The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Registrar for Daniel McMillan Chapter, N.S.D.A.R.1915
Stronghurst Graphic, March 4, 1915
IT PLAYED IN STRONGHURST: The play, "The Brookdale Farm" which was presented by a local cast at the opera house last Saturday evening brought out an audience which filled every inch of seating space in the building and a number were turned away.
It was a good-natured crowd which had evidently come with the determination not to be over critical and to encourage the players in their best efforts by generous applause.
As the play proceeded they had no difficulty in making the applause not only generous but genuine as well; for the performers as a rule conducted themselves like old veterans of the stage and interpreted their various parts in a way which showed careful study of the characters they impersonated.
Perhaps the most realistic scene in the performance was the old fashioned "square dance" in which the whole company engaged and in which W.E.Hurd as fiddler and Rex Mudd as "caller" displayed a proficiency which suggested thorough familiarity with affairs of that nature. Without mentioning each performer by name, it is sufficient to say that each one was "there with the goods." The people went away feeling that they had not only been well entertained but that they had also contributed to a worthy cause.
The Cemetery Aid Association will be enriched in its treasury to the extent of about $100 as a result of the play. The company went to Oquawka last evening to reproduce the play at the opera house there.
PASSED 80TH MILESTONE: Mrs. Harriet Drew passed the 80th milestone on life' journey yesterday (Wednesday). The occasion was celebrated by a dinner at her home which included members of the family and guests being Mrs. Chas. Drew and her sister, Mrs. Simpson of Burlington and Miss Naomi Cooper of this place.
In the afternoon 15 of Mrs. Drew's lady friends perpetrated a pleasant surprise on her by dropping in to congratulate her. A delicious lunch was served, one feature of which was the birthday cake, a special present from her son Frank Drew of Chamberlain, So. Dak., which was sent by express and none of its beauty was marred by the long journey...
Mrs. Drew is remarkable well preserved and active for her years and she entered into the enjoyment of the occasion with a spirit characteristic of people of fewer years.
COURT NOTES: Circuit Court convened with Judge Waggoner presiding and Frank Abbey appointed foreman of the grand jury which promptly dispatched their business. Five true bills of indictment were issued.
Amongst these was one against Glean Kimmett, the young man who is accused of stealing a horse from Jos. White, and one against Ed Parish of Oquawka for assault with a deadly weapon. The Brainard will case, which has been hanging fire for a long time and which has attracted much attention, was settled by compromise. It is understood that the heirs received one third of the property each after the widow's portion has been assigned to her. In the case of Anna J. Smith of Oquawka vs John D. Smith for divorce , the defendant defaulted and after hearing evidence, the judge granted a decree.
The only case brought to trial so far is that of N.H.Vaughn vs Wm. Sparrow etal. The only additional case to go to trial is one in which the village of Oquawka is defendant.
ARRESTED FOR HORSE STEALING: Glean Kimmett, a youth of about 20 years, the son of Jasper Kimmett of Gladstone neighborhood was arrested at Bushnell for stealing horse belonging to Jos. White who lives northwest of Stronghurst. Last Sunday young Kimmett decided to go to Bushnell, Ill., to visit an aunt who lives there. He started from home with an old horse and road cart which he had borrowed.
When he came to the White place where he had previously worked as a farm hand, he drove into a pasture field, unhitched the horse for the cart and went to Mr. White's stable and took a fine driving horse which he hitched to the cart and continued his journey, leaving his own horse in the pasture. Later in the day Mr. White discovered that his horse was gone and started an investigation. He learned in which direction the Kimmett lad had gone and on Monday morning accompanied by Walter Carothers and "Cotton" Hurd started in pursuit.
As Kimmett had traveled by daylight and kept in the main traveled thoroughfares, the pursuing party had no difficulty in following the trail. At Bushnell they enlisted the aid of the police and the missing horse was soon found hitched to a tie post near the home of Kimmett's relative. Kimmett himself was found at the house. He was promptly arrested and turned over to the men who had followed him. They brought him to Stronghurst Monday evening and turned him over to Sheriff Knox who took him to Oquawka later in the evening where he will be held in custody to await the action of the grand jury. (They indicted him.)
STRICKEN ON THE STREETS: Levi Carr, a resident of Raritan, suffered an apoplectic stroke while in Stronghurst last Sunday morning. Mr. Carr, who i s upward of 60 years of age and had a wife and two grown sons, left his home at Raritan, quite early Sunday morning to go to the Will Reedy place southeast of here. From there he drove to Stronghurst and tied his horse to the rack near the Keener implement store. At about eleven o'clock he was seen by some passers by clinging to a fence along the sidewalk on Nichols Street in the east part of town.
As he appeared to be dazed and unable to talk intelligibly, he was assisted to the office of Dr. Bond where he soon lapsed into unconsciousness. An examination revealed that his entire left side was paralyzed and that his condition was critical. He remained on a cot in the doctor's office until Monday afternoon when he was removed to the W. E. Hurd residence on Mary St. His wife and son Orville who had been notified of his condition and who came over as soon as possible to care for him, decided to have him taken home yesterday morning. An automobile was accordingly engaged and the sufferer placed therein on a cot and taken to Raritan.
The patient showed only slight signs of rallying and the physician expressed grave doubt regarding a favorable outcome of this case. (March 11th paper ran his obituary-the deceased moved to Raritan with his family from Missouri something like fourteen years ago and had resided there ever since. He was about 64 years of age and was survived by his wife, who was formerly Irene Adair, the daughter of Isaiah Adair, a former well known resident of the Ellison neighborhood. He was also survived by two sons, Orville of Gorin, Mo., and Verne of Raritan.)
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: Dale Pittman is now one of "Uncle Sam's" boys at Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis. Dale had left Roseville a short time ago to find work in St.Louis and not getting what he desired, thought to make sure of a place for the next three years so will serve the government in full uniform. One of the most beautiful displays of house plants and flowers to be found outside a regular conservatory may be seen in the Harter drug store.
Mrs. Harter, who finds great pleasure in caring for the flowers, takes especial pride in her collection of hyacinths. Misses Sarah McElhinney, Lucille White, Ethel Gabby, Vera Mudd and Bessie Allison went to Galesburg to hear McCormack, the famous Irish singer who appeared in a concert at the M.E.church. Douglas Prescott is now a full fledged citizen of Uncle Sam's domain having been granted his final naturalization papers at Oquawka. Married in Burlington last week were Mr. Ed Steiner and Miss Myrtle Crose and Mr. Edwin Peterson to Miss Esther Johnson.