The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.



The 1923 Graphic

Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross

Stronghurst Graphic, Jan. 18, 1923

CHARLES J. HEISLER: Charles J. Heisler was born Jan. 29, 1862 and passed away on Jan. 11th at the age of 60 years, 11 months and 12 days. On Feb. 10, 1891 he was united in marriage to Elizabeth McIntosh. To this union two children were born: Charles, Jr. and Ruth, who with their mother and his two sisters, Mrs. Josephine Shakel of Boulder, Colo., and Mrs. Mary Jacobs of Stronghurst are left to mourn his death.

He was a kind and faithful husband and father, a prosperous farmer and a man that was always willing to promote the best interests of the community. His death came as a shock to the family and his numerous friends, all of whom will sadly miss him.

Some years ago he made a public profession of his faith in Christ and became a member of the U. P. Church of Stronghurst. Funeral services were held in the home. A quartette composed of Douglas Prescott, John McElhinney, Francis Anderson and Alice Wax sang at the services. Interment was in the Stronghurst Mausoleum.

BONUS BLANKS: Circuit Clerk W. P. Martin has a large supply of bonus blanks and will have sufficient help to assist the World War veterans in making application for the state bonus. Veterans should bring their discharge papers with them so a duplicate may be made.

PROMINENT HANCOCK COUNTY CITIZEN DIES: All Hancock County will learn with regret that Melvin P. Berry, long known as one of its most important citizens, passed out of this life at his home in Carthage Sunday morning, aged 69 years. He was a native of Mc Donough County, but spent most of his life in Carthage where he attended the public schools, then taught at Burnside for five years, meantime taking up the study of law and later put in two years with the law firm of Mack & Baird, then being admitted to the bar. Since that time he has associated with the most of the attorneys at Carthage or been opposed to them in the important legal battles of the county and has long been at the head of Sharp & Berry Bros. firm. He was the organizer of the dime Savings Bank there and also active in church and lodge work being a member of the brand lodges of both Knights of Pythias and Odd Fellows.

Mr. Berry had been afflicted for several years and some time ago suffered a paralytic stroke though maintaining an active interest in his business until recently. Funeral services were held at the Carthage Presbyterian Church with interment in Resthaven Abbey at Moss Ridge Cemetery.

BAND NEEDS HELP: The Stronghurst band has been practicing faithfully for the past two months and are now getting ready for the summer concerts.  We have the material for the making of a good band, but we are broke financially.  One of our band members paid for the music we are using.  Another member bought coal and we are supposed to pay our director $5 each week, but the poof fellow would surly starve to death if he had to live on what we have paid him.  We are willing to do our part to make a live town of Stronghurst.  Are you willing to finance us?  We are in debt $75 at the present time; we need new music and we have to pay our director.  If we cannot get financial aid by February 1st, we will have to disband. Members of the Band.

THEY ENTERTAINED: The Merry Married Bunch were very pleasantly entertained at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Ross last Wednesday evening, the evening spent in playing  bunco after which refreshments were served.  Those present were Mr. and Mrs. John Marshall, Mr. and Mrs. Guy Sanderson and son Keith, and Mr. and Mrs. Otto Steffey.

WILL SERVE TEA: The following group of ladies of the U. P. Church will serve tea in the church basement Friday afternoon, Jan. 26th: Miss Ida Davis, Miss Emma Marshall, Mrs. Robert Begley, Mrs. Ralph Rankin, Mrs. B.E. Sippel and Mrs. L. Morey.  All ladies of the community are invited. (This predates the community coffee held by the church ladies today.)

OBITUARY-ELBERT E. BEGLEY: Kirkwood, Ill.-Death claimed Elbert E. Begley at the State Hospital at East Moline Jan. 12th.  He has been in poor health for several years, not being able to work since June 1921.  Although relatives knew he was failing, they were unprepared for the end which came suddenly and peacefully.

Elbert Begley, the son of Robert and Martha Begley, was born June 12, 1877, in Raritan, Ill.  The family moved to Kirkwood when he was a small boy.  He was educated in the Kirkwood public schools and there grew to manhood and took up railroad work.  Most of the time he was employed by the C.B.& Q.  He has lived in Kirkwood the past year and half.  He was united in marriage Nov. 4, 1902 to Alida Holman, who with his father and mother, one brother and many other relatives and friends, is left to mourn his loss.  In 1915 he united with the Methodist Church and was a member of the church in Kirkwood.  Funeral services were held at the home.

LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: Rev. Sam McKeown of Overton, Nebr., is visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert McKeown.  Mr. McKeown, who has been quite poorly for some time, is now some better.  Mrs. Francis Bailey and sister, Mrs. Emma Simonson of Louisiana, Mo. received the sad news of the death of a brother, A. W. Cortelyou of Kansas City, Mo.  Mrs. Simsonson left at once for that city to be present at the funeral and burial, which will be at Wellington, Kan., a former home. W.E. Hurd is erecting a workshop on the rear of his premises on Mary Street.  Bert Moore and crew are doing the work.  The estate of Deborah Pendry Fouts was sold in front of the State Bank last Saturday afternoon and was purchased by James Pendry, consideration $3,700.  Immediately after this sale, a farm consisting of 209.66 acres located about 6 miles west of Stronghurst and 3 miles north of Decorra, ill., owned by Mrs. C.M. Harter was offered to the highest bidder but was unable to get a bid over the $12,000 that was reserved by the owner of the land. Mrs. Ed Fort and Miss Emma Marshall have gone to Albia, Iowa for a visit with their brother, W. T. Marshall, who is in poor health. 

 The vanishing horse seems to have congregated at Galesburg.  A horse company in that town handled horses the past year to the amount of $2,000,000.  This company handles all kinds of horses.  To get the better kind to exclusive markets, they use express cars and during the year they paid $160,000 in express charges using 327 cars.  Monmouth business men want the Santa Fe road to abandon the town of Ormonde and move the station a mile and a half west and start a new town to be known as  South Monmouth.   It is reported from Washington that broadcasting by radio all over the country is seriously interfering with the wireless service and that Congress will be asked to enact legislation that will greatly curtail the number of broadcasting stations and those who are allowed to operate do so through the payment of a license.

RARITAN REPORTS: Elbert Calhoun and P.H. Voorhees attended the poultry show in Burlington.  Mr. and Mrs. Loren Purdy are the proud parents of a ten pound daughter born to them last week.  Frank Waddell of the south country had the misfortune to get five ribs broken when a self feeder fell upon him.  He with his brother was putting new runners on it and they had it placed upon a trestle which gave way and fell upon him.  Mr. and Mrs. Ray Voorhees and baby of Media spent several days in the Frank Voorhees home.  Ira Holeman is moving his groceries into the Gulick building and will run a restaurant there.   Mr. and Mrs. Bob Cameron moved into the Florence Stanley property on Evergreen Street. Miss Rebecca Gould, an aged citizen of Raritan community, died at the home of her nephew, John F. Gould, 3 ¼ miles southeast of Raritan this morning.

LOMAX LINGERINGS: H. E. Cartwright shipped a car load of cattle to Chicago.  Rev. McDonald of Indiana is holding a three weeks revival meeting at the Nazarene Church.  Much interest is being taken.  Joe Starkey left for Savannah, Mo. where he will take treatment.  Grant Starkey of Carthage accompanied him.  Ernest Staley and family have moved from the south part of town to the Jasper Logan property in the west end of town.  Mrs. Alice Gittings of the south country is reported to be quite sick.  The funeral of the two year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Logan of Wever, Iowa was held at the Christian Church with interment in the Crane Cemetery.  The little one was sick but a few days with Bronchial pneumonia.

DIES IN KANSAS CITY: Harry Wilson Marshall, former resident of this community, but of late years has been living at Campbell, Minn., died at Kansas City, Mo. last Sunday following an attack of pneumonia. Mr. Marshall went to Kansas City on the 23rd of December and entered the Sweeney Auto School, the supposition being that he was contemplating buying a tractor or truck for use on his farm and being a practical man, he desired a thorough knowledge of driving and care of the same. He was taken sick Jan. 8th and taken to the hospital that the Sweeney School has in connection for the care of their students who become ill or the unfortunate victims of accidents.

Harry Wilson Marshall, son of Robert and Rebecca Graham Marshall, was born in Stronghurst Township March 3, 1866 and died at Kansas City, Mo. Jan. 21, 1923, aged 56 years, 10 months and 18 days.

