIONS: Mrs. S. C. Lant was hostess on Sabbath Day to her son Ross and family of West Burlington and her daughter Mrs. Palmer and family of Stronghurst. Her daughter Mrs. Ruth Browning and family of South Bend, Indiana is expected home Tuesday. Local teachers are headed to Galesburg for the teacher's institute. Mr. Floyd Burrell and family have moved from the country to their Olena home. Some from here are planning on attending the LaHarpe fair.
CARMAN CONCERNS: Mr.and Mrs. Fred C. Crane and son Frederick who started on an auto tour to the East a couple of weeks ago were at their journey's end on Aug. 20th, which was at Boston, Mass. except they were going on to the eastern point on their way to New York City. Mrs. Cora Eckhardt and babe of Lomax spent Tuesday at the home of her sister, Mrs. Dorothy Pendry and family. Mr. and Mrs. Golden Rehling will leave this week for their future home at Winfield, Iowa where Golden will take up his work as teacher in the high school. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Dixon returned home after a two-week auto vacation. Mrs. Eliza Brown dined at the Clara Coffman home and helped her celebrate her 64th birthday. From all reports fried chicken dinner was the main feature of the day. Mr. Wm. Babcook has just completed a new roof on his elevator which was destroyed by hail storm recently. The recital which was held here at the Carman M.E. Church Monday evening b Mrs. Fern Rice and her pupils was well attended.
BIGGSVILLE BRIEFS: Miss Mary Millen has been confined to her bed with illness. Miss Helen Everett is in Quincy for institute and E. T. Everett to driving to Monmouth for institute. Miss Spaulding from Petersburg, Pa. is spending a few days at the Dr. Henderson home. Big preparations are being made for the annual picnic today and tomorrow, Thursday and Friday of this week. Each morning there will be a whang doodle parade, horseshoe pitching contests, band concert and speaking. At 7 pm a slow Ford race will be staged. Mrs. Roy Pence received word of the death of her uncle, Al Lucas, at Long Beach, California. The body will be brought to Monmouth for burial.