The Bluffton news. [volume], March 01, 1945, Image 1

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BUY
UMITM
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VOLUME NO. LXIX
RICHARD OBERLY IS
SECOND IN FAMILY
TO GET AIR MEDAL
Sergeant Receives Award One
Month After His Brother is
Honored
Two of Three Sons of World
War I Veteran Have Been
Decorated Overseas
Staff Sergeant Richard W. Oberly,
son of Mijlard Oberly,' 440 Cherry
street, hasreceived the Air Medal for
“meritorious achievement^ while par
ticipating in aerial flight”, the second
jp hi^ family to be so honored.
His brother, Lieutenant Ken
neth Oberly, navigator on a Flying
Fortress, received the same award
««arly January.
Sgt. Oberly, 19, is a ball turret gun
npr in an Italy based 15th AAF B-17
Flying Fortress. He has flown nine
successful daylight bombing missions
against enemy targets in Europe.
He was graduated from Bluffton
High school in 1943. Prior to his in
duction into the armed forces on
December 20, 1943, he was employed
in the calibrating department of The
Triplett Electrical Instrument Co.
He completed AAF aerial gunnery
training at Las Vegas, Nev., air field
in August, 1944.
The sergeant is one of three broth
ers now overseas. He is based in
Italy his brother Kenneth it at an
English air base and Robert is with
the American army in Belgium.
Their father is a veteran of World
War I.
All three sons were employed by
The Triplett Co. before they entered
the service, and the elder Oberly has
worked for the same firm for several
.years.
Annual Meeting Of
Farmers Grain Co
Walter Montgomery and Quinten
Burkholder were re-elected to mem
bership on the board of directors of
the Farmers Grain company at the
annual meeting of the concern last
Wednesday night.
The meeting was held at the Wal
nut Grill with 50 stockholders in at
tendance. The company's volume of
business showed an increase of $50,
000 during the past year, according
to the auditor’s report.
Other directors serving unexpired
terms are: W. W. Huber, Melvin
Zimmerly, Alfred Mueller, Clyde
Klingler and Sidney Huber.
The board of directors at a meet
ing Saturday night organized as fol
lows: Pres., Alfred Mueller vice
pres., Quinten Burkholder sec-treas.,
Sidney Huber. Eldon Tschiegg was
continued as manager.
High School Talent
To Be Heard On Air
Bluffton high school talent will be
heard Friday afternoon in a half
hour radio program beginning at
1:15 o’clock, it was announced from
the high school office Tuesday.
The broadcast will be the first of
a series of ten weekly programs at
the same hour from station WFIN,
Findlay.
the high school auditorium directed
by P. W. Stauffer and various or
ganizations and departments
school will be featured.
Broadcasts will be from
of the
series
Sponsoring the program
are the Triplett Electrical
ment Co., Steinman Bros. Lumber
Co., Bluffton Milling Co., C. F. Nis
wander and Koontz Service station.
Instru-
Former Resident Is
Dead In Cleveland
Harry Kibler, 70, former Bluffton
resident, died in Cleveland Monday,
according to word received here Wed
nesday morning. He was an adopted
son of the late A. G. Kibler, pioneer
Bluffton clothing and shoe merchant.
He left Bluffton about 50 years
ago going to Lima and later to
Findlay where he
years. Recently
Cleveland. He was
lived for many
he resided in
never married.
will be held in
Funeral services
Cleveland, Thursday afternoon fol
lowed by interment at that place.
African M. E. Pastor
Sunday Night Speaker
Rev. Gaar Davis, pastor of the
African Methodist Episcopal church,
Lima, will be the speaker at Bluff
ton’s monthly union service at the
First
night at 7:30 o’clock.
school Girl Reserves will have charge
of the opening exercises.
Mennonite church, Sunday
The high
Raymond Lehman
On Battle Front
Sergeant Raymond E.
Bluffton, hit the “beach”
Day, and has been
the fight since.
Bluffton High Graduate Had
Been Overseas With Ninth
Division Since July 5
Notification of Death Received
Last Saturday by Parents
Killed February 9.
