The Bluffton news. [volume], September 04, 1941, Image 1

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BLUFFTON NEW:
The Advertising Medium fi
Bluffton Trade Territory
VOLUME NO. LXVI
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ATTENDANCE 532
DECREASE SHOWN
Registration at Grade and High
Schools 53 Less Than
Last Year v
Attendance at High School Ik
315 Grade Schools Enroll
217 Pupils
Bluffton public
Tuesday morning
school year with
532.
schools opened by
for the comma
...... an attendance vf
Enrollment at the high schj®(
is 315 and attendance in the gratj^A
is 217, it was announced by A. J. V.
Longsdorf, superintendent.
Attendance figures of the opent/^f1
day show a decline in enrollment fdr
the fifth consecutive year. This
year’s decrease of 53 reflects to a
large degree loss of pupils from Or-J
ange township who transferred to Mt.
Cory high school in Hancock county.
Attendance on opening day last
year was 585. Previous years’ figur
es were 610 in 1939 648 in 1938 and
Little Change Expected
Although a few students were ab
sent because of illness or extended va
cations, late registrations are not ex
pected to change materially the total’
attendance figures announced on op
ening day.
In tlle high school the largest class
is the senior group which is com
posed
of 68 students—37 boys and 31 girls.
The ju nior class, by way of conipari
son has an enrollment of 47—24 boys
and 2.‘ girls.
Enrollment by Classes
Com plete enrollment totals ar
nounee Wednesday morning by Supt.
Longsdorf are as follows:
Grade School
Grade Teacher Total
1 Grace Cox 20
1 Meredith Stepleton 18
Floy McBans 33
Levada Balmer
eo
4 Minerva Hilty 28
5 Adella Oyer 34
4-6 Robert Ewing 23
6 Theola Steiner 31,
217
High School
Grade Boys Girls Total
33 ‘^5
I
29 14 43
10 18 27
11 47
1 .1 1
Billie Bechtel Wed
In Kentucky Aug. 1
Marriage of Miss Billie Bechtel,
daughter of ade Bechtel, Grove
street, to Foster Griffith, son of E.
G. Griffith, of Van Buren, at Louis
ville, Ky., on August 1, was an
nounced this week.
The single ring ceremony wax sol
emnized before a justice of the peace
•in Louisville. For the occasion the
bride wore a black and white dress,
with white accessories, and a corsage
of red roses.
Attendants were the bride’s elder
sister, Miss Caroline Bechtel, of
North Baltimore, and Richard Sill,
of Milton Center.
The bride was graduate^ from
Bluffton High school in the telass of
1941. Griffith was a graduate at
Van Buren High school in 1940.
Mr. and Mrs. Griffith are making
their home with his parents in V&n
Buren.
Rawson Woman Is
Hurt In Auto Crash
Caucuses In Orange
Twp. Name Nominees
Tiepublitfan and Democratic cau
cuses were held in Orange township
daring the, last week, with one va
cancy repotted on each ticket.
Democratic nominations included:
Henry Hilty’ and Henry Wilch, trust
ees Gilbert Montgomery and How
ard Nonnamaker, constables. No
justice'of the peace candidate was
named.
•/', On the Republican ticket nomina
tions were as follows: Charles Bak
ter and' Harry Reams, trusteft
iElbert Anderson, constable and Lee
^orrisoxi, justice of the peace. Only
^ne candidate for constable is on
the ticket, with two to be elected.
Building New House
Wm. Schifferly has started con
struction of a new dwelling on Route
103 a short distance east of the
cbfcnty line intersection.
NAME TOWNSHIP
CANDIDATES IN
PARTY CAUCUSES
Democrats and Republicans
Chooke Nominees in Rallies
Held Here
Candidates for School Board
Also Named Political In
terest Revived
die-aV akened interest in political
TZA's was dem mstratc 1 last Friday in
J,hfe large turnouts for I’ niocratic and
Republican caucuses to nominate can
’ff?4ates fog- nine Richland township of-
/rAVith near-capacity crowds at
tJOlitioal gatherings, the setting
reminiscent of bygone years
election campaign was the
•“a
O&jJnon I
woman was injured
afternoon a mile south
an automobile collision
operated by her
man.
