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THURSDAY, JAN. 4, 1940 ALLEN COUNTY Coroner Rules Death Natural Dr. Burt Hibbard, Allen county coroner, reported Thursday that the death of Carl Crider, 41, whose body was found near Beaverdam early Dec. 22, was due to natural causes. The coroner said he had reached this verdict after performing an au topsy. Lima Man New State Bank Head Gov. John W. Bricker last week appointed Rodney P. Lien of Lima as State Superintendent of Banks to succeed Samuel H. Squire of Elyria. Lien, president of the National Bank of Lima, will take the $7,500 a-year office Jan. 15. Bricker said that the Allen County Republican Executive Committee had indorsed Lien. Lien, 38 year old and a native of Iowa, began his banking career as a bookkeeper at Mason City, Iowa, and later went to Chicago. Four years ago he went to Lima as presi dent of the First National. Lima Wars On Lotteries A campaign against lotteries in legitimate business in Lima was launched last week by the Better Business Bureau when its board of directors condemned this practice in a resolution, and its director warned reports of all such activities will be made to proper authorities for pro secution. The resolution asserted the results ■of lotteries to promote sales are dubious, that such procedure is un sound, unfair to competition and in jurious to public confidence. It add ed that such lotteries are illegal, and that it has been found that op eration of a lottery by persons or firms of honest intent establishes a precedent held up by fraudulent op erators as justification for operation of dishonest ventures. Highway Worker’s Dis missal Upheld The State Civil Service commis sion last week reinstated five dis charged state employes and sus tained the removal of five others. Those whose removals were sus tained and the charges against them included Harley Staver, Route 4, Lima, highway mechanic, misfeance, malfeasance, nonfeasance, neglect of duty and political activity. State Examinations Are Set Examinations to cover approxi mately 500 positions in state liquor stores will be conducted Feb. 8 and 5 by the State Civil Service Com mission, Miss Gertrude Jones, chair man, announced Wednesday. Jobs for which eligible lists will be created include liquor store man agers, cashiers and clerks. The tests will be given in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Akron, Canton, Dayton, Lima, Mansfield, Toledo, Athens and Cambridge. Examinations for the position of store manager, which carries a sal ary range of from $1,800 to $2,400 a year, will be held Feb. 8. Tests for cashiers and clerks will be given Feb. 9. Salaries for cash iers range from $1,440 to $1,600 a year while those for clerks range from 1,380 to $1,600. Liquor Permit Funds Distributed State Auditor Joseph T. Ferguson last week distributed to municipali ties $920,550 of the undivided liquor permit fund. Larger distributions included $6,555 to Lima. Traffic Toll Heavier In County Allen county’s traffic fatality toll in 1939 totaled 27, one more than 1938, Coroner Burt Hibbard an nounced Saturday. As the year drew to a close Dr. Hibbard said he investigated 92 cases from Jan. 1 thru Dec. 23. The total was 89 in 1038. Of the 27 killed in traffic mishaps, 16 were males and 11 females. Auto truck collisions claimed the most lives, the figures totaling eight County Settles State Debt Three years of litigation were end ed last week when Allen County and State Welfare Department officials reached a compromise agreement on the amount of money due the state by the county for the care of feeble minded persons. Allen County was one of a num ber in Ohio which halted such pay NEWS NOTES FROM FOUR COUNTIES ments several years ago in an effort to force a reduction in the weekly rate. The compromise represented a medium between the $5.50 per pa tient per week charged by the state prior to last Jan. 1, and the $3.50 in effect since then. The county’s indebtedness is cut to $37,749, and represents a reduction of about $33,000 in the obligation. Commissioners Dis charge Six Members of the Allen county board of commissioners are facing prospects of real New Year’s head aches. Saturday morning the board dis missed five janitors and the court house elevator operator. But hardly had the dismissals taken effect when Attorney Francis W. Durbin started court action to have the ousted em ployes restored to their jobs. It all started when T. H. Morris was appointed commissioner to fill the vacancy caused by the death re cently of William B. O’Connor. Morris is a Republican, and his ap pointment gave Republicans a ma jority on the board for the first time since 1922. Delinquent Tax Drive Materializes “The biggest land sale ever held in Allen county’’ will start March 11, according to County Auditor Floyd B. Griffin. On that date, Griffin says, approx imately 6,000 parcels of real estate comprising the bulk of the county’s staggering $2,002,352.16 tax delin quency, will be forfeited to the state and prepared for public auction. There are now 8,330 parcels of de linquent property on the county tax books, including $720,035.52 in Lima and $1,281,716.64 in the county, most ly in the four townships surround ing the city, Griffin says. Of the list 6,230 parcels are due to be sold—500 thru foreclosure and the rest thru forfeiture. 