Pfc. James H. Amstutz, 20, a Bluff
ton High graduate, was killed in ac
tion with the Ninth Division of the
First Army in Germany on Febru
ary 9.
Notification of his death was re
ceived last Saturday by his parents,
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Amstutz, former
Bluffton residents, who now live in
Versailles, Ohio.
Mrs. Eli Amstutz, of South Jackson
street,
Rayon
sister.
is his grandmother, and Mrs.
Boutwell, of this place is a
Amstutz was inducted into the
Pfc.
Army on May 19, 194 .'X and took his
basic training at Camp ihelby, Miss.
He was sent oversea? to England on
July 5, 1944.
He first entered combat duty in the
Aachen, Germany sector on Sept. 16,
1944, and had been at the front most
of the time since then.
In a letter received last week by
his sister, Mrs. Boutwell, he stated
that on a recent pass to Paris he had
seen Robert Oberly, son of Millard
Oberly, of Cherry street. The boys
had their picture taken together while
sight-seeing in the French capitol and
and he sent a print to his sister with
his letter.
Pfc. Amstutz graduated from Bluff
ton High school in 1942, and he was
a member of Emmanuel’s Reformed
church near Bluffton.
He was employed at the City Mar
ket here before going into the service,
und had also worked for The Triplett
Electrical Instrument Co. and the
Bluffton Stone Co.
Bluffton Navy Man
And WAVE Married
Miss Eileen Wenger of the
WAVES and Harlan Swank, in nav
al service were married in San Fran
cisco, February 17, according to an
announced the first of the week.
Both are from Bluffton and
ates of the high school here.
The bride is the daughter
and Mrs. Fred Wenger of
That Served On Anzio Beachhead
Lehman,
on
thick
D”
of
in the
of
of
is the son
D. Lehman,
Sergeant Lehman
Mr. and Mrs. pmil
near Bluffton.
Ninth Air De-
A member oft the
fense Command, Sergeant Lehman
wears two Bronze Battle Participa
tion Stars indicating two major bat
tles. Just recently his unit was at
tacked by straf&g German planes.
They bagged si$ of the huns and
sent the rest tailing for home. An
other triumph of ack-ack over plane.
JAMES AMSTUTZ
KILLED IN ACTION
WITH FIRST ARMY
gradu-
of Mr.
Beaver
street. She recently completed
boot training in New York city
has been assigned to duties in
Francisco.
her
and
San
and
Mr. Swank is the son of Mr.
Mrs. George Swank, residing north
of town. He has been given short
duty after a period of service at sea.
John Manges Will
Be 88 On Thursday
John Manges, retired farmer and
pioneer Orange township resident,
will celebrate his 88th birthday
niversary, Thursday.
an-
He lives on his farm east
Bluffton where he has resided
many years. The place is operated
by his son Layton Manges. Charles
Manges of Railroad street is a
brother.
for
Real Estate Deal
O. C. Hursey has purchased from
Eli Deppler the South Main street
property occupied by Lewis Deer
hake, formerly the Harvey Jones
residence. The Hursey family, now
occupying the Marquart Bros, prop
erty on what was formerly the M. D.
Miller farm in Orange township ex
pect to move to town this spring.
Former Bluffton Youth With
Medical Unit, Long Under
Enemy Fire
Fifth Army Commander Com
mends Hospital for Work on
Italian Front
Sgt. Donavin Berry, formerly of
Bluffton and brother of Dallas “Jack”
Berry, Bluffton post office clerk, is a
medical technician with the 56th
Evacuation hospital which has been
serving under fire in Italy most of
the time since September, 1943.
Its most severe test came in Jan
uary, 1944, w’hen the hospital w’ent
ashore on the famed Anzio beach
head and received more than 1000
patients in its first 36 hours of ac
tivity there.
Evacuating seriously w’ounded pa
tients to hospital ships and landing
craft in the harbor, the hospital per
sonnel worked feverishly under con
stant
guns,
work
threat of German planes and
For a time, the 56th did the
of two evacuation hospitals.
General Mark W. Clark, then
Army commander, commended
Lt.
Fifth
the unit for outstanding devotion to
duty and meritorious conduct during
the beachhead operation.