60
A Rawson
early Monday
of Rawson in
between cars
band and a Bluffton area
Mrs. Myrtle Hughes,
hU3-
H/r
aid Ralph
Rjtral RXrte
was
band, S. W. Hughe
V. Motter, 20, Blufl
2, were unhurt. Mrs. .Hughes
taken to the Bluffton hospital.
The mishap occurred at the ii}^r
section of Hancock county route 12
and the Runkle rad.
Thous*nds Employed
There art 86,250 employees in the
department of agriculture, 12,165 of
whom a* in Washington.
shcyK’^nd Waldo H. Huber, Republi
cantf*
Justices of the Peace
A. D. Gratz and Marshall Jennings,
^D^hiocrats Stanley Vertner, Republi
’iart Only one G. O. P. nominee was
illM.
Constables
Charles Lora and Robert Niswan
der, Democrats and J. E. Emerick
and R. E. Griffith, Republicans.
Bluffton School Board
Oscar Lora, Dr. W. M. Niswander
and Fred Wenger, Democrats Ralph
Badertscher, Ralph Dunifon and John
Tdsh, Republicans.
Rededication Service
At Reformed Church
Special services marking rededica
ticdi of St. John’s Reformed church
Will be held Sunday morning and
evening, it is announced by Rev.
Emil Burrichter, the pastor.
The church was closed for several
weeks for redecoration and other
vyx
imp rove men ts.
At the services Sunday morning
ai 9:15, Rev. E. A. Beck, returned
nisjsionary from China will be the
speaker. Rev. P. H. Graeser of the
Ffyst Reformed church of Lima will
spKak in the evening at 7:30 o’clock.
Real Estate Deals
J*‘rty Basinger residing northwest
of Bluffton has purchased the Wm.
Wallace property on Cherry street
occupied by Richard Bixel and fam
ily.
Rolland Guider has purchased the
Ira Troxel property on Riley street
froni Mrs. Guytana Young of Port
Clinton. Guider now occupies the
property.
Aa ._________________________________. —-—.
______________ _____________ ________ ______________________________________________________________________ --_____________________________ ___________________
annabeckers Are Enroute Home
From Far East, Cablegram Says
Customs Of Pennsylvania “Dutch” In
Bucks County Are Rapidly Changing
Missionaries to China, Former
ly of Bluffton College, to
Return to U. S.
Cablegram Sent From Souder
ton, Pa., With Response
From China Same Day
Responding to the urgent summons
of the board of foreign missions of
the General Conference of Mennon
ites, Dr. Lloyd and Floyd Panna
becker, missionary workers in Kai
Chow, China, will come home as
soon as transportation to the United
States can be arranged, according
to a cablegram received by the board
from the Pannabeckers on Saturday.
The message was sent to Rev. P. H.
Richert, secretary of the General
Conference at Souderton, Pa.
The message was immediately
phoned from Souderton, *to Mrs.
(Continued on page 8)
P. W. Stauffer Describes Urban
Influences on Area at
Lions Meeting
Perspective of Distance Needed
To See Changes Take Place,
Speaker Says
Urban influences on the quaint
rural culture of the Pennsylvania
“Dutch” of Bucks County, Pa., are
creating a unique combination of
circumstances, according to Prof. P.
W. Stauffer,' speech instructor at
Bluffton college and Bluffton High
school, who addressed the Bluffton
Lions club at the
Tuesday night.
Wedding
in
Walnut Grill
resident of the
his home town
this summer
Stauffer, a former
county, returned to
of Quakertown, Pa.,
and found that many of the old cus
toms and traditions he had known as
a boy were rapidly succumbing to
the
and
influences of the radio,
screen.
Only since the old customs
(Continued on page 8)
Ceremony
Pennsylvania
‘V. C. S. Hayner
Saturday. The
led.
