The Bluffton news. [volume], September 28, 1944, Image 1

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VOLUME NO. LXIX
CONFIRM REPORT
OF LYLE KOHLI’S
DEATH IN FRANCE
Word Received by Mother
Ends Two Months of
Uncertainty
Memorial Service at Missionary
Church This Sunday
Afternoon
Pvt. Lyle B. Kohli, 25-year-old
son of Mrs. Eva Kohli, of N. Main
street, died in France on June 8
from injuries received in action on
the same day, according to a tele
gram received by his mother from
the War Department, Saturday.
Official confirmation of his death
ended two months of uncertainty
which has prevailed here since the
War Department originally reported
that he had been seriously wounded,
following which a schoolmate wrote
home that he had seen Kohli’s grave
in rance.
Mrs. Kohli on July 25 was notified
by the War Department that her son
had been seriously wounded in
France on June 8, the second day
after the invasion.
Conflicting Report
The conflicting report was in a
letter written on August 6 by Clay
ton Weiss, in the Navy and son of
Mr. and Mrs. Aldine Weiss, of Riley
street, who mentioned that he had
visited Kohli’s grave in France.
This was the first indication of
his death and Mrs. Kohli asked the
adjutant general’s office in Wash
ington, D. C., to make an investiga
tion. War Department confirmation
of the death was received by Mrs.
Kohli last Saturday.
Following Saturday’s telegram, the
War Department forwarded a letter
of confirmation which was received
by Mrs. Kohli on Monday. It in
formed her that Lyle had died on
the same day his wounds were re
ceived in the Normandy invasion.
Infantry Man
Kohli was in the infantry and
had been in England nearly two
years. He enlisted in March, 1942,
and landed in the European theatre
in September of the same year. His
last letter to his mother was writ
ten on May 25.
He attended school here through
the sixth grade, then was a student
at McComb for two more. Follow
ing that he enlisted in the CCC
and was in a camp at Vail, Oregon.
Memorial service for the youth
■will be held in the Missionary
church, Sunday afternoon at 2:30
o’clock with Rev. A. F. Albro of
Swanton former pastor and Rev.
Robert Wilch, present pastor officiat
ing. The Bluffton Legion Post will
assist.
Last Rites Are Held
For Mrs. Eliza Fett
Funeral services largely attended
were held for Mrs. Eliza Fett, 77,
at her home on South Main street,
Sunday afternoon. She was the
widow of the late John Fett, Bluff
ton hardware merchant, and her par
ents Asa and Jane Stratton were
pioneer residents of this section.
She died in Bluffton hospital
Thursday night after an illness of
six months.
She was born in Orange township
January 9, 1868 but spent most of
her life living in Bluffton. Her hus
band died May 23, 1926. She was
a member of the Lutheran church
and its women’s organizations.
Surviving are two daughters Mrs.
Mabel Trippiehorn of Bluffton and
Mrs. Ellen Stambaugh of Ada and
two sons Clair and Gilbert Fett of
Bluffton. Also surviving are five
brothers, Orton, Horace, Charles,
Cliff and Jesse Stratton all of
Bluffton.
Funeral services were conducted
by her pastor, Rev. W. L. Harmony
of the Lutheran church and inter
ment was made in Maple Grove cem
etery.
Gerald Filhart Back
From South Pacific
Gerald Filhart of the Seabees,
formerly of Bluffton, returned Tues
day after service in the South Pa
cific. He is now with his wife, Mrs.
Glenna Amstutz-Filhart and family
who live north of Bluffton on Route
12.
Filhart, who was a shipfitter first
class is the son of Jack Filhart of
North Jackson street and a brother
of Mrs. Fred Fritchie of South
Jackson ,street.
He was cited recently by Admiral
Nimitz for meritorious and efficient
performance of duty on Bougain
ville island in the South Pacific war
theatre.