4,719 Real Estate Transfers In 1939 A total of $4,719 deeds and real estate transfers was recorded during 1939, as compared with 4,434 last year, and 8,787 chattel mortgages were filed, as compared with the 1938 total of 7,969, according to Al len county Recorder Wilfred F. Failor. Commissioners Operat ing Within Budget The Allen county Board of Com missioners has paid in full all county bills for 1939 operations, and in tends to keep within its income dur ing the coming year, Chairman Homer J. Hilty declared Saturday. Expenditures for relief during the 12-month periodjust closed totaled $40,493.73, as compared with $75, 427.85 in 1938, Hilty revealed. Lima Has 18 Amateur Radio Stations Lima has 18 privately-owned, non profit radio stations, which do not engage in commercial broadcasting. Just released by the Federal Com munications Commission, a new list of licensed amateur radio operators in Lima shows 18 licenses in good standing as of Dec. 15, 1939. Cupid’s Activity Wanes In County There has been a steady decline since 1937 in the number of mar riage licenses issued in Allen county according to Probate Court attache Louis T. Brown. In that year 667 couples obtained licenses to wed, in 1938 there were 618 issued, and in 1939 the figure was 544. “Without a doubt Dan Cupid will make up for lost time in 1940— which is leap year,” Brown predict ed. Probate Court Has Busy Year More than $1,600,000 in assets was appraised and listed in Allen county probate court during the past year, according to Louis T. Brown, chief deputy in the office of Probate Judge Raymond P. Smith. Assets included both real and per sonal property, subject to payments of debts of decedents, and to trans fer to heirs and beneficiaries. Homes Threatened In Refinery Blast Hundreds of Lima homes were shaken at 5:40 p. m. Thursday and distillery equipment worth more than $1,000,000 was endangered at the Solar Refining plant of the Standard Oil Co. in south Lima in an explos ion of a naphtha storage tank in the company’s S. Collet street field. Simultaneously with the blast, the 2,000 barrel container burst into flames and burned to the ground. Plant officials estimated the loss at $3,000. Two Girls Arrested For Theft Two Lima girls, recently paroled from the Girls Industrial School at Delaware, were being held in Allen county jail Friday on charges of stealing clothing from the home of F. E. Sandey, of Lima. The girls, both 18, were arrested Thursday by Arnold Potts, Putnam county sheriff at the home of Leon ard Hovest, near Ottawa. Sheriff Potts reported the girls had in their possession a fur coat, a shirt, an alarm clock and baby clothing which they admitted did not belong to them. Nurse Suspended At Lima Hospital Dr. H. M. Turk, superintendent of the Lima State hospital for the criminal insane, filed with the state civil service commission last week notice of suspension of Mary Jean Arras, a registered nurse at the in stitution, on charges that she re ported for duty while under the ef fects of liquor. Birthday Ball Chair man Named Fred R. Schoonover, comptroller of the City Loan and Savings company has been appointed chairman of Lima’s birthday ball for the presi dent to be held Jan. 30. He was named by George B. Quatman, pres ident of the Allen county chapter of National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, Inc. Lima Man Loses State Post John W. Beall, of Lima, chairman of the Ohio Industrial Commission, lost his state post last week when Governor John W. Bricker appointed James A. White, a Columbus at torney and former head of the Ohio Saloon league as his successor. The new member was named for a six-year term effective immediate ly. He will receive a salary of $5, 000 a year. The six-year term of Beall expired last June 30 but he continued to serve pending appoint ment of a successor. HANCOCK COUNTY Findlay College En rollment High Official enrollment statistics re cently released at Findlay college show that the student roster for the first semester of 1939-1940 term, in dicates one of the largest student bodies in the college history. Includ ing all departments of the college, there are 375 students, with 270 of them enrolled in the liberal arts col lege 62 in the commercial school and three in the music department. There are 40 special students. Ap proximately 25 per cent of the stu dents are girls. Sales Tax Distribution Greater A total of $5,434.23 more has been received for local government units of Hancock county from the Ohio sales tax in 1939 than in 1938, fig ures compiled by County Auditor Frank H. Huffman revealed. Amount of sales tax received by the county local governments this year is $52,419.72 as compared with $46,985.49 for 1938. The total still is some $20,000 less than the $72, 776.32 received in 1937, Huffman said. Orange township got $277.68 Un ion township received $284.76, and Mt. Cory’s share was $296.88. Change In County Jail Recommended Need for separate quarters for juveniles held by the Hancock county sheriff again is