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BLUFFTON NEWS The Advertising Medium for Bluffton Trade Territory VOLUME NO. LXV TWO GUNMEN HOLD UP DRUG STORE IN ROBBERY AT NOON Bandits Obtain $55 in Loot at Hauenstein Pharmacy on Saturday Methods Used Here are Similar To Those at Marion Two Days Earlier Staging a daring holdup over the noon hour, two gunmen looted the Hauenstein and Son Corner Drug store of $55 in cash last Saturday and successfully made their getaway before passersby on the street outside were aware of what had occurred. After staging the drug store rob bery last Saturday, the gunmen lock ed Lucille Hilty, 22, clerk, and Roger Hauenstein, 23, son of the proprietor, in the basement, and leisurly made their escape. Order Ice Cream When the men first entered the store, Miss Hilty, and Edgar Heuen stein, the proprietor, were on duty. One of the bandits was described as between 25 and 30 years of age and the other was about 45. Taking seats at the soda fountain, the gunmen ordered chocolate sun daes. While they were eating, Hau enstein left to go home for lunch. After finishing their sundaes, one of the men went to the post card rack and selected a card and the other stationed himself near the front door. As Miss Hilty went to the cash reg ister to get change, the bandit with the post card followed her, drew his gun and informed Tier it was a holdup. Unable to open the cash register, he forced the clerk to open it for him. Flourishes Gun Roger Hauenstein entered by way of the front door about that time, and the gunmen stationed at the door menaced him with his gun and took his pocket bill fold from him. After taking all the money from the cash register, the bandits turned their attention to the safe which had been left open. They took a wallet with bills which laid in the front com partment, and searched for a key to the inner compartment which they thought was locked. Contents the wallet taken from the safe arid the cash register amout ed to $43* An additional $12 was ob tained from ydung Hauenstein’s bill fold. Key to the inner compartment of the safe was demanded by the gun men, but after Miss Hilty and Hau (Continued on page 8) Picnic Of Meter Works August 11 Annual picnic of the Meter works will be held at Indian Lake on Sun day, Anugust 11, it was announced the first of the week. All present and former employees of the Trip lett and Readrite plants and their families are invited to attend. Blosser To Teach In Southern Ohio Ralph Blosser, who recently re signed his position as field secretary of Bluffton college has accepted a position as instructor in the high school at Seven Mile, near Hamilton, Ohio. Airplane Instrument Engineers Are Here Two representatives from the Lewis Engineering company, Nauga tuck, Conn., were in Bluffton, Tues day, for a conference at the plant of the Triplett Electrical Instrument company. The Lewis company is one of the nation’s largest manu facturers of airplane instruments. Purpose of the conference was not disclosed. Births Word has been received here of the birth of a son, Scott Allen, to Mr. and Mrs. Byron Morris of Hud son, Mich., July 8. Mrs. Morris will be remembered here as formerly Christina Ferguson, a niece of Mrs. Clift Stratton. Mr. and Mrs. Dallas Hunt of Dearborn, Mich., are the parents of a daughter, Barbara Ann, born July 5. Mrs. Hunt was formerly Lucille Badertscher, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Badertscher residing northwest of Bluffton. Little Stan ley Hunt has returned to the home of his parents after spending the past three weeks at the home of his grandparents here. Chairman TpORREST STEINMAN, chair man, of the general com mittee in charge of arrange ments for ceremonies in connec tion with the laying of the corner-stone of Bluffton’s new post office building last Sunday. Steinman, who presided at the afternoon program, is an active member of the Bluffton Masonic lodge which sponsored the cor ner-stone laying. He is also past commander of Findlay Commandery, Knights Templar. NINE YEAR OLD BEAVERDAM BOY KILLED IN CRASH Leonard Pursley Fatally Injur ed Tuesday in Automobile Collision Family Formerly Resided South Of Bluffton Boy Attend ed School Here Leonard Pursley, nine year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Dale Pursley of Beaverdam was killed in an automo bile collision at the intersection of the Sugar Creek and Bath township roads one mile south of the Dixie highway in Bath township, Tuesday noon. The Pursley family formerly lived on the Sam Hauenstein farm south of Bluffton, later moving to Bea verdam. The boy attended school here last year. The dead boy’s father, Dale Purs ley, 60, a WPA worker is in Lima Memorial hospital suffering chest in juries. His