The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Registrar for Daniel McMillan Chapter, N.S.D.A.R.1918
Stronghurst Graphic, Feb.21, 1918
NEW FARM ADVISOR: Arrangements have been completed whereby the services of Mr. J.H. Miner of Adair, Ill. as farm advisor for Henderson County have been secured. Mr. Miner is a graduate of the agricultural department of the University of Illinois of the class of 1907 and comes highly recommended by the faculty of that institution. He is a practical farmer and has for several years been superintending a farm of 950 acres in McDonough County. He also has a brother who occupies the position of farm advisor for Fulton County. The salary of the office will be $3,000 per year and a suitable office and office assistant will also be furnished.
The office will probably be located in the room now used by the community club as a ladies' rest room, the latter mentioned organization having decided to vacant this room.
The first payment on membership dues which have been subscribed by the farmers of the county for carrying on the work of the Farm Bureau will be payable to I.F.Forward, secretary, or through the local banks where farmers transact their business.
***OBITUARY***WILLIAM RANKIN: William Rankin was born Nov.6, 1832 in Park County, Ind., and died at Long Beach, Calif. Feb.11, 1918, aged 85 years, 3 months and 5 days. He was the son of James and Elizabeth (Brown) Rankin and came with his parents to Henderson County, Ill. In 1838, settling in the Ellison neighborhood, where he spent the greater part of his life. He was a veteran of the Civil War. On Feb.7, 1866 he united in marriage with Mary Isabella Buchanan and to this union 3 children were born: Harry L. of Biggsville, Elbert H. of Long Beach, Calif., and Elizabeth M. who passed away Feb.11, 1911, her death occurring the same day of the same month and within a few hours of the same time of day as that of her father, just 7 years ago.
Mr. Rankin united with the Ellison United Presbyterian Church in early manhood and was a consistent and devoted member of the U.P. church until his death.
He became a charter member of the Long Beach, Cal. U.P.Church at its organization a few years ago. He knew whom he had believed.
In addition to the two sons, Mr. Rankin is survived by two sisters: Mrs. Rachael Campbell of Biggsville and Mrs. Martha Spears of Moscow, Idaho.
NEWS FROM THE WAR: Ira Foote received a letter from his son Ernest written from "Somewhere in France" stating that he was well and very busy; also that Harry Clark and Joe Baxter were similarly situated. Nothing was said whether the boys had participated in any engagements or whether they were at the front or not.
STOLEN AUTO RECOVERED: The latter part of last September a new six cylinder Buick car belonging to Mr. P.J.Johnson of this vicinity was stolen in Burlington, Ia. Mr. Johnson's son Fred had driven the car to that city and left it standing in the street near a restaurant on 3rd street while he was eating his supper. When he had finished the meal and returned to the place where he had left the car, he found that it had disappeared. The theft was reported to the police and efforts made to recover the car, but up to the past week no trace of it could be obtained.
Last Saturday, Mr. T.C.Knutstrom, the Buick agent, received word from the Chicago office of the company that the police at Peoria, Ill. had a car in their possession, the body and differential numbers of which corresponded with those of the car which Mr. Knutstrom had purchased from the Buick people last fall and suggesting that the car had probably been stolen from Mr. Knutstrom's customer. On looking up the sales records, Mr. Knutstrom found that the numbers were those of the stolen Johnson car. He notified Mr. Johnson at once and the two men left for Peoria on the afternoon train.
On their arrival there they went to the police station and were shown the car which was being held. They had very little difficulty in identifying it as the one stolen at Burlington in September as in addition to the evidence furnished by the body and differential numbers, they found some other marks on the car, the existence of which were known only to Mr. Johnson. The engine number had been changed, but other proof of the ownership of the car was so complete that the police officials turned it over to Mr. Johnson without any hesitancy.
The recovery of the car came about in a somewhat peculiar way. The police were looking for a stolen Ford car and on searching the premises of a saloon keeper who had been connected with one or two rather shady transactions in the past, they came upon the Buick. Their suspicions were aroused that this car was a stolen one and the took charge of it pending investigation.
They forwarded a description of it with all the numbers to the Buick company in Chicago and the latter responded that they had sold a car answering the same description to Mr. Knutstrom and notified him of the find.
The saloon keeper claimed that he bought the car of a stranger some time ago, paying him $900 in cash for it. He claimed to be ignorant of the name of the seller and also of his address. He appeared perfectly willing to part with the car without the formality of any legal action on the part of Mr. Johnson and will probably consider himself lucky if the matter is dropped without any further investigation.
Mr. Johnson and Mr. Knutstrom drove the car home and it appeared to be in as good shape as it was when it was stolen. The mileage register showed that from the time it disappeared, it had only been driven a distance corresponding with that from Burlington to Peoria, which in itself constitutes a rather damaging bit of evidence against the one in whose possession it was found.
MEETING AT BIGGSVILLE: In the promotion campaign to raise money for the recreation fund for soldiers, a booster meeting will be held at Biggsville Friday afternoon. John Lugg and Mrs. Sykes of Monmouth are to be the speakers and a quartet of singers from Camp Dodge will furnish music. A general invitation is extended to the people of the county to attend.
