Decorah public opinion., December 28, 1921, Image 1

About Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928

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EIGHT PAGES
Voixxvn.
I. K. HOVDEN
IN TEXAS
Enjoying Life in San Antonio. Had
Pleasant Visit With John L.
Hanson and Children.
WEATHER IS HOT
OVERCOATS NOT NEEDED
Greatly Impressed With the Country,
Found it Much Different
Than Expected.
San Antonio, Texas,
Dec. 20, 1921.
Dear Editor:—As I thought I
would like to have the Public Opin
ion sent to me, as I don’t think I
can keep house without it, I thought
it might interest you to know some
thing about San Antonio.
We arrived here Thursday evening,
Dec. 16, in fine shape. My wife
stood the trip fine and was surprised
in the morning when we came down
to find about a dozen men sitting
in their chairs out on the sidewalk
like they do at home in the months
of July and August. The first thing
I did after I had my breakfast was
to hunt up the John L. Hanson fam
ily, formerly of Decorah, and I
found them without any trouble. The
first one I met after stepping off
the street car was Conrad Hanson.
He runs a drug store out on the
suburbs, and the end of the street
car line is right in front of his store.
He seemed mighty glad to see us.
I met Mrs. Hanson aho. He has
a very nice family.
Conrad then took me up to see
his father and sister, Mrs. Hegner.
Mrs. Heffner is working down town,
so I did not meet her the first day
here. Mr. Hanson accompanied me
and we started down town and got
Mrs. Hovden and then w r ent for a
long ride. First we w’ent to Breck
inridge Park, which comprises 360
acres, ind l think is the most beauti
ful park I ever saw. First as you
enter is the 18 hole golf links and
club house, then there is a base ball,
tennis court and polo grounds, and
all kinds of wild animals. About
one third of the park is covered with
beautiful trees. What interested me
mostly was the sunken tea garden and
Japanese tea gardens. They were
wonderful. Then we went through
Fort Houston. There is still about
25,000 soldiers here. This is one of
the biggest camps, v in the-* United
States, and one can get an idea of
what it costs to run a war. I can
realize it more now than ever be
fore when Mr. W. J. Bryan made
a remark in one of his speeches
some time ago that if President
Harding could accomplish the dis
armament he would have accomplish
ed the biggest act of any president
that ever sat in a presidential chair.
Sunday Conrad Hanson took us
out for another long ride. He
started out on the road leading to
Houston and Galveston, 150 miles.
You should see the roads they have
in this country, all Tarvia roads.
I don’t know how far we went; it
seemed to me we went half ways.
I asked Conrad, and he said no, and
laughed, so I suppose he was right.
Then he cut across over to another
road and came back on one just as
nice as the first one. Mrs. Hanson,
J. L. Hanson, Mrs. Hegner and Mrs.
Alma Bell went along so we had a
most splendid trip. It gave me a
-different idea of the country to what
I had it pictured. I imagined it to
be a bleak prairie, but instead of
that their is lots of timber, shrub
bery and grazing land.
This is a most beautiful city of
165,000 population, with nice Build
ings and lots of historic scenery.
Fort Alamo is located here. Part
of the old Fort is still here and the
Chapel, although weathered with
age, as it was built in 1718 by the
Spaniard.-* and Indians, is still stand
ing. It was here that David Crock
ett, Bowie, Travis and 170 others
fought for liberty and not one of
them was left to tell the tale.
There are so many historic land
marks here that it would make a big
book to tell it all. And going along
the street opposite the Alamo Plaza
there are business men of every
nationality. First is the Wcolwortb
10c and 15c store, then Mexican
curiosity stores, Spaniards, Indians,
Turks and cowboys, so it is a curios
ity to walk along and take in the
sights.
Today has been awful warm, too
warm with a coat on, but t 1 * pa
pers predict a norther TP-
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Dccoml) flublie ©pinion.
BLOODHOUNDS NO
AT OSSIAN
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Fail to k\ *e the Burglar Who
Robbed % > J. M. Spillman
Drug C any on Dec. 19.
S3OO IN JEWl\r WAS
STO» FROM STORE
One Bloodhound Ft .it Waterloo Was
Put on the Scent the Next
Day, But Nothing
Resulted.