condition is reported as fair. Three Others Injured Others injured in the accident were Arthur, 5, and Benny, 3, also sons of Mr. Pursley, and Jack Enterline, 22, of Ada. The two boys were treated at Memorial hospital for lacerations and later removed to their home in Beaverdam. Enterline still is in the hospital with a leg injury, which may be a fracture, and also bruises and shock. He is expected to recover. One a State Car According to state highway patrol men from Lima, the mishap occurred at the intersection of the Sugar Creek and Traver roads near the Pleasant View Church of the Breth ren. The crossroad is located about a mile west of route 25. The auto driven by Enterline and owned by the state highway depart ment was northbound on the Thayer road while the machine driven by Mr. Pursley was westbound on the Sugar Creek road, patrolmen said. They collided at the center of the intersection and both piled up in the ditch on the northwest corner with the state car on top, patrolmen said. Arthur and Benny Pursley were thrown clear of the wreckage through a barbed-wire fence while Mr. Pursley and Enterline remained in their cars. Boy Under Auto The body of Leonard, the victim, was found by ambulance drivers under his father’s car. He was rushed to Memorial hospital and lived only 10 minutes after being admitted. It was reported Tuesday night that the boy suffered a dislocated vertebra in the neck, crushed face, broken arm and punctured left lung. Dr. Burt Hibbard, Allen county coroner, had not returned a verdict although he had performed an autopsy. Sacred Concert The Ebenezer Mixed chorus under direction of Prof. Otto Holtkamp will present a sacred concert at the Ebenezer Mennonite church Sunday night at 8 o’clock. A LARGE SHIPMENTS OF WHEAT BEING MADE HERE DAILY Threshing Shows Yield of Grain Is Heavier Than Farmers Had Anticipated Bulk of Crop is Stored Await ing Higher Prices Surplus Of Crop is Marketed Between 5,000 and 7,000 bushels of wheat are being shipped daily from Bluffton to big city markets, despite the fact that farmers generally are reported storing all the grain for which they have available space. With threshing at its peak, reports thruout the district show wheat yields are higher than anticipated. The average return on most farms is from 28 to 30 bushels per acre, and the quality is excellent. Tests of the new crop are from 58 to 63, with an average of 60. THEY’RE SERVING FOUR MEALS TO THRESHERS Dinner for threshers is noth ing compared to what is going on at Herr Bros, farm south of town on the Bentley road. There the threshing crews will have dinner and supper for two days —this Wednesday and Thursday. Herr Bros, hybrid corn grow ers, also have an extensive acreage of seed wheat this year on their own and other farms in the neighborhood. Two days of continuous threshing started Wednesday morning and will continue until Thursday night. Selling price on the Bluffton mar ket Wednesday was 70 cents a bushel for No. 1 wheat, but general opinion among farmers is that the price will go considerably higher. Huge quantities of the grain are being stored on practically every farm in the district, awaiting the expected raise in prices, but the crop has been so large this year that marketing in a considerable volume also is reported. Never less than three and general ly four cars of wheat are being dis patched daily from the local mar kets, as farmers sell the surplus of their grain for which they have no available storage space. Each car load contains from 1,600 to 1,800 bushels. Most of the wheat shipped from Bluffton goes to Toledo commission houses, and a large part of the grain is used in making quality flour for the pastry business. Lots of straw is reported, the result of a wet spring which resulted in heavy growths in practically every w’heat field. Even where the crop is being combined, a process in which the stalk is cut much higher from the ground, plenty of straw is obtained. BUMPER WHEAT YIELDS Some bumper wheat records were made on farms in the Bluffton dis trict during the past week. Highest reported was that of Harley Diller on the A. C. Geiger farm a mile north west of Bluffton where one field made 40 bushels to the acre. A yield of 37'/i bushels per acre was reported from the Clymer farm, northwest of town owned by Waldo Hofstetter and occupied by C. E. Greiner. A yield of 35 bushels per acre was made by wheat on the Homer Gratz farm west of Bluffton. Injured In Accidents Mrs. Hattie Innis, of Aurora, Ill., is a patient at Bluffton hospital with a fractured left leg as the re sult of a fall while visiting at the home of her sister, Mrs. Delos Keel of South Main street. Mrs. Innis, who is an invalid, accidentally fell last Thursday evening. Waldo