Masonic Anniversary
Celebration October 5
Seventy-fifth anniversary of the
Bluffton Masonic lodge and 30th an
niversary of the Order of the East
ern Star will be celebrated in a joint
social meeting Thursday night, Octo
ber 5, in the lodge hall.
Members of the two organizations
and their families are urged to at
tend the session. An interesting
program is being planned and there
will be refreshments.
Current Off Next
Sunday Afternoon
Electric current service will be
suspended next Sunday afternoon
beginning at 1 o’clock in parts of
town principally west of Main street
while changes are being made in
high voltage lines, unless unfavor
able weather prevents, it was stated
by attaches of the municipal plant,
Tuesday.
15 FARM DRAFT
DEFERMENTS TO
END THIS MONTH
Men in 2-C Classification Be
cause of Farm Re
quirements
Appeals Board Continues One
Case in 1-A, Board 3
Announces
Deferments of 15 selective service
farm workers registered with the Al
len County Draft Board No. 3 are ex
piring this month, it was announced
from offices of the board, Wednesday.
The men were classified 2-C by the
Draft Board of Appeals because of
being engaged in farm work. None
of the jgroup is from Bluffton.
At the same time is was announced
that Earl Dean Luginbuhl of Bluffton
who had been classified 1-A by the
local board at Lima who later carried
his case to the Board of Appeals was
continued in 1-A by the latter board.
Luginbuhl is now enrolled in a Cin
cinnati Bible seminary.
Expiring Classifications
Registrants with 2-C classifications
which expire this month are:
John Richard Basinger, Albert
Frank Wright, Columbus Grove.
Russell Mark Long, Ada.
Hubert Elmer Elwer, George An
thony Wienken, Delphos.
Wilbur Vernon Bunke, Wapakoneta.
Thomas Victor Fetter, Lloyd Ever
ett Early, Gilbert Warren Breitigam,
Harvey L. Hefner, Robert Gannon,
Gerald Richard Downing, James Rich
ard Moser, Paul Samuel Spallinger,
Lima.
Harold Eugene Stevenson, Alger.
Radio Pastor Here
For Singspiration
Rev. Victor Paul Wierwille, radio
pastor together with a group of mu
sicians heard every Sunday noon on
the Chimes Hour will conduct the
evening service and singspiration at
the Defenseless Mennonite church
Sunday.
The evening service will begin at
7:30 followed by the singspiration at
9 o’clock.
In addition to his regular group
Rev. Wierwille will be accompanied
by Jack Stargel, an outstanding per
former, who will be guest pianist on
the Sunday noon broadcast of the
Chimes Hour from Lima station
WLOK.
Attend Legion
Convention
Ralph Stearns and Quinten Burk
holder of the Bluffton Legion post
attended the national Legion conven
tion in Chicago, the past week.
Bluffton’s V-Day celebration mark
ing the end of hostilities in Europe
probably will be a spontaneous dem
onstration much the same as that
which occurred at the close qf World
War I in November, 1918.
So far the only announced formal
plans for the day have been those
drafted by the Bluffton Ministerial
association, which has arranged to
have churches of the town open dur
ing the day for meditation and
prayer. Worship services also will
be held in the churches on the even
ing of V-Day.
Spontaneous Celebration Expected
In Bluffton To Mark European V-Day
A special chapel service will mark
First Well Drilled Was Gusher
That Spurted Higher Than
The Tree Tops
Lack of Capital and Curtailed
Demand Stifled Initial Local
Oil Venture
Additional background in the his
tory of the Bluffton area oil boom of
the Nineties came to light this week
with the disclosures that altho the lo
cal field did not come into prominence
until September, 1894, ojl actually was
discovered in Orange township four
years earlier.
It was known that*bil could be found
in the Bluffton district as early as
September, 1890, when the first well
in this vicinity was drilled on the Asa
Stratton farm, now occupied by Mrs.
Henry Niswander.
