The Bluffton news. [volume], July 06, 1939, Image 1

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BLUFFTON NEWS
The Advertising Medium for
Bluffton Trade Territory
VOLUME NO. LXIV
SANE FOURTH
PROGRAM FAILS
Firecrackers Roar in Business
District Violating Mayor
Howe’s Request
Action Dealing With Future
Celebrations to be Recom
mended to Council
Bluffton’s experiment with a mod
ified Fourth of July celebration with
out legislation to enforce provisions
of the plan bogged down Tuesday.
Firecrackers roared thru the for
bidden area of the business district
intermittently during the day while
Tuesday night took on all the aspects
of the old-fashioned wide-open Fourth
of July as an unrestricted celebration
was in full swing which at times took
on the semblance of a miniature can
nonade until well toward midnight.
As a result of the breakdown of
the plan in which voluntary coopera
tion of the public was requested,
Mayor W. A. Howe stated Wednes
day morning that he would recom
mend to the council one of three
courses relative to Fourth of July ob
servance:
ONE OF THREE PLANS
1. Abolishing of the present
plan for a restricted Fourth of
July celebration and return to the
former unrestricted basis.
2. Incorporation of the pre
sent plan in an ordinance with
adquate provisions for its en
forcement.
3. Abolishing the sale and
discharge of fireworks.
Plans for bringing this matter of
ficially to attention of the council
have been worked out in detail, the
mayor stated, however, it was indi
cated that developments would take
place in the near future.
The present arrangement for a
Fourth of July observance with public
cooperation on a vonluntary basis was
tried out experimentally for the first
time a year ago. Results at that time
proved generally satisfactory and the
same course was followed this year.
Recommend Plan Dropped
In view of the failure of the plan to
work out this year, however, Mayor
Howe will recommend that it be dis
continued at least in its present form
without suitable legislation to enforce
its provisions.
When the plan was first adopted it
was advanced frankly as an experi
ment with the mayor’s statement at
that time that if voluntary coopera
tion failed more drastic action would
be substituted.
Magician To Get
Rabbits From Hat
Rabbits—real live ones—will be
produced from an empty hat at a
free magic show here this Wednes
day night by R. W. Kauffman, billed
as “The Vagabond Magician”.
The show will be held on the park
ing lot on South Main street adjoin
ing Risser’s Sandwich shop and is
sponsored by the Bluffton Merchants
association for the entertainment of
the Wednesday night crowd of shop
pers.
Rabbits produced at the show will
be given to children in the audience,
officers of the Merchants association
stated the first of the week.
Sails To Visite Her
Son In Venezuela
Mrs. Eph Locher, formerly of
Bluffton, now living in Cleveland, is
enroute to Venezuela, South America,
to visit here son Walter Locher em
ployed in that country by the Stand
ard Oil company.
Mrs. Locher sailed last week from
New York city on one of the com
pany’s tank steamers. She expects
to be gone for several months.
Her son Walter Locher, electrical
engineer, has been in the employ of
the oil company for several years
being stationed at Maracaibo, on the
Venezuelan seacoast.
Mennonite Youth
Meet At Pandora
Young people of the Mennonite
churches of the Ohio and Indiana
districts will hold their annual con
ference at the Grace church, Pan
dora, Saturday and Sunday, July 15
and 16, it was announced the first
of the week. Afternoon and evening
sessions will be neld.
Representatives of sixteen Men
nonite churches are planning to at
tend. Miss Mabel Amstutz of the
Ebenezer church is president of the
organization and general chairman
in charge of arrangements.
Former Neighbors
Meet For First
Time In 68 Years
THEY were neighbors in
A Orange township 68 years
ago—W. W. Scothorn and Ed
Karst—but they ’had not seen
each other since that time until
last Sunday when Karst and his
family called at the Scothorn
home east of Bluffton.
Karst, now living at Landeck,
near Delphos, formerly resided
in Orange township on what is
now the Henry Wilch farm.
Scothorn at that time lived on
the adjoining place, now the
Wright Klingler farm.
MAN RON OVER
BY GRAIN BINDER
Clyde Klingler, Orange Twp.
Farmer Thrown Under
Runaway Team
Man
They were preparing to “truck”
the binder to take it to the Mont
gomery farm when one of the horses
became frightened as Klingler’s son
approached rolling one of the
of the truck.
Revolutionary War Hero Lies In
Simple Country Grave Near Town
Badly Cut and Bruised
Escapes Fatal Injury in
Harvest Field
Thrown under a runaway team of
three horses and run over by a grain
binder, Clyde Klingler, Orange town
ship farmer escaped with compara
tively minor injuries in an unusual
harvest season accident near his
home four miles south of Bluffton,
Friday morning.