The 56th went ashore at Casa
blanca, French Morroco, April 16,
1943, and set up the following June
20 at Bizerte, Tunisia, where it re
ceived and treated wounded evacu
ated from the Sicilian campaign.
The evacuation hospital was land
ed at Paestum, Italy, September 27,
1943, and set up October 6 at Avel
lino, where it was the foremost evac
uation hospital to the Fifth Army
front. It w’as moved along as the
front advanced until late in the siege
of Cassino, w’hen the hospital unit
prep’ared for its biggest assignment,
service on the Anzio beachhead.
The 56th, which can function in a
new location in from 36 to 48 hours
from the time it suspends operations
in an old site, is completely equip
ped with medicinal and surgical
paraphernalia, dnchiding X-ray and
laboratory needs. A makeshift heat
ing system, fashioned with a boiler
and radiators salvaged from bombed
buildings, is assurance of constant
temperature in the operating rooms.
Another field innovation is a com
plete water system, piping from a
central storage tank into wards,
kitchens, laboratories and operating
rooms.
The original officer personnel was
drawn from Baylor Medical School,
then at Dallas, Texas.
Hip Is Fractured
When W oman Falls
Mrs .Charles Kauffman of Riley
street is in the hospital at Wyan
dotte, Mich., with a fractured hip
as the result of a fall at the home
of her daughter, Mrs. Jesse James
of Flat Rock, Michigan.
Mrs.
stool
when
on a
regulating
The accident occurred
Kauffman was standing
looking at a thermostat
the heat system in the home and the
stool collapsed.
She was removed to the Wyandotte
hospital where her condition was re
ported satisfactory the first of the
week. Mr. and Mrs. Kauffman were
spending several weeks at the home
of their daughter when the accident
occurred.
Last Rites Are Held
For Infant Daughter
Funeral services for Katherine
Ann Niswander, seven weeks old
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Maynard
Niswander of Lawn avenue were
held at the Paul Diller funeral home,
Saturday afternoon with Rev. V. C.
Oppermann of the St. John’s
Reformed church officiating.
ill since birth, died at
hospital, Friday morn
was in Maple Grove
The child,
the Bluffton
ing. Burial
cemetery.
to the parents, the in-
In addition
of
fant is survived by one brother,
Maynard Gene at home, the paternal
grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Noah
Niswander and the maternal grand
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Basing
er all of this vicinity.
Births
The following births at Bluffton
hospital:
Mr.
dora,
and Mrs. Noah Leichty, Pan
a son, Wednesdaj morning,
and Mrs. Howard Frantz, Mt.
a son, Saturday.
Mr.
Cory,
4 Mr. and Mrs. Robert Stark, Lima,
a son, Saturday.
Mr. and Mrs.’ Franklin Bower, Je
nera, a son, Friday.
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 1945
TWO OF 37 MEN
IN MARCH DRAFT
FROM BLUFFTON
Allen County Board No. 3 Will
Induct 37 Men Into Armed
Forces Next Week
Call Also Includes One Regin
trant From Lafayette One
From Columbus Grove
in
to
Two Bluffton men are included
group of 37 registrants notified
report for induction into the armed
services next week.
a
Lyle Ray Everett and Harold Perry’
Schick, both of Route 2. Bluffton, are
among those to be taken in. the latest
call of Board No. 3, which has juris
diction over all of rural Allen county.
A third Bluffton man who has
been called with the March quota
is Gerald Huber, Bluffton post
office employe.. Huber, living in
Lima at the time of registration,
is under jurisdiction of Allen
County Draft Board No. 1 and
will leave Friday with a Lima
contingent for an induction cen
ter. His wife and son will con
tinue to live here at their home
on Thurman street.
Others to be inducted include:
Columbus Grove—Fred Leo Zeits.
Lafayette—Howard Vernon How
beit.
Lima—John Hanthorn, Ralph Thom
as, Glen Myers,Eugene Myers, Rich
ard Spyker, Carl Downing, Kent Mc
Gough, Charles DeLong, Roger Fett,
Robert Burtchin, Bernard Murphy,
Harold Shindledeckr, Willard Wat
kins, Harold Hardin, William Stum
baugh.
