The Bluffton news. [volume], March 15, 1945, Image 1

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BUY
UNITS*
tTATH
VOLUME NO. LXIX
BLUFFTON SOLDIER
REPORTED MISSING
IS WAR PRISONER
Ralph Althaus Is Held German
Prisoner After Capture in
Belgium
Youth Was Reported Missing in
Action As of Last De
cember 24
Pfc. Ralph Althaus, 19, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Levi Althaus, four miles
west of Bluffton, who was reported
missing in action in Belgium on De
cember 24, is in a German prison
camp, his parents learned Tuesday
morning.
Word that Pfc. Althaus was held by
the Germans as a prisoner of war
came from the W|ar Department,
which had been notified by the Red
Cross that the Bluffton youth was in
a prison camp.
In the telegram of notification, the
parents were advised that additional
details would follow by letter.
Mr. and Mrs. Althaus had been no
tified on January 25 that their son
was missing in action in Belgium, pre
sumably in the battle of the “Bel
gium bulge.”
A graduate of Bluffton High school
in the class of 1943, Pfc. Althaus is
in the infantry.
Music Instructor At
School Here Resigns
Miss Harriet Brate, instructor in
music at Bluffton high school and
■grade school submitted her resigna
tion to the board of education at its
meeting Monday night.
“Multiplicity and complexity of
duties” were given by Miss Brate
as the reason for her resignation.
No action on the matter was taken
by the board.
Formerly supervisor of vocal mu
sic in the schools here, she was also
placed in charge of all instrumental
music, with exception of the band,
following the resignation last sum
mer of Sidney Hauenstein, instructor
in instrumental music.
In connection with her resignation,
Supt. Ralph Lanham explained to
the board that she considered the
schedule too heavy for satisfactory
work. In addition to her work in
the public schools she also teaches
part time in the college department
of music.
The board discussed the possibility
of obtaining an additional instructor
for the coming year to take over
■all instrumental music. Under the
present arrangement Carl Twining
of Findlay, in charge of the band,
spends one day here each week.
Capt. Hochstettler
At California Base
Capt. Francis L. Hochstettler, son
of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Hochstettler,
of Bluffton Rural Route No. 2, has
been assigned to the AAF redistribu
tion station at the Santa Ana, Calif.,
Army air base.
As pilot aboard a C-47 transport
plane in the European theatre of op
orations, Captain Hochstettler earned
the Distinguished Flying Cross, the
Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clus
ters, and the European Theatre rib
bon with six battle stars. He com
pleted 29 overseas missions before
corning home in early winter.
Capt. Hochstettler entered the
service July 18, 1941, and was sent
overseas in September, 1942.
Lt. Joel R. Kimmel
Trains Fighter Pilots
Second Lieut. Joel R. Kimmel, son
of Mrs. Leslie D. Kimmel, of South
Main street, is among the AAF per
sonnel recently assigned as instruct
ors for the Brownsville Army Air
field at Brownsville, Texas.
At the new air field in Browns
ville, Lt. Kimmel and other instruct
ors have the responsibility of train
ing fighter pilots for action against
our enemies.
Lt. Kimmel entered the service on
Nov. 7, 1942.
Book Shower For
Merchant Marine
The Bluffton Legion Auxiliary is
sponsoring a “book shower” here for
men in the Merchant Marine. Those
having books to donate for this
purpose are requested to leave them
at the Hankish confectionery as soon
as possible. Books of fiction, travel
or other interesting and entertaining
reading are solicited, it was stated
by Mrs. Millen Geiger, chairman of
the committee in charge.
Mark Niswander
Gets Air Medal
Ensign Earl Mark Niswander,
USNR, who is stationed at the Na
val Air Station, Corpus Christi,
Texas, received the Air Medal in
ceremonies held there last week.
He is the son of Mrs. Olivia Nis
wander, of near Bluffton, and grad
uated from Bluffton High school.