As details of the accident became
known farmers generally expressed
amazement that
fatally hurt.
Klingler was not
was severely cut
and suffered from
Although he
about the head
bruises and a badly sprained hip,
Klingler, now at his home on the
Allen-Hancock county line, is ex
pected to recover without complica
tions, according to the attending
physician. There is no evidence of
broken bones or internal injuries, it
was stated.
Accident on Neighbor’s Farm
The accident occurred about 11 a.
m. on the Matthew Perkins farm
one-fourth mile south of Klingler’s
place where he had a field of wheat.
Klingler had just finished cutting
the wheat, being
eighteen year old
gether with Chas,
neighbor and Ben
visiting at the Montgomery home.
assisted by his
son Junior, to
Montgomery, a
Dally of Toledo,
wheels
to the
Kling-
As the horses, still bitched
binder, started down the field
ler attempted to stop them but lost
his grasp and fell under the three
horse team and the platform
careening binder, in
over his body.
at the
The team came to
far end of the field
was hurriedly loaded
mobile and taken to his home,
condition the first of the week
reported satisfactory.
a stop
while Klingler
into an auto-
Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Biery returned
Sunday afternoon from a three
weeks’ trip to Alaska with a group
of newspaper publishers comprising
the National Editorial association.
The party went north by steamer
from Seattle thru the picturesque
“inside passage” stopping enroute at
Ketchikan, Juneau and other ports.
From Skagway, historic mining
center of the gold rush of the
nineties, the party went across the
Gulf of Alaska to Seward, then
north by rail thru the scenic portion
of Alaska to Fairbanks, near the
Artic circle. Their itinerary, cov
ering 10,000 miles, included sight
seeing trips to Mt. McKinley, high
est peak in the western hemisphere
and also a visit to the large Colum
bian glacier and other points.
CHILD CLINIC HERE
Parents having children entering
school in the first grade next fall
are urged to bring them to the pre
school child clinic at the Grade
school building Thursday morning
from 9 to 11:30 o’clock for health
checkup.
The clinic here is sponsored by the
Parent-Teacher association in con
junction with local physicians and
health authorities.
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INT ERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, JULY 6, 1939
Hezekiah Hubbell is Buried on
Farm He Wrested from
Wilderness
Soldier Under Washington Set
tled Here One Hundred
Years Ago
an
he
Beneath a small grassy plot in
obscure corner of the little farm
wrested from the virgin Ohio wild
erness, in a grave all but forgotten,
lies the body of Hezekiah B. Hubbell,
the only Revolutionary
buried in this vicinity,
rence of Independence
interest on this grave.
Only
war veteran
The recur
day centers
he came and
Who he was, whence
his antecedents have
the details of
been forgotten in the dust of a cen
tury. Those
might have given information passed
away long before the memory of
Hubbell
age.
who knew him and
attained its rightful herit-
a flat, white headstone,
as the life lived by this
simple
hardy pioneer, remains to mark the
last resting place of the patriot, and
mutely testifies
recognition
served in
that defied
to his claim for
one of those who
Revolutionary army
British in 1776.
as
the
the
Quiet Grave
The grave is on the old Benedict
Andrews farm, near a country road,
(Continued on Page 8)
“Hansel And Gretel”
At Pandora Friday
Humperdinck’s opera “Hansel and
Gretel” will be presented at the Pan
dora high school auditorium Friday
night at 7:30 by the Albert Schu
macher family of Berea, Ky., form
erly of Bluffton.
Miss Janet Schumacher, talented
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Schu
macher will appear in the title role
of Gretel.
All characters of the opera will- be
taken by members of the family,
two girls, two boys and Mrs. Schu
macher playing the part of the
mother in the play.
Morning Nuptials
Held At Pandora
a morning nuptial ceremony,
Adah Neuenschwander, daugh-
In
Miss
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Neuensch
wander of Pandora became the bride
of Harold Marshall, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Walter Marshall of Orange
township at 7 o’clock Saturday.
The wedding took place at the
home of the officiating minister, Rev.
Paul Whitmer, pastor of the Grace
Mennonite church of Pandora,
single
couple
bride’s
The
of the
passed
gear,
They
His
was
HOME FROM ALASKA
Mr. and
The
The
the
ring service was used.
were accompanied by
parents.
bride wore for the occasion a
w’hite formal sheer gowm and carried
a bouquet of spring flowers.
