The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Registrar for Daniel McMillan Chapter, N.S.D.A.R.1915
Stronghurst Graphic: Sept. 9, 1915
JAIL FAILS TEST: Miss Annie Henrichsen, state charities inspector, paid a visit on July31st to our county institution, located amongst the "black jacks" of Henderson Creek bottoms and in her report takes a rap at the system of caring for dependents and criminals in the same building in vogue in this county. "The distinction of maintaining a combination jail and almshouse belongs to no other county in Illinois. Henderson County stands alone in the possession of a combination prison and home. (Never know how Henderson County will be unique.)
The almshouse jail is one and one half miles from Oquawka, the county seat. The buildings stand far back from the road and the approach is over a well cared for shaded lawn. The buildings are of yellow brick. The main building is two stories in height and has a deep basement of stone. The prisoners live there.
The superintendent of the almshouse receives $500 a year as salary and the county pays the salary of whatever help is needed. One woman is employed to assist with the house work. The expense of the jail and the expense of the almshouse are not estimated separately.
As there are seldom more than 5 almshouse inmates, the present quarters can be made comfortable and sanitary for them, but the combinating of the jail and almshouse is very far from being a humane procedure. Almshouse inmates and jail prisoners are two totally different classes and should not be cared for as one class. The sheriff of the county should not be expected to be sheriff, almshouse superintendent, farm manger and jailer. (Seems like the county was being economical.)
The basement jail should be completely abandoned as it is not safe to hold persons in a cellar that is under such circumstances-the cellar floods with water every time it rains and should not be used as a dwelling place.
The lack of any means of separation of the different classes of prisoners is another reason why this jail should be condemned and abandoned. The grounds and the buildings were in good order. Concrete walks connected all buildings used by inmates and managers. Several of the out buildings are very old and dilapidated, but all were in the best possible order. All rooms in the building were clean and it is evident that the superintendent-sheriff does the best work possible with the equipment supplied. Of his kindly treatment of inmates and prisoners there can be no doubt.
There are 160 acres of land in the farm which is not very productive. As this is the first year of the present management and as there have been several changes made in method of expenditures the last year's cost of maintenance is not necessarily an estimate of the cost for the present year.
The appropriation for combined jail and almshouse is $2,500. (This article gives us a rare glimpse into 1900 conditions here in the county. Too often we suppose things to be as they are today-not so!)
1890 Graphic: John Stine was delivering 10,000 bushels of corn at the local elevator on contract. Labasco, Nat Bruen's four year old horse, had just won the thousand dollar stakes at the Creston, Ia., races. M.J. Green was engaged to teach the Allison school. Louis Bagles, a 13 year old lad had his right arm crushed by being run over by a Santa Fe train on the morning of Aug.31st. He and his brother, William, had been wandering along the right of way a short distance east of the village and had lain down along the grade to sleep. Louis, it was presumed, had in his sleep unconsciously crawled up near the track and laid his arm across the rail.
Santa Fe surgeon from Galesburg assisted by Dr. Harter amputated the boy's arm just above the elbow. Hal Rankin had just gone to Raritan to take a position as bookkeeper for R.H.Barnes, the banker and implement dealer in that village. The death of Squire Wm. Ingerson of Olena was reported as having occurred on Aug. 28th.
LOCAL WWF??? The wrestling match between Angelos Polos of Decorra and Geo. Silaris of Chicago was postponed to the evening at the opera house. A small crowd turned out to see the match which is said to have been a clean and scientific exhibition of wrestling. According to terms of the match the Chicago man was to put the Decorra's man shoulders on the mat twice within one hour. He succeeded however in only gaining one fall.
This was accomplished after about a half hour's wrestling. In the second trial Polos was the victor, downing his opponent in a little more than 20 minutes and thereby winning the decision. After the main bout of the wrestling match, some of the town boys engaged one another in trials of their skill on the mat. While wrestling with "Dutch" Hoffidits, Glenn Reynolds sustained a dislocated elbow. He was taken to Dr. Bond's office where it was reduced. (The editor or pressman did not always spell names or words correctly; I have merely used what they printed.)