Delphos—Gail Fouwt, Frederick
Bindel, Richard Thompson, Bernard
Kill, Clement Croft.
Spencerville—Otto Degen, Thomas
Dillon, Thomas Morrison. Jack Core,
Robert Mitchell, Jay Roberts.
Anderson Ind.—Pau! Halker.
Los Angeles, Calif.—Benjamine
Reynolds.
Georgetown, O.—James Hook.
Bryan—Gerald Ware.
Ada—Jay Junior Long.
Waynesfield—Norman Case.
Robert Koontz Gets
Promotion In Army
Robert F. Koontz, 19, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Thomas Koontz, of Bluff
ton, has been promoted from the
grade of corporal to sergeant at an
Eighth Air Force bomber station in
England.
Sgt. Koontz is a ball turret gun
ner on the B-17 Flying Fortress
“Marie Helena”, and is a member of
the Third Division which was cited
by the President for its now historic
England to Africa shuttle bombing
of Germany.
Prior to entering the AAF in
September, 1943, Sgt. Koontz was
student at Mt. Cory High school.
a
Girl Reserves Hold
Service Sunday Night
Bluffton high school Girl Reserves
will hold their annual public service
at the First Mennonite church, Sun
day night at 7:30 o’clock in ob
servance of the national Girl Reserve
week.
Other activities of the week in
cluded a silver tea given by Girl
Reserve members for their mothers,
women faculty members and faculty
wives in the high school cafeteria,
Wednesday afternoon. Preceding this
Rev. Erland Waltner of Mountain
Lake addressed the high school
chapel assembly.
The Girl Reserve is a junior organ
ization of the Y. W. C. A. and the*
local organization is affiliated with
the Ohio and Western Pennsylvania
district Y. W.. C. A.
With The Sick
Ray Feldman of South Main street
underwent a gall bladder operation
at Bluffton hospital, Wednesday
morning. Feldman is inspector for
the Army Signal corps at the Trip
lett plant here.
Condition of Jacob Hochstettler,
patient at Bluffton hospital who is
ill with pneumonia and complica
tions is reported unchanged. His
daughter Anna Louise Hochstettler,
student at Taylor university, Upland,
Ind., has been at his bedside the
past week?
Alva Morrison is bedfast with com
plications at his home on the Dixie
highway north of Bluffton.
Arthur Hauenstein is a patient in
Bluffton hospital ill with complica
tions.
Only One Tag Again this Year
Deadline will be First of
April
Despite the multitude of wartime
restrictions on motoring and motor
ists, sale of automobile license plates
in Bluffton this year is expected to
equal the near-normal volume of
1,200, sold in 1944.
Licenses will cost the usual fee: $7
for vehicles up to 25 horse power
$10, from 25 to 31 horse power and
$16 for over 31 horsepower.
Trailer tags also may be obtained
thru the local registrar.
Freezing Rain, Snow
Routs Spring Weather
Freezing rain and snow this week
routed the first appearance of
spring weather which came Satur
day when the thermometer rose into
the fifties for the warmest weather
since the December cold spell.
However, the spring weather was
short lived as a freezing rain Mon
day followed by a heavy snowfall on
Wednesday morning brought a re
turn of winter to this district. There
was no indication, however, that the
snow
No Restaurants Open Here After
Midnight Result! Of Bvrnes’ Curfew
K Closing of all Bluffton restaurants |ig facilities after midnight, for oth
and amusement places at midnight tr restaurants here have been in the
is a development that seemed as- ustom of closin* either at that
4.U A i time or earlier.
sured the first of this week, as a' K.
result of the amusement curfew or- the usual operation of local amuse
dered effective last Monday by War ment or drinking places, as a re
sult of Byrnes’ order, for all of
them customarily have their doors
the town ’s! locked before midnight, it was point
1 re-* ed out this week by their proprie-
Mobilization Director James F.
Byrnes.
1 The Pine restaurant, the iov
xnly eating place which has been i
^naming open after midnight, will4 tors.
.close at that time in the future, in- 1 Director Byrnes announced last
asmuch as it has been serving beer week that the move was ordered “to
in addition to providing food. I straighten out the muddled transpor-
This leaves Bluffton with no eat- 1 tation and manpower problems”.