Following the ceremony a wedding
breakfast was held at the Neuensch
wander
left for
of Mr.
wander
home after which the couple
a week end visit at the home
and Mrs. Robert Neuensch
in Lafayette, Ind.
returned Tuesday night and
are making their home for the pres
ent with the groom’s parents. Later
they will occupy their home on
North Lawn avenue, the Weiss prop
erty, which they recently purchased.
The bride is employed at the
Meter works here and Mr. Marshall
is
a painter.
HERE FROM HAWAII
Mrs. Wm. Geiger of
Honolulu, Hawaii, are spending sev
eral weeks with relatives and friends
here. Mr. Geiger formerly resided
northwest of Bluffton and following
his graduation from Bluffton college
accepted a position in Honolulu.
His wife, the former Magdalene
Frankhauser of Dalton is also
graduate of the college here.
a
RECEIVES PROMOTION
Kibele of Toledo visited
first of the week with his
Kermit Kibele and other
Elbert
here the
brother,
relatives,
the employ of the S. S. Kresge com
pany for a number of years will be
transferred this week to Indianapolis
where he will be assistant manager
of the company’s store. He has
in Toledo for the past two and
half years.
Kibele, who has been in
been
one-
CRITICALLY ILL
ill
with
Otis Basinger is critically
heart trouble at his home
Steinbrenner farm south of
on the Allen-Hancock county line.
on the
Bluffton
I
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
MARKETED HERE
First of Crop Sold Monday Be
lieved Record for Early
Marketing
First Sales Report Yield of 31
Bushels to Acre: Test
Is 58 and 60
First wheat of the new crop sold
on the Bluffton market Monday, es
tablished what is believed to be an
all-time record for early marketing
in this district.
Farmers generally declared they
cannot recall of wheat ever being
marketed in the Bluffton area before
the Fourth of July.
Each of Bluffton’s two grain ele
vators received new wheat Monday
afternoon. Price paid was 65 cents
per bushel.
Wheat from the farm of Homer
Gratz ,Bluffton dairyman, residing
two miles southwest of town was sold
to the Bluffton Milling company. The
grain harvested from an eighteen
acre tract, made a yield of thirty-one
bushels per acre and tested sixty.
Threshing was done by Eldon
Tscheigg.
First wheat received Monday by the
Farmers Grain company was sold by
Chas. Fisher residing north of Bluff
ton on the Brandige farm. The grain
tested fifty-eight. Figures on the
yield per acre were not available,
attaches stated
Crop Matures Rapidi'y
Heavy rains early in Jun’e, follow
ed by unusually warm weather matur
ed the crop rapidly and harvest seas
on arrived unexpectedly early.
Independence day which generally
finds wheat harvest at its' height in
this section, saw the greater part of
the crop cut this year as the stand
matured about a week earlier than
usual.
The fields remaining uncut are
mostly those intended to be “com
bined” which cuts the wheat and
threshes it all in one operation. In
recent years harvesting by the com
bine method has te&ip Increasingly
popular in this district.
Average Crop in Prospect
The crop this year, will be about
average, according to opinion of
growers, with production generally
around twenty bushels to the acre.
The test is expected to average or
above.
Rains which played havoc with farm
Rains which played havoc with farm
routines during the first three weeks
of June disappeared last week giv
ing an opportunity to finish haymak
ing, get the wheat harvest well
under way and do some belated corn
cultivating.
Price for wheat this year is ex
pacted to be a little better than last
year when 61 cents a bushel was
paid for early marketings by dealers
here.
Stauffer •‘Diller
Nuptials In Ada
In a quiet ceremony solemnized
Saturday afternoon at 1 o’clock at
the home of Rev. W. H. Lahr of
Ada, Miss Geraldine Stauffer, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Chester Stauf
fer, became the bride of Ralph E.
Diller of this place.
Before an improvised altar decor
ated with garden flowers Rev. Lahr
officiated in the single ring cere
mony. The bride wore a sacha rose
Faconne over satin, white large hat
and white accesories. Her flowers
were sweet peas, delphenium and
baby breath.
Mr. and Mrs Stauffer, parents of
the bride, attended *»e wedding, Rev.
Lahr having officiated at their wed
ding twenty-three years ago. Her
twin sister Kathleen, wearing an
identical dress and accessories was
married June 10 at Mineral Wells,
Texas.
Following the wedding Mr. and
Mrs. Diller left for an eastern trip.
Mrs. Diller
printed dress.
wore a tootal linen
and Mrs. Diller are
Both Mr.
graduates of Bluffton High school.
Mr. Diller is proprietor of the John
son Oil station on S Main street.
After July 12th they will be at
home to their many friends at the
Stauffer home on South Main street.