Serving as a navigator in a me
dium land plane bomber, Ensign Nis
wander completed more combat mis
sions over the Northern Kuriles,
Japanese possessions, than his squad
ron’s average.
Ensign Niswander also was com
mended for “excellence of service in
the performance of his duty as a
crew member of a land-based me
dium bomber which engaged enemy
fighters over Paramushiro island
last August 20.”
HIGH SCHOOL WILL
GET NEW MANUAL
TRAINING TEACHER
Board Opens Way for Resump
tion of Work in Closed
Department
Contract for Two Years Will
Be Offered to Columbus
Grove Teacher
Bluffton High school’s manual train
ing department, closed this year be
cause of inability to hire an instruc
tor, will be re-opened next fall, as the
result of action taken Monday night
at a meeting of the board of educa
tion.
In clearing the way for a resump
tion of manual training instruction,
the board hired as a teacher Wade A.
Shank, 25, now on the Columbus
Grove High school faculty, after in
terviewing him at the meeting.
In addition to heading up the in
dustrial arts department. Shank will
be hired as assistant physical educa
tion instructor. He will also assist in
athletic coaching, handling eighth
grade and intra-mural teams.
A contract at an annual salary of
$1,900, will be drafted next month and
offered by the board to Shank.
The new instructor is a married
man with a family. He took his
training at Bowling Green State uni
versity and has taught for four years,
the last three at Columbus Grove.
Bluffton’s industrial arts depart
ment was closed last fall after Hay
den Steiner, former instructor, re
signed and no successor could be
found.
Lecture-Recital At
College On Friday
Maurice P. Kessler, violinist and
authority on ancient musical instru
ments, will present an illustrated lec
ture-recital as the third number of
the Bluffton College Concert series
at 8 p. m. Friday in the Ramseyer
chapel.
Subject of the lecture portion of
the program will be “The Renais
sance of Ancient Instruments and
Their Music”.
Kessler now is conductor of the
Oberlin Conservatory orchestra and
a member of the faculty of the Con
servatory of Music.
He was born in Strasbourg, Ger
many, in 1889 and made his concert
debut in Berlin in 1912. He has
appeared in many lecture-recitals
on ancient instruments.
Staff Sgt. Ed Rice
Home From Europe
Staff Sgt. Edwin Rice arrived in
Bluffton, the first of the week after
28 months service in the European
theatre of war. He arrived in this
country the latter part of last week,
according to word received by his
finacee, Miss Ethelyn Oyer.
For the past year Rice has been
stationed in Italy and was awarded
the Purple Heart medal for wounds
received in the Italian campaign.
Name Howe Harmon
Field Caretaker
W. A. Howe was appointed care
taker of Harmon field for the com
ing summer at a meeting of the
Bluffton board of education, Monday
night Salary was fixed at $300. He
will be in charge of care and main
tenance of the field and tennis courts.
Howe was previously caretaker of
the field several years ago.
Army Nurse, Former Bluffton Area
Woman Back After Overseas Service
Capt. Jennie Beery Spends Past
Nine Months in European
War Zone
Home from Overseas with Ship
load of Wounded Returns
to Europe
Nine months’ overseas service on a
U. S. Army hospital ship was de
scribed by Capt. Jennie Beery, of the
Army Nurse Corps, during a visit
here with her sister, Mrs. Clayton
Murray, of West Elm street, early
this week.
She is a daughter of the late
Joshua Beery residing between Bluff
ton and Columbus Grove.
Captain Beery has lived on the
hospital ship almost continually dur
ing the nine months period, having
eaten only three meals on land until
she landed recently at Charleston,
S. C., where the large boat docked
with a load of Army casualties re
turned to this country for hospital
ization.
She said that nothing has be?n
spared to make equipment of the
hospital ship complete in every re
spect. It has modern kitchens and
bakeries, in addition to a hospital
completely stocked with medical
equipment. On shipboard the dentist
is one of the busiest officers, and he
has complete equipment for all
emergencies, at 'his disposal.
