bbThe Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Registrar for Daniel McMillan Chapter, N.S.D.A.R.1915
Stronghurst Graphic, Sept. 2, 1915
SCHOOL STARTS: Vacation days are over and again every morning and evening of five days of each week there will pass in and out of the portals of our handsome school building that "portion of our population which represents the hope of the nation." The corps of teachers employed to direct this army of young hopefuls in their pursuit of knowledge was on hand last Monday to begin their labors and the machinery of the school is already running along smoothly.
Prof. Pope is again in charge as principal and Miss Lucile White has also resumed her old position as assistant principal and teacher in the high school. The second assistant there is Miss Harriet St. Clair, a graduate of Monmouth college who comes to Stronghurst highly recommended as she successfully taught last year in Avon, Wash.
The first and second grades are again in charge of Miss Anderson and the third and fourth will be taught again by Miss Marie Mudd; Miss Hortense Harbinson retains her position as fifth and sixth grade teacher while Mr. Archer Wells of Raritan comes as a new teacher for the seventh and eighth grades. The enrollment of pupils is as follows: Primary-27; 3rd and 4th-43; 5th and 6th-38; 7th and 8th-38; high school-86; totaling 262. Of the 86 high school students, 40 came from outside districts which speaks well for the reputation of the school.
CLEANING UP CHICAGO: Although a movement has been started in Chicago to stop the payment of outside county judges who are sitting in the municipal courts of that city during vacation to clear the congested docket, the work of one of these judges is evidently highly appreciated by the element which believes in the administration of law in such a way as to make it effective in eliminating vice and immorality.
The Chicago Daily Journal contained the following story of an incident which happened in the Morals Court of that city recently while Judge Rufus Robinson of Henderson County occupied the bench:
"Two women sat on the prisoners' seat-it was a sight one might expect to see any morning in the Morals Court. One sat there with an easy air, for she had been in court before-many times. She turned and smiled recognition to a flashily dressed party who sat among the spectators. The flashily attired one, she knew, was ready with the money for her fine. The other woman-just a girl who hadn't yet forgotten how to blush-exhibited no such easy manners. Her gaze sought the floor. She was a stranger in this court, a novice at the life she led.
"Keepers and inmates," announced the clerk as the woman stood before the judge.
Instinctively the gayly garbed one thrust a hand into his pocket, fingering over yellow bills.
"Sixty days in the house of correction for you," the court announced to the older woman. "And Alice, you step into my chambers there. I want to have a talk with you. This last was addressed to the girl.
A surprised murmur swept the courtroom, and not least astounded was the man who had come to court to pay the disorderly resort keeper's fine. His jaw dropped. The sentenced woman stopped chewing her gum and cast an appealing glance toward her "friend." It availed nothing. A bailiff hurried her away. In half an hour Alice emerged from the judge's chambers. Her eyes were suspiciously red. She paused in the doorway and shook the jurist's hand.
"I'll keep my word, judge, upon my honor I will," she said, "I'll be a good girl and get a job. If I don't, send me up for ten years."
The judge smiled and watched her pass out of the courtroom. "I believe she will," he said.
And such was the debut of a country magistrate upon one of the most perplexing benches in the Chicago Municipal court. He is Judge Rufus F. Robinson of Henderson County. He came here some month ago and is still on the job.
The case is typical of hundreds Judge Robinson has handled. He is sending the old offenders to jail instead of letting them loose on fines to be paid by agents of the vice combines. The girls, new in wayward paths, he talks to in homely, fatherly fashion of Henderson County where the vice problem has never disturbed the placid state of affairs. Mrs. Florence Kirk, a parental woman with a sympathetic smile, helps him in this reclamation work. The girls go free and it is mighty seldom they come back.
Judge Robinson was one of the country judges who came up to Chicago this summer to "sit in" during vacations to clear the congested docket. He came at a propitious time. He took his seat on the bench just after the famous Kate Adams law, named for the Chicago social worker who sponsored it in the legislature, became effective by Gov. Dunne's signature last June. This law enables a judge to sentence moral offenders to jail for a year. "The Kate Adams law is a mighty fine statute," remarked Judge Robinson today, "It is doing more to subdue commercialized vice of this city than any other law enacted for a long time. It's a curb to evildoers whereas a fine merely licensed vice."