Some time during Monday night,
Dec. 19, the store of the J. M. Spill
man Drug Company was entered by
burglars who made a haul of about
S3OO in cash and jewelry, etc.
They entered the building through
the basement window on Lydia street
and used the store's ice pick to pry
open the stairway door leading from
the basement to the store building.
They left by way of the back door
in the basement.
Among the articles stolen was a
ladies’ wrist watch taken from the
show window. Besides this ' there
were stolen a watch case, three man
icure sets, three gold knives and
chains, gold chains, brooches, lava
lieres, one of which was set with dia
mond -*>d a lot of ivory. Among
the v /sharp pencils the culprits
picke all the gold pencils, leaving
the a,hers. The cash register was
“touched,” too, but this contained
only $3.00 in cash. Many other ar
ticles were taken, but those mention
ed comprise the most valuable so far
as is known. These burglars “had
an eye" for valuables, “appropriat
ing" only the best.
J, M. Spillman opened the store
Tuesday morning preparatory to the
day’s business. On the arrival of the
pharmacist, Wm. F. Scholz, Mr. Spill
man went to his home to breakfast
and while th°re asked Har
old, if he had left the usual amount
of change in the cash register. Har
old answered in the affirmative, but
Mr. Spillman told Harold the cash
register contained no money. That
the store had been burglarized dur
ing the night was not known at this
time. On the arrival of Harold at
the store he noticed that the door |
Iliad been pried open and investiga-!
Ition disclosed the burglary.
I Marshal Grimstad was notified and
I after a conference the blood hounds
I were ordered here from Waterloo.
! One dog, in charge of Bud Bachtell,
I arrived on the afternoon train and he
I was set to work, taking the scent in J
the basement and started towards j
the northwest end of town, follow ed
by a large number of citizens. The
dog was put to work again after sup
per and made five trips to the home
of a prominent citizen. Everybody
knows this citizen, and to suspect
him of the crime of burglary would
be the most absurd thing in the
world. Even the dog’s action failed
to arouse suspicion or mistrust. The
whole affair, so far as it relates to
this citizen, is unworthy of consider
ation. It is nonsensical, utterly and
glaringly foolish. When, however,
this citizen was apprised that the
trail of the burglars led to his home,
he demanded that a search be made.
The search was made but nothing
1 was found—and the searchers, na
turally, expected *to find nothing.
’ This much we deduct from the
dog’s action: as a means of trailing
criminals, bloodhounds are a com
’ plete failure; or, in this case, the
burglars may have had experience
along this line and purposely walked
to the home of the aforesaid citizen
and retraced their steps to divert
suspicion and throw the dog off the
1 trail.
Others are inclined to believe that
one man staged this burglary- From
reports coming to this office, we, too,
believe it to have been the work of
one man. He made a nice haul but
he’ll be apprehended in due time and
given a free ride to Fort Madison
where he will sojourn for a period of
years behind prison bars.
bably it will cool otf. I will send
you a little pamphlet telling about
a sight seeing trip that took us about
two hours to make. Well I guess
I will have to ring off, as it is
supper time, so wishing you a Merry
Christmas and a Happy and Pros
peious New Year, I remain,
Your friend
ED K. HOVDEN,
1601 Saundas Ave.
San Antonio, Texas.
DECORAH, WINNESHIEK COUNTY, IOWA, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1921
(Ossian Bee)
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• Here’s a Happy New Year’s Day to you, •
• and 364 other days after It just as happy, •
| brimming over with prosperity. J
S We couldn't wish you more! •
• 4 •
i Decorah Public Opimoii 1
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TORT ATKINSON’S
CHRISTMAS Gin
State Park Committee Gets State
Warrant for $1,600 First
Money Towards the Park.
GROUNDS COVER
AREA THREE ACRES
Citizens of Fort Atkinson Bought the
Land and it is Practically
All Paid For.
A very acceptable Christmas pre
sent was received by the State Park
Committee at Fort Atkinson in the
shape of a state warrant for $1,600,
being the first state money actually
paid towards this project. This is
the state’s part of the purchase price
as origtnrd’y ajrree i. The « tut -
and building cover an area of about
3 acres which were bought by the
local citizens for $3,600, and deeded
to the state. Of this amount the I
citizens have paid $2,000 by volun-1
tary donations which are now all
paid except about $l3O which the
committee will raise by various ways
during next year.