Bring Wounded Home
The boatload of wounded soldiers
brought to this country by the ship
was made up of some of the more
seriously injured cases evacuated
from English hospitals.
After classification in a receiving
hospital at Charleston, the wounded
veterans will be assigned to other
Army hospitals in various part of
the country.
In the trip to the United States
from England the hospital ship was
enroute 18 days. It can easily be
distinguished from war vessels, for
it is painted white and has a large
red cross on its side.
Pick Up Seaman
In mid-ocean, the ship stopped to
pick up a seaman who had been se
verely injured in an accident on a
destroyer. The man was taken off
the destroyer in a small boat and
hoisted over the side of the hospital
ship. Examination disclosed the leg
(Continued on page 8)
High School Chorus
To Stage Operetta
“In Grandmother’s Garden”, a
tuneful operetta will be presented
by the Bluffton high school chorus
in the auditorium, Friday night,
March 23 at 8 o’clock. A matinee
performance also will be given on
Thursday afternoon at 1:30 o’clock.
The production is directed by Miss
Harriet Brate, instructor in public
school music.
Observe Golden
Wedding Sunday
Mr. and Mrs. Peter C. Herr will
hold open house Sunday afternoon
from 2 to 5 o’clock at their home
two miles north of Bluffton in ob
servance of their Golden wedding
anniversary. They were married
March 19, 1895, at the former Peter
Diller home five miles west of
Bluffton.
Lions Club Sponsors
Relief Clothing Move
The Bluffton Lions club is spon
soring the collection here of clothing
for the United National Relief and
Rehabilitation administration during
April, it was announced by Paul Dil
ler, committee chairman, the first
of the week.
Music This Week
On H. S. Broadcast
Numbers by the Bluffton High
school chorus and orchestra will be
featured on this week’s radio broad
cast over Radio Station WFIN in
Findlay from 1:15 to 1:45 p. m.
Friday.
Births
The following births at Bluffton
hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Francis Williams,
Columbus Grove, a boy, Frederick
Dean, Monday.
Mr. and Mrs. Vilas Niswander,
Columbus Grove, a son, Tuesday.
Pvt. and Mrs. Robert Bowden of
Ada, a boy, Michael Lee, Tuesday.
Mrs. Bowden is the former Mary
Stambaugh, granddaughter of the
late Mrs. Eliza Fett of this place.
rHE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 1945
GRADUATION WILL
BE HELD AT HIGH
SCHOOL MAY 24
School Not Required to Make
Up Time Lost During Win
ter Months
Forty Seniors to Graduate An
nounce Class Speaker Hon
or Students
Bluffton high school will hold its
commencement exercises on Thursday
night, May 24, it was announced by
Ralph S. Lanham, superintendent of
schools the first of the week.
Word from the state department
of education that schools w'ould not
be required to make up days lost
last winter because of weather con
ditions makes it possible to close
school this spring on the schedule
originally set up last fall, Superin
tendent Lanham said.
Class speaker for the commence
ment exercises will be W. C. Craig
of the speech department of Wooster
college. He was formerly head of
the speech department of Capital
university, Columbus.
A class of about 40 seniors will be
graduated, it was announced. Honor
students will be Jean Ann Steinman,
valedictorian and Juanita Bame
salutatorian.
Mrs. Horace Stratton
Dies Funeral Friday
Mrs. Horace Stratton, 77, died
suddenly at her home in Jackson
township south of Bluffton Tuesday
night at 8:30 o’clock. Death was
due to coronary thrombosis. She had
been about her usual household
duties Tuesday and her death was
entirely unexpected.
Funeral services will be held at
Pleasant Hill Methodist church south
of Bluffton, Friday afternoon at 2:30
o’clock. Rev. C. E. Chiles will offi
ciate and burial will be in Pleasant
Hill cemetery.