Huber, residing two miles south of Bluffton received a severely sprained foot wheh a load of wheat on which he was riding upset while driving into the barn. His son Wade and daughter Patricia who were with him at the time were unhurt. Lloyd Vermillion of Orange town ship is on crutches as the result of injuries to his right foot when he fell from a wind pump. Dan Nusbaum is recovering from painful bruises sustained in a fall from a cherry tree. UNION SERVICES Union services will be held at the First Mennonite church, Sunday night at 7:30. Name of the speaker has not been announced. THE BLUFFTON NEWS I S NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INT ERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY BLUFFTON, OHIO. THURSDAY, .ILLY 2a, 1940 Laying of the corner stone for Bluffton’s new post office building last Sunday afternoon was 103 years, almost to the day, from the time the first post office was opened here. According to records at the post office department in Washington, the first post office here was estab lished on July 20, 1837, under the name of Croghan in honor of Col. MERCURY CLIMBS TO 95 WHEN HEAT WAVE GRIPS AREA HOT WEATHER HITS PRICES OF HOGS Chalk up another one against the hot weather—hog prices Wednesday morning showed a drop of 40 cents per hundred pounds under Monday’s opening. Buyers here said it was due to a drop in demand because of the heat. Top price for porkers on the Bluffton market Wednesday morning was $6.10. severe heat wave suffered by the Bluffton area in several years. To escape the broiling atmosphere, swim ming pools of the district were crowded and residents sat on their lawns until late at night to catch the benefit of a few stray light breezes which were insufficient to cool the interiors of bake-oven homes. As an indication of “things to come”, July’s abnormally cool weath er came to an end Wednesday of last week when the mercury jumped to a mark of 85. It was 87 on Thursday, but Friday found the temperature in the nineties for the first time this month, the high for the day being 94. Saturday’s weather brought a new season record of 95 degrees, and the maximum temperature on Sunday and Monday stood at the same mark. Despite a few clouds and reports of showers to the north, Tuesday’s weather offered no relief, with the mercury reaching 93 degrees in the afternoon. Tuesday evening was a little cooler than on the two pre ceding days but there was no relief from the stifling heat indoors. At the air-cooled plant of The Triplett Electrical Instrument Co., trouble developed in the cooling sys tem on Monday and Tuesday as the worst heat wave of the season was experienced. The cooling system was again in operation on Wednesday morning. PIANO RECITAL Elma Schifferly will present the following pupils in a piano recital Saturday night at 8 o’clock at St. John’s Reformed church: Wanda Neiswander, Eloise Goetsch, Marilyn Steiner, Sarah Amstutz, Mariam Basinger, Mary Ann Bas inger, Mary Ellen Lugibnuhl, Mari lyn Hofer, Julee Garmatter, Mar garet Niswander, Christine Miller, Alfred Basinger, Oral Redick, Arthur John Moser and John Schumacher. The public is invited. Corner Stone Laying 103 Years After First Post Office Opened Seen and Heard at Bluffton Post Office Corner Stone Laying Sunday Afternoon I Bluffton District Swelters in Eight-Day Assault of Sum mer Forces Thermometer Reads Above 90 For Five Successive Days Without Relief Summer—long in coming—has gripped Bluffton in a sweltering, un interrupted eight-day heat wave since last Wednesday, with broiling weather continuing unabated thru every night. Since last Friday, the mercury has climbed into the “nineties” on five successive days, and a season high of 95 degrees was reported an Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Wednesday’s weather rave every indication of continuing Ae assault of the combined and humidity, with the thermometer standing at 90 degrees at noon. Oven-temperature conditions of the last week have brought the most George Croghan heroic defender of Fort Stephenson at what is now Fremont. Between July 20, 1837 and July 21, 1940 when the corner stone of the new federal post office building was laid, the post office has occupied many locations in Bluffton. The com pletion of the building late this year, will provide a permanent location for the post office here. It was one of those long-to-be-re membered days in Bluffton last Sun day. From the time the parade started moving at the town hall which marked the beginning of the program until two hours later when the last notes of the national an them died away it was a continuous colorful ceremony. The ninety-odd degrees of after noon heat were somewhat tempered by a brisk breeze and a brief respite was