Decorah public opinion., January 04, 1922, Image 1

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

Image provided by: State Historical Society of Iowa

                
S'
A \\
tj
. >
'iV
“S&toral) public ©Minion.
Vol. XXVIII.
ELKS INITIATE
MONSTER CLASS
Seventy-Five of Eighty-Four Newly
Elected Members Join Popular
Order Mondav. s>
RECEPTION, INITIATION '
STREET PARADE AND BANQUET
Nearly Four Hundred Elks of De
corah and Vicinity Participate
In Enjoyable New Year
Celebration.
Upwards of four hundred Elks of
Decorah and surrounding towns par
ticipated in one of the most elabor
ate and delightful functions of the
kind ever held in Decorah on Mon
day. »
A New Y’ears Day celebration is
an annual event of importance for
Decorah Lodge No. 443, B. P. O.
Elks, and this year took the form
of a monster initiation of a class of
•eighty-four candidates, a banquet
and a dance.
During the past month a special
drive for new members has been
conducted, with the result that the
year closed with a class of 84 elected
to membership. Several large
classes have joined the popular or
der during one of the most success
ful years of* its existence, with the
result that the membership of the
local lodge now exceeds four hun
dred.
The exercises on Monday were all
carried out with a completeness that
reflected great credit upon the lodge.
During the day the members con
gregated at the Elks Home at the
comer of Main and River Street,
where refreshments were served and
amusements of various kinds in
dulged in.
At 2:30 p. m. about 250 members
assembled at the home and atti: - ed
> b ~ worn* 'clergy men preaehad s;j
Ifrmons about it. ."Editors wrote ed-
torials advising every mother’s son
rA * 'V&t CT' I j&.vS *- -
the Milwaukee station to meet the 1
. large delegation of members and
candidates from Calmar, aukon,
Cresco, Austin, Prairie du Chien and ]
other .nearby points. Forming in
line, headed by a drum corps, fantas
tic floats, novel and comic costumes,
'etc., the jolly procession several
blocks long marched to the Elks
Home, where the first section of the
initiatory ceremonies was conferred
upon seventy-five candidates, about
thirty of them coming from Calmar
under the special tutorship of H. J.
Giesen and Ernest Bergman, who
appeared in white coats and hats and
throughout the festivities saw to it
that the Calmar men got their
money’s worth.
Following the afternoon exerecises
the big crowd marched to the Win
neshiek Hotel, where an elaborate
banquet was served. Manager Mc-
Tague and his assistants had pre
pared for 325 guests by arranging
tables in the dinning room, lobby
and parlor, and the splendid menu
and excellent service elicited much
praise from all who participated.
Music was furnished by Deans or
chestra of Cresco. At the close of
the banquet Exalted Ruler Frank
Jewell acting as toastmaster called
upon Mayer F. W. Conover, Harry
J. Green, Mr. Bums of Austin, Min
nesota, Frank Bailey of Waukon,
■Senator Carl Reed of Cresco and Dr.
J. F. Conover, of Calmar, who made
brief and pleasing talks.
s The evening was occupied with the
second section of the initiation at the
lodge rooms in the club house, which
were extensive and alforded much
amusement both to the candidates
and spectators.
After the close of the initiation
refreshments were served in the club
dining room, and the day closed with
participation in dancing in the lob
by of the Winneshiek hotel and at
Haugen’s hall.
It was altogether one of the most
successful and enjoyable occasions
of the kind ever held in Decorah, and
places the local lodge in a prominent
position, with one of the largest
memberships of any city ot this size
in the country.
The Elks Home constructed and
equipped a few years ago in fine
shape, has now become inadequate
for the large and steadily increasing
membership, and many of the mem
bers are now giving consideration to
the matter of new quarters. Several
have expressed the belief that a fine
home should be built here, situated
close to the business center and large
enough and complete enough m de
tail to provide am pi/ "mce foi pu
lie fuactions, as V as complete
DECORAH, WINNESHIEK COUNTY, IOWA, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4,1922
NEW STATE LAW
RECARDIN6 ROCS
Owners Must Get a License From
t'ounty Auditor to Keep The
Canine.
PAY MUNICIPAL
TAX ON DOGS TOO
t>t.
Town Don’t . You Go Tax Free,
Even If You Have State
Canine Papers.
The old saw says that “every dog
has his day”, and the free days in
lowa are rapidly drawing to a close.
After the middle ofl January the
way of the dog pwner will be as hard
as that of the “proverbial” trans
gressor.