urged in the annual report of the Hancock county board of visitors to the state department of public welfare. The report forwarded to Columbus over the signatures of J. N. Tabb, president, and Mrs. Charlotte Learey, secretary, says that “the board found the institutions in excellent condi tion and the personnel functioning efficiently.” “It is hard to imagine how the County Home and the Children’s Home could be conducted in any more satisfactory manner,” said Mr. Tabb in commenting on the report. Fair Board Has $7.45 Balance After staging an $8,000 exhibition and making two $1,000 payments on the fair grounds, the Hancock Coun ty Agricultural Societywill close the JHB BLUFFTONNEWS, BLUFI year 1939 with a $7.45 balance in its treasury and with $1,300 still to be received from the county payable after the year-end report has been approved by the State Department of Agriculture. The financial statement of the ag ricultural society which has just been compiled shows expenditures of $10, 851.23 for this year and receipts totaling $10,858.68—a difference of $7.45. Civil War Bequest Benefits Aged A dozen needy seamstresses benefit each year to the extent of about $5 worth of fuel each, all because of a trust fund set up in Findlay dur ing the Civil War. Hiram and Hanna Smith donated $1,000 to the village of Findlay in 1863, the interest to be used for the purchase of fuel for families whose husbands and sons were engaged in the Civil War. After 10 years, the money was to be invested with one-third of the in terested credited to the principal for a period of 30 years, after which the interest was to be distributed an nually among the widows and sewing women. The principal, now $1,800, is in vested in government securities which are kept by the city service safety director. Traffic Deaths Increase Traffic accidents in Hancock coun ty during 1939 have resulted in the deaths of 23 persons as compared to 18 for the previous year and 17 in 1937. Dies While Wife Reads Paper To Him Sittingin his chair while his wife read him the news from the daily paper at 1:30 o’clock Friday after noon, Joseph M. Kinsey gasped twice for breath and was dead. A heart attack was given as the cause of his death which occurred in his home in Findlay. Burned By Blast From Furnace A burst of flame from the furnace in his home Friday afternoon in flicted serious face and eye injuries on Paul Emahieser, 20, of Benton Ridge. The victim said he had poured fuel oil in the flu to burn out the soot collected there. In so doing, he said, he closed the furnace door. When he re-opened the door, a blast of flames shot out directly into his face. Two Crashes At Same Spot Two automobile accidents occurred last week within 15 minutes of each other at the same spot in the high way when cars skidded on the snow. Kenneth Remue, 26, Toledo, was treated at Findlay Hospital for an arm injury after his car skidded as it rounded a curve in Route 224 near the junction of 224 and 186. A car operated by Walter Ber tram, 33, Boone, la., skidded on the same cure a short time later. Mr. Bertram, his wife and four children escaped injury. Veteran Fireman Is Found Shot George A. Yates, 77, veteran fire man at the Findlay plant of the Cen tral Ohio Light and Power company, died at 5:05 o’clock Friday afternoon in the Findlay hospital from a self inflicted bullet wound received an hour earlier at his home in Findlay. Mr. Yates, according to Dr. H. O. Crisby, coroner, shot himself in the head with a pistol. The coroner re turned a verdict of suicide, giving ill health as the reason. Aerial Pictures Taken Of County Hancock county had its picture taken this fall and the prints have been received at the county agricul tural office. The photographs cover every piece of farm real estate in the county. They will be used by the soil conser vation committee in determining areas of the various fields coming under the farm program. Census Taking To Be Started An appeal to the manufacturers of Findlay to get ready for and co operate with the U. S. census enu merators beginning Jan. 2, was is sued last week by Lester Thomas, president of the Findlay Chamber of Commerce. Slippery Pavement Causes Mishap Slippery pavement caused another automobile accident in Hancock county Friday. A car driven by Mrs. Arthur Low, 21, of Aurora, Ill., skidded on the ice on the Lincoln highway six miles TON, omo west of Williamstown and struck a bridge culvert. The car was demolished. Mrs. Low received abrasions and her husband, 28, a broken shoulder blade. Their three-months-old son, David, was bruised. They were treated by a physician. Cars Seen From Many States Observing parked automobiles on Main street in the vicinity of the court house in Findlay,a man jot ted down the license plates from the different states and reports," I saw machines parked here from every state east of the Mississippi river except Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. Every state west of the Mississippi was represented with the exception of North and South Da kota, Montana, Nevada and Okla homa. Three cars from Canada were observed and one from the Dis trict of Columbia. These observa tions took place up to