Mrs. Stratton was born April 8,
1868 in Orange township, the daugh
ter of Amos and Caroline (Cramer)
Diehl. She was married to Horace
Stratton September 4, 1890. She
was a member of the Bluffton Meth
odist church and its Women’s Society
of Christian Service.
Surviving are her husband and
two daughters, Mrs. Irvin Moser of
Bluffton and Mrs. Lamar Basinger
at home, together with nine grand
children and six great grandchildren.
The body is at the Paul Diller fun
eral home from where it will be
taken to the residence Thursday
afternoon.
Elmer Burkholder
Wounded In Germany
Tech. Sgt. Elmer Burkholder, Jr.,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Burk
holder, of Jenera, former Bluffton
residents, has been wounded in ac
tion in Germany and is in a hos
pital in France, it was learned this
week.
Sgt. Burkholder suffered a right
eye wound, but is expected to re
tain sight of the eye, the family
was notified.
With Gen. George Patton’s Third
Army, Sgt. Burkholder recently re
ceived the Combat Infantryman’s
badge of meritorious service.
Scouts To Gather
Waste Paper Saturday
Collection of waste paper will be
made by Bluffton Boy Scout Troop
82, Saturday afternoon. The troop
has been asked to collect 12 tons of
paper during March and April.
Newspapers and magazines to be
given toward the collection quota
should be bundled and placed on the
front porch steps or curb by noon
Saturday. In event of rain the col
lection will be made on the following
Saturday.
Real Estate Deals
Lee Skidmore has purchased from
Fred Birchnaugh, four building lots
between South Mound street and
the Nickel Plate railroad. The
family now occupies the tenant
house on the Paul Eikenbary farm,
formerly the Oliver Locher Dairy
farm.
Kermit Herr of Lima has pur
chased from Mrs. Elizabeth Boutwell
her residence property on South
I^awn avenue occupied by Arthur
Lewis and family.
Harry Anderson, Orange township
farmer, has purchased the adjoin
ing farm of 100 acres from John A.
Anderson.
G. I. Joe gets most of his letters
from Bulffton home folks via airmail,
and a great part of the letters are
written over each weekend, accord
ing to attaches at the local post
office.
Last Monday, 444 airmail letters
were posted here, nearly all of which
were addressed to overseas service
men. All told the 444 airmail miss
ives represented one-sixth of the
total volume of outgoing first class
mail for the day.
Apparently most home folks handle
their correspondence with soldiers on
Sunday, for Mondays always is the
“big letter” day for mail to men in
Income Taxpayers In
Returns As
Volume of Mail to Federal Col
lector’s Office Shows Large
Gain
Last Mail for Toledo Closes
Thursday Night at 7:30
O’clock
Income tax returns in a steadily
rising volume are being mailed at
the post office here with the largest
volume expected on Thursday, the
last day for filing.
Returns from the Bluffton area
are mailed to the Toledo office of
the collector of internal revenue
and must be postmarked before mid
night, March 15.
Taxpayers mailing their returns
here will have until 7:30 o’clock
Thursday night to post their letters
in the collection box on the sidewalk
in front of the post office. At that
time the last mail for the day is
collected and dispatched.
Altho there is no way of estimat
ing the aggregate amount paid in in
come taxes for the year 1944, there
was no doubt that it broke all pre
vious records because of full-time
employment of all available labor
and because lowering of exemption
brackets have brought many addi
tional persons into income tax filing
brackets.
Less Money Now
Considerably less money was
mailed with returns this year, how
ever, because under the withholding
tax law most of the amount due was
withheld from each pay by employ
ers, other than those in agricultural
pursuits and a few special in
stances.
As a result, income tax payments
for most Bluffton area residents this
year entailed putting out little or
no money.
Simplification of income tax re
porting procedure by which those for
whom tax payments had been with
held could use their withholding tax
receipts (Form W-2) was appreciat
ed by local residents, for few work
ers took the time to make out and
file the longer form, it was an
nounced.
Those who file the W-2 form do
not make tax payments at this time,
even tho additional money may be
owed to the government, but they
will Be billed for the unpaid tax
after the internal revenue depart
ment computes the amount due.