Rev. Hayner who received the
marriage vows was a former pastor
of the bride during which time he
served
church
the St.
in Ada.
Lutheran
The bride and groom were attired
in navy blue and
solemnized in the
mony.
the nuptials were
single ring cere-
graduate of La-
The bride is a
fayette high school in the class of
1939. For the
been employed
Gratz Home
Children. She
Mr. and Mrs.
Bluffton.
past year she has
in Bluffton at the
School for Special
is the daughter of
Paul Miller of near
The bridegroom, son of Mr. and
Mrs. W. H. Gratz, of South Lawn
avenue, is a graduate of Bluffton
High school in the class of 1938.
Later he attended Lima Northwest
ern School of Commerce and Bluff
ton college. He is now employed as
a draftsman at the Triplett Electri
cal Instrument company.
The couple will be at home after
September 10 in their cottage at the
home
110%
of the bridegroom’s parents,
South Lawn avenue.
Births
BJuff-
ay night.
irl Schick, Ad
Mr. and Mrs. Francis May, Beav
erdam, a boy, Saturday.
Mr. and Mrs. Merritt Rossman,
Jenera, a girl, Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. William J. Burk
holder, a boy, Sunday.
Mr.
Leipsic, a boy, Sunday.
and Mrs. Wilmer Rader,
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, SEPT. 4, 1941
TOWN BJED FOR $25,000 CREEK POLLUTION CHARGE
VOTERS TO DECIDE
$8,000 FIRE BOND
ISSUE THIS FALL
Council Acts to Put Proposal
On Ballot at Election in
November
Need More Equipment to Avoid
Rise in Insurance Rates,
Chief Warns
Hoping to avert fire underwriters’
re-classification that would mean in
creased insurance rates on Bluffton
buildings, the municipal council Mon
day night voted to submit to voters
at the November election an $8,000
bond issue for the purchase of new
fire fighting equipment.
To maintain present rating in Class
8, Bluffton must make arrangements
to purchase a new mot
at least 500 additiona
hose, Fix e Chief Guy
to the council at the
(Continued on
feet fire
BLUFFTON COLLEGE
TO OPEN FOR FALL
TERM NEXT WEEK
Registration
Tuesday and Wednesday
Classes Start Thursday
Scheduled fo
Three New Additions to Faculty
Announced by President L.
L. Ramsey er
ren-
With enrollment predictions
dered practically impossible be
of the draft and the national de
fense program, Bluffton
register students for th
on Tuesday and Wednest
week, it was announced
Ramseyer, president of the ins
tion.
it is
the
ally
expected, however, that
college will not show proper
larger institutions in the sta
Registration Tuesday
Lincoln hall, the
Additional studeiv
in the secretarial
to balance possibli
to the draft and
nrolled
tend
ses due
of obtaining employment
tional Defense industries,
pointed out.
for
The course is being offered
first time this year and will
of instruction in typing, shorthand,
accounting, business
practice and subjects
eral office practice,
staff will consist of
Prof. William
Nebraska, new
and economics.
English, office
related to gen
Instructional
Ray Hilty and
Dick, of
instructor in
Beatrice,
business
Instructors
instructors
will be
Other new
Prof. Floyd Pannabecker, missionary
returning from China, who will
teach in the Bible department Prof.
H. W. Linscheid, of Norman, Okla.,
who will teach mathematics and
physics and Miss M’Della Moon, who
will resume her position as professor
of biology after a year’s leave of
absence for graduate study at Ohio
State university.
Prof. Pannabecker will likely be
on the staff
tor in order that he
time to church work in
Conference. Prof. A.
instruc
devote
a part time
may
the
C.
ture, will teach at the colle
part time arrangement in
enable him to devote more
his pastorate at the Ebenez
nonite church west of town
On Friday evening, Sept. 12, the
“get-acquainted” mixer will be held
in the gymnasium with all students
and members of the faculty partici
pating. This affair is sponsored by
the Y. M. and Y. W. C. A. organi
zations of the college.
Advancing years rest lightly upon
the shoulders of Mrs. Peter Oberly, of
Cherry street, who will observe her
95th birthday on Friday.