obtained when the sun occasion ally disappeared behind a cloud—• but as Postmaster Ed Reichenbach said in his remarks on the program —we should be thankful it didn’t rain. Every vantage point within eye range of the corner stone was filled with spectators—lawns and porches of adjoining residences and second story windows were jammed. Knights Templar, one of the high ranking Masonic orders, with their white ostrich plumed headgear and swords included three Bluffton men— korrest Steinman, presiding officer of the day Supt. of Schools A. J. B. Longsdorf and Dr. Evan Basing er. The Knights were commanded by Captain General Fred Price of Findlay, The sound truck of the Ohio Oil company of Findlay with its ampli fying equipment made the entire program easily audible to the big (Continued on page 8) To Manage Spalding Co. Store In Chicago Ralph West, formerly of Bluffton, will become on September 1 man ager of the Chicago retail store of Spalding Bros, company, manufactur ers of athletic equipment and also manager of the company’s Middle West sales territory. West, accompanied by his wife, stopped here for a short time Mon day afternoon enroute to their home in Kansas City after a business trip to Boston. He and his family will move next month to Chicago. Mrs. Daniel Bucher Dies Funeral Friday Mrs. Dan Bucher, 63, died sud denly at her home two miles west of Bluffton Tuesday night at 8:30. Death wds due to a heart attack. Mrs. Bucher apparently in her usual health prepared the evening meal for the family and had not com plained of any illness She was found in the house in a critical condition a short time there after by her husband as he returned from doing chores at the barn. Funeral services will be held Fri day afternoon at her late home at 2 o’clock followed by services at the Ebenezer Mennonite church at 2:30 o’clock. Rev. P. A. Kliewer, her pastor, will officiate. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Mrs. Bucher, formerly Sarah Dil ler, was born in Richland township, October 17, 1877, the daughter of Peter P. and Barbara (Steiner) Dil ler. She was married to Dan Bu cher in 1905. Mrs. Bucher was a member of the Ebenezer church. Surviving in addition to her hus band are three daughters, Mrs. Jeanette Hilty and Mrs. Mabel Hilty, both of Pandora and Miss Barbara Bucher of Chicago and one son Clay ton Bucher at home. Also surviving are three brothers Albert and John Diller of Bluffton and David Diller of Columbus Grove five sisters, Miss Fannie Diller of Chicago and Mrs. John Bixler, Mrs. Peter Herr and Mrs. Peter Nusbaum all of Bluffton and also Miss Mary Diller of Bluffton who is now visit ing in California. The body may be viewed at the Diller funeral home until Friday morning when it will be removed to her late home west of Bluffton. I I CROWD OF 2,500 SEES COLORFUL PARADE SUNDAY Knights Templar, National Guardsmen and Local Units In Line of March Parade, Under Hot July Sun, Passes Thru Flag Lined Business Section Under a blazing July sun they marched—those white plumed Knights Templar, uniformed rank of the Ma sonic order who lent color and dignity to ceremonies marking the laying of the corner stone of Bluffton’s new post office building, Sunday after noon. It was Bluffton’s first glimpse of the historic order which for centuries since the time of the Crusades have marched under the sign of the cross for God and country. Clad in severe black uniforms with glistening swords at their side, Knights thruout Northwestern Ohio gathered here to form one of the largest groups in the parade. Findlay Captain Commands Apparently oblivious to the all-per pervading heat they swung up Main street, wheeled with military precis ion in response to commands barked by Captain General Fred N. Price of Findlay commandery and formed a double line under whose upraised swords Deputy Grand Master Charles Wilson was escorted to the speaker’s stand for ceremonies marking the laying of the corner stone. But the Knights were not the only guests to appear here for the parade, Sunday. In the line of march were sixty National Guardsmen from the Ada unit under command of Captain McElroy who were here for the oc casion in addition to local Bluffton units participating. Bluffton was expecting a colorful parade—and Bluffton was not dis appointed. Not within the past twenty years has the town been so decked with flags. Street Closed to Traffic Nothing was lacking to insure the success of the parade—the usual clat ter and din of Sunday afternoon traf fic was stilled with not an automobile parked on Main street thruout the business ection. Bluffton Boy Scouts, reinforced with deputy sheriffs and state high way patrolmen under direction of Marshal H. L. Coon diverted the stream of traffic over Jackson