OCCUPIES NEW BUILDING: The name of the Main Street Garage has been changed to "The Stronghurst Motor Co." and the firm will soon move into their large finely remodeled brick garage, formerly the Salter livery barn on Main Street. This building is being fitted up with all the latest improvement in garage equipment and with its fine facilities for repair work and ample floor space will be one of the best garages in this part of the state.
LOST HIS WIFE: Last Thursday night about midnight, Squire Morgan was aroused from his slumbers at his home by a man who gave the name of C.S.Switzer who stated that he lived near the village of Eleanor in Warren County and that he was in search of his wife, Lake Switzer, who had disappeared from home taking with her some money belonging to him and also some which belonged to his brother who worked for him. He informed the squire that he had reason to believe that the woman was stopping at the Hotel Hughes here and asked that a warrant be issued giving him permission to search the hostelry for his missing spouse.
He was told that a search warrant was not usually made use of in obtaining possession of lost or stolen wives, but that one might be issued giving authority for a search for the missing money. Switzer requested that the warrant be issued and the squire complied. The paper was place in the hands of Constable W.L.Spiker to execute. Accompanied by Switzer, the constable went to the hotel and demanded admission to the room supposed to be occupied by the woman. Gaining entry Switzer found that his surmises were correct and that the lady who occupied the bed in the room was his wife. As the warrant authorized the seizure of nothing more than the goods and chattels of the complainant, the woman was allowed to continue her slumbers in peace and the attention of the searchers directed to a suitcase in the room.
This was taken into possession and removed to the hotel office where it was opened finding about half of the money which Switzer claimed to have lost and some of the remainder accounted for by a number of articles of feminine adornment, evidently recently purchased. Having recovered the possession of the unspent portion of his money, Switzer showed no disposition to invoke the aid of the law in any further proceedings; and on the following morning after talking matters over, he and his wife returned together to their Warren County home.
HE FORGED IT: Verdi Green, the 19 year old son of James Green of Terre Haute, passed a forged check at the Towler grocery store in LaHarpe and attempted to negotiate another forged check at the First National Bank the same day. The latter mentioned check was signed J.J.Bryan. Mr. Bryan was called by telephone and pronounced the check a forgery.
Green made a get-away while the validity of the signature was being investigated. He managed to get out of town, but was overhauled by Cashier Ingraham and Dave Strand in the latter's car before he had proceeded very far. He was taken back to LaHarpe and placed under arrest but was afterwards liberated when his father and Mr. Bryan and Mr. W.H. Meyer of Terre Haute requested that the case be dropped. Green is said to be a well educated and clean looking young man and this is said to be the first time he was ever in any serious trouble. He recently married a 17 year old girl in Kansas.
LaHarpe Quill CHURCH NOTES: United Presbyterian*** Sabbath School will be held at ten o'clock with the regular service one hour later. The Y.P.C.U. will meet in the evening at 7 pm with the topic "Friendships that are worth Forming" lead by Glen Marshall. The unified services will close for the summer at the M.E.church with Rev. Lockhart of the Christian Church preaching. Mid-week prayer meeting will be Wednesday evening at 8 pm.
Officers of the Sabbath school are considering organizing a young men's Bible class. Kenneth R. Anderson, pastor M.E.Church***The official board meets Friday at 8 pm to complete business for the conference year. At the Sunday morning service next Sabbath opportunity will be given to any who wish to unite with the church. Dr. Bond, Mr. Schierbaum's and Mrs. Hanes classes had their picnic at the "Foot Prints" Thursday afternoon.
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: The water from the newly laid mains will not be usable for all domestic purposes until the mains have been thoroughly cleaned by flushing. Mr. L.A.Wilson and son Eugene attended the Ringling Bros. Show at Burlington. Messers Stine and Vaughn have sold a number of new autos to people in this vicinity: Norm Beresford of Media who bought a Maxwell; Robert Veech who selected a Haynes; and C.H.Curry who now handles the steering wheel of an Apperson "Jack Rabbit." Stine and Vaughn each drove a new car through from Kokomo, Ind. last week. Patton Mullen is working at the blacksmith shop of Fred Reynolds.
School Directors-You can get all wool blackboard erasers for anything else you need for your school from M.J.Green. (All the rural one-room schools were governed by a board of directors who purchased all the supplies.)
The foot and mouth disease situation in McDonough County seems to be growing worse and it begins to look as though the rigid quarantine regulations which were in force last spring will again have to be established over a considerable section of this part of the state. (Let's hope that we don't repeat this in 2001!) Most everyone in Stronghurst observed "Labor Day"-the larger number by laboring as usual; the banks and rural mail carriers by taking a holiday, and the never-sweat contingent, with which we are liberally provided, by draping themselves according to their daily custom over the benches, chairs and boxes which the business houses have so thoughtfully and considerately placed on the sidewalks for their comfort and convenience.
Dr. C.M.Bumstead of Monticello, Ill. with his wife, two children and mother, Mrs. S.A.Bumstead while touring this part of the state by auto, stopped for a brief visit. The doctor had spent a school vacation in Raritan as a young man with his grandfather, Rev. S.A.Bumstead, who was living there. Dr. Bumstead is now engaged in an extensive and lucrative practice of his profession in Monticello, is a member of the city council, treasurer of the Piatt County Board of Agriculture, and one of the live wires in political affairs in that locality.
Russell and Chester Brooks enrolled in Monmouth College. Fred Mudd and his family expect to move to Kewanee where he has employment in an automobile establishment. Miss Esther Curry will resume her studies at Monmouth College. Vernon Long, son of Joe Long, was taken to Galesburg for an appendicitis operation. Alonzo Fair is again in charge as foreman at the Stronghurst Cigar Co.'s factory. C.H.Curry and Sam Claybaugh went to Chicago with a shipment of 64 fat cattle.
It is reported that a special Santa Fe train carrying one thousand tons of raisins from California will pass through the latter part of the week; wouldn't that make your mouth water? (In 1915 raisins were considered a special treat and to have so many at one time freighted through the village made news. What would it take today to generate as much excitement? A trainload of Lambordinis?)
In Gladstone Mr. Swedland's baby won first prize and Darling Sightz wonsecond in the baby contest Saturday evening at A.L.Stotts store. School opened with Prof. Blackmar as principal. Miss Wilson of Burlington as grammar teacher, Mrs. Ida Phillabum as intermediate room teacher and Mrs. Lena Pence in the primary room. Mr. George Furnald serves as school house janitor. Miss Margaret Porter will teach what is known as the Stone School house school south of town.
OLENA OBSERVATIONS? The Homecoming picnic will be Saturday, Sept.11th. Ladies of the M.E.Church will serve a good chicken dinner to those who do not care to bother with a cold lunch. Price 25 cents. Coffee and sandwiches will also be sold and there will be a stand which will supply ice cream and lemonade. Saturday evening, Rev. and Mrs. Jackson with some outside help will give an entertainment in the M.E.Church. Admittance 10 and 25 cents. When the question was asked, could any good thing come out of Nazareth? The answer was "come and see."
Lee, oldest son of Virgil Davis, is quite sick with tonsilitis. The Dalton brothers have been threshing for various parties around the village.
MEDIA MEANDERINGS: A farewell reception was given Mr. W.T.Frye and family as they are moving to Lomax where he will be employed in the print shop there.
The Wever Academy opened with the following teachers: Principal, Mrs. Della Yeomans; English, Miss Lockwood; Music, Miss Baker of Macomb. A large enrollment the first day seems to be a good prospect for a successful school year. The west elevator is undergoing some repairs. At a congregational meeting the U.P.Church issued a call for Rev. Yarnell of Wisconsin and he expects to come about Oct. 1st. Loris Newell and James Callow, Jr are victims of the whooping cough; it is hoped that no more cases develop.