Three additional wells were put
down in the same area during the
flurry of 1890, but only one proved to
be a top-flight producer. Lack of
capital in the hands of the promoter,
a curtailed demand and inadequate
facilities for handling the oil stifled
the newborn oil field in its infancy,
however, and renewed interest did not
come until the boom of 1894, which
has its 50th anniversary this year.
Recalls First Well
Drilling of the first well was recall
ed this week by Horace Stratton, now
residing south of Bluffton, an Orange
township native, who helped on his
father’s farm.
In that first stirring of the infant
oil industry in this district, an oil
man, with experience in the Pennsyl
vania field opened 20 years earlier,
played a prominent role.
Frank “Doc” Morical will go down
in history as the first man to see the
oil pricing possibilities of the Bluff
ton area, shortly after he had come
to Findlay with a small group of
Pennsylvania oil men.
Leases Three Farms
Morical took leases on the Asa Strat
ton, Silas Ewing and George Nonna
maker farms in Orange township
early in 1890, and the first well drilled
by his crew proved to be one of the
best ever struck in the Bluffton field.
It was on the Asa Stratton farm,
and it is interesting to note that the
oil boom of 1894 was centered in the
same area where Morical established
his early leases.
Horace Stratton recalled that when
the first well reached oil, the drillers
left the drill in the casing with wrench
on the square to serve as a cap as an
overnight safety measure before go
ing home.
Stratton was assigned to stay on
watch all night and inasmuch as it
Former Bluffton Girl
Is Married In East
Miss Kathryn Fenton, of Cleve
land, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Charles Fenton of South Lawn ave
nue was married to Lowell* Pike of
Farmingdale, Long Island, N. Y.,
on September 2, it was announced by
her parents the first of the week.
The ceremony took place at St.
Mark’s Reformed church in Balti
more and the couple are living at 97
Laurel Street, North Port, Long
Island, N. Y.
Miss Fenton, previous to her mar
riage was engaged in social work in
Cleveland for nine years which she
resigned effective the first of Sep
tember. She is a graduate of Bluff
ton high school, Bluffton college and
Western Reserve university.
Mr. Pike is connected with Re
public Aircraft corporation in Farm
ingdale.
the V-Day observation at Bluffton
High school, with Rev. V. C. Opper
mann, pastor of the Reformed
churches, appearing as the sjeaker.
No announcement has been made
relative to business hours but the
town’s war industries may operate,
depending on the need of their pro
ducts in the Japanese war, it was
announced.
In the main the celebration prin
cipally will be entirely spontaneous,
and probably will be pretty much a
repetition of that which occurred 26
years ago when Germany was beaten
in the First World War.
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
Oil First Was Discovered Here In 1890
Although Boom Did
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, SEPT. 28, 1914
Minard Deeds Dies Death of
Hero in Fighting on Saipan
Not Come Until 1894
was raining he was inside the derrick
housing the drilling machinery.
Gusher is Struck
About 11 p. m. the pressure of the
oil from the bed below was so great
that there was a sudden uprush of
oil in the casing which spurted from
under the cap and sprayed the shack
with crude oil. Stratton was forced
out into the rain by the spurting oil.
The folw of oil soon subsided, but
about three hours later there was a
(Continued on page 2)
Couple To Hold Open
House Sunday, Golden
Wedding Anniversary
Mr.
and
Mrs. Arthur Phillips
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Phillips re
siding six and one-half miles south
west of Bluffton in Jackson town
ship will celebrate their Golden wed
ding anniversary at their home Sun
day with a dinner for near relatives
and open house in the afternoon
from 2 to 4 o’clock and from 7 to
10 in the evening, when friends are
invited to call.
Mr. and Mrs. Phillips have been
known to successive generations here
as makers of Phillips’ butter, one of
the most sought for items on the
Bluffton produce market.
Mrs. Phillips, the former Mary
Younkman, whose parents were Mr.
and Mrs. Daniel Younkman, learned
butter making as a girl of thirteen.
Following the death of her par
ents, she made her home with Mr.
and Mrs. Allen Phillips, neighbors,
uncle and aunt of her future hus
band who was the son of Mr. and
Mrs. Sanford Phillips. The couple
were married October 3, 1894, at
her home.