On December 3rd Dr. Pammell of
the State Board of Conservation
went over the grounds with the local
committee and directed what work
shall be done during 1022. First, the
grounds and streets shall be survey
ed and platted. Then all the streets
adjoining shall be fully reopened.
The main street going up the bluff
shall be the one running east and
west on the south side of the pub
lic school which he ordered surveyed,
opened up and graded up so as to
make a long and easy grade up the
fort hill.
After this the state will make pay
ments annually towards this project
out of the SIOO,OOO annual appro
priation so that as years go by the
park will be enlarged and improved
and eventually built up as nearly to
it’s original state as possible. The
present start of 3 acres is the acorn
which’ some day will grow to a large
tree. It is planned that this park
will be enlarged so as to cover 40
acres or more in time to come. The
citizens of that vicinity are to be
congratulated that they were able to
secure this improvement for their
village.
Twins Arrive for Christmas
Mr. and Mrs. Ole H. Rohm had a
happy Christmas this year as a
fine pair of twins arrived at their
home Christmas afternoon, a boy
and a girl, weighing s’a pounds
each. This makes the second pair
of twins in this household, as they
have another pair, g boy and girl
who are now three years and four
months old. We extend congratula
tions to the proud parents, and we
are sure if Ex-President Roosevelt
was still living that Mr. and Mrs.
Rohm would receive congratulations
from him.
Given Miscellaneous Shower
Last Friday evening a miscellane
ous shower was given in honor of
Miss Minnie Barth and Clarence
Kraby at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
John Kraby. A large number of
friends were present. A sumptous
supper was served, after which the
evening was spent in games
ious kinds. A number of vah l
gifts were presented to the jrVg
people in memory of the occa£ j
. «
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Win From Lime Springs, But Lose
Two Games to Postville.
Lime Springs high was defeated
here last Friday night in one of the
closest and most evenly matched
games seen for some time. The
score ended 25 to 18.
The locals took an egHy lead of
5 points which they retained for a
short time. Then Lime Springs got
busy and soon tied the score. Alg
yer's accurate foul shooting kept De
corah continuously 1 point ahead
and so the half ended 10 to 8.
Decorah started a stiff offensive
at the start of the second half and
threatened to put the game away.
I Here Haven dropped three rapid fire
! baskets in from the center of the
I floor and again knotted the count at
1 16 all.
Lime Springs seemed to drop Hen
ning from consideration at this point
! and four baskets in rapid succession,
j aided by another long shot and three
free throws by Algyer within the last
rrmutes put the game awey
j The contest was full of action par
ticularity during the second half.
The game was clean; both teams
played impersonal basket ball.
The summary of the game:
Henning, FG. 2; FG. 8; Olson, FG.
2; FG. 2; Algyer FG. 2, FT. 4, FG.
2, FT. 3; Williams FT. 2; Shugre,
FG. 6 FT. 2, FG. 2; Haven FG. 6.
Decorah took two beatings at Post
ville last Friday, the boys losing by
the score of 43 to 15 ami the girls
15 to 8. The girls’ team was slightly
handicapped by the absence of Laura
Hjelle. The girls played very well
however, considering that this was
their first game. Alma Voiding and
Hester Cutting did most of the stel
lar work for Decorah, the former
getting 3 field goals and 4 free
throws the latter breaking up the
Postville forward work consistantly
up to the last few moments of play
when she was put out for personal
fouls. Meier and Thoma starred
for Postville.
The scores follows:
A. Voiding, FG. 2, FT. 4; Byer,
FG. 1, FT. 2, FG. 1; Meier, FG.
3, FT. 3, FG. 1;.
The team took the floor for De
corah in the second game was made
up of men who were playing their
first inter-scholastic game and they
started with a beautiful case of
stage fright, playing hard with their
feet and hands and using their heads
for wondering rather than thinking.
Toward the close of the first half
Postville ran away with a series of
signal plays beautifully executed,
which made the score 26 to 3 when
the whistle blew for half time. The
second half, however, was a differ
ent story/due partly to the fact
that out of bounds was played at
the two walls, at which style of play
our boys felt considerably more at
home. Viste, Grant and McCauley
began to find the basket and Post
ville could not make the count any
better than 16 to 10 for this half.