December.” HARDIN COUNTY 1844 Tax Receipt Found An interesting antique was pre sented in the office of Hardin Coun ty Treasurer Jno. P. Siemon last week when a tax receipt for 1844 came to light. Ott Myers of Kenton presented to Siemon the receipt dated Dec. 14, 1844. It was made out to David Clement, the grandfather of Mrs. Ott Myers, and showed that taxes had been paid on 80 acres of land in Section 12, Township 5, Range 2, Dudley township, Hardin county. The land valuation was given as $122 and the amount due was two dollars, 19 cents and six mills. The chattel tax was on the same receipt and read—“Two horses and two cattle, valuation $96, amount due one dollar, 72 cents and eight mills, making the total bill three dollars, 92 cents and four mills. New Kenton School Completed The newly constructed Kenton high school building was opened when the pupils went back to classes following the annual holiday vacation on Jan uary 2, it was announced by Boyd W. Geiser, clerk of the Kenton dis trict board of education. The new school has been construct ed to house 650 pupils, at an esti mated costof $335,000. Of that amount $150,750 was granted by the Public Works Administration and the remainder will be provided by a local bond issue passed by the voters of the district. Drive Opened To Aid Plant With the Christmas season over, members of the Kenton sivic com mittee in charge of subscriptions for stock in rehabilitating the Runkle Co., whose plant was razed by fire in Kenton on Nov. 5, will open a concerted drive to sign subscriptions for stock, Mayor Ellis H. McFar land, committee chairman, announced. The campaign to aid The Runkle Co., had been retarded by the Christ mas season, McFarland said. It is expected that the local subscription drive will be completed this week, the mayor explained. Goes To Navy Band School John Rutledge, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jess Rutledge of Ada, has been accepted in the U. S. Navy school of music and will receive two years of musical education and four years of service in band and orchestra work on shipboard. Fire Leaves Eight Homeless Mr. and Mrs. Fred Webb and their six children, living near For aker, were left homeless last week as fire, originating from a defective flue, destroyed their farm home and all the furnishings at an estimated loss of $3,200. Only their clothing and a radio were saved. The build ing was owned by George McAdams, Waynesfield. Free From Quarantine After Two Months The Albert Sheldon family was free from their home in McDonald township last week, after enforced isolation of two months, during which time the mother and six children recovered from scarlet fever. Only the husband and father escaped contracting the disease, County Health Commissioner J. F. Holtz muller said. Applicant For Compen sation Wins Fight The state supreme court last week refused to review Hardin county court decisions finding that A. V. Yoxsimer, owner of the Dola Hard ware Co., was entitled to benefits from the workmen’s compensation funds for injuries suffered while en gaged in work for the McGuffey Ele vator Co. Although Yoxsimer was himself an employe, he had agreed to work for the elevator company on certain terms and was using his own em ployes to complete the job. During the work he fell from a ladder while changing a corn cob spout and a conveyor. The State Industrial commission rejected his application for compen sation, but both the common pleas and appellate courts held he was entitled to participate in the fund. Has Collection Of Horseshoes It may sound goofy, but Edward H. Clucker, native of Kenton and now a resident of Cleveland, has a collection of 1,500 horseshoes, many of which have interesting histories. Yes, Mr. Clucker’s hobby is collect ing such pieces of metal. Clucker, when a boy, was a “swipe” at the racetrack at the old Hardin county fairgrounds. There he formed his admiration for horses and their riders. The first shoe in his collection was that from the hoof of “Bessie Stimmel,” record breaking mare. He now boasts that he can show a shoe from every well known horse that has run on the American track. Man, 80, Wants To Be Senator An octogenarian is the first avowed candidate for Ohio’s 1940 Republi can nomination for U. S. Senator. Charles E. Wharton, 80, of Ken ton, president of the Federated Farm club of Ohio and unsuccessful can didate last year for the representa tive-at-large nomination, announced he would seek the nomination on a “prosper)ty-for-small-business” o gram. The senate post is that now held by Ohio’s senior senator, Vic Dona hey, Democrat. PUTNAM COUNTY Man Held In Theft Of Pipe Mystery of how six tons or more of cast iron drainage pipe, owned by the State Highway Department, disappeared from the right-of-way in route 224 near Ottawa, led last week to the arrest of Edward Clark, 27, a Leipsic WPA worker. Clark pleaded not guilty before Justice O. J. Schierloh in Ottawa and was remanded to jail in default of $1,000 bond pending action of the Putnam County grand jury. State Highway patrolmen said others may be involved in the case. Authorities said Clark admitted dyn amiting the pipe, once used for drainage