After their marriage they sup
plemented their farm income by
supplying the Bluffton market with
butter which they have continued
for the past half-century.
Recently it was announced that
after their Golden wedding they
would discontinue butter making.
However, Mrs. Phillips stated Tues
day that they will continue during
the present emergency. “It would not
be right to stop now, although we
are pretty tired of it”, she added.
Mr. Phillips is aged 71 years and
his wife 68. They have been mem
bers of Pleasant Hill Methodist
church for many years. They have
no children.
Close Schools Oct. 5
For Ottawa Fair
Bluffton’s public schools will be
closed on Thursday of next week for
the Putnam county fair, it is an
nounced by Supt. Ralph Lanham.
Schools here are closed one day every
year to permit pupils to attend the
fair.
Births
The following births at Bluffton
hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Fruchey,
Columbus Grove, a daughter, Clara
belle Agnes, Monday.
Mr. and Mrs. Gale Griffith, Mt.
Cory, a son, Tuesday.
Twin sons, Thomas Richard and
James Ronald were born to Mr. and
Mrs. Maurice Huber residing south
of Beaverdam at St. Rita’s hospital,
Lima, Sept. 19. Mrs. Huber is the
former Hildegard Quiring of Bluff
ton.
Born to Capt. and Mrs. Joseph
M. Parker of Long Beach, Calif., a
son Joseph Messenger Parker V,
August 14. Capt. Parker, now with
the air corps in the South Pacific
area, is the son of Mrs. Alice Parker
of Washington, D. C., and a grand
son of Chris Santschi of East Kib
ler street.
Company Commander Writes of
Heroic Action of Bluffton
College Graduate
Memorial Services to Be Held
at Rawson, Sunday After
noon at 2:00 P. M.
Details of how Minard Deeds,
former Bluffton college athlete, died
a hero’s death with the U. S. Ma
rine Corps on Saipan were received
this week by his parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Dwight Deeds, of Rawson.
The complete account, written by
Capt. L. M. Rulison, commander of
the company with which Deeds
served in the South Pacific, is as
follows:
“On the afternoon of 16 June 1944,
“K” company was engaged in a ter
rific battle with the Japs. A large
blockhouse was holding up our prog
ress and many of our men were
pinned down by its fire. Several
had already been wounded and it
was imperative that something be
dene.
Deeds Volunteers
“Your son volunteered to take a
patrol around to one side of the
blockhouse. This would divert the
attention of the Japs and allow the
other Marines an opportunity to es
cape the murderous fire being placed
on them. With your son in the lead
the patrol moved thru the Jap fire
and the mission was successful, sav
ing the lives of many of our men.
“But the Japs started firing at the
patrol and a bullet struck your son,
killing him instantly. He suffered no
pain and was not disfigured. This
all happened on Saipan.
“At present your son has been
recommended for a high decoration.
Until it has been awarded I’m un
able to tell you what medal he was
recommended for.
Buried
on
Saipan
“His body was taken to the Ma
rine cemetery on Saipan. He is
buried in U. S. Cemetery No. 1,
Grave No. 419, Row No. 1. He w’as
given a religious burial.
"It was my fortune to have him
under my command. Several times
we had talks concerning college and
his future. He was always an ex
ample to the other men. At all
times he was courteous, polite and
willing. In addition he had the
courage which makes a man a true
Marine.
"He died a hero, fighting for his
country. He sacrificed his own life
to save several of his comrades.
Y’ou indeed have every right to be
proud of him, not only because of
his conduct in combat, but because
of his own sterling qualities. Your
grief is shared by every man and
officer of the company. May I ex
tend to you all my heartfelt sym
pathy for the loss of a great Marine
and a fine son.”
Deeds long will be remembered in
Bluffton as the smallest lineman
ever to become a regular on a Bluff
ton college football team, but despite
his lack of weight he starred on
the gridiron for three years.