New Licenses. Will go on Sale
Thursday Tags May be
Used in March
Auto Tag Sales Expected To Equal
Last Year Despite Wartime Bans
on sale here
Harold Mont
Montgomery
New tags will go
this Thursday at the
gomery news stand,
was named deputy license registrar
to succeed Clayton Bixel, who hand
led the sale of auto tags for several
past years.
Altho virtually no new cars have
been released here since the out
break of war, and driving has been
rigidly curtailed by gasoline and tire
rationing, the motor public, with
money in its pockets and fewer
places to spend it, is ready to buy
tags notwithstanding all restrictions.
Because of the scarcity of metal,
motorists will receive only one tag
again this year. It is to be dis
played on the rear of the vehicle.
Blue Letters
The new 1945 tag will have blue
letters and numerals on a white
background.
April 1 is the deadline for obtain
ing new tags, but motorists may use
them on their cars any time after
March 1.
When applying for licenses, the
car owner must present his certifi
cate of title or bill of sale, and sign
the application in person, Montgom
ery announced.
would greatly hamper traffic.
Wayne Bible
Singers Coming
A
trio of students from Ft. Wayne
Bible Institute will have charge of
music at services in the Defenseless
Mennonite church here Sunday, it is
announced by the pastor, Rev. Stan
ley Rupp. Members of the trio are
Misses Violet and Choletta Egly of
Berne, Ind., and Mrs. Ruth Schirling
of Royal Oak, Michigan.
Kinder garden Class
To Open On Monday
Kindergarden class will open next
Monday morning in the
school building, it is announced
Mrs. W. A. Howe who will be
charge.
Grade
by
in
In New Locations
Hiram P. Steiner has moved from
the J. Folk farm in Union township
to the house on the Carey Shawber
farm in Riley township.
Rolland Beery of near Gilboa who
recently purchased the Folk farm of
100 acres will move on the place
this spring.
No changes will be required in
OLD AND OBSOLETE
FARM MACHINERY
TO BE USED AGAIN
Farmers Will Press Makeshift
Implements Into Service to
Handle Work
Shortage of Equipment, Labor
Requires Use of Dicarded
Machinery
Broken-down, antiquated and dis
carded farm machinery is being over
hauled and being put into shape on
Bluffton area farms, to help meet the
production goals of farmers who will
be harrassed more than ever this
spring by a critical shortage of farm
labor and equipment.
Any implement that can serve as
a makeshift will be pressed into ser
vice by farmers who cannot obtain
new equipment from dealers to serve
their needs.
Used machinery is hard to get, with
ceiling-priced implements going in
lotteries at farm sales, and anything
thwt does not have a ceiling price
commands fanta'stic leVels when avail
able.
With spring plowing only a matter
of a few weeks in the offing, farmers
are faced by the task of getting into
shape what equipment they have on
hand.
Shops Overworked
Complications have entered into the
picture, however, with the fact that
farm machinery repair shops are
flooded with work, principally on
tractors, just at a time when deal
ers find themselves short of help.
Consequently farmers in many cas
es are obliged to use their own re
sourcefulness and ingenuity to make
repairs to their equipment.
The jam in repair shops reflects the
trend of recent years toward motor
ization of farm equipment, and the
backlog of w’ork in shops since last
fall now is worse than ever.
Some observers see in the conges
tion in tractor repairs a situation that
may force more farmers to depend
on horses this spring,
likely would bolster the
low prices which have been command
ed for draft horses, as a result of the
swing toward tractor plowing and
cutivation.
This move
unusually
Red Cross War Fund
Goal Here Is $3,000
House-to-house canvassing of Bluff
ton will be started next week to
raise $3,000 in the annual Red Cross
War Fund Drive.
This year’s campaign will be di
rected by Mrs. J. S. Steiner and
Wood row
addition
dential
received
Little, co-chairmen,
to canvassing in the re
district, donations will
at the Star theatre.
be
Students Home For
Semester Vacation
A number of Bluffton young people
attending college have been at home
during the past week for the vaca
tion between semesters.