Altho only five years under the cen
tury mark, Mrs. Oberly is active and
reads regularly without the use of
glasses. Until three years ago she
made her own clothing.
Favored literature of the near-cen
tenarian is a well-thumbed German
Bible and old German hymnbook and
The Bluffton News. About 30 years
ago Mrs. Oberly bought a pair of
glasses, but she threw them away be
cause she felt they interfered with,
rather than aided her eyesight.
Her memory is keen, and a member
of the family studying the Oberly
genealogy recently found her unusu-
Eustis is a reflection of
defense effort which as
its program is attempting to
up an impregnable barrier o
coasts of the country.
(Continued on page 8)
Woman Killed In
Crash On Lincoln
A
overturned in
north side of the highway,
suffered a fractured skull.
Mrs. Peter Oberly Active On 95th
Birthdav Reads Without Glasses
oast Guard Artiller
Pvt. Robert Dillman, of Ft.
Mechanics Post
On
Considerable Stress Placed
Anti-Aircraft and Long
Range Guns
Expansion of the coast guard
tillery is taking place at a tre
mendous rate, accoi■ding to Pvt. Rob
ert Dillman, of Ft. Eustis, Va., who
recently •eturned to his barracks
following
leave here
a 15-( lay convalescent
recent weeks, the former Miss JoAnn
Stonehill, and his mother, Mrs. Ella
Dillman of North Main street, dur
ing his Bluffton stay
Evan Am­
Also at Ft. Eustis
stutz, of Orange
in the clerical department of
camp. James West, Bluffton
clerk, is in the western unit of the
coast guard artillery located at Camp
township, who is
the
Dillman is in the land division of
the coast guard artillery and gradu
ated recently from the trade school
specializing in auto mechanics for
which he received a diploma. The
came as
and ex­
assignment to that division
a resul
und
of
sting s
by a
of a
south
highway mishap caused
blow-out took the life
Wisconsin woman four miles
of Bluffton on the Lincoln highway,
Saturday afternoon.
Mrs. Sophie Sukula, 52, of Cuda
hy, Wis., was instantly killed in the
mishap which occurred when the left
rear tire blew out and the auto
skidded, striking a guard rail, and
a ditch along the
She
John Paulik, 38, of Milwaukee,
Wis., driver of the car his wife,
Anna, 38 and a son, Rudy, 12, were
treated in the Bluffton Community
hospital for minor injuries. An
other child, Anna, 8, escaped un
hurt.
The party was enroute from Pitts
burgh, Pa., to Milwaukee, when the
crash occurred at 5:30 p. m. Satur-
atomo
half
anc
vest of the intersection n
9 and the Lincoln highway
injured were taken to th
Route
The
Bluffton hospital in the Stanley Ba
singer ambulance. Mrs. Sukula’s
body was taken to the Basinger fun
eral home, and from there was re
moved to Brawnsville, Pa., Sunday
evening, where burial was made.
inci
ally apt in recalling names and
dents in the family history.
Mrs. Oberly makes her home
a son, Levi Oberly, on Cherry street.
Millard Oberly, a grandson, and his
family reside in the same house. This
gives a fafriily of four generations
living under the same roof.
with
Her husband, who died in 1902, was
on the building committee of the St.
John Mennonite church, near Pandora.
Mrs. Oberly* was born on Sept. 5,
1846, near the Sonnenberg Mennonite
church in Wayne county.
A former schoolmate, Miss Judith
Lehman, 72 was a caller at the Oberly
home Tuesday. Miss Lehman was
the youngest student in the Wayne
county school when Mrs. Oberly was
in the upper grade.
Expanding
Tremendously, Bluffton Boy Reports
MAY GET FOURTH
VOTING PRECINCT
HERE THIS FALL
Decision to be Made Next Week
By Allen County Board of
Elections
Vote in Each of Present Three
Precincts is Over Legal
Maximum
ation of a fourtl
in Bluffton is bei
e Allen County 1
for the ‘all election may be effected
within the coming week. The change
has the support of local committeemen
action
s. all of
the last
that
400.
in
the minimum number of voters reside.