Memorial services for Minard
Deeds will be held at the United
Brethren church at Rawson Sunday
afternoon at 2 P. M. with Rev. Hil
liard Camp in charge.
Shortage Of Help And
Points Force Closing
Former Bluffton Nurse To Work With
Children Of South American Lepers
Janet Soldner Will Be in Charge*
of Medical Care for Home
less Youngsters
Journey to Bogata, Colombia,
Will Be Made by Airplane
from New Orleans
Miss Janet Soldner, former assist
ant superintendent at the Bluffton
Community hospital, will leave the
United States this week to go by
airplane from New Orleans to Bo
gata, Columbia, where she will work
as a medical missionary among
children whose parents are the vic
tims of leprosy.
She will travel with a party of
five which has the responsibility of
inaugurating the first foreign mis
sion work of the General Conference
of Mennonite churches in South
America.
Arrangements have been completed
for the group to leave by plane this
Friday, providing their visas, re
quired for foreign travel, are
cleared by the state department.
In case the visas do not arrive
this week, the departure for South
Wilch restaurant, Bluffton eating
establishment, will be closed on Sun
days, it was announced the first of
the week. Shortage of help and ra
tion points was given as the cause.
The Risser Sandwich Shop also
has curtailed hoursb ecause of help
shortage.
Beaverdam To Vote On
Two Mill School Levy
Electors of Beaverdam school dis
trict will vote on a special two mill
levy at the coming election on No
vember 14, it was announced the
first of the week.
The Beaverdam board of education
has filed application with the Allen
County Board of Elections for per
mission to submit the proposal to
voters of the school district on the
ballot at the election.
The levy would be used to estab
lish a bus replacement fund and to
help defray general expenses.
BLUFFTON MAN IS
MISSING AT SEA,
NAVY ANNOUNCES
Clifford Thompson, 22, Is Lost
When Ship Goes Down In
September Hurricane
Lost Seaman Had Served 20
Months In South Pacific
War Theatre
Clifford Thompson, 22, formerly of
Bluffton, has been missing at sea since
the hurricane of September 15 sank
the ship on which he was serving as a
seaman first class.
Notification of his loss was received
this w’eek from the Navy department
by the father, Homer Thompson, of
Garey, who until recently resided four
and one-half mile southwest of Bluff
ton.
Details Lacking
No details were contained in the
telegram beyond the fact that Thomp
son’s ship had gone down during the
height of the hurricane, and that he
was missing.
Thompson entered the service in
October, 1942, and spent 20 month in
the South Pacific where he was in
three sea battles. Before enlisting he
was employed at the Lima Locomo
tive Works.
He was last home two months ago
when he spent a furlough with his
father and two brothers, Junior and
Darrell Thompson. Raymond Thomp
son, of North Main street, Bluffton,
who is now in the Army at Camp
Hood, Texas, is another brother.
Kindergarten Will
Open Here Monday
Kindergarten classes will open in
the Grade school building Monday
morning with Mrs. W. A. Howe as
teacher. Class sessions will be from
9 to 11 o'clock five mornings each
w’eek. Parents interested are asked
to see Mrs. Howe for enrollment of
their children.
America will be postponed one week.
Establish Orphanage
Miss Soldner and the other mis
sionary workers with whom she will
be associated will pioneer in relief
work among the untainted children
of leprous parents. These adults are
inmates of three large leper camps
maintained near Bogata by the Co
lombian government, but there is no
provision for the children, several
thousand of whom are said to be
wandering about obtaining food and
shelter as best they can.
The Mennonite missionaries will
buy land and erect buildings to
serve as an orphanage and school
for the children. They plan to care
for them from pre-school age until
they are 15.
Miss Soldner, who is a registered
nurse, u’ill be in charge of the med
ical care provided by the institution.
Others in the Mennonite party in
clude Mary Becker, of Newton,
Kansas Rev. and Mrs. Gerald
Stuckey of Berne, Ind., and LaVerne
Ruchman, of Whitewater, Kansas.