In New Locations
Harley Kohler and family have
moved from the Kohli property on
South Jackson street to Rawson.
Harold Beals and family have va
cated the Mrs. Williams property on
South Jackson street and are occupy
ing the Kohli property.
Mr. and Mrs. Karl Gable expect
to occupy the Mrs. Williams prop
erty.
Bride In Garden Wedding
Nuptials Solemnized
In Outdoor Ceremony
Miss
MRS. ROLAND BIXLER
With the natural setting of a
garden as the background, wedding
vows were exchanged between Miss
Margaret Mabel Triplett and Roland
Bixler,
o’clock
Saturday evening, at 6:13
at the home of the bride.
Triplett is the eldest daugh
Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Triplett
ter of
of Campus Drive, and Mr. Bixler,
Toledo, is the son of Mr. and Mrs.
D. W. Bixler of East Kibler street.
Rev. J. Norman King of Dayton,
former pastor of the Presbyterian
church in Bluffton, officiated at the
double-ring ceremony.
Preceding and during the nuptials,
Miss Mareen Bixler, sister of the
bridegroom, played the electric organ
that had been installed for the wed
ding. The musical program included
“In a Monastery Garden”, “I’m Get
ting Sentimental Over You”, “I
Promise You”, and “I Love You
Truly”. During the ceremony, Miss
Bixler played, “Believe Me If All
Those Endearing Young Charms”.
The rendition of Mendelssohn’s
Wedding March marked the entrance
of the officiating minister and the
groom accompanied by the best man,
Harrold Johnson of Orrville. The
bride entered the garden with her
father, who gave her in marriage.
She was attired in a gown of white
lace and knit over a satin slip. The
gown was of a princess style with a
long train.
The bride wore her mother’s finger
tip wedding veil, that was held to
gether with lilies of the valley she
also carried a handkerchief that both
her grandmother and mother had
carried at their respective weddings
with the handkerchief she carried a
white prayer book with a spray of
lilies of the valley. Her only acces
sory was a string of pearls given to
her by the groom.
She chose for her bridesmaids,
Miss Letha Niswander of Bluffton
and Miss Alice Himes of Grand
Rapids, Michigan, a former college
roommate at the University of Mich
igan.
The bride’s attendants wore a
pastel shade of blue net trimmed in
pink velvet over a taffeta hoop skirt
and also tiaras caught with lilies of
the valley,
bouquet of
daisies.
They carried a colonial
roses, sweet peas, and
Jean Triplett, sister of
Barbara
the bride, was junior maid-of-honor.
She was attired in a gown of pink
taffeta, trimmed in blue velvet and
wore a small blue hat. She carried
a colonial shower bouquet of roses,
lilies of the valley and sweet peas.
The two flower girls, Mary Eliza
beth Tschantz, Warren, Ohio, the
groom’s cousin and Mary Louise
Rich, Washington, Illinois, the bride’s
cousin, wore white chiffon dresses
and carried baskets of roses that
were
Mrs.
wore
with
mother of the groom, wore a gowi
of pink chiffon also with white ac
cessoiies.
strewn over the bride’s path.
Triplett, mother of the bride,
a blue and white silk gown
white accessories. Mrs. Bixler,
n
Ushers for the occasion were Mor
ris and Ropp Triplett, brothers of
the bride.
(Continued on Page 4)
Lugibihl
GIRL ON BICYCLE
FATALLY INJURED
Ten Year Old Marilene Wilkins,
North of Bluffton Dies
In Hospital
Girl and Companion are Struck
By Automobile While Rid
ing in Findlay
Marilene Wilkins, ten year old
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Chas.
Wilkins, residing north of Bluffton
was the victim of a fatal accident
in Findlay last Thursday when the
bicycle which she was riding was
struck by an automobile.
She died of a fractured skull in
the Findlaj hospital a short time
after the accident. Also one hip
was broken besides other injuries.
Her companion Ann Thompson, 11,
of Findlay who was also on the,
bicycle at the time of the accident
received a slight skull fracture but
is recovering at the Findlay hos
pital.
The accident occurred as the two
girls on the bicycle rode out of an
alley onto Main street where they
were struck by an automobile driven
by Nelson Mahron, 27, of Arlington.
Both girls were hurled to the
pavement while the bicycle became
tangled underneath the car and was
carried down street. It was remov
ed only after a number of men lift
ed the car free of the wreckage.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins, parents of
Marilene, reside on the Sherman
Wilkins farm on the Putnam
Hancock county line road and are
well known here.