Altho fewer tax payments were
made with forms filed, the volume
of post office money orders jumped
sharply during the last week, re
flecting payments made by those who
did not file W-2 forms, post office
attaches said
Chancey Basinger
Wounded In Action
Pvt. Chancey Basinger has been
wounded in action, it was learned
Wednesday by his parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Millard Basinger residing five
miles northwest of Bluffton. Pvt.
Basinger has been overseas since
January arid was wounded w'hile in
action in Germany. He formerly at
tended Bluffton high school.
Pvt. William Pursell
Is Wounded Overseas
G. I. Joe Gets Most Of His Letters
From Bluffton Folks Via Airmail
Wounded h. fighting near Flor
ence, Italy, Pvt. William C. Pursell,
son of William Pursell, of north
west of Bluffton, is undergoing
treatment at McCloskey General hos
pital, Temple, Texas.
Pursell was hit in the left hand
by shell fragments after being on
the front for only two days. He has
been in the army since Dec. 23,
1943, and was sent overseas last
July.
His wife, Ruth, and small daugh
ter, live in Corbin, Ky. Pursell at
tended high school in Bluffton.
the service from here. The number
drops to a mere fraction on other
days of the week.
Cost of overseas airmail to sol
diers is only slightly more than that
of regular mail. A special rate of
six cents for half an ounce applies
to airmail letters to soldiers, and two
sheets of ordinary correspondence
paper and an envelope will fall
within the weight limitations.
Comparable air mail charges for
overseas mailings to civilians would
be 30 cents, it was pointed out.
Regular first-class mail to servicemen
overseas may be sent for the do
mestic rate of three cents an ounce.
Rush To Mail
Final Deadline Nears
RED CROSS FUND
OVER HALF WAY
TO $3,000 GOAL
House-to-House Canvass Will
Be Completed in Roll Call
War Relief Drive
Red Cross Services are Expand
ing and Need for Support
Greater Than Ever
With house-to-house canvassing of
Bluffton in the Red Cross War Fund
campaign scheduled for completion
this week, the drive to reach a quota
of $3000 was past the half-way mark
Tuesday evening.
Mrs. J. S. Steiner and Woodrow
Little, co-chairmen of the campaign,
are confident that the drive will reach
the $3000 goal on the basis of incom
plete returns made by the 87 solici
tors.
Participation of Bluffton residents
Tri 1945 is practically 100 per cent,
according to those handling the can
vass, indicating an awareness of the
unselfish service the organization is
giving thruout the world.
Solicitation of Bluffton business
places and industries will be made this
week by representatives of the Lions
club, and it is expected that the house
to house canvass will be largely com
pleted by Thursday.
Solicitors who have not turned in
final reports are urged to file them at
the Mayor’s office between 7 to 8 p.
m. this Wednesday and Thursday.
This year’s drive is a combination
campaign for the regular Red Cross
Call and War Fund. Contributions
provide for both local and national
Red Cross Work.
With the quota set at $3000, each
Bluffton family must contribute an
average of $5 toward the goal.
Lt. Walter Matter
Released From Navy
Lt. Walter Motter, son of Mrs.
Sarah Motter, of South Main street,
has been released from active duty
with the United States Navy after
six months treatment in a Naval
hospital for injuries received in the
invasion of Guam.
Now in the Naval Reserve, Lt.
Motter will make his home in Nash
ville, Tenn. He formerly lived in
Detroit.
Lt. Motter w’as a visitor with his
mother and brother, Myron Motter
and family, in Bluffton over the last
weekend.
With The Sick
Jacob Hochstettler of Spring
street, patient at Bluffton hospital is
reported critically ill.
Miss Betty Hilty, Bluffton college
student is convalescing following an
operation for appendicitis at Bluffton
hospital.
Mrs. Loren Schaller of Jenera is
improving following an operation
which she underwent Thursday at
Bluffton hospital.