street from Kibler to Riley. Motorists in the main, took kindly to the arrangement—but whether they liked it or not made no difference. Bluffton was out to have a celebration of its own Sunday afternoon and com deered Main street for the occasion. The order was traffic on Main street during the ceremonies and it was carried out to the letter. Cross street traffic, too was banned during that time and following the parade, the crowd which jammed Main street in front of the post office building found it a particularly favorable point from which to view the corner stone laying. Defense Shop Course Enrolls Seventeen Bluffton’s shop course sponsored under the national defense program opened here Monday night with an enrollment of seventeen. Evening classes now being held at the high school will be transferred later to the machine shop of the Triplett Electrical Instrument company. The course will consist of machine shop practise under direction of George Klay and Chas. Hilty of the Triplett plant. The instruction will continue until October 18. Enrolled for the course are: Columbus Grove—Warren Wright. Pandora—Leland Badertscher and W. H. Schumacher. Bluffton—Paul Schumacher, Edgar Neuenschwander, Nelson Wells, Her bert Kindle, Justin Gratz, Lowell Habegger, Chas. Emans, Delbert Luginbuhl, Robert Luginbuhl, Aldine Weiss, Jr., Frank Haner, Wilbur Sumney, Harold Kenney and George Burkholder. BLUFFTON A Good Place to Live and a Good Place to Trade CORNER STONE OF POST OFFICE BUILDING IS LAID WITH IMPRESSIVE RITUAL NUMBER 13 MASONIC LODGE ANCIENT RITES MARK OCCASION Age-old Ceremony is Broadcast to Large Gathering by Amplifiers Address of Afternoon Made by Director of International Postal Service With impressive age-old ceremon ies in the presence of a crowd esti mated at more than 2,500, the cor ner-stone of Bluffton’s new post office building at South Main and Franklin streets was laid Sunday afternoon. Ceremonies marking the occasion were those prescribed in the ancient ritual of the Masonic order and ex emplified by the Bluffton lodge work ing under a special dispensation of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Ohio. It was a strange blending of the old and the new as the traditional service was broadcast over a modern amplifying system. In company with the corn, wine and oil used by the order in the dedication of build ings since the days of King Solo mon’s temple appeared a modern microphone carrying the ritual in toned on the speaker’s platform to the farthest fringes of the holiday crowd that pressed at every vantage point to obtain a view of the cere mony. Colorfjil^S^^^^ _Jt was a colorful affair and the large numbers wno braved the ninety-odd degree heat to witness the ceremony were amply repaid with a sight long to be remembered. White plumed Knights Templar bearing the black and white flag of Findlay commandery, a delegation of sixty khaki-clad Ada National Guardsmen, Bluffton’s high school band in spotless white with smart scarlet trim, Legionnaires with jaunty overseas caps, uniformed Boy Scouts doing yeoman duty *is traffic police, red coated Bluffton Lions, members of the Business Men’s as sociation and the Blue Lodge mem bership in white aprons with the officers bearing the age-old symbols of their order—all combined to lend to the occasion a festive air pervad ed with a sense of dignity and solemnity. The program was carried out with a precision which in itself spoke for the efforts of the various lodge com mittees which have been at work (Continued on page 8) Allan Baumgartner Is Orville H. S. Principal Allan Baumgartner, son of Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Baumgartner of this place has resigned his position as principal of the Painesville high school to accept a similar position in the schools at Orrville. Mr. Baumgartner has been con nected with the Painesville schools for the past twelve years. He and his family will move to Orrville dur ing the coming month where he will enter on his school duties at the opening of the fall term in Septem ber. Mother Of Bluffton Woman Succumbs Mrs. Henry Hixon, 73, the mother of Mrs. Fred Getties of South Main street, died at her home in Coalton, Jackson county, last Wednesday afternoon. Death, due to a heart ailment, followed an illness of sev eral years. Funeral services were held at the United Brethren church Friday afternoon with Rev. Fred Gilliland pastor of the church officiating. In terment was made in Coalton ceme tery. Mr. and Mrs. Getties and daugh ter Zitella who left early last week when the condition of Mrs. Hixon became critical returned home Satur day night. Besides her daughter of this place she is survived by three sons, Donald and Floyd Hixon at home and Carl Hixon of Dayton.