Postville counts three veterans
among their squad, all of whom were
going at top speed that night. It
is safe t predict that later in the
season our same line up will be able
to play them on even terms.
Changes on Board
Supervisor O. L. Saxvik of the
Fourth district retires from the
board this week and his place will
be filled by Supervisor-elect E. M.
Jerviss, of Canoe, who will take his
seat the. first meeting in January.
Mr. Saxvik has been a good official
and many will hate to see him leave
the board. But on the other hand
his place will be filled by another
good man, so the district will be well
taken care of.
Basket Ball Tonight
The Big Five basket ball team will
play the Denver A. C. tonight at the
Luther College gym. It will be a
great game and should draw a re
cord crowd.
The Prairie du Chien A. E. F.
team is booked for Jan. 2 at Steyers
hall for a game with the Big Five.
A. E. KENYON
IN CALIFORNIA
Decorahian Drilling for Oil, Pitching
Horseshoes and Catching Big
Fish Out at Los
Angeles
ORANGE GROVES ARE
BEGINNING TO RIPEN
Says lowa ia Well Represented and
The Climate is the Best in
The World.
A letter received Monday from A.
E. Kenyon, formerly of Decorah
locates him in California, where he
is putting in his time drilling for
oil, fishing and pitching horseshoes
in the delightful clime. He enclos
ed a number of horseshoe games
official scores which he participated
in and won. Scores of eleven games
Mr. Kenyon won were as folows:
61 to 47; 56 to 51; 61 to 47; 70 to
41; 67 to 37; 66 to 27; 62 to 26; 56
to 46; 64 to 46; 51 to 38; 50 to 39.
The latter game which he won 50 to
39 is a 50 point game, and the three
best men at the state meet at Glen
dale were in and made more
ringers than al the men at the
meet. Kenyon got third money. He
pitched after the state meet, as he
didn’t enter it. He had 20 matches
and lost 9 of them, winning every
single handed one. We believe now
it is up to 1.. MeConaty, Frank
Headington, Wm. Sexton and a few
other Decorah champs to go to
California and show those experts
how to pitch. Mr. Kenyon’s letter
follows:
Dear Editor:—As it is raining to
day, for the first time in three
months, I cannot ptch horseshoes nor
go to the oil wells, as Clarence has
gone. One of the .wells is thirty one
hrnd* - **'* fee* :*nd they have a ’ot o*
oil now, but they think they will go
to the deep sand. They are drilling
two more, one is down 2000 feet, the
other 2800, and the tools in the hole.
He expects to finish one of these
by Feb. first.
I am sending you the scores of
some of the match horseshoe games
I have been taking part in. You
give them to Wm. Sexton or Frank
Headington.
Have been going fishing to the
Beach at Santa Monica, and catch
them off from the pier, but the other
day we drove to Ix>ng Beach, where
they have fishing boats to accommo
date 50 people at $1.26 fare each
for the day. Well we went out 15
miles before we began and it was
pretty rough. I remember of seeing
the Catalina Islands. I had caught
33 mackerels, all three pounders. 1
could see them jump up after the
bait, and the water was 40 feet
deep. Oh, but I got sick, and they
took me down in the cabin and be
hold there were seventeen others, all
feeding the fishes. I never tried it
again, and talk about heaving up
Jonah, boots and all. One of my
party caught a shark eight feet long
on a small hook, and they had to
shoot him five times with a high
powered gun before they got him.
They got several two or three feet
long.
We are well here jand hope all
of the people in Decorah are the
same. How is the oil proposition
coming in Decorah, and have you any
sleighing? We are having regular
June weather here. The oranges are
beginning to ripen now and it is
some sight to see. This is some city
too, in time it will be to the top.
Well it is, I suppose, one of the
best climates in the world. lowa is
represented here I want to tell you.
Tell the Decorah Horseshoe Club
if they had eight or ten of the mem
bers of the teams they have out here
they would sure win the flag, as
they average better as you can see
by my scores. Give all the boys
my regards and don’t forget to give
Sexton and Headington the scores.