Hereafter dog owners must get
licenses for their dogs just the
same as they get gun licenses, at the
county auditor’s office.
He now has on hand equipment
of applications and metal tags, and
those who wish to avoid the rush
can attend to this business now. The
new law says that this must be
attended to on or before January 15,
1922, and on or before the Ist day
of January of each year thereafter.
The owner of any dog three months
old or over must make application
for a license for each dog owned by
him.
The new law requires the assess
ors to report dogs the same as the
old law, but instead of being return
ed to the county treasurer and put
on the tax books, the dog is handled
entirely through the auditor’s office.
The auditor will keep a list of all
dog owners in the county in his of
fice ami they are expected to call
there and fill out applications telling
the breed, sex, age, color and mark
ing of such dog, and name and ad-
»ng or such dog, and name and ad
WrufW a new vuixire is ~nie
.ipuioti*m *>)Ht no shall re jy
»ive less than one-half tn due 'pc»]n
yr£/ t '| NO.' X‘
dress of the owner, and \ .Vuieir
tax and get a dog tag. The pos
sesion of a tag is important to the
dog, for when it is affixed to his col
lar he becomes the “property” of his
owner and is entitled to the full pro
tection of the law. Without the tag
he is denominated as a “wild dog”
and is nobody’s property. He is a
maverick and it is the duty of the
peace officers of the cities and towns
to kill any dog found w’ithin the
county without collar and tag. Any
person may also kill such a dog
at any time and any licensed dog
may be killed if caught in the act
of worrying, maiming or killing any
domestic animal or fowl.
The cost of the license for a male
dog is sl, and for the female $3. If
not paid before May 1 of each year
the delinquent list is publisher! by
the auditor, and double tax, with the
costs of publication, is certified to
the county treasurer, who pioceeds
to collect it the same as ordinary
taxes. This makes it rather expen
sive. The county dog tax does not
excuse owners from the payment of
municipal taxes on dogs.
equipment for the entertainment ofji
the membership. It is not at all im-j<
possible that a splendid new Elks,'
Home may be the next big public <
enterprise for Decorah.
The following members were taken
in Monday:
Decorah—Geo. W. Tyler, Henry P.
Reed, W. B. Reed, W. S. Hustvedt,
M. S. Larsen, Geo. Brunner, Oliver
Faldet, Arthur M. Anderson, Thurs
ten A. Kjome, Wm. F. Kern, M. W.
Karman, Clyde Sharp, Edward R.
Pauline, Ray Alyger, Oscar A. Fin
berg, Frank M. Bernatz, H. O. Tes
low, R. P. Kelton, C. C. Gammerts
felder, W. P. Knowlton, Guy W.,
, Chamberlain, W’. C. Adams, E. r.
1 Hove.
Ossian —Peter Failstad.
Waukon —H. Turrintine, L*wis J.
Williams, Leo Foley, A. C. Dr avis,
L. Barthell, O. S. Bailey, T. J- Ber-.
mot, C. A. Davis, J. P. Leir, G. C.
Chase, Don J Hall.
Praire du Chien —Ora L* R?y*
Calmar —J. F. Conover, C. D.Hor
ton, Garrett H. Bushman, W alter
Hoffman, M. M. Graff, Jacob Bm
vor, Willis H. Geisen, J. Koch, Fred
J. Meyer, J. D. Becker, F. J. Mat
ron, Guy Hathaway, Edward B.
Johnson, Edward D. Leigum, w.
Weiss, O. P. Ode, Ralph 0. >\esel
i mann, M. C. Graf, Walter D. \ager,
, Harry D. Yager, C. Irvin Krumen,
Frank A. Patten, Wm. J. Kaibel,
* Floyd J. Sanders, R. E. Bernhardt,
■ Frank Koch.
o Eastman, Wis. —A. Ross Fraser,
I Chas. H. Finney.
Marquette, lowa-Thomas D. Barr.
c S-pillville—C. R. Haug, H. G.
II Haug. , , nr
e McGregor —V. J. Lager, G. G.
" B Q t uamiahl— Edgar Morstad.
* Cresco —P. F. Owen, T. H. Gor
e man, W. H. Dean, J r ., L. V. Goite.
Frank Kneeskern Charged
With Van Brocklin Murders
ELMER VAN BROCKLIN RELEASED AND KNEESKERN
ARRESTED LAST FRIDAY ON INFORMATION
FILED BY COUNTY ATTORNEY NEL
SON. OUT ON $15,000 BONDS.