Among these are:
Betty Steinman of Ohio Wesleyan
university, Delaware, accompanied by
a classmate, Mary Fish of Cali
fornia.
Jeanne Siefield of the University
of Toledo.
Beverly Biery of Oberlin college.
Marjean Todd of Miami Univers
ity, Oxford.
Dorothy Anderson, Joan Buckland,
Helen Greding, Janice and Ruth
Hankish, and Clare Reagan of Bowl
ing Green State university.
NUMBER 45
TWO MORE FROM
HERE WOUNDED IN
ACTION OVERSEAS
Omer Welty and Dwight Zim
merly Slightly Injured on
Western European Front
Two Other Bluffton Men Wound
ed Overseas Now in Hospitals
in United States
Two moxa Bluffton area men have
been wounded with American forces
in the European theatre, and two
others have been returned to this
country’ for hospitalization, according
to word received here this week. ..
Latest additions to the. growing
Pvt. Omer Welly, in France,
who received wounds in the back
and ribs. Slightly injured.
Pvt. Dwight Zimmerly, also
wounded on the Western Front.
Slightly injured but no details.
Pvt. Welty now is in a hospitaMn
Par:.-, according to word received by
his wife, who lives one mile south of
Bluffton on the Dixie highway. He
is the son of Svlvanus Welty, and a
graduate of Bluffton High school.
Pvt. Zimmerly is in an undisclosed
hospital in France. Notification of
his injury was received Monday by
his wife, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Aldine Wiess, who lives on Riley
street. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs.
Leonard Zimmerly, of Pandora.
Pvt. Maynard Badertscher, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Albert Badertscher, of
Geiger street, has arrived at the Bill
ings General hospital, at Fort Benja
min Harrison, Ind.
He was w’ounded in action on De
cember 2 in Germany, suffering shrap
nel injuries to the thigh. His par
ents this week received a Purple
Heart medal, awarded to him.
Pvt. William Amstutz, Jr., son of
Mr. and Mrs. William Amstutz, Sr.,
who reside on the former Folet farm,
three miles southwest of Bluffton,
now is in an Army hospital in Phila
delphia.
He was wounded in action several
times in France and’Gertrtahj’ and
also has received the Purple Heart.
Honorary Degree To
Former Bluffton Man
Clarence O. Lehman, Bluffton col
lege graduate and president of the
State Teachers’ college of Potsdam,
N. Y., was awarded the honorary
degree of Doctor of Law’s by St.
Lawrence university at Canton, N.
Y., Saturday.
Conferring of the degree .came in
connection with the 87th commence
ment exercises at St. Lawrence uni
hich is located ten miles
from Potsdam where Lehman heads
the teachers college.
The degree was confrred by Dr.
Harold Speight, president of St.
Lawrence who at the same time con
ferred a similar degree on L. W.
Houston, president of Rensselaer
Polytechnic institute of Troy, N. Y.
Dr. Lehman, a native of Berne,
Ind., attended Bluffton college about
thirty years ago and for the past
twenty years has been identified
with teacher training institutions in
New York state.
He recently recovered from a ser
ious illness and has resumed his
duties as head of the Potsdam insti
tution. His wife is the former Carol
Betzner, daughter of the late Mr.
and Mrs. E. B. Betzner of Bluffton.
A brother is Prof. G. A. Lehman,
former head of the Bluffton college
music department, now in charge of
the conservatory of Colgate Roch
ester Divinity School, Rochester,
New York.
Sailor Flies Home
From Philippines
Richard Balmer SK 2/c of the
Navy is expected Thursday noon to
spend a thirty day leave with his
parents Mr. and Mrs. James Balmer
of South Main street.
Balmer who has been in the south
west Pacific area for the past 18
months flew- from the Philippines and
arrived at Washington, D. C., the
first of the w’eek.
New Red Ration
Stamps Good Sunday
Book 4 red stamps—E2 thru J2—
will be validated next Sunday, and
in the meantime there are reports
that many Bluffton families are run
ning short of points this week.
The next series in processed foods
blue stamps—N2 thru S2—will be
validated this Thursday and will be
good thru June 30.