To make 1,000 board feet of lum
ber would require 35 10-inch logs but
only 10 logs which are 16 inches in
diameter.
BUY
UNITS*
STATSf
NUMBER 23
TRUCK HITS POLE,
SNAPS HIGH POWER
LINE AND BURNS
Highway Accident North of
Bluffton Disrupts Electric
Service
Lima Truck Driver in Hospital
Here Recovering From
Injuries
Electric service for Findlay and
other cities in this area served by’ the
Central Ohio Light and Power Co.
from its Bluffton generating plant
was disrupted for periods ranging
from 40 minutes to four hours early
Sunday’ morning when a large trans
port truck loaded with steel bars
snapped off a power line pole and
broke high tension lines one and one
half miles north of Bluffton.
Robert Schindler, 26, of Lima, driv
er of the truck, is in the Bluffton
Community’ hospital where he is re
covering from severe cuts, bruisesand
factured ribs.
He crawled from the crumpled cab
of his truck as the vehicle burst into
flames, and was taken to the hospital
in the Diller ambulance. The truck
was completely’ destroyed by fire.
Schindler was driving southward
toward Bluffton. He told investigat
ing officers he became drowsy’ and the
truck veered across the road and
struck the power pole some distance
off the pavement on the opposite side
of the highway, about mile north
of the county line.
Three 34,500-volt lines were snapped
in the mishap, cutting off the current
for Findlay, Mt. Cory and other towns
at 6:30 a. m. Most of Findlay’s es
sential circuits had current within 40
minutes but it was 10:40 a. m. before
the break was repaired here by pow
er line crews.
The truck was owned by the Huber
Motor Transportation Co., of Toledo,
and was loaded with ste?I shafting
enroute to Lima.
Funeral For Wm.
Boothby Tuesday
Funeral services for William C.
Boothby, 78, retired stationary en
gineer and former member of the
town council were held at the Meth
odist church, Tuesday afternoon.
Mr. Boothby died suddenly at his
home on Jackson street, Saturday
night at 11 o’clock as he was pre
paring to retire. Death u’as due to
a heart attack.
He was the last of a family of
10 brothers and one sister. Bom
in Marietta, he resided in Bluffton
for many years and was employed
as engineer at several local plants.
He served one term on the town
council and was a member of the
Methodist church.
Surviving are his wife, the former
Mary Rathbone whom he married
December 25, 1889 and six children.
They are: Charles of Long Beach,
Calif. Clair, Donald and Lowell of
Lima Mrs. Oscar Luginbuhl of
Toledo and Mrs. Fay Isham of
Bluffton. Fourteen grandchildren and
one great grandchild also survive.
Rev. J. A. Weed of the Methodist
church officiated at the funeral
services and interment was made in
Maple Grove cemetery.
State Agency May
Buy Street Bonds
A bond issue of $5,000 represent
ing Bluffton’s share of the cost of
re-surfacing Main street from the
Bentley road to the north corpora
will be purchased by the State
tion limits at the County Line road
Teachers Retirement system, if the
municipal issue meets legal approval.
Transcript of the proceedings in
issuance of the bonds is being sent
this week to the office of the Retire
ment system in Columbus by City
Solicitor Dan R. Trippiehorn.
The State Teachers Retirement
board is one of the state agencies
to w’hich municipal bonds must first
be offered for sale, before they can
be made available to the public, it
was pointed out by town officials.
Total cost of re-surfacing Bluff
ton’s Main street will be approxi
mately $25,730 of this the town is
required to pay only $5,000. The
State highway department is financ
ing the remainder.
Union Service
On Sunday Night
Bluffton churches will hold their
monthly union service at the Meth
odist church, Sunday night at 7:30
o’clock. The speaker will be Rev.
Charles Donaldson of Delta, interim
pastor of the Bluffton and Rockport
Presbyterian churches. His subject
will be “Unity in Christ”.