He lived with his father and mother on the homestead where he was born until the time of their death, faithfully caring for them in their declining years and final illness. He remained on this place until the spring of 1915 when he moved to Campbell, Minn., where he resided until near the time of his death. Mr. Marshall was a quiet, studious man of upright character, one who feared God and conscientiously endeavored to keep his commandments. The remains arrived in Stronghurst yesterday on train No.6 and were taken to the home of Mr. Alex Marshall of this city where the last rites were performed. Interment was made in the north cemetery at Olena, Ill.

NEW CONSTABLE-COL. W.H. SPIKER: Col. W. H. Spiker, our worthy auctioneer, has been appointed constable to succeed the late John Nevins, by the board of the county commissioners and assumed his duties the first of the week. In addition Col. Spiker will also be livestock and brand inspector. As the auctioneer business has been rather quiet in this section for some time, the new office will give the Colonel an increase which is appreciated and will keep him pretty busy. The commissioners made no mistake when they named Mr. Spiker for the job as he is well qualified and will make a good officer.

A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY: Delbert Palmer, an employ of the Coulter Disc Plant of Galesburg met a terrible death when he was jerked in a machine on which he was working and literally ground to pieces. Mr. Palmer was in the act of oiling the machine and was standing by two large cog wheels that were several inches wide and making a hundred revolutions a minute. He had asked a fellow employ to assist him for a moment; the assistant reached for his gloves and put them on and turned around and was horrified to see Palmer's body being ground in the machinery. It was thought that a leather apron he was wearing had caught in the cogs and the high rate of speed the machine was running that it was only a matter of a few seconds until he was dead. It was the first fatal accident that ever happened in that plant and the employees and fellow workmen were grief stricken over the tragedy as Mr. Palmer was held in high esteem by all who knew him. The funeral services were held in Galesburg and were largely attended. Mr. Palmer was an uncle of Chas. Bell of his city, who attended the last sad rites over the remains.

THEATRE SHOWS LATEST PICTURES: M. E. Beardsley, manager of the Lyric Theatre, recently signed a contract for 20 of the latest and best Paramount productions. By watching this paper you will be able to keep in touch with the dates and titles. As all of these are high class pictures the expense of showing them in no nominal figure and we trust his efforts will be appreciated by lovers of good picture shows and the patronage will warrant the continuance of his policy to furnish the best at all times. There is no town in the surrounding country showing the grade of pictures that have been shown here and be shown in the future. Plays such as "Over the Hill," "Dangerous Curve Ahead" and many others have been shown here the same time they were still running in larger cities. ..

CATTLE BRING A GOOD PRICE: O. A. Rankin, well known farmer and feeder of Henderson County, Illinois had a shipment of whiteface steers on today's market, which sold at $11.00 and averaged 1,413 pounds. These cattle were purchased by him last September and ran on clover until Oct. 1st when they were place on full feed. They weighed 1,089 pounds when bought, originating in the Texas Panhandle. Mr. Rankin expressed well pleased with the Chicago market and the results of his feeding transaction.

WEDDING BELLS: ROSE & GARRET: Rev. Walter W. Rose of Terre Haute and Miss Evelyn Garret of Raritan were united in marriage at the M.E. Parsonage in Oquawka last Saturday evening, the father of the groom officiating. The bride is the daughter of Guy C. Garret of Raritan vicinity and is a highly respected and popular young lady. The groom is a son of Rev. O. W. Rose of Oquawka and is pastor of the Terre Haute and Carman M.E. churches. He is a young man with prospects for a bright future and is very popular in the communities of his charge. They will reside in the M.E. Parsonage at Terre Haute.

FARLEY & DODDS: Mr. J. G. Farley and Miss Opal Maurine Dodds were married in Burlington, Iowa, Jan. 19th. The bride is the youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Dodds and is one of our most popular young ladies. The groom has been connected with oil drilling operations in this community for the past year and during this time has made a host of friends. The happy couple on their return from Burlington were given a dinner at the home of the bride. They left on No. 5 that evening for Wichita, Kansas where they will make their future home.

MORTENSON & JOHNSON: Mr. Eric Mortenson of Reedly, Cal. And Miss Esther Johnson of this community were united in marriage Jan. 23rd at the Lutheran parsonage at Burlington, Iowa. They will leave for California tonight where they will make their home on the groom's farm.