Four Precincts in 1922
Bluffton had four precincts in 1922.
but one fell below 2(M) votes several
years later, and the number of poll
ing places was again decreased to
three.
Action in the matter, however,
rests in the hands of the county board
of elections, which is empowered by
law to divide, re-arrange or create
new precincts when the maximum has
been surpassed. M. M. Bogart, of
this place, is chairman of the countj
board.
Creation of the new Precinct
must be effected in Bluffton before
Sept. 10 if it is to be effective for the
November election it was announced.
Chorus To Sing At
Ebenezer Sunday
Women’s Chorus of
Mennonite church will
auditorium
Amstutz.
the Ebenezer
be presented
ig concert in the church
Sunday night at 8:15
Burk
Director of th
in is Miss Mabe
REMODELS HOUSE
Chas. Keitfer is remodeling
house on the Ben Matter farm
Bluffton which he purchased
spring.
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live and a
.v Good Place to Trade
the
near
last
NUMBER 19
SUITS FOR DAMAGE
ARE INSTITUTED BY
TWO LANDOWNERS
Oliver Locher and Henry Huber
Start Action in Common
Pleas Court
Council to (Jet Report on Sewer
System Possibilities Next
Monday Night
Charging that sewage from Bluff
ton emptied into Big Riley creek has
damaged their farms, two suits ag
gregating $25,000 have been filed in
the Allen county Common pleas court
against the town by Oliver G. Locher
and Henry P. Huber, whose farms are
located a short distance down stream.
Locher seeks damages in the sum
15,000.
Locher’s petition claims that pollu
ion of the stream due to practise of
mptying into it untreated sewage
jut that impurities in the water make
unfit for dairy cattle and other
ivestock to drink. Similar claims
are inchided in Huber’s petition. Riley
creek flOU’S thru both Locher’s and
Huber’s farms. The plaintiffs are
represeiited by R. S. Steiner, Lima at
torney.
The twn will be required to file its
answer in court to Locher’s petition
by September 27.
Reports current Tuesday night that
Funeral Tuesday
For Mrs. Ludwig
Funeral services were held Tues
day afternoon in the Diller funeral
home for Mrs. Matilda Ellen Lud
wig, 86, who died last Sunday morn
ing at the home of her daughter,
Mrs. Ada Miller, of Bentley road.
Death followed a stroke suffered
jesday of the preceding week,
w. A. J. Weed and Lev. A. Albro
’iciated at the funeral rites. Bur
1 was in the Clymer cemetery.
Mrs. Ludwig was a native of Bel
mont county.
laughter se home
Ludwig.
Wash.
Robert
Sportsmen's Club
Makes Fall Plans
Plans for
fall activities were dis
meeting of the Bluffton
tsmen’s club Tues-
cussed at a
Community
day night in the
house.
Gaiffe’s Grove club-
In furtherance of the re-stocking
program in this area three pairs of
raccoons were released in wooded
areas in the vicinity of the town,
this week. County Game Protector
J. J. Johns, assisted by Herb Rup
right, set the raccoons free.
Unruh Family Unhurt
In Automobile Crash
Unruh and
Unruh of
Rev. and Mrs. H. T.
daughter Miss Mildred
North Jackson street escaped injury
in an automobile accident at Gill
man, Ill., last Thursday night, but
their car was badly damaged, ac
cording to reports received here.
The acident occurred when the
Bluffton car collided with another
machine at a street intersection. Two
days were required to make neces
sary repair^ to the Unruh car.
Following repairs to the car, the
Bluffton party continued to their
North Newton, Kansas,
Mildred Unruh will ent
coming
Unruh
week.
where Miss
er Bethel college for
school year. Rev. and
the
Mrs.
this
Bluffton Man Is
Show Ringmaster
Ray Patterson, Bluffton barber re
siding on South Main street, is
ringmaster for the second consecu
tive year at the horse show of the
Hancock county agricultural fair in
Findlay this week.