The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Registrar for Daniel McMillan Chapter, N.S.D.A.R.1913
Stronghurst Graphic, August 28, 1913
SPECIAL PROGRAM AT LYRIC: A representative of the International Harvester Co. sponsored the "romance of the reaper" at the Lyric theater last Monday evening. As the pictures were thrown upon the screen he discoursed about them tracing the history of the reaper from a simple box made to catch the heads of wheat down to the modern combined harvester and thresher. A motion picture of one of the latter in actual operation was shown. Modern methods of plowing with oil tractor engines were shown. Three such engines drawing 52 plows and plowing a strip of ground over 60 ft. wide could cover an acre of ground in four minutes...The exhibition closed with a film showing how a young man, who had been driven to the city by the drudgery of farm labor, was ten years later won back to the farm by the wonderful things he saw when he returned on a visit. The entertainment was free and given through the courtesy of the Harvester Co. and the local dealers Geo. Dixson and Keener Bros.
EXCITEMENT AT SWEDISH LUTHERAN PICNIC: The picnic held by the Swedish Lutheran people at Lake Fort was well attended and had the added feature of unscheduled entertainment not listed on the bills. It seems that a prominent citizen of the town and his chauffeur, and their machine slid backwards down the bank and into the waters of the lake. Another auto was nearly overturned by slipping off a grade at the entrance to the grounds.
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: Mr. and Mrs. David Strand were among those who went on the Canadian land excursion with Grant Miller. H.A.Adair and E.A.Jones and son Dixson made an auto trip to Peoria and back.
There was a band of gypsies in town plying their trade,art, vocation or whatever you have a mind to call it of fortune telling. They no doubt extracted a few pieces of silver from some of the gullible and perhaps picked up a few loose articles of value when the owners were not looking. These roving bands seem to be unusually numerous at present in this section and reports from neighboring towns indicate that they are making themselves particularly obnoxious by their annoying persistency in seeking to tell fortunes and by their pilfering. There is a good deal of foolish sentiment wasted on these wandering nomads as they are usually a dirty set of thieves who should be promptly run out of every town they enter by the authorities of the same.
A.L.Beaver with his sons returned from Michigan camping tour. Quite a delegation of people from this vicinity took in the exhibition of the 101 Ranch Wild West show at Monmouth. A handsome portico with cement block columns has been erected at the entrance to the I.O.O.F. hall; the building is also being repainted. (Where was this?)
A fast west bound Santa Fe freight train struck one of E.H. Rand's huckster outfits on the Oak Street crossing in Dallas City. Both horses were instantly killed and the wagon which was reduced to kindling and its contents scattered along the right of way. The driver, Orville Barker, by a seeming miracle was uninjured except for a few bruises. Tom Marshall, Brose Crane, Perry Cooper and Earl Beardsley composed a fishing party which spent the day at the river near Carman. Dr. E.E.Bond and wife will soon be domiciled beneath their own vine and fig tree as they are moving this week into their handsome new bungalow on the corner of Nichols and Division Street. This recently completed residence is a model structure, both from an artistic standpoint and in regard to convenient arrangement.
August 28, 1913 FOUND THE SNAKE: Mrs. Jos. Woodward had a rather starling experience one afternoon. She was sitting out in the yard reading and on laying her paper aside discovered a large snake lying coiled up at her feet with its head raised in an expectant attitude as though waiting to be petted. Not being versed in the art of snake charming, Mrs. Woodward spurned the apparently friendly advances of the reptile and screamed for help. Mr. J.H. Keener who lives across the way went over and dispatched it as it was making its getaway. It measured four feet and three inches in length and was marked with yellowish white stripes. It is supposed to have been a snake which escaped from one of the show which was here during the I.O.O.F. picnic.
ADVANTAGES OF WEVER ACADEMY: Fall term opens Sept 1, 1913. Free tuition to all students in the Academic departmentÑabsolutely no cost to the patrons, school district, township or county.
In giving free tuition we are following the wishes of the founder, the late Nathan Wever, in his expressed desire to have a higher education within the reach of every boy and girl in this section of Illinois.
A fine concrete basement under the entire building is nearing completion and the contract has been let to the Ralph Butler Hardware Co. of Stronghurst, Ill. to install the most modern and sanitary steam heating plant manufactured. New concrete walks are being laid through the spacious grounds. The building has been thoroughly overhauled and repaired. Modern decorations and furnishings make the rooms pleasing and comfortable throughout.
A strong faculty the best in the history of the school has been employed. W. Dean McKee, a graduate of Monmouth College and a teacher of experience, will have charge of the work in science, mathematics and agriculture. Miss Buchanan, who has a degree from the same institution, will be the instructor in history, language and domestic science. Our Department of Music, under the direction of Miss Leighty, for some time secretary of the Conservatory of Music of the Western Illinois Normal at Macomb, assisted by Miss Downing, instructor in violin, offers musical advantages to both elementary and advanced students unequaled anywhere outside of the conservatories in the larger cities...
Parent bear in mind there are no saloons in Media, no pool halls, no slot machines or other gambling devices. Your children are as safe here as they would be in your own home. Wever Academy offers a grand opportunity to the young people of this section to obtain a thorough education at practically no expense. (Nathan Wever's picture now hangs in the Southern Junior High Building in Media.)
OQUAWKA OCCURRENCES: In the case of the village of Oquawka against Fred Sanstrom before Squire Akin, judgment was rendered against Sanstrom by default. This is a case where the village gave notice to remove some old buildings that had been condemned by the State Fire Marshall. Robert Hodson is exhibiting with much pride a souvenir sent him by the granddaughter of the deceased ex-president U.S.Grant. It is a Chinese fan one side decorated with flowers emblems of the flowery kingdom and on the reverse side the Chinese and American flags. It was presented to the President by the Emperor of China when on his visit to that Empire. Word was received of the death of Mildred Bailey at Oakland, Calif.
LOMAX LINGERINGS: Roy McCoy has the basement for his store building nearly excavated and has about half of the blocks made and is rushing the work to get the building under roof within a month. The concrete roller made by Mr. DaVere has been used on the graveled streets and certainly puts them in first class condition. The roller is very heavy being built of solid concrete and is an excellent machine for packing soil wherever it is loose. Ernest Wells has brought a traction engine over from Raritan which will be used for street work and for operating the stone crusher. The concrete walk and curbing has all been completed in front of the real estate row. The Orville Sparrow canning factory is far enough along that Mr. Sparrow is installing his machinery and says that it will be in operation within a very few days. The walls of the Iron King Gate factory have all been poured. This is a concrete building with the walls being poured on re-enforced concrete frames. A poured concrete store building is being erected on First Street on Lot 9 in Block 1100. The building will be 24 x 40 ft. in size, two stories in height. The first floor will be used as a store room and the second floor will be fitted up to use as either living rooms or as offices.
Fred Fritz, G.E.Chandler, Clarence Moreland and Arthur Johnson, all of Decorra vicinity, started to Canada so as to be up there for harvest.