BIG CROWD AT RECEPTION: The open house and patriotic meeting held last Saturday afternoon by the ladies of the local W.C.T.U. at the home of Mrs. B.G.Widney was attended by a large number of ladies and an occasional member of the sterner sex. The home was beautifully decorated with the national colors and a sheaf of the flags of the allied countries occupied a prominent place on the refreshment table. A fine framed picture of Miss Francis E. Willard, whose birthday the affair commemorated, (she was a leader in the temperance movement) also hung in the hallway of the home.
During the afternoon the guests were entertained by instrumental music upon the piano and harp and by vocal selections. Refreshments consisted of "War Cake," tea, and coffee. Each guest was presented with a neat card printed in the national colors decorated with a white ribbon emblematic of the W.C.T.U. and containing the recipe for making the "War Cake." The occasion was one of enjoyment to all and resulted in a substantial addition to the fund of the local W.C.T.U-something over $15.00 being contributed in the nature of free will offerings by the guests.
MULES SELL HIGH: A big crowd turned out for the Turner and Davis mule sale held at the Hereford Association Sale Pavilion. Ninety-five head of mules and six horses sold for the total sum of $20,102. Mules were sold in spans with the span bringing the highest price being purchased by O.A. Meadows of Berwick, Ill at $552.50. Mr. Meadows bought 18 head in all for which he paid the total sum of $4,330.00. The average price for the entire lot of mules was $412 a span.
The first mule offered was the one Messrs. Turner and Davis had donated to the Red cross Society and was knocked off to John Simonson on his bid of $110. He at once offered the mule to be resold and it was purchased by Asa Worthington at $100. He also sent it back into the ring and it was sold to John Simonson for the second time on his bid of $60. The animal was put up once more and finally disposed of to Wm. Turner on his bid of $50. The amount accruing to the Red Cross cause as a result of these transactions was $170. (During World War II in North Platte, Nebraska a local boy helping out at the town sale barn sold his shirt several times a sale and every sale thereafter. Local merchants kept him supplied with shirts and all fund went to a canteen ran at the local train station for troops stopping there on their way East or West.)
COUNTY HAPPENINGS: GLADSTONE- David Cook went to the Burlington Hospital for an operation and is doing well as could be expected. Jo Robbins is the happy owner of an automobile. Mrs. Mary Logan is home after visiting her daughter in Rock Island. Father Owens of Monmouth held services at the Catholic Church.
OQUAWKA- Mrs. Rhea Pollock is quite ill at the home of her aunt, Mrs. Hi Elder of Burlington; Miss Ruth Wiegand is teaching her school south of town. Mrs. Minnie Fliege attended the Wilson Jamison funeral in Biggsville. Mrs. C.J.Eads had a toe amputated at the Burlington Hospital. Mrs. George Jamison is very low and is being cared for by a trained nurse from Burlington. Mrs. Joe Brown was taken to the Burlington Hospital to be operated on for gall stones. Little John Cochran was taken to the Burlington Hospital to be treated for an abcess on the face.
***OBITUARY***MRS. ROBERT HURKA-Mrs. Robert Hurka passed away at the home of her sister, Mrs. Thomas Howell in Oquawka. A few years ago Mrs. Hurka was stricken with pneumonia and was never well from that time. She was born and raised in Oquawka and at the time of her death she was 37 years of age. She joined the Presbyterian church when a girl and was always a faithful member. Besides her husband she leaves a small daughter, Genevieve, and one sister, Mrs. Maude Howell, and two brothers, Frank Wyman of Muscatine and Charles Wyman of Oquawka. The funeral was held from the Presbyterian Church and interment made in the Oquawka Cemetery.
LOCAL AND AREA HAPPENINGS: Fred Hamburg, who has been on the Kate Peasley farm for some time, has rented a farm near Bloomfield, Iowa. Clarence Richey returned from a trip to Butler, Missouri, where he and Ed and Will Allison are interested in a big farming enterprise. They have 250 acres in wheat and will plant several hundred acres of other crops in the spring. An epidemic of measles is raging through Raritan.
Miss Alice Davidson has given up her position as assistant in the office of Dr. Marshall & Wells. Luther Lefler has leased and moved on the Richard Marshall farm northwest of Stronghurst. The Stronghurst School Board succeeded in obtaining a car load of coal through the Stronghurst Grain & Mdse. Co. and school work resumed after an enforced vacation of two weeks.
Oscar Marshall was quite badly shaken up when one of his mules kicked him in the back. He was stunned for a time and fearing that his injuries might prove serious, a physician was called. Luckily, however, he was not badly hurt and suffered no serious consequences. J.C.Flatley, the local train agent, goes to Des Moines where he will hold a good position with a manufacturing company; he is succeeded by W.P. Hopkins. Misses Ollie and Florence Beckett have purchased the property occupied by R.W.Upton and will soon become residents of the village.
MEDIA- Messrs. Raymond and S.G.Mathers shipped Anton Pedersen's blacksmith tools to Randolph, Iowa. A provisional quarantine was placed on the Z.C. Hathaway home as it was thought the children were taking the whooping cough. The young people of the community are practicing for a minstrel play to be given at the Academy. Dan Slater accompanied a shipment of hogs to Chicago. The E.G.Lewis Seed Co. shipped out a car load of seed corn. E.S.Mathers fell and sprained his ankle while carrying a sack of potatoes and was unable to work for a couple of days. The Ladies Aid of the M.E.Church met at the home of Mrs. Joe Mathers.