And so it would appear. Francis D. Hanna, morals inspector, asserts it is cleaning up Chicago. He says that there is less street soliciting and fewer disorderly houses in Chicago than ever before. Mr. Hanna and his force are co-operating earnestly with Judge Robinson who finds the tendency to break laws has almost reached the vanishing point since a jail sentences stares the offenders in the face. The judge has been applying the penalty to men and women without discrimination.
Something like a panic exists among the heavy stockholders in the Chicago vice syndicate. They hold that Judge Robinson's conceptions do not coincide with what is proper for conducting the affairs of a great city. It is their sincere desire to see the judge back home in Henderson County. He's so hopelessly old-fashioned in his notions, they say.
Judge Robinson says he is trying to administer law in his courtroom as he believes it should be administered and not as someone else thinks. He admits it is a hard task. "It is difficult," he said, "to determine just how much of a fine should be assessed. Of course, the amount depends somewhat upon each individual case. The fine should be large enough to constitute a warning that will be heeded. If the fine is not large enough, the vice will spread; if it is too large, it will spread too for the woman of the street will solicit with more persistence in order to be able to pay their fines when caught."
"I am using the penalty of this law wherever I can. It requires judgment in administration and is a difficult law to handle, but I am feeling my way with it and I believe it will eventually be most effective.
Especially do I want to apply it in particular cases of the male who becomes the solicitor for the woman in his power. I endeavor in such cases to punish such an offender with imprisonment for it is my honest opinion," and the man from Henderson County emphasized his words with a bang on his fist on the table, "that such a man as that should be imprisoned for life." (Thus, a judge from a rural county impacted Chicago life.
To say that no such vice existed in Henderson County, however, was naive. But then, if the big city press wished to see utopia in the cornfields, so be it.)
FINALLY SUCCUMBS: Mrs. A. E. Wetterling***Helen Alfen Nolen was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Nolen and was born near Kirkwood in 1889. She moved with her parents about 14 years ago to the farm now occupied by them 3 1/2 miles south of Stronghurst. Here she grew to womanhood. In addition to attending the public schools, she was for a time a student in the Stronghurst High School. On Feb.15, 1911 she united in marriage to Ellsworth Wetterling and moved with him to the farm near Terre Haute, Ill. which continued to be her home up to the time of her death.
In the spring of 1914 Mrs. Wetterling began to show symptoms of that insidious disease, tuberculosis, and her condition soon became such as to cause grave concern on the part of her family and friends. In January 1915 she went to Ottawa, Ill. to take treatment at the tent colony located there.
The disease which had fastened itself upon her had, however, developed to such an extent that her case failed to respond to the treatment of the open air camp and as other complications had developed, it was thought advisable to have her brought home. She returned from Ottawa about the middle of last May and from that time gradually grew weaker until the end came.
She passed away peacefully on the evening of August 24th. She had realized the hopeless nature of her case for some months preceding her death and awaited the end with patience and calm resignation to the Divine Will and sustained by the hope of a glorious immortality. She was a consistent member of the Swedish Lutheran Church of Stronghurst, having been confirmed Dec. 20, 1903.
By her death two little children, Wendell-aged three and Mildred-aged two-are bereft of a tender and loving mother's care and a husband is left to mourn the loss of a faithful and true helpmate. She is also survived by her father and mother, one sister and two brothers. Funeral services were held at the Swedish Lutheran Church and she was laid to rest in the village cemetery.
HORSE SHOW PLANS: A movement was started last spring whereby it was sought to organize a permanent county association, secure a tract of land, erect exhibition buildings and comply with the provisions necessary for securing aid from the state in holding future exhibitions. These plans, however, failed and last Saturday afternoon the officers of last year's organization and a number of farmers and horsemen met in the rooms of the Stronghurst Club and started the ball rolling for a big exhibition this fall. C. E. Lant was unanimously re-elected president, Carl Painter was re-elected vice president; Robt. N. Clark, secretary; and J. E. Amerman, treasurer. Carl Painter and C. E. Fort were appointed as a committee to arrange a premium list; Chas. Peasley and Dr. R. P. Frans will serve as a committee on advertising and C. H. Curry and Geo. Chant were named as a committee on grounds and concessions. D. W. Whiteman of Biggsville was appointed as Supt. of draft horse classes with Fred Gray of Media assisting.
M. G. McGaw was appointed as Supt. of draft horses with Dodds as assistant. Frank Painter and George Peasley will select the judges. Sufficient funds are already in sight to insure the success of the 1915 show and the premium list will be published at the earliest possible date. Prizes will be about the same as last year...