CHANGE OF VENUE TAKEN FROM JUSTICE H. F.
BARTHELL’S COURT TO MAYOR CONOVER’S
COURT, WHERE KNEESKERN WAS
GRANTED BAIL IN THE SUM
OF $15,000
KNEESKERN’S PRELIMINARY HEARING OPENED AT
COURT HOUSE YESTERDAY BEFORE
MAYOR F. W. CONOVER.
A new turn in the situation in the
Van Brocklin double murder mystery
took place last Friday at the con
clusion of the preliminary hearing
of Elmer Van Brocklin, brother of
one of the murder victims, who had
been held in connection with the
murder. He was given his release
and Frank B. Kneeskern, of Cantalla,
was arrested, County Attorney NeL
son Aling th? information against
him, charging him with the murder.
Two charges were filed, that of mur
dering Charles Van Brocklin and
Mrs, Van Brocklin. Kneeskern was
in Decorah Friday appearing as r.
Witness in the Van Brocklin hearing,
and he was placed under arrest by
Sheriff Ellingson shortly after get
ting off the witness stand. He was
placed in jail where he remained
Friday night.
Saturday morning he was reprt/
m* ®-
rade student u.L. mtMr-t . .•••■r
ear at that institution • r written oi
0,... living at tne same m \
iiiub 1 : 1 -...
*«**• i
of Decorah and W. M. Allen, of Os
sian. Kneeskern was taken before
Justice H F. Barthell and his re
lease on bail was sought, but this
Justice Barthell refused to ' grant.
Kneeskern attorneys then got a
change of venue to the court of
Mayor F. W. Conover, the next near
est magistrate. In this court * also
the matter of granting bail to
Kneeskern was resisted by County
Attorney Nelson, nevertheless it
was granted in the sum of $15,000
j and Kneeskern w’as released from
the custody of the sheriff.
The preliminary hearing opened
before Mayor Conover at' the court
house yesterday, Tuesday morning.
Kneeskern is represented by attor
neys Cutting and Allen and County
Attorney Nelson for' the state.
Rumor is that Kneeskern was at
the cabin in the afternoon and shot
at a tin can near 1 the cabin. He
and Wm. Cook, a tenant on Knees
kern’s farm were the first to dis
cover the dead bodies, and cook no
tified Sheriff Ellingson of the mur
der
The corpses of the murdered couple
were taken to the Ole Russett farm
nearby where later in the day a
corner's inquest was held. Elmer
Van Brocklin was arrested that day,
charged with the crime. His prelim
inary hearing lasted nearly three
weeks. He was represented by at
torneys C. N. Houck and Frank
Sayre.
The 'Kneeskern hearing is now in
progress. Witnesses who are fam-
| THE LARGEST CIRCULATION
Official sworn statements of circulation of Winneshiek
County Newspapers filed this week show I’l BI.IC
OPINION far in the lead.
For many years PUBLIC OPINION has shown con
tinuous growth and expansion in all lines and has con
sistently maintained its position as
THE LEADING NEWSPAPER OE
NORTHEASTERN IOWA
Our business has steadily grown each year through
constant effort to give the utmost in service to the
people. We appreciate your confidence atid your help
in making the paper better each year. We will contin
ue our efforts to merit your patronage.
S'
....... 1
iliar with the mysteries of the trag
edy are being examined.
Some of ‘ the rumors that have
come out are rather interesting. It
is said that an attempt was made
to burn where the'mur
ders were comm.-ted, some time af
ter the bodies had been removed. It
is also ‘reported that there was a
midnight expedition to the cabin and
some of [the evidence thereabout
rarri<?d away, ps to what that wa.;,
We have not been advised.
We understand also that there was
a finger print expert an the job, but
of what he has found no public re
port has been made.
Kneeskern is 38 years old and has
always' lived in this county. He is
a wealthy stockbuyer and owns a
home at Castalia.
• : course merely accusing a man
not mean he is guilty, as a
r',.pßv-r i “X i» proven
Celery -
Jelly « ... •
'-''9c 1 § uue > F *** A
p i» mnocfc»H uniii ne .. * • .•»•-*. . t
guilty by' a jury. •
But on« thing stands out in bold ,
relief, and that is the fact that tw r o ,
people have been murdered by shots
from a 1 shotgun on Sunday after-
noon, Dec. 11, 1921, in a lonely cabin (
on the Kneeskern farm.