Sincerely
1738 Auto Licenses Issued
Up to date there has been 1738
auto licenses issued for 1922 by
County Treasurer Seim and 73
trucks. There are still many left, as
there are 4900 autos of all classes
in the county for which licenses must
be secured.
jgLr„jy.-.
Los 'Angeles, Cal.
Dec. 20, 1921
A. E. KENYON.
141 No. St. Andrews Place,
Los Angeles, Cal.
EIGHT PAGES
MURDERER GETS
DEATH PENALTY
Earl Throat. Slayer of the School
Teacher Near Dorchester Sen
tenced to be Hanged
March 9, 1923.
JUDGE TAYLOR PASSED
THE SENTENCE MONDAY
Taken to Penitentiary at Fort Madi
son to Await Day of His
Execution.
Waukon, lowa—lowa is to have a
hanging in a criminal case. Ear!
Throst is to be the victim.
Judge H. E. Taylor, in the district
court here Monday, pronounced the
death penalty for Earl Throst, slay
er of Inga Magnusen, school teach
er, in the basement of her Bevgeh '
district school house. Miss Mag
nusen was brutally beaten to death
on the afternoon of Monday, De- .
cember 12.
Judge Taylor sentenced Throst to
hang for the crime on March 9,
1923. He ordered him held in the
state penitentiary at Ft. Madi.-on
until the date set for his execution.
The court instructed Sheriff Gunda
Martindale, Allamakee county’*
woman sheriff to have the prisoner
taken to Ft. Madison at once.
Throst will be hung at Fort Madi
son when his year’s time is up, and
the hanging will be done by the
sheriff of Allamakee county.
If Throst dies on the gallows on
March 9, 1923, in accordance with the
sentence passed upon him Monday by'
Judge H. E. Taylor, he will Ire the
sixth man to have been legally hang
ed in )j|wa.
Records show that there have l>een
but five legal hangings since lowa
became a state 75 years ago, indicat
ing that the life sentence for first
degree slayers has been the most
dmftic %»td popular
Until the day of ius execu‘ion,
Throst will be a prisoner in the
state penitentiary at Fort Madison.
Under the lowa law, a man sentenc
ed to be hanged must be confined in
a penal institution for one year from
the day on which sentence is passed.
In reviewing the cold-blooded
murder of Inga Magnuson by Throst
at the Bergen district sctiool, where
Miss Magnuson was the teacher, on
Monday, Dec. 12, Judge Taylor in
timated that the time is ripe to more
thoioughly protect the rural teach
ers of lowa and that the death pen
alty to be paid by Throst should
prove a potential influence m safa
guarding the women whose work
must be performed in schoolhousea
located in delated places. He re
ferred to the murder of Barbara
Thorsdale, Des Moines teacher,
whose slayer has not been punished.
A negro was accused of the crime
but, following a lengthy trial, the
jury disagreed and there was no
conviction.
Before sentence was passed by
Judge Taylor, an effort was made,
through the introduction of testi
mony, mostly of a technical nature,
to show that Throst is mentally de
ficient. The death sentence would
serve to indicate that this testi
mony had no effect on the court.
Mel Blackmarr Wins Prize
Mel Blackmarr who operates the
Peerless pop com stand on Washing
ton street was the winner of sls
in gold, as the first for the best
letter on the merits of the Peerless
machine, what it has done, haw it
benefitted him, etc. Entree. we:e in
from all over the United States, and
Mel won the first prize of sls. It
was conducted by the National Sales
Co. distributors of the Peerless Pop
Corn Poppers, Des Moines. It was a
mighty nice Christmas present and
Mel is to be congratulated.
Midnight Maas Largely Attended
The Chritmas midnight Mass cele
brated at St. Benedict’s Catholic
church was largely attended, the
church being packed. The choir un
der the direction of M. J. Soukup
rendered a most sublime program
which was highly appreciated. Rev.
Father Hogan delivered a most ap
propriate Christmas sermon and over
300 went to Communion.
o
Murder Hearing Postponed
The Van Brocklin murder hearing
was postponed again Tuesday until
next Friday. The sheritf and county
attorney are both out of the city
I looking up new evidence. The hear
ing #TH be resumed again Friday at
.2 o’clock. Nothing official has been
! given ou* yet. y
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A-*d,
NO. 52
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