under a railroad bed, to break it into small enough pieces to truck away. He said his activities were under full scrutiny of highway employes. No WPA Aid For All chance of obtaining WPA as sistance in the construction of a 100 foot addition to the grandstand at the Putnam county fair grounds is gone, at least until next spring, dis trict Work Projects Administration officials in Toledo have informed members of the fair board. Some other means of financing the project will be considered. Wins Bet By Not Shav ing For Three Months Chauncey Depew Shinkle, Jr., of Ottawa, is introducing himself every where he goes, even to his friends. The reason—he came out from be hind a thick, brown beard for the first time in three months. Chauncey is a junior in Ottawa High school but he proved to every one who chanced to notice that he could grow a full beard. It all started three months ago when his school chum, Eugene Vermilya, bet him a pipe that he couldn’t stand the “gaff” he would have to take if he let his beard grow until Christmas. Chauncey accepted the pipe in pay smer.l of the debt. Recently William Kruse, local barber, shaved the boy free of charge and gave him a dol lar besides as a reward for his bravery in jeopardizing his social standing. Buys From Five Gen eration From Store When J. D. Palmer, 77, retired farmer and dairyman of Columbus Grove, made a purchase of William L. Mapel, 11-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence C. Mapel of South Bend, Indiana, in Mapel Bros. Cloth ing store Christmas day, it was the fifth generation of Mapels from whom he had purchased goods during his lifetime. Palmer, who has resided in this vicinity nearly all his life, bought goods from the first generation of Mapels around sixty years ago after Simon Mapel, R. L. and H. B. Ma pel’s grandfather, came from Gil boa in 1868 and started a drygoods store in Columbus Grove.. ■wwy~ Y PAGE THREE State Representative To Run Again State Representative T. F. Mc Elroy of Putnam County has an nounced his candidacy for reelection subject to the Democratic primaries in May. Three Farm Meetings Scheduled Three meetings of interest to Put nam County farmers have been an nounced by John Finn, manager of the Farm Bureau Cooperative. The first one is farm leaders roundtable to be held Jan. 5, the sec ond is the Youth Council meeting Jan. 26 and the third is the annual cooperative meeting, Feb. 20. Yule Week Tax Re ceipts Lower Christmas shopping fell off slight ly in Ottawa during the week before the holiday if sales tax receipts can be taken as a barometer. Sales tax receipts dropped about 13 per cent for the week as com pared with the same week in 1938, according to records in the office of County Treasurer Grover Nichols. However, figures for the year so far indicate a definite increase over 1938. County Acreage In creased By AAA Farmers in Putnam county will have about two per cent more land open to production of crops under the agricultural adjustment adminis tration program in 1940 than during 1939. This announcement was made here by members of the county AAA committee which has received the county depleting allotment from Washington, D. C. This county will be allowed 144, 154 acres for production in 1940 un der AAA provisions as compared with 142,577 during 1939. This is an increase of 1,577 acres which will be divided among all the farmers who participate in the AAA pro gram. Fair Board Is Organized Harry Collar, of Columbus Grove, was re-elected president of the Put nam county fair board in the annual meeting of the group held in the court house assembly room. O. T. McDowell, of Pandora, vice president W. E. Montooth, Leipsic, treasurer, and Joseph L. Brickner, Ottawa, secretary, also were re named. The fair books auditing commit tee composed of Sam Ford, J. D. Jones and Andrew Brinkman, an nounced that the board had spent a total of $15,835.34 during 1939. Re ceipts for the same period amounted to $16,776.63 and with the $198.89 already in the treasury at the start of the year, the organization will be gin the new year with total bal ance of $1,140.18. s Grove Man Away On Air Tour Bill Witteborg, one of Columbus Grove’s popular air enthusiasts, took off from a field near his home last week in his Taylor cub, headed for the annual air show and two weeks vacation in Miami, Florida. Bill, former proprietor of Witte borgs’ Lunch, now operated by Fritz Witteborg, headed for the Lima air port where he picked up an aerial photographer fiom Lima, who ac companied him to Columbus where they met the Light Plane Cavalcade, a fleet of privately owned light planes under 75 horsepower. Scientists nw use hens’ eggs in the production of viruses to provide disease immunity to animals. The egg shell protects the viruses from contamination while the production process is being completed, and it is believed these new weapons in dis ease control will be less variable and more safe than the ones produced within animal hosts by former meth ods. 0- LOCAL AND LONG DISTANCE HAULING Every Load Insured STAGER BROS. Bluffton, Ohio For Vigor and Health— include meat in your menu. Always ready to serve you. Bigler Bros. Fresh and Salt Meats