The investigation now in progress
before Mayor Conover is secret and i
what the evidence will develop
against Kneeskern is not known at
this 1 writing.
This case is destined to be one of
the most novel murder cases ever
known in this section of the country.
Reports of it have been given in all
the leading newspapers of the coun
try.
_n
“Jes’ Set Loose”
Did you ever notice a group of i
women—how tense they sit, and how
nervously their hands move? Here
and there is one who sits calmly
and x-elaxes comfortably as she rests,
but she is the exception. If only
women could follow the advice of
the old colored woman, who said
“Chile, you could do jes’ about five
times as much work as you does if
you’d jes’ 3et loose. Jes’ set loose
while you works and while you
rests” The restraint which good
form nowadays demands of people,
suppressing all emotion, is a tax on
the nerves too. You remember Lil
lian Bell said in one of her Paris
letters that she wouldn’t be half so
homesick if she could do as Aunt
Car’line used to do, “Jes bust out
and cry.”—The P. E. O. Record.
..1;
PET ROLEUM GIVES
VIEWS ON OIL
Writes u Greeting to Our Citizens j
And Gives His Version of the !
Oil Situation Here.
HIS FIRST VISIT
WILL BE GLAD ONE
Gives Peep Into the Future of Con
ditions That Will Arise When
’ He Visits Us.
Jan. 1, 1922.
Devonian Ave., 16000 feet below.
Greetings to the citizens of Winne
shiek county and surrounding ter
ritory:
, The rumors that someone is going
to call on me from your vicinity the
coming year, fills me with gladness,
and if you stay steadfast in your
resolution and make your contem
plated visit a reality, I will return
the compliment, bringing the whole
Roleum family, crowning your efforts
‘ with every 'blessing known in life.
- I am here, been here for millions
‘ and millions of years, even before
the -shape of man. I was stored
down here by my father, the Sun.
I have watched the evolution of the
earth and the progress of man
through each succeeding period.
When Winneshiek county began to
settle up with present day man,
my heart began to leap, iis I expect
ed to be discovered. Wherever I
am to be found, there on the sur
face, I leave many signs, reading j
that to the initiated are an open 1
book, but no, the years passed by
I saw their efforts to wrest an exist
ence from my sunbaked cuticle fail
without any degree of success. I
1 was so vexed I felt like exploding.
1 Someone recently (perhaps he was
:*sSS* xjtn '• h'ii fu
n « Hr'cord Set ‘\\ve. uW'£ L? r
Ir- . . l /lte< 1 H
“rock-hounc\ . . l*nne fact is, I’m a
a secret no more. I’m here, citi- w
zens of Winneshiek county.
When you call on me, I will ex- h
tend to you the glad hand, whose it
every touch dispels the gloom of v
poverty, hardship and the thorny tl
struggle thru life. Joy will fill your w
hearts. You will see those “wild,
wind swept prairies” blossom and H
blow like the rose gardens of the »
gods. Sl
When 1 pay my visit to you, many jj
conditions will arise in Winneshiek j
county to which you have given no
thought.
Thousands of wealth seekers, pour
ing through her gates, is perhaps
one of the gravest problems that ,
faces you. With hundreds coming in
daily by train, automobile and even
aeroplane, > you will .see the towns
tributary to my locality overflowing
; with new' faces, everything congest
ed, crowded hotels, roads lined night
and day with traffic. I bring a fever
which is very contagious and very
pleasant while you have it. I have
touched the hands of men in friend
ship and saw them fall dead at my
feet. I have seen the wise man
turn into a babbling, drooling idiot
on my visitation. I have seen the
Godly man forsake the straight and
narrow path and wander through
fields of debauchery and licentious
ness. Sometimes the poor at my
touch turn purse proud and arrog-
I ant, forgetting their less fortunate
friends and neighbors.
| Nothing is all bad, ami if the mo
mentous amount of good I krioft
were a monument erected, its shaft
• would pierce the starry heavens. The
> many institutions lof learning and
t scientific researches, sanitariums for
. the sick and helpless, buildings of
literature and art, all erected in my
name. /
name is Pet Roleum. My
nat/ ality a mixture of all. Some
ca y me Crude, for which I take no
o' nse. I am everything but crude.
Go any place where I am very' much
jin evidence and you will find large
■ institutions for the refinement of my
. family.