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: The Barnum & Bailey circus is in Galesburg. John Hulet, an early resident of the Olena neighborhood, now living in St. Louis, is visiting his sister, Mrs. Jesse Fort. The great Dillard Hypnotic Co. of Monmouth, while en route by auto to Raritan where they were to give a show, came to grief when within about 4 1/2 miles of the village through the bursting of a tire on their machine resulting in the car turning turtle and catching some of the party beneath the wreck. Mr. and Mrs. Dillard were the only ones to receive serious injury with it thought that Mrs. Dillard might not survive. She was taken to a Monmouth Hospital and is reported to be recovering.
Tom Morgan stepped upon the point of a nail which has caused a slight impediment in his walk. Frank Gustafson returned from Kansas City with 5 loads of cattle which he purchased there. Waldo Johnson has accepted the position as foreman in a barber shop in Galesburg. W. T. Livermore of Point Pleasant Township, Warren Co., sold a team of draft geldings to Ditch and Sons of Roseville which tipped the beam at 4,160 lbs., their respective weights being 2,080 and1,980.
Dale Pittman of Roseville recently enlisted in the navy and expects to leave for Manilla soon. Dale Stine and Carrol Wax leave for Mexico, Mo., where they will attend military school. Miss Nellie Bowen is attending Brown's Business College in Galesburg. A wrestling match between Angelos Polos of Decorra and George Sileras of Chicago will be staged at the Stronghurst opera house on Labor Day.
Forrest Cook, the well known lawyer and business man of Galesburg and who has filled the office of mayor of that city at various times, died on a Santa Fe train as it was pulling into Joliet, Ill. Mr. and Mrs. Cook were returning from a visit in Iowa where he sustained a broken leg in an accident. It was from the effects of this accident that Mr. Cook's death occurred.
In Justice Morgan's court, W. C. Newton who had been employed as bookkeeper by W. T. Love of Lomax was awarded a judgment of $153.16 for services rendered. Mr. Love, the defendant, was present but offered no defense; he intimated that he would take an appeal of the case to a higher court. W. T. Frye has sold the printing plant, rights and good will of the Media Record to Mr. Chas. E. Pendarvis of Biggsville and the first edition under new management was issued last week.
OLENA OBSERVATIONS: Mrs. Dora Haislet of Yuma, Colo., who has been visiting locally, returned home. Word has been received that Mrs. Arthur McKeown, formerly of this place, was in Hearcourt Hospital at Estherville, Iowa, where she underwent an operation for appendicitis. Miss Beulah Dowell spent a few days with her grandmother, Mrs. Schroeder of Stronghurst. Mr. H. L. Lant, who has sold a large share of his apple crop to a Galesburg firm, made his first delivery last week, but is still prepared to supply the local market.
The village school opened for business with Miss Barnett as teacher. Miss Housten began teaching in the Evans school and Miss Hartquist will be at the Marston School, east of the village. (Present home of Kris and Quentin Peterson). Miss Georgetta Burrell will teach in the Marshall district, Miss Porter in the Brooks district, and Miss Grace Davis at South Prairie. The M. E. Church congregation is preparing for a Homecoming or Community picnic to be held on the Presbyterian Church grounds Sept.11th.
CARMAN CONCERNS: Word has been received of the death of Mrs. Mary Williams at her home in Wyoming. She was a former resident and the body will be returned here for burial.
Carman will be well represented at Dallas City High School by the following students: Samuel and Walter Howell, Fern Dowell, Rhoda Marsden, Golden Babcook, Frank Marsden, Troy Vaughan, James Good, Everett and Doria Tharp, Albert Runge and Violet Pendry of Kirby District. High school began in Terre Haute with Fred Seigworth of Carman as teacher.
GLADSTONE GLEANINGS: Mr. Ralph Galbraith, wife and children went to Indiana in their automobile to visit with relatives. Mrs. Roy Kemp and children moved from the country into John Cisney's house. Mr. Isaac Raul died at his home and after a service conducted by Rev. Jackson and Rev. Beal of California, was buried in the Oquawka Cemetery. He was born at Somerset shire, England, 74 years ago and came to this country in 1871. He has lived here and in the vicinity since. He was a very highly respected man by all and was always found on the side of honor, truth and justice. The wife will be very lonely here as she has no relatives in this country. The A. L. Stotts Booster Store float got first prize at the Biggsville Home Coming parade. The school house has been cleaned and all painted up inside and two new furnaces put in so as to be ready for school to commence.