Funeral services were held at
Gilboa M. P. church, Saturday morn
ing with Rev. D. J. Unruh of Pan
dora officiating. Interment was in
the Gilboa cemetery.
At Cleveland For
World C. E. Meet
Rev. H. T. Unruh of the First
Mennonite church will leave Thurs
day for Cleveland to attend the In
ternational Christian Endeavor con
vention.
Rev. Unruh, a trustee of that or
ganization will preside at two divis
ional meetings of youths of high
school age Saturday morning.
He will be accompanied to Cleve
land by his daughter Miss Mildred
Unruh and Miss Betty Lape from
the First Mennonite C. E. society.
Night Police Is
Hospital Patient
Albert Reichenbach, Bluffton night
police, is convalescing at the Bluff
ton hospital following an operation
which he underwent Sunday. His
condition is reported satisfactory.
Chas. Stratton has been appointed
temporarily as night police during
Reichenbach’s illness, it was an
nounced by Mayor W. A. Howe the
first of the week.
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live and a
Good Place to Trade
NUMBER 10
OUNCIL COOL TO
PWA SEWER AID
’ossibility of Obtaining Federal
Funds Arouses Little
Interest
’roposed Projects With Gov
ernment Aid Twice De
feated at Polls Here
The question of federal aid in
construction of a sewage system for
the town, twice defeated in the past
by residents of the village when they
voted on bond issues, is again being
considered here.
Presentation of the matter was
made at a meeting of the Bluffton
council, following the receipt of cor
respondence relative to the matter
from a Toledo engineering firm stat
ing that federal aid was again pos
sible.
No action was taken by the village
governing body, but in informal dis
cussion it appeared that council was
only lukewarm in favor of the pro
posal, manifesting little interest.
Their attitude likely was guided
by the vote of the town when bond
issues were rejected in 1935 and
1936 after there had been consider
able sentiment for a municipal sew
age system.
Issues Defeated Twice
In 1935 a project that would have
involved the expenditure of $104,500
was defeated by electors. Actual
cost to the town for the work would
have amounted to only $44,000, and
the federal government would have
provided the remaining $60,500.
The matter was considered again
in 1936 when a special election was
held on a $111,000
Bluffton’s share of
have been $61,000,
federal funds.
sewage project,
the
with
cost would
$50,000 in
last
bond issue,
per cent
a 65 per
In defeating the
Bluffton electors voted 59.7
in favor of the project, but
cent vote was required.
to the
Correspondence presented
council was from Champe, Fink
beiner and Associates, of Toledo,
who advised that $125,000,000 is
available for new PWA projects, and
that the Bluffton sewage program
would be eligible for consideration
should the town wish to avail itself
of federal aid.
The Toledo engineering firm pre
pared preliminary plans and esti
mates for the proposed sewage
system previous to the vote in 1935.
Heart Attack Fatal
To Former Resident
Charles DeWitt, 29, former Bluff
ton resident, died suddenly at Syra
cuse, N. Y., Thursday evening while
attending ft reception given in his
honor, according to word received
here over the week end. His death
was due to a heart attack.
Mr. DeWitt, an instructor in
American government at Syracuse
university for the past three years
had recently resigned that post to
accept the professorship of local gov
ernment at St. Lawrence university,
Canton, N. Y., beginning July 1.
Popular with faculty and students
alike, a farewell reception was ar
ranged in his honor at the home of
Miss Elizabeth Allen, Cazenovia,
N. Y., near Syracuse in the pictur
esque Fingerlake region.
While attending this function he
succumbed to a heart attack. Altho
his trouble had been of long stand
ing, physicians had recently pro
nounced his condition much im
proved, relatives here stated.
born in Bluffton,
the son of the
Herman DeWitt,
of Bluffton high
Mr. DeWitt was
January 22, 1910,
late Mr. and Mrs.
He is a graduate
school and Bluffton college. Follow
ing the completion of his college
course here he was granted a fel
lowship at Syracuse university where
he received his M. A. degree. At the
time of his death he had
all his work, including his
his doctor’s degree.
completed
thesis for
wife w’ho
He is survived by his
before her marriage was Juanita
Kissel of Toledo also surviving are
two sisters, Mrs. Farl Sampson nf
Findlay and Mrs. Garnie Powell,
Rawson.
Funeral services were held at the
Allen summer home in Cazenovia,
N. Y., Sunday afternoon after which
the remains were cremated.
Births
Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Herr, south
west of Bluffton are the parents of
a son born at the Bluffton hospital,
Wednesday morning.
A son was born to Mr. and Mrs.
Oliver Locher at the Bluffton hos
pital, Thursday.