Mrs. Peter Nusbaum w’ho has been
seriously ill at her home on North
Lawn avenue is somewhat improved.
Alva Morrison who has been ill
for some time at his home north of
Bluffton is reported in a critical con
dition.
A. D. Wells, former Bluffton resi
dent is reported seriously ill at Me
morial hospital, Lima.
In Philippines
Sgt. Francis Reichenbach in the
Pacific theatre of war is now in the
Philippines, according to word re
ceived by his wife. Sgt. Reichenbach
will have been overseas for two
years May 1.
BUY
uxnta
•TATS*
NUMBER 47
DRAFT DEFERMENTS
CONTINUE TO BE
HARDER TO OBTAIN
Few Men Under 30 Obtain De
ferments When Once Put
in Class 1-A
Local Board’s Classification of
Registrants Reversed in
Few Appeals
Selective Service appeal board de
cisions since January 1 have been sus
taining virtually 100 per cent of the
1-A draft classifications issued to
registrants under 30 years of age by
Allen county’s three local draft
boards.
Drafting of the men, 18 thru 29,
reflect® a sharp uptrend in the num
ber of replacements needed by the
armed forces during the early part
of 1945.
Since late December when local
boards were instructed to resume
drafting of men between the ages of
26 to 30, appeal panels have been de
luge.i with appeal cases, but very few
1-A classifications are changed by
their decisions.
Atho ordinarily an appeal may re
quire about one month to clear thru
regular channels, the appeals of men
under 30 are being disposed of
promptly.
Special Procedure
Men under 30 now have little chance
of remaining in a deferred classifica
(Continued on page 8)
Jesse D. Cummans
Rites Held Saturday
Jesse D. Cummans, 86, lifelong
resident of Orange township and
justice of the peace there for 28
years, died last Thursday morning at
his home after an illness of one
week.
He was the youngest of a family
of 15 children bom to James and
Sarah (Richie) Cummans. In Octo
ber, 1879, he was married to Emma
Gorby, w’ho survives with two daugh
ters, Mrs. Laura Wagner and Mrs.
Lulu Wagner, both of Orange town
ship seven grandchildren 18 great
grandchildren and one great-great
grandson.
Mr. Cummans had served as a
deacon of the Riley Creek Baptist
church for 32 years at one time was
moderator of the church, and taught
in the Sunday school.
He first was elected Orange town
ship justice of the peace in 1915
and filled that post for 28 years un
til failing health forced him to
relinquish the position.
He and his wife had resided at
his present home for 35 years, where
the couple last October celebrated
their 65th wedding anniversary.
Funeral services were held Satur
day afternoon at the Riley Creek
church, with the Rev. J. J. Angle
meyer, of New Stark, officiating.
Burial was in Hassen cemetery.
Lions Will Hear Talk
On Help For Cripples
Julien G. Garden, of Napoleon,
Northwest Ohio representative for
the Ohio Society for Crippled Child
ren, will be the speaker at a din
ner meeting of the Bluffton Lions
club at 6:15 p. m. next Tuesday
night in the Walnut Grill.
Gardner will speak on the work
of the society with crippled child
ren and adults and will show movies
of activities of the organization.
Hold Union Services
Here On Holy Week
Union services will be held in
Bluffton churches during Holy week
from Palm Sunday thru the follow
ing Wednesday, it is announced by
the Bluffton Ministerial association.
Speaker will be Dr. John M. Ver
steeg of Lima, recently appointed
superintendent of the Lima District
Methodist churches.
High School Junior
Joins Naval Service
Richard Newlan, 17, Bluffton high
school junior has enlisted in the
Navy and took his physical exam
ination in Cincinnati last week. He
is now awaiting his call for duty.
The youth is the son of Warner
Newlan of West Elm street.
Moves Here
Amos C. Suter has moved from
the Harry G. Lugibihl farm north
west of Bluffton to the property on
Mound street which he purchaae
from Russell Amstutz