My first child, Naptha, is so
refined, and has that artistic teni
' perment so highly developed, very
I elusive and it takes a scientist to
i interest her. Next comes my eldest
! son Benjamin Zine. He is a very
clean sort of a fellow, and known
in most every household for his clean
habits.
The most pleasure loving of them
all is Gasoline. She is courted by
all who know her. She has energy
enough for all the rest of her bro
thers and sisters. Without her 1 m
thinking you would feel life had lost
half its channs. She is very light
hearted, more so than her «n»ister
Kerosene, the lighting of the world.
She chose as her life mission, did,
too, for a long time, and still plays
a very imnortant part. She is not
quite as high a kicker as Gassie, but
you get her warmed up and it s hanl
to distinguish between the two.
Well, to make my letter end some
time, I’ll not mention many of the
rest of the children. Most all of
them are very useful and they num
over 200. Most of the re.->t are
I Continued on last page.
In - /
| ft|' i> ylll|l» " -W" “**•-* '
EIGHT f AGES
“OVER THE HILL”
AT THE LYRIC
New York Clergyman Selects “Over
The Hill" as Topic for Sermon.
Coning to Lyric for '
Foiro^rformances.
A WONDERFUL PICTURE
WHICH WILL PLEASE ALL
Story Deals With a Mother, Acted
By Mary Carr Who Endeavors
To Raise Her Children in
Path of Righteousness, ,
’ JS
That the 'motion picture drama is
the best medium for the moulding of
sentiment toward preservation of the
sacredness of the home was the
declaration of • the Rev. Lincoln Cas
• well, pastor of the Crawford Ment
• orial church, New Yoi;k, during a
, sermon delivered on “Mother and the
• Fifth 'Commandment.” Dr. Caswell
• elects to choose hi* topics for Sunday
i night sermons from the stage and the
• screen. He selected recently as his
i topic “Over the Hill,” the Willianl
Fox film production which is to open
a local engagement at the Lyric be
ginning Jan. 11 and Tunning four
days ’until and including Jan. 14.
“We need in America today all pos
sible influences' to preserve the sac
redness of the home,” said Dr. Cas
well,'"and no instrument I know of
is as powerful in the moulding of
sentiment as the motion picture
drama, It Is' therefo--
genuine cOngratuli
ticular story, “Oveli
■ presented with suclf.
Now has arrived thA
which the church K r
prayed—-the opportune n
the truth in terms o
attractive realism. I ; J 11.85
ten sermons would n0t.520.85
J etTect that on showing
.r 02 1 * 'tfj.gv
~..... ~ “9A-8P
Hill” does, Vmd thik goes on twice
a day, day after day, week after
week.
"The picture sends a young man
home to write that love letter to his
mother, or to carry her a handful of
violets, or to send her a larger check
than usual, or to rush in upon her
with a hug and a kiss and an ap
preciation which she longs for. I
say to you that a picture that will
send men to their homes to do things
like these is a mighty sermon in
the real sense of the word. We need
a preachment like this in America
today. No pulpit is so effective or
reaches a larger congregation than
the pulpit of the motion picture
screen.”
BERGAN MADE CHAIRMAN
Board of Supervisors Elect Martin
Bergan Chairman for
Ensuing Year.
The new board of supervisors open
ed their first meeting of the new
year yesterday. The board honored
Martin Bergan by electing him chair
man for the ensuing year. He is a
good man and will fill the chair in
a creditable manner. Cha.rman Ber
gan appointed the folowing com
mittees:
Bridge Committe —C. J. Burgess,
chairman
Road Committee —E. M. Jerviss*.
chairman
County Home Committee —E. F.
Bakken, chairman
Court House and Jail—Joseph
i Bockniann, chairman.
“Oil Right”
James Poteet never thought of
suicide. Other men have done so
in Poteet’s circumstances, for he has
a wife and two children to support
and his wage as a farmhand wal
only $1 a day.
But Poteet whistled at his work—
and said, “better days are coming.”
Then Poteet bought 64 acres of
land from his employer in Simpson
county, Ky., for $lO.
Along came oil drillers and struck
oil on his land. Now Poteet is draw
ing SSO a day in royalties.
If you ever think of suicide re
member this: You never know when
luck will break for you— maybe in
the next hour!
The Joke “l ame Back” at Him
A “funny Man” thought he would
break up a f suffrage meeting, so,
from the audience, he called out to
the woman speaker. “Say, Madam,
would you like to be a man?’’
Back instantly came the reply:
“Yes, l would, would you?”
NO. 1
%
*1
y
is
~r
J3m