The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Registrar for Daniel McMillan Chapter, N.S.D.A.R.1916
Stronghurst Graphic, Sept. 7, 1916
CIRCUS IS COMING TO TOWN: Ringling Bros. Circus will give afternoon and night performances at Galesburg. (Locals could ride the train to attend the event.) The famous showmen are presenting an all new and wonderful program. The tremendous fairyland spectacle, "Cinderella," will feature 10,000 persons (this is what the paper says but oft times they have misprints and may mean 1,000) and is easily the biggest spectacle Ringling Bros. have ever staged. The glorious "Ballet of the Fairies," with 300 dancing girls, is in itself worth going many miles to see. Following "Cinderella" 400 arena artists appear in the main tent program. Because of the great European war, the Ringlings have secured scores of circus performers never before seen in America. An entire trained animal show has been made a part of the main tent program with a menagerie which now numbers 1,009 wild animals. The elephants, including "Big Bingo," the earth's largest pachyderm, have been increased to 41 and almost 800 horses are carried. There will be 60 clowns and a big free three-mile street parade show day morning. (What a glorious event to attend, an experience of a lifetime! Does anyone remember being there?)
1891 GRAPHIC: A car load of machinery and furniture for Stronghurst's new butter and cheese factory had just arrived. 60,000 bushels of grain for which about $35,000 had been paid out, were shipped by the Midland Elevator Co. from this point between June 27 and Sept. 10th. Mrs. Allie Smith died from consumption (TB) at her home on Sept 8th. Mrs. Margaret Ann Gibson passed away at her home near Media on the evening of Sept.4th. John Peterson's residence a short distance south of Olena burned to the ground. It was reported that C.W.Williams had refused an offer of $200,000 for Allerton, the famous trotting horse which had just lowered his record to 2:10. The Stronghurst school opened with an enrollment of 95 in the grades and 30 in high school.
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: The last union service will be held in the village park preached by Rev. K.R.Anderson of the U.P.Church. A delightful porch party for the P.N.W. Club was given by Miss Hortense Harbinson and Mrs. Stanley Hitchner at the home of the latter on Nichols St. Officers were elected. The M.E.S.S. will hold their annual picnic at the Foot Prints spring in C.E.Peasley's pasture The postponed Swedish Lutheran church will be replaced by a dinner served to the general public; there will be simply a basket dinner participated by the congregation and their friends who care to join with them. A stand for the sale of ice cream and other refreshments will be on the grounds.
Herschel Simmons of this place was taken before the county Court where he plead guilty to the charge of larceny of a diamond ring belonging to Mrs. P.A.Stamp and was sentenced to spend a term at the reformatory for juvenile offenders at St. Charles, Ill. This part of the country has been blessed with several copious showers during the last two weeks and vegetation of all kinds has taken on a new lease of life.
The monthly tea of the Terre Haute M.E.Church will be held at the home of Mrs. Robt. Ingerson. Roy Park left for Grand Forks, N.Dak., where he will look after threshing operations on the farm which he owns there. John Marshall of Randolph, Iowa has been visiting amongst old friends whom he had not seen for 38 years when he was living at the Davis and Evans homes near Decorra. Elzie Gilliland is assisting with the work in the local post office. Lyle Hardin and wife have gone to Las Animas, Colorado, where he has been offered a good position. Through the agency of R.W.Upton, Chauncey Mayfield sold the old Mayfield residence on Elizabeth St. to L.A.Wilson. Judge and Mrs. R.E.Campbell of Muskogee, Okla., are visiting her sister Mrs. W.C.Regan of Stronghurst. Although unable to secure by popular subscription enough money to purchase a car of oil for their streets, a number of the citizens of Raritan have been purchasing crude oil by the barrel and applying the same to the street in front of their properties, thereby exemplifying the truth of the old proverb that "where there's a will there's a way." Frank Keener recently purchased a new combined hay and straw bailer and engine. Last Saturday while bailing straw for Bert Yaley on the Doug. Wassom place north of town, the stack from which the straw was being taken caught fire and in a few moments became a raging furnace. An attempt was made to pull the bailer out of reach of the flames, but the heat forced abandonment of the effort.
The fire soon consumed all of the loose and bailed straw and also a grainery from which a lot of oats had been hauled only a few days before. The bailer and engine went through the fire with comparatively little damage although the engine will need some overhauling before it can be put back in commission. Chalmers Fort has accepted a position as a secretary for the Y.M.C.A. of Northwestern University at Evanston, Ill.
The banks of the village and the post office observed Labor Day by a suspension of business and a considerable number of our citizens attended the celebrations held at Galesburg and Burlington. T.N.Harden is nursing a fractured wrist besides a number of painful cuts and bruises from the fall he took on the stairway at the J.H.Peasley residence southwest of town where he had been doing some painting.
CARMAN CONCERNS: Mrs. U.L. Marsden went to Dallas City to have dental work done by Dr. P.E.Walters. Dame rumor has it that two or three more of our girls are going to change their names before long. (They will be married-probably everyone reading this knew who they were.) School started with Mr. Earl Marsden (one of our Carman boys) and a graduate of Dallas City school as principal. Mrs. Agnes Adair and daughter of Biggsville and little grandson, Edwin White of Stronghurst visited her sister, Mrs. George Marsden. Messrs. Louis and Willie Dannenburg and sister, Mrs. Charlie Kirby and daughter and Miss Mary Seigworth left in the former's car for a week's visit with friends in Minnesota.
Miss Maude Breen went to Burlington to attend school. The I.O.O.F. and Rebekahs enjoyed a fish fry west of town. Mrs. John Hudson of Yarmouth, Ia. spent a few days with her son Willis Dowell. Since the death of her husband a few weeks ago, she has rented her farm and expects to become a resident